Sorry for the late reply, been having my hands full for several days with a million things, got a particularily pesky browser hijacker virus on my computer so been browsing with my phone only, the truck's been in a repair shop with a blown head gasket since monday after having yet another flat a few weeks ago and got into a fender bender last week (not my fault), because of that and the previously mentioned house dispute been running in the bank and in the meantime tried to make good use of the unexpected "holiday" trying to fit an engine heater to the Volvo. Got the cabin socket wire pulled through the firewall after a biblical battle today with the help of my neighbor, tomorrow gotta fit the remaining wiring and refit the fan turbine and the glove compartment...

Now this NZ woman... am I missing something here? Or have you made... certain arrangements... anyhow love those suicide doors in the 4cv

That's an.......interesting build, I kinda like steampunk stuff but IMO the revolving dish as well as the guitar seems a bit out of place.

Congrats on your big day! should probly have sent you the latest issues of the local bike mags again

I'll try if I could get the report written during the weekend, as said been a bit busy as well as not in the best of moods to sugar coat it a tiny bit...



In the meantime please enjoy this lovely picture I managed to get this monday from what may be the last ride of the season, monday-tuesday night we had the first frost here and after that the temperature took a plunge so if I don't run into some "stolen days" probly not gonna ride any more this year.

 

"Mattson, putting the PRO to procrastination since 1985"

Still haven't gotten round to do the daym writeup of the exhibition, or so much than lay a finger on the Derbi, but I did have my hands full last night rubbing and buffing the bike like there's no tomorrow.



Little teaser why, hopefully seeing the end results within a few weeks.

 

Small update, nothing major but had the sudden inspiration to write something.

So as anyone with half a brain had probly figured out from the picture above the bike is going to be featured in a magazine shortly. Which one I cannot tell until it`s out, but I can say it`s not a small local one Will be posting pictures when it`s printed, the reporter wasn`t sure will it make it to the next issue that appears later this month or will it be on the one that comes at January next year.

Now to the update.... which will have nothing to do with the bike

As I`ve mentioned in a few other threads I recently purchased a new helmet. The Nolan is slowly moving towards the end of it`s lifespan and as all old things do have developed a few creeks and whines, it still works but it`s beginning to show it`s been around as parts like the sunglasses are starting to droop after every big bump. So I`ve been on the hunt for something a bit different. I`ve read countless of evaluations about all of those badass fighter helmets like Bandit, Simpson etc, and the general consensus seems to be that even though they do cost quite a bit of money, most of them 300eur and more, a vast majority of them is utter crap. If I`m paying 300 for a helmet I`d expect it to be light, well carbon fiber is light I`ll give them that, I`d expect it to be silent which these lids are NOT, bloody hell I`d expect even to have a sealed non-leaking pinlock equipped visor which the aforementioned makes receive zero out of three stars so my attention has been turned towards another types of helmets. I would never accept an MX lid as I expect to be able to ride with it in all weather conditions from scorching sunshine to a sideways sleet storm if need be, and if at all possible the helmet should be modular, so the search has been quite a long one.



Until I was hinted via another bike forum of something completely different altogether.








































































































Ladies and gentlemen I present to you: The Caberg Tourmax. It was on a 40% sale in one net shop in Finland so I decided I`d give it a whirl, if it doesn`t fit my head I can always return it or swap to another size. I ended up paying 149eur for it which wasn`t too bad a tall IMO since the original price was around 250. To my knowledge this is the world`s first and so far the only modular Dual-Sport helmet in existense which kinda explains the low demand: people simply don`t search for stuff that isn`t there.

Haven`t been able to ride with it yet as the weather has been very damp and teetering around 0c for all week but hoping to squeeze even a small ride in during the coming weekend. All I know so far is that the fit is really snug, I can barely squeeze my melon in but once you get past the slight discomfort it is obvious that this is the right size for me, it just needs a bit of time to seat in, after all it IS and ADV helmet so it is designed to not move even if tossed about a bit.

Test reports will follow once a test ride can be made, hopefully before spring.

 

Looks good for the fighter!

 

Well guys a bit of bad news, well bad for me anyway...

Long story short I`ve had a S**T year.

Blown three tires from my truck which BTW costs a grand a pop when being brought and fitted on-site, have gotten into a collission, have had two head gaskets fail and the repair shop blundering the fix majorly which cost me over two weeks of income, now it needs both EBS pressure modulator boxes changed which cost over three thousand, the inheritance house dispute I mentioned earlier is STILL going on, we have made an offer and are waiting for an answer, in order to avoid court, which feels about as unfair as it gets as we strongly feel the buyer has already gotten the discount once in the selling price which was already reduced due to the house`s age, major repairs to both cars, just swapped the doublemass flyweel to the skoda that was a two grand gig and now it needs a new cambelt, the MOT on the Volvo expires by the end of the year and to pass I need to figure out why the automatic headlight adjustment isn`t working, and oh did I mention our second child is about to born within the next month.

Needless to say all this has left me financially in dire straits, and decisions have had to be made. As much as it pains me I really don`t see an another option to be able to keep my bike than to return the plates and not ride at all during the next summer. This will easily save me a thousand euros in insurance and gas costs, and most propably cost me my sanity on the side, but I really cannot shake up any more aces from my sleeves. Can`t be doing a whole lot of anything fun that requires funds during the next year as I got to save up every damn cent to keep my head above. Going to be a hard year I`ll tell you that but luckily I know it will ease up quite a bit after that as several big loans get paid in full in december 2016. Probly explains a little why I haven`t been around here that much either, just don`t have the motivation to do much of anything right now... Can`t even rejoice about the newcomer cause so much s**t is weighing in my neck of which I got guilt... Haven`t nearly touched the moped either, just can`t be arsed to get myself involved to that ATM, luckily there`s good time to get that done when the inspiration hits.

Right now all I can do really is try to save up enough to be able to do at least one track day on a trailer, and wait for info about will I be getting in to the big exhibition or not...

 

Sorry to hear Mattson. I've been down before, too. I remember roughly 2 years ago, around this time of year, with little money coming in, my wife ready to give birth at any minute - the weekly grocery bill used to set off anxiety attacks. It takes the color and flavor out of life when you're that stressed out about money, but just remember, it'll change, and it will get better.

Don't guilt yourself. Being an adult is about prioritizing your responsibilities, and with being a father and having a business, those demands get met first.

The new addition to the family will brighten things up for sure, and congratulations to you and your wife again.


Missing out on a season with the Triumph is going to be suck, but that's better than not being able to keep it. I hope you get into the exhibition, as I said before, your hard work paid off. It deserves the recognition.

 

Sounds all too familiar... thinning the bi-weekly bill stacks, own and company, has become a thing to dread lately. Sucks the life out of you. Counting up all the costs and reaching five figure sums just seem absurd and unreal... It'll get better eventually, just seems so far away ATM. crap seems to be self-magnetic as it has a strong tencency to pile up.

In an age of peril one kisses the ground beneath a hard decision, for difficult as it may be it still gives direction towards resolve amongst the mist of uncertainty.

Me, this morning.


The situation with the bike isn't actually as grim as I thought, I was contacted via another forum by a user there who happens to be a sales rep for my insurance company and he told me to give him a call today as it turns out that contrary to prior belief I don't have to return the plates after all, we'll just change my insurance from seasonal to the type that has a standing feature so to speak don't know the terminology in english, meaning if I just got to get on the black top say for a weekend at missy's and a possible day at the botniaring on the side I don't have to go to the local (equivalent of) DMV to get the plates back, set up a new insurance, pay for all the side costs and carry proof of having an active insurance as the coppers would be all over me after a plate scan thanks to the age of internets where it still takes several working days for info to be transfered from a government agency to another. All I gotta do is go online to my insurance site and tick a box to get it on the road, and back off after the trip. Knowing to be able to ride if the temptation rises beyond bearable amounts helps a long way even if I wouldn' t use it

And re:from your own thread, going on a tight budget wouldn't actually hurt myself either as I've managed to gather quite a spare tire myself behind the belt. Cutting back on beer a bit should help financially a little as well as help to shed the extra baggage, internal and external. Think I should probly dig out the KTM from the wood shed again and go spin some pedals...

 

When in doubt, add BRAAP.

Took the bike to my mom`s to hibernate and have more space in the garage to start working on the Derbi.

 

 

Bought myself a crappy plywood box today



Been wanting one of these for years, so when I found out yesterday that I will be getting in on the huge motorcycle show at the start of February I`ve been talking of for two years now I decided after all the shi$$ I`ve put up with over the past year I`ve deserved it, and what`s better time to go pick up one than now that I actually need it to be able to detail the bike to 100% show spec! Had to gut my bike fund piggy bank to afford it but figured I got a full year to fill it up again until the money is needed.

was pretty much assembled already, all I had to do was fit the pedals, front wheel clamp, the front wheel stopper plate and turn it around. Was joking to myself when I pulled it in that no matter what end I go in first it`s the wrong way round anyway, and so it was Weighs in at around 120kg so it was a bit of a chore to lift on it`s end alone, flip it and safely bring it back down.







Pretty much a standard issue lifter I reckon, the ramp plates come off and then U just stomp on the pedal until desired height is achieved. some had told me this particular brand is flimsy, but this is actually the only lifter in what I`ve seen X-struts on the arms. In my opinion it`s really sturdy and lifts effortlessly at least a stripped moped. Taking into account that it is the cheapest lifter in the market here I couldn`t be much happier. Some bolts were slightly loose but I reckon they were just spun in anyway since according to the user manual the whole thing should have been much less pre-assembled. Probly gonna move the front wheel clamp one bolt holes towards the front as it now barely grabs the tire from the back. It also has four U-bolts on the sides for straps so I bought two self-reeling ratchets as well for peace of mind. Really really loving the thing already, being able to lift the engine out of the moped without squatting all over it, doing electric stuff on the lower level as well as detailing... My only regret is not getting one two years ago but instead spent on silly stuff like a sailkite and a fourth guitar which are now both sold for a loss...



The securing system couldn`t be much simpler, no complicated latch mechanisms, just an honest three foot, inch thick hardened steel rod through the struts, simple yet effective. Once you get the rod in you lower the platform until the rod meets the frame and the whole thing stiffs up.





The older boy insisted his brand new bike has to be in the pics as well Shame I didn`t get his face on film when I gave it to him.

Gonna be fetching the Daytona back home next Saturday, hoping the weather would stay out of my moms garage in the time being, as I write this it just struck midnight here and the outside thermometer is showing a balmy -24c Shouldn`t be an issue though since I got a premix coolant in the bike with no added water, the garage is heated but only to keep it above zero so a sudden peak like this can dip under...