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.

Comments

The bike is back from winter storage

I was all geared up to pick up the bike last Saturday but rain and plus 3 degrees celsius convinced me otherwise. I got to pick it up last night. No rain, warm enough, and just enough gas to get me home without the low fuel warning light illuminating. Of course there is NO shortage of rain today, also some planned for Sunday, what will be my first H.O.G. (Harley Owner's Group) get together. When I was in my late teens/early twenties - there was NO weather I wouldn't motorcycle in, including snow. I am much more picky nowadays. I am not keen on rain. So - wish me luck on Sunday. I would really like to putter around on the Quebec side with a bunch of Harley enthusiasts. It sounds like fun, and the breakfast at the river club looks good too. Good food & good company ... all I need is some luck with the weather. With the recent leap in fuel prices, I don't think I'll have any trouble putting over $20 in the tank. My bike requires premium fuel. We will see just...

And another season begins...

Spring brought cold temperatures and flooding. May was not a good month for riding The nights are getting warmer and inviting. Summer is not far away and the road is waiting. This picture is taken at Davidson QC. This run was taken after a health scare. Interesting fact, riding with the windshield off and a Buff over my face acts as a breathing aid. The world is my CPAP machine. Enough with the grim humour, this ride was a last minute decision made after I filled up with gas, not before I left home. Even if I knew I was going to be driving in the dark, would I have remembered to bring my clear lensed glasses? I’m not certain. As it was the sunglasses worked much better than I was hoping. Quite well, I’m sure they cost me detail on the periphery or something but I am comfortable repeating the experience. This is a third of the way through my ride and about fifteen minutes from darkness. The air didn’t cool too extremely. The colors were especially enjoyable but the shades m...

5000 km

Just rolled past that milestone while driving by the "Big Stop" Irving gas station on Hwy 17 @ Hwy 41. Speaking of gas... I located a gas station that sells 93 octane gas... first fill up - just before Houston got hit by a tropical storm it was 1.33/L, bumped for the labour day long weekend. 3 days later... $1.43/L - my first $20 fill up (and the low gas light wasn't on yet.) For all of thet the bike just purrs with this fuel in the tank. I did take note of how quickly the tank depletes when one is hammering on the throttle. I think this octane gives the bike a boost. My takeaway lesson this week - Fog = wet. Who knew? Drove into work this morning in pretty thick fog. Serious issues seeing through the windscreen & legs soaked from the knees down. Don't imagine I have many biking days left this year. unsmiley

Born to be mild

Search This Blog