Custom Harley Davidsons

Quick note about my Oil change write up.

2011-06-27T15:55:00.000-06:00

I just got an email from a reader of my site. A simple email that said:

I just read your oil change on the Harley evolution motor. Just wanted to say thanks for the detail you put into it and the pictures really helped out.

Thanks.

No thanks to you for stopping by and learning a bit about your Harley and taking the time to send me a quick email. No this will inspire em to write some more articles and put them in the information section. For anyone who missed the oil change article check it out here.
Here is the oil filter you will need to do your oil change.

My Harley Evo Motor Oil Change Article

I just fired up the Fat Boy for the season.

2011-05-13T11:05:00.000-06:00

I got the old girl out of the shed and charged up the Battery, and zoom zoom, potato, potato, the sweet sounds of the Harley exhaust came rumbling to life. Winter around here puts a nice coat of sleepy dust on the bikes and leaves them raring to roll. Well I got a safety inspection, paid the man the licensing money and Whammo We are on the road. The miles on the old girl are 59400 to start the season. I did get a chance to ride all the way across town and back last night. Nice night for a freeway roll. I burned the carbon out of the old Haley 80 cubic inch evolution motor with that season opening 50 mile ride. I was also lucky enough to drive her to work today. I did have a bit of a slow starting problem this morning. I guess I struggle to get this old bike to start on the first touch of the starter continues. I was also coughing a bit on hard acceleration from a stop. I don't think it's lean, I think it is a bit rich in the carburetor now. Well anyway in the back of my mind I may need a engine rebuild. The thing does run great once I get it started. It like to pull and go fast on the freeway. I almost forget how great that bike is to ride, when It sits for the winter. I fit inside the saddle and around the bars very well on the old FLSTF. Man I love that bike, I think I might go for a spin at lunch.

"Game On" The king is back on the Road.

2011-04-01T13:30:00.001-06:00

Today is a fantastic day, Sunny and warm in the 70's for April 1st and we are in luck. We are also back in the saddle again and getting 45 Mile Per Gallon on the good ole Harley Road King. Man that first sensation of the Summer is great O-70 in 3 gears and one long hard twist of the throttle as I passed that stupid little car to get up to speed on the Highway. I wanted to make a note that the King has 11,400 miles on it. So this is where I start riding for the season. I plan to rack up some big miles this year. Last year was a minimal riding season for me, so I need to make it up, and put down some serious tread. I will also need a new tire soon so I might as well burn up the old one before the state says I must get it replaced.

This weekend I need to put a clean new shine on the bike, so if the weather holds I'll make the King feel like a real king. I'll also check all the fluids and brakes and give it a quick once over.

Early Spring Harley Ride coming Soon

2011-03-30T16:46:00.001-06:00

I am ready the bike is ready, the weather is just about ready. I gotta get eh scooter out and burn up some gas. The crazy up and down of one warm day and three days of snow is making this spring a mess. Maybe one of these would help as I am stuck driving the Truck and paying 4 bucks a gallon for diesel.

No, maybe not I think I just need to Ride!!!!!!!!!1

Early Spring Harley Ride.

2011-03-24T16:30:00.000-06:00

Today is March 24th it was snowing this morning and now looks bright and clean and warm out the window. I know it is not warm, but it looks like it.

I know I am once again talking about the weather in SLC. I guess this is as much a place for me to track when I start and stop riding each year as it is an interesting bit of SLC riding information. I know I could ride a lot more, just tough out the weather and go, but I choose to wait. I m not sure if this is reflection on getting older or being lazy or both I have seen lots of Big Bike hitting the road already this year. Which is Awesome, and now that gas and Diesel prices are once again way to high on a false premise I must start to ride the bike and save some cash and wear and tear on my Truck. I think I will go home and fire the bike up and put some fresh gas in it after burn some in the sun.

Novemeber 4th Sunny and Warm in SLC

2010-11-04T10:59:00.003-06:00

This post is almost a repeat of a post last year on November 17th. It is absolutely fantastic weather today lows of about 45 and highs of 65, and I got to ride my King today. I remember why I love Bikes so much. I missed the chance to ride a lot lately, as life and being busy seems to get in the way of riding solo. All the way to work I thought about this post from last year and wondered when it was. The 17th is later than the 4th but this give me hope that I can ride a few more days before the snow and gravel falls on the roads.

Last years initial thoughts.
November 17th and it was sunny and warm in SLC
You should all know that that means. I got to ride my King again today.

Ride safe!

The Road king is still in the garage.

2009-12-11T12:04:00.002-07:00

I did not pull the trigger and sell the Road King. Which is good, good for me good for you, good for all who have Harley's.

Peace out.

I am thinking of selling my RoadKing

2009-03-13T07:09:00.003-06:00

I am thinking about selling my 2006 Harley Davidson Road King. For a number of reasons, financial and future investment type decisions. I have a lot of money tied up in motorcycles and would like to move it into other things like real estate. As we all know the real estate market is upside down and all kinds of broken. I think now is a good time to move up into a newer bigger house. But I need cash flow to move forward, I could sell stocks, or not they are in the toilet and all money is lost. At least my Harleys are keeping their value. At least they look like they are are keeping some value, I may not be able to sell them but if I do know they haven't gone down by too much, certainly not 70 percent like the stock market or HOG stock for that matter. Yup I did buy some Harley Stock a few years a ago and I have taken a beating, and by beating I mean a serious drubbing, I bought at 64+ and now it's 9. Al least I have a completely paid of Motorcycle that has keep some value. Well anyway I am going to test the sales market for Road Kings and let you know.

Nintendo Wii Christmas Crazyness.

2008-12-16T21:25:00.002-07:00

I need to say I love the Christmas Holiday season. Maybe a bit too much, what I mean is each year I get caught up in the video game craze, I talk to all the kids in the neighbor hood and the guys at work, and find out what is hot and what is not. Then I have to have it. This year is Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii I just have to have it, from me, and no one else. I have searched high and low and I was able to find a copy at a local store tonight. Lucky for me, but if you are not so lucky there is still hope if you want to pay a bit more. Amazon has sellers that still have it available and you can still get it for Christmas, or you can turn to ebay, and pay your money and take your chances.

And if you get this game I think you need an extra wheel or two.

The Wii is still one of the best game system around, our family loves it and the kids get a work out when they turn it on and try to compete at an Olympic level. The Wii game console is available this year so if you don't have one you should consider it. I even saw one at a store tonight, sitting behind the counter ready for sale, unlike last year, but that's another story. You guessed it last year I had it have it ended up with two and lost 100 bucks selling the extra one. Oh well live and love.

More Cool Custom Chopper Pictures

2008-12-02T12:49:00.004-07:00

This is starting to get really fun, more and more and more pictures of ultra cool custom Chopper Motorcycle to look at the think about. This one is more my style, with the super clean rear end and the hidden softail suspension. I have to have a bike I can ride for 8 hours a day, thus I want a softail. This Bike has a super low seat and a nice line over the top of the tank. You have to like the look or the arched back tiger tank. This line make the engine look good, as I am sure its a big bore horse power monster. The single front down tube looks pretty good, the only thing I have to look twice at and decide if I like is the big long pulled back bars, the long and sloped risers seem a bit funny to me. Maybe if they were a bit shorter or lower, I don't know, what do you think?

One more cool custom bike picture

2008-11-22T09:38:00.005-07:00

Here is a bike that combines a few tricks to create a pretty good overall look. Like the headlight under the triple clamp, this gives the top of the bars a really clean swooped back look. The speedometer in under your right leg if you were sitting on the bike. This also adds simple design queues to the tall and pulled back bars. This keeps the front of the bike lower even though it is a bike with a tall chopper style frame. The pulled back bars also match well with the springer front end. The size and design of the tank add a good look to the space between the top of the big engine and the bottom of the tank. I like the idea of flames on the fenders and gas tank but I am not a big fan of these flames, they are too much for me, I think I would like them to be less pronounced or maybe just less all together, that is not to say someone else can't love them.

The rear frame and seat pan are wild on this bike. The external frame around the rear end and the rear fender makes this look like it might have a hidden Softail shock, but I don't think so, it's clean looking yet a bit funky looking. The seat is definitely low and wide so with the bars up in the air like they are I might have a hard time see over the top. Maybe this bike is built for a guy who is 6 foot 4 inches tall.

To give the builder credit this is another bike that was displayed by a vendor at the Broken Spoke Saloon at the north end of town in Sturgis South Dakota. This is the new Saloon out on Bear Butte road. I did not take any notes, so I don't relaly know who built it, I just took pictures of the bikes. I can see a price tag of $39,900 for this bike. Wow 40 grand for a bike, that is way too much for my blood, especially with the broken economy and failing banks and everything else that is happening this year. If and when I build a bike I expect to get a bike that looks something like this one but end up with a price tag of about $20,000 - $25,000. This is if I do all the work and paint myself. We will see, and I am sorry to say it might be ten years before that happens. I guess I will keep researching and dreaming about it. You gotta have a Dream, "What's your Dream, everyone who comes to HollyWood has a dream!"

Ride Safe!

Sweet Red Springer Hard Tail

2008-11-19T10:54:00.005-07:00

Here is another shot of a bike I saw sitting at the Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis. I took a bunch of shots and really wish I would have taken some notes. As I look at these pictures I would like to give the proper credit to the builders and riders. But then again, let's see I was in Sturgis after riding all day, we had just stopped for a our first beer and um, well my note book was not handy. I guess I am glad I got some pictures to post and talk about.

This bike is an extreme combination of low slung seat, big engine, super twisted and fabricated frame, highlighted by a tall front springer front end. Check out the way the tube work is done around the rear section of the seat, the rear swing arm and the fender supports. Wow someone got twisty with the tube bender, great work guys. The little extras like the powder coated rims or the bright red highlight around the front head light, make this one seriously red machine. I am not a fan of the big wide open belt primary but, if you have a motor that big I guess you need some way to control and transfer the power from the engine into the transmission. All in all a great combination of bright red, and super shinny chrome.

November 17th and it was sunny and warm in SLC

2008-11-17T19:31:00.002-07:00

You should all know that that means. I got to ride my King again today. It was colder but very clear and nice this morning, at 38 degrees I didn't get too cold zooming the few miles I go to work. I am totally amazed at the weather I guess I really like this global warming thing. If I can ride all year in Utah, I will really be saving on gas and it's goo therapy to get on the scooter and zoom around especially in the "Winter", well keep riding and if you are in Southern California, Keep laughing at us silly cold weather wannabe rider.

Haulmark Trailers Orange Chopper.

2008-11-13T07:44:00.003-07:00

Here is a noteworthy shot of a super custom Softail. It was built for the Haulmark trailer company, thus it has the bright orange paint and the company logo on the tank. Haulmark makes trailers, to help with the motorcycle shipping of your precious bike, that is if I can't get on it and ride it to the show. I am impressed with all the work welding and building and filling in the fender and body on the rear of this bike. Talk about some serious fabrication work. I wish I could work with sheet metal like this. Once I get below about 3/16 or 1/4 thickness when fabricating I am done. It just doesn't seem to work for me. I can't weld it, bend it or make it look like anything but sludge. Well anyway look at how the frame moves forward and into the gas tank. Then check out how the gas tank on the front flows right into the frame. Someone did a very nice job on this bike. If you know the fabricator please let me know and I will give them proper credit. This thing looks like it has a big old Engine as well. The big tall jugs are good looking, and yes I am talking about the engine cylinders guys.

Low and Lean Harley Davidson Custom Softail

2008-11-11T07:05:00.003-07:00

While I was wandering around the Broken Spoke Saloon out North of town I started taking pictures of Custom Bikes. Here is a shot of a low single seat Soft tail. I am thinking this is a custom of some kind, the chain makes me think it is not a Harley Davidson. The bike does have some of the looks and features of a Fatboy, but I would guess it's not an official Halrey Davidson. The chain also make me think that motor maybe a fire breathing monster, not just a 80 cubic inch evolution HD motor.

The flames on the tank are very cool, I like them but think if I was putting them on my bike I would make them ghost flames, so they were not very visible. The other cool thing about this bike is the the way the handle bars are pulled back. They really change the look of the front, bringing it down and back. I bet it makes this motorcycle feel low and lean once you climb on.

Well my hat goes off to who ever owns this bike, I like it and think the overall look is pretty damn good, and I bet it gets up and goes.

Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis

2008-11-10T19:48:00.002-07:00

I got a comment post as a follow up to the past post I made. I went and looked at a bunch of pictures of this new place. I did not realized that it had the largest swimming pool in Sturgis. I will need to remember this, When it is not storming and blowing with Hurricane force winds in Sturgis, it's Hot and muggy as muggy. At least this is my past experience. So on the Days it's hot and sunny, I think I will need to go check it out one of these next Sturgis trips

The new old Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis.

2008-11-04T21:41:00.006-07:00

Here is a picture and a story about The New Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis South Dakota. I say it is new because is has only been around for 3 years or so. I also say it is new because I didn't know about it until this year and I found it completely by surprise. So let me tell you about the surprise, we all love surprises right.

This year we took a nice long motorcycle ride the first week in August and had a plan to tour way up north and drop into Sturgis from the North Western direction. We we driving the Highway across the middle bottom area of Montana, and approached Sturgis, through Belle Forche, and then looped east around Sturgis and down the bear Butte road into the Buffalo Chip. Well after a nice long days ride were could smell the cold beer and Sturgis Dirt and we were getting really close to the chip. Well then what to our wondering eyes did we see, a big new Broken Spoke Bar, about 3 miles north on the Bear Butte Road. What the?, When did they build that, we gotta stop flashed into our tired minds as we slowed and pulled in.

This is when the fun started, we were immediately sent down the row of vendors and towards the bar, Sweet we will get a front row parking spot, no wait, What, I was driving right through the bar, following a string of other bikers. How cool is this, Hit Sturgis and drive right into the Bar. Hell Ya, we had arrived. Once we settled into a row of bikes, I snapped this shot and headed for the Bar to see what else we could see. The trip was off to a great start and this leg of the journey was getting better all the time.

Novemeber 3rd and I got in a great ride.

2008-11-03T19:06:00.004-07:00

It was cold and wet when I started this morning, I bet the temp was in the 40's which is cold yet nice enough to withstand for about a 45 miles of zipping around the town. I had a meeting at lunch and to and from work so I got in a good amount of seat time. The amazing thing is that it is November 3rd. In Utah this is certainly part of the extended season.

So on another completely cool and unrelated note, the Road King turned over 8000 mile a couple of days ago. Which makes the Summers total miles 8000-3400 = 4600. That's not bad for a about 6 months of drive time. I know some people put on 6000 miles a month or what ever huge number. For me being as busy as I am and a working stiff with a 12 mile commute, I say I logged some miles. Not too bad, and enough to convince me that I really like the Harley Road King and think I will keep it.

Today was Fantastic again,and I didn't get to ride, I promise I will ride tomorrow.

2008-10-27T20:53:00.005-06:00

The very few last nice and clear days here in Salt Lake to Ride my HOG and I missed it. I will ride tomorrow, I promise, I promise, I promise. Until then here is a shot of a bike I saw at Sturgis. Just one of the many machines I snapped a picture of. I will some day get the time and money to build a custom bike until then I will keep staring and all the wonderful bike I encounter. With each bike I see a few clues of things I like and other things I am not so sure of. This one is interesting, the way the pipes are all wrapped in black heat tape give the machine a different look compared to big, swoopy, shinny chrome, pipes. The frame is clean and tall, the blinkers and controls are neat. I like it and could see myself zooming down the road on it.

Today was warm and sunny and nice, and I missed out on a ride.

2008-10-26T20:38:00.001-06:00

That about all I have to say, I missed out on a nice fall ride around the valley in the sun. It was colder than it looked but would have been nice for a spin around the valley. I saw hundreds of other bikes out so, I am glad many other got to ride. Harley were thundering all around the park as I hung out with the Kids at the Draper Skate Park. Most rider were wearing coat and gloves and hats, even if the outside temperature was in the 60's it's cold going fast on a big motorcycle. Well I shall live to ride another day, like maybe tomorrow. Yup's that's a good idea, let's see what the morning brings.

What a nice ride today.

2008-10-14T23:08:00.002-06:00

COLD, and I mean Cold, morning ride but it was clear and clean and crisp to the Nth degree. I warmed up after an hour or so. The Lunch time ride to the kids Skate Park and the after work ride were fantastic. I hope for another good day tomorrow, all looks well so see ya on the road.

BRRRRR!!!!, It's the end of the Harley riding season.

2008-10-13T08:19:00.002-06:00

I am bummed and cold this morning. It's snowed all weekend here in Salt Lake City, and this morning it is 32 degrees and almost snowing again. For me this is too cold to ride the Harley to work. The thought of putting the Road King on blocks for the winter is terrible. I know I will have a few more days of 'Indian Summer" to ride but today officially marks the change of the seasons. So all of you lucky people in warm climates rejoice as I start the long cold winter here in SLC.

Ride Safe!

Dreaming about my past Strugis trip.

2008-10-07T13:59:00.002-06:00

I was just stiitng here thinking about how he weather is turning colder, and the long summer days of riding are fading fast. I was thinking I needed to spend the time to document my Strugis Trip. That is when I stumbled on a book called Detours: Life, Death and Divorce on the Road to Sturgis. This one sound like it sums up all the details of life and the distraction that keep us home. I checked out the Book on amazon.com and was able to read the first dew pages. I was hooked, I can't wait to get the book and finish it. From the comments it looks like a book that everyone who has headed out on a long Motorcycle Road trip can relate with.

How to Build a Harley Torque Monster by Bill Rook

2008-09-26T08:29:00.006-06:00

I got a comment from a reader telling me I was foolish to pay what I did to get my Carburetor rebuilt by Killer Carburetor on Ebay. This may be true, it may not be. I know many people can rebuild a Carburetor and many can do it for pennies. The poster said I should just buy a book called How to Build a Harley Torque Monster by Bill Rook and follow along to tune the carburetor myself. Normaly this is exactly what I would do, I was just at my wits end with this hard starting problem I was having, and sadly I didn't completely solve it.

Here is the original comment to my post, Thanks for sharing:
Janster said...
"You've got to be kidding. I read that ad on EBAy last week and thought it was a hoot! For all the change in performance, you'd do better by attaching baseball cards to your spokes. Read How to Build a Harley Torque Monster by Bill Rook for a great article on modifying CV carbs. It's a nice Carburetor , but spending that kind of $$$ for glass beading a Carburetor throat and getting a little plate that says "Killer" is crazy. I installed the YOST CV40 kit which is fine, though I think you could get the same effect with a much cheaper rejet kit."

Janster I would love to attach a baseball card to my spokes, that would be super cool, but I am sorry to say that my FatBoy doesn't have spokes. 8-)

Like I had said earlier, I was and am having very hard starting problems with my FatBoy, I thought it was the Carburetor and or a leaky intake. I have had the Carburetor off the bike 25 times and replaced the intake seals many times. I got the Killer Carburetor to eliminate the Carburetor as the problem. Once the bike does start it run a lot better after the rebuild. I guess the hard starting is just part of it being a 1999 and having almost 60,000 miles on it. I think I need to get into the top end and get some rings, piston, and some more power. A winter rebuild may be part of the equation.

Here is a shamless plug for some good products to help you clean you Motorcycle

2008-08-28T22:05:00.000-06:00

We are ready, let's go. Oh wait I gotta go wash my bikes. Well I better quit blogging and start scrubbing. The rain has left me a mess to deal with. But never fear we will shine on the ride tomorrow.

I was reading the sentence from a previous post and realized I wash my bikes all the time. Love to keep them clean and looking good. I have tried all kinds of things over the years, including special washing soaps, Harley Brand cleaners, and no name brand products.

I think the soap doesn't really matter so much as it all seem to get the junk off, if and only if you can wipe the surface with a rag or washing mit. If you can't get to it and wipe it like the back and side of the engine then you need to call in the specialty cleaners.

One of the best lines of cleaners and engine brighteners I have found came recommended by the Local Harley Shop. It is the S100 cleaner, and restore stuff. The S100 Engine Cleaner is a spray on let it soak and spray it off type deal. I put some on the engine an around the wheels and tires and hard to get places. Then I proceed to wash the bike with soap and a washing mit. Once I am done I get the high pressure hose out and spray off all the gunk. It works pretty well. It is not a replacement for real actual elbow grease but it definitely helps. These S100 product do help me get the bikes clean and looking good.

The last step is to add a bit of corrosion protection for the engine, they also have a product called engine Brightener. I have used this a lot to restore the nice factory black look around the back parts of the motor. So if you have a second check out these products and give them a try. Anything that makes yucky jobs easier is worth a look.

Here you can check out the complete kit.

I promise to write all about my Sturgis trip.

2008-08-19T20:23:00.002-06:00

I am busy and tired and watching the Olympics. Since we got home from our Sturgis trip I haven't had time to do much of anything. I haven't even taken the tank bag straps off or washed my bike yet. I have 1790 miles worth of bugs and road grime on my Road King. I need to clean and polish it and wax it again. And very soon, maybe I should go do that right now. Wish me luck.

KILLER MOTORCYCLE Harley Carburetor Rebuild.

2008-08-15T08:37:00.006-06:00

I have a 1999 Harley Davidson Fatboy with a CV40 Carburetor and the Cool Evo Motor. I have been fighting the carb for the past 3-4 years. The bike has 58,000 miles on it so it has ran a lot of gas through it. I have had the carburetor off my self and cleaned it. Checked the Timing on the Bike, changed the Plugs, wires, jets, etc. Well the bike kept getting harder and harder to start. When the bike was cold I would really need to crank it over to ever get it to fire. Only after Popping and back firing into the Carburetor a few times would it start. All indications were that the Carburetor needed fixed but I couldn't get it right.

I found Killer Motorcycle Products, on ebay and took a chance and sent him my carb. Then I went of to Sturgis and didn't worry about it. When I got back my shinny new Carburetor was on the front door step ready for install. I did get my exact same Carburetor back I just calling it new as it was polished and looked brand new. I spent a couple hours and got the Carburetor put back on.

This was the moment of truth. Would my frustration with this bike end or continue? I hit the starter knowing the Carburetor had no gas in it and the engine needed to open the vent so the carb could fill before it would start. I let it turn over about 10 times and cranked the throttled. Bang it fired right up. Cool. I turned it off and waited for morning to give it a test drive. The neighbors have a thing about midnight Harley noise making, I just don't get it.

Well yesterday I rode the bike to work and for an extended Lunch run. It starts right up, burns a lot more gas, and doesn't pop at all out the Carburetor or tail pipe. I am very happy with the results and now have my good old reliable FatBoy back. It is a lot richer at idle especially with the choke on. This bike was always lean maybe that what lead to my troubles.

I can say that I was worried sending my Carburetor off, not knowing what to expect, but the results were very good. I am not sure of the price, it did seem kinda high but now it work no worries. Thanks Dale.

Here is his Ebay add for reference.

* KILLER MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS WILL REBUILD AND PERFORMANCE TUNE YOUR CARB.

* SEND ME YOUR HARLEY DAVIDSON 40MM CV CARBURETOR , ALONG WITH A COPY OF YOUR PAID INVOICE AND YOUR CARB WILL BE REBUILT AND PERFORMANCE TUNED FOR YOUR BIKE.
* YOUR CARB WILL BE DISMANTLED, GLASS BEADED AN COMPLETELY REBUILT BETTER THAN NEW.
* PERFORMANCE MODIFICATIONS INCLUDE, POLISHED INTAKE FOR MAXIMUM AIR FLOW,RADIUSED AND POLISHED SLIDE, DRILLED SLIDE VENT. SLIDE SPRING RATE SET FOR IMPROVED THROTTLE RESPONSE AND MAXIMUM FULL THROTTLE PERFORMANCE. NEEDLE HEIGHT ADJUSTED, AND EMULSION TUBE MODIFIED FOR IMPROVED MID RANGE POWER.
* THE LOW SPEED CIRCUIT WILL BE MODIFIED FOR SMOOTH IDLE AND THROTTLE RESPONSE . THE AIR SCREW PLUG WILL BE REMOVED FOR EASY ADJUSTMENTS.
* A HIGH FLOW BRASS FUEL INLET WILL BE INSTALLED.
* THE MOUNTING FLANGE WILL BE POLISHED TO INSURE A GOOD SEAL.
* YOUR CARB WILL BE CUSTOM DETAILED AND A KILLER MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS DIAPHRAGM COVER AND STAINLESS BUTTON HEAD SCREW KIT WILL BE INSTALLED.
* YOU WILL GET INCREASED PERFORMANCE, NO MORE POPPING THROUGH THE CARB, AND NO MORE DEAD SPOTS WHEN YOU HIT THE THROTTLE.
* THE CUSTOM CHOKE MOUNT AND CABLE PICTURED ARE OPTIONS, THIS SET UP MAKES CHANGING JETS AND NEEDLE ADJUSTMENTS MUCH EASIER.
* THE CHOKE MOUNT AND CABLE ARE AVAILABLE IN MY OTHER AUCTION ALONG WITH THE NEW CUSTOM BILLET CHOKE KNOBS AND IF PURCHASED AT THE TIME OF YOUR REBUILD IT WILL BE INSTALLED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE.
* IF YOU NEED YOUR MANIFOLD PORTED OR IF YOU NEED A COMPLETE CARBURETOR LET ME KNOW.
* AFTER YOU PURCHASE A CARB REBUILD I WILL EMAIL YOU TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR BIKE AND I WILL SET YOUR CARB UP TO RUN BEST WITH ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
* THE CARB WILL COME READY TO INSTALL SET UP FOR YOUR BIKE
* IT IS THE BUYERS RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROPER INSTALLATION.
* IT IS THE BUYERS RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK EPA REGULATIONS IN HIS OR HER STATE.MODIFYING YOUR CARB OR INSTALLING A MODIFIED CARB FOR STREET USE MAY NOT BE LEGAL IN YOUR STATE.
* THIS ITEM WILL SHIP ONE TO THREE DAYS AFTER CARBURETOR IS RECEIVED.THANK YOU, AND Check out my other items!

V-Force Customs Is formed by Vinnie and Cody

2008-08-12T08:12:00.003-06:00

From the famous biker show OCC, or Orange County Choppers in New York, the stars Vinny and Cody were born. I guess after 6 years on the show and working for Paulie and Paul Senior, they have ventured out on their own to start a new shop called V-Force Customs. I know this is not exactly new news but until yesterday no one told me. So if you.

I wish Vinnie Dimartino and Cody Connelly all the best with starting Vforce Customs.

I was checking out some of the you tube videos and from the look of it they are going to be a custom motorcycle shop. Building themed bikes for companies and celeberties and Sports teams, etc. I am sure they will do a fine job.

So let's all take bets will they have a reality TV show, Is it in the works already?

http://www.vforcecustoms.com/

5 days 15 hours and slowly counting down.

2008-07-29T08:03:00.003-06:00

That's right kids we are headed to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The official countdown say 5 days, my count down ends Friday Aug 1st after work, let's say about 4:00 o'clock Utah time. We have planned an excellent route this year, and welcome rider to joins us or just wave along the way. SLC to Logan Utah for the night on Friday. Then Sat morning up through the back woods of Idaho into Jackson Hole Wyoming. We will stop in Jackson for Lunch and then north into the parks we go. We plan to wander around the roads of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for most of the day Saturday and camp at either Lake Village, or Canyon Village. After a cool night with the bears, we are headed North once again out of the park and over Bear Tooth pass into Red Lodge Montana, via Crooke City. From here we will turn east and follow the green roads across Montana and see how far we cam make it. Stopping to camp along the way. Then Monday we will make the final zoom into Strugis via Belle Fourche.

We will be staying at the Buffalo Chip to see Kids Rock on Monday night and then we will just see what happens, we will probably only stay about 2 nights and head for home. The fun of this trip is getting there, the journey and not the destination.

Sturgis Here we come.

2008-07-23T08:43:00.002-06:00

ok, ok, so that last post was lame. Now we are down to 11 days and change till Sturgis this year. Yeippie.

We pick our route and are ready mentally. We are going to Logan Utah on Friday August 1st. This is from SLC and we will be headed up after work. Traffic will be yucky and hot and slow, so this is a bigger deal that it seems. I hate going Norht from SLC on Friday night, but I seem to do it more often than I want to.

Then the Fun begins, Saturday Morning the 2nd we are headed up north to Jackson Hole for Lunch, then onto JellyStone Park and the Grand Tetons park. We are going to plan to head all the way through the park and out the top on the east side. We have heard that Cooke City is a fun little place, and if we can make it we will stop there and stay over. We will camp if we get into town in time. I know this is a long day, I meed to run the miles ansd see.

Sturgis Here we come.

2008-07-21T21:41:00.001-06:00

13 days, 5 hours, and 44 minutes until the Sturgis Rally. I can't wait but as always I am too busy to talk about it.

The Great Canadian Motorcycle Auction and Canadian Biker Buildoff

2008-07-21T17:57:00.002-06:00

I got some information about this and thought I would pass it on.

I know that this will be of interest to you all because the auction will be showcasing award-winning bikes from some of Canada’s top custom chopper builders including: Canada’s 2007 Champion of the Canadian Biker Build Off, Georges Thomas, Concept and Design Cycle with the “Alien”, Zeel Design with the “General Lee,” the winner of the International Biker Build Off, “Silver Lining” by Sinister Custom Choppers, award winner at the Toronto International Motorcycle Show, “Nitmar” by Precision FramWorx, winner at the Calgary World of Wheels and many more.

This auction will be one that bike lovers and fanatics won’t want to miss out on. It will be a huge event that, in years before, have had thousands of buyers, builders, sellers, and bike lovers attend for the sole purpose of ooh-ing and ahh-ing at stainless steel beauties. Add to that some beer and biker bunnies, and who could ask for a more perfect way to spend a weekend? Can’t make it? That’s too bad, but just for those who, sadly, cannot make it out to the auction, they will have the opportunity to bid online for a piece of motorcycle history.

The Great Canadian Motorcycle Auction and Canadian Biker Buildoff has already garnered media coverage from all over the world but we would like to reach out to the Internet fan base of bike enthusiasts and send them a heads up about this great event. Any posting, email blasts, or news you could put up about this auction on behalf of the charity would be greatly appreciated by us and bikers everywhere.

please visit http://auctionwire.ca/buildoff/ for full details.

Into the Desert Wind, for the MDA Charity ride.

2008-06-17T09:03:00.000-06:00

Last Weekend we went to a Wendover Utah for the MDA Fund Raiser motorcycle ride. We had a very good time and the event was well attended. The event was a 120 mile ride from the Salt Lake City Harley Shop to the Wendover Nevada casinos. At the Casino they had an outdoor stage setup and a rock concert. We saw Night Ranger play as the sunset and the wind blew. The concert was good but, the wind took all the heat our us and we started to get cold towards the end.

Now it's time for an MPG update. We filled up the bikes in Sandy before we left. The king only took about a half a gallon to be full. Gas was $3.99 a gallon and together the bikes took 3.11 gallon and it cost $12.47.

Later that afternoon in Wendover we filled them up again. This time the Road King took 3.5 gallons and traveled a 139.7 miles, the main odometer read 4395. So let's see 139.7 / 3.5 = 39.91 milers per gallon. Not bad for full speed 70-80 miles an hour into the desert wind. “Into the Desert Wind” I think is a great title to the motorcycle touring book I should write one day. So as of right now I am copy righting that title. And committing to writing a book. Sorry my mind just wandered. The 2002 Dyna Low Rider took 3.2 gallons of gas and the odometer read 135.6 miles. This shows the odometers are off, as we had traveled the exact same distances. So 135.6 / 3.2 = 42.375 MPGs. This is pretty good, definitely shows the difference between the big wind shield on the Road King and the smaller one on the Dyna.

This gas stop was when the high gas prices hit my wife. I guess she has been trying not to worry about it, and was thinking we usually gas up the bikes for 12-15 bucks. This time the total bill was $28.39. This fact hit her and she was amazed that the price had basically doubled for a two bike fill up.

The next day we ventured home along the same path but the wind was not as strong blowing in our face. The Road King went 154.4 miles on 3.8 gallons for 40.6 MPGs and the Dyna went 148 mile on 3.2 gallons for 46.25. The total cost was once again $29.78 at $3.99 a gallon.

On the way home we took a detour to find the Larry Miller big new super speedway race track. Out in the desert of Utah west of Salt Lake City they built a world class race track for Nascar Road races and Super Bike Motorcycle races. It's an amazing thing out in the middle of no where. We wanted to take a look around and were in the neighborhood so we stopped in. The Track was pretty coolll but we didn't go inside. We didn't have enough time and they were having an official motorcycle race.

I'll have more info and picture of this event when I get some more time. Stayed tuned.

MDA Ride, post haste

2008-06-14T10:28:00.002-06:00

Well It's Saturday June 14th a week after the MDA ride, and I am finally getting a second to put down a few words about the ride. It was a good time, with a big turnout, and they raised a lot of money. I head that attendance was down a bit, but I don't know for sure, there seemed to be a lot of people from my point of view. I also heard them say that this is the 3rd largest one day bike rally fund raiser in the country so that is cool. I too a bunch of pictures and plan to get them posted to the website soon, thanks for your patience.

57th annual MDA Ride one day away

2008-06-06T18:03:00.010-06:00

The 57th Annual MDA Ride for Cure

Dog and Cats, living together! I am excited about the Harley Davidson of SLC sponsored ride for a cure for MDA. It's tomorrow morning and me and about 3000 of my closest friends are getting together for a Little ride, and a concert, and I'm sure a 1000 stories that are all true. Night Ranger, is the band, bring on the 80 big hair rock and roll. Yaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went down to the SLC Harley Shop and registered, 60 bucks a cow, wow I thought this was alot per person, I'm in 120 bucks for a ride, plus hotel, and food and gas and gambling. Look out budget we may get dinged. Not that I am cheap I am just thinking and comparing this to other forms of fun. Skiing is 60-80 bucks and movies are 10 so, I guess I will just nod my head and say it all goes to a good cause. (I hope).

Well the 60 bucks did include a t-shirt and a pin. SWEET! I need a new t-shirt with flames and babes and Bike on it. Yahoo!!!!

This shirt is pictured above, a white heavy T with a cool looking logo on it. Here is a shot of the pocket and the pin we got. Nice enough to wear to church. I like the little halo effect on the riders. Adds a cool touch.

This ride is fun the police lead it out and run in a big group. 5 or 6 years ago we were headed out and I had my daughter with me, she was about 5 and riding on the back, I had made her some blocks out of wood to add around the rear foot pegs so her feet could touch the pegs. It was cool and everyone that saw them was impressed, a Harley with silly wood blocks like my dad added to my trike when I was 5. Well anyway the police had stopped at the first rest stop and we passed them. They got back on the road and as a group passed us. They all waved and smiled and my daughter thought it was really cool to see and wave to all the police bike. They seem so big and so many as they ride side by side in the lane and really close together. All the things we are taught not to do and don't do when riding. That's OK they passed us at 80 and were having a good time too. Well I hope to see you all out on the Road!

Now I'm getting over 40 mile per gallon on my Road King

2008-06-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

June 3rd.
The fourth tank of expensive gasoline goes through “The King”. I am confident and excited, over a little thing like this. Yes we made progress. This time around I think I broke the coveted 40 mile per gallon mark. So let's run the numbers, I bought 4.3 gallons of gas at $3.799 per gallon. I drove a total of 176 miles this time for an average of 176/4.30 = 40.93 miles per gallon. Yeippiieee!!!! That's a pretty good improvement over the first tank. The main odometer of my Harley Road King now sits at 4229 miles. Thus I have almost put 1000 miles on it since I bought it. these trips were all around town where the stop light and the speeds are 0-40 on and off. I did a few short freeway trip to and from work but this is only about 4 miles at 80 mile per hour.

MDA Ride for a Cure, SLC to Wendover Utah

2008-06-02T23:13:00.003-06:00

So mark your calenders for this Saturday. I know it is late notice but some times you have to just wing it. That is what we are doing, we lined up a baby sitter, we haven't wash our bikes or even signed up for the ride yet, but we are going. The baby sitter is the hardest part.

So the ride is a fund Raiser for the MDA Muscular dystrophy Association. Every year they raise a lot of money and put on a great event. The ride is about 100 miles due west on I-80 from Salt Lake City to Wendover Nevada. Once in Wendover the fun begins, a concert with Night Ranger and then we hit the tables for an all night money winning festival. Ohh ya, we can't loose.

The ride is sponsored by some local radio stations and the Local SLC Harley Davidson Shops. It's a big event with close to 3000 bikes each year spanning the road for a 100 miles. The group is lead by the local Motorcycle Police squads and they are not scared to lead on at 80 miles per hour. Just ride safe and have some fun.

See at the Harley Davidson shop at noon on Saturday for all the fun.

The Kings third tank of expensive gasoline

2008-05-29T13:06:00.001-06:00

May 28th
I ran a third tank of gas through my new Harley Davidson Road King. It's not exactly new, but it sure seems like it and rides like it for me. Each time I get on it I feel very good about my new ride. I am still getting used to it. Well anyway I bought 4.2 gallons of gas at a price of $3.79. I was able to mellow out a bit and slow down a bit on this tank full. Thus I got better gas mileage. I went 163 miles on this fill up and the main Odometer on the bike hit 4053. 163 miles on 4.16 gallons = 39.18 miles per gallon. This is excellent I am glad I was able to squeak out an extra 2 miles per gallon. I know this is not much but it gets me closer to the 45-50 that I expected or wanted. I was really thinking that this bike with the fuel injection would improve the miles per gallon. The fuel injection does improve the performance of the motorcycle. My 1999 Fatboy gets better miles per gallon that this one. It is a smaller engine but it does have the Carburetor. My carburetor on my 80 cc evolution engine is jetted kinda lean so, I guess that helps with the mileage.

Wow the first two days of the week were very nice for riding my motorcycle. 67 degrees and cloudy in the morning, cool and crisp and nice for a ride. I have been doing a extra amount of riding this week as I have had to run here and there and get a few things done. It has been nice to zip around in traffic on “the King”. I have been riding it easy, no jack rabbit starts and keeping the speeds below 80 on the freeway. I want to really see if I can get 40+ miles per gallon out of this tank. I know it only a few miles per gallon but it's the whole idea of getting more than 40 mpgs vs. less that 40.

How many Beers fit in the Saddle Bag of a Road King?

2008-05-22T21:55:00.004-06:00

Sweet Monkey Mullet Batman. I had to answer this question. You see on my 1999 Harley Fat Boy I could carry a 12 pack in each saddle bag. This was very good information to know based on living in Utah and liking to drink beer that is not watered down. (If you know what I mean). Or if you are headed to the store for a few items, will a 12, 24, 0r 30 pack fit on the scooter for the ride home. Well I got to the bottom of the mystery on the first attempt.

As you can see from the first picture I left no amount of space in the bag empty. I even cheated a bit up front with the front beer being held in by the lid. Mind you there is no room for ice, or pizza so keep this in mind for your next road trip.

Did you Guess 24?

Did you Guess 30?

The winner is 30 beers, yahoo that is one big suitcase of cold Miller beer. Now I just wish I had a cold one in my little computer keyboard banging hand right now.

2 days of Rain, 2 days in bed.

2008-05-22T21:49:00.003-06:00

That's right biker buddies, we have been down and out for the past two days. First off a spring cold and flu bug slammed me and my whole family. The cat is the only happy one in the place lot's of people and attention for her.

At least it has rained for the past two days, so while I have been down and out, I at least wasn't missing the change to enjoy some sunny warm biking. So the outlook for tomorrow is slight rain and I gotta go to work. So at least on both account I am over the weather and over most of the this flu.

Here is a parting shot of "The King" and I

75 Days until Sturgis, Get ready now.

2008-05-20T16:49:00.002-06:00

I was wandering around the biker forumns this morning and I saw a thread about going to Sturgis, then I went and checked the count down timer on Sturgis.com. Look out the trip will upon on us soon and I mean very soon. I was thinking about all the different ways to go to Strugis, and the Rules you must follow. So here is a short list of my Sturgis Rally Rules to live by.

1.) Ride your bike with all your gear strapped to it. You bought the bike to ride, leave the box and motorhome at home.

1.) Respect your Biker Brothers. Be cool, hangout, have fun, don't mess with Shit you are not suposed to.

2.) Camp in the Dirt. To find a spot for your tent just pull in and ask around a bit, everyone is there to have fun and have a bit of space, a little courtsey goes a long way. When it gets to be 100 degrees relax and have some fun. Hotels are for old people and people who have more money than me, well nevermind.

3.) Helmet Hair, live it love it leave the frilly stuff at home.

4.) Carny Food, leave your diet at home and indulge in all things Street vendor.

5.) Take in all the sites and take a lot of pictures.

More soon.

"Ride Safe"

A few Local SLC Motorcycle Rides and events

2008-05-15T07:42:00.004-06:00

Dead Man's Run - May 17th

May 17, 2008 Murray, Utah

Dead Man's Run 08
Sponsored by Vulture Club
Registration begins at 9:00 am at Barbary Coast Saloon, 4242 South State Street in Murray. The ride leaves at 11:00 am and ends with music. Ride fee is $25.00 for the rider and $10.00 for a passenger. For more information call Mike at (801) 598-9022 or

click here to send e-mail.
Not sure of the details, but this sound's like a fun time for all.

Armed Forces Day Car, Truck and Bike Show
MAY 18, 2008

ARMED FORCES DAY
CAR TRUCK AND BIKE SHOW
MAY 18 REGISTER AT NOON SHOW AT 1PM RIDE AT 2PM
LOCATED AT 1641 NORTH MAIN IN
TOOELE $10.00 for show and lunch,
$15.00 for ride, show, and lunch
FOR MORE INFO: 435-882-4040 OR VISIT: WWW.tracksbrewing.com
or myspace.com/tracksbrewing SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING SHIPPABLE ITEMS TO HELP THE TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR OPERATION GIVE

Abate Shriners Benefit Ride
SHRINERS BENEFIT RIDE:
MAY 18, 2008
SIGN UP: 8:30 AM
LEAVES: 10:00 AM
(NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ALLOWED N THIS RIDE!!)
$15.00 PER PERSON(suggested donation)
LOCATION: 3474 S. STATE @ WRIGHTS
info: 801-266-2050

So this weekend saddle up and head for at least one of these events, Utah is a happening place.

The Second tank of expensive gas goes through "The King"

2008-05-13T12:48:00.003-06:00

As you all know I am touring on a new used 2006 Road King. "The King" as I have nick named it. I have been able to ride it on and off a bit but the weather is not helping. So in the past days I did get to ride it 168 miles. This mornings fill up was 168 miles and 4.5 gallons. To complete the history I paid $3.68 per gallon for a total cost of $16.61. The bike now has 3890 miles total on it, which makes it still very new.

This shows that my 2006 Harley Davidson Road King is getting 168/4.503 = 37.3 MPG's.

My last fill up was on Wednesday morning 4-23-2008 the gas was $3.29 a gallon in Draper Utah, and I needed 4.3 gallons for 161 miles. Do the math 161/4.3 = 37.44 MPGs.

I like the looks of the comparison. I can live with 37+ Miles per gallon around the town.
Maybe I can expect to get 45-50 miles per gallon on my long road trips, or it may get better once the engine get broken in.

You an be sure that I will have more information to as this great summer of gas savings continue.

Rain and snow please go away, today.

2008-05-12T16:15:00.003-06:00

Sweet Mullett Batman It's not spring yet, it's not summer today It's rainy season here in Utaher. I guess spring is springing and rain is raining. I went home for lunch and I got soaked. It was hailing and raining hard, I even rode my dirt bike today, knowing it may rain and not wanting to wash my Road King if it did rain. Well it did, like a big whiner I got really cold and wet. One thing to note about riding in the rain, visibility is really reduced and so is stopping speed, I stayed on the back roads, thus taking longer to get home so I had more one on one time with the rain to enjoy getting cold and wet. Now for my completely unfair comparison, I am amazed at the difference between a DR350 and a Harley Road King. The DR350 will go 70-75 MPH top speed on the freeway, but it's screaming it's brains out doing it. The Road King on the other hand is just purring along at about 70 MPH and screaming to go 80 or more. I know this is not a fair comparison, as the Road King won't scale a 10,000 foot dirt and rock mountain trail, but for my short commute, both of them got me to work and back. I will live to Ride the Road King another day. But for today the suzuki DR350 got me to work and back twice. For the ride home the weather is warming up and the sun is out bright in the sky so my ride home will be very nice. And remember only 83 days till the Sturgis Bike Week.

Summer time is today. Biking weather is here.

2008-05-05T17:12:00.003-06:00

Sweet Mullett Batman It's summer today. Zoom VRoom Boom, I got to ride my big old motor scooter in the warm weather today. I even got to line up in the pole position at the Freeway on ramp traffic light twice. That's right folks, Hit it first thing this morning and after Lunch. Fun was had by all, including but not limited to me.

Ride safe and keep the rubber side down.

Primary Childrens Wheeler Machine fund raiser ride, 5-31-2008

2008-05-02T07:34:00.002-06:00

Wash your bike fill it up with 4 dollar a gallon fuel and join us on a fun and small ride (300 riders about 200 miles) through he Utah Mountains on May 31st, 2008. The money raised is matched by Wheeler Machine and then donated to Primary Children's Hospital. A state of the art Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City Utah. Continental Breakfast and catered Lunch will be available and the entry fee is a 10 dollar donation per person. Sounds like a great ride, and another great cause. The ride is from SLC Utah, through Heber, up over wollf creek pass and down to Hannah Utah with lunch served in Hanna.

MDA Ride for a Cure June 7th 2008

2008-05-02T07:20:00.002-06:00

Mark the calendar save the date, get out your extra cash and get ready for June 7th. It's the Salt Lake City MDA Harley Ride for Charity. Every year about 2000+ riders ride from SLC to Wendover Utah to make money for the MDA. This is a great ride a and great cause. Ride for the cure.

Once the Bikers get to Wendover party with food, fun and a Concert. it's a great event to be a part of.

Harley Fat Boy Knee Dragging.

2008-04-29T08:44:00.002-06:00

Well Ok the title does stretch the truth a little bit. BUT this morning at my now famous stop light and freeway on ramp, I finished pre-race qualifying in second place. So in second place I was able to line up of the outside lane of the two lane starting spot for the race. I waited patiently, slowly and loudly revving my Fatboys engine. I had just barley got it warmed up, remember my commute is very short. (lucky me.) Well anyway the Christmas tree jumped from red, to green and I was off. No delays today, I am very comfortable on my Fatboy, I leaned hard into the turn as I walked the gears up to third in a thunderous roar under the massive bridge of the freeway above me. At about mid range into third gear I was completing the final stage of the turn, SCRAPE!!!!!!, I was dragging my floor boards, I do this from time to time. Every time I just about jump out of my seat when I hear that sound it scares the daylights out of me. No harm no foul I just kept pouring on the gas, fourth, fifth, 75, and a clean merge into traffic. Then I sat back and thought about how much I love this bike and how comfortable it is to ride. I was also thinking I gotta ride it and burn all the winter gas out of it. Then replace it with some nice clean summer fuel. Maybe that will help it start better. Then I gotta upgrade the engine to the biggest one I can put in the frame, and paint some serious flame on the tank, and chop the front end, and still find time to ride like the wind.

The 2008 Sturgis Bike Week Dates

2008-04-28T08:24:00.002-06:00

The 68th Annual
Black Hills Motorcycle Rally, AKA Sturgis Bike Week

August 4th - 10th, 2008

In case anyone out in Motorcycle Land does not know the official dates for this years Sturgis South Dakota Bike Rally. Mark August 4th on your calendar and be sure to be there.

The first tank of gas goes through "The King"

2008-04-24T09:00:00.001-06:00

I bought a new used 2006 Road King a few weeks ago. I have now dodged the weather enough days in the past 2 weeks to ride it 300 full miles. It's raining again today in case anyone is wondering. So back to the first tank of gas in the 2006 Harley Davidson Road King. I filled it up on Wednesday morning 4-23-2008 when it was cool, and like I said Wednesday. The reason I mention this is I read these tips on any one of the 100 how to save gas articles floating around right now. When it's cold out you get more gas than when it is warm and mid week gas is cheaper as gas prices tend to rise in cost over the weekend. Well anyway the gas was $3.29 a gallon in Draper Utah, and I needed 4.3 gallons to top of "The King". The trip odometer read 161 miles and the fuel gauge was just entering the red marks near E. These miles were a combination of one long freeway trip of 60 miles and the rest around town stop and go and my 3 mile freeway sprint down the on ramp each morning. Do the math 161/4.3 = 37.44 MPGs. This is not too bad, I was hoping or expecting it to be about 45-50 miles per gallon but this was the first tank and my first 300 miles to really test out the bike so I was riding it hard most of the time. When you have a new bike you have to goose it at most all stops signs. Well more to come on this great gas debate.

Earth Day, how I saved $5867 and 37,699 lbs of carbon from being added to the air.

2008-04-22T10:18:00.001-06:00

Earth day 2008

I was thinking about Earth Day this morning as I got on my Motorcycle and headed down the road for my daily short drive to work. I was trying to make sure I felt good about myself, being earth friendly and that riding my motorcycle does make a difference in both my carbon foot print(check out those earthy buzzwords), and my pocket book.

Since I bought my Motorcycle in 2000 I have ridden it 58,000 miles so I did a few calculations.

58,000 Miles on my Harley Davidson FatBoy and I get 44 miles per gallon so I have burned:

58,000/44 = 1318.18 Gallons of gasoline in the past 7 years. At a today's cost of $3.29 dollars a gallon.

1318.18 * 3.29 = $4336.81 I would have spent.

To compare this to my Diesel Dodge Cummins 4x4 Truck that gets 18 miles per gallon.

58,000/18 = 3222.22 Gallons, At $4.09 per gallon for today's price of diesel. That would have been a total cost of:

3222.22 * 4.09 = $13,178.88.

So the savings in Gas vs. Fuel costs for the same miles traveled is: $8,842.07, and a saving of 1904.04 Gallons for Fuel.

A gallon of gasoline weighs 6.2 pounds, consisting mostly of carbon, plus a small amount of hydrogen and a few impurities. Through combustion each carbon atom combines with two atoms of heavier oxygen atoms, resulting in 19.8 pounds of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. http://www.greenuniversity.net/Green_Economics/carbondioxide.htm

So to be totally earth friendly, on happy earth day, Here is a really good feel good thought. In the past 7 years riding my motorcycle I have not release 1904.04 gallons * 19.8 lbs = 37,699.92 pounds of carbon into the air. Yeippie for me. I am such an earth lover.

Now back to costs, what about the extra cost of insurance and tires, and maintenance for my bike v.s my truck. Let's calculate insurance first. My bike if $250 dollars a year to insure, my truck $600, but I must have my truck, so I will just count the cost of the bike Insurance. In 7 years * $250 = $1750. Now how about tires, My truck wore our about 1 set of tires in 60,000 miles, My motorcycle needs a rear tire every 10,000-15,000 miles and a front every 20,000. So lets say I have replaced the rear 4 times and the front 3 times in the past 58,000 miles. For a cost of 150.00 each. I do the work myself and buy the tires on line so the cost is less than $150.00 but I don't mind rounding up. 7 * $150.00 = $1050. I will now consider oil and maintenance for the motorcycle. I know for this discussion the I am considering the Motorcycle as all extra costs v.s just driving my truck. I changed the oil in my Harley once a year at 3 quarts and a filter. $10.00 for oil, $12.00 for a filter, after all you must buy expensive oil and a Chrome filter. So 25.00 bucks a year * 7 years = $175.00

Going back to the gas savings of my bike versus truck was $8,842.07 – $1750 (insurance) – $1050 (tires) – $175.00 (oil) = $5867.07

So that about sums it up, for close to 6,000 dollars saved in fuel, 37,700 pounds of carbon not released into the air, and my Smile from ear to ear for every single mile spent with the wind in my face.

One last thing to Note, This doesn't cover the purchase price of the Harley, but It may come close to covering the cost of a smaller more economical bike. It also doesn't consider the depreciation of my truck versus my bike. How much less would my truck be worth with an extra 58,000 miles on it versus the depreciation of my Harley now it has 58,000 mile on it.

Once Again the On-Ramp..

2008-04-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

April 18th. Zoom Zoom It's warm and pretending to be summer outside. The sky is clear the wind is blowing around but it's good biking weather. I got to ride this morning and I also took a minute to go for a short ride at about 11:00 am. I'm very hopeful that warm weather will be here to stay, but nope raining and windy for the weekend. Bummer, I was gonna wash the bikes and put on some more miles.

Well anyway for those of you following along. I hit the on ramp this morning and once again had a fantastic ride around the turn. I approached it right before it was going to turn yellow, so all the cars were clear and I was full on the juice approaching, I leaned into the corner and let off the revs enough to let the bike layover and in and around the corner without brakes and without gas. As I completed 80 percent of the long sweeper I put the coal to it. A perfect ending to a nice long lean. Then the road ahead was plugged with all the boxes that were in front of me, so I dropped the blinker on and cross a couple lanes for my 2 exit cruise.

During this time I was thinking about how much I like riding the bike and how much I am saving in Diesel fuel and money. I want to do a full and on going comparison this summer. With diesel at $4.10 a gallon and Gas $3.25 a gallon. I know I am saving money, and gas but am I really saving money v.s. just driving my Truck considering all the costs. The calculation will go something like this. The truck goes about 450 miles on 100 dollars, the bike will go the same distance on how many dollars? I am guessing 2 or 2.5 tanks full which is probably 30 dollars. So I need to figure our how many times I save that 70 or so dollars a month. I am guessing that the saving will cover the costs of insurance and tires on the bike. But look at it the saving I have in air pollution gases, and therapy. I'm not going to say global warming, as I think that is a farce, but saving gas and pollution is a good thing to do, It reduces demand so gas prices can come down. As for therapy, a full twist of the throttle and unleashing all the horses from the Fuel Injected 88 Twin in a few second of acceleration is all the therapy I need.

“Super Batman Fast"

2008-04-17T14:02:00.001-06:00

Sweet Monkey Mullet Batman. So for all of you following along today. I just got back from lunch today and everything is brighter. The Sun is warmer, the Temps are up to the high 50's and I am Jazzed. Guess What? Yup you guessed it, I got into Pole position at the freeway on ramp traffic light again. So once again close you eyes and Follow along with this visual. (Unless you are driving, which if you are driving and reading this great blog you got other issues.) I was more prepared and more excite this time. It did seem like the light took forever to turn Green. But when it did, I was off. Zoom, I was into the middle of second and starting to really lean The King down, when I knew I could go harder and lean more, I hesitated and stayed on the cautious side. I'm not in the mode to toss the King, just yet, but it was only a slight hesitation and I straightened up a bit and poured it on, all the way past 5th, well ok into 5th remember I was wishing for a 6th gear earlier, and onto the freeway. Fun fun fun, like my kids tell me, Make it go “Super Batman Fast Dad” I think we are getting close boys.

Fast freeway on ramp fun

2008-04-17T11:30:00.001-06:00

Today is April 17^th, two day past the sting of April 15^th which as we all know is TAX HELL day. Or at least it was an expensive tax day for me. Let's just say I had about 3000 reason to complain this year. Well anyway the weather has been nuts this week, Monday the 14^th it was 80 degree and sunny and warm. Tuesday the wind and a storm and stow blew in, it was freezing. I did get a chance to ride into work but I left the bike at home at lunch. Good thing too, It snowed and blew like crazy. Two guys at the office got caught and parked their Motorcycle in the Lobby of our building. That was cool looking.

Well any way like I was saying today is April 17^th and the sun is out. It's a bit cold but I did ride to work this morning. It was almost 40 something like 38.79 degrees, warm enough when I left the house. And now for the fun part, the freeway on ramp. The intersection is one of those fancy new cross over 4 way fancy jobbers. It has a big two lane traffic light that stops all traffic, when the light turns green the two lane make a big turn and then a three lane on ramp meets the freeway. I was in the front of the line at the light and in the far left lane. When the light turns green I get to go left through the intersection and then left up the big long on ramp and merge left onto I-15. Translation a big wide long sweeping turn that starts out with my Harley making a bunch of echoing noises under the bridge that is the freeway above. The goal in mind of reaching 75 MPHs as fast as I can go.

Now close you eyes and follow my vision here. (But don't close your eyes if you are driving.)

The light turned green, I revered 88 cubic inch fuel injected monster to about 4000, and let out the clutch as far as I could and left the revs near the yellow line. Zoom, zoom, first, second, third, I leaned that big new Road King into the Sweeper and just let it all hang out. At the top of third, and the top of the on ramp, I looked down to see 75 MPH's on the speedometer and about 75-100 feet of clean road behind me. I hit 4^th and made a nice clean merge across 3 lanes, and settled in at about 80. Then I thought 5^th, I have 5^th gear too. I dropped into 5^th and wished I had a 6^th gear, as the bike settled into a nice smooth cruse. I enjoyed the ride for about 3 minutes, and slowed down and got off the freeway. That was it, two exits and I'm at work. But it's was some of the funnest freeway riding that I can do. fast on, settle in, and get off. The bike doesn't really get a chance to really warm up or stretch it's legs but that's ok, I will get to ride the open road all day soon enough.

I found picture of myself with Indian Larry

2008-04-15T15:17:00.003-06:00

Indian Larry, Chopper Shaman

Ian and Indian Larry

Here is a copy of a post I made a month or so ago. It has a couple of links to Books about Indian Larry.

I thought I would revist this post, Just a few minutes ago I was digging through my Pictures and I found a picture I had taken with Indian Larry at Strugis a few years ago. Man that was a fun day. Indina Larry and Billy Lane doing a biker build off and Just hanging out with Fans.
I talked to Indian Larry Shock his hand, had. I told what I thought of his Bikes. Great Craftsmanship.

Well anyway checkout this book about Indian Larry, For the real Chopper man this is a good book to read and digest. Like I said am really glad I had the chance to meet Indian Larry and talk to him, examined his bikes, get a picture with him and he signed a custom Indian Larry shirt for me. Good Memories for a guy who died way to soon in life.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Ralley, here we come!

2008-04-15T12:42:00.003-06:00

110 days until The Sturgis 2008 Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sweet Mullet, I can't wait. Now that spring is starting to almost make it's way to Utah, we are planning and I mean making big plans to head for the "Buffalo Chip" Campground and plop down at Sweater Vest Hill. Once again the center of the trip will be KID ROCK!!!!! at the Chip, I will not go see him in SLC, but I will drive 750 miles in the wind, rain, sun, and fun to see him rock the stage at the Chip. Kid Rock is Monday night August 4th. We will also see Puddle of Mudd, and Alice Cooper. YES!!!!

Hog Harley Owners Group

2008-04-14T13:54:00.000-06:00

HOG - Harley Owners Group

As the owner of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, you have the opportunity to become a member of an elite group. This group is known as HOG - Harley Owners Group. Currently, there are more than 1 million HOG members around the globe who have united to display their passion for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Members of HOG attend activities presented by local hog chapters. Activities fall into three categories :

- Closed events - conducted primarily for the benefit of HOG chapter members. Some closed events allow members to bring one guest.

- Member events - only open to HOG members.

- Open events - chapter events open to HOG members and other guests.

There are three types of HOG membership :

- Full membership - Entitles members to all the benefits and services of the Harley Owners Group organization.

- Associate membership - Designed for passengers and family members of full HOG members. Associate members must be sponsored by a full member in order to participate in HOG events.

- Life membership - Available as a full life membership or as an associate life membership. Special benefits and recognitions are available to life members.

Members of HOG receive many benefits besides the camaraderie of fellow Harley enthusiasts. HOG members receive :

- Subscription to Enthusiast magazine; the oldest continually published motorcycle magazine in the world.

- Subscription to Hog Tales; the official publication of the Harley Owners Group that keeps members up - to - date on hog happenings around the world.

- HOG Fly and Ride membership. This program allows hog members to fly to locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia; pick up a Harley - Davidson motorcycle from a local dealership; and tour in style without any hassle or delay.

- HOG membership manual to help members get the most out of their hog membership.

- Access to the HOG "Members Only" website.

- Copy of the official HOG Touring Handbook; a guide filled with maps, dealer location, riding laws, and much more.

Women who own Harley Davidson motorcycles are privy to the Ladies of Harley (LOH) membership. LOH is the group of female Harley Davidson enthusiasts who promote activities and adventures from within a local HOG chapter. The members of LOH run their own meetings and sponsor activities that both women and men can participate in.

HOG events include national and international rallies, state rallies, touring rallies, open houses, pit stops and pin stops where members can pick up HOG pins and other memorabilia.

Every hog chapter reflects the passions and personalities of its members. No matter where in the world you go, HOG members can always feel at home when they attend hog meetings and events.

While each chapter offers a variety of events, each being unique to the chapter, the focus is to have fun and share your passion for HOG and the Harley - Davidson lifestyle. HOG chapters include a variety of fun and "good deed" events including dinner rides, parades, observation runs, toy runs to provide toys to sick or needy children, charity events, safe rider programs and more.

Becoming a HOG member will open up the doors to life with a Harley and present you with many opportunities to make good friends and be part of an exceptional group of fun - loving, kind and caring individuals.

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This article reprinted from

http://www.amazinarticles.com/articles/HarleyDavidson

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Should You Buy A New Harley Davidson

2008-04-07T12:43:00.000-06:00

Buying a new motorcycle is easy, right? You just pick a model, go to the nearest dealer and pay for it. Okay maybe not, especially if this will be your first motorcycle.

Owning a Harley Davidson motorcycle is like owning a legend. A new Harley is an investment, not just a purchase. They are also expensive, so knowing what you want, what you need and what you can handle is very important before you fork over the cash.

Before you purchase a new bike, do some research. Not all Harleys are suitable for cruising. Just because a bike looks good doesn't mean it's right for you. You want to find one that runs well, is comfortable to ride, and that you can handle. If you are just starting out you may want to start with a smaller bike until your skills improve.

Touring bikes are the heaviest of the Harley machines. A new touring bike ranges from $16, 000 to over $20,000 without customization. Models include the FLHR Road King, the FLHRS Road King Custom, the FLHRC Road King Classic, the FLHX Street Glide, the FLTR Road Glide, The FLHT Electra Glide Standard, the FLHTC Electra Glide Classic, and the FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide.

Slightly smaller and faster are the VRSC models. They include the VRSCAW V - Rod, the VRSCD Night Rod, the VRSCXD Night Rod Special, the VRSCX, and the VRSCR Street Rod. These sweet rides range from $14,000 - $20,000.

The next lightest models are the Softails and start at around $14,000 to just under $18,000. These models include the FXST Softail Standard (a barebones model), FXSTB Night Train, FXSTC Softail Custom, FXSTD Softail Deuce, FLSTF Fat Boy, FLSTN Softail Deluxe, FLSTSC Softail Springer Classic, and the FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic.

Next up are the Dyna models. They sell for between just over $12,000 to just under $17,000. These models include the FXD Dyna Super Glide, the FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom, the FXDB Dyna Street Bob, the FXDL Dyna Low Rider, and the FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide.

The lightest new Harley you could buy, both in weight and price is a Sportster model. These gems are available for between $6,500 to just under $10,000 for a special 50th Anniversary limited addition model. Sportsters include the XL**# Sportster 883, the XL883L Sportster 883 Low, the XL883C Sportster 883 Custom, the XL883R Sportster 883, the XL1200N Sportster 1200 Nightster, the XL1200C Sportster 1200 Custom, the XL1200R Sportster 1200 Roadster and the XL1200l Sportster 1200 Low.

Some riders consider the Sportster the most difficult to ride despite its lightness. This is due to the high placement of the gas tank and the bikes center of gravity. Try it out first; don't just assume you will like the ride.

Whichever model you choose, you should try it before you buy it. Get on a new bike, start it up, and listen to the engine. Feel the vibrations. Take the bike for a ride. You may need to test - ride several models before you buy a new Harley. There's nothing wrong with that.

Harley Touring Bikes, stylish fact or fiction?

2008-04-06T09:32:00.005-06:00

I just read a opinion that:"you trade style for comfort (with a Harley touring model). They aren't as stylish or flashy as a cruiser or chopper, but they are more comfortable.''

I agree and disagree with this statement. Harley touring models are stylish in there own right. The style is all different. When you see a Harley Bagger sitting at the traffic light, your first thought may not be wow, look how cool that is. I know my opinions wanders to I like that, and I would like to go 14 hours on that to Sturgis next year. Imagine how comfortable that would be to ride all day long. So in my mind it's a completely different style and or type of coolness. It appeals to me because I do like the long days on the open road making miles and watching the sky and the world slowly pass by.

Harley Davidson touring bikes are made to go long distances without stopping. From the factory they are Quieter and larger than other bikes. But as well all know a nice set of slip on mufflers will fix the factory quiet. A Road King or Electra Glide will easily hold two riders and are built with comfort in mind. Like all bike many accessories are available like storage compartments, radios, CD players, GPS systems and intercom headsets. All the things need to make a long day cross-country road trip fun and relaxing.

So don't dis the styling of a Bagger, give it a second look and if you get a chance jump on a touring bike and see for yourself.

Custom Motorcycle painting.

2008-04-04T07:27:00.002-06:00

So I have decided that I need to learn how to paint custom cool kolors on my bike. I have done some basic painting over the years but nothing every really cool and custom. Like flames or lizards, or ghost flames or even two tone layers. In order to learn I started to look for a few books and videos to get started. Here are two book that I am very seriously considering getting. I guess I should go ahead and then after I have read and reviewed then I can give an honest review here.

How to paint flames. This is exactly the book I need to get hold of. Once I get it I will let you know how I do. If you can paint flames or if you have any other books to recommend then please let me know. How to paint your Motorcycle, and How to Custom Paint you motorcycle, I may buy the whole group, so stay tuned for an update soon.

Harley CEO gets a big Raise, but his overall pay falls.

2008-04-02T07:36:00.002-06:00

MILWAUKEE WI Harley town USA. Harley-Davidson says it paid, gave cash and food stamps to its CEO of about $4 million last year. Chump change for a big guy.

A government mandatory regulatory filing shows that's a four percent decline from the previous year. a 4 percent decline, sorry pal I lost 70 percent on the Harley Stock I bought.

James Ziemer's compensation included a salary of more than $875,000, Plus a free lunch once a week plus stock and options awards.

The Harley Davidson Motorcycle maker's proxy statement filed with the SEC the Stock Police or Securities and Exchange Commission shows that's an increase from the base salary of nearly $825,000 he received in 2006, when his total compensation was valued at about $4.25 million. But wait the guy did get a 50,000 dollar raise, WOW, I think I got a 50 cent per hour raise.

The company's filing says no executives received bonuses because they didn't meet performance incentive targets. NO BONUSES that's really kinda sad when you think about it.

The company's profit fell about 10% in 2007. Well maybe they can lower prices a bit to spur new sales.

Harley Touring Bikes

2008-03-30T10:58:00.002-06:00

I started thinking seriously about the Harley Davidson line of Touring Bikes. I love the look and feel of the FLHRCI. The Road King Classic has the cool old school classic look and the simple feel of the leather saddle bags combined with the windshield. This is a simple style compared to the big look of the Electra and Ultra Glides. The bikes are basically the same but like I said I like the simple style of the Road King. Plus the idea of being the "King of the Road" makes you smile.

Here is a list of all the current Harley Davidson touring bike, but be warned you maybe riding one sooner than you expect if you start looking into them.

Touring

• Harley-Davidson FLHR Road King®
• Harley-Davidson FLHRC Road King® Classic
• Harley-Davidson FLHRS Road King® Custom
• Harley-Davidson FLHT Electra Glide® Standard
• Harley-Davidson FLHTC Electra Glide® Classic
• Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®
• Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide™
• Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide®

FLSTF The Halrey Davidson Fat Boy

2008-02-21T07:49:00.003-07:00

I was just thinking about my Motorcycle, the FLSTF, and was thinking about what this means. They are the official call sign for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The model number may be a bit better way to describe it. The amazing part is the letters actually stand for different parts of the machine. So to breakdown the FL ST F of my bike you break it into 3 parts. The FL stands for the type of forks on the front of the machine. Not sure what the FL really stands for but it is the big large front forks. The ST stands for Soft Tail. The softail is the rear frame design that resembles the hard tails of old school days, but has a pivot and a hidden rear shock. The F stands for Fatboy. What this means is the final touches of the bike, like 2 solid aluminum wheel, a double set of exhaust pipes, on the right side and smaller saddle bags. So next time you ask someone what bike they have if they rattle off a long set of numbers, remember you can decode this. Once the number are decoded, you can also read and connect the parts of a new bike to bikes of old days. Harley Davidson has been building on the Model number for years and years. So when I say my bike is an FLSTF, it is a decedent of the FL of old school days.

They way back machine, Motoring through the Grand Tetons

2008-02-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Feb 12th, and it's cold here in Utah. I just took my kids to school and I saw a crazy guy on a big bike driving around. It's about 37 degree out side so he is definitely a heavy duty biker, or his warm car is broken.

Either way I came home and started looking at pictures of the nice warm days of summer and long rides. I found a picture os us standing in front of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. I thought it would be nice to post it up and start the summer dreams. Only a few more months and the weather turns warm. Yeippiieee!!!!

Danger Kitty is in over it's head.

2008-02-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

So beside being a bad to the bone Bike Builder, (or wannabe, you choose) I do some crazy yard art, steel art work with my daughter. We make metal sculptures and play with scrap pieces to make some fun and neat stuff for the yard. As I have mentioned earlier in this blog we have a lot of snow at our place this year. In fact so much that the "Danger Kitty" is up to it's neck in the cold whit stuff.

Check out this cool custom

2008-01-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

I was wandering around YouTube looking at Custom Choppers and saw this one. You need to look at the bike and not the filming. The paint is outstanding. The way they put this together is awesome. The down tube are very creative, they must have taken a lot of work to cut and make a z out of. I usually don't like straight bars, but on this one they look good. I do like the triple clams and the way the bar riser come up to the straight bar. The one thing I have never liked on bike like this is the way the light stick out front all alone. I don't know how you could change it.

The rear end is another monster wide tire and the seat nice and low. I bet this would be fun to ride.

No Biker Commute for me.

2008-01-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

I just saw a post from a blog in Tampa Florida. He was saying that is it a cold 72 and raining, so he commute is a bit tough today. I bet it is, when riding in the rain be very careful, as always ride safe and enjoy.

Well I thought I would make sure and share my commute details from Sandy Utah here. It about -1 degree below zero and this is the picture looking out my front window as I cleared the snow about 2 days ago. No Biker commute for me for a couple of months.
But that's ok I own a couple of 4x4's and I also love to Ski so we will make it to spring and then we can head out on the highway, looking for adventure.

The History Of The Bike

2008-01-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Harley Davidson Company officially began with the completion of its first bike in 1903. Unofficially it all began in 1901 when 21 - year - old William S. Harley drew up plans for a small engine that displaced 7.07 cubic inches and had 4 - inch flywheels. He designed this engine for use on a regular pedal - bicycle frame.

By 1903 William Harley had joined with his boyhood friend Arthur Davidson, as well as Arthur's brother Walter. They used the machine shop of their friend Henry Melk to complete the prototype of their first engine - powered bike. The engine that powered this prototype was not quite powerful enough to propel the motored - bike up Milwaukee's modest hills without the rider resorting to pedal power.

The first "real" Harley Davidson Motorcycle was finally completed with additional help from another Davidson brother named William. It had a bigger engine of 24.74 cubic inches with 9 - 3/4 inch flywheels weighing 28 pounds. The new bike was functional by September 08, 1904, and made its first appearance in a Milwaukee motorcycle race.

The company produced three motorcycles in 1903, followed by 3 more in 1904. Production rose to 8 completed cycles in 1905, allowing Walt Davidson to quit his job with the railroad and become the company's first full - time employee. The Davidson's aunt, Janice Davidson also began helping out by using her artistic talent to letter and pinstripe the bikes, which were painted black with gold trim.

The first Harley Davidson Motor Company factory was built in 1906 on Chestnut Street. It was a modest 40 by 60 foot single story wooden structure. Chestnut Street was later renamed Juneau Avenue, and though the original structure was replaced, this location remains the Motor Company's corporate headquarters to this day. A total of 50 motorcycles were produced in 1906.

The following year, 1907 brought about much change for the fledgling company. William S. Harley graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a degree in mechanical engineering. The factory was expanded and the company officially incorporated. Production increased to 150 motorcycles in 1907.

Another monumental change that occurred in 1907 was the completion of a prototype of a 45 - degree V - Twin engine. These engines displaced 53.68 cubic inches and produced about 7 horsepower, just about doubling the hill - climbing power of the first singles. Production continued to increase to 450 motorcycles in 1908 followed by 1,149 in 1909.

Success continued in the years that followed. The original factory was demolished and replaced by a new 5 - story structure of reinforced concrete and red brick. It soon grew to take up two blocks along Juneau Avenue and around the corner on 38th Street. During this period bikes produced by Harley Davidson began to dominate the motorcycle racing arena and production reached 16,284 in 1914.World War I saw the demand for motorcycles in the military. Harley Davidson provided over 20,000 motorcycles to military forces during World War I. Improvements and increased production continued after the war. The Harley Davidson Motor Company was in fact one of only 2 American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression. The company continued to produce machines for the military throughout World War II and the Korean War. The Jeep then replaced it in popularity.

The Harley Davidson Motor Company is still going strong today, despite bumps and bruises along the way. You will recognize it on the Stock Market under the symbol HOG.

Custom Build Jeep Trailer

2008-01-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to My Jeep site, I know it's a bit off topic if you are looking for hard core Harley Davidson Motorcycle custom building kinda stuff. But it's interesting all by it's self. You may get some ideas if you ever plan to build a small trailer to pull behind your Harley.

So check it out. I am basically fabricating for the ground up a small trailer with big wheels to pull behind my Jeep.

http://www.redjeepclub.com/tech/offroadtrailer/offroadtrailer.php

How to build a Cool Chopper Books

2008-01-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here are 4 of the best Chopper Books I could find on Amazon. If you can't find what you are looking for in these books myabe you will just need to go at it along to build that long cool chopper of you dreams.

Finding The Right Chopper For You

2008-01-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Finding The Right Chopper For You by Matt Bonner

In recent years there has been a resurgence in the number of people now riding choppers. Which until the introduction of such shows as "American Chopper" and "The Great Biker Build Off" were associated with biker gangs. So today you are actually more likely to see them being ridden by doctors and lawyers rather than an outlaw biker.

Not since the 1970's has the chopper been a motorcycle beloved by so many. Certainly in the 1970's this bike found a whole new league of fans due to the release of the movie "Easy Rider". Yet today you will find that the range of choppers now available is quite substantial from those available in kit form to those which are completed and can be ridden straight out of the showroom. In this article we will attempt to provide you with a guide which will help to find the right chopper and which will give you years of service and enjoyment.

One of the first things you need to decide on is what kind of chopper it you want. Today there are basically three types of chopper that you can choose from.

The Bobber: A bobber is the original style of chopper that was first created by American Servicemen returning from the Second World War. The bike is customized by removing anything that isn't needed. This helps to reduce the weight and increase the performance. Handling can also be improved by lowering the unsprung weight and moving the center of gravity. Over the past couple of years the Bobber has started to grow in popularity.

The Pro Street Chopper: Probably the most easily recognizable of all the styles of chopper now available. A good version of this bike will come with long extended forks and a fat tire on the rear. This particular bike has derived its style from the drag bikes you see. However because of the bikes geometry this can make its handling difficult especially on twisty roads. But once on a straight and open road it really shows its true colors.

The Rat Bike: Appearing in the late 1970's and early 1980's rat bikes are like something from the Movie "Mad Max " The philosophy behind them is to keep the bike on the road for the longest amount of time and spend the least amount of money possible. This often results in parts from other machines being cannibalized and added to the bike. Rat Bikes are almost exclusively Matt Black

When you have decided upon the style of chopper that you want the next step is to make a decision on the style of rear suspension it should have. You have the choice of either a hard tail or a soft tail. With a hard tail there is no rear suspension and the only comfort you will have when riding it comes from the springs built into the bikes seat. As for the soft tail this has extremely good rear suspension and so the ride is much more comfortable. If you are going to be someone who intends to spend a large part of their spare time riding their bike then a chopper with soft tail suspension would be ideal for you.

If you are interested in learning more about these bikes and to see what is currently available in your local area, then please check out the details for our store below.

If you are serious about buying a customized motorcycle then make sure you go to Custom Chops first. At Custom Chops we provide information on how to find the right customized motorcycle for you.

Article Source: Free Article Depot

Harley Davidson 883 Sportster - A Great Motorcycle

2007-12-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Harley Davidson 883 Sportster - A Great Motorcycle by A R Thompson

Of all the different models of motorcycles that Harley Davidson produces those that come in the Sportster group are the best selling of all of them. This also includes the Harley 883 Sportster which is extremely with both the young and old who are looking to own such an iconic motorcycle.

As anyone will soon discover all the bikes that Harley Davidson have produced through out the years including this one are extremely versatile. But what is making this motorcycle so popular is that it looks very similar to the XLCH Harley Davidson Sportster that was first built back in 1958. But for those who wish to provide themselves with a little more comfort to use the bike for touring on there are a number of additional items that they can put on to theirs. Below are a list of the items that you may want to consider buying for yours.

1. Get yourself a set of flush mounted leather saddlebags. 2. Get it fitted with a sport windshield. 3. Replace the seat that it comes with, with a deluxe touring one instead. 4. Get a low sissy bar along with a passenger backrest. 5. Fit on to it a sport rack, and then buy yourself the overnight rack and tank bags.

Once you have all these parts fitted you will find that going away at weekends on it will be extremely enjoyable and will not have lessened the ride any. Plus including the new seat and passenger backrest on to the bike even those on the back of your Harley 883 Sportster will enjoy the journey just as much as you.

As previously mentioned the latest versions of all the Harley Davidson Sportster's look very similar to the XLCH Sportster produced back in 1958. The only difference being is that the parts have changed since then and only good quality modern parts are fitted to these machines.

Today all the Harley Davidson 883 Sportster motorcycles have in them an Evolution V-Twin engine, which will have been bored out to 883cc. However, if a person wants to they can actually convert it so that it becomes a 1200cc size engine instead. If a person, wishes to do this their local Harley Davidson dealership will charge around $900 to do this work.

Although the 883 Sportster has a large engine it has not been designed for being ridden at high speeds, generally going no higher than 60mph is best, especially if you want to avoid vibration. Rather those who would prefer some thing a little faster then a Japanese motorcycle might be a safer bet for them. Yet for those who like the feel of the wind in their face and the sun on their skin then this motorcycle would be perfect.

What you will soon discover after owning your Harley 883 Sportster for even the shortest time that they are ideally suited to be ridden both in the city or out in the country. Also now that all the Harley Davidson motorcycles are fitted with a belt drive rather than a chain drive they sound much quieter and also much easier to maintain as well. So if you are looking for a bike which can hold its value but has all the qualities that you would look for in a custom made motorcycle you may want to consider one of these as your next purchase.

Here at Harley883.com we offer information on one of the most popular motorcycles Harley Davidson has built. It is here you can find some great deals on bikes and parts for the Harley 883 Sportster.

Article Source: Articles Directory - ArticleGOLD

Indian Larry, Chopper Shaman

2007-12-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a book about Indian Larry, so some reason I thought I should add it here. For the real Chopper man this is a good book to read and digest. I met Indian Larry one day and talked to him, examined his bikes, got a picture with him and he signed a custom Indian Larry shirt for me. Good Memories for a guy who dies way to soon in life.

Here is another book that may also be of interest.

The best kids dvd for Christmas presents.

2007-12-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

If you still need presents for the big or small kids in you life, get anyone of these great DVD and sit back and enjoy.

1.)

Cars the fantastic animated show about a Race car and a Sleepy town. I have watched this show 30+ times with my kids and love it every times I see it.

2.)

Toy Story the original is a great family fun kids show, I have also watched this many times and love it every time.

3.)

Toy Story 2, In my opinion not quite as good as the original but a great show too.

Long Way Round, a great DVD for Christmas

2007-12-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman,
in The Long Way Round. Drive Motorcycles around the world

Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, The stars of Long Way Round get a team together and set out on an advent rue to drive from London to New York by way of Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Alaska, Canada, and then finally across the USA. The team takes on all kinds of challenges and has an adventure of a life time. They hook up a sponsorship deal with BMW and make a British TV show along the way. The planning and schedule are long and detailed but in the end they have a long BMW riding adventure.

Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman-Long Way Round

2 men, 2 bikes, 20,000 miles...

This is a great documentary BBC TV series follows actors Ewan McGregor (The guy from Star Wars,) and Charley Boorman (Also an Actor but not as famous) on a motorcycle trip around the world. The two friends will travel through such places as Siberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Alaska. Adventure awaits them at every corner. They do finally end up in in New York. The filming is done by on board cameras and one ride along cameraman, as well as a support crew that sort follows along.

For over 115 days. Their trip starts in a slow wind up fashion but within one episode the action and fun begins. From this adventure they were able to produce a DVD, book and a TV contract to make it all possible. Go Ewan and Charlie go, I hope you finish the famous this long adventure around the world in 115 days.

This is a good set of TV shows, I watched them all and was interested and amazed at the adventure all along the way. so if you get a chance to buy or watch these DVD I definitely recommend them.

The star from Long Way Round Race the Paris to Dakar Rally

2007-12-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Charlie Boorman, The star from
Long Way Round Race the Paris to Dakar Rally

This is a great christmas gift if you have anyone in your fanily who loves to ride this is an amazing story of a serious offroad race and adventure. Even if you don't aspire to ride offroad this is a fun adventure to watch.

Charlie Boorman, Without his co star Ewan McGregor who only stops in for a few shots and cameo appearances. The star from
Long Way Round Charlie Boorman the likable biker. He gets the team back together for another sponsorship deal with BMW where he enters the Paris to Dakar Rally. I guess he said he wanted to in the last show Long was Round, so they are putting in all the effort again for a long BMW riding adventure.

Charley Boorman-Race to Dakar

He gets most all of the original team together, and adds Simon Pavey an Australian bike champion, Bike Instructor, 5 times Dakar Racer finisher. and all round good guy going by the film, the personable British biker, rider, camera guy Matt Hall, and the mechanical crew consisting of two very good mechanics last but not least the Producer and team Captain Russ Malkin. A good group to attempt an almost impossible task. The Dakar Rally!

The series starts in a slow wind up fashion but within one episode the action and fun begins. Charley has reservations and trouble getting going, and seem to swear way to much in just casual conversation. They try to show you a real sense of how tough the race is both mentally and physically. For me one of the funniest parts of the show is the BMW X-5 car thing they tried to make ready for the Dakar. 100's of hours are spent trying to get a street car BMW thing ready for the serious off road Sorry BMW it's a street car with a 4x4 false impression, and it's way to electric and computerized, this causes problems for the team from day one. Once the rider really hit the mud, sand dirt and heat true moments of fun frustration, stress, fatigue, and lots of admiration and bafflement for the people riding, driving or supporting this event. The Dakar rally is really is one of the worlds hardest races. Charley and the team crew give you an insight into how quote "insane this all is" It makes all bike rider wish and dream about the day we could try something like this. Charlie is luck or how do they say is cunning like a fox to be able to have a year to prepare, a large budget of cash, a team of co-riders, backup trucks, mechanics, office crew etc. I guess the DVD, book and TV contract make it all possible. Go Charlie go, I hope you finish the famous Paris to Dakar Rally.

Get the Worlds Fastest Indian DVD for Christmas

2007-12-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

The World's Fastest Indian.

This is a great movie, sorry if I just found out about it and was able to watch it on DVD. It is a very fun show about a true biker, who builds old school fast Indian Racing Motorcycles. He takes on the adventure of traveling from New Zealand to the Boneville Salt Flats near Salt Lake city to run his motorcycle in the World speed races.
Here is a great christmas present for any of the biker in you world. If you have ot seen this movie it is a must have. It's also a nice enough show that the chicks will like watching it with out it being called a "Chick Flick"

My Movie review. GREAT Five greasy wrenches, I loved it, the whole story line was fun and genuine, and driven. The main actor Anthony Hopkins, plays Burt Munro an old retired motorcycle racing fanatic, who has always dreamed of speed racing on the Boneville Salt Flats in Wendover Utah. He finally makes his dream come true, traveling from New Zealand to Utah to race on the salt. The story follows his adventures across the oceans and through California and Nevada.

If you are interested you can find more information or Click here to buy this Great DVD.

Difference between Used Motorcycles and Brand New Motorcycles

2007-12-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Difference between Used Motorcycles and Brand New Motorcycles by Victor Arthur Pidkowich

While a brand new motorcycle is a very nice thing to have in life, the price of these motorcycles can often make your dream of owning the motorcycle of your dreams impossible. This is especially true if you have other responsibilities, like credit card bills, a family, or just want to get the most for your money. One of the best ways to get the motorcycle of your dreams is to buy a used motorcycle. Used motorcycles are often to be thought of as not as good as a brand new one, but are you aware that a pre-owned or used motorcycle and actually give you more value than a brand new one? This is because an avid motorcycle lover will maintain and care for his or her motorcycle in a way that others won't. On top of that, he or she knows the bike inside out, and can tell you how it performs and explain all kinds of nuances about the bike. Each motorcycle is different just like each person is different, even if you're looking at the same model and make. So in many cases, you can actually get more out of used motorcycles than you ever could from a brand new motorcycle. Used motorcycles are also highly affordable, so you can realize your dream and know that it is within reach.

Buying used or vintage motorcycles is always a great idea if this is going to be your first bike. When you buy pre-owned or used motorcycles you can easily learn the art of riding and controlling the bike for a lot less money than if you were buying brand new. There is a catch to buying used motorcycles, though. You have to know what you are looking for and how to evaluate used bikes. Don't leave things to chance or guess work. Do your research and know as much as you can about the workings of the bike. Another problem that you will have to face, whether your buy a brand new one or used motorcycles is that you have to know which bike is right for you. You could end up losing a large amount of your hard earned money by buying the wrong motorcycle all together.

First, consider your budget for purchasing either a new motorcycle or used motorcycles. Obviously, a brand new motorcycle has an advantage in that you usually will have a warranty that comes with it. But there is also a disadvantage, and that is one of price. Used motorcycles can have an advantage in that if it is in good condition, and you buy from a person who loves motorcycles, you can usually get a pretty good deal, along with a lot of extra information on the workings of the bike, for example how it rides, and how you can make your rides more enjoyable. Usually, the summer months are the months that bikes become more in demand, so the prices usually go up during this time as well. If you're looking for good deals, you may want to wait until the fall or winter to buy your used motorcycles. In order for you to get the best deal on either brand new or used motorcycles, you need to do your research. Feel free to browse this site for more information on used motorcycles for sale.

Victor Arthur Pidkowich - writer for Used Motorcycles For Sale - http://usedmotorcycleforsale.ca - A site dedicated to the listing of new and used motorcycles in Canada and the United States.

Article Directory: Article Dashboard

Speeding Up to Slow Down

2007-12-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Speeding Up to Slow Down by Jason

The flowers were breathtakingly beautiful: bougainvillea like I've only seen in Hawaii and cannot grow at home in Houston. They covered a wall almost 15 feet long and half as high. Brilliant sprays of orange, red and fuchsia offset against a background of the deepest green.

I saw all this out of the corner of my eye as I sped by at 25 mph, pedaling as fast as I could. The peloton of riders was ahead of me, and I didn't want to be last for lunch.

It didn't matter that I was in the Puglia region of southern Italy, cycling along the "heel" of the Italian "boot" on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. It didn't matter that I was supposed to be vacationing, taking in the sights. What mattered at that particular moment was where I was going and how fast I could get there.

The thought that I was here to relax, see the countryside and restore my sense of balance hadn't quite taken root in my mind. I had to move fast, catch up, keep up and get ahead � everything I had traveled 15 hours by plane to Italy NOT to do.

I wasn't the only one who'd forgotten why we were here. Fifteen other riders, including my husband Tom, were all going down the same track � the one we'd come here to leave behind us. There was one difference. They were all faster riders than I was. That meant I had to WORK a lot harder just to keep the unchanging view of the back of the peloton in sight. And to think, I had come here to play.

"Riding Lesson" Restores the Joys of the Road

With the realization that if I kept doing what I was doing, I'd be WORKING for 7 days, I put on my brakes and slowed to a stop. Checking my mirror for traffic, I turned around as three other riders pedaled by. One rider asked if I was okay.

Now I was okay because I was choosing to honor not only Puglia, but myself and the reason I came here in the first place. I hadn't come all the way to Italy to ride with the peloton; I'd come to relax.

"Stopping to smell the flowers" is an overused clich�, but that's exactly what I did. I stopped to smell the flowers � and the olive trees and the freshly turned earth of the fields I had been zipping past. I stopped to smell the salty air blowing off the Adriatic Sea, fresh bread cooling in a bakery window, lunch cooking in homes along the roadway. The aromas increased my appetite for lunch and for life. What I was smelling wasn't important, but the fact that I'd finally stopped long enough to take in the smells made all the difference.

When Tom came pedaling back, I was easy to find. I was sitting under a 150-year-old olive tree staring at that wall of bougainvillea. When he saw me, he didn't say a word, but parked his bicycle and sat beside me. Together we enjoyed my discovery. Not just the flowers, but the peace and the pace.

The peloton was long gone. The street was quiet. Now we could hear the everyday sounds of Italian life � two people arguing, a dog barking, a tractor in a nearby field. Not a word passed between us as we soaked up the smells and the sounds.

After 20 blissful minutes we remounted our bicycles. We shifted into a lower gear and started back up the road. Our destination and direction were the same, but now our purpose had changed. We were riding for the reasons we'd come this far.

We eventually caught up with the group. They'd reached the farmhouse where we were having lunch and were enjoying cold drinks and wine. Tom and I still had another 20 minutes until the signora would call us to the table � plenty of time to clean up and slake our thirsts.

Restoration Has Its Own Rewards

Visiting with the other riders over lunch, I realized that they had spent their extra time at the farmhouse rehashing the ride. When I mentioned the bougainvillea, two thought they'd seen the flowers, but the others had no memory of the sight. They were more concerned with who passed whom, how fast they'd ridden from the coast to the farmhouse and where they'd purchased their cool biking gear back in the States.

For sure we were all enjoying our vacations. I was simply enjoying a vacation that would renew me for my return to the business responsibilities awaiting me at home. The fact that the other riders missed the flowers didn't diminish their enjoyment, but seeing and smelling them enhanced my own. Tom and I didn't ride faster than 12 mph for the rest of the trip. We were never first to lunch and we weren't always last, but we enjoyed the rides more than ever.

Career, family and social demands pull us in many different directions, often all at the same time. I don't know about you, but both my clients and I benefit when I slow down. Making time to pace ourselves and "smell the flowers" is not only important � it's mandatory. I am much more creative and work at a much higher level when I've taken the time to relax and restore, and my business reaps the rewards.

Vacations Are Where You Find Them
The good news is you don't have to travel anywhere to enjoy this kind of restoration. You can vacation right at home. My "second mom," who is 74, vacations in her bathtub with candles, bath oil, a glass of wine and her favorite CD. You can do the same, and you don't have to wait until you're 74. Maybe you prefer to sit in your backyard with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, or curl up in bed with a deliciously light book. You might even want to visualize a favorite place or recall a rejuvenating experience from the past.

Try this for the next three days: Set aside just five minutes to relax every day. Then keep expanding your relaxation time until you get to 20 minutes each day. Next add a nightly session. Soon you will experience the mental freedom you enjoy when you're on vacation.

Tom has a saying he read somewhere that goes, "Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." He says this whenever I catch him "just sitting." Make your own time to sit. You'll thank yourself for it later. In the meantime, I'll be sitting under a 150-year-old olive tree, breathing in the scent of bougainvillea � but this time around I'll be doing it from my Jacuzzi� with a glass of Italian wine.

Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute (www.LegalNurse.com). She is credited by The New York Times with creating the legal nurse consulting profession in 1982. She is the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Advancing the Profession and the Stevie Award as Mentor of the Year. Vickie has revolutionized the careers of thousands of RNs.

Article Source: Articles Directory - ArticleGOLD

Buying Used Motorcycles Through eBay

2007-11-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Buying Used Motorcycles Through eBay by A R Thompson

Today when it comes to you wanting to buy a used motorcycle you have a number of different options available to you. You could either get one that is being sold privately, from a motorcycle dealer or by bidding for one that has been posted as an auction item on a site such as eBay. However in this article we will be taking a closer look at what you need to do if you are considering buying used motorcycles on eBay.

In the last few months eBay has steady increase in the number of people who are now preferring to use their site to place their motorcycles up for sale. The main reason for this being that they are actually able to target a much larger audience of people who may be interested in what they have to offer. Plus they often find that they may find the price they command is much better than if they choose to sell it privately locally.

However, if you are considering buying a used motorcycle from an auction site like eBay in this article we take a look at certain factors that need to be taken into consideration by you.

Tip 1 - It is crucial that the first thing you do before anything else is that you read through the description that the seller has provided. If you discover that you have some questions that can not be answered through the information that has been provided on the auction page then immediately contact the seller. This is easily done by clicking on the contact seller button to be found at the top of the auction page.

Tip 2 - As well as the description most sellers will post pictures of the item that they have put up for sale. In the case of a motorcycle generally they will provide you with pictures that show you what the bike looks like and to prove it is in good condition. But if you can arrange with the seller to also provide you with copies showing the condition of the wheels, tires and engine. Plus also ask them whether they can also provide you with proof of ownership as well.

Tip 3 - Look to see what feedback rating they have achieved as a seller on eBay and what kind of feedback comments they have. This again will provide you with an idea of just whether they have previously sold anything similar on the site before and also whether you feel that you are able to trust them.

Tip 4 - Should you find at any stage you have problems making contact with the seller either before you start bidding or once you have bid then immediately stop bidding. Also contact eBay informing them of the situation they will then assist you and if you wish you now actually have the right to retract any bids you have made if you find contacting the seller has become a problem. By doing this eBay has now put the responsibility squarely on their seller's shoulders to make sure that they are available to their potential bidders at all times.

Therefore keeping the above points in mind will help you when it comes to buying used motorcycles on eBay. Not only will it save you time and money but also a lot of stress and heartache as well.

At UsedMotorcyclesFlorida.com we provide information about buying used motorcycles. For some good deals on used motorcycles and accessories please click on this link.

Article Source: eArticlesOnline.com

Oil and the Motorcycle Engine

2007-11-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Oil and the Motorcycle Engine

By Bob K. Jent

A motorcycle engine is more compact and higher revving (higher revolutions per minute) than an automobile engine allowing for faster acceleration, better responsiveness, and more efficient fuel economy. With so many parts moving rapidly in the tight confines of a motorcycle engine casing, lubrication is of utmost importance. The primary function of oil in a motorcycle engine is as a lubricator. It provides the fluidity within which all the various metal parts can perform their individual functions in close proximity. If oil were not present, metal on metal grinding would be inevitable, resulting in irreversible damage to a motorcycle engine. Oil allows the motorcycle engine to shift smoothly through all gears, upward and downward, allowing for smooth acceleration and deceleration, making every ride safer and more enjoyable.

While lubrication is the most important function of oil within the motorcycle engine, it is far from its only function. When an engine runs at high rpms, quite a large amount of heat can be generated. This heat can be harmful to the life of a motorcycle engine and must be dealt with. Oil helps dissipate this heat, and is especially essential in air-cooled engines where no coolant or water is present to aid in the cooling process. Overheating of a motorcycle engine can result in at best, a pit stop with an hour of cool down, at worst, an engine that will never run again without a skilled mechanic's intervention.

Because the rider is not separated from his or her engine by several inches of metal (as in a car), a motorcyclist is provided the opportunity of truly hearing the engine operate in every twist and turn. When the correct amount of the proper engine oil is present in the engine, this noise is reduced (still audible), and the motorcyclist can concentrate on the sounds of the world that envelop him or her, indulging in the inherent opportunity afforded by motorcycling: the freedom of being in this world instead of viewing it through the picture window that is an automobile's windshield.

Oil produced by the world's leading manufacturers like Triple Diamond Energy Corp plays a most important part in helping the motorcycle engine at all stages of its life by preventing rust and corrosion forming within. Oil also helps pistons continue pumping, safely sealed so that dirt or debris cannot enter in, disrupting movement. Oil and its necessary counterpart, the oil filter, help to keep all foreign substances out of the motorcycle engine, increasing engine life, and performance. Oil has an invaluable place within the motorcycle engine, and must always be monitored, added, and replaced as part of an owner's motorcycle maintenance regime.

About the Author: Bob Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp

Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_K._Jent

http://EzineArticles.com/?Oil-and-the-Motorcycle-Engine&id=822914

Motorcycle Racing Games

2007-11-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

by Michael Rad

These are some of the most fun racing games to play online because the best races are automatically recorded and you can play against the previous high scores to improve your own performance. An Internet search for available racing game downloads will reveal kids motor cycle games like Daredevil and Motor Bike Game. The Motor Bike Game is just like a real motor cycle race with pit stops and laps and the goal is to always finish first in order to ascend to the next level of difficulty. One of the first motorcycle racing games ever created is not one of the racing games to play online as it is a video game dating back to 1991. Developed by Electronic Arts the game called Road Rash throws the player in the middle of illegal violent street motorcycle races. It was probably the first game in the history of motorcycle racing games that combined combat and motorcycle racing, and probably the first game that allowed weapons (clubs, crowbars, cattle prods or police batons). The game has several levels of increasing difficulty and the player needs to finish each race on one of the first three places if he is to advance to the next race. For every victory the player receives a certain amount of money which can be used upgrade the motorcycle, buy a new motorcycle or pay the police fine when being arrested. Since it is a game of illegal street races the police can pop up at any time and mess with your score. Other more modern racing games to play online are Motor Bike Game, Daredevil, Test Drive Unlimited, Grand Theft Auto or MX vs. ATV Unleashed; although they are not all actual motorcycle racing games and some of them just combine motorcycle racing with car racing or boat racing, etc. One of the most original motorcycle racing games is the MX vs. ATV Unleashed which takes trophy trucks, monster trucks and motorcycles and makes them race together on one single track to offer you a race like you’ve never raced before. The Test Drive Unlimited is a combination of cars and motorcycles together in an off road and on road race across one thousand miles of Hawaiian territory. Last but not least Daredevil is a kid’s motorcycle racing game that lets you perform some of the most spectacular motorcycle stunts ever seen on the internet.

Article source: ArticlePros.com

About the author

More resources from the author:

Play free games online

How to get rid of cellulite

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When it comes to motorcycling, sisters have always been doin’ it for themselves

2007-11-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

by Mark Gardiner

In recent years, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has reported that almost half of the students in most new rider training classes are women. But history shows that there have always been avid, expert female motorcyclists. Here are five famous female riders who are truly “old school.”

1.) Linda Dugeau – The original “Motor Maid”
In the ‘30s, there was an association of female aviators called the “Ninety-nine Club”. This inspired Linda to form a similar association of female motorcyclists. She teamed up with Dot Robinson, a well-known competition rider, to form a club called the “Motor Maids.”
It took Linda and Dot several years to find the 50 members they needed to earn an AMA charter, but the Motor Maids were soon known for their smart uniforms, complete with white gloves. The club still exists, with branches across the U.S. and in Eastern Canada. (www.motormaids.org)

2.) Dot Robinson – Sidecar champion
Dot’s father, James Goulding, was the designer of a popular line of motorcycle sidecars. When Dot’s mother went into labor with her, Goulding took her to the hospital in a sidecar. As an adult, Dot and her husband were Harley-Davidson dealers in Detroit.
When she won a Jack Pine enduro in the sidecar class, she became the first woman ever to win an AMA national competition. She rode until she was well into her 80s, often in a pink riding suit that she adopted in the 1950s, when the customary black leather outfits became associated with outlaw gangs.

3.) Linda Wallach and Florence Blenkiron – Taking the Rugged Road
Linda grew up in the 1930s, in the English midlands near the factories where BSAs and Triumphs were manufactured. Despite her early fascination with bikes and her obvious skill as a rider, she was never encouraged to pursue such an unladylike sport.
Undeterred, she studied engineering and later took her friend Florence on an epic sidecar journey across the Sahara and south all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. The women had to argue their way past French Foreign Legion outposts and face man-eating lions (luckily they weren’t woman-eaters). They rebuilt their engine in mid-journey and once pushed their rig 25 miles. They told the whole story in a popular book titled, “The Rugged Road.”
Linda later became the first woman to earn a coveted “Gold Star” for lapping the Brooklands race oval at over 100 miles an hour. In WWII she became the first woman ever to serve as a British military dispatch rider.
After the war, she moved to the U.S. where she worked as a motorcycle mechanic, eventually owning her own dealership. She wrote a popular motorcycle training manual, then moved to Phoenix where she operated a riding school. She helped found WIMA, the Women’s International Motorcycle Association. She never owned a car and rode until her eyesight failed at the age of 88. She died less than two years after giving up her beloved sport.

4.) Bessie Stringfield – The Motorcycle Queen of Miami
The American Motorcycle Association’s “Bessie Stringfield Award” is given to women who distinguish themselves in the sport of motorcycling.
As an African-American woman in the ‘30s and ‘40s, Bessie made several well-publicized cross-country rides, fearlessly taking on both racists and sexists. She was frequently denied accommodation and there are pictures of her sleeping right on her motorcycle. Once, she was run off the road. Those experiences didn’t dim her patriotism however – during WWII she served as the U.S. military’s first female dispatch rider.
Bessie was truly a larger-than-life character. She once disguised herself as a man to win a dirt track race. She said she’d owned 27 Harley-Davidsons and one Indian. She owned up to no less than six husbands, too.

5.) Marjorie Cottle – Rode in motorcycling’s real “Great Escape”
Marjorie Cottle was one of the first female competitors in the International Six Day Trial, which is often called “the Olympics of motorcycling.”
In 1939, the ISDT was held in Nazi-controlled Austria in the last few days before England declared war on Germany. That year, Britain sent both a civilian and a military team to compete. After four days, when it seemed that war could break out at any minute, British officials told the civilian team to return to England immediately. Cottle refused to leave and competed on the fifth day alongside the British Army team. When they too were ordered to abandon competition, Cottle and the Army team rode their motorcycles to neutral territory in Switzerland.

Next week, we’ll post the stories of five contemporary riders who lend a whole new meaning to the phrase “fast woman!”

Article source: ArticlePros.com

About the author

Mark Gardiner is an internationally acclaimed motorcycle journalist, the subject of a documentary film, “One Man’s Island” and the author of “Riding Man”, an account of his struggle to qualify for—and survive—the world’s most dangerous motorcycle race. www.ridingman.com

www.ridingman.com

Tips On Buying That New Motorcycle

2007-11-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

Tips On Buying That New Motorcycle by Sintilia Miecevole

You've made up your mind and you have finally decided to buy a new motorcycle! What a thrilling time this can be especially when you go into a dealership with a little bit of knowledge! It is important to know what you want, and to make sure your motorcycle fits your needs. Do your homework and understand completely what you're looking for before you talk to a salesperson. There is a great web site called http://CycleBuy.com where you can find out the dealer invoice price and obtain a report on each bike. Remember the dealer is in business to think money and he will try and make at least 10% profit on your sale. Some of the more common fees are set-up fees, documentation fees, destination charges and taxes. It is difficult sometimes to find out what a dealership's profit margin is, but it is somewhere between 5 and 15%.

Also know that the salesman will always try to sell you extra items including an extended warranty and all the accessories, because, as you may well know, the dealer makes money on this as well. You may not want any extras and if so, don't let a salesman talk you into anything you don't want.

If you are doing a trade-in, remember to do your homework. Check out this web site, http://www.kbb.com (Kelly Blue Book), as this will tell you what the price of the vehicle is when either selling it outright or trading it in. Try keeping mind that the dealer always wants to make at least 10% profit on each deal, so doing your homework means you may be able to talk them down quite a bit.

Most dealers like cash deals, however, if you are financing try to put down a good portion of that in cash. You may want to use a personal line of credit or get a pre-approved loan from a lending institution before approaching a dealer. Some dealers may have low percentage loans they can offer you on certain models, and this may definitely influence your decision. If you sell your bike privately rather than trading it in, you will usually get more for it. Remember, the dealer wants to work with you so play hardball with him. Give them some of your other business such as riding gear and accessories as this can be used as a bargaining tool. After you finalize the deal, you can almost always get them to sweeten it a bit more by throwing in the helmet or a jacket, since the salesperson has spent a lot of time and doesn't want to lose the sale.

Sintilia Miecevole, Administrator of http://www.hkmotorcycle.com provides you with information or resources from motorcycle, motorcycle accessories, clothing and gear to parts, rallies, events and more. Be sure to visit http://www.hkmotorcycle.com for further information.

Article Source: eArticlesOnline.com

How To Choose A High Quality Motorcycle Boot

2007-11-15T08:04:00.001-07:00

How To Choose A High Quality Motorcycle Boot by Gregg Hall

Today's biker is looking for classic styling, high performance and unmatched quality--from their boots and their bikes. So what should you look for when buying motorcycle boots? First you want Premium Oiled Leathers, the best leather available.

This Black Odessa Leather is waxed and oiled to make the boot more water resistant. I prefer the Vibram Chippewa Sole. This is the best motorcycle boot sole in the industry. This particular motorcycle boot sole is oil resistant and provides good traction due to its high surface contact area. Since a lot of us are around oil spills and such working on our bikes, this is a must have. Buy cheap boots without oil resistant soles and the oil will eat them away.

Another thing I prefer is Goodyear Welted Construction, which greatly adds to your motorcycle boot durability. Make sure the motorcycle boots are stitched, not glued, meaning that the soles are completely replaceable when you do finally wear them down, and let’s face it motorcycle riders are tough on their motorcycle boots. The uppers are going to last virtually forever so don’t make the mistake of buying motorcycle boots without replaceable soles.

Another thing overlooked by many is a Toe Shifter Pad. This is of major Importance to bikers because it protects the toe and arch from fatigue and damage due to gear shifting. That’s not something that everyone thinks about but it’s important.

Make sure the motorcycle boots you buy have Quality Non-Tarnishable Hardware. You want your motorcycle boot hardware to look as polished and shiny as your bike.

I also like the Texon Insole which takes moisture away from the foot to keep it as dry as possible. The insole is also anti-microbial, preventing bacteria growth in your motorcycle boots. Make sure the lining of your motorcycle boot is fully leather lined with additional upper padding to provide maximum comfort.

Look for the Bison Stampede Collection from Chippewa which is made from the American Bison. This leather is supple, comfortable, and durable. It normally outlasts regular bovine leather by as much as 50-80%.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses. Look at http://www.motorcyclegearandaccessories.com for your motorcycle gear.

Article Source: eArticlesOnline.com

Sorry it's been a week or so.

2007-11-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy trying to write some cool PHP code so I haven't added much here, but I will get back to it, sooner than a ... well anyway.

I am compiling all the part to build an outside shed, to store my Motorcycles, anyone think a 10 x 12 foot shed is big enough?

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Eight Reasons to Build Your Own Chopper or Kit Bike

2007-10-31T17:22:00.000-06:00

Eight Reasons to Build Your Own Chopper or Kit Bike
By Tyler Powers

Choppers are great fun to ride, and if you want to build one it can be an amazing and rewarding experience. You can buy one from a former owner or from a custom motorcycle builder. Here are eight reasons to build your own custom chopper or kit bike:

1. Kit bikes are easy to build compared to a "start from scratch" chopper. You start with a rolling chassis and go from there. You are only committing to the frame, motor and front end when you go with a kit bike. If you have never built a motorcycle before, the kit bike is the way to start and then later build a scratch chopper. You'll end up with a classy ride you love even when you begin with a kit.

2. The customization is entirely up to you. You choose the accessories and features for your motorcycle and the end product won't be like every other bike on the road!

3. The experience is a great reason to build. Not only will you learn about motorcycle design, balancing and ergonomics, you will know how every single part in the motorcycle works and be able to perform repairs easily.

4. The chopper you build, whether from a kit or from scratch, will fit you and your personal needs. If you love suicide shifts, you can have it. If you want a lower profile for easy balance when stopped, you can design that right into the motorcycle. Ladies, especially, love the custom motorcycle because many petite women don't feel comfortable with a high profile motorcycle, yu can build the motorcycle to suit your body.

5. Building your own chopper is a LOT less expensive than building a built machine. If you design and build your own scoot, you'll get what you want at a fraction of the price a custom builder will charge. After all, you are putting out all the sweat equity yourself!

6. By building your own chopper, you can spread the expense over a period of time rather than having to pay for everything up front. When you buy a showroom motorcycle, whether chopped or not, you have to pay for everything at one time. This often means financing becomes involved and you have to plan for all those payments. If you are already on the road on a stock bike or another chopper, you can perform your build of a new chopper over a period of time, adding parts as you have the money. Sure, this may not be the fast track to having a completed ride, but it can often represent the sensible way to get what you want and have it paid for in full when you first ride out! You'll save tons of money on interest chargers over financing.

7. Bonding with friends and fellow riders is another great reason to build a bike. Usually when you start a build, friends drop by to help and see the progress. This allows quality time to chat and share tips and tricks. Sure, bonding can occur on the road, but it's nice to have some garage time with your buddies.

8. Family members are often more supportive of the motorcycle when you are putting time into it at home yourself. It keeps you at home and the whole family can participate in the project. Even the kids will get excited as the motorcycle comes together!

Tyler Powers is a contributing author and webmaster for http://www.custom-choppers-guide.com. You'll find more time and money saving information on buying or building a custom chopper (or motorcycle) at http://www.custom-choppers-guide.com than you can shake a stick at.

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Your Requested GoArticles Article

2007-10-25T23:07:00.000-06:00

Tips for Buying a Used Harley Davidson Motorcycle

Author: Patrick Louis

Article:
Harley Davidson motorcycles are some of the most durable bikes
on the market. They are built to last using high quality
materials and craftsmanship. Therefore, the cost of a new Harley
may be out of reach for some individuals.

Many people find that purchasing a used motorcycle is a better
option. However, it's a good idea to possess a healthy dose of
skepticism when purchasing a used bike; particularly from a
private seller.

Previously owned motorcycles can be found through private
sellers who oftentimes announce their offer via classified ads
posted in magazines or online bulletin boards. Used motorcycles
can also be found at authorized Harley-Davidson dealerships and
public auctions.

One of the safest ways to purchase a used Harley-Davidson
motorcycle is through an authorized dealer. Along with financing
options, many dealers offer extended warranties and optional
maintenance services. They inspect the bikes for any potential
problems and provide buyers with documentation that guarantees
the used motorcycle is legal.

Care should be taken when buying or selling through online
classifieds. While the majority of people participating are
honest, you should thoroughly investigate the motorcycle and its
history before handing over your hard earned cash.

Before you begin shopping for a used motorcycle, it's a good
idea to educate yourself about the makes and models of
motorcycles you are interested in. Do some research to determine
the average cost of the motorcycle in your area; investigate
insurance and finance rates; and make a list of common defects
to look out for.

When purchasing a used motorcycle through online classifieds or
auctions, be aware of any claims that sound too good to be true.
If you find a potential deal, physically review the bike before
purchasing it.

Look at the paint for scratches, irregularities and rust.
Visually check the tires and foot pedals for wear and tear. Make
certain that electronic equipment, such as lights and blinkers,
are in good working order.

Always take a good look at the maintenance history of any used
motorcycle you are considering purchasing. Start the engine to
see how well it runs. Check for blue or white smoke from the
exhaust pipe, which is a sign that the engine is worn. Make
certain there are no oil or gas leaks. The seller should possess
written documentation of mechanical check-ups.

Pay particular attention to mileage, damage, accident history
and any paint jobs. Find out how many people have previously
owned the bike and be certain to verify the VIN number. To
verify the VIN number, visit www.is-it-a-lemon.com or the
Department of Motor Vehicles at www.dmv.org.

About the author:

Visit Patrick's Review on the
"http://ebookscatalog.com/Autos.html"Top 10 cars,
motorcycles and automobileweb search that provide
comprehensive and most up to date database
href="http://ebookscatalog.com/Autos.html"

Getting the cheapest possible motorcycle insurance

2007-10-25T22:02:00.000-06:00

Getting the cheapest possible motorcycle insurance

Getting the cheapest possible motorcycle insurance by Tony Harries

Motorcycle insurance is no different to getting insurance for your car or boat , a minimum amount of coverage is required and you can customize your policy to suit your needs.

Motorcycle insurance is defined as the insurance of motorcycles and liabilities arising out of the use thereof.

Motorcycle insurance is a way of sharing the risks of driving between you and your insurance company. Motorcycle insurance is one of these things you need to worry about… You need insurance to ride a bike.

Insurance is not only a sound judgment, but also required by law. Motorcycle insurance is one of those annual bills that there really is no escaping.

The insurance coverage helps pay for financial losses or obligations resulting from the use or ownership of your motorcycle.

Motorcycle insurance is specifically designed to give customers the coverage they need giving them peace of mind out on the open road. The purpose of motorcycle insurance is to protect you from financial loss if you have an mishap while driving your motorcycle.

Your motorcycle insurance is really a contract between you the policyholder and the motorcycle insurance company. The best way to make sure you're getting the cheapest possible motorcycle insurance is to do your homework. Of course, not all policies are the same and the key thing to remember before buying any type of motorcycle insurance is to always get several quotes, compare the cover, then choose the policy that best suits you and the particular motorcycle you want to insure.

The first step in purchasing motorcycle insurance is to contact your agent or broker with whom you currently have auto or home insurance. In any case it is worth getting a quote as it is also perfectly possible that you will be pleasantly surprised at how affordable the motorcycle insurance is. If you have a clean licence and are older, then the cost of the motorcycle insurance is likely to be lower.

Cheap motorcycle insurance is possible and with the increasing number of insurance agencies mushrooming all over the country, the cost has steadily declined thanks to the increase in competition; insurance agencies are constantly vying with one another to offer the best and cheapest motorcycle insurance rates.

Insurance is a must for all motorcycles. Insurance rates vary, taking into account several factors such as the model of the bike and the owner s age, address, training, bike security, and driving history, besides others.

Tony Harries
www.usedmotorcycles-4u.com

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Finding The Right Chopper For You

2007-10-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

Finding The Right Chopper For You
Finding The Right Chopper For You by Matt Bonner

One of the hottest trends in motorcycling in recent years has been the re-emergence of the Chopper as a main stream vehicle. Once the preserve of biker gangs you are now more likely to see a lawyer or a doctor cruising on his Chopper than outlaw biker. This resurgence has been fueled by a whole host of TV Shows such as American Chopper and The Great Biker Build Off.

Although the chopper had its heyday back in the 1970's which was probably due to the release of the movie "Easy Rider" have there been so many of these now available. Today you can either purchase them in kit for or one that has been completed to a high standard. In this article we will provide you with some hints and tips on finding the right one for you and which you will enjoy for years to come.

The first thing that you need to decide is just what kind of chopper it is you would like to have. Basically there are 3 different styles that you can pick.

The Bobber: A bobber is the original style of chopper that was first created by American Servicemen returning from the Second World War. The bike is customized by removing anything that isn't needed. This helps to reduce the weight and increase the performance. Handling can also be improved by lowering the unsprung weight and moving the center of gravity. Over the past couple of years the Bobber has started to grow in popularity.

The Pro Street Chopper: It is very easy to spot a pro street chopper. They have fat rear tires and long extended forks. The style is loosely derived from drag bikes. The Bikes geometry can make the handling an bit awkward on twisty roads but on a straight and away from the lights they really come into their own.

The Rat Bike: Appeared during the late 1970's and early part of the 1980's and is similar to those bikes were used in the movie "Mad Max" starring Mel Gibson. The main philosopher to owning such a bike like this is that you need to keep it on the road for as long as possible without having to spend that much money on keeping it there. In a large number of cases owners of such Rat Bikes will cannabalize parts from other ones in order to do this. As for color nearly every Rat Bike you see on the road today will be Matt Black.

Once you have decided what style is for you should decide what rear suspension the bike will have. Hard Tails as the name suggests have no rear suspension and usually rely on the springing in the seat for any level of comfort. Soft Tails as you will probably guessed will have rear suspension and give a more comfortable ride. If you intend to do a lot of miles the a soft tail is probably a wise choice.

If you would like to find out more and see what's currently available in your local area please check out our Store details are below.

If you are thinking about buying a customized motorcycle then make sure you go to Custom Chops first. At Custom Chops we provide information on how to find the right customized motorcycle for you.

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Motorcycle Camping Gear

2007-10-23T08:32:00.000-06:00

Motorcycle Camping Gear

Think Hiking When Buying Motorcycle Camping Gear

The quantity and type of motorcycle camping gear you may need will depend on the type and length of trip you are planning. There is a difference between motorcycle camping and a road trip, with road trips usually involving spending your nights in motels along the way. For a camping trip, it is advisable to plan your overnight stops ahead of time as some campgrounds are not friendly to motorcycles.

The type of motorcycle camping gear you carry should be similar to the type carried by backpackers and hikers as it packs small and light and is easy to set up in the evening and tear down in the morning. Keeping your motorcycle camping gear as compact as you can will make your trip safer and prevent the need to stop and repack on the road if something comes loose. For extended trips, you might consider a small, motorcycle trailer that is lightweight and easy to pull behind your bike.

To limit the amount of space needed for your motorcycle camping gear consider buying your food and water on a daily basis since it can take up a lot of space. For cooking, a metal mess kit offers the most diverse uses and can be cleaned at the campsite’s facilities. Be sure to carry a small bottle of liquid dishwashing detergent. In the event you get stuck away from stores, you can carry the freeze - dried, or dehydrated meals sold in many camping supply stores and heat water in a small pot over an open fire at the campground. You will want a small disposable lighter to get the fire started with the wood typically available at the campgrounds.

Be Prepared For Inclement Weather

As part of your motorcycle camping gear do not forget a change of clothing. More than one is nice, but at least one is necessary in case you get caught in the rain. If you plan to use local laundromats while traveling, make sure you have something to wear while washing your clothes. A small backpacking tent and lightweight sleeping bag can usually be carried on your bike, but consider a small inflatable air mattress for comfort. Once deflated they take up very little room and can help you sleep better at night.

When packing your motorcycle camping gear remember personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, shampoo and soap, although shampoo can double for body soap and if you run out of room for toothpaste, you can use salt. A first aid kit should also be part of your motorcycle camping gear, regardless of space, but many are available for camping and hold those items most - often needed while camping.

***********************************************************

This article reprinted from

http://www.amazinarticles.com/articles/CampingGear

***********************************************************

Discount Motorcycle Tires

2007-10-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

Discount Motorcycle Tires
By Steve Valentino

Discount motorcycle tires are a great buy, but only if you know how to choose the right ones. As motorcycle tires cost a bundle, investing in a pair of discount motorcycle tires is actually not a bad idea to put a curb on your expenses.

When buying discount motorcycle tires, make sure to check the tire pressure. This is because it is the air, and not the carcass, which supports the tire. Nowadays, underinflation of tires is considered to be a tire’s number-one enemy. For better traction during wet conditions, increase the air pressure by 10 percent. If you are not sure of the pressure of the motorcycle tire, you could look at the sticker found on the VIN plate, for the required pressure of the tire. Proper alignment is important for discount motorcycle tires, as proper alignment ensures better handling and longer wears of the tire.

Since improper balance of the motorcycle shortens tire life, it must be checked when buying discount motorcycle tires. This is mainly because its balance changes after 500 or 1,000 miles of use. Make sure that the valve stem cap of the discount motorcycle tire is securely fastened on the stem, as it is an important part of your tire’s sealing system. When buying discount motorcycle tires, make sure to buy tires of the same construction. This is because tires of different construction should never be run together; the results can be disastrous.

The best means of maintaining motorcycle tires is with soap and water. New protectants only promote cracking and finish the deterioration of the tire. Always remember to visually inspect your motorcycle tires before using them on the road, as setting off on a road trip with a nail in the tire could prove disastrous. It is always better to avoid potholes, curbs and sharp objects on roads that can compromise your discount motorcycle tire’s integrity.

Motorcycle Tires provides detailed information on Motorcycle Tires, Discount Motorcycle Tires, Tires for Street Motorcycles, Cheapest Motorcycle Tires and more. Motorcycle Tires is affiliated with Custom Motorcycle Parts.

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Chopper Kits

2007-10-19T08:25:00.000-06:00

Chopper Kits
By Joe Henderson

There has been an absolutely phenomenal growth of interest in custom chopper motorcycles over the recent years. Also along with an increased price tag that these custom choppers are being sold at!

A really nice looking motorcycle, complete with beefed up engine, 6-speed transmission and custom paint job is way out of the reach of the average Joe. If you don’t have serious wads of cash, a benevolent granny or a clean sheet on your credit file then there is probably not much chance of getting a brand new custom chopper motorcycle out of the show room. So what can you do if you are hopelessly in love with the chopper dream and without the financial resources to back you up? Well, why not consider building your own custom chopper, based on a factory standard motorcycle and fit one of the reliable chopper kits available on the market today. With a bit of mechanical knowledge you can build your own Harley chopper, Honda chopper, Kawasaki chopper, Suzuki or Yamaha chopper from your standard bike and these chopper conversions are now becoming increasingly popular today.

Just how easy is this? Read on . . .

You can convert your standard Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha motorcycle into a custom chopper in one day, using tried and tested chopper kits. Make sure that you use a safe and reliable system to transform your motorcycle into a custom chopper using your standard factory frame.

Approved chopper kits will actually change the steering head angle on your frame without cutting or welding. Chopper kits that use a patented set of triple trees, bearings, fork tubes and offset components to provide the correct geometry are the best way of making the chopper conversion to your motorcycle. It has been stated that the most important aspect of a chopper motorcycle is the trail dimension because a motorcycle that simply relies on a raked or adjustable tree cannot achieve more then 5 or 6 degrees of additional rake before the trial becomes so small that the handling becomes dangerous. Chopper kits that use a bolt-on system eliminate the guesswork by providing your chopper with the same trail as the standard factory motorcycle.

What does this actually mean to the not so mechanically minded biker? Dude, it will look great & ride totally safe. This is a very important aspect to consider. Don't go cutting, welding or hacking away at a factory built motorcycle as this will result in a dangerous wreck and not that much wanted, cool looking, head turning dream machine you are really looking for. We all need to ride safe to keep riding!

For further reading see our site for Chopper Kits here for Harley Chopper and here for here for Honda Chopper

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Chopper-Kits&id=127920

Party at the Sturgis Bike Rally

2007-10-18T11:52:00.000-06:00

Party at the Sturgis Bike Rally

By Tom Wheeler

If you are a true motorcycle enthusiast, you can't miss the annual Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota. The rally is one of the oldest and largest in the world. You can enjoy scenic rides, entertainment, other bike enthusiasts, and a great Main Street.

The Sturgis Bike Rally takes place the first week after the first weekend in August each year. Sturgis has a normal population of around 6,400 people. Attendance at the rallies generally tops 400,000 bikers and enthusiasts.

Once you get to Sturgis, you'll have a range of choices for lodging. Whether you want to stay at a hotel, RV park, or campground, you'll find lodging that meets your needs. Many bikers prefer campgrounds and RV parks during the rally because of the flexibility and camaraderie that they offer. With common areas, campgrounds offer a better chance to get to know other bikers and party.

While you're in Sturgis, don't miss the area's attractions. Take a scenic ride into the Black Hills and see Mt. Rushmore. Sturgis also has the Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. You'll see a variety of motorcycles, memorabilia, and photographs.

The Sturgis Bike Rally includes a number of great events. You'll find concerts going on all week by great bands. Whether you like rock, classic rock, or country, you'll find music that makes you want to dance and party. For example, the Rock ‘n the Rally natural amphitheater hosts a number of national acts during the rally. Have the urge to get up on stage yourself? Hit one of the karaoke events.

You'll also find hundreds of different vendors in Sturgis for the rally. You can participate in demos for new motorcycle models or see new products coming to the market to customize your bike. Whether you're looking for apparel, parts, or accessories for your motorcycle, you'll find it at the bike rally. You can also see thousands of bikes owned by other bikers that can give you ideas on how to customize your own ride.

Many campgrounds also put on activities during the bike rally. Activities range from motorcycle rodeos to beauty contests to races. Check at the campground you'll be staying at to see what will be happening during the rally week.

The Sturgis Bike Rally is a must do for any bike enthusiast. You'll meet other bikers and enjoy the beautiful scenery around Sturgis. This is one event that you need to do during your lifetime and once you go, you'll want to go back every year.

Learn how to take great Harley Davidson pictures at Sturgis and visit BigCyclePro.com to make sure you look good in your Harley Davidson apparel.

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Custom Motorcycles

2007-10-16T08:39:00.000-06:00

Custom Motorcycles
By Eddie Tobey

A custom motorcycle is a unique motorcycle with the frame geometry or engine differing from standard motorcycles. They are individually produced in limited numbers in factories. Some motorcycle enthusiasts feel that a true custom bike is one that is built from scratch in a local garage or motorcycle shop.

There are different types of custom motorcycles like road, cruisers and sports bikes. Custom road motorcycles are designed for the road with smooth tires and engines in the 250cc and over range. These bikes can run at great speeds of 160km/h to 200 km/h. Cruisers are custom motorcycles that mimic the style of the American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, like Harley-Davidson, Excelsior and Henderson. These bikes signal adherence to a free lifestyle with a riding position of feet forward and hands up, with the spine remaining erect. The most extreme forms of these customized motorcycles are found in motorcycle clubs like The Hell’s Angels.

Sports bikes are custom motorcycles that are sometimes called ‘bullet bikes,’ because of their lightweight and high speeds. They are capable of high speeds with great stability around corners. The touring motorcycle is customized with wind protection for the rider and has high capacity fuel tanks for long-distance traveling. It also has the ability to carry luggage in panniers.

Some people hire customizers to create custom motorcycles for them. These custom motorcycles are then entered in shows to win prizes. Though custom motorcycles usually cost twice the selling price of a regular motorcycle, enthusiasts don’t mind the expense.

Motorcycles provides detailed information on Motorcycles, Used Motorcycles, Custom Motorcycles, Mini Motorcycles and more. Motorcycles is affiliated with Motorcycle Accident Statistics.

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The World’s Fastest Indian.

2007-10-11T08:25:00.000-06:00

The World’s Fastest Indian.

This is a great movie, sorry if I just found out about it and was able to watch it on DVD. It is a very fun show about a true biker, who builds old school fast Indian Racing Motorcycles. He takes on the adventure of traveling from New Zealand to the Bonneville Salt Flats near Salt Lake city to run his motorcycle in the World speed races.

My Movie review. GREAT Five greasy wrenches, I loved it, the whole story line was fun and genuine, and driven. The main actor Anthony Hopkins, plays Burt Munro an old retired motorcycle racing fanatic, who has always dreamed of speed racing on the Boneville Salt Flats in Wendover Utah. He finally makes his dream come true, traveling from New Zealand to Utah to race on the salt. The story follows his adventures across the oceans and through California and Nevada. Once he arrives at the Salt Flats he is faced with more trials and troubles as he tries to get into the race and compete for the title of Worlds fastest Indian.

This is a good family show, I think you will enjoy it.

If you are interested in more information Click here to buy this Great DVD.

Motorcycle Seat Height is important.

2007-10-10T07:43:00.001-06:00

I just posted an article on the seat height of each new Harley Davidson Motorcycle. This is something worth thinking about when considering a new bike. The lower the seat the lower the center of gravity and the easier the bike is to ride. When came to this conclusion when we were shopping for new Harley's for my wife. We initially thought we needed to get a Sportsters as they are a smaller bike and should be easier to ride. This is clearly no the case. The Sportster is smaller and lighter, but the height makes them harder to control vs. the Dyna Low Rider FXDL that we ended up buying for her. The Dyna Low Rider is heavier but doesn't feel that much heavier as the weight and the seating position is lower to the ground. When entering a turn the bike rides nice and leans in and lean back out of the cornering nice and easy. The Sportster tends to dive into a corner and then need pulled out of the turn and lifted back up to center.

With the Dyna it has nice power and a nice smooth riding feel to it. So far we have put 20,000+ miles on it and my wife loves it. So I would definitely say it's a nice motorcycle of any new Lady rider.

What Harley Davidson Model Seats You Best

2007-10-10T07:38:00.001-06:00

What Harley Davidson Model Seats You Best

By Low Jeremy

Since ultimate comfort while riding is one of the main aims of motorcycle buyers, many Harley Davidson riders are more concerned with the height of the seat. This would give them a relaxed, more convenient cruise with the confidence that they can lay their feet flat on the ground whenever needed. Yes, we can say that bikes can be ridden even without having the foot flat on the ground, but to keep the rider in control while maintaining full balance when at full stop, the height of the Harley-Davidson seat is very important.

The seat’s main purpose of course is to keep the rider in a comfortable position while traveling. A Harley-Davidson seat is very effective in this. However, you might not be aware that each seat is different from each other.

Having said that, it must be noted that each Harley-Davidson model has different seat height.

The list below contains the seat height of the 2006 Harley-Davidson models. The figure on the left is in inches. The right column is the list of 2006 Harley-Davidson models.

If you are trying to figure out which one will you buy, this list will be a great help.

Motorcycle Seat Height Motorcycle Model in Inches

30 2006 Harley-Davidson VRSCR Street Rod

28.1 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883R

28.1 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200R

27.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide FXDWGI

27.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic FLHTC/I

27.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Standard FLHT/I

27.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King FLHR/I

27.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883

27.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide FLHTCUI

26.9 2006 Harley-Davidson Road Glide FLTRI

26.9 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic FLHRCI

26.8 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna 35th Anniversary Super Glide FXDI35

26.8 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDCI

26.6 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide FXDI

26.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883C

26.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200C

26.3 2006 Harley-Davidson Street Glide FLHX/I

26.1 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King Custom FLHRS/I

26 2006 Harley-Davidson Night Train FXSTB/I

26 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce FXSTD/I

26 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883L

26 2006 Harley-Davidson V-Rod VRSCA

26 2006 Harley-Davidson VRSCD Night Rod

25.9 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Springer Classic FLSTSC/I

25.8 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob FXDBI

25.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic FLSTC/I

25.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail FLST/I

25.4 2006 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy FLSTF/I

25.2 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider FXDLI

25.2 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard FXST/I

24.9 2006 Harley-Davidson Springer Softail FXSTS/I

24.5 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe FLSTN/I

This content is provided by Low Jeremy and may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more info on Harley Davidson, please visit http://harley-davidson.articlekeep.com

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The 2007 Harley Davidson Models

2007-10-09T08:08:00.000-06:00

The 2007 Harley Davidson Models
By Low Jeremy

If you want to know what are the different Harley Davidson models for the year 2007, then you have come to the right place…

There are 5 models offered in the year 2007: the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations), Dyna, Sportster, Softail, Touring, and VRSC.

Naming

Harley-Davidson models are designated with names of letters-numbers sequence combined in several ways.

The CVO starts with either FL or LX. The Dyna Glide starts with FX. The Sportster is always an XL. The Softail is either an FX or an FL. The Touring is an FL. And the VRSC is of course VR. Then, the first two letters are coupled with combinations of any of the following:

· B (Belt Drive)

· C (Classic or Custom)

· D (Dyna Glide)

· DG (Disk Glide)

· E (Electric start)

· F (Fat Boy (1990-present)

· H (High compression)

· I (Fuel injection)

· L (Hydra Glide forks)

· LR (Low Rider)

· P (Police)

· R (Race or Rubber-mount)

· S (Sport or Springer)

· SB (Single belt final drive)

· SE (Screamin’ Eagle)

· ST (Softail)

· T (Touring)

· U (Ultra)

· WG (Wide Glide)

CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations)

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHRSE3 Screamin' Eagle® Road King®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHTCUSE2 Screamin' Eagle® Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXDSE Screamin' Eagle® Dyna™

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXSTSSE Screamin' Eagle® Softail® Springer®

Dyna Glide

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXDB Dyna™ Street Bob™

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXDC Dyna™ Super Glide® Custom

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXDL Dyna™ Low Rider®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXD™ Dyna Super Glide®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXDWG Dyna™ Wide Glide®

Sportster

• 2007 Harley-Davidson 50th Anniversary Sportster® Limited Edition

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 1200C Sportster® Custom

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 1200L Sportster® 1200 Low

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 1200R Sportster® 1200 Roadster

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 883 Sportster® 883

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 883 Sportster® 883 Low

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 883C Sportster® 883 Custom

• 2007 Harley-Davidson XL 883R Sportster® 883R

Softail

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail® Classic

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTN Softail® Deluxe

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTSC Softail® Springer® Classic

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXST Softail® Standard

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXSTB Softail® Night Train®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXSTC Softail® Custom

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FXSTD Softail® Deuce®

Touring

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHR Road King®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHRC Road King® Classic

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHRS Road King® Custom

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHT Electra Glide® Standard

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHTC Electra Glide® Classic

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide™

• 2007 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide®

VRSC

• 2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCAW V-Rod®

• 2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCD Night Rod™

• 2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCDX Night Rod™ Special

• 2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCR Street Rod™

• 2007 Harley-Davidson VRSCX

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Motorcycle Riding in the Rain

2007-10-05T19:33:00.000-06:00

Motorcycle Riding in the Rain

By J. Blake

Dull grey skies today, a steady heavy rain, poor visibility. An opportunity to impress the crowd with a textbook demonstration of wet weather riding skills.

Starting with hardware. Motorcycle in good condition, especially tyres, the grooves good and deep to channel away water, no letting them wear flat with constant upright motorway riding, no messing about trying to extend their life because they look okayish. A helmet that won’t mist up. Clothes waterproof and breathable, they’re four years old now, never had any maintenance, I can ride through a downpour all day and not have a speck of moisture on me, miracle of modern fabrics. No trivial matter, comfort, a safety issue, you can tough stuff out for a while but it wears you down, you need your attention on staying alive not whether your feet are cold. Hi viz belts and bands, you can’t tell how many times you stay alive because some unnoticed driver sees you and doesn’t mow you down, but over time it’ll be quite a few.

Fifty percent increase in the safety bubble in front. Partly to stay out of the spray. Partly because braking distances are longer. Partly because if there’s trouble, you don’t brake, you accelerate. Braking puts the weight on the unstable front wheel, accelerating puts it on the stable back wheel. So you need space to accelerate into. Also, ride in a lower gear, use it to slow down without braking or accelerate without delaying.

Be real careful changing lanes, cars often leave their headlights off and they’re damn near invisible. Otherwise don’t worry about what’s behind you, let the hi viz stuff protect you there, concentrate on the trouble up front.

Ten mph slower than normal. That’s the deal. If you abrogate speeding limits to your own judgement, your position is a lot more compelling if you sometimes go slower, not always faster.

The game is, every time you hold back, you get a gold star. Here’s a gap I’d normally take, not today, one gold star. That doesn’t mean you have to be cowed and subdued, in fact often in the rain there’s an even greater need to filter past stuck traffic, just do it with less relish. Then collect the gold stars. But any rashness or impetuosity, all gold stars cancelled, start again.

Ten minutes later than normal for work, but a half hour margin allowed anyway, just for such contingencies. And about fifteen gold stars. Good start to the day.

www.motorcyclemeditation.com

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Custom Harley Davidsons

Quick note about my Oil change write up.

I just fired up the Fat Boy for the season.

"Game On" The king is back on the Road.

Early Spring Harley Ride coming Soon

Early Spring Harley Ride.

Novemeber 4th Sunny and Warm in SLC

The Road king is still in the garage.

I am thinking of selling my RoadKing

Nintendo Wii Christmas Crazyness.

More Cool Custom Chopper Pictures

One more cool custom bike picture

Sweet Red Springer Hard Tail

November 17th and it was sunny and warm in SLC

Haulmark Trailers Orange Chopper.

Low and Lean Harley Davidson Custom Softail

Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis

The new old Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis.

Novemeber 3rd and I got in a great ride.

Today was Fantastic again,and I didn't get to ride, I promise I will ride tomorrow.

Today was warm and sunny and nice, and I missed out on a ride.

What a nice ride today.

BRRRRR!!!!, It's the end of the Harley riding season.

Dreaming about my past Strugis trip.

How to Build a Harley Torque Monster by Bill Rook

Here is a shamless plug for some good products to help you clean you Motorcycle

I promise to write all about my Sturgis trip.

KILLER MOTORCYCLE Harley Carburetor Rebuild.

V-Force Customs Is formed by Vinnie and Cody

5 days 15 hours and slowly counting down.

Sturgis Here we come.

Sturgis Here we come.

The Great Canadian Motorcycle Auction and Canadian Biker Buildoff

Into the Desert Wind, for the MDA Charity ride.

MDA Ride, post haste

57th annual MDA Ride one day away

Now I'm getting over 40 mile per gallon on my Road King

MDA Ride for a Cure, SLC to Wendover Utah

The Kings third tank of expensive gasoline

How many Beers fit in the Saddle Bag of a Road King?

2 days of Rain, 2 days in bed.

75 Days until Sturgis, Get ready now.

A few Local SLC Motorcycle Rides and events

The Second tank of expensive gas goes through "The King"

Rain and snow please go away, today.

Summer time is today. Biking weather is here.

Primary Childrens Wheeler Machine fund raiser ride, 5-31-2008

MDA Ride for a Cure June 7th 2008

Harley Fat Boy Knee Dragging.

The 2008 Sturgis Bike Week Dates

The first tank of gas goes through "The King"

Earth Day, how I saved $5867 and 37,699 lbs of carbon from being added to the air.

Once Again the On-Ramp..

“Super Batman Fast"

Fast freeway on ramp fun

I found picture of myself with Indian Larry

Indian Larry, Chopper Shaman

Ian and Indian Larry

The Sturgis Motorcycle Ralley, here we come!

Hog Harley Owners Group

Should You Buy A New Harley Davidson

Harley Touring Bikes, stylish fact or fiction?

Custom Motorcycle painting.

Harley CEO gets a big Raise, but his overall pay falls.

Harley Touring Bikes

FLSTF The Halrey Davidson Fat Boy

They way back machine, Motoring through the Grand Tetons

Danger Kitty is in over it's head.

Check out this cool custom

No Biker Commute for me.

The History Of The Bike

Custom Build Jeep Trailer

How to build a Cool Chopper Books

Finding The Right Chopper For You

Harley Davidson 883 Sportster - A Great Motorcycle

Indian Larry, Chopper Shaman

The best kids dvd for Christmas presents.

Long Way Round, a great DVD for Christmas

Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman,in The Long Way Round. Drive Motorcycles around the world

The star from Long Way Round Race the Paris to Dakar Rally

Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman,
in The Long Way Round. Drive Motorcycles around the world

Charlie Boorman, The star from
Long Way Round Race the Paris to Dakar Rally