Track Stories 08

[lecroy]

> I am very visual.. you can tell me something till you're blue in the face for me to understand but show me and I usually get it the first time. I look at my vids to see what I'm doin right or wrong.

Yes, the camera doesn't lie!! I have made some slow motion videos that really show the details. Fun to watch when it's no you riding.

>LOL - most are surprised to hear that I use to teach seminars on trouble shooting computerized ..

If you don't mind, where were you working back then?

>. you said this was before the Sled and Bike Mania dates right?

Yes, the sled guys put on the last one. I think it cost $50/sled.

>Yup you remember correctly... I'm open for design ideas - ofcourse something simple and not too crazy as the price usually gets up there quick ... I dont' want to copy my 929 (pics posted eariler on the road race course) but yes something along the flag theme ...

You think about it. The paint time is short. I think the window is 24 hours. The prep time is what kills. Your body is in good enough shape (bikes). I agree, don't go hog wild on the paint, things happen. I liked my flag paint, but that chain really made a mess of it. If you come up with something and want to talk I'll pass you the number.

I have been thinking about the paint for the bike I am working on now. Because of the bug face body style, I am thinking to have an eagles head that blends into a flag. I need to make some sketches. Plan to shoot both bikes in the next few months.

>I bet I could have ran your times as well if I had been on a bike set up like yours... :^O

Better. You have to be at least 100 pounds lighter and more aerodynamic.

>HOWEVER - I'll take that challenge... I'll have the box of kleenex for ya at the ticket shed so you can wipe those tears away from realizin ya just had your ars handed to ya by a GIRL! ;o)

LOL. It won't be the first, or last I'm sure. Just make sure you come loaded for bear this year! The old fat man and his lady have a few tricks left for you.

> yeah I enjoyed watchin him make passes... it's great to see the younger generation coming into their own ain't it?

Agree. I hope that he is able to do something with it. He has a lot of talent (not seen in the videos).

[DreamRyder]

If you don't mind, where were you working back then?

Evenheat Kiln - Caseville, MI (manufacturer of kilns to fire ceramics, pottery, fuse glass, and heat treat metal)

Yes, the sled guys put on the last one. I think it cost $50/sled.

great deal... who would we be sending money to then.. you?

You think about it. The paint time is short. I think the window is 24 hours. The prep time is what kills. Your body is in good enough shape (bikes). I agree, don't go hog wild on the paint, things happen. I liked my flag paint, but that chain really made a mess of it. If you come up with something and want to talk I'll pass you the number.

I have been thinking about the paint for the bike I am working on now. Because of the bug face body style, I am thinking to have an eagles head that blends into a flag. I need to make some sketches. Plan to shoot both bikes in the next few months.

yeah I have new gained respect for painters after painting my F4i track bike... *eek*

not the best pics of it..but all I have that I can link to right now.





can't believe you mentioned the same paint job I first wanted for the busa... saw it on a car and thought with the shape of the front end of the busa that it would fit perfect LOL

yeah if you can shoot me an email with the number I'd love to call and see what my options are.. I dont' have any photo shop job pics to reference but does your painter have an eye for ideas himself? I'm open ...

LOL at the body shape comment.. in fact I will have a brand new tail and tank still in primer.. only keepin the front and side panels.. unfortunately they have a ton of decals on that need to be taken off.

Better. You have to be at least 100 pounds lighter and more aerodynamic.

100! I doubt that.. I weight 136 without leathers... areodynamic?? maybe now with the lower profile tank but before nah.. as seen in all my pics my head is way to high.. had a hard time with gettin my chin to the tank with a lil somethin somethin in my way LOL

LOL. It won't be the first, or last I'm sure. Just make sure you come loaded for bear this year! The old fat man and his lady have a few tricks left for you.

wont' be the first bear I've taken down ;o)

Agree. I hope that he is able to do something with it. He has a lot of talent (not seen in the videos).

well he's def got the right help to ensure that!

E.

[lecroy]

I'll put you in touch with the people putting it on, if they do it again this year. We just pay once inside the gates. If they ask for it up front, we will get an address where to send it.

I am working on some sketches for the new bike. For the flag paint I did some crayon drawings (really) that I used to show the air brush artist. Not much fun for him as there was little freehand work. The Raptor was just a freehand, shoot something different and cool on it, sort of thing. Let me find the pictures I have to give you an idea. He does a good job. The idea is not to make it so good that you forget that its a work bike and not a show bike.


>>100! I doubt that.. I weight 136 without leathers... areodynamic??

Last year, 205 and 30 pounds of gear. Compared to the kid coming in at 130 with his gear! Yea, you have less surface area to deal with. And my man boobs are a little flatter than yours. It all adds up. LOL.

Dang, poor bear. Now I know whats in store for me?!

Yea, we try to keep the kid in check. He always talked about turning pro as a kid. I would like to see it happen for him. Getting his NHRA ProStock license was a big step. Now we just need a ride..

[lecroy]

The Shark on the left. Sorry but I don't have any real good shots of this bike for some reason.
The Kaw on right is a flop paint with bolts on it. This was the standard theme for a while.


Bike on the left is the little bike the kid rides now before we painted it again last year. Again, flop but with barb wire.

This is the little bike after the last paint job. Skull Shine logos are all hand painted.

[lecroy]

This is the new bike we have been playing around with. Expect it to place very pretty well this year now that we have the bugs worked out of it.


This bike is a work in progress. Yes, it's more than a pretty face. Massive 2 valve Kaw. You may get to see it this year.

I think you got a pretty good look at the tail section of this bike. So I thought I would post one of the side for you to see.

[lecroy]

This is my bike before the last paint job.


This is the Raptor. There is a baby Raptor as well (pit bike) but I do not have any pictures of it.


Anyway, this should give you an idea of the quality. Nice work, but not something you would be afraid to take out and run. We try to be so careful but....

You don't really need computer software. Crayons are cheap. I normally make a sketch of the outline and major lines then run off 10 or so copies and just start putting in ideas with pencil.

If you strip and bring the bare body (we are talking about the bike) it would be faster. Maybe a week to turn or less. Just depends on what's going on.

[DreamRyder]

I think you got a pretty good look at the tail section of this bike. So I thought I would post one of the side for you to see.

Ouch! that hurt ... but no worries..

you'll get plenty a chance to see my rear end more than you may care to this season ....




I tried the crayon deal last time but I like doin the photoshop better... gives me a better visual of how it will flow on the bike..

like your choices you've done so far but ofcourse my fav is the flag

your guy does a fabulous job for sure.

I had thought about keepin the most part of bike white and just add a blue strip down the top center part with stars with in the blue section then have that blue section outlined with a small white strip followed by a small red strip... kinda like the old muscle cars with the racin stripe paint...

This way I can still have clean/not too busy sides to allow my sponsor decals to be more visible.

but somehow I gotta get my lower back tattoo artwork still on the tail section... I had that decal print and cut from reflective vinyl and might try to get it again but rather have it painted on so as to no worry about being so careful with washin the bike and all...

E.

[lecroy]

Oh yea, was going to mention that it must not have been your kid at the track. This was a small baby.

Checked out the company website. How did you end up teaching troubleshooting for them. Must be a story here.


Onto paint....

The Flag bike was going to have a picture of Mt. Rushmore under it. Sort of a layered job but we ended up putting the dog tags and compass on the tail. Even though you were looking at the tail, you sit pretty low and I doubt saw them. Too easy to go overboard on the paint but at the same time, you want something that your happy with.

We would scan your decal and have it sent to a local print shop to make a new one. It is applied after the paint and cleared over. Washing will not harm it.

I don't think what your asking for would be a problem at all. PM me a number where you can be reached and I can pass it on to Doug for you. You can work out the details with him.

[DreamRyder]

Oh yea, was going to mention that it must not have been your kid at the track. This was a small baby.

Checked out the company website. How did you end up teaching troubleshooting for them. Must be a story here.


Onto paint....

The Flag bike was going to have a picture of Mt. Rushmore under it. Sort of a layered job but we ended up putting the dog tags and compass on the tail. Even though you were looking at the tail, you sit pretty low and I doubt saw them. Too easy to go overboard on the paint but at the same time, you want something that your happy with.

We would scan your decal and have it sent to a local print shop to make a new one. It is applied after the paint and cleared over. Washing will not harm it.

I don't think what your asking for would be a problem at all. PM me a number where you can be reached and I can pass it on to Doug for you. You can work out the details with him.

oh lordy.. nope no more babies for me... my girls are already 10, 11, and 16.

I worked for them for 12 yrs before leavin to come out here to IL... I started out answering phones and taking orders and wanted to do something more... so eventually I got more envolved with all aspects of the company to include handling trouble shooting calls and using the product and assisting with the redesign and upgrade of units and software features - from the feedback I gathered from end users and my own use as well as the engineer's willingness to teach me so it was less he had to deal with LOL..

this lead to me teaching our distributors how to offer better customer service with Tech calls and then teaching end users how they could work on their own equipment rather than calling in an electrician to handle many of the things they themselves could do and save money.

Our panels were pretty basic and easy to understand. (i thought at least but I grew up on a farm where I helped my dad work on tractor engines and old cars) I started teaching at seminars and conferences basic classes and more advanced classes that were for those who understood a bit more about electricity and working with live power to get AMPS and Volts readings and would have a meter to get Ohms readings as well as to check for Continuity. If you understand transformers, control boards, relays, elements, pyrometers, and thermocouplers... you could easily learn to trouble shoot a kiln.

We started using MOV's in our wallmount controller that utilized the Potterbroomfield and Magnacraft mechanical style relays due to the interference the relay threw back to the computer board causing a very minute amount of power loss.. not enough to visually see in the display, but it was enough to cause the board to give you a power failure message. We didn't see this problem in panels where we use the 60AMP double pole mercury style relays.

so there's the story of my technical back ground for knowing what a MOV is.. LOL

About the paint... can your local print shop do it on the reflective material? I know it's a thicker vinyl and harder to clear over and not leave a ridge.. but it's so cool to see it in the darker hours light up :O)

I have the decal image as a JPG so no need to scan what's on the tail currently and it would be kinda hard for them to scan the tattoo on my lower back - LOL

I'll pm ya my number... for doug... thanks again.

E.
oh yeah.. I did seethe dog tags... Something else that I liked.. cuz I was also in the Army and had thought about adding something small and personal like that to the bike also to honor my father because he served 25 yrs (retired in 1978 ) I was actually gonna put on the side of my tail last year "Honors to Thy Father"

[lecroy]

You have a PM with the shop number.

Nope, I don't think you ever had any of the kids with you then. They are old enought to be riding themselves. Is a Jr. in the works? I can see you two giving up the bikes to pit for the kids.

That's pretty good that they let you move up like that. Impressive. Bet they were sad to see you move on.

A greese monkey as a kid. Rare. Putting the lettering on wouldn't be a problem. They can hand letter the paint, but again, being hand done its not a precision look. I like the free style look myself as long as it's done well.

I think your always going to have a ridge with the stickers. Nature of the beast. As long as its sealed, I wouldn't worry too much. Not sure if they can use that material or not at the local print shop. Doug's the man to ask. He's expecting your call and will take good care of you.

[lecroy]

Anyone run today? Martin was open for the first time.

[rosco15]

Track was really bad first thing. Took a while for it to start coming around. I did manage a 9.39 @137. Couldn't cut a light to save my butt, but did have some fun.

[DreamRyder]

You have a PM with the shop number.

Nope, I don't think you ever had any of the kids with you then. They are old enought to be riding themselves. Is a Jr. in the works? I can see you two giving up the bikes to pit for the kids.

That's pretty good that they let you move up like that. Impressive. Bet they were sad to see you move on.

A greese monkey as a kid. Rare. Putting the lettering on wouldn't be a problem. They can hand letter the paint, but again, being hand done its not a precision look. I like the free style look myself as long as it's done well.

I think your always going to have a ridge with the stickers. Nature of the beast. As long as its sealed, I wouldn't worry too much. Not sure if they can use that material or not at the local print shop. Doug's the man to ask. He's expecting your call and will take good care of you.

sorry been busy ridin the train to and from MI (kids spring break) so I aint' been around the computer for awile...

Infact I forgot to go to the pm section and send you mynumber LOL

I'll go check for your pm shortly

The only one interested is my youngest... Kayla she wanted to drag race her 4wheeler at Ubly but everytime I took her for T&T to do it it was too busy and they wouldn't let the kids run. Racheal was partially interested but I think she's a bit more gun shy about the Ballz Out deal... she use to be fearless on her dirt bike till she nerfed it once and she's been timid since - however she still got back on and rode..that was my biggest thing - even if you hold back at least get back on and go again

uh well let's just say yeah they were hurt pretty bad when I left them .. but hey when you ain't had a pay increase in two yrs but you're doing 3 or 4 peoples jobs you gotta do what ya gotta do ...

yup I was a tomboy through and through... LOVED IT! My youngest is into the whole gettin dirty to help too ... the others they are more for supervising LOL

I can cut the decals for the wording.. that's no biggie I have myown plotter and vinyl.. I can even cut out the stencil for him to airbrush the letter on even better ;o)

I'm fine with ridges... well aware of that but most often I try to do the stencil if I can get away with it for a cleaner job.. all the stuff on my track bike I did in the garage is done with stencil work .. the DreamRyder and the stars were all done with decal application paint then remove to leave the lettering and stars behind in white.

Thanks again for the infor... I'll try to get him a ring tonight

E.

[lecroy]

At least one of us made it to the track. Sounds like we are heading up the week after next.

I dug the Harley out of storage. Left the battery in it all winter with no charger. Did drain the fuel. One press and chug chug chug....

Hey E, there was a test lab that I used to use located near you. It's a nice area.

[DreamRyder]

At least one of us made it to the track. Sounds like we are heading up the week after next.

I dug the Harley out of storage. Left the battery in it all winter with no charger. Did drain the fuel. One press and chug chug chug....

Hey E, there was a test lab that I used to use located near you. It's a nice area.

I learned my lesson on not havin the tender on my batteries.. they never survive the winter for me when I didn't heat the garage .. now I have no heat in the garage so I'll be lookin to get another tender (one for the busa and one for the 929)

yup like this area quite well... it's not city city if ya know what I mean LOL... for a country lovin gal it's the best alternative for me, cuz ain't no way I could survive dealin with city city traffic and folks. 8-[

didnt' get a chance to call Doug last night.. took my oldest out shoppin to get some new clothes and didnt get home till real late. And I work my second job tonight after my day job so wont' be able to call now till tomorrow ... I swear I need to find me some rich ol' geezer on his death bed .. (oh did I just say that out loud?)

E.