A fresh start out of the gate

Little did I know, when making the statement, "Drop the Plow" what an impact that would actually have on progress toward getting ready. I knew there were several topics written in my Cannonball workbook, that needed attention in order to move forward. My topic titled "Parts Needed" had some very hard to find early Harley Davidson parts listed, that would help me assembly a spare engine. Saturday, a very good friend, Calvin Burnett invited me to his shop to pick up some Harley J pieces he wanted to donate to the project. When I arrived, he had this yellow plastic box, full of Old Harley pieces. It was a little treasure chest!

There were JD Rod sets, a shifter lever, a perfect J intake manifold, and many other very cool parts.

(That blue pen is NOT from 1919) :)

Calvin also gave me 2 very old original Harley rear wheels. The rims and spokes were trash, but the hubs and brake parts will help me build a spare rear wheel for my bike while running a 3,500 mile journey.

We used bolt cutters and cut the spokes loose to get the hubs.

Another topic in the workbook is my physical condition. It has been a few years since I have been involved in any real physical training. This morning, I started with walking one of our dogs around the neighborhood. That was interesting, so at 5am, my Boston terrier had to pee on every mail box in the neighborhood.

Other accomplishments included yesterday were:

Dropped off 4 new motorcycle rims at Rick's Powdercoat shop

Had new engine pistons shipped from Venolia in California to Dale Spooner's machine shop in Virginia.

Secured a Great all purpose riding Jacket from a Great buddy, Shane Dorton

(He says it’s too small for him)

Another very close friend, Jon Neuman, owner of Sagebrush Cycles in Texas, is sending me new spoke kits for my wheels and spare wheels. He is also digging me up a Harley camshaft, retainer bearing cages and a few other small parts for the spare engine I will have for the trip.

Spent a little time studying about helmets, and blue tooth communication systems. If you are going to spend 8 to 10 hours per day, and 16 days wearing a helmet, better make sure it is comfortable, and has some useful options. So far, I really like the Shoei Neotec - They are proud of that helmet!!!

Shoei NeoTec Helmet