Fork me? Fork YOU! Protection thats ribbed for your travel.

I like the retro look of fork gaiters and decided I would like to throw a set on my 02 Sportster 1200.  Harley has some that are off the nightster available but they are too short for standard length forks and somewhere around $60 a set from what I've seen online.  There are also sets on ebay ect. for around $40.  I decided to see if there was a cheaper option and found some recommendations on xlforum.net to use Rancho shock boots off a 4x4 truck.  I found these Rancho RS1952 Shock Boots on amazon and one of the reviews said they were used on a Harley 39mm fork.  Other reviews said they had split sides on the bottom that made them not work well as for boots.

I decided that for $6 each I would give them a shot.

I got the forks and eyeballed them and decided to give them a shot.  According to my service manual I would need to:
1. Remove the Caliper
2. Remove the Tire
3. Remove the Fender
4. Remove the Forks

I knew I would need some tools so I found I needed a T45 Torx or star bit so I decided to run to Harbor Freight and Grab a full Torx set, a full SAE allen key socket set and some ratchet straps to hold the bike on the lift.

The KZ900

I've had several bikes over the years.  The first bike that was actually ride able on the street was a 1976 KZ900.  I got it from a friend who traded his stepbrother a sub box with blown subs for it, he then sold it to me for $100 and I bought him a $100 worth of shit on my best buy discount.  When I got it it would leak gas all over as soon as you turned the petcock on.  After a bit of investigating I found the petcock was hooked to the carb overflows and not the inlets.  After a new battery it worked great. I rebuilt the petcock and then the carbs when they got plugged up from crap in the tank. Then the coils went out, I put in new accel coils and they burned up the Dyna ignition somebody put in.  A new ignition and I was all set.  I probably put about 1000 miles total on the bike because all I had was a permit when the clutch cable snapped about 30 miles from home.  A friend thought he could shift it without the clutch to get it home.

Unfortunately, the bike had been raced at some point before as was evidenced by the ignition system, extra heavy clutch and the keihin CR special carbs.  I got the bike home but the shifter forks got bent in the process.  I bought a extra Z1 case with new forks at a swap but knew if I took it apart it would end up rotting in pieces.

Indian Spring

61F on January 29th in Chicago, count me in!  There was some drizzle and the roads were wet but other than the front of my pant legs getting wet from road spray, it was a decent ride for January.  I got in a quick 45 miles of riding.  The bike was completely covered in crap but a quick hose off in the drive and wiping the chrome with some marvel took care of everything but the water spots from the 11 on the Mohs scale Crystal Lake city water.

Big plans

I like to eat strange food and ride to strange places.  When the sun returns in the spring I'll be posting about both.  Or I'll never actually post anything, it's a 50/50 at this point.