Jerry Smith, writer, motorcyclist, Sophie's dad.

Perfect is the enemy of good.

The Ninja's for sale--almost. I renewed the insurance yesterday so I can ride it to make sure it's still heathy before I place the ad. I'll be happy to get enough out of it to pay back what I spent on the KLR. I'll appreciate the extra garage space, too. #motosky #motorcycle

By day, a mild-mannered Prius driver. By night...

I once closed a book and made the motion for "Ctrl" +"S" with my left hand.

If you post a link to a story on Slate or NYT or some other paywalled site, and I click on it, read the first two grafs, and find out I have to sign up or subscribe to read the rest, YOU ARE MY ENEMY FOR ALL ETERNITY. STOP DOING THIS.

This is your final warning.

Just sportbikes. When I'm too old and creaky to throw a leg over my KLR650 I'll get another Miata. But until then, let's ride!

One of Smith's Laws says "There is no virtue in needless suffering." I used to love riding sportbikes but I often went just as fast on sit-up bikes, and did it far more comfortably. It took me only 73 years to shake my road-racer past and get a bike I can ride without tying myself in a knot.

Full tank (L), empty tank (R). #dogsofbluesky #goldenretriever

This '06 Ninja 650R was fun for a while but age (mine, not its) caught up with it and the sportbike crouch has to go. A wash, some maintenance, and a Craigslist ad are in its future. It didn't sell last year so fingers crossed for '26. I'll miss it, but not enough to keep it. #motosky #motorcycle

I've owned singles, twins, a triple, a buttload of fours, and two sixes. But thumpers really do it for me. Lug 'em, rev 'em, it's all the same--instant go when you crack the throttle. Motorcycles should be simple and easy to ride, not arcade games with wheels. #motosky #motorcycle

I never set the time on my microwave to begin with, so kiss my ass, DST.

"They don't make them like this anymore."

There was a good reason for that.

Good idea, worth a try. Thanks.

Wolf breaking through in three...two...one...

As I understand it, you can remove the clutch cover (on the right side of the engine), remove the clutch pack and hub, and pull the shaft out that way. For now I squeezed the clamp end of the lever in Vise-Grip for a tighter fit on the shaft. We'll see how long that lasts.

The KLR's shift lever was a loose fit on the shift shaft. Tightening the bolt didn't help. So I ordered a replacement lever and it's too loose, too, as is every shift lever in my spares box. So it's the splines on the shaft that are worn. Sigh. It never ends, does it? #motosky #motorcycle #shafted

A local fabricator shortened this an inch, welded it up, and painted it, all for $40. Upside: The lowered bike now leans at an acceptable angle when parked. Downside: It looks so good--like new, in fact--that the rest of the bike looks even shabbier. #motosky #motorcycle

Sophie's waiting for a call from Chewy about a backordered Nylabone. #dogsofbluesky #goldenretriever

If you like them, good for you. They don't work for me. There's no tactile sensation, no sense memory. I like the feel of the paper, the smell of the ink. I can read something faster than someone can read it to me. And a book's batteries never die.

They look good on that bike, especially as they complement the OD paint.

I've just found out two of the characters in my WIP don't like each other. I didn't plan that--it was a complete surprise--but it's better than what I had in mind for them so I'm leaving it in. If you can't trust people you made up, who can you trust? #amwriting #author #charactermutiny

I'm reading my 103-year-old copy of "A Tale of Two Cities." The style in Dickens's day dictated a lot of unnecessary (and confusing) commas. If he had deleted all of the ones in this book there'd have been enough room left over to call it "A Tale of Three Cities." #writingcommunity #bookskychat

Early this morning a golden bedbug hopped up on the bed, settled in, and was too damn cute to wake up. We both got an extra hour of sleep. #goldenretriever #dogsofbluesky

AKA "pantsing," as in writing by the seat of your pants, with no clear notion of where the story is going, just a general idea of landmarks along the route.

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I once bought a zipper repair kit from Aerostich, probably thinking, "I might need it someday." That was about 20 years ago. It sat on a shelf in the garage unopened until today when I fixed a broken Darien pants zipper. That must set some kind of record for foresight. #motosky #motorcycle

I'm going to write a book about writing. The first part will list the writing tips of famous authors. The second part will cross-reference the tips to show how many times two or more authors disagree about the same tip. I figure 800 pages ought to cover them all. #amwriting #author #writing

Compared to the tubeless dual-compound Dunlops on my Ninja, the KLR's tubed 70/30 Shinkos feel like riding on balloon animals. But they soak up the bumps like the Dunlops never could. I had a fine run today on a rough road I've avoided for a long time. No pain, all gain. #motosky #motorcycle

Adjust your moderation settings (click the gear-shaped icon, bottom left, then click moderation) and thereafter make liberal use of the "block account" function (click the three horizontal dots at the bottom right of a post). Worked for me.

I found a lot of this sort of thing on the KLR650 I just refurbished. I feel like I bought it from the luckiest rider in the world because he survived riding it in that condition long enough to sell it.