Funny thing, Dane.... yesterday morning, so morning of May 5th, I am sitting in my hotel room in Heidelberg Germany perusing a YouTube video of driving a car to the entrance of the Marriott Hotel that is part of the Frankfurt Airport, as it's confusing enough that they suggest that you watch this YouTube video of how to get there.
After that video was done...up pops a selection or choice of three other videos that I might want to watch, and one of those choices is YOUR video of Bagdad Roller Coaster in an Adventure Sidecar.
VERY RARELY do I ever watch any YouTube videos, like.... maybe 5 in the past year, but up pops YOUR video, so of course I had to watch it.... almost a full day before you posted it here in these forums.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
YT algorithm is aliens, I tell ya! Aliens!
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Well Friends,
I decided to add some new capability into the shop...
I think it is a cloth welder of some sort.
Bought it cheap at a thrift store (used junk store), since I have a few things that I would like fixed in the textile department of life.
Took it apart, cleaned it up, oiled the stuff that looked like they needed oil, greased the gears, tensioned the belts and put it back together.
Amazingly, it functioned, and rather quietly at that.
Bought a few spools of thread and experimented on a pants leg that was no longer required on some jeans that were destined to be shorts as the weather heats up in Skunk Hollow.
Seems like it works on the basic stitches that are built in. Supposedly can do fancy stuff with additional cams, but not particularly interested in that.
So... loaded up some upholstery thread and attacked the windshield skirt that has had the center fastener ripped out for quite a while. Had bought the metal pieces from TSC (@SIDECARUSA">@SIDECARUSA ), but never really fixed the material.
It took a while to figure out what "foot pressure" and "upper tension" adjustments did in the context of tougher, thicker material, with thicker thread, but eventually stitched a patch in that won't likely pull out very easily. Guess it is a lot like TIG welding: both have a foot pedal, and strong isn't always pretty!
Back Side:
Front Side:
On the rig:
Front:
Japanese heavy metal machine from the 1970's, made by Maruzen, sold as Kenmore 158 series through Sears. Has a high amperage motor for thick stuff.
Found a manual for it, online, so who knows what mischief I will get into with this thing?
Dane, it begs the question: Is that real alligator skin, or faux alligator material ?
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
SCORE! I can tell you one thing that you should not do: Do not put buttonhole heavy thread into the lower bobbin. You can use heavy thread above, just not below. DAMHIK.
I retrieved an old Bernina out of a closet here at school my first year and used it to build a basket from cargo web to hold a bowling ball for our trebuchet build. Somehow it all worked.
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
@miles-ladue I got it at Walmart, so it must be real, no doubt!
Well Friends,
Got out on a very pleasant, but emotionally challenging ride, Friday.
235 miles or so up the Beeline, out and around the north side of Lake Roosevelt on the A-Cross road (old 88, aka NF60), then back around through Globe, Miami, Superior, down the 77 and back around on the Florence Kelvin Highway.
The day was warm, but splendid. Temps started out in the 80's F (high 20's C) and got up to about 104F (40C) towards the late afternoon.
I was joined by Greg, a fine riding buddy on his KTM790 Adventure R. Spoiler. The KTM was not the bike with equipment issues, this time around.
We did some lovely twisty black top to get to the dirt:
Then proceeded to some fine twisty, rocky dirt roads that wound up and around the canyons above the north side of the lake:
We had an equipment failure that kinda sucked:
Apparently, someone, who shall remain nameless, hit the front ABS wire with an angle grinder, during the original fabrication of the rig. Once I got home, I was able to diagnose with the codes read from the CPU, and a multimeter.
I suppose I could have done this on the road, but the the lack of the shop manual (now cured with a digital copy saved on my phone) and the frustration level in the sun at 40C, prevented me from accomplishing that. Instead, I chose to ride it the remaining 144 miles home in "limp mode" at around 30 MPH, in 1st gear. It sucked, but there were some high points:
Got to see lots of wild life on the back roads at dusk; couple of the Javelinas, below:
Got to see an amazing sunset turn many colors as it progressed (yeah riding directly west at the time.)
ctd
ctd
Got to watch, from a distance, a moron teasing a rattle snake, while he was wearing shorts and sneakers, to get an up close photo of a pissed off snake. (That light spot in the road in the lower left is a good sized rattler, coiled and looking for a shot) Sheesh...
This guy, in a SxS, had a pretty amazing flying rattle snake story to tell, from earlier in his ride:
If you want to hear it, first hand, here is a link to my rather longish video:
Apparently, someone, who shall remain nameless, hit the front ABS wire with an angle grinder, during the original fabrication of the rig. Once I got home, I was able to diagnose with the codes read from the CPU, and a multimeter.
I suppose I could have done this on the road, but the the lack of the shop manual (now cured with a digital copy saved on my phone) and the frustration level in the sun at 40C, prevented me from accomplishing that. Instead, I chose to ride it the remaining 144 miles home in "limp mode" at around 30 MPH, in 1st gear. It sucked, but there were some high points:
Dane, not from Denmark, are you saying that the abraded ABS wire at the front wheel caused the bike to be put into Limp Home mode, and that you were only able to hit 30 mph, and only in first gear ?????
If that is the case, I am highly surprised, and not in a good way.
As an example for comparison: My 2013 Honda F6B that I was on when struck by lightning, and the lightning proceeded down my helmet headset cord, through the bike's audio system, through the ground system of the bike, and shot out the small antenna of the bike....it too was put into Limp Home mode, but even in Limp Home mode I still had enough power to hit 75 mph. That bike was a manual 5 speed, not a DCT, so trans was not affected, but I am surprised that the Limp Home mode on your AT-DCT only allowed speeds up to 30 mph, and would only shift into 1st gear, and not a higher gear.
All caused by an abraded ABS wire............................Hmmmm...............
Lightning went IN here:
And came OUT here:
Oh, and everything in between, was a $ 10,200.00 barbeque 
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
@miles-ladue Yep. I was a little surprised as well.
Couldn't find any real description of what it is supposed to do in "limp" in the factory manual. They make some vague references to "limited" continued operation in relation to data stored at the time.
What that translated into was a couple of times it let me get up into 3rd gear and run for a few miles, then when a downshift was required, it wouldn't upshift again.
I tried a variety of ways of fooling it, including putting it in manual mode once it got to 3rd gear. What seemed to happen, when I hit 53mph, was it dumped pressure to both clutches and went into free wheel mode. Coast to a stop, turn it off, turn it back on, repeat.
After about 4 cycles of this, it just said the hell with it, and wouldn't shift up out of first gear under any circumstances.
I think if I had of figured out how to reset the ABS codes, I might have been able to maintain 52mph in 3rd, for quite a while. However, I was wasting a lot of time, both mine and Greg's, fiddling with it, so ultimately decided to bite the bullet and ride home in 1st.
Considered calling a flatbed, but had ideas of a 144 mile ride costing north of a grand, with a lengthy wait to get it. Didn't want to bother any of my friends with trailers, unless it was a real emergency situation. (like no other choice.)
Seemed like a good idea to just idle home on the back roads, where possible. Judgement may have been a little clouded by the heat and biting flies, though!
Once I got the manual open, and figured out how to read and reset the ABS codes, it wasn't too hard to find the open connection. Must have been something like a single strand of copper still conducting until that last whoop-dee-doo took it out.
This was the first time I questioned my sanity in preferring DCT bikes... probably won't be the last, though. 🤣
Dane, therefore are we to conclude that we should all keep angle grinders away from all ABS wiring ?
What about those that don't have ABS on their motorcycles? Can they still use an angle grinder on their bikes ?
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Dane, therefore are we to conclude that we should all keep angle grinders away from all ABS wiring ?
What about those that don't have ABS on their motorcycles? Can they still use an angle grinder on their bikes ?
Methinks you're taking the "warning label" thought process to an entirely new level... 
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
