Saturday, August 16, 2014

Saturday is errand day

Two years ago I knew that this would be a short,    very short,    riding year.   In fact, so short that I previously decided to not insure my BMW R1200R this year.  It was not worth paying insurance on two bikes so my Beemer has been sitting since I came back from my trip last year.  I have not started it since last September, 2013.

Since I did not ride my Vstrom much since last Spring and I knew I was going to be away last year on my Beemer, the insurance lapsed last June 2013   This Spring I insured my Vstrom but with the rain and the hot weather it also has been parked more than being ridden.  I have only ridden to work a handful of times and taken no pleasure rides.  I also don't like to tempt fate when I am on the verge of another long trip but on 4 wheels this year, so it too has been parked.   Since the insurance ran out last Friday (yesterday) I decided to put both bikes away for the season.   Fresh fuel stabilizer has been put into my Vstrom but I had not started the engine to circulate it through the system.   I also decided to start my Beemer and bring it up to operating temperature.   It took a couple of cranks and the tappets made such a racket since they were devoid of oil.  After a few minutes all seemed okay and the engine started to rev smoothly

Since we are not going to be around it was better to hibernate both of them and put them inside my secure and alarmed parking spot with battery maintainers connected



This was my shortest riding season ever.  We are only half way through Summer and here I am with no insurance on either bike and our Corvette is in Pennsylvania waiting for us . . .   Some one asked a question as to how I managed to get photos of our car in PA.   We managed to find a trustworthy person to receive our cars and park them somewhere secure until we arrived.   He snapped the photos when the cars were unloaded to show us that they arrived undamaged

Since I only had my commuter car I decided to go down to Granville Island


and after a bit of friendly interaction I was able to get my VIP badge from  Make Vancouver.  (info here) 


I get all of my T-shirts printed here.   They have a DTP: Direct to Print garment printer.  Actually they have two, one for dark and one for white T-shirts.  I don't like those iron-on print transfers as they feel like cardboard.   Here the ink is printed directly onto the material and is, more or less, permanent.  I bring my PSD files and they can tweek it a bit for you and even do a test print on a sample to confirm what the colours are like before they actually use a real T-shirt.   I know the girls down here but since I had not been around for a few months I thought I would visit, and as it turned out, I also ended up buying something too.  Sometimes the people I know are scheduled for different days so now I have a VIP badge and will continue to get my discounted price by flashing my "badge"

    Phaedra and Leah

Yes, Phaedra is the same as in the Nancy Sinatra song "some velvet morning", and we were recently rocking to Roy Orbison's Leah not long ago.  There is a video floating around somewhere of all of us singing  . . .

I find it a very pleasant place to visit and they are great people to deal with

   I'm the happy one on the right

If you come to Vancouver, make sure to visit Granville Island and to go the Make Vancouver store.

Two more sleeps . . .   next post will come to you live from Harrisburg, PA.   You should be able to follow our GPS tracks.  I have already put the link on the right sidebar under "current trip" but I need to get there to install new batteries first.


17 comments:

  1. Rain, no motorcycles, high calorie food: my first thought would be to go to Pennsylvania. Give them hell in the Quaker State.

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    1. Mr Conchscooter

      We only start in PA. We should be in Northern FL by the first week of September. We are going to the heart of Amish country on Tuesday

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  2. I can hardly wait to see pictures! Have an excellent trip!

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    1. Dar:

      I can hardly wait for photos too. I am even bringing my "new to me" camera. We are going to scheduled events for the first couple of weeks and then we head out on our own, free-syling it. No particular route and just winging it and try to find a new home each night

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  3. Bob - do they print pics on shirts? I'd love to get a pic of my bike on a t-shirt.

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  4. Hey Bob. You guys have a safe trip. Looking forward to your progress.
    Cheers
    Tim P

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    1. Tim:

      You should be here WITH US. take your bike apart and put it in the trunk, either that, or rent one when you get there. I have a link to my GPS SPOT tracker on the right side. Just click "Current Trip". No data right now until I get there and replace the batteries

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  5. Have a wonderful trip. Life isn't all about motorcycling, Bob, it is about enjoying what you can have. And now your are going to have some quality time with your missus.

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    1. Sonja:

      I'm not consumed with riding and ride when I am able. I also don't ride on Sundays unless it is preplanned or whilst on a trip. It will be a challenge to be in a small space for multi weeks. It will also be a challenge to eat healthy and not gain too much weight

      Delete
  6. You're ahead of the game with the bikes already winterized, now you can sit back and relax and enjoy the trip. Looking forward to pictures (can't wait to see what 2,000 corvettes in one place looks like!)

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    1. Karen:

      When we get back the season would nearly be over. I'm not sure I want to reinsure any bike as by then we would be in our rainy season and would have to buy at least 3 months insurance. I think once you see one vette, then it is just more vetts in one place.

      Funny how the factory produces corvettes and ships them all over the country. And it's our job to drive them all back and assemble on the same day

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  7. Only one more day, eh? I'm looking forward to numerous posts with tons of photos and videos. After all, you aren't constrained by weight and space. Well maybe a little bit on space.

    Bikes all set for the winter? It looks like I'm not the only one doing that...

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    1. Richard:

      Yep, one more restless sleep. Get up at 3;30am and get to YVR before 5am and head to Toronto for our next plane

      Corvettes are not known for storage. I have to keep 25% of the trunk vacant for the top, when it goes down. I also packed 3 chairs so we have a place to sit at the events. My friend is packing a 10x10 canopy with our club banner and it takes up half his trunk. I also have a cooler. couldn't fit in the kitchen sink

      as for the bikes, wasn't going to pay for insurance if we are away, but then again may not insure on the last week of September. Winter has now become "your" season to ride. Absence of heat. I'm sure you're looking forward to it

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  8. Remember Bob- Calories don't count when you are on vacation. :-)

    Now I know how you got the pics. Great idea. Have a great flight today. I am sure you'll be relieved to be reunited with the Vette and see for yourself it is fine.

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  9. Have fun in Pennsylvania....:-). That is my home state!

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