Having ridden dirt bikes around the farms and fields of Kentucky growing up, I thought it would be fine to take the opportunity to test ride a friends bike when offered.  Believe me, I denied the ride since it was the first day of ownership and looking at the fresh odometer just barely showing double digits.  But the shiny red and the throaty growl of the Ducati twin just drew me in.

Ducati Monster 696

Check out how this devilish test ride went after the break!

I finally agreed, threw the helmet and gloves on, and straddled the Italian beauty.  I then squeezed back the clutch, kicked it into first gear, burped the throttle and pulled up to the edge of the parking lot in Washington, DC with the biggest smile on my face.  Something in the back of my head said this was a bad idea, but the 696 kept that voice suppressed as I revved it up for the much-anticipated ride.  With the left blinker on I checked right, then left, then slowly let out on the clutch, and glanced right one more time to see a kid turning the corner much to fast!  My instincts tried to take over with the “fight or flight” teetering and I drilled the front brake.  (Fight my way into the way of this young kid driving way to fast seemed like a bad idea.)  Now this is the part of the story that everyone thinks, “Whoa, that was a close call!  Well it could have been worse, but the Ducati I was handling was over the loose bits of pavement that would normally sits between a cars track.  When I drilled the front brake the Monster dropped to the pavement and I felt horrible immediately.

After the car came to a stop and we picked the bike up, pushed it back into the lot and started the examination of what I had destroyed.  If this had been a super sport we would have been talking a couple of thousands to replace fairings and repainting.  To my amazement the extra helmet attached to the left side had stopped the Red Ducati paint from receiving one scratch!  The mirror bent in like it was design and the left bar end took some slight punishment.  The worst we finally found was the shift lever had broken off right at the 90 degree angle for the foot placement.  With my embarrassment and guilt setting in, my wallet wasn’t going to be emptied for a 15 second test ride.

Later that night we met up and drilled a hole through the shift lever and a hole through the foot peg and remounted until the new lever arrived from Italy.  Yeah, if you break one of these you are gonna have to wait. Seems like no one keeps these in stock!  With the newly fabbed botched shifter secure and working properly, the owner accumulated over 200+ miles before the new lever arrived a few days later when the worst happened.

Parked outside work, odometer now in the triple digits and catching a lot of attention, someone pointed out that the new Ducati was leaking oil everywhere.  To the owners amazement they were correct.  In the fall the kickstand came in contact with pavement.  Now the main bolt for the kickstand is mounted directly into the 696 engine block.  The weight of the bike caused this to crack but hold through 200+ miles put on it!  Needless to say this scenario is not covered by insurance and purchasing a brand new engine to replace a brand new engine is very costly.

We decided to have it fixed.  We found a welder, that is a nuclear engineer who hobbies in motorcycles, to weld and restrengthen the area.  We drained and removed the engine then tossed it in the trunk to deposit it the caring hands of said engineer.  After a few lonely weeks later and $800 bucks shorter the engine was finished.  The welder/engineer drilled out the main bolt hole in the block and stacked a set of density washer that had been welded together and inserted this into place.  He threaded the area and built a new support from the main bolt to throw the stress away from the refinished block.  Brilliant!  He said,  ”It’s what Ducati should have done if the first place.”

We trucked the engine home and excited readied the garage for an all night with help from a liter bike racer.  Since this was my first rebuild of a bike I knew it was going to be a long night and the racer’s help would be much appreciated!  After 4 hours in our help had to retire.  That left us to tackle the daunting task alone, against the suggestion of the tired friend.  I downloaded the repair manual to the Monster 696 and had at it.  A couple of knuckle busting hours later and a few extra parts in a 5 gallon bucket, the engine came to life!  I couldn’t believe I just rebuilt a motorcycle from engine and separated frames to running and riding straight!  I still can’t!  The hardest part had to be aligning the bolt that holds the swing arm to the frame/engine.  Well the octopus of wires that had us back tracking all night was a nightmare as well, but we did it!  THE MONSTER IS ALIVE!!!

Oh and for those extra parts, some found their homes.  One was an engine sensor and that other was a heat shield for under the seat, which is much-needed!

Wiring the Monster

Almost there!

The Monster's heart beats again!

So our tech visionary that started Apple and led it to be the largest company in the United States, has died after battling Pancreatic Cancer. This coming one day after the first product release since his return. I am writing because I am hurt by hearing this. I didn’t know what else to do but write briefly.

I’m not sure how I am so emotionally attached to a man I have never met. Maybe this is how it felt to some people when Princess Diana left us. I have been using Apple products since ’99. I have never turned back. When Steve came back to Apple he went with stock options plus a $1 salary. This man knew what he was going to do for the company after his short time away in the 90′s. We all know the story! He made graphic design easier. Wait, he made everything easy with his team in Cupertino. He essentially caused 99% of all viruses to be treated like they were nothing. Thank you! He brought us iPhones, amazing commercials, products that were way ahead of their time. He brought us iPods and iPhones and he brought us music that we listened to when we were children. Music we danced to at weddings. Music that we quickly downloaded to get the party started. He brought us happiness in a way that he could only foresee. I hope Apple is ready to carry on without him. I’m sure he taught you all more than I could imagine.

So I am sitting here blabbing, but this man has motivated me in so many ways at so many times. He was an amazing man. To quote Anderson Cooper, “He was Apple.”

I miss this man that I never met and it’s a weird feeling to have. After all I have read about him, and how him and his team enriched my life, I feel like I have lost a member of the family. Thanks Mr. Jobs for everything!

You will be missed and could never be replaced.

Almost finished with the new website!!! I feel like I have been working on this for ages!

My mother wrote this on my 30th birthday, today, september 11th, 2011. Yeah, World Trade Center 9/11. I know I know weird birthday, but damn fine parents!!! Try this out:

“Wow!! I can’t believe it has been 30 years today!! I remember how excited we were in the months, weeks, days and hours before you were given to us! On January 17th I had my first doctors visit and confirmed you were growing in my tummy! I remember telling your dad and how he was yelling and jumping and telling everyone that would listen. We went to Walmart that evening and bought your baby blanket! (sorry, it had a little pink in it cause we didn’t know if you were he or she then) We were so poor and was so unsure of how we would take care of you, but we loved you immediately. We remember the day you were conceived-it was a really good day. More details?-No? OK. I remember how you gave me really BIG boobies that hurt so bad even just walking across the floor. You made me vomit every evening, just as sun was setting. No morning sickness for me. No….you just had to do things differently from the very beginning. And then my belly started to grow. I felt you move inside me, first a little wiggle and that progressed quickly to kickboxing. Bout broke my ribs and kicked my bladder so hard, I would pee myself, just a little. Ha! I remember hearing your heart beat for the first time and how exciting it was. And then when you were about halfway here, we saw you on the ultrasound and found out you were a he. Take after your daddy, like that!!! Woohoo!! Oh, you were just what we wanted. Actually, I had just prayed for a healthy baby. You see, before I found out I was pregnant, I had really tied one on, was drunker than I have ever been in my life,….ever. I worried that I had hurt you, even though the doctor tried to comfort me. You continued to grow in me, squirming, kicking, and the never ending hiccups!! Oh MY God! The hiccups were day and night for days on end. You were supposed to be here on the 25th of July (ironic as that is Levi’s birthday) but no….again you were different and decided to stay and stay. I was like, ok little boy, this is not a 5 star hotel. You just come out of there so me and dad can hold you, touch you, squeeze you, etc, etc, etc. You swelled up my ankles and wrists sooooo big that I could not bend them. You were so far down in the birth canal I couldn’t get my legs together, which made walking and other activities almost impossible. I went to the doctor every day for 6 weeks to try and get you to come out!! I began to think you were an elephant. You waited almost 11 months. I remember the evening before you decided to come. I had cried a lot that day! I was so tired and about to burst. We ate dinner with mamaw and papaw and I actually sat my dinner plate on my belly. I have heard of people saying they were that big, but I really could do it!!! Holy shit. Your head was damn near to my knees and your feet way up under my ribcage. Remember, the alien movie! It felt something like that looks. I had already spent so many hours through the months talking to you, playing you music, reading to you. I needed you OUT! So after dinner, dad and I left for what we thought would be another night, tossing and turning. Sleeping was not easy…you know, kicking, hiccups, heartburn, etc, etc. Then bout midnight, I had to get up and pee (for the umpteeth time) and while sitting on toilet, my water broke and the pain began immediately! Wow, you were finally ready! Well, come on cause so am I! This is Part one!

Part 2…..So, I thought well I will take shower so I will be ready. Well, I woke up your dad who was like come on, come on. And I said this will take some time, so I got in shower. While showering, I heard and felt a big plop at my feet and I was like, holy shit, you just fell out! NO! It was just the shampoo bottle I had dropped. Damn, knew you werent going to be that easy. So, after shower, we started to hospital and had little scare cause water was bloody. Now what? They took me right in and they too were concerned that something was wrong, so we had some scary hours. After being in labor for 12 hours, they decided you were too big to come out. Really!! If I hadn’t been pregnant for a year maybe that wouldn’t have happened!! Never mind, get him out already!! So off to surgery and about an hour later they finally pulled and tugged and got your ass out of me!! Sweet joy! All that red hair on your pointed (like a conehead) head! Your were half grown and very verbal. (just like now) And how beautiful and healthy!! Your daddy thought he was the only dad in the world!! The nurses loved him because he was so excited! I pretty much loved him too!! You turned over the first day you were born! You just had to be different! And we loved you soooo much!

I remember when they first put you in my arms! It felt so right! You were perfect! It was just the way it is supposed to be! Oh, those first 11 months with you inside me were not always so pleasant, but I was so happy, when you came to us! We didn’t know exactly how to do do this, but we were going to do the very best we could. And the years went by…and now you are 30! Really!!?? Has it been that long? We weren’t perfect parents (doesn’t exist) but we did love you BIG, then and now! How lucky are we to have you?? You have made us very proud! You are a good man and yes, we gonna take little credit for that, but the rest belongs to you! At this point in your life, you will, as we all do reflect back and look ahead! There will be things that you would change and you will look forward and take those life lessons with you! Knowing what I do now, this is a most important time in your life. You have partied and had lots of fun, but these next few years are what really dictates who you are in the end. A time to really figure out who you are and why you are here. If I could give you anything to take forward, it would simply be for you to be a positive thinker and to always let that be what you project! The rewards from that are non-ending! Be happy, truly…be happy! It’s a really good habit. It takes a little work…but happiness is the best thing in the world. Remember, you can only be happy if you create it. When you figure out who you really are and are happy with the person you are, then you will be ready to share that happiness with someone, if you decide to.

I love you…I would die for you…Happy Birthday, my son!

Mom”

-Need a tissue?

This is sick and unbelievably fortunate it didn’t turn out worse.

Here to fully satisfy your graffiti fetish is the newest creation from UK artist Insa. This Dunny is geared out in the sickest hoodie to hit the streets in a minute; Insa’s own custom hoodie adorned with his trademark high heel pattern. Suffice to say, this 8-Inch Dunny is straight crack and definitely won’t be around long. This Dunny is limited to only 1800 pieces and this one here,…. IS SIGNED!!!

This dunny was accomplished a little while back.  I actually picked it up from a friend who owned Kickballers of DC.  He is ready to do some traveling.  I got him all bundled up in his INSA murdered out box ready to see another location.

If you are interested in housing this little guy, check out the link HERE.

As for white roofs, wal-mart, and larger companies are joining in.  And they should.  With all the square footage ontop of these monsters they should be forced to help balance their energy consumption and look at the possibilities of producing a home for energy generators over head.  If you would like to read more about this I posted the link here.

Click Here to Visit the Nage DC website.

So one of my favorite restaurants in DC has entered the realm of Twitter.  Welcome Nage to Free Social Marketing.  Check them out and sign up to follow them.  I want this party!

Click Here to Follow

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