What did you do today? - 2022 version

[RobbieB]

Entered tax stuff, paid bills, walked dogs, hit the grocery, changed out the whole house water filter, varnished some doors.

Was going to have a motorcycle ride, started it up and backed it off the center stand and it wouldn't move easy. Must be tires really low. So I parked it back up on the stand and fired up the compressor, fitted the chuck to the stem and big hiss of air. OK, sit down so I can square it up better and get a better line on the stem. Still big hiss of air and chuck is firmly on the stem. That's when the stem broke off the wheel.

WTF? First time for me in all of 60 years the valve stem broke right off the wheel. Tubeless spoked wheel, brass stem with nut, insides still in wheel I guess.

Got me another project coming up.

[MC Rider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB Entered tax stuff, paid bills, walked dogs, hit the grocery, changed out the whole house water filter, varnished some doors. Was going to have a motorcycle ride, started it up and backed it off the center stand and it wouldn't move easy. Must be tires really low. So I parked it back up on the stand and fired up the compressor, fitted the chuck to the stem and big hiss of air. OK, sit down so I can square it up better and get a better line on the stem. Still big hiss of air and chuck is firmly on the stem. That's when the stem broke off the wheel. WTF? First time for me in all of 60 years the valve stem broke right off the wheel. Tubeless spoked wheel, brass stem with nut, insides still in wheel I guess. Got me another project coming up.

At least it was in the garage. I had a front tire lose air via a cracked valve stem, riding down the mountain once. Rode it a mile or 2 on a flat front to a gas station. Waited for my friend to come back with a pickup. I think it was the VFR. Anyway, steering was sketchy and high effort at best with a flat front.

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB Entered tax stuff, paid bills, walked dogs, hit the grocery, changed out the whole house water filter, varnished some doors. Was going to have a motorcycle ride, started it up and backed it off the center stand and it wouldn't move easy. Must be tires really low. So I parked it back up on the stand and fired up the compressor, fitted the chuck to the stem and big hiss of air. OK, sit down so I can square it up better and get a better line on the stem. Still big hiss of air and chuck is firmly on the stem. That's when the stem broke off the wheel. WTF? First time for me in all of 60 years the valve stem broke right off the wheel. Tubeless spoked wheel, brass stem with nut, insides still in wheel I guess. Got me another project coming up.

I had two stems leak like that on tubeless tire on a pickup I sold last spring. I never heard of such a thing in my life. After the second one leaked, I had the other two replaced immediately. You could just bend them sideways, and they would break off.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by street I had two stems leak like that on tubeless tire on a pickup I sold last spring. I never heard of such a thing in my life. After the second one leaked, I had the other two replaced immediately. You could just bend them sideways, and they would break off.

You realize the vast majority of auto/vehicle parts anymore are not made in the U.S. Plus, the stems are rubber and will oxidize over time and get brittle. But I'll go with China made.

[MC Rider]

You can get metal stems, for some things at least.
They still have rubber o rings.

[street]

^ true!!! Kind of scary deal. The first one I had I couldn't find a leak, so it was a mystery till I found it. The second one that started to be low I checked that right away and sure enough same problem. WOW!

In my country you need dependability on tires. When I go to ranch like I did today, never seen another vehicle in the round trip of 43 miles.

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 You realize the vast majority of auto/vehicle parts anymore are not made in the U.S. Plus, the stems are rubber and will oxidize over time and get brittle. But I'll go with China made.

It could be one or the other. But with a motorcycle that's driven seasonally or low miles it's just as likely that the tires will get old before they become worn out. Tires get old and brittle even if they're not used.

[RobbieB]

This is (was) a brass (plated chrome), no rubber stem secured with a nut to the wheel.

I think I'll just go with a tube when I get it replaced. So what if I have a couple more unsprung pounds on the rear wheel?

[Venturer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB Entered tax stuff, paid bills, walked dogs, hit the grocery, changed out the whole house water filter, varnished some doors. Was going to have a motorcycle ride, started it up and backed it off the center stand and it wouldn't move easy. Must be tires really low. So I parked it back up on the stand and fired up the compressor, fitted the chuck to the stem and big hiss of air. OK, sit down so I can square it up better and get a better line on the stem. Still big hiss of air and chuck is firmly on the stem. That's when the stem broke off the wheel. WTF? First time for me in all of 60 years the valve stem broke right off the wheel. Tubeless spoked wheel, brass stem with nut, insides still in wheel I guess. Got me another project coming up.

Robbie, that happened to me one day going down the road Luckily I didn't lose control and was able to stop. Also lucky that We were within 1/4 mile of my DW's cousin's house. We walked to his house and he brought his trailer down and after loading bike, he took it to his house, we unloaded it into his shop, jacked it up and took off wheel. Then he carried me to a friend of his that has a shop to break the tire down and install a new metal stem. Took me back and we reinstalled it and were on our way again after we ate supper with them. So what could have been a bad day turned into a good time of fellowship with family we don't usually get to see as much. Hopefully you will get yours fixed as easily as we did.

[RobbieB]

Yeah. I'll remove the wheel and take it to a shop. All that work I might as well replace the tire too, it's worn about half tread and one can never be too safe on a bike -

[ugeauxgirl]

I volunteered at the barn this morning (I help with the horses that are used for physical therapy for handicapped children). I came home around lunchtime and went to work on my new flowerbed I'm putting in under the pine trees. Today I planted 3 dogwoods, 2 Japanese maples, and some native azaleas. I'll be moving some hydrangeas and camellias and ferns to that bed soon.

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugeauxgirl I volunteered at the barn this morning (I help with the horses that are used for physical therapy for handicapped children). I came home around lunchtime and went to work on my new flowerbed I'm putting in under the pine trees. Today I planted 3 dogwoods, 2 Japanese maples, and some native azaleas. I'll be moving some hydrangeas and camellias and ferns to that bed soon.

Today I ordered some trees from soil conservation from my county in Montana.

I ordered 25 Red Osier Dogwood and 15 Quaking Aspen to plant in an area for wildlife and some windbreak.

My question is how familiar are you with dogwood? It says they grow fairly fast and pretty easy to get going?

Thanks

[1242Vintage]

Typical day today. Hit the gym for cardio and strength training in the morning. Mid-day yardwork under warm blue skies. And now out on my bike for a late afternoon hill climb workout.

[ugeauxgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by street Today I ordered some trees from soil conservation from my county in Montana. I ordered 25 Red Osier Dogwood and 15 Quaking Aspen to plant in an area for wildlife and some windbreak. My question is how familiar are you with dogwood? It says they grow fairly fast and pretty easy to get going? Thanks

Flowering dogwoods grow wild here, there are several in the woods behind my house, but it's a different dogwood than you are growing. Yours is said to be very hardy and a fast grower though.

[doneat54]

Coasting down on a pretty chill day. One that is my 60th birthday. Did a 2.2 mi New England hike with the younger pup on spiked boots today, went to a favorite restaurant with DW for dinner, and finally enjoyed a FINE adult beverage in front of the pellet stove, in a big leather chair, on a 5 degree night.

On a 2 night trip to NYC the days after Christmas, ordered an after dinner beverage at a record-breaking-bill restaurant and it was served in a very angular snifter which I found remarkable (and did remark about). DW found these fine glasses online, ordered me a set, and bought a bottle of a favorite sipping tequila, Clase Azul Reposado for my birthday.

So this retiree enjoyed the evening.

One final FU to winter this evening will be dropping into the 275 gallons of 104 degree water in the hottub before getting into bed.

[street]

^ nice!! Happy BD!!

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I have been busy playing with my new set of LFP cells. These are Headway 38120 format cells. They are only 8Ah each, but can push 200A continually hence are big and heavy for their capacity. The energy density is 1/2 that of the common LFP cells. They came in a package of 48 cells in a 24V assembly for an unknown industrial application. I don't have the need for this power (you can drain the cell in 2.5 min and charge them in 5 min), but they come in an industrial assembly that is rugged and convenient to use. In measuring the cells, I found that there was an intermittent connection in a balance lead, and had to take the assembly apart to measure each individual cell. So far, they all measure higher than 8Ah. Perhaps it's the loose connection that caused the assembly to be pulled out of service. I still need to check each of the cells out, because one weak cell can ruin the performance of the whole pack of 48 cells. I will put everything back when I am through. Everything is bolted together, hence the disassembly is not destructive. The $/kWh is not that good, but the intention is to use the rugged industrial assemblies as is for a solar app I am planning.

I liked the above used industrial LFP assembly, so bought another one. It arrived yesterday, and I immediately took it apart to test each of the 48 cells.

In contrast with the 1st assembly that was hardly used after being rejected due to a bad internal connection, this 2nd assembly shows signs of wear and tear, and an attached sticker shows it was put in service in mid 2020. Even so, the cells tested so far still meet specs in terms of storage capacity. In contrast the cells of the 1st assembly show as much as 5-10% capacity above specs.

[Walt34]

Made my first RMD from the Vanguard IRA. They make it about as easy as it could be.

[steelyman]

I ordered some Bose surround sound speakers on Tuesday and they arrived today (Thursday). Wow! No supply chain issues there.

[Gumby]

I took my newly corned beef out of the brine and put the dry rub on it. Tomorrow, I will put it in the smoker to make it into pastrami. The young wife is baking rye bread so we can have Reuben sandwiches tomorrow for dinner.