I own a Triumph Bonneville and wanted to replace the stock gas cap with something retro. The stock cap had a ratcheting mechanism on the bottom that trapped water some of which found its way into my fuel tank when I removed the cap to refuel. So I bought a British Customs pop-up cap that works fine but then I read on a Triumph forum that Motone UK made a nice cap, very traditional. I found the cap I wanted, a satin finish Aluminum Billet cap, but it was out of stock everywhere including on the Motone Customs UK website. My second choice was the "Rippled Top" aluminum Motone cap. Similar to the one I wanted. So I googled. Motone USA, based in Roanoke, Texas, had a great price, $20 cheaper than anyone else and with free shipping. Motone USA uses the same Motone logo as Motone UK so I thought they were a US affiliate. I ordered the part, got a tracking number in two days and received the cap in four days. It arrived in a plain brown cardboard box that had seen better days. The cap itself had some corrosion around the base of the inner vent valve. I tried to clean it off and was only partly successful. I decided to stick with the British Customs cap and gave the Motone to a friend. A little later I regretted my decision and reordered the rippled aluminum cap from Motone USA. A day after I did so the satin finish cap was back in stock at Motone UK. I asked Motone USA for a refund, indicating that if the item had shipped I would simply absorb the loss. A day later Motone USA sent an eBay notification indicating the order was canceled. This was followed immediately by a second notice indicating the order status was refunded. I checked my Paypal account that day, the following day and again on the third day. No refund was issued. I sent a message to Motone USA asking what happened. No response. I sent a second email a day later. Again no response. I checked my Purchase History in eBay and to my surprise the item was listed as shipped but there was no tracking information, unlike the first order. I called eBay and the customer service rep said, "Upon checking here on my end I can confirm that this was not refunded and despite you reaching out to the seller still they are unresponsive." eBay opened a case to ensure I would not be ripped off. I left negative feedback on eBay: "Seller canceled the order as I requested and marked tge [sic] order status as refunded but did not refund the money or respond to subsequent messages." I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau indicating that all I wanted was a refund. At a loss to explain the complete lack of customer service I googled "Motone USA complaints" and found a thread on a reddit Triumph forum. A forum member, whose account is now inactive, replied to someone named AlternativeRhubarb99 who asked if this unresponsive behaviour was typical or an isolated event. The reply was enlightening: "Motone UK or Motone USA? They are different companies. Motone USA was doing such a [expletive] job of stuff like this for Motone UK, that Motone UK pulled the ripcord on that relationship entirely. However, they can't stop the US arm from doing what they want, so they still exist, but are just a reseller." A poster named Usuallyontwo, on the same "r/Triumph" forum, said, "There are two different motones - US and UK. They used to be partners, no longer the case now. If dealing with US, I wouldn't expect any sort of customer support as they are just selling of [sic] old inventory and starting new company." These comments explained the condition of the box that housed the first cap as well as the corrosion on the cap itself. And of course the lower price tag. Regarding the current order: To date I haven't received a response from Motone USA, let alone a tracking number, or a refund. I would avoid Motone USA. I wonder how Motone UK feels about Motone USA continuing to use the company logo.

My Royal Enfield Meteor motorcycle came with "sidewinder" (lasercut) keys. I'd never seen one before. And when I tried to get local locksmiths to cut a duplicate they balked. Riddle me this: why is a carburetor better than a throttle body (EFI fuel injection)? Because you can easily rejet the carb yourself if you modify your exhaust. Now what does this mean? Every locksmith on Staten Island said that they couldn't cut my key because the map wasn't in their database, i.e., they all have computerized lasercut key cutting machines. As a programmer I say, screw technology. I tried in vain to find a locksmith who was willing and able. I contacted Royal Enfield North America and Brett, who is a good man, said there is a locksmith in Milwaukee who could do it for $35 a key. I would have to mail my OEM blanks (purchased from Hitchcock's Motorcycles in the UK) and my original. I redoubled my efforts to find someone local. It was tedious. But most people don't realise how close they are to success when they quit. Finally, I found a locksmith with a mechanical sidewinder cutting machine. From Staten Island I took the Belt Parkway East to Flatbush Avenue (North) and hung a right on Avenue N. Brooklyn's Best is located on the corner of Avenue N and 48th Street. There's metered parking so that makes it easy. Ronald put my original and my blank in his machine and several times removed them both to eye up the cut. A short time later I had a duplicate. And the cost? $15 USD. Ronald and Michael are no BS kinda guys, straight outta Brooklyn. And Brooklyn's Best is just that. Highly recommended.

I met Mikhail I. Khaimov, DO in the trauma centre at RUMC's Emergency Department after a serious motorcycle accident, on 31 May 2022. The crash caused me to sustain a Galeazzi Fracture of my left forearm. In other words I sustained a broken forearm on the inside of the arm and a dislocated wrist. My ulna, the knob on the outside of my wrist, was floating around and appeared to me to be in the middle of my wrist, a disconcerting sight. I was in considerable pain once the shock wore off.

Dr. Khaimov attempted to reset both bones with a "closed reduction" - a non-invasive technique. My arm was then wrapped tightly with an Ace bandage and xrayed. The closed reduction failed and Dr. Khaimov said, "I'm not going to torture you, you need surgery."

I liked Dr. K's no nonsense approach. He is very direct and honest. As he departed the ED he said, "Are you going to keep riding?" I said, "Hell yes." He turned to look at me and said, "That's the answer I always get!"

I spent the night in hospital, with a morphine drip to ease the pain. The next afternoon I was taken to the OR. I said to Dr. K, "Please don't mess up my tattoo!" He replied, "It's not my priority but I'll do my best." Dr. K did a fine job repairing the fracture - he performed an Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) - creating an incision, resetting the bone, and screwing a steel plate into both sides of the broken bone. As the break had been the result of violent impact I had bone loss. (A car driver made an illegal u-turn directly into my path leaving me no time to brake effectively). I needed a bone graft and that was done during surgery. The ulna was cooperative and snapped back into place. All of this was done to perfection. My arm was put into a splint, wrapped in an Ace bandage, and that was that.

Although the OR nurses were a bit nonplussed at my tattoo comment the Recovery Room nurses were great and I was released a day later, a bit astonished at how rapidly the repair had been effected. Two weeks later I saw Dr. K at his office at 1161 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10301. He removed the 19 staples from the incision. That was the first time I had seen my forearm since the accident. The incision was puffy and bloody but that said I could clearly see that the incision was very precise and ended just below my tattoo. I was astounded and grateful. Two weeks later the splint was removed and I was given a brace that I could remove to shower. The healing had progressed remarkably. In July I started non-weight bearing physical therapy. My therapist commented repeatedly on what a great job Khaimov had done. Towards the end of my PT experience my therapist said, "Your scar is almost non-existent!"

By late August I was allowed to move on to weight bearing PT. On 25 August I asked Dr. K the burning question. "Can I ride a motorcycle at this point?" His response was typical of the man, "You want a note?" I enjoyed his sense of humour and his direct style. I wanted to know. I said, "What do you think, is it safe?" He asked what I use my left hand for saying, "I've never ridden a motorcycle." I explained it's the clutch hand. He said that as it wasn't used for braking the bike "That's fine." At this point I have graduated from physical therapy and have only one final appointment for "final xrays". I am very grateful. I cannot recommend Mikhail I. Khaimov strongly enough. As far as bedside manner, he is no nonsense. I appreciate that. As far as surgical skills he is an artist. I appreciate that as well.

I hope you never need an orthopedic surgeon but if you do seek out Mikhail Khaimov.

Ride Safe.

Famous David's Wood Floors, Inc. is a local contractor here on Staten Island. David, the owner, is very personable, honest and reliable. His crew is excellent and they get the job done on time for a fair price. If you've ever dealt with contractors I won't have to elaborate on the pitfalls. There are about as many as there are potholes on Staten Island. David's Wood Floors is a welcome and appreciated exception. His estimate was complete and accurate. We only needed one bedroom done and so David worked us in between two large jobs. It wasn't a set date but it happened quickly. My wife and I moved the bulk of our furniture ourselves but took David up on his offer to move the king size bed - to the trash for bulk pick up. We had a large wardrobe too but the guys simply moved it, and our steam radiator, from one side of the room to the other as they worked. Like many North Shore homes from the early part of the twentieth century the street side of our bedroom, which sits atop the porch, needed to be shimmed to be level, one of our reasons for getting a new floor. The other main reason being the fact that the previous owner had installed a godawful kelly green rug - something only a frog or a leprechaun could love. We wanted the rug replaced with hardwood and David showed us the various styles and colours. We opted for a prefinished light coloured oak. It looks very nice indeed and our floor is now level thanks to some plywood sheets and some wooden shims - installed prior to the actual hardwood. The crew, John and Armando, were terrific and very efficient. If you opt for prefinished hardwood there won't be any sanding but you can expect some dust (sawdust) in the work area as a table saw is needed to cut the planks and molding strips to size. That said, when the guys were finished John strapped on a vacuum that looked like a jetpack and cleaned up all of the sawdust. The end result was a beautiful floor that really only requires a damp mop for cleaning purposes. You can anticipate a little noise from the pneumatic nail guns and floor nailers but really it was far less than I expected - as stated above the guys were very efficient. One of our old closet doors didn't close properly. An original piece from 1910, it not only needed to be trimmed on the bottom due to the use of the existing hardwood (beneath the old carpet) as subflooring but also because the door casing had shifted over the last century. John trimmed both ends to make sure the door closed properly. That was a nice gesture from a nice guy. All in all, as a guy who isn't fond of disruption (I'm your basic "Alles In Ordnung" type Kraut) I actually enjoyed the experience as I learned quite a bit. I'm giving David, John and Armando five stars but only because that is the maximum allowed. I can be very demanding and critical but suffice to say these guys really are expert, efficient, inexpensive and, as us Boomers used to say back in the day: Good People. I am pleased to have met them, pleased with my new floor and pleased to have had an opportunity to support a local business even though my job was not a big one. I'm attaching some photos as I believe the old adage that they are worth a thousand words and really tell the tale.