(08-24-2026, 09:16 AM)Gone in 60 Wrote: Early Saturday morning, I took the Enfield over to Donut Derelicts. I've probably mentioned it, but this is the show that predates, and in a way begat all of the Cars and Coffee type shows we enjoy today, where enthusiasts gather early in the morning to show off their cars. This gathering is in Huntington Beach and has been going for many decades.
I got there at 7:30ish and it was starting to break up (this is a very early crowd), but still saw some awesome cars and bikes. I think I've shown this Torana before, but it made me think of Cormanus. The Rambler for sale next to it was pretty clean. No price listed, just Make Offer.
The CL350 here had just come off of restoration, and was attracting a lot of admirers. Note the example of an early factory-applied RLET.
um that's an SL 350
It doesn't matter what I ride, how far or how fast, only that I ride .... every day
I spy a Triumph TR6 in the background. I bought one in 1984 for $2500 in Lompoc, California. Loved that car. Replaced the engine once. I got a spare engine when I bought it. Sold the entire package when I bought my Porsche. The TR was a fun little car and fast, but not as good as the Porsche. Or as expensive. I did love that car.
There's a difference in riding a naked bike and riding a bike naked.
Won't make that mistake again.
2013 Honda CB1100 Standard. Gone, but not forgotten.
Yesterday, 09:39 AM (This post was last modified: Yesterday, 09:57 AM by Gone in 60.)
(08-24-2026, 05:13 PM)Nachodaddy Wrote: I spy a Triumph TR6 in the background. I bought one in 1984 for $2500 in Lompoc, California. Loved that car. Replaced the engine once. I got a spare engine when I bought it. Sold the entire package when I bought my Porsche. The TR was a fun little car and fast, but not as good as the Porsche. Or as expensive. I did love that car.
I love the look of the TR5 and TR6. That was the zenith of Triumph styling in my opinion. The Petersen does a cars-and-coffee style cruise-in on the last Sunday of the month. The recent theme was British cars, and it was very cool to see a few nice examples of both models. I particularly like them on red wall tires.
A new chapter unfolds in the Saga of the Baffles, including AI technology.
As I've mentioned in other posts, one of the muffler baffles on my Interceptor spat itself out on the 405 Freeway. I've been enjoying the sound, and Mrs. G has reported, carefully listening to me rumble away on our cul-de-sac and coming home that the volume level, while slightly elevated, is not annoying enough to be a bother to the neighbors. Still, I had ordered a replacement pair from Royal Rider, the same eBay seller in India that I used to purchase the mufflers a year ago.
They arrived, impeccably packed as always. I love receiving items from India. They are packed in the most bomb-proof manner, I think to reassure the buyer that even if the package fell out of the plane it was coming over on, it would be safe. Taking five minutes to extract one of the metal tubes from foam, bubble wrap and tape, I slid it into the muffler, and rather than a nice, tight fit, it thunked itself at the opening. Whuh?
Grabbing my Harbor Freight measuring device and the remaining original baffle, I could easily tell that the replacements were three millimeters larger than the original. No worky. Did I make a mistake? Looking at the product description, it said that these were a direct, OEM fit for my mufflers. Below the description, in the most carefully worded English possible, it pleaded with buyers that if there was any problem, to reach out to them and they would solve it, but please do not leave negative feedback.
No problemo. I sent them measurements and photos, and figured basic logic would prevail. A round thing doesn't fit into a hole smaller than the round thing. Unfortunately, the answer was that this was a direct replacement part and that I must need the video to understand how it goes in. No, let's consider the basic logic thing... no dice. I just kept being told that I must somehow be doing it wrong. I gave up and said that I'd just submit for a refund based on "Product does not match description."
That lit a fuse on a powder keg of threats. I would be responsible for return shipping to India, it would take a month, the item would probably get lost in shipping, and they'd refuse my refund anyway. But, as a consideration to me, they would consult the muffler manufacturer and get back to me as soon as they could.
Huh. Now that I have discovered the Power of AI, I asked Gemini to analyze the situation and ask for the probable outcome if I did submit for a refund. Gemini replied that I should have just done that in the first place, and that it was a common tactic for sellers like this to try to stall buyers by making threats of international shipping hazards and "let us talk to the other guys" to run the clock out on the return window. In other words "Shut up stupid and just submit the return".
All of this for baffles I don't really want any more anyway.
There's a difference in riding a naked bike and riding a bike naked.
Won't make that mistake again.
2013 Honda CB1100 Standard. Gone, but not forgotten.
10 hours ago(This post was last modified: 10 hours ago by Gone in 60.)
Enter Blood Bike #6.
She's a 2015 with almost 60k on the clock. The boss has been riding it as his commuter to his office, as we've been doing fine with five bikes liveried and in service so far. But, #3 is developing a slip in the clutch, so she'll be down for a while. The boss will have to put his GSA back into service for the commute, and hand over this one to me to convert to delivery service.
Yesterday evening I brought her home for the initial Welcome to the Fleet scrubbing and general look-over. Not sure what agency she served, as the faded decal residue on the side boxes just says POLICE, with no visible city or service. She rides nice enough, but has that hammered, faded gaze that will need some polishing up.
No down time on the calendar, and with deliveries starting this morning, I pulled an all-nighter to get the specimen box mounted, along with the Carpuride navigation screen, Quad-Lock phone mount and charger and spotlights. We don't have a livery decal kit for this one yet, so she'll be rolling Blues Brothers style for a while. The decal kits have exorbitant shipping and import charges, so this one will have to wait till the boss visits family in the UK in a few weeks, and he can bring it back with him.
When I have time to breathe a bit, she'll get a full service, as with the other bikes, we have no idea when any maintenance had last been completed.
2 hours ago(This post was last modified: 2 hours ago by Gone in 60.)
Interesting day filled with reflection about fragility of life. Breaking in the new bike, she rides remarkably well for almost 60k. My midnight temporary wiring jumped the power for the lights, phone charger and navigation screen to the lighter socket wires just to get them functioning till I can do a nicer job.
Might have been a tad much of a draw. Everything works but if I kick the lights from solid to strobe, it shuts all of my tentatively wired accessories off. I’m sure once I swap the headlights over to LED bulbs, I’ll buy back just enough amperage to satisfy the CAN Bus and keep everything running.
All of our medical samples drop off at the same laboratory in Van Nuys, and the other side of the 405 from the drop off approach was shut down to one lane with a fleet of fire trucks and emergency vehicles blocking the rest.
Getting back on the freeway for return would plant one of our guys right in the thick of the shutdown traffic, so I texted our dispatcher to let anyone else riding know about it.
I got a message back that it was a fatal motorcycle crash, black cruiser. That was not easy to hear. Just had to pass the scene again on a second run. While waiting for the second pickup I scanned local news about the crash. Witnesses said it wasn’t clear how he crashed, but if he didn’t hit a car, I have a suspicion that it might have been a buckled part of pavement in the left-hand car pool lane right where the crash occurred.
This is a gently curving area of freeway where a rider would probably be going over 70 mph. There’s a four-foot section of patched pavement that drops about a foot near the edge of the the freeway. As I approach it, I’m standing on the pegs to let the bike drop and let my legs be my shock absorbers. This exact spot is a very familiar one with local riders. A guy on a cruiser with short suspension travel, who might not be familiar with that spot would be caught off guard and probably very startled. This is all conjecture but I’ve always thought of how dangerous that thing is to riders.
Had some time between deliveries and could make a pass by the museum along the way. So, I dropped in to sign a condolence card for the family of my fellow docent who passed over the weekend. His family shared that he went in his sleep after enjoying a day of fishing, so hopefully his last thoughts were happy ones.
Walking back to my bike in the museum garage, guess what I saw? I’ve never seen this CB before, so I have to think it was ridden by a museum guest.
