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Kris vs. the internet, cage fight to the death
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I popped into Crowe Custom Metal/Hufnagel Cycles today to talk to James Crowe about custom levers/perches/throttle tube for my XS 650.
Both of those guys are crazy talented and have some rad shop space with just about every tool and machine someone could ask for in custom metal work. The levers I’d like to pick up from James are CAD designed and CNC’d out of solid steel. And damn, they are clean. Very cool stuff.
I’m getting another membership this month at ADX to continue to work on my XS project. I have a weld crack on the fender (due to the insane vibrations from the thumping twin cylinder motor), and I want to figure out how to build a remote front master cylinder for the disc brake. Never ending project…
Generally, I avoid Regal cinemas, IMAX, and 3D since I think they’re all detrimental to film viewing experience. I’m going to make an exception for next Friday’s 12:01 AM showing of Prometheus at Regal Lloyd center. Just bought my extremely over-priced tickets.
Taret de Ravenoville, June1944
Soldiers of the Wehrmacht go hands in the air.
June 9, 1944, German soldiers are brought back this photo was taken in the sector of Taret Ravenoville. The coastal area between Utah and Quinéville was cleaned of June 7 to 13 men by the 22nd and 39th regiments.
Entitled, empowered, and generous in the ways that only good fortune can inform, we were looking to consume whatever sorrowing beauty the dilapidated country had to offer."
Looking for a Cheap Holiday in Other People’s Misery
Michael Murray muses about his experience in Cuba on Pajiba. It’s a good read.
I just bought tickets to see Poliça at the Wonder Ballroom. Excited, for obvious reasons.
When I first heard Poliça, I was (for reasons made clear in this video) mesmerized by Channy Leaneagh’s vocals. After repeated listens with the Poliça debut album Give You the Ghost, I’m inclined to say that the band may hold the place of best use of auto-tune and vocal reverb of any group I’ve heard. Just when you though that auto-tune was completely sapped dry, devoid of any artistic value, this comes along. I’m okay with it.
But she is clearly not using auto-tune as a crutch, as so many musicians (or maybe 90% of auto-tuned musicians) do. The auto-tune is present only to aid in texturing the gorgeous, ghostly, melancholy vibe of Poliça’s music. And it works so well. I cannot stop listening to the album on Spotify. I might listen to it every day.
It’s not all vocals; the dueling drum kits in the band, as well as the very-much-not-overused synth, make the sound that much more layered and intricate. To cap it off, Leaneagh’s lyrics are crushingly profound and beautiful:
when the day is done
and i lay me down
i sit alone in my lonely bed
and i think about the day we had
and it makes me sad cuz your gone
when the day is done
and i lay me down
the sheets are cold
and your space is dark
and i hear you whisper something sweet
but it doesn’t move any nerves in me
after all, i’m married to the wandering star
and i’ve kissed the moon
it was full when i fell in love with thee
but now the world turns without me
turns without me
(Source: krza)
“I wanted to see exotic Vietnam… the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture… and kill them”
75 Years Ago, A Deadly Day On The Golden Gate
Fascinating NPR piece on 12 construction workers that fell 746 feet into the San Francisco Bay, a mere three months before the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the four years of bridge construction work prior, there had not been a single fall. There is some audio from a survivor of the fall, as well. That anyone survived a fall with 12 other men and piles of bridge and scaffolding materials is incredible; in fact, there were three survivors of the accident.
The past few days have been packed with work on the Yamaha XS650 bobber project. It has been getting nice lately, and I decided that I really needed the bike in ride-able condition so I can get out and ride when it’s sunny.
Wednesday and Thursday I spend pouring over wiring diagrams, cutting, soldering, and routing wire on the bike. It was a big task, one that was fraught with problems early on in the process. My brother Neal and I were unable to get the bike to run after two wiring attempts, and I was unable to run it a third time after that. Some diligent internet research and some XS650 forum troubleshooting helped me to find the problem (grounded stator that should have been ungrounded) and make the bike run.
I put the bike in a truck and got it back to my house to finish small things, like protecting and hiding wiring, and plumbing the fuel system. But that wouldn’t be the end of issues: leaky fuel system, wrong petcock for the fuel tank, and bad plug wires were all left to deal with. I spent the better part of yesterday truing the 21 inch front wheel and getting the tire mounted, and I spent all day today dealing with the plug/wire and fuel situations. At one point, my brother Seth and I took the bike for a ride to see how it would run. We made it 15 blocks down Division, only to have the bike die. One cylinder was dead firing, and the carbs were way too rich. After diagnosis, we figured out the plug wires were the culprits, and I bought new plugs and wires, and re-jetted the carbs (again…).
But all the hard work payed off. I re-charged the battery tonight, gave the bike a hard kick, and it jumped to life. I mobbed it to the top of Mt. Tabor to see how it was running. At one point, I was worried it was going to die again, leaving me stranded, but I realized the fuel valve was off. Bullet dodged.
In the end, riding it puts an enormous smile on my face. I’m hyped. Now I need to pack some stuff on it, strap a tent to the sissy bar, and go camping.
