I'm Baaack!  But For How Long?

Been quite a while since my last post or update.  The Web's lost some of it's shine to me as a Webmaster.  It's mostly gone to the two extremes of "Bloggers" and "Media Technicians" as I like to refer to them.  You have these "Bloggers" doing everything with either ease or money, not having to pay their dues with learning code or anything and with Google Ads, they're doing what I was doing almost 10 years ago and being reveered and making a decent hunk of money!  Kind of reminds me of the Harley "RUB" situation.  Now everybody's doing it, but nobody's doing it right!   Then there's the "Media Techs" who basically are basically making a Television, better though with interactivity, out of our computers.  Guess I'm a dinosaur.  Enough of this!

Anyway, during my return this time I've added my own little bit of "Web 2.0" to "The Shop" with some videos from YouTube.  I think they're pretty cool and if I get some decent hits on this site, maybe I'll do more and even keep it going.  Who knows.  I have to sell my bike for financial reasons, and I think it would be really hypocritical to run a Biker website while not actually being a biker, if you know what I mean.  Although that hasn't stopped a lot of people from doing that. 

Well, that's it for now.  Any thoughts, comments or criticism about this site or my latest "rant"?  Click on comments and go for it!  Later!

Rant, Rant, Rant!

Boy, ain't nobody happy anymore? All people do is complain, complain, rant and rant! (Hey! Ain't that what I'm doing here? Whoops!) Anyway, I'm reading the latest issue of my fav bike rag and once again the editor is complaining that bikers (if that's what you want to call them) these days aren't mechanically inclined enough. A couple of pages later, a so-called famous bike builder is complaining the majority of people have no clue what's "cool" in a motorcycle and that builders are making so much money and stealing other peoples ideas.

OK, they have their points. From working at a Harley dealer selling parts I kinda agree with that not mechanically inclined remark. You don't know how many times I was asked, "Hey, can I put this on myself?" ("I don't know, how stupid are you!") But the remark about cool, money and stealing made me laugh. First, what's cool? Of course! It's a matter of personal opinion. He evidently thought his new bike was cool, but after seeing it, I certainly didn't. A point of view! Second, builders are making so much money. Evidently he ain't makin enough! Sour grapes! OCC envy! Be happy for the guys and the industry if nothing else. Choppers had died basically for a couple of decades, but they're back in full force now...to stay I hope! And finally stealing ideas. Sigh! That's tough. How many people had thought that they had the idea first. How could you know? Where did you get the idea from? Most likely from something you saw that somebody else did.

So what's my point? I myself and from what I read and hear a lot of people aren't too happy with the way the "biker" culture is going these days. Back in the day, and I know most younger people are sick of hearing that term, bikers were basically one type of person. Mechanically inclined, cool, middle class (or poor) and the only stealing they did were .... well, let's leave that one alone! Today "bikers" come from all walks of life, mid to upper class with all kindsa money to spend on other people to work on their bikes. In my day, there were few bike shops and if you wanted to ride THAT YEAR, you had better learn to work on the bike yourself! And regarding what's cool, like I said I think cool is a personal opinion but with all the "assembly line" choppers and bikes out their today, their ain't much "personality" in them.

Bottom line? It ain't never gonna be like the way it was again, so ya better get used to it and get over it...myself included! Yeah, right! Bring back "kickers"!

New "Toys" From H-D

Just thought I'd give you a "heads up" on a couple of new "trinkets" just made available from Harley. Being they do a better job then I do, I'm just gonna "quote" their descriptions:

"LED Fuel Gauge - Six Shooter. This low-profile fuel gauge matches the style of the accessory Six Shooter Billet Fuel Cap P/N 62819-03, and replaces the analog readout with bright LED lamps. The six edge-mounted LED lamps glow blue when the tank is full, and extinguish one by one as fuel is consumed. The final light glows red at low fuel level, and flashes red as the tank nears empty. The photocell automatically adjusts brightness for improved visibility in direct sunlight and dims at night to avoid distraction. Plug-in installation without splicing. This product is available in multiple variations. Be sure to look for the one that fits the specific model and year of your motorcycle. PN 75087-04 Fits '04-later EFI and carbureted FXDL and FXDWG models, '04-later carbureted and EFI Softail® models, '01-'03 EFI Softail models (except FXSTDI), and '03-later carbureted Road King and '01-later EFI Road King® models. MSRP US $149.95" Cheap huh!

These are just two of a few new accessories listed in the "Holiday Catalog" from Harley. They are listed under "New Products" in the "Accessories" section on the HD Website or at your local dealer.  Now you know what to tell your old lady to get you for Christmas, not that she'd listen anyway. Well, there's always Santa!

Sunday Drivers

Ahhh. Autumn in New England. A rare 70 degree day. Think I'll go for a ride and take in the beautiful Fall Foliage. Fire up the bike and off I go.

Oooops, somebody just cut me off. Well, nobody's perfect. Hopefully that's fulfills my quota of being cut-off at least once during a ride. 8 miles later, truck at an intersection...ahh, he see's me. He's not pulling out. I'm almost at the intersection....he pulls out now! What the fuck! God, I wish somebody could tell me why they wait to pull out like that! And, of course, after they pull out 'cause they're in such of a hurry, they continue up the road at or below the speed limit. Sigh!

A couple of hours late, time to start heading back. Pretty nice ride except for the Sunday Drivers. Another intersection, car making a right turn on red in my direction. No problem there. All clear. Wait, she pulls a quick left, directly across my path to go into a church parking lot! "What the fuck is wrong with you lady!" That's it, I think I'll start heading home as these people are starting to piss me off, and I was heading there anyway. I just can't understand these Sunday Drivers in their cars!

Stopped at a light, I hear a Harley behind mine. He pulls up next to me. A new Deuce...nice bike! He makes some small talk about his bike. Says it rides "real sweet", like riding on your living room chair. The light turns green and he takes off...putting both legs up on the handlebars!   He had to stop at the next light where he, of course, pulled down his legs & waited for the light to change. Then off he went for another "whole block" & had to repeat the routine. The next stop had a right turn, which he made with both legs on the bars to steer it.  Glad to see he didn't have to take his legs down!

Now, don't get me wrong. I've been riding over 30 years and I've seen stuff like this a thousand times before. I myself, even though I was a "fat tub of shit", was known for pulling wheelies with my bikes. A guy I used to ride with used to stand up on his seat while riding down the highway. Heck, one time I even saw him do it while riding through the back row of a parking lot of a local drive-in. But we were young & stupid. In our 20's & horsing around with each other. This guy was in his 40's at least! He was riding alone, didn't know me or anybody else on the road. Who was he trying to impress? What was that I said about Sunday Drivers?

Getting Ready For Winter

I don't know how it is where you live, but around here in New England it's not exactly the best place for riding during the winter months. So what I usually do is put my "steed" away for the season and wait for the snow to melt. While working at the Harley dealer, I got some good tips on what to do to your machine so that when you go to "fire it up" next Spring there should be no problem.

An oil change would be nice before you put it way. Get some fuel stabilizer, pour about 1/2 the bottle in, run it or like I do, drive it to your nearest Gas Station and fill it to the top. Next, clean it up and put a fresh coat of wax on it to protect it while it "sleeps".

Next, get yourself a battery tender or if you don't want to do that, remove the battery and keep it indoors for the winter. If you're lucky the battery that comes with a new bike will last MAYBE 3 years, but any replacement you've bought you'll be lucky to get 2 years out of it so take care of it as best you can.

Another thing suggested is if you can get the tires off the ground if you're storing it on a concrete floor. A "cheap trick" if you can't do that is get a 2x4 and drive it onto that. The point is to get it off the floor. If you can't, I wouldn't worry about it. Check the tire pressure though.

The last item I'll cover will be, well....covers! Which one is best? Indoor, outdoor, the most expensive? Well, if you're gonna keep yours outside (God forbid!) I'd go with the best "Outdoor" cover you can get. I'd suggest you go to your Harley dealer as the prices are really quite reasonable as long as you aren't the type that has to have the very best of the best. You should be able to walk away with a good one for under $125. If you're going to keep your inside, then make sure you go with a "breathable" indoor cover. What's the difference? If it's not breathable any mosture, condensation or whatever will accumlate on your chrome or polished aluminum and leave it looking like the "pits"! Harley has or had a decent one for only $89 that will do the trick nicely! Its indoors so you really shouldn't need that much protection. I have to keep mine in a shed, so I plugged up all the leaky boards and put weatherstripping around the doors and windows. That, along with the cover, keeps it pretty clean through the winter.

That's about it! Kiss your baby goodbye and wait for spring! If you're only of the lucky ones who can ride all year round, pay no attention to this post and enjoy your winter riding season!