24/7 Chat About Anything

[Qxxx]

https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/hip-fractures
"Hip fractures in the elderly are common. In fact, more than 300,000 adults 65 or older are hospitalized for hip fractures each year, ....  Older women are at higher risk, making up 80% of broken hip injuries overall".

 

[Malamute]

Schnebley Hill Road. One of the places i used to ride my old motorcycle. It was actually better in the past. The jeep tour companies convinced the Forest Service to hold back on maintenance, maybe it didnt look good taking people on jeep tours when there were ordinary cars going many of the places they took their tours. A friend in the area mention ed it was worse now than in the past and mentioned the reduced maintenance and reasons. From seeing recent videos of it Id still ride my motorcycle on it. Same with Dry Creek Road out to the Vultee Arch trailhead. Pick your way through and its not too bad.

Kindle Fire. My introduction to the concept was this. https://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2016/11/black-friday-ii.html

It struck me as a pretty cool gizmo and at a very good price. I got one, on sale, actually two, and oh, they had the slightly larger one on sale too, get me one of those (a friend ordered them on her Amazon account)....Now Im all Kindled up. Ive had one die, they allowed me a fairly generous replacement cost, and i got a newer larger one on sale in case I ruin the one I have. The initial dreams of all the movies ever made and all the books ever digitized ended up being mostly convenient web surfing and being able to listen to my favorite home (in the rockies) radio station when away, which I really like, since I havent found many other stations I can stand to listen to for long anywhere else, even though supposedly similar, being NPR. I also listen to BBC World Service Radio a lot on it. I suppose I will re-up with Netflix again at some point, so will be able to watch movies, (no kindle registration required) but so far ive never registered any of my kindles, so shopping and aps are right out. Maybe one day Ill register one, not today. Oh, I believe I can download books from my library also, so the kindle can do that,...unregistered.

They are very handy on the road to check the weather forcast at rest stops with wifi.

Pro tip: If you manage to drop your Fire tablet, or phone, and crack the screen before you got a screen cover, you can still put the flexible glass cover on and keep using them, so long as it worked after dropping it. I dropped my favorite yellow fire tablet on a concrete driveway, cracked the screen badly. Found two new in box phone screen covers at goodwill for a buck each, cut them to size with a razor knife and put them on the fires screen. Its been perking along for months now and seems OK.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 They all fire and run nearly identically, I cant tell much difference, though the knuckle sounded a bit different when it had drag pipes before I got it. I run my idle up a little, it doesnt have the classic H-D big twin idle cadence, but I think its easier on the motors. The cam may also have a  bearing on how mine idles, we dont know what cam it has, but its not stock. I believe lugging them under load in too tall of a gear is also hard on them.

 A friend with a shop noticed back in the 70s that people that lugged their motors vs people that didnt needed to have their motors lower ends rebuilt sooner.

Ok...I was referring to the difference, at idle, between an old shovel kicked into life, compared to a newer Evo or Twincam thumbed into 'ON' mode. ....there is a huge difference in sound. The old iron just has this chuff-chuff, air pump+organic sound to it...whereas the new Twincams have that 'lumpiness' engineered into them by the ECM software..not to mention the intake and exhaust plumbing is radically different.

At any rate, lots of pans, shovels, ironhead sporties, etc, are simply used in bar-hopper duty these days. Engine longevity is irrelevant for many owners, when they only ride 100 miles per month on these old bikes. They might have a newer bike for road trips, but quite often, the old rigid pans and shovels, bobbers and choppers, are just for in-town poker runs and girly rides.

 

[Qxxx]

Not quite a Harley, but my 4-cylinder 750 looked just like this, except the full-fairing was silver. A real beauty. Boys and their toys.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I believe that is the GS-750 'L'...the stepped saddle was typical of the L models. A 1979 model I think. With an aftermarket (Vetter?) fairing. 

Or maybe no E or L....seems like there was a standard model in there somewhere without the E or the L.

I had the 1980 GS-750E., with an almost flat saddle, and the rectangular TSCC cam case end covers. The 1980 models did not have the kick-starter.

I enjoyed the bike, mostly, but I always wished I had bought the slightly more expensive GS-850, cuz it had the shaft drive...and more touring oriented...a lot less maintenance than the chain.

 

[Malamute]

Ok...I was referring to the difference, at idle, between an old shovel kicked into life, compared to a newer Evo or Twincam thumbed into 'ON' mode. ....there is a huge difference in sound. The old iron just has this chuff-chuff, air pump+organic sound to it...whereas the new Twincams have that 'lumpiness' engineered into them by the ECM software..not to mention the intake and exhaust plumbing is radically different.

At any rate, lots of pans, shovels, ironhead sporties, etc, are simply used in bar-hopper duty these days. Engine longevity is irrelevant for many owners, when they only ride 100 miles per month on these old bikes. They might have a newer bike for road trips, but quite often, the old rigid pans and shovels, bobbers and choppers, are just for in-town poker runs and girly rides.

 
Had to laugh...I got out of riding in the late 80s, and know little about the newer bikes, and havent had much interest in them since getting back to riding, my frame of reference is shovels and earlier, Im sort of color-blind so to speak on anything later. Many of the current H-Ds, I honestly cant tell the difference between them and other makes to look at them. The current rage of full dresser/fat fenders/wheels etc types also sort of goes right by me. I like the stripped down style, minimalist to a degree, and a couple hundred pounds lighter, slightly longer forks with better handling etc. So...yes, i get your point now. 

 When I became interested in bikes again, it was a 49 Panhead custom that started the spark. I soon realized that with the starting price, then the $2500 for electric start parts to adapt to it, then the sidecar, it was way out of my budget. My friend with the shop said he had an 84 Shovel. I was somewhat horrified at the thought of owning such a new bike. A little math, and the 47 I built in 1980 seemed ancient. Today, the 84 is older now than the 47 was then. Gads, Im getting old. Anyway, I really like the 84 once I got it. I started out on a 76 Superglide as far as H-Ds go, so its pretty familiar,  besides working on them at the shop and friends having them back in the day.

Not quite a Harley, but my 4-cylinder 750 looked just like this, except the full-fairing was silver. A real beauty. Boys and their toys.

 Nice clean bike! I like H-Ds, but am not a purist by any means. The world is a big place, with enough room for lots of different things, people and interests. I mostly spend online time related to bikes on the advrider forum.  It has a small minority of H-D people, but scads of interesting riders, places theyve been, and experiences theyve had. Lots of good ride reports, good ideas on places to go, smart things to learn related to riding and bikes in general.

 Before getting on to H-Ds I had a 650 Yamaha, then later, I had a 70s Kaw KZ900 ltd for a short while. The Kaw was scary fast, and is probably slow by todays standards.


 OK, if were doing pics, heres the 84 Low Rider,



And with the sidecar mocked up, its not mounted quite yet,

 

[Qxxx]

Ahh so, nicht alles ist Harley. I also had an E with the flat saddle, which was reviewed as "slab of concrete, covered with vinyl". I replaced it with the twin seat saddle. Mine was a '78. I remember it would get 50 MPG, and do about 130 MPH. I had it up to 125 on one occasion, but didn't make a habit of it. It was my 4th and last bike.

I just recalled one time driving on the little up-down hills on the backroads east of Nashville at 85 or so, and the bike would almost lift off going over the rises. My girl friend on the back was a rodeo cowgirl and was whooping Yee-Haw like a crazy person.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I keep waiting for the thread police to jump in and remind us we are off-topic....then I remember that HEY! Anything goes in this thread...thanks to the travel babe and her genius thread title...

:thumbsup:

 

[Qxxx]

Can we chat about sofi's new little girl avatar? Hmmm ....

 

[maki2]

https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/hip-fractures
"Hip fractures in the elderly are common. In fact, more than 300,000 adults 65 or older are hospitalized for hip fractures each year, ....  Older women are at higher risk, making up 80% of broken hip injuries overall".

The hip fracture is most often caused by loss of balance. Women are at higher risk of fractures because many older women have osteoporosis compared to men. Men typically have a much more robust skeleton than women. Of course women also typically live longer than men which has an impact on the statistics as the older a woman gets the more likely it is she will have the conditions that lead to more fractures.

Of course the structure in our ears is what helps with our balance. One of the early signs of Alzheimer disease is problems with balance. A situation where one thing leads to another and yet another and another.   Meaning loss of balance due to a health issue which results in more falls which resorts in broken bones which in itself can cause clots. Then often surgery to repair and stabilize a hip and that can also lead to clots. That scenario is why my father died from blood clots following surgery to repair a broken hip caused by lack of balance from not just age but also Dementia additionaly complicated by diabetes, he was in his early 80.  My mother lived to 96 without any fractures. I inherited her robust (for a woman) skeletal frame. My father was shorter and more slight in build than my mother.

 

[Qxxx]

A lot of that business about osteoporosis and issues with coordination is explained in detail in the article I linked. Obviously your doctor prefers that you not become one of those statistics.

 

[VanFan]

Of course the structure in our ears is what helps with our balance...

(Although I suspected a TIA, an inner ear infection is what caused my mothers' fall.)

Given the choice, I would gladly wear football-type pads on my hips rather than "be safe" by limiting mobility.  A study in a residential care facility found that when that was done, besides reducing fracture risk, residents were significantly healthier and happier overall.

 

[Qxxx]

 "be safe" by limiting mobility.

Once you get into your 70s and 80s, the very last thing you want to do is cut down on mobility ... as in lessening exercising. As you are likely to be retired then, you want devote time to "increasing" it instead. Exercise helps keep you from getting osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. On and on and on.

 

[VanFan]

A year ago yesterday, we moved to Luna Lake (NFS) Campground, a developed site near Alpine, AZ.  The next day (today), we ventured into town for a library visit to pick up a few books from the sale rack.  (Our last book stop was 8 days prior at Datil Well BLM campground's swap.)  Occasional light showers and deliciously cool air prevailed, with a low of 50 and a high of 67.

Where were you?

 

[tx2sturgis]

A year ago yesterday, 

{snip}


Where were you?

I had to look thru my google pics....I had just returned from a trip in New Mexico up in the Lincoln National Forest and was getting the camper ready for another long trip thru Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota...

Ah....memories...

 

[travelaround]

Here's where I was on July 8, 2019, one year ago.


Klamath River near Happy Camp

I drove downriver to spend the night at the Wingate River Access.

 

[travelaround]

Thanks everyone for the Zoom advice and links. I will give this a try. Also.. I see there are Kindle lovers here. I have a 2013 Paperwhite and a much newer Fire 10. I recently made a video on my Booktube channel to compare/contrast them.

Today I didn't even unlock the front gate. I'm not expecting any deliveries and nobody visits me, usually. If my son wants to visit and the gate is locked he manages to jump over the fence. Anyone else can call if they want to see me. We don't get mail delivery service here so the postman never comes. We all get free PO boxes in town (for residents.)

All I've done is a little gardening. Trying to make one of my rose bushes happy. It has already improved quite a lot since I first started pruning it and clearing the weeds away from it.

Last night I gave in to the cat's desire for a little more food at sunset. Went out an hour later to get the food bowl and it was the return of the little skunk, eating. I let him be but got the bowls in later and washed them. It made me wonder what skunks eat normally. Cat food couldn't be all that good for them.

 

[VanFan]

I had just returned from a trip in New Mexico up in the Lincoln National Forest...

We would like to spend some time there--especially since it's a quick trip from our base and much cooler.  Altitude could be an issue though.  I used to be fine below timberline, then the cutoff became 10,000, then 9,000-ish.  That's probably still okay if I sneak up on it slowly, coming from around 400.  Looks like most NFS campgrounds are in the low 9,000's.  From time to time, I've considered a commercial place outside of Ruidoso that looked okay at under 6,000 to acclimate and scout, but then I close my eyes and imagine half of El Paso doing the same!

Did you enjoy your stay?  Do you have any tips?

 

[VanFan]

Here's where I was on July 8, 2019, one year ago.


Klamath River near Happy Camp

Okay.  This is killing me (in a good way!).  Did you know there's no good way to get to the PNW from Texas?  Probably a good thing, really.  Nice pics, BTW!

 

[tx2sturgis]

We would like to spend some time there--especially since it's a quick trip from our base and much cooler. 

{snip}

Did you enjoy your stay?  Do you have any tips?

My r-pod and also a Tab400 that a friend owns, along with several people in tents and pickup shell campers, here at about 9000 ft...not far from Cloudcroft and the Sunspot Highway, near what is called Benson Ridge. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.858117,-105.7614843,22120m/data=!3m1!1e3

We were there for ARRL Field Day, a ham radio event. 

Tips? Dont eat yellow snow!



Actually it was nice but this was pre-covid of course, and I have no idea how crowded this area might be now. There are a LOT of pullouts and flat areas, some easy to maneuver in, some are kinda tight. I would not recommend arriving on a Friday or Saturday...probably better to arrive on a Monday thru Wednesday to get a good spot.