Social: Online forums and communities.

One of the greatest resources for a Motorcyclist is the online communities and  forums that are available for owners to get information and tips about their passion.      But they are not all friendly.   I've been on Honda Forums, BMW forums, Yamaha Forums and others with a lot of nice guys,  but it seems the forums that are specific for motorcycles that only the retired old guys ride are full of crochety old grumpy men that will nail you to a cross if you are wrong, but don't you dare question them when you find they are wrong.   Case in point I have been wrenching and riding motorcycles for 37 years and I'm only 45.  Yes that means I have been on two wheels and working on the since I was 8 years old.  My father made sure that us boys got our hands dirty and knew what we were doing with motorcycles, so my education started early in life and stayed with me to this day.    I have rebuilt and repaired at least 6 Bikes in my lifetime,  Two brought back from the dead that others have had no hope of ever recovering and one was stored wrong back in the early 70's forgotten in a barn for 40 years and restored to running and darn good looking status.  I have rewired motorcycles, reprogrammed the Ignition system computer on newer ones, etc...   So I actually have a bit of knowledge in the arena.  So I question an old guy and try to clarify and he blows up that I dared even question his words or not take them as gospel. And no this has not only been once,  I have seen it several times on this specific board.  They will say something that is wrong and if you point it out nicely  you will get jumped on hard.  I discovered that I ride a bike that has a typical owner age of 65.  So that explains why all these guys keep dropping it on the ground in the parking lot, cant fix it them selves, and go postal on anyone that questions them nicely.    I really like a touring bike and I want to do what they are doing (Riding not complaining) before I get old  and crotchety.

And I typically try to be as friendly as I can be,  but any time you correct one of these Retired fellas who is repeating yet another bit of bad information they read elsewhere on the internet,  suddenly they wig out.  Ask for clarification or where they got the information,  they wig out.  And then let on that you are not 60+ but in fact what they consider a snot-nosed kid at 45 and they go way overboard on being insulting and raging.

I strongly suggest to lurk on most and only ask questions when you need to,  Helping others with answers is only for those with very thick skins, yes even when you post links to 5 different places that back you up you will have someone trying to shoot you down for daring to correct them.

Secondly, remember only people with problems post on the boards.  People that have zero problems with their motorcycles rarely post on the boards as they are too busy riding, so do not gauge the reliability of a bike by the number of complaints.  Knowing what common failures are is one thing,  obsessing on them is another.  Look for real failure rates.  I found the rear drive of my BMW has a failure rate of around 4-7%  That is so low that I do not even need to think about it.  Yet on the forums it sounds like every BMW is a ticking time bomb waiting for the Rearend to explode at any moment.

My point is,  be nice to your  fellow riders no matter where you are or how you feel.  Being a grumpy old coot only destroys your own reputation and makes others look down on you.  I lose a lot of respect for every old fart online that goes all grumpy rage over another person,  it shows that they may be old but they are not wise.

How to use a real coffee percolator.

Trying to get in one last camping trip this season,  and because it's gonna be cold, I'm packing the campfire percolator pot.  Some people say these ruin coffee,  Others say it's the best coffee made.  I say it's easier than packing the stove, french press, grinder, etc...  plus it is the ONLY way to make safe coffee from "questionable" water sources.  It's why it was highly popular with our grandparents and in the wild west.

First,  ignore everything you read out there on the internet,  all of those people are dead wrong.  Looking at temperatures, etc...  This is not how you use these,  this type of coffee pot boils the ever living heck out of your coffee.   It will look different, taste different, and burn the snout out of your mouth if you drink it right away out of the pot.  At the turn of the last century, this is how it was made and it was left on the campfire for 10 or so minutes and then set to the side in a cooler but still hot spot.

Step 1- grind.  You are not going to buy the proper coffee for this pot, you need to grind your own and do a very coarse grind.  Look at the holes in the bottom of the basket,  your grinds need to be larger than those holes.   Not all of it will stay in the basket, you will get some in the bottom of the pot for that last cup swill to be extra special.  I also recommend against using ANY flavored or foo-foo coffee, this brewing method will strip out all of those flavors completely. Get a good medium or mild roast, if you want to really endure what Grand-dad and Great Grand-dad endured,  get a "bold" roast and be ready to swear like a sailor.

Step 2 - prep the pot.   you need to really make 5-7 or more cups in these for them to work right.  A standard old world coffee cup or coffee mug was actually close to 1 cup of water.  Today we drink out of high society venti tapered side drinking devices designed to funnel the aromas...  If that is all you have, get out a measuring cup for the water, if you are lucky your pot has a line showing different cup levels.   Now get that grind and put in the basket 1 heaping tablespoon of coffee grinds per cup of water.  and add another tablespoon "for the pot"  Believe me, it makes a difference to "waste" that last tablespoon.  carefully assemble the parts, putting the spreader on top of the basket and place it in the pot carefully.

Step 3 -  Boil the hades out of it.   This is where 90% of the internet is flat out wrong.  They say start on low, and watch this or that...  No.   Turn it on high and try to launch that thing to the moon,  you need to get it boiling to get the whole process started,  once you can see it is percolating, then turn the heat down.   How much depends on how cold it is outside and how the pot acts.    Over a campfire you don't have a "turn it down" option so just let her rip for 5 minutes.   If you are lucky you have a glass bulb on the top so you can see it percolating.  If you have one of the older ones just pop the lid once in a while to make sure it's still spitting water and coffee up the tube in the middle.

Step 4 - take it off the heat and let it sit,  This coffee is a LOT hotter than the stuff out of your modern coffee maker.  let it sit a bit or pour a cup and let that sit if you want to drink it faster.  You will notice it looks very different,  more cloudy.  This is actually how coffee is supposed to look unlike the over filtered stuff we drink today.

You will notice it tastes different.  it's because you boiled it and technically over extracted.  Some people love this flavor, others find it vile.   I find it's a lot better than the instant stuff and on a cold morning over a campfire.....  It's the best coffee in the world.