Topic: The Happy-ish Thread. Share your small wins and mixed blessings.

[PeWe]

My CB750 K6 -76 has 110.028 between engine (24....) and frame 25....).
I doubt it is changed. I bought it used 2 seasons, Jan -79 a little over 17000km

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bill and Per, the Z1 guys are just as anal as the sandcast guys, and it doesn’t help that Kawasaki date coded all of the big parts including all outer engine covers, rims, even the brake arm is date coded so it’s difficult to build a numbers correct bike, but luckily mine has mostly “Correct” items on it now, but to a collector, the spread in numbers would be a deal breaker. The tank, sidecovers and ducktail etc is quality aftermarket, but I bought an original set that have been repainted black that will go with the bike if I ever sell it.

[Dime]

When I built my Kawasaki Z1-B I started with just a bare frame, then melted my credit card buying as much OEM and quality aftermarket parts as I could find for a 1975 900. The only thing that’s bugged me is that while both the frame and engine are 1975 builds, they’re about 3000 numbers apart so too much of a stretch for a “Matching numbers” bike. (like CB750’s they were never matching frame and engine numbers, but usually a few hundred numbers apart at worst)

I’ve been watching a set of engine cases on EBay that are only around 300 numbers apart from my frame number for several weeks from a seller I’ve bought from before. They were originally advertised for $499 USD, then when they didn’t sell were dropped to $450, then I received an email from EBay offering them for $399, so I sent him a counter offer of $350, which he rejected, so I offered $380, which he accepted.

Of course EBay hit me up for the 10% sales tax which I couldn’t avoid, but I’m stoked. I have most of the OEM parts I need to build a stock 900 engine, which I’ll put back in it if I ever sell it, not that I intend to ever sell it. For the time being I’m just going to ride it.

Nice deal!

[Don R]

 There's a glass in a cupboard that rattles every time a Chinook helicopter fly's by. We think it's hilarious. I saw a video that they are re-designing them again, what a workhorse. I had a toy one 60 some years ago.

[Kelly E]

There's a glass in a cupboard that rattles every time a Chinook helicopter fly's by. We think it's hilarious. I saw a video that they are re-designing them again, what a workhorse. I had a toy one 60 some years ago.

My house rattles when a Chinook flies over, as well as the Blackhawks, F-18's and still the occasional P-3 Orion.

[Terry in Australia]

We used to jump out of Chinooks, the pilot would fly to the DZ and then tilt the nose up to around 45 degrees and we’d run/fall down the tailgate. Much nicer than “Sim doors” where we’d jump out of either side door of a C130 then smack into each other underneath it, and get our rigs tangled. Caribou’s were the best, just a leisurely stroll down the tailgate and out into the air. Felt a bit like walking the gangplank on a Pirate ship the first time but got used to it.

[Don R]

 I guess I miss welding after all. Tonight, I saw an ad for a Lincoln Pipeliner with video and I had to listen to it running a few times.

[Don R]

  Our furnace was off this morning, watching it try to start there was no orange glow from the hot surface ignitor and the LED flashed 7 times, the manual said it is indication a no light situation. (already knew that) I called my Plumber son in law who called his Dad who happened to be in town in his service truck and dropped off a suitable for modification ignitor. The mounting screw didn't line up with the hole, so I used a binder clip to hold it in place.
 Anyway, it fired right up and now it's warm as toast in here. Win, win. I'm buying a spare to keep in the furnace room, plus a new flame sensor since I've cleaned it a few times too.

[grcamna2]

  Our furnace was off this morning, watching it try to start there was no orange glow from the hot surface ignitor and the LED flashed 7 times, the manual said it is indication a no light situation. (already knew that) I called my Plumber son in law who called his Dad who happened to be in town in his service truck and dropped off a suitable for modification ignitor. The mounting screw didn't line up with the hole, so I used a binder clip to hold it in place.
 Anyway, it fired right up and now it's warm as toast in here. Win, win. I'm buying a spare to keep in the furnace room, plus a new flame sensor since I've cleaned it a few times too.

What's the night-time temps in your area now Don ?

[scottly]

I recently found out that my Samsung "Smart TV" has a bazillion free channels via my internet Wi-Fi modem! Well, not a bazillion, but 450 or so, in addition to the 40 channels I already got with an antenna. Of course, I pruned the list of channels down quite a bit, as I have no interest in the Lassie, Little House on the Prairie, or Dawson's Creek channels. There are a few different movie channels, which is what like to watch, and there have had some really good movies on lately.  

[RAFster122s]

Scott, Pluto TV app has good selection of free stuff too...

[scottly]

There are several Pluto channels included with the Samsung package. The main reason I got the TV set up with Wi-Fi was to watch movies on Tubi, which I had done before on the computer; the extra channels were a bonus!

[grcamna2]

There are several Pluto channels included with the Samsung package. The main reason I got the TV set up with Wi-Fi was to watch movies on Tubi, which I had done before on the computer; the extra channels were a bonus!

I purchased a new Samsung 39" flat screen('smart tv' ?)in 2018'(it came with 'apps' or is 'loaded'?)which is still in it's orig. box in my storage;never put it into operation yet as my old 19" Sony Trinitron is still working good,plus it has powerful,stock speakers.
Scottly,do you think I could get Pluto channels on it,or is it outdated(6 years old)to receive them ?

[RAFster122s]

Many TVs have firmware and software updates available online when you connect the smart TV to the Internet. Mine periodically updates, it notifies me it has a firmware update...
Look up info on your TV, mine is a 2018 vintage as well... Works fine. Eventually they will drop support as the TV ages out, surprised they have kept it updated as many only give a few years before obsolescence measures start kicking in... Or it has a component failure. Vizio used to be a good brand, seen a few headlines of late inferring those days might have passed. But, I think Walmart bought Vizio if I recall correctly...
Smart TVs are cheap these days unless you go really large or high-end on the features and have to have the latest.
The same money you paid in 2018 likely would buy a screen that is 1/3 to 1/2 again as big and be capable of 4K video.
Streaming has gotten expensive and unless streaming 4k you would be surprised how little bandwidth the TV is really going to need/use...far less than most assume.

[grcamna2]

Many TVs have firmware and software updates available online when you connect the smart TV to the Internet. Mine periodically updates, it notifies me it has a firmware update...
Look up info on your TV, mine is a 2018 vintage as well... Works fine. Eventually they will drop support as the TV ages out, surprised they have kept it updated as many only give a few years before obsolescence measures start kicking in... Or it has a component failure. Vizio used to be a good brand, seen a few headlines of late inferring those days might have passed. But, I think Walmart bought Vizio if I recall correctly...
Smart TVs are cheap these days unless you go really large or high-end on the features and have to have the latest.
The same money you paid in 2018 likely would buy a screen that is 1/3 to 1/2 again as big and be capable of 4K video.
Streaming has gotten expensive and unless streaming 4k you would be surprised how little bandwidth the TV is really going to need/use...far less than most assume.

I should hook it up(I suppose getting a sound system for it is necessary because of the lame built-in speakers)and see what it's like,but the 2005' 19" Sony CRT Trinitron works nice so far(it's solid and I've had No Problems with it)and is small enough to fit into my space better.
I don't need a Big screen,which is why I chose the 39".

[scottly]

I purchased a new Samsung 39" flat screen('smart tv' ?)in 2018'(it came with 'apps' or is 'loaded'?)which is still in it's orig. box in my storage;never put it into operation yet as my old 19" Sony Trinitron is still working good,plus it has powerful,stock speakers.
Scottly,do you think I could get Pluto channels on it,or is it outdated(6 years old)to receive them ?

I bought this Samsung TV on Dec 3, 2019, so yours might also have the "apps"? I know the box mine came in touted something about it being "smart", but I didn't pay any attention since I was using an antenna or DVD player. It wasn't until I got the TV connected via Wi-Fi that the 400+ "Samsung TV Plus" channels suddenly appeared. There are 3 or 4 Pluto channels, but I only have "Pluto Fantastic" turned on; right now it's playing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
Regarding the speakers, they are small, but work OK. I was in Best Buy a couple of weeks ago to get a smaller smart TV for the bedroom (24" Panasonic for $65.00 out-the-door! ), and looked at the speaker bars and laughed out loud when I saw the prices: $900!!?? There may be an adapter that plugs into an HDMI port on the TV to allow me to connect to my regular stereo amp with real speakers, but I've yet to look into that.

[grcamna2]

I purchased a new Samsung 39" flat screen('smart tv' ?)in 2018'(it came with 'apps' or is 'loaded'?)which is still in it's orig. box in my storage;never put it into operation yet as my old 19" Sony Trinitron is still working good,plus it has powerful,stock speakers.
Scottly,do you think I could get Pluto channels on it,or is it outdated(6 years old)to receive them ?

I bought this Samsung TV on Dec 3, 2019, so yours might also have the "apps"? I know the box mine came in touted something about it being "smart", but I didn't pay any attention since I was using an antenna or DVD player. It wasn't until I got the TV connected via Wi-Fi that the 400+ "Samsung TV Plus" channels suddenly appeared. There are 3 or 4 Pluto channels, but I only have "Pluto Fantastic" turned on; right now it's playing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".
Regarding the speakers, they are small, but work OK. I was in Best Buy a couple of weeks ago to get a smaller smart TV for the bedroom (24" Panasonic for $65.00 out-the-door! ), and looked at the speaker bars and laughed out loud when I saw the prices: $900!!?? There may be an adapter that plugs into an HDMI port on the TV to allow me to connect to my regular stereo amp with real speakers, but I've yet to look into that.

Ok 

[Don R]

 My Grandson is coming over this morning to help me put the snowplow on my lawn tractor. I don't need help with it "yet", but he asked so I waited until he could get here. He's 7 so we had to wait for a time when his my Daughter was coming this way. As luck would have it, his Dad is a lineman and is on a call around the corner so We might get to watch him at work. 

[BenelliSEI]

My Grandson is coming over this morning to help me put the snowplow on my lawn tractor. I don't need help with it "yet", but he asked so I waited until he could get here. He's 7 so we had to wait for a time when his my Daughter was coming this way. As luck would have it, his Dad is a lineman and is on a call around the corner so We might get to watch him at work.

Good for you. The other day I was working on the dirt bike with my grandson. I had to show him how to reverse a 3/8” ratchet. He gets exposed to a lot of stuff, but working with tools is a rarity! The more you do with them the better.

[Don R]

 It went well, Gerald is a natural mechanic. A couple summers ago we put new motors on his power wheels Gator. I replaced the motor on one side and he did the other side. He understood how the rear axle turned the wheels and took the lead pulling the axle after we talked about it.
 

[RAFster122s]

Don, grandson might be a future mechanical engineer or race car engineer...
Kids with mechanical aptitude need to be encouraged with that talent and creativity...it really is a form of creativity, just like other artists are creative.

Good on you and John and others here whom take the time to foster and encourage those sparks of creativity and interest.

[Dime]

Had a blessing today.

Went to go get the winter tires put on our family van the other day only to find out they just started showing dry rot.

Went tonight to have a look at a used set but one was worn out.

Hopped on FB market place and a set in the size I needed was just listed about 15 mins away. They were asking more than I had on me but I offered what I had and they said sure come have a look.

I went and all four tires still had 11/32 thread left on them, no patches or plugs or abnormal wear. So I grabbed them.

They ended up costing me a third of what a new set would cost and they are good tires, Goodyear Ultra Grip.

What a blessing that we don't have to fork out for new tires right before Christmas. So thankful.

[Don R]

  Our furnace was off this morning, watching it try to start there was no orange glow from the hot surface ignitor and the LED flashed 7 times, the manual said it is indication a no light situation. (already knew that) I called my Plumber son in law who called his Dad who happened to be in town in his service truck and dropped off a suitable for modification ignitor. The mounting screw didn't line up with the hole, so I used a binder clip to hold it in place.
 Anyway, it fired right up and now it's warm as toast in here. Win, win. I'm buying a spare to keep in the furnace room, plus a new flame sensor since I've cleaned it a few times too.

What's the night-time temps in your area now Don ?

Sorry. I missed the Q? We're below freezing during the nights, low in the 20's F and highs of 30's. Next Friday I'm seeing forecasts of 50* but rain.
 My spare hot surface ignitor just arrived off of ebay. I'm sure glad it was for a spare, they took their sweet time shipping it.

[RAFster122s]

We have modest sized regional Amazon distribution center near where I live and most times leaving my place going into Marana or Tucson I pass by it. Tonight at 8-8:15 timeframe ride by and they were still busy as bees, vans queued up loading and lights all over in the parking spots adjacent to the landing areas. It is only in last 6 months I have noticed that I am seeing offers of same day or next day delivery on orders I place through Amazon Prime...not that I need it that quick most of the time.

[BenelliSEI]

We have modest sized regional Amazon distribution center near where I live and most times leaving my place going into Marana or Tucson I pass by it. Tonight at 8-8:15 timeframe ride by and they were still busy as bees, vans queued up loading and lights all over in the parking spots adjacent to the landing areas. It is only in last 6 months I have noticed that I am seeing offers of same day or next day delivery on orders I place through Amazon Prime...not that I need it that quick most of the time.

I’m not a huge fan but yesterday Amazon saved me. I’d ordered a fancy pair of boots my wife wanted for Christmas (another retailer). They arrived a few days ago and she took one look and sent them back. Ordered a full set of mysteries that she reads late yesterday (Amazon) and darn if they didn’t show up this AM! Phew! It’s very tough to find gifts for a woman who has everything. 😹

All the Best for the Holidays Everyone!!