Future US space flight

We’ll see if this is really NASA’s next capsule.  I hope they can use it, but I’m really rooting for SpeceX

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Trying an inline sticker from the Weather Underground

And there should be a weather sticker here:

Did you see it?

New blog about the SV650

I started a new blog to be just about my new motorcycle.  Here’s the link:

http://sv650project.blogspot.com/

Update – parts arriving

Quick end of day update.  The tires arrived at the dealer today.  I may try to go out there tomorrow during the day and have them installed.

Also, the sliders arrived in the mail today, as well at the Snake Skins for the gas tank. I’m ready to get to work!

My New Toy

I picked up a super clean 07 Suzuki SV650S from Columbus Cycle Shop out I-10 on Saturday 1/15/11.  My other ride is a 06 VFR800 outfitted with full bags and topcase and while I have fun sporting around on it, the sucker does weigh 600 pounds so I was looking for something lighter to play on. I also wanted something for track days, which is what started me looking at SV's. Plus I didn't want to break the bank. I didn't intend to buy something in this good a shape, but I got a good deal and the sucker looks like new. I didn't want a GSXR or similar because I'm not looking for top speed, and at the age of 40, comfort is always a factor!

Here it is from a photo that the dealer had on their site.  It’s currently crammed in my garage and the weather has been blah, so I don’t have any good pictures that I’ve taken yet.

So far I've only ridden it home from Columbus on Saturday night, in the rain. I'm an all-weather rider on the VFR so I was comfortable and I had a support vehicle along but we made it hope uneventfully. I won't say it was as comfortable as the VFR, but I had no complaints. I think we have a happy relationship in the future.

I'm going to keep it street legal so I can do more than just track days and I look forward to taking it up to my group's annual trip to ride the Dragon at Deal's gap. I think after pushing the VFR around those curves, this lightweight is gonna have me all giddy.

I'm already on the mod/farkle route. I normally like stock-looking bikes and don't make big changes, but I might be different on this one. It already has the fender eliminator kit along with the LED signals front and rear. I've also ordered a set of TechSpec snake skins for the sides of the tank for better grip, as well as a 3M headlight kit from thetankslapper.biz. I have the Skins on my VFR and like them, and the headlight covers have prevented several scratches and nicks on the VFR headlights so I'm putting them on the SV as well. Tape for track days come right off the 3M without damage to the film.Frame sliders have been ordered to help protect it should it get dropped.

After I get a few miles in the saddle to to figure out my riding posture, I'll send the seat off to Spencer (at greatdaytoride.com) to have him put gel into the seat for me (75 bucks). And eventually that humongous muffler has got to go as well.  There’s LOTS of options down that route.

Oh, and tires. It still has a set of the D220's and I don't know if I trust them. I had a set of hard Metzler Z4's be partially responsible for an off I had in the past, so I'm a definitely a fan of something stickier. I run Bridgestone BT-016 on my VFR and love them.  I was thinking to do something different on the SV. I started looking up prices for the BT-016, Pilot Powers, and some others.  In the end, I just let final price be the deciding factor and ended up ordering a set of the BT-016 rubbers for this one as well.  We’ll see how they hold up on this lightweight.  This motorcycle isn’t going to be used regularly for commuting so straight line tire life isn’t as much a factor as it is on the VFR but I’ve still had good performance from the Bridgestone.  Of couse when it hits 100 degrees in the summer, this semi-naked bike may get ridden more simply because there’s more air flow around the rider.

Anyway, stay tuned.  The stuff I ordered should all be in by next week at the latest and we have a lot of work to do.  Just to start out, I’m changing all the fluids (oil, brake, coolant) so I know exactly what’s in the motorcycle and when it was put in.  Plus there’s the ordered stuff that’ll need to be installed, and in a month or 2, we’ll have to work on getting a new muffler on it.  Sounds like fun

First Motorcycle Passenger.

My oldest son rode with on my motorcycle for the first time yesterday.  In fact, he is my first passenger ever. 

We just went a few miles to meet some folks at a restaurant.  He's close to 60 pounds so it wasn't a big difference, but I did notice that I used about 1000 more rpm before shifting than I normally do by myself.  I got just enough for the v-tec to kick in at 7K and I think he liked the way it "growled" more when it went into 4-valve per cylinder mode.

His comments were, "Your bike is noisier than Mommy's", "Your luggage rattles over bumps", and after crossing a bumpy railroad track, "your seat is harder going over bumps."  No complaints though.  I think he could see just a bit better than on the ST because the pillion is higher relative to the rider on the VFR than the ST

Motorcycle update – 10/6/2010

The odometer on my 2006 VFR800 is going to turn 11,500 miles on the way home from work today.  That’s the miles since I rebuilt it last year and had to replace the instrument cluster.  The old odometer had 11,108 when it was damaged so overall the engine has 22,600 on it.  Not too shabby for a bike that I got new off the showroom in early 2008 and that’s owned by somebody with family and a full time job.  I go into the office 3 days a week and the round trip is approximately 35 miles so that’s about 5000 miles a year right there.  If I can make it to about December 31, 2010 I will have gone a full year without driving a car to work once.

I’m lucky that for most of my trip I have an HOV lane to ride in.  If I had to go that full distance in traffic, I’d just take a car or the bus.  I wouldn’t want to be in stop and go traffic on the freeway on a motorcycle for several reasons not limited to getting run over, it’s really stressful in traffic on a bike, and in the summer it’s REALLY hot in among the cars with little air flow.

Anyway, I have to keep adding the miles.  I bought a service plan when I got the bike that covers all regularly scheduled maintenance for 3 years and I think that’s up in March.  I want to get to the 24,000 mile mark because that’s a pretty extensive service interval that would likely cost $700-$800 if I had to pay for it.  The service plan cost me about $1200 when I bought it and I’ve already gotten double that amount out of it. 

Current happenings

Too busy to blog, it seems.  In no particular order, he’s stuff that’s going on.

• Since April 1 I’ve ridden my motorcycle over 5000 miles.  Did an Iron Butt Saddlesore 2000 (2000 miles in less than 48 hours) and also rode to Gatlinburg, TN on vacation to Deal’s Gap (2700 miles for the trip)
• We have a new cat (kitten actually).  Rescued from an apartment parking lot by a local group and adopted by us about a week ago.  We figure he’s about 4 months old.  He’s red (orange, yellow, etc) and is named Jack.  He and Dupree, our 3-year old seem to be getting along well.
• Planted a small garden in buckets in the back yard.  The jalapeno pepper plant is loaded, but the peppers aren’t hot at all.  They taste good though.  Okra plants have made enough to fry a couple of times and I’ve gotten a few tomatoes off of the roma plant and and another that makes fruit a little smaller than a baseball.
• Bought patio furniture for the pool deck.
• Nutrisystem diet works pretty well UNLESS I mess it up on the weekends!
• Glad that LOST is over.  Great show but I get enough opportunity to have to think at work.  From now on, TV is for entertainment purposes only!

First update in a while – the weekend in review

Saturday

• Slept late and missed the flying club meeting.
• Went to the library before it started raining.
• Rebuilt my PC with Windows 7
• Went to Home Depot after the rain and got some yard stuff.
• Watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with the kids.  They liked it better than I did.  The original Ice Age was pretty funny though.
• Stayed up too late (see “rebuilt my PC”)
• Farmville

Sunday

• Fixed chocolate chip pancakes for the boys.
• Exercised
• Grilled Filet Mignon for lunch
• Played the Wii
• Went swimming in the heated pool (83 degrees while it was 60 outside)
• Continued setting up stuff on my PC
• Farmville
• Paid some bills.
• Checked the air pressure in a friends car (they were all low)
• Checked over the motorcycle to be sure it’s ready to ride to work this week.

Oh, and I started the Nutrisystem plan a few weeks ago.  More on that later, but I believe I’m starting to see dividends…

Weekend in review

 

• Flying club meeting
• Toured the control tower at Hooks airport (where my flying club is based).
• Started building a cub scout pinewood derby card with my oldest son.
• Worked out.
• …

Dang, it seemed like there was a lot more that went on!

Just a regular (cold) day

Still cold weather in Houston.  34 degrees when I got up and about the same when I left for work.  The sun was up and warming up fast so it was about 40 degrees when I got to work around 9:15.  Roads were dry so no ice anywhere except on cars so I rode the motorcycle to work.  With the right cold-weather gear and the heated grips on it was a pleasant ride and I wish I could have just ridden right past the parking garage.  I have another blog around here if you want to see what it takes to Be The Sloan and ride in cold weather when a warm car is available.  That blog posting is still a work in progress, so you’ll have to just read what’s already there until the other is ready in a day or 2.

So, the ride to work, and the later ride home were pretty much the highlights of the day.  Dinner was just about ready when I got home so that deserves a highlight as well!  It looks like the freezing temps are just about gone for a while but rain is on the way later this week.  I have rain gear too, so bring it on.

Let’s see, what else went on today other than work?

• Farmville
• Worked on blogs
• Fish tacos (yummy) at Berryhill for lunch.
• Listened to some Christy Nockels (A Mighty Fortress, By Our Love, No Not One) while working on the PC
• Got some stuff ready to go to the bank.
• Made a short grocery list for tomorrow (I’m out of 1000 Island dressing!)

Lazy Sunday

• Got rid of an old grill and dishwasher that had been sitting around for months.
• 60 minutes of Wii Fit Plus exercise.
• Organized more digital pictures
• Cleaned up around the house.
• Cleaned the deep fryer…ready for more good, healthy, fried foods like green beans, okra….

Ok, that’s all for today.  Keeping with the Lazy theme.

Busy Saturday

 

• Went to my kids’ first Upwards basketball games of the season, and the first ever for my youngest.
• Saw some good friends and old neighbors at the Upwards games.
• Picked up the VFR800 from the dealer after the 12,000 mile service.  Oil change and new brake and clutch fluids.
• Dropped my oldest kid at a friend’s house to sleep over.
• Took my youngest kid to IHOP for dinner and a happy face pancake.
• Brought my wife back a omelette from IHOP
• Paid some bills.
• Blogged on a couple of blogs.
• Wii Fit Plus for a few minutes…more just playing really.
• Dug out the humidifier and turned it on.  Humidity was only about 16% in the house.

Dang it’s cold outside

 

• 24 degrees outside waiting on the school bus with the kids.
• Work from home day today so I didn’t have to ride the motorcycle in these temps to show everybody how dedicated a motorcyclist I am.
• Got a haircut
• Be The Sloan is coming…
• Grilled steaks and ribs for dinner
• Farmville
• Changed my Vista PC to use Windows Live Mail instead of Windows mail.
• Downloaded icons and a voice for a GPS
• Paid some bills

Neither rain, nor sleet….

 

• It was a nice 52 degree ride to work this morning at 7:30. Very comfortable.
• Noon temperature is currently 40 degrees and dropping.
• Scheduled the 12,000 mile maintenance for my motorcycle. Drop off this afternoon and pick up Friday or Saturday.
• Studied for flight review. Currently looking at the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR’s)
• Entered the kids’ basketball schedule into my calendar.
• Took the motorcycle to the dealer for its 12,000 mile service.
• Went to Brant’s basketball practice.
• Ate Chinese buffet at E-Star
• The weather today wasn’t as bad as I had seen forecast, so there was rain, but no sleet and most of the rain had stopped by sunrise.
• Updated my home task list.
• Watched a little B5
• zzzzz
• Dealer called and rear brake pads were down to 30-40%.  Approved putting a new set on while it was there.

Sloan-ness

Ok, a short list today.  Not much exciting (like there ever is.)

• Fed the kids and got them on the bus for school.
• Rode the motorcycle to work.
• Replanted FarmTown
• Embraced my true Sloan-ness.  Feel the Sloan, embrace the Sloan, BE the Sloan.
• Rode home, ate some dinner, jumped on the computer.
• Planned - “exercise” on Wii Fit Plus after posting this.
• Trying to explain “The Sloan”… more to come later.

Nighty night.

A blurb from the past - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The following was a myspace blog post talking about a healing foot and toes, as well as a healed motorcycle after a slow speed crash on April 5, 2008 that crushed the toes on my left foot…

Well, I walk pretty much like a normal person now.  Sometimes I get sore and limp a little, usually at the beginning and end of the day.  I had a physical therapy session today that went well.  I go back Friday morning when they will do a re-val on my foot and decide if I need more therapy or not.  Although I can walk pretty much normal, my toes are far from normal.  I can barely wiggle the 4 little toes at all, but I can bend them manually with no pain at all.  All regular feeling has returned to my foot and toes with no "dead feeling" spots.  So, I seem to be able to function normally day to day and I'll see what they say.
I've been riding the motorcycle enough to get 600 miles on it (it had like 236 when I fell).  I took it to the dealer Monday evening and picked it up today after it's initial 600 mile service AND installation of some newer, stickier rubber.  I put a Pilot Power on the front and a Bridgestone BT021 on the rear.  The Pilot Power is a high-performance tire, basically one step down from a dedicated track tire.  The Bridgestone is a dual-compound sport touring tire that others are using on their Honda VFR800's with excellent results in traction and durability.  We'll see how they work for me.  I'll have to look at my schedule this weekend and maybe set up a 100-150 mile ride to break in the tires.

Cooking

Geez, no wonder I feel swamped…I did all this AND worked a full day from home!

• Fixed an omelet for breakfast with onion, jalapeno peppers, bacon, thin sliced turkey, pepperjack and cheddar cheese.
• Took kids to daycare
• Bought groceries
• Farmville of course
• Recorded a show to DVD from the DVR
• Looked up info on the TXDOT Aviation web site
• Cooked
• Ordered a Saitek control yoke and throttle quadrant for MS Flight Sim X
• Talked to support about some equipment at home
• Went back up to Melanie’s office to finish stuff from yesterday.
• Prepared motorcycle gear to be ready for a ride to work in the morning in possibly freezing temperatures.
• Reorganized my entire task list at work and synchronized Outlook with the SharePoint server
• Rode the exercise bike…I got the rubber legs now.
• Watched some King of the Hill while I emptied the dishwasher I tell you what.  That reminds me, I think my grill is getting low on propane.
• Got the kids stuff ready for their 1st day back to school after the holidays.
• Put the raingear in the bike saddlebags for tomorrow, just in case…

Back to work in 2010

Ah, the routine is starting up.  All it needs is my kids to go back to school (Wednesday) and it’ll all be back to normal.  At least traffic was still light this morning.

• Got the kids up, dressed, fed, and dropped off at daycare
• Filled the car up with gas – 16.3 gallons in an 18.8 gallon tank…and the sucker was telling me Low Range.  I still had 2.5 gallons left! :-)
• Drove the car to work because I didn’t have time to go back to the house, get my gear on, and ride the bike in.  Grrrr
• Harvested Farmville
• Drove to Melanie’s office to sign some finance papers but the lady there didn’t have the stuff ready.  Too bad she didn’t tell us that BEFORE I came over for a SCHEDULED appointment.
• Played Super Mario Bros on the Wii with the kids
• Wii Fit Plus.

Update of updates – Tying up loose ends from 2009

I noticed after reviewing my archived blog entries, there’s loose ends, minimal details, and just a lack of info.  We’ll see if my little experiment of tracking the last 24 hours each day will continue or not as well.  Anyway, here’s some updates.

Social networking - I’m not on Myspace much at all any more.  I’m pretty much only on Facebook now.  About the only thing I use the Myspace account for any longer is to read blog posts from various members of the cast of The Office, mainly Jenna Fischer. 

 

Cars - We traded in the 2007 Malibu on a new 2010 Camaro.  It doesn’t get quite the gas mileage that the Malibu did, but it has the V6 engine and 6-speed manual transmission and gets 30 mpg out on the open road and about 20 in town if you don’t abuse the gas pedal too much.  Even after having it for about 6 months, we still hear “Bumblebee” all the time when we’re out and about in the car.  I think you can see why:

With the 6-speed transmission and 304 horsepower from the V6, it’s fun to drive.  The suspension provides a good mix of performance over ride comfort and the seats are maybe some of the most comfortable buckets I’ve sat in including luxury cars and the form-fitting Corvette seats.  It’ll take a corner nice and flat and it’s easy to steer with the throttle.  Since it’s not a V8 it doesn’t have huge torque off the line though. I tell people it’s like riding a 600cc sportbike…it won’t power wheelie off the line as easy as a liter bike, but it’s no slouch either.  The engine is pretty much a pig until you cross 2000 rpm where you can feel a distinct surge of power, followed by another increase just above 5000rpm (redline is just under 7000)  To get a good launch from the line without abusing or dumping the clutch, you have to rev it up to about 5500 and give it a good, smooth engagement and it’ll leave the line with just about perfect wheelspin.  The 1-2 shift comes between 50-60 mph.  Everybody wants to know how fast it is and I don’t know.  Magazines say the V6 Camaro will top 150mph, so you’ll just have to go with that.  All in all it’s a cool car but sometimes I miss my plain, cheap, roomy Malibu.  Sniff, sniff, it was a good car.

Deals gap – I rode the Interceptor the almost 1000 miles to Robbinsville, NC at the end of May to ride the tail of the dragon at Deals Gap with some of my riding buddies.  We had a blast up there for a week and even though I had to ride in the rain on the trip up there and back, it was a great experience.  It’s about time to start making plans for the trip this year.

Interceptor crash and rebuild – Back in June I took the Interceptor to a trackday.  Unfortunately I touched some gravel at the edge of the track in a long sweeping curve and had a massive lowside.  I tumbled and slid to a stop with no personal damage (full leather suit) except tore up gear and a bruise or 2 but the bike wasn’t as lucky.  It bounced on the nose and tail and slid down the track on both side.  All of the body, nose, and tail had some damage, but the main frame, forks, engine, and swingarm were all ok.  Since it took place on a track, Progressive wouldn’t cover it so I did the math and looked at my options (rebuild it, part it out, replace it, etc) and decided to rebuild it.  To shorten that story, I got it back on the road in November and have put almost 1000 miles on it mainly commuting to work and a couple of short rides.  The tail and side panels are still the cracked/rashed parts but the rest has all been repaired.  I think I may buy new fairings and tail in a couple of months and it’ll look new again.  Still, it’s 100% functional and I guess I did a decent job rebuilding it as it hasn’t give me a single bit of trouble (knocking on wood)

Flying – Well, with all the motorcycle excitement (including the broken bone incidents), raising 2 boys, and just life in general, I still haven’t flown an airplane in over 2 years now.  BUT I just recently started studying for a flight review to get back into the air.  So, if everything will work out, I should be back into the air in a couple of months.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

 

Oh, and here’s the last 24 hours:

• Made an omelet with onion and jalapeno peppers, American, and pepper jack cheese.
• Played/exercised on Wii Fit Plus.
• Took the kids to the Museum of Natural Science in Sugarland to see the Narnia exhibit.
• Mowed/mulched the fallen leaves in the front yard.
• Broke down a bunch of cardboard boxes in the garage to fit into the recycle bin
• Added some  stickers to the VFR:
  
• Made the kids a knockoff of the IHOP pancake with the brown sugar and chocolate chips in it.  I was just winging it but apparently I got it close because they loved them.
• Ran the dishwasher
• Harvested and replanted Farmville.
• Let Melanie harvest and plow Farmtown.
• Read some more of the Prehistoric Life book from the library.

That’s all folks.