Saturday, October 17, 2009
No Biketoberfest for me!
I was hoping to be able to get some new pictures to post on here but I can't get off work to go. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend too but one of the things you just gotta do, to do what you want to do, is to do what you don't want to do. As much as I want to hit up Daytona and party, I want to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas also head out to Cincinatti in February for the V-Twin Expo even more. I've gotta pick my battles and unfortunatly Daytona isn't high enough up on that list. I'm definatly planning on going next year right after graduation.
Course 4- Week 1
We're pretty well into the Electrical course and we've covered the basics from the Theory class and started to get into more detail. We hit on the starter systems, had a demo and started testing the starter systems on a Honda, Kawasaki and a Suzuki. We aren't given a Harley to test. Why I'm not sure. We get a different answer every time we ask so I've given up asking. Part of the testing of these systems has been drawing out a block diagram from the schematics. Reading the schematics isn't really hard. The hard part is knowing exactly what the instructors want us to pull from the schematics for the diagrams.
I have to admit that I'm having fun with this part of it. It's challenging looking at the schematic and finding that wire on the bike. It's nice when you get it right quick.
Next week we're supposed to hit on the charging systems and the ignition systems so I'll be ready to cause some real damage soon enough.
I have to admit that I'm having fun with this part of it. It's challenging looking at the schematic and finding that wire on the bike. It's nice when you get it right quick.
Next week we're supposed to hit on the charging systems and the ignition systems so I'll be ready to cause some real damage soon enough.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Why am I here.......
I had someone ask me, "Why are you going to motorcycle school?". Then I starting thinking to myself, why am I here?
Why am I here............
Have you ever asked yourself that and honestly gave it thought? Really, truly thought about it?
I think I'm here for a few reasons. I like motorcycles. I like riding them, I like being around them and I like the feeling I get when I sit on one. What does that mean exactly? What does that mean to me? I hate to sound cliche but when I sit on a bike I feel free. Not the type of free that you find in an advertisement in a magazine. I get this feeling that I can be better than I am. That I can free myself of the troubles of my mind. Maybe that's what the ads are selling.
I'm also here to prove something. I could say that I'm here to prove something to my mother or my friends or just about anyone but I'd be lying. I'm here to prove something to myself. I've screwed up just about every good opportunity I've had and I need to, no, I want to finally finish what I start.
I've got a lot of work to shake all those bad habits and lose some of the attitude I've developed. Why do I need to challenge and fight everything? I don't know. I do know that, for some reason, I need to though. Maybe the thing or person I really fight and challenge is myself. I'm my own biggest critic and I bash myself the hardest. I suppose that can be good when I use it push myself to improve. What have I been trying to improve though? What are we all trying to improve?
The people I've respected most have been people who could fix or build things. For years it seemed all I ever heard was "you don't have the mechanical ability" and I think it's the reason I gave up on my pursuit of auto mechanics after high school. My favorite times growing up were when I got take something apart or build something. I know I'm good at it and the person or thing I will fight from now on is the one who stands in my way. I've finally found something I enjoy and makes me happy. I feel sorry for the one who gets in my way now. I include myself in that. I will not give up this time. I will not settle for anything less than what I want.
Why am I here............
Have you ever asked yourself that and honestly gave it thought? Really, truly thought about it?
I think I'm here for a few reasons. I like motorcycles. I like riding them, I like being around them and I like the feeling I get when I sit on one. What does that mean exactly? What does that mean to me? I hate to sound cliche but when I sit on a bike I feel free. Not the type of free that you find in an advertisement in a magazine. I get this feeling that I can be better than I am. That I can free myself of the troubles of my mind. Maybe that's what the ads are selling.
I'm also here to prove something. I could say that I'm here to prove something to my mother or my friends or just about anyone but I'd be lying. I'm here to prove something to myself. I've screwed up just about every good opportunity I've had and I need to, no, I want to finally finish what I start.
I've got a lot of work to shake all those bad habits and lose some of the attitude I've developed. Why do I need to challenge and fight everything? I don't know. I do know that, for some reason, I need to though. Maybe the thing or person I really fight and challenge is myself. I'm my own biggest critic and I bash myself the hardest. I suppose that can be good when I use it push myself to improve. What have I been trying to improve though? What are we all trying to improve?
The people I've respected most have been people who could fix or build things. For years it seemed all I ever heard was "you don't have the mechanical ability" and I think it's the reason I gave up on my pursuit of auto mechanics after high school. My favorite times growing up were when I got take something apart or build something. I know I'm good at it and the person or thing I will fight from now on is the one who stands in my way. I've finally found something I enjoy and makes me happy. I feel sorry for the one who gets in my way now. I include myself in that. I will not give up this time. I will not settle for anything less than what I want.
Course 3- Done
I finished out the course tonight with a 97.8. It's not as good as I wanted but it's what I got.
I scored a 88 on the final exam missing 3 questions. Two of them were from topics we covered in lecture but that we didn't do anything with in practice or lab so I didn't think it would be on the test. Was I wrong on that. There was also a question on the test that was not only not covered in lecture, in our papers or done in lab but it didn't have anything to do with our class at all. It was from Course 1. I got that one correct though. The last one I missed was just an incorrectly checked box. I knew the answer but just got excited that I thought I was going to get a 100 on it and just screwed up. Slowing down and taking my time is something I obviously need to work on.
Monday we're on to the first electronics class. I'm really looking forward to this one, partially because I have some experience with electronics and also because I'm afraid to touch the electronics on a bike. I know what happens when you start playing with wires and don't know exactly what they do so I've been afraid to touch the electrical system on my bike. It'll be nice to learn how the systems work so I'll feel confidant to work on mine once the warranty is up.
Hopefully it'll be as fun as I think it will and I'll have a few updates next week.
I scored a 88 on the final exam missing 3 questions. Two of them were from topics we covered in lecture but that we didn't do anything with in practice or lab so I didn't think it would be on the test. Was I wrong on that. There was also a question on the test that was not only not covered in lecture, in our papers or done in lab but it didn't have anything to do with our class at all. It was from Course 1. I got that one correct though. The last one I missed was just an incorrectly checked box. I knew the answer but just got excited that I thought I was going to get a 100 on it and just screwed up. Slowing down and taking my time is something I obviously need to work on.
Monday we're on to the first electronics class. I'm really looking forward to this one, partially because I have some experience with electronics and also because I'm afraid to touch the electronics on a bike. I know what happens when you start playing with wires and don't know exactly what they do so I've been afraid to touch the electrical system on my bike. It'll be nice to learn how the systems work so I'll feel confidant to work on mine once the warranty is up.
Hopefully it'll be as fun as I think it will and I'll have a few updates next week.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Course 3....almost done!
I didn't get a chance to post last weekend as it was my birthday and work decided it was gonna tack on a few hours as a present! Sorry about that.
Course 3 has been running fairly smoothly. I've reconditioned some valve seats, bored a cylinder and honed it, cooked a head and popped out the valve guides and replaced em, pushed out another set of valve guides with a press, taken apart 2 crank shafts and trued them and got to do a few bolt extractions which was cake walk work.
The cylinder boring and valve seat reconditioning was the hardest part but mostly, I think, due to the fact that these are "training aids" as the school likes to call them. I call them motorcycle parts that are FUBAR. I spent 2 hours just trying to get the cylinder back in round so I could begin trying to make a smooth cut on it. The valve seats..well lets just say...umm..let's not say. It took me all night to get one straightened out and done. I'm no professional at this stuff by any means and I'm sure a pro could have done them both in an hour or so but I suppose it was a good learning experience. The instructor told me at one point "this is good so you can recognize it out in the field". My reponse to that was "if I see this out in the field I'm gonna take their bike away from them".
I've enjoyed getting my hands dirty and we've certainly done that in this class. I know the fun is just getting started though. The next step for us is the Basic Electronics class or Course 4. I'm really looking forward to this one. I have gotten my feet wet in electronics before. Not so much on motorcycles but through home theaters and such. Electronics are electronics or so I think. I'm sure there will be some surprises awaiting me and I look for a challenge in it. I hope there's one there. I do know that there are more and more electronics popping up on bikes every model year and if you're good at diagnosing and fixing a problem with it you'll be in demand. One thing I'm not looking forward to is seeing someone do the ol "cut and splice with electrical tape" method of repairing something. I know i'll see someone do it and I might have to slap em in the back of the head because i've had to troubleshoot and repair some wires like that before and it's not fun. All that fun isn't till next week though.
Friday night is our final exam for Course 3. I have all my projects already turned in and have gotten perfect scores on them all. This instructor is really helpful with them and doesn't rule with an iron fist when it comes to scoring them. You really have to try to get a minor, points off if you remember, and you practically have to drop something on his foot or break something to get a major, a lot of points off. His attitude has been "I didn't hire you to bore cylinders...etc. You're here to learn and if you learn then you're doing what you're here to do. If not then you lose points" He goes off in weird directions in coversations some times but overall he's a good guy.
I'll try to get a post in by Sunday, if not Friday night and let you know what my final exam score is. Until then........
Course 3 has been running fairly smoothly. I've reconditioned some valve seats, bored a cylinder and honed it, cooked a head and popped out the valve guides and replaced em, pushed out another set of valve guides with a press, taken apart 2 crank shafts and trued them and got to do a few bolt extractions which was cake walk work.
The cylinder boring and valve seat reconditioning was the hardest part but mostly, I think, due to the fact that these are "training aids" as the school likes to call them. I call them motorcycle parts that are FUBAR. I spent 2 hours just trying to get the cylinder back in round so I could begin trying to make a smooth cut on it. The valve seats..well lets just say...umm..let's not say. It took me all night to get one straightened out and done. I'm no professional at this stuff by any means and I'm sure a pro could have done them both in an hour or so but I suppose it was a good learning experience. The instructor told me at one point "this is good so you can recognize it out in the field". My reponse to that was "if I see this out in the field I'm gonna take their bike away from them".
I've enjoyed getting my hands dirty and we've certainly done that in this class. I know the fun is just getting started though. The next step for us is the Basic Electronics class or Course 4. I'm really looking forward to this one. I have gotten my feet wet in electronics before. Not so much on motorcycles but through home theaters and such. Electronics are electronics or so I think. I'm sure there will be some surprises awaiting me and I look for a challenge in it. I hope there's one there. I do know that there are more and more electronics popping up on bikes every model year and if you're good at diagnosing and fixing a problem with it you'll be in demand. One thing I'm not looking forward to is seeing someone do the ol "cut and splice with electrical tape" method of repairing something. I know i'll see someone do it and I might have to slap em in the back of the head because i've had to troubleshoot and repair some wires like that before and it's not fun. All that fun isn't till next week though.
Friday night is our final exam for Course 3. I have all my projects already turned in and have gotten perfect scores on them all. This instructor is really helpful with them and doesn't rule with an iron fist when it comes to scoring them. You really have to try to get a minor, points off if you remember, and you practically have to drop something on his foot or break something to get a major, a lot of points off. His attitude has been "I didn't hire you to bore cylinders...etc. You're here to learn and if you learn then you're doing what you're here to do. If not then you lose points" He goes off in weird directions in coversations some times but overall he's a good guy.
I'll try to get a post in by Sunday, if not Friday night and let you know what my final exam score is. Until then........
Saturday, September 26, 2009
They're BACK!
After a little vacation, thanks to WJFK flipping formats, the boys are back on the air! I had a little conversation with them today near the end of the show. It was a good talk. I might be biased on that since I love the show and it's a kick to hear myself on the air let alone the fact that I just enjoy talking about pretty much anything motorcycle related.
You can stream the show LIVE at http://www.BigTalker1580.com every Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. That's right 2 HOURS! New and improved!!!!
If you can't catch it live podcasts will be up soon at their website. http://www.dawghouseradio.com
Let's listen up and hit those streams so the station and the advertisers will push the show back to FM and one day to prime time.
Week 13 & Course 2 Done----Week 14 Course 3 underway
Sorry I didn't update last weekend. I got a little caught up in some projects around the house so this post will be a big one.
Lets start where I left off. I was finishing up Course 2 (Suspension, Wheels, Tires) and we were getting ready for our final exam. I finished all my projects with perfect scores except for one. I had to remove a rear wheel, remove the tire from the rim and put it back, put the wheel back on the bike and adjust the belt. I screwed up and didn't pump the brake pressure back up when I was done. I didn't even think to do it while the bike was on the lift as I ALWAYS check the brakes when I get on a bike before I even start it and I just thought I would do it before what would have been the test ride but I should have done it while it was on the lift. The rules of project were to make the bike ready to hand off to the customer...I just got excited that it was the last project and I was heading towards a 100% for the entire course. Live and learn. I got a 100% on the final exam and finished out the course with a 99%. I gave it my best really and I'm happy with it. While I don't consider myself an expert on anything we covered yet, I do feel I have a good grasp of the basics and I'm ready to hit these topics again in the later courses where we'll cover them in more detail.
We started into Course 3 (Machine Shop & Precision Measuring) and have finished the first week. This instructor really has us on cruise control and doesn't seem to have any desire to let us get into high gear. It's a good thing too because boring and honing cylinders is a skill that takes much patience as I found out Friday night when I got a little jumpy and cut too much out on my first practice run. That's why they call it practice and that's why we are using junk cylinders that we can't hurt too bad. The measuring exercise was just a repeat of stuff we did in Course 1 to help nail the skills in a little harder. I didn't have a problem at all with that. I haven't been able to get into honing the cylinder quite yet as the equipment available for everyone to use is extremely limited for some odd reason in this course and we have to share quite a bit. It makes it hard to get a lot of time working on these projects but we seem to be making it work so far.
I find myself more and more hating Friday's just because it means I have two days of no learning on the weekends. I'm looking into buying a salvage motorcycle from one of the auction places around here so I can just tear it up on the weekends and play around with it. I don't have any illusions of fixing it up to ride though. I just want some more practice and I figure a wrecked bike is the way to go since I can't hurt it.
Oh..........and in case you were wondering, I got a 100 on the first exam in Course 3.
I'll try to update again around Wednesday. I'm also still running with 100% attendance too! Not one minute missed to date.
Lets start where I left off. I was finishing up Course 2 (Suspension, Wheels, Tires) and we were getting ready for our final exam. I finished all my projects with perfect scores except for one. I had to remove a rear wheel, remove the tire from the rim and put it back, put the wheel back on the bike and adjust the belt. I screwed up and didn't pump the brake pressure back up when I was done. I didn't even think to do it while the bike was on the lift as I ALWAYS check the brakes when I get on a bike before I even start it and I just thought I would do it before what would have been the test ride but I should have done it while it was on the lift. The rules of project were to make the bike ready to hand off to the customer...I just got excited that it was the last project and I was heading towards a 100% for the entire course. Live and learn. I got a 100% on the final exam and finished out the course with a 99%. I gave it my best really and I'm happy with it. While I don't consider myself an expert on anything we covered yet, I do feel I have a good grasp of the basics and I'm ready to hit these topics again in the later courses where we'll cover them in more detail.
We started into Course 3 (Machine Shop & Precision Measuring) and have finished the first week. This instructor really has us on cruise control and doesn't seem to have any desire to let us get into high gear. It's a good thing too because boring and honing cylinders is a skill that takes much patience as I found out Friday night when I got a little jumpy and cut too much out on my first practice run. That's why they call it practice and that's why we are using junk cylinders that we can't hurt too bad. The measuring exercise was just a repeat of stuff we did in Course 1 to help nail the skills in a little harder. I didn't have a problem at all with that. I haven't been able to get into honing the cylinder quite yet as the equipment available for everyone to use is extremely limited for some odd reason in this course and we have to share quite a bit. It makes it hard to get a lot of time working on these projects but we seem to be making it work so far.
I find myself more and more hating Friday's just because it means I have two days of no learning on the weekends. I'm looking into buying a salvage motorcycle from one of the auction places around here so I can just tear it up on the weekends and play around with it. I don't have any illusions of fixing it up to ride though. I just want some more practice and I figure a wrecked bike is the way to go since I can't hurt it.
Oh..........and in case you were wondering, I got a 100 on the first exam in Course 3.
I'll try to update again around Wednesday. I'm also still running with 100% attendance too! Not one minute missed to date.
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