So, the infamous shifting issue appeared to be due to the shift pawl being out of adjustment and/or the shift lever going into the spline shaft of the transmission was loose. Dealer did the adjustments, put the bike back together, and all was good...for a while.
About a week or so after picking up the bike, I noticed a good sized puddle of some sort of oil under the bike. Thought perhaps the tranny was over-filled as it was just worked on by the dealer, and it was a very hot day out. However, the problem never went away, so after a few days the bike was back to the dealer.
Dealer looks at it and determines it's the transmission trap door seal that's leaking. Now, keep in mind that this is not your typical leak where it's just an annoyance of spotting the garage floor. Oh HELL NO!!! This is a leak that basically appears to be on the order of being able to drain the entire tranny overnight! Hence, a REAL PROBLEM!!!!!
Was informed by the dealer that the repair would run about $430. Yeah, that's just fuck'n peachy, but at least I don't need to rebuild or replace the fucking tranny!
Dealer calls me the day they are working on it to inform me that once they got into the thing to repair the seal, they found pieces if the shift dogs floating around in the tranny. Now, I'm no mechanic, but this just doesn't sound good! They then proceed to inform me that...yep...you guessed it...the fucking tranny needs to be rebuilt! Or replaced, as that might even be cheaper. I'm not sure, but I think this bike is just out to get me!
Well fucking lucky me, I was able to find a brand new right side drive, 6 speed, hydraulic tranny for $660, and with the 6 hours labor from the dealer to install, I'll have the damn thing fixed for around $1200 out the door.
Let's see, bike has just over 28,000 miles on it, and within a few months it needed a seal fixed, and now this!
UN-FUCKIN-REAL!!!!!!
At least now when I sell it, I can advertise that it has a brand new transmission!
Like I've said before, I love choppers, but I have given up owning them. Maybe if I hit the lotto, or ever get bored enough in my life where I want to work on a project bike, I'd get another one. But until then, no thanks!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Chopper motorcycles...
I love motorcycles in the chopper genre. However, my view is changing. Perhaps it's a matter of the older I get, the less problems I want to have with a bike, and the more comfortable I want
it to be.
Let's start with the problems...
My 2005 Big Dog had the following issues, some of which were just a bit annoying, others were VERY major:
- Big Dog stock exhausts were atrocious. I went thru 5 of them before they owned up to the problem, and were replaced by Arlen Ness pipes
- The front fork seals leaked, and were fixed twice by me, then final fix was done by Arlen Ness.
- The front headlight would constantly break it's bolt, causing it to fall off.
- At around 56,000 miles, the motor needed re-boring as it was burning oil, which was not done until (see the next line)...
- At around 57,000 miles, the oil pump ceased functioning due to a piece of valve guide breaking off inside the motor, and jamming the oil pump
- At around 60,000 miles, the transmission broke a gear in half due to the counter shaft bolt inside coming loose
- The swing arm bolt on the right side broke, TWICE!!! Even though the first fix was using the Big Dog new and improved bolt, it broke within about a year
- Clutch cable broke about 5 fucking times!!!
- At 87,000 miles, the rear cylinder head gasket was leaking, thus in need of replacement. Sold bike at this point.
- Electronics sucked!!! The bike got to the point where it would simply go completely dead while riding, occurring maybe once a month or so. Replacing the crappy ECM fixed it.
There are those that would say that many times a suspected bad ECM would turn out to not be the actual ECM module, but would instead be a connector. Thus, even though replacing suspected ECM fixed the issue, it was really the re-seating, or replacement of a connector that fixed it. To this I say "So fucking what?!??!". OK, that was a bit broad of a statement, so allow me to elaborate.
Yes, it may very well be that a connector was at fault during past times when an owner would either replace the ECM with another ECM, or do as I did, and replace it, and the shitty connectors with a third party solution. However, I look at the ECM thing as being more a total system, not just one individual component. And, as a system, IT SUCKS!
Big Dog chose to use a non-Harley, non-standardized method of electronics, using 5 volt signals running to all the switches and such that in turn tells the ECM module what to do. I suppose the lower voltage is what instigated the use of the little tiny bullshit connectors. Yeah, there's a great fucking idea! Let's use little tiny fucking connectors on a machine that has a rigid mounted, unbalanced 117 cubic inch motor (ie: high vibration), that is also going to be ridden, at times, through the rain (IE: things get wet).
OK, so we have high levels of vibration, and things getting wet. Oh yeah, gee, what could go wrong?. OK, so maybe I don't know shit about anything, but then again, I do know a thing or two about electronics (Bachelors degree in Electronic Engineering Technology), and over 30 years experience in the field. To please the people who want to stick to the notion that the ECM is not at fault most of the time, then let's put it this way: "The ECM SYSTEM is at fault almost all the time!!!".
Now let's move onto my second chopper, the 300RS made by Proper Chopper:
- Bike never did start real well. Never seemed to have the same cranking speed as what I'm used to, and numerous times it would stop cranking with a loud clunk.
- Front fork seal leak (what is it with me and fork seals anyway!)
- Motor pings like crazy under load, especially on freeway when getting on it. Probably not jetted right.
- Voltage regulator fell off while riding due to the flimsy peice of shit sheet metal bracket cracking in half.
- Tire rubs on wire going into tail light bolt on left side due to insufficient clearance. Had to cut a slot in the bolt for the wire to give it more room.
- Paint quality is awful! Looks really good, but something was not done right in the paint procees as pot marks appeared on the rear fender, followed by cracks in the paint on the gas tank.
- Transmission seal leak developed after a few months of ownership
- Transmission shifting issue, with false neutrals, that have now become a fourth gear issue where it sometimes requires several attempts to get it into gear. 3rd gear sometimes has the same
problem.
- At one point the bike kept blowing a fuse, causing it to die. This was due to wire under frame having been worn thru, shorting to frame.
- Speedometer added an extra 17,000 miles onto the odometer. The speedo was also a peice of crap to use. Replaced with Dakota.
So then one realizes that the builders of the bike did some things wrong, such as:
* Regulator bracket
* Wiring placed/installed in such a way that it gets worn thru within a few thousand miles
* Incorrect jetting
* Improper clearance for rear tail light wire to tire
Which then leads one to think: "So what else did they do haphazardly?".
I mean, fuck, they got the above mentioned obvious things wrong, so what else did they fuck up? Maybe the starting issue is due to something they did wrong, like improper alignment of something. Maybe the tranny seal leak was caused by something installed wrong. Who knows? But the above data certainly does not point to a good track record!
And now I'm trying to tackle the tranny shift issue on my own. Holy fucking Jesus Christ on a popsicle stick, what a fucking hassle!!!
I'm looking at the thing thinking: "Oh, I'll just pop out the oil tank which is blocking access to the top of the tranny, remove the top cover, and I'll be there". Oh, fuck yeah, after 2+ hours of pulling shit off, and kicking and screaming!"
It begins with the fact that 2 of the bolts can't be removed for the oil tank because they sit behind an area that you can pretty much only get to by removing the rear tire and splash guard. OK, got that done. Now it will not squeeze out thru the side of the bike as it hits the ground wire going to the starter. OK, got that removed. Still a tight squeeze, but managed to finally get the fucking oil tank out. Remove the 4 screws holding the tranny cover on, and now the fucking thing won't come at as it hits the starter. OK, loosen starter, cuss up a storm again, and the fucking cover finally pops off. At this point I'm thnking it's a miracle that I didn't have to pull the engine, front forks and handlebars!!! FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I'm staring at the key element that lead me down this hell path...the shift pawl! Seems simple enough now, just tweak the adjuster, which is an allen bolt, until the shift pawl is centered...TO WITHIN 0.01 FUCKING INCHES!!!!!" Meaning, you look at the gap on one side of the pawl to the one pin on the shift drum, then look at the same gap on the other side, and adjust so the difference between the gaps is within 0.01". REALLY?!??!!? This is 1/100 of an inch!!! Stack 2 human hairs and that's about the fucking width! I guess I can forget about eye balling this thing! I know, I know...there are feeler gauges and such out there for such a task. However, it seems that there is going to be at least 0.01" worth of slop in the mechanism as you move the thing about. Now only that, but one is suppose to loosen the jam nut, tweak the allen screw, tighten the jam nut, and maintain the 0.01" during all that tightening of stuff?
FUCK!
Yeah, and I can just see it now. I'm going to spend hours, cursing and sweating over this fucking thing, only to get it all re-assembled, only to have it not work! Which means taking to a steep cliff...er...oops!...sorry...got carried away there! I mean, take it the dealer to have them fuck with it. And what's the first thing that they'll do? Probably take it apart to the point where I already had it torn down to.
I'm thinking that I will take the fucking bike to the dealer BEFORE re-assembling it. That way I at least save on the labor of them tearing it down. Let them pull their hair out over this thing, then proceed to charge me an arm and a left nut as with my luck, it's something deep within the bowels of it that's fucked up! Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic. Maybe they'll look at it, and will say "Oh, there's your problem right there!", and proceed to fix in within minutes, and charge me about $2.99! OK, that's being a bit overly optimistic. Realistically though, I'm leaning towards "I'M FUCKED!".
it to be.
Let's start with the problems...
My 2005 Big Dog had the following issues, some of which were just a bit annoying, others were VERY major:
- Big Dog stock exhausts were atrocious. I went thru 5 of them before they owned up to the problem, and were replaced by Arlen Ness pipes
- The front fork seals leaked, and were fixed twice by me, then final fix was done by Arlen Ness.
- The front headlight would constantly break it's bolt, causing it to fall off.
- At around 56,000 miles, the motor needed re-boring as it was burning oil, which was not done until (see the next line)...
- At around 57,000 miles, the oil pump ceased functioning due to a piece of valve guide breaking off inside the motor, and jamming the oil pump
- At around 60,000 miles, the transmission broke a gear in half due to the counter shaft bolt inside coming loose
- The swing arm bolt on the right side broke, TWICE!!! Even though the first fix was using the Big Dog new and improved bolt, it broke within about a year
- Clutch cable broke about 5 fucking times!!!
- At 87,000 miles, the rear cylinder head gasket was leaking, thus in need of replacement. Sold bike at this point.
- Electronics sucked!!! The bike got to the point where it would simply go completely dead while riding, occurring maybe once a month or so. Replacing the crappy ECM fixed it.
There are those that would say that many times a suspected bad ECM would turn out to not be the actual ECM module, but would instead be a connector. Thus, even though replacing suspected ECM fixed the issue, it was really the re-seating, or replacement of a connector that fixed it. To this I say "So fucking what?!??!". OK, that was a bit broad of a statement, so allow me to elaborate.
Yes, it may very well be that a connector was at fault during past times when an owner would either replace the ECM with another ECM, or do as I did, and replace it, and the shitty connectors with a third party solution. However, I look at the ECM thing as being more a total system, not just one individual component. And, as a system, IT SUCKS!
Big Dog chose to use a non-Harley, non-standardized method of electronics, using 5 volt signals running to all the switches and such that in turn tells the ECM module what to do. I suppose the lower voltage is what instigated the use of the little tiny bullshit connectors. Yeah, there's a great fucking idea! Let's use little tiny fucking connectors on a machine that has a rigid mounted, unbalanced 117 cubic inch motor (ie: high vibration), that is also going to be ridden, at times, through the rain (IE: things get wet).
OK, so we have high levels of vibration, and things getting wet. Oh yeah, gee, what could go wrong?. OK, so maybe I don't know shit about anything, but then again, I do know a thing or two about electronics (Bachelors degree in Electronic Engineering Technology), and over 30 years experience in the field. To please the people who want to stick to the notion that the ECM is not at fault most of the time, then let's put it this way: "The ECM SYSTEM is at fault almost all the time!!!".
Now let's move onto my second chopper, the 300RS made by Proper Chopper:
- Bike never did start real well. Never seemed to have the same cranking speed as what I'm used to, and numerous times it would stop cranking with a loud clunk.
- Front fork seal leak (what is it with me and fork seals anyway!)
- Motor pings like crazy under load, especially on freeway when getting on it. Probably not jetted right.
- Voltage regulator fell off while riding due to the flimsy peice of shit sheet metal bracket cracking in half.
- Tire rubs on wire going into tail light bolt on left side due to insufficient clearance. Had to cut a slot in the bolt for the wire to give it more room.
- Paint quality is awful! Looks really good, but something was not done right in the paint procees as pot marks appeared on the rear fender, followed by cracks in the paint on the gas tank.
- Transmission seal leak developed after a few months of ownership
- Transmission shifting issue, with false neutrals, that have now become a fourth gear issue where it sometimes requires several attempts to get it into gear. 3rd gear sometimes has the same
problem.
- At one point the bike kept blowing a fuse, causing it to die. This was due to wire under frame having been worn thru, shorting to frame.
- Speedometer added an extra 17,000 miles onto the odometer. The speedo was also a peice of crap to use. Replaced with Dakota.
So then one realizes that the builders of the bike did some things wrong, such as:
* Regulator bracket
* Wiring placed/installed in such a way that it gets worn thru within a few thousand miles
* Incorrect jetting
* Improper clearance for rear tail light wire to tire
Which then leads one to think: "So what else did they do haphazardly?".
I mean, fuck, they got the above mentioned obvious things wrong, so what else did they fuck up? Maybe the starting issue is due to something they did wrong, like improper alignment of something. Maybe the tranny seal leak was caused by something installed wrong. Who knows? But the above data certainly does not point to a good track record!
And now I'm trying to tackle the tranny shift issue on my own. Holy fucking Jesus Christ on a popsicle stick, what a fucking hassle!!!
I'm looking at the thing thinking: "Oh, I'll just pop out the oil tank which is blocking access to the top of the tranny, remove the top cover, and I'll be there". Oh, fuck yeah, after 2+ hours of pulling shit off, and kicking and screaming!"
It begins with the fact that 2 of the bolts can't be removed for the oil tank because they sit behind an area that you can pretty much only get to by removing the rear tire and splash guard. OK, got that done. Now it will not squeeze out thru the side of the bike as it hits the ground wire going to the starter. OK, got that removed. Still a tight squeeze, but managed to finally get the fucking oil tank out. Remove the 4 screws holding the tranny cover on, and now the fucking thing won't come at as it hits the starter. OK, loosen starter, cuss up a storm again, and the fucking cover finally pops off. At this point I'm thnking it's a miracle that I didn't have to pull the engine, front forks and handlebars!!! FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I'm staring at the key element that lead me down this hell path...the shift pawl! Seems simple enough now, just tweak the adjuster, which is an allen bolt, until the shift pawl is centered...TO WITHIN 0.01 FUCKING INCHES!!!!!" Meaning, you look at the gap on one side of the pawl to the one pin on the shift drum, then look at the same gap on the other side, and adjust so the difference between the gaps is within 0.01". REALLY?!??!!? This is 1/100 of an inch!!! Stack 2 human hairs and that's about the fucking width! I guess I can forget about eye balling this thing! I know, I know...there are feeler gauges and such out there for such a task. However, it seems that there is going to be at least 0.01" worth of slop in the mechanism as you move the thing about. Now only that, but one is suppose to loosen the jam nut, tweak the allen screw, tighten the jam nut, and maintain the 0.01" during all that tightening of stuff?
FUCK!
Yeah, and I can just see it now. I'm going to spend hours, cursing and sweating over this fucking thing, only to get it all re-assembled, only to have it not work! Which means taking to a steep cliff...er...oops!...sorry...got carried away there! I mean, take it the dealer to have them fuck with it. And what's the first thing that they'll do? Probably take it apart to the point where I already had it torn down to.
I'm thinking that I will take the fucking bike to the dealer BEFORE re-assembling it. That way I at least save on the labor of them tearing it down. Let them pull their hair out over this thing, then proceed to charge me an arm and a left nut as with my luck, it's something deep within the bowels of it that's fucked up! Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic. Maybe they'll look at it, and will say "Oh, there's your problem right there!", and proceed to fix in within minutes, and charge me about $2.99! OK, that's being a bit overly optimistic. Realistically though, I'm leaning towards "I'M FUCKED!".
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Windows programming frustrations...
I like programming, but...
Writing a Windows program using Windows API sometimes can be about as much fun as being covered in molasses, then buried up to your neck next to an ant hill!
Now, that said, it's not really fair for me to rant against something that, due to my ignorance of the subject, makes as much sense as quantum physics, but it's my damn site, so I'll rant at whatever the fuck I feel like!
It's probably obvious at this point that I am currently trying to write a Windows program, and am getting, to say the least, a tad frustrated! That said, perhaps every programmer out there requires a whole day to simply get a fucking button added to their main Window, and then another two days to get the fucking button to actually do something once you fucking click on it! I know if I understood the Windows API more, and general Windows programming, it wouldn't require me to go thru such trials and tribulations, but damn!
It seems every step of the way is more like a stumble, where I slowly grasp just enough examples and information from the web to apply to my program, and sit back and watch it fall on it's face, and the fucking thing will not even compile. On top of that, the error messages from the compiler are about as clear as trying to see thru tar!
One persistent error message was due to the fact that the settings of my project had to use a multi-byte character set instead of unicode. DAMN! How did I miss that one! Pretty bad when you read the answer to the problem, and the answer makes less sense than the original problem!
So, here I am, after three days of coding, and I've managed to get a program running that has one button, one listbox, and clicking on the button actually does something. Of course, it would sure be nice if I could get that fucking listbox to co-operate, with lines of text being written to it, but alas, we are at yet another stumbling block. Nothing another day or so of researching won't fix, assuming I can hold onto my sanity that long.
So here I am, the following day, and I've pretty much given up on the listbox thing. Sort of got it working, but not really the way I wanted it, so I figured I'd move onto an easier way to get my program to function. Basically, dump the stupid listbox, and use the simple TextOut function to simply spit out to the main Window the text that I want to display. Looks like I'm onto something as I don't really need to have a button on my Window. I was going to have the user click the button that would then execute the stuff that I need to run, but I can simply have the stuff run once the program launches. Beautiful! No fucking buttons to deal with, and with my newfound TextOut command, no fucking Listboxes either. I may actually be getting somewhere!
But of course this being Windows programming, it just has to get difficult, doesn't it.
And difficult it quickly became.
One thing I want my program to do is to simply find out how many files are in a given directory. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? I mean, there just has to be a function I can call that's built into Windows that will provide this number to me.
Well, after combing the web for a bit, I have come to the conclusion that this function either doesn't fucking exist, or it does, and I just cannot find the fucking thing!
How ludicrous is this!!!
It's no wonder that there are many people out there that hate programming!
In forging ahead, I created my own function that provides me with the count of files in a directory... hot fucking damn! Now we're getting somewhere! Though at this pace, that place is going to be the insane asylum!
Managed to plod along and got my program functioning, and providing the information to the user as I wanted. However, one more stumbling block! What else would you expect from Windows programming.
One of the things my program does is provide the number of records in a given Windows Event log. Managed to get this all working, but I wanted to refine it a bit. Once thing that is nice to do in any program is error checking. This is done as one should never assume that just because, for instance, a Windows event log should exist, that is does indeed exist. Windows might get rather upset if you call a function that has an Event log name as one of its parameters, when in reality the Event log name does not exist after all. Can be bad news as Windows will at times just go fucking nuts, as it pokes around looking for something, then basically says "ah, fuck it! You want a pointer to an object? OK, here's your fucking pointer!!!!", and proceeds to point to something like, oh, I don't know, an empty spot in memory? Can you say "blue screen of death"? I knew you could.
So, bottom line, error checking it a good thing.
Turns out the one function I use simply opens the supplied Windows Event log, and if it fails, it returns what they call a NULL value. I'm thinking, "Great! Doesn't get much simpler than this. All I got to do after the function call is to check if the returned value is NULL. It it's NULL, then print out an error message, and have the program exit".
But noooooo! Of course it can't be that easy. Wouldn't be Windows if something actually worked as expected!
What happens is that all compiles just fine, and the program runs just fine and dandy. Then, to test out the error checking, I supply a name for an event log that does not exist. Obviously if the function tried to access an Event log that does not exist, it HAS to come back with a NULL value... that's the way it's suppose to work. So, what does my program do? It moves merrily along with a returned value that is not NULL, meaning it was happy to open the Event log that does not even fucking exist! What the fuck, is this thing on crack!
I don't know, maybe another few days of banging my head against the wall will get this resolved. Either that, or an uzi to the fucking PC!
Writing a Windows program using Windows API sometimes can be about as much fun as being covered in molasses, then buried up to your neck next to an ant hill!
Now, that said, it's not really fair for me to rant against something that, due to my ignorance of the subject, makes as much sense as quantum physics, but it's my damn site, so I'll rant at whatever the fuck I feel like!
It's probably obvious at this point that I am currently trying to write a Windows program, and am getting, to say the least, a tad frustrated! That said, perhaps every programmer out there requires a whole day to simply get a fucking button added to their main Window, and then another two days to get the fucking button to actually do something once you fucking click on it! I know if I understood the Windows API more, and general Windows programming, it wouldn't require me to go thru such trials and tribulations, but damn!
It seems every step of the way is more like a stumble, where I slowly grasp just enough examples and information from the web to apply to my program, and sit back and watch it fall on it's face, and the fucking thing will not even compile. On top of that, the error messages from the compiler are about as clear as trying to see thru tar!
One persistent error message was due to the fact that the settings of my project had to use a multi-byte character set instead of unicode. DAMN! How did I miss that one! Pretty bad when you read the answer to the problem, and the answer makes less sense than the original problem!
So, here I am, after three days of coding, and I've managed to get a program running that has one button, one listbox, and clicking on the button actually does something. Of course, it would sure be nice if I could get that fucking listbox to co-operate, with lines of text being written to it, but alas, we are at yet another stumbling block. Nothing another day or so of researching won't fix, assuming I can hold onto my sanity that long.
So here I am, the following day, and I've pretty much given up on the listbox thing. Sort of got it working, but not really the way I wanted it, so I figured I'd move onto an easier way to get my program to function. Basically, dump the stupid listbox, and use the simple TextOut function to simply spit out to the main Window the text that I want to display. Looks like I'm onto something as I don't really need to have a button on my Window. I was going to have the user click the button that would then execute the stuff that I need to run, but I can simply have the stuff run once the program launches. Beautiful! No fucking buttons to deal with, and with my newfound TextOut command, no fucking Listboxes either. I may actually be getting somewhere!
But of course this being Windows programming, it just has to get difficult, doesn't it.
And difficult it quickly became.
One thing I want my program to do is to simply find out how many files are in a given directory. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? I mean, there just has to be a function I can call that's built into Windows that will provide this number to me.
Well, after combing the web for a bit, I have come to the conclusion that this function either doesn't fucking exist, or it does, and I just cannot find the fucking thing!
How ludicrous is this!!!
It's no wonder that there are many people out there that hate programming!
In forging ahead, I created my own function that provides me with the count of files in a directory... hot fucking damn! Now we're getting somewhere! Though at this pace, that place is going to be the insane asylum!
Managed to plod along and got my program functioning, and providing the information to the user as I wanted. However, one more stumbling block! What else would you expect from Windows programming.
One of the things my program does is provide the number of records in a given Windows Event log. Managed to get this all working, but I wanted to refine it a bit. Once thing that is nice to do in any program is error checking. This is done as one should never assume that just because, for instance, a Windows event log should exist, that is does indeed exist. Windows might get rather upset if you call a function that has an Event log name as one of its parameters, when in reality the Event log name does not exist after all. Can be bad news as Windows will at times just go fucking nuts, as it pokes around looking for something, then basically says "ah, fuck it! You want a pointer to an object? OK, here's your fucking pointer!!!!", and proceeds to point to something like, oh, I don't know, an empty spot in memory? Can you say "blue screen of death"? I knew you could.
So, bottom line, error checking it a good thing.
Turns out the one function I use simply opens the supplied Windows Event log, and if it fails, it returns what they call a NULL value. I'm thinking, "Great! Doesn't get much simpler than this. All I got to do after the function call is to check if the returned value is NULL. It it's NULL, then print out an error message, and have the program exit".
But noooooo! Of course it can't be that easy. Wouldn't be Windows if something actually worked as expected!
What happens is that all compiles just fine, and the program runs just fine and dandy. Then, to test out the error checking, I supply a name for an event log that does not exist. Obviously if the function tried to access an Event log that does not exist, it HAS to come back with a NULL value... that's the way it's suppose to work. So, what does my program do? It moves merrily along with a returned value that is not NULL, meaning it was happy to open the Event log that does not even fucking exist! What the fuck, is this thing on crack!
I don't know, maybe another few days of banging my head against the wall will get this resolved. Either that, or an uzi to the fucking PC!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Some people are just fucking idiots!!!
Recently I attended a motorcycle show, and decided to participate in the Victory motorycle demo ride. This involves about 8 people in a group, following a demo ride leader.
Here's where the fucking idiots come into play...
Just prior to all of us hopping on our chosen bikes, the leader explains the rules of the ride. He says it will be about 20 minutes of riding, and involve some freeways.
He stressed the importance of all of us riding in staggered formation, with no passing of the leader, and NO sling-shotting!
After this short lecture, we hop on our bikes and begin our ride.
I'm number two in the group right behind the leader. We get to an on-ramp to the freeway, and this fusktard goes blasting by me on the right, IN MY LANE!!! I'm thinking he's some lame as motherfucker who is not part of our group as it was made clear that we are to remain in a staggered formation, and NO sling-shotting!
NOPE! Turns out it was a guy in our group! This was shortly followed by another guy blasting by me on the left.
Obviously, at this point, I'm a bit miffed!
We finish the ride, and I was chatting with one of the guys that I somewhat got to know prior to us heading out, and he then points to one of the guys that was in our ride, and said something to the affect of "what an asshole he was!".
I told him some idiot blasted by me on the right, and he said it was probably him. This guy apparently was riding all over the place, and constantly revving the engine, and had this guy concerned for his safety. He said he was SO happy when the guy took off and got away from him, as he never knew what this idiot was going to do next!
I mentioned how pissed off I was when he blasted by me, and he added that why on earth would you ride like that, not only disobeying the rules of the ride, but to make matters worse, do it with a group of guys you don't know, and on a bike you've never ridden before!
We both agreed that it's one thing to be stupid on your own, but it's quite another to do it around other people, and risk their lives as well!!!
So, I just don't get it. I mean, if this asshole wants to be macho or something, then fine. Go out on some deserted road, and ride as fast and crazy as you want. That way, if you wrap yourself around a tree, it's only you that gets killed... well... there is that poor tree though.
But to do so in a group of people you don't even know!!??!??!?! Are you really that fucking retarded? Uh, yeah, pretty much, huh?
He was a much younger guy than the reast of us, I'd say in his twentys. I guess at that age you have more balls then brains.
Just un-fucking-believable!!!
Should have gotten off my bike and bitch slap the dumb-ass!
Guess it will just make me that much more appreciative of the guys I ride with, as we are all very responsible, good riders, not putting our buddies in danger.
Here's where the fucking idiots come into play...
Just prior to all of us hopping on our chosen bikes, the leader explains the rules of the ride. He says it will be about 20 minutes of riding, and involve some freeways.
He stressed the importance of all of us riding in staggered formation, with no passing of the leader, and NO sling-shotting!
After this short lecture, we hop on our bikes and begin our ride.
I'm number two in the group right behind the leader. We get to an on-ramp to the freeway, and this fusktard goes blasting by me on the right, IN MY LANE!!! I'm thinking he's some lame as motherfucker who is not part of our group as it was made clear that we are to remain in a staggered formation, and NO sling-shotting!
NOPE! Turns out it was a guy in our group! This was shortly followed by another guy blasting by me on the left.
Obviously, at this point, I'm a bit miffed!
We finish the ride, and I was chatting with one of the guys that I somewhat got to know prior to us heading out, and he then points to one of the guys that was in our ride, and said something to the affect of "what an asshole he was!".
I told him some idiot blasted by me on the right, and he said it was probably him. This guy apparently was riding all over the place, and constantly revving the engine, and had this guy concerned for his safety. He said he was SO happy when the guy took off and got away from him, as he never knew what this idiot was going to do next!
I mentioned how pissed off I was when he blasted by me, and he added that why on earth would you ride like that, not only disobeying the rules of the ride, but to make matters worse, do it with a group of guys you don't know, and on a bike you've never ridden before!
We both agreed that it's one thing to be stupid on your own, but it's quite another to do it around other people, and risk their lives as well!!!
So, I just don't get it. I mean, if this asshole wants to be macho or something, then fine. Go out on some deserted road, and ride as fast and crazy as you want. That way, if you wrap yourself around a tree, it's only you that gets killed... well... there is that poor tree though.
But to do so in a group of people you don't even know!!??!??!?! Are you really that fucking retarded? Uh, yeah, pretty much, huh?
He was a much younger guy than the reast of us, I'd say in his twentys. I guess at that age you have more balls then brains.
Just un-fucking-believable!!!
Should have gotten off my bike and bitch slap the dumb-ass!
Guess it will just make me that much more appreciative of the guys I ride with, as we are all very responsible, good riders, not putting our buddies in danger.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
You can't fix stupid...
In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Newtown, I've seen various political figures announcing that more laws and regulations are required, one being that firearms must be properly stored.
Gee, really?
Are you fucking kidding me?
The mother of the maniac who went on the shooting rampage was stupid beyond belief, as she KNEW her child was a bit "off base", suffering from Aspergers disorder, and yet kept a fortress of firearms out in the open for anybody to take. It's a shame that her stupidity was the result in not only her own death, but 26 others.
Getting back to the proposed new gun laws, do these people really think that a law is going to automatically fix everything? I can see these numb-nuts now, thinking "Hey, we got to make sure that people secure their guns in order to prevent any further shootings, so... I have an idea... let's make it a law that you have to lock up your guns. Yeah, that'll fix it!"
So, let me get this straight...
You have an INCREDIBLY stupid person who does not even have the common sense to lock up her own guns EVEN THOUGH THERE'S AN OFF BALANCE KID IN THE HOUSE, yet we expect this same dumbass person to follow a law?!??!??!?
Sorry people, but you just can't fix stupid.
But of course these political morons have tons of data to support their thinking, right? I mean, geeze, we have laws against a slew of illegal drugs, like LSD, Crack, Meth, etc,... and nobody EVER ends up possessing an illegal drug, right? Oh... they do. Oh damn.
There are laws against speeding, and drinking and driving, and therefore nobody ever does those things, right? I mean, there are laws, and everybody obeys them, right? Oops, wrong again.
So yeah, let's pass a law that says every gun owner has to properly secure their guns, and then everybody will magically do it, BECAUSE NOW IT'S A LAW!
Fucking idiots.
And how on earth can anybody decide that a law needs to be passed concerning something as common sense as securing your guns so your kids can't get them! Christ, what's next, passing a law that says we must all breathe? Yeah, I can see it now, as one day someone will be thinking "Man ol' man, good thing they passed that law about breathing, because for a second there I thought about not taking a breath!"
When is this country, or at least the political people out there, going to start using common sense? But then it's not really about common sense, is it. It's all about the politicians trying to win a popularity contest, and justify their existence.
No wonder I gave up voting.
Gee, really?
Are you fucking kidding me?
The mother of the maniac who went on the shooting rampage was stupid beyond belief, as she KNEW her child was a bit "off base", suffering from Aspergers disorder, and yet kept a fortress of firearms out in the open for anybody to take. It's a shame that her stupidity was the result in not only her own death, but 26 others.
Getting back to the proposed new gun laws, do these people really think that a law is going to automatically fix everything? I can see these numb-nuts now, thinking "Hey, we got to make sure that people secure their guns in order to prevent any further shootings, so... I have an idea... let's make it a law that you have to lock up your guns. Yeah, that'll fix it!"
So, let me get this straight...
You have an INCREDIBLY stupid person who does not even have the common sense to lock up her own guns EVEN THOUGH THERE'S AN OFF BALANCE KID IN THE HOUSE, yet we expect this same dumbass person to follow a law?!??!??!?
Sorry people, but you just can't fix stupid.
But of course these political morons have tons of data to support their thinking, right? I mean, geeze, we have laws against a slew of illegal drugs, like LSD, Crack, Meth, etc,... and nobody EVER ends up possessing an illegal drug, right? Oh... they do. Oh damn.
There are laws against speeding, and drinking and driving, and therefore nobody ever does those things, right? I mean, there are laws, and everybody obeys them, right? Oops, wrong again.
So yeah, let's pass a law that says every gun owner has to properly secure their guns, and then everybody will magically do it, BECAUSE NOW IT'S A LAW!
Fucking idiots.
And how on earth can anybody decide that a law needs to be passed concerning something as common sense as securing your guns so your kids can't get them! Christ, what's next, passing a law that says we must all breathe? Yeah, I can see it now, as one day someone will be thinking "Man ol' man, good thing they passed that law about breathing, because for a second there I thought about not taking a breath!"
When is this country, or at least the political people out there, going to start using common sense? But then it's not really about common sense, is it. It's all about the politicians trying to win a popularity contest, and justify their existence.
No wonder I gave up voting.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Being laid off sucks!
Being laid off really sucks, and on more levels than I ever thought to imagine!
There is some psychological mumbo jumbo about how people become who they are thru their jobs, or perhaps it's more that their jobs define them. Seems ludricrous until you experience losing your job. It's at that point that it really hits you how true it may be.
No job is perfect, but if you are in a job like I had where there was enough stuff going on that kept you stimulated, with the oppurtunity to learn more and grow, it's amazing how your life really does become your job. Nobody likes to commute to work, and face the traffic, and the general annoyance of it all, but you learn to deal with it. It becomes a part of your life.
Then there's the pressure of needing to accomplish certain tasks while at work, but again you figure out a way to overcome it, and even feel good about attacking the problems, and stress at hand. It becomes a part of your life.
Of course there are the people too that you deal with on a daily basis. People that you work with every day, asking you to do things for them, and at times you are asking them for things. Personalities can clash a bit, but it all becomes a part of the day. You grow to accept it, and even feel good about the interactions. It's an oppurtunity for growth, and it becomes a part of your life.
Then there's the obvious, which is the consistent income. It pays the bills, and also pays for the things that one likes to buy, be it an object, or perhaps a nice vacation. It becomes a part of your life.
So the job is not just a job. It really just becomes your life. In a sense I guess it does, or at least can, define who you are. Your life revolves around your job, and with any luck, revolves in an overall positive way. It stresses you, but stresses you to be better... to grow... to learn... and to flow down a postive path.
Then one day you are told that your position has been elimated, and it's all over. You collect your things, say your goodbyes, and walk out the door... leaving it all behind.
Not just the paycheck, but the people that you interface with 40 hours a week, the work itself that you have applied yourself to in the best mannor that you could muster, and the future that you were thinking was going to be there for you.
All gone in one fell swoop.
It's no wonder that losing a job rates as one if the top stressful things that can happen to someone.
You get the rug pulled out for under you, but yet you are to forge ahead and simply get a new job, all the time the clock is ticking.
Unemployment hardly meets the financial demands that one has become accustomed to. Aside from that, the whole routine is no longer there. The growth within the job, both on the level of learning the products and becoming a better employee, and the connections with people.
It's all gone.
I guess if one finds a job that is more rewarding than the previous job, then it's all a moot point. One can truly move one, and simply look at the past as a springboard to the now bright future. Ideally that's what happens, and at times it does.
But in the mean time, while one is unemployed, it's a very shakey future, as there is no control.
Sure, one can beat on the doors, and put themselves out there, but it really is a very insecure path. And maintaining a high level of esteem can be tough. I mean, damn... I'm now on the streets with thousands of other people looking for a position in a company that will not only pay the bills, but will bring me the satisfaction that I once had.
And during the journey to find that position, one begins to reflect on ones life, and to look inward.
I mean, just how much of my happiness is tied to the income? Can I forge ahead with my chosen field to the point that I'm willing to do it for far less money than before? Do I need to give up and change careers? What sacrifices am I willing to make?
All this because of the short little phrase "your position has been eliminated".
No... sorry... but it was NOT just a "position"... it was MY LIFE!
A day to day life of doing the best I can for the success of the company, and for the success OF ME! A daily caring of doing the best I know how, regardless of how imperfect it may have been at times. Day to day rising to the occasion, and overcoming the inner barriers to excel... and MANY times feeling good about succeeding.
"your position has been eliminated".
WOW, really! That's it?
Back to sqaure one as they say. Not what I had in mind, but there it is.
FUCK!
There is some psychological mumbo jumbo about how people become who they are thru their jobs, or perhaps it's more that their jobs define them. Seems ludricrous until you experience losing your job. It's at that point that it really hits you how true it may be.
No job is perfect, but if you are in a job like I had where there was enough stuff going on that kept you stimulated, with the oppurtunity to learn more and grow, it's amazing how your life really does become your job. Nobody likes to commute to work, and face the traffic, and the general annoyance of it all, but you learn to deal with it. It becomes a part of your life.
Then there's the pressure of needing to accomplish certain tasks while at work, but again you figure out a way to overcome it, and even feel good about attacking the problems, and stress at hand. It becomes a part of your life.
Of course there are the people too that you deal with on a daily basis. People that you work with every day, asking you to do things for them, and at times you are asking them for things. Personalities can clash a bit, but it all becomes a part of the day. You grow to accept it, and even feel good about the interactions. It's an oppurtunity for growth, and it becomes a part of your life.
Then there's the obvious, which is the consistent income. It pays the bills, and also pays for the things that one likes to buy, be it an object, or perhaps a nice vacation. It becomes a part of your life.
So the job is not just a job. It really just becomes your life. In a sense I guess it does, or at least can, define who you are. Your life revolves around your job, and with any luck, revolves in an overall positive way. It stresses you, but stresses you to be better... to grow... to learn... and to flow down a postive path.
Then one day you are told that your position has been elimated, and it's all over. You collect your things, say your goodbyes, and walk out the door... leaving it all behind.
Not just the paycheck, but the people that you interface with 40 hours a week, the work itself that you have applied yourself to in the best mannor that you could muster, and the future that you were thinking was going to be there for you.
All gone in one fell swoop.
It's no wonder that losing a job rates as one if the top stressful things that can happen to someone.
You get the rug pulled out for under you, but yet you are to forge ahead and simply get a new job, all the time the clock is ticking.
Unemployment hardly meets the financial demands that one has become accustomed to. Aside from that, the whole routine is no longer there. The growth within the job, both on the level of learning the products and becoming a better employee, and the connections with people.
It's all gone.
I guess if one finds a job that is more rewarding than the previous job, then it's all a moot point. One can truly move one, and simply look at the past as a springboard to the now bright future. Ideally that's what happens, and at times it does.
But in the mean time, while one is unemployed, it's a very shakey future, as there is no control.
Sure, one can beat on the doors, and put themselves out there, but it really is a very insecure path. And maintaining a high level of esteem can be tough. I mean, damn... I'm now on the streets with thousands of other people looking for a position in a company that will not only pay the bills, but will bring me the satisfaction that I once had.
And during the journey to find that position, one begins to reflect on ones life, and to look inward.
I mean, just how much of my happiness is tied to the income? Can I forge ahead with my chosen field to the point that I'm willing to do it for far less money than before? Do I need to give up and change careers? What sacrifices am I willing to make?
All this because of the short little phrase "your position has been eliminated".
No... sorry... but it was NOT just a "position"... it was MY LIFE!
A day to day life of doing the best I can for the success of the company, and for the success OF ME! A daily caring of doing the best I know how, regardless of how imperfect it may have been at times. Day to day rising to the occasion, and overcoming the inner barriers to excel... and MANY times feeling good about succeeding.
"your position has been eliminated".
WOW, really! That's it?
Back to sqaure one as they say. Not what I had in mind, but there it is.
FUCK!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Unemployment form... why does it have to be confusing?
As someone who has recently been laid off (biting my tongue... got to remain professional), I have had to fill out the Unemployment Insurance application. Being the computer savvy person that I am, I went to do it online. Seems easy enough, right? I mean, Christ, what all do they need to know? Employment and salary history, and that's about it, right?
Well, yes, that is about it, but of course being something tied to the government, they had to make it so confusing. "How?" do you ask?
For starters:
They say you must enter any pay due to you from unpaid vacation hours. OK, this makes sense, and right there on my paystub is the vacation hour balance. Great! I'll just enter that number and be on may way. But NOOOOOOOO!!!!
It also asks for a date range. A date range for vacation that I will never take... REALLY?
I don't enter date range as it makes no sense to, and I figure I can leave it blank and I'll continue. Oh, but NO! I try to continue and it says that I MUST enter a date range. Once again, I'm staring at the screen thinking "A date range for vacation that I will never take?... WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm baffled, and of course clicking on any help link does nothing but raise my blood pressure. I then Google it, and find that in California, you really don't need to enter the upcoming vacation pay as it's not considered income. So, I end up leaving it blank. I continue to forge through and enter my past year's salary by quarter. Becomes really fun when you've had a pay raise occur mid quarter. Now, is it me, or is it fucking nuts that I have to tell the people my quarterly income... the SAME people who have received from my employer ABOUT ME what my pay has been down to the penny? Oh well, I'll play their game, and will fill out all the details they ask for.
I send it off, thinking all is done correctly.
But NOOOOO! It gets better!
I receive an email from HR of my previous employer stating that I had entered the wrong company as my employer. I'm staring at the email in disbelief! I mean really? I entered the wrong company? Every fucking day for almost 2 years I stare at the sign on the front of the building with the company's name, and somehow I entered the wrong company name? I then look at what the email has provided me as the correct company name, and it's nowhere near what I entered. It appears that the company name should be the name of the place your paycheck comes from. WHAT??!??!?!? I mean, WTF?!???!?!
Unfucking believable!
What really gets me is that the the neanderthal's that conjured up the unemployment application are probably still employed, and making more money that I'll ever see.
Well, yes, that is about it, but of course being something tied to the government, they had to make it so confusing. "How?" do you ask?
For starters:
They say you must enter any pay due to you from unpaid vacation hours. OK, this makes sense, and right there on my paystub is the vacation hour balance. Great! I'll just enter that number and be on may way. But NOOOOOOOO!!!!
It also asks for a date range. A date range for vacation that I will never take... REALLY?
I don't enter date range as it makes no sense to, and I figure I can leave it blank and I'll continue. Oh, but NO! I try to continue and it says that I MUST enter a date range. Once again, I'm staring at the screen thinking "A date range for vacation that I will never take?... WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm baffled, and of course clicking on any help link does nothing but raise my blood pressure. I then Google it, and find that in California, you really don't need to enter the upcoming vacation pay as it's not considered income. So, I end up leaving it blank. I continue to forge through and enter my past year's salary by quarter. Becomes really fun when you've had a pay raise occur mid quarter. Now, is it me, or is it fucking nuts that I have to tell the people my quarterly income... the SAME people who have received from my employer ABOUT ME what my pay has been down to the penny? Oh well, I'll play their game, and will fill out all the details they ask for.
I send it off, thinking all is done correctly.
But NOOOOO! It gets better!
I receive an email from HR of my previous employer stating that I had entered the wrong company as my employer. I'm staring at the email in disbelief! I mean really? I entered the wrong company? Every fucking day for almost 2 years I stare at the sign on the front of the building with the company's name, and somehow I entered the wrong company name? I then look at what the email has provided me as the correct company name, and it's nowhere near what I entered. It appears that the company name should be the name of the place your paycheck comes from. WHAT??!??!?!? I mean, WTF?!???!?!
Unfucking believable!
What really gets me is that the the neanderthal's that conjured up the unemployment application are probably still employed, and making more money that I'll ever see.
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Chopper ride
Nice wooded area heading out of Booneville towards the coast.