Posted by Jim on June 19, 2001 at 06:46:35:
Howdy All,
Been a while since I posted. Just back from a week doin' Marine stuff up at Ft Riley, Kansas. I rode up there (around 300 miles) and I'll get to some observations in a minute.
Fisrt let me give ya'll an update on Mountainman. I went to a rally (Motorcycle Life Forum on Delphi- great bunch of guys- I'll try to make the link thing work below) the weekened before I went to my training, and some of the guys there went and picked up MM and brought him to us! He is in a wheel chair and his leg still looks pretty rough. His doc says he shouldn't ride again (the metal mesh that passes for the bones in his leg from mid thigh to mid calf could collapse if he has to suddenly bear the weight of a bike.), but his spirits seemed pretty good. He is no longer at the hospital, but I'm sure he still goes back wayyyyyy to often. We didn't talk much about the accident, it was just damn good to finally meet him face to face.
Anyway, then on to Fort Riley. Ride was about 270 miles each way. I rode with a guy who was on an 84 Softail. Comments below (in no specific order:
LazyRider Bag: Absolutely the best thing I've gotten. I have the 12 inch bag. I do not use the lumbar supprt (scoots my hips too far forward). Tons of storage room, and a GREAT backrest. Between the apes and this bag/rest, the trip was twice as comfortable as last year.
Maintenance: I rode back wingman for a pickup truck with my friend's Harley in the bed. Blown headgaskets. He just rebuilt the upper end, and opted not to pay $250 for new headbolts. Big mistake- the old ones had stretched and when he torqued the head down, he had run out of threads and was getting a bad reading. I guess the lesson is to replace all those "one time use items." A couple other good points: never use Harley gaskets: (according to the Harley mech) they suck. Also, if you are drilling somewhere, and you need to ensure that the filings don't fall down (like drilling out headbolts and trying to keep filings out of the case), try this trick: cut a hole in a piece of stiff cardboard the same diameter of the bit you are using. Soak the cardboard in grease, and then lay it up against the surface you are drilling, placeing the bit through the hole. As you drill, filings will be brought up by the bit, and stick in the grease, keeping them out of the case.... Nifty, huh?
Cleaning the bike: try using turtle wax. When you rub it on, it will melt away all the bugs and road grime. When you buff it off, it will not only leave the bike looking very good, but the layer of wax helps protect finish and even deflects some bugs and stuff.
Clothes: Chaps were a welcome addition. Took a junebug in the shin on the way home. With chaps, it hurt bad; I can't imagine what it would have felt like without them. Temps were well into the 90s for both rides, but the chaps were pretty comfortable at speed (I recommned unlined ones). Jacket- I had a leather jacket on for the first part of the rides, but quickly got too hot. If I were going to do it all over again, I'd get a motorcycle-specific jacket with vents and a zip-out liner. As it so happened, i had a jeans jacket along which worked pretty well- heavy enough to cut out some bug/gravel impacts, yet light enough to remain cool and comfortable-also kept the sun off. Long-sleeve t-shirts are probably the best to keep sun off, but provide no protection.
2 last things, possibly could work together. I get hot and dehyrated on long rides, so I used a camel-back strapped to my LazyRider bag to keep water handy. I attached the driking tube to one of the ose self-retracting things that people use for keys or fly-fishing gear. It worked great, and I always knew exactly wher to feel for my water hose. The other tip is for those looking for more places to lash things on. Go to an Army-Navy Store and try to find an "NBC Equipment Bag." It is essentially a pouch with a velcro closure at one end, and straps on the side (used to carry chemical protective clothes). I used the straps to attach it to my handlebars, and kept my raingear inside it. It also served to block the wind. It's also got a clear plastic pouch sewn onto the side- into which I put a little card with directions!
Anyway, just some ideas and thoughts.
KTRSD,
-Jim