My Blog Updated 05-27-2023
Updated: May 27
Welcome to the page. 🤓
I've changed the format up a bit so the blog updates will start with the most recent up to date blogs as opposed to the oldest to newest.
Updated 05-27-2023
A ton of stuff to talk about and most of it is already updated on my other posts on the site.
The biggest takeaway is the VTR1000 is going to a new home to a father and son team to finish the process of getting it back to running status.
The details can be found here.
I'm doing so to get more room for both Kawasaki bikes, the car, and to have the 10x5 storage unit emptied so I can save $120 a month. 👍
Got some updates on the new ZX4RR Ninja and my plans for the bike.
Like the Ninja400 the 4RR will be mostly a street bike with one or two track days but because of its limited availability and exclusivity I will be babying the bike while still enjoying the ride.
No it won't stay stock as I hate a stock ride even though it may devaluation the bike down the road.
This 4RR will be an icon and very sought after bike by the time I'm not able to ride anymore. Great investment potential with little to no devaluation.
In other news not related to bikes or cars the economy is failing, interest rates are going up, inflation through the roof, and paychecks becoming less meaningful as the dollar shrinks. 😔
Even the trucking industry is slowing as people have stopped buying to feed their kids, pay the bills, and make ends meet while the middle class becomes a thing of the past.
So I'm doing what Incan to keep the bills down and tighten the belt around my waist, open the wallet less, and make due with what I have while being happy with it.
I'm quite happy to say the least. 😁
Sacrifices have to be made to stay ahead in this world where you'll own nothing and be happy, at least that's what the corporations want you to think.
I could t be happier with where I am in life, been through all 48 states in awe at what our planet has to give us, and look forward to retirement by 70 just a few years away. 👍👍
More to come in a couple of months. Happy Memorial Day and 4th of July. 🤙
Updated 04-21-2023
Some great news for the new bike arriving in the next 2-3 weeks and I'm hoping I'll be home from being on the road to pick it up. We'll see and if not I'll pick it up the next time. 👍
Took the Ninja400 for an extended ride last time I was home and put about 150 miles on the clock the whole time enjoying the ride.
Pics and more on the Ninja400 page.
The car needs a good bath but she's running perfectly and always a joy to cruise in the Accent.
I've got 10 days off including vacation time so I'll have time to get things done on the car along with some maintenance items too.
With the economy going to 💩 and prices going through the roof I find it hard to save money for the finer things in life. 😑
Going out to eat has been slowed down immensely with the family and storage prices are getting crazy with price increases going on every 6 months it seems. 🤦🏻
I'm paying almost $450 a month for 2 storage units that 4 years ago only cost $225. 😡
I'm sure everyone is feeling the crunch too and not having a pay raise in over 2 years doesn't help.
My only real debt is the new 4RR bike and that'll be paid off by the end of 2025 and debt free.
Time will tell when and if we are at war, if the dollar becomes useless, and who the next president will be.
Hopefully we all are prepared. 🤞
Updated. 02-19-2023
Big announcement of my soon to be new 2023 Kawasaki ZX4R-R super sport motorcycle. 🥰
I've already put a down payment on the bike and once the Kawasaki dealer gets it in stock I'll be picking it up.
March. April, or May is when it will arrive and I'm excited for this purchase.
Yeah some pics are in order so take a peak at the Kawasaki pictures I've found around the net.
I'll be posting a sub blog on this bike shortly.
In other news I never had a chance to ride when home as it rained pretty much every day. 😣
I did get some work done on the Honda bike, the Stinger trailer, and the car as well.
Posts are up on those too.
The trailer received some nice Mishimoto lug nuts and they look great on the trailer.
It's a nice touch to the trailer. 😁
I also found a way to carry the spare tire on the trailer while also adding a bit of ballast to the rear of the trailer taking some of the load off of the trailer hitch. It's nice and solid and the tire isn't going anywhere. 👍
Thanks for looking. 🙏🏽🤙
Updated 02-05-2023
I just updated the Ninja Page and am excited to be riding my steed once again.
Back to some seat time and anchancentonrise the snot out of it now that she's back from all the repairs outlined on the aforementioned post.
I'm hoping to also address the need for some maintenance to the Accent while I'm home for the next week but riding will be a priority.
Healing has been slow in the knee and ankle and about 85% fully healed. It's enough that I can ride the bike at an easy pace and get that seat time that has evaded me the past year.
I'm pretty much done with the Ninja now that's it repaired again and once the car maintenance is done I'll be back at work on the VTR1000. 🤞
By the end of the year I hope to be back at JenningsGP for a track day and if not I'm looking forward to being there late winter 2024.
I've got one more bill to pay off by years end and I'll finally be debt free which has been a long time coming. 🙌🫡
Here's a couple of random pics to close this update and thanks for looking. 🙏🏽🤙
Updated 11-01-2022
Well some wins and some losses on this post but I've come away with a feeling of gratefulness that can't be washed away anytime soon.
My wish finally came true on going to Champ School and in the end it was worth every penny.
Having to drive the 650 miles one way to Kershaw South Carolina was pretty hard for me and even though I drive for a living I never drive that far in one sitting. 😵💫
Once I arrived at Carolina Motorsports Park I was in heaven to be at a real race track for cars and bikes alike.
It's an awesome track and a good track to learn on and yeah I had some issues with getting familiar with the lines and the fact that I've had zero seat time which doesn't help. 🤷
It was like learning to ride all over again with fears and the what ifs consuming my mind where I should've been concentrating on the present and not why I feel like a newb all over again. 🤦🙈
After the second session it became easier and I became more comfortable riding once more but unlike leaving Jennings with a good feeling of body control and some fluidity in my riding I was stiff and almost unable to move around in the seat. 😡
This would be how it manifested the entire day as I struggled to loosen up and work on the things that I was there for at the school.
Some pics to keep things going. 😁
The crew at Champ we're the best at doing what they do and that's teaching what they know at the sharp end of this sport.
Everybody was eager to help, contribute, and make sure you were progressing on everything being taught.
Second day started off great and had good confidence going in and unfortunately that would be my last session as I miscommunicated with one of the instructors on a hand signal to stay behind him, proceeded to pass him misunderstanding the signal, and he pulled in front of me. 😳😬
First reaction was to jab (never ever do that) the front brake to avoid hitting him into the turn and I low sided. Crashed. 😭🤦🤦
The bike was fine with some minor work to get it running again, the medical crew seemed me fit to ride, and my busted knee said other wise.
Once the swelling set in there was no way to bend the left leg enough to reach the peg with the suit on so my days were done.
Shout out to Plus Racing for their custom fit suit and how it protected me. 👍
Bruised ribs, a pulled back muscle, beat up knee, and an ankle injury were not what I wanted but at least my top line gear did it's job and nothing broken or bad enough to go to the hospital.
So ultimately my mistake it was and my still newness to being on a bike set me back but I won't be stopped.
I've learned from this and need more seat time. Period.
In continuation of the school I did attend all the classes on the second day and able to ride the bike to and from the class room, slowly of course 😂, and did graduate which I'm proud of.
My 2 days at N2 Track Days was credited to my N2 account so I'll probably be using those two days to either track day at Barber Motorsports, only 5 hours away from home or at Road Atlanta about 7 hours away in 2023.
A big shout-out to TST Industries, Driven Racing, and GBRacing for their products that protected the bike from more damage.
All items have been replaced and aside from some minor scratches on the fairings which we will call 'personality' she's ready to ride again.
I'll now be riding as much as I can at home taking time to hit a huge parking lot for some serious rider training.
I'm hoping to be back at Jennings GP in February and March to work on track skills and I will be back to another Champ School with more experience and seat time to better my skills on track.
If you've gotten this far I appreciate you hanging in there. 🙏🤙
I'll be getting back to a stretching routine to work on flexibility and have realized this sport takes time to ride like the pro's or even get close to being comfortable enough to ride with smoothness and confidence.
But hey it took about 3 years to be reasonably good at paintball and very good after 5 years so follow along on this journey of an old guy trying to hang with the boys on one of the hardest sports to master. 😁🙂
Updated 08-24-2022
It's been a heck of a run for me building the Ninja but it is finally finished and ready for the 4 day track event featuring Champ School for 2 days followed by N2 Track Days for 2 days at Carolina MotorSports Complex in South Carolina.
All the many hours and days spent working on the bike gave way to little time to ride but that time was worth it.
Now that weather is starting to cool I can now jump on the bike and ride at any time because all the work is done. 👏👏👏🙌😁
I'm quite excited to attend Champ School to continue my journey to be a good rider and utilize everything I've done to the bike to entertain my goal to be classified as an intermediate rider before the year is out and an Expert rider by the end of next year. 🙏🏽🤞
So now work will continue on the VTR bike and some maintenance due in the car and I'll have the Ninja to use if I'm not able to finish work on the car while still having a ride. 😁
I had planned on a 3 day track day at JenningsGP mis December but decided to hit the Gulfport Dragway and try the 1/4 mile while learning to better my launch and maybe even come away with a bracket racing trophy. 🤷🏼♂️👍
Time to save up some money for a Class C RV to have a simple home and perfect for towing the bike to the track and save on hotel expenses. 😂
Stay tuned more to come.
Updated 07-20-2022
It was a great 9 days off this past week and got a ton done.
The Ninja got some updates which will be on the Ninja Blog and the Honda VTR got some updates as well. 😁
It's been so hot here on the MS Gulf Coast that I've not rudder the bike at all. When I ride with full gear but having temps in the mid 90's with high humidity that's when I say No. 🥵
I did pick up another bike trailer by Stinger, it's collapsable, and much sturdier than the piece of 💩 trailer made by Ace.
Getting the bike on and off the new trailer will be much simpler as well as tying it down. 👏👏
Back on the road again to make a couple of dollars again and I'll be home again around August 24.
Mid Summer is here so enjoy the great outdoors while you can as cooler weather will be here before you know. 🤙
Updated 07-02-2022
I just added another section to the page titled My First Car.
Check it out as I'm adding new content about what got me started in cars and how it all evolved. 👍
Updated 06-29-2022
Yay another update. 😂
Well I can finally say I've done a track day and yes I am hooked. This is a great sport and one that I will become good at like so many other endeavors I've had in life.
First JenningsGP was awesome to ride with a 2 mile track and 14 turns going in a counter clockwise setup.
This track is great for the 400 as it's technical but still has a great stretch for speed which I like and got faster on while learning to ride the bike better.
The Jennings track School was excellent with Bill and Bjorn really teaching the craft of proper riding while making you comfortable on the bike for those of us that have never been on a track.
I spent 2 extra days refining my riding and was able to go from 60 mph top speed down the straight to 95+ on the final day of riding.
I grew more comfortable keeping my line and also getting the hang, literally, if hanging off the bike to be faster in the technical section and decrease my overall lap times.
Saying I was stoked is an understatement and now I'm ready and paid up for the Yamaha Champ School in mid October and an added 2 days at the track with N2Track days.
This will be a 4 day event with the first 2 days at school learning my craft and the last 2 days on track working on what I learned.
I'm so excited as this is one of the best track schools out there, not cheap but worth every penny.
I also ordered a track suit from Envy Racing Apparel out of Florida so I can have a suit that fits perfectly and bought another bike trailer by Stinger for a great deal.
The Ace trailer broke on me with both tire fenders breaking their support brackets leaving the fenders loose and one rubbing on the tire. 🤦🤬
Stinger is the trailer I originally wanted but at $3,200 new could not afford it.
I did get an almost net trailer for 1,900 that was used maybe 5 times on short hauls and then stored away in a storage facility.
I'm picking it up early July and it's foldable too for easy storage.
I just got a 110 stick welder for Christmas and now is the perfect time to learn how to weld the next few months when I'm home and weld on some new brackets and sell that Ace trailer to someone for cheap.
BTW please stay away from that company. Way too many complaints about them.
Last for this update I'm a novice for track days at the moment but will hopefully be an Intermediate class rider by the end of the year.
I'm also setting a goal for the end of 2023 for me to be or move up to an expert rider if all works out.
I'll be working hard at it with another 3 day track day mid December and in 2023 going to RideSmart Track School in Houston for a 2 day event as well.
Happy 4th of July and enjoy your Summer. 🤙🙏
Updated 04-11-2022
It's Spring and I'm getting close to my first track day at Jennings GP in Georgia and also attending their track school the day before.
The Ninja is almost ready but there's more work to be done this week as in preparing the bike for transport and have both ready for the trip.
Aside from having to get 3 teeth pulled and getting new glasses life's been pretty good so to speak.
Since owning the Ninja and seeing how capable it is in doing so many things my plans for the car and it's progress have been put on indefinite hold until I see how all goes with finishing the Honda bike and tracking the Ninja as much as I can with what little time I have when I'm home.
Having 2 bikes and a car, all that I am modifying and or adding performance to them, there has to be a point when I need to concentrate on one thing, and finish before the next project is continued. 🤷
The car is running great and I'm quite happy with the performance it has for now and will also be towing the Ninja to various places to ride now that the hitch is installed and I have a new trailer.
The Ninja is priority at the moment and will be completely track ready and legal while also being the main or secondary transportation depending on the weather conditions.
The Honda VTR1000 will be the next priority to finish and should be back on it in June.
Once it's done and finally riding again I'll refocus my efforts on the car and will ultimately make a decision to keep planning the engine tranny swap or continue to hold until further notice.
I do hope everybody is enjoying the warmer weather and man this was one of the hardest Winters for me driving the truck. 🥶🥴
Enjoy and thanks for looking. 🙏😎
Previous posts starting from about 09-01-2020 below.
I just added a section for Paintball team, my last build the Paseo, and my latest whip the VTR1000 SuperHawk 996.
The SuperHawk is now in project mode and will be rebuilt and adding some much needed maintenance as this bikes is 22 years old. She'll be a beast when shes done so check back for continued progress.
Thanks for looking. 👍😎
It's pretty tough being an over the road truck driver and updating your projects and your website. 🤷🏼♂️😉
Right now the fall colors are in full bloom up North and I'm anxious to get home and work on the bike and take the car to the track and get some numbers in the 1320 and 1/8 mile. Holidays are coming and I'll finally be getting the stuffed turbo for the project car during the holidays. The car project will be the longest project but the rewards will be plenty when done. I'll be using this section as a blog of sorts so stay with me enjoy the ride. 👍
A bit of an update as the bike is in full tear down mode. The previous owner never did much mechanically so not only do I have to rebuild and add all my mods to the bike but cleaning it from all the dirt and grease has taken up a good amount of time.
Track time has been dampened, literally, as both times I wanted to go it was raining. Such is life. 🤷🏼♂️😉
Got a few more parts for the Accent in as that build is still on hold until the bike is done sometime early Spring if all works out. More to come and thanks for looking.
Holidays are gone and time is fleeting. 😫
Made some progress on the bike and looks like early to mid summer for it to be finished. 🤷🏼♂️ I have resolved myself to be patient with all of this and take the time needed to have everything right the first time. No need to rush things and have issues down the road. 👍🙏🏽 Updates on the bike and Accent pages done.
Wow where to begin or more like where to continue? 😂🤷🏼♂️ Time flies and so much has gone on with my life and my passions. On a personal note since the last blog post I'm devoting more of my money right now to purchase my own truck/ rig by saving up 45,000 by 2023 if all works out. I'm wanting to pay cash for the truck and either lease my services or go owner operator for the best money to be made.
I figure once I make a twice what I'm making now I'll have the resources necessary to finish the car and continue investing in cryptocurrency. It's the future and only going to get bigger and better.
Most of my time is still to make progress on the bike and car as I'll be updating those blogs soon with the car taking a bit more priority right now than the bike. Gotta remember the car is always driven so make it the best it can be while it's a normally aspirated little fun to drive ride. 😍🤟
Stay tuned. 😎
Updated 5-24-2021
Spring has arrived and progress has shifted from motorcycle to car again but for good reasons. Maintenance is a requirement and posting in the car blog with all that information. I am resolved to say the Accent is at its final form for the normally aspirated build. I literally can't go further with it and man does this ride move well.
I can say all the work for this part of the build has been worth the time, money, and effort to make one of the baddest n/a Accents out there. A full n/a tune is in the works with a spare Ecu getting the tune and the final phase of putting it all together for a sweet n/a build and ride.
Ive still been struggling with the bike and the exhaust stud that won't budge or come out no matter what I do. So I'll be going hard core the next time I'm home and push plan b in the stud and if that doesn't work pulling the head and/ or replacing the head with another I just purchased for that just in case.
Sometimes things don't go as planned and you have to reinvent yourself to the task of making it work. That's the story of my life but it's worked every time I've had setbacks and failure is not an option.
I'm still gathering parts for the turbo swap for the car and hopefully in about 2-3 years putting it all together, installing it, and enjoying 300-350 wheel hp to the ground. There will be a picture of my car in the dictionary for the word 'sleeper'. 😂😁
Imagine the Corvette owner getting beat by a Hyundai. 😁🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for looking. 👍🙏
Updated 07-17-21
Been a bit since updated so here goes.
First the Car updates.
I took the turbo apart to send it to Jet Hot for some 2,500 degree ceramic coating to keep the underhood temperatures down once it's ready for install. I'll be doing the same with the down pipe once purchased and the upgraded stuffed turbo once I get the desire to upgrade to more power.
Spare ecu is getting tuned and should be done soon and 64mm throttlebody is installed and love the roar of the engine at full sing.
See my posts in the Car blog for the complete updates.
Motorcycle has been on a continued stall but will be worked on mid August on my next home time as I plan on having the rear of the bike close to finished with shock installed and rear swingarm cleaned up, lubed, and ready for the rear wheel to be reinstalled.
It's been almost a year since I got the bike, rode it once, and been torn down for rework since.
Next few months will be devoted towards working on the bike to continue it's progress and upgrades.
Personally I've been working my butt off but as they say if you don't put in the work you can't have the rewards of your labor.
Been making a ton of miles lately and the checks have been great so it's time to slow down the spending and putting some money away for future purchases and a little nest egg.
Get it while the getting is good.
Thanks for looking. Peace....
Updated 07-22-2021
Got some time from driving as my older truck broke down and my new truck is also in the shop for some minor work.
I went through all the pages of the website and streamlined some items while also cleaning up the mobile version of the website and the pc/ laptop version too.
Things should look a bit more professional to the site so hopefully it'll be more pleasing to the
Updated 09-23-2021
It's almost my birthday but I'm old and at my age really doesn't matter much anymore. lol The Accent broke down on me leaving me stranded with a slave cylinder gone bad. I replaced the cylinder and she's working as new once more.
Updated 10-24-21
Wow so much has happened in the last month I don't know where to begin. 🤪
First I bought a new bike a 2021 Kawasaki Ninja 400 from the gang at Suzuki City in Biloxi MS. I'll go into further detail on this in a new post specific to the new steed, it's build, and everything about it soon. 👍
Once the Accent got fixed with the new slave cylinder I went to the GulfportDragway in Gulfport MS to lay down some times and see how all the work I put into the car does. Best et for the 1/4 mile was 17.414 with a fantastic speed at the traps or end of the 1/4 mile of 83.69 mph. So the car is pretty quick to say the least and we're it not for the bogging of the car at launch I could've probably been in the very high 16's by way of how fast it was at the traps.
These are a couple of time slips with my best time and a run down of some averages from my runs
After 18 years of being away from the track it was nice to be back with a different car and also running with a manual gear box.
The holidays are coming and lots of work to be done. The Honda motorcycle is progressing nicely and will update soon and the Kawasaki is being modded as well and that too will be on the new post soon. Thanks for following if you've made it this far. 🙏🏽🤙
12-21-2021
Holidays are here and how are you celebrating them this year? 🤔😉
I'll be working through the holidays as I always do and will be home again sometime in mid January.
Wishing everyone a get holiday and also a happy New Year.
Happy New Year to all and I hope everyone has their best year yet.
I know I will. 😁😉
I've been busy with the Kawasexy bike and prepping her for track day duty and of course regular riding.
I'm almost finished with her with a few more adjustments here and there and it's ready to roll.
I had problems with the trailer hitch fitting on the car as the holes won't line up and discovered the hitch was dropped.
This caused the end plate on one side the be bent so I adjusted it with a little force and it looks nice and straight once more.
Once I'm back home again I'll proceed to get things aligned, measured, and drilled for the install.
I'll need the hitch for transporting the bikes around for track days. 🤟
Lots to do when I'm home again and the bike takes priority right now as the car and Honda bike are put on the back burner.