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