Another inexpensive tool worth every penny

I've removed the rear wheel and tire from most of my bikes at least once. For the shaft drive Kawasaki Concours, it's an easy if somewhat cumbersome process getting the wheel back in place and everything lined up.

For my Harley-Davidsons it's a completely different problem. I can imagine it's the same for chain drive bikes, but I haven't owned one in a long time. Getting the wheel into place and the axle through is fairly easy, as a rear wheel without a gear drive attached is much lighter. But then the fun starts, getting the proper chain or belt tension and the rear wheel and axle aligned so the bike tracks properly.

What a PITA! Being cheap, I originally didn't buy an alignment tool-how hard could this be? Really hard, so I broke down and bought a simple tool.

Best $16 I've spent on a bike ever! Get the tension you need, use the tool to mark the distance on that side of the bike (yes, Harley Sportsters but the belt on the "other side"!), go to the opposite side, slide axle into alignment, tighten everything, check again, torque everything and go for a "test ride"!

Full Disclosure, I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small percentage of sales made through the link.

Great Weekend Riding and Upcoming Projects

Quick report on my busy weekend, about 350 miles of riding, and some projects I have coming up on the  bikes.

Saturday I was at the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show (IMS) almost all day.  After meeting my CMA chapter for breakfast, four of us rode up there on our bikes while a few others "caged" there.  Only one wrong turn as the "trying to get fired Road Captain" and we made it in plenty of time to get the Helmet and Gear check going.  Only problem was we had less space than last year and no where near enough.  We had to shut the check down for about half an hour in the mid-afternoon, re-organize the helmets and consolidate a rack or three of jackets and then re-open.  Bummer, but the other option would have been to have gear tags out of order-a true recipe for disaster!

Sunday I participated in the El Cajon Harley Owners Group (HOG) Toys for Tots run.  Great event, great guys running it with lots of volunteers and a great cause.  Fun part for me was it was a "controlled ride" meaning we stayed as a group and had police escort.  However there were more intersections than Road Captains from HOG, so I started helping out.  Fun to do that every now and then as we "quickly" rode from intersection to intersection alongside the nearly 200 bike group.  Ride ended at Del Mar Racetrack where we rode in (quietly to not spook the non-iron horses) and had our own area.  Best part?  Nearly 2300 toys for Toys for Tots, and over $8000 that will also go for toys and gifts! 

After my annual pre-Thanksgiving Dinner ride before joining family at the in-laws, I have a number of projects on the two Connies.  The restoration bike (94, aka Belle) needs an oil change and general check-up, plus I may test fit the sanded and repaired bodywork. Belle's tank was going to go on the old 86 (Miss Swail) but the petcock leaks and trying to get it off one of the mounting nuts came loose from inside the tank.  UGH.  So I'm going to see what can be done with the old parts bike tank I've had sitting around.  It's nasty but if it holds gas it may have to do to get the bike sold and I'll let the new owner decide to use some gas tank sealant on it or buy a replacement on eBay.

Could you help me out and click this link for some metric T-handle wrenches?  Testing out the Amazon Affiliate program and would like to see how a sale or two works.  Thank you!

Anyone else frustrated by California PNO rules?

Gotta DMV at the crack of early tomorrow to personally register the 1986 Connie (AKA Miss Swail) before selling her this weekend.  Since putting it on a Planned Non-Operational (PNO) when the registration expired in April, I've saved half a year's insurance but will likely "lose" that much in comparable vacation hours turned into pay for the time at the DMV.

Lesson learned with this second stint of having a PNO'd motorcycle take at least one trip, therefor one wait in line for an hour plus, to the DMV to register, I'm gong to think twice about putting a vehicle on a PNO, at least here in California!

Please share your thoughts and experience with PNO in the comments.

Have you owned two of the same bike before?

Switched over from my 1986 Kawasaki Concours to a 1994 that I'm in the process of restoring.

While the 94 has some minor improvements, very little changed on these bikes for a 20 year run-amazing for Japanese makes in those days.  That's more a Harley-esque trait, doing very little to a model year after year after year.  For nearly 12 years, the only change was colors, and before that the only major change was a front end upgrade in the early 90s-better forks, brake calipers with dual pistons instead of only one, and a better looking fender.

But my point is I rode the 1986 over 30,000 miles, so when after a few month break I got on the '94, it was like not changing anything.  I was planning on taking it easy for a tank or two, but found I was riding along naturally and smoothly.

I'd appreciate your comments-have you owned two models of the same bike, or very similar, and was riding both of them this familiar?

In the wind or in the air,
Bur

A Couple of Quick Updates

Working on the bikes, prepping the 1986 Connie for sale plus checking what might be my options with the 1974 Honda CB750.  Odds are I'm going to sell it too-while I'd love to build a bobber or trike with it, the time and funds to do that right aren't going to be available for atleast 6 months and maybe more like two years.

Riding the 1994 Connie prior to a massive service on it (all fluids, test mount bodywork and prep for paint) and the Harley, so I'm still in the wind.

May have sold the 1986 Kawasaki Concours

Yesterday I began exchanging texts with a gentleman interested in my 1986 Connie.

After a few questions and some explanation from him on why he might wait but is interested, we reached a good price and a timeline to likely sell the bike the first week of November.

And while I listed it for more, he is giving me the same amount I paid for the replacement 1994!

True tankful mileage check on the 1994 Kawasaki Concours

Ran a tankful of gas through the resto-project Kawasaki Concours, and got an indicated 200 miles on just over 5 gallons of gas.  Speedometer/odometer are "over" as my distance traveled is greater than measures on two other bikes and my car.  But even factoring that in, to be getting high 30s while cruising at California highway speeds with some stop and go mixed in on a bike that has mostly sat in it's 23 year life, and has received very little mechanical attention as I brought it back to near daily use is quite reassuring that this will likely be my next 100K bike-from 14K when I bought it 20 years old!

Started Commuting on the 1994 Kawasaki Concours

Quick post to get October off to a "post a day" start on one of the three blogs.

I finally got the registration renewal for the 1994 so I've started commuting on it.  Sure, I've only ridden this Connie just over 1000 miles (from before I put it on PTO and now), but since I have nearly 50K on Connie's and Ninja 900s, it was likely riding a bike.

Going to burn through one more tank of gas before stripping it down, painting the body work, doing some overdo preventative maintenance, and then really riding it!

The 1994 Kawasaki Concours, aka Connie, is almost ready to ride again

Just a quick update since I haven't posted in forever and was checking to see if I could still log-in.

Retired the 1984 Connie when it's registration lapsed and moved parts over to the 1994, did a minor amount of work to it and have been going through the DMV drill getting it off PNO and registered.  One more step to go, and it will be legal and rideable again.

I've enjoyed riding the Harley, but will be good to have a Connie too.  I think I have something like $800 in the bike!

Quick Update on the 1994 Kawasaki Concours Restoration Project

I'm going to keep this short, but have to admit to owning the 1994 Connie for three years now!  I'm nowhere near as far along on the restoration as I thought I would be.  Fortunately my 86 had kept running well, so my plan to retire it at 100k was able to be pushed back.  Now my plan is to get at least 100K more miles on it than the 94 has before the registration expires at the end of April.

By then I should have all the bodywork on the 94 ready to be repainted, and take it off it's PNO as soon as DMV sends me the paperwork, but effective in July when it's due to minimize fees.  Since I also have a Harley, I will have a legal bike to ride while "swapping" Connie parts and awaiting the new registration for the 1994.

I tried starting it this weekend, but what little gas it has is stale.  It fired on starting fluid but didn't run.  I'll probably get a gallon of fuel and see what I can do to get it running, but I sure don't want to pull the carbs any earlier than I have to!  What a PITA it is getting Connie carbs in and out!

Does the bike make the rider? Musings while riding

Like many motorcyclists, I've owned a number of bikes, and bikes from a variety of styles for road riding.  From the Honda XL250 Enduro I got most my first miles on, to probably 6 or 7 cruisers, one or two standards, a vintage sportbike (Ninja 900, aka "the Top Gun bike"), 2 Kawasaki Concours sport tourers, and among the cruisers a Harley Sportster and a Street Glide.

Currently I have a ride one of the Concours and the Street Glide.  Before that it was one of the Connies and a Sportster.  So I had a fairly big sport-tourer and a Harley as my bikes for most the past decade.

What I noticed, especially if riding them back-to-back, or the next day, is I actually rode differently depending on which bike I was on.  Not only did they handle differently (side note-the Sportster handled more like a sport-tourer than any other cruiser I've owned, and with good power-to-weight, it was one of the quicker bikes I've owned), I rode differently-often more aggressively on the Harleys.  More attitude, more "this is my lane/space".  That's not to say at times I have fully used the Connie's impressive roll-on speed, even as a 30 year old bike!  But there is just something about being on the Harleys, at least to me.

Do you find yourself riding differently on different bikes if you own more than one?  How about if you've switched styles?  I'd love to read your comments about this!

Two Bike Projects Done, a somber ride, and the car saga ends (hopefully)

This morning right when it got over 50 degrees I started painting the mufflers off my 1986 Kawasaki Concours.  I applied five coats over nearly two hours with only one run-which for me is pretty good with rattle cans. I used Rust-O-Leum Engine Enamel, which covered well and is good up to 500 degrees, hopefully enough for exhaust "cans".  If not, I'll clean up any blisters when I have them off in two or three months to move the rear wheel and new tire over to the restoration project 1994.  My goal is to get "Miss Swail" 100,000 miles over "Belle" while finishing the restoration and then retire Miss Swail at 116,000 plus miles.  Maybe a new owner will keep her on the road instead of parting her out, but there are lots of seals and rubber parts that are showing their age.

I also rode Gospel Flyer, the Harley Street Glide I inherited from my "big brother" Glen to Miramar National Cemetary for a funeral.  A Marine Sergeant was laid to rest today, and there had been a slightly "hoaxy" post about him not having much family.  Well, this got refuted, but it also energized the veteran community and there was a huge turnout.  Lots of bikes besides a large group of family and friends.  I also paid respect to Glen, another Navy buddy and a fellow EOD tech who was KIA on Oct 20, 2016.  All are in the same general area of the cemetary-Glen and my co-worker are five columns apart in their columbarium.  It was a tough time but a good use of part of my day.

The car is finally out of the shop.  Radiator replaced, lots of hoses for multiple fluids replaced, and the motor mount installed.  Definitely can feel it respond better with a solid front engine mount and fresh, full transmission fluid.  All work that needed to be done, some of which should have been done a while ago.  Even for a "rainy or too cold day" car!

New Rear Tire For the Kawasaki Concours

The rear wheel and tire I put on the 86 Connie from the 94 had gotten smooth on the middle like most of my tires, so it was time for a new rear tire.  This will be the last one before this bike gets to be 100k more miles than the 94 and retired.

So Friday night I put the bike up on its centerstand, but this time I decided to pull the mufflers just to see how much easier that makes this process.  It's a big difference, and more on the second project that started .

I haven't used a 27mm socket for this project, which is the right one for the crown nut.  I got everything apart and dropped the wheel and new tire off at Poway Motorcycles, my usual shop for remounting tires.  They did their usual quick and effective work.  I picked up the wheel but I also ran by Harbor Freight and picked up a 27mm socket.  What's the point of doing a project if you don't get to buy a new tool?

Everything lined back up pretty well-easier than usual to get the axle back through.  Having the socket instead of improvising a way to hold the crown nut and tighten the axle was much easier, and getting the nut tightened up and a cotter pin through the axle.

With the muffler "cans" off I decided to sand them down and try repainting them.  Even though I plan on selling the 86 as a parts bike/first Connie for someone else, the cans will look better and I'll get the experience with high heat paint.  So last night I sanded them to prep for paint.  Today is a bit cool and overcast, so I'll paint them tomorrow. 

For My Fellow Motorcycle Commuters

A little over a year ago, I began commuting by motorcycle again after a few year break.  My job changed, so instead of working from home/coffee shop/library when not on the road, I went into an office 5 days a week.  Soon I was commuting 3-4 days a week and generally taking the same route each day.  While I don't enjoy commuting riding much, I fell into a routine, could gauge the traffic and trouble spots, and generally rode without incident almost every day.  Sure there would be interesting sites-my all time favorite was a guy eating oatmeal out of a bowl with a spoon using both hands to pull this off one morning!

About two weeks ago, the contract I was on ended, but I was blessed to pick another one up right away.  The major change (besides a pay reduction, but that's another post on another blog) is I am now working on another base.  The last eight miles or so of my commute are different, and my report time is earlier.

Why is this important?  Well, mainly because the traffic "flow" is very different, as are the surface streets and density.  About two miles of this new commute is along a busy four-lane street with curbside parallel parking, which pushes that lane's traffic toward the center-line.  Because I live in California, lane-sharing, aka lane-splitting, aka "surfing" is pretty much a way of life for motorcycle commuters.  Even guys on full size baggers sometimes lane split!  The other change is being earlier in the morning people seem to be less aware.  In the few days I've commuted, each morning I've been pulled over on at least once, some trips multiple times.  I am always cautious when overtaking cars in some situations and often predict who's going to do this, but have been surprised twice already.  Only one was very close but it has been a bit rattling.

Do you have the same "jitters" when switching routes or jobs?  Hopefully this will settle down and I'll get a feel for the cagers heading in with me.  I'd hate to lose the option of commuting on my bike!

Quick Post-Update on Connie Projects

Being TWO (Two Wheels Only) for seven months now and not traveling for work anymore has meant lots of miles but also lots of wear and tear on the Connies.  Here's a quick update on projects, maybe I can post more specifics on what I did and why in future posts.

1986 Connie

Rolled it over 100,000 miles
Cracked the Main Fairing Bracket (again)
Stripped main fairing off and removed bracket for neighbor to re-weld (again)
Changed Front Tire
Changed Oil
Had a pinhole radiator hose leak (see 1994 Connie projects...)
Removed and re-installed hard bags and antlers

1994 Connie

Used as transportation bike for almost 1,000 miles/good shakedown
Had a friend repair tank leak
Killed two fuel filters in four days using said tank due to rust inside it/replaced fuel filter three times (lol-but wasn't funny limping a starving for fuel bike home twice in four days, including some roadside networking with a Sheriff Deputy!)
Relocated 1986 tank and bodywork and spare bodywork to make 1994 all red
Moved/removed antlers and hard bags for commuting use, then back to 1986
Re-bleed front brakes but still too soft.  Replaced pads but still not gripping right
Drained radiator fluid and scavenged down pipe and hose for use on 1986
Documented brake and fork repairs needed prior to returning to full-time use

So I've been using 2.5 Connies to keep one on the road.  Tomorrow I celebrate 7 months of not owning a truck or car for me and only occasionally using a family members or friends!

Keep the knees in the breeze friends!

3 Ride Review: HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet

I recently bought an HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet from BikeBandit.  As you may know if you've been a longtime reader, I am an affiliate marketer for BikeBandit.  I like their wide selection, good prices, free shipping for orders over $99, and as a (mostly) local company, fast fulfillment of most orders for my friends and me here in San Diego county.  Why "mostly"?  Well some warehouses aren't in San Diego, and some parts have to be backordered and may be drop shipped from other places/manufacturers.

OK, on to what I'm going to start calling "3 Ride Reviews".  These will be reviews of new parts, modifications and accessories after just a few rides.  Not just one ride-as either excitement over a new toy or unfamiliarity could shape the review, but also not long-term, having lived with it reviews either.  I've found three or so rides are generally enough to highlight whether the purchase was a good one, future modifications needed, and pros and cons of the part.  So my first "3 Ride Review" will be on the HJC CL-Max II helmet.

This was my first modular helmet, so I went and tried a number of models and brands on.  Some shops had lower priced helmets, especially the Cycle Gear house brand Bilt.  Prices went up from there, with the HJC being on the lower end and the usual suspects being the more costly.  I tried on a Shoei helmet that really felt good, but at nearly 4x the price of the HJC and over 5x the price of the Bilt I felt it wasn't time for that expensive a helmet.  Maybe if I was doing the Iron Butt Rally this summer!  I settled on the HJC and while I often support my local shops, I also needed some maintenance parts for the Connie-too old a bike to normally have the parts at dealerships, so they would have to order them too.

The helmet and parts showed up fairly quickly-not as fast as usual for BikeBandit, but still within about a week.  I have ridden in the helmet a few times, both during the day and at night.  Here's the pros and cons.

Pro's
Value for price.  While the Bilt is less expensive and more expensive helmets are definitely made to higher standards the price point of the HJC, especially from BikeBandit or if their price is matched ($134.99 with free shipping) is a good to great price for a modern, well-made helmet.

The modular faceshield allows easy access with a chin bar-so the pluses of a half or three-quarter helmet with full face protection.

Reasonably light-This helmet feels much better on my head than previous full-face helmets (a lower priced 707 and other cheapies) and about like my 3/4 Bilt helmet.

Consistent construction-All the parts seem to be of high-quality and no one part stands out as a place HJC cut corners to knock a few dollars off the price or make a few more bucks.

Con's
Differing wind noise/buffeting-Some of this is an "attack angle" and windshield height issue.  After the first ride with lots of varying wind noise I experimented with both angle of the helmet on my head and my head in the wind and got much less noise.  When I focused on a more upright, chin up position the wind noise is definitely lower.  That said, there is still a moderate amount of wind noise where the face shield and helmet meet.

The cheek pad foam feels comfortable but kind of cheap.  This is the biggest difference other than likely the wind noise I could find between this helmet and the much higher priced Shoei.  Also due to the size of my head (big, square headed freak here) the cheek pads are pretty tight.  BTW what everyone seems to say about HJC helmets being sized .5 to 1 size too small is right-I ordered an XL and it's still kind of tight.  Of course, it will compress to match my big 'ol melon over the next few weeks so it's best to start tight.

I would definitely buy another HJC helmet based on 3 rides and anticipate this being my main helmet.  I may rig a bluetooth system to it-it has a pre-molded mounting area but this wasn't a purchase point for me.  If you have done this and can add a comment I would appreciate it!

Ride there!
Bur

Quick post on total mileage

I found a formula error on my mileage database last night, so when I updated the numbers my average mileage jumped up to nearly 19 miles a day for the past twelve years.  I'm also 221 miles short of 85,000 lifetime miles on a variety of bikes.  I'll probably do those miles by Sunday between my annual pre-Thanksgiving Dinner ride and other trips.  The 1986 Kawasaki Concours went over 96,500 today as I close in on 100,000 total on that bike-it had about 81,000 when I bought it.

Have a great Thanksgiving and hope you can get some riding in if the weather is nice where you are.

Winter Riding in California and the Start of BikeBandit sales

Yep, it's that time of year again.  Winter riding.  After suffering through the hot dry summers out here that last until late October-it's routinely 85 plus degrees on Halloween, it's "winter".  Or at least the calendar says so.

So your intrepid blogger soldiers on-riding year round and dealing with the brutal hardship of winter riding.  Getting on the bike before sun-up requires layers upon layers of clothing, no exposed skin and extra time to ensure the cold battery starts up the nearly 30 year old 1986 Kawasaki Concours, AKA Connie AKA C10 AKA Miss Swail.  Off I ride into the brightening sunlight, cold air finding every bit of exposed flesh and tearing through my jeans.  Hey, it's probably below 50!  C'mon this is brutal.

Then it gets even worse as the sun gets up and by mid-morning it's warming up through the sixties.  Now what do I do with all these layers?  Fortunately I'm running the sidebags on the Connie so they both fill up with gear and extra clothes.  I'll probably make it home before sunset, so I'll probably ride home in my long sleeve shirt and leave the jacket rolled up in a side bag.  Yep, it's tough riding in the winter!

All sarcasm aside, it is pretty odd reading about folks taking their "last ride for the winter" and elaborate winterizing procedures.  The forums light up with arguments about putting the tires on plywood, cardboard or how often to roll the bike a quarter wheel diameter.  Battery in or out?  Oil change before AND after storage, or just before?  All the while I'm thinking "Just ride it" but then I watch Buffalo get 7 feet of snow (YIKES!) and realize how good I've got it.

So do you need more layers of gear, motorcycling maintenance supplies like I do because you're  riding more due to time off, or winterizing oils and tools?  No matter what, it's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales time, and BikeBandit.com is having all kinds of sales starting today.  So click on a banner, get anywhere from a 36-90% discount, and get what you need delivered to your door!  No need to brave the snow and ice, or crazy commuters-have the parts sent to you.  I wonder if they sell tire stud kits? :-)

Riding again-fairing bracket welds worked great!

Got the 1986 Kawasaki Concours back together yesterday morning before church.  It was pretty straight foward although tabs my neighbor welded between the supports were a bit of an obstruction for the speedometer.  Tightening the bolts down pulled the brackets together tightly enough not to be an issue.  Also everything had to be squared back up, and all the years of various repairs and work-arounds had to be sorted out.  Some are no longer needed while others needed adjustments-like brute force to line up the windshield, the main fairing and the inner fairings!

I rode around some yesterday-no real "ride" but so far it's a big improvement.  Lots of the bouncing and shaking is gone, and the signs of rubbing and chafing I saw during this project were likely caused by the fairing bracket failures.  3621 miles to 100,000!

Update on Kawasaki Concours Main Fairing Bracket Re-welding

I got my Kawasaki Concours main fairing back from my neighbor, and as usual he did a much better job than I anticipated and looks great.  Not only did he repair the cracks in the tubing, he cleaned up the old repairs and made triangular pieces to reinforce the corners.  He also repainted that area a nice gloss black-covering up the faded and scratched paint and some rust.

While its not really late time wise, I just flew in from the East Coast and three hours "ahead" still.  I'll maybe re-install it tomorrow morning, especially if I wake up long before I need to be at church.

I'll also get some photos of the great work Mark did!