Grip Warmers

This morning I had a nice little brisk ride home from work on my motorcycle. It was somewhere around 17°F before factoring in the fact that I was going 45 MPH. Needless to say I was cold. On the 26th of December I installed Heat Demons Grip Warmers. That was my Birthday present from the parents. They do work but it just wasn’t enough to battle the low temps. The fingers were in pain about halfway home on my 11 mile journey but at least my toes and the rest of the body was okay. I guess some better gloves are in order or maybe a Road Glide (I wish). I also saved up some money and purchased a removable windshield from someone off of craigslist for $150. Not too bad of a price for something that probably cost him $300 or more.  

No matter what ensure that you prepare properly when riding in the cold. Hypothermia can sneak up on you fast and before you know it you are in the hospital or worse. Dress warm, make sure you have something to break the wind, and eat enough calories for your body to burn. Just  try to stay warm while still keeping your motorcycle on the road.

• OIL CHANGE: Every five thousand miles, although I change mine at three thousand.
• TRANNY FLUID: Every five thousand miles.
• PRIMARY OIL: They recommend inspecting it every five thousand miles and replacing it when it looks dirty.

The way I do the intervals on my WideGlide, is when I change the oil, I’ll change the tranny fluid. The next time when I change the oil, I’ll change the primary. Then I keep alternating. Some think this is too much, but when it comes to keeping your bike in top condition, changing these things too much is never a concern. Changing them too little is when it becomes a concern.
Another thing to do is to lube your clutch, throttle, and front brake cable. They recommend that you do this every time you change the oil. I found out the importance of this last year when my clutch cable broke out in the middle of nowhere.
Of course make sure your tires are good and properly inflated. Tires that are not properly inflated wear out quicker and causes the bike not to handle as well as it should handle.
Check brake fluid levels and check all of your lights to make sure everything is working properly. Doing these things should let you have a long and safe riding season. Ride free……..

1. Using too much rear brake and no front brake.
2. Low or high tire pressure.
3. Spinning the tires

The first two are easy to cure, when coming to a stop you should be using the front brake in conjunction with the rear. The front brake should be getting more use also, after all it is the most effective at stopping you because 60-80% of the weight when stopping is transfered to the front wheel. Be warned though, if you are trying to slow down or use your front brake in a curve it can be fatal but it also causes you to use the front tire out quicker.

Low tire pressure will cause your tires to wear unevenly and prematurely. The contact for a tire is designed to be a certain area for each tire. If the air pressure is too low it will increase the contact patch but it will also put parts of the tire that aren’t meant to be on the road all the time in that situation ( think sidewall). If your tire pressure is too high it will decrease the contact patch and then you have only a small percentage of the tire contacting the road which not only causes it to wear faster but will also increase your chances of breaking traction when you need it the most.

As for spinning the tires, well if that is why you are wearing out tires then you should at least realize that if you are going to do it be prepared to pay. One other thing you may not know though. When you spin the tires not only does the tires wear from the contact with the road surface but the heat created will also break down the tires faster of increase the rate at which they will wear. Essentially it will make them a softer compound for a little while and it will have possible long term effects to the tires. Not telling you not to have fun, just want you to be informed.

My last set of tires I ended up with a little over 10,000 miles out of them. That is about right. Some people may get a little more and some just a little less but if you follow some of these tips you should be able to save a trip to the bank by getting a few more miles out of your tires. Now with saving money in mind, when it does come to replacing your tires don’t be looking at the cheapos like you do in your Yugo, you need to buy quality tires, remember you only have two instead of four, if one fails it is bad. I went with Metzlers when I replaced mine and I love them but each of us has our own preferences just choose wisely.

Until next time ride safe.

Headlight Modulator; This would be a safety item. During the day it will constantly flash your headlight so that it will attract the attention of those drivers who wouldn’t normally see you. You hear it constantly when there is an accident where a car hits a bike. The car driver swears up and down that they did not see the bike. Well this product will help. It also has a feature that allows the headlight to operate normally at night.

Tail Lamp Assembly; I have been wanting to clean up the way the rear of my bike looks for a while now. I  also want to replace the stock lights with brighter LEDs. Well the Radi Tail lamp kit will do both with a nice looking tail lamp setup that has the brake/running light and the turn signals and they all fit under the Bobtail fender. That way I will be able to remove my turn signals from the side and make it look a little better. Plus I won’t have that big plastic piece under my fender for the whole world to see. I have always thought it was ugly and now I will have a simple and fairly inexpensive way to cure it.

Mustang Daytripper seat; I have been thinking about a new seat for almost as long as I have owned my bike. The stock seat after 15000 miles has finally started to get comfortable but with some of the miles that I ride I want something better. Plus the daytripper just looks like it would look much better on my bike. It is a fairly inexpensive seat when compared to some of the others and I have heard that Mustang makes some great seats.

Apes; I have been wanting a new set of handlebars for a while now also. There are two reasons;

1. I want to bring the handlebars a little closer and raise my hands up to shoulder level or just below. Right now the mini apes that are on the bike just don’t do the trick.
2. I like the way the taller apes look on a bike, especially one with a wide front end.

New shocks; The wife rides with me occasionally and the stock shocks just don’t do that great a job when we have the bike loaded down so I have been eying a set of progressive shocks for a while now. Maybe I will be able to get a better ride and I may even try and lower the bike just a little when I get them.

Exhaust; The Vance and Hines short shots I have on the bike right now are a descent set of pipes that were cheap and effective but when it comes right down to it they are not that great when it comes to power. As a matter of fact they may be the worst solution if you are trying to make power. Now if you are looking for loud pipes they do the trick. What I am going to try and buy (this is what I wanted in the first place but they were a little too much for me at the time) is a 2 into 1 pipe from RB racing. They will probably set me back somewhere around $700 but I think they should do the trick for my bike and they look like they will improve the looks too.

So that’s my project list. I am hoping to have all of this done in 2009. With that exhaust being so much it may just take me that long. Plus I am going to need to have the bike tuned. It has never had a professional tune put on the Power Commander and I really think that will be a big help in the power department. We will have to see though.

So what kind of plans do you have for your bike this year? Flash, substance, or a mix of both? Tell us about it in the biker forums.

I got a real laugh when I found that site, check it out and tell me what you think.

While you are at it, if you are looking for real parts for your bike or maybe a present for someone this holiday season then head on over to J&P Cycles® – Motorcycle Parts and Accessories
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Riding Again
I took off yesterday in the evening up U.S. Hwy 79 from here in Clarksville and headed towards Dover just strolling along. The ride was nice and easy up a long stretch of highway that alternated between two-lane and four-lane. Just past Dover in the little town of Paris I made a right and headed into the Land between The Lakes area and rolled halfway through the park past some great scenery until getting to U.S. Hwy 68 and heading out towards Cadiz KY and interstate 24. When I got there I just headed east until I got to my exit and headed home. All in all I think I did about a hundred miles yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it. I am just glad to be back on my bike.

Safety
While out on a short little ride today with my next door neighbor I got to thinking about a need for a small first aid kit. On Friday I picked up a little fork bag to put my registration and insurance junk in and that would be just perfect to put a few little things from a first aid kit in. You never know what can happen so it wouldn’t hurt to try and be prepared for an accident.

Well that is all for now, I will be posting about todays ride a little later on. Beer Friday is going to be postponed for about a month, I am going to be training for a little while but when I can I will pick it back up. Take it easy and be safe.

He wants $11,000 and that seems to be a fair price but I am going to look at it tomorrow and see whats up with it.

So here is a few things I will be looking for;
1. Any body damage, frame damage, and anything that looks like something is being hidden (covered up damage from an accident)
2. Engine damage (listen to it, check maintenance records, look for leaks, and possibly ride it)
3. Tire and wheel damage
4. Finally just do a regular walk around and check the controls, belt, fluids, brakes and such.

Hopefully it turns out well.

While you are at it check out this book;
How to Buy a Used Motorcycle and Not Get Burnt