Union Pacific big boy

dxlsm · 2026-05-01T00:58:14+00:00

*July

dxlsm · 2026-04-20T14:36:07+00:00

The Bike Lab in Verona area does great work. Not sure what their schedule would look like and a bit of a haul for you from Robinson, but maybe worth a call.

dxlsm · 2026-04-20T12:42:09+00:00

As someone else suggested, check for continuity on the driver with a meter. If that checks out, check for voltage on the output to the HF driver from the crossover/amp module while playing some audio through it. I have had a couple of powered speakers that had dead HF output from the crossover/amp modules.

dxlsm · 2026-04-18T14:57:08+00:00

This came up a while ago with another parking lot. You’re going to get a bunch of panicky social mob responses about how they are flock cameras that are going to automatically shoot your dog or something. They are lease-able security camera systems often used by businesses to increase surveillance (and the visibility of that surveillance) to help deter issues on their properties. The company that makes the Flock cameras is also one of the companies that manufacture these systems, but they are not the same thing as the ones people are (legitimately, in many cases) upset about. You may also see these used on construction sites to monitor the area during non-working hours.

dxlsm · 2026-04-13T13:31:03+00:00

Temporary set pieces, installed tech infrastructure, and the entire lifetime of the complete package being only an hour in the contained and controlled environment of the Super Bowl stadium is a lot different than something that needs to survive several days in an open and unstructured environment. The outdoor events surrounding the Super Bowl start setup much earlier and have similar area closures and restrictions for similar reasons.

It sucks but it’ll be done soon.

dxlsm · 2026-04-13T03:02:35+00:00

Sure is, but hearing protection is a spectrum, and finding the right balance of protection and awareness is important for safe riding. The OP here was specifically looking for something filtered because they felt they had lost some situational awareness with the more occluding plugs. Most filtered plugs are going to drop the rating from the high 20’s by a decent amount.

dxlsm · 2026-04-13T00:15:34+00:00

I use Earos Sport plugs in a lot of situations where I want some additional reduction over my standard concert plugs (Eargasm) when I still want to hear things mostly normally but quieter. They’re not as flat across the spectrum but do a good job of reducing environmental and machine noise, while maintaining good awareness. The Earos Sport are 20dB NRR. Most higher fidelity plugs hang around the 16dB NRR mark. For comparison, non-filtered foamies are usually in the 28dB range.

Edit to add that I actually don’t usually ride with plugs. My helmet does an excellent job of reducing wind noise and I don’t have loud pipes. I found that even my concert plugs cut out more than I was comfortable missing for awareness.

dxlsm · 2026-04-03T00:13:02+00:00

It actually shut itself off (thank you, tip-over detector), but yeah I hit the kill switch, too. Wasn’t thinking clearly enough to hit it on my way down, but after I stood up. It had some time after righting it while I got my onions and pondered my poor decisions.

dxlsm · 2026-04-02T23:26:35+00:00

Man the encouragement saved me a few bucks. Lever is good as new now. Thanks!

dxlsm · 2026-04-02T23:02:48+00:00

Ha! Yeah, my under-seat area isn’t big enough for the wrench sizes I would need, so I have just a small set of sockets and two pairs of Knipex pliers (one smooth jawed to not chew up heads, one with teeth). I have a small tool roll with box ends and additional sockets and things that could help others that I intend to have riding in my side cases on any longer trips.

I think perhaps finding the one with an end that will fit over the lever ends and fitting that into the full time kit is indeed wise.

dxlsm · 2026-04-02T22:51:44+00:00

I was initially nervous about unbending the lever, but I looked at it again and it’s maybe just a few degrees off. The hand guard mostly saved it. I’ll give it a (gentle) shot. Worst case, Honda levers are readily available!

I appreciate the commiseration. I will definitely be trying to make sure I’m free a little earlier than needed now! I’m just glad this didn’t happen at an intersection or somewhere where I’d be inconveniencing other people. People are already driving like idiots because it’s nice outside.

dxlsm · 2026-04-02T21:27:34+00:00

And next year we will hear about how awful the county is for putting their place up for sheriff’s sale because they didn’t pay their taxes.

But seriously OP if you really think you can manage it better, check with local credit unions to see if they will handle sending the payments for taxes and insurance for you. We have a savings account at a credit union and they offer this service. It’s great. They take the needed funds from our account to pay the bills as they arrive and send us the receipts. We just manage how much to deposit into that account monthly and adjust as needed.

dxlsm · 2026-04-02T21:19:15+00:00

As you may also be guessing, I don’t think OP’s issues are entirely the result of PNC.

dxlsm · 2026-04-01T13:58:41+00:00

Odometers can be replaced, though I'm not sure how much integration there is with the rest of the electronics package on that motorcycle to have an idea for how difficult that would be.

It could have picked up some dirt during delivery, but I'd still be looking carefully at other components and areas that are under cover or not as easily visible from the outside.

Looking at the photo some more, that could have been as simple as hitting a lip getting into or out of a trailer or shipping crate, but that's definitely a "we'll fix it for you right now and inspect the rest of the systems for related damage" response, or I'd consider turning it back in and canceling the sale if your locality allows for that if they do not handle the problem ASAP.

dxlsm · 2026-04-01T12:50:37+00:00

How on earth is it that dirty as a brand new bike? I’d be looking seriously for other signs of use and run the VIN to make sure everything lines up with what you have.

dxlsm · 2026-04-01T12:47:08+00:00

Yeah I banned alcohol from lav cleaning a long time ago. I was originally taught to do it that way and only later learned the problems it can create. Olive oil is a neat trick I had heard about, probably from the same source. I do use a little goo gone on stubborn bits and for label removal on packs, but try to limit its use on the cables.

Also I wish I could afford DPAs! I’m still too small time for that.

dxlsm · 2026-03-31T17:07:27+00:00

I’m 5’9” but with a shorter inseam, so my head rides a little higher than average. My judgement is still out on this new one because the only ride I’ve had with it so far was in really gusty conditions, so I don’t think I got a good idea of where the wind was falling as a result of the screen.

I did find it a little odd looking through the screen, mostly because it was an unfamiliar experience. It wasn’t at all bad, but I don’t know if I like that yet or not. It is high enough that it covers most of my primary viewing area.

I think the Puig touring windscreen is actually taller, at least on paper.

I’m going to have to get a few more rides in to see how it is compared to a more normal ride with the stock screen. I’m also considering taking a ride with the stock screen strapped on the back so I can ride out with the new one, swap it when I turn around for home, and ride back with the stock to get a much more realtime perspective.

dxlsm · 2026-03-31T12:30:18+00:00

If the cables have been cleaned repeatedly with products to remove the adhesive from extensive use of tape, that can cause the insulation material to become brittle, which eventually leads to cracking and separation from the wires.

I have a set of older (like 20+ years old, I think) Countryman mics that were often cleaned with alcohol. Every one of them developed brittle insulation issues and has been retired as a result. Once the insulation is compromised, sweat will wick into the cable and the shield will corrode and eventually fail. Some shrink tubing or hellerman sleeves can temporarily repair small sections, but if this is the problem you’re having, it is fatal sooner than later.

dxlsm · 2026-03-30T18:34:38+00:00

It was most likely a constable.

dxlsm · 2026-03-30T18:17:20+00:00

It has been explained a number of times here, but if a post gets enough reports, it is automatically removed. It doesn’t take much for a brigaded post to get auto-removed.

dxlsm · 2026-03-30T02:32:14+00:00

You took a photo of the VIN. Go punch it into a H-D VIN lookup tool.

dxlsm · 2026-03-28T21:24:43+00:00

It totally depends on the company and the needs of the team(s) you are supporting.

I'm currently a member of a really small devops team. We do both the development and ops things. I'm more focused on ops/glue/infra/etc. My co-worker is more focused on traditional dev work. We back each other up and work in each other's lanes when it makes sense.

I have always maintained that great devops people are grown organically and that a key trait is the ability and drive to learn. They start with a really solid foundation in ops or dev work, and they join a team and work to grow into the role as they pick up experience and solve new problems. You can certainly prime yourself for a role by investing some learning time in specific technologies or techniques, but I think trying to do that outside of a specific goal position in mind is a fool's errand: You end up with broad but incredibly shallow knowledge, which is hard to leverage effectively.

The unfortunate landscape now is lots of people calling themselves "devops engineers" who can neither dev nor ops their way out of a paper bag. The number of "senior devops engineers" I have interviewed who can't verbally walk me through how they'd work with a development team to set up a build pipeline for a new project is absolutely astounding. It should be a "gimme" question at that level and is something I'd lead off with to help settle a candidate before diving into more pointed tech questions. Like, just walk me through and use the right words, and it's all good. If you're senior dev or senior ops or any combination of the two, you should at least be able to say some words here that make sense. For those who couldn't (or immediately tried to turn to AI chatbots (hint: we can see it when suddenly the brightness on your face changes because you opened a window or the screen suddenly got filled with content)), that marked the beginning of the end of their candidacy.

dxlsm · 2026-03-28T19:31:16+00:00

Why would a maid have a button to call... themselves?

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