School has been going alright, but I am already tired of all the writing. I think I do more writing in my humanities class than I do for my writing class.
Humanities 100 - This class is kind of strange. The subject matter is certainly 100-level , but the work required seems like a much higher level. The instructor is knowledgeable but she really seems full of herself. She keeps letting us know how busy she is with her kids, animals, coaching her kids softball team (with her husband), etc. Most of our work is from questions in the textbook. It's usually 3 to 4 pages (not double-spaced) of answers each week that require a lot of research. The text seems to assume that you have full knowledge of what they ask you and has some obvious biases. Classes are almost a joke. The teacher usually starts a few minutes late and then spends 15-20 minutes telling some stupid story about what she did over the weekend, or about one of her many pets, or some other things that has nothing to do with anything. Then we usually get out of class 30-40 minutes early. We only have one written exam during the term. It will be next Wed. and will be all essay-type questions. Our final is a capstone project that I still haven't decided on yet. We need to do a bunch of research, have at least 3 sources, and present a written and oral presentation with visual aids in front of the class. I'm not looking forward to that. We were told that PowerPoint presentations are to be avoided. Maybe because she makes such crappy ones (they really are horrible) that she thinks no one else can do a decent job with them. It feels like the instructor has found a way to do as little as possible while getting the students to do as much as possible. I have learned some new things, and I suppose that is the real test, but I still feel somewhat short-changed with this class.
Math 112 - I keep going back and forth with this class. Sometimes I get it, but other times I feel lost. It can take a while to fully understand and remember all the information presented. Our second exam is on Monday. I think I will probably do alright, but need to study more over the weekend. I got a 96% on the first test. I have three more weeks until the writing assignment is due. I have the equations pretty much figured out, but that's about it.
Writing 122 - We have been looking at censorship and free speech. The topic for our second speech is due today. I have decided to write about "free speech zones" but still need to narrow this a little. We will examine and write 3 to 4 pages about two opposing articles on our topic, using peer-reviewed sources. I wasn't all that happy with my first essay, but still don't know what kind of grade I got on it. We will get those back this afternoon.
Registration for summer classes starts in about 1-1/2 weeks. I think I will take a couple of online classes, HE250 - Personal Health and EC203 which is the class I wanted to take this term but got canceled. I will also be taking MTH251 - Calculus I (!!!) on campus. PCC has been changing some things and the summer term is now basically as long as the other terms. I will probably register for some other classes in case one of these gets canceled. There is another online economics class, digital photography, and a native American history class that all look interesting. I may also try to get a part time job soon so I can qualify for the IDA through NAYA again.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Alley Sweeper
On Saturday, Erik and I went to the 2nd annual Sang-Froid Riding Club Alley Sweeper ride. Erik was on his Honda XR400 and I rode the lowly (but fun!) Kawasaki KLR250, which Erik also owns and I helped get running when he bought it last year.
Basically, SFRC maps out a bunch of alleys in Portland that are not, for the most part, paved. Gravel, dirt, two-track, single-track, and although these may or may not have been on the actual route, overgrown no-track. Motorized traffic is legal on all Portland alleys and there is a 15mph speed limit, which we strictly obeyed of course. This kind of stuff is great fun and I have been doing it sporadically for many years. And Erik and I have gone out a few times in search of dirt in Portland.
By the time the ride started, I heard someone say that there were 110 bikes there. But there were probably at least 20 or 30 people who had no intentions of taking there bikes on this ride. They ran out of route maps well before we arrived. I don't know how many of the 5-page maps were printed, but there seemed to be more people who didn't have maps than did. It was minor chaos as people split up into smaller and smaller groups, getting lost, meeting up with other groups who may or may not have been on route themselves, intermingling, breaking up into smaller groups again, getting lost again...over and over. There was a LOT of getting lost. It was one of the most amusing motorcycle events that I've ever been a part of. I was laughing a lot.
There were a wide assortment of bikes, most of them smaller. There were lots of scooters of different shapes and sizes, lots of 225-250cc dual sports, 2-stroke 125 and 250cc dual sports, supermotos of various makes and sizes, plenty of 400's, a few 600 or 650/660cc dual sports, bikes with street tires, lots of older and smaller enduro and street bikes. I don't recall seeing any of the bigger bikes that claim to be dual sports like the V-Strom and the BMW GS models. I think most of those guys never get off the pavement. Poseurs.
At one point, Erik and I were riding with an older guy on an older, but very clean, 225 that was closer to street than dirt and a guy on a scooter that was barely more than a bicycle with a motor (props to him for following us). None of us had a map. We just started looking for overgrown alleys and went down them. I think most of these were probably not on the route. We usually watched the old guy go down first (go old guy!) and he would slowly disappear behind the weeds. No one had driven down some of these alleys for years. This was probably the best part of the ride. Although bombing around the "hobo track" with a whole bunch of other nuts was pretty fun too.
The KLR250 is a great bike for this type of riding. The only time I felt there could have been more power available was on one of the longer stretches of pavement. It is such a lightweight and easy to ride bike. At the "hobo track" I was starting to have a lot of fun sliding the rear tire around. The only thing lacking are the brakes, but the bike is slow enough that you have to try harder to get into trouble.
Two days later and my thighs are still a little sore. And today I rode the GPz home from school in the rain. The End.
Basically, SFRC maps out a bunch of alleys in Portland that are not, for the most part, paved. Gravel, dirt, two-track, single-track, and although these may or may not have been on the actual route, overgrown no-track. Motorized traffic is legal on all Portland alleys and there is a 15mph speed limit, which we strictly obeyed of course. This kind of stuff is great fun and I have been doing it sporadically for many years. And Erik and I have gone out a few times in search of dirt in Portland.
By the time the ride started, I heard someone say that there were 110 bikes there. But there were probably at least 20 or 30 people who had no intentions of taking there bikes on this ride. They ran out of route maps well before we arrived. I don't know how many of the 5-page maps were printed, but there seemed to be more people who didn't have maps than did. It was minor chaos as people split up into smaller and smaller groups, getting lost, meeting up with other groups who may or may not have been on route themselves, intermingling, breaking up into smaller groups again, getting lost again...over and over. There was a LOT of getting lost. It was one of the most amusing motorcycle events that I've ever been a part of. I was laughing a lot.
There were a wide assortment of bikes, most of them smaller. There were lots of scooters of different shapes and sizes, lots of 225-250cc dual sports, 2-stroke 125 and 250cc dual sports, supermotos of various makes and sizes, plenty of 400's, a few 600 or 650/660cc dual sports, bikes with street tires, lots of older and smaller enduro and street bikes. I don't recall seeing any of the bigger bikes that claim to be dual sports like the V-Strom and the BMW GS models. I think most of those guys never get off the pavement. Poseurs.
At one point, Erik and I were riding with an older guy on an older, but very clean, 225 that was closer to street than dirt and a guy on a scooter that was barely more than a bicycle with a motor (props to him for following us). None of us had a map. We just started looking for overgrown alleys and went down them. I think most of these were probably not on the route. We usually watched the old guy go down first (go old guy!) and he would slowly disappear behind the weeds. No one had driven down some of these alleys for years. This was probably the best part of the ride. Although bombing around the "hobo track" with a whole bunch of other nuts was pretty fun too.
The KLR250 is a great bike for this type of riding. The only time I felt there could have been more power available was on one of the longer stretches of pavement. It is such a lightweight and easy to ride bike. At the "hobo track" I was starting to have a lot of fun sliding the rear tire around. The only thing lacking are the brakes, but the bike is slow enough that you have to try harder to get into trouble.
Two days later and my thighs are still a little sore. And today I rode the GPz home from school in the rain. The End.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Motorcycles I have owned
I should be working on my essay for writing class instead of posting here. But it's nearly done. I'm not too worried about it. Anyways, getting the Sportster running made me think about some of the other bikes I've had. Compared to lots of people who ride, I haven't have very many. Here they are:
1978 Suzuki RM125 - It might have been about 1988 or 1989 when I got this. It could have been a '79 model. This bike is an early 2-stroke dirt bike. I probably should have never bought this bike. But at $250 it was dirt cheap. And beat. I put in a new stator and got it to run. But it didn't last long. I think I got about 2 hours riding time on it before it seized up. I might have not known about adding oil to the gas. It sat around for a couple of months before I got rid of it. We all have to start somewhere.
1981 Honda CB750C - I bought this from a kid named Jamie for $750 in the spring of 1990. It wasn't the cool F-model, but it was a lot of bike for a first time street rider. It was a good solid bike. No frills other than a few stock chrome parts, but comfortable and easy to ride. It had around 70 horsepower. Probably the only bad thing was the ugly brown paintjob. This bike really gave me the riding bug. The ex and I started riding with some friends who had a Harley and then went on an ABATE ride with them. The other bikes (I think mine might have been the only Japanese bike there) proved to be an irresistible force and I soon decided to join the dark side and buy a Harley. I sold the Honda that winter for $850.
1991 Harley-Davidson XLH Deluxe - We decided to be at least a little prudent and went for the much cheaper Sportster instead of a Big Twin. I think we paid about $5000 (cash!) for it, but got a bunch of extra doodads for it at them same time. Looking back, I still would have gotten a Sportster, but I might have gone for the 1200cc version instead of the 883. But I needed the spoked wheels of the 883 Deluxe and the 1200 only came with mags that year. And the Deluxe had belt final drive instead of a chain, which none of the other versions of the 883 had yet. I could go on and on about the things I've done on this bike. It's overweight (about 450 lbs.) and underpowered (around 55 hp as it sits), but It has amazed and surprised a lot of people. I learned a lot working, modifying, and riding this bike. And wrecked it more times than I care to remember. 19 years (!) and over 55,000 miles later its the best bike ever! And sexy. I still have this bike. I have thought about selling it numerous times and can never quite make myself go through with it. I think I might hang on to it for a while longer. How much do I want another DRZ?
1996 Kawasaki GPz 1100 - After I started working on BMWs, I decided that I needed a change of rides. I knew I wanted something more sport-toury and the shop I worked at happened to have this bike. It was almost exactly what I wanted. They had it for sale for quite some time and were happy to see it leave their inventory. I was the second owner and it had about 17,000 miles on it when I got it. Talk about a different world. This bike had more than twice the horsepower of the Sportster, weighed 100 lbs. more, had much better brakes, came with wind protection, was liquid cooled, was comfortable, and could go much further and faster than the Harley. I've done some unbelievably fun things on this bike and seen some wonderful places. Again, I could go on and on about experiences with this bike. I also still own this bike. But I think it is probably time to sell it. I'll be sad to say goodbye, but it will be easier for me to get rid of than the XL. I paid $1800 for this bike. Money well spent. Especially if you disregard the thousands of dollars I spent on it since I got it. I've been hard on most of my bikes. Some take it better than others. This is the only bike I've owned that I didn't hurt myself on.
And the last bike is the only one that wasn't a newer model than the last.
1978 Suzuki RM125 - It might have been about 1988 or 1989 when I got this. It could have been a '79 model. This bike is an early 2-stroke dirt bike. I probably should have never bought this bike. But at $250 it was dirt cheap. And beat. I put in a new stator and got it to run. But it didn't last long. I think I got about 2 hours riding time on it before it seized up. I might have not known about adding oil to the gas. It sat around for a couple of months before I got rid of it. We all have to start somewhere.
1981 Honda CB750C - I bought this from a kid named Jamie for $750 in the spring of 1990. It wasn't the cool F-model, but it was a lot of bike for a first time street rider. It was a good solid bike. No frills other than a few stock chrome parts, but comfortable and easy to ride. It had around 70 horsepower. Probably the only bad thing was the ugly brown paintjob. This bike really gave me the riding bug. The ex and I started riding with some friends who had a Harley and then went on an ABATE ride with them. The other bikes (I think mine might have been the only Japanese bike there) proved to be an irresistible force and I soon decided to join the dark side and buy a Harley. I sold the Honda that winter for $850.
1991 Harley-Davidson XLH Deluxe - We decided to be at least a little prudent and went for the much cheaper Sportster instead of a Big Twin. I think we paid about $5000 (cash!) for it, but got a bunch of extra doodads for it at them same time. Looking back, I still would have gotten a Sportster, but I might have gone for the 1200cc version instead of the 883. But I needed the spoked wheels of the 883 Deluxe and the 1200 only came with mags that year. And the Deluxe had belt final drive instead of a chain, which none of the other versions of the 883 had yet. I could go on and on about the things I've done on this bike. It's overweight (about 450 lbs.) and underpowered (around 55 hp as it sits), but It has amazed and surprised a lot of people. I learned a lot working, modifying, and riding this bike. And wrecked it more times than I care to remember. 19 years (!) and over 55,000 miles later its the best bike ever! And sexy. I still have this bike. I have thought about selling it numerous times and can never quite make myself go through with it. I think I might hang on to it for a while longer. How much do I want another DRZ?
1996 Kawasaki GPz 1100 - After I started working on BMWs, I decided that I needed a change of rides. I knew I wanted something more sport-toury and the shop I worked at happened to have this bike. It was almost exactly what I wanted. They had it for sale for quite some time and were happy to see it leave their inventory. I was the second owner and it had about 17,000 miles on it when I got it. Talk about a different world. This bike had more than twice the horsepower of the Sportster, weighed 100 lbs. more, had much better brakes, came with wind protection, was liquid cooled, was comfortable, and could go much further and faster than the Harley. I've done some unbelievably fun things on this bike and seen some wonderful places. Again, I could go on and on about experiences with this bike. I also still own this bike. But I think it is probably time to sell it. I'll be sad to say goodbye, but it will be easier for me to get rid of than the XL. I paid $1800 for this bike. Money well spent. Especially if you disregard the thousands of dollars I spent on it since I got it. I've been hard on most of my bikes. Some take it better than others. This is the only bike I've owned that I didn't hurt myself on.
2005 Suzuki DR-Z400SM - I lusted after this supermotard for at least a year before I got it. It was released in Europe in 1994 and I knew I wanted one from the first time I saw a picture of one. It was the first bike I had ever financed, but I had it paid off in less than 6 months. List price was $6100 , but I got it for $5500 from the dealership I worked at. Hands down, this is the funnest bike I have ever ridden. And it probably hurt me the worst. Still, I was quite sad to see this one go. It was lightweight (only 318 lbs. with a full tank of gas), incredibly agile, wheelies were super easy on it, and sidewalks everywhere were fair game. The guy who bought it from me the following year came all the way from Canada to get it. I probably could have gotten a little more than $4800 for it because there were still very few of them around, but was trying to raise some cash. I should have kept the bike. I'm determined to eventually have one of these again. And some spare dirt wheels...I'm drooling.
1991 Kawasaki KLR650 - I bought this bike in December of 2007. Although they are good bikes for what they are, it wasn't really what I needed. I gave into some peer pressure from an friend who had just gotten a new KLR and I got one myself. I got a good deal on it ($1800 plus gas money to Seattle and back). I put a lot of time and a bunch of money into it and turned it into a solid, super cool dual sport. But it was just too heavy (over 425 lbs. with a full tank) for the off-road trail riding that I ended up using it for. It beat the crap out of me when I rode with Erik, who had a Honda XR400 that was perfect for the stuff we were in. It was great fun flying down gravel roads, fire roads, and logging roads, but going into tougher terrain was a big step and I crashed it dozens of times in the 8 months I had it. It probably didn't help that I had almost no off-road experience. Finally, less than a half hour into a ride at Jones Creek, I fell over and ended up ripping the right footpeg completely off. I used a large zip tie to sort of keep it in place for the ride home. That's when I decided to sell it. I figured I would continue to beat the crap out of it and myself it I kept it. I repaired the stripped footpeg mounts and sold the bike for $3800. It was a good motorcycle, and it started growing on me, but it was not really what I wanted or needed.
Interesting progression (at least to me):
1) air-cooled single
2) air-cooled inline 4
3) air cooled v-twin
4) water-cooled inline 4
5) water-cooled single
6) water-cooled singleAnd the last bike is the only one that wasn't a newer model than the last.
It lives!!!
I started the Sportster today for the first time in at least six years. It fired right up. It took a few minutes for the lifters to pump up so it clattered a little at first. All of the oil that leaked past the oil pump into the crankcase over the years overfilled the oil tank a bit. And a loose carb drain plug leaked a little gas. Those were the only issues and were easy to fix. And the one quart of primary lube I had wasn't quite enough. I need to get a little bit more. I might have some in storage. I took it for a very short ride to check how the new transmission and clutch hub were working . It's very different from the GPz. I had forgotten what it was like riding the Sportster. But everything worked fine. I didn't have a helmet with me or current registration so I didn't go far at all. Next comes the cleaning. I hate cleaning bikes. But I love having a clean bike. I'm currently leaning towards selling the Kawasaki before the Harley. And then either selling it and buying another DRZ or just keeping the Sportster. I really love both of these bikes and there are a lot of memories associated with them, especially the XL. Decisions, decisions.
Friday, April 16, 2010
My Iron Butt - part zero point one
I don't remember how I first heard of the Iron Butt Association. I do know that the winter of 2002 was in full swing and the idea of riding at least 1000 miles in 24 hours or less (aka The Saddlesore 1000) was intriguing. I had just gotten my Kawasaki the previous year and had become very comfortable with it. The more I thought about this ride the more exciting it sounded. An new challenge.
A ride of 1000 miles in 24 hours. On a motorcycle. Facts - It takes a lot more physical effort and stamina to ride a motorcycle 1000 miles than it does to drive a car that distance. The gas tanks are smaller so you have to stop more often. You are exposed to the elements, there is no heater or A/C. Wind chill and dehydration can be deadly. You are harder to see than a car so people sometimes try to run you over. 1000 miles in a car? No problem. I've done that twice already. In a 1966 Ford pickup. This isn't the same. A comfortable bike with some type of windshield or fairing can make a big difference, but it's still not a car. Not even if you squint your eyes just right.
This ride is really about time management. You don't have to break any laws to do it. 1000 miles in 24 hours equals a constant 41.67 mph. That's easy! Now factor in gas stops, eating, drinking water, potty breaks, rest breaks, and a little extra for unplanned whatevers. Being extremely generous, we'll say that uses 4 hours. But 1000 miles in 20 hours is still only averaging 50 mph over the route.
I started planning my route almost immediately. I used an early copy of Delorme's Street Atlas (I still have it somewhere) to plan my route. It was easier than using paper maps. Mapquest was OK, but you couldn't save the maps back then and Google Maps was nonexistent. I went through many dozens of versions before I settled on one route. It wasn't very exciting if you compared it to rides that I would usually take. There were way too many interstate miles and a distinct lack of twisty mountain roads. But the objective of this ride was very different than ones I had taken in the past. I knew that I could always do another one that was more challenging. I just wanted to be sure that I could do it before I stepped it up another notch. I think the farthest I had gone in one day before this ride was around 550 miles, which is normally a very long day on a motorcycle.
I had saddlebags and a large tank bag on the bike and had plenty of room for everything that I might need. Extra oil, snacks (trail mix, raisins, M&Ms, and Clif Bars), plenty of water, rain gear, a small homemade first aid kit, toilet paper, chain lube, flat repair kit, duct tape and zip ties, and so on. No coffee or energy drinks because I didn't want to deal with the inevitable energy crash that would come later. I spent a lot of time tuning up the bike and making sure everything was ready to go.
Next: The journey begins (cue dramatic music)
A ride of 1000 miles in 24 hours. On a motorcycle. Facts - It takes a lot more physical effort and stamina to ride a motorcycle 1000 miles than it does to drive a car that distance. The gas tanks are smaller so you have to stop more often. You are exposed to the elements, there is no heater or A/C. Wind chill and dehydration can be deadly. You are harder to see than a car so people sometimes try to run you over. 1000 miles in a car? No problem. I've done that twice already. In a 1966 Ford pickup. This isn't the same. A comfortable bike with some type of windshield or fairing can make a big difference, but it's still not a car. Not even if you squint your eyes just right.
This ride is really about time management. You don't have to break any laws to do it. 1000 miles in 24 hours equals a constant 41.67 mph. That's easy! Now factor in gas stops, eating, drinking water, potty breaks, rest breaks, and a little extra for unplanned whatevers. Being extremely generous, we'll say that uses 4 hours. But 1000 miles in 20 hours is still only averaging 50 mph over the route.
I started planning my route almost immediately. I used an early copy of Delorme's Street Atlas (I still have it somewhere) to plan my route. It was easier than using paper maps. Mapquest was OK, but you couldn't save the maps back then and Google Maps was nonexistent. I went through many dozens of versions before I settled on one route. It wasn't very exciting if you compared it to rides that I would usually take. There were way too many interstate miles and a distinct lack of twisty mountain roads. But the objective of this ride was very different than ones I had taken in the past. I knew that I could always do another one that was more challenging. I just wanted to be sure that I could do it before I stepped it up another notch. I think the farthest I had gone in one day before this ride was around 550 miles, which is normally a very long day on a motorcycle.
I had saddlebags and a large tank bag on the bike and had plenty of room for everything that I might need. Extra oil, snacks (trail mix, raisins, M&Ms, and Clif Bars), plenty of water, rain gear, a small homemade first aid kit, toilet paper, chain lube, flat repair kit, duct tape and zip ties, and so on. No coffee or energy drinks because I didn't want to deal with the inevitable energy crash that would come later. I spent a lot of time tuning up the bike and making sure everything was ready to go.
Next: The journey begins (cue dramatic music)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Some math notes from last week
This is the kind of stuff I'm learning in pre-calculus. It was a little scary at first, but it's not as hard as it looks. It just takes a while to get there.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Lots of writing
I haven't felt much like writing in the last week. My classes all have a lot of writing. Even math has a writing assignment. Having a essay-type writing component is a fairly new thing that has recently happened with many of the classes. I think its a good thing. Anyway...now I have all this writing that I HAVE to do. I do alright with my writing, but it takes forever to finish something to the point where I am satisfied with it.
So, there will probably be a fewer posts than normal for the rest of the term.
In math this week we studied degrees, radians, arc lengths, and the Laws of Sine and Cosine. There was a ton of new stuff presented today and I started to feel a little bit lost towards the end. Our first exam is on Monday. I need to study some more for this test, but I think I will do OK.
In humanities we have been learning about early Greek culture, pre-Socratic and Socratic philosophers, and the origins of theater. I've been a little disappointed in this class. We keep getting out much earlier than we should. Today, the instructor said she had a sore throat and class got about 45 minutes early. The class is already a short one and is supposed to be 1 hour and 50 minutes long. I wonder if this is going to be normal. It's interesting material though. But this is another wide but not deep class. Mid-term exam is May 5 and our final is a project of some sort that we haven't been told about yet.
We have spent the last two weeks in writing learning about propaganda, logical fallacies, doublespeak, and appeals. I didn't know what to expect from this class, but it wasn't this. I think the instructor is awesome (and cute) and it has been very enlightening learning more about these things. We usually have 2 paragraphs due each class on readings assigned and we have two or more writing exercises during class. We were just assigned our first essay, a 3 to 4 page essay looking at a political speech from any time period and culture and examining the use of one of the four things I mentioned above. The rough draft is due a week from tomorrow. We have a total of only three essays in this class. And there is no mid-term exam or final exam. There will be an in-class review of our third essay as our final. I'm not sure how that works.
So, there will probably be a fewer posts than normal for the rest of the term.
In math this week we studied degrees, radians, arc lengths, and the Laws of Sine and Cosine. There was a ton of new stuff presented today and I started to feel a little bit lost towards the end. Our first exam is on Monday. I need to study some more for this test, but I think I will do OK.
In humanities we have been learning about early Greek culture, pre-Socratic and Socratic philosophers, and the origins of theater. I've been a little disappointed in this class. We keep getting out much earlier than we should. Today, the instructor said she had a sore throat and class got about 45 minutes early. The class is already a short one and is supposed to be 1 hour and 50 minutes long. I wonder if this is going to be normal. It's interesting material though. But this is another wide but not deep class. Mid-term exam is May 5 and our final is a project of some sort that we haven't been told about yet.
We have spent the last two weeks in writing learning about propaganda, logical fallacies, doublespeak, and appeals. I didn't know what to expect from this class, but it wasn't this. I think the instructor is awesome (and cute) and it has been very enlightening learning more about these things. We usually have 2 paragraphs due each class on readings assigned and we have two or more writing exercises during class. We were just assigned our first essay, a 3 to 4 page essay looking at a political speech from any time period and culture and examining the use of one of the four things I mentioned above. The rough draft is due a week from tomorrow. We have a total of only three essays in this class. And there is no mid-term exam or final exam. There will be an in-class review of our third essay as our final. I'm not sure how that works.
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