Harley Davidson Sportster

Where do you like to ride?

2009-07-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of riding opportunities in So Cal including:

Mountains
Coast
Desert
Urban

Personally, I like riding in the mountains and desert to the East. From Julian to Borrego this is all really great riding that suits a variety of styles.

What is your favorite ride?

2009-06-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Twisties
Long straight roads
Stop light to stop light
Showing off at the side of the road?

Update on Tour Master saddlebags

2009-06-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

After about 6 months of riding with the Tour Master Cruiser II Slant Saddlebags I found the right side bag dangling from the safety straps. The zipper on the yoke had broken (which was odd because the bag was empty). I called Tonker.com the company that I bought the bags from and they provided me a direct contact at Tour Master. A quick call to Tour Master and a replacement yoke was sent out. All of this was very hassle-free. Based on this customer service I continue to recommend Tour Master products and the Cruiser II saddlebags.

Unfortunately, it looks like Tonker.com has gone out of business or at least the link to the site no longer works. This is too bad as they offered quality products at good prices. This is the second small online vendor that I've noticted drop off the radar recently. No doubt the economy is taking a major toll on these business owners as they try to compete with the larger discount stores.

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Loud pipes save Cop lives in Oakland

2009-06-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

I recently made a post asking if anyone was aware of evidence supporting the claim "loud pipes save lives". Nothing conclusive came back but I did find this article from the San Francisco Chronicle on the 93 decibel pipes the Oakland PD is installing on their Harleys. According to the article, "It seems the cops just didn't feel safe on toned-down bikes." The article refers to an inconclusive study the city did on the subject. Maybe the Oakland motorcycle cops just like to sound cool?
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What is the most technically advanced part of the Harley?

2009-06-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

Harleys are not known for being technically advanced compared to their German and Japanese competitors. Is this an accurate assessment, a bias that goes back to the earlier times or are Harleys just a throwback to a bygone time? My Sporster has a fuel injected, electronically controlled 1200 cc engine. Some of the bigger bikes have air suspension and other trick bits. So what's the deal, retro modern or dinosaur?

Do loud pipes really save lives?

2009-06-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Loud pipes are common on Harleys and most Harley riders are quick to say "loud pipes save lives" but is there any quantative proof to this claim? Police bikes are typically very quiet, you'd think with all the investment in training a motorcycle cop they'd put loud pipes on the bikes, if it made a difference. Are there any statistics to support this claim or is it just an excuse to make some noise?

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What makes a Harley a Harley?

2009-05-28T17:59:00.001-07:00

What makes a Harley a Harley? Is it the "chopper" look, the V-Twin sound, or something about the ride?

Where to ride in San Diego

2009-05-24T11:28:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of great places to ride in San Diego County from the Coastal roads to the desert out East with the mountains in between. I found a great map of roads that includes some helpful ratings on the BMW Owners Club of San Diego web site. Click the image on the bottome of the page to get the big picture. If you live in San Diego or are just coming out for a visit, print this out and cover as much road as possible.

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California Motorcycle Smog Testing Bill

2009-05-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Alert from the American Motorcycle Association (AMA), if you live and ride in California you need to take action on this Bill now!

Senate Bill 435 (Motorcycle Smog Testing Bill) Scheduled for Hearing on May 28th in Appropriations Committee!!

This bill, which would require all model year 2000 and newer motorcycles over 280 cc's to be smog tested every 2 years, has been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance committee on May 28th.

You can find the AMA’s “click to send” message in opposition to this bill at http://capwiz.com/amacycle//issues/alert/?alertID=12937506. Even if you have previously sent a message please consider doing so again. A phone call, letter or fax to your Senator's office would also be very helpful. Go to http://www.senate.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/senators.htp to find your representatives contact information.

Go to http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/pagequery?type=sen_bilinfo&site=sen&title=Bill+Information for the latest bill information.

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Working on the Sportster

2009-05-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

A big part of buying a Harley-Davidson is the heritage. The Motor Company goes way back and the Sportster line started in 1957. The heritage shows up in design and the classic V-Twin engines. Harley-Davidson has never been about cutting-edge, delivering on a fairly consistent motorcycling experience. This is not to say technologies have not changed and that the mechanics have not improved over time but the pace has been slow and steady.

This slow pace of change, or commitment to the past, is evident in much of the add-on parts available for the Sportster. I’ve worked on cars for a living, and worked on Suzuki and BMW motorcycles as a hobby more recently and I can tell you that the German and Japanese manufacturers take a very different approach to the mechanics of their accessories. This includes everything from the directions to the fit and finish. More importantly, it was obvious that the majority of accessories from Suzuki and BMW had been thought of at the time of bike design. The electrical harness has plugs available for accessories to plug into. Parts fit extremely well with no adjustments required.

The Sportie, however, is a different beast. Adding the Harley-Davidson tachometer and garage door opener kits requires splicing into the existing harness, adding ground wires, and a lot of work that you don’t encounter when working on other brands. I also found that the directions while not outright wrong do not necessarily provide the most practical guidance on how to install the factory items.

A lot of this probably has to do with the age of the design. When creating the add-on parts the engineers seemed to go for obvious choices, or maybe the only choices, when they were creating the instructions. The other issue is that many of the parts are multi-purpose, they work on several different Harley-Davidson models and you have to carefully follow the directions to get the right configuration for your bike.

Harley-Davidson would do their customers a service by:

Updating their specifications and instructions based on the current models
Designing with the idea of factory accessories in mind
Providing model specific kits

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Ariel Atom

2009-05-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

If you just have to be on four wheels than this is the car for you. The Ariel Atom is about as mimalist as it gets for a car, no roof, no doors, no windshield. Just a two-liter Honda i-VTEC engine putting out 245 BHP! Check out the Top Gear clip on YouTube that compares the Atom to a Yamaha R6. In this ride you don't need a helmet but you'd be mad not to wear one!
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Back on the road

2009-05-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

After the electrical problems I spent some time going over the Sporster checking all the work I had done. The installation of the tachometer, garage door opener, and performance management system did require modifications to the electrical system. Everything checked out okay, all the connections were solid.

I took the battery down to the Harley-Davidson dealership where they plugged it into their “deep cycle” charger and told me to come back the next day. The next day at the dealer they told me the battery took a charge and passed all the tests. I installed the freshly charged battery in the Sportster and bike fired right up – no sign of a problem.

Now this did not make me feel real comfortable with the reliability of the Sportster – I’d have preferred to have had a dead battery instead of a battery that had been fully drained while on a ride. I checked out the voltage going to the battery and this came in at 13 plus volts, so the charging system was working but maybe not creating enough amperage to charge the battery.

So the Sportster with its suspect charging system sat in the garage until I could coordinate getting it down to the dealer to have the electrical system checked out. Finally, after several months I fired up the Sporty, the battery held the charge, and rode down to the dealer. After a few days in the shop I got the call that the charging system checked out and that the problem had to do with the bolts that attach the battery cables to the battery, apparently my 2008 Sportster Custom had “the old bolts”. The dealer replaced the bolts, no charge, and everything is good.

Since then, I’ve been out on a short two hour ride, no problems encountered, but I have to say my confidence is about 80 percent.

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Break down on the Pacific Coast Highway

2009-05-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

It’s been way too long since my last post and I apologize for that. I’ve not had a chance to do much riding this year – been a combination of schedule and mechanical issues. I do have a backlog of updates that will hopefully be interesting. Let me know if there are any specific topics you want me to cover and I’ll do my best to pass along what I know (or don’t know). Topics in queue include:

Installation of Race Tech Caddies front-end kit
Installation of Progressive 440 Series rear shocks
Installation of the Harley-Davidson garage door opener kit
Installation of the Harley-Davidson tachometer kit
Installation of the Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Stage I intake kit
Installation of the Terry Components Terminal Velocity-3 fuel management system

But first the partial reason I’ve not been riding much these days (besides a very hectic work and family schedule). At the end of last year I had some time of work, the holidays had passed and I wanted to get a decent ride in. I planned to ride North along the coast to Monterey and then head back. About a thousand miles with the route I planned. I figured I could do this in two to three days depending on where how the ride went.
The route I planned was not direct and I started by going East and North up to Temecula so I could ride the Ortega Highway. That ride was pretty cool though I’m not sure it was worth going out of my way to hit that stretch of road. I started late morning and got to San Juan Capistrano a little after noon, headed for the coast and then North on the Coast Highway (Highway 1).
I’d never been up the Coast Highway and thought it would be cool to check out the beachside communities. Turns out that while the area is nice and the scenery pretty good overall, the traffic sucks. It took me far longer than I had planned but by late afternoon I was past LAX (the Los Angeles international airport) and into Malibu around sundown.
The Malibu stretch was right out of Entourage but the traffic was very heavy. I took the opportunity to pull over for fuel and switch up the playlist on the iPod. Tank full I went to start the Sportster and nothing happened, no crank, no click, nothing. I checked the to make sure everything was on, turned the key … nothing. The electrical system was full on dead, no headlight, indicator lights, nothing.
Now I learned an important fact about the Harley-Davidson extended warranty; the marketing materials state that the warranty includes towing costs but this is only partially true. The costs are reimbursed if the tow is related to an item that is covered under the warranty. A battery is not covered but the charging system is. And by the way, unlike Auto Club, Harley can’t help you get a tow – that is not part of the service so you’re on your own.
Harley-Davidson being absolutely no help I called Auto Club – I did not have motorcycle coverage because I thought the HD planned had my back. Even without coverage the Auto Club dispatcher sent a truck out to assist no questions asked. The driver arrived within 30 minutes, helped jump start the bike, again no questions asked.
Now the real fun began. It was dark, traffic in LA was bumper to bumper and I was hell-bent to get the Sportster home. I split lanes (legal in California) on the access roads and freeway until I got to the HOV lane (for cars with multiple passengers or motorcycles) which was clear. There it was throttle open headed South. About twenty minutes into the ride the XL1200 started acting strange, the engine momentarily cutting out, like a heavy engine misfire, then the indicator lights flickering on and off, then the headlight flickering on and off.
I’m thinking this is not an ideal situation as I’m doing 70 miles per hour in the far left lane, with a concrete divider on my left, a steady stream of cars and trucks to my right, and a car about 100 yards and closing behind me in the HOV lane. If the bike’s electrical system had a catastrophic failure not only would there be no where for me to go, there is no “break down” lane, I’d probably get hit by the car closing from behind. Saying a few “hail Mary’s” I managed to weave the Sportster through the surrounding traffic, all the time the electrical system cutting out, and get to the right-most lane. Here I would have room to pull over if needed. As long as I could keep a safe speed I was not going to pull over, especially on a dark stretch of freeway.
I found that at around 55 mph in 4th gear the Sportster would not cut out and the electrical system stabilized – the headlight stayed on and the instrument lights stopped flickering. I pulled into a well lit gas station, kept the bike running, pulled the battery cover and checked the connections – everything I could see appeared okay (you can’t see the negative terminal without disconnecting the positive and pulling the battery from the bike.
I got back on the Sportster and continued the ride home. It took me about 90 minutes to get back and as long as I kept the bike in 4th gear and didn’t go over 60 miles per hour it performed pretty well. Needless to say I was happy to have made it home.

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Windscreen for the Sportster

2008-10-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I recently received a comment on a previous helmet post requesting information on my windscreen. I originally purchased the Harley-Davidson clip-on windscreen, with the light grey tint.

First, the mounting hardware and screen are quality products. I was and continue to be very impressed with the ease of installation. The windscreen is attached and removed using four clips. The clips are very nice chrome pieces and when the windscreen is removed there is nothing left on the bike. The clips attach to the top of the forks, between the triple trees. One point to note, there is really no room for adjustment on the Sportster as the space between the triple trees is about the distance between the windscreen clamps.

The windscreen itself is pretty large and tall. It does a good job of keeping the air off your torso. I did notice a lot of buffeting around my head. Wearing the full face helmet reduced the audible impact of the buffeting. Over the summer I decided to look into smaller windscreens. I pulled the Harley screen and road most of the summer in the open, something I found really enjoyable.

I did purchase a Memphis Shades Del Rey primarily because I wanted the smaller size and clearance for future lighting. A call to Memphis Shades confirmed this was the windscreen I was looking for. I purchased the black fade screen and attachment hardware from Somerset Motorsports, a shop where I've found some great deals and great customer service.

As mentioned I've gone all summer without a windscreen and finally got around to installing the Del Rey this afternoon. The Memphis Shades kit is high quality and well engineered. The clamps attach to the forks but, unlike the Harley kit, they require unbolting to remove. The windscreen clips onto the clamps so it can be easily removed.

I really like the look of the new windscreen and will get a test ride over the next couple of days to assess how it handles the wind and turbulance. I'll get some picture posted soon so you can see how it looks on the Sportster.

Both the Harley-Windscreen and the Memphis Shades Del Rey are quality kits. The Harley screen has more of a big bike feel to me - it appears less sporty - while the Del Rey is a great size for the look of the Sportster Custom.

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Harley to build smaller bikes

2008-08-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

A recent article from the Illinois State Journal-Register theorizes, with the help of local dealer Stan Hall, that Harley-Davidson will soon be building bikes smaller than the Sportster 883. These smaller Harleys (maybe modern interpretations of the “Hummers” of the Forties, Fifties and Sixties) will be designed for new markets in Asia and Europe.

The Motor Company has not confirmed the rumor but according to Timothy Hoelter, vice president of government affairs for Harley-Davidson, “… growing popularity overseas shows that Harley is an international language understood by people of all cultures, incomes and genders.”

You never know what companies are going to do but the increasing price of fuel has motivated an increasing number of people to consider riding versus driving – and this is good news for enthusiasts. As I’ve mentioned before, Harley has done a great job in marketing and selling to people looking for American v-twin power with a bad boy attitude. The thing is there is a market for other types of bikes, and Harley, like any good business, will be looking for ways to grow market-share. The acquisition of MV Agusta is one example and there will likely be many more to come.

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Commuting with the Sportster XL1200

2008-08-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

I typically work from home but had the need to go to the local office the other day and used this as an excuse to get a ride in on the Sportster. The ride is about 30 miles with the majority on secondary roads that make for pretty good riding (low traffic, some curves, and nice scenery). The last 10 miles are unfortunately on the multi-lane freeway which can make for interesting riding. When I left for the office it was midday so I did not encounter any major traffic. I did expect traffic on the way home so chose to wear my full face Arai helmet and Harley-Davidson Switchback jacket.

When I left the office I hit some major rush hour traffic, stop and go for miles and miles. It was a hot afternoon I didn’t like the idea of roasting the Sportsters engine by sitting at idle so did some lane splitting to get to my exit. Personally, I am not a fan of lane splitting (which is not illegal in California) but will use it as a ‘necessary evil’ at times. I always stay within 10 mph of the surrounding traffic so I can respond to any bonehead moves from the drivers around me.

This day was particularly bad. The heat and high fuel prices seemed to be getting to the drivers in their cars and trucks. At least a half dozen drivers threatened to move into my path as I wove between car doors, mirrors, and truck beds. I’ve never experienced so many people moving the vehicles into my path intentionally. To be fair, many drivers saw me coming and moved to give me more room – much appreciated, thank you!

Over the previous weekend I had removed the Sportster’s windscreen and saddlebags. The Harley-Davidson clip-on windscreen is literally a snap to remove, just pop the four clamps and off it comes. This is one of the nicer accessories for the Sportster that I’ve come across from Harley. Having the windscreen off was another reason for wearing the Arai, it helps avoid taking a bee to the face at speed. The Arai combined with my Panoptx riding glasses made the trip easy, doing a decent job of filtering the setting sun.

One thing I hadn’t considered was the significant temperature difference between my home on the coast and the office inland. It was a good 15 degrees and the Switchback jacket was warm with all panels attached. If I’d had the saddlebags on the Sporster I could’ve removed the panels and had a more comfortable ride but that was not the case. I did find that the Switchback’s vent system works well around the torso (no vents on the arms) and kept me pretty cool.

The curving roads on the way home made the trip worthwhile. Nothing like the view of a lake, the smell of citrus groves and the sound of Screamin Eagle pipes to put a smile on my face.

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Sportsters we need

2008-08-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Summer 2008 issue of Harley-Davidson Enthusiast magazine got me thinking about Sportsters we need. It started with a brief on the XR1200 which is only available in Europe. I had written on the XR1200 previously. The Enthusiast article provides details on the new Sportster’s specifications which include:
Downdraft fuel injection, massive 43mm inverted forks, and dual four-piston front brake calipers.

Harley claims the XR1200 is “dirt-track inspired” but I would say it appears more supermoto; this is not a bike designed for dirt but it does capture the look of dirt-bikes converted for track use. The Sportster XR1200 is definitely a bike we need in the States and hopefully Harley will make it available here soon.

The same issue includes another Sportster that we need, a modern version of the 1958 XLH. This bike was built for off-road racing and did not include bits like head- and tail-lights. The bobbed fenders, simple design, and single seat would make for an awesome modern Sportster. Harley is currently on a “dark-side” kick with models like the Nightster; these are great looking bikes but a look back at the history of the brand shows that great design can be colorful. Harley-Davidson seems to have forgotten its racing heritage with its commercial models. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to buy a Sportster that combined the racing spirit of the XLH with the capabilities of the modern machines? I certainly think so.

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Screamin Eagle slip-on mufflers

2008-08-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've cleaned the Sportster and temporarily stripped it down; removing the windscreen and saddlebags. I was feeling nostalgic for the more simple sporty appearance and riding of the bike. It's amazing how much the windscreen changes the look of the bike – not to mention the feel of wind-in-your-face riding. In the attached pictures you can see the Harley-Davidson XL with the Tour Master saddlebag center strap across the rear fender. Later, I loosened the seat and removed the center strap.

I've finally recorded the Sportster with the Screamin Eagle mufflers. The mufflers are very easy to install, only requiring the loosening of the clamps, the removal of the four mounting bolts, and the loosening of the lower bracket for the rear pipe. Removing the original mufflers required the application of a little force and some twisting. The Screamin Eagle mufflers provided the sound I was hoping for and based on seat-of-the-pants measurements improved the throttle response.

According to the Harley-Davidson dyno metrics the Screamin Eagle mufflers for the Sportster add about 5 or 6 horsepower and 10 foot pounds of torque. Pretty good price/performance results for bolt-on parts. With the slip-on mufflers the Sportster has great sound, not too loud in the lower RPM range, but with a twist of the wrist they provide a great result. I use the added sound to 'notify' drivers when I'm passing them, especially if I see them on the phone or not paying attention to what is going on around them.

BTW, after doing some research I decided not to add the Screamin Eagle intake. From what I've read on Sportster related forums the performance gains from the intake are minimal given the comparative costs. Upgrading the intake requires either taking the Sportster to the dealer for an update to the engine management computer or buying and tuning an aftermarket engine control unit. Given the cost and hassle of the two options I made the choice to take the less complex route. I may change my mind in future though I am more inclined to update the rear shocks and front springs with products from Progressive Suspension.

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Harley-Davidson to acquire MV Agusta

2008-08-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Harley-Davidson announced the acquisition of Italian motorcycle company MV Agusta a couple of day ago (not sure how I missed the announcement). That's a pretty amazing combination of capital and design. MV Agusta have some of the most amazing designs in the sportbike market, and prices to match. Here's an except from the press release posted on Autoblog:

"MV Agusta Group adds two lines of motorcycles to the Harley-Davidson, Inc. family: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight sport motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. MV Agusta's F4-R motorcycle, powered by a 1078cc in-line four-cylinder liquid cooled engine, is rated at 190 hp."

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Saddlebags and relocating the tail lights

2008-08-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve received a couple of questions regarding the “need” to relocate the rear light assemblies when installing saddlebags. There are a lot of bag options available and the smaller bags will fit with the stock rear light assembly. When selecting bags I recommend thinking about what it is you want to store in the bags and taking some measurements so you can make sure you buy the right size. I went with a larger size bag because I wanted to be able to carry my jacket which, with armor, is pretty big. I had hoped to be able to carry my notebook in the saddlebags but this would have required a monster-sized bag. I also preferred the look of the slant bags to the standard bags but would have had more usable room with the standard configuration.

I really like the setup with the Tour Master bags; they provide the space I need and enough ‘extra’ room for water bottles, etc. on longer rides.

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Comments

2008-08-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Due to comment spam starting to appear on Harley-Davidson-Sportster.com I’ve decided to turn on some comment moderating features in blogger. I’m hoping these are not too annoying for people that want to leave legit feedback and annoying enough to stop the knuckleheads.

My annoyance for the day: FXRG back armor is on backorder for Harley Davidson. You can buy a great riding jacket from Harley, my Switchback is awesome, but you can’t get the $25 foam pad to protect your spine. Go figure.

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Dry summer

2008-08-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve written about my bike; been a busy 6 months and I’ve not had much time for blogging or riding for that matter. It’s a real shame that summer has pretty much past by and I’ve not had more than a day of riding. I do plan on getting out this weekend for at least a couple of hours; I could use some time on the road, focused on the ride. There’s no better way to clear your head then to get out and ride.

I will post some updates on the bike. There’ve been some changes since the last posts including Screamin Eagle pipes, and some other accessories. I’ll get a video clip of the bike running with the pipes so you can compare the difference in sound. The sound from the pipes is great, not too loud but you can make yourself heard when needed.

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It’s about time

2008-08-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

I had coffee today with friend Mark Demos of Demos Watch. Mark had just gotten back from Sturgis where he had launched his new line of watches. Mark promised to send some pictures of the event and I’ll post those when they arrive. In the meantime I wanted to make mention of his line of watches which are pretty unique. Mark has designed watches for the two-wheel enthusiast and has done a great job of capturing the essence of motorcycling. The Demos watches features bands made of sprocket chain or tread-like rubber. Very cool stuff.

Mark has a very cool watch that would go well with any Harley-Davidson, it makes a pretty bold statement both in size and with the chain-style band. I know, I know, Harleys are belt drive; I’m still trying to convince Mark to use a carbon fiber belt pattern for one of his new watch models. Let me know if you agree, with enough positive feedback we might just have a great new generation Harley watch (and I don’t mean the wimpy Bulova watches the Harley dealers sell, ugh).

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Installing the Harley Davidson Layback License Plate and Turn Signal Relocation Kit

2008-02-01T00:39:00.001-08:00

Well before I ever wrenched on a motorcycle I worked on cars, there was a time when I even did that as a profession. I've always been pretty good at applying a strong dose of common sense to the job and figuring out when things just don't seem right.

Having previously owned BMW and Suzuki motorcycles I became accustomed to working on those machines and following the instructions provided by the manufacturers. Both manufacturers provide clear, concise instructions that are every bit as precise as their products. Anyone who could follow instructions and could tell the difference between a Phillips and Flat head screwdriver could do many straight forward tasks and fit most accessories.

With the Harley Davidson products I've learned that there is room for interpretation and that the ability sense when things aren't quite right are required for successful, or at least less frustrating, projects. I may be spoiled by the Germans and the Japanese, but it seems to me the good folks in Milwaukee like to leave out some useful bits of information, likely to make the jobs more interesting.

When installing the layback license plate and turn signal relocation kit (PN 60215-06) on my 2008 Sportster XL1200C Custom I found that most of the directions were accurate but there were certain pieces of information left out that would have been nice to have had. First of all, the Sportster Custom is low enough that unless you have pretty small hands your going to need to lift the bike to get underneath the rear fender and loosen the original license plate mounting hardware. Fortunately for me, I've hands suited for getting into tight spots.

Removing the original turn signals from the fender support required a little extra common sense as removing the parts specified in the kit instructions does not suffice. Rather, the outer chrome cover must be completely removed by loosening all of the torx bolts. At that time the nut head for the "stud" running through the turn signal mount can be accessed.

Also, when running the turn signal wires through the new, cylindrical mount on the license plate frame it is required to remove the original shrink tubing as the internal diameter of the mount is not sufficient. I had some small diameter shrink tubing on hand and once I ran the wires through the mount covered the exposed portions in the new tubing.

Finally, the kit provides instructions for removing the original connectors from the wire ends, and new connectors to attach once the wires are routed through the mount. Again, the diameter is too narrow to run the original connectors through. Problem is, attaching the new connectors can be an issue if you don't have a crimping tool sufficient to the task. I did have a tool that with a bit of care worked for me. If you're not comfortable with this than use the original connectors and instead splice the wires. If you cut back about 2-3 inches you will have plenty of room to run the wires through the mount and then solder the ends back on. Don't forget to slip the new shrink tube over the wires before you attach the ends and use a heat sink to keep from inadvertently shrinking the tubing.

Finally, once you've successfully installed the layback license plate and turn signal relocation kit you will have two holes on each side of the rear fender support chrome cover. The instructions provide part numbers for the hole plugs. What I found that worked are 2 of PN 53377-04 for the front holes and 2 of PN 68446-00 for the rear. Funny (ha ha) thing is that the 53377 hole plugs are $5.95 each while the latter are only $0.95 a piece. Go figure.

For the rest of the install, follow the Harley-Davidson instructions. Overall, it's a good kit that adds to the looks of the Sportster and get's the turn signals relocated in preparation of saddle bags.

10:00 to Yuma

2008-01-21T18:16:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to get out and do a "long" ride on the Sportster. I set the goal of crossing the state line, figuring that would require a reasonable number of miles. After watching the movie "3:10 to Yuma" with Russell Crowe I decided I'd make the ride out to Yuma myself and take a look at the fabled Territorial Prison.

I left Sunday at 10am, a bit later than planned but early enough to make it out and back before dark. I dressed warn (for SoCal) with thermal shirt, short sleeve shirt, and a sweat shirt under my leather jacket. For pants I went with my standard riding trousers, the Arbor pants from Aerostitch. In past, the cold air on my face has created quite a chill so I covered up with a bandana. I probably looked like a bank robber but my face was warm. I also thought the look appropriate for the ride.

The Sportster motored along the San Diego freeways very smooth. The ride is significantly more comfortable than that of the Suzuki SV I previously owned, and even the BMW F650 GS Dakar I had. I stopped and topped off the tank in Alpine and then headed East on the 8.

The Harley is a great ride, I particularly like the forward controls as they allow the legs to extend. The Harley-Davidson windscreen is great for keeping the rider on the seat but it does create some serious turbulence around the head. With the ear flaps, riding goggles, and bandana I was pretty comfortable.

The temperature at 4,140 feet was pretty chilly, even with the multiple layers. I knew I definitely wanted to get through the mountain pass on my return trip before nightfall. Once out of the mountains the desert floor was warm, probably high 60s and that made for a nice ride. We went right on through El Centro, and the gas light came on about 30 miles outside of Yuma.

I crossed the Colorado into Arizona and then went for gas. I knew I could rely on at least 35 mpg but didn't want to push my luck, we had ridden about 35 miles since the light came on. I filled up and then headed for the Historic Territorial Prison. I had to take a couple of pictures of the Sportster in front of the sign and then took a quick walk around to check out the site. The prison itself looks to be mostly gone, there are some touristy type areas and large grounds for walking, biking, etc.

I did take a walk down to the cemetery where 104 souls are buried, the graves are obvious but there aren't any markers telling who is buried in which spot. There is a central marker listing the names of all those buried, I did not see "Ben Wade" from the movie, so I guess he escaped as promised.

The ride back from Yuma was pretty quick with a stop in El Centro to fuel my tank and top off the Sportster. We made it back to San Diego well before dark and had only a brief delay in the College are due to an accident. The entire trip was just over 394 miles, run in under 7 hours 15 minutes. I averaged about 39 mpg for the trip, which doesn't seem at all bad, though I was hoping for closer to 50. I'm thinking that a set of Screamin Eagle slip-ons may be just what it takes to get a few extra miles out of a tank of fuel.