Getting her phone number at 70 MPH.
Chinese v Japanese Made Helmets
Sturgis, SD Citizens’ Alliance Asks for Help Building Bikers’ Scenic Byway American Motorcycle Icons
WACO Shootout video given to CNN…. Some interesting actions!
Yamaha wants to replace human riders…. WELCOME SKYNET OVERLORDS!
We discussed the robot DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio Show 332, take a listen!
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.
Kevlar Motorcycle Riding Pants
I was in the market for a new pair of riding pants. I have one pair of Bilt “Iron Worker’s” Kevlar riding pants but camo is not something you can wear everywhere. I know that Kevlar/Aramid pants range from $300 and down, I was looking for something in the under $100 range.
Scanning Amazon I ran across Newfacelook and their line of jeans and cargo pants. The price was right and the reviews were more favorable than not so I decided to give them a chance. I did notice that a lot of the reviews stated that the pants ran small so I ordered a size up. Boy those reviews were right, they run very small. I normally were 36 and I ordered 38s, my best guess is that these are closer to 32s… no way I was getting them on. I had no issues returning the pants.
Even though they did not fit, they did look well made. I took a close look at the seams and how the Kevlar was attached to the pants, based on my impression of the build quality I decided to give them another chance. This time I ordered size 40 (wow) and they fit like a normal size 36, imagine that.
I wore the pants on a bunch of local day rides and then during our 1700 mile motorcycle vacation. I like them, they have held up well in the heat and the rain. They are comfortable and I do not even notice the armor.
I have not had a chance to try out the Kevlar and armor, thank God, but both seem to be of quality, not that I am an expert on either. I “FEEL” that I would have some protection if/when I go down.
Now of course they are not perfect. A couple of the downsides, besides the sizing, they wrinkle to easy and the Velcro for the armor pouches gives me the impression that it might not hold up for the long run, I will have to wait to see on that.
Without testing the protection I have to give the pants 4 out of 5 stars. For the price I really like them enough that I will likely buy another pair.
ALLTOP is a news/blog aggregation type of site. Today, on the ALLTOP MOTORCYCLE page, one of my “5 Things” posts has made it to the “Most Popular Stories” section. COOL
Not sure if there is a season for recalls but an awful lot of motorcycles have been affected in the last 40 days (give or take). Here are the ones that I am aware of, check the link at the bottom to find our if your bike has an open recall (any recall not just these).
185,000 – Harley-Davidson is recalling more than 185,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because the saddle bags can come loose and fall off, increasing the risk of a crash. Models affected are: certain 2014 and 2015 Road King, Street Glide, Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Ultra Limited, Police Road King, Police Electra Glide and CVO Ultra Limited bikes. Also affected are 2014 CVO Road King and the 2015 Electra Glide Ultra Classic Low, Ultra Limited Low, Road Glide, CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide Ultra motorcycles.
45,000 – Honda recalls more than 45,000 motorcycles A product flaw that could result in engine stalling and increased crash risks led Honda to recall certain motorcycle models dating back to 2013. The model affected are: 2013 through 2015 are ST1300PA, CB500, CBR500, CRF250L, CBR650, CTX700, NSS300, VT750, VT1300, 2015 CB300F, CBR300 and CBR600. The recall also affects NC700 models from the years 2014 through 2016.
12,700 – Yamaha recalls 12,721 Motorcycles the insulation on the stator coil, a component of the alternator, may become damaged and short circuit to due insufficient heat resistance. Models affected are: 2008-2011 WR250X motorcycles manufactured June 1, 2008, to June 1, 2011 and 2008-2015 WR250R motorcycles manufactured June 1, 2008, to June 1, 2015.
308 – Suzuki recalls 308 Accessory Backrest Mounting Hardware kits, part numbers 990A0-75148 and 990A0-75148-BLK, manufactured March 1, 2012, to April 21, 2015. The supplied bolts are to long and my rub the tire.
248 – KTM recalls Super Duke R motorcycle for an issue related to a fuel tank leak. Models affected 2014 and later 1290 Super Duke R motorcycle
That is a lot of bikes that need to be checked… my Ultra Limited is one of them.
If you have one of these model motorcycles (in the US) please check one of the US Governments websites that actually works SAFERCAR.GOV to see if you are affected.
So what do you think? Do you like it?
With the dearth of motorcycle related TV shows we can count on OCC to pop back on our sets. Love it or hate it OCC is coming back this time on the A&E Network.
While there is nothing on their website I have seen several adverts for the new show. You can check out the OCC-American Xtreme Facebook page for a little background.
The most obvious change from the older OCC variants to this Xtreme version is …. There is no Paul Jr in the cast. It looks like all the other regulars are back including Senior, Rick, Nick, Jason, and Jim Quin. Paul Jr’s brother Mikey is listed as part of the cast as well, which is good as Mikey always puts a spin on things that you might not expect.
But that is not the only big casting news Rusty Coones, late of Sons of Anarchy, is on the show as well. Guess the producers think the show needs another bit of spice. Rusty has a long past with motorcycles beyond SOA to include owing his own bike shop and running with the Hells Angles.
I have loved and barely liked the different OCC shows. Regardless of your thoughts on the Teutuls at least we get some new Motorcycle TV.
If you have not noticed there have been no new “What’s in the Barn” motorcycle TV shows. That is because it was canceled by the Discovery Channel.
I know this because I talked to Dale Walksler, star of the show, while I was on our motorcycle touring vacation. I met Dale when we stop at the “Wheels Through Time” motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, NC.
My reviews were not five star but that was more due to the production not the content.
(Although I could subtitle this Beach to the Mountains via a lot of traffic and a lot more rain)
After a few days chill-laxing on the beach (Part 1)….without the excitement of sharks, we packed the bike up and headed to Smokey Mountains. In particular, we were headed to Maggie Valley, NC and the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum.
What should have been a 5-6 hour ride turned out to be a nearly twelve hour ordeal. Unfortunately there were multiple accidents on our route, one of which resulted in multiple deaths and closed Interstate 26 for about 8 hours.
In addition to the traffic issues we also had a lot of rain in fact you can quantify the rain into the following:
2 rain showers
2 thunderstorms
5+ “sprinkles”
1 wet t-shirt contest
The reason for the wet t-shirt contest was we became tired of putting on and removing the rain suits. If it was not raining the sun made the suits intolerable and the last shower…we just decided to ride through.
One highlight of the day was, I thought, the built in infotainment system. The system worked very well, within the limits of the road network, and rerouted us through different parts of South and North Carolina. With the exception of a 30 mile section of I26 we were on the move most of the time. But that 30 mile section left my clutch hand very tired and sore (I required a couple of pain pills that evening). At dusk we gave in and got a room about 8PM and hoped for an early start to get to Maggie Valley.
We left the hotel for a quick McDonalds’ breakfast the next morning and met another couple on their own bike vacation. They were on the return leg of their trip, headed back to north Indiana on their GoldWing Trike. Back on our bike we were at Maggie Valley and the museum within an hour.
If you love motorcycles then you must visit the Wheels Through Time Museum. The bikes that Dale Walksler has assembled is nothing less than fantastic. But, what puts it over the top is that they all run, in fact he started a couple while we were there! He rode a 1930’s Harley trough the main lobby and out the front door. We also saw him riding a 1920 Harley with youngster in the side car. Unfortunately Dale’s Discovery TV show “What’s in the Barn” was canceled.
There is no way that I can do justice to the quality of these museum with just a few paragraphs. If you are in this area of North Carolina/Tennessee for the awesome riding you must stop by and check out what the museum offers.
After a few hours we needed to mount up and put some miles down. This day the weather was perfect for riding, cool, clear and wonderful. We were headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway but decided to ride through the Smoky Mountain National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation to stop by Cherokee Harley Davidson, where I picked up another pin. We jumped on the Parkway and headed north crossing the highest point on the parkway and riding through multiple tunnels.
Although the speed limit is 45 MPH the parkway is still a great ride with awesome views of the Smoky Mountains. We either passed, or met at the overlooks, several hundred other bikers out for a great ride.
Debbie and I left our home in the early morning and after a quick fuel stop for both us and the motorcycle we were head for the beach. We had checked the weather the night before as part of a debate between using the full face Nolan helmets or our half helmets. As the forecasted temperatures for our path of travel and the beach itself was to be in the low to mid 90s(F) we chose the Nolan’s. Well, the weatherman was not right on the temperature projections. But for now those helmets and light jackets were very comfortable.
Our route was south on US 15 then US 17 then I95. Traffic was, mostly, light and we rode for three hours before stopping at Prince George, VA for fuel and a visit to Colonial Harley Davidson. We have stopped by that dealership on several occasions but this was the first time we had caught it open. The entire stop lasted about thirty minutes and we were on the road again.
As I may have mentioned in other blog posts (and as you can see on the Facebook version of IJUSTWANT2RIDE) I collect dealership pins. I did not have one for Colonial HD or next stop at Roanoke Rapids, NC and Collier Harley Davidson. I was able to procure a pin at Colonial, Collier was out of stock. The girls working at Collier did say they would email me when the pins were in stock.
I know it is a geezer glide.. but really
Back on the bike and headed south it started to get hot. By noon it was in the mid-nineties and we were looking for a cool place for lunch, and fuel. Debbie spotted Shelton HD which was also in an outlet mall area with lots of gas stations and restaurants. While I had the pin for this dealership we decided to stop and take a look anyway and this is where I got the picture to the right.
Back on the road we began to see the most iconic signs on I95. We were getting closer and closer to Pedro’s South of the Boarder. If you have never been there, you are missing a throwback experience to a time before …. well a long time ago. If you are in the area it can be worth you time to explore Pedro’s it will be a fun 45-90 minutes especially if you have kids that need a travel break.
By now the temps were over a 100F (104 at one point). The Nolan helmet were getting quite hot even with the chin bar locked open, creating a 3/4 style helmet. As long as we were able to maintain a speed over 30 it was somewhat tolerable but, unfortunately for us, there are a lot of stop lights and heavy traffic between Pedro’s and the beach. While “All The Gear, All The Time” is a great ideal, we could not comply and were down to t-shirts. But, even though South Carolina is a helmet optional state we did keep ours on. So much for accurate forecasts.
We made it to the beach house, stripped down and took some cool showers. For the next couple of days we hung out on the shore and had some good meals (if you are at Myrtle Beach you have to have breakfast at The Golden Egg, put it on your list).
In Part 2 we will cover our trip from the beach to the mountains.
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 