Who Says You Can't Do Anything Useful on a Bike?

Today's very short track courtesy of GPS and Ham Radio

Which to Ride Today... Bike or RV?

An easy question to answer, since the RV has toasted head gaskets at minimum and possibly more serious damage within the cast iron Big Block Ford 460 pass-anything-on-the-road-but-a-gas-station engine.
The Ford Dealer Repair Shoppe checked it and proclaimed it needed a new engine and radiator;  that the radiator was not meeting flow standards and the compression tests indicated bad head gaskets due to overheating.  I drove it 9 or 10 miles today, after carefully filling the radiator with fresh water, babying it all the way trying to avoid overheating it again.  It made it home OK, although it did get overly hot, but did not boil over or pin the temperature guage into the red zone.  I noticed, according to the guage, it seems to quickly heat up toward the danger zone and then quickly fall back into safe zone, over and over, and especially if the vehicle is slowed or stopped.  I suspect at least a couple things the Ford mechanics did not mention:
- I believe the fan clutch is shot.  I used to hear it humming loudly and rarely hear it at all any more.  I think this may be what causes it to overheat so quickly when the vehicle is slowed or stopped.
- Either the new thermostat I installed is not working properly or there is a large air bubble in the cooling system, causing the rapid heating and cooling cycles I see while rolling.
Now, back to the bike.  I hadn't ridden since Thursday last, so I was itching for a catchup ride.  I decided to do the typical Post Office Run.  After I got there I decided to ride on up the last half-mile or so to an auto repair shop at the top of the hill, who just so happens to have a vacant garage-style building vacant and for rent right next door.  I was pleasantly surprised at the owner's generosity.  He agreed to the concept of me renting one bay in the building for a short term, even for a single month, at a rate much reduced from what he wants for long term renting or leasing.  He even offered some of his equipment to help out in the repair process.  The only catch is that the building is currently occupied but should be available in a little over a week from now.  So I'm looking forward to that.
On the way back home on the bike, I was rejoicing again in the improved shifting and braking of the bike since my latest repairs and modification with the welded derailleur hanger.  Hopefully my modest efforts at working on the monster RV engine will produce as much success....
Bike Trip Started:  1:06 PM    Trip Ended:  3:07 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.1        Ending Voltage: 13.1 
Lowest Temp  82 F      Highest Temp:  87 F 
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  6.36
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.7 MPH                                7.7 MPH                    34 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hours 42 mins                     49 mins  22 secs         52 mins 40 secs