MotorDad

Shared from SmartPlanet:Reframing the transportation debate

2011-10-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

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Reframing the transportation debate

Transportation infrastructure is one of the most urgent challenges we face today, but the debate about it misguidedly focuses too much on the present. This week I will attempt to reframe it in the context of the past and the future. First, I must note that itâ€™s surprisingly difficult to find accurate, comprehensive, and cost-adjusted figures on the sunk cost of our existing transportation regim...
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Best,

Scott

via mobile

Ride Videos from Sternfahrt (Rally) 2010, Austria

2010-12-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I know, long time no postings. It's been a hectic year with a week in Tokyo, 5 trips to Germany, and a couple weeks in Shanghai and Beijing. I'm finally taking care of some old business, including posting these ride videos from Austria on Labor Day weekend this year. Day 1 we did an Austria loop through the Alps, Day 2 Switzerland.
Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6cFom1HHvI

2010-12-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Short composite video of race starts at
Hockenheimring near Heidelberg on 29Aug2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmxbh5ccxqw

Wir sind im Motorrad Himmel!

2010-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

Www.Sonnenkopf.at

Road trip rationale, wish me luck!

2010-09-03T02:39:00.000-07:00

1985 Kawasaki GPz900A

So, let me get this straight. You're going on a weekend moto tour of the mountains in Switzerland and Austria, and taking a 25 yr old motorcycle that smells like a Molotov cocktail?
Yeah, but it's free rental from a friend!
What do you mean, free? You're up til midnight wrenching on it. No speedo, no odometer, fuel gauge only partly works... Sloppy throttle.
It's kind of like the 555 ride from the recent CycleWorld article (under 500cc, under $500, 1975 or older), or like that old Glydon article about how the newest most competent tourer can't always get you to the same destination (state of mind in this case) as an older, smaller simpler bike. Plus, I have other rider support. And I'm cheap. Now the throttle free-play is taken up with a highly modified pipette tip, the speedo works, and I figured out where the Molotov aroma is coming from and just need some tubing to fix it. I'm getting to be a whiz at popping the tank off. Now I've got to start weaning myself from this good European coffee so I can get a decent night's sleep.

Tasks mostly complete:
Replace speedo/tach, ck speedo cable
Throttle cable rpr? Pipette tip.
Adjust tire psi, 36/42
Fork psi 7.1
Rear shock psi 7.1 - 21
Replace missing fairings/subframe bolts (optional, something's holding it on!)
Replace negative battery bolt? Fixed.
Inspect brakes, flush DOT4? Nope.
Ck all lights/horn

via iPhone

Cluster repair

2010-08-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys, it's been an interesting evening so far. First off, I figured out if I just open the door to the elevator every so often, the garage lights will stay on : )
Next, I discovered the speedometer cable is broken but both speedometers work. I 'spun it up' with the cable between my fingers and it indicated speed. Also, the new eBay unit has no voltmeter (no big deal) but is also broken on the inside, probably from frontal impact. See the white part in the attached photos. I also wondered why the cable had gone bad. Looking at the drive gear from the unit off the bike, it appears to have had the cable threads bunged up at one point. Also, the back cover from the old unit is a little torn up near the cable opening. Therefore, I scavenged the better drive gear from the eBay unit and back cover too to make one good unit. A funny thing about why the odo would work but not the speedo: there's a little rubber peg (see speedo face below) that stops the needle from going below zero kph, and if it's pushed in too far and somehow the needle gets below it, it can't indicate ABOVE zero. Weird. So to fix that, I just gave a little tug on the rubber peg. Anyway, it's 23:00 now so I need to reassemble my hybrid and go to bed. I'll remount it tomorrow. Also, I tried to pump the tires to the Metzeler spec for this bike from their website, but my stupid hand-tire pump won't do a thing, so I'll hit a tankstelle tomorrow and correct them. I feel like I haven't fixed anything tonight, but I've sure learned a lot. I need another drive cable tomorrow, and then this cluster should work.

GPz @ Alsbach, Sunday morning

2010-08-31T10:54:00.001-07:00

Sunday Morning Ride, Schloß Alsbach

2010-08-31T10:53:00.001-07:00

No rain until afternoon makes for nice exploring. No speedometer or odometer makes for guesswork.

Interview went well

2010-08-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks all for your well-wishes! Some negotiations remain, but process is moving. Will post more when I can.

via iPhone

United Untied again...

2010-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

From original SFO departure 13:58 to now 15:45, ETA from 09:45 FRA to 11:05. Grrrr...

via iPhone

2010-08-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

The International Language

2010-08-19T06:03:00.001-07:00

2010-08-10T05:39:00.001-07:00

According to Whisk Choco of Shanghai, STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS. Yay! I wish I'd packed an extra stomach!

2010-08-10T03:04:00.001-07:00

WOW hot and humid in Shanghai. Have my lightest slacks and shirt on , don't know what clothes are comfy in this weather. Wait a minute, it's called naked with ice!

Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China

2010-08-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Campers!

2010-07-05T16:07:00.001-07:00

Lake Chabot, me + 3

Ultramarin- great late-night cheap eats in Praha!

2010-06-21T14:45:00.001-07:00

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Ultramarin

Street musicians in Vienna.

2010-06-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

City of great music, no tickets required though we bought the CD.

Hotel Sacher Wien, Philharmonikerstrasse 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

2010-06-18T12:41:00.001-07:00

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Hotel Sacher Wien, Philharmonikerstrasse 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

Day two ride report

2010-05-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Twitter got clipped:
Ride report: back at almost 8pm! Despite threatening weather, it was a
good riding day except for HEAVY fog on the Blue Ridge Parkway. All
are returned, minus one Harley- rider is okay. Time to air out the
boots!

Weather Conditions from The Weather Channel

2010-05-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

good company, questionable weather...

Weather for Townsend, TN

Today
Periods of rain with a few thunderstorms likely. High 74F. Winds SSE
at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an
inch.

Tonight
Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low
62F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Tomorrow
Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Updated: 5/21/10 6:13 AM EDT

For more weather information, visit www.weather.com from your PC or
mobile device.

via iPhone

Settling into Townsend

2010-05-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

1st night in Townsend at the Lodge. Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so
we blasted around on Foothills Pkwy etc, got lots of '100 mph bugs' on
helmet, the CBR600 is great for this stuff but hard to get used to the
idea that I'm lugging it at 7K rpm. Lots of vivid green grass and
smell of lilacs in the air. Looking forward to a fabulous dinner!

Monkey Business

2010-04-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend went climbing at Hochseilgarten in Obenhausen near Thorsten's old home. I wish I could do this every day!

Find the kitties!

2010-04-11T21:17:00.001-07:00

Skyler came to work with me on Friday (last day of her spring break). We went to a few meetings where she did some lovely artwork on the whiteboards, had coffee and later lunch at the cafeteria, took apart some obsolete Dell laptops and then walked along the Foster City shoreline. She calls it "Kitty Island". The Humane Society has a roundup spay/neuter program for the ferile cats here. Can you find the cats in the photos?

Dell Tech at work

2010-04-09T14:17:00.000-07:00