cheesy

The pledge is still done in my school district. At least it was before remote schooling. I still get Poppies every year. There is usually one on the handlebar of one of my bikes. Country music? As an old hippie, though funny, that was an insult to old hippies everywhere. We’d rather party with Willie, ? while listening to The Man in Black. I think it’s failed rappers. Those kids are too young to be hippies. I don’t miss dialing 0 to make a long distance call but we can blame ourselves for the demise of many things we miss.

I’m allowed one car show a month, so I’m going to miss that one. Less than 20 miles away, too. I’ll be at the Big Rock Car Show in Big Rock, IL next Sunday. Heads up, though, major road construction on US 20 and Beck, south of Union, by Donley’s Wild West Town. Better to come in from the north side of town.

Cool little buggy. My Dad started at AMC in 58, so he probably touched it.

Made a little guys day by letting him sit in my sidecar at the local drive in ice cream place today. Big smile.

Normally I'd be in the Red Wing/Wabasha area the weekend after Mothers Day for the Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour, but opted out because my employer is trying to get the most out of me before I retire in October.

I spoke with some of my buddies who were on the bike ride and they saw your car. A couple of them thought it was mine and I had to remind them that, although the same color, a 48 DeSoto and a 50 Dodge are not the same. I have thought about running the DeSoto up to Red Wing with the Raleigh in the trunk one of these days but I'm not sold on having it parked in Covil Park overnight. Although the semi auto trans would present a challenge, it's harder and more deadly to steal my sidecar rig.

Arriving first in Wabasha is frowned upon so the riders usually show up later in the day. Some are even still sober by then. May have to do Elmer's myself next time I'm up that way.

If you saw a bunch of bicyclists in tweed, that was the British themed Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour. 85 miles around Lake Pepin over two days on old British built 3 speed bikes. https://3speedtour.com/ Actually more fun than it sounds. I usually go but skipped this year. The church at the top of Bay City Hill where your nice photo was taken is a 'catch your breath and have a snort stop' for many of the group. Nelsons' Creamery is the final fortification stop before the final slog into Wabasha.

I have a young friend in the UK that turned me on to the CX. He had a love/hate relationship with his and eventually swapped it for a later Yamaha. I think the CX quirkiness is what appealed to me as I seem to always go against the flow. I'd have a Suzuki RE5 if it wouldn't break the bank. I plan on some local MC fun with my youngest grandson this summer. Blackhawk is opening back up and he wants to see some racing. Also, the Chicago IMS is outdoors in Pingree Grove, IL this year, Aug 20-23. Right on time for his birthday. Maybe Davenport, too, but as the owner of a CX, Ural, and a couple of Solexes, Davenport is usually just a long walk. And if you're lucky, it won't rain.

I hadn't heard that one. May or not be true. The early CX bikes(78-80)had some teething issues; charging system failures, timing chain tensioners imploding, ignition system failures, exploding cooling fans and leaky water pumps. I rescued mine from an attempted Cafe' racer hack and went through all of the above in rebuilding it. The problematic CDI was replaced with a Hall Effect system from OZ that runs on 12VDC instead of 150VACs, replaced the timing chain and tensioners. All bulbs, save for the headlight, are LED, the headlight is HID. Because I eliminated the major amp draw, the headlight and CDI, I went with a MOSFET R&R. Put in a temp controlled rad fan and a spin on oil filter. It was a bunch of work but it's now a dependable ride. Once the engine is warmed up, the starter button is basically an ON switch. It's been up to N. Wisconsin several times, Davenport a time or two, and was my daily commuter until I got the Ural.

I used to collect old spark plugs in the 60s and that one doesn't ring a bell.

It's not all Ural everyday. Sometimes it's a 43 year old Honda with V-twin engine orientation confusion. There's also a couple of even older French Solex mopeds and an old Suzuki GS basket case that is being brought back to life with diesel power, just because.

I have a couple of acquaintances in Maine with Urals, or worse, Dneprs. To a one, they all say that their rigs have made Maine a much larger state. My kid lives in Union, BTW. And Ural used to sell solo bikes. Depending on the year they were either known as the Solo (duh) or the Wolf. I have been on the hunt for a while for one. I'd like to get a 650 just because I am glutton for punishment. I have been out at -10F, ridden hundreds of miles in torrential rains and blinding snow storms, been stuck enough that I had to use the included shovel to get out and packed an entire cookout for coworkers who were being let go in a reorganization. The driven sidecar wheel is a double edged sword, it can get you out of a jam or get you more stuck. Reverse gear is a godsend when having to back the pig up. In a few hours, I'm going to put the bicycle rack on the rig and ride an hour north to pick up a donated Schwinn for our Bike Co-Op. The Ural is a damn handy little machine.

When my wife and I go. She needs a few more creature comforts than I do. I have to say, though, that about 10 years ago I used both a cot and a chair in my tent and wondered, loudly, why I hadn't done it before. The Russian mini tractor is slow and noisy but it get the job done,

It's been a while for myself, too. Normally, I'd be on my way to Wabasha, MN on this very day with my 1968 Raleigh on the back of my sidecar. A lot of motorcycling riding for a little bicycling but worth every minute of it. I'd make a four day weekend of it. This year, bleah. Rode hard and put away wet by my employer already this year. Everyone hates your sidecar until you show up at camp with dinner for twelve and a keg of beer.

We got some DDF last Sunday with the DeSoto. It's usually old guys and little kids. Usually, I will let the little kids sit behind the wheel, if the aren't wearing their food, and have their parents take their pictures. Everyone smiles.

Thank you.

Hey All, The drivers side kick panel in my 48 two door collapsed and died over the weekend. It looks like my Dad tried to repair it in the past but now there is nothing left to repair. I'm guessing that the passenger side panel isn't far behind, either. I looked online for 1948 DeSoto kick panels and found nada. Would 1948 Chrysler, Dodge, or Plymouth work as a replacement? For the time being, I've made a temporary panel from foam board left over from one of my kids high school science fair projects. Don't know why I still had it as they have both been out of school for almost twenty years. Thanks.

Be prepared for it. In the Russian Ural motorcycle community, we call it UDF or Ural Delay Factor. I experienced DDF, DeSoto Delay Factor the first time I stopped to gas up my pickup the day I towed it home. Always get a thumbs up or two when running either the car or the sidecar rig.

The name is familiar and I know the barn. I bailed hay and shoveled cow s**t at Bristol Farms, just south of C and west of 45. When I 18. most of my carousing was between Trevor and Twin Lakes and then around Kenosha. Tossed out of the Brat Stop for breaking a guys nose when he grabbed my wife's behind. And yes, that place was on old 41 between 173 and Russell. As I am now located in SW Kane County in Illannoy, other than going up to Kenosha to see my mother in law, who I like, I'm rarely out that way.

IIRC, the place I'm thinking of was a gas station, truck stop, strip joint, restaurant, and junkyard. Treasure Island was kinda sorta a general store type place just south of the strip joint. The owners were so friendly that they'd creep you out. I lived in Trevor from 59 to 74. Mom worked at the post office. The town itself hasn't changed much but the area around it sure has grown.

You did say North Chicago. The one I mentioned was between Antioch and Zion. I grew up across the state line in Trevor. My wife and I lived in Chicago the first few years we were married and 41 was our route to weekend sanity, free beer, and fishing. I also wasn't going to pay those ridiculous thirty cent tolls on I-94. May have even gassed up the Ambassador or the Comet at your station in the mid seventies.

Was that the place on 41 and 173? Near Treasure Island?

Well, that was fun and filthy. On the other hand, it took care of jumping out of low range.

Thank you.