Pushin' Into the Wind to Make This Trip Happen...

Scrambling trying to get the bike and my gear together as well as locking down all the other bits and pieces around the rig so I have the "Window" to ride for a week or ten days...

Got back to a friends farm in Fort Collins the other day to do some maintenance work on the scooter and install the New Yamaha back rest that goes along with the change of saddlebags and pipes.

Turned into a standard bit of an ordeal. The bolts that came with the backrest were to short to accommodate both the backrest AND the Tsukayu saddlebag mounts. Took me most of a half dozen hours chasing bolts to finally think of tryin' Yamaha. :) They had a couple layin' 'bout the shop and just handed 'em to me. Awesome.

So... I race on back to the rig and put everything together... only to find that the heads of the new bolts were too thick to let the lids of the saddlebags close... arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhh!

Came whisker close to pullin' the offending bolts and applying their heads to the working end of a grinder. Then the thought crossed my mind; "That miserably shyster Murphy like as not has some unintended consequences hidden in there"... so I took another angle at it.

I drug out my angle grinder and drill and quick fabbed up some shims out of bar stock aluminum to space my Tsukayu saddlebags over a 1/4 inch to give enough space for the lids to close past the offending forward fender strut bolt heads.

They worked before 'cause the original bolts were thin headed hex bolts... and the new bolts for the backrest are Allen headed and quite a bit thicker...

But it's all bolted back in place and she's lookin' pretty ready for the road.

*The Raider with the new Yamaha Backrest*

 So those are the first pics of this summers modifications... the 3" Hard Chrome big straight pipes, the Tsukayu Coner bags, the New Yamaha powder coated back rest and the License plate sub fender shaved with the plate relocated to under the left bag.

I'm likin' how she's looking. I've come to the realization that I'm not a Chromed out Scooter sort of rider. The subdued black with chrome accents fits me far better...

Just have the oil change, air filter and spark plugs... as well as a few family tasks to lock down... so it's looking now like mid to late week... and I'm gettin' anxious as hell...

It's a race 'tween time... and what lil' dinero remains in my pocket to ride with! :)

Pushin' Hard
Brian