I should know by now; "Don't bother with planning!"... as I hit the ground from the steps, my eyes just happened to scan 'cross the back tire on My Star Raider... Uh Oh...
That Metzler 210 back tire had got pretty shabby lookin'... which I hadn't noticed... enough... I knew it was gettin' skinny, and would need new rubber soon... but now I could see a thin line or two, wearing in the center of the tire... uh... Way, too thin... :o) So... I rolled it to Fort Collins Motorsports to get that lil' fault corrected...
Now anyone who's bought one of them big tires recently knows... them suckers ain't cheap... I thought on goin' to the 240 that quite a few riders are opting for... but decided, at least for now, to just stay with the stock tire... and now the Red Raider is back to full health...
One reason I keep on goin' to Fort Collins Motorsports for service I need is, they take good care of me.
I've been 'Nicked' by a lot of "Dealerships" over the years... first thing you think, when you think "Dealership" is $$$, right? And, I'd have to say, that Motorcycle Dealerships aren't any different...
Truth is... I almost bought a Victory Vegas last fall... was right close to puttin' ink on paper... when I caught 'em sqeezing that turnip just a mite too hard... and they lost the deal...
I can't say the guys in Fort Collins are saints... but... a couple of times now, while doin' other work, they've found faults on my bikes, that I'd missed... made the repairs... and then, discounted the labor costs of that unexpected repair... nigh on to half... and that's what they did yesterday...
While replacing the tire, the mechanic found one loose, and one bolt completely missing off the exhaust mounting... the threads in one hole being buggered up a mite... they set that right, along with a couple other lil' adjustments... and did me right...
so... to me... that's pretty cool... and how you earn the trust of a customer.
What can I say... felt so good 'bout it... I went ahead and dropped another chunk of $$$ and picked up that piece of "Motorcycle Jewelry" I'd been planning on in the first place...
I'm outfitting it, slowly, to set it up for some long rides... today, I added the tail rack for the Yamaha, factory back rest... solid, chrome plated, billet aluminum... that bolts right into the rest... my ruck will sit there, making it useful for general day rides, as well as a good location for a small bag for my Long Rides.
Still cogitating on the Handlebars/Seat setup... at this point... I'm still wanting, to work out getting my butt... an inch and a half or so, closer to the bars... or the bars... an inch and a half closer to my butt...
I'm taking it slow... and bein' kind of picky I guess :o) ... I just can't find the bars or risers... that I like... Thing is... I like the look of the factory risers...
... and nothing else I've found... Looks, right to me... What I have found just seems a Loss of style and design... for the sake of a lil' bit of comfort... and what I want... is to improve the function... with No Loss of the style, and attitude of the bike. Kind of Whiney... huh? :o)
So... I'm pretty much decided to just take the bike back to Dan at Bitchn Stitchn... and get the drivers seat done, to match the pillion and back rest they already did for me...
I'll see how much Dan can get me moved, with the seat...and then figure the bars out, over a lil' more time.
Leastways, that's the plan this morning!... thing is... I don't have a lot of time... I have some big plans for this summer... years in the 'waiting'... so I gotta get that Raider Motorcycle, ready to roll!
Which is next? The Motorcycle saddle bags I think I've got figured out? ... or the Custom Motorcycle Drivers Seat?
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
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