Check it out! Check it out! The Back is done too!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The front is finished.
The strips came from this place called B&B Graphics in Wyoming. They were much nicer than Dimension and I think that I will take all of my vinyl needs there, because the other guys just treated my project as too small and it seemed that they did not want the business.
You should hear the comments that I get. I went to the hardware store today and everyone in the store came out and looked at it and relived their childhood memories of the Herbie movies. I think that it came out just like the Photoshop picture that I did, if not better. It looks just like how I imagined it would. The trunk was done today, but I was not satisfied with the color, so I got new paint and I am in the process of correcting the color so it better matches the rest of the bike.
It's beginning to look a lot like Herbie, everywhere I go.
Yesterday I went to Dimension Graphics here in Grand Rapids, which is actually just down the street from me and had them make the 53 stickers for me.
Here is what they look like. Pretty good I think.
I got the paint from Finishmaster and did a rough sand on the trunk, cleaned it off good, and put on many layers of paint. The match was not the best I think. I am not sure I will have to see what it looks like in the daylight, but anything will be better than what it was before with those awful swirly hand painted pin stripes.
Layers, and layers of paint
This morning after the paint had dried I put the small 53 on the back.
Here is the large 53 on the bike. Today I am on a mission to find the red, white, and blue racing stripe that will run from the front of the bike to the back. Till then...
Monday, October 22, 2007
Today's Findings
I found a place right down the road that said they would print my decals for the Douglas scooter. Thier price was a little more than I expected to pay, but at least they are right down the street and they also said that they could do the red, white, and blue stripes. This is the file that i sent them to print. I will also be painting the trunk today. I am going to pick up the decals and then to Finishmaster to get the paint for the trunk color matched.
I got home a rode "Jabberjaw" my Yamaha Riva 180 again, and it feels quite different than the Douglas scooter. I want to get the same tires on Jabber that I had put on JD.
I got home a rode "Jabberjaw" my Yamaha Riva 180 again, and it feels quite different than the Douglas scooter. I want to get the same tires on Jabber that I had put on JD.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Pictures of Jim Douglas make my life so wonderful.
Here are pictures from our travels. Blogger pissed me off, so I am all done trying to put them in order.
This is a Blatz Beer sign that i turned around to make Jana take a picture of because it reminded me of my Uncle Bill who always had a fridge full of Blatz when I was growing up. This was kind of as we exited south west Wisconsin which was the prettiest part of the trip.
This picture is a typical shot of us riding down the rural highways.
The boarder of Wisconsin and Minnesota is separated by the Mississippi River in many places and this is one of the many bridges that we crossed as we went back and forth between the two states.
This is me at the Boaz Country Store where I found a product that I did not know existed, let alone was conveniently located at the gas station in Boaz, in case you run out and need to run out real quick and git some. "Teat Dilators"
A picture of some country farm land that was on the dirt road that we encountered.
Nice hills covered the landscape all throughout southwest Wisconsin.
While we were on the dirt road, that was actually a county highway that was torn up for 6 miles, I got a bug in my helmet and it was buzzing around in my ear and I just could not take it anymore so I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop and ripped my helmet off and got the bug out.
I recommend riding in this part of the country. I really do plan on going back sometime, maybe even next year, with a little more time to enjoy it.
This is a Blatz Beer sign that i turned around to make Jana take a picture of because it reminded me of my Uncle Bill who always had a fridge full of Blatz when I was growing up. This was kind of as we exited south west Wisconsin which was the prettiest part of the trip.
This picture is a typical shot of us riding down the rural highways.
The boarder of Wisconsin and Minnesota is separated by the Mississippi River in many places and this is one of the many bridges that we crossed as we went back and forth between the two states.
This is me at the Boaz Country Store where I found a product that I did not know existed, let alone was conveniently located at the gas station in Boaz, in case you run out and need to run out real quick and git some. "Teat Dilators"
A picture of some country farm land that was on the dirt road that we encountered.
Nice hills covered the landscape all throughout southwest Wisconsin.
While we were on the dirt road, that was actually a county highway that was torn up for 6 miles, I got a bug in my helmet and it was buzzing around in my ear and I just could not take it anymore so I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop and ripped my helmet off and got the bug out.
I recommend riding in this part of the country. I really do plan on going back sometime, maybe even next year, with a little more time to enjoy it.
Just waiting for my camera.
Hi there. This is not the end of the Udderscoot Blog. I just left my camera in Chicago in Jana's Parents van. Oops! I will be getting it today and you will get to see pictures from the road, which is what this trip was all about anyway. So look forward to that and also look out for future scooting events such as the completion of the Jim Douglas ch250. Until then...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
We Made It!
Yes, we made it to Chicago at 10:42 p.m., with a little help from our car-driving friends in Milwaukee. We didn't even get caught in the looming thunderstorms. It's a long story that I am oh-so-too-tired to tell you right now.
I never knew my ass could hurt like this. Scooters are certainly meant for scooting about here and there, not for road tripping. We pulled over once and took ibuprofen, and then again later to buy some acetaminophen. I was ready to quit in Lake Mills, WI. My back is all hunched up from trying to stay hunkered down and streamlined. My knees and ankles are aching from being rotated and held in awkward positions for long periods of time. I think I have a bruise on my butt.
I am all done with scooter seats for a while. I would like to change the name of this blog to The Udderly Painful Scoot.
I never knew my ass could hurt like this. Scooters are certainly meant for scooting about here and there, not for road tripping. We pulled over once and took ibuprofen, and then again later to buy some acetaminophen. I was ready to quit in Lake Mills, WI. My back is all hunched up from trying to stay hunkered down and streamlined. My knees and ankles are aching from being rotated and held in awkward positions for long periods of time. I think I have a bruise on my butt.
I am all done with scooter seats for a while. I would like to change the name of this blog to The Udderly Painful Scoot.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Why I am in a good mood this morning
The belt broke while we were stopped.
The belt broke while we were stopped at a gas station.
The belt broke while we were stopped at a gas station that had a large seating area inside.
The scooter broke down 7 miles from Red Wing, the largest city in our immediate scooting area.
We found a cheap hotel with a towing company across the street, and a motorcycle repair shop next door.
The belt we need is not that common; it's only used for the Honda Elite 250, Honda Helix 250, and Piaggio Hexagon 250, so most people don't have it in stock. However, the company that makes the belt is located in Red Wing, which is where we are!
Cory is currently next door with the scooter at River Valley Power & Sport. They called back this morning and said they think they can help us. I am sitting in the hotel room while lots of men crawl around on the room and bang on the walls. I think they are tearing off the siding of this little cabin that we stayed in. It's a little unnerving, BUT, it means they aren't going to kick us out of this room at checkout time.
Update: Cory just walked in.
It's not even the belt. The belt is fine. It's the nut on the bolt that connects the two pancake things. It vibrated loose and fell off, which made one of the pancake things fall off, and one of the little things in the pancake that lets air in to cool the belt also broke but apparently this is okay because there is like, 40 of them. They might have a new pancake for us next door. If not, we can just screw the nut back on and drive it as is. Also the part is made of aluminum which is really light which is a good thing for some reason.
The belt broke while we were stopped at a gas station.
The belt broke while we were stopped at a gas station that had a large seating area inside.
The scooter broke down 7 miles from Red Wing, the largest city in our immediate scooting area.
We found a cheap hotel with a towing company across the street, and a motorcycle repair shop next door.
The belt we need is not that common; it's only used for the Honda Elite 250, Honda Helix 250, and Piaggio Hexagon 250, so most people don't have it in stock. However, the company that makes the belt is located in Red Wing, which is where we are!
Cory is currently next door with the scooter at River Valley Power & Sport. They called back this morning and said they think they can help us. I am sitting in the hotel room while lots of men crawl around on the room and bang on the walls. I think they are tearing off the siding of this little cabin that we stayed in. It's a little unnerving, BUT, it means they aren't going to kick us out of this room at checkout time.
Update: Cory just walked in.
It's not even the belt. The belt is fine. It's the nut on the bolt that connects the two pancake things. It vibrated loose and fell off, which made one of the pancake things fall off, and one of the little things in the pancake that lets air in to cool the belt also broke but apparently this is okay because there is like, 40 of them. They might have a new pancake for us next door. If not, we can just screw the nut back on and drive it as is. Also the part is made of aluminum which is really light which is a good thing for some reason.
Pleasurable & Memorable Adventures
This is the restaurant where we had Vietnamese lunch today:
This is Cory wearing his scooting goggles while waiting for a delicious egg roll:
This is what Cory's fortune cookie said:
This is the kevlar belt that Dave at Scooterville advised us to get if we were going to ride 2-up on a Honda Elite 250:
This is the first leg of our trip along the Great River Road, crossing the river into Wisconsin and heading down Highway 35:
This is Cory outside the gas station in Bay City, WI, where the scooter began making funny noises:
This is the table inside the gas station where I called AAA and learned that a basic membership does not cover motorcycles:
This is the second leg of our trip, from Bay City, WI to Red Wing, MN:
This is Cory in Red Wing paying the tow truck man $75 plus $3.40/mile:
This is the broken scooter parked inside our motel room:
This is the power sports place next door to our motel where we will try to get a new belt for the scooter first thing tomorrow morning:
This is the list that I made of all the places in the area that might have scooter belts:
This is the end of the blog post that Cory said I should write because if he wrote it, it would simply say: F*ck.
This is Cory wearing his scooting goggles while waiting for a delicious egg roll:
This is what Cory's fortune cookie said:
This is the kevlar belt that Dave at Scooterville advised us to get if we were going to ride 2-up on a Honda Elite 250:
This is the first leg of our trip along the Great River Road, crossing the river into Wisconsin and heading down Highway 35:
This is Cory outside the gas station in Bay City, WI, where the scooter began making funny noises:
This is the table inside the gas station where I called AAA and learned that a basic membership does not cover motorcycles:
This is the second leg of our trip, from Bay City, WI to Red Wing, MN:
This is Cory in Red Wing paying the tow truck man $75 plus $3.40/mile:
This is the broken scooter parked inside our motel room:
This is the power sports place next door to our motel where we will try to get a new belt for the scooter first thing tomorrow morning:
This is the list that I made of all the places in the area that might have scooter belts:
River Valley Power & SportThese are my clothes which are still wet from the 30-minute downpour which began 2 minutes into the start of our trip:
Red Wing
651-388-7000
Custom Scooter
1026 Tile Dr, Red Wing MN
651-385-5858
2 miles away
Rolling Thunder Custom Services
1041 Featherstone Rd Red Wing, Mn. 55066
(651)388-9846
2 miles away
Frontenac Honda Sales
33859 Highway 61 Blvd Lake City
651-388-5607
13 miles away
Cannon Falls Honda - Yamaha - Ski Doo
31875 64th Ave Cannon Falls
507-263-4768
22 miles away
Al's Custom Cycle
N 8110 State Road 65, River Falls WI
715-425-6584
25 miles away
This Old Bike
210 Lake Street Pepin, WI
715-442-2228
31 miles away
McIntosh Motorsports
N1230 Jahnke Hill Road, Pepin, WI 54759
715-442-2136
33 miles away
Ring's Custom Cycle Inc.
15280 South Roberts Trail, Roemount MN 55068
651-423-3909
36 miles away
Iron Horse MotorWorks
16521 Galaxie Way - Rosemount, MN 55068
952-432-6895
38 miles away
Faribault Harley-Davidson
I-35 & Hwy 21
507-334-5130
47 miles away
This is the end of the blog post that Cory said I should write because if he wrote it, it would simply say: F*ck.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Grrr....
So I thought our scoot was going to look like this:
But the way the weather has been, it seems more likely that it's going to look like this instead:
This is very annoying to me. I spent a long time researching southwest Wisconsin (as you will see from all the Scooter Links posted over there on the right) and finding Rustic Road detours and learning all about the Great River Road and getting excited about this trip instead of feeling reluctant about it. And now it seems like we might just have to blow through some interstates in order to beat the rain to Chicago.
I guess I should be glad that the weather isn't like what it was last year at this time:
Norm & Lulu; October 13, 2006
But the way the weather has been, it seems more likely that it's going to look like this instead:
This is very annoying to me. I spent a long time researching southwest Wisconsin (as you will see from all the Scooter Links posted over there on the right) and finding Rustic Road detours and learning all about the Great River Road and getting excited about this trip instead of feeling reluctant about it. And now it seems like we might just have to blow through some interstates in order to beat the rain to Chicago.
I guess I should be glad that the weather isn't like what it was last year at this time:
Norm & Lulu; October 13, 2006
The Mother $%@#&#@ Rain!
Today it is raining, Ah-gain. Maybe because this summer had been so dry and so sunny, we forgot what rain was. We are being reminded right now. Even in Minneapolis where it is sunny most of the time, at least we thought we would get a break for a few days and just wait it out until we had a few clear days to enjoy our ride. I mean, that was really the whole point of the trip aside from getting Jana a scooter to learn on.
As it turns out, we have a very small window of time to ride back to Chicago. We are leaving today after three because the weather indicates that there is less of a chance of rain for the rest of the evening, 30%. So we have to do what we thought would be the nicest part of out trip today in gloomy weather. I really just hope that it does not rain while we are out.
We still have to do a few errands before we go. As always we have accumulated too much stuff and need to send ourselves a package home full of the things that we can not fit on the scooter. Then we have to return the stupid walkie talkies, that just do not work in the helmets, because of too much road noise. Needless to say, the Chatterbox Wireless Communicators did not work out. For people who use Craigslist, if you post an ad and sell your item, delete your ad. Otherwise at least send email saying I DON'T HAVE IT ANYMORE! I think that I want some Chinese food for lunch. Noriuki Pat Morita would be proud.
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice; In the upper 60's and mostly cloudy, so we will make our way to Chicago tomorrow and we need to get there by about 8pm because the weather calls for thunderstorms at near 100% tomorrow night. That will be the end of our trip on the scooter. From there it will enter the back of my van and ride with us, instead of us on it, the rest of the way back to Grand Rapids.
Stay tuned for pictures from the road. I am sure we will find something entertaining out there...
Monday, October 15, 2007
So I got bored and did some Photoshopping.
I have been thinking about what to do to the bike to cover up the Yosemite Sam Mural on the front. I was able to get it off using lacquer thinner, but it still left a mark where the paint had not yet faded, because Sam was blocking out the sun's rays. So Jana and I threw around some ideas and looked online for custom graphics and found a place that would make them for us. Below is the transformation from the Son of Sam, to the Jim Douglas Honda Elite ch250.
After the removal of Sam
Proposed Plans for the Jim Douglas Ch250.
Before the removal of Sam
After the removal of Sam
Proposed Plans for the Jim Douglas Ch250.
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
We went and got some popcorn at a place called Candyland, Downtown, then went to a mall and got some chili pepper ice cream and curry and coconut ice cream to take home. Then we went and had a stupid dinner, then we went home. I think that we are leaving on Wednesday now. Gol. I want to have our fall scoot with nice warm temps and no rain. I hope it works out. The weather looks promising. I am tired of it raining. Gol.
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