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  2. That. There have so many attempts to define "THAT." Somehow, "fun" just does not entirely translate the fullness of the experience. "Welcome home, dear! Did you experience that surreal , uplifting, transcendental, existential experience on your ride ? " "Why, yes, darling, the ride was fun . . ." "Did you cheat death with your awareness and skillset, mastering the physical realm with intensity and purpose ?" "Yes, yes. Quite fun, actually."
  3. I do. Not frivolously, but per defintion: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fun Riding is dangerous (which sometimes adds to the kick), requires a lot of concentration, and is definitely not to be taken lightly. But I find it pleasant and enjoyable, and it makes me feel happy, particularly when I get it right and everything flows.
  4. I hope that is a lake, and not the ocean... EDIT: she seems to have a trend with motorcycles...
  5. Yesterday
  6. Very interesting. So many times returning from a ride, I have been asked if I "had fun." I never know what to say. I don't ride for "fun."
  7. I think the video was made on the prelim report. What's the most scary is that if you look at his other videos there is a lot of fatal crashed by pilots with commercial ratings and LOTS of flying hours in small commuter aircraft. Flying is a very serious business even weekend flying for me. I've never considered riding "fun". I've considered it many things, exciting, challenging, exhilarating but "fun" to me is an activity with no or minimal personal risk. When I hear and new rider rave about how "fun" riding is I cringe a bit inside. Phil
  8. So the valve guide is loose in the head? Phil
  9. Grade 8.8 steel or just above. Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V Phil
  10. A commentary on this accident and link to the preliminary NTSB report is here: https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/348680
  11. Yep, mines definitely a solo machine! Ha ha you can tell by just looking at it ( stock seat ) that a pillion wouldn't be impressed...
  12. Beautiful, @Bingbong! Thank you for your terrific reply and photo of your Coppa Italia in its natural habitat! @LaGrasta is in good hands. @JBastida stops in with us from near Madrid from time to time. Perhaps he will se this notification and chime in . . .
  13. Rather than the TPS (on the right side throttle body, which cannot leak oil), do you mean the cam/timing/phase sensor on the left, ahead of the cylinder, @Randy?
  14. As mentioned, it was possible to move the quide and valve in the chamber side. It was too much play between valve and quide + possible to move the quide in the chamber side. That’s why I ordered oversize quides. Clearly a hitting mark on the ex valve. Pushrods were straight. Not much room between the valves, so my first thought was it had to be the reason. K-lines would have been the better option, if the quide was in place. Again me NO machinist. It was a pleasure seeing Widmer motors work shop, organized and CLEAN. They are busy, so will take a little while. Cheers Tom.
  15. Without situational awareness, you wont be a pilot for long. To this day one of the things I like most about flying is looking out the window at the land I'm flying over. Flying out of your home base to a nearby airport should have been a slam dunk for her. Making all those turns to headings in the opposition direction of your destination is mind boggling to me. They might be alive today if she just went back to basics. I would like to read the NTSB report on this incident.
  16. This pilot's lack of navigation skills and lack of technical competence with her plane proved fatal. It's unfortunate, because both of those skills are learnable and testable. Like many of you, I now avoid small planes and only fly commercial. Many years ago, I went up with a friend who was learning to fly, so I was in the back seat, listening to the conversation between my friend and the instructor. We were flying from Carlsbad to Lake Havasu. I had been looking out the window, identifying (silently) towns, roads (especially my favorite twisty ones), mountains, lakes, etc. As we crossed the mountains and the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, etc.) came into view, the instructor asked, "Where do you think we are?" My friend says he doesn't know. Instructor: "Do you see that large body of water over there?" I saw it a long time ago, it's the Salton Sea, which is the largest lake in the entire state of California. My friend says "No, I don't see any water." At that moment I was grateful for the instructor and vowed never to fly with my friend again. Since then, we lost touch, so I hope he either learned some more or stopped flying.
  17. Valve guides are much more complicated than it first seems. Aside from materials, lubrication is strange science here. Too-tight guides can sieze, of course; but too-loose guides, and very high temperatures can coke up motor oil in the guide and reduce clearance to the point of siezure. This is particularly bad in small engines as in the Ariens above. Iirc the valve guide clearance in some old Briggs & Stratton small engines is something insane like .003-.005 because the heat swells them so much. A proper K-line is a great rehab, if oil control isn't a problem. On the LM1000 I hotrodded, I had to add valve seals to the intakes.
  18. I realized via instructing young soldiers, that there is a specific mentality in a lot of people I don't really have a phrase to fit, but the anecdote illuminates- While training overseas, I was issued a laptop to interface the vehicles we were attached to. I discovered very quickly in field training that when I brought the computer, nearly everyone defaulted to the position that whatever problem was had, could not be solved without the computer. So afterwards, I never carried the computer unless it proved to be absolutely necessary- and it nearly never was. I developed the standard to train "99% of all faults can be found with your eyes and fingers". This seems to be where this pilot was, searching for answers in the technology- technology that she was incompetent to operate sufficiently- when the problem was self-evident upon looking out the window. On a side note, I have a reputation amongst my sailing friends as the best navigator they know. That is terrifying, since firstly 90% of navigating is looking at the horizon and the compass only and secondly that I can find a lighthouse on a chart and relate that to the horizon and the compass. So I have to wonder, are people so truly absent the concept that they can look out the window and tell where they are?
  19. My father's Ariens riding mower did similar to this , A pushrod would bend and start missing out. after two pushrods in one summer , the dealership told us to run premium fuel only . It has additives regular Jiffy Mart fuel doesn't . The valves will stick in the guides and this is the result . Bent pushrods and or bent valves . You can add Marvel Mystery Oil to your fuel along with premium fuel for safety's sake too.
  20. What bothered me the most was her looking at instruments and circling around the airport she just left w/o looking out to see anything...... and , no , I have never been in a cockpit .
  21. A very important video to watch . I have been watching this guy a long time . He is pretty sharp .
  22. What would these fasteners be equal to as in grade 2 , 5 or 8 ? In fractional standard fasteners.
  23. So I got the Ti fasteners for the rear drive finished. New torque arm bolt made and nut fitted along with new Titanium spacers. The new spacers allowed me to make them the precise width required. Previously I had a .5mm shim in there as well as the std spacers were a fraction thin. Now for some Ti fill and drain plugs. I've learned the secret to drilling Ti is super slow speeds. I turn all the Ti stuff at 460rpm but that's too fast for drilling. Around 290rpm or even slower for larger drilled holes seems to help the drills survive and back it out every 3 or 4 seconds to let it cool for a few seconds and never let off the pressure. it's either cutting pressure or zero pressure. Anything less than a positive cutting force and the material work hardens instantly and cooks the drill. If anyone else has some tips I'd be keen to hear them. Phil
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