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| Replacement tank |
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| Out of the box |
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| Fill spout |
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| 3/4 view |
Ride to Work
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Replacement Tank
Easter Sunday MG 1/3 Dragon
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| Chadds Ford Histerical Society Building |
Our plan was to head out towards Hank's Place on the corner of Creek Road (100) and Route 1, in Chadds Ford, and have a little Easter Brunch there. we got rolling at about 13:30 and headed up Goshen towards Garret Mill Road. At about the same place I saw the Nash Metropolitan earlier, I saw a Fiat Spyder with the top down barreling the other way. It was nondescript grey/baby blue.
Just before we got to the intersection of Goshen and Grubbs Mill Road, we hit a pothole that sent the front passenger hub cab flying. I pulled over to the side just past Grubbs Mill by the llama farm and went back to retrieve it. The guy that lives in the old school house on the other side of the road got to it before I did and he brought it over. I tried to put it back but the some of the metal ring that forms the attachment points had separated from the hubcap and I couldn't get it back in place. A guy in a convertible actually slowed down to ask if we needed help but I told them no and were on our way with the broken hubcap sitting in the back.
The next mishap occurred shortly before getting to Garrett Mill Rd when a guy going hell for leather in a Bimmer crossed over the double yellows and came straight at us to avoid a pothole. We managed to miss each other, for which I'm glad because if we hadn't I would have been dead now. That blew my "wa" a little so I continued past Garret Mill Rd for the turn at Dutton Mill Rd and a change of plan. Instead of going on to Hank's we decided to go to the West Chester Diner which was a good decision because it turned out that Hank's was closed for Easter Sunday.
As we were headed to the diner on the West Chester Pike, a group of guys on Harleys pulled up next to us at a light and were asking all about the car. I could have stayed on Goshen/Stasburg as the diner is past where Starsburg runs onto the Pike. The food at the diner was good but nothing especial.
After brunch, we headed back down the Pike to 352 and 926 to get to Creek Road and the beginning of the Dragon. Somewhere on 926, probably near Crebilly Farm, we saw a black 1940s American Sedan. I think it was a Plymouth but I can swear to that. What a gorgeous car!
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| My wife, waving like Brenda. |
Continued on 100 until we reached Kirk Road which is about one third on the way on the loop. We took a left on Kirk to check out Montchanin Village which turnout to be much of nothing. After that we headed back the way we came.
The twists and turns on this portion of the loop are great and it was much fun to push the MG a little. However, the gas spillage from the top of the spout was really happening and the smell was making me nauseous. Despite all that, it was a great run an much fun.
When we reached the Pike on 926 there was a guy on a Harley in front of us with his young daughter or granddaughter on the pillion. She turn around to look and us and he did as well. I gave him the thumbs up and he returned it. We followed them down Garret Mill to Goshen and just past Providence, where they turned around. We gave each other the wave as we crossed paths. The really seemed to be enjoying their ride, especially the little girl who get spreading her arms out as if she were flying. My wife and I enjoyed her delight in her ride almost as much as she seemed to.
We followed Goshen home and got back at around 15:30. What a great way to spend an Easter Sunday afternoon.
The classic car tally is now two Ford Model As, one MGA, one 1950s Jag, one Nash Metropolitan, and one 1940s American Sedan.
I've ordered a set of replacement hubcaps from MG Magic which I hope will be here soon. For a second I thought about the real wire wheels but at $800 plus whatever the adapters would cost I think I can pass on them for now.
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| Chadds Ford Histerical Society |
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| Chadds Ford Histerical Society |
Gizmo Test Ride on Easter Sunday
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| Bike Grip Gizmo |
The gizmo was easy enough to install, requiring no tools and going on without any difficulties. I mounted my old FTC phone on it just in case it didn't work as advertised. However, the thing held without any problems.
To test it I took a short ride on the Goshen-Sugartown-Paoli Pike- Sugartown- Church Rd loop. I left the house shortly before noon with really good weather and temp. No need to layer up today, just a sweatshirt and leather jacket and that was enough.
On the run up Goshen, right before Providence, I saw a turquoise and white Nash Metropolitan going the opposite direction on Goshen. Right after crossing Providence I also so a Model A going in the same direction as the Metropolitan. The guy in the Metropolitan returned the wave, the guy in the Model A either did not see it or just blew me off. He looked as old as his car so he probably didn't see it.
The other goal on this ride was to see what the top is with the Power Commander so on the turn to Sugartown I took advantage of the straightaway and let her rip. I got a little over 75 mph but did not quite make 80. The wind was still pretty strong today, not as much as Friday, but strong enough that I was getting buffeted around on that straightaway and it felt like the Bullet was going over.
The other straightaway on Sugartown is on the other side of 252 by Agincourt Farm and I let her rip again there. This time I got pretty close to 80 mph. The speedo was probably reading 78 or 79 mph but I was running out of road and I had to back off. Nice to know it can get that fast.
After that I past the turn off to Church and continued on to Fairfield Rd for the loop on Waterloo to Church. Fairfield road is showing some new patches so it's good to know that the crews have begun filling in the potholes.
The gizmo held up and did not drop the HTC, so that's a success. The Bullet almost made 80 mph on the speedo (keeping in mind that the speedo is ambitious) and that's another success. Great ride on a true spring day, the wind was a little harsh but not uncomfortable. When I left the odo read 2771.2 and on the return it read 2790.4, a little over 19 miles on an easy ride.
The classic car tally is now one MGA, one 1950s Jag, one Nash Metropolitan, and one Ford Model A.
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| 19 miles with potholes and still hanging on! |
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| Head on view. |
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| Side view. |
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| With the iPhone. |
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| iPhone side view. |
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Bishop Hollow Road
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| Ridley Creek |
Last winter I had done a recon on Bishop Hollow Road in the truck and thought it would be a nice bike ride. The route planned was to take 252 to West Chester Pike and make the left onto Bishop Hollow, then follow that until it merged with Ridley Creek Road and all the way out to Rose Tree Rd. From there a right to Rose Tree and follow that until it T'd out at 352. I didn't have plan beyond that having several options for a return from 352.
Bishop Hollow gets twisty and hilly from the beginning. There are several snake turns on the way and very easy rolling hills. Shortly after turning onto it, I passed a farm with llamas in the pasture. I should have stopped for a pic but I was just getting onto the roll so I kept going. I did stop and turned into Ridley Creek Park to get a shot of the creek from the road. The park was full of people already and I could not find a safe place to park the Bullet so I just pulled over to the side and snapped a couple of shots. There is a big place in ruins across from the park and, had I had a parking spot, I would have taken some shots of it. I guess I'll have to come back for that.
From the park I continued on Ridley Creek Road which maintains the same character as Bishop Hollow, twisty and hilly. The road surface is not in the best condition after the winter but a lot of the potholes had beet patched already so it wasn't to bad. Nonetheless, even despite the patches the surface on either road is not very good.
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| Old Barn on Barren Rd. and 352 |
I decided on the quickest way back, down 352 to 926, across the Pike to Garret Mill, and then to Goshen for the run home. The wind was really bad in spots from there on and I really began to feel the cold in my hands. I rolled the right onto 926 on the red without stopping and I was hoping for a red at the Pike to stop and put my hands around the engine for warmth. This has never happened before but, of course, today I got to the Pike on the green and rolled right across it with no stop.
Garret Mill was deserted but the road surface was still pretty damp from the rain yesterday. No worries or issues but I took it easy nonetheless. Once on Goshen the wind picked up again because of the open areas by the horse farms. The sky look great, it was blue and covered with layered clouds. If my hands hadn't been numb, I might have been tempted to stop for a shot. Luckily, I did get the red at 252 and was able to wrap my hands around the engine for a couple of seconds.
I left the house shortly after 08:00 and returned at 09:00. On the way out the odo read 2744.9 and on return 2771.2 for a total of 26.3 miles on the run. A great ride. The twists and hill on Bishop Hollow and Ridley Creek are very satisfying without being too technically challenging. A nice alternative to running the Chester Dragon (or here, or here, or here) because it doesn't take as long to get there. A good plan would be to run it out to 352, turn around at the Granite Run Mall parking lot and head right back on the reverse run. I may try that next time out.
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| Ridley Creek |
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| Big Old Bus in the way of my shot |
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| Shot without the Big Old Bus |
Friday, April 3, 2015
Motorcycle Day - 2015
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| 2735.1 at the gas station |
I took the regular Goshen - Strasburg Rd loop out to the Wawa. The Bullet definitely has a lot more pep than before. Unfortunately, the roads are still pretty torn up and full of potholes so I don't think I was able to open her up as far as she would go. I did get a nice stretch where I was able to reach an maintain 75 mph for a shot while. It felt like the Bullet might even go a little faster but we ran out of good road really quickly and I didn't have the chance to try it.
Other than the hole on the rode the ride out and back were great. When I left the house I had 2725.3 miles on the odo from the morning commute to work. At the Wawa the odo read 2735.1. The tank took 2.254 gallons at $2.989 per gallon for a total of $6.74. I put 123.6 miles on the odo since the last fill-up on Christmas Day of 2014. That puts the mileage at 54.83 mpg. I suppose that new set up will lower my mileage but I am glad to have the extra punch.
A great ride despite the potholes. On the return home, I had 2744.9 miles on the odo. Couldn't ask for better weather or conditions. Unfortunately, rain is on its way so I might not be able to ride again until Easter Sunday which also happens to be the Feast of Saint Vicenç de Ferrer this year.
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| 2744.9 at home |
Out of the Barn!
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
We rode out Goshen all the way out to the end of Strasburg road and then doubled back on West Chester Pike to the Wawa near 352. We stopped there for a frozen coffee and on the way out an older gentleman stopped us to ask about the car. We then headed out 352 towards 926. Shortly out of the parking lot while waiting for the light at West Chester Pike to change a bunch of young kids, maybe 8 or 9 years old, in the back of a minivan where giving us the thumbs up and yelling what I cool car it was. Love the enthusiasm that little kids show for the car.
At 926 we headed west to go to Pete's Produce Farm but when we got there we found it closed so we turned around and headed back across the Pike to Garrett Mill Road and Goshen for home. We stopped at the Willistown Meeting Graveyard for some pics of the MG. This was one of the last rides, if not the last ride, I took last December (on the Feast of Saint Thomas à Becket) on the Bullet and I figured it would be a great place to mark the beginning of the season.
Great weather, excellent ride, just looking forward to taking these two beasts out of the barn and enjoying the new riding season!
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
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| Willistown Meeting House |
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
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| Willistown Meeting Graveyard |
Engine Guard and New Silencer
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| 3/4 front view - engine guard and muffler |
Last Saturday at 09:00 the temps were right at 36 degrees and I cannot imagine a more miserable experience than riding in those temps. Doubling up and layering up helped but, even with the glove liners that I got from Cycle Gear last December, my hands burned from the cold. Luckily, Joe's is not that far from the house so in the end it was doable. Joe kept the bike over the weekend and called me on Monday, despite the fact that they are closed on Mondays, to tell me that the hardware package I got from Nfield Gear for the muffler did not have the right brackets. Of course I missed that call and I also missed his call on Tuesday. I got a hold of him first thing Wednesday morning and he told me that he could fab up some brackets if I didn't want to wait for Nfield Gear to correct the issue. We went with that route. Besides all of that, they also did an oil change and a Spring check up to make sure everything was good to go. He had the bike ready by 16:00 and I headed out there from work to pick it up.
I did not take a big ride, had other things to do that evening, but I came home via West Chester Pike and 252 and the Bullet rode very well. I think the new muffler and Power Commander combo will make a big difference.
The attached pics are from Wednesday morning when I rode it for my work commute. I am officially calling 02 April 2015 the beginning of riding season. Last season I put 2715.5 miles total on the Bullet. Not bad for a little less than a year.
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| 3/4 front |
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| 3/4 rear |
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| Rear port side |
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| Rear starboard |
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| 2715.5 miles on 02 April 2015 at 08:32 |
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