First Service (1600 km) & accessories.

Thursday I dropped off my bike at Freedom Harley Davidson for it's first oil change & hopefully to get a few of my accessories installed. Saturday I dropped by to pick it up and ALL the accessories were either waiting for me or on the bike. YAY.

Nothing is without trouble, the helmet I wanted was (I was told) not compatible with the bluetooth headset as one needs pockets in the ears to put the speakers... so I purchased the recommended helmet. When the headset arrived it was an earlier iteration, a simple set of headphones that DO NOT work with my helmet. A bit of a waste of cash and a sad misunderstanding. I will either buy a new headset or a new helmet - whatever is cheaper.

A cleaning was part of the service, the bike looked all shiny & great when I took it over to my brother's place. Later that day on the ride home I encountered some rain. Not much but it made the bike look really dirty. Upon washing the bike I noticed this:

The washer under the screw that holds the seat in place was slipping out. I realized that it would never last as long as it would take to get the bike back to the shop - so armed with my largest flathead screwdriver... I proceeded to fix my bike. The washer is "C" shaped and it holds up the part underneath that is threaded and accepts the seat screw - I found that out by removing the screw and hearing it drop to the ground. Then I discovered how to get it back in place (remove seat - remove a bit of electronics - hold piece in place with one hand while sliding washer into groove to hold the piece in place with the other hand. replace screw.) and VOILA, I have mad skills.

I am certainly getting to know all the area backroads, and I am increasingly less pleased to see rain. I know it's necessary - but it could happen from midnight to 6 am. That would be nicer.

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March, in like a lamb?

I downloaded a countdown app for my iPhone so I could see how long before I get my motorcycle out of storage. The problem is that I don't know when that actually will be. It all depends on the weather. As a result I used the LAST accessible day I can get it out of storage. I think the last allowable day without incurring further storage fees is the following Monday, but May 12th is my birthday and a Saturday making the 150 km trip to the storage facility an interesting birthday present. Two months... how dreadful. Now I know for a fact there are folks on the road a lot sooner than my birthday so this is what has been bouncing around in my head as I grow more desperate to have my bike back. I don't just need warmish weather, I need ALL the salt rinsed off of the roads. The last thing I need is to accelerate any kind of rusting. Snowstorms in early to mid April are not all that uncommon but we have had several mild winters in a row. Apparently springtime is the time for fl...

Rain

I have only recently encountered rain on my new bike. The first bit didn't last very long, only my legs got wet & they had dried by the time I got home. A few evenings ago though... different story. I had gone past Eganville to visit a fellow motorcycle enthusiast and show off the bike. As it darkened I took my leave. A 45 minute ride, and the sky started to look seriously moody just minutes into the ride. By the half way mark I had been seeing a lot of lightning and hearing thunder VERY soon after the flashes. The rain started a little after the half way mark. Heavy rain. When there was oncoming it was very hard to distinguish where the lines on the road were. Some folks seemed to think my headlight was too bright and would high-beam me making it ever harder to keep in my lane. Also - wet. Quite wet. My jacket kept that part of me dry as did the helmet but my waterproof boots soaked from the top down. Pants wicking into socks & thus boots. Not a lot of fun. On a high ...

Summer begins

" Adown the golden sunset way The evening comes in wimple gray; By burnished shore and silver lake Cool winds of ministration wake; O'er occidental meadows far There shines the light of moon and star, And sweet, low-tinkling music rings About the lips of haunted springs." ...from A Summer Day - by Lucy Maud Montgomery Summer is upon us and I am often on my bike now. I have been seeing some really cool things. I have found that the road to Calabogie is filled with Harleys on any given weekend. The road that runs from Calabogie to Lanark is even more fun to drive. I have spent far too much time on the backroads around here but I keep seeing different things. A few weeks past I was on a tear down Zion Line when some Mennonite looking service was just getting out at a very low key nondescript building. I can't tell you how cool that sea of clean old timey black clothing looks through polarized sunglasses. Some...

Born to be mild

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