Nomad Shock Oil Refill (With help from “Gadget”)

Many may find this page while searching for the procedure to refill their motorcycle shocks with new oil. This post refers to the Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycles, but other brands may be similar. I followed the procedure outlined at “Gadget’s” web page here. I’ve just posted a couple of notes here based on the experience I had that might be helpful to others that attempt this service.

In Gadget’s outline it is mentioned that a helper is needed to work the shock or add oil. Both have to be done at the same time, and a 2nd person is helpful. I got around this issue with my own “helper” pictured here.

Note the position of the shock. I found that by positioning at an angle similar to what it would naturally be while mounted on the bike, that I was less likely to spill any oil when refilling. Initially, I positioned it parallel to the ground and could not get all the oil in without losing some in that position. The Black and Decker Workmate table has a non marring clamp action. The white cup on the left is actually a collection cup that is part of my Mityvac system that I use to bleed brakes. It has graduated hash marks for measurement of the oil. I got about 110 ml out of each shock. I used the yellow bottle in the picture for filling the shocks with new oil.

The first shock took some time, as I spilled a little oil and had to start over. I soon realized that a catch pan under the shock as I filled it was helpful. If the pan is clean, the new oil that gets spilled can be re-used.

I used a paint roller pan as my catch pan. Here’s a picture of the oil that came out of one shock:

Use caution when taking the shock apart. Follow the warnings on Gadget’s page and don’t allow the shock to be pointed at you or anyone else when compressing the springs.

When you get to the part where you remove the retainer ring, snap ring pliers are real helpful even though there is no hole in the retainer ring as a snap ring would have. With a little patience, the ring is removed easily.

It doesn’t mention in Gadget’s site to extend the shock before reassembly. If the shock is compressed and you reinstall the valve, the shock will retract again by itself from the vacuum created when you extend it and will make it near impossible to extend to get the retainer back in place. You will then have to remove the valve again and possibly lose oil, requiring a refill all over again.

Good luck with this project and Happy Trails to you!!!

Nice Day for a Ride!

It was a beautiful day for a ride today. Linda and I left home about 9 AM for a 10.5 mile stretch of road that neither of us had been on before. I heard about it here.  State Route 3001 runs between Emporium, PA and a point west on route 120 between Emporium and St Mary’s, PA.

We headed out of Warren on route 59, where I planned to pick up 46 south out of Smethport, heading toward Emporium where the famed SR 3001 was supposedly located. Our first stop was at a visitor’s center on route 59 near Wolf Run Marina. Linda needed to put on a sweater and also took some pictures here. We met a retired couple here who were taking a “navigation” break looking at their map. “He” wanted to take some back roads and was asking me about the the unpaved road leading from Jake’s Rocks, and where it led to. As I explained, “She” protested to “him” that they didn’t need to take any more back roads this trip. In speaking with the couple, I learned that she was a retired bus driver and he was a retired police officer. They both spoke of the motorcycles they had, and adventures they had on them. I didn’t have time to get a word in edgewise, but it was fun listening to them. When Linda was ready to pack up and continue on, she had to interrupt and say so.

In Emporium we stopped to fuel up, since I already had 35 miles on the trip meter when we left home. It read 105 at this stop, 70 miles so far. While we took a break and ate a Slim Jim, Linda noticed a large building on the hillside. It happened to be the Cameron County courthouse. Linda likes capturing courthouse pictures in towns we visit, and this was no exception. We took a ride over to the courthouse where Linda took some shots.

 

When we left the court house, I wanted to see the back of it, so I went around the block that the court house occupied to get a look. I could tell at the first turn, my skills would be tested, because the courthouse is on a hillside, and the first side street was kind of steep. At the top was a yield sign, and I was thankful I didn’t have to stop. I probably wouldn’t have anyway, because it would have been difficult to get going again. The next street over was easier to maneuver, since turning to a downhill grade is easier for me.

Back down to a main street in town, we found the street that would lead us to SR 3001. As we left town and crossed a couple of intersections, I finally saw the sign that was pictured in the blog post I mentioned above. 10 1/2 miles of winding road ahead. They weren’t kidding. Looking at the topo map the night before, I didn’t notice that the first curve I encountered was uphill and 90 + degrees. It kind of threw me for a loop, especially riding two up, but I maneuvered through it using most of the available road. Luckily, nothing was coming the other way.  We stopped a short distance up the road at an overlook that views Emporium. As usual, my picture is not as good as what Linda shot, but the courthouse mentioned above is about in the center of the picture, if you click on and view the larger version.

When Linda was done shooting at this overlook, I had just finished packing the camera back on the bike when Linda stated she needed to take another picture! I whined, of course, but unpacked the camera because it WAS a nice shot (the one she took) of some mountain laurel on a curve. There’s a lot of mountain laurel on this stretch of road, too. This my shot of what she was shooting.

The speed limit on this road is 35 mph, which is generous. Many of the sharp turns had gravel in the road, so I was taking it especially easy through them. The road condition is good for the most part, with a few bumpy areas. There are several markings on the road, apparently for future construction fixes. Around one curve was a large white tailed doe standing in the road watching us approach. As we got closer, she decided to get out of the way, which was nice. A short blast of my air horn encouraged her to move only a slight bit faster. No time to take a picture of that one.

After 10 and a half miles of winding road, we approached route 120, west of Emporium. This was the last time I had to “finesse” with clutch and balance for this ride. It was an uphill stop on an intersection that was pretty much blind to the right. Inching as close as I could to route 120 without going into the eastbound lane, I waited for an eastbound car to pass. After it did, we successfully completed the left hand turn and were on 120 west headed for St Mary’s.

We stopped at St Mary’s to visit Decker’s Chapel.

While going through St Mary’s, Linda mentioned wanting to stop at the Elk County Visitor’s Center on Winslow Hill Rd in Benezette, PA. I was surprised, as this would add some miles to the trip. I guess the Mustang saddle on the Nomad was agreeing with her today Before reaching the Visitor’s Center, we stopped at Rose’s Hilltop Diner, where a relative of Linda works, and many meals have been eaten by family members who have a camp in close proximity to the diner. Food is good, as well as reasonably priced here. After lunch, it was on to the Visitor’s Center.

Besides educational displays and a 4D movie inside, The Visitor’s Center has trails around the property that offer viewing opportunities to see some of the elk herd that reside in the area. We didn’t see any elk this time, but we were there in the middle of the day, and that’s not the best time.  Parking really isn’t as far as it looks. You can see the Visitor’s Center in the background behind the bike.

After we stopped at the Visitor’s Center, we decided it was time to head for home. We took 555 to Weedville, backtracked up route 255 toward St Mary’s, and then turned north on the familiar to us route 948. Stopping in Ridgway, we fueled up again. 74 miles on the trip meter here, 144 miles so far. About 50 miles to reach home, we continued out of Ridgway on 219, turning on 321 to Kane, where we finally picked up route 6 back into Warren.  We made an ice cream stop at the Dairy Delight n the corner of routes 59 and 6. While there I listened again to a voice mail from a friend who was having computer trouble and had called me while we were between stops. He was on the way home, and Linda had offered in the past to get pictures of his dogs, so we stopped for a photo shoot and trouble shoot. The trouble shoot was successful, only requiring a modem reboot. The dogs were uncooperative, though, for the photo shoot but Linda still got some good shots in.

200 motorcycle miles travelled today; all in all it was a great day for a ride, and we accomplished quite a bit! Now I’m gonna go out back start a campfire, and have a brew.

Favorite Seasons, Cooking Lesson

Looks like my last post was still in the dead of winter. Technically, it's Spring now. This is my favorite time of year, with the first blossoms, and the trees in full foliage, it seems to promise many beautiful days ahead.

Among the things I enjoy about this time of year is an open fire in the back yard to cook burgers & such. Today, I thought I'd cook over the fire pit.

Working to get a wood fire going and waiting for the embers is how I would normally cook in the pit. Charcoal in the pit rather than the grill seemed like a good idea, since it would save a little work emptying the grill.

I started the charcoal in a chimney as usual, like I would for the grill. Pouring it into the pit, I realized it would take more than a chimney-full to produce the heat I'd need for this setup. So I dumped a little more on top and spread it around, placed my grid and applied the burgers.

Not much heat at first, I was worried this might be a bad idea, but as the extra charcoal ignited, the heat rose along with the smoke, and the burgers cooked to perfection!

It took about a half hour or so because of the low heat at first, but I think that by slow cooking the burgers, they actually tasted better! Lesson learned, I think... Experience will tell, since I'll be trying this again.

Happy Spring / Summer to all!!!
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Winter Saga Continues

I know other places that aren’t used to it are getting hammered with snowfall, and so I can consider myself a whiner because I AM used to it, but enough is enough!

Linda wrote a blog about this winter season’s first significant snowfall here. Using a bird feeder as a subject, she posted the following picture within that blog to give an idea of how the snow was piling up…

Outside on the ground at the time of that blog, we had about 21” of snow…

If you look closely, the bird feeder is near the center of the picture. If you look closer at the right side of the picture, you can tell where the edge of the snow covered driveway is. I don’t remember how many times I’ve cleared the driveway of snow now, as it seems to have snowed SOME amount each day since the winter season has started.

Linda took a couple pictures after I have cleared the driveway and walk today, yet another time for the season. I also cleaned the roof. I’m on my 2nd gallon of fuel for the snow thrower, and I have only used it probably 50 percent of the time. I like to shovel when the snow isn’t as deep or heavy, so I’ve been getting my fair share of exercise this season.

                                                       

The pile continues to rise.

I relish the thought of retirement with the ability to relocate to a mild climate during the winter season. I hope someday that it becomes a reality for Linda and I.

Inkjet Printers = High Cost Maintenance?

Recently, I saw mention in a newsgroup of a link  to a video describing how inkjet cartridges have a memory chip that often errantly reports the cartridge as empty, even though there is still some ink remaining in the cartridge. The video demonstrated how to locate and activate a reset button on the cartridge, causing the printer to accept it as still having ink. I can see the danger in this, that if the cartridge really is empty it can seriously damage the printer, if run dry. At least that’s what I have read while researching the issue

Because I had just discarded a cartridge the day I saw this video, I retrieved it from the trash, and attempted to find a reset button. The cartridge was similar to the one in the video, but did not have a reset button. Being inquisitive as I am, I decided to “dissect” the cartridge to see how much ink might be remaining in it. I was surprised at what I found:

The thin plastic film covering the side of the cartridge allows the remaining yellow ink in it to show a significant level. Surely, that much ink could be useful.

I don’t know the manufacturers cost for the ink, but I think it’s safe to assume that they make a bundle, if there is always this much thrown away by the end user who then replaces the cartridge. In my research, I came across the article at the following link. It’s about four years old, but I believe it still applies. http://www.thedisciplinedinvestor.com/blog/2007/02/19/inkjet-ink-rip-off/

Many have cut the high cost of OEM cartridges by refilling their own. I have tried that in the past with bad results. Having worked with computers and related devices over several years, I wouldn’t consider myself too incompetent for taking on such a task. There are many methods and suppliers of “aftermarket” refill kits, and my bad experience probably came from not having a very reliable one.

In addition to the inkjet printer, I also have a laser printer. While it only prints black, the toner lasts much longer than any inkjet cartridge would. I think that when it’s time to replace the inkjet, I’ll likely go with a color laser. Before I do, I’ll research what the waste will be on that!

First Snow of the Season

It's later than usual in coming, but here too soon for me just the same. I woke up this morning, and it's pretty much the first thing I saw. Fortunately, this is not a work day for me, so I went back to bed and tried to dream of Spring.
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Big Fish

When I was in Hawaii during May, I got the opportunity to go fishing with my brother on a boat that he owns with a partner. We were successful in catching some Ono, also known as Wahoo. They were good tasting fish and fun to catch.

My brother and his partner weigh the heaviest (32 #) of 3 Ono that I helped reel  in on the first fishing trip.

Last week, I received an email from my brother with the subject “Chicken of the Sea”. I related that to tuna fish, but the actual chicken in question was a 376 pound blue marlin!

According to my brother, they were lucky to land this fish, as the tackle they use is generally less than adequate for a fish of this size and strength. My brother related the story of how they had to hurry and get the boat turned around to chase the fish and regain the line he was taking out on his run. They couldn’t chase in reverse, since the other lines that were out would have gotten caught in the propeller. By the time they got maneuvered around to where they needed to be, there was only a small amount of line left on the reel when they started to get some back. They traded off driving the boat and fighting the fish until they had him. Once caught, they tried to get the fish into the boat, but were unable to do so. They ended up leaving him tied to the boat as they made their way back to the marina. Only when the fish was hoisted out of the the water at the marina did they realize the actual size of it. It weighed in at 376 pounds! They were obviously pleased.

What to do with 376# of fresh fish? Since they have a commercial license, they generally sell to local restaurants as many other fishermen also do. There was no market for this fish that late in the day, so it was donated to a family that could use it, minus the tail, bill, and a few steaks.

When I visited in May we did try to catch some marlin, but were unsuccessful. In a way, I’m kind of glad. My brother had shown me some videos on the internet of instances of marlins jumping into boats and impaling the occupants. That’s a little more aggressive than I care to deal with. I’m glad the fish my brother and his partner caught didn’t pick on them.

When my brother first partnered up with the captain, he sent pictures of the boat and some of their catches. I made a collage of the pictures, but didn’t save the originals. I’ll post the collage to give an idea of the size of the boat (22 feet), and some pictures of Hawaii…