Hobbies
The only difference between men and boys, is the
size of their toys...
Motorcycle
Radio Controlled Airplanes Astronomy Back
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Motorcycle
This is my new bike. It is a 1983 Honda V65 Magna. It has an 1100cc V-4 engine. It is in excellent condition, and is very very powerful... The books says 260km/h is no problem, though I wouldn't know. However, I do know that the difference in ride between this one and the yamaha is night and day. With the big V-4, cruising at 120km/h is as smooth as glass. So, that means a lot of road trips in the future. I'll keep you posted as to how things work out, and the changes I make, if any.
Here is my 1979 Yamaha XS400 Special. I purchased it in rough and non-running condition in the fall. I spent the winter on eBay and phoning salvage yards, and finally finished the bike this spring. It is a good running bike, and I haven't had many problems so far, knock on wood. I have been riding it everywhere for the last week since I finished it, and still enjoy every second. The drawbacks are the wind and cold for now, but soon enough it'll be warm up here. Here is a picture of the bike as it sits today. You can compare to some of the older pictures below.
Below are two pictures, one before and one after. The first
is how I bought the bike. The second is 5 months later.
Here's some of the work I've done. Replaced: Handlebars,
all R/H controls, Tachometer, Center Idiot Lights, Spark Plug Wires, battery,
and the headlight assembly. I've also repaired numerous components of the
electrical system, the exhaust pipes, cleaned the carbs, cleaned the Brake
Master Cylinder, and straightened most components on the R/H side.
Below is a comparison of the front end. The headlight and
handlebars are the main changes seen here.
Radio Controlled Airplanes
Well, I've been building and flying Radio Controlled Airplanes
for some time now. Actually, I think I can say more than half my
life, though that could be misleading to some. Anyways, I started
out with an Eaglet 50 kit. This was a little .25 powered Cessna looking
machine. Very simple design and light weight meant it was going to
be an excellent trainer. However, after what seemed like the better
part of a career building the plane, I rapidly destroyed it. Yep,
that's right. I spend countless hours building it, and then tried
to fly it all by myself. Well, that lasted as long as it took to
reach the power line in a near vertical climb.
So, next came a present from mom and dad. A Right Flyer 40T.
This was a much larger and more powerful trainer that came as an ARF or
75% built model. This time I requested help from a flyer in Hinton
before trying to wring her out myself. After many weekends of dad
driving me west, flying for a few minutes, then getting weathered out,
I finally learnt how to fly. Well, sort of. Enough that when
I tried by myself a while later, I didn't break anything!
So, all was good. I could fix and fly that Right Flyer at
my leisure. But, it wasn't well suited for aerobatics. This
I proved one day in front of a bunch of my Aviation College buddies.
"And for the split S.......SMASH!!!!" Yep, did it again. Wrote
'er off. This time I did a number. Nose first, full power kind
of deal.
Next! Okay, so now I am toying around in a USky 40.
Never heard of it? Me neither, until I bought it. Good little
plane, though a tad too heavy for it's size. This one I actually
still have, intact. Crazy, eh. One I didn't break... yet.
But, now came a Christmas present from my wife. The cool
and crazy, wacky and wild, Razzle 3D. This is one serious aerobatics
machine. It will do anything you want it to do and more. It
even has enough power to hover. That's right, it'll actually hang
in the air off the prop. So, after an unfortunate first flight and
some more time in the shop, I've acquired many hours with this kit.
It is a very good airplane, good in fast and slow flight as well as everything
inbetween.
Astronomy
I've had a telescope since last Christmas. This winter, I finally figured out how to use it. Please remember that I cannot use it during the summer because of the length of day. And in the winter, it's bloody cold. But this winter it's been mild enough that I've taken some time to look at the heavens. In fact, I've decided the best way to get to know astronomy was to do a certificate program. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has a program out called Explore the Universe. This is a basic certificate program where by you look at a percentage of different types of space objects, record when and where you saw them, and make any notes as to what you saw. The weather has been poor, and last night was one of the first times I could really see up there. But I saw Saturn and its rings, Mars (a red dot) and some constellations. The constellations were with the naked eye, the planets with the telescope. Anyways, I've added this to my hobbies page and I'll update it as my education continues.
