I need a hot tub!

[Guest]

The call was for good weather this weekend.At least dry conditions and maybe a touch over the freezing mark. Nothing quite like the 60F of last week but precipitation free. As they are calling for a return to winter Monday I just had to get the bike back together and get out for my first run of '08.

Friday night I got the tank all back together and promised myself I'd get it back on Saturday. The boss had some different ideas for Saturday but I figured I'd head her off at the pass and dive right in Saturday morning. I got most of the gripe list done by noon so after a quick lunch on to the bike.

Now I'm not sure what the problem was but I could not for the life of me get the tank on square. The back two retaining bolts would not line up. Only a cm or two out but no end of pushing , pulling, slapping or levering seemed to help. Finally, I got one in then with 1/2 hour more cussing number two. Oddly enough, the hoses which are usually a pain slipped right on. Poured in 10 liters of joy juice and some Seafoam slapped in the fully charged battery, turned the key, proded the button and nothing?????? Abit of head scratching, key jiggling, button pushing and still nada.

By now I'm about 3 hours into fiddling and getting annoyed. Pulled the battery and dropped in the one form the XS. Cranking immediately but no fire in the hole. More head scratching. Check battery #1 about 13.2 volts Should be tons. Drop it back in, clean terminals and refix. Turn key, prod button. Crank, crank, crank then Kaboom. We got fire. I feel like a caveman or Tom Hanks in that castaway movie when he make a fire on the beach. don't know what happened at first but shes running.

Still had the fairing, fender and tail with turn signals to go back on but I saved that for today.

Up at the crack of dawn...wel 10 a.m. anyway. Quick brekkie and into the man room. Suns shining and its 34 F...great day for a scoot. Two more hours of fiddling ( I really must put nuts and bolts in a bag and label them!!!) and she's all bolted back together. Yeah I'm goin for a scoot....wrong.....can't get her off the jack.

I've had this problem a time or two before. The jack will go up and will come down to a certain point but it hangs up with the bike about 2 inches off the floor. After rocking and hitting it with a hammer I give up and call on the kids for help. Luckily muscle bound son and equally muscled daughters male friend are available and oh you weant us to lift that bike of the jack...no problemo...it might as well have been a 60cc moped for the ease with which they got it off. Thanks guys.

Quick lunch and I'm into the leathers. Full choke turn key thumb button and I'm cranking and ready for the first run of '08

Cool weather wise but so much fun. Saw a couple of Hardleys but no sport dudes. They must have been enjoying themselves as well as they even waved to me.:-D

Bebopped around for an hour or so and she ran like a banshee. Twist o the wrist and I was flying once again....so much fun\\/ Can't wait 'til spring.

Got home with a grin from ear to ear and felt fine...'til I stepped in the house then I started feeling cold. O for a hot tub!

Jumped in the shower...cranked up the heat and stood there witha brew 'til the skin came pink.

What a great weekend!

Hope you all had a good one.

Cheers,
Spyug.

[BentRod]

just a little university humour. One of my brothers friend rented a hot tub for a week, set it up in living room/kitchen by bracing the floor from the basement.

Just an idea... ya know.

[slowride]

Now that I'm older, wiser (that might be debated), and have saved a little more money, I do have a hot tub. I wish I had one about 33 years ago though.

I was living in Edinboro PA (33 years ago) and road my trusty Yamaha 200 (or was it a 250) home to N.E. Ohio for Easter weekend. All weekend long it was a great weekend, especially for riding. Easter Sunday I'm getting ready to return to Edinboro and my Dad asked me to stay one more night with the family (Mom, Dad, and my five brothers and three sisters). Yep, a good Catholic family. So, I did. Monday morning I got up and it was 34 degrees and raining. I had no choice (and no rain gear nor warm cloths) but I had to ride back. I borrowed some jackets from one of my brothers and wore a trash bag under the first layer of jacket. Long story short, I froze the entire two+ hours. I got back to my house, filled the tub with nothing but HOT water and laid there for at least 45 minutes. I really needed a hot tub then.

Has anyone ever been in the situation where you are freezing and you don't know whether you should drive faster to get there sooner (and of course increase the wind chill) or drive slower (thus decreasing the wind chill) but freeze for a longer period of time?

Ed

[KiwiGS]

Has anyone ever been in the situation where you are freezing and you don't know whether you should drive faster to get there sooner (and of course increase the wind chill) or drive slower (thus decreasing the wind chill) but freeze for a longer period of time?
Ed

You bet!
Back when I first started my apprenticeship I used to ride the 100km round trip to work rain,hail and shine. On my old Z1R
I remember riding to work one morning at 4am in the fog (which turned to ice on my visor and leathers!) with my feet and alternating hands resting on the engine cases to keep them warm. It was a fine balance go to fast and even the warm engine wasnt enough. Go to slow and I would be late for work.
Anyway when I was about 10 km from work I saw a 'bike parked on the side of the road. It was my mates bike.
When I found him he was just starting to take his riding gear off.
I asked him what he was doing he told me he was about to have a shower befor he started work!
I talked him into putting his gear back on and getting on the bike with me.
When we got to work I took him to the nurse. She started treating him for bad hypothermia (sp).
And yes I was late for work.
Cheers

[Aubra]

I just have and aversion to cold riding. I rode about 45 miles to my parents house for Christmas one year. It was about 55º-60º out, but man that wind was cold! A trip to the hospital later for pneumonia and that was all she wrote for that. The bike stayed in my dad's shop for a month until it got warm enough.

[spyug]

A bit of an addendum to the story.

The weather here and most of the north east has been frigid since I wrote that first part. Its been so nasty that both myself and the wife are feeling the aches and pains on a daily basis, mostly from shoveling snow ( more on the way for tomorrow).We got up last Sunday....looked at one another and said enoughs enough. Time to get a tub:shock:

We went shopping and were pleasantly surprised to find the prices on tubs have dropped substantially due to our buck getting up to par with the greenback so I see a 6 seater with all the toys in the not too distant future.

We will need to wait until the spring however as there is several feet of ice and snow in the back yard and on the deck. I didn't build the deck so I don't know if it will take the weight (2.5 Tons with water and partyers) so I need to put engineering ( soon to graduate) daughter on the project:-D We may need to rebuild.

So if all goes according to Hoyle, we'll have the turbo tub in place for the start of riding season......yeah\\/

Shaping up for a good year.

Cheers all,
Spyug.

[Zooks]

Just a question. If you buy a hot tub do they throw in the three buxom cheerleaders with it? Or does that cost extra?

[Eski-moe]

Wow! I live in Alaska and I'd LOVE a Hottub. Especially outside. I could sit in the warm water and watch the Northern lights dance! There is a Hotsprings up here where I like to go. The water is warm but my hair and eyebrows would freeze.. lol

[slowride]

Spyug, Eski-moe, get a hot tub. you'll love it. I've had mine for six and a half years now and it is truly relaxing, it has really soothed my aching bones, and warmed me after those things which made me cold.

I can't express it enough, and that is to maintain it properly (all the time). Check the water chemistry, add the chemical(s) when needed (don't just add chlorine because you think it needs it), and change the water once in a while. We had really cold weather here Sunday night and yesterday and wouldn't you know it, my motor/pump quit on me (it was getting old and we use it a lot). I was lucky I was off work yesterday so that left me the day to search for a new motor/pump and prepare the tub in case I didn't find one (prepare it so the lines would not freeze). I got lucky again. I found a local spa place who had one in stock and the price was about $200.00 cheaper than the other local dealers who had to order one for me. (Yes, it was exactly the same motor/pump.) So I got home form work today, drained the tub, installed the new motor/pump, filled the tub and did all that in about three and a half hours. Not bad for a rookie. The water is too cold tonight but I will be in it tomorrow night. Oh, it was 25 degrees today but freezing rain by the time I finished.

I would love to see the northern lights while sitting in the tub. All we get are meteors and satellites and the occasional deer walking by to see what we're doing. It's a great way to relax and it does a body good. By the way, I added on to my deck when we got the tub but I build the addition so you can step down into the tub. I'm going to try and attach a photo. Ooops, It is too big. When I size it down I'll send it.

Oh, and it is fantastic after those cold rides.

Ed

[argonsagas]

A bit of an addendum to the story.

:shock:

We went shopping and were pleasantly surprised to find the prices on tubs have dropped substantially due to our buck getting up to par with the greenback so I see a 6 seater with all the toys in the not too distant future.



Shaping up for a good year.

Cheers all,
Spyug.

All the toys...........rubber ducks?\\/

[BentRod]

feeling the affects opf old age are you Spyug? with all this snow, where are those strapping young men who helped you with your bike now? May be if you get the hot tub in now you could perswade them to shovel for you...

and as for cold riding. I have my bike jetted just so for cold weather that it runs a little lean, and the heat from the engine warms up my small gas tank. that will get to about 40 degrees C while riding, and that keeps the legs nice a toasty

[slowride]

Alright, not to rub it in, but those of you out there in a four season climate (especially where it gets COLD) you should think about getting a hot tub.

No, I was not able to go for a ride today but I was able to sit in the hot tub at the end of a long, hard day. However, had I gone for a ride, it would have been on the chilly side, the hot tub would've been the most excellent way to extend the fun. Just something to think about.

(tonight) No northern lights, no satellites, no meteorites, just a glass of red wine and snow flakes falling gently on my head, oh, and a fox chasing some deer through the back yard.

Ed