Smitch's solo ride adventures! No pics :(

[Smitch]

Gang,

Had a couple crazy things happen the last couple of days when I was tooling about on my own, and I dare not miss the chance to share them with you all and miss out on all your loving insults.

Event #1: Just buzzed over to my parents house to pick something up and took the long way home.  My front tire started feeling really weird, slipping from side to side, and definitely producing a slight "thumpathumpathump."  I thought my tire was flat, and was worried I was fragging my $800 Marchesini, so I pulled over to see what was the matter.

I wish I'd had a camera so you could see, but it was a big lump of tar spread 8 inches down the middle of my tread!  Must have picked it up at a stoplight or something.  It was so gooey I was able to just scrape most of it off with my fingers.  So, watch out for that crap on the cracks of the road on a hot day. Anybody else had this happen?

Event #2:  Got Whitey cranked up to 131 mph indicated.  A new personal best.  She had more juice of course, but I was satisfied with that and throttled down.  And no, I was not going down Academy, or Powers, or I-25.  I was elsewhere, all by myself, no traffic.

Event #3: Oh, I'll catch hell for this one.  It's the second time I've done it.  Never happened on my Monster, but something about this slick new unit makes me all goofy and stupid.
Left the gas cap unlatched after filling up.  The first time it happened I only realized it after I got home.  But this time, I got a nice cold splash of 91 octane in my crotch while passing a car.  That was a shock!  I was like, "Did I just pee my pants?  Did the sky open up and only rain on my crotch?  Then it hit me, "Doh!"  I had to pull over to latch it, and then was stuck behind that slow car again! 

[cooleye]

Gang,

Had a couple crazy things happen the last couple of days when I was tooling about on my own, and I dare not miss the chance to share them with you all and miss out on all your loving insults.

Event #1: Just buzzed over to my parents house to pick something up and took the long way home.  My front tire started feeling really weird, slipping from side to side, and definitely producing a slight "thumpathumpathump."  I thought my tire was flat, and was worried I was fragging my $800 Marchesini, so I pulled over to see what was the matter.

I wish I'd had a camera so you could see, but it was a big lump of tar spread 8 inches down the middle of my tread!  Must have picked it up at a stoplight or something.  It was so gooey I was able to just scrape most of it off with my fingers.  So, watch out for that crap on the cracks of the road on a hot day. Anybody else had this happen?

Event #2:  Got Whitey cranked up to 131 mph indicated.  A new personal best.  She had more juice of course, but I was satisfied with that and throttled down.  And no, I was not going down Academy, or Powers, or I-25.  I was elsewhere, all by myself, no traffic.

Event #3: Oh, I'll catch hell for this one.  It's the second time I've done it.  Never happened on my Monster, but something about this slick new unit makes me all goofy and stupid.
Left the gas cap unlatched after filling up.  The first time it happened I only realized it after I got home.  But this time, I got a nice cold splash of 91 octane in my crotch while passing a car.  That was a shock!  I was like, "Did I just pee my pants?  Did the sky open up and only rain on my crotch?  Then it hit me, "Doh!"  I had to pull over to latch it, and then was stuck behind that slow car again! 

  Wow, Smitch...

Event 1 - I have seen before, but not that bad. Maybe it was just chewing gum, and you thought it was tar because of the 91 octane getting to your brain....

Event 2 - I am reporting you to CSPD. Hooliganism/Shenanigans and the like will not be tolerated around here. Dont you know rule number 1 of Ducati Club: Your bike is made for looking at....not for riding or speeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Get with the program

Event 3 - Hmmmm....this sounds very close to squid behavior...maybe you should go to the Dr. and get yourself checked out.....

[Smitch]

My only defense is that event 1 happened before event 3, so no fumes were affecting my perception of gunk amounts stuck on my tire!

You are correct, that WAS squidly of me on the gas cap.  I throw myself on the mercy of the club!

[Scottish]

For your pennence you shall find us a .... SCHRUBBERY!!! ....and cut down the largest tree in the forest with a HERRING!!! On another note I rode to Alb. this weekend and took my 695/620 up to 125mph on 285 started getting a little jittery at that speed, a steering damper would be in order for any faster on my steed. I think the 800 mile round trip high speed blast just about killed my chain and sprocket though. They are looking a little worn now.

[Smitch]

Hmmm, WDB, maybe we should call your bike a 657.5 since that's right in the middle of 620 and 695.  What do you think she'll top out at?  I need top speed evaluation!

[Scottish]

Meh..... I don't know, it had some left, prolly not a whole lot. It's 695 motor, registered as a 620 with Frankenpieces from everything. If you're familar with 285 in SoCO it has a lot of tar lines so it was starting to jitter-bug quite a bit. Either way I'll bet your 848 could eat it for lunch and come back for a snack.  BTW, how do you not lock your gas cap? My key stays in it from the time I open it till I close it. Just curious how you manage to get into such Tom-foolery? BTW 285 in northern NM, toal top speed run for prolly 80 miles. Light traffic no LEO, and straight views for eva the pavements in good shape too.

[Smitch]

The window for opportunity on hastling me for the gas cap has closed! 

Ahhh, who am I fooling, that's not true...

I'm a douche, I take my key out after I open it so the keychain won't rub on the tank.

[Heffay]

The window for opportunity on hastling me for the gas cap has closed! 

Ahhh, who am I fooling, that's not true...

I'm a douche, I take my key out after I open it so the keychain won't rub on the tank.

you're only a douche because you have a keychain on your bike key!  no scratchy things... i like things like those small camera straps that loop around your wrist attached to only one bike key.  we (my girlfriend and i) have all our bike keys separate and no danglers for this very reason. 

i was going to ask you how you started the bike w/ the key in the gas  cap.   

catch ya later speedy.

[Smitch]

you're only a douche because you have a keychain on your bike key!  no scratchy things... i like things like those small camera straps that loop around your wrist attached to only one bike key.  we (my girlfriend and i) have all our bike keys separate and no danglers for this very reason. 

i was going to ask you how you started the bike w/ the key in the gas  cap.   

catch ya later speedy.

Always nice to have you drop in Heffay!  I'm just trying to be more like you in the speed department!

[Heffay]

I'm just trying to be more like you in the speed department!

are you allowed to say that on here since i don't own a duc? 
 

oh, maybe someday... but i already spent my financial aid on two bikes and now i'm out of school.  guess i need to figure out another bike fund.   

[Smitch]

are you allowed to say that on here since i don't own a duc? 
 

I learned a while back that it ain't the bike, it's the rider that matters!  I bet you could whip me on a Ninja 250!  Okay maybe not, but you're fast dude.

[Gringo 999]

Event #3: Oh, I'll catch hell for this one.  It's the second time I've done it.  Never happened on my Monster, but something about this slick new unit makes me all goofy and stupid.
Left the gas cap unlatched after filling up.  The first time it happened I only realized it after I got home.  But this time, I got a nice cold splash of 91 octane in my crotch while passing a car.  That was a shock!  I was like, "Did I just pee my pants?  Did the sky open up and only rain on my crotch?  Then it hit me, "Doh!" 

Smitch,

Okay, okay, okay...  look:

1) Could have happened to anyone.  Cool points still intact.   

2) Bonus cool points, but now the traffic gestapo know who you are.   

3) Major cool point deduction.  Agree with Cooleye that this borders on squidishness.   

Okay.  Now your penance is to lead a ride.   

Cheers,

Il Duce

[Scottish]

Bummer, that'll be like following a city bus....







  I kid Smitch.

[bonfy]

Hmmm, WDB, maybe we should call your bike a 657.5 since that's right in the middle of 620 and 695.  What do you think she'll top out at?  I need top speed evaluation!

I'm not sure what the Dragon will top out at, but I paid a toll of $1.35 on I-40 back while I still owned it.  I am a shade lighter than WDB so I could probably get a little more out of it.  There was a crosswind that made the front end get kind of skittery at that point.  Still had some left, but backed off.  My nerves of steel buckled before he did. 

Anymore adventures, Smitch?  I enjoyed reading about them thoroughly.     They were pretty impressive, but I'll bet you've never caught your grunders in the chain:

[Smitch]

Bonfy slices, she dices, she'll even make you a Strawberry-Chainlube smoothie!

Your fabric shredding sprockets are still less squidly than leaving the gas tank open though!


RE: my 131 mph experiment - Just read in the Pueblo paper ( a follow up to a squid killing himself doing 124-145 mph and striking a car IN TOWN) that at 124 mph you are covering the length of a football field in 1.5 seconds!