I've Been Reworking Some of My Touring Gear

I picked up a New Ultra Touring Bag from Kuryakyn about a week ago. Found it in the Beaver's Den Motorcycle Leather shop on a ride up Highway 34 west of Loveland...

*My New Kuryakyn Ultra Tour Bag*

There's been a bit of evolution over the years... for how I pack my gear.

*How I packed my gear on my Alaskan ride*

*Another evolution from a ride a couple years back*

*My current packing and gear arrangement*

I used to carry the tent up on the bars. Not a bad way... but there was some interference with the ignition key... so I'm trying out some new packing of that.

Also, I abandoned my old mummy bag. I just can't tolerate the confines of that thing... and I'm now carrying a cheapie walmart rectangular bag that seems to keep me as warm and a hell of a lot more spacious. But it is a bit more bulky. 

The Kuryakyn tour bag so far is proving out well. I took it on a "Test ride" up a twisting mountain canyon and into Rocky Mountain National park the other day. I thought it a good idea to test it and the way I've got everything packed now on a real world hundred mile ride... before I take off on a weeklong trip hopefully later this week... and it all rode without a hitch.

The bag is something I'm becoming real happy with. It carries actually more clothes than I took to Alaska... and does it without having to stuff and punch to get it in. The quality of the bag seems top notch...

This is what I put in it... and still have a bit of space if I DID feel like stuffing... Likely I don't need that much... you just stop at a laundry a bit more often. :)

 ... and this pic doesn't include the drinking water bladder I'm testing out in the top road side pocket... a convenient place for drinking water on the road (one of the bigger mistakes people make on long hot tours... they fail to drink enough water) Make it convenient to get a drink... It should improve that... which makes you a safer rider. (dehydration is going to slow down your thinking/reaction time)

Likely one of the biggest improvements for me is that it attaches rock solid. I've tried to cheap out for a while, (not a good choice really) using "other" gear and not bags designed explicitly for bikes. That left me always having to conjure up ways of strapping it on secure.

This bag locks onto my seat with two built in straps from the bottom front and a wide, velcro strap that wraps around the back rest.

Combined with two straps from D-rings on top of the tour bag that I use as anchor points to secure the tent...which is also secured to the sleeping bag below it... which is secured to the luggage rack... it is a rock solid load.

It does come with a heavy duty rain cover... but with all my other gear, that doesn't look like it's going to fit. The bag itself seems like it should be pretty water resistant... but I'm scouting for a rain cover that will cover the whole load... thinking maybe a light nylon tarp sized right and a lil' bigger net to secure it... always some sort of gear to fiddle with...

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Um... Yeah... so... about having things buttoned up in the next day or so...

Yeah... Not gonna happen. It's kinda becoming the refinish that won't quit.

While waiting for paint to dry ;) so I can put a hopefully last coat on and bring the saddlebags to a uniform finish... I decided to back up a couple of steps and change some things around.

Fact is, I've never been really happy with the built in turn signals on those Tsukayu Coner Saddlebags. The way they're fit in there... IDK... they just haven't "worn" well on me...

*The bags in 2012*

 They don't seal tight either so dirt gets in there and just looks wrong around the fringes of the lens.

I also decided I didn't like the license plate hanging down under, and the way I had to get a wire to it...

So... I decided I'd take out the factory signals... order a new set from J&P cycles... as well as a replacement Radiantz license plate frame, to replace the existing one which broke a wire.

There's a lil problem with that simple fix.

The factory signals are set into pockets molded into the fiberglass... But that's shouldn't really be a problem, not with me being such a whiz Body Man... Right?

NOT! ...

I gave some thought to just covering the old lights with ... something... but that would be double tacky... so then the real brainstorm... this is going south in a hurry...

"I'll just cover those recesses over, body man and all"... right? ha ha ha... yeahhhhh...

Just pull the lenses... cut out the LED boards inside...

And cover over the recesses with fiberglass...

... and some bondo...

and some paint... Easy... Ha Ha Ha....

The plan was/is... to just set the fiberglass on that ledge just below flush with the surface of the bag. I don't want to have to deal with blending fiberglass into that surface if I laid it across the top of the pocket. So I'll just lay it up to the edge of the pocket.

I should have plenty of surface there on that ledge for a secure bond...Then just level it up with a thin layer of bondo and sand her smooth.

Soooo... I scraped and sanded off the paint and primer down to the gel coat... and hung some glass...

I brushed some resin onto the ledge... then put a layer of resin saturated glass mat in. Stuck the old lens in there for a bit of rigidity... and then another layer of glass mat over that... all bonded to that wide ledge.

I'd thought a mite about cutting out the pockets.... but to be honest... I'm not sure how it's set into the body... or what I'd get into with that hole... and having to deal with the carpet liner inside the bag (cuz I'd have to put glass on both sides)... so I just decided that pocket ain't takin' up much space. ;)

 You mix the resin and you've got maybe ten minutes to get things where they need to be before that stuff sets up. Sometimes trying to get a little piece of glass cloth to lay where you want it while you try to cover it with more resin is like trying to untangle a birdsnest knot of fishing line in your reel... with your toes... drunk...

... on a windy day... while riding to town on a pogo stick...

Well... I've got fiberglass curing now... I'll smooth that up a bit, bondo and sand... and I'll be ready to re-repaint. ;) and then...

...When the new lights and License Plate frame get here... hang them on there and get 'em wired in.

At that point the scooter will be street legal again with some fresh makeup.

... unless of course... in the time between then and now... I change my damned mind again...

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Starting The Saddlebag Refinish

Took off all the top coat and primer and much of the gel coat.

I'm choosing to leave some of that. I took off all the cracks in it... Soooo... I'm thinking I'm good. We shall see.

First coat of resin is on. But it's pretty cool so curing will take quite a bit longer.

Plan is to sand it with very fine paper and after cleaning that, apply a second thin coat.

I'll let that cure a few days before I prep and apply the new paint.

Speaking of which, I'm going a "cheaper" but what I think is more reasonably maintainable route this time around...

... More reasonable for "hard used" equipment I think. More on that saddle bag paint later. ;)

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

The Hits Just Keep on Coming

Got deep into the saddlebags yesterday. A refinish of them was required due to cracking in the paint on the curb side bag lid...

I figured just sand off the cracked paint...

clean off the dust... primer if I went through into the gel coat...

... and then I'd just rattle can on a fresh new coat of black... and a new clear coat...

Good Plan...

Yeah... there I go planning again...

I hadn't but started sanding to remove the cracked paint...

... when I discovered that the cracks didn't originate in a failed paint coat...

... but in the underlying fiberglass...


I worked for a little while... searching out all the spots where the paint was cracked... I'd noticed the first little crack maybe a year ago.

Over time they multiplied... and sure enough...

Underlying each spot of cracked paint... the gel coat was spidered with a thin crack.

There was also no shortage of bad spots... at least it's only... as far as I can tell, the one single saddlebag lid.

So... work on the saddlebags is temporarily suspended... while I wait on some word from the manufacturer of the bags.

I'm not expecting any good news to be honest. My recent experience with companies and warranties has not been confidence building... but we'll see. I did at least get an automatic email response from the outfit.

It advised me they were "On Holiday" until the 22nd... so... I'll go do something else for a bit... maybe study up on Motorcycle Saddlebag Fiberglass repair.

At least my son-in-law who did the paint job can wipe his forehead and breathe easy... it wasn't His screwup. ;)

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Back on the Front Range and the Work Begins...

I've returned, early in the season to Fort Collins. A good friend of mine has a small farm over on the east side. She's off on Active Duty with the Army so having someone just being here is a worry off her mind, and it gives me a place to do the work I need to do.

The bike is now in one of her garages to be shined up and made ready for the lucky bugger that gets to be carried on her into the future.

I've spent a couple of days just lining out what I need to do and where to get the "Stuff" to do that.

I'll start in today pulling the saddlebags and pipes that need to be refinished. The paint in one spot on the bags got spiderwebbed a bit and you all know of my issues with Hard Chrome's ceramic coating on the pipes.

I've found some 2000 degree Header paint as well as 2000 degree clear coat to refinish those... as well as some words about preparation and Proper Curing so the finish is reasonably durable...

I also found a kit to try taking out a hail dent on the tank... and I'm going to try my hand at an Artistic treatment of a scratch on the rear fender... from waaaaay back when that first backrest parted ways with the bike at 70 mph!

Then there's replacing the tweaked shift lever from that U-turn didoe up on San Juan Island a couple years ago... and also on a tangent... I'm going to repaint the Black Widow 12' folding ramp... as that will be sold as well.

It's not a happy thing to have to do... and maybe if the Leather shop I'm putting back together does well enough... fast enough... I'll be able to get back between a pair of wheels before I'm too old to keep 'em from falling over...

But... right now I can't dwell on the potholes... just the slope ahead that I've got to climb.

Grab Your Handles and Ride (you never know when you're gonna loose your wheels)
Brian

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

Comfort and Motorcycles

Completed the refit of the Raider yesterday. The Tsukayu Hard Bags are on along with the Hard Chrome pipes.

*Yamaha Raider with the Hard Chrome pipes and Tsukayu Saddle Bags*

I also shaved the plastic sub fender under the tail light; relocating the license plate and shaving the turn signal lollipops since the new bags have built in turn signal lights.

In the process I've seen quite a few conversations on forums and had 'em in person where the subject of "comfort" always seems to enter the dialog.

I think ~ pure comfort ~ has somehow seized too big a place in peoples thinking. Especially when it comes to motorcycles.

The refit I did was not for comfort but for function and convenience. The Raider has always been sufficiently comfortable.

But... what is comfort? Do you climb a mountain to be comfortable? Is Riding a horse comfortable? Is golfing comfortable?

I mean... sure you don't want ill fitting shoes to go hikng in. You don't want jeans so tight they put your feet to sleep. You don't want to wear a heavy down coat when it's 95 degrees. But, it seems the FIRST thing that enters peoples mind when they start doing ANYTHING is Comfort!!!

Not the experience of LIVING... but... doing it without risking being ~ GASP! ~ the least bit un-comfortable.

I've heard people say; "That bike is too uncomfortable for me"; yet when asked, they've NEVER even ridden the bike they're criticising! ... Huh? ...

I've heard people say; "It was raining... it's too uncomfortable to ride in the rain... it's too hot... it's too cold... it's this or it's that"... and on and on and on...

The thing that has come home to me is that "society" has devolved to where anything that is a risk... any risk at all is WRONG... anything that is less comfortable than a flotation topped mattress... is WRONG. Anything that provides SENSATION of the world around you is WRONG.

Anything that provides a tactile sensation of actually being alive is "Un-Comfortable" ... Oh Boo Freakin' Hoo!

If COMFORT is your controlling motivation, which must be satisfied BEFORE all else... what the hell are you doing on a Motorcycle? Get yourself a chauffeur and one of those limousines with climate control and a hot tub... I'll bet you can even hire a waitress to serve you as you ride around... we don't want to see you get strained by having to pour your own seltezer water... and make sure you keep the windows rolled up... Don't suffer the discomfort of Wind in your face!!!

I guess a "Good" Motorcycle is supposed to roll you through the west with No wind, No rain, No heat, No cold, No traffic, No fuel stops, No dust, No skeeters... No No No No No No...

No Freakin' Sensation of Life!

Geeze... You might as well just lay in one of those sensory deprivation tanks and just look at post cards with a triple insulated flashlight... held by someone else of course... We don't want your hand to be subjected to the discomfort of having to hold up a heavy, lumpy flashlight.

Yeah... a postcard with a PICTURE of a Motorcycle being ridden in the wind and rain... and you can read the lil' blurb on the back that TELLS you what it feels like.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Less is More...

 I frequently hold with that school of thought when it comes to "Aesthetic" design. Sometimes there's just too much "junk" in the way to see the real form...

There's a small little thing that a lot of Raider Riders do to shine up their ride... and I suppose it hurts the feeling of some designer sitting in an office somewhere that designed this lil' bit... but those Raider Riders shave off that lil' bit of plastic chrome flash on the tank...

*The Raider with the new pipes and still with the Tank Flash*

Since I'm working toward a more subdued appearance with this machine that tank flash had to go. I'd been thinking that for a long time... and to tell the truth I'd been hoping to even have the bike painted by now...

Something in the last week, not sure what, triggered me to start pulling the trigger on several of the "I'd kinda like to" jobs I've had floating around in my brain pan for a while. So yesterday afternoon I got out the credit card, some rags and 3M Adhesive remover and went to work.

I sat the bike in the sun for a bit to warm the tank up and then went to cutting the mounting tape under the Flash with an old, out of service credit card... which of course left a considerable amount of adhesive and foam residue on both sides of the fuel tank...

The next 45 minutes or an hour was spent soaking the crud with that 3M adhesive remover... squeegeeing the bulk off with the credit card and then scrubbing the remainder off with an old T-Shirt with liberal use of the adhesive remover.

The result is a clean tank!

*Raider with the Tank Flash Removed*

I'm liking the direction I'm going. Sometimes they put, IMHO, Too much "stuff" on a bike. Too much flash and Farkle. The chrome accents of the Heads and other bits and pieces work better I think against the matte black and red of the balance of the bike.

I want my new Tsukayu Saddle Bags NOW! :-/ My patience waiting for THAT order to come is not enduring well. :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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My Raider Refit has Begun!

I got the first step of refitting my Yamaha Raider for Motorcycle Touring done Friday afternoon.

After riding the bike for a couple of years with the leather Osprey saddlebags I decided that I needed to rework the setup.

The bags have served well, but as it turns out, the conditions I live in now are not made for the endurance of leather saddlebags. I just can't keep ahead of the abuse the weather puts on the leather bags that are exposed to the elements 100% of the time.

But, to change to the fiberglass hard bags I'm going to install, it required the replacement of the existing, factory exhaust pipes.

*Yamaha Raider with Factory Pipes*

 That dogleg in the pipes rises up so high it's pretty hard to squeeze in any sort of a hard bag with the size I want to go to.

That's the other thing working here. I wanted to enlarge the bags a bit to improve their capacity for Motorcycle Touring on my Yamaha sled.

I chewed on this for a long time... flopping back and forth from one style to another... and finally settled on the 3" Big Straights from Hard Chrome in the Black version.

*Yamaha Raider with 3" Big Straights by Hard Chrome*

Geeze... You'd think a guy taking a portrait of his most favorite motorcycle of all time would remember to pull the protective masking tape off the frame first! :)

But look at the difference in space twixt the pipes and the bags... I'm impatiently waiting now for my new Tsukayu Coner saddlebags to arrive!

That and the noise... I'm not real BIG on Loud Pipes... I was nervous about these being too noisy... So far? I'm happy. They've got a deep burbling rumble to 'em without that ear cracking edge. If you stay off the throttle in the "neighborhood" and keep your rpm down the neighbors have nothing to complain about.

On the Highway, where before I couldn't even hear the motor over the wind... I now have that nice, deep rumble that always tickles the giggles of a "Motorhead"... OK... so I'm a partial motorhead. So far it's a real pleasing note... needs be, I can swap the baffles for a "quieter" variety... but with the pipes being the long style, I think they'll ride just as they are.

I was a lil' anxious about going in the Blacked out "direction" but, already, I'm liking the more subdued style of 'em. Since I live in the "you can polish 'em or you can ride 'em" school of thought ... and sit solidly on the Ride 'em side ;) I think the black is gonna do better in that situation than chrome!

Riding the bike back to the rig from my kids place in Denver... I rolled up I-25. One of the first things I noticed was there seemed to be a bit more vibration. The second was that my fuel mileage kinda went to hell!

Geeze! And I thought it would improve a bit...

Then... I looked down at the speedo... Hmmm...

Ya think that maybe all those extra numbers I found when I looked at the speedometer might have something to do with more vibration and poorer fuel economy? :))

Took a roll up Poudre Canyon yesterday... at my more "normal" cruising speed and that idea seems to have been borne out... Mileage seems to be back in the 48-52 mpg range that I normally run. Guess I'll have to guard against the Thunder Induced Velocity!

Now that I "played" for a couple of days...

It's back to work for me now.
Brian

Riding... How Much is Enough?

I've had the thought... That I've not been riding as much as I thought I would when we left the old life behind and started our full time yondering... nearly two years ago now.

Sometimes... that's been true. When we're camped 30 miles above Gunnison and ten miles up a dirt road... there's something that just interferes with my desire to put the Raider on the ground.... and that just ain't right.

But what can I say, dirt roads just don't shine for that big road burner. The result is that sometimes that bike has sat on the truck for several days at a time... too many days.

Since we've been roosted back in Fort Collins I've been back to pretty much daily runs for one purpose or another. It reminds me that I'm a much happier old coot if I'm pushin' that sled through the wind at least once a day.

Now... sayin' I've not been splittin' the wind enough since we left so many months ago might have some folks scratchin' their heads...

... considerin' that I started out this wandering journey of ours two years ago riding to Alaska and back in mid 2010. The Million Dollar Highway through Silverton came next in the fall.

The Raider rolled through Arches National Park and Canyon Lands. It ran the Pacific Coast Highway a few miles; We covered the roads around Redding and Mt. Shasta in California. We've ridden Yosemite, and Going to the Sun Road up in Glacier National Park... Twice!

Yellowstone has been ridden twice itself! We rolled around San Juan Island in Puget Sound and across the Sierras in Washington. Lolo and Lost Trail passes in Montana have seen me come through... as well as the Bear Tooth Highway! I've raced across southern Montana and Northern Wyoming to the Black Hills of the Dakotas.

The Arizona Desert and its Highlands have known the feel of my Raiders tires in the last two years, as well as Zion and Bryce up in Utah...

So... When I say I've not been riding enough... some might ask... "Huh? Are you kidding?" :) What can I say? It's an unsatisfied lust. Maybe unsatisfiable?

Yesterday after visiting the kids in Denver and needful of another asphalt fix, I chose to make a swing out to the base of the Front Range Mountains to circle back to Fort Collins, rather than the boring slab run up I-25.

I still had to fight my way past the lil' gals with their cell phone either stuck in their ears... or held in front of their faces... texting... while their volvo drifts 'cross the lane line... to get out of Denver and through Boulder to catch 36 to Estes Park. (this is where I'm just shaking my head)

So... I break out into some nice open mountain road... roll clear of the few hundred cagers with the same idea for a Saturday morning... (at least most of 'em weren't texting!)

To find the weather trying to keep things interesting... Which is why I turned up 36 and not gone farther west on 119 to catch 72 up through Nederland and Ward. It was REALLY dark off that way! :)

*Weather Brewing on a Ribbon of Asphalt*

I'm pretty sure some would look up ahead... see those clouds and then turn 'round and roll for home... I understand that... but think it's a mistake. All GOOD riding is not sun shine and balmy weather.

The truth is... there's something in the rain. There's something you get... riding through a storm... that you don't get otherwise. It's another shade of the healing power of the Open Road. I was wonderin' about it as I rolled... and wonderin' was I gonna get wet. I don't generally climb into my rain gear... 'less I'm pretty certain sure the thing is gonna last a while... I know... I know... the formal term is "Learning Disabled"...

Anyhoo... The only thing that came to me was that the Rain is LIFE. It's Life fallin' out of the sky. I don't know... Maybe that's why I'm always grinnin' when I'm rain riding. I love the fresh scent of the air... even the sound of the drops rattling on my Helmet. It's all good.

Yeah... I know... the old man is Weird! :)

*Two Wheels rolling into the Storm*

The truth is... I learned a lesson from a forgotten teacher... a Long time ago. "Don't fight the weather or fear it. Just go with it. Embrace It!"

But... even a weather embracing, puss gut, cowboy biker can choose to wimp out once in a while...

*Motorcycle Hideout*

 ... and that's what I did yesterday. I took shelter for a while to wait out the storm with a cup of hot coffee at McDonalds in Estes Park. ;)

So... I sat there till it passed... almost...

When I climbed back on the bike and headed down the Big Thompson Canyon... it jumped out from where it was hiding behind the mountain and said gotcha! with big rattling rain drops... that had me grinning one more time.

Now... maybe in the next few days I've got a 1200 mile... maybe three day run penciled out. If Murphy don't find out and gum up the works...

When I get back from that... there Should Be... some Sweet Hard Chrome exhaust pipes waiting to customize the bike... which will also provide the room needed to mount some Tsukayu Hard bags that should be arriving shortly after...

All to improve the bike... for splittin' the wind a lot farther and longer...

It is my intention to push Several good long rides into my yondering over the next couple of years.

I refuse to let age and poverty stand in the way of Living! :)

Don't Sweat the Rain... It's only a lil' water
Brian

In Pursuit of a Major Motorcycle Rebuild

I don't suppose the Raider is a quarter of the way through it's likely life span. She's carried me on a lot of roads in the dress she wore when she rolled off the Star Motorcycle Assembly line back in 2008.

I have a hunger to tailor her to better fit the current "Me" that has evolved ... or some might claim "De-Volved" the past few years.

While I haven't solved the big question yet; "Where's the dinero for her Makeover gonna come from?", I am zeroing in on what the makeover is going to look like. :)

... and some of it just might mean I've got another meal of crow feathers coming! :)

There's a few issues I'm looking to address. After many miles, all sorts of weather and the changes of thinking that life carries, I've decided I want to change from Leather Saddlebags to Fiberglass Hard bags. The Tsukayu Coners are currently standing at the head of the line, and will most likely be the Vinyl Wrapped variety.

To do that though, I must first swap exhaust pipes to make room... and here I'm waffling between Vance and Hines and going a bit different direction with Hard Chrome Black Ceramic 3" Res-Tec drag pipes...(their websites is dinged up so I can't show the link)

Then... up on the front end... the possible source of the Crow Feathers meal... another Tsukayu product...

Yeah... I know... Naked Motorcycle... It's pretty much been my Mantra... What can I say... maybe it's time for a change! :) I want the tunes and a few of the niceties in my old age!

The other major thing I would really LIKE to do... is custom paint... I'm still working on that... I've had a sketch I drew up, for a long time, of what I would like to do... time will only tell if I manage to pull the trigger on that...

This is... sort of... the color... I'm thinking a deep, metalic, burnt umber sort of Orange... hard to find in a colored pen! ;)

... and then the smiling Skull... and "Flames" that are sort of a hybrid between fire and dreadlocks :)... sure to offend some... :) ah well, If I quit offending it likely means I've died... so I'll live with it.

The base paint is the most likely... and then possibly as a "Phase II" the airbrush work... if somebody feels the need to read enough of my "westerns" to permit all that anyway! :) not to mention the grips, mirrors, shift linkage, tail light (making the turn signals integral) and a few other odds and ends...

The hardest part after finding the cash to shine her up... is the taking her off the road for the amount of time it will require to get it all done! :( ...

Ah well... if you're gonna own horses... there's a lot of shoveling that has to be done.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Making the Cruiser Motorcycle That Touched Your Soul, Your Own

You buy a bike and you ride it for a while. You come to love it. You put it in the wind and you love it. It fills your soul with something that you've never found, anywhere else. It's only a machine, but, it's a machine that touches your soul.

Then one day, you walk out, and it strikes you... that it looks just like everyone else's. Somehow, to you, the machine, the Motorcycle has a personality of it's own, but, it LOOKS like every other Motorcycle of that make and model that was ever built... and... THAT, ain't right!

Thoughts of how to put you, into the bike start rattling through your head. Thoughts of how to bring out that inner personality of the machine that you believe exists.

Now, you know as well as I do, that folks that don't ride, think when a guy starts talkin' like this; Why, he's gone 'round the bend and has fell down so many times that he's, by God bent something bad. and he is now... whooooee! Tee Total WhAcko! :)

Yeah well... Ok. :)

Well, WhAcko or not, this past summer, sitting up in the Montana high country, those thoughts of making my Raider my own started rattling in my head... and I started doing some doodling.

Not sure when the dinero is going to happen, to make this happen... but I've got a pretty clear idea of what my Raider should look like.

The first thing I did was envision a paint scheme... at first I was just thinking pretty conservative, solid color... but... it just didn't ring the bell... Like they say; "It wasn't happening."

Finally, one day when I wasn't even thinkin' on it, the idea struck me, ding! ding! ding! That bell started ringin'... and I went to work sketching it out...

Now, this ain't THE correct and proper orange. I didn't have the right colored pen for that ;) but... picture it with a deeper, bronzier or browner, metalic orange on my Raiders tank...

It's gonna be a hard time to have the bike down for the time it'll take to get this air brushing done... when that time does come.

Then... my current, traditional, Leather Saddlebags would be changed out to Tsyukayu Coner hard bags... of course, painted to match the tank color...

*Tsukayu Coner Hard bags on a Raider*

Even though I like the Factory Star Pipes... so that the bags will fit... I'll have to change out the factory pipes, to get 'em lower.  Not sure what brand the 2 into 1 style is in the Coner bag pic... but... I'm kinda Partial to the 2 in it 2 Vance and Hines pipes...

*Vance and Hines 2 into 2 exhaust pipes*

There are a couple other pieces and parts I'd like to change... but these are the big ticket, and major design ideas that have been collecting in those moments when I've got time between getting my next book finished and repairing broken parts on the fifth wheel, so we can get back on the road. :)

I can't wait to give my Raider the custom look the machine deserves... and put her in the wind touring on a long wide circle. The fact is simple and true. Machine or not. It touches my soul in a way nothing else does.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Not yet 30,000 miles, and Already Time for an Overhaul?

I've been riding my Raider for almost a year now. Put a lot of miles on her riding through the tail end of our last winter ... or early spring in Colorado... Straddled her up the Alaskan Highway and back...

... put her tires on the ground, rolling along the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon... Leaned through the twisties of Northern California and Yosemite... I've run her on the desert roads of Arizona this winter...

I've done a little customizing, to tune her to my likes, but nothing radical, and some of them, truly a compromise to make the back seat a mite more comfortable for the female side of this family.

Now... as that Star Raider and I start into our second spring together... my Likes... seem to be changing.

Though I'm one of the few who apparently like the lines of the stock pipes, they get in the way of mounting saddlebags for ease of packing gear for touring.... and I've come around, anyway, to wanting to change out the leather bags I have now... for fiberglass, hard bags... painted to match... and painted to show off! :o)

So... no idea when or how I'll fit these motorcycle mods into my anemic budget... considering we're planning on hauling the whole dang rig (fifth wheel and Raider) back to Alaska this year... :o) but...

I am planning on some major re-working of my most treasured ride.

From motorcycle exhaust pipes and motorcycle saddlebags ... to a full, custom paint scheme...hell... maybe I'll even turn 180 degrees away from a nekkid bike... and add a fairing! :o) ... that'd have me eating some crow feathers!

Guess I better get to work and sell some more books huh? :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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My Star Raider Finally Has All Its' Custom Motorcycle Seats and Saddlebags!

Picked up the Raider at Bitchn Stitchn in Lakewood yesterday morning... and Installed the Raider Saddlebags this morning...

Now anyone who has a Roadstar Raider knows... that nobody is apparently making Saddlebag Mounts or Saddlebags for Raiders... at least if you want hard mount bags... and are using, and liking, for the most part, a Yamaha Raider Backrest.

Well... No Problem! Just fabricate your own Raider Mods... ie. solid, Raider Saddlebag mounts... and then there are plenty of Saddlebags that are gonna fit on a Raider...even if... like me... You are one of the few who LIKE the Stock Yamaha Exhaust pipes! :o)

I'll be building a page on the site in the next few days with pictures from a lot of angles... and some "noise" 'bout how I mounted 'em... etc. but for now... I think those bags... and the two custom seats (Pillion and Drivers seat) are Lookin' Good!

Both seats have a gel insert, with fake ostrich Vinyl and some fancy stitchin'... They added some material to the drivers seat, that moves me about an inch and a half or so, forward... eliminating, for me, I think, the need to replace the handlebars for a better position... right now... I'm happy... so I'll ride it a few thousand miles and make a final decision, some time into the deep dark future.

So... now I'm 'bout to go make a test ride... to see how it all works together... and of course... just because the sun is shining... the road is calling... and there's fuel in the tank!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Saddlebags for My Raider Motorcycle and other Alaska Ride Preparations are Movin' Along...

The Osprey Ltd. Bags are here... and I think they'll work! Though I won't know for sure, for another few days... The Raider is down in Lakewood getting its' Bitchn Stitchn Custom Seat done... to match the passenger seat I had done a while back... and ready it for the comin' 9000 mile journey!

I wanted a fairly plain Motorcycle Saddlebag... and I wanted Leather, genuine, full grain... REAL, leather... when I went looking for Saddlebags for my Raider...

I also needed 'em to be a bit smaller. Like I said... I'm one of maybe three riders in the world, who actually like the factory pipes on a Raider! :o) ... but, 'cause they run so high... they do take up some space... these bags are just a touch over 12" tall.

I'll have to set 'em a touch higher than usual, to clear the pipes sufficient... but if my calculatin' is right... they'll fit... and if' my visualizin' is workin' too... the lines of the bags will fit... I'm hopeful... 'cause it's gettin' late!

The maker at Osprey Ltd. sent me along some loose conchos to mount... 'cause I wasn't tee total sure where I wanted to put 'em... I really like these conchos.

But... with the bags settin' here... I think I've got that figured out already... I just have to punch the strap mounts on the lids... which makes for good "balance"... and they'll cover over the strap rivets at the same time.

Though the Saddlebags are pretty plain, and clean... they are dressed up a touch with a braided binding on all the seams...

The sacrifices with Leather bags are that the seams are NOT waterproof... and you can't lock the bags... but then... I pack my gear in waterproof stuff sacks... and if you think your gear is safe... locked in an ABS plastic box... with most having lids which can be bent up by a palsied four year old...

 ... then your perception of the world I live in... is juuuuust a mite different than mine! :o)

So... at this point I'm pretty happy with 'em... but let's give it 10,000 miles or so... and see if I'm still grinning!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Everybody Else's Motorcycles Seem to be Leaving For Alaska...

While I'm still stuck here gettin' ready! ... and seeming to be doing that, three steps forward... two steps back...

First... a word of warning to anybody that's got, or is looking at getting, the Factory Backrest for a Yamaha Raider...

It's a good piece of equipment... if pricey... but there is One Thing to pay close attention to... Locking that Sucker!

Last week, I took the Backrest off for a short... while I bolted on the Saddlebag mounts we fabricated... When I reinstalled it... I ... apparently failed, when I snapped it into position, to insure that the locking mechanism was fully and completely engaged...

Damn! It took three days to vibrate/bounce off... but managed to do it without me noticing... and then took an hour and a half of driving back down the road, in the dark, to find it... once I realized that high dollar piece of Motorcycle Jewelry was gone!

How I didn't notice it leaving is a mystery to me... the thing took a nasty chunk out of the paint on the rear fender as it was leaving! ... I've not got one idea what the hell I was doin'... to not notice! geeze... I wonder if this is one of the early stages of "Old Timers Syndrome"... You don't notice big parts fallin' off the vehicle you're ridin' on!

The Back Rest is pretty road rashed and will require some dinero to get Re chromed... and the back pad on it that I'd already had custom covered is ate up... but at least I didn't totally lose it!... So... make sure, when you install the Yamaha Raider Backrest... that you double check the lock... to see that it is fully engaged!

Rolling on to more cheerful news... I got my saddlebags ordered from Osprey Limited yesterday afternoon. They were recommended to me by Kerry, up in British Columbia... who has a set of their bags and told me the quality is there... and considering the price ... $400+- for a pair of full grain leather, ABS reinforced bags... I'm looking forward to getting them on... Next Week!

Yup... Next Week!... I managed to time my order just when he was starting a couple sets of the style I'm getting... so he just added a third to the run... and will ship in a couple of days!

So... passport is on the way, saddlebags are on the way... drivers seat gets customized for 'Long Riding' next week at Bitchn Stitchn, and... picked up some new "Iron Horse Duty Boots" at Bass Pro too! ... waterproof... side zippered... comfortable... and Bass Pro's label... so a good price as well...

Progress is bein' made... though the hole in my wallet can't get much deeper... before it hits bottom!

So... I better get goin' and start fillin' it back up! :o)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Sunny Sunday Test Ride on the Bitchn Stitchn Motorcycle Seat...

The weather finally broke a bit. The wind is down, the rain is gone... and we're gonna peel that Motorcycle Cover and put That Red Head on the Road for a test of our new passenger pillion and Star Back Rest system...

I got it put on yesterday... but the road was still muddy... and I'm still "Wussin' Out", when it comes to puttin' her in the mud! :o) ... this was the old seat... the before pic...

... and this is the "New" Bitchn Stitchn seat... with the Yamaha/Star Back Rest in place...

It's a couple inches wider... an inch or so higher... and has a gel insert... The back "Seat" area is fake ostrich, with  stitching embellishing the 1/2 circle insert on the front edge (my pic needs improvement!) ... and they recovered the front panel of the Backrest pad in the Ostrich as well...

I'll get the drivers seat done... as soon as I get the Handlebar 'Pullback' sorted out... so they know where I'll be sitting... but, so far, so good!

Heidi has to be there to open her store at Noon... so I'm gonna haul her in on the Raider... While she's working... I'll do my own "Work"... and ride that Bike! :o) ... well, it works for me!

I'm hoping for some 'progress' this coming week... though it's likely to be expensive... I've got a tail rack ordered that fits the Yamaha Backrest... We also need to pick herself up a new helmet... the one we've got don't fit well.

I'm also, almost, settled on a set of bags out of Texas... anybody have anything to say 'bout a company called Leatherlyke? Their stuff is claimed to be weather tight and lockable... I'd been looking at full grain leather... but... the function of the synthetic stuff is so good... and a whole lot less maintenance needed... so... I'm leanin' that way... anyone have an opinion?... come on... speak up! :o)

A couple of other pieces I want to add to my gear is a full set of Bohn Armor ... and also, to replace my ruined chaps... a set of Leather Overpants...

I'm planning ... uh ... a long ride... and the more complete coverage of full Overpants... more complete than my old chaps... is a plus to me, if it gets a lil' chilly...

... and I'm still trying to find someone who knows where I can find a set of "Pull back extensions"... I saw 'em the other night surfin' around... and forgot to bookmark the site. Can I find it again? Not a chance! aaaaarggggh! :o) These were pretty slick... They fit into the existing handlebar risers... Baron Custom Accessories Makes 'em, I believe... but rather than just adding rise... the top of these were offset... adding 1 1/2" or so of pullback... with only an inch or so of rise... which is perfect for what I need... just can't find the suckers again!

Time for some more Trader Joes, Dark Sumatra Coffee... a lil' more Bob Seeger... and then it's Knees in the Wind!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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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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Passenger Pillion Under Construction at Bitchn Stitchn

The guys at Bitchn Stitchn know their craft... I was impressed. With their help, my start at reworking my new Raider, to be my newest, "Best Touring Motorcycle" is gonna have a Shining beginning!

Heidi has let me know, that although the drivers seat of a Raider is suitably comfortable, the passenger pillion leaves something to be desired. Just like most bikes of it's kind... they just don't put much effort into a passenger seat... After maybe 30 miles or so, that lil' pad gets to holding your attention... and pokin' your butt... or so I'm told! :o) ... so...

I rode into Bitchn Stitchn, just before 9 in the morning so Dan and Brian could set to work strippin' that less than sit worthy, factory pillion.

Brian did most of the skinning, while Dan and I sorted out what it was I was looking to achieve...

They had much of the 'new' base foam put into place by the time Heidi arrived to start the 'fitting' process... and right about then is when oops #2 really took hold...

Bitchin' Stitchin' has their own Backrest system... only... it really wouldn't work, but poorly, with the Raiders seat pan... I'd figured to use their Backrest... and we really needed the rest to know where the seat had to... or could, go... so, a quick phonecall and a Yamaha Backrest, designed just for the Raider was located, in stock, at Coyote Motorsports, up the road a ways...

That was a few hundred bucks I'd not planned on... but... I wanted this done right so I coughed it up!

Uh... oops #2? What was number #1?... Uh... the night before, I flushed the dust off the bike at a car wash... but... they can't work on a seat all full of water! ... so... OOPS! :o) luckily... it wasn't saturated... just had a bit of water that had got into one corner of the foam, that Brian was able to blow dry out in short order... so... if you're heading to get a seat worked on... Keep it Dry! :o)

Took a bit over an hour to collect the Yamaha Backrest, grab some chow at Mickey D's... and run on back to the motorcycle seat shop...  to get it bolted in place...

... and guess what?

The new foam fit like it was designed for that Yamaha Raider Backrest... Their experience was showing! Suh-Wheet! :o)

Dan, Heidi and I spent another bit of time, while Brian was cutting in the gel pad, and installing the final wrap of foam... hashing out how and what the cover would look like... and actually decided to redo part of the Backrest Pad too... so it ties right in to the rest of the bike...

... 'course the total plan includes recovering the drivers seat as well... but I can't do that until I replace the factory handlebars...

When I sit, all the way back in the seat, and sit how I want to sit... the factory grips are too far forward... forcing me to lean, a bit too much... the cure, for me, is to find a proper set of Pull Back bars... to position my hands where I want 'em... Letting me sit in the easy posture I want...

The factory bars are more of a drag bar type I guess... I'm lookin' at a variety of bagger, beach or dresser style bars... just have to make a decision which ones seem to fit the best.

Keep watching... there will be a full article on the site... with more pictures... as soon as I get it all put together...

Then? On to the Saddlebags! :o) This is gonna take some careful calculating as well... I'm apparently one of the few who actually like... and prefer the stock pipes on my Raider. The only problem I'm having is that those pipes run pretty high, taking up space where bags need to sit. Sooooo... I'm going to have to get a mite creative and squeeze bags of proper shape and function... into the space I have...

It's a sweet ride, setting up a bike to fit just you...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Passenger Seat for My Raider

I'll Ride to Denver tonight, soon a I get off the day job. We're scheduled in at Bitchin' Stitchin' tomorrow morning at 9.

The plan is to rebuild the passenger pillion on the Raider into more of a passenger touring seat... add some width, a backrest, and gel cushion.. The existing just won't get it done... a typical brick on a fender... 

The guys at Bitchin' Stitchin' have built a good reputation... I've talked to several folks that have used 'em... so we're hopeful for a good looking and good riding passenger seat...

... Then... it's on to getting saddlebags and a fender rack worked out...

I'm looking hard at a company...called Osprey Limited for some more traditional looking, full grain leather bags... just haven't made the final decision yet on which style and just how much... if any... studs or conchos I'm gonna want on 'em...

Fender Racks are probing a bit more elusive... I've only found a couple laser cut versions that don't do anything for me... I may just look into shaping something up myself and then getting it either chromed or powder coated... we'll see...

What I want is to be able to swap between the passenger seat and a solo fender rack with out a whole lot of hassle... should be a doable deal with Yamaha's easy setup... just one key and two cap screws... should be able to swap out in 'bout a minute!

Let you know tomorrow... or the next day... how the seat turned out!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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