brakes

The weather has got a bit milder, so I headed out to my garage to try to get the brake calipers finally stripped down.
Getting the pistons out from the calipers has been a bit of a saga! I went on-line and asked for tips about removing them without rebuilding the calipers and re-rigging them in order to pump the pistons out enough to get a grip on them to pull them out of the body. The general concensus was that using air would be the best bet, preferably from an air-line.
As I don't have access to a high pressure line and I didn't fancy taking the calipers along to use a filling station air hose, I tried it with a foot pump. It actually worked and moved the pistons out enough for me to fit a pair of vice grips and then wiggle them clear.
Now I can get the calipers cleaned and then will decide if I'm going to get them powder-coated or just use paint.

weather or not

I've got a back-log of things needing done and it's piling up day on day.

It's been so cold I've not been out to the garage and even the delays in the postal/courier services hasn't helped much. Spare parts have been arriving and with them, things needing done.

I've got the wiring to the bars to finish. I have to fit the bars in order to get a correct measure of the length of cables I need. I have the horn to re-locate. I've got the pistons to remove from the calipers in order to get on with that re-build. Then there's the front forks which need to be re-built.

I've also ordered V&H black shortshots so I could be getting the stock exhausts off. That would make it easier to remove the back wheel which I need to do to re-locate the horn.

So much waiting on the weather turning milder.

xmas time's a coming ...

... and with it the usual round of xmassy things.
The cheesy and persistent TV adverts. Spend, spend, spend! The shops full of tinsel since November. The one that gets me most though, is the corporate christmas cards. You know the ones. From your electricity company or from some finance or insurance company that has you on a data base because you once sent in an enquiry about some offer which turned out too good to be true.
So I was surprised when I opened an envelope and the card was a Harley Davidson one. I was about to bin it with the rest of the junk mail when I opened it up. I actually got a pleasant surprise. The card was from my local HD dealership and yes, it is a corporate HD advert but the fact that all the staff had written in it made a big difference.
The owner could quite easily have got address labels printed off, stuffed the cards from HD back into their envelopes and shipped them all to the post office without a second thought.
I've not even been that big a spender this past year and it's two years since I bought my bike from them.
The personal touch does work!

forks and brakes

I got the fork oil I ordered this morning.
I can now think about re-building the forks as I've now got everything I need. I bought the seal set, the stainless bolts for the clamp and the damper screws a few weeks back so I'm all ready to go.

The brake calipers may take a bit longer. I've bought a tool for pulling the pistons from the caliper body but haven't worked out how to use it properly yet. Maybe there's a knack to it but I just can't get the pistons to budge. This is another instance where hind-sight has twenty-twenty vision! Had I thought about replacing the cylinders before beginning to dismantle them I'd have connected them up to the brake lever and pumped the pistons out of the body a bit first.
I may have to resort to that but will try using air from a foot-pump first.

Just hoping for some warmer weather to get all this done!

hidden wiring

I made a start on re-wiring my bars last night. Like many things you try for the first time, it was just not going to go easy.

everything ready to get started

I stripped the insulation and cut the connector off the wires, staggering the cuts so I wouldn't end up with a clump of joins. I was sure that I would have enough length to make the join away from the bars. Ideally it would sit where the loom runs alongside the frame.

connectors cut from the loom

I then taped the wires onto a length of cord which I had previously threaded through the bars, hooking it out with a straightened coat-hanger. I used this to pull and push the wiring through the bars. Care has to be taken in order not to strip any of the wires on the sharp edges of the holes in the bars. When I got the wire through I realised that the bends in the handle-bars make the length of wires needed to go through longer than I had allowed for.
Luckily I had a wiring extension kit so I could use that to get me out of a hole. I had bought this when I first considered putting on the higher bars but decided against using it when I did some research and discovered that most folk who have extended their wiring recommend that you cut and solder the wires rather than to dismantle the connector. Having tried to do that, unsuccessfully, with the rear indicators I fully concur with them.

extension wires soldered on and fed through the bars

Using the same technique of staggering where I cut the wires, I snipped them closer to the switchgear. I then soldered on the new wires, covered the soldered joints with heat-shrink tubing, partly covered them in cable wrap and fed them through the bars again. As the extension wires don't exactly match the colours of the original loom I had to mark which was which to ensure I connect them correctly at the other end.
This time it worked. The joins are safely tucked inside the bars between the top hole and the first bend and the wires inside the bars are covered in cable wrap. All I have to do now is measure how long I need the cable to be cut it and re-solder the wires with the connector back on.

one half fed through

Then do the other side of course!

looking good

I took a run up to EPS powder coaters this morning.

Only got stuck in the snow once! It was worth it just to get my bits back.
The bars and fork sliders look good. I also received the new bolts for the damper assembly through the post but have to order stainless ones for the clamp.
Then, when I get the oil through in the next day or two, I'll be able to put them back together. I've had to order 20W fork oil from Opie Oils, an on-line supplier which gives a discount to HDRCGB members (I'm certainly getting my annual membership fee back), as I couldn't find anywhere else to buy heavy-weight fork oil. It seems that a lot of manufacturers are using lighter and lighter weight oils in their forks. As H-D, and their Japanese suppliers of forks, are still agricultural in their builds I needed heavier stuff.
I can also get the wiring off the bike and route it through the bars. I'll be able to bring them into the house and do that in the warmth and with enough light to see!

all black and ready to begin re-wiring

front brakes

I decided to strip down the front brake calipers to see how much it would take to refurbish them back to an"almost new" state. One of the calipers has a bit of damage. Looks like the bike it was on has been in a spill. One of the bridge bolts which holds the caliper together has been scraped and there's a mark on the body of the caliper its-self. It's not so bad that the caliper wouldn't fit or work but cosmetically it looks not too good. the other side is better. No doubt I could fit them and they'd work fine but I thought I'd see if I could make them look better anyway.

I got them stripped down easily and now I've got the two halves of the calipers apart I think I'm going to rebuild them completely. The pistons look a bit corroded though I won't know what the inside will be like until I get them out.
To do that I decided to buy a set of brake piston pliers. They weren't that expensive, so, although I probably wont use them very often, they will be handy this time and therefore worth it. I will need to get on-line to buy a rebuild kit. Custom Chrome do one which is about £40 per caliper. As this is about half of the price of a Harley kit it will be well worth sourcing a couple on the web.

I may even get them powder-coated a shiny black.
Will put up pics of the job as I go along.

stupid mistakes

I've just spent the morning sweeping out my garage.
This was after spilling a couple of pints of petrol on the floor yesterday. One of these days I'll learn and get things right when I'm removing the tank. This time I was sure I was all ready to get the pipes disconnected. I had a petrol can with a length of pipe handy and I had a screw to fit into the end of the crossover pipe. Problem was the pipe was a tight fit. I had loosened off both sides and when pulling it, pulled it off the side away from me as well as the side I was working at and had a screw ready to plug.
As soon as I realised that there was petrol pouring out of the far side I rushed round the bike to get the pipe fitted back on. That was when the tube going into the petrol can popped off. Now I had gas spilling out from both sides of the tank.
By the time I had got a funnel to catch the leaking fluid there was a spreading puddle all over the garage floor and I was soaked from the rags I was kneeling on soaking up petrol into my jeans.
I got the tank off, laid aside and spread cat-litter all over the floor.
Sweeping that up was what took up most of my morning. Wonder if I'll ever learn?

typical ..

.... I've just taken the bike off the road and the weather is ideal for riding!

At least the garage is not too cold and I can get a load of stuff removed from the bike while the light still allows. Sometimes when the weather is lousy the light is so bad I can hardly work even during the day.

I took the battery out a couple of days ago and now have realised that I jumped the gun a bit. I should run the engine with the fuel pump disconnected to relieve the pressure of the fuel in the system. Not that there's much gas in the tank. I syphoned that off earlier (and gave myself a mouth-full at the same time!)
So I'll have to see if I can find a long lead to connect the battery without fitting it back in the bike as the fit is so tight it's a pain getting it out. Maybe the ones on the Optimate will do the job.
I was looking at the gas tank and feel that the dash gives the bike a better look than it would with a big gap which the higher bars will leave. Also, the gauges being on the tank will give a slicker look to the top yoke, not having a speedo on there. I'll buy a stretched tank for a carb model which has two gas caps. The fuel gauge is an extra I can live without as it never works accurately anyway.

moving on at last!

I bought a long allen bit and at last got the left hand fork dismantled.
That meant I could get back to the powder-coaters with them. I'm picking the fork legs and the handle bars up next week.

As I've got a week off work I should be able to make a go at getting the bars re-wired and rebuilding the forks. Then, as soon as I've got the money together in the New Year, I can get along to Area 51 and work out how I want the front end to look like. I'm considering sixteen inch wide yokes. That's just a couple of inches wider than the stock night train front end but with the larger diameter tubes, the wider wheel and twin disc set-up the effect should be much beefier.

I'm still toying with the idea of buying some of the more expensive stuff "pre VAT increase". Then they'll be paid for and, although I wont be ready to fit them they will be there when needed. I'm thinking about the exhausts, the tank and the speedo though each of them have alternatives and I'm still swithering over which to get.
Once bought I'll be committed to that look or set up so will need to be sure before spending.

When it comes to the tank and speedo It'd probably be better to do as much I can at once. That way I'll be able to get rid of both the EFI and maybe even the ECM units as their functions will be taken over by non electronic bits.

fork leg

I'm not going to let this beat me!
I managed to get one leg stripped down, no bother at all. The left one is a different matter all together. That's the one without the removable clamp so it needs a long allen key to reach.
Firstly, I didn't have any metric allen keys! Then when I bought some, I found that I couldn't get any purchase on the bolt. What I need is a long bit, so I can use a ratchet on it. More stuff I need to buy!
I have ordered one from e-bay so will need to wait and be patient. I was hoping to drop the lowers off at the powder coaters before my bars are ready.
Never mind I've got all winter!

good news....and bad!

The front mudguard I bought from e-bay arrived this morning. It's as narrow as the one on my night train which has a twenty-one inch skinny tyre. It does cover the wider, nineteen inch dyna wheel which I hope to fit but I'm sure that the wider fat bob would have looked just that bit chunkier. Fat bob guards don't come up that often on e-bay but I'll keep my eyes open. ' Doubt I'll get as good a bargain as I did on this one though. (And it's even the right colour.)
Well, that's the good news. The bad is, I think I'm going to have to fit the fork legs back together again in order to unscrew the seat pipe screws from the bottom of the fork legs. They are able to rotate in the leg so there has to be some pressure from the assembly to allow them to be loosened. The manual (which I downloaded an electronic version of for a couple of quid) says to loosen the screws without unfastening them before relieving the tension by removing the fork leg caps.
Oh well, you live and learn!

moving on ....slowly

I dropped my bars off at EPS powder coaters this afternoon. As I'm getting them to strip the chrome before coating them satin black, they have no idea how long they'll be or just how much they will cost.
Oh well, that's the cost of getting it right!

I used up the money in my pay-pal account buying some more bits and pieces that I will need. As well as tools, like the Optimate 4, a fork seal tool and metric sockets, I bought a brake light switch and a black ignition switch (which was the last one in the auction). Some of these things will just go on the shelf as they won't be used until I have bought and fitted some of the more expensive items.
Things like the tank, exhaust, speedometer and air filter I'll get round to buying when I can afford them. It would be good if I could buy some of these more expensive items before VAT goes up in January. But, as it will come to over a grand, I doubt if I can afford them all.
Smaller items, like front and rear stainless brake-lines, front bullet indicators and the tank fittings (petcock), I'll pick up as I go along. At least that way I'll have them to hand once the work begins.
I am tempted to ride the bike to Area 51, drop off the bits and leave the rest to them. Apart from being much more expensive I just wouldn't get the satisfaction that I will doing as much as I can myself.

Though I could do sooo much more if I had power in my garage!

fork 'n metrics

I've got a couple of days off work this week, so I started to strip down the forks to get them to the powder coaters along with my bars. I thought that I'd strip the callipers too and get them ready to do a mock up to see if everything would fit together.

That's when I found out that not all Harley fasteners are good ol' imperial sizes. My allen keys wouldn't fit, nor would any of my sockets when I tried to replace the brake pads.
A bit of research on the net and I discovered that the forks are made by Showa in Japan and therefore have metric fasteners. I'm not sure if the threads on the brake mounting bolts are metric or imperial or if its just the heads. There are some metric threads on the spindle retaining clamp so I'll order some stainless ones for that. Then there are the mud-guard bolts! Are they metric or imperial? I've bought a bob front guard on e-bay so no doubt will have to order new fasteners for that too.

Off to the tool shop soon to buy some metric sockets.

bottomless pockets

I'm beginning to think that I will need some soon.

I've just sold some bits and pieces like the stock seat and pegs from my bike on e-bay and almost immediately spent it all again! As I'm going to strip the forks and powder-coat them, I thought I may as well buy seals and a tool to fit them. Then there was the brake pads which I may as well replace and that's not even considering the front mudguard I'm hoping to win next week.
Add to that a Optimate battery charger, just to keep the battery in condition over the winter rebuild and another couple of hundred quid's gone yet again. This is not even taking into consideration the "wish list" I started in my last post.

The one positive thing will be that I'll have bought most of the parts I need before I start to strip the bike down. Then I know I can get on with the work without having to order and wait for parts.

still riding

I took some bits for the bike, round to my garage to get them out of the house this morning.

While I was there the sun came out so I quickly nipped back for a helmet and took off for a ride.
It was cold and my fingers are stiff now I'm back in the warm but it was really well worth it. Riding through the country-side with all the autumn colours was so relaxing. It makes me just want to put off starting the strip-down on the bike for another few weeks. That will take me in to November so by then, the weather will no doubt be so bad that I'll not feel so bad about not riding.
Meanwhile I'm making a list of things I need (or just want) to buy over the next few months.
It's getting longer and longer.
Some of the bits on the list are necessary, like the bolts for the front callipers which arrived this morning. Others are ideas which come into my head and are more just good ideas and maybe wishful thinking. A new tank and therefore an Acewell speedometer, mounted on the yokes, is not absolutely necessary but I think it will look good. I could also get away with keeping the standard exhausts but Vance and Hines black short shocks will sound and look much better.
I'll just have to prioritise and be patient.

compact

I received the Altmann P3 in the post today.
For something that cost nearly £400 there looks to be nothing to it. It's great!
Combine that with the first snow in Scotland last night, the wind is from the north east, and the nights are dark even as I'm arriving home from work.
Is it time to get the bike off the road now?

parts on flea bay

I have just spent a Saturday night peering at my computer screen, waiting for an auction to close.
This was for yet another 11/16th master cylinder and twin callipers. The bidding quickly went to a crazy level for the master cylinder so I gave up on that early on. I don't see the point of paying nearly £100 for an item which can be bought new for thirty quid more. The last one I lost out on went for £61 and that was with the clutch lever and bracket included. It also looked to be in much better condition.
I did win the callipers for £102 as opposed to over £400 for new. So, that is a much better price and worth getting second hand. This morning I went on to Jersey HD's web site and ordered a master cylinder.
Nearly there with all the bits and pieces for the front end.
Better start saving to pay for the fabrication!

autumn

That time of year when I feel that it's almost time to get the bike off the road to start the winter's customising.
But then again, the promise of sunny days is still hanging in the air, so should I put it off for another few weeks? Of course I will and hopefully enjoy a good few more rides before my riding year ends.

My purchases are gathering apace and with them the "parts shelf" is getting to the overflowing stage. I've taken delivery of the forks and am now almost desperate for brake callipers. I'm considering splashing out and going for some sooper dooper Harrison Billet (expensive) ones. They will be even more costly than buying new HD ones would be but will be of a much higher quality and performance.
The only thing about diverting funds to them is that it will leave me having to wait to get the tank and electronic speedo.

Did I not say?... I'm going to swap the tank for a stretched one with no tank mounted dash. That will necessitate moving the speedometer and idiot lights to the handlebars or top yoke and finding somewhere to fit an ignition switch. As that will best be done at the same time as I convert to carb and I can do the work myself, then I'm thinking that my priority should be in that direction. I've already ordered and paid for an Altman P3 ignition so, in financial terms at least, I'm more than half-way there.

Probably, what I will eventually do first, will end up getting decided on a whim in the end but the plan should be to keep an eye on e-bay for the brake bits. If I do get my hands on affordable callipers and master cylinder I'll do the front end but otherwise the tank will be my next purchase.
Perhaps an early xmas pressie to myself.

(sincere apologies for mentioning THAT word in October)

new pegs

I eventually got round to getting the last of my diamond black foot-pegs.

I wanted to have the rear pegs matching the front but wasn't too sure whether I wanted to have the back and rear ones the same diameter. As the large diameter ones cost just over £70, I have been putting off buying them for months now. They are one of the few HD bolt-on extras that I prefer over almost every other after-market pegs and grips. Harley seem to think that all we want to stick on to our bikes are blingy chrome things.

So, having finally made my mind up, I went down to West-coast to pick them up, having ordered them last weekend.
Twenty minutes later (getting the "ping-f*cks" off was a real pain and I had to file down the points on my circlip pliers) and I'm now absolutely sure I made the right decision. The wider diameter pegs look much more substantial and I'm certain that they'll go really well with my front end when, one day I get round to swapping that for a wider, beefier and all-round badder one!

WCHD are having their open day today. This is the annual HD "let's show off our next year's bikes and see if we can sucker anyone into buying", fest of bikes and goodies. Clyde Valley hog are doing their usual BBQ so I may just go back and pig out on bikes and burgers.

P.S. I did go back down but wasn't too impressed with the new look 2011 range. As far as I can see, all the MoCo has done is tart up the existing models by adding lots of expensive and IMO unnecessary extras, like ABS and more electronic things to go wrong. (All the things I'm in the process of trying to remove.) Then they can bump up the price! There were a couple of second hand bikes which have been added to. I hesitate to use the word customised as only one of them, a night train, was what I would think of as a custom. The other just had a load of, "out the Harley catalogue", bolt on extras bolted on. Still, I did enjoy just looking and dreaming and trying to get ideas for things to do to my bike.
One thing I did buy, as I hadn't paid as much as I thought for the pegs, was a set of black covers for the rear spindle nuts. Looks much better and really shows me up as a hypocrite for buy bolt-on Harley extras.

close

I went out on the bike this morning to go buy some ratchet spanners.
On the way to Tool Mart I was in a line of traffic heading up the middle of the road. After we had passed the parked cars I decided that I'd cut in as I was turning left just up the road. I indicated, checked behind and moved. Exactly at the same time a car, two or three in front, did exactly the same. I just managed to swerve round him Only bit of me that hit him was my right knee and that was just a light brush.
To be honest I think that the car's passenger got a bigger fright than I did. Hopefully she gave the driver a mouthful!

I didn't go too far on my ride today as I was watching a pair of forks on e-bay. I actually won them this time!
They're 49mm wide forks from a V-rod and the listing says the legs could do with polishing. As I'm probably going to powder-coat them black anyway, that shouldn't be a problem. For under £200 I couldn't let them go by. So, even if I can't use them I will refurbish them and re-sell them.
Even so, I've got that feeling, down low in the pit of my stomach, that somehow it's too good a bargain to be true. Fingers will be crossed until they arrive. Then it will take a bit of working out to get them to fit my bike. I reckon they are about an inch and a half shorter than my stock ones. Hopefully if I get thicker billet yokes that will account for the difference. Then I'll need to get a custom axle and spacers made up.
Once I've sourced some brakes I'll take the lot along to Area 51 to see what they can do.

quiet times

The run to Dunoon, now two weeks ago, was the last longish ride I've managed to fit in. Weather and work have conspired to keep me grounded and my wheels in the garage. I've got nothing planned except maybe a HOG rideout in October. But then again, looking at the forecast, there may just be something in the offing for tomorrow!
I have been out on my usual round the block (which can be anything up to ten miles!) blasts, just because I haven't ridden for so many hours.

It's getting to that time of year when I'm coming round to thinking that it will soon be necessary to check over the bike lift for the winter work ahead.
Although my head is still full of so many ideas for how I want the bike to turn out, I'm not going to be anywhere near as ambitious as last year and will keep my plans in check somewhat.
I will definitely powder-coat the high drag bars so that will mean rewiring and extending the controls. I've got the wire and connectors I need and have bought extended cables. The only thing still to get for that job is an extended brake line.
I'm in the process of selling some camera gear that I haven't used for some time so that will help fund the carb/exhaust conversion. The carb is on a shelf waiting. Just to buy the AMP ignition and black drag pipes.
I'll keep buying bits for the front end customisation as they show up on e-bay but as the forks will be the biggest lay-out, I'll need to be patient. I've missed out on a master cylinder and brake callipers a couple of times so they do come up. As I have definitely decided that I want 49mm forks they may need to be a new purchase! Within any sensible budget, I could either go for second hand Harley or new after-market ones. I'll research which would be cheapest.

An interesting few months lie in front of me.

cured itself?

I went for a run yesterday.

Rode for nearly two hundred miles all in, stopped three or four times and guess what? Yes, the bike started every time. Maybe, just the fact that I was carrying a spare relay was enough to ensure that there is nothing going to go wrong with it.

I really enjoyed the ride. As it looks like the weather has turned wet and nasty once again it was well timed. The sun shone for most of the day and the only sign of the rain, promised by the weather forecasters, was a couple of spots as I was going down the hill into Dunoon. But, that could even have been no more that drips off the trees.
There were loads of bikes on the roads through Argyll though not many other harleys. Probably all, like me, trying to make the most of the good day before it went back to the way this summer has been looking for months.

I was beginning to get a little sore by the time I got back home. My bum was a little numb but the real stiffness was beginning to develop in my shoulders. The stretch to the bars is probably what's doing it. Made me think about getting apes instead of the drags. But today, when I got round to trying out the higher drag bars (once again!), I'm pretty sure that they'll make a difference as they will bring the grips back a couple of inches. That should be enough to relax my arms a bit without changing the riding position drastically.

Here's a pic of the bike on the front at Dunoon.

bl**dy relay

(again)

The last couple of times I've been out at the bike it's not fired up every time. It's running OK when it does start but on occasions I press the starter button and nothing.
Only because it's happened before and I've spent a bit of time looking into the problem, I'm slightly more familiar with what's going on. I'm pretty sure that it is the relay.
What I don't know is whether the starter relay was changed when it was in the stealership a couple of months or so back. As that repair was done under warranty I didn't get an invoice. If the starter relay had gone then it would be a bit more worrying as twice in such a short time may mean that there's something more underlying than just a faulty relay. It could well have been just the system relay that went as there was no sound of the fuel pump starting up at that time.
So what I'll do is order a starter relay but until I get that I'm going to be thinking twice about riding any distance as I haven't yet figured out a get you home repair.

e-bay blues

I tried to buy a set of forks on e-bay and although I had the highest bid, I still didn't win as the seller had placed a reserve.
It was fair enough as the sale included forks, yokes, callipers and master cylinder. I'll need to keep an eye open to see if they are re-listed.
Talking about master cylinders. A twin disc set has just shown up only a week or two after I bought one.
Just like buses. None for ages then two turn up in quick succession!

"bits" collection

I'm starting to collect a few things for the bike.
Nothing I really need for the moment, but things I'll keep on the shelf in the garage until I stop riding over the winter and get the feeling that I want to start tinkering with the spanners.
So far I've got a ninteen inch front wheel, a twin disc master cylinder, a carburettor, higher bars waiting to be powdercoated and I've just ordered a Stebel Nautilus air horn. The last one I want to fit, hidden away, to try to achieve a cleaner look to the left side of the bike.
I'm going to order an AMM P3 electronic ignition (when I can afford it!) to use with the carb and so do away with the EFI. I'm thinking of fitting the coils where the horn sits just now.
We'll see.

first time camper

On the bike that is.

I loaded up the bike on Friday night, having decided that I was going no matter what the weather was doing. So, first thing Saturday morning I was ready, with all my gear strapped on and the rain dropping out of the sky like it was never going to ease. It did stop for a bit and I took that as my cue to get going but it never looked too far away all weekend. Until that is, I got back home and the sun came out just to rub home the pain.

The tent, stove, sleeping bag and mat all fitted into the panniers so all I actually had in the rucksack was my change of clothes and washing gear. I was only going overnight, so would need a bit more stuff if I was going away for a few nights.

There were one or two things I would have done differently. Such things like pack the tent somewhere else instead of in one of the saddlebags or take waterproofs with me. The first, because the tent was the first thing I needed to deal with when I arrived and the last thing to pack away when I left. As it was raining both occasions, it would have been easier if the tent was packed on the outside of my gear. I'll maybe look at fixing it onto the handlebar risers or that could be the excuse I'm needing to justify paying the shop price for a rack. There just hasn't been one that fits my bike on e-bay.

As for taking waterproofs, well that was just an oversight which I discovered after I had been riding about twenty miles and the rain came back on.

The tent is a Coleman Avoir 2. It's advertised as a two person tent but I can't see any way that two would fit comfortably in. As it is the fact that it has a side opening as well as the front was its saving grace. All my gear could fit in the porch while I exited and entered by the side. It's also not the tent you should buy if you are any way claustrophobic. The tent slopes down to about a foot high at the rear and at the front there is not really the hight to sit up. Almost all manoeuvres are done lying down.

On the positive side, it only weighs just over 2 kilos, packs down really small and is both stable and watertight. My first night was one of almost constant drizzle and some heavier showers and I stayed dry. Just watch out for drips coming off the roof when you open the side door!

Here's a pic

One piece of kit I'm really glad to have are roll-top waterproof liners. I bought a 30 litre and a couple of 20 litre ones from e-bay. They are ideal for putting everything in and then into the saddlebags. I'm going to buy some smaller ones and that will give me the option of packing things away individually.

settling down

Riding down to the H.O.G. meeting last night and going my usual way (a ten mile route to do four!), I really noticed that the bike is starting to feel more a part of me each time I ride it.

It's not any one thing I can put a finger on and say precisely what's changing. It just feels better each time I'm on it.
I have read that it can take thousands of miles for some Harleys to really settle down and all the parts to bed in. I can believe it and can't understand anyone who changes their bike every year or so. I'm looking forward to me and the bike maturing (getting old) together.

I have also decided on the luggage bag I'm going to get for camping. The Kuryakyn, Gran Tourer bag is expensive but from what I hear well worth the extra money and so I'll wait 'till I can afford to buy it. Until then if I need a bag to go camping with I'll bungee on a rucksack.

sorted

That's the indicators fitted in their new position, the base-plate for the saddle-bags sized and a hole made in it for the seat mounting screw to go through. The saddle-bags are on, seem to be secure and so I'm ready to go try it all out.

I tried several different ways of mounting the saddle-bags. I had them slung a bit lower and a bit further back on the fender. Nothing seemed to go altogether right. Either they were too loose, too high, too low or pressed over the end of the indicators. Finally, I had a brainwave and tried them on the opposite sides.
It worked. I admit, they may look a little out of place with the sloped edge of the bags to the front but they are a lot more secure and fit in better with the indicators. This way there is slightly less room at the pillion foot-pegs but as I won't often be carrying a passenger and luggage, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

(Although they fitted OK, when I took the bike out of the garage and looked it over, the bags just didn't look right. They made the back of the bike look high. I know that it's not all about looks (or I wouldn't have bags on a night train in the first place!) but it just wasn't right.
So, I messed around a bit more and got the bags on the side they were designed for. You can make your own mind up.)

I haven't tried it out with the rack on instead of the pillion seat but as the seat holds the base-plate in place, that may not work. But, as the rack goes with the bare look I shouldn't think I'd be needing that combination.
I'll get a photo up later.
Now all I need is a day or two of dry weather and I can get packed up and head off camping. (Biking in the rain is one thing, camping is another!)

setbacks

I was heading out for a run this morning and was just about to leave my garage when the skies opened. It's been raining like the monsoon season in India for days now so I reckoned that I'd be better off doing my spanner-work while the rain fell and wait for the sun to come out again to ride. At the time that seemed to be the sensible way round.

So, I spent the next hour or two shifting my rear indicators. Took me a while to decide just where to situate them.

I was actually happy with them in the place they were, just to the rear of the seat but as they got in the way of the saddle-bags they needed to go in a more orthodox position at the back of the fender support. I also had to be careful that they didn't obstruct the fitments for the removable side-plates for the sissy-bar.

I finally decided, stripped down the side plates and fender support, fitted it all back together again and as the sun had reappeared thought to myself, "Time now to get out on the road".

Wasn't to be as one of the indicators wasn't indicating.

After trying a few different possibilities before stripping it all back down again, the inevitable hade to be done.

After another hour I got to the root of the problem. A soldered joint had come apart inside the indicator body itself.

Soldering it back together again is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a big job, but as I've no power in my garage, everything had to be taken apart, taken round to the flat and soldered. Then I had to go back to the bike to test it before heading back once more to electricity and a heat gun to shrink wrap the joint.

I'll leave putting everything back together for the morning. Then I'm off out for a ride come rain or shine.

Though that will be without the luggage rack. The one I got from e-bay is for an earlier model with a narrower wheel and sissy-bar. That one will be back for sale tomorrow but I doubt if I'll be able to find another, correct one soon. To buy it new would be about three times the cost so it WILL wait!

luggage ...

.... on a night train??

Yes, but as it is all quick-removable, for most of the time, I've still got a bike with that stripped down, bare bones look that the night train lends itself to. Then, when I want to do an overnight or longer tour I've got the option to bolt on racks and saddle-bags.

I've just taken delivery of a set of Held Titan saddlebags. They're leather, 20 litre capacity each and look good on the bike. I spent some time surfing the net, reading numerous reviews and making comparisons before settling on Held. For the price (£326 all in), they were the ones I considered to be best value and when they arrived I was pleasantly surprised at the quality too. A recommendation from V-twin Mania, whom I bought them from, went a long way in convincing me too.

To keep them away from the wheel, I decided to fit universal supports rather than a bracket permanently attached to the fender support. I bought Zodiac zip-off supports which are easily removable.

I had thought that I may not have been able to use them at the same time as the removable sissy bar but the bag supports only push the sissy-bar support out by about 1/8th of an inch either side so both will fit together. Although they are chromed they wont be readily noticeable with the saddle-bags fitted. I may even, sometime in the future, get them powder-coated. Then I could leave them on permanently without them looking out of place.

I also got a HD wrinkle black luggage rack, at a good price from e-bay. That fits on to the sissy-bar and will give me even more luggage capacity.

So, all I need to do now is move my rear indicators, make a slight adjustment to the throw-over base-plate and then I'll get some pics up of the various combinations I have available to me.

camping

I've decided that, although I haven't been camping for almost a year I'm going to head off on the bike with my new light-weight tent.

I bought it mainly to fit on the bike and as I've got the rack and sissy bar to strap luggage on to, I should be able to get all of my gear bungeed on.

I'm looking out for a set of panniers too. At the moment my search is confined to surfing and researching the different makes and fixing solutions. HD do some nice looking luggage, all of which is designed for particular models but at an average price which is outrageous, I'm definately looking for aftermarket gear!

I'll let you know what I come up with.

the last day of june

And the sun was a demon! (with thanks to Bobby Goldsboro)

Well it shone for most of the day and I went out and rode my bike. Did about 150 miles and loved every one of them. Jeremy Clarkson asked, on Top Gear once, "if bikers can go out and ride for fun then why can't normal people?"

Well, he'll need to get a bike if he wants to find the answer to that one. I would never even think of going out in the tin box and, with no real purpose other than going nowhere in particular, just drive.

It really is true what they say. 

"It's not getting there which matters, but how you travel."

summer

It's back!

But, as this is Scotland, who knows for how long? So tomorrow, I think I'd better get on the bike and put some miles behind me.

I got my goggles the other day and they really do make a difference. I decided on a pair of Davida  Aviator Pilot T2 which can be worn with spectacles. They're not quite so easy to wear as the half visor I had on the jet helmet but as that wont fit on the speedster another solution had to be found. I was riding with just my specs but that wasn't too secure feeling and the dust and insects just kept on getting in my eyes. I had bought a pair of padded reactive sun glasses and could have got the insert glazed to my prescription but somehow they didn't sit right on my face. Also, they didn't react quite as quickly as I would have liked but I'm probably being just a touch too expectant with that!
At least with the goggles I can wear my own specs and change to sunspecs when needed.
So I'm now looking forward to a good day out. Fingers crossed the weather stays dry.

running again

Got the jackets and one of them, an older style wolf leathers, fits great. It's a really heavy weight and good quality jacket and I'm pleased that I persevered and kept on buying. Now I'll just have to put the spare one back on e-bay.

So, I have been getting out and about on the bike again. Running up the miles while the sun shines. Even got to use the pillion pad for the first time last Saturday on a 40 mile ride up to the Trossachs. First time I've carried a passenger on the Harley and the power in the engine and the balance of the bike makes it feel as though there's no-one else there. Or, maybe she fell off and I was on my own!!

Now I've got my helmet and jacket sorted out, what's next?

Oh yes, goggles. After all - I've already bought the carb! (More on that when it arrives.)

safety first

I'm still waiting to get another leather jacket. I've bought two from e-bay with the hope that one of them will be suitable. Both in fit and in quality and some thing I can be happy wearing. If I do get one I'll put the other back up for sale.

Meanwhile, I am still riding my bike, albeit only for short journeys. I wore a combat jacket the other evening because I was going out for a slightly longer ride (15 miles approx). It was just too loose and was flapping about and the sleeves rode up constantly. My denim jacket was not much better and even though it's the middle of June, the cold got through! Wearing either, I'm so aware of a feeling of vulnerability. I think I've just been wearing leathers for so long I can't get used to not having that protection. It's a bit like us who are (almost) too young to remember not wearing helmets, or seatbelts in cars. We are just too used to it.

Hopefully though, I will have a leather in the next few days. Especially as the weather looks like its getting better and I just want to get out.

helmet fitting

One thing that I have got (and it fits!) is a new open faced Davida helmet. I just couldn't put up with the Classic Jet I have been wearing for the past twelve months. It was a nightmare to put on and take off and wasn't too comfortable when I was wearing it either.

I have gone for a speedster which is almost as well made as the Jet but doesn't meet the same safety standards. I'm sure it was sold as meeting Nordic safety standards as recently as last year but now the sellers don't mention them at all.

The jet was an XL and was a tight fit in some places, around my upper jaw and the back of my head. It was also very loose aroung the temple and would slip down causing pain in the back of my neck.

The Speedster is a large which is the size I would normally take and it was also ordered according to my actual head measurements (60cm).

The cool thing about it is that I no longer look like a spaceman wearing it!

Now I just need a jacket.

more leather woes

I collected my new  jacket from the Post Office. (for the 2nd time around) on Saturday morning. I was really excited about it getting here as I had been waiting for it for days and had received a card, to say it was sitting waiting to be picked up, two days earlier.  I tried a couple of times but kept missing the post office shutting time. Work is a pain in the ass sometimes!! I didn't go out on the bike on Wednesday just because I didn't have a leather and thought that would be no big deal as it would be with me any time. That was because I had sold my old one on e-bay to help fund my mikuni carb. (that's an expense which will need to wait until I can get more funds together)

So, when I finally did get to the Post Office, you can imagine my disappointment when I opened the box and tried the jacket on. I swear it is exactly the same size, if not bigger, as the one I returned. The label on it says 42 but there's no way that's accurate.

I was tempted to just keep it but as the sleeves were almost four inches too long and that there was space inside for me to wear another leather under it, I doubt if it would have been comfortable on the bike. Plus, having forked out £189 I want a jacket that I feel happy with.

I then toyed (for all of two minutes) with the idea of returning it again and ordering a 40" chest. But as I haven't been that size for many years I'm convinced that one would have arrived too small. It's just like the two pairs of JTS leather jeans I bought second-hand from e-bay. The ones in a style  that I like, are far too tight for me even to consider zipping up, yet the other pair fits well despite them both being labelled as the same size!

So, now JTS is a company which is not on the top of my list any more. Don't get me wrong, I definitely cannot fault the quality of their garments but, and it's a big but, they are a company which was, according to the blurb on their web-site, set up because the founder couldn't get leathers to fit him.

Well, maybe if they did a bit of quality control, they wouldn't have customers going elsewhere who can't get leathers to fit!

And, until I get a new jacket, I'll have to wear a combat jacket on the bike!

two and a half minutes

That's the approximate time it takes me to switch my bike from solo to pillion-ready.

I've got it all sorted, including drilling and fitting the third, seat retaining fixture. When the rack's on it is just a bit too much bling, with all three fasteners being different but until I can get black thumb screws, it will do.

Here's pics of the rear seat and sissy-bar.

leathers

Got my new leathers (well new jacket, jeans from e-bay) through the post today.

But, in typical "me" fashion, the jacket was too big and the jeans were too small. Both of them were, coincidentally, from JTS leathers and the quality was excellent. So much so that I've sent the jacket off immediately for a size smaller.

The jeans I've put straight back on to e-bay and if and when I get them sold I'll just pay for a new pair from JTS as the quality is exceptional. Also, by then I'll have found out what their customer service is like but I can't imagine it will be anything other than a match for their gear.

rack

Here's a couple of pics with the rack fitted on the bike.

I'll definately need to drill another hole in the fender to fit the pillion seat, so once I've done that, I'll post a picture with the bike set up for a pillion.

been a while ...

... since I last posted. That's mainly because I'm busy doing other things and if I do get any time to myself, I prefer riding my bike than writing about it.
I still haven't got the interchangeability of my rack and pillion seat sorted. It looks as though I'm going to have to drill another hole in the fender to accept the rear fastener on the pillion seat. I will then probably need to have three retaining nuts fitted as the seat and the rack wont fit in the same rear hole. It seems to be something to do with the shape of the LePera seat which must be different length from the HD brawler one which the pad should fit with. If they are that different then I doubt if the rack would have fitted with the Harley seat, so it's probably just as well that I settled on the LePera.

One thing I was busy with was working at the weekend. This meant I couldn't ride in the bike parade down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh last Sunday. It was part of the 3rd Rifles Homecoming Parade and a bunch of Harley riders had been asked to do it by the Mark Wright Foundation.
Ironically, I was working in Edinburgh, so although I couldn't ride, I did manage to get to the start before they set off. It was good to see (and hear) several hundred Harleys, as well as other bikes, going as a group through the city centre to show respect for our troops home from Afghanistan.

got some pics.

and one of a bike with a really wide front end. It's almost the style which I'd love to eventually have on mine!

something fits

At last I've gone and bought something to customise my bike and it fitted right off. There was no bashing, bending, drilling or general botching needed at all to fit my new rack to the fender. It went on straight off and looks like the dog's proverbials!

It's a crossbones rack from Motherwell products. The gloss black it's finished in isn't so glossy after all. In fact it fits right in with the matt black of my fender.

Both the Motherwell site and V-twin Mania whom I bought it from had stated that it would fit an '09 up Crossbones or a Fatboy '06 up with a solo seat, so I was a bit worried when I ordered it that it wouldn't fit. I was pretty sure that the fender on the night train was the same as the crossbones but with HD you can never take these things for granted. The idea of interchangeable parts seems to be an anathema to the MoCo.

But when I offered it up it went together perfectly.

Wish I could say the same of the brawler pad, which I'm hoping will be quickly interchangeable with the rack when I want to take someone pillion. It looks like that will need some tweaking.

More on that soon (with some pics).

new boots

I've bought myself a new pair of boots for wearing on the bike.

The Redwing engineer boots I had were great on the bike but were just not comfortable for walking in. Probably it was the size, as they were a bit on the large side even with thick socks on. That was despite being the size I normally would wear and would fit. So, after reading a couple of recommendations on HDRC-GB, I ordered a pair of Magnum Elite ll. I got the ones with the composite toe cap so they did take a bit longer to get here. Looking at the Magnum web-site they don't have that model on it now so maybe it's been discontinued which would be another reason for the delay. Millets who I got them from still show them but at an increased price. Luckily I ordered them through Amazon so the company had to supply them at the lower price which was on the Amazon site.
First impressions are favourable and they feel comfortable. Only time and a couple of wet rides will see if they are actually as waterproof as the manufacturers claim. I'll get back to you on that one.

My bike got collected this morning so I'm just waiting to hear from West Coast as to what's wrong with it. Then I'll see if my guess at a relay was correct.

When I go to collect it I'm going to order a HD Brawler pillion pad. I reckon it should fit with my LePera seat as the fasteners are almost the same as on the Harley solo seat. Then, I'll have a solo seat and rack (I've ordered a Motherwell Products, Crossbones one which I'm hoping will fit, as the Crossbones has the same fender as my night train!) for when I'm on my own and it should be easy to swap that for  the pillion pad and back rest when I carry a pillion.

Full review and pics soon. (I hope!)

still waiting

For West Coast Harley Davidson to uplift my bike.

To be fair on them, I was quite fussy over the days I could take off work to be in for them to pick it up. A couple of the days they offered were just not suitable so by the time they take it away on Friday morning, it will have been just short of two weeks that it's been sitting in my garage not going anywhere.

In that time I think I may have worked out what is wrong. Trawling the 'net has led me to consider that it may be the one or other of the relays which has gone. If it wasn't for the warranty I'd have bought new ones to see if it had cured the problem. I'll see if I'm right when WCHD have had a look.

One thing though, I am even more determined to change the EFI for a carb as soon as the warranty is up. I've even got my eye on one on e-bay which, if I think I can afford to buy it now, I will get and keep it on the shelf for the next year.

snap

I wonder if every Harley owner just gives up with the cable retainers that HD use.

When I was replacing the battery yesterday I had to move the fuse block slightly to the side to get the battery in. That was when I heard a, by now familiar, snap. It was the plastic bracket which is designed to hold the fuse box in place against the frame rail.

Just like the ones under the tank it is made from an extremely brittle plastic which broke at the first bit of lateral pressure. Not that I'd have been able to put it together once it had been taken apart anyway.

They seem to have been designed to go together during the initial build but can never again fit if any other components are in place.

Just as well they are not particularly necessary!

busted flat

... not in Baton Rouge but in my garage!

Went to get the bike out yesterday evening for a short ride, before taking my other half for her first pillion run this morning.

Engine turned over but just wouldn't fire. There is petrol in the tank, the fuel pump is whirring and I've now charged the battery over night.

So, called WCHD and they can't collect my bike today. I'm at work during the week, so the first time their van is available and I'm at home will be next Saturday.

 Should I call out the AA? That was an after-thought. I hadn't even considered them for bike recovery as for the last year I've had Hog Assist but that ran out at the end of last month!

What to do?

back in the swing

I took a ride down to the CVH meeting. The first time I've been there this year.

There were only half a dozen bikes tonight. Either, it's too soon in the season for some "hardened"  Harley riders or maybe the football kept folk away.
But anyway, it was good to spend the evening talking bikes once more. Good to meet some newbies, who are in the position I was in just twelve months ago. Starting out with a new Harley and about to learn just what the real cost is, of owning a Harley Davidson!

stormy weather

My car has been in the garage for the last couple of days.
That's a different tale but it has meant that I needed to use the bike to go to work. On Friday, the weather was filthy. High winds, driving rain and freezing cold into the bargain.
So much for me being a fair weather biker by choice!
To be honest, I actually enjoyed getting wet. Just for the fact that I was out on the bike.
Didn't like the cleaning which inevitably followed though.

spring.....

.... has sprung and the Harley's going well.

Got out for my first real run and it feels good.
Here's some pics of how the bike looks with the bits and bobs I've done over the winter.

Came across this on a forum when I got back :-

harley brakes *#+*$@

I got an e-mail this morning from brake-lines.co.uk. They're the ones who have been very helpful in trying to sort me out with a front brake line. Though it appears, that even they cannot get round the Harly spare parts curse.
Harley use an 11mm banjo instead of the more common 10mm and HEL only do them in silver. So either I have to have silver banjos or one black and one silver.

Sod this, I'm putting my original back on for now and will try to get parts from Goodridge and build the lines myself!

Then it was out to the garage. I filled the tank with petrol, did a final check and started the bike up. Fired first time too. So I backed it out of the garage but forgot that I had no front brake and had a bit of a panic moment as I was heading down the hill towards a wall and couldn't get my foot up to the rear brake very easily. I did manage to stop before any damage was done to my new tail light. Needless to say, the next job was to fit the front brake line and get it bled. The stock bleed nipple has got a bit damaged as in typical HD style its almost impossible to get a spanner on to it so I had to use vise grips, stripping the shoulder a bit. I had ordered a stainless one but it's too long and doesn't sit correctly in the socket.

Finally, it was time to do the oil change and yet again it was not to be straight-forward! The oil change was easy enough but trying to get the old filter off was a nightmare. First, the tool I have would probably have been adequate if the old fiter wasn't in so tight. I though it was moving after some effort ,but no it was the tool breaking! Then I had to revert to the old but messy way of stabbing a screwdriver though the body of the filter. It was so tight I broke one screwdriver then almost destroyed the filter before it finally began to move. What is it about hand tight that some people can't understand.

So, finally it got done and, after a quick adjustment of the clutch, I was ready and so on with the helmet. (Well I was actually so excited about riding the bike I was almost on the street before I realised I wasn't wearing it!). I had a short run and all seems to be running fine. I have noticed that the petrol warning light is on so that will need sorting.

I'm back on the road at last!

looking good

Got my bits back fom ESP Powdercoating this afternoon and they look just great.

The black hand levers look the business and fit right in with the rest of the bike. I can't even think what HD were thinking of when they put bare alloy levers on a black bike. (well I do actually and I don't think it's just cynicism which gives me the idea that it's all about making more money out of their customers). A set of Harley's black levers would have cost me £95. As it was, getting them coated cost twenty quid and that included getting the shifter linkage done too!

I also found out that ESP can get my bars de-plated before they powdercoat them. So once I've decided on the finish I want, I'll get them to do the complete job.

st. patricks day

Has come around again and that can only mean one thing (to this blog, at least)! It's exactly one year since I collected my bike from the shop and got on the road.

Not twelve months of riding, as much of that time has been spent "getting to know" the bike mechanically. Tinkering in other words. I've taken bits off and changed some bits around. None of it was really "customising" in any sense that I made, or even had made, one off parts to be exclusive. Most of the bits I've bolted on are HD parts. I haven't even used too many after-market parts, though that's not because I'm trying to keep things pure, or even to protect my warranty. Replacing most of the fasteners with stainless may have negated that already!

A great year anyway. One which has seen me spend probably more than I should have but getting the bike the way I want it is worth it. Not that it's anywhere near finished yet but it will do for now as I've got some miles to get in.

brake line

I received an e-mail from www.brake-lines.co.uk which arrived yesterday evening.
They were very sorry about sending me the wrong line and seem to wish to rectify this ASAP.

So it may be, if they are as efficient as they are apologetic, I may be able to fit a HEL front brake line at the same time as I fit my levers.

The HEL lines looked good but when it comes to me making up custom lines, when I eventually get round to getting the front end sorted, I think I may go for Goodridge. The fact that they bolt together as opposed to HEL's crimped fittings means that they are infinitely more customisable and can be done myself.

nearly done

At last, I'm beginning to feel that I'm reaching the point where I'll have a motor cycle again and not just a collection of metal parts sitting together in a static lump.
Everything is coming together. It's just the few frustratingly simple things which are holding me back. As soon as I get the parts I've ordered from WCHD and the bits from the powder-coaters and get them on, all that will be left to do is to fill the tank with gas, warm the oil up, change that and the filter and I'll be ready to take to the road.

Fingers crossed, there will be nothing to set me back again. Especially on the electronics side as there's not a lot I can do about that myself. The battery seems to have retained its charge over the winter but until I've got the clutch lever back and fitted I don't want to chance firing the engine up.

At least the turn signals are working!

pics

Just so you know for sure that I have been working on my bike, here's some photos of how things stand at the moment. The first shows my new tail light which looks much neater that the stock one. The other two are of the bike in solo mode and ready for two-up riding.

I went to West Coast HD this morning and left a couple of hundred pounds poorer. But, at least I've got all the bits I want (for now) on order and will be able to fit them next week. Im waiting for the brake lever, pegs and shifter peg. With a bit of luck I'll win the auction on e-bay for the shifter lever.
I'll also pick up the bits I left for powder-coating on Thursday, so the end of my week off next week is going to be busy.
Hopefully I'll be ready to ride after that!

W.T.F.?

Got my front brake line in the post yesterday.

Looks good and is excellent quality (almost). Only problem is, it's not the one for my bike. It says on the packaging that it's for a Harley FXSTB '00 to '07. According to the HD parts catalogue, the brake lines for night trains from '06 up to '09 are the same single line.
So, why then does this kit have two lines?
And, there's one other thing, which spoiled my opinion of the quality of the kit, if not the actual lines. Why are there three black stainless fittings and one in plain stainless?
Who knows when I'm going to be able to get stainless lines on to this bike.

At least I got more of the rebuild done. The tank and bars are back on as well as the air cleaner and exhaust. I'm off work for half of next week so am going to take my handle-bar levers and get them powder-coated. I'll also take the connecting piece for the shift lever and get that done too.
Then, I'll be able to see what it will look like getting powdercoating done over chrome before I commit to getting the bars done.

feeling stupid

I've just got back from Area 51.

Once again they proved really helpful. This time it was for a repair which I could have done for myself only if I had gone out and bought a set of taps. Though, with my hunger for more and more tools almost verging on addiction, who knows. I may just go on e-bay and see what's available.
It may be prudent considering what I was told, that stripping threads on Harley tranny covers is one of the more common problems they see.

Yes, that's exactly what I did when screwing the clutch cable back in. I wasn't even trying to force it. I thought it may need a helicoil insert but got away with just re-tapping the first few threads.

So, after another couple of days delay, I can get back to work putting everything together again.

....LESSON LEARNED ?......
I bought myself a tap and die set from e-bay for £20. So if anything like this happens again....

clubs

I've not long joined the Harley Davidson Riders Club of Great Britain.

I've never really been one for joining things but as I was using the club web-site a lot and finding it really useful, I thought I should also contribute something. For £37.25 a year it was well worth the technical help I could find in the forums. It saved me even more when I got a great deal on my insurance through a club scheme. I had been getting quoted around £500 and then got fully comp for £150 less.

Almost at the same time the renewal for my West Coast HOG membership came through. I joined that because I got a years free HOG membership when I bought my bike new. I must admit I enjoy the few social events I've attended through HOG. The barbeques and the club nights through the summer were enjoyable but I never did manage to persuade myself to go on an organised "ride-out".

I may continue to enjoy one club socially and get loads of benefit from the other. Pity neither is entirely good for both but that's so often the way of things.

So from being some one who "wouldn't join a club which would have me as a member"* I'm now in TWO! (OK it's three if you count HOG and West Coast!!)

* WITH THANKS TO GROUCHO MARX

it's dry...

...but not all that bright.
So I don't know how easy it will be to see in the garage this morning. I'll head out soon and see but no matter what I'll need to get some work done.
I bought synthetic oil yesterday and am going to put the same fluid in all "three holes" so am about to find out how easy it is to do a complete oil change on a harley. The Japanese bikes I've had in the past just had one oil filler cap and that was it to do an oil change. One drain plug and one filler cap! How easy was that?
Oh well nothing tried nothing gained....

...FOUR HOURS LATER...
When it comes to Harleys and oil nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is simple. Ask twenty Harley owners about oil and you'll get twenty-two different opinions. I made a post on the HDRC GB web-site and got a reply saying that I should maybe not use synthetic oil until the bike has done 5K miles to let it all bed down. I've also seen a test where a harley"expert" tried out synth 1500 miles after the first service and gave glowing results. On top of that the MoCo recommend their synth oil in new bikes. (As it's a lot dearer than their mineral oil, they would!)
So I suppose as long as I don't do anything which will do major damage (like ride with NO oil in the engine) then it's my bike and I'll need to do what I feel is best for the machine.

Over the next few months I'm going to continue to blacken out the bike. I'm waiting for a black stainless front brake line to arrive and will fit that to the stock front end for now. I've also ordered a tri-bar tail-light and will get the billet brake and gear-shift levers when I can afford them. At least that will only be a couple of hours to fit so I wont be off the road while they're being fitted.

Like I've said before this will be a longer term project.

nearly there...

...but so far away.

I've almost got my bike back together again but haven't done half of what I'd hoped to.

I was just a bit ambitious in all the customising I had planned for this winter and in the end couldn't afford all the bits and pieces needed.

I'll have to settle for having a solo seat, detachable sissy-bar and pad and the bullet turn signals. I'll keep the twin disc front wheel and my drag bars to be fitted next time around.

So, for now, I will just get myself back on the road and buy the parts I need as I go along.

Then, when I take my bike off the road for next winter I will be that bit more prepared.

moving on or back?

I've been out working on the bike for an hour this morning. Needed to stay a bit longer to get all I feel I should be doing but other things are pressing.
I've started putting things back together to allow me to get on the road as soon as the weather shows a sign of spring-time arriving. It felt a bit odd removing the new bars and fitting my stock risers and bars back on. It will have to be that way until I've put some money aside to go for the complete front end in a oner.

Talking about money, my renewal came in for my road tax this morning. I've had the bike off the road for almost four months while it was taxed but if I SORN it now I'll only have to tax it in a few weeks time. Should have done that months ago when I first decided to start working on the bike, then claimed a refund on the unused tax. I suppose that was the down-side of buying a bike in March but I don't think there could have been any better timing, especially as the best riding weather last year was early on in the year.

Only indirectly related to the bike, but there's been a couple of delays that have really p*ss*d me off! I sent off for membership of the HDRCGB and for a subscription to BSH both at the beginning of January. After chasing both up but still not hearing anything for weeks, I haven't received anything from either of them. Payments are now starting to filter through so I suppose something must be happening. On-line trading can be so frustratiing! In the long run both will be worth it. The rider's club forum is worth the joining fee alone.

compromise?

It's beginning to feel like I may have to.
Time's marching on and I want to have my bike ready for the road as soon as the weather allows. I've been noticing a good few bikers out and about, despite the continuing winter temperatures and I have been getting an itch to get out riding.
This will mean that some of the customisation I had hoped to do will need to wait until I have saved up a (fair) bit more cash. Then I can do more of the mods all in one go. As it is I'd need to leave the bike part dismantled until I can get all the bits I've still to buy. There will be NO riding if I leave it like that.

I'm pretty much sure what I want to do and how my bike will eventually look. I've decided on black high T-bars on top of extra wide, polished billet yokes and upside-down black forks with my nineteen inch, twin disc front wheel. These are the mods I keep coming back to despite being waylaid continually every time I see another custom bike in a mag like BSH.
Not that I'll finish there though. An EFI to carb conversion with black short exhausts is definately on the horizon though still a fair distance away. Me and this bike have a future you know!

So, what I will most probably do for now is put the stock bars, cables and controls back on and buy the extended ones when I can afford them and when I do get enough dosh together buy the complete front end.
This doesn't mean that the winter's tinkering has been a waste of time.
I have learned some more about how my bike is put together and do feel more confident about doing the odd bit of maintanence myself. A lot of the stock fasteners have been replaced by stainless. I've also got a solo seat, tidier rear indicators and a sissy bar for riding two up when I need it.

Making my bike just the way I want it is important but getting out on the road is vital!