Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle riding’

Royal Enfield Continental GT

Posted: October 18, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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I have always had a desire for a Café Racer.  As a kid I want to get a Honda CB350 and convert it to a Café bike.  Never happened, but it has always been in the back of my head.  I have been tempted to convert the wife’s Harley Sportster into a Café Bike but she is not very keen on the idea.  But if she upgrades ………

Cafe bike

Royal Enfield Continental GT

A friend of mine sent me a link to the new Royal Enfield Continental GT.  This is a good looking modern Café bike.  According to the literature, its 535cc engine produces 30 horsepower, not sure if that will get you to “A Ton” (100MPH) but it would be fun to find out.

Looking about the internet for pricing, I think the bike may be a bit pricey.  I get the impression that it will be around $7000 dollars, about the cost of a Harley Davidson Sportster. But, you would not have to convert the GT as you would the Harley. But, I doubt the resell value is anywhere near comparable between the Royal Enfield and the Harley Davidson. But, which would be cooler to tool about on?  Both work for me.

Alas, I cannot justify another bike in the garage nor can I afford one (I do not start to work until Monday).  Turns out that there is a Royal Enfield Dealer near my home, Winchester MotoSports I might just ride over and check out what they have.  The Continental is not scheduled for release until late November but they may have other bikes in stock.

Harley Davidson “DO NOT RIDE” Recall

Posted: October 17, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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“Harley, we have a problem”, to paraphrase a classic NASA moment.  While this recall is not as bad as being stranded in orbit, it is pretty bad.

Even though the NHTSA has been closed Harley has taken the initiative to issue a “DO NOT RIDE, DO NOT DELIVER” notice to owners and dealers on the following 2014 bikes built between May 3, and Oct. 14:

25,185 Touring motorcycles,

FLHTCU,20131016_052728_harleylogo

FLHTK,

FLHTP,

FLHX,

FLHXS,

FLHTKSE

FLHRSE,

and 3,861 Softail CVOs and Trikes, models

FLHTCUTG,

FXSBSE,

FLSTNSE

The problem is with the new hydraulic clutch system.  The hydraulic clutch may lose the ability to generate enough lift to disengage the clutch. If the clutch does not disengage as intended, the rider may have difficulty slowing or stopping the motorcycle, which could result in an accident.

If you own one of these machines contact an authorized Harley dealer immediately to arrange for an inspection.  The press release states that “The dealer will pick up, inspect and make the necessary repairs at no cost to the owner.” (bold underline is mine)

You can read more from Harley press release here.

28000 Miles

Posted: October 17, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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WP_20131006_005I recently turned 28000 miles on my 2008 Softail!  I do feel bad about this though I have only put 1100 miles on this bike so far this year.  The Ultra Limited, on the other hand, has nearly 6000 miles to date.

If the weather holds I hope to get to at least another 1500 miles total before the end of the year.

2013 Can-Am Spyder RT and ST Recall Notice

Posted: September 10, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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Can-Am Spyder

Spider or a Spyder

Can-AM is having problem where a break master cylinder melts and break fluid leaks onto a hot surface causing a fire.  According to what I read no one has been hurt but better safe then sorry!

Here is a link to Can-AM’s notification webpage.

Rattle the Runway 2013

Posted: September 9, 2013 in Motorcycle Rides
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I rode in the Rattle The Runway Ride on the 8th of September.  Below are photos from the event.

Charging My Motorcycle Battery

Posted: September 6, 2013 in Product Reviews
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Recently I have had battery issues on my Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic.  The battery does not hold a charge for more than one day of nonuse.

To connect my charger, I have to remove both seats and attach the clamps to the battery.  As often as not the clamps would slip off and the battery fails to charge.

Harley has Battery Charging Harness with LED Charge Indicator for $14.95 (that’s right not HD (hundred dollar)).  This product not only lets me charge or maintain the battery but flashes a red LED when it reaches a level that it requires charging. I bought the device at Frederick Harley Davidson.

Installation was straight forward: remove the seats, attach the leads to the battery, tuck in the fuse, zip tie the lead to the frame and put the seats back on.  After I have used this for a while I will let you know what I think of product.

Harley Owners Group…. Life Member

Posted: September 4, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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harley owners group

The HOG life

After doing the math it was cheaper in the long run to join as a HOG life member.

I have no idea where I would wear the pendent/medal, guess I will put it in my dealer/event pin collection.  The patch I will put on my biker/pirate vest.  😉

The benefits of a life member are the same as a full member except I get the pin and patch… Oh, and do not have to pay the annual fees again.

 

 

 

Celebrity Motorcycle Accidents

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Motorcycle news, motorcycle safety
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Triumph motorcycle

Ann Margret Triumph

Following up on the last post about a crash, how about more crashes!

Motorcycle.com recently published a top 10 list of “Celebrity Motorcycle Accidents”.  While these are all US based they are interesting to read.

Who knew that Ann Margret and Lauren Hutton even rode motorcycles!

Casual Full Dresser…. Yamaha’s Street Glide Yamaha BOLT Recall

Posted: July 30, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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yamaha bagger

Casual Dresser

Yamaha’s XV1900A CFD (Casual Full Dresser) motorcycle looks, to me, to be a head on assault on Harley’s Street Glide.  It looks a lot like a Street Glide, and is designed to a cruiser that can take on long distance rides as well.  It has a 1900cc air cooled V-twin engine which is a bit bigger than the Street Glide.  You can find more about the bike here.  I personally like the look!  But I want to know if the Formal Full Dresser comes with a bowtie and tails?!

In other Yamaha News….. BOLT Recall

2014_XVS950CU_BWC1_CA_1_lYamaha is recalling certain model year 2014 XVS950CU (Bolt) motorcycles manufactured March 2013 through June 2013. Slack or sag in the wiring harness may allow it to contact the exhaust manifold causing the wires to melt, and possibly short circuit.

If the wires short circuit, the fuses will blow which may cause the engine to stall. An engine stall while riding, increases the risk of a crash. Yamaha will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness and secure it away from the exhaust. If the wiring harness is damaged, it will first be replaced.

The recall is expected to begin by the end of July 2013. Owners may contact Yamaha at 1-800-962-7926.Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

ALSO

Is it me or is Yamaha taking even more styling ideas from Harley?  Really, these two bikes looks so much like their counterparts it’s crazy!

Easy Rider suing over $200 T-shirts

Posted: July 23, 2013 in Motorcycle news
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An interesting article, from the online version of the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, concerning Mr. “Easy Rider” Peter Fonda.  Mr. Fonda is suing Dolce & Gabbana  because he has “suffered injuries to his peace, happiness, feelings, goodwill, reputation, image, loss of fair market value of his services, and dilution of his current and future publicity value,” resulting from their unlicensed sales of his image (from the Easy Rider movie) on $200 t-shirts.  If you want to see how much of a monetary value he places on his market value take a look at the article!

 I would have posted a picture of the t-shirts but I have no desire to further hurt Peter’s peace, happiness and good will.  😉

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