This was my favorite bike of the show and it was at most of the Crusin' Cary shows I made it to.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Crusin' Cary Bike Night
Crusin' Cary is a summer cruise night held every Wednesday in Cary, IL. Each week has a different theme announced in advance HERE. I was digging through some old photos and on July 15 2009 the theme was motorcycles. There are usually several bikes parked by the Tracks Bar but there was a great turnout for the bike night. Here are some of the pics I grabbed, I tried to guess the makes and models but comment if I screwed any up.
This was my favorite bike of the show and it was at most of the Crusin' Cary shows I made it to.
Custom 1975 Kawasaki Z1 red with orange ghost flames
Custom 1975 Kawasaki Z1 red with orange ghost flames
Custom 1975 Kawasaki Z1 red with orange ghost flames
This was my favorite bike of the show and it was at most of the Crusin' Cary shows I made it to.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wisconsin Rustic Roads Motorcycle Tour
Wisconsin DOT has a program where they select old farm roads that they feel are scenic and designate them as rustic roads. If you drive them on your motorcycle and take a picture of your bike in front of the road marker and submit them you will receive official recognition from the state. If you send in 10 pictures you get a patch, if you send in 25 you get a certificate.
A few years back I took my Kawasaki Zephyr 550 out a few times and got enough pictures for a patch.
The first trip was to the Lake Geneva area which has 4 rustic roads and up to grab 2 more near Burlington.
Rustic Road 11
Location: Walworth County. To the east of Lake Geneva, R-11 includes South Road, Steel Road, Spring Valley Road and Knob Hill Road between WIS 50 and WIS 36. The route adjoins R-12 and R-36.
Length: 10.3 miles
Surface: Paved
This gently winding route provides excellent views of glacial Kettle Moraine topography. R-11 passes through large wooded areas of oak, maple and hickory, with glimpses of a game farm and scenic agricultural land.
Rustic Road 12
Location: Walworth County. This route includes Back Road, Sheridan Springs Road, Spring Valley Road and Church Road, between WIS 50 and WIS 36 adjoining R-11 and R-36.
Length: 5.7 miles
Surface: Paved
At various points the road offers panoramic views of lush green hills and valleys. The sharply curving route passes outstanding Kettle Moraine formations, pine and spruce plantations, a tamarack swamp and several ponds. R-12 crosses the White River and runs through the community of Lyons with its several quaint churches.
A few years back I took my Kawasaki Zephyr 550 out a few times and got enough pictures for a patch.
The first trip was to the Lake Geneva area which has 4 rustic roads and up to grab 2 more near Burlington.
Location: Walworth County. To the east of Lake Geneva, R-11 includes South Road, Steel Road, Spring Valley Road and Knob Hill Road between WIS 50 and WIS 36. The route adjoins R-12 and R-36.
Length: 10.3 miles
Surface: Paved
This gently winding route provides excellent views of glacial Kettle Moraine topography. R-11 passes through large wooded areas of oak, maple and hickory, with glimpses of a game farm and scenic agricultural land.
Location: Walworth County. This route includes Back Road, Sheridan Springs Road, Spring Valley Road and Church Road, between WIS 50 and WIS 36 adjoining R-11 and R-36.
Length: 5.7 miles
Surface: Paved
At various points the road offers panoramic views of lush green hills and valleys. The sharply curving route passes outstanding Kettle Moraine formations, pine and spruce plantations, a tamarack swamp and several ponds. R-12 crosses the White River and runs through the community of Lyons with its several quaint churches.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Valentines Candy and Card Run
I had a few spare hours before class this afternoon and I needed to grab some Valentines gifts. I noticed the sun was out and after finding the thermometer was at a balmy 45F I decided to take the sportster.
A quick run to grab a card and then to the Thornton's in Cary to get some Nutrageous bars for the burgermodel was all I had time for but it was a great day to ride.
I did find my throttle return was loose but I got it all straightened out.
Some pictures of the bike outdoors with all the modifications in place. Now that you can see the rear you can get a look at the red turn signals and the custom chrome taillight visor.
A quick run to grab a card and then to the Thornton's in Cary to get some Nutrageous bars for the burgermodel was all I had time for but it was a great day to ride.
I did find my throttle return was loose but I got it all straightened out.
Some pictures of the bike outdoors with all the modifications in place. Now that you can see the rear you can get a look at the red turn signals and the custom chrome taillight visor.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
3/4LB Cheeseburger at The Spot in Marengo, IL
The weather outside is still firmly in winter mode so riding is out of the question but food must still be consumed. Seeking a great burger I and my lovely burger model made the short trip over to Marengo Illinois to visit The Spot.
If you haven't been to the spot you're in for a treat. It's to quote their slogan "a sick little bar", mainly a dive for locals to eat and drink the day away but don't let the cluttered atmosphere and bleary eyed clientele fool you, they have a world class burger.
Note the dim lighting and overexposed windows, You are now experiencing "Blearovision"tm
As the map on the wall shows they have quite a far flung clientele.
We started with the Mac and Cheese bites, typical bar food but on special for $3.25.
Now for the burgers
They take 12oz of fresh ground beef and through some sort of black magic manage to make a burger that is perfectly cooked and juicy in spite of it's massive size. Fries or onion rings are optional and I would recommend just ordering a burger unless you are extremely hungry as the fries that we ordered could not be consumed after the massive burger.
I got the Spotburger with everything and onion rings.
The Spotburger virgin ordered hers with pepperjack cheese aka the "HotSpot" We were strongly urged by a patron to order a fried egg on top of the "Hotspot" which he referred too as a "Tyson Burger" but much like the cannibal who ate the clown I bet anything named after a guy called Tyson tastes a little funny.
Can I get a bite?
If you'd like to try your own 3/4lb Spotburger head to
The Spot
If the owner Ritchie is working, pester him to do some magic tricks. He is an awesome bartender to shoot the breeze with.
If you haven't been to the spot you're in for a treat. It's to quote their slogan "a sick little bar", mainly a dive for locals to eat and drink the day away but don't let the cluttered atmosphere and bleary eyed clientele fool you, they have a world class burger.
Note the dim lighting and overexposed windows, You are now experiencing "Blearovision"tm
As the map on the wall shows they have quite a far flung clientele.
We started with the Mac and Cheese bites, typical bar food but on special for $3.25.
Now for the burgers
They take 12oz of fresh ground beef and through some sort of black magic manage to make a burger that is perfectly cooked and juicy in spite of it's massive size. Fries or onion rings are optional and I would recommend just ordering a burger unless you are extremely hungry as the fries that we ordered could not be consumed after the massive burger.
I got the Spotburger with everything and onion rings.
The Spotburger virgin ordered hers with pepperjack cheese aka the "HotSpot" We were strongly urged by a patron to order a fried egg on top of the "Hotspot" which he referred too as a "Tyson Burger" but much like the cannibal who ate the clown I bet anything named after a guy called Tyson tastes a little funny.
Can I get a bite?
If you'd like to try your own 3/4lb Spotburger head to
The Spot
214 S State St, Marengo, IL 60152
(815) 568-8676If the owner Ritchie is working, pester him to do some magic tricks. He is an awesome bartender to shoot the breeze with.
Fork Boots Redux
After I installed the nacelle I had to push them down even more so they were looking pretty bunched up so I removed a total of 3 pleats from the bottom of each boot and punched new drain holes on the 2nd lowest pleat of each.
Here is how they look presently, I think I may cut out another pleat to give them a bit less slack.
Monday, February 4, 2013
A crash bar by any other name
I've always liked the idea of a crash bar on my motorcycles. We all try to be careful but I personally have dropped a bike or two when I put the kickstand down and either caught it with my foot and knocked it back up or didn't extend it all the way and it snapped back up on it's own. Luckily most times I've noticed or heard the kickstand flip up but when I didn't the bike fell over as I got off. Luckily I put crash bars/case guards/engine guards on my Zephyr so the one time I leaned it over nothing happened but the guard got dirty.
On the Sportster I've debated installing a guard. They do not usually make a bike look better but I have had the jiffy stand flip back quite frequently so I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I screw up. I decided I'd see if I could find one cheap and throw it on and if I didn't like the looks sell it on craigslist.
I found an ebay seller liquidating a pile of NOS 49018-88C engine guards from a dealer who went under. I figured I'd throw in a lowball bid of $40 and see what happened. The guard sold for $60 but the seller offered me another for my $40 bid so I jumped on it.
The install was quick and straightforward. Remove the two upper engine mount bolt and the 2 upper lower engine mount bolts and install the guard.
I think it looks fine and goes nicely with the 50's and 60's look I'm going for. We'll see if I change my mind but for $40 it's cheap insurance.
Here are some pics of it installed.
On the Sportster I've debated installing a guard. They do not usually make a bike look better but I have had the jiffy stand flip back quite frequently so I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I screw up. I decided I'd see if I could find one cheap and throw it on and if I didn't like the looks sell it on craigslist.
I found an ebay seller liquidating a pile of NOS 49018-88C engine guards from a dealer who went under. I figured I'd throw in a lowball bid of $40 and see what happened. The guard sold for $60 but the seller offered me another for my $40 bid so I jumped on it.
The install was quick and straightforward. Remove the two upper engine mount bolt and the 2 upper lower engine mount bolts and install the guard.
I think it looks fine and goes nicely with the 50's and 60's look I'm going for. We'll see if I change my mind but for $40 it's cheap insurance.
Here are some pics of it installed.
The Nacelle From Hell
I really like the look of a nacelle with fork books on motorcycles. I also really hated the way the stock sportster headlight looks. Luckily for me Harley has a nacelle kit for sportsters and dynas, unluckily it was discontinued in 2007. After trolling ebay and only finding buy it now auctions for $400 and up and a few completed listings for around $300 I figured it might be like finding a unicorn. On a whim I stopped in the local dealer and asked them to run the part number 67971-04. They searched other dealers and found some that showed them in inventory and said they possibly could order from another dealer. I asked how much and was told the msrp was $199 so it'd be 220 with shipping. They wouldn't give me the dealer list so I was stuck having to go through them but they said they'd get a firm price and call me back if they could find one.
The guy called back and said they had one but the price was now $250. It was still cheaper than ebay and I figured at least I could return it if it was broken or missing parts. I gave the go ahead and they said they'd call me back the following Tuesday to get my credit card once the order was final. I swung by on Tuesday as I was in the area and it turns out the reason it had to wait 5 days was the dealers credit cards was maxed and they needed to pay their bill to use it again, I had to wait so I could order it through them and pay them for the privilege. What a great system Harley dealers have a corner on the parts ripoff market. Now I know why people were paying more money to deal with ebay sellers.
Anyways, the kit shows up that Friday and I decide it's going on immediately. I verified I had all the part and then read through the instructions and found out that I had missed that I needed an in-lb and ft-lb torque wrench and blue lock tight so I immediately had to run back to harbor freight before I could get started.
Here are some before pictures
The instructions say I need to remove the stock bucket and visor. I get the bulb out and find that while the instructions say I just need to break down the stock headlight connector and pull the terminals out the back and reassemble, my headlight also has 2 6pin Deutsch connectors for my speedo and tach and I would need to break both down to get the stock bucket off, it would be nice if the instructions even mentioned extra terminals.
Too many wires, not enough instructions
One of the 2 extra connectors
I checked the FSM and it said to pry the locking block out and I realized this was going to be a huge pain in the ass. I started trying to get the first one apart without breaking anything and got nowhere. I realized the I stood a good chance of breaking the block and needing extra parts and even if I got everything apart there was a chance I would end up screwing up the seal in the connectors. I then said screw it and got the tin snips and just butchered the stock bucket. I can get a new bucket but a new harness would be pricey.
I'm a terrible person
For sale 02 Sportster headlight bucket, lightly used
Down to the bare forks
Ok, now the stock parts are off. Next step start putting all the nacelle parts together. Just one problem each screw hole is full of shit and the screws are binding enough that I snapped off a few T15 torx bits. I ended up having to oil up a qtip and put each screw in a tiny bit then back it out and swab the threads and put the screw in a bit more and repeat until the screw was able to seat. I really need to buy a tap set.
Next step is put the nacelle on the forks using two flat brackets. I screwed this up by having the nacelle on top of the fork boots. I then had to pull it back off and pull the boots down. after reassembling I found the boots had angled the nacelle enough to cause the flimsy brackets to deform and no longer hold the nacelle to the forks and I had managed to pinch a wire in the speedo harness luckily not hard enough to break it but I'll probably have it fail at some point. Luckily the brackets were so crappy I could recontour them by hand and get the nacelle mounted up right.
Next step screw in the rear panels. Of course the directions don't mention that you have to unbole the brake lines on the right side of the bike to get that panel to fit. I skipped to the left side and found that they had apparently used the rarest allen key size ever. I had 4 sets of allen keys and none had the correct size. I decided to check the flip out set I carry with the bike and found the correct size, it was 7/64. Unfortunately I didn't have the space to get to the screws with the flip out set so I gave up for the night.
The next day I got a allen set with 7/64 from harbor freight and I was finally able to finish the install. It was probably 4hrs total and would have been so much easier with better instructions. Keep in mind I had pulled the throttle cables out then I put on the fork boots or there would have been the need to remove the throttle as well which would have been at least and extra 20 minutes. I also still need to make a cover for the backside as it's completely open and I'd like to shield the wiring to keep it from possibly rubbing the frame or getting wet. Overall, way too big of a pain in the ass and you can see why Harley only had them from 2004-2007.
The finished product
Now that it's all done I do think it looks great but I dread ever having to get at anything that will require removing it. Though now I kind of want to paint the forks, it never ends.
Before and after Comparison
The guy called back and said they had one but the price was now $250. It was still cheaper than ebay and I figured at least I could return it if it was broken or missing parts. I gave the go ahead and they said they'd call me back the following Tuesday to get my credit card once the order was final. I swung by on Tuesday as I was in the area and it turns out the reason it had to wait 5 days was the dealers credit cards was maxed and they needed to pay their bill to use it again, I had to wait so I could order it through them and pay them for the privilege. What a great system Harley dealers have a corner on the parts ripoff market. Now I know why people were paying more money to deal with ebay sellers.
Anyways, the kit shows up that Friday and I decide it's going on immediately. I verified I had all the part and then read through the instructions and found out that I had missed that I needed an in-lb and ft-lb torque wrench and blue lock tight so I immediately had to run back to harbor freight before I could get started.
Here are some before pictures
The instructions say I need to remove the stock bucket and visor. I get the bulb out and find that while the instructions say I just need to break down the stock headlight connector and pull the terminals out the back and reassemble, my headlight also has 2 6pin Deutsch connectors for my speedo and tach and I would need to break both down to get the stock bucket off, it would be nice if the instructions even mentioned extra terminals.
Too many wires, not enough instructions
One of the 2 extra connectors
I checked the FSM and it said to pry the locking block out and I realized this was going to be a huge pain in the ass. I started trying to get the first one apart without breaking anything and got nowhere. I realized the I stood a good chance of breaking the block and needing extra parts and even if I got everything apart there was a chance I would end up screwing up the seal in the connectors. I then said screw it and got the tin snips and just butchered the stock bucket. I can get a new bucket but a new harness would be pricey.
I'm a terrible person
Ok, now the stock parts are off. Next step start putting all the nacelle parts together. Just one problem each screw hole is full of shit and the screws are binding enough that I snapped off a few T15 torx bits. I ended up having to oil up a qtip and put each screw in a tiny bit then back it out and swab the threads and put the screw in a bit more and repeat until the screw was able to seat. I really need to buy a tap set.
Next step is put the nacelle on the forks using two flat brackets. I screwed this up by having the nacelle on top of the fork boots. I then had to pull it back off and pull the boots down. after reassembling I found the boots had angled the nacelle enough to cause the flimsy brackets to deform and no longer hold the nacelle to the forks and I had managed to pinch a wire in the speedo harness luckily not hard enough to break it but I'll probably have it fail at some point. Luckily the brackets were so crappy I could recontour them by hand and get the nacelle mounted up right.
Next step screw in the rear panels. Of course the directions don't mention that you have to unbole the brake lines on the right side of the bike to get that panel to fit. I skipped to the left side and found that they had apparently used the rarest allen key size ever. I had 4 sets of allen keys and none had the correct size. I decided to check the flip out set I carry with the bike and found the correct size, it was 7/64. Unfortunately I didn't have the space to get to the screws with the flip out set so I gave up for the night.
The next day I got a allen set with 7/64 from harbor freight and I was finally able to finish the install. It was probably 4hrs total and would have been so much easier with better instructions. Keep in mind I had pulled the throttle cables out then I put on the fork boots or there would have been the need to remove the throttle as well which would have been at least and extra 20 minutes. I also still need to make a cover for the backside as it's completely open and I'd like to shield the wiring to keep it from possibly rubbing the frame or getting wet. Overall, way too big of a pain in the ass and you can see why Harley only had them from 2004-2007.
The finished product
Now that it's all done I do think it looks great but I dread ever having to get at anything that will require removing it. Though now I kind of want to paint the forks, it never ends.
Before and after Comparison
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