When Flowing Gas = No Good!

OK, so I rolled the Shadow that has been occupying the space between by two others bikes into the drive today and decided I probably start it.

I say this because it has been sitting for some time and well, it is for sale. (That's another story.) Anyway a person had called and said they would be trying to come by today to look at it and I decided it would probably be smart to make sure she was running OK.

The bike sputtered a little and was running like it need choke so I pulled the choke out and all of the sudden I see fuel pouring out from under the carbs.... UHG!!!

So, two hours later after pulling the carbs off of the engine and pulling them apart to clean out the vanish and gunk, the bike is running like a top once again!

I guess tomorrow I will pull out all the stop for the garage sale!

Rolling Proper

I've been working with Lenny from Race Tech for a while now on my ST1300's front end. he is using the work to help develop the kit for that series of bike and over a period of a year we pretty much have it nailed down.

Yesterday I took my forks to North Phoenix and Lenny made some minor changes and today I took a quick 100 mile trip that had me smiling all the way.



Getting a good suspension is paramount to an enjoyable ride and a safe one at that. Being that the ST is a mile-muncher I want it always be spot on when it comes to traction and control. With the Hyper-Pro rear shock and Race Tech front end I know feel 1000% better on the bike and can't wait for the first big trip!

Yummy New Rubber

Nothing gets a rider as excited as new rubber, well I'm sticking with that thought anyways!

Today I stopped by the Kawasaki Superstore to get new rubber put on my Uly's wheels. It just took a little while to say goodbye to $300 but hey, you can't take it with you right?

I got back home and put the wheels back on and fixed a few little things and voila' she is back to new.

I've recovered from illness, the rain is gone, so tomorrow I might just have to tackle.....Emissions Testing!!!!

Arrggghh!!!

Yes, that is a broken tail lamp.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to do things yourself. Putting the Uly on a lift proved to be a lot more difficult than it should have been tonight. I didn't take a picture of my poor beauty laying on her side, buy there she was.

Lucky for me she did not hit my other bike and the damage is minimal. I guess I'll ride her to get new tires next week instead of taking the wheels.

Time For Tires - Again!

Yes, I am finnaly well and as I was looking over my steeds I
determined the reason that my favorite route might have seemed odd
lately. I felt as if I was sliding around a little more than normal
and that something was wrong.

Well........at least this time the threads are not showing yet. :)

I ordered up some new traction and in the mean time I guess I'll take
it easy.

Or, I'll just ride my other bike!

Keeping Clean

Well, after a week of being sick, walking in the garage and looking at
a dirty bike I had enough.

Out came the cleaning supplies and now I have a much better looking
Uly. While cleaning I think I have determined that it is indeed time
for new tires. So, time to order those up!

New Parts Rock

There is nothing like a new part to get a motorcyclist's heart purring.



And if you take that part and customize it to match your bike, well all the better.

I can't stand to half-ass a job and I honestly like to making things like a factory would or better. I mean the cheap looking stuff is for others. I want strength and reliability.

Do it once and do it right!!

Repairs / Maintenace SUCKS!

I've had issues with my Honda and with my Buell. My Honda has spent a good 3 months in the shop at different times, basically sitting waiting for someone to decide something. My Buell about 3 weeks for the same thing.

Only once did I actually get something fixed that I did not have to do myself, but I thought I would post up why this happens.



I recently posted this response to a guy who is having an issue with a chaffed wire on his wiring harness. The quick and proper solution would be to replace the harness. Of course that would mean that someone would have to cover the cost and admit it was not perfect to start with....here is why.

The high level of seeming incompetence is in reality a mixture of indifference and our wonderful legal system.



Dealers want to sell bikes, do regular service and not deal with issues that require any thought. They think that any issues with design (even though they put bikes together) should be dealt with by the manufacturer. And if they didn't put the bike together or sell it to you, their attitude is one of a hurt child, who has to do their siblings chores while they are sick.

This attitude comes from years of consumers demanding cheaper prices, which has stripped a lot of profitability away from shops. That profitability used to pay for a couple extra techs, or allowed the salary of a really good one. That money is gone, and it paid for the time it takes to troubleshoot. Now, a bike that needs a few hours of looking at to isolate an issue has to wait, because without other work being done, the shop will not exist. That and what tech wants to work for free?

On the legal side we have the manufacturer.

They set up a repair guide and offer suggestions and a path for troubleshooting. If they vary from that, they must document it, and follow up to make sure it is not a widespread problem. IF it is a widespread problem, they must then issue a recall.

The bottom line is, if they replace your harness, they are admitting (or would appear to be admitting in a court of law) to a widespread problem and would be liable for that repair on ALL ST1300s, not just yours.

In the long run, your potential lawsuit for death or injury would cost less....(Sad, but true fact or the US legal system today.)

It is not about doing the morally correct thing, it is about doing the proper thing to remain a business that supports hundreds of thousands of employees.