Motorcycles and Rain...

Now... some folks of the Two Wheeler variety, just hate the rain... they hate every bit and part of it...

Me?... my buddy Mike can attest to it... I can't say but that I love it!

We pull in to some place, and the rain is just thumpin' the ground... bits are dribblin' down your neck... Nasty... right?

I ride in to the stop at a 'coffee break', or a fuel stop, the rain just pouring... and pull off my helmet... gigglin' like a psychotic fool! It's true!... cagers, climbin' out of their cars, just walk into the 'quick mart'... shakin' their heads and wonderin'... at the goofy Old biker... laughin' in the rain! :o)

Why?... For just one reason... It's LIVIN'! Hoo! Ya! 

It's true... just ask Mike!

Now... that said... today I'm just a lil' frustrated... been rain' most of three days... and our rig (we live full-time in a 30' Fiver) is parked at a friends place... 'bout nigh on to three miles from the pavement...

Normally, you'd call that a dirt road... not now... It's a sea of gumbo mud twixt here and there... Even if I could keep my Raider vertical to get there... I don't know that I can bring myself to put her through that slimy muck! :o)

Rain I don't mind... and bein' a cowboy fella... well grounded on agriculture... it's one of those 'blessings' that eases your mind, when it falls... sort of a "There'll be grass for the cows this season" sort of thing... but... mud...

Nasty, slimy, clinging, corrupting, obstructing, crippling, mud... has no place in my world! :o)

I picked up our custom passenger pillion and 'recovered' backrest pad from Bitchn Stitchn yesterday afternoon... We're anxious to put 'em on the Bike... and take a test ride up through the canyons... but not through a sea of that ugly, butt breakin', tank dentin', face mask crusting MUD! :o)

So... till this weather breaks... That Red Raider will stand, protected and waiting, under her motorcycle cover...

That'll give me some time to find a few more parts... One I'm having some unexpected difficulty with is locating some "Pullback Riser Extensions"... They bolt on the top of the factory risers... and are offset a mite, giving another 1 1/2" or so of pullback... I've found some Baron units that are only,  riser extensions... no pull back... I know I've seen what I'm lookin' for... but now that I Want 'em I can't find 'em! aaaaargggggh!

I need to do that part... before I can have Dan and Brian, the Bitchn Stitchn craftsmen/arteests, rebuild the drivers seat... that way, he can adjust the location of my butt... to fit the best... so I'll keep lookin'...

One other 'issue' I think I've figured out is... saddle bags...

The Raider has an issue 'cause of the configuration of it's pipes... I think I'm one of maybe two fellas that actually like the factory pipes!... and I've never found that other biker!

Then... that lil' problem is compounded by the design of the Yamaha Factory Back rest for the Raider... It's a pretty awsome lookin' unit for the most part... juuuuuust one lil' problem...

It's a solid but quick release thing with a key that unlocks the latching mechanism, that lock on to 'spools' mounted on the fender strut bolts. Those 'spools' and the mechanism, are covered by a chrome piece that hangs down and makes a cosmetic shroud for the whole shebang... and, by itself... looks real fine...

How-some-ever... it is also in the way of any sort of 'ghost' or 'easy' brackets....

This is where my stubborn parts come to good use... I was schemin' a clean way of mounting, traditional saddlebags without using 'thow over' bags... which I detest...

...and hit on what I think is a winner of a solution... It will require a small bit of fabrication... and some 'rechroming' work... but will be a solid, permanent, durable and very clean saddle bag mounting solution for my Raider...

The guy that had this bike before me... used a pair of nasty 'throw overs'... which I left where I bought the bike... yyyyyuck!

... but the support bars were still on the bike... I took 'em off and hadn't intended on usin' e'm... but still have 'em!

... So... I'll take 'em... weld four coupler nuts in the right spot on each bar... get 'em rechromed... and with slightly extended fender strut bolts, remount 'em on the outside of the Yamaha Raider Backrest spools...

The "Coupler Nuts" will extend a sliver past the chrome shroud... and allow the clean mounting of Traditional Hard Leather Bags!...If I'm right...that chrome shroud will mostly fill the space between the fender and the bags... How's that for clean?! :o)

...now all I need to do is that welding work... and find the proper bags that will fit, for sure and for certain! ... and they need to fit not only the space... but the look and lines of this awesome Raider Motorcycle! :o)

So... I need it to quit raining!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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