Handsome Rob

Ahhh hell...... https://www.kuiu.com/products/venture-1800-evergreen

That's what I'd do. Put the 2 new on the rear axle, the old ones on the front.

But, to be fair, you're intelligent, talented & know exactly what you're doing. You've met me, right?

I have a MR Pop-Up 28 as my go to hunting pack. After fannying around trying to find THE backpack for years, this is as close to perfection as I've found. Sensible outside pockets & a generous lid pocket, without being bulky. Fantastic suspension & the expandable frame with adjustable height load lifters & load shelf makes sizing it up to carry heavy loads a breeze. I won't lie & say it's 'comfortable' comfortable, but it'll carry 80lb as comfortably as 80lb can be carried In its regular configuration, it's TSA size approved & a great daypack size. My one wish, would be to have the triple zipper, with a vertical zipper running, at least, to the top of the slightly smaller (drop it's height by 2") pocket. Oh, & lose a little structure in the sides of the belt. It's impossible to lay it down flat. THEN it'd be perfect.

I DETEST this part of a build. Wanna play "How much can I second guess myself?" Did I drill EVERY hole for the wiring, cables & hoses? Are all the welds completed, sanded & blended? Did I forget to round over any edges? Am I even any good at welding? It's going to fall to pieces, isn't it? Jeez.... did I check the wheel alignment? Why am I even doing this? I hate bikes. I'm middle aged! Why did I want another hardtail? And then there's the ever present existential dead & sticker shock over whether I've settled on the perfect color scheme, the cost of paint & chrome plating! Seriously! $525-575 for this little pile, plus tax & return shipping! God only knows how much the paint & gold leaf (SUCK IT GREG! ) is going to set me back!

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/223-for-bear-mountain-goat-deer-elk-and-moose.130488/page-161#post-2961500

They die just like deer do. Hit em in the right spot with the right bullet & they go down quickly. The whole "tough to kill" thing comes from years of people making bad shots, with magnum cartridges they can't shoot well & extremely tough bullets (the ones that make perfect mushrooms in the adverts) I'll take a .223 or 6mm match bullet over a .308 cal heavily constructed, "deep penetrating" bullet every day of the week.

Late to the topic, but for future reference I'm either carrying my 6.5x55 or .358win. If it was legal in Wyoming, I'd 100% take the .223 I kill everything else with. I've seriously considered building a 6mm ARC or 6x45 on a lightweight bolt action, just as a handy elk buster. Use the right bullets & don't sweat the diameter too much

I'm an idiot. Ignore me. Mine isn't a Ranch model, it's a standard youth model. Different chambering.

Huh. Mine was stamped .223 Rem.

Hey, just be aware that the Gen1 (don't know about the gen2) in .223, IS actually chambered in .223. Not 5.56 or .223 Wylde. If you're wanting to shoot heavier bullets (62gr+) you might run into problems with loaded ammo jamming into the lands. Even though they're a 1:8 twist, Ruger told me that they're chambered for common 55gr ammo. I bought mine specifically to shoot 77gr Sierra TMKs & loaded at 2.26" I was jamming them ⅛" into the rifling! I ended up having the chamber re-cut to .223 Wylde & it'll put 10 into a very sexy little 1" dot now.

If they screw it up, I still only have to pay once

I'll let the pros do it this time. It's definitely going to be cheaper!

You're not gonna believe this, but that's one of my best friends, Alex. He took the Black Bike out for a quick spin to Dolly G's and back while he was over here setting up tree stands! Happy Tails is my business!

I am, I am...... but a few accents here & there are tolerable.

If anyone can suggest a reasonably priced chrome shop, I've got a few bits & bobs that I'd really like to have dipped.

Got m'seat back! Battery's mounted up, moved the reg/rec (I wasn't happy with it hanging below the frame) fabbed up the license plate mount, made a pair of correctly sized rear wheel spaces & started working on routing (mentally) my wiring. To do list: Mount up oil & neutral lights (micro leds) License plate light Front wheel spacers (and maybe a fork brace) Mock up front brake hose & routing Re-route throttle & brake cable (I'm 99% sure I can get both in the handlebars) Mount ignition & light(?) breakers. Then I can pull it apart for paint & powder. I'm hoping to have all that done today (I'm still officially on vacation. Wyoming was a bust so I came home a week early) I still have to get all my stainless bits Tig welded (Handlebar risers, gear shift etc...I'm not good enough to do it myself)

To be fair, they're not a measure of time either

Things have progressed a little more. I fabbed my seat pan, contoured to the rear fender, & got it straight to the upholsterer. Also installed my remote front brake master cylinder. Another head scratcher... I also got the regulator/rectifier mounted under the frame & plumbed in the rear brake. Pretty much all that's left to do now is mount the battery tray & figure out a breaker panel (there's only 2), fabricate a license plate mount & then it can be stripped for powder coat & paint (hopefully) but that'll have to wait a few weeks until I'm back from Wyoming. Obviously, THAT'S the time when I figure it what I forgot, then go through the entire 'put it back together, fix it, strip it, DAMMIT, put it back together, fix it, re-strip it, $@**%!!!ing THING!, put it back together, fix it, re-re-strip it' cycle of torture occurs.

Jules & I have had exactly 1 'vacation' together in 27 years & that was a week in a tent to see if we could stand to be around each other long enough to move in together. The last time we took any kind of trip together was in 2012 to renew our I94s We live & work together & we are together pretty much 24/7 & we both understand that, occasionally, we need our own space for a while. She'll grab the most portable dog & usually go spend a few days in an AirBnB near a State park so she can go walk around in peace & quiet. I generally do one or two longer hunting trips, either out west or Texas or somewhere. Neither of us understand 'Beach' vacations, although I really enjoy sitting & watching a rod tip, waiting for a decent Redfish to bite. We also hardly ever eat together. She's vegetarian & although she doesn't mind, I won't ask her to deal with meat on my behalf. She also thinks dinner time is 5:30 while it's actually around 7ish (9-10 if I'm engrossed in doing something interesting) Sunday nights, after work, we do enjoy settling down with a good, home made, gluten free pizza though.

I bet the poor barstard that was using the torch is still emitting smoke though. Jeez. Imagine how it must've felt when the box popped open.....

DO NOT GOOGLE "what happens when you mix Ammonium Nitrate & diesel" And don't mention sugar for a couple of days. You'll end up on a list.....

So was Liberace