Saturday, October 25, 2008

Holloween Street Glide Monster

This is either:
#1: The ramblings of a warped mind.
OR
#2: Proof I have way to much time on my hands.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Fork Sliders

Question: Y'all know how the clear coat on stock sliders gets a little pitted? Pretty soon they look like the pimply faced little buggers we did in high school. Has anyone found a method (that works) to restore them? Short of replacement or expensive stripping and polishing.



Sunday, October 19, 2008

Winter Down Time

Got a email the other day asking if I had any winter storage tips. Yes I do. The email was from a BC member in Iowa. Does it snow there?


Tip #1 - I live in Central Calif., what the hell would I know about winter?



Tip #2 - If you leave your bike outside, in the snow, under a tarp, you don't deserve it. Send me the pink slip and I'll pick it up and give it a good home.



But seriously, if your bike will be stored for the winter they're a few things you can do to make springtime kickoff to road wars go smoother. There are two parts to prepping a bike for storage: the appearance / resale value of your investment and mechanical performance. Remember, these are thoughts that are in my mind (beware). If the way you do things works , keep doing them. I will not accept correspondence from any ones lawyer saying some asshole told me to do it like that.





Appearance: #1 Problem - Rust on chrome.


Wash and dry thoroughly. I have never washed a bike with a garden hose. I wipe the whole thing down with Windex (like I said: works for me). Next any rust on the chrome is removed with the #1 chrome polish used by detailers - #000 steel wool. Very cheap and long lasting. Do not use on paint, plastic or aluminum. Use on chrome and real glass only. Next all paint and chrome is waxed with Pledge/Endust. Again: cheap, works great. Very thin coat of wax stops oxidation. Waxes any paint I ever delt with. I would not use any wax on the new matte paint. Aluminum: I've found that Mothers and elbow grease works just fine. Leather bags/seat: I use a thin coat of plain old KIWI boot polish. Works for me. If you cover your bike use something that breathes. A bike cover, sheet, blanket. Don't use anything made of plastic, except one of those bike bubbles.



Mechanical Performance: #1 Problem - Fuel.


If the bike will not be started for a few months use a fuel stabilizer. STA-BIL w/injector cleaner is very good. Follow mfg. instructions. Close fuel valve / remove fuel pump fuse, run engine till it dies. If the bike is really close to due for service, do it. At the very least change the engine oil and filter. Pull the spark plugs, squirt a little engine oil in there, install plugs, crank engine for 2 -3 seconds. Lube everything. Steering, shift linkage, brake linkage all the moving parts. Check tire pressure, brake pads all that normal stuff you won't want to deal with when the day arrives to come out of hibernation. Hey, but if you ride all winter, like I do, disregard this whole damm thing and go have fun.


The best tool for all this cleaning and servicing crap is a bike lift. The one I've been using for years is the cheapo Sears Craftsman. Very stable, 1500 lb. capacity, foot operated up & down, 3 position lock bar, locking casters, leveling screws, around $100.00.



Santa Claus colors

Friday, October 17, 2008

A Nice Boring Day

The other day I was bored sh*tless. I looked at my old Ironhead. What don't I like about it? The foot controls suck, seat sucks, tank's to small, handle bars to far forward, to damm slow, etc... Started looking through boxes. Where did all this stuff come from? It's like a frigging swap meet in my garage. Lets see what will fit this thing. A whole bunch actually. So here's how to spend a nice boring day, second only to going on a ride, which this E1984 XLH does a whole lot better now.


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ask The Doc. Vol. 1

I've received several questions via email. So I guess it's time to start. This is open to any bike question. Any question deemed to be inappropriate will be forwarded to our parent company -AZ HOLE Performance- for proper disposition. Most of the questions I've received have been bike specific and answered by email. One caught my eye because it's on all bikes and little understood. Crankcase Vent System.

Question: My bike was starting to run a little rough so I pulled apart the air filter housing to see how dirty the filter was. (It's pretty dirty so I'll replace it.) Anyway, that's when I noticed the two hoses that run from the heads through the back of the air filter backing plate were cracked.(Correct me if I'm wrong but I think those are called the crank case breather hoses.) What are their purpose and what will it cause if they're cracked?

Answer: Good question. I'm glad you asked. I think we should study that. Oh wait, that's the answer from the Presidential Debate on TV.
If the hoses are worn and cracked they will suck unfiltered air into the engine, not good. But that's all. The crankcase breather system is part of the emission system. On the down (intake) stroke of each piston, the air in the crankcase has to go someplace, can no longer be vented to atmosphere. That's a big no-no. Very simply how it works: air displaced under the piston, through a series of passages, flows through the roller bearing, into the cam housing, up the pushrod tube, into the rocker box, at which point it is a air/oil mixture, passes through a gauze filter to remove oil, through a one way valve, into the head, through the drilled backplate bolts and hoses, back into the engine to be recycled. Now, the system can become clogged. Simple test: remove air cover and hoses. You should feel air coming out of drilled bolts. If system is clogged symptoms would be oil leaks at cases, pushrods, or oil lines and excessive exhaust smoke.

Any other questions? Feel free.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Humor vs Anger

I last saw this six or seven years ago. At the time I thought it was funny as hell. I found the CD the other day and watched it again. This time the message was different. Looking at it from the "fathers" perspective,the message seemed to be that: Well placed humor can sometimes get your point across better than misplaced anger.
Warning! Mild adult humor.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

'09 Glide Envy



Anyone still having '09 Glide Envy, forget it! The few minor upgrades aren't worth the heartbreak. Your best bet ? Go ride your "old" bike and remember why you fell in lust to start with.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Time Sucks !

I have a dislike for watches. Don't own one, won't wear one. Watches were invented by some "corporate suit" so the masses would know when to "get your ass in here and make "ME" some money". Thirty years of slaving for "The Man", here's a watch. Time for you to go now. Besides, clocks are everywhere. Cell phones, banks, every wall of every office. Hell, your looking at one. Built in clocks on bikes, why? So when my wife showed me these pictures I thought "wow, that's way cool". What better way for symbols of corporate greed to be reincarnated than as symbols of freedom and the open road. A place where time is what "you want" it to be. Not what "The Man" says it "must" be.













Friday, October 3, 2008

Q & A

(Down joker! That's Q& A not T&A)
A lot of what I've read on bike forums sounds like it's been outsourced to India. Most dealer shops won't or can't give you a straight-up answer to shit.

I'm thinking about doing a bi-weekly or monthly post called: Ask The Doc, Ask The Dr., Ask Dr. Wrench or something like that. The idea is to take a half dozen or so technical / general bike related questions at each posting and try to actually resolve the issue, not make it worse. Hey, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much. But what I do know makes no sense to me either. If you don't like this idea stop me now... Well, no one stopped me so I guess I'll ramble on.

Typical / sample questions may / may not be:

Hey Doc: My '07 Deluxe has an intermittent miss around 70-80 mph. The dearler's tech rode it for about 5 min. and said the injectors are leaking. Is he correct ?
Signed: "Missing in Mississippi"

Dear Dr. W: What's the difference between blue, red & green loctite, and where should each be used ?
Signed: "Loose Nuts in Nantucket"

Dr. Wrench: My '84 HLX needs a new headlight every 3-4 months, WTF ?
Signed: "The Dark One"

Typical / sample anwser you may / may not get:

Yo Doc Dude: My bike leaks half a quart of oil every time I park it. What can I do ?
Signed: "Puddles in Pittsburg"
Answer: Park it in your neighbor's driveway, or - BUY A GASKET SET YOU MORON !

Although this would be a "free" service provided by B S Preformance Systems, (a subsidiary of AZ Hole Performance), it will require an expenditure of time & effort on someones part. So if your problem is resolved, and you feel that you must pay someone, donations may be made to: '09 Street Glide Foundation c/o Road Grits Cafe.