The wife and I participated in this motorcycle ride sponsored by Frederick, MD Harley Owners Group Chapter. We decorated our bike in pink ribbons. By the looks our convoy of Harley’s received I hope we might have had a couple people think about cancer. Debbie is a breast cancer survivor so we think about it a lot.
Breast Cancer Awarness Motorcycle Ride
Posted: October 13, 2015 in Motorcycle RidesTags: breast cancer, Frederick, Harley Davidson, Harley Owners Group, Maryland
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The motorcycle chrome bug got me again.
Posted: October 8, 2015 in Motorcycle, Product ReviewsTags: chrome, daytona blue, Electra Glide Ultra Limited, Harley, kuryakyn, Kuryakyn Tri-Line Gauge Trim, motorcycle riding, ultra limited
Several weeks ago I bought the Kuryakyn Faring Vent Cover and installed it on the bike. Shortly thereafter Harley Davidson came out with color matched covers for the flat black maw. Had I known that they were coming out with the part I would have waited to get the Daytona Blue cover vice the chrome part. Don’t get me wrong, I like the look of the chrome on the fairing, but I think that the color matched would be better.
A few days ago I bought and installed the Kuryakyn Tri-Line Gauge Trim. I have the color matched inner-faring and it looks great but I just thought there was not enough contrast to make it really “POP”. I looked at the “carbon fiber” insert from Harley but decided that just did not look good next to the blue.
Then I saw Tri-Line Gauge Trim on a Street Glide with a red (crimson?) painted fairing and tank. Wow, because the chrome reflected the red it looked great to me. I made the leap of faith that if it worked for a red bike my blue would be even better, LOL.
So following the same routine I used to prep the surface for the fairing vent (see this post) I installed the gauge trim. The photos really don’t do it any justice; in the garage it looks ok. Out in the sun it look very nice and so far I have not had any issues with reflected sunlight and I ride away from the sun on both my morning and evening commutes.
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Posted: October 2, 2015 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
Tags: Harley, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, Motorcycle Ride
Long Term Product Review: Nolan N104 Evo Helmet
Posted: September 29, 2015 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, motorcycle safety, Product ReviewsTags: Café Racer, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, motorcycle helmet, motorcycle safety, nolan n104, nolan n104 evo, nolan n104 helmet, sport bike, Sportbike
The wife and I have had the Nolan N104 Evo motorcycle helmets for about half a year now. We have worn them in a large variety of conditions including 100+ degree (F) days, monsoon rains and cool but not yet frigid temperatures (I am sure we will get that soon here in North America).
OK…so what did we like about the helmet.
1) Fit was good. Tight but not uncomfortable. As we wear it more, the padding is conforming to our heads well.
2) Easy to use “controls” (sun shield, buckle system)
3) Ventilation was good, up to a point (see below).
4) Communications, the speakers could be of better quality but they work. The microphone is good, people could not tell I was on the bike when I made a phone call.
5) Not too heavy on our heads…at the end of a long ride we were not unduly tired.
Now what did we not like.
1) Ventilation, when the temps hit the upper 90s(F) and above the vents were not enough. Even locking the chin bar up (creating a ¾ helmet) it was not enough as the tight padding would not allow air to flow around our heads. Up to those temps the vents worked well and I had no issues. During one of our trips the temps were over 100 for many days… we had to get new half-helmets to compensate.
2) Fogging was an occasional minor issue. I am not a big fan of the pinlock system in general and I know this would fix my problem.
3) There is an occasional wind induced rattle that I cannot find or recreate…it just happens for no apparent reason at weird random times. The wife has not had this issue. UGH!!
Overall we like the helmet. Other than during high temps it is comfortable and works as advertised. At this point I would recommend the Nolan Helmet to friends with the caveat about the ventilation. I give the Nolan N104 four stars.
5 Motorcycle Things that interested me this week.
Posted: September 22, 2015 in Motorcycle newsTags: Harley Davidson, Indian motorcycle, KTM, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, motorcycle side car, nub, OCC, orange County Choppers, robbie maddison, sisters, Sportbike
6 Things to consider in choosing a motorcycle Jacket!
Posted: September 20, 2015 in motorcycle safety, Product ReviewsTags: Ania Todua, Café Racer, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle safety, sport bike, Sportbike
BY: Ania Todua
After helmets, biker jackets are the essential accessories for the motorcyclists’ safety. Thankfully, while protecting you, these armors accentuate your style quotient as well. Of course, like most other niches, the biker jackets market is also swarming with immense styles and designs. Making a buying decision is often very confusing. Here are some basic things you should ensure about your jacket:
- Material: This is the first thing you need to check in a jacket. Leather – genuine or synthetic – is the most common material used to make these jackets. Cowhide leather is the most popular choice and lasts long. Your region of travel is the decisive factor here. In a hot climate, a leather jacket can be quite uncomfortable. Breathable fabrics like synthetic (Tri-Tex Fabric, polyester mesh, etc.) have nearly all the qualities of leather.
- Protection: Do not compromise quality for cost. Your biker jackets should provide weather and injury protection to you. Apart from insulating you from the weather, a good biker jacket prevents you from getting the scratches, drags, and any other injury in case of an accident while riding. The jacket should have a detachable quilted lining and elbow & shoulder padding. Though they add to the weight of the jacket, but are greater protections for your very important joints. And, anyway, they are removable.
- Size: Try to pick a size bigger. This helps facilitate the body movement comfortably and covers your upper body properly. You can even wear more clothes inside you plan to drive through a cold zone. Make sure the cuffs of your jacket end at your wrist and your palms are free from any hindrance.
- Comfort Feel: It is essential that you are comfortable in your jacket. It should impart a soft, cushiony feel, while freely allowing your hands movement. The biker jackets should not be heavy, as they tire the biker. Removable armors, lining, sleeves, etc. are a great relief when not needed. Also, see that the fabric has good absorption. Basically, do not compromise on comfort and safety.
- Waist Band: It should be adjustable. The Velcro or the belted ones work out the best here.
- Style: Look for a style and color of your biker jackets complementing your personality. Whatever you choose make sure you are visible to the other drivers at night when you wear your biker jackets.
Some of Ania’s other works:
Rattle the Runway 2015 – Motorcycle Charity Ride for 9/11
Posted: September 7, 2015 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle RidesTags: Harley, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, pentagon, Pentagon 9-11 Memorial, rattle the runway, sport bike, Sportbike, Virginia
It was a great day for a motorcycle ride like this, a cool but not crisp morning. Large puffy clouds in the blue sky and large passenger jets taking off and landing at Dulles Airport serving as a poignant reminder to why we were gathering. An awesome day to Rattle the Runway.
It was a morning, not to unlike this, that terrorist commandeered Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon. There were a couple of men I knew killed that day in the Pentagon.
This ride indirectly follows the flight path of Flight 77 from the airport to the side of the Pentagon impacted by the airliner. It stages behind the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum and runs down to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Proceeds from the memorabilia sold at the staging area (the ride is free) is given to the Pentagon Memorial fund.
This year the turnout was quite low in comparison to previous years. Normally there is five to six thousands bikes lined up eight across for hundreds of yards. I would guess that this year there might have been half or less than normal. The ride coinciding with the National Labor Day holiday most likely affected the turnout.
As usual, the ride itself was broken into groups with a few minutes between each. This is an unescorted ride once you leave the airport police jurisdiction. The groups, of about 200 bikes, is an attempt to alleviate the traffic issues that a ride of thousands would engender in one of the most congested cites in America.
Overall, I had a good time and would gladly recommend that you ride in this event if you are able.
9/11 Rattle the Runway Motorcycle Ride – Pre-party and Bike Show
Posted: September 6, 2015 in Motorcycle Rides, RallyTags: 911, Bike Show, Flight 77, Harley Davidson, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, Motorcycle Ride, motorcycle show, Patriot Harley Davidson, rattle the runway, Sportbike
The Rattle the Runway motorcycle ride indirectly follows the path of Flight 77. That airliner was the one that that the terrorist flew into the Pentagon on 9/11. Proceeds from the event go to the Pentagon Memorial fund. More on that in the next post.
This year, Patriot Harley Davidson held a pre-ride party at their location in Fairfax, VA. The event had a band, food trucks, a bike show and all around good time. I was a bit disappointed in the turn out but it was a major holiday weekend and I don’t think it was well publicized.
My Army Bike won 1st place in its category (Best Harley). The prize was a $100 gift certificate from the dealership. As I don’t get by this way very often I thought it best to spend the money while I was there. My wife got a nice new shirt and I now have a new pocket knife, the total came to $99.60. I guess that is about as close to $100 as I could get.
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- Humm……..
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- Who copied Who???
My newest CHROME
Posted: August 30, 2015 in Motorcycle, Product ReviewsTags: Electra Glide Ultra Limited, harley chrome, harley davdison, Küryakyn Chrome, kuryakyn, kuryakyn Fairing Vent Accent, Motorcycle, motorcycle blog, ultra limited
As I have noted in the past I really have not liked the appearance of the flat black maw that is one of the most noticeable features of the “Rushmore” motorcycles. On the pearl/metal flake finish of the Harley Davidson Ultra Limited Daytona Blue paint, that flat black just plan sucked.
I finally got around to purchasing the Küryakyn Chrome “Fairing Vent Cover” to cover that atrocity.
The installation was, for the most part, quite straight forward. Clean the surface and press on the part so the 3M adhesive can adhere to the surface. But, from past experience the key to making it stick long term is a “SUPER” clean surface. The way I handle the cleaning of any surface that will be stuck with 3M adhesives is:
1) Wait for a WARM day.
2) Vigorous wipe down with soft clean cloth.
3) Vigorous use of a glass cleaner and a clean cloth.
4) After drying, a second vigorous use of glass cleaner and a clean cloth.
5) Use of supplied alcohol wipes for final cleaning.
After the cleaning I test fitted the part to make sure I understood where and how it was going to fit. The instructions suggested using masking tape to mark where everything aligns but, in my case, that was not necessary.
The hardest part of installation was getting the little strip covers off the adhesive. I don’t have the longest fingernails but I doubt that many folks could have peeled these cover off with ease. I ended up using jewelry sized flat end screwdrivers to get the strip loose then tiny pliers to pull them off…. It took over 15 minutes to get a few strip off .
I am quite pleased with the appearance of the cover on my bike. MUCH better than the OEM standard!
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- Just SOOO ugly!
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- Those little red covers are a BEAR to remove!!!!!!
5 Motorcycle Things that interested me this week.
Posted: August 25, 2015 in Motorcycle newsTags: Café Racer, DBR, dgr 2015, distinguished gentleman’s ride, Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2015, Ducati, ducati crusier, Harley Davidson, Honda
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 