Crazy Dave

....Penske ain't gonna be there when you transport the bike. And if we can transport new cars in enclosed carriers, you should have no problem. If it ain't leaking now, it ain't gonna leak in their truck.

The bike did not leave you stranded. Your utter lack of guts and courage to ride home on a flat rear tire did. I can see the beating her mother would have given you if you did. You are a smart man. As for ruined tires....800 miles on a brand new Freightliner and come around a curve in the road and what do I find ???? A pallet load of 5 gallon pails (double-stacked) of brand new rail road spikes had fallen off a utility trailer and the contents were scattered from 1 side of the road to the other. All I could do was nail the brakes, release them as I hit the obstructions and coast on thru. One tire had one thru the outside edge of the tread and the pointy end had hit the steel belts and was deflected outwards and was sticking out the sidewall. With no loss of air pressure. I had to pull it out (very hard) and drove to the nearest Michelin dealer to get a new tire. They were amazed that it still held air. So was our shop foreman when I gave him the tire with the spike re-inserted. He actually mounted it before he would believe me. It hung on his wall for years.

Sleeper look .....??? Sometimes it is more fun to show what ya got !

My favorite screwdriver is one that does not break when I use it as a pick, lever, chisel, prying device and all other un-approved methods that it was not designed for. I have found some expensive ones that break and some cheap ones that I have been unable to break. Sometimes you need to break something lose that an impact driver can't reach.

Birds do not like slow speeds. Not enough air flow. I have noticed that even running at 50 mph in traffic that the temp starts going up to about 205 or higher when I am running behind another vehicle. If I get in front of the vehicle but still maintain the same speed , the temp drops back down. My fan cuts in at 216 and the highest I have seen is 225. If sitting in slow moving traffic, I try to keep the revs above 4000 rpm, which speeds up the water flow. I also tend to shut it off at long lights. Classic case of not enough airflow and too small a rad and fan.

As for the E-Type, keep it full of Sta-Bil. The petro-swill is hard on the carbs. ....I could come over and drive it occasionally for you.....to keep her happy!

1. Heat hastens the degradation of rubber. 2. 7k miles is good. 3. Front and rear tires have a different profile (curve) to them as you go from center to the edge. That is why the rear ckicken strips disappear before the fronts..don't ask how I know of this.

And always use lube when seating beads on tires. Easier on tires. Sorta like your "johnson" in a tight you know what.

I prefer the stock exhaust.....simply because it is so stealthy. Cops are far less likely to scope you out if they can't hear you. I have been through the loud exhaust phase of my life. Big Tube Chambers With No Baffles.

It is also fun to idle off the line in 2nd gear and pin it. LOTS of low end grunt. Also starting at 90 and running it to 170 or so.

Do like I did...... Slathered my silver 02 with a bunch of Black Pearl !!!

A good burn out will "clearence" the tire!

What about the crud in the bottom of the pan and the filter ? My Dakota R/T also has a rather large magnet in the pan and also in the rear end to collect some of the "grindings."

Drain oil on Monday and leave pan there till Friday. This way all oil in and on motor will have dripped into pan. Replace plug and fill with oil. This sequence may be altered during riding season.

TeXTrain.... Tell your neighbor it could be worse........................ she could live next to me..............................