22500 service...

took the bike in a little early, about 100 miles, for it's 22500m service... mostly because i wasn't sure if the clutch was going to last.

i did some riding over the weekend and it didn't seem to be getting worse, although it was still slipping when i cranked on the throttle. i was still a bit concerned about being out somewhere if/when the clutch finally gave out...

while it was in for it's regular service, i had them look at the clutch as well as replace my front tire - finally...

i picked up the bike a few days later to find the service done, a new front tire and parts ordered for the clutch. they did adjust the clutch again and said it was ridable. i forgot to ask them what was wrong with the clutch or what parts they ordered. but they did say they would call when the parts were in.

while the bike was in for service, i got to ride around on a softail deluxe. nice ride. each time i ride around on the new ninety-six inch motor, i like it more and more. this one had after market, and loud, pipes.

not so sure i like riding around with loud pipes. you'll hear some bikers let out the mantra, loud pips save lives... i've never really believed the slogan. my thinking is if the cage driving it's paying attention, they're not going to hear/see you just because you have loud pipes. in addition, the majority of sound is blasted behind the bike. the majority of accidents are cages failing to yield your right-of-way; left turn in front of you or right turn out of a parking lot in front of you. the sounds going behind you doesn't help either of those situation...

i didn't like the loud pipes for a much more personal reason, not how it affected the traffic around me but how it affected me. the loud sound drown out all the other traffic and environmental sounds i rely on to help keep me safe in traffic. in addition to looking, i like to hear where the cages are on the road, i like to know where the sound of screeching tires is coming from. loud pipes don't allow that luxury...

anyway, while my bike was in for service, this is the bike i got to style around on. again, nice bike. i didn't care for the seating position. it was a bit to cramped for me. but fun to ride a different bike for a couple days. makes you glad to be back on your own...