do the test...

a quick awareness test for you. how many passes the does team in white make??

it was made for bicyclists, but i think it applies to motorcyclists as well. hell, just about anything really...

new bars...

i decided to put new bars on the bike. the stock ones were okay, but i felt i was reaching a little too far forward. i wanted something that pulled back a bit more, something that put more bend in my elbow.

for the longest time, i couldn't decided what i wanted. wide beach bars, mini-apes, there are just too many to choose from. i knew i didn't want to purchase and try a bunch of bars just figuring out which one was right.

some harley dealerships are putting in rigs where you can try before you buy. the rigs basically hold a seat, handlebars and have three peg positions. the idea is you put on the seat, bars, pegs, grips, whatever on the rigs, sit on it and get a feel for whatever you're looking to buy. i tried it out one time, but i just don't get the feeling it would be the same on the bike...

along the way, i ran into a guy - figuratively, not literally - who had the reduced reach handlebars for a road king... they were comfortable and seemed to give me the reach i was looking for. i checked out the reduced reach handlebars more and it appeared they were fairly straight-forward to install - using the stock cables and only needing a wiring extension. i decided those were the ones...

i got the bars and the wiring extension. next up was to enlist the help of my father-in-law and plan a day (or two or three) to get the job done. we started on a friday - i figured that gave us a solid three days without me having to worry about work getting in the way.

a view of the bars before we got started. this way, if we screwed up, at least i would know what it used to look like...



we removed the seat, disconnected the battery and covered the bike. i knew if i didn't cover the bike, i would drop some sharp, heavy something on the bike and screw up the paint/metal. i didn't need a repeat of last year...



we removed the headlight assembly...


a close up of the wiring in the nacelle...


we removed the nacelle - starting with the decorative strip...



we removed the fork lock cover - which is done by simply prying up on the lock cover...


a view with the nacelle removed, the turn signal/running light assembly carefully placed on the front fender...


we marked each of the wiring connections before disconnecting them - nothing like hooking them up backwards or something...


we removed the switch housing and wiring from the handlebars...


before removing the switch housings, we blocked the front brake lever to keep pressure on the calipers - hoping to reduce the possibility of having to bleed the brakes...


a final view of the naked handlebars before being removed...


ready for the new bars...


we removed the wiring connectors from the wires and fed the wires through the new handlebars...


left switch housing in place. after messing with this for a while, we decided to run the gps wire through the extra hole instead of trying to stuff it in with all the other switch wires...


we mounted the new bars...


a view of the wires coming out of the bars with the new wiring extensions in place...


it was a close fit, but there was just enough length on the stock wirings to allow the new extensions to be put on...


we connected the turn signal/running light harnesses to the new wiring extensions...


new bars coming together nicely...


testing out the positioning of the new bars...


new bars in place and ready to ride...




first test ride with the new bars was great. not only was the reach in a much better position, i felt as if i have a lot more control over the bike. and i like that for the slow, tight turns...

it turned out this job was a lot easier than i anticipated. of course i'd rather prepare for a tough job and find it easy than the other way around. we took our time with the job. and even taking our time, we easily finished in about half a day. it's certainly a job i would do again without hesitation... of course i have to send many thanks to father-in-law for the confidence and the help...

open house...

...not ours though - ray price's...

spent a couple hours at the open house... was pretty good - lot's of people, lots of bikes and a few vendors. we wandered around inside and outside for a bit, navigating our way around the confusion. then our little one was getting tired, so we decided to leave.

right before we left, there was a music review/fashion show. since they were honoring our military and supporting the uso, the theme of the show was on of those overseas uso shows for the military. the guy 'hosting' the show, playing bob hope, was absolutely terrible. he was too loud and, i thought, much too crude for an audience with kids. luckily he didn't go on too long. the show also had problems with their microphones which was apparent when someone would try to sign and you could barely hear them. but that's okay, it didn't effect the ones that were lip-syncing. thankfully there were a couple signers that were actually good - which made up for all the other short-comings.

i managed to snap a couple pictures. the first couple from the musical review and the last from the bike show...




we really only checked out the custom bikes in the bikes show - so i didn't get too many pictures...







this was my favorite bike in the show

more free stuff...

in an earlier post, i had a note to self to check the free neck gaiter link after april fifteenth because that's when the offer expired and i was curious what they might do about the link... or really the site, since the whole site was dedicated to the neck gaiter.

i can't honestly say what made me think of checking it... must have been after tax day and i needed something to cheer me up... i head over to the site and surprise, surprise, they're now giving away a hydration pack.

in order to get the hydration pack, you have to demo ride a buell. can it get any better?? i call up the dealership and schedule an demo ride. which happened to be yesterday...

the hardest part about this whole deal was choosing which bike to ride. i had to choose between the lightning, the 1125 and the ulysses. since i had ridden the ulysses before, that was out. it didn't take too long to choose the 1125, especially after all the stuff i've been reading about the redesign.

we gear up and after a few words of advise over the rev range and the touchy brakes, we head off. although the ride was short and i didn't really get a chance to wind it out, it sure was a lot of fun. very responsive, twist the throttle and it takes off. it's too bad we were behind slower traffic and i couldn't wind it through the turns. although, in hindsight it was probably a good thing - no tickets.

while i wouldn't want this bike for any longer trips, i could definitely see cruising around town and the back roads on it. it's definitely on my list if and when i can afford another bike. (i know, i know, dear, you get the next vehicle. how 'bout that screaming eagle over at shelton's??)

after the ride, i pick up my hydration pack and head home. on the ride home, i'm thinking this is great - not only does buell want to give me a ride on one of their bikes, they want to give me more free stuff. to top it off, the hydration pack is pretty nice. pretty good marketing, though, because i'm more interested than before...

i can't want to see what they give away after june...

peace...

i don't need no stinkin' map...

...or do i??

i've always had a fondness for paper maps. there was some sort of instant bond the first time i opened one up - even if i couldn't get it folded again. opening a map was like expanding the world, new areas to explore, new places to go.

over the years, i became adept at reading maps, quickly figuring out where i was and picking out routes to get me where i wanted to go. did i ever get lost?? sure, but that was part of the adventure.

fast forward many years... i get a gps for my bike... did i need it?? of course, not, especially since i'm an expert map reader. it's fun toy, a complement to my paper maps, certainly not a replacement.

over time, i used the gps more and more... learning how to use it, exploring the capabilities, the ease of use. it's not perfect, it did get me on the wrong road a time or two, but it could correct itself and ultimately get me where i wanted to go. but i got lost using paper maps too, so i guess i can't fault the gps too much.

the more i used the gps, the more i liked it. the more i could use it to my advantage and avoid it's disadvantages. and the more i used it, the less i used paper maps. heck, i can't even remember the last time i looked at a paper map. unless you count the pirate maps my son and i plan our adventures with...

even though i still carry paper maps on my rides, i'm thinking they're more conversational pieces, bits of history. that was until my wife, always looking for a good deal, found an offer for a free motorcycle map!! a double-whammy. not only a motorcycle map, but a free one!!!

i jump online, head over to america rides maps, and order me up a map. the hardest part was decided which one to get. the maps mostly cover western north carolina, an area i'd like to spend a couple extras riding around. and heck, with a new map, i'd have a reason to take a couple extra days.

after i ordered the map, reality started to set in. what the heck am i really going to do with this map?? after all, i have a gps. and my paper maps are just along for the ride - they don't play an active role in my riding anymore... at worst, this map would give me some ideas of roads to ride...

a couple days later, the map arrived... i tell you, i'm pretty impressed with it. first thing i noticed was the paper it's printed on. looks very durable and waterproof - an important feature when you're taking a trip on a bike for a few days. the size of the folded map is perfect - it can easily fit into a windshield bag or even a jacket pocket.

unfolding the map was like entering new worlds again, discovering roads and areas i never knew existed. i was also discovering how much was packed into this map. on one side is the maps itself. with 'featured' roads, marked in red, and easy to follow. the addition of gas stations marked on the map takes the concern out of riding and wondering when, or even if, you're going to make it to the next gas stop.

route descriptions are on the other side of the map. they contain everything you need to plan the route - mileage, turn-by-turn instructions, road types, traffic patterns and other useful information to make the trip enjoyable. there are also suggested rides, which helps take the guesswork out of creating your own perfect trip from scratch.

the next time i travel to western carolina, some things will be different... the trip will be a couple days longer and i'll be bringing this map along. not only that, i'll actually be using it to plan a couple rides around the area, taking roads i would have never found or taken with just my gps.

the america rides maps have brought the paper map back on par with the gps - more of a companion again... check them out - for five bucks you can't go wrong. hell, throw in the extra three bucks and get the waterproof.

happy ridin'...