Just Call Me Shop Girl.

Well it's actually a Monday when I'm writing this!

Although in my defense I start writing it every Monday it just might not be posted that day.

The weekend goes so fast now and the week is fast enough between the commute Downtown and back everyday. Most of the time I'm just an invisible person in the hustle and bustle of the flow of people at 4:30 everyday, reading while I listen to music to pass the time on the Skytrain home.

The days fly by even more now that I have something else besides work and home...and now more work but that's ok because yesterday ( it's now Tuesday ) I got word that my bike is fixed! It came in the form of a video of the shop floor and I could hear her...the way she should be...and as the camera panned up it was her all back together and that low rumble minus the sputter that got her in there. They did it quick and I'll give her a quick clean up before bringing her home because I'm the Detail Girl now...apparently and I don't even care.

Spending a Sunday in the shop watching Hell Ride and conditioning leather that so desperately needed it was not work at all.

Who knew that I would love being around them so much! I always liked them but we're bordering on obsession now since I'm spending so much time around them.

Nope not bordering, I'm full on.

That's a good thing though, because this will be the 3rd riding season that I can be a part of and since I could only ride once last year and it was for maybe 15-20 mins when we figured out there was a serious problem, I almost feel like I've forgotten how to manage her.

She's a 1200 and a beast with her 4 plug Buell engine. At the same time being scared that I have forgotten something doesn't stop me from wanting to just get on her and go, just hoping and praying that I shift properly and see if I (bad habit) roll on the throttle while pulling in the front brake.

I had stopped doing that! Now I have shifted my bars, have thicker grips on her and changed my pegs so handling her will be a bit different but really I have no base of comparison because she's the only one I've ever rode.

Side note- I wanted her home yesterday if only to get her out of the shop because there is an 88' Heritage Softail that needs work and if you've seen my Instagram then you have seen the pics of that one. If not then here...

It sat under a Pine tree for a few years and her owner finally decided to get her fixed up. He said the last time he rode it, the Regulator caught on fire and it's been parked ever since. What I didn't like was that there are Pine needles all over it and in everything they could possibly slid into and that it was green when she got there. So I gave her a quick  rub down to get the dirt and...green stuff off before I went to work on seeing if any of  the leather was salvageable.

Some of it is and some, not so much but she's getting a makeover and after just cleaning her up a bit she looked pretty good but there is lots of Rust that will have to be dealt with.

So with all of that being said,

What would you have in a detail kit? Is there anything you would swear by?
Products that just don't work? I feel some reviewing that's going to happen.

Ok gotta go.

See Ya!
S

Aug Update!

Hello Lovelies!!

It's been awhile as the Summer rolls on in full swing.

We had a few life changing moments that prevented thinking clearly enough for me to be here but they have settled now.

At the beginning of the year Choo found his son that had been given up for adoption 25 years ago and they had been in constant contact since. 2 weeks ago that son came to BC and moved in with us from Ontario. Quite the change but he fits right in and despite my ongoing anxiety about hoping we don't disappointment he's just adorable and pretty much a carbon copy of his dad. The girls have adjusted rather quickly and that's awesome especially since they are all adults. The extra weird part is seeing how much he's like his sisters for not having grown up with them and he's already got a job thanks to the spectacular people in our life.

The acceptance from the family and friends of him has warmed my heart and hopefully his!

The same day that he came in I received a call that one of my brothers passed away. Mine is a large family and even though there are many of my brothers I have yet to meet he was one of the few that I had met, so as exciting as it was to have the new addition another was lost that day.

The year anniversary of losing California also passed it the last month as well as losing Boscoe ( our tiny talkative cat ) somehow possibly Coyotes or another animal since he never strayed far from home we can only think he was taken by something.

Still having a carb issue on the Sportster to the point where I'm going to rebuild it myself because the one that was put on is worse than my original one and my mechanic is just too backed up to do it. I might as well learn since I would prefer to learn to do the maintenance myself and not only ride my own but take care of my own. I haven't ridden since I don't even remember when and I'm getting a bit stir crazy while I sit and stare longingly at her.

That being said I have been making slow progress on the BSA by learning and cleaning the Amal Carb on that one.

Before...

Thanks to this little baby I got all of the sediment out of the float bowl...which was caked.

I can take apart and put that one back together in my sleep now. She's a 5 year project that I'm 2 years into and besides stripping her down not much has happened there but this long weekend I'll be cutting out the old wiring harness and getting the frame ready to be stripped and painted. I finally found a place in Canada that I can get parts from at decent prices and I need alot of parts! So heading into the mid-summer I plan to get right up close and personal and make sure everything is ready and in motion for when I get the motor rebuilt.

I'm going to try and document as much as I can between Instagram and You Tube because even though I want to prove to the men in my life that I can do this...I want to prove it to myself more.

Emotionally though July was a rough month, I have an outlet now and here's hoping Aug holds more promise!

Alright guys have a great week!

See Ya
S

Still Kickin'!

I'm here! Where have I been? I couldn't even tell you but I'm still kickin'

At least there has been progress! I got to go for a short ride last week and since I'm still a bit of a gong show I was apprehensive but as it turned out I wasn't the issue! My bike which sat all Winter with no stabilizer in the tank had a lot of stuttering issues that at first I thought was me.

Chugging, black exhaust so I went home and had the hubby take a ride and assess the situation for me. When he came home he said that I would need to get my Carb cleaned. The thought of taking her to a shop when I was just getting back into the swing of her (too much time in between rides) did not sit well but better to have her happy and healthy right and then I would be safer.

Thank goodness our shop guy is a good friend and said he could do it for me in a couple of hours. Choo took her in and Jon took her for a ride confirming that the Carb should be cleaned but before that Choo decided to switch out the old gas and what do you know! She runs like a dream now.

Ok that was like a week ago. I show up here in spurts these days. I did take her in on Sunday though to have the Carb done and it took most of the day but that part of her tune up is complete and she's super happy. Still doesn't like slow speeds but very smooth out of first. That means for me that she is not into city riding or stop and go traffic.

So I've decided nice days are for riding and gross rainy days are for building. I'm trying to track down a different tank and fenders so that they can be painted Cobalt Blue and continue the process of making the Sporty truly mine but at the same time I want to keep her original ones...you know...original. Besides that my Sexy Bitch ( BSA ) is lacking in love and attention so I need to pull that together too.

Most days I feel like I have nothing to do when there is so much to do and I have to create the routine but yes...we'll see... how routine I can make it because there are so many things that are rolled up in what I have to do!

Ok enough of that! You know how to find me. Questions...Answers...all are welcome!

See Ya
S

Cracking The Shell All The Way Through

Hi guys,

I hadn't realized it had been so long since my last post! Things have been in a bit of a whirlwind lately on a personal level even though they are still up in the air a bit I figured I should check in.

Riding has been slow in coming for me because of the weather. It seems that during the week the weather will be nice while I'm at work and by the time I get home, make dinner and wind down the time is gone while the weekends piss rain and I am no experienced rider in the rain. I have friends that are enjoying what riding they can get in and I'm completely jealous!

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I asked the kids to pitch in for a new riding jacket that I want. I have a leather riding jacket already and a vest but I wanted something that was a bit more protection and weather ready so once it's ordered I'll give you some feedback on that once I get it.

It's been hard to shake the anxiety I feel when I look my Sportster. I've been pussyfooting around it and been taking the time to re-familiarize myself with her as I wait for my dare I say it "Squad" to get on insuring their rides. I told Choo that I don't even know how I rode the monster last year because when I get back on the seat I feel at ease at the same time as mildly terrified but that being said the terror has subsided and I've embraced the anxiety of it. So many of my girlfriends even Lo whose ridden for about 9 years have had the same issue every year so I'm told it's normal. I still have the back tire issue that needs to be fixed once I get my rear tire changed over.

Not only have I looked at riding with anxiety but I've been thinking of my build bike a lot and need to get moving on that too so on the sunny days I plan to be out and on the rainy ones I'll have to be in the shop because the BSA has to happen and progress needs to be made but I am so new to all of it. I understand so much more now about the way they work than I know about cars and there is so much more to learn.

This makes me giggle hysterically every time I walk into the shop and see it.

Like I said though I'll be documenting this journey the whole way. The other fear I have of putting myself out there will also be conquered in the process. I have always said that my blogging is very personal for me. I'm not selling a product, I care less about views as all I want to do is be present and share my experiences of my normal (semi-normal) life and with that said I intend to embrace the lighter side of life and take it less seriously.

I don't have time for that anymore. It's held me back as I'm sure it holds a lot of people back and with the technology we have today and the many platforms there is no time to be shy...anymore. I will be posting videos on my You Tube channel again a completely personal thing so that they are all in one place. The space has been there for years and I have posted maybe one or two videos like a year and I'm not big on the whole video thing. I've tried and sucked or been too shy either way whatever...I'm done and it's time to have some fun!

I've met so many different people and been far more at ease with engaging with them. The Motorcycle community has been soooo welcoming and and answering any questions I have no matter how ridiculous I think they are. People planning to ride out from other places and actually interested in meeting me as I am them!

So excited about that.

So here's to cracking the shell all the way through!

I'm still working on the book too. In my editing I created a whole world of trouble for myself as I found something important missing and had to write it in to complete it so there is a lot I have on my plate and I refuse to stress out about any of it.

Life is shorter than you think.

See Ya
S

You're Creating A Monster...

    Well some of you guys knew I was going to blog about this because it was a very happy and important thing in my life. Most of the time I live through humour because if your smiling and laughing things can't be that bad right? Ya...sure.

    Last week was the worst for me in a long time. Some things from work and some from home colliding together to just make things not so much bad but completely frustrating. Too many things going on at once and trying to let go of things I had absolutely no control over was extremely hard to do. Usually I can just roll with it physically or emotionally and yet a lot of the time I think it's because I have to be strong enough for other people that I'll put my disappointments or desires aside until things are made right in other areas. Going through periods of time when I just need to process things so I'll say little but hear a lot.

    We had our ups and downs last week and for me it was harder than any other time to adjust the thoughts in my head especially because I have things I'm eager to do for myself but rarely put myself first and then I have to rely on others to help me and that's a hard thing for me to do sometimes because I'm a very stubborn woman.

    You all know that I'm learning to ride. This is the frustrating thing for me, I have several people that can and are trying to help me but poor weather and them being busy had put a red light on my ability to be out on the open road and then making other frustrations all the worse as well as my mood. I never figured it would affect me that much. It's funny because I never thought I would be one of the ones that not only rode myself but that just wanted to get on with it and be gone, with my friends, on my own... just out.
Unlike the people I know that are riders I'm one of few that never ever rode. Sure on the back but to be in control of a motorcycle...nope, I never saw it in the cards.

    Lo and I have had several conversations and she has been the one primarily helping me but she works nights and I work days and her days off are usually mid week so besides hovering in the driveway showing me various things I needed to do, there hasn't been that much progress and along with 2 weeks of rain that didn't help. She's been riding for 8 or so years now and she's the sister of my soul so who better to show me the ropes.
She'll say someone else but whatever buck up buttercup.

    Her husband taught her how to ride but she didn't want to learn and ended up resistant to the process where for me all I want to do is learn and she calls me a sponge because I've taken to the instruction so diligently. I would endlessly practice the things I was told to but still wasn't going anywhere and I would get to the point where I would be like...ok...I got it...now what? I'm still stuck in the driveway. I would talk about the back lane but due to a lot of "Steph that's gravel." and "No." by the boys prevented me from trying that and even though Lo and I would talk about doing it anyway because I just wanted to have done with it, sensibility won out and I parked my racing thoughts and waited.

    In the meantime I ask questions, I'm involved and want to do this. We did have a weekend before last that was so stupid hot that breathing made you sweat and the tank was hotter than the fires of hell so it was best to let my girl wait until I wasn't going to burn my thighs... and then it rained depressing me all the more. So last week my mind was flailing, jumping from thought to thought about one thing or another, kids, home, work, riding ect and on Friday I finally saw a light ahead. Back at the beginning of June I ordered my helmet. Choo has 2, Lo has 2 but I wanted to have my own instead of borrowing one of theirs.

    On Friday I came home and it had been delivered! I was so happy when I finally got it out of the box that pics were taken and posted and my failing week felt behind me! I felt a sense of purpose! What it was I had no idea but my helmet was in my hands. I can't remember why I went out back but when I did I saw Lo's bike and then Choo's bike but mine was missing and I didn't hear her so I figured Choo had taken her for a quick spin and went back in the house. I hear him pull in around front so I'm standing on the front stairs about to ask him where he went when he tosses my keys at me and tells me to get my helmet.

 No hesitation...I fly back in the house, grab it and come back out.

    After a minute of feeling like a little kid as he adjusts the straps to the point of locking my jaw shut and me mumbling that I think it's too tight, I get on. Mind racing through the things everyone has told me and the things I've learned I had to center myself and then I let off the clutch, rolled on the throttle, after 2 or 3 seconds I have my feet up and I'm moving down the street. I do have a mild problem of getting super excited when I've accomplished something and then I end up doing too many things at once forgetting what I was doing but that only happens the first time.
I pulled her over and had to breathe for a second. Turned her around and rode back to Choo standing there smiling with that cheeky "See you can do it" smile. I stopped and put her in Neutral and he asked me if I was done. All I could do was shake my head and pat my chest because my heart was pounding so hard because not only did I do it but it felt like the bike wanted me to do it too. she's just as tired of sitting in the driveway as I am looking at her sit there.

    The next thing I know I'm riding up and down the street and the neighbour is out and telling me that an 86 year old woman just learned how to ride and if she could do it then I could too. Then Bean and Allan are out watching me and she almost set me off as she started to tear up for me. She said I had the biggest smile on my face. I told her I didn't even realize I was smiling. Choo found it interesting that I would go further and a bit faster each time but to that, all I can say is...

You're creating a monster...

Another friend called me crazy and for you...

You haven't seen crazy yet...

Have a great week!
See Ya
S

Totally Worth It...

Hello Lovelies!

Well I missed last weeks post as you know...or don't but it was a long week at work being on my own for the past 2 and as usual trying to get everything I NEED to do done but only seeming to complete the things I WANT to do. What I wanted to do was apparently study for my learners tests and sit in the sun.

Not a bad thing! There were 3 of us that had to get our Learners licenses for riding and two of them have gone and done it. Spur of the moment, out the door and gone one after the other, it must be because they're guys. Me being me though has this little voice in my head telling me not to go just because they did and not to go just because everyone else wants me to ride.

"Take your time..." it says, "Be confident with your own knowledge..." it whispers and so I listen.

I have decided not to tell anyone when I'm going so I don't feel that pressure that I'm apparently putting on myself but I'd much rather come home and say "Hey! Look what I got!" if it happens that way. Everyone has been so supportive, others even dare I say "pushy" about me riding because they want me to do it just as much as I want to. Part of me wonders why they even care but I'm constantly reminded of how big a thing this is. I told Lo that by not telling anyone when I'm going to take my tests then I won't feel like I let anyone down. She told me that the only way I would let anyone down is if I gave up and quit if I failed.

 OK... you made sense, it was like a mental slap but I'm still not saying when.

So I figured I would start out my Saturday seeing my niece turn 17...geez 17! Then drag out my bike that's been all cozy and dry in the Bike shed over the tail end of Winter, semi custom built by 4 guys with A LOT of patience and give her a wash while learning my controls and where things sit on the bike. I thought that was proactive and even found things on mine that Choo told me I didn't have. Ya take that smart guy! Lo pulled out her Sportser to see the sun too and the next thing I knew it was 4 hours from wash to polish and I realized that I will be a tad obsessive with detailing I can see that coming. Now that I have the Sportster I'm a bit eager to build the BSA because most of all I want to learn what goes into building a bike and be able to take care of mine without having to call the men in my life for aid or not being able to maintain my own toys. Plus how cool would it be to build the British bike? Very cool for me, she was my first, even in pieces and nothing needs to be done to the Sportster.

OK I'm off track or rather on track with where my mind set is these days. After the day in the sun it was off to the fair in Coquitlam to see lil man Parker while he hit the rides with his parents. Although once the we got there we were on PK duty while T and Craig got to hit up the big rides fro some fun of their own with Sese. Why is it that when you go to something like this the guys always take off, saying they were doing one thing or not saying at all when we know they were just somewhere watching girls? We know this, we know who you are. We made a point of going just before dark because we wanted to see everything lit up and as much as I wanted to go on the rides I was beat from the sun already and had no problems hanging out with PK. Except for my arms, they hurt, he's 3 and heavy after a while, can't complain though I got lots of love for it and tears when he had to go home.

The next day was like a bad hangover without the booze sickness. Sore arms from carrying a 3 year old, sore thighs from trying to get used to the weight of the bike by rocking her back and forth, sore back from waxing and polishing and a mild case of sun stroke! All in all a fabulous weekend, a very very good weekend. Totally Worth It.

Back to clouds and rain and ...work.

Have a great week!

See Ya
S

Weekend Wrap Up Easter 2016

Short and Sweet today guys!

Well on this beautiful sunny Tuesday with cold mornings and warm afternoons all I want to do is not be trapped in an office. At the same time though I don't want it to move too quickly. Winter just left and I'm dreading the next one already. I know I know...

I hope you all had a Happy Easter! I spent mine a various amount of ways. Friday me and the brood went to see Batman vs Superman. Alright I'm not going to say it was awful because it wasn't completely. How do I say this without spoiling it? Hmmm...quickly.

The action sequences were good, they should have utilized Wonder Woman more, the only crazy Lex Luther I can handle is Gene Hackman, Ben Affleck made a really good Bruce Wayne but Batman???? Not his fault though Batman is hard to live up to, so is Superman but Henry Cavill can do it and was really the only thing that held me to the movie besides seeing how Wonder Woman was going to fit in. There were many random points to me and although I know that some of them are there for the introduction of the Justice League they still seemed too random to me. Randomly placed? Unexplained....

The next night was a b-day party for Bean's Boyfriend and that was entertaining watching a bunch of 20 somethings, remembering when I was a 20 something and thanking god I'm not a 20 something anymore although my 20's was not what most are... there are still stories in there that should never be told. 

Ever.

Sunday was when Parker did his tiny Easter egg hunt. Since T lives with us again and is getting a foothold back into her life, I leave the little man to her because now when he comes over it's more so to visit with his mom than it is to see the rest of us. Don't get me wrong I get in my hugs and cuddles the I love you's and it's nice when he looks for me and wants to play or show me something. He's 3 and the world through his eyes is big, unknown and always holding a surprise. Had coffee with my bestie and her tiny man who's about 1 1/2 and is just realizing himself how big the world is. and looks at everything through big eyes.

So the rest of the weekend held sitting in the sun contemplating my existence. Which I gave up on and instead spent the rest of the time studying for my learners to ride.

Just a quickie!

Have a great week!

See Ya

S.