The Tourist
Banned
Back when the first Super Glide came out, I worked as a mechanic for a local dealership. I noticed the overall condition of motorcycles from guys who claimed to love them. I once had to remove baked on manure to find an oil drain plug.
You can do only so much work on these new computer driven bikes, I sometimes don't even own the tool to take them apart. I have developed system with my mechanic.
In short, "Don't take things apart twice. If it's black, replace it with chrome, if it's chrome replace it with CVO, and when in doubt, yank it out."
We say this in humor, but the idea still stands. As many of you know, I found out the sad truth that "new" tires on bikes might have had years of storage. I came to the shop one day and found a new tire on my Dyna, Black Betty. My mechanic informed me that he found cracks in the sidewall, and checked the actual manufacturing date. The tire came off, and he checked stock for one of modern manufacture.
Now, technically, he broke all of the rules. In Wisconsin, and probably most of the country, you don't phutz with a bike without permission. I shook his hand, thanked him for saving my life and gladly paid the bill.
In short, I feel our unique relationship fits my expectations. Right now--due to my wife's recent retirement--I found myself a little cash poor and I'm staving off immediately installing an oil cooler.
While that is not necessarily a matter of life or death, I do not like making those decisions. Every time I return from a ride I wipe the bike down with a micro-fiber cloth. Takes five minutes, and not only leaves me with a clean bike, but alerts me to developing problems. A few weeks ago I found a leaking oil pressure gauge. I own my own air compressor and I make sure I check cold tires.
More to the point, in 44 years I have only been left standing by the side of the road twice. Once for a snapped throttle cable, minor. However, the other time I fragged a complete Gold Wing motor and blew most of the entire engine right out of the frame!
Those few seconds of not knowing if the bike was to remain upright have changed my view of breakage. And it's nice to take longer jaunts without worrying if minor stuff is going to let you down. Every day I am amazed by the quality of modern bikes, but I still wipe them down.
You can do only so much work on these new computer driven bikes, I sometimes don't even own the tool to take them apart. I have developed system with my mechanic.
In short, "Don't take things apart twice. If it's black, replace it with chrome, if it's chrome replace it with CVO, and when in doubt, yank it out."
We say this in humor, but the idea still stands. As many of you know, I found out the sad truth that "new" tires on bikes might have had years of storage. I came to the shop one day and found a new tire on my Dyna, Black Betty. My mechanic informed me that he found cracks in the sidewall, and checked the actual manufacturing date. The tire came off, and he checked stock for one of modern manufacture.
Now, technically, he broke all of the rules. In Wisconsin, and probably most of the country, you don't phutz with a bike without permission. I shook his hand, thanked him for saving my life and gladly paid the bill.
In short, I feel our unique relationship fits my expectations. Right now--due to my wife's recent retirement--I found myself a little cash poor and I'm staving off immediately installing an oil cooler.
While that is not necessarily a matter of life or death, I do not like making those decisions. Every time I return from a ride I wipe the bike down with a micro-fiber cloth. Takes five minutes, and not only leaves me with a clean bike, but alerts me to developing problems. A few weeks ago I found a leaking oil pressure gauge. I own my own air compressor and I make sure I check cold tires.
More to the point, in 44 years I have only been left standing by the side of the road twice. Once for a snapped throttle cable, minor. However, the other time I fragged a complete Gold Wing motor and blew most of the entire engine right out of the frame!
Those few seconds of not knowing if the bike was to remain upright have changed my view of breakage. And it's nice to take longer jaunts without worrying if minor stuff is going to let you down. Every day I am amazed by the quality of modern bikes, but I still wipe them down.