September 2025 – The ExhaustNotes Blog

TriggerShims Bolt Shims

By Joe Berk

I should have known better. Before I tried good buddy Lance’s bolt shims (at TriggerShims.com), I was a bit skeptical even though another of Lance’s products had worked (and is still working) very well for me. I installed Lance’s cylinder shims on my Model 60 Smith and Wesson revolver a few years ago and they solved a lot of ills, including excess cylinder gap, difficulty in opening the cylinder, velocity loss, and double action misfires. The Model 60 is completely reliable now (I’ll include a link to that story at the end of this blog).

The above notwithstanding, though, I was still skeptical about bolt shims. I didn’t understand the concept of rimfire rifle bolt shimming, and that fueled my cynicism. I mean, on a bolt action rifle, what is there to shim?

I called Lance at TriggerShims and spoke with him. Lance said his customers tell him bolt shims work, but I wouldn’t know until I tried them. I was up for it. I had two rimfire rifles I felt should be more accurate: A Remington Custom Shop Model 504 and a CZ 452 Varmint model. The CZ would shoot moderately well off and on (it wasn’t consistent); the Remington was a major disappointment from the day I bought it. It was expensive and for something coming from Remington’s Custom Shop, I expected a lot more. The Custom Shop 504 rifle is beautiful, its walnut stock is fabulous, but its groups were poor.

The Concept

When you get a set of bolt shims from Lance, you get five in varying thicknesses. The shims are color coded so you don’t have to guess at what they are or measure them. The package looks like you see below.

A pack of TriggerShims’ bolt shims. Note the color coding on the shims. Five shims come in a package; the fifth one from the envelope you see above now resides in my Remington Model 504.

How Bolt Shims Work

Most rimfire bolt action rifles’ bolts are different than centerfire bolts. On a centerfire bolt, the bolt locks into the receiver at the front of the bolt. On most rimfire bolt action rifles, the bolt locks into the receiver at the bolt handle, the forward portion of the bolt extends forward to meet the rifle’s breech, and the bolt’s locking lug is integral to the bolt handle. Typically (as is the case on my CZ 452 and Remington 504), the forward portion of the bolt is actually two separate and concentric cylinders, with the forward part of the bolt able to move forward on the inner cylinder (i.e., closer to the chamber) if it is shimmed to do. You can see it in my Model 452 CZ bolt in the photos below.

The CZ 452 bolt disassembled. The arrow points to the 0.002-inch TriggerShims shim placed on the bolt shank.

Now consider headspace, the amount of clearance between the cartridge base and the bolt face. If there’s too much headspace, case separations can result when the brass case stretches during firing. Not enough headspace, and you can’t close the bolt. You might wonder: Why not simply have line-to-line contact in the chamber between the cartridge and the chamber, with zero headspace when the bolt is closed? That could work if you always shot with cartridge cases from the same manufacturer, there was no variation in the cartridge cases, there was no variability from rifle to rifle, you always fired your weapon at the same ambient temperature, and you always let it cool completely between shots. These qualifiers are unrealistic, so rifle manufacturers add clearance (i.e., headspace) so that the bolt can always close on any rifle they manufacture when using any kind of ammo meeting the cartridge’s external dimensional specifications at any reasonable temperature.

On a centerfire bolt action rifle, we can use tricks like neck sizing the case (instead of full length resizing the case) so that if that case was previously fired in the same rifle, a reloaded cartridge will have much less clearance between the cartridge case, the bolt face, and the chamber walls. This often works with a centerfire cartridge if, when reloading the cartridge, we only resize the case neck (that’s called neck sizing). Sometimes it’s an easy way to shrink groups (i.e., to make your reloaded ammo more accurate).

We don’t reload .22 ammo, though. So what can we do to eliminate unnecessary headspace? That’s where TriggerShims’ bolt shims enter the picture. The idea is that instead of increasing the length of the brass case to eliminate unnecessary headspace, we push the bolt face forward (toward the rifles’ chamber) to shrink the headspace. In the photo above, you can see where the TriggerShims bolt shim fits between the bolt handle and the bolt’s outer cylinder. When the bolt is assembled with the bolt shim installed, it looks like this:

The arrow points to the bolt shim. It pushes the bolt face forward 0.002 inches.

The bolt shim is visible from the bolt underside. Because the bolt locks with a lug on the bolt handle casting, the forward portion of the bolt sits further forward when the bolt shim is installed.

The package from TriggerShims contains five shims of different thicknesses, color coded by thickness. Lance doesn’t know how much shimming your bolt might need, and initially you don’t either. One approach is to go at this question as you would when developing a load for a centerfire rifle; i.e., trying different powders, powder charges, etc., except the sole independent variable is shim thickness. Here, the questions are how much excess headspace is there in your rifle, and how much should you remove to optimize accuracy?

The best approach to answering the above questions is to take the shims to the range, and with your preferred ammo, shoot groups with no shims, the 0.0015-inch shim, the 0.002-inch shim, the 0.003-inch shim, the 0.004-inch shim, and the 0.005-inch shim, and then select the shim that provides the greatest accuracy. Theoretically, if you switched ammo brands, you could repeat the process and find the best shim for the new ammo. It’s very clever.

Me? I’m lazy. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos describing the above and I decided I didn’t want to disassemble and then reassemble my bolt at the range, so I simply installed the 0.002-inch shim on both my CZ 452 Varmint and my Remington Custom Shop Model 504. (The Model 504 bolt shim installation is very similar to how it’s done on the CZ.)

The Results

Does it work? In a word, yes. I wouldn’t have believed it without trying it myself. I’m here to tell you the results are nothing short of amazing.

Remington Model 504

As I mentioned at the start of this blog, my Model 504 was a real disappointment. Yeah, it’s beautiful, with deep, lustrous bluing and gorgeous walnut.

My Custom Shop Model 504. It sure is pretty.

But the Model 504 didn’t group well with any ammo. That was a surprise, partly because of the rifle’s price, partly because of the Remington Custom Shop’s reputation for stellar performance, and partly because the rifle was glass bedded from the Custom Shop. I did my online research (ass backwards, as usual, after I bought the rifle) and I learned that Model 504s are known for lousy accuracy. I tried screwing around with relieving the bedding where it interfered with the barrel attaching screw, I tried different action screw torques, and I tried different ammo. Nothing worked. I thought I had been stuck with a beautiful rifle that was essentially a paperweight. Here are a couple of typical groups from the Model 504 at 50 yards with Eley Target ammo (which is good stuff) before I installed the bolt shim.

A Model 504 typical pre-bolt-shim-installation 5-shot group at 50 yards.

Another pre-bolt-installation group at 50 yards from the Model 504. Before installing the bolt shim, I would have considered this a good group from this rifle.

As you can see, they are what we in the engineering world would call lousy. The groups would vary, seldom going as low as that 1.041-inch group you above. Mostly they were awful.

I then installed a 0.002-inch trigger shim on the Model 504 and I tried it again. Wow! Look at this!

A dramatic and immediate improvement with the 0.002-inch bolt shim. This first group with the bolt shim installed was shocking. It got even better (see below).

The next group from the Model 504 with the bolt shim. I’m a believer.

When I saw those groups through the 12X Weaver scope on my Model 504, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In my mind, I could hear Lance’s calm voice in our recent telephone conversation telling me there’s no guarantees, but folks say they work. Indeed they do!

CZ452 Varmint

I was blown away by the Model 504’s improved accuracy with the addition of the 0.002-inch bolt shim, so I wanted to try it on the CZ.

The CZ has always shot better than the Model 504. Here’s a typical 10-shot group with the CZ452 before I installed the bolt shim:

I meant to shoot a 5-shot group before installing the bolt shim, but I shot 10 instead. It’s a typical group from the CZ before I installed the bolt shim.

What you see above is what the CZ would do at 50 yards with Eley Target ammo in my hands. Sometimes it would do a little better. Sometimes it would do a little worse. I’m not that great a shot; other people could probably do better. But it’s typical for me. I wanted it to do better.

The TriggerShims 0.002-inch bolt shim went into the CZ and again, my response was: Wow!

One little tiny 0.002-inch bolt shim and voila!

Someone once said only accurate rifles are interesting. These two rifles suddenly became much more interesting with the addition of TriggerShims bolt shims.

The Bottom Line

As the saying goes, your mileage may vary. But I’m convinced: Bolt shims work. I might be able to improve my groups even more if I experimented a bit with different shim thicknesses, but I’m more than pleased with what I saw after trying my simple and unscientific “install the 0.002-inch shim and see what happens” approach. This really is a great product. If you want to improve a bolt action .22 rifle’s accuracy, check out TriggerShims. You can thank me later.

Pretty Wood

People sometimes ask how I find guns with exceptional wood. It’s easy. I can’t pass a gun shop without stopping, and I spend a lot of time on gun forums. Every once in a while, I’ll see a rifle with walnut that speaks to me. The Model 504 you see here came from First Stop Guns (they’re in Rapid City, South Dakota) when Susie and I were out there touring that part of the country. I spotted the CZ 452 on a forum post and I sent a message to the owner asking if he would sell it to me. The first answer was no, but a year later the owner contacted me and asked if I was still interested. You know the answer to that one.

Pretty lumber indeed, and now they are both shooters. The CZ 452 is on the left; the Custom Shop Model 504 is on the right. You don’t often see .22 rifles with wood like this. For that matter, you don’t often see centerfire rifles with this kind of wood, either.

About that Model 60 cylinder shim story I mentioned…

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A Sign From God?

By Joe Berk

At this point in my life, I realize it’s an itch I’ll probably never get to scratch: The need to own a Moto Guzzi. It started back in the early 1970s, when I was exploring rural northern New Jersey on my ’71 CB 750 Honda (yes, there were and still are rural parts of New Jersey). I had stopped for gas at a sort of combination general store and gas station when a pair of full dress Moto Guzzis rumbled by. I heard them first, before I saw them, and from the sound I thought it would be a couple of Harleys. Moto Guzzis sound a lot like Harley-Davidsons. Moto Guzzis were new in America, and these were the first I had ever seen. They burbled on by, leaving a lasting image and their captivating ExhaustNotes in my mind.

Ewan and Charlie, at it again. The Long Way Home is a good show. It somehow felt much more real watching these guys on older bikes battling the weather and old bike breakdowns. I enjoyed this one much more than the other McGregor and Boorman series.

So, about this sign from God business: A few days ago while channel surfing on Apple TV+, I saw another “Long Way” series from Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. I had seen the other series from Ewan and Charlie and thought they were silly, almost an affront to real adventurers, guys like Dave Barr who had ridden around the world. You know, two dilletantes with more money than talent cashing in on the adventure motorcycle craze, versus Dave Barr, the real deal, a guy who rode around the world on his own dime on a trashed-out old Super Glide, one of the most unreliable motorcycles ever. Not finding anything more interesting as I brainlessly surfed through Apple’s offerings, The Long Way Home got a click from me. This time, the boys were on old bikes, an old BMW boxer and an old Moto Guzzi. It was the Guzzi that got my attention. I’m watching (and enjoying) the series. I’ll have a review of it posted here on ExNotes in the near future.

There can be no doubt about this shop’s focus on Moto Guzzis.

Then another thing happened. I visited Moto Guzzi Classics in Signal Hill and found myself in a sea of old Guzzis, like the stunning El Dorado you see at the top of this blog. Several of the old Guzzis were former police bikes, and I’ve always had a fascination for police motorcycles (I wrote a book about police bikes a few years ago).

Mark, the proprietor, specializes in bringing old Guzzis back to life. Mark doesn’t usually do 100-point restorations; Moto Guzzi Classics’ forte is in resurrections. You know, finding old bikes and getting them running again, kind of like Joe Gresh has done on his Zed and is currently doing on his Honda Dreams.

Mark let me snap a few photos of the 850 El Dorado and a former CHP police bike in his shop when I visited recently. It sure was fun.

Patina to an exponent. Mike Wolf and Joe Gresh would love this place.

This is a good portrait-oriented moto photo. I like getting pictures framed this way, capturing both the engine and the gas tank.

Another photo of the CHP Moto Guzzi. It’s strange, realizing that that guys who rode these bikes are all retired now.

An old-school siren. It was powered by the rear tire. When the officer actuated the cable, the siren’s drive rotated into the rear tire. I used to have bicycle siren on my Schwinn when I was a kid that worked the same way (at least until the neighbors told me to knock it off).

The El Dorado’s certified speedometer. These were calibrated at regular intervals in case an offender challenged the ticketing officer’s accuracy in court.

The amber spotlights shown here were red when this bike was on active duty. Mere civilians can’t run police lights on their bikes.

So, about this sign from God business: I had to think that with all the Guzzi inputs occurring lately (The Long Way Home and the visit to Moto Guzzi Classics in Signal Hill), maybe it was a sign. Maybe there’s a Guzzi in my future? I thought so, until I realized there just aren’t any dealers around me to work on them. I think there’s one in Glendale, but Gresh and I had a bad experience with the Enfield provided by that dealer for our Baja adventure a few years ago. I think the next closest one is 120 miles away in San Diego. That was enough to sour me on the idea of a new Guzzi. But maybe a used one? Hey, who knows?

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A Summer Road Trip: Part II

By Bobbie Surber

I think the lucky amongst us are born with a lust for nature and a deep-seated bug to get to as many National Parks as possible. Out of 63 National Parks, I’ve been to 41 so I’ve still got some work to do. I’m not helping with this road trip as it is a return to some of my favorites.

In Part I, we visited Mesa Verde National Park then made our way to Ouray, Colorado. That’s where I will pick up my story.

Tom is a late riser; I’m up before sunrise whether I’ve gone to bed with the sunset or stayed up past midnight. This morning was no different, and yet it was. Right before dawn, I awoke to a single gunshot, adrenaline pumping, I waited for another shot or noise from the distant camper. Drifting back to sleep I wondered what had warranted the single shot? Mystery solved, a camper nearby forgot and left out his cooler, along comes mama bear with two cubs in tow. Let me tell you, once a bear is in your cooler they are not leaving until they have finished with everything you got! Well, a good story for the camper and a reminder that a bear that interacts with humans is often a dead bear so keep your campsite tight!

Finally crawling out of the tent just as the sky started to lighten, I brewed a cup of coffee with my AeroPress and built my last fire in Colorado. Taking some time to watch the sun start to light up the tips of the peaks above our steep and narrow valley floor, thinking about the day to come.

Coffee consumed and the fire dying down I got to work packing up the camp, leaving only the tent with a lightly snoring man to complete the breakdown. Tom eventually made it out of the tent with the promise of hot coffee and cold juice to get his day rolling.

While a bit sad to leave the alpine world of Ouray, we had the promise of a hotel room to wash off the stench of five nights camping and hiking to keep us motivated to knock out this day of driving to Utah. We drove out of Ouray on the last of the Million Dollar Highway, Route 550 towards Ridgway picking, up Route 50 through Fruita and on to Route 139 to our destination of Vernal, Utah.

A shower along with another fine dinner of enchiladas and the most powerful margarita I’ve ever had, made for a great evening in this little town. If you ever find yourself in Vernal, well I assume you are lost or really like dinosaur tracks but hey, if you do stay there the nicest staff is at the Wyndham Micro Hotel and if you love authentic Mexican food, then I highly recommend a visit to Plaza Mexicana on Main Street. Don’t forget to take your picture with the giant pink dinosaur before leaving town!

After a restful night and a full stomach, we continued north toward Pinedale, Wyoming, planning to camp before hitting the Tetons. This would set us up for an early arrival to Grand Tetons the next morning, allowing an extra few hours in the day to explore the park.

We pulled into Pinedale, stopping to restock our wine supply and invest in a decent bottle of single malt Scotch with the good luck of having a ranger station next door. The first ranger, an older woman, said no way will we find a campsite, but a younger gal told us to ride up the road to Lake Fremont Campground.

Score! This place has earned a spot on my list to return to. Perched in a shaded camp spot overlooking the lake we had a lazy afternoon watching the clouds move across the foothills, threatening a rain that never came.
With the Tetons looming ahead and Yellowstone just a drive away, we settled in for the night—excited for what the next day would reveal. More on that in Part III.

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A Summer Road Trip: Part I

By Bobbie Surber

For as long as I can remember I have loved summer road trips and a chance to camp. My mom tells me (with a bit of frustration in her voice) “you are just like your dad!” True enough, I am that indeed. My dad, being disabled, had restricted mobility but driving, camping, and fishing he could do. I learned at an early age that the mountains meant freedom, that a campfire and a rustic meal cooked over an open flame with my gateway to a good life!
Add to that, Arizona in August is no fun with daily temperatures reaching 100+ degrees and after 10 weeks laying low while Tom recovered from his motorcycle accident we were ready to roll! So, when friends invited us up to Yellowstone we jumped at the chance!

Pulling out of Sedona August 6th for a two-week road trip, car loaded with camping gear, our first stop was Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The ancient stone homes you see in the photo at the top of this blog are in Mesa Verde.

As lead-foot Tom tore up Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff, Arizona we realized if we detoured a half hour we could go to Genaro’s Café, a local favorite for New Mexican food. Easy decision, in three hours I would have a plate of the best enchiladas and tamal in front of me covered with true red chili sauce, not that crap they call enchilada sauce! Try their stuffed Sopapilla if you dare as well as their green chili. God, I want to drive back for another plate just writing about the place.

A full belly, we pulled out of Gallup heading for Shiprock and on to Colorado. Eventually the western town of Cortez that I know so well came into view. Soon we would arrive at our night’s destination.

Mesa Verde National Park is a favorite stop of mine, I’ve camped here countless times on my motorcycles and always feels like coming home. Morefield Campground is spacious, clean and sets you up for visiting the ruins the next day. The highlights of this park are the ranger led tours, four tour options with my favorite being the Balcony House Tour – The most adventurous for sure and involves climbing a 32-foot ladder, crawling through a narrow tunnel, and climbing stone steps with handholds. A one-hour tour focused on how Ancestral Pueblo people lived.

After our adventure back in time we took off for cooler ground, driving along RT 145 from Cortez to Telluride then joining the famous Million Dollar Highway, an epic road filled with tight sweeps and stunning views. Just don’t take your eyes off the road as guard rails can be few and far between!

With a few stops for fuel and campfire wood we made it to our destination for the next three nights camping above one of my favorite towns, Ouray, CO, a turn-of-the-century gold and silver mining town. The area is nicknamed “Switzerland of America” due to its dramatic Alpine setting, complete with restored Victorian homes and hot springs aplenty. We found a sweet remote campsite off Yankee Boy Basin and set up home for the next three nights.

We spent the following days and nights indulging in cold nights around a campfire, hitting our Jamison Whiskey to help with the adjustment to tent camping and hiking some of my favorite trails between Ouray and Silverton.
When you visit, I highly recommend a dip in the hot springs and several waterfall hikes that never disappoint. My favorite being Ice Lake Falls. My last tip is stopping at Ouray Grocery Store, going back to their meat counter, picking up a grass raised hunk of beef and burning that baby on your campfire to a perfect medium rare, serve with a side of potatoes and a nice Malbac and I guarantee you are going to have a great night.

Next up: The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone!

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A Case XX Candy Stripe Whittler

By Joe Berk

In the pocketknife world, Case is an old school, respected, made in America marque that has been around for a long time. I’ve written before about Case knives. Case makes a very reasonably-priced, premier American product. They are a first-class item.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when a Priority Mail item showed up in my mailbox (my real mailbox, not the Outlook one on my screen). I saw that it was from good buddy TK halfway across the country, but I had no idea what it would be. I knew TK from my CSC Motorcycles days, when we both worked at the company. Those were good times and TK was a good guy. We shared common interests in motorcycles, guns, knives, and other things. TK and I rode the Death Valley rally on CSC Mustangs. TK had previously worked at a knife shop, and it’s been said that his name was short for “Tommy Knives.”

When I opened the box from TK, it was Christmas Day here in California. TK had sent a beautiful Case XX two-bladed folder, one that I had never seen or known about previously.

I took a photo and uploaded it to Google to learn what this new-to-me collectible was, and it was indeed a collectible item. A Case XX Whittler, to be specific, with candy stripe scales, made in 2001. Very, very cool.

You might be wondering what Case’s “XX” denotes, as did I. Here’s what Google said:

The “XX” on Case knives…signifies that the blade has undergone a specific heat-treating process, specifically that it was tempered and tested twice for strength and durability.

Historically, the “XX” mark originated as a quality control system during the heat-treating process at W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. When blades were initially hardened in the furnace, an “X” was marked on the pan. A second “X” was added when the blades returned to the oven for tempering, indicating they had been properly and fully treated. Today, the Case “XX” trademark serves as a distinction of the quality and craftsmanship inherent in each knife.

This is a very nice and much appreciated gift, TK. Thanks very much!

A sad note to this story: I wrote this blog a couple of weeks ago, and then I learned a couple of days ago that TK passed away after undergoing heart surgery (TK passed on 18 September). Godspeed, TK. Our thoughts are with you. I enjoyed your friendship and you will be missed.

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Reno’s National Automobile Museum

By Joe Berk

Back in the 1970s when I was in the Army, I was eligible for what the government called “Space A” flying. “Space A” was space availability, and what it meant is that if a US military aircraft had an open seat, I could grab it (and a free ride) to wherever that aircraft was going. Having never been to California (and a lot of other places back in those days), I copped a free C-141 seat out of McGuire AFB and flew to Travis Air Force Base in California. The plan was to fly out to the west coast and then travel by Greyhound bus back to New Jersey. You know, the “leave the driving to us” guys.

My first bus stop was Reno, Nevada, and while I was there I visited Harrah’s auto collection. It was the largest car collection in the world in the 1970s, with more than 1800 automobiles (or 1400, depending on which source you believe). Bill Harrah was a rich guy with a casino and an overwhelming interest in cars of all types.

Harrah passed away in 1978, and Holiday Inn bought his hotel and casino in 1980. The guys at Holiday Inn auctioned off the car collection, but when they first announced the sale of the auto collection, the City of Reno kicked up a stink. So, Holiday Inn donated 175 cars from the collection for a future auto museum. Those 175 cars became the nucleus for what is now the National Automobile Museum located in downtown Reno. Susie and I rode up there recently to explore the place and grab a few photos for an upcoming magazine article. We had a great visit. It was fun.

My principal interest was the collection’s motorcycles. When I first spoke to folks at the Museum, I was told they only had three motorcycle (a 1946 Harley, a 1941 Indian, and a (yawn) chopper), but I found there were quite a few more.

The National Auto Museum’s 1941 Indian, with a matching sidecar.

A chopper. You see one, you’ve seen them all.

Our motorcycle discoveries as we wandered about in the Museum included a GSXR race bike and a full-dress Cushman scooter. The Cushman reminded me of my days with CSC when we first built a resurrected version of the old Mustang motorcycle.

A full-dress Cushman scooter. Cushmans are cool, Mustangs are cooler.

Another motorcycle exhibit included motorcycles that had been featured in different movies, including the Ghostbusters bike and others.

Bruce Willis’ ride, a hover turbine bike. I missed this movie when it was in the theatres.

We saw the BluesMobile near the movie bikes. The Blues Brothers has to be one of the best movies ever made. Whenever I see it on TV or on any of our streaming video channels, I’ll watch it. The music is incredible. Akroyd was incredible. Aretha, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway were awesome. Belushi was incredible (he died way too young). The Blues Brothers doing Rawhide was incredible (I included a YouTube of this at the end of this blog). The Blues Brothers was a great movie; I think it is one of the best ever. Seeing the BluesMobile from that show was a treat.

The BluesMobile. It was a featured car in The Blues Brothers.

The National Auto Museum is arranged in four large galleries showcasing different automobile categories, with other collections in the hallways separating the galleries. The first gallery held cars from the earliest days of the automobile. The galleries were almost overwhelming; there was just so much to take in. Even though the Harrah collection downsized dramatically when Holiday Inn acquired the business, there are still a lot of things to see.

One of the Museum’s four halls, this one featuring very early automobiles.

Sue chatting up one of the docents working on a beautiful Mercedes Benz from the 1930s.

Another of the Museum’s halls featured custom cars.

One of the “in between the main galleries” exhibits was a collection of sports cars previously owned by Paul Newman. The collection was later purchased by Adam Carolla and is now displayed in the Museum.

The Paul Newman collection, owned by Adam Carolla.

Another gallery featured a collection of cars from the 1950s and 1960s. Several had my attention. One was a gorgeous white two-seat Lincoln Continental Mark II powered by a Chrysler Hemi engine. Another was a 1966 Plymouth with a 426 Hemi engine, a car I drooled over back the ’60s.

This Mark II had a Chrysler Hemi engine.

There were other cars tucked into hallway exhibits, including one I knew from my days as a very young teenager. It was Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Beatnik Bandit, a futuristic, supercharged, bubble-topped hot rod. One of its features was that the car was completely controlled by a centrally-mounted yoke (the yoke controlled the throttle, the brakes, and the steering). Revell released a 1/25-scale Beatnik Bandit model in 1963 (I built one of the model kits). The Beatnik Bandit is permanently etched in my memory, and seeing the actual car was a treat. I had never seen it before.

Ed Roth’s Beatnik Bandit. Note the passenger compartment yoke.

A custom pickup truck powered by an aircraft radial engine.

There’s a garage to the left as you enter the Museum, and there were interesting cars in there for service (I asked if I could enter the garage; the answer was no).

The Elvis Eldo, with Harrah’s orange Jerrari parked ahead of it.

One of the cars in the garage to be service was Elvis Presley’s all-white Cadillac Eldorado. Another one that would make for an interesting display (and it probably is on display when not being serviced) was Bill Harrah’s “Jerrari.” In addition to being fabulously wealthy and the owner of Harrah’s casinos, Harrah was the Ferrari distributor for the western United States. He lived up in Tahoe, and coming down (or going up) the road from Reno to Tahoe can be an exciting experience when there’s snow or ice on the road (I know this from personal experience). Harrah had his guys put a V-12 Ferrari engine in a Jeep Wagoneer. You can just spot Harrah’s Jerrari in the photo (it’s the orange vehicle out ahead of the Elvis Eldo).

The National Automobile Museum is a solid 10 in my book. We traveled up US Highway 395 to Reno (a magnificent road with great scenery through the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains), and the Museum was well worth the trip. Like a lot of America’s cities, Reno has become a bit sketchy and it seems its streets are overrun with refugees from the Star Wars bar scene. That said, we enjoyed our visit. One of Reno’s best kept secrets is an absolutely fabulous breakfast restaurant (The Two Chicks). Their chile relleno omelet was delicious. Dos Chicas is another spot that, all by itself, is worth a ride up to Reno. It was that good.

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A Rough Ridin’ Tater Skin Big Folder

By Joe Berk

You know I’m a knife nut. The collecting craze came to me late in life, and I’ve been making up for lost time. You also know that when you buy anything from any retailer, you’re deluged for life with an endless stream of emails pitching more products. Those emails work (at least they do on me), and sometimes they light a match that can’t be extinguished. That’s what happened here. An email floated in from an online knife retailer touting a sale, with a photo of a knife that that caught my attention.

So I clicked and the ad brought me to the online retailer’s website, but the knife wasn’t there. I spent a good half hour looking through hundreds of knives from that manufacturer (Rough Ryder) on the retailer’s site, and I couldn’t find the one in the ad above. I emailed the retailer asking about it, and didn’t get a response. I emailed the retailer again the next day and there still no response. On Day 3, I called the retailer. They apologized for not answering my emails and promised a response that day. They kept their word, but I didn’t like the answer: The knife was out of stock and they had no plans to order more. I also received an email from the man who owned the knife store. He apologized for the ad. That was a nice touch and it kept those guys on my “go to” list. But I still wanted the knife and they didn’t have it. Compounding the felony, the knife importer (Rough Ryder) didn’t have the knife shown above on their website, either.

I didn’t know anything about the knife, including its size or anything other than the fact that it was a folder and the scales were brown burlap Micarta. I Googled those terms and found the knife on Amazon! Woo hoo! I knew I had promised Susie I was done buying knives for a while, but you know how that goes. Add to cart, buy, etc. It arrived the next day.

Man, this is a big knife. Please, no jokes or questions about what I am compensating for. I just like these things and they are so inexpensive, I’m indulging whatever underlying cranial miswiring is fueling this collecting affliction. I sent a quick photo to Bowie-fabricating good buddy Paul, and he asked me how big it is. That led to more iPhone photos and this blog.

I learned on Amazon the knife is the Rough Ryder Deer Slayer, and the Rough Ryder series with brown burlap Micarta scales is their Tater Skin line. The Rough Ryder Deer Slayer isn’t offered any longer, but you can still find them on Amazon and one or two other retailers. The Amazon price is $39.97, and for a knife this size, that’s pretty reasonable.

The Rough Ryder Deer Slayer is nicely packaged. The box is fiberboard (cardboard, basically) and it probably won’t stand up to constant opening and closing, but it is nice. The knife doesn’t come with a sheath (or a holster, like a Buck does), which would have been even nicer. But it’s still pretty cool.

The blade is 4 inches long, and the knife (with the blade out) is almost 10 inches. This is a big knife.

The blade material is 440 stainless (it is razor sharp), and the brown burlap Micarta scales are aesthetically pleasing. The blade is a slip joint, which means it opens and closes like a regular pocketknife. The spring that holds it in either the open or closed position is strong, and I’m ultra-careful closing this one, making sure my fingers are out of the blade’s path as the knife is being closed.

The bottom line: I like the Rough Ryder Deer Slayer. I’ll probably never do anything with the Deer Slayer other than look at it (I’m certainly not going to slay Bambi with it). But I like it. If you want one, you should act fast as the knife is no longer being made. Amazon has a few in stock, and then that’s it.

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ExNotes Review: Shenzhen 4000 Inverter Generator

By Joe Gresh

My nesting work here at the ranch is taking me further away from electrical power. A 100-foot extension cord isn’t cutting it anymore. The little Harbor Freight Tailgator has been a trooper, but 700-watts isn’t enough for the electric jackhammer or two concrete mixers at once, and besides that the urge to spend money is strong.

Lots of buttons and outlets on the 4000. A 12-volt cigarette lighter outlet is unusual for cheap stuff.

A cool little fuel gauge is fitted to the top of the tank.

Rated 3200 continuous and 4000 surge, the ‘Zhen seems to power most anything up to 26 amps. That’s four times as much as the Tailgator.

The 30-amp, RV-type plug is great for welding.

But you’ll need an adaptor to plug your light duty flux core into the 4000.

This handy float bowl drain is a must-have for today’s crappy, alcohol laced fuel. Drain it after every use.

I’d like to see a little more weld on the frame. It would only take 30 seconds.

The inverter lives under the fuel tank. This is where the magic happens converting DC into AC.

Unlike a normal genset that hangs the AC portion off of the crankshaft opposite the pull start, the Shenzhen incorporates the power source inside the blower area and the rope start.

The generator came complete with a cute tool kit. You won’t get far with it but the thought counts.

The muffler isn’t super quiet like a Honda but it costs a lot less. The ShenZhen is around 63 decibels using my seat of the ear dyno.

I have more than the usual number of generators: in addition to the Tailgator, there’s a 10,000-watt Italian-Honda mash up and a 9,000-watt Predator (also from Harbor Freight), but both of those machines are heavy and hard to move on the steep and rocky New Mexico terrain we are currently beating into submission.

I wanted something light-ish that I could toss in a truck or carry downhill to a terracing job. It needed to have enough juice to run my equipment loads and if it could power the flux-core welder, that would be ideal.

At 60 pounds the Shenzhen 4000 seemed like the way to go. Amazon reviews on the generator were mostly good.

The ‘Zhen 4000 is an inverter-type generator. Unlike a standard AC generator which must run at a steady RPM to make 60 cycles per second, an inverter generator makes DC power (zero cycles or one endless cycle, depending on how you look at it). That DC is then converted to AC by an inverter.

The advantages to inverter-type generators are several:

1. The engine RPM can vary according to load making the unit more economical for powering lighter loads. At full load there probably isn’t much difference.
2. The frequency can be tightly controlled, putting out 60 hz regardless of the load.
3. The sine wave form can be cleaner with less noise. Small generators induce jagged wave forms due to the slight increase/decrease in crankshaft rotation speed through the engines power cycle.
4. There’s less noise at lighter loads, because the engine speed can be slowed to meet demand.

The disadvantage to inverter-type generators is basically a more complicated generator with more parts to fail. There is a slight efficiency loss converting DC to AC voltage but it’s kind of a wash (see Item 1 above)

The Shenzhen I bought from Amazon was $299. Now that I’ve bought it, my ever-alert Facebook algorithm is sending fly-by-night offers for the same unit at $149. If you can get it for that price without being scammed, it’s a hell of a deal. $299 isn’t bad either.

The choke was labeled backwards which led to a lot of rope pulling. It might be ok in the southern hemisphere but around here we peel the sticker off and flip It over.

The unit started right up once I realized the choke was labeled backwards and seems to have plenty of power. It runs my little flux core welder better than a regular receptacle. I’m mobile!

Time will mention under its breath if the ‘Zhen holds up and I’ll be sure to let you know if it’s junk. For now, it’s the real deal.

The Shenzhen 4000 runs the flux core welder nicely. I can crank it all the way up, a setting that pops a 15-amp breaker after a minute.

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From Dirt to Canada: How I Fell for a Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro

By Bobbie Surber

Back in 2014, I had never even sat on a motorcycle. Then one summer afternoon, a friend tossed me a helmet and said, “Try it.” I wobbled, stalled, and grinned my way through a parking lot. That was it. I was done for.

My First Dirt Love: Yamaha XT225

In January 2015, I bought my first bike, a 2006 Yamaha XT225. She was small, light, and forgiving, which is precisely what you want when you’re learning how not to fall over every ten feet. We learned together: I tried not to panic on steep trails, and she patiently lugged me through it all.

I still have her parked in the corner of the garage. She’s like the loyal dog you don’t ride much anymore, but will never give away.

The BMW 310 Era

By 2016, I wanted a bike that could do more than chase dusty trails. I needed a solution that could connect dirt tracks and pavement without causing itself to disintegrate. That’s how I ended up on a 2016 BMW 310GS.

She was perfect, for a while. I rode her solo through Baja, mainland Mexico, and all over the Southwest. But with a top speed of about 80 mph, I started to feel vulnerable. There were moments where I’d look in the mirror and see a semi closing fast, me already full throttle, and think, “Nope… this isn’t going to work long-term.” That’s when I started looking for something bigger.

The Tiger 800: Love at First Triple

Then came the 2018 Triumph Tiger 800. Oh man, that three-cylinder engine. If an engine could flirt, this one winked at me every time I twisted the throttle. Smooth, growly, and just plain fun.

We went everywhere together: mainland Mexico (again), Colorado, Baja, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, you name it. I thought we were set for life until Traci showed up.

Triumph Tiger and My Awakening

My friend Traci wanted to downsize from her BMW 1200, so she came to Sedona to check out my Tiger 800. A few months later, she’d found herself a shiny Triumph Tiger 900.

I had to try it, of course, strictly for research. Ten minutes later, I was hopeless. The Tiger 900 was like my 800 after a week at a spa: sharper, quicker, and somehow even smoother.

Meet Tippi: My Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro

November 2022, and I’m signing papers for a brand-new 2023 Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro. I named her Tippi because she has a habit of taking naps at the worst times, parking lots, trailheads, the occasional gas station, and the middle of a sandy road in Baja. She is a serious napper!

And then we took a big one: Arizona to Canada. Long, glorious days in the saddle. Wind that tried to push me back to Arizona, rain that soaked me down to my socks, and border guards who couldn’t believe I’d ridden all that way solo. When I finally rolled into British Columbia, I was tired, crusted in bugs, and grinning like an idiot. That trip sealed the deal, Tippi was the bike.

What Makes Tippi Different? (Specs with Soul)

The 2023 Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro is built for riders who want one bike that can do everything without drama. According to Triumph Motorcycles https://www.triumphmotorcycles.com:

- - Engine: 888cc liquid-cooled, 12-valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder engine. 93.9 hp @ 8,750 rpm, 64 lb-ft @ 7,250 rpm.
  - Transmission: ix-speed gearbox with slip & assist clutch.
  - Brakes: Dual Brembo Stylema® 4-piston monobloc calipers with 320mm discs, single-piston rear.
  - Suspension: Marzocchi 45mm upside-down forks (adjustable), rear shock with electronic preload/rebound adjustment.
  - Electronics: Six riding modes, cornering ABS, traction control, cruise control, and a 7-inch TFT display.
  - Comfort: Heated grips, heated rider/passenger seats, adjustable windscreen, and center stand.
  - Weight: 423 lbs dry (476 lbs wet).

Why I’ll Stick with Her (for now)

When I’m not riding, I’m outside staring at her like a teenager with a crush, sometimes having little chats about our next adventure. (Yes, I talk to my bike. No, I don’t need an intervention.)

Motorcycles come and go, but right now? Tippi’s my dream bike. My Yamaha was too small, the BMW too slow, but the Tiger 900 GT Pro was just right.

From first dirt wobble to a solo Canada run, I wouldn’t trade any of it, even the tip-overs. Especially the tip-overs, they gave her a name, and me, a story worth telling.

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Where Were You In ’62: Part 4

By Joe Gresh

When I was younger (by a lot) I used to modify all my motorcycles. Different forks, different gas tanks, different wheels. I never left well enough alone. Until I bought a new, 1983 Honda XL600, I only had a few stock bikes. The XL600 was so good it started me thinking about why I kept messing with original bikes. And so I stopped.

I found the reason why the kickstart splines slip. The lever knuckle is cracked allowed the splines to expand when kicking. Luckily the spare engine has the part.

I pretty much leave motorcycles stock now. It’s a lot easier and quieter. Let’s face it: The bikes are more reliable stock. Reliability is important to me now. Along with resale value.

I’ve been polishing the turd a bit. The aluminum color is too bright, I’ll try something else but the bike should clean up and look decent.

Lately, the Dream 305 decision tree has branched off in a different direction. Getting the bike running was exciting but figuring out how to proceed has not been. What to do with this beast? If the engine was bad things would be easy: Part it out. But the engine is not bad.

The main issue is the low value of restored Dreams. A couple thousand bucks will get you a nice rider that needs nothing. My ’62 is an early model that has some cachet, but not enough to make much difference.

I was going to leave the bike rough and stock, just get it operational, but deep down, I don’t like the way a Dream looks. The engine is fine. I like the close-set fins, but It’s those fender flares. They make the bike look stodgy and old.

Front brake shoes are cheap and available for the Dream but rear shoes have a different mounting set up. At $38 each shoe I’ll be running the old ones. Hopefully the lining stays glued on and doesn’t come loose and lock up the wheel.

I’ll be the first guy to tell you don’t modify old bikes because it lessens interest and value, but what if the bike has little value to start with? I’ve decided the flares have to go. Kind of a return to my roots on a bike that isn’t in great shape.

The rear rim is in fairly good shape, and the new Kenda fit will. Neither of the front rims are very good. They are round and straight, but the chrome is shot. As this is a budget build, I may try some chrome spray paint just to get the bike on the road.

Hear me out: Modding this bike is not a big deal as I have a bit of metalworking to do on the Dream’s sheet metal frame and have decided to take the bike completely apart to allow easy access and flat welding.

The Dream has been down sometime in the last 60 years. I’ve tweaked the front fender straight-ish. A little welding and trimming will make it usable.

The taillight area is kind of a mess. I’ll use the flare cut-off to supply original sheet metal when I plug this hole.

The front fender has a crack and the flare is bent; it will need some massaging and removing the flare removes one problem. The rear fender has a gaping hole where the taillight sat, and I’ll be welding that closed. There are a few dents that would be easier to beat out with the frame upside down. The bike won’t be original, but it won’t be far off original. And most importantly, I’ll like the way it looks. I’m shallow that way.

These square shocks are iconic Dream bits. No longer held to a high standard, I won’t be looking to replace the eroded plastic covers.

Things are hopping at the ranch, so I have made little progress (but not zero progress). Just having clarity, freedom and a plan saves on lateral moves.

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