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Posted by JagLite
- January 06, 2016, 21:22:56 PMStart looking for that farm now 
We decided to start looking with no rush factor.
My wife did get very frustrated when I wasn't interested in one place after another that she liked.
She said that I would never find what I wanted at a price we could afford.
About a year later one came on the market that I did like so we jumped on it.
We needed place to park the 36' motorhome, two (now three) utility trailers, at least five cars, a fenced yard for the dogs but not a lot of land to maintain. We had that at our hillside house and it took too much time keeping it presentable.
I really enjoyed being out in the sticks, but the rich people were building all around us and soon we wouldn't have been "out of town" just out in an expensive area.
I liked the quiet and privacy out there and wanted something like that in town.
This house is at the end of a dead end circle in an older established neighborhood so we have no drive by traffic and we are both happy with how private it feels here and yet I am only 3 miles from work and can come home for lunch if I want.
After buying this place we put the hill house on the market and sold it for what we wanted.
That way we could pay this place off and still had $30k or so left over.
We did spend a year remodeling this place and are still working on projects inside and out but we plan to stay here for the duration so it is no hurry to finish them.
Far too many people sell their house and then pick the best of what is available at that time to choose from.
On Drifter news, my new Borla muffler showed up today and UPS will deliver my pipe bender tomorrow so I can get started on the new exhaust system... 
Posted by DC
- January 06, 2016, 20:27:30 PMQuote from: JagLite on January 04, 2016, 23:07:34 PMI'm at the same point in life, where I should be downsizing. Get a smaller, cheaper place, get rid of a mortgage, go with everything on one floor, etc. I'm looking to have more land though and get away from neighbors. I'm just looking for a small farm set up where I can keep all kinds of utility trailers, and construction/farm equipment (I'll buy and sell) outside and no one can complain about the look of the place. I'm in an HOA setting in a regular neighborhood with sky high school taxes. It's time for a change.It only took me 60 years to get my own little shop.
Actually, I did have a one car garage/shop for the past 15 years in the house we built.
We sold it and bought this old place, it was built in '75 as a starter (cheap) house.
So it is opposite our custom home with the best of everything we could afford.But this one is one level instead of three, has a level driveway instead of a steep, curving, long driveway that took me three hours to plow every time it snowed, is in town instead of half an hour drive... and best of all, it is paid off. (Yay!)
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 05, 2016, 17:21:12 PM eh! guess your right eh!
Posted by JagLite
- January 05, 2016, 15:48:43 PMThere is rust like that everywhere unfortunately.
Ah, well, anyone buying a bike that lived in Florida should expect that, eh?
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 05, 2016, 11:43:34 AM 
see some work needs to be done on the inside of the front rotor...........
Posted by JagLite
- January 05, 2016, 09:43:49 AMHere is the head pipe showing the reduced diameter
And here is the piece of flex tubing
It is very thin steel, galvanized, and very light.
Life span before rust through will be much shorter than a good heavy duty steel pipe.
My new wheel truing/balancing stand being inspected by Bobby
He approves
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2016, 23:50:38 PMremember pictures of your work are greatly enjoyed by all.....
Posted by JagLite
- January 04, 2016, 23:07:34 PMThanks guys, I like my shop even though it is a long term work in progress to get it where I want it to be eventually.
With white painted walls, cabinet doors, less clutter with a place for everything and everything in its place. Someday...
It only took me 60 years to get my own little shop.
Actually, I did have a one car garage/shop for the past 15 years in the house we built.
We sold it and bought this old place, it was built in '75 as a starter (cheap) house.
So it is opposite our custom home with the best of everything we could afford.
But this one is one level instead of three, has a level driveway instead of a steep, curving, long driveway that took me three hours to plow every time it snowed, is in town instead of half an hour drive... and best of all, it is paid off. (Yay!)
Robyn has a sewing room, I have a man cave, we have a guest room, and I have my shop.
It makes coming home from work looking forward to an hour or two playing with my projects really nice.
Tonight I had two boxes delivered, one is the wheel truing stand and the other is the flex tube for the Drifter's new exhaust system.
Interesting stock exhaust design...
The headpipe is 1.625" for about 8" and then it cuts down to 1.375" heading to the muffler under the swingarm. I am used to stepped pipes on exhausts but I don't remember ever seeing one that stepped DOWN in size.
I'm sure they had a reason, even if it wasn't for performance, packaging perhaps?
The general thinking (as I understand it) to increase torque at low rpm is to use a smaller headpipe diameter.
To add more power higher a larger pipe diameter is used.
And for a good all around power range a smaller diameter headpipe is used for a certain length and then the pipe diameter increases for less back pressure as the rpm increases.
I'm using 1.5" flex for the curves, and the same size for the straight tube.
The muffler has 2.5" inlet and exit so I will be using reducers to match up.
The plan is to make it double wall with 1.5" tubing wrapped with exhaust heat wrap all inside 2.25" flex and straight tube. The pipe wrap will cut down on heat transfer and keep the inner and outer pipes from rattling together. That's the plan so far, I will find out if it is successful or a failure. I'm using a Borla muffler.
That's the fun part of projects, thinking it is a good idea, before the reality shoots it down in flames.
Sometimes. Usually I am very happy with how a project comes out.
Sure I would do it differently next time, but I can always come up with a better way to do things...
After I've done it.
Life is a learning experience, eh?
Posted by bambam0099
- January 04, 2016, 19:37:44 PMQuote from: CDNRatMan on January 04, 2016, 15:04:40 PMOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you really know how to touch a nerve!!!! :-)Bam et me help you get over that envious feeling really fast, how much would the taxes be on a shop like that in your back yard in NY state........
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2016, 15:04:40 PM Bam let me help you get over that envious feeling really fast, how much would the taxes be on a shop like that in your back yard in NY state........ 
Posted by bambam0099
- January 04, 2016, 12:44:43 PMQuote from: CDNRatMan on January 03, 2016, 23:38:24 PMI'll 2nd that ... envious of your shop! Very nice setup!Boy to dream of a shop like that ......
Posted by tj
- January 04, 2016, 09:07:57 AMThat's awesome!
Posted by DC
- January 04, 2016, 01:51:08 AMIt looks pretty fancy to me. I'm jealous too. 
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 03, 2016, 23:38:24 PM Boy to dream of a shop like that I have to work in my living room and I was green with envy when I saw GB's shop now I am double green with envy........
All very nice and the bikes look really good......
Posted by JagLite
- January 03, 2016, 22:34:18 PMI thought I would document the changes, modifications, and things learned while working on my '99 Drifter.
Most of you have seen my ride report " Drifting to Alaska" and probably remember the background story of buying the bike on Ebay and then having it shipped to my brothers house in Weott CA.
I flew down from Alaska in June, 2015 and rode it back to Anchorage with zero problems.
Before actually riding the bike I didn't know if it would be a keeper or a one trip pony.
Early on I knew it is a keeper. 
I also started a mental list of changes I wanted to make.
Last month I started by making the lift/skid plate so I would have a stable platform for the bike while the wheels are off.
Works just right too.
Today I spent a few minutes bolting on the new rear bars;
They are excellent! Just what I hoped they would be. 
I cut a couple boards to hold the bike safely off the ground without leaving it on my jack after I removed the front wheel:
I cut them long in case I felt the need to put eye bolts in and use straps.
But the bike is so heavy it is solid on the flat surface of the skid plate so I could cut them shorter...
I spent an hour removing the front wheel and fender, the seat, the leather saddle bags, and the exhaust system.
This is where i was at when I quit for the day:
The tools I used:
Something I learned today:
Don't use Locktite on the front caliper fender cover screws that go into rubber sleeve nuts.
The rubber just spun and the screw didn't loosen up.
I ended up wedging a screwdriver into the backside of the rubber to hold it while I spun the screw out.
I had put blue Locktite on every nut, bolt, and screw when I took it apart in CA to replace the tires and tubes.
Winter project plans for the Drifter:
Paint the fenders and tank a more subdued color(s) to look "old".
I don't care for the green.
Make a better mount for the Singh solo saddle.
Repaint various black parts of the bike that are rusting.
Paint some (most) of the chrome trim black.
Paint the rims.
Build a new exhaust system that looks "old" using flex pipe, simple muffler and paint it black.
Make new panniers that are larger and look more like what a budget bound owner in 1948 might have made at home.
The Drifter is one of 4 bike projects I am working on this winter.
The Street Tracker is getting painted another color, a billet aluminum oil cooler, and possibly a round headlight instead of the number plat with dual lights.
The new exhaust pipe and muffler I already added to it this winter.
The Rickman Metisse I have been building for a couple years will (finally!) get the rebuilt Triumph TR6 engine installed and a new rear rim and spokes:
My Suzuki V-Strom 650 (I am calling it a T-Strom since I am using Yamaha TW 200 wheels) is getting the most work done on it with new wheels and tires (180/14 rear, 130/18 front) with hybrid forks, all plastic removed, new design fuel tank and seat, new rear subframe, new exhaust system, fenders, lights, pannier racks, engine guard bars and skid plate. It will be at least a two winter project.
And so you don't think I have a fancy shop, it's just a messy garage with basic tools:
