BigJermsGarage

The BSA Left For Dead

2016-01-20T22:11:00.001-05:00

Back in the 1980's my dad started selling motorcycle parts new and old. In the beginning a lot of the parts he sold came from shops that needed to either clear out their junk piles or from shops that were closing the doors and needed to unload their inventory. He would drag my brother and I to motorcycle swap meets on the weekends all up and down the east coast. At first he sold Japanese parts, Harley parts, British part, whatever he could make a profit from. He would eventually switch over to only new British parts in his inventory. In 1988 he wanted a divorce from my mom and with that he had to move out. At that point our garage and the woods beside our garage were full of junk bikes and containers full of parts. Needing a place to take that stuff he ended up taking a lot of it to our family farm which was about an hour away from where we lived. In most of the riding videos I have posted on Bigjermsgarage we were riding at that same farm. Basically that property has been in my family since the 1700s and no one has lived there since 1979. So my dad took a large supply of bikes and junk to that farm for storage. Over the next 20 years those parts fell apart due to rust, were stolen by trespassers, or picked through at some point by my dad for whatever might have value. In 2010 my brother's family and my cousin's family started riding atvs and dirt bikes all the time down on the farm. Over 2-3 years we cut approximately 3 miles of trails all throughout the woods on the farm. While cutting one trail I came across an old BSA street bike that my dad had left there 20 years before then. Not sure how but that bike was at some point moved across the property and left in the woods. Below is the video of us saving that bike from the woods and a look at what was left. I ended up dragging that bike home on my trailer and selling it on craigslist for $150. The guy that bought it was planning to set it at the end of his driveway to hold up his mailbox. Checkout that video below and some of the others showing what was left of the junk my dad dragged to the farm.

360Fly - What Exactly Is A 360 Degree Camera

2016-01-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

These days technology is amazing. From Gopro cameras, cameras on drones, cell phone camera capabilities, and now 360 degree cameras, recording video has become so easy and so technologically advanced. I recently picked up a 360Fly camera from Best Buy because I was curious to see if a camera like that could take my youtube channel to the next level. When viewing a video made with a 360Fly you will be able to move the camera angle around to see all that is happening near the camera. The angle can be moved around by dragging the mouse on your computer or if using a cell phone or tablet you can move your device around to see different angles or drag your fingers around. If you have not seen the 360fly camera yet, check it out.

360Fly Unboxing

Possibilities!

Gas Tank Rust Removal - What can be done?

2016-01-17T21:49:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had a nicely painted or dent free gas tank that unfortunately is full of rust. Whenever I get a bike with a metal tank I look to see what's in the inside, shiny metal or flaky rust. So what can be done to clean the rust from a metal tank if this is an issue for you?

Check this out!

Cheap rust removal - Vinegar

Using Metal Rescue

Using Distilled Water and Sand

Using Acid

2012-12-08T10:19:00.001-05:00

Episode 2 - Craigslist searching - Kawasaki Ninja

2012-12-08T10:16:00.004-05:00

Here it is - Episode 1 of my motorcycle search mini series. Be on the look out for more episodes. In this episode I am after a Honda Goldwing.

2012-12-08T10:12:00.002-05:00

Here is my 1985 Honda Odyssey FL350.

Here is one of my new videos.

2012-04-11T21:59:00.000-04:00

Norton Transformer

2012-02-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent this video to me. It's a great video and must have taken a ton of time and effort to complete. It was especially interesting to me since I have a Norton Commando. Enjoy.

Amazing GoPro Hero 2 Helmet Camera Video!

2012-01-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

I am thinking about buying a new camera and was told to check out the GoPro HD Hero 2. The video below was found on youtube and is awesome. Watch the video and see the amazing video that was put together using only the Hero 2 helmet camera.

Crash On Our Farm

2012-01-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

The last time we went riding down on our farm my 11 year old cousin and I were doing some laps in the field . He got too comfortable after a couple close calls. On our last lap he took the turn too fast and rolled his Polaris on top of himself. Luckily he did not get hurt, but he did get scared.

FMX - Freestyle Motocross - Richmond VA

2012-01-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a chance attend to the FMX event that was in town. The show was great and very entertaining. If you get a chance to see this show I would suggest you do it.

Xtreme Mudding - ATV Style

2012-01-05T16:40:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in ATVs that like mud then you really need to checkout Ostacruiser. Ostacruiser uploads insane 4X4 ATV videos on youtube. Here is a link to his channel - Ostacruiser. I subscribed to his Youtube channel several months ago and really enjoy watching his videos. He does a great job of showing Polaris, Canam and other quads going deep in mud holes and swamps. Below I have posted some of his most popular videos.

Polaris Sportsman, Arctic Cat, Canam, Outlander, Renegade, Bruteforce

Fast Honda ATC 250R --- CHECK THIS THING OUT!

2012-01-04T23:25:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like an old 2 stroke trike ripping through the woods. The driver on this beast is obviously crazy because he is not wearing a helmet. Those old three wheelers are awesome.

Awesome Suzuki LTZ400 Video

2012-01-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

This video is really good. A lot of time was put into the production. Check it out!

Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4 Fix

2012-01-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

About a year ago I had a problem with the 4x4 on my Polaris Scrambler 500. When I turned on the switch only three wheels would spin. After searching the internet, reading the manual, and taking the front left hub apart I was able to find the problem and fix it. Below is the video I made of me working on the 4x4 and fixing the problem. Hopefully this video can assist you if you have a similar issue or need help with your 4x4.

Yamaha

2012-01-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

Xtreme Crashes

2012-01-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

Question: What is the best brand of ATV?

2012-01-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

I personally have fallen in love with my Kawasaki KFX700. This atv has plenty of power, handles great, feels awesome, and is very enjoyable. I would have to say the KFX is my favorite. I also like the Polaris atvs that I have owned and ridden. The are tough, durable, and easy to operate. I like to keep a Polaris around as a buddy bike. If a friend of mine or my 80 year old grandfather wants to go riding they will have no problem with the Polaris Scrambler or Trail Blazer.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? LEAVE A COMMENT AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

Here is my KFX700 -- check out my other videos on Youtube. Bigjermsgarage

Suzuki DRZ400 Engine Swap

2012-01-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

I bought a Suzuki DRZ400 about six months ago from a friend. The bike ran good and I was very happy with it. When I purchased the bike it had a small oil leak behind the front sprocket which I thought would be an easy fix (new seal). When I replaced the seal I realized that the bearing inside the case had been cracked by something (looked like a screwdriver mark). Now this could have been done prior to me purchasing it or maybe I did it myself. We tried sealing the hole, but we did not have any luck. My thought then was to pull the engine off of the bike and fix it. To fix the hole I would need to pull the top end off of the bike and split the cases. Just as I was planning to begin this project I found the exact same engine on ebay for a good price. The engine looked great and I felt more comfortable just swapping the engine instead of pulling it completely apart. The engine arrived quickly and I proceeded to swap engines. Here are the videos of the swap.

Engine Swap

Cold Start With Replacement Engine

Norton Commando 850 -- Revival

2011-11-02T23:15:00.000-04:00

Last week I got a chance to start working on my Norton. It's been sitting for a couple years and needs a little work. The main issue involved cleaning the carbs, tank, and charging the battery. Last time I drove it the clutch was acting funny so I will probably need to work on that some once I get the bike running.

Check out these videos of me cleaning the carbs.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Farm Trip 10/30

2011-11-02T23:09:00.000-04:00

We got a chance to go riding this past weekend. I arrived on the farm around 8:30AM and had to leave by 4PM. My cousin and his son came with me. My brother and his kids joined us in the afternoon. I guess we spent about 3-4 hours clearing trails damaged from hurricane Irene that hit back in August. While cleaning the trails we also found an interesting area that we decided to cut a new path. This new path has a good size bump that we need to work on some more. Here is a video of the new path with the jump. (Video) With all of the rain we have received recently the creek was muddy and a little bit of a challenge to cross. My nephew got his Trailblazer stuck good one time, but the Chicago winch on my Scrambler had not problem pulling his out. We probably could have pulled him out by hand, but I had more fun using the winch. I tried to get a video of this rescue, but did not get the camera fast enough. This trip was fun and we got a good amount of work completed. Over the next couple months we should be able to get a lot more work done with the cold weather approaching. I hate clearing paths when the snakes and bees are active. The winter time gives me less to worry about when clearing. Check back later to see whats going one.

2011-10-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

Drag Racing @ Slade's Park, Surry VA

2011-10-11T23:03:00.000-04:00

Recently I had a chance to visit Slade's Park in Surry, VA. While Slade's Park offers a great riding experience, I was there for the Drag Racing event. I did not have a lot of time, but the two hours I was there were a lot of fun. Their setup allows spectators to get within a couple feet of the race. The races began at 12PM, but I did not arrive until 1:30PM. I was able to find a spot to stand next to the fence, but could not park my truck there. Next time I will arrive early so I can back my truck up to the fence and sit on the tailgate or stand in the back. A think a grill would be nice next time as well. A lot of people were participating in the race and many different bikes were running. Going to Slade's was kind of a weird experience for me. About 25 years ago I was there a a seven year old racing a Suzuki JR50. We would go there on a regular bases so my dad could sell motorcycle parts at the swap meets they hosted and my brother and I would ride on the trails. That was the last time I was there and believe it or not that place still looks the same. During this recent trip my brother and I kind of got the bug to do some racing in the future at Slade's. He has a BSA B50 (check out the video) that he would race and I might try my KFX 700 (check out the video). We might not win, but we would have a lot of fun. While at the races this past week I recorded over forty videos and all of them have been posted to my channel. Here is a video that shows most of my clips. DRAG RACING VIDEO Thanks for reading this post and check back soon for new videos and more adventures.

BigJermsGarage Channel

ATV & DIRT BIKE FUN - Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, & Polaris

2011-09-21T22:52:00.001-04:00

Recent Farm Trip

2011-09-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

Back on Sept 3rd we were able to spend a couple hours down on the farm. This trip was about one week after hurricane Irene. Up near the house we had a couple of trees down, but nothing too bad. The worst damage took place at the far end of the property just past the old home site. We had two huge trees fall and both of them fell directly on our riding trail. These trees were huge and we decided it would be easier to just create another path around the downed trees. The new path actually will make riding more fun in that area. While cutting the new path we found a giant hole in the ground and plan to run a path through it in the near future. (Link to new hole video) We did not stay down on the farm for too long, but did get to do some riding. Believe it or not, the creek was not flooded after the hurricane. We did see evidence that the water level did rise, but one week later the level had dropped. Crossing the creek was not too much of a challenge, except for when Blake got stuck.(Creek Crossing Video) We could have pull him out by hand, but I wanted to use my new winch. (Link to winch video) The one bad part about this trip was that I got attacked by chiggers. I have never been bitten by chiggers before, but they tore me up that day. My legs were covered and I itched for a week.

Work has become very busy and will be busy for several weeks. I am currently trying to plan another riding trip and hopefully it will be soon. I have also been too busy to work on stuff in the garage, but will be getting back to that soon as well.