Snippets

[Tomcatt]

Originally Posted by Andy56

If the pushrods were swapped would it be that the inlet valves wouldn't close fully and the exhausts won't open fully?

And therefore the engine wouldn't even run?

There's an acceptable range of lifter preload. Swapping the pushrods could just leave the intakes with lots of preload and the exhausts ticking...

[Crusty]

Getting Better


My leg isn’t hurting. This is the first time since before I went to Daytona that it hasn’t been aching. I think the Prednisone is doing the trick.

I had noticed that my leg was hurting a few weeks ago while grocery shopping with my brother. We normally shop on Mondays and we’ll hit a progression of places; Jungle Jim’s, Kroger, Meijer and sometimes, Sam’s Club. It’s an all day proposition, but we chase the best deals.

When it first started hurting, I figured it was just because we’d been walking on concrete floors all day long, but the pain went away after I got home and relaxed for the evening. Gradually, it got worse until it was a steady ache. When I went to Daytona, I had to use my cane to get around. I thought it was just my bad ankle getting worse. I’ve been told that as I get older, I’d probably have to start using the cane again, so I just resigned myself to that fact.

However, the pain was getting worse. It had started as an ache that went away after resting; but it got to the point that it was very difficult to find a comfortable position, even in bed, and my entire leg, from hip to mid-foot hurt like a toothache. It wasn’t the knee; although the knee hurt, sometimes it felt like either the muscles or tendons were pulling against each other, or they were pulling on the knee in opposite directions. My ankle, of course had the old, familiar pain that’s been there since the accident in ’97.

I also have had some problem with a tendon in my wrist. It was causing a lot of pain in my thumb. Once again. it was variable. Sometimes, it hurt at the thumb, and sometimes back in the wrist. When I last saw Dr. Quackenbush (not his real name) and told him about it, he said it was just part of being an old fart.

I haven’t been impressed with Hugo Quackenbush since I tried to see him during the Pandemic and he wasn’t seeing patients. He’s a Doctor who’s afraid to see sick people.

I asked David who his Primary Care Physician was and did he like him. He told me that he was very happy with her (she’s a woman) and he gave me the phone number to her practice. I called and she’s out until next week, but the practice has several other physicians and while giving them my information and explaining my problem, I was told to go to a Walgreens nearby to the clinic there. The clinic was part of their network.

I wasn’t very hopeful, but I really didn’t want to see Quackenbush and get told that I just need to accept the pain, so I went. I saw a Nurse Practitioner and explained what was happening. She was attentive to what I was saying and after she examined my leg and took my vitals, told me that Insurance won’t let me go get a Cat Scan or X-Rays (I can’t have an MRI because of the mechanical valve in my heart) until the basic steps were taken. She prescribed a regimen of Prednisone, and if the pain continued, she gave me a referral to an orthopedic practice.

I took the first two tablets yesterday morning and by afternoon, my leg wasn’t hurting as bad as it has been. It still hurt, but a bit less. I’m doing my usual wide awake at 4:00 AM, so I decided to write a Snippet about my leg because it’s pain free.

I’ve been reluctant to work on the Express because it hurt so much to do anything. Yesterday, my parts for the primary came in and I went to the Stealership and picked up a grenade plate, a chain adjuster shoe and a sealing nut. I think I’ll put those in later on today. I’ll take it easy and I’ll try to not cause my leg to hurt. I don’t want to cause any increase in pain or set the healing back. Slow and easy wins the race. Besides, we’re supposed to get a sh*tload of rain followed by winds gusting to 55 MPH for the next few days and I won’t be riding anywhere, anyhow.

I’ve been writing this for the past hour or so and my leg hasn’t hurt and even my thumb isn’t hurting. Life is looking a lot better. Now; I think I’ll go back to bed and get some more sleep.

[sportsterpaul]

Good for you John, on both fronts, this getting old ain’t easy!

[Crusty]

Yes; Sometimes I Do Dumb Things


Just for the record; I overdid it by a large amount. I knew when I should stop because my leg was really letting me know; but I got caught up in doing just one more thing, because I don't want to forget I didn't do it. Enough one more things and then it was all done. I started the bike and I wasn't hearing any unusual noises. The clutch works smoothly and the primary chain is adjusted as it should be.

I wrote down the date and mileage and what I'd done in the logbook, then I put the tools away and decided that I might as well fix the garage door. I could do that while standing upright, so it shouldn't hurt the leg any more that it was hurting. I was successful and I don't think I hurt the leg any more than working on the bike did. That’s not true. I think that at the least, I extended the amount of time it will take to get better. I went upstairs and hit the recliner for a bit, then fixed dinner.

The pain has eased, but not completely. I hope I didn't do anything really bad to it. I knew when I should stop, but I just wanted to leave things so I wouldn't screw anything up. It's part of the way I work, I guess. I really hate to leave a job unfinished once I start on it. I'll stall off starting for a long while, but once I start, I don't want to quit until I either run out of time or the job is done.

Anyhow; I promised my brother David that I'd take it easy tomorrow and do as close to nothing as I can. He was a bit pissed off that I acted as stupidly as I did. I had talked to him on the phone as he was cooking his dinner and he let me know his opinion in no uncertain terms. However, he’ll still stop at the Supermarket tomorrow while he's out and about and pick me up some Brioche rolls. I miscalculated on how many I needed to get through Monday morning.

So Tomorrow, I'm going to just hang out in the recliner and maybe read a book or watch a movie. I won't be working on the bike.

If you believe that, you’re even more gullible than I am.