I'm going to try to keep this page going

[Millietant]

Well, it's almost up to 50f today, but still very wet, so it was out with the bicycle again......with a friend who hasn't ridden for ages (we're only allowed to meet one other person in a public space for exercise, as long as we maintain "social distancing" of 2 metres - not difficult when you're cycling).

I'm really ready for the rain and snow to go away so I can ride the FJ ......but very happy i got some $55 waterproof Sealskinz winter socks for cycling in  



The old Land Rover Khartoum got a but mucky - and we didn't even venture off-road !

[Millietant]

I really need to psyche myself up to sorting out the garage........swinging cats would be impossible in there at the moment 

[Waiex191]

Hey did you know that you have an interceptor in there?

[Millietant]

Ha Ha - It's my wife's bike, she rode it from 92 until 04, when she got her FZ1. It's been sat up on my bench for a couple of years now waiting for me to bring it back to life.

It worked perfectly when I parked it up in the garage - it had just had a full dealer service and a new exhaust collector box fitted - and I put the Kerker "silencers" from my old FJ system on it (sounded gorgeous). But......as we were taking our kids on a 2 week tour of Europe, she said she didnt want to risk it on a 20 year old bike with over 40,000 miles on it.....I think that was just an excuse for her to get a new bike.

But, she loves" Freddie" so much, she wouldn't sell it.

I've just recently bought a spare complete FJ rolling chassis, with all subframes, brakes, switchgear and some bodywork panels - the idea is to put the complete 17" front end from the FJ onto the VF and to fit a Thundercat 17" rear wheel to the VF too, to match the front. At the moment it rides on a 16" front wheel and a 18" back wheel. The FJ four pot calipers will be a big improvement on the Honda originals, as will the modern tyres and the FJ's sturdier front suspension (without gimmicky anti-dive and air pressure valves). The bodywork is pristine, as it was completely re-sprayed only a few months before she got the FZ1.

Here's a better picture of Freddie before he was parked up.

[woodcreekpete]

Impressive collection of machinery you have there Millie. We need more pictures of these oases of sanity in these fucked up times.
  Here's mine - used to be a carriage shed/outhouse when it was built in the 1800's. Picked up the windows onthe side of the road and the neighbour donated the door. About 15x15 inside - big enough to be able to play with 2 bikes - any more and all you can do is sit. Has all the cave amenities - heat and a/c, powerful old 7p0's era Yamaha stereo, 300 disc shuttle, and a reclining pleather chair for those moments where inspiration occurs. I'd go nuts without the place.

[Waiex191]

Ok, I can get behind this theme.  Oasis of sanity is right!  I live in an airport community in a condo.  But, I've got a hangar that I can walk to.  It's an end unit T hangar.  So basically it is a hangar and a half.  It has heat for the winter.  In the summer if it is hot we open the garage door on the west side and the hangar door on the east and we have our own wind tunnel.  No AC though.  It even has a bathroom, but I have 3 50 gallon jugs I have to refill with a hose every couple months on average.  It doesn't have a real septic system but handy if you need to take a leak or wash your hands. 

Here is a view looking east.  We do everything here - the mega wheel, work on motorcycles & cars, build airplanes, work on sailboats, and so on.


I made this sail and was adjusting the height of the new mast.


The main project and a view across the hangar from another angle.


My kids have learned a lot here.




Some videos.  My youngest making a new skirt for his hovercraft while my oldest is working on brakes or something.
https://youtu.be/vTVEcLWx8yk

My former wheel horse tumbling a CB750A tank prior to sealing.  My oldest was helping his buddy with a project.
https://youtu.be/StGojklc1Rg

My kid's V30 Magna when he first got it running.
https://youtu.be/OOeXhZbCMlw

The hovercraft my younger son built in the hangar.
https://youtu.be/ygoAByCeNkY

Light test, shows some views of the hangar.
https://youtu.be/k-ZrGBYyyLE

Here's a big one.  First time we rolled the '99 Saturn out of the hangar after the rebuild.  I had my son do all the work and it is his car now.  I bought it new in '99.
https://youtu.be/yX5yG0dGw64

Ok, one more and I'm sure you get the idea.  Before the mega wheel and the hovercraft my youngest built this cool human hamster wheel.  It lives in the basement of the condo now.
https://youtu.be/BxKFMk_3XeM

[Millietant]

Thanks Pete.....over the years the garage has definitely been my sanctuary.

[Millietant]

Ok, I can get behind this theme.  Oasis of sanity is right!  I live in an airport community in a condo.  But, I've got a hangar that I can walk to.  It's an end unit T hangar.  So basically it is a hangar and a half.  It has heat for the winter.  In the summer if it is hot we open the garage door on the west side and the hangar door on the east and we have our own wind tunnel.  No AC though.  It even has a bathroom, but I have 3 50 gallon jugs I have to refill with a hose every couple months on average.  It doesn't have a real septic system but handy if you need to take a leak or wash your hands. 

No space in the hangar for motorcycles even though I always dreamed of having a space like this for them.......but at £300 per month for hangarage, I didn't want anyone else's junk anywhere near my aircraft either.

[krusty]

Good lord, Just how can there be a 70% chance of rain when it's 106 degrees (F) outside?

Think "monsoon".

[Millietant]

Casper got some New Pirelli Phantom Sport-Comps.  Period correct tread pattern, in a modern radial tire. The tire add photo is from the May 1990 Motorcyclist Magazine.

Fred

Hey Fred, I've just spotted this when trawling through some old photo's - the original Phantom front tyre that they put on FJ's new here in 1989 and 1990 - this was on my pal's new FJ in 1990.

It gives me the heeby-geebies just looking at it now....definitely a "vintage" tyre that one, before the tyre guys sorted out decent compounds 

[FJmonkey]

Looks more like truck tire.

[Millietant]

So, with the sun shining and the temperature JUST creeping over 40 F, I decided to once again break the Lockdown boredom with another bicycle ride.

Right now, I've cycled further this year than I have driven in a car and ridden on a motorcycle ............. combined 

[Waiex191]

I've probably got more miles rolling back and forth on my home office chair than I have riding and driving.  It's 12F here headed for 14, roads are freshly plowed, and we are headed to a stretch of single digits F with overnights in the negative double digits.  This whole winter thing is over rated.

[Millietant]

I'm really surprised you haven't got a snowmobile in there for winter fun 

[Waiex191]

Just what I need - another hobby and more crap in the hangar!