Adding a windshield bag

I bought a nice but inexpensive windshield bag from jafrum.com to add to my bike.

It came in looking as good as their stock photo.  The only problem was that it didn't fit Alice's windshield strap.  I had to end up making a bracket to fit it out of aluminum bar stock.

For some reason, I wasn't liking the look of the aluminum.  I'm not much on shiny, and if I'd have my druthers, every piece of chrome on the bike would instead be flat black.  That's just me...  So I got some paint.  I found Rustoleum undercoating and thought that would be perfect.  The only problem is that it took forever to dry!

I couldn't bring myself to cover the chrome bolt I got at H&S for about $4, so I left it shiny.  Here's a picture from a few feet away.

I feel like it looks a lot less obtrusive.  No compliments either way on it so far.  Here's the before picture, along with my awesome helper:

Here's the after picture.  It works just fine (and I've always been more about functionality anyhow).

Does this count as cosmetic damage?

I am hating on some careless woman right now. Stopped at Heine Bros. for a cup of coffee and ran over this in the lot with my back wheel. Pink nail polish! I removed one large shard by hand then got down on the ground and looked at it closely. I couldnt hear any air escaping so I dabbed some water on the area to see if I could see or hear anything escaping. So far so good but im gonna have to get it checked soon. Damnit.

Perfect ending...riding the storm out

Today after school, I had to run an errand downtown. It had been mostly hot, muggy and miserable. Now you might ask yourself "then why does he ride?" and the answer is truthfully it is a matter of personal pride. If I can't say that I ride in almost all conditions, then I can't count myself as a Rider. Anyways, I got done around 3pm and jumped up on I-65 to beat it home real quick. About the Watterson Expressway exit the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees and I started seeing black clouds. I knew that the only thing to be done here was to ride straight into the storm and let Ma Nature go right ahead and unleash hell on me. I passed my Okolona exit and headed Alice for I-265... I rode into the spray of rain which felt awesome, and even enjoyed the lightshow sparking around me. Good tunes were on the radio and I didn't hardly notice the static from lightning. I felt at one with Alice and my surroundings there on the Snyder. It was a perfect end to a day.

Uneventful!?!?!!!???

My friend Vince did his Saddlesore ride for the Iron Butt Association and I was lucky enough to be his witness. Sadly he said his ride was almost completely uneventful. I mean I dont wish anything bad would have happened, but at least something to talk about would have been good!. Better 'luck' next time buddy!

Parking at school

I feel the time draws near I will be irritated at the poser people who take up m/c parking spaces. You know the type...only ride when its between 70 and 88 degrees and sunny. They should have seperate parking for Riders and piddlers.

Hillbilly Hotdogs, Huntington, WV

These people are singing the weenie song. If they do it right they get free food. This place is nuts!

My first cruiser breakdown!

and now for something surprising...

Kat and I went out to Thai Orchid for dinner (I had a groupon...). It was pretty good. I got this pad thai stuff and she got some hotter than hell chicken stuff. After that I deciced to take the long way home so started out south on Taylorsville road. I got a couple miles outside of downtown Jtown and all of a sudden I could not seem to shift! I was thinking "oh hell, not again!" remembering about how the jackass I had bought the bike from never gotten any done (in 2700 miles) thus causing me over $800 of clutch repair, and also passing that first 600 mile service on as well. Then I pulled off and saw the whole damn left footboard was pivoting around! It was being held on by only one bolt that swiveled. Instead of the clutch lever moving everything ELSE did!. I saw there was a frame bolt that seemed to be holding on a coolant line bracket so using the wrench included in my handy dandy Suzuki tool kit, I removed that and put it where the missing bolt was so we could get home. Now I know a lot of people would go look for the bolt but frankly they aint got my luck...I had forgotten that Kat was with me! We walked back and there it was...laying in the road! I switched the bolts back, tightened the hell out of it (Suzuki brand 14mm wrench) and came on home. Where before shifting from 1st gear position seemed like a bit of work with about six inches of travel to get into 5th, now a minute little tap up or down changes gears. It will take some getting used to but I think I shall indeed love it!

Riding the Storm

Sometimes I ride in a group. They don't like to call it a club--it's mainly made up of folks that I don't really have too much in common with. Lately much has been said about riding in the rain, riding at night, riding on the interstate and riding long distances. It's the general opinion that riding is supposed to be done between 7am and 5pm, in good weather on slow back country roads of perfect condition. You should never take your bike out in the rain on purpose, never travel where you may run into gravel or get into a situation where you'd be required to exceed 50-55 miles per hour, stop every couple hours and trailer your bike if it would be over a couple hundred miles.

I've come to learn that riding is also about risk management. I have come to know that if you manage your risk by limiting the experience, you shortchange yourself. I gear up, always wear a helmet, and I am perpetually alert and aware of my surroundings when I ride, but on the other hand, I don't let "what could happen" or "what might happen" dissuade me from this two-wheeled mode of transport I love so dearly.

So I say: "You ride the storm, you become the storm." Once you truly own the experience, it is forever part of who you are.

Marcy's...

The little round things began life as cheddar cheese cubes. They are tasty, but the breaded pork tenderloin is rockin'!

Stephenson's General Store

This little general store is in Leavenworth Indiana. They sell handmade wood and pottery items, plus old-time and odd candy. They also have a deli counter in the back. The fellow who runs the place was familiar with Louisville and used to live in the Shively area so I doubt he's a Stevenson. They have a fair amount of touristy crap so it doesn't feel real authentic but I'd bet the building and business name are.

Derby Cycle in Louisville???

A few of us in the LSG met up last week for lunch.  It was pretty cold so we didn't do a whole lot of riding.  Joan suggested we go check out the new Louisville location of Derby Cycles.

It took like four tries to find the place. All it was--a hand made posterboard sign on what looked like an office suite.  Inside (it was unlocked) nothing much was there for sale.  There was a couple people there who showed us the shop, but that was all they had and that wasn't really set up yet.  Funny thing is I got this email back several weeks ago:

"We have opened our Louisville Store. It's located in the Bluegrass Industrial Park and the address is 11214 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, KY 40299. The phone number is (502) 267-7770     . Stop by and see us if you're in the area."

Hah, we stopped by...WEEKS AFTER THE OPENING...and nothing was there.

Airhawk durability

I purchased my Airhawk last season and the end of the season so it didn't do much besides sit on a broken bike for months (which was inside out of the weather).  I just looked at it the other day and I noticed how miserably faded the Airhawk has gotten.  I am going to write to the company and ask them to replace it.  It is now medium gray instead of black.

Cover for my Boulevard

I bought this cover a while back and have been doing everything to keep it up off the ground.  Its a really heavy cover of good quality made for a full dress bike.  My bike is not a full dress touring (I'm working on it!) but it does have a windshield and bags.  After I put the Givi top case on the rear, the cover fits a lot better!

Storage capacity

The three things I look for in a bike are fuel economy, riding comfort for distance, and storage.  since I was used Yamaha Majesty, my new bike falls short on all three categories.  It came with saddle bags which help, but you can't really put something in a leather bag with no lock and expect it to be 100% safe....not even 80%.  I had the Givi trunk from the scooter and since Kat and I put the rack on the back, I figured I would see if the Givi mount would work on that rack.  It fits perfectly and now I have my storage back (or at least some of it).  The saddle bags expand somewhat (which the underseat storage and the Givi never did) but they are not completely waterproof or secure.  The Givi case has a lock, and I used it extensively on the scoot.  Now I have engine guards and pegs to buy (for comfort) and then I will be comparable to the scooter.  Shifting doesn't bother me, and on the highway where the scoot would get worse mpg (down to mid 40's) the bike gains mpg (up to almost 50).

Rear rack for Alice

With Kat's help, I installed the rear rack on my bike. Was it quick and easy? No. Even though it was a matter of four bolts... Did I have to hack-saw through three of them? Yes. :( Like Carlos used to say, At the end of the day...the job is complete and I have somewhere to stow my crap other than the pillion.

Wet Airhawk

I have a really nice premium cover for Alice, but the Airhawk seat cushion still got wet. I rode with a small towel on top of it on my way to class. When I parked, I put the "CoolAss" cover on. I was worried it would be too big since it was made for the Majesty, but it fit great over the driver seat and the passenger pillion (with some extra room to tuck in). One saddlebag has all my rain gear and the other has my leather jacket. I'm carrying my helmet with me until noon and then I'll lock it to the bike...I just wanna make sure it doesn't get rained in!

Ride to (little) Stonehenge (aka Clonehenge)

This place was not difficult to get to.  My riding buddy Vince and I rode the twisty roads down to close near Munfordville.  As usual, we seen a lot of other bikes out, a lot of dead animals along the road, and even a couple cool things like a muddy river that was almost overflowed and an old Road Dog looking trike.


Roaddog made by William "Wild Bill" Gelbke.

Well anyway, we got there and checked the place out.  It was pretty cool.  It’s on someone’s private property, but they make it known it’s ok to pull into their driveway and park for a bit to go look.

Vince took this picture.  I forgot my dang camera so we only had our cell phones to work with.

Here’s Vince with his Burgman 650 Exec.

These are a few better pictures showing just the stonework.




I don’t know if it’s exactly to scale but I think the placement is right.  The center stone has a compass carved into it showing which direction is North, etc...  Here’s a pic of me standing on the center stone.

As you can see, the sun caused the picture to come out not-so-good.

Also we can’t forget the other great reason to come out this way…FOOD!  Unfortunately Big Bubba Buck’s Belly Bustin’ BBQ Bliss was closed on Sundays and we did not know.  We ended up eating at a Subway!

Yes, looks like neither of us was gonna go home and smack our mama’s…


We did meet and talk with some other riders at the Pilot where the Subway was.  They seemed alright but Vince did more talking than I did.  I was kinda hungry at that point and just wanted to get some grub. 

And what was the cool souvenir I took home?

My first rider-burn of the year!

It was a great ride.  We just basically headed straight for the barn down I-65 on the way home after eating at the Subway.

Here's Vince's video!!

Between the Drops on Friday

The second smaller Fleur went on the tail of my bike...

Between the Rains on Friday

Between the rains on Friday, I needed to take a quick ride, so I went to the Highlands and bought a couple Fleur di Lis at the Why Louisville shop...

The large red one went on my windshield.

Clonehenge, my next adventure…

Deep in the hills of Kentucky lies an ancient druid holy place that has been the site for many human sacrifices, naked fertility rituals, summonings and workings of other powerful magic. 

Ok, that’s all b*llsh*t, really it’s a scale model of Stonehenge just off Interstate 65 in Munfordville, Kentucky

It is known by some as “Clonehenge” which sounds kinda cute to me.  Anyways, I’ll probably be ancient myself (or more likely dead) before I can ever ride my bike up to the REAL Stonehenge and touch the mysterious monoliths, so when I heard about this place, I did a little research and discovered it’s just over yonder (like everything in Kentucky).  Really it’s a little over an hour away—one hour and eighteen minutes with the old trusty Google maps (or one hour and fifty minutes if you like to take the scenic route (along state roads and backroads).  Also, as an added bonus, I hear that “Big Bubba Bucks Belly Bustin BBQ Bliss” has some really good grub according to some folks…

“The folks are super friendly, and the BBQ is so super-duper-awesome that you will, in fact, slap yo mamma! ..."‎

“Just the smell from the big pig-shaped smokers outside alone is worth 3 stars.”

”this ain't no generic box of food...this is southern home cookin.”

”My favorite part was listening to the owner advertising her place on the cb radio to all the truckers passing by.”

(all stolen shamelessly from the interwebs).

I am going to make this trip on Sunday (best case scenario).  If not, I will have to run down south very soon and check both these out…

Like Christmas!!!!

The wind has been so bad it blew the covers of Molly & Alice multiple times. The creepy pothead from next door knocked on the door and when Kathy answered he said "Kella's (I'm disturbed he knows my name) cuv'r fer his motercickle was blown off 'n down the block so ah put 'er back on fer y'all!" Apparently he was looking for a reward or something. As I said, he's really one of those creepy guys you look at like he might have "child molester" written lightly on his forehead. So far he's not ended up in "Crime Times". Anyway, I decided to put the covers back on and then strap them down as good as I could so maybe they won't catch wind and flop around so damn much. Frustrating because now it'll take me extra time in the morning.

Painted Bridge with LSG

I rode for a bit with the LSG folks and Ralph led us past the Painted Bridge. I really like that route.

Ralph & the Fajita

Ralph showed up a little later. His fajita was steaming hot. He had a nice ride up also. He started with another fellow who had some mechanical issues and had to turn back. Ralph rides a Piaggio MP3. It may be the three-legged dog of the scooter world, but its a real good machine.

Corydon Indiana

Corydon was the original state capital of Indiana. Apparantly they are very proud of this fact.

Riding to Lunch

Three of my friends were able to make it this morning for the ride to Corydon for lunch at The Real Enchilada.

Rooster Run

I took my first ride of any real length on the new bike. I was watching Princess Bride afterwards on the couch and fell asleep. When I woke, it was due to an incredible pain on the top of my foot. It was a cramp in my "shifter muscle"! I feel kinda stupid. It was however a fabulous day for riding, and with some highway miles my mpg improved slightly. I ran out to Bardstown Kentucky, visited the fabled "Rooster Run" and grabbed a soda. After that I ran past Four Roses distillery, and Jim Beam on the way home. My Barefoot Willies Cool Cup came today so I put it on and it worked great. Best part about that was that directly from their site it was only lik $23. I would like to get engine guards and pegs, as well as a sissy bar and rack for carrying a few extra things, but right now I will just be happy to get the power cable for my GPS installed. Today was a nice ride.

River Road Saddle Bags

Alice (my 2008 Suzuki Boulevard) came with saddle bags already installed by the previous owner (PO).  Not only had he burned a bit of the bottom of the right one (which you can tell because of the burn that it's PVC and not leather) but also lost one of the straps.  The River Road saddle bags come with straps that have their "quick connect" on the leather buckle which is a plastic widgit usually found on backpacks, and other things with nylon straps.

I visited River Road's website but could not find a quick connect that looked like mine.  A quick email was met with a quick reply.  After asking for a picture, Sherrie at RR simply replied "I'm pretty sure we have the right one. What is your address?"

I rode my motorcycle in the rain...

Kat took this pic of me last week when I picked up Alice from the shop. Yes, I have decided to name her Alice.

Finally got around to taking a few pix of the new bike.

I hope you enjoy these. I may actually get to ride tomorrow!!!

I picked up the new bike today. Between the repairs and the belated first service that the jackwagon previous owner didn't do, it was expensive enough that if figured into the purchase price, I would not have bought it. I drove in the rain with full gear directly to the county clerk's office where they did the VIN check and transferred the title to me. When I got home, I put the cover on and went in to dry off. I am doing pretty good making the transition from CVT to manual transmission. I'm still a little choppy in shifting but I credit that more towards getting used to the throttle. Besides the automatic trans, the one thing I am missing right now is the highway pegs. In order to have them on the Boulevard, I have to get engine guards. There are about two...one made by Suzuki which is really for mounting pegs only...it really doesn't protect the bike in case of tip-over. The other one made is from Cobra and extends quite a bit further out. They run about $175 (without the pegs). Both bolt right on with no big trip to the shop-bonus. I plan to take it for errands tomorrow and get some practice in.

Parts (aka UPS sucks)

Well folks, I (though very uncharacteristic of me) optimistically went by the Suzuki of Lou today to check on the (as yet unnamed) Boulevard.  The mech said that UPS used to come in at 9am…you could set your clock by them.  Now they are lucky if we get UPS in before 2pm.  It was 1:30 or so when I was there.  I considered waiting around, but didn’t want to appear as the guy who pesters the shite out of them…I left.

This is how it went…

ME: So I guess the parts didn’t come in today?

TROY: We used to get them around 9am, but now we don’t get UPS in here until almost 2 o’clock some days.

ME (trying for nonchalance): So you can give me a holler when the parts come in.

TROY: (irritation in voice) I’ll call you when it’s ready to pick up.

So…prayers for either the parts to come in or my sanity are appreciated.

Torn apart...

My bike is completely torn apart and ready for when the parts come in. They expect they will get the parts no later than Tuesday & can button it back up same day... That's great but I kinda was hoping they could get the parts in the next day or two so I could pickup Friday or Saturday... I have been down so long now and I am really feeling it...

Clutch pads, springs, etc.

I got a voicemail from the mechanic at Yamaha-Suzuki of Louisville.  The estimate is $450.  He has to replace the clutch pads, springs, flush the gear oil, etc.  It is basiclly (from the sounds of it) just this side of major work.  He said he's ordered the parts and it will be 3-4 days to get them in.  I expect the bike back next week, but I'm gonna run by on Friday and 'check in'.

 

Trailering…yet again

Monday after class, Ralph and I run up to get the bike.  Its good on the way up…Ralph is a very intelligent guy with lots of varied experience.  It’s always cool to talk to him and hear about his experiences.  I have always liked a good yarn…

We get to the VP and Brittney is still there.  We load the bike up and this dude on a little Ninja sportsbike comes over for some small talk.  He says how it looks like a really pretty bike and that “it’s pretty cold.  I don’t blame you for taking it home on a trailer.”  As I told Ralph later that is when I had the energy to want to kill somebody and this guy was it.  I told him.  “It’s not running right.  That’s the ONLY reason I’m not riding it home.  This weather is fine!”

Having already called the shops in town, I knew none were open on Monday.  Ralph was nice enough to let me keep it on the trailer overnight.  Furthermore he was nice enough to haul it over to Yamaha-Suzuki of Louisville for me.  I talked to Ty in the shop and told him about the bike, that it was an 08 with only 2700 miles and I just bought it and had to have it towed and trailered.  I told him that I needed it looked at that day—not necessarily repaired in case they had a huge waiting list—but I needed to know how bad it was.  He was nice enough to get me in.

After school I went over to check.  Sure enough it was the clutch.  The mechanic said that somebody had overly tightened the clutch adjustment and the clutch pads had been rubbing and causing constant friction which is what burned them out.  He said it was not great but not bad.  I said “so are we talking like $1000????”  and he said that it wouldn’t likely be that much even worst-case-scenario.  I was relieved—I had the money to fix it (just barely).  I asked him “what about $500?”  he said with a couple hours and labor it might get into $250-300.  I was relieved.  I told him I know they probably couldn’t work on it right away because I figured a lot of other people were ahead of me.  He said “I was gonna tear it down today and order parts.  I can let you know something for sure tomorrow morning.”

That’s where we’re at right now.

Initial thoughts while on the side of I-65

My primary thought was that I would REALLY like to get my hands around the throat of the guy who sold me this bike.  Quickly after that, I start looking for something I must have done.  My theory was that, with only 2700 miles on the damn bike, how could anyone have possibly screwed it up!?!?!?!?

I think “what about removing the baffles?” and “maybe test riders screwed it up” and “did I hit a button or something” and lastly “he did something to it on purpose”.  I was fit to be tied.  I did something slightly naughty.  I had meant to call my insurance company at Kat’s moms and switch insurance from Molly to the new bike.  I did that asap while sitting in Kat’s charger along the side of the interstate.  One little bright spot—the damn bike was STILL cheaper than my 08 Yamaha Majesty scooter to insure…and with LESS deductible!  Kat called the info for the Indiana State Police to try and get a wrecker.  They were sending someone but he was about 60 minutes out.  We decided we could wait that long.  Almost that time goes by and they call to tell us there’s been a mistake and the first tow truck could not make it. 

This is about the time a state trooper pulls up behind us.  I am sitting here looking at the expired plate on the bike that I never changed.  I am thinking about how I just an hour before got insurance on the vehicle…. Come to find out, he was a really nice bloke.  He warned us of the laws we were breaking without documenting it or writing any citations.  He offered to call dispatch about a tow truck and he ran the VIN on the bike to make sure it wasn’t stolen.  He came back after running the VIN and said it was clean, but “with the laundry list of traffic violations he has, it’s good the seller is getting rid of this bike.”  I thought that was a hoot, but not enough to smile.  We told him we’d already called about a tow and so he asked if we wanted him to wait around until it got there.  I thanked him profusely for his help and told him he didn’t have to stay.

Kat has to pee, and I am frustrated so I call my insurance company to see if I get any free towing.  I explain that I just bought the bike and switched insurance about an hour ago then the bike died on the way home.  The insurance company said they would send someone.  About 10 minutes later a tow truck (sent by the police dispatch) showed up.  He said he was sorry but still had to charge me $65.  It would be another $65-70 for him to tow us into the next town (Columbus Indiana) so we told him to beat it after paying.  Shortly after, the insurance dispatched truck shows up.  He has a regular tow truck—not a flat bed.  Still he says it won’t be a problem and he does this all the time.  He puts the bike in a sling and lifts it with the winch.  The seat bends and pops up!!!  Still it’s too late so we let him haul it.

We end up at a Village Pantry which I have called and spoke to the manager to see if it’s ok to leave it overnight.  She was kind and it’s no problem.  If you’re ever at the VP in Columbus, say hello to Brittney.  I called my friend Ralph who has a trailer and even though he’s at a basketball game, he takes a few minutes to talk and let me know that we can come up Monday with his trailer.  At this point I am too tired and hungry to be upset or anything.  We go to Target to get a couple bicycle cable locks to put through the wheels.  Brittney gives us tape and I tape a note to the bike with my name and phone number and “please do not tow”.