It's getting to be the middle of May. Things are heating up quite nicely in the Bay Area. I took a little drive this morning and it was 85°F at 10:30a!! That being said, I am in total top down mode right now!
I've been getting that Miata in pretty decent working shape lately. I adjusted the ride heights at each corner, dialed in the shocks, got the tires balanced and rotated for the first time ever on this set (after having to order a replacement key for the wheel locks, since Maaco lost my key), changed the oil and did a little reinstallation of the front tupperware parts. Best of all, I filled that hole in my dash with a new stereo system!! I decided to go a little bigger than the first time around with this car. This time, I bought a Sony Android capable head unit, I reinstalled that OEM windblocker and replaced the speakers, found some nice Infinity component drivers for the door and got a small Alpine subwoofer that fit behind my seat. The sound is amazing! It even sounds better than the sound system in the Jeep!
I did a little garage cleanup and peeled the top off the Jeep, as I get ready for a soon approaching camping trip to Yosemite. I decided to park the Miata in the small garage this time, that way I have more room for the Harley in back of it. The Jeep will have to live outside for a while.
After a lot of trouble, I was able to replace the rear tire on the Harley with a brand new Michelin Commander III tire. I was able to remove it with no problem, but when it came time to peel the old tire off the wheel, the first thing I did was puncture the old tube, so I just took the loose wheel down to my LBS to do the installation/balance. When I went to pick it up, the owner of the shop told me that they went through three inner tubes trying to get my tire installed! They had to buy some more from their vendor! Finally it was ready for pickup. I took it home and installed it on the bike. When I tried to check the air pressure, it was flat! and it wouldn't hold air! So I had to take it back. And they weren't glad to see me. A week later, I picked it up again and this time it was good. It felt great getting back on that bike again!
This coming weekend, I'll be doing an easy trip with one of the factions of the Overland Bound group. We'll all be camping on a member's private ranch land in Mariposa, then the next day doing some fire roads that will take us up into Yosemite. We'll be doing mostly paved park roads, but it will be nice just to be driving around in the Valley, as Yosemite is one of my very favorite places on this Earth! Since I will be camping solo for this trip, I decided to try going topless. It's only a 2-hour drive to Mariposa, so even if the crosswinds are killing me, I think I should be able to put up with it. Doing an off-road adventure with the top off is something I've been wanting to try for some time now.
