I decided to join the AMA about three years ago
I'm still wondering if it was the right thing to do.
They need to spend more time on riders rights, lane sharing should no must be legal in all 50 states.
Parking cost for motorcycles should be reduced to next to nothing. at least a 1/5 of that of a car.
There should be more legal spots for motorcycles in every major city.
It's time that motorcycles be promoted as a way to decrease congestion and increase parking spaces for cars.
On top of that there needs to be more done to make drivers aware that motorcycles are a legal part of the transportation mix.
Not just a sunday morning toy for rich people to use.
And the AMA focuses way too much effort on the helmet issue and not enough on the other areas of riders rights.
Don't get me wrong i'm pro choice when it comes to helmets (it's your own damn fault if you bang your head up when you crash and I shouldn't have to pay for your choice but that's something else)
And the AMA needs to split the racing promoting away from the rest of the "stuff" they do.
Motorcycle racing is some of the more intresting motorsports in the nation. and yet the stands at daytona hardly have anyone in them.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Shops!
Why can't motorcycle shops be better?
We had breakfast with a group of riders from our "other" club the ones that ride the comfortable bikes.
And every one at the table had a story of being mistreated by a shop.
Last weekend we heard this story of someone who is a poster on yet another list.
so this poster runs a shop and he totally screwed up this womans bike.
I remember back in Seattle there was a shop that charged my buddy and arm and a leg
to do a really simply job (R&R a rear tire on a 74 CB750) And the grease chimps forgot to hook the rear brake back up.
Add that kind of crap to the junk that you have to go through when you go into a bike shop it's no wonder that the motorcycle industry isn't doing better then it is.
We had breakfast with a group of riders from our "other" club the ones that ride the comfortable bikes.
And every one at the table had a story of being mistreated by a shop.
Last weekend we heard this story of someone who is a poster on yet another list.
so this poster runs a shop and he totally screwed up this womans bike.
I remember back in Seattle there was a shop that charged my buddy and arm and a leg
to do a really simply job (R&R a rear tire on a 74 CB750) And the grease chimps forgot to hook the rear brake back up.
Add that kind of crap to the junk that you have to go through when you go into a bike shop it's no wonder that the motorcycle industry isn't doing better then it is.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
S@#%
Time, there is so little of it.
Again, another weekend flashed by with out nary a wrench taken to a bike.
I did get a chance to put the first few miles on a Ninja 650.
Eek gads! That was an experiance that I didn't like. The 06 that I rode to Laguna that year was much better.
This bike with it's solid red paint looks and feels much more like a cheap bike. No make that CHEAP bike.
It felt like something you'd get from one of those indoor swapmeet/produce/clothing stores that are all over LA.
I did ride the Guzzi into work on Friday and to lunch the same day.
On the way into work it performed flawlessly on the way to lunch it was a little more rough around the edges
but it still did pretty well.
Enough to make me rethink the grand plan of getting ride of it and getting a Thruxton.
The goose is just so much more intresting.
Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the GB's will help.
Getting them gone before the end of spring is my goal.
The get the SV and move the 400 4 out of the garage and I'll have some room again.
I still need to figure out the best plan of attack on both the BM's the GS is still a big unkown
(but at least that whole debacle is over)
And I'm wondering should that bike get painted and new graphics Or restored...
The ST just needs work. I listed off all the trouble I had with that bike and diesel was stunned to say the least.
Again, another weekend flashed by with out nary a wrench taken to a bike.
I did get a chance to put the first few miles on a Ninja 650.
Eek gads! That was an experiance that I didn't like. The 06 that I rode to Laguna that year was much better.
This bike with it's solid red paint looks and feels much more like a cheap bike. No make that CHEAP bike.
It felt like something you'd get from one of those indoor swapmeet/produce/clothing stores that are all over LA.
I did ride the Guzzi into work on Friday and to lunch the same day.
On the way into work it performed flawlessly on the way to lunch it was a little more rough around the edges
but it still did pretty well.
Enough to make me rethink the grand plan of getting ride of it and getting a Thruxton.
The goose is just so much more intresting.
Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the GB's will help.
Getting them gone before the end of spring is my goal.
The get the SV and move the 400 4 out of the garage and I'll have some room again.
I still need to figure out the best plan of attack on both the BM's the GS is still a big unkown
(but at least that whole debacle is over)
And I'm wondering should that bike get painted and new graphics Or restored...
The ST just needs work. I listed off all the trouble I had with that bike and diesel was stunned to say the least.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Nothing
Not a damned thing was done on the bikes this weekend.
I did make it to a travel show and picked up info about riding in the great white north.
I did make it to a travel show and picked up info about riding in the great white north.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
The sweet sound of success, cubed
No less then three bikes worked on and mostly finished this weekend.
First there was the XR250L the "dualsport"
This bike has been down for MONTHS to replace an exhaust gasket, which in turn led to having to drill the remains of a stud out of the cylinder head and timesert a new stud back into place.
This was an ordeal involving no less then 5 people a two different welders and drill.
While this was going on the old pipe and misc bits went off to the spray-bomb booth.
I did find that the spraypaint formally known as hammerite works really well to make ugly forks look pretty good.
The bike finally started with only a tiny amount of fan-fare as I had to drag it up the hill around the corner and bump start it.
once running and among the living it was doing a good job of hot restarts with only a kick or two needed.
The GB (this is the first GB that I got and the one with no airbox it's called GB1 or HeBeGB) Got FINALLY put back together
after being apart for um... Three years.
The short back story.
The headlight went out on the last ride I took with it. And instead of fixing it when I opened the headlight shell and noticed the NEST of wires...
I did the next best thing. I got a second GB and rode that one instead. leaving the headlight somewhere, where I would forget it....
Well, I fixed the headlight issues (bad fuse>bad, REALL bad PO "wiring" job+ new headlight+new headlight wiring+new fuse = Headlight that lights) and a with a carb cleaning (super easy with no airbox) the bike fired right up and settled into
the mutted muffled sound that is a GB500. And there was much joy.
There still needs to be some work done. Mostly tuneup stuff now. Plug, valves, oilchange, bleed the brakes and maybe new tires and chain.
The Ducati
I adjusted the chain and put the stock mufflers back on taking off the staintunes
Man, I must be getting old if I enjoy a quiet bike more then a loud one. It's so much easier to ride a quiet bike sportingly then it is a loud bike. And a bit more relaxing.
Went for an amazing sunset ride to cap off an good, productive weekend.
First there was the XR250L the "dualsport"
This bike has been down for MONTHS to replace an exhaust gasket, which in turn led to having to drill the remains of a stud out of the cylinder head and timesert a new stud back into place.
This was an ordeal involving no less then 5 people a two different welders and drill.
While this was going on the old pipe and misc bits went off to the spray-bomb booth.
I did find that the spraypaint formally known as hammerite works really well to make ugly forks look pretty good.
The bike finally started with only a tiny amount of fan-fare as I had to drag it up the hill around the corner and bump start it.
once running and among the living it was doing a good job of hot restarts with only a kick or two needed.
The GB (this is the first GB that I got and the one with no airbox it's called GB1 or HeBeGB) Got FINALLY put back together
after being apart for um... Three years.
The short back story.
The headlight went out on the last ride I took with it. And instead of fixing it when I opened the headlight shell and noticed the NEST of wires...
I did the next best thing. I got a second GB and rode that one instead. leaving the headlight somewhere, where I would forget it....
Well, I fixed the headlight issues (bad fuse>bad, REALL bad PO "wiring" job+ new headlight+new headlight wiring+new fuse = Headlight that lights) and a with a carb cleaning (super easy with no airbox) the bike fired right up and settled into
the mutted muffled sound that is a GB500. And there was much joy.
There still needs to be some work done. Mostly tuneup stuff now. Plug, valves, oilchange, bleed the brakes and maybe new tires and chain.
The Ducati
I adjusted the chain and put the stock mufflers back on taking off the staintunes
Man, I must be getting old if I enjoy a quiet bike more then a loud one. It's so much easier to ride a quiet bike sportingly then it is a loud bike. And a bit more relaxing.
Went for an amazing sunset ride to cap off an good, productive weekend.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
The First post in the "look at me" world of Blogs
This is where I put my manifesto, Right?
I tell you why I'm doing this.
Really this will be a place where I can ramble on mostly about motorcycles
Often about cool old vintage or vintage style bikes
But sometimes nuggets of things that are away from bikes.
Like art, or being an expat Seattlite in long term exile in Southern California.
Why the name. It stems from my fascnation with cool old bikes.
Oh yea by the way...
If your easily offended by the sometimes misspelled word.
Or the incorrect use of there, their or they're
That's your own hang-up man. And I don't really want to hear about it.
I tell you why I'm doing this.
Really this will be a place where I can ramble on mostly about motorcycles
Often about cool old vintage or vintage style bikes
But sometimes nuggets of things that are away from bikes.
Like art, or being an expat Seattlite in long term exile in Southern California.
Why the name. It stems from my fascnation with cool old bikes.
Oh yea by the way...
If your easily offended by the sometimes misspelled word.
Or the incorrect use of there, their or they're
That's your own hang-up man. And I don't really want to hear about it.
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