What have you been up to in the shed/garage recently?

[TOwenR]

I have "Pest Control Technician" among my "Jack Of All Trades" merit badges.

That was actually a fun one to earn. Gained the needed activities and requirements in Southern California. Great times...Great times


By the way,

I believe I've figured how the mice gained entry to that seemingly sealed off and inaccessible area. I've had that small little plate cover to the oil pump off on the opposite side of the engine for some time now, possibly a couple of years. I just have this little obsessive compulsive disorder thing where I like to see that 2 stroke oil is actually being delivered into the place where the magic happens.

There's a small little passageway about a pinky wide {maybe 3/8's of an inch} where Mickey and family can bring their gathered nuts into their appropriated dining room and devour all the protein, blast out the fecal pellets, and piss all over the place to their hearts content.

From now on I'm keeping that oil pump cover on. I'm also going to invest in a couple of box traps which capture the critters live. I go this route mostly just to monitor the situation. And then once I see activity, THEN is the time to resort to more medevil, barbaric, and inhumane methods such as snap traps and glue boards.

I know what I'm doing here. {at least with the pest control aspect I think }

[Alan H]

And with the 'catch 'em alive' traps, you could always donate the little sods to folks who don't have children or hobbies to keep them entertained too.

[TOwenR]

The usual procedure was to shake the box with an euphoric vigor and then dispose of the contents in a suitable location. Maybe have a cigarette afterwords, but I don't smoke anymore.

The reason for not laying out snap traps at this present time is to avoid catching anything but the intended target. Besides...there aren't likely to be any more mice until the weather turns cold.

Did I perceive some puzzlement over my use of the word "frass"? If that's the case then you are correct. After looking up the definition last night, "frass" is the accumulated matter left by insects that bore and hollow out wood and other vegetation, and not by rodents. Just one of those trade words that was picked up and adopted by me and my brother bug men.


I also did a bit of investigating over bike owners with similar rodent problems. One instance where the mice had made a nest in one of the BS style carburetors. I doubt very much that I'd find that situation on my main 550 ride as last year I had the airbox off and cut my own filters with piece of UNI filter material.{came out real nicely, BTW} And I also performed a cleaning and inspection of the carb and gaskets.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if I find evidence of past rodent nesting on that parts bike that I'll soon be working on. As previously noted, the dreaded varmints had already stored acorns in the exhaust. And this was before I had bought the bike. The person I bought it off lived about 50 miles away. Newington or Farmington I think. Not a bad investment for $300 when I see the dwindling availability and rising price tag for suzuki two stroke parts or potential restorations.


By the way...I think for the enjoyment of all concerned and perhaps even for my own future reference would be to document my progress on that parts bike with pictures. People just love pictures. About high time to break out that little Nikon, and equally opportune as I believe I'm going to but up my little Oday Javelin sailing dinghy on facebook marketplace. I'm getting too old to sail on such a platform that gets bounced on the sea like a ping pong ball. Lucky to have survived my last sea journey and I sort of swore "Never again" after that.

[karl pa]

Not really spending much time in the garage, other than replacing tires on a few of the bikes. Been out putting miles on them. No major issues with any of them, but will need to start a list of things to work on this winter. Took the GT500 on a nice 250 mile ride, but must admit it doesn't have the weight to provide the smooth ride the GT750 gives.

[A.Holley]

Currently in the garage and being worked on
1)A friends T500 motor, trying to make a good motor out of 2 that he dropped off.
2) Rebuilding a GT750J 4LS front brake to mount onto my T500 Cafe racer( ex Post Classic race bike)
3) Slow progress on my 1959 Jawa 250 ISDT replica
4) Rebuilding my 1977 Jaguar XJS V12, I know, it’s got too many wheels. Rebuilding it as a sort of 4 wheeled Cafe Racer. Loosing weight, simplifying but staying road legal.

Someone mentioned mouse problems in there workshop, we are currently having a mouse plague here in outback Aus.

Andrew Holley