We got the rental (really, who takes their own vehicle to the playa to be sandblasted for a week?) packed, then John and Jana headed off to meet their mob in Reno. Vic headed off for the first day at her new job, and I worked on a few little niggles on the van. At this rate I'll be glad to get back to work for a rest.
In the evening we watched the excellent MotoGP race from Brno.
Monday, August 26, 2013
August 24th
Once we were all awake, John, Jana and I walked the Mook to Starbucks. Once we were home, we did a trial pitching of the tents that were going to Burning Man, and sorted out some of the supplies before we barbecued dinner and sitting up drinking.
August 23rd
John and Jana are stopping here on their way to Burning Man, and they arrived today. They opened some of the approximately 5,000 Amazon boxes that have been awaiting their arrival, and went to do a little shopping, and then we went out to dinner.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
August 20th
We boxed up the LED TV and took it back to Costco. Basically I'm not that happy with the display (it looks a bit washed out), and it leans back a fair bit. Having spoken to Vizio (the manufacturer), they said it needed a warranty claim, so I decided to just take it back. The whole thing was an experiment, after all. If it weren't for the stand thing, I'd have sucked it up and kept it, I think. They can't refund your money to the debit card you use, so we then had to stop at the bank on the way home to pay the cash back in :o) We set the old Panasonic plasma back up, and I was instantly happier with the colour it shows. Now if the model I want would just come back into stock... or I'll end up waiting for Black Friday :o)
August 18th
I started the day washing the solar panels for the first time in ages. I cut the grass, and pulled a bucket full of weeds to kill time, and then we watched the MotoGP race from Indianapolis. What a great race, with me shouting corrections at the TV constantly :o)
The clock on the DRZ has reset itself a few times recently, and from what I can tell, this is due to vibration and because I'm not taking power from the bike's battery all the time. So I took the front beak off so I could get to the battery slot, and I put a little cork pad in there to push the battery up to the contacts better. Problem (hopefully) solved. I also retaped one of the turn signals, that keeps turning itself - I use electrical tape to hold it in place. I don't think there's anything outstanding on the DRZ now, which is far more than I can say for the Van, but I don't have the energy to tear into things on that for the moment :o)
The clock on the DRZ has reset itself a few times recently, and from what I can tell, this is due to vibration and because I'm not taking power from the bike's battery all the time. So I took the front beak off so I could get to the battery slot, and I put a little cork pad in there to push the battery up to the contacts better. Problem (hopefully) solved. I also retaped one of the turn signals, that keeps turning itself - I use electrical tape to hold it in place. I don't think there's anything outstanding on the DRZ now, which is far more than I can say for the Van, but I don't have the energy to tear into things on that for the moment :o)
August 17th
There was an EAA pancake breakfast at Lincoln, so I took the DRZ over and partook. Dilly, the local FAA drone, showed up and talked us through how they can help (help? This is the FAA!) with registration of new planes and so on. It was an interesting talk.
In the afternoon, I went back over to the airfield and took the plane up to try and see what's going on with the CHT probe. I discovered that in a shallow climb, I could hit ~6250rpm, and at that point the right hand temperature would climb quickly. If I climbed out harder, I'd be at ~6000rpm, and this wouldn't happen. As the "problem" had moved from the left register on the display to the right register, it's the probe, rather than the cylinder. As the wind was getting quite unpleasant (gusty and crossy), I gave up and parked the plane and headed home.
On the way home I figured out what the problem is... what else happens when the revs go up? The EGT goes up - I reckon that's overheating the metal sheath on the wire, and that's causing the high reading. Of course, I need to fiddle with this to see if that's truly the case, but it makes sense.
In the afternoon, I went back over to the airfield and took the plane up to try and see what's going on with the CHT probe. I discovered that in a shallow climb, I could hit ~6250rpm, and at that point the right hand temperature would climb quickly. If I climbed out harder, I'd be at ~6000rpm, and this wouldn't happen. As the "problem" had moved from the left register on the display to the right register, it's the probe, rather than the cylinder. As the wind was getting quite unpleasant (gusty and crossy), I gave up and parked the plane and headed home.
On the way home I figured out what the problem is... what else happens when the revs go up? The EGT goes up - I reckon that's overheating the metal sheath on the wire, and that's causing the high reading. Of course, I need to fiddle with this to see if that's truly the case, but it makes sense.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
August 13th
I rode the DRZ down to San Francisco for work. Joy, there's nothing I like more than getting up at 04:30 then riding >100 miles in the cold and dark :o)
The ride home was pretty quick, but dull. I'd filled up on the way down, and with a 3.9 gallon tank, made it home in one shot, so I was home before 20:00 :o)
The ride home was pretty quick, but dull. I'd filled up on the way down, and with a 3.9 gallon tank, made it home in one shot, so I was home before 20:00 :o)
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