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Author Message   Mikethebike72 Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 05:58 pm:        I had planned a Skilled Rider Course for a Meetup.com group and have had a few people cancel at the last minute. I have room for 4 people if anyone is interested. The schedule will be Saturday October 18 from 10am here at the dealership until 6pm at the range at Walnut Creek. The price will be $100 instead of the normal $150. Most of the bikes are sport/sport touring. You can apply at www.rayprice.com/riders.   Hughlysses Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 06:55 pm:        Webe- I liked your auxiliary lights setup so much I copied it: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/404153.html?1224111055 Thanks for the inspiration.   Spectrum Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 10:57 pm:        Saw one of these today at Carolina HD. A Gastonia Police officer was not so patiently waiting with bated breath to take delivery. He was stoked and couldn't wait to ride it.   Slowride Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 11:38 pm:        Cross Post I uploaded a few previews of the images I took from Buelltoberfest. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/402942.html?1224128196   Glitch Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 08:38 am:        Brankin, did you ever get the bad ass X1 pics together? Micah, awesome pics!   Mikethebike72 Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 02:13 pm:        I had planned a Skilled Rider Course for a Meetup.com group and have had a few people cancel at the last minute. I have room for 4 people if anyone is interested. The schedule will be Saturday October 18 from 10am here at the dealership until 6pm at the range at Walnut Creek. The price will be $100 instead of the normal $150. Most of the bikes are sport/sport touring. You can apply at www.rayprice.com/riders. I now only have one spot left.   Hughlysses Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 09:36 pm:        Finally got my Buelltoberfest pics posted: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=37&post=1284242#POST1284242   1313 Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 10:49 pm:        Glitch, It will take me a little while. Work and life after work (involving work) has really been a beat down lately. Plus around the middle of next week my parents should arrive for their annual ~ week long visit. So this weekend I need to cut grass, clean house, and take care of a bunch of other crap to prepare. We are on, however! In fact, I may take my order up to 3! I found one of the CD's last night so I will just need to burn a CD and send it to you. If you Email me your mailing address it should help out a little in reducing 'down time'. Thanks! 1313   Glitch Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 06:28 am:        We are on, however! That's what matters! I'm sending you my addy via PM.   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 10:12 am:        Mike, not that I can do the skilled rider course on Sat, but I'm curious, can you take it two up? Or would it be a good idea to take it two up? I'd be interesting in knowing how to handle the bike better with a passenger on the back, and having a better informed passenger as well.   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 10:23 am:        I took the Blast out yesterday for a ride. I haven't ridden since the bike broke on Sat, and it was nice to be back on two wheels. I was coming back through Cary when the car in front of me slammed on their brakes. I got stopped, but there was about half a second (a long half second) where I wasn't sure I was going to. I should practice my braking more. I've had this problem before, I'll hear the tire sliding and back off the front brake when it's really the rear I have locked up. That should be fixable with practice. But it makes me wonder. I try and ride exactly like I learned in the MSF class. I know there are other ways, and perhaps better ways, but I go on the theory that it's more important to be consistent and become skilled at doing things in one way, than it is to search around for a best way. I have however made one change to the way I brake. MSF teaches you that if you lock up the rear wheel, to hold it locked so you won't high side the bike. I changed that right away. There are just too many times when you realize you're not going to stop and you need to do something else. Red lights come to mind. I'm thinking of making another. MSF teaches to use front and rear brakes when stopping. I always do, but when I get scared I tend to lock up the rear. I know there are people who just use the front to stop, and it seems like it might be a good idea. Opinions?   Shadyplace20 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 10:34 am:        Jlnance, In the MSF class I learned to use both and I've been doing that about 90% of the time. However, there are times when I start out using the front and then add some rear.   Mikethebike72 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 10:49 am:        Jim, we, Rider's Edge, are not allowed to have passengers in our class. The community colleges are allowed to, but I don't know how many of them do allow them. The rear brakes on the Buells do present us with a challenge. They offer little feedback and the shortness of the bikes combined with the strength of the front brake makes it easy to lock the rear. The long travel suspension on the Uly makes it worse. MSF teaches both brakes all of the time, because that is the most effective way to brake. One thing they don't really go into is how the weight transfer makes the rear brake prone to lockup in aggressive braking. During aggressive braking, as the front suspension compressed and carries more of the weight, you can increase the amount of pressure you apply to the lever. We coach that as a progressive squeeze. While the front increases how much pressure it can handle without lockup, the rear decreases the amount. The key to avoiding rear wheel lock up is to do a decreasing press on the pedal or use minimal constant pressure.   Spike Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 12:34 pm:        Jim- The scenario you described is exactly why I shy away from using the rear brake under normal conditions. I've found myself mentally "stuck" trying to reduce pressure on the rear brake while increasing pressure on the front brake, all the while dealing with the input of a locked tire and the inability to steer. I do use the rear brake when carrying a passenger or when dealing with reduced traction (rain, gravel, etc.). One of the key elements in being able to ride effectively (or drive/fly/etc. effectively) is being able to receive and process new input quickly. The problem is that when you start getting new input faster than you can process it, you start to panic. Once panic sets in your brain will start ignoring new inputs and just try to process the existing information. It's a difficult thing to get out of. Keith Code talks about it in Twist of the Wrist II. Threshold braking on one brake is difficult enough for me, so I'm almost never satisfied with the results when I attempt to do it on both ends. When you add the new input of feeling/hearing a tire lock up, the act of detecting which tire is locked up, reducing pressure on that brake, and then increasing pressure on the other brake to compensate feels mentally impossible. When you factor in the additional panic of not being able to steer the motorcycle with a locked tire my mental processing power feels like it drops to zero. I know that in theory more stopping power is available from using both brakes, but in practice I've found that the likelihood of locking a tire is increased when using both brakes, so I'm actually able to stop quicker and more consistently by using only the front brake (again- only in dry conditions). Of course, the better method would be to continue to practice threshold braking on both ends until you can do it effectively even in a panic situation.   Zxzer04 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 03:02 pm:        Hey how are you guys? I hope everyone is doing well. It sounds like you are all having fun. I am working hard on getting a second job so that come next year I will be able to put a deposit on a bike and ride again. It may not be a Buell as I will have to have someone willing to finance at least some of the bike, but it will at least be in the right direction. As for Carlos and Kristy, I think you are both lucky to understand each other so well. Congrats to you both and many wishes for more. (oh and Carlos..you may need to cut back on the trips...20 years is a big number and she may require a long romantic trip including only the 2 of you(LOL....better start saving)). Oh, and as for braking, best bet is to keep yourself from ever being in a emergency stop position, but as we all know--easier said than done. I always apply full rear brake in a quick stop and ignore it from there unless the bike starts sliding out from under me,and pay attention the front as the front is most of my stopping power. and most of the weight as well as the pivot point for the bike is on the front axle. As I figure the rear tire is slowing the bike somewhat. Seems ABS would help this but from what I hear causes new problems. Larry   Mikethebike72 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 03:16 pm:        Well written Mike and Larry. The constant practice of the correct technique is what develops the muscle memory so it will work even in panic situations. That is the main reason I enjoy teaching the class, it makes me practice properly as I demonstrate the techniques. When I get lazy in my demos, I can tell by how much harder it is to coach the student into using the correct techniques. Another point to consider is could you have done anything different to avoid having to do a panic stop. Was your thoughts on riding and traffic or somewhere else? How was your following distance? In your scanning ahead, was there any indications that the person was going to have to slam on brakes? Would a different lane or lane position allow you to see better or have a larger safety margin? Not all, but most "panic" situations can be reduced by the use of SEE (search, evaluate, execute), the 2 second following distance, 4 second immediate path, 12 second anticipated (scanning) path, proper lane position, and staying low on the ladder of risk. Not criticizing, Jim, just playing the what if game with your scenario. (Message edited by mikethebike72 on October 17, 2008)   Mikethebike72 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 03:38 pm:        I had to edit because Larry posted while I was composing. BTW, the Skilled Rider Course is now full.   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 05:01 pm:        Another point to consider is could you have done anything different to avoid having to do a panic stop. Was your thoughts on riding and traffic or somewhere else? I'm sure I wasn't paying full attention. Beyond that, what happened was that I was behind a minivan. A car stopped in front of the minivan, requiring it to stop suddenly. I couldn't see that car due to the height of the van, so I had no foreknowledge it was going to stop. Of course, if you have to lock up the brakes to avoid hitting someone from behind, you're too close. But the world isn't ideal, and it happens from time to time.   Zxzer04 Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 05:31 pm:        Nope has never happened to me Jim...I am so perfect, ok, ok so I am a liar, just ask my wife. Honestly though, if you can ask your friends here for help and Ideas then you are in serious trouble. All of us have done it, sometimes we end up very lucky we walked or rode away, I know I have. Keep up the good work Jim and the rest of us will learn the smart way from you. Larry   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 05:35 pm:        I've got some updates on the Uly. It apparently dropped an intake valve in the rear cylinder. The mechanic can see it through the spark plug hole. It may be embedded in the cylinder, that was mentioned in one phone call, but I wasn't talking to the mechanic, so I didn't get to clarify that. I was pleased to learn that Ray Price is going to try to get Harley to goodwill the fix. I hope that happens, but I can't blame HD if it doesn't. The next step in repair is to take the heads off the motor and look inside. That's a big deal as the motor has to be removed from the bike. They said 10-12 hours of labor for that, which comes to about $800. Of course it isn't known what will be found once you're inside there, and it's likely more stuff would have to be done. I called Pammy at Cyclerama ("hey, do y'all rebuild engines?") She is a wealth of knowledge, and her co-workers give her a hard time about how much she likes to talk on the phone. I learned a lot. According to Pammy, there are a lot of reasons a valve could "drop," the least harmful being that a valve spring broke. That's also the least likely on an engine with 53 thousand miles. Another possibility is that something got sucked into the engine and stuck under one of the valves. It's unlikely that would bang things up enough to make the motor not run or cause the valve to embed in the piston. Most of the other possibilities involve something in the bottom end of the motor breaking and screwing up the valve timing. Those would be the expensive options. If the goodwill doesn't work out, I'm not sure I'm going to fix it. There are 2 '06 Uly's on ebay with less than 600 miles, and an 06 with 24k miles which is currently bid up to $4999. My bike can't be worth much. I may just buy a used one, and either make rebuilding the current one a long term project, or cannibalize it for parts. On the plus side, my fixes to the charging system seem to be working well.   Sportymark Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 06:30 pm:        it you decide to buy another one I will help ya part out the one you have or if they will not goodwill it we can do a top end in house i personally like to think i know a awsome harley top end guy (works for a top fuel harley team) that can do work if we need it...   Hughlysses Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 08:10 pm:        Jim- sorry to hear you're facing a major repair. The first thing I thought when you posted is maybe your oil pump drive gear had fragged. Sometimes the chips from the gear will go through the cam gears and tear up everything, so that could fit with what you're saying (cam gears destroyed, cams slip, valve(s) contact pistons, etc.). You did say the oil light came on before the bike stopped running, so that would also fit with a broken oil pump drive gear. Let us know what the final verdict is. You could always find a donor engine (ebay or someplace) and do a complete swap.   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 08:14 pm:        Sportymark - Thanks, I'll certainly take you up on that. If it's something that requires splitting the cases, are you comfortable with that too? (Message edited by jlnance on October 17, 2008)   Jlnance Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 08:24 pm:        This just dawned on me. I left for my trip across the country on Oct 14 of last year, which is almost exactly a year ago. I had 27k miles when I departed. The bike now has 53k on it. That's 26k miles this year. :-o   Rubberdown Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 - 08:42 pm:        Nance....Crap! I hope this ends well.   1313 Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 12:07 am:        Nance, Sorry to hear how serious the bike woes could be. Hopefully things will go your way. Cause as I'm about to show down a little further, they ain't exactly going my way. When the '09 Buell's came out I saw that a couple of the Lightning models had the Cherry Bomb Translucid airbox cover with decals that are black and red. I was never too keen on the two tone gray decals that came on the '08 Buell's Cherry Bomb Translucid air box cover - like the one most of you have seen on the XT-BOLT. So I thought - COOL! I will have to get one of those for the XT-BOLT. Well I ordered one a little while back. It wasn't supposed to arrive until Monday, but I was surprised to see a package on my doorstep when I got home tonight. With baited breath I opened up the package, took the other miscellaneous parts I ordered out and took out the air box cover. This pic gives a little hint: The flash on my camera works so great that what's wrong is pretty clear in this picture: Before I started peeling back the liner paper on the decals I thought 'Man, that's weird the red decals look blue through the liner paper.". And guess what? That's because the decals are BLUE! On both sides even! Almost as classic as the American Mototcycles on a S2 tank cover, but for some reason I haven't found it to be all that amusing yet... 1313   Glitch Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 09:29 am:        That's because the decals are BLUE! What?!? Makes ya wonder who's in control of color choices over there. I wonder what other color choices they've made...like their living room, their car, etc... ...eh, maybe not...   Sportymark Posted on Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 10:10 am:        I have never split cases jim, but never know could be a time to start.   Jlnance Posted on Sunday, October 19, 2008 - 06:17 am:        I testrode an 1125r yesterday. What a Blast! My pillion was less thrilled with the ride.   Spectrum Posted on Sunday, October 19, 2008 - 09:07 am:        Here's a pic from my trip to the mountains yesterday. It was 41 degrees in Newland. Ran 221 and 181. Leaves are turning and roads were crowded with leaf lookers. Jim there are some great deals on the 08 1125R's buy 2. Your pillion will be much more comfortable.