NomadGal's Year on the Road

[NomadGal]

Well, bought the funky looking ones at Home Depot...................
Bummer, too big, won't even go into my ears. Wonder if they make them in different sizes?
I think if I get another roadshow before the one in Washington in May, I'll order the Schubert J1, it's a very quiet helmet I hear.


Until then I'll keep trying different plugs. Going to a gun club to get a custom fitting plug kinda freaks me out. I am so anti guns that going anywhere near them is so against my nature, not sure I can cross that line......

[theWolfTamer]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

Well, bought the funky looking ones at Home Depot...................
Bummer, too big, won't even go into my ears. Wonder if they make them in different sizes?
Until then I'll keep trying different plugs. Going to a gun club to get a custom fitting plug kinda freaks me out. I am so anti guns that going anywhere near them is so against my nature, not sure I can cross that line......

Some brands have the kids sizes for those with itty bitty ears. These are not nearly as good as the foam ones but better than nothing: http://www.earplugstore.com/macwhitadsiz.html

And a lot easier to use.

[terryckdbf]

Is the J1 available in the US? Not that it should stop you. The J1 is by far the loudest helmet Schuberth makes.

The "childrens" ear plugs at Wally World work well for small ears.

Really enjoying your trip updates.

Be safe

Terry

[coachjpg]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

Well, bought the funky looking ones at Home Depot...................
Bummer, too big, won't even go into my ears. Wonder if they make them in different sizes?

You can cut the foam ones down to size, but use caution. If you make it too thin, it won't have enough structural integrity to remain intact when you pull it out. If it breaks off in your ear, you get to have another doctor poke around in there pulling out the remains. I'd give it a pull test before inserting it, just to be sure.

The foam should have enough diameter to seal well against your ear canal. I wouldn't change the length of the plugs, just the diameter.

Commercial outdoors stores like Bass Pro Shops or Cabella's will have a wider selection of ear plugs than places like Home Depot. Guns are a small portion of what they carry. They have lots of camping, hiking, boating and fishing gear, and clothing and accessories to go with them. Hearing protection will be in the gun accessory area. You won't need to go near the actual guns.

Shooters aren't nearly as scary as bikers. Compared to the things you've done, a place like Bass Pro Shops would be a breeze.

[dpippin]

You might try EarPlug Superstore
They have most brands and sizes

http://www.earplugstore.com/difoearpl.html

[kitesurfer]

HER0ES have the highest db rating i've found and i can buy them at most local drugstores. they work well for me. i trim the length down as needed leaving a small tip on the end to grab and pull it out. on a couple of occasions, i have had to use needle nose pliers to pull one out. but i'ved been doing this for over 12 years and no dr's required yet.

[TwilightZone]

I use these in my helmet... probably good for a months worth of wear.
Wet them in your mouth before putting them in.
3M 90585-00000 Tri-Flange Reusable earplugs

[NomadGal]

Thanks everyone for the earplug suggestions. I think I will try and find some kid-sized ones, it never occurred to me that they might come in kid sizes.

[NomadGal]

What a difference a tank makes!
Spent yesterday taking my old tank off, pouring (ahem, more like spilling) the gas in my old tank into a gas can, and taking the petcock off.
It was a bit tricky putting the petcock on the IMS tank seeing as the two holes for the filters were a tad too small. I almost broke the reserve filter, but by a stroke of luck it slid right in after the big one cleared the hole.
The bracket that mounts the tank to the frame under the seat fit perfect, and the tank lined up good.
Well, that was as far as the easy parts would go.
I had totally forgotten that my right tank mount thread had shredded. I had temporarily just screwed a slightly larger bolt into the mount just to hold the tank down. With the new tank this wouldn't work anymore. I ended up buying a better larger bolt with matching tap, and re-threaded the mount to fit the larger bolt. Worked like a charm! Awesome!
Then I ran into the problem of not being able to line up the plastic side covers to the bracket! What's up with this IMS tank?
The holes were 1/2 inch off! The solution I came up with was not pretty, but it will work


instead of the correct bracket I used the one meant for the radiator connection, and slid the cover under, after which I used a zip tie to keep it there.

Now came the big challenge!
keeping the lower half of the tank from caving in if I dropped Spirit.
I did not want to use the radiator brackets (they didn't line up anyway) seeing as the radiator frame is much too weak, and I didn't want to damage it in case of a crash.
I filled up the tank and left for the hardware store.
After about an hours worth of browsing (the folks at Red's True Value were very nice and let me walk in and out of the store with different brackets and such, so I could hold them up to the tank and see if they would work) I came up with this solution.





I have not a clue what those nifty braces are really meant for, but they were perfect for the job. The braces that run at an angle meet up slightly right of the center, and share the same bolt and nut that I anchored to the engine shield/footpeg mount. The tank won't budge a mm!



Spirit looks like a totally different bike!
It seems to me that this new tank is much lower and the stock tank. I'm glad about that seeing as it will make her a little less top heavy, and hopefully easier to lift if I drop her again.

Last night I sewed on some straps to my tank bag, seeing as the clips won't work with the IMS tank. Today I've got to figure out how to fix it on there. I also varnished/stained my little Buddha that my mom gave me (it was getting really weathered).
Looking at my old tank I'm wondering how I can take some of the stickers off, and stick them elsewhere........

I got a message from Feyala, and am hoping I can meet up with her in Big Bend, hopefully I will be able to get out of here by Sunday.

[Jettn Jim]

Excellent job Esther!!!
Ya may want to just file the corners of that square stock off a bit soo their not so sharp when if Spirit takes a nap.
You are quite the get 'er done girl you are!

[NomadGal]

Originally Posted by Jettn Jim

Excellent job Esther!!!
Ya may want to just file the corners of that square stock off a bit soo their not so sharp when if Spirit takes a nap.
You are quite the get 'er done girl you are!

I was thinking about filing those off, but I haven't go a file, maybe I'll just get a sheet of sandpaper. To spend $10 for a file and only use it once seems a bit of a waste

[Jettn Jim]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

I was thinking about filing those off, but I haven't go a file, maybe I'll just get a sheet of sandpaper. To spend $10 for a file and only use it once seems a bit of a waste

Maybe someone you meet ar at a mechanics shop can loan ya theirs.....

[just jeff]

Or a machine shop. Machinists are some of the nicest people!!
Regards....justjeff

[theWolfTamer]

Heat the stickers with a blow dryer. Sometimes they are sticky enough to be reused, if not some medium spray adhesive should work.

Nice job on the tank brace.

[NomadGal]

Yay! I got the earplug thingy worked out.
Found some skin toned ones at Wallyworld, and a member from the KLRworld forum suggested wetting the plug before inserting. That made things so much easier! How wonderful to ride without all the noise around your ears! Awesome!



Sewed straps on my tank bag and looped it under the tank and fixed the zipper on it.
Strapping the saddle bags on the tank became a lot easier with the big old holes in it! All in all I love this tank!

One bummer last night, while riding home on the freeway Spirit started stuttering, so I thought maybe tucking the vent hose of the gas tank lid under the tank was not a good idea, so I pulled it out. After I did that I must have wedged it loose, because when I looked down again I noticed it was gone , sorry Jim!
Today I'm wrapping up a few odds and ends, waterproofing tent, cleaning camelback and putting new valve on, sending package off to daughter, etc.

I also (finally after a lot of shipping errors) got my Sherpa 50 adventure kit in! I'm excited!!


The inverter (small attachment on left of battery pack, has a regular ac plug, so I can charge my laptop while out in the boonies, and plug in my little 2 watt (120 lumens) LED lightbulb in the tent at night and have tons of light! No more dangling flashlights or little tent lights.

The plan is to attach the solar panel on top of my dry sack and sleeping mat, and collect sunlight, AKA electric, while riding. That way once I get to where I am going the battery pack will be fully charged. Of course on rainy days I can slide the battery pack in my tank bag and charge it via my cigarette lighter plug.