Hell in a Handbasket (UPDATED)

I’m seriously tempted to put something like this on my bike, but knowing my luck I’d end up moving out of Helena not long after…

via Knucklebuster

Update: Grail just posted a picture of the whole bike. Nice.

I love mutant shit

Here are a couple bikes that caught my eye whilst perusing the Greasebag 2008 bike show gallery.

First, a rather straightforward bobber/street tracker based on a ’47 Harley. I love the wheel sizes, the handlebars and what appears to be a tubular fuel gauge on the side of the gas tank. Thinking about steeling that last idea for my bike.

Next, I love mutant shit, hence the title of this post. Here we have an aircooled VW Beetle engine and transaxle stuffed in a very rough, rigid bike frame. Probably not the best thought-out design, but as a fan of old bugs, I love the novelty of it.

Modern Bonneville Street Tracker

This is the closest thing I’ve seen to what I’m trying to do to my bike, at least as far as the overall look and feel:

via Motorcycle Picture Of The Day: Modern Bonneville Street Tracker.

I’ve got the blacked out forks and fork gators, and I’ll be satin-black ceramic-coating my D&D mufflers and wrapping the headers in black wrap. It even has my Monza-style flip-up gas cap (although for me moving the gas cap off to the right requires cutting and welding, while the Bonneville is that way stock). The color will be different, of course, but still have the satin/matte finish. I like the custom/hacked sprocket cover but I’m probably going to do something different in that department.

Cleaned and Scrubbed

I’ve finished scouring through my old posts and cleaning things up, except for a few broken images and image links that point to Flickr. The former I need to hunt down. The latter I just want to re-link to Picasa or upload them to the blog directly. But I’ve deleted off-topic posts, fixed broken links and added categories to all the remaining posts. Some of the early posts from 2002 are just a single link or they’re about the BMW R1150R – the bike I originally wanted before I saw the Bonneville America, and some of the single link posts are for products I’ve tried and didn’t like. I decided to keep those, too. I’ve also fleshed out the post categories, shown for now over in the right-most column.

UPDATE: All the photos and/or photo links are fixed.

Glacier Gloves

I have a decent pair of wind-proof, water-proof, warm gloves from Joe Rocket for cold weather riding, but they only work down into the 40′s. In May 2008, on my way to Prescott, AZ, for a Triumph gathering, it was well down around freezing, perhaps a bit colder. Ten degrees makes a HUGE difference at 75mph.

I have a Gerbing heater jacket liner but I cheaped out and didn’t get the matching heated gloves. By the time I arrived in Butte my hands were freezing. I found some glove liners at a sporting goods store and I was able to continue on. In the future I can either pony up the dough for the Gerbing gloves or search through the snowmobile shops. I’d like to try these gloves, but they don’t seem to go big enough (3XL).

The quest for warm hands in a cold demanding environment is a long and frustrating one. The general rule is it takes carrying three pairs of gloves to have one dry pair on your hands. I have not found that to be true with Glacier Gloves, which is hands down the best glove I have ever used. The 824BK is 2mm neoprene lined with a thin fleece nap on the inside; the two layers feel fused together somehow (not sewn or glued), which gives them a comfortable fit, allows easy on and off, and provides excellent dexterity.

via Cool Tools.

Off-Topic: Droooooool

For those who don’t know me, I have a 1965 Mustang Fastback, 289 V8/AT/Factory AC, sitting in my garage in need of an engine rebuild. I debated posting anything here about it, or about cars in general, because I didn’t want to muddy up the water. But as a family heirloom, handed down to me by my grandmother, it’s part of my world and ultimately this site is about me. So I think I may occasionally post about it.

That said, this has nothing to do with the car, I’m just drooling over this engine block. I’m sure it’s several thousand dollars. While my mustang is in decent original condition, it’s probably worth less than this block.

Corbin For Sale

Oh SNAP. I’m running a Corbin Solo and backrest on my Triumph. Hope they don’t disappear altogether. I had to send it back once to get it “adjusted” as it was too hard, but I’ve loved it ever since then.

Corbin, probably one of the best known brands among motorcycle seat and accessory makers, is up for sale. Everyone knows the Corbin name, they make seats and a line of accessories for practically every make and model of motorcycle. Most of us have owned one or more of their seats, personally I’ve owned 3.

This listing just came my way, the reason for sale is listed as retirement. I would certainly think this is a great opportunity for someone with the cash or ability to obtain business financing to jump into an established business with an excellent name and reputation.

via Corbin Pacific – Motorcycle Seat Maker Up For Sale.

We Don’t Do Criticism

So at the end of this little animation on the Harley Davidson website, “We Dont Do Fear,” you have a chance to fill in the blanks yourself. At one point I used the word “bullshit” and it wouldn’t let me post my entry. I took that out but no matter what I couldn’t post what I wanted, profanity or not. Here is what I tried to post (words I entered are bolded):

I don’t do fear. Over the last 106 years in the saddle I’ve seen TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES SURVIVE, but every time this country has come out stronger than before. Because A BONNEVILLE AMERICA put distance between me and THE HARLEY LEMMINGS. Freedom and wind outlast hard times, and the rumble of my engine drowns out all the POSERS. If 106 years have proved one thing, it’s that TRIUMPH CAME FIRST. So screw it, let’s ride.

Gee, I wonder why I couldn’t post?

(Disclaimer: I don’t hate Harleys–I’ve ridden with a lot of old timers and my best friend is a die hard. It’s the yuppies and n00bs who only put 200 miles on each year and act badass that drive me crazy. To them I say, “Shut up and ride.”)

Instant Content!

I just figured out how to import all the motorcycle-related content from my personal blog, about 161 posts. I still need to go through and clean them up, since many are undoubtedly generic posts that happen to mention motorcycles and that’s probably not the sort of thing I want to post here.

Now I need to update my WordPress motorcycle theme and import it into here as well. I do have the theme but it needs to be updated for the latest version of WordPress.

2009 Bike Maintenance and Mods

With the new year comes new lists. Referencing previous lists and inventorying the parts I’ve already purchased, here we go:

Bike Maintenance (Mandatory)

Current odometer reading (approximate): 42,300

• Oil and filter change
• Clean and oil air filters
• Double check valve clearances
• New tires front and rear