Seriously... a... motorcycle top... er roof... sorta kinda...
Let me explain...
Ok... I'm gonna step on a few toes and be politically incorrect here... but I can't help it...
We were in Quarzsite town this afternoon to get water for the rig. I'd filled my jugs and had pulled up into the driveway to turn back onto the highway...
... and I had to wait...
Wait... for the dumbest thing I think I've seen in... as long as I can remember.
I've seen some ugly rigs here this winter. I've seen some weird combinations of bits and parts assembled to be some sort of an RV...
I've seen Million Dollar Plus Rolling Mansion Buses... I've seen all sorts and types of rigs, and buggys and bikes...
And now today... I've seen a Gold Wing...
This Gold Wing had been modified... into a Trike... So... That's OK... right? I mean... I'm not a fan of trikes... they just don't suit me... just like sport bikes... and red leather don't. Those are all fine, just not my choice or style.
And tolerance of other sorts of bikes and styles is all proper and good... the way it should be... right?
But... isn't there a line... where, you can say... THAT... machine is at the top of the leader-board in the competition for the dumbest things ever done to a fine motorcycle?
...and wouldn't, A Trike, a Gold Wing... that had been adorned... with Sort of a Rag Top? ... Qualify?
Sort of?
I Vow! This thing came rollin' by... There was some sort of a tube frame sticking up behind the "driver". Like, two "Hoops"... one right behind the driver... another right behind where the passenger seat is...
They stuck up maybe a foot over the "Drivers" head... a little higher in the passenger position... and then...
... and THEN ... and THEN! a piece of plastic sheeting!!!! maybe 18" wide... was strung from the top of the windshield up over those "Hoops" and attached to the back, behind the passenger position...
WHAT in THE hell was THAT? !!!!!
If you wanted a roof... and more wheels... you might as well add doors and call it a Freakin' Cage! :)
I sat there with my mouth workin' like a guppy havin' a heart attack... tryin' to say something... and all I could do was shake my head and choke! :) wish I'd had the presence of mind to catch a picture of the thing...
Yeah... I know... Bad Cowboy! But what can I say? I ain't bein' intolerant. I ain't! Fella can run down the road lookin' dumb all he wants... I won't ever tell him he can't... but... if you are gonna go runnin' around making an extra special effort to look like some sort of... Oh never mind... Just don't expect me to not laugh about it!!!
... and when I do something dumb... You have my permission to feel free to laugh... at ME!
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
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*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
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... Splitting the wind on a Motorcycle... Feeding my soul with the Healing power of the Open Road... following that twisting, Ribbon of Highway that leads me on...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Bad Cowboy! Do Your Own Maintenance!
The way I ride my Raider, I'm always in places where even if there is a Yamaha Dealer Of Sorts... When I ride up they want to know Who Makes It? !!! uhhhh.... You do? ;)
... and finding 210 or 240 tires in the Yukon... or even, western Arizona has been something of a treasure hunt.
And of course, when you DO find a tire and a shop, they get full boat for the tires and then maybe another $80 bucks to work on that back wheel alone.
A couple guys kinda Poked me a lil' bit. Paul, The Wanderer, and Ara...
Now, don't get me wrong here, they were Polite 'bout it :) But they were still basically prodding me a bit... why wasn't I doin' my own work? My only response... if I'm Honest 'bout it... can be ... LAZY! ;) ah... poor excuse right?
And look... I already went back to changing my oil and filter... it just takes old pussguts a bit of time to be willing to admit they've been doing things a lil' bit wrong!
I mean... I get that if you're gonna be in love with a machine... and expect it to carry you for thousands of miles through all sorts of weather and difficulty... the least you can do is take care of her... Yourself!... Right? ;)
So... I got to looking around a bit and when this guy reminded me how easy it is to do your own motorcycle maintenance... if you have a few of the proper tools... which for the load we'd put on 'em with one guy working on his own motorcycle, the tools available at Harbor Freight will do the job and just aren't that expensive...
Fact is... A motorcycle lift/jack so I can get the wheels off for little hassle... costs less than the labor charge for changing out a single set of tires! The next set would pay for the tire changer at Harbor Freight! and that doesn't even count in the fact that Ara also sent me a link to a place where an Avon tire of the size in Question is $215 bucks... while the same tire at a shop is $260 or so... and MSRP a lot higher than that...
So... if dollars is an issue... and how many bikers is it not?... Doing your own maintenance is gonna keep more dinero in your pocket for gas and beer! :)
When I commented to Ara that I would change my own tires... except I'd still need to haul it in to town to get balanced (more excuses!) he came back with; "There is a solution to every problem... You!" :) ... The guy has a way of tipping over that tall stack of carefully piled BS. ;)
Then he told me he had an easy method for balancing tires that he uses all the time...
Well... I got a lil' more curious and did a quick search. I found another option that I believe I'm going to try... Dyna Beads. Little ceramic beads that "Float" in the tire and balance it Dynamically for the life of the tire? Seems too easy to be true... Almost seems like Magic...
but... what the hell... I'm game right now for a lil' experimentation... So...
My next set of Motorcycle tires is going to be Mail ordered, Mounted and Balanced by me... and I can go down the road with the sure and certain knowledge that if my Scooter is screwed up... I know JUST where to find the Bozo that done the deed! :)
As well as... the sure and certain knowledge... that if I break down, anywhere on the road... no matter the conditions... if I've got a screw driver, some duct tape, a pliers and some windex... I will have the ability to discover that I'm in WAY over my head! :)
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking
Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share... Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your... Great Motorcycle Roads
... and finding 210 or 240 tires in the Yukon... or even, western Arizona has been something of a treasure hunt.
And of course, when you DO find a tire and a shop, they get full boat for the tires and then maybe another $80 bucks to work on that back wheel alone.
A couple guys kinda Poked me a lil' bit. Paul, The Wanderer, and Ara...
Now, don't get me wrong here, they were Polite 'bout it :) But they were still basically prodding me a bit... why wasn't I doin' my own work? My only response... if I'm Honest 'bout it... can be ... LAZY! ;) ah... poor excuse right?
And look... I already went back to changing my oil and filter... it just takes old pussguts a bit of time to be willing to admit they've been doing things a lil' bit wrong!
I mean... I get that if you're gonna be in love with a machine... and expect it to carry you for thousands of miles through all sorts of weather and difficulty... the least you can do is take care of her... Yourself!... Right? ;)
So... I got to looking around a bit and when this guy reminded me how easy it is to do your own motorcycle maintenance... if you have a few of the proper tools... which for the load we'd put on 'em with one guy working on his own motorcycle, the tools available at Harbor Freight will do the job and just aren't that expensive...
Fact is... A motorcycle lift/jack so I can get the wheels off for little hassle... costs less than the labor charge for changing out a single set of tires! The next set would pay for the tire changer at Harbor Freight! and that doesn't even count in the fact that Ara also sent me a link to a place where an Avon tire of the size in Question is $215 bucks... while the same tire at a shop is $260 or so... and MSRP a lot higher than that...
So... if dollars is an issue... and how many bikers is it not?... Doing your own maintenance is gonna keep more dinero in your pocket for gas and beer! :)
When I commented to Ara that I would change my own tires... except I'd still need to haul it in to town to get balanced (more excuses!) he came back with; "There is a solution to every problem... You!" :) ... The guy has a way of tipping over that tall stack of carefully piled BS. ;)
Then he told me he had an easy method for balancing tires that he uses all the time...
Well... I got a lil' more curious and did a quick search. I found another option that I believe I'm going to try... Dyna Beads. Little ceramic beads that "Float" in the tire and balance it Dynamically for the life of the tire? Seems too easy to be true... Almost seems like Magic...
but... what the hell... I'm game right now for a lil' experimentation... So...
My next set of Motorcycle tires is going to be Mail ordered, Mounted and Balanced by me... and I can go down the road with the sure and certain knowledge that if my Scooter is screwed up... I know JUST where to find the Bozo that done the deed! :)
As well as... the sure and certain knowledge... that if I break down, anywhere on the road... no matter the conditions... if I've got a screw driver, some duct tape, a pliers and some windex... I will have the ability to discover that I'm in WAY over my head! :)
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking
Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share... Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your... Great Motorcycle Roads
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