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[elizilla]

Spent Friday night in Saratoga NY at Joey T's place, and stopped in Kitchener Ontario to pick up a motorcycle engine from Chris Park.

The rental car was very full. Chris and I had to do a lot of rearranging just to squeeze the engine in there. I was afraid that this would be the trip when my luck ran out and I had trouble crossing the border. The border guard did ask "What's all that stuff in the car?" in a startled tone, but he wasn't interested enough to get into the details. Instead he looked at my driver's license and asked me if I ever go to that hot dog place on Michigan Ave in Ypsi? I said "What hot dog place?" and he waved me through. I guess it's OK to cross the border with a car crammed full of computers and salvaged motorcycle engines, as long as you don't eat hot dogs.

Finally made it home around 8pm last night. Michael had gamers here, and they were able to help me take the engine out of the trunk of the rental car. Now there are three baby Sabre engines in the garage. Maybe next weekend Mike Freeman will get the Leper back on the road, and dispose of the other engines. That would be good.

Phil and Jennifer met me here right after I got home, and we all went out for Chinese food, and they helped me drop off the rental car. Jennifer has a rental car this week, too, because her car is in the body shop. Her rental car is better than mine, a Toyota Prius. It was interesting to drive. Maybe that will be my next car, or at least my next rental car. My truck needs replacing.

By 11pm I was utterly exhausted and I fell asleep quickly. It made it easier to get up this morning early enough to go take care of the rental car return paperwork on time. The car was due at nine this morning. It's been a long two years on late shift, and I have rarely seen 9am during this period. I was tempted to go back to bed when I got back, but instead I went into my office and started putting my network back together.

I now have so many computers to link up, that I actually put cable ties to their intended use, bundling cables into matching sets and routing them carefully. Maybe this time I will avoid turning the space behind the computers into a tangled mess. There are just too many of them, for a cable snarl like that to be manageable. Added the new keyboards and mouses to the growing pile in the closet. Anyone need a keyboard or mouse?

Comments

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

Personally, I thought that the extra two engines would make gnifty driveway markers for you. That way even when the driveway wasn't full of bike people would know which house was yours.

Seriously, I'll make them go away.

Does Erik Kauppi have a motorcycle lift? Without Jordan and Chris around I'm worrying about getting the new engine into the Leper. A rolling lift would make it a lot easier. (I was looking at one at Sears when suddenly it looked familiar. I'm pretty sure I played with one with Jacob at Erik's shop.)

Things have come up, and I may not make it up next weekend. If not I'll definitely come up sometime soon. I'll let you know.

[elizilla]

Yes, we have that motorcycle lift. It lives at Erik's shop, but Michael and I actually bought it. From Sears. :-) I can bring it over here any time.

Are the engines considered salvageable? If they are to be disposed of, we can take them to recycle Ann Arbor, which is very close. They would recycle as metal and we probably wouldn't even have to pay.

Phil says he still hasn't heard from you about picking up that other Sabre. Do you even still want it? I suppose it depends on what happens with the Leper. I may know someone who is interested in buying a baby Sabre if you decide to sell the other one.

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

The original extra motor is kind of an unknown quantity. Ryder remembers nothing about it.

The Leper motor is probably trash, with the bad transmission and all. And it's not like a 700 engine is in high demand. However, I may send a note to Dave Dodge about it--IIRC, the cams on the 700 are "hotter" than the 750s, and the connecting rods can be used to increase the compression on a 750. So, those parts may be of value to somebody.

Not that I'd expect to make money off of them, but there's no reason to throw them away if someone can make use of them.

I send some e-mails to Dodge and Ryder and Ray and see if anyone objections to recycling them.

I still plan on getting the Columbus Sabre and bringing it down here to repair. I don't want to commit to selling it until the Leper is on the road again (obviously). There's actually a friend of Wyn's who may be interested in it, too (he was quite taken with the Leper--go figure). Though, at this point I think it still technically belongs to you, so you can decide what becomes of it.

I bought some tie-down straps yesterday, and I'm going to order the parts to make ramps this week. I figure I might as well have a set even if I don't have a truck. I'm thinking weekend after next I'll either borrow Bob from Wyn, or Abby's truck and go get the V45.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I guess it's OK to cross the border with a car crammed full of computers and salvaged motorcycle engines, as long as you don't eat hot dogs.

Or, there may be no such place, but if you had casually agreed to it being ok, you'd have been pulled over for the "special treatment". Like asking Toronto residents what Pizza-Pizza's phone number is.

[xtatic1.livejournal.com]

There is in fact, a hot dog stand (that sells great root beer) on MI Ave. I'd avoid the dogs though.