The Motorcycle Diaries: (July 12) Two Weeks late edition

 Left Denver and decided to head through the mountains.  Denver, for those of you unfamiliar, is jammed right up against the Rocky Mountains.  If you take the interstate highway due west, however, you can jump on US40 which takes you north and then west through Granby, Kremmling, Steamboat Springs, and eventually into Salt Lake City, Utah.  Or you can jump off 40 about 2/3 of the way to SLC and take US191 north up into Wyoming and Idaho.   Pretty gorgeous ride through those mountains.

Or, if you are a total idiot, you can leave Highway 40 at Maybell, Colorado and take state highway 318, then turn north on state highway 10W which eventually takes you to, well to be honest I don't know where it eventually takes you.  I got to the part where Google Maps said "Turn right onto 10W" and it was a hard packed gravel road with a sign saying "Unimproved Road".  Thinking it might just be a shortcut through to another highway I stop to look at my maps.  80 miles of unimproved road.  No thanks.  I'll just stay on 318 which will, eventually, drop me off on US191.  Here's a satellite view of the area I was riding through.  To be fair, it's probably less hospitable in real life.  No towns, no ranches, no nothing.  The things that look like rivers are all called creeks, so probably no water.

No problem, though, I'll just pop through to US191.  Except that the nice two lane road turns into an OK two lane road, which turns into a crummy two lane road, which turns into a crummy one lane road, which turns into a dirt road.  Fortunately the latter two only comprised about 10 miles before I hit US191, but the road I eventually came off on I definitely wouldn't have turned on to from US191.  Definitely.

Didn't get a whole lot of pictures of the desolation because it just didn't occur to me, as is my pattern.  Riding, riding, riding.  

To be fair, it was a nice ride except that it kept getting hotter and hotter, and it really was the middle of nowhere.  Went up one steep switchback and passed a camper doing about two miles an hour.  Coming down the other side it was similarly steep, with a 1,000 foot drop-off and no guard rails.  I'm whizzing along having a good time when it suddenly occurs to me that if I miss a curve I'm going down that drop-off.  Now I'm in my own head and creeping down the switchbacks.  Fun, fun, fun.

But it worked out OK, happy the bike didn't break down, probably good it is the Twin-Cooled bike and has water jacketed heads, but I wish I still had the Power Vision tuner mounted on the handlebar.  I took it off and stuck it in the saddlebag cause I couldn't see any reason to be constantly looking at all the various temperatures and pressures that it will tell you.  Now I'm wishing I knew, just for reference.

Anyway, made it up to Kemmerer, Wyoming on US30 where I stayed in the Best Western.  Next day's adventure, back into Idaho.

The Motorcycle Diaries: (July 11) Two Weeks Late Edition

 This is why I will never make a living as a blogger or a writer.  On Friday July 10 I posted about working on my cousin's house.  On Saturday July 11 I left said cousin's house on my motorcycle.  I traveled across seven states, camped five nights, stayed in two hotels, rode a couple thousand miles through beautiful country, returned home on Sunday July 19 and didn't post a thing.  🤔

Saturday July 11: Abilene, Kansas to Denver, Colorado

Salina, Kansas to Menards for a quick exchange of a defective product, specifically Australian Gold bug spray that didn't spray.  I use their sunscreen and love it.  After five days camping in Richland, Washington, I don't love their bug spray.  I got eaten alive.  Details to follow.  Needless to say the bug spray got thrown in the trash before I left the campsite.

Cawker City, Kansas The World's Largest Ball of Twine

Turns out that even "the world's largest" is open to interpretation.  According to Wikipedia there is the biggest by diameter, the biggest by weight, the biggest put together by a community, the biggest put together by an individual, etc.  I love America.  Either way, didn't care.

As an aside, next time someone says gas prices are high because of President Trump, show them this picture from Kansas, who happens to have the exact same President as those of us in Washington state.

So while I'm there I start chatting with another couple and they mention the geographic center of the United States.  Not including Hawaii and Alaska.  That's up in South Dakota.  I feel like I've been to that one already.  The "contiguous United States".

Lebanon, Kansas The Geographic Center of the 48 Contiguous States

I stop for lunch in Lebanon and then head out of town about a mile or two.  There are my friends from the World's Largest Ball of Twine.  We take pictures.

Finally, driving through St. Francis, Kansas, population 1263, and there's a sign saying "Motorcycle Museum".  OK, guess I need to stop there.  Probably weak sauce, I mean there's 1,263 people who live in this town, how good could it be?

OMG!

After that it's off to Denver. Except now there's a really long road that goes from Lebanon to Denver, with no gas stations or towns, a common theme of my trip.  

Side note: It was a lot worse when I crossed the country right out of the Navy on my 1992 Fatboy.  The Fatboy only had a 4 gallon tank and there were a LOT fewer gas stations.

However, made it to Denver and stayed in a really nice Best Western with a big swimming pool and lots of diversity.  Which means that it was loud and I couldn't use the hot tub because there were a dozen kids throwing a ball around in it.  Perhaps hotels should have rules about the hot tub so that the adults, who are paying for the pleasure of staying, can actually use them.  I can't count the number of hot tubs at hotels and KOA campgrounds that have basically been inaccessible because of the kids.  That's my grumble for the week. 

Dinner at P.F. Chang's with the World Cup on the TV, good drinks at the bar, and always good food.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition: Abilene, Kansas 4th of July

 Spent the last few days doing wiring and helping out around the house.  Updated some of those activities in the last edition but yesterday got the 120V wiring all closed up and powered.  Everything in the back porch has power and works so all the extension cords got cleaned up and put away.  I still have to hook up the 240V but am planning on shutting off power to the house before I do that.  I'm not a total idiot.  😁

So Abilene Kansas 4th.  A patriotic but small town.  Abilene is located in Dickinson county.  The total population of the county is under 20,000.  I live in a town smaller than Abilene, with only about 5,000 resident, compared to Abilene's 9,000, but the difference is that my town is one of the smallest in my county, whereas Abilene is the largest town in this county.  It is amazingly sparsely populated.  The 4th of July celebrations were commensurately smaller when compared with home.  So what were the positives and negatives?

My town has a parade, a car show, vendors, and fireworks.  People come from all over the county and Canada to attend.  Hard to estimate how many show up but there are usually five to six blocks of classic cars and three to four blocks of vendors.

Abilene, on the other hand, had none of that except the fireworks.  There were other activities going on down in Eisenhower Park yesterday though.  Mud volleyball, turtle races, cornhole tournament, etc.  I drove by during the day just to check it out but the festivities were dampened by the monstrous rainstorm that hammered through right around 11 am.  I don't know what attendance would have looked like had the forecast not been so bad but there were very few people in the park.

In the evening, however, with the weather cleared and the air cool, there was a concert at the bandstand.  The Abilene Municipal Band, which has been around for 144 years, played an hour's worth of marches and patriotic music.  One number was the Lexington March, although I'm not sure if it was the Edmundson or the King version.  They invited all the kids in the audience to come up and march through the audience waving flags while they played.  I've included a short video here:

Afterwards we moved a block or so to the fields behind the community center for a spectacular fireworks show.  We were there a half hour or so and fireworks were going off all around during the whole wait time.  Some people had set up in the same field and entertained us for that whole half an hour before the actual show.  The show itself was outstanding.  I won't bore you with pictures of fireworks.  They looked like everyone else's firework pictures.  All in all it was very enjoyable.  It was great to see so many people thankful for America.  There were no politics whatsoever, just Americans celebrating the greatest country in the history of the world.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Days 5 through 7 / This Old House (but not mine)

 Well, it was Interstate Highway System from Bennett to Abilene.  Cruise set at 80 mph, no wind to speak of, an acceptable ride.  Made it here in about seven hours (it's Tuesday June 30, in case you're keeping track.

Chores to do for my cousin:

1) Wire new back porch.  Not bad, boxes and wiring were already in so my job was to add switches and outlets, then hook up power to the whole thing.

From here.  Bottom left slot, just waiting to be used:

Yes, those are fuse boxes and old, old, old.  Right now upgrading is not in the plan but having an electrician come in and install a breaker box from the main feed is probably a good thing to add to the list.

110V for all the switches and outlets, 220 for the dryer.  That took a bit of thinking but I'll be using this fuse box, currently connected to a 220V plug but only with one leg actually connected.  I'll probably disconnect and remove the one on the porch as it won't be needed.

One of the joys of living in a little farm house 25 minutes from town is that you live 25 minutes from town.  So when you are planning your electrical work you make a list of everything you might need, you buy extras, and then you discover halfway through that you are short something.

Short a white outlet.  There's an argument that I could just install one of the cream outlets, but then I'd have to take it back apart at some point and that's a hassle.  So the project sits until I can get back into town.  Today is July 4th, however, and I'm pretty sure that all the shops in town are closed, so that means either Sunday (they may be closed then too as it's a small town) or Monday.

Here's an interesting workaround that the drywall/wiring guys did so that the porch would have light in the meantime.  Took me a bit to figure out precisely what they were doing, then I realized that the extension cord was just feeding the two wires that went to the light switch and then up to the light circuit in the ceiling.  OK.  That works.

2) The mice.  The house sat vacant all winter since my cousin lives in the Philippines most of the year.  The mice had free reign and now have to be reined in.  I'm not particularly freaked out by mice, but I'm not a big fan of the poop everywhere you go.  The house itself was cleaned by a friend of the cousin before she or I arrived, but that still leaves closets, behind furniture, etc.  Plus a lot of small construction garbage that we are cleaning out, along with its poop collection.  Traps, poison, etc.  My cousin will be in the house til October, then back to the PI, which presumably means that she'll go through some of this again next year, but that's up to her.

Yesterday morning AND this morning, however, I woke to chewing noises.  Today grabbed my flashlight and found a mouse in the closet just outside my bedroom door.  He cruised off down the hall after we stared at each other for a while.  Was he stuck in the closet or was it just a part of his route?  No idea.  Meanwhile there are banging noises coming from downstairs.  Down I go, only to discover that a mouse has gotten stuck in one of the mouse traps but guess what isn't powerful enough to kill that mouse, just to trap it.  I have no idea what cousin wants to do with the mouse so I just left it alone.  It's been a couple hours and it's still banging away down there so clearly in no danger of dying from the trap.  Cheap garbage but it did catch a mouse.  I'm a "bait" guy rather than a trap guy but there it is.  We'll see.

Update: Another mouse dead in another trap, this mouse was just big enough that it couldn't totally get him.  Threw dead mouse and live mouse out in the field.  Live mouse still in trap and he'll eventually die and we'll retrieve the trap to reload and reset.  Peanut butter gets you two mice in one night.  Comment if you want pictures of dead mice. 😁

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day 4 (June 29)

(Posted late due to internet issues, and then forgetting about it once I got to Kansas.  This was Monday, June 29)

Well thank goodness I'm out of the bad weather.  That was just horrible. Finally I can now relax and enjoy the rest of my ride.

Is there any way that anyone knows to take a picture of wind?

This morning, leaving Montpelier, ID, I decided to avoid the interstate highways.  I have to be in Abilene by July 1 (have to is strong, but that's when I said I'd be there).  I have two solid days plus could theoretically arrive on July 1, so more than two days.

East on Highway 89.  Otherwise you follow US-30 to the Interstate.  What a beautiful ride.  Sweeping curves, canyons, a KOA campground in which I could have also stayed.  Then you turn right on some little back highway which takes you to ...

... US-30?  Are you freaking kidding me?  But then it gets you off 30 eventually and takes you north and east through Wyoming.

OK, keep in mind that the plan was to poke around, visit little town museums, etc.  Except that the highways going through Wyoming don't have ANY towns!!!!  So I rode an extra 200 miles  to get on the Interstate highway at Rawling, WY.  

Wouldn't have been so bad, it was a nice ride, except, did I mention wind?

The Wind River range, panorama view:

Insert picture here when I have proper internet:  🤔  (Struggling to get things to upload from hotels.)

I should have turned around when I saw the signs saying "Closed to high profile vehicles weighing less than 26,000 lbs due to winds 55+".  What can I say.  I'm stubborn and I process slowly.  By the time it occurred to me that I should go back, it was a long way back and might as well push on. 

Nope.  It was about 200 miles back to the interstate that way, with a howling gale bashing me the whole way.  The interstate was no better, once I reached it, but it was three hours shorter according to Google Maps.  Sigh.  I mean at least it didn't rain.

Well, by the time I reached Colorado it had started to warm up.  I stopped and stripped off all the gear (sweatshirt, jacket, gaiter, beanie, First Gear gloves), just in time to hit Fort Collins rush hour traffic.  I took the toll lanes, no idea if motorcycles are free but the last thing I needed was two hours of rush hour back up.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day 3

Decisions, decisions. Ride over Homestake Pass towards Bozeman, by all accounts the worst pass in Montana for weather; take I-15 down towards Idaho Falls and go through Monida Pass, or just go back to Blaine and get my car, thus losing two full days of travel. Well going back to Blaine would have been pointless no matter what, cause my truck is in the shop and my car threw a cylinder misfire code the day before I left. Homestake eliminated because everyone from my cousins to the gal at the gas station said so. Monida it is. Turns out it's hard to tell that it's a pass, perhaps because you're already so high up. I kept wondering when I was going to get there, and then there was a sign saying 60 miles to Idaho Falls. So that was easy. Uncomfortable as it rained all the way through the pass, but easy.

Behind me:

Before me:

Halfway decent through Idaho Falls and on to US30. Almost stopped at a very nice KOA just down 30, Lava Something Springs Something, looks like a resort, but it was only 3:00 and too early.

Stayed at the Clover Creek Inn in Montpelier because it popped up first on my Google Maps and showed a pretty reasonable price.  I usually stay at Best Western because of the consistency, quality, and points.  However, it's gotten expensive.  CCI was $109 with my military discount.  A bit run down from the outside, it's a three sided compound with parking in the middle.  However the entryway as you drive in had green grass, nice picnic tables, and flowers blooming.  The office and the room were nicely appointed.  Staff super friendly, room clean and smelled nice.  I'm giving it a 5/5 just because of the price, otherwise it would be a solid 4/5.  The only down side at all was the wifi signal was weak in the room as I was across the parking lot, so I couldn't post this update last night.

Gentleman bought my dinner at the Ranch House cause I'm a veteran.  For the record, that embarrasses me, but I also accept that it makes him feel good, so I'm gracious and thank him.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day 2

Friday was a glorious romp in the woods compared to Saturday.

Left my campsite in Newport, WA about 0830.  Only six or seven hours to Missoula, because I'm going up through Kalispell, just to check it out.  It's still nice-ish.  The lake for which my campground, the North Shore KOA was named for.

Does the phrase Winter Storm Warning ring any bells to anyone?  Yeah, I didn't see that at all.  Didn't look at my weather map because, well why would I.  I already knew it was going to be a chance of rain.

Instead, just as I was approaching Kalispell it opened up.  I couldn't see anything.  Including the sign saying "Slow to 15mph for roundabout".  Thankfully I saw just enough out of the corner of my eye to think I should slow down more than I had when the downpour started.

For the record, it's not a good idea to slow down too much in a downpour like that.  Even though you can't see the road, and you can't see enough to get off the road, the people in cars behind you can't see either.  So you run the risk of being rear ended.

So to allay your fears, I slowed down a lot, made it through the inch or so of water that was sluicing through the roundabout, made it down the hill on the other side, and into the first gas station I saw.

Which is when the hail started.  😒

I have no pictures of the storm.  It was the last thing on my mind.   Which is why I don't have a viral youtube channel where I film all the horrible things that happen to me.  

So made it into Missoula, on and off rainstorms but nothing like the Kalispell episode.  Drowned rat is the expression that comes to mind.  Wish I had my full face helmet but I never take it with me on trips as it most likely won't get used and just takes up space hanging from the luggage.  And of course it's Sunday so nowhere that might sell a helmet is open today.

Next steps?  Either push on, chancing the fact that there's a pass with a Winter Storm Warning prominently displayed on every possible way to Kansas, or turn back where the passes are lower.  I could probably get home no problem today but then I'm home and not in Kansas.  So push on it probably is, wishing I had a full face helmet.

And try to remember to take pictures of the worst of it.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day 1

 Not an auspicious beginning.  The weather decided not to cooperate.  I've been watching the forecast which has said "Rain until 11, thunderstorms after".  Gah!  

I love thunderstorms but would love even more to sit in my chair on my front porch and watch the lightning,  preferably with a glass of something in hand.  If you care to comment, what's your go-to beverage for summer thunderstorms?  I've been shifting to cocktails and away from mixed drinks.  Things like Old Fashioneds, Negronis, etc.  When I drink gin it's poured over ice.  Gone are the days of tonic water and lime.

Hit the road about 0830.  Not really raining but threw the rain jacket on and wore chaps, which I wasnt planning on.  On and off rain.  Stopped at the Harley dealer cause they had some special order small parts for me.  Wasnt going to get them now but they open in 10 minutes so good chance for bathroom break.  They have a 250th Anniversary edition which I love.

On down the road.  Highway 2 to Wenatchee and beyond.  All the way to Newport, really, although at some point Google decided I should take a bunch of side roads before getting back on 2.  I assume they had their reasons.  Weather promised thunderstorms as well as rain but the former never materialized thankfully.

Why is that picture upside down?  No idea.  It isn't upside down in my phone.  Oh well.

KOA just outside of Newport is nice.  Ive stayed here before.  Friendly staff, good amenities.  Can recommend.  Tomorrow up to Kalispell and then down to Missoula.  Need to stop at a sporting goods store cause I forgot fuel and refills for mosquito repeller.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day Negative 1, Preparation

Headed for Kansas.  25 days on the road, 5 to get there, 12 days in Abilene, 3 back, and 5 in Richland, WA.

Bike is packed.  First trip longer than 600 miles on the Road Glide.

Not thrilled with the amount of stuff on top but it's light.   Touring bike doesn't have any more room, it's just distributed differently.  The tour-pak limits you because things have to fit.  It's a bit like playing Tetris.

Actually this post could just as easily have been titled Day Negative 1 through 14.  I started by making a list of everything I normally take.  I'll be camping, staying with relatives, and staying in hotels.  It's the first thing that makes it complicated, but it saves a lot of money.  I have to have a tent, a sleeping bag, and because I am getting older, an air mattress and a folding chair.  No more sitting or sleeping on the ground.  I also like to have a coffee maker (Aeropress) and a Jetboil, which I wouldn't need in a hotel.  Some firestarter, a small hatchet, that's about the minimum.  That stuff is mostly in the bag strapped to the top of the tour-pak.

Then I went out, set up a folding table, put everything on the table, and started packing.  Once I had everything in I made a list for each storage container: left and right saddlebags, tour-pak, T-bag strapped on the passenger seat.  It's a lot of stuff.  Then I realized I hadn't packed my sleeping bag and had to start over, which is when I added the small duffle on the tour-pak rack.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Speedometer Edition

900 miles on the Road Glide, with new handlebars, this past weekend.  What a difference!  Handles way better, and more comfortable.  Python mufflers sound much better (quieter but also less echo) than the V&H 450s that came on it.  Also figured out that with a beanie helmet I can hear the stereo pretty well so actually listened to some music.  I do turn it down when I pull into town since the volume is very loud on the freeway and I don't want to be that annoying loud-stereo-guy when riding through town.

One problem that I discovered (and fixed) is that the speedometer was off by over 10%.  The law says no more than 10% high, no less than 0% low.   Mine was 12 to 13% at highway speeds.  How did I find out?  Leading a group and they said I rode like an old lady.  I had the cruise set at 80mph, they said I was barely doing 70.  Fired up the GPS on the phone and sure enough, I was way off.

Easy fix, though.  Turns out the Dynojet Power Vision tuner can adjust the VSS speed sensor for you.  Since I figured out that the bike was about 11% high on average, I multiplied the VSS setting in the tuner by 1.11 and typed in the new value.  Theoretically it should be pretty close now.  I may go back and do some fine tuning, but now that I know how, it's pretty easy.

What was not so easy is that when I took the seat off one of the heated wires pulled out of the plug, so I had to put a new connector on that.  Actually really easy except that my electrical tools are all out in my trailer and I a) kept forgetting to grab the right tools, and b) put on a socket instead of a pin, like an idiot, so had to cut it off and start over.

Also having problems with the detachable tour pack hardware.  Lost another mount.  I have some spares but not spare screws so now it's a trip to the hardware store, plus the chrome magnetic cover is gone since it fell off with the mount.  I don't know what's going on here since I torqued and used Locktite so that's making me unhappy.  Two of the mounting posts and broken free earlier and I used JB Weld to fix them, but I'm not sure how that could have caused this current problem.  Might be time for a new set of plates, but they aren't cheap.

I'm settling in to the new bike though.  I've put over 3,000 miles on it since I got it in November, and that's winter riding.  Clearly I enjoy it enough to keep it so now the only question is "Does the Road King go away?"  A lot of memories on that bike and I tend to get attached to stuff.  No real reason to keep it unless I'm going to ride it though.

The Motorcycle Diaries: Handlebar Edition

 Posted about the LA Choppers handlebar clamp here the other day.  They are supposed to be a good company but I've never been impressed with their designs or fitment.  Had bought the clamp because it was the only one currently available.  To recap, wouldn't clear the fork lock switch unless I turned it backwards (not the end of the world) but also was to wide to allow the Wild1 Chubby 1-1/4" bars with the necked down clamp area to even sit into the clamp.

Solution: Order a Wild1 handlebar clamp. Unfortunately back ordered, but I found a NIB on ebay and got it coming.

Yesterday, handlebar day so that I can take off for the weekend.  Got an 800 mile trip with two meetings and an overnight.  Left school as soon as possible and straight out to the garage.

Take the stock handlebars back off (no wiring because I already switched that, they were just there for pushability).  Take the stock clamp off, install the Wild1 clamp.

Which also doesn't fit around the fork lock assembly.  Sigh.  The CVO Road Glide has electronic locks.  A not completely useless feature as you can lock the forks, the saddlebags, and the tour pack with one push of a button.  In order to make this fork lock portion happen, it has a fork lock assembly where the ignition switch used to be, which looks like the old ignition switch, but which is larger to accommodate the electronic lock assembly.  Just like the LA Choppers, I turned it upside down so that it will fit.  It's not the end of the world, but at least I know that the Wild1 clamp will actually fit a pair of handlebars.  The wide part is supposed to go forward.  I'm really hoping that it doesn't matter that much, but it goes forward on every Harley ever built.  My experience suggests that it doesn't really matter at all, that the biggest problem could be tank clearance on some bikes, but the baggers it's all enclosed anyway so doesn't change the clearances.

So then mounted up the handlebars.  Wires didn't need extension (not sure if I can return the extension kit I bought so I may be out that as well).   The wires come straight across to where the plugs are sticking out of the bars.  In the picture the extensions are installed, but I took them out when I removed the black plastic "divider" that the plug are mounted on (top of picture).  This also made room for the hydraulic cable extensions from Fat Bagger.  These are pretty cool in that instead of replacing the hydraulic cables that run from handlebar to ABS module and clutch actuator (under the seat and down on the end of the transmission, respectively), you just add an extension.  They have spring loaded bleeder valves so once they are installed you open the valve (with a suitable hose and container attached), pump the lever a few times, and top up the cylinder.  The down side is tucking the extra hose away but that's why the divider was removed. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the tucked away hose as I was to focused on getting the bike done.

Anyway, done, test ridden, ready to go.  I'll ride to work today, just to make sure there are no problems, then 0500 KU (kickstand up) tomorrow morning.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Maintenance and Repair Edition

 Spring break.  Time to get caught up on projects.

Project 1: Install the new handlebars on the 2015 Road Glide CVO.  I bought 14" Wild 1 bars because I like them on my Road King and because the stock bars on the RG make my shoulders hurt.  Picked up hydraulic cable extensions for the brake and clutch, but everyone says that you don't need wire extensions.  Picked up an LA Choppers handlebar clamp and risers since the stock CVO bars don't neck down at the clamp.

Issue 1: Pull the bars, pull the wiring, wire the new bars, replace the clamp and "well that's weird".  It doesn't fit unless I turn it around backwards.  The fork lock assembly is in the way.  Well, I'll just turn it around.  Not the end of the world.

Issue 2: The wires don't reach so I'll need extensions.  Which "everyone" said I wouldn't need.  Local indei shop has a set though so I'll run down and grab them.  Crap, RK grinds when I try to start it.  Bendix going out?  Well, project for another time.

Issue 3: The clamp doesn't fit the bars cause it's wider than the necked down area on the handlebars.  Check the catalog, catalog says "Fits bars with 1" clamp area".  Doesn't say a damn thing about "but not if they are chubby bars that neck down".  Pull clamp back off, reinstall stock clamp, put stock handlebars back on (without wiring cause I'm not redoing that), and call a friend to help me push it up the little hill in the alley back to the garage.  Order Wild 1 clamp on ebay cause my indie shop says it's backordered til April 10  and that could mean "forever".

Project 2: Swap out the engine in my 1992 Fatboy.  I picked up a 1991 FXR motor, allegedly with about 30k miles on it.  I don't know about the miles but it seems in good condition and the price was right.  I trust the guy selling it to me to tell me what he believes, so there's that.

Since I've done a fair amount of upgrades to the Fatboy engine, I'll be switching those over to the new engine prior to install, including:

• Crane Fireball came and lifters
• NIB chrome cam cover
• NIB chrome pushrod covers
• S&S high volume billet oil pump
• Manley valve springs
• Screaming Eagle roller rockers

So first order of business is to strip the old engine, which is still in the Fatboy.  I don't have an extra bench right now, so the Fatboy goes into the trailer and onto the lift.  Rear rocker boxes off to free up the cam and lifters.  Lifters out, cam out, oil pump off.  Digging through my stuff to see if I can find oil pump gaskets and what should I discover?

Issue 1: The instructions for the oil pump letting me know that it will only fit 1992 and later engines as Harley changed the mounting area for oil pumps between 1991 and 1992.  Well that's crummy.  This was a NIB oil pump, retails for about $400, that was given to me in a box of stuff.  And now I can't use it.  Sad.

Oh well, moving on.  Install cam.  Measured pinion gear and cam and determined that pinion in old engine was a closer fit than pinion in new engine so swapped those out.  Had a Torrington cam bearing in my stuff but the packing grease was all dried out.  I lubed it and spent several minutes working it with my fingers til it rotated freely.  A bit nerve wracking but I want to get this job done so ...  I think it'll be fine.

Lifter blocks installed (and I now have a good set of lifter blocks that I should be able to sell.  They aren't generally available and aren't cheap, so that's nice.  (Or more parts to put in boxes and stack around my garage, if we are being realistic.)

Last chore of the day to move the oil filter mount over to the new engine.  I customized my oil filter feed lines to add an oil cooler., specifically having the return line bent by a pipe shop to go to the cooler before returning to the tank.  

Issue 2: There are no holes on the engine case for the filter mount.  Oh yeah, it's been a while, but now I remember that the FXR had the oil filter mount up under the transmission.  The good news, the bosses are there, (see image 1), the bad news, there are no holes as there are in the 1992 Fatboy cases (see image 2).  So I guess I'm drilling holes in my new engine.  That'll be fun.

Today my plan is to install the heads (Not sure if I have a good set of base or head gaskets so might have to hold off on that, but that's the plan).

I'm already tired and spring break has now been going on for two days.  I also have three phone calls from people with problems.  Not "can you service my bike" but "it just quits running at idle", and "it wouldn't start then it started and ran funny", and "I installed a clutch cable but it won't adjust properly".  Sigh.  I want to start saying "no".

The Motorcycle Diaries (maintenance and repair)

 So way back on September 17, 2023 I posted about fixing the front base gasket of my 1992 Harley Davidson Fatboy.  

https://heresolong-voices.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-motorcycle-diaries-maintenance-and.html

I had a high dollar oil pump and a new cam cover, I painted the heads and cylinders.  It looked great and ran great.

For forty (40) miles, at which point oil came pouring out from under the front cylinder.  😒

I'm a damn good mechanic, if I do say so myself, so there had to be something going wrong. Maybe the cylinder base was warped.  Well, that got pushed aside for about two years (how does that happen?  Too much else going on).  A couple months ago I decided it was time. Pull the front cylinder back off and send it out for clean up.  Problem is that when I got it apart, it looked perfect.  Which means not the cylinder at all.  Stretched cylinder stud?  Shouldn't be as the studs are relatively new and a top brand.  What could it be? 

Well, here's a hint.

Picked up a used engine, allegedly from a 1991 FXR (easily checkable) and allegedly with 30k miles or so (less easily checked).  But I trust the guy I bought it from as he is the service writer at a nearby shop.  I walked into the shop, in fact, said hi, asked if he knew of anyone who had an Evo engine.  "Why yes, he did".  😁

Anyway, it's not a simple swap because I'm going to transfer over my oil pump, my cam cover, my cam and lifters (depending on visual inspection), my adjustable pushrods, my new pushrod covers, my roller rockers, and my Manley valve springs.  I'm debating on my heads but I think mine are stock, plus they have the same 170,000 miles on them as the engine.  I can't remember whether it was the Road King or the Fatboy heads I sent out, but I think it was the former.  Would be easier than swapping valve springs, though. 

Either way, a fair amount of work but I figure to have all the upgrades in the new engine prior to install.  It's only about an eight to ten hour job (maybe less) so maybe during Spring Break but I tend to get busy fast so we shall see.  Would be nice to have 5/7 bikes running all at once.  Summer plan, get 1989 Honda CBR running, get 1946 Harley WL flathead running, sell 1988 Honda CBR, have 6/6 bikes running.

Hey, a fella can dream, can't he?

The Motorcycle Diaries (maintenance and repair)

 Last October I rode the 92 Fatboy to Wenatchee, about a 450 mile round trip. One day.  A bit of a hammer but not too bad.  Got back and discovered that the front base gasket had blown, however.  Since I have other bikes it sat til now.

Finally time and enthusiasm.  Got it all apart and decided that the heads and cylinder needed repainting.  So did that and put them on.  

Then decided that since I had a brand new S&S oil pump that I got for free with a couple bins of stuff I should put that on, plus the cam cover and pushrod covers had some flaking chrome/rust respectively, those should be replaced as well.  Of course those required ordering parts.

Scored brand new Harley parts still in the original packaging for both and on they went yesterday.

Did have an S&S steel breather that I'd bought some time ago so that went in too.  I carefully marked the timing but then realized I'd put on a new cam cover.  So much for my careful marking but I think I was able to get it pretty close by just staring at the old cover.  I'll probably retime but I do that by feel, not with a timing light.

Still to go, rockers, exhaust (front pipe brackets both broken so I have to manufacture something), tanks back on.  I don't think there's anything else I need to do so hopefully it'll be back together today.

All the projects belong to us

Was over at Completely Non Threatening's blog and noticed that he posted up two projects in one day.  Replaced a front door and replaced the beams in his house to raise the ceiling height.  Since he presumably didn't do those both in one day, I assume that he is taking advantage of the stay at home orders (although I think he's retired so I'm not sure what difference that makes).

That made me think that it might be interesting to see what I have accomplished while staying at home.

For the record, I hate my job now that I have to stay at home.  One thing I have discovered about myself is that I am not a good candidate for "work from  home".  I get bored and can't get stuff done; I find myself constantly checking to see if there are any updates from my students that need to be dealt with; I find myself working like mad to get home projects done and neglecting everything else.   That being said, I have got a bunch of projects either done or mostly done pending some sort of weird next step, even if it has been at the expense of my students.  So here's a list with snaps:

1) Drainage (still need to level out some ground and pour concrete into adjacent patio)

2) Road King engine (struggling to get it to crank with compression and I'm thinking I may have a ground cable issue)

3) trailer rebuilds (two trailers, one of which has been idle for about fifteen years, one of which was bequeathed to me by a former roommate but which needed repairs.  Done but for pulling wires on the old trailer and possibly replacing one leaking down wheel, which I have to do a cost benefit analysis)

FWIW pic is of old trailer before I did anything

Projects I'm thinking about:

1) Tear down plaster in kitchen to see if leakage is still happening from upstairs bathroom, which would be gross

2) Install baseboard quarter round trim in all rooms in which I've redone the floors but haven't quite finished the project because I have to paint and cut every piece of trim

3) Get the 1989 CBR600F carburetors put back together one more time (5 and counting including sending them out to a Texas company to whom I paid a lot of money and then they came back poorly done (to be charitable)) and see if it will run

4) Buy a decent table saw and rip some spacers so that I can install door trim around three door sides in my antique house in which everything is non-standard size

The Motorcycle Diaries

Rebuilding 2003 Harley Road King engine.  The flywheels shifted or went out of alignment or something.  I discovered this when the compensating sprocket in the primary started rubbing against the inside of the primary cover.  At first I thought it had come loose, but when I checked it wasn't.

Tore it all down over Christmas and sent off the cases, cylinders, and heads to my machinist in Texas (yes Texas.  He's good and reliable so you do what you have to).  I also included a set of flywheels that I had taken out of a brand new 2003 FLH when I did a stroker kit.  Less than eight miles, done before the bike was even delivered to the customer.  For the past two months my bike has looked sad.

Wednesday got the parts from the machinist and got started with the rebuild.  Unfortunately then discovered that I was missing the new cam bearings.  Turns out the cam install kit shipped separately and should be here some time this week.

It's Saturday and nothing yet but the mail is still to arrive later today.  Maybe they will be there.

Of course yesterday I remembered that I was going to replace the cam chain tensioner shoes while it was apart.  So I will have to order those today, which means another delay of days.  Sigh.  Not a well planned exercise.

Gratuitous motorcycle picture for NotClauswitz

Oddly and annoyingly, I must have been so excited about getting my Fatboy back on the road that I posted neither details nor pictures.  I need a pic for someone so here is the LHS from before the accident and the RHS in my garage right now.

A couple quick points.

1) $2500 quote to replicate my artwork on the smashed RHS tank.  If it's good enough for the Steelers it's good enough for me.  Logo on one side only now as we were able to save the LHS tank.

2) Powdercoated the frame and swingarm because they looked like crap after the frame work was done (well the frame looked like crap, the swingarm looked old and junky after I powdercoated the frame).

3) I pretty much put it back the way it was.  I had thought about leaving it stripped down, without bags or windshield, but then the Road King needed an engine rebuild so this became my go to bike.  Stripped down was way more fun when I was 25.

4) The drip pan is because in spite of a brand-new OEM still-in-the-original-box major-score-because-they-have-been-discontinued-for-about-twenty-years primary cover, I still have a very small primary oil leak.  You can keep your jokes about leaking Harley's to yourself.

The point of the pictures, by the way, is to show that you can swap out the exhaust and put proper saddlebags on a Fatboy.