BigDog's ATV Clunker Project

[BigDog]

Stop the music! Major news alert!*

I was at work, finishing up my morning detail, when I got a call from Tony, my QuadMan. He says he has had it rough for the past few weeks, with repairs to his place coupled with bouts of illness. He is feeling fine now, eager to get back to work, and has been working on th' Beast for the last day or two. He called to invite me down to help him paint the underside of the machine. That was unusual. He has never invited me to come down and get involved. It usually seems that he is eager for me leave, or at least he suspends work while I am there. I should have a basic idea of the end game when I get home this evening. His first question to me was, "Did you think I had lost your phone number, or forgot about you?" I have never lost faith, though a number of people around me have tried to convince me I am in a losing situation. I have had one big advantage over them....I have met and gotten to know Tony. He's an honest man.

Stay tuned...update coming down the pipe.

[curtiscapk]

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicccccccccccc ccceeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[buddy_1]

Hope you get to ride it home and go back for the truck later Buddy

[Ricko]

Good ! Th'Beast getting a new look with all new paint

I was hesitate to paint all frame but now me too i do

Previous mec on my quad was a bastard, many parts are missing.

just swingarm bolt need 8 washers, there is only 3 ...

samething on rearbrake system, shifter, etc.

i run for missing part to dealer every 15 min of work (30 min ride with car)

but now i see the light !

Ricko

[SMP63]

Cool beans!!!!!!!!! I'm excited for both of you. Standing by for what I hope is a great update BigDog!!!!!!!!

[BigDog]

OK! Here's the latest on th' Beast. Tony says that I will be riding it by the weekend. He says it is just a matter of putting it all back together. As a matter of fact, he invited me down to ride with him and he will show me his backwoods trails. His trails are in vast stretches of hardwood forest, and are probably ideal. He lives in God's country, rural central Georgia. I'm supposed to call him Friday evening to set it all up.

All I have to say is, at least I won't have to wait a month or two to find out if it actually goes down like that. It has potential. He is very close to the finish. He got the front hubs fixed, and the a-arms installed. Those were the last major things that he had to do...I think. All he talked about was putting it back together and riding it over the weekend. I'm not going to start holding my breath until about Friday at noon. We do have a track record to contend with.

Now, lets do a little post-game analysis of the trip to Tony's. What was really going on. Remember when I said that he called to invite me down to help him spray the underside of the machine? I got excited, ran out and bought a can of paint, and hauled ass down there. Well, what a goober I am. I thought it was a bit out of the ordinary for him to invite me down, much less to help him work. What did not occur to me was that it was a ploy to get me down there, face to face, to make a direct appeal for more money. The end total was mentioned for the first time, though Tony behaved as if he had informed me of said total before and that he had the impression that I was on board for it. Such was not the case. I think his memory was flawed. Maybe he dreamed he had discussed it with me and just thought it was real. Who knows, but that was the first time I had heard the total. Now, having said all that, I am fine with the total. It was about what I expected. I also saw the list he has been keeping of the various things he has done to the machine. It was pretty detailed and Tony said that I would get a cleaned up, neat copy, meaning he would re-write everything and make it look more professional. I will probably put some numbers on all this later, once I receive his list. I am actually getting a pretty good deal, after all is said and done. I made a payment on my account.

I have some pictures and comments about other aspects of the visit down there, but will put them into a different entry. I have to work on the pictures a little to get them upload ready. Stay tuned...

[tt425]

Thats good news. As people say Even the sun shines on a dog's @?? sometimes. LOL. I am glad that you stuck with Tony. Sure you could have taken it to a fancy shop. Where they wouldn't have a clue on how to fix it or even worse take it to a dealer that don't know how to work on a 2010 or older atv. These old models they won't win a beauty pageant but they have steel and are not made of cheap plastic. When maintained properly this will outlast a new model any day of the week. Notice my words about the beauty pageant. A beauty don't have a chance against "The Beast". LOL
Happy Trails.
Glad to be a small part of your project. Thank you very much.

[BigDog]

Originally Posted by tt425

Thats good news. As people say Even the sun shines on a dog's @?? sometimes. LOL. I am glad that you stuck with Tony. Sure you could have taken it to a fancy shop. Where they wouldn't have a clue on how to fix it or even worse take it to a dealer that don't know how to work on a 2010 or older atv. These old models they won't win a beauty pageant but they have steel and are not made of cheap plastic. When maintained properly this will outlast a new model any day of the week. Notice my words about the beauty pageant. A beauty don't have a chance against "The Beast". LOL
Happy Trails.
Glad to be a small part of your project. Thank you very much.

Hey Terry, good to hear from you. You know what Barney Fife would say to the whole situation, "A wink is as good as a nod, to a blind mule." Yes, it was very good news, with a bonus of going riding with him. That could turn out to be huge. He intimated that he knows of miles and miles of trails accessible from his place. Would that be convenient, or what?

I thank you again for your help, assistance, and generosity in getting it this far. Tony commented, unprompted by me, that when he got it right (meaning back together and ready to hand to me), it would be good-to-go for a long time. Then, he launched into a lecture about mixing my own gas and not using anybody elses mixture. We talked about that two-stroke engine fuel article I posted the link to some time back. I am going to print it out and take him a copy, since he don't do computers. I think he would find it enlightening.

At the risk of being totally unconventional, I don't think of th' Beast as a female machine. Th' Beast is a hoss, a stallion, a man machine. He may not win any beauty contests, but I plan to make him a lot more handsome than he is right now. Some new paint, a little ArmourAll, and some sharp accessories will increase his self-esteem tremendously. One accessory, or, better said, necessory, that will make all the difference to his self-esteem, will be the headgear I select to complement his masculinity and handsomeness. That will be critical. I must begin some serious research on helmets. I may need one before long, or at least that is the rumor.

[BigDog]

OK, boys and girls, exhale. Deep breath. Exhale. You all must praise Tony. He saved your life. He called this evening. The first words out of his mouth were, "I called to let you down." He couldn't pull it off. All kinds of things came up to interfere. I'll have more details later, but I didn't want anybody to pass out from lack of oxygen. Good, your color is coming back...

[sgtpatiolantern]

Oh man, this story has more twists than a bowl of Cheetos! Hopefully things turn around somehow. I can't speak for you but I'm really disappointed when people are let down like that.

Here's to praying that a solution comes your way!

Patrick

PS: KATT says hi to Th' Beast!