From Rider to Driver

Bass Boat

1950s Samsonite BoomBox

A few days before Christmas 2023, this 1950's-era Samsonite luggage piece jumped-out at me/caught my eye at the Goodwill thrift store in Lynnwood, Washington.

i have no purpose for this luggage piece except displaying it as a gorgeous home furnishing, yet for only $39.99 i found myself unable to walk away.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when i turned it over to discover a full-range set of Sansui speakers!

And upon opening the suitcase, i find all the components inside are Made in Japan, including a 1970's-era Sansui SP-2000 Four-Way/Six Speaker board!!

In the pics, i've added only 2 things:

1. Blue "post-it" Note where i mapped the wiring and Ohms resistance
2. Below the Post-It, the Black Box is an amplifier ($56 AMZN) which i used to diagnose that:
• the board has 3 blown/dried-out capacitors that need replacing ($10 max total)
• the 12" subwoofer may need replacing (already got 3 JBL CX1200 spares, new sealed in box), then add a low-pass crossover or filter around 80-100Hz ($25)
• the 6.5" and 5" horn squawkers are good
• the two 2" tweeters are good
• the 1.5" super-tweeter are good

i also found interesting how the SP-2000 was not designed with 8 ohms evenly presented across all 4 channels:

1. 12" sub is 8 ohms
2. 1.5" supertweet is 8 ohms
3. Pair of 2" tweets are 16 ohms each (wired in parallel halves the resistance to 8 ohms)
4. 6.5" squawker is 12 OHMs, 5" squawker is 16 ohms (wired in parallel halves the resistance to 14 ohms!! this channel presents higher resistance so it must not be as loud as the other 3 channels, especially with channel power distributed across 2 squawkers, where the 6.5" w/ only 12 ohms resistance will be slightly louder than the 5" squawker which is 16 ohms..)

MotoGP Yamaha

 Rockin' some sponsor logos..

Toyota FJ

Stealth FJ Cruiser

Recovered Yamaha R6

Police recovered my Yamaha R6 in Montana! Just to recap, i got this R6 new in 2008 but it got STOLEN in April 2019:

2008: Bought New Yamaha R6 (0.3 miles), got STOLEN in 2019!

So two months later i finally found/got a used R3:

2019: Bought Used 2015 Yamaha R3 (3,411 miles)

There was an attempted theft again in 2021 (couldn't insert my key because a broken-off screwdriver was jammed stuck in the ignition) so i removed the front body/fairing panels, bought a new ignition online for $30, then had a motorcycle mechanic replace it for 1 hour's labor:

2021: Removed body panels to repair attempted theft/damaged ignition

As u might be able to ascertain, i now:

• park the bike in my parking spot in back instead of on the street in front
• applied/enabled built-in steering lock to prevent front wheel from turning
• added a uLock to prevent rear wheel from spinning/rolling
• added a motorcycle cover to reduce tampering/raise visibility of evidence thereof
• added a surveillance camera to record evidence of any tampering

Now compare the 1st pic above to the chopped ones below (thieves painted it red and removed all markings, but engine still runs smooth apparently! ):

[tldr]

On Sept 18, 2022 i received a call from my local law enforcement agency (MIPD) informing me that Montana Highway Patrol recovered my Yamaha R6 in Kalispell.

Two days later i spoke with the arresting MHP Trooper for 10 mins: he said he chased this R6 for speeding twice before but abandoned pursuit both times because @135 MPH his patrol car was already shaking..

while the biker was likely only in 3rd or 4th (out of 6 gears) based on high-rev sound; way too dangerous for any/everyone around, way too much liability to attempt any type of pit-maneuver on a motorcycle, if catching up were possible..

Last weekend he caught the biker and [i assume] arrested him/her for possession of stolen property (and probably other warrants, but again only my conjecture).

i paid $429 to "release" the bike from towing else i couldn't pickup the bike whenever i arrived in Montana (presumably); they towed it to the Police lot and asked another ~$350 to tow it to their own impound lot where Police do not have any jurisdiction to auction my bike away should pickup be prolonged.

but after conferring with the Trooper, he assured me that there is no hurry, his is a secured evidence facility with no daily storage fee (like towyards charge)..

i placed a listing on uShip and the lowest bid to transport my R6 in an enclosed truck from Kalispell to Seattle was $517, so i will be out ~$1,000. But KBB says $5500 in excellent condition, $3500 in used condition, so i will likely sell to a motorcycle mechanic/flipper.

Jays

Jordan 1 UNC Blue

Jordan 1 White/Red/Black

Jordan 3.5 Black

Jordan 4 Black

Jordan 4 Travis Scott

Jordan 4 White/UNC Blue

Jordan 4 White/Red/Black

Jordan 5 Captain America

Jordan 6 Black

Jordan 7 Black

NMD R1 Score

Mercer Island PD

I'm out for a night ride on my Ninebot doing 19mph when I notice that it seems like a vehicle is tracking/tailing me (headlights behind me the whole way home).

I finally pull over to let them pass when I realize it's Mercer Island PD; ensuing dialog..

MIPD: What's going on?

Me: Not a damn thing, out riding my new toy because of sheer boredom.

MIPD: With no helmet or lights on? And running the Stop signs and then the Red light!?

Me: There's no one around.

MIPD: I need u to obey all the traffic laws or I'll write u a ticket.

Me: Wouldn't u have to catch me first?

MIPD: (laughs out loud) Have a great night sir! (drives off ahead of me :)