The CollageMahal

Yes, I know. I've not worked on Rags in a long time. With the move to New Mexico, and then all the construction on the Gone-to-the-Dogs Ranch, has left precious little time for car stuff. Now, with the completion of Pam's art studio, I can spend time finishing Rags.

After the CollageMahal, there are no new projects on the campus. There are still some pennies to spend on Rags, and there are few of those these days. The construction has used all our funds, and the economic crash has reduced my retirement savings to my retirement-party savings. Things are tight, and this month, for the first time in my life, I could only pay half of my credit-card bill. Having 2 crowns on my teeth in the past month was the culprit, and by virtue of terrible health insurance, I was out of pocket a good sum of money. So ther'll be no spending on Rags for quite a while.

Nevermind, I completed ignition/charging/start circuits on the Guzzi, and am working on lights. She is very close to starting.

The OSSA is ready to go at anytime. All she needs is gas....and a trailer to get me to track-day in Albuquerque....and leathers (funny how the old ones "shrink" with age)......and........

How long did I say it would be before I get around to finishing Rags?

Inside the GarageMahal

This is a video for my Mum & Dad, showing them the inside of the new GarageMahal. The Guzzi is being rewired, a difficult task on account that I am relocating all the electrical components in the cramped space underneath the tank.

Together again!

Today we hauled Rags up from lockup in Magdalena. The OSSA also joined the reunion in the garage. I wonder which one will stain the floor with oil first?

The perspective of this photo looks odd. Everything looks so tiny. I guess because they are tiny!

It's the stuff you carry with you.....

....that kills you.

A small agave-inspired rant tonight.

Thirty years ago the love of my life was Italian motorcycles. Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, Benellis, Laverdas. I owned both Ducatis and Guzzis. I rode with friends on Benellis and Laverdas. We enjoyed their scarcity and brilliance of design.

This was a time when I was a student, also working part-time. My bike was also my transport, to/from University, work, home, play. I was a minimalist, owning only what I could carry on my bike. Futons had to be borrowed for sleep. I can recall rebuilding a Guzzi gearbox in an open carport using a toolkit that I carried in a small fisherman's box, not much larger than a tool-roll. And it worked. I often conducted major surgery on my bikes, often in much less desirable locations, but always with the small toolkit. There is such simplistic beauty in older motorcycles.

Fast forward to the present. I still have that old Guzzi, but now I have a 1,200 sq foot toolbox (the GarageMahal). What the hell happened? Where is my fisherman's box tool kit? Why do I have all this stuff today?

Until I post a picture of the Guzzi at rest amongst the pinyon-juniper forest on our property, I've attached an image taken shortly before leaving Maryland. It is really my #1 project and I must get it running soon. Rags will have to proceed slowly as a result.

So much for simplicity. Sigh.

Mohawk: Made in the USA

Another milestone. Installed a Mohawk lift in the shop. Mike Green is the SouthWest distributor for Mohawk, so he drove the lift over from Phoenix (some 7 hours away). We started the install last night, and completed it today. The test was to raise JR which it did with ease. With Rags being about 1.3 of the weight, I suspect the lift will not even notice Rags' miniscule weight.

Now I can start bringing all my junk into the shop. Rags will be the last to break out of storage. No doubt that will deserve an entry in this blog. After a 1-year hiatus, it will be good to work on her again.

GarageMahal nearing completion

Here it is, almost 6 months in the making. 30'x40' toy shop for Rags and the bikes. More on this later.

Woohoo! Garagmahal on the way

Things have been quiet as I have been planning my new garage/workshop. Rags has been dormant in a lock-up in town as I have no place to store it and work on it. But that will change with the new garagmahal. Stay tuned as we build this monument, and Rags will have a new home.