Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners

[wobblywalrus]

Hi Freud.  One thing I miss is building things with my family and friends.  The boys all moved out and my shop hours are 5:00 AM to 6:50 AM weekday mornings, 8:30 PM till 10:00 PM on weekday nights, and a few hours on the weekend if I get the time.  Sorta hard to get out of the "working alone like a hermit" lifestyle with those hours. 

[wobblywalrus]

The Portland swap meet was last week.  Some us have a weakness and make impulse buys.  I know I have a problem so I drove up to the station nearest the swap meet and took the train up to the meet.  This limited me somewhat.  I could not get a roadster, etc, back home with me.

This is the biggest meet I have been to.  It took all of an afternoon to cover about a third of it.  Never have I seen so many manifolds.  The micrometer is an old American made one in good condition.  It cost five bucks.  The center gage for a combination square was two dollars.  The oil bottle has a spout like they used at gas stations in the old days before quart cans, it was $15.  Perfect for filling dirt bikes.  The hat was on sale.  I got a racers discount.

It was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

[Koncretekid]

Nice cheap day and I wish we had something like that here!  If I flew out, I'd never get thru the metal detectors to get back on the plane.

I see you even got your own face printed on the oil can - - priceless!

[wobblywalrus]

There are two ways to get a college degree in the US.  One is to go straight into a 4-year college or university.  That is what kids do whose fathers have oil wells in their back yards.  The other is to go to a 2-year community college, get a transfer degree, and to finish the last two years in a four year school.  This costs a lot less and it is what most people in our area do.  Gretchen is working hard to graduate from high school in December 2014 so we can go to AUS in Feb/March 2015.  She is working extra-extra hard to get a state scholarship to the two year school.  It is based on merit.  That scholarship, some money I saved, and her working should get her a four year degree.  I am also trying to talk her into joining our illustrious military.  That is not working at present.

The high school wants here here in Spring 2015 for some classes and tests prior to going to college.  It is part of the scholarship.  That is when we were going to be in AUS.  Now I am looking at things we can do in Summer 2015.  Racing in SA on the Kilahari, the Queensland lake, or Pendine are things we are talking about.  Not sure where we will go at this time.

The bike is coming along pretty well.  This is just a lot of hard work and nothing notable to post or crow about.   The tail is having new lower skirts installed to fit around the new mufflers.  Some hacking is involved to get my feet to fit on the moved-to-the-rear pegs.  The bike has a production frame and full streamlining.  This is illegal for any AMA class.  We will run at BUB this year in FIM in 1000cc streamlined twin cylinder.  It is a 159 mph record so I will get it this year.  I can see how close I am and this tells me what I need to do to get the record back where it belongs.  On my wall.

[salt27]

Bo, I had to go look but all I found was mud in my back yard, no oil.   

Don, with one kid in a 4 year college and another headed there in 5 months.

Student loans and scholarships, It's not easy.

[grumm441]

The high school wants here here in Spring 2015 for some classes and tests prior to going to college.  It is part of the scholarship.  That is when we were going to be in AUS.  Now I am looking at things we can do in Summer 2015.  Racing in SA on the Kilahari, the Queensland lake, or Pendine are things we are talking about.  Not sure where we will go at this time.

And I thought there might be bad news
Well, if you're going to miss out, at least it's for a good cause
G

[Hoody]

or Pendine are things we are talking about. 

May be worth contacting the Pendine organisers first if you are considering that? Last i heard there may be a question mark over whether it is taking part there this year?

[wobblywalrus]

Don, I know what you mean.  My oldest girl did the 4-year school thing.  There was at least 0.75 roadsters worth of samolians spent on that.

That post I made has a typographical error.  There is no way I will get 159 mph this year.  I will get some performance data to tell me if it can be done and what I need to do.

Right now I am looking real hard at running in SA.  The currency exchange rate makes it look god.  They race on the Haskeen Pan for times and not records.  The experience of getting there and back is worth a lot and this is especially true for the young lady.  Its value to her is more than any record is to me, I figure.  We are also looking at Pendine.  We know some folks that race at BUB and on the sands. 

[salt27]

Bo,
  Parental involvement is important and you seem to have a good handle on it.

Gretchen is a lucky girl.


Don

[Freud]

Gretchen is a marvelous young lady.

She helps me so well at the Bonneville NW Reunion.

FREUD

[tauruck]

Don, I know what you mean.  My oldest girl did the 4-year school thing.  There was at least 0.75 roadsters worth of samolians spent on that.

That post I made has a typographical error.  There is no way I will get 159 mph this year.  I will get some performance data to tell me if it can be done and what I need to do.

Right now I am looking real hard at running in SA.  The currency exchange rate makes it look god.  They race on the Haskeen Pan for times and not records.  The experience of getting there and back is worth a lot and this is especially true for the young lady.  Its value to her is more than any record is to me, I figure.  We are also looking at Pendine.  We know some folks that race at BUB and on the sands. 

You have a place to stay in Johannesburg if you like.

[fordboy628]

I am also trying to talk her into joining our illustrious military.  That is not working at present.

Wobbly,

My youngest up and joined "our illustrious military" with no warning 2 1/2 years ago.    One year in, and his brigade was deployed to Afghanistan for 9 months.    Neither I or my wife got much sleep during that time.

His company lost 7 soldiers during the deployment, including 2 girls who were 68 Whiskeys, Combat Medics.

Not a choice I would have made or advised for him, but I am adjusting to the fact that he is not me, nor even a clone of me.

Just 2 cents from a dad who doesn't want his kid returned in a box . . . . . . .   a sentiment shared by every parent, I'm sure.

Fordboy

Sorry for the thread hi-jack.

[wobblywalrus]

The overseas trip is on hold for now and we will be running at BUB on an 159 mph FIM record.  That is a higher speed than I was originally building for with a much shorter time to get ready.  Needless to say, I am a busy beaver.

The picture is one of Scooter's we used for an article in an English magazine a couple of years ago.  Note how my head is high and my back is not flat and matching the slope on the the top of the tail.

The bike is assembled on the bench with all of the streamlining on it.  This is essential before I start to cut and hack.  I need to see the shape of the entire thing.  This assures it will be what I want when I am done.     

[wobblywalrus]

My feet are being moved back so it is easier to get down on the tank.  Also, I am going on a diet.  It is working.  I lost 10 lbs already.  This is one performance mod that actually saves money.

[wobblywalrus]

This afternoon I put on the monkey suit, boots, and lid, and Rose took some pix.

The first shows the top part of me.  My vision seez a view with the horizon at the bottom and the upper edge of the helmet eyeport at the top.  The only thing I can do is grow a longer neck to get my helmet more horizontal.  That is not happening so my head is as low as it can go.

The second shows my leg and foot.  There is an opportunity to add some sheet metal along the sides here.  FIM regs say all of me, including my hands, need to be visible from the sides, so I cannot add too much.