And Of Course...

... everyone's seen this by now. Way to cover the brakes, Reynolds.

The Times, They Are a-Changin'

Hey, there's now a PCX 150 in white, like my Wanda!  And I was asleep this year in scooter news (pretty much), so not sure if this is a 2015 or '16, but they've changed some of the design, as well. Lookit the right of that photo above. TURN INDICATORS that aren't bug pods!

Honda changed the headlamp cover a bit, too, and again -- NO BUG PODS -- I reckon the integrated the turn indicators to fall in line with the rest of the world's version of the PCX. I personally like the starker angles of Wanda's headlamp cover, but this is a vast visual improvement over the Burgman-samey Forza front-end. Why they didn't do something like this on the Forza boggles my pointy haidbone.

A better shot of the rear turn indicators. Don't like the tail lamp cover as much as the old one, either.

I was shocked to see a DN-01 in person, but wasn't shocked when the owner offered to sell it to me for 50% off list. That'd still be $8K, but man, what a load of white elephant dung this  sucker must be on his floor. I'm thinking it'd be a great motopickle for moi, but I understand why only one one person at this dealership took it out for a 3-mile test ride, and said, "Nuh-uh." 680cc fuel-injected v-twin that is supposed to be tame (but still 100MPH+), non-CVT automatic transmission, no storage... but look at it. Just look. Holy Batman, Batman.

Sorry for the poor lighting and equally-crappy camera in my Moto E.

1P1P: No-One-Cares Bear

It's a bit Creepshow, really. Enhanced with Google photo editing tools, of course.

1P1P: Burgie, Burgie, um... Hayabusa?

Stopped by America's Motor Sports (no link -- never a sponsor!) on 8th to see if they had a replacement visor for my Fulmer AF-655 (they did not, damn the luck). My present one is scuffed up, but serviceable. I had to look at the bikes, which is also where I got the GROM photo. WANT.

Here, L to R, we have two Burgmans -- the 400, and the new (to U.S.) 200. That 200 must weigh in at 400lbs., and it has a seat as wide as Missouri. Can't imagine it's a great performer. Last bike is another 'Zuki of some sort. A nekkid sport bike.

The Things You See

Alas, I was in the truck at work when I took this today, but this is a beautiful view in Nolensville, TN (although the residents of this high-priced subdivision are served by the La Vergne Water System). Nice views, and half-million dollar homes. It must be nice.

A tune.

The Mysteriously Tipsy Wanda

Not such a mystery, as of this afternoon.

The small indention at the top, left-of-center?  One leg of Wanda's center stand made that.

The HOLE in the center?  GOPHERS.

Fuck, I'm awash in critters, here.

Good Move(s)

The move to Smyrna saved me over 20% on my insurance.

I picked up some odds-n-ends for Wanda at the dealership where she was uncrated, today. Had to order them, last weekend. I asked the service guys how much it would cost to have both tires changed. $175. That's with me supplying the tires.

Stopped at a place right on the Smyrna/Murfreesboro county muni line on my way back. They'll do it for $80, same day.

Did I mention my six-mile commute?

The Things You See

... that cannot be translated with a smartphone.

This is the moon, behind a barn and silo in Readyville, TN, the night after the lunar eclipse. In person, it looked like something out of a movie.

The HTC didn't even come close. I would have needed a tripod, small aperture and a 20 second exposure, minimum.
.

When Animals Attack!

Yes, I was very nearly mauled by a rabid, wild turkey. A tom. As I was riding home, tonight.

He was on the sidewalk on Harding Place, in front of Frugal McDoogal's (dunno why -- this is a mile from the airport). He saw me moving slowly in heavy traffic on the scoot, and just copped a major attitude. Damn, I wish someone would have videoed it. He stepped right off the sidewalk and made a beeline for me. Traffic moved just fast enough to keep me out of weapons range, but I started to worry that I might slam into the back of that white Dodge Caliber in front of me while watching this fowl beast running after me, right up the middle of the right, westbound lane of Harding Place @ I-24. Again, LMFAO, all the while.

No, silly -- I know birds can't carry rabies... do you think I'm a total dumbass? Still, this shit happened, and I LMFAO. One for the books, I tell ya.

UPDATE: Believe it.



Which leads me to want to play a joke on my scootnashville pals, just to see which of them reads this here blog. Next time you greet me, you better say, "gobble, gobble!"

Catching Up

Ramps to the moon: the intersection at Briley & Robertson, looking west at dusk, 2/20/2014.

February, 2014 was a freezing, foggy, freezing-fog-fuck of a month for me -- let no one understate that to you. I for one am glad to see it go... and I hope it ends up far up the ass of a groundhog, not even sanded, sideways. Any groundhog will do.

My electric bill was $202, the highest yet. To heat under 1000 square feet, people.

Getting to work many days was a test of endurance. The work was often taxing for the old man.

Some days were better than others. We had one day that was fully 75°F!

... but the reality was COLD, bitter fucking cold. Almost the entire month.

Consolation prize: I bought a refurb Dell Optiplex 755 to toss with my assorted peripherals to make up my first multi-core 3.0GHz CPU machine with 4GB of RAM. I'm living it up, 2007 style.

Naked

With today reaching 61°F, I decided to shave off the scruff for the first time in years. I also used the AF-655 to ride, tonight, a welcome change from the AF-M1.

Sunset over the Cumberland River, from Cleese's Ferry. I wanted to get the crescent moon in there.

Except for the black mirrors, this looks just like my last car, a 1994 Ford Mustang convertible.

Thanks, Obama!

Tonight's commute. Now we know which runway Air Force One uses to takeoff from BNA. It's the one that spans Murfreesboro Road.

Justice Served?

One can hope.

I was riding home Monday night, and as I approached Hamilton Church Rd., I could see that a van was waiting to come across my lane of Murfreesboro Rd. to make a left at the intersection (green rectangle). I quickly gave my horn a quick double toot when I saw the van edging forward, and by the time I got to the point where the photo above would look if the camera were on my helmet, the fool takes a shot at it. I was probably doing about 50 in a 45MPH zone coming down the hill as I was, so brakes and horn both went into "busy time." I avoided colliding with the van by a safe margin, and started up the hill.

As I got past the Dairy Queen up there on the left, I saw blue lights in my peripheral vision. Yep, that cop headed down the hill, did a li'l "whoop! whoop!" of their siren to warn traffic they were making a left down Hamilton Church, and a few seconds later, as I was waiting at the traffic light at the top of the hill, I heard the "whoop! whoop!" in the distance, again.

I think that made my day. Thanks, Metro Nashville PD.

Senses

We use our senses while riding, of course, but one of my favorites is the sense of  smell. 

Right now, the smell of late-season grilling greets my nose on the commute home. Freshly-cut grass is a favorite no matter the season. Sometimes, the unpleasant diesel and kerosene fumes, near the airport. Or the cigarette (or cannabis) smoke from a car a few yards ahead of me.

Soon will come the scent of dry leaves, wood-burning stoves, and dry, hard air.

Already, I dread the cold.

HF(C)S!

I will not ask anyone to explain this.

I found this, today. In Nashville.

Anyone who can pinpoint this where in Nashville this is on Google Maps will receive $10 towards whatever beer said person prefers. I'll post hints in coming weeks.

UPDATE:  Oh, look!  The bear holds a new object in its left paw!  Can you figure out what it is?

UPDATE II: HF(C)S AGAIN!  You can see this on Google Street View if you know where to look!

Road Games

This is not  my scrotum. Maybe my hand, as I try to put the HTC back in my pocket because the traffic light changed while I was trying to get a photo.

The t-shirt I was wearing on the commute, today. It was a gift. I assume this is a band I've never heard of, but I dunno. Like the bowlers.

Tennessee must have a thousand specialty plates. Seriously.

The Load, Unraveled

Sitting at the side of McGavock Pike. Yes, that is someone else's notebook PC in a Kenneth Cole bag.

Corner of Robertson & Annex, rolling into home base.

Glorious Monday

Awesomeness.

Today's Random Road Debris

A child's shoe. This made me sad for some reason.

Wednesday's Commute Home

Thompson Lane, just east of Nolensville Road, 8/7/2013, ~5:40p.m.

Much of the way home yesterday was punctuated by gridlocking idiots, shoulder-riders, hornblowers and just plain people who should not be allowed to command a land vessel of any sort.

One thang that might help at this location, Metro Government, is this: make the left turn arrow from Thompson Lane to Nolensville last for about 2 minutes per turn from 4:30p-6:00p. There's almost always a half-dozen assholes sitting, waiting to cut into that lane within 50 feet of Nolensville Road, holding up the left lane traffic heading west. That's why you see in the photo above I am in the right lane, at least a quarter-mile away, and usually I'm there by the time I pass I-24. That doesn't mean that I don't often have to choose between being taken out by someone trying to get around the assholes clogging the left lane there on Thompson, or those trying to head north on Nolensville traveling the same direction as I am.

This shit is dangerous. Please fix it.