Saturday, June 11, 2011

Buggie's New Shoes

Spied three bad-ass looking govment’ helicopters landing at the airport this morning. Really tight formation. No doubt they were military pilots. Probably some 3-letter agency here to bother the street gangs. Them guys drink a lot of coffee. Maybe I’ll run into them so I can have some fun with um’. Ever walk up to a stranger and ask if they’re a FBI agent? Try it sometime.



Well the filthy bike got a new pair of shoes. Fine Italian rubber. A nice shinny pair of them thar’ Pie-rel-ez’z. I run Pirelli’s on my Ironhead with no complaints. But that old bucket of cast-iron is a different ride than a modern computer between your legs. So now I need to figure out what psi I like. If I stuck with the OEM tires I would know that. But changing brands means I’ve got to experiment. The plan is to run Buggie at 38, 41 & 36 psi. See which one corners the best and leave it there. Oh yea, I just named the bike ‘Buggie’. Ran it today at 38 psi but couldn’t tell much. It was so damn windy you had to fight to stay in your lane. Guess I’ll have to repeat that part of the experiment. The work never ends.

Why ‘Buggie’? Well it’s always covered in bugs. I just can’t bring myself to wash it. There’s something about the artistry of Ma’ Nature that Man can’t duplicate. The delicate patterns and designs they make on chrome are not to be fooled with. It’s the way ‘She’ wanted it. It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature. There’s a reason She had that bug fly into my eye. Don’t know what it is and it pissed me off. But there’s still a reason. Plus it’s a wheeled conveyance used to get from point A to point B. Sometimes it’ll even get you back again. That’s close enough to the definition of a buggie for me. Now I just need to look under the frame and see what sex it is.

6 comments:

Dean "D-Day" said...

I've always run OEM tires on Dixie. I seem to get a decent amount of mileage out of them and I've never noticed any handling problems. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I used to clean off the bugs pretty religously but have had to lighten up a bit since my move. We live on the Mississippi River where there's a high bug population and all I'd be doing is washing the bike if I worried too much about it.

mq01 said...

good looking shoes buggie! ya, if i worried about keeping bob spotless id never ride so he seems to stay a pretty dirty boy :) im thinking 41 psi when 1-up. im curious what you decide on...

Big Daddy said...

I run Pirelli Night Dragons on Marie
Excellent tires
I kept breaking lose on Dunlaps and Avons.
My slow bike still breaks themlose on the Pirellis
Not as much and the recovery time is quicker.
Excellent wear characteristics also.

Willy D said...

“D-Day”: I normally run OEM but I got a good deal on them. Mounted, spin balance, out the door for $290. If you live close to any river you better get accustom to flying bugs. Pure protein.

mq01: I settled on 41 rear & 40 front. Seems to work well.
A clean bike is a sign of a sick mind.
A dirty bike is a happy bike.
A clean bike is a lonely bike.
A dirty bike is a marriage.
A clean bike is waiting at the alter.

Big D: I’ll be putting a couple thousand miles on them next week. I give you a full report when I get there. Now just which one of your ‘slow’ bikes were you referring to?

Webster World said...

Ramdajam needs a new shoe soon. I get hooted on all the time about cleaning. I bought it to ride.

Unknown said...

I couldn't bring myself to wash a motorcycle for a long time. I even left the oil on the old Honda and just let it burn off in the wind. Once I picked up my 09 Concours I periodically feel the need to scrape bugs off the big 'ol windshield. I tell myself it's so I can see. I do like the big girl nice and clean, though. The big difference is I'm not a prude when she's all buffed up. My first order of business is to murder a whole lot of insects.

Brady
Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/