| Author | Message | ||
     86129squids |
John- there are quite a few notable seat makers besides Mustang, might look into your best options. What say the folks on XL forums about aftermarket seats? | ||
| Crusty |
The Iron Butt riders on the XL Forum unanimously recommended the Mustang Vintage Wide. I sat on SportsterPaul's bike and that seat fit my butt like my Schuberth helmet fits my head. I will have a Mustang Vintage Wide on the Gentleman's Express. | ||
| 86129squids |
OK then.  | ||
| Crusty |
Dealerships and Other Rants Yesterday, after the sun made an appearance, I took the 16 out for a ride. My plan was to ride over to CinCity Hardly-Ableson and look at an Iron and see how the speedo mount worked. Did it actually put the instrument at a better angle so that maybe I could actually see how fast I was going. I don’t enjoy going over to that shop any more. I used to get along with the guy at the parts counter pretty well when it was Cincinnati H-D, but the new owner changed the name and also hired a new staff. When I went to buy the little plastic clips that hold the switch wiring to the handlebars, I had to point them out to the little chickie on the microfiche screen, even though I had one that I’d brought with me laying on the counter to show her. When I go to a motorcycle shop, I want to deal with knowledgeable parts people, not cute little air headed fluffernutters. I swear that I can hear the ocean when some of them open their mouths. The name change also annoys me. CinCity: a place for Manly Men who know how to live life, or some equally lame bullsh*t. Of course, they’re not alone in coming up with stupid macho names. Another local dealer is Powder Keg H-D. Some of the other names that stand out in my mind are Barbed Wire H-D, Black Sheep H-D, No Cages H-D and the list goes on. I’m waiting for some enterprising entrepreneur to open Big Dick’s H-D in Uranus, Missouri. I try to keep these Snippets “G” rated, or at worst “PG”, so I won’t expound on some of the advertising slogans that are running through my mind; but feel free to let your imagination do its thing. Anyhow; to get back to yesterday, I lucked out. When I pulled up to CinCity, there was a guy with a new Iron parked there who was talking with a salesman. The guy had just bought the bike two weeks ago. The three of us had a pretty good conversation about Sportsters and I got to check out the speedo mount. I think it’ll work just fine on the 16. It angles the front of the instrument up about 25 or 30 degrees or so. The nice part was that I didn’t have to go inside. I also got the information that Harley is only making three variations of Sportsters for 2021. The Custom and the Roadster are both being discontinued. I think there will be one 883 and two 1200s. At least, that’s what the salesman said. I wonder how many of the Softail variants are getting the ax? When I left the dealership, I took the long way home. It was a nice day and I wanted to enjoy being out of the house. However; I encountered several morons using their Cell phones for texting. The first was a woman who sat through at least two cycles of the traffic light. The light turned red as I got close, and she had not moved. When the light turned green, I looked over and she was staring at her phone and the thumbs were doing a Irish Step Dance on it. Then, there were two cars at another light doing the same thing. I honestly don’t think either of the drivers even noticed the light until I went by them. A short while later, I got on I-74 for a few miles and I encountered the classic texter. A Car passed me going about 20 over the speed limit; then, a few miles later, I passed it and it was going about 10 under the limit. When I looked in the window as I passed, the driver was concentrating on her phone and her thumbs were doing a Moonwalk on the screen. A couple of miles later, she passed me, again doing about 20 over. Drivers like that is why this society is moving to self driving vehicles. So I stopped at the supermarket and bought a few items and came home. Last night after a long and detailed debate in my mind, I ordered the parts. I guess I’m still a Ba-a-ad Boy. | ||
| Zacks |
I've been saying it for a while. The zombie apocalypse is upon us. The cell phone is the cause. You want real proof? Go to an airport. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Crusty said..."Big Dick’s H-D in Uranus, Missouri" I'd suggest, even though I'm a Navy vet  , Big Dick's H-D in Intercourse Pennsylvania Can you have "intercourse" in Uranus?  | ||
| Two_seasons |
Zacks, You are right about airports...just left O'Hare...madness with the phones! | ||
| Crusty |
Not in mine. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Crusty, you funny man  | ||
| Crusty |
Act As If I believe in the power of positive thinking. It has gotten me through some very trying times and has made improbable things happen in my life. In late 2014, when I was retiring, I decided to hit the road for a while. I didn’t know how that was going to happen, but I knew it would. There were several obstacles that needed to be overcome that seemed almost impossible, but I just started moving along towards that goal, doing what I could to make it happen. First, I started getting the right gear together. I asked people what gear was good on different forums and got practical suggestions. I decided I was going to get a Sportster for the journey, and started haunting Craigslist and other sources. My credit wasn’t very good back then, and I didn’t know if I could get financing, but I looked constantly. I take a blood thinner, and have to be tested regularly. Back then, I would go to a testing location and have my blood drawn every couple of weeks. I knew there were home testing kits, but my Insurance wouldn’t cover them. When I had inquired a couple of years previously, I was told that I’d have to buy the tester at my own expense, but they’d pay for the testing strips. The tester cost something like $1000.00, and that was out of my reach. I was riding a Moto Guzzi Norge that I was still paying a loan on; I had to sell it and use the money to pay the loan off. And I had to find Cheap Storage. I didn’t want to get rid of everything I owned. I was willing to get rid of a lot of stuff, but not essentials like tools, winter gear, good clothes, etc. It all looked pretty overwhelming. But I just took things one day at a time and did what I could. Then things began to fall into place. I got hold of the right person at the Insurance company who decided that it would cost less for them to buy me a tester than to have to get my blood drawn at an outpatient facility. Guido had an ’05 Roadster at the shop and we worked out a deal that was mutually beneficial. I found a garage for rent for short money a couple of blocks from my apartment. And a buyer for the Norge appeared. I never stopped working towards my goal and I was able to hit the road on schedule. I’ve been doing the same thing with the Gentleman’s Express, and it’s coming along faster than I originally planned. When I first decided to buy it, my plan was to leave it stock until the fall. That plan lasted less than a day after I rode away from the dealer I bought it from. I was sitting in a motel room that evening buying brake and clutch levers. Then the ride home convinced me that I really needed to change the handlebars ASAP. I’ve detailed all the problems and the solutions I’ve come up with, so I won’t go through it all again, but everything is all falling into place. This Sunday, I’ll be handing off the gas tank, front fender and some other parts to Joe so that he can do the paint. She’s getting closer to becoming a Reality. When she’s done, she’s going to be Magnificent! | ||
| Pwnzor |
We're on the edges of our respective seats. And, let's not forget that the power of positive thinking extends far beyond the self! We're all rooting for you out here. | ||
| Crusty |
If You Believe The Weather Forecast… …Then you deserve what you get. - old proverb. We’ve been planning a Sportster Meet&Eat for a few weeks. I kept watch on the weather forecasts as the day got closer. Right up to this morning, it was supposed to be cloudy and cool, but no rain. So I got to ride in the rain for the first 60 miles or so. It wasn’t a heavy rain, it varied between a light sprinkle to a heavy mist in the air. It was ever-present, though for the first hour of my ride up to Lancaster. Added to the temps in the mid 40s, it made the trip the coldest ride since last spring. Still, it was worth a little discomfort. Seven of us met at Max & Erma’s in Lancaster for a late Sunday lunch. We were there for a few hours and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We ate good food and talked about motorcycles and just enjoyed each other’s company. I had boxed up the parts that need to be painted so I could hand them off to Joe. Getting them strapped to the bike was pretty challenging and it took me more than a half hour to get everything strapped and bungeed securely enough to make the trip. I did that yesterday so that I’d have plenty of time to get it all sorted to my satisfaction. I got it right; everything made the trip successfully. Joe and I went over everything and he put the parts in his truck. The next time I see them, they’ll be painted Soul Red. I am so looking forward to that. The food is good at Max & Erma’s. I had a cheddar cheese burger with sautéed onions and mushrooms I didn’t hear a bad word from anyone about the food. We talked about many different things, but Paul’s story of the bat spread eagled on his buddy’s helmet is an image I won’t forget for some time. In all, there were seven of us who made it. There were a few others who didn’t want to ride in the cold rain and I can’t fault them for that. Anyhow, it was a very good time. I think it was Emerson who said, “The way home from a friend’s house is never long.” The ride home felt like it went by a lot faster than it really took. It was cold, I don’t think the temperatures ever got above 50º F (10º C), but not insanely cold. Still, when I got home, I immediately took a long, hot shower. Now, I’m going to become a vegetable for the night. | ||
| Crusty |
I remembered my camera and I even got a couple of pictures. These are the three Sportsters that were there  Here’s a picture that I took inside the restaurant  And Joe took a photo with me in it  | ||
| Crusty |
An Oncoming Train? One of the tunnel jobs I worked on had a small poster in the Hog House (Change House) that was a picture of a tunnel with a light at the end. It said, We Never Forget It Might Be An Oncoming Train. I’m looking at the possible completion of the Gentleman’s Express, and it feels like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It won’t be complete yet, but all the major changes and improvements will be complete. The seat is on order, Joe has the parts for paint and yesterday, I ordered the new Speedo/tach. It was too good a deal to let slide. Ronnie’s H-D sent me an e-mail saying I could buy any Official Licensed Product for 25% off if I bought before this Saturday. The idea of saving almost 79 bucks was too much to let it slip away. I had received the new Speedo mount on Monday and it took all of 20 minutes to change it out. I like it a lot. Don’t know if it will make the LCD read out easier to see in bright sunlight because it was overcast and rainy all day, but one thing that I really like about it is that the idiot lights are tilted up so that they’re more easily visible when I’m on the bike. I had planned to wait and see if the new mount worked well enough to keep the stock instrument. If just the angle change would make the read out more visible, like the it does for the idiot lights, but I really like the way the accessory speedo looks. I probably would have gotten one anyhow, and the idea of saving that much was irresistible. So my credit card balance is back up a bit, but the Gentleman’s Express is approaching reality. It’s going to be a decent handling, comfortable motorcycle that looks like what an honest Sport-Touring motorcycle should look like. The bike that the MoFoCo should build if the Corporate Heads could only recover from their severe rectal occulitis. And it’s almost here. | ||
| Crusty |
Hurricane Zeta It’s raining heavily and it’s supposed to continue until tonight. The remains of Hurricane Zeta is drawing lots of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico up into the Ohio River Valley and it’s coming down like a cow pissing on a flat rock. I’ve never see a cow pissing on a rock, but I did see a cow pissing from the back of a ute in Australia at 100 KPH (60 MPH). Cows have big bladders. I really doubt I’ll be going anywhere today. I knew the rain was coming. The same weather forecasters who were bemoaning the lack of rainfall last month were panicking about the coming rain. Channel 12 said that it’s supposed to be the heaviest rain day of 2020. The way it’s pouring right now, I believe it. The funny part is that there’s no noticeable wind. I guess the wind has calmed down leaving just a lot of water. I went and voted yesterday. I’m not a fan of early voting, yet I decided to go because it wasn’t raining and the forecast for next Tuesday wasn’t looking promising. I have to admit that they had everything set up efficiently. The line was really long when I got there. But it moved along at a walking pace. A slow walking pace, but it was a steady walk. When I got to the Early Voting Polls, I thought I was going to be there for a couple of hours, at least. But it took less than a half hour to go through the line, have my ID checked, vote, then get back to where I parked the bike. I was favorably impressed. I think they should take away the bull horns from the Democrats and the Republicans. They had their usual setups handing out the sheets with their candidates listed, but each party had an obnoxious jackass blathering about how bad the opposing candidate for President is. The Democrats were shrilly braying that Trump is going to take away your health care and the Republicans were noisily trumpeting that Biden was guilty of major corruption. Both sides were obnoxious enough to make me consider voting for Flaky Foont. I felt pretty good about voting when I finished. I still don’t like the changes to voting; I think it should be a one day affair, but if it was, I probably would get soaked while standing in line at the local polls on Tuesday. I really hope that everybody I voted for wins, but I doubt that will happen. I’ve been wanting to get a Burnt Ends dinner for a couple of weeks, now. I was going to get one last week, but then RD was going to come down to Cheviot this week and I was going to mount & balance a couple of tires for him. While he was here, we were going to go get lunch at Velvet Smoke; so I figured I’d wait. RD had to postpone his trip, but I still was itching for Burnt Ends, so I decided to splurge and I went by Velvet Smoke on the way home. I’m glad I did. The Burnt Ends tasted every bit as good as I was hoping. I ate a very early dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the meat and the BBQ beans. I rationalized that it was my reward for doing my Civic Duty, but the truth is that just going and voting was reward in itself. The dinner was purely self indulgence. And I don’t care if it was. I deserve to treat myself to a favorite meal on occasion. And the Burnt Ends from Velvet Smoke are worthy of being considered a favorite meal, just as the ribs from Jim’s Smoking’ Que and the Pulled Pork at the WVBR are. I really like the new Speedometer mount. I can see the LED’s and the Idiot Lights a lot better. It was definite improvement. I don’t know how much improvement it’ll be in direct sunlight; yesterday was cloudy all day, but it’s still miles better than that stupid flat mounting bracket. Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. That’ll be both good and bad. The good is that it’ll be daylight at 7:00 AM. The sun doesn’t come up until 8:00 AM now. The bad is that it’ll be pitch dark at 7:00 PM. I’m still having trouble adjusting to living on the western edge of the time zone. I think it’s because I tend to be a morning person. I used to love heading out for work at 5:00 AM in early July and having it be full daylight. Oh, well; I’ll get used to it eventually. Oh! My Baked Beans are coming today. I found a site that sells various foods in bulk and I bought a case of 12 cans of B&M Bacon and Onion Baked Beans. I know what tonight’s side dish is going to be! | ||
| Ourdee |
Do what I do. Get up 2 or 3 hours later. Bingo, full sunshine. | ||
| Crusty |
Sacrifice and Effort It seems that the only way to really appreciate something is if it requires a degree of sacrifice, or if you have to overcome some bit of adversity to get it. Take, for example, trips to see the Springfield Mile. I’ve been going to see it since 1984. The trips when everything went smoothly have faded into obscurity, but the trip when we rode through record cold weather and I got hypothermic and had to stop for the night early, or the trip when my rear exhaust pipe split, the rear brake died and I got a speeding ticket are still memorable. Well; tomorrow, I’ll get to put some effort into making the Gentleman’s Express. Joe has found a used Mustang 2-up Vintage wide seat that will fit the 16 for a bargain price. He’s going to be up in Columbus, so I’m going to ride up there and pick it up. The sacrifice comes in a couple of different areas. I’m going to juggle my finances a bit to come up with the cash to get the seat. So I won’t be eating a Rib Eye until Thanksgiving, but I won’t starve, either. I’ve put a bit of thought into how I can do this and I’ve come up with a workable plan. That’s the easier part of the sacrifice. The rest is effort. It’s going to be cold and windy tomorrow. The high temperature is going to be at sunrise and it’s going to drop from there. I’ll be wearing my winter gear and it’ll be a cold ride. Well; it won’t be my first cold ride and it won’t be the coldest weather I’ve ridden in. For that matter, it won’t be the coldest long ride I’ve done. When I went to Daytona Bike Week in 2004, it was 19º F (-7º C) when I left my house in Massachusetts and it didn’t get up to the freezing mark for 200 miles. This trip will only be 200 miles total and it’ll probably be in the low 40s or high 30s all day long. Still; it’s early in the cold season and my body hasn’t acclimated yet. This ride should go a long way to speeding that along. It will probably feel pretty freakin’ cold while I’m on the bike, but not more than I can handle. I think that having to put a bit of effort and sacrifice into turning the 16 into the Gentleman’s Express will just make me appreciate it all the more. And besides, it will reinforce my opinion that I really am a hard core rider; or maybe that I’m just a certifiable nut case. Probably both. But I like it that way! | ||
| Crusty |
Cold and Windy Well; I earned my bargain seat; but I got it. And there were a few things that I learned in the process. The plan was that Joe was going to pick up the seat on his way to Columbus. One of his sons was in Columbus for his job and Joe was driving down to have lunch with him. Once he had the seat, he was going to call me and tell me where to meet him and at what time. Joe called at 10:00 and told me that the seat was indeed in excellent condition and even came with the original box. We talked for a couple of minutes, and then he told me his daughter would text me the address, as he was driving. So a minute later, I got the text and googled it and got directions. I layered up and went down to the bike. I had filled the saddlebags with a bunch of bungees and Rok Straps and even threw a roll of Gorilla tape in, so the bike was ready. On Saturday, I’d wired in the lead for the electric jacket liner and that turned out to be one of my smarter moves. It wasn’t cold; the temp was a pleasant 51º F (10.5º C), but it was supposed to drop as the day progressed. It also was just a bit breezy, but the forecast was for some fairly gusty winds. I stopped at the local gas station and was pleasantly surprised to see the price of gas came down to $1.88 for 87. and 2.48 for 92. So I set off and as I was coming down the ramp for I 75, traffic stopped. That tie up cost me almost a half hour. So I dodged over to I 71 and started cruising towards Columbus I had hoped to be there by Noon, but that wasn’t looking to possible. I broke my cardinal rule of not going more than 9 mph over the speed limit to make up time, but I did it by getting behind cars who were going at a fast pace. I figured if there was a speed trap, the leader would get bagged and I might slide. Well; there were no speed traps and I made good time. Joe had said that he was meeting his son at 12:45 which was when he got his lunch break and getting there before then was my goal. It was looking like I was going to make it by 12:30 when Google let me down again. The directions had me wandering around the town of Gahanna until I backtracked and saw where I should have gone. I made it to the meeting spot just at 12:45. I circled the parking lot and there was no sign of Joe, so I stopped and was going to text him and he pulled up in his truck. We put the seat on the bike and he offered to take my old seat back to his house and I can pick it up when I pick up the painted parts. So we put the Chinese seat in the box and I used the Gorilla tap to seal it shut. That was the only thing that I used of all the straps I brought. His son walked up while we were doing all this, and they went off to eat and I headed for home. The wind had picked up as I headed north, and as I started home, it had gotten fairly strong. The ride home was strenuous. It’s unnerving to see Semis being blown into the lane beside them as you approach. Also, the wind was strong enough that I found that my speed dropped from my usual 9 over to the speed limit, and sometimes not even that fast. I was really happy that Joe had taken the old seat with him. That big box would have been like a sail in those winds. I finally made it back to Cincinnati. I got gas and the bike took 3.0 gallons and it had covered 100 miles. I was tired. One other thing was that the forecast was right about the temperature dropping. It was in the 30s by the time I got to the house and I was thoroughly chilled as well as exhausted. A hot shower was the first thing I did as soon as I got upstairs, followed by warm clothing. When I stopped to get gas, I decided to take the back way home to Cheviot on city streets. My route led me past Velvet Smoke and I had a serious debate about whether I should stop. However; I reminded myself that I’d spent all my reserve cash and I really need to squeeze my nickels until the Buffalo shits this month. I was sitting on a Mustang seat and being especially frugal is the order of the day. One other thing that I learned on the ride is just how much better the Speedo mounting bracket from an Iron is. I could read my speed the whole way and I could see the Neutral light clearly. I could see my speed, but the odometer and time function was tough in the sunlight. I’m glad I bought the accessory Speedo/Tach. Supposedly, it has adjustable back lighting and the LEDs are clearly visible. Still; the improvement is worth the cost, even with the stock instrument. So I have my seat. Now, I just have to call and cancel the seat I have on order. I got the one piece two up seat which feels pretty good. When I looked up the part number, I saw that the price for a new one is now up to 460 bucks (actually $459.99). Joe really saved me a bundle! It’s really nice to have friends. ******************** Now, here's the new Speedo/Tach bracket:  And here's my new Mustang Vintage Wide One Piece Two Up Seat  | ||
| Ourdee |
I thought of John:  | ||
| Pwnzor |
That seat looks the business! I bet it's comfy. | ||
| Crusty |
Anticipation and Anxiety I’m up early, this morning. I fell asleep in the recliner right after dinner last night and woke up only to go pee and go to bed. But when I go to sleep early, I wake up early. It usually bothers me when this happens, but not today. Today, it’s a good thing. I have an Echo Stress Test scheduled for 12:30 and I’m supposed to fast for at least two hours beforehand. By being up early, I can enjoy my morning coffee. Still; I’m a bit anxious. I’ll be glad when the test is over. I got an e-mail from Joe last night with a few pictures of the parts he’s going to paint. Paint isn’t the right word. He’s doing all the prep work; sanding, filling in, smoothing out, etc.,etc., etc. I know nothing about doing body work; my experience with paint is that when I paint a room, I usually get more on me than on the wall I’m painting. But I’ve seen what Joe can do. The paint on his bike is absolutely gorgeous and he did a magnificent job on the parts he painted for the 05. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve found good painters, over the years. Back in the 90s, when I built the 79 that I shipped to Australia, Derek did an amazing job on the bodywork for it. It looked so good that I didn’t even put the parts on the bike for weeks. I left them in my apartment so I could admire their beauty. And even after the bike had sat in a shed at the beach for years, the paint cleaned right up and looked beautiful. Except where parts had been scratched and gouged. And I can’t fault the paint for that. No paint job can stand up to that kind of misuse. The side cover was in a box with clutch plates and other pieces when we picked up the bike from the “mechanic” who was going to fix it. Then, back in 2016, Vern took the dented up tank I had gotten from fleaBay and also did an incredible job. He made it look so much better than new, I can’t begin to describe how much. All the dents were gone and he even made the ridge down the center of the tank disappear. Vern’s a very gifted artist, and he really did me a solid when he painted it for me. He made the Roadster look wonderful. She was pretty before, but she was gorgeous once the new tank was on. Joe is another Craftsman. I’ve seen what he can do, both with bikes and cars. And he’s willing to help me with my Dream bike. It’s coming along a lot faster than I had expected and it’s going to be a magnificent piece of two wheeled sculpture. And it won’t just be beautiful; it will be functional. My friend Bill once described most custom bikes as “solid gold peckers”. They cost a lot of money and they were bright and shiny, but they didn’t work nearly as good as the real thing. The Gentleman’s Express will be beautiful, but it will be a bike that I can jump on and ride to Fairbanks, Alaska in comfort. Function takes priority, but the form will be right, as well. It will be the Roadster H-D should build, but won’t. A true Gentleman’s Express. Here's a couple of the pictures that Joe sent me:    | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
What are the pieces in the last pic? | ||
| Crusty |
Trim pieces for the saddlebags. I have two sets of saddlebags; a 40L. pair and a 30L. pair The trim pieces fit on the lower half of the lids. | ||
| 1313 |
With the trim pieces painted, it will be a true Gentlemen's Express! (Message edited by 1313 on November 05, 2020) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I was scratching my noggin.. I've owned a couple of sportsters and couldn't see where those would have went. Saddlebags make perfect sense... carry on | ||
| Pwnzor |
The color coordinated accents are going to look awesome. I can't wait to see it all put together. | ||
| Crusty |
That makes two of us! | ||
| Tootal |
 | ||
| Crusty |
Joe sent me an update yesterday. he's got the gas tank sanded down and could detect no dents anywhere. he sent me three photos, and here's one:  Also, here's a bit of a teaser of the air cleaner trim plate with the new black decal. The plate's going to match the paint with Roadster in black:  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Sweet.... |
