Turlock Swap Meet January 25th. 2026.

I had been feeling a bit under the weather but I decided to drive the 100 miles to the swap meet. Upon arrival I felt good enough to walk all around the fairgrounds. As this was the second day of the meet, many vendors had already left the day before. There were many vendors packing up to leave even as I arrived at around 10:30. The grounds looked pretty empty, quite a contrast to when I went there last September. Maybe this trip would be a complete waste of time.

 Rebuilding the wiper motor on my Plymouth. Part Two.

The eventual success was punctuated by a bout of frustration! In other words, it was like most other old car repairs!

The California 1000 lay dormant for a few years. 

That's my set up with the Pony Express style bags.
My buddy Rick's new XLS is to the left. Behind me,
you can see the headlight of my buddy Boyd's new Low Rider.

Then it was back! Sometimes in the early 1980's. 

Just a reminisce. Please indulge me in my rambling memories.

Rick and I went down to LA and found that the 1000 was cancelled at the last minute. So Rick and I decided to do our own 1,000 mile ride. 

Then the California 1000 was back. I signed up for it immediately.

 Two Swap Meets visited in one day.

They were held on September 21st. 2025.

An antique motorcycle swap meet was held at the Old Fisherman's club in Modesto, right on the banks of the San Joaquin river.

 "Amor de la Maquina"*.

It looks good now, but I will make it look even better!

Spanish for; "Love of the machine."

What does this mean?   

I had a custom license plate frame made that sports this sentiment.

Rebuilding the windshield wiper motor on my '46 Plymouth. Part One.

That was either a very old felt sound deadening pad
or a thick layer of dust. I'm still not sure which.

Even though my Plymouth doesn't have a heater or defroster, a working wiper would be of some benefit.

What is all this blather about the Sportster being a beginner's bike?

The junk that you read online about the Sportster
paints this picture of the rider.

What follows is a bit of a rant and a dissertation about Sportster performance.