My Harley-Davidson Ramblings

My 2004 Harley Dyna Custom Project

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:20:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

Did you miss the latest episode of Sons of Anarchy? Click on Photo.

I'm been gone for a while. I'm working on my Dyna custom project and working, so I had no time to post.

I'm doing a whole remake of the scoot. From the front end to the rear. Including the paint. The scoot will be black when I'm done.

I'm uploading the project to You Tube. If you want to follow the project here is a link to the first episode.

There are 15 episodes so far.

The episodes have my progress of the project and some how to's. Like how to get the slack out of the main harness, cutting my struts off to fit a 200 mm tire on the rear and much more.

These videos are not scripted. So I kind of stutter a bit but I'm getting better.

So, if your interested in doing some major custom work on your scoot or just like watching someone else do the work. These videos are a must see.

Post more later when I have some time.

Go Blackhawks

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

New season starting soon, on the FX channel.

Go Blackhawks!
Hoo, Hoo, The Hawks Win The Stushu Cup!

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Sons Of Anarchy

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

Did you miss the latest episode of Sons of Anarchy? Season Final 12/1/09 Click on Photo.

Dyna Super Sport Fork Project now Posted for viewing. Click on the Projects Tab.

The Meaning of The Day: Colors/ Colours - Signifies a motorcycle club or organization patch.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Harley-Davidson Museum Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:04:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

A few weeks ago I took a ride to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The way the weather has been this summer I thought I would never take this ride. It was a good day to ride. The weather was great. Blue skies all day.

The museum was dark inside and my camera does not take good photos inside a building. I had to doctor them a bit. This is why I took so long to post these pictures.

I’m going to add a new Project to the Project Page soon. With photos. I wanted to Post a lot more projects by now but I can’t seem to find the time. I take the photos so I have to stop working so I can take a photo of each step. The project photos also need to be in sequence and I want to add captions to them.

This Project is a 2001 Dyna, Super Glide. It had some lower fork damage caused by some Pool Chemicals splashed on them. The paint and clear coat had to be striped off. The owner decided to have the forks polished instead of a repaint. The finished product was well worth the time spent.

So check in often, click on the Projects tab to see if I Posted this new Project.

Here Is The Museum Slideshow, Enjoy

Meaning Of The Day: Ding - A nick or scratch in the paint.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Happy 4th Of July

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:33:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

Happy 4th of July biker buds. Lets have a safe and enjoyable week end. I won’t preach the do’s and don’ts of safe riding. You all know them, Right?

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Carnage On Our local Highways

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

Hope you all had a safe Holiday weekend. For some, the Holiday was deadly. Five bikers were killed in three separate accidents in the Chicago area. One accident was caused by a biker heading south, made a U-turn to go back north when three other bikers also heading north smashed into him. The police said that speed was a factor. Speed was a factor! What the hell is trying to say. If the north bound bikers were not going the speed limit the accident would not have happened? The speed limit out there is 65 MPH. If these bikers were traveling 30 MPH, speed would still be a factor. The fact is, the biker making the U-turn caused the accident. I hate it when they bring up the fact that a helmet was worn or not worn. That speeding was or not the cause of the accident. The fact is. If the dip stick that caused the accident was paying attention to his or her driving the biker would still be alive, PERIOD!

The other two accidents were caused by cagers not paying attention to their surroundings.

When are cagers going to get it. They need to pay more attention to their driving. They need to keep a safe distance from motorcycles that are in front of them, so if the motorcycle needs to stop in a hurry they can stop without plowing into them. CAGERS BACK OFF!

Every time I ride I have cars tailgating me. I have to wave them back with my hand because grabbing the brake lever making the brake light go on does not faze these morons a bit.

Ride safe.

Courtesy ABC-7 Chicago.

Meaning Of The Day: Dip stick - An derogatory name for a person who is acting or has acted like an idiot.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

My First Detailing of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

This week my first detailing job of the season was a Victory Vision. And then came a long a Honda Gold Wing Trike. The Victory was not easy to detail. I could not use my lift because the bike has no lower frame rails around the engine. The oil pan is exposed and I did not like the idea of putting the whole weight of the bike on the oil pan. So I had to leave it on the floor.

The Honda trike was like detailing a car. It has automobile wheels and tires on the rear. It has a dashboard, adjustable air vent grids and much more up front to clean. It took longer then normal to clean this bike. I will surely charge much more for future trikes.

Ok, now lets keep those dirty bikes coming.

Victory Vision

Honda Gold Wing Trike

Meaning of the Day: Detailing - In-depth cleaning, polishing, waxing and other maintenance to make a motorcycle look great.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

New Riding Season Is Upon US

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

The new riding season is almost here. Weather willing. Were still having snow here in the Midwest. 3” snow fall Sunday in Huntley IL. Because of the weather my detailing hasn’t gotten off until this week. I have a Victory Vision I’m detailing before Saturday.

Lets all have a safe riding season and watch out for those cagers because their not watching out for us.

I’m Posting a few photos of a Sportster I was riding on the Fourth of July weekend 1971. A driver turned right in front of me making a left hand turn.

I lost the photo that showed the top of the tank pushed in about about 2” by my groin area. I still feel pain there every once in a while. After all these years.

Meaning Of The Day: Cage - A car, truck or van. The sworn enemy of motorcyclists, more commonly known as automobiles. The name stems from being all cooped up inside a closed shell, with no contact with the outside air.

Cager - A person driving a car, truck, or van. Cage operator, or driver.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Harley-Davidson Refutes NY Times Article

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

Harley-Davidson refutes New York Times article, "Harley, You’re Not Getting Any Younger" (Click on Link in my Twitter) with a two page spread.

Harley-Davidson two page spread.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Motorcycle Lifts and Jacks

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Keeping up with my "TWITTER" updates is easy. Just scroll down, it's at the bottom of the right column.

A lot of bikers do maintenance, clean, or store their scoots using a lift or jack of some kind. In this Post we will cover Harley's, Dyna Glide model, using the Craftsman/Sears yellow aluminum jack. To make things easy, when you read "Sears Lift" it will stand for, Craftsman/Sears yellow aluminum jack.

The Dyna is a very hard bike to put on a lift. Because the engines oil pan is lower than the frame, Harley welded a Protector Plate to the bottom right side of the frame to protect the oil pan. You have to use 2x4's or the Harley-Davidson Lift Adapters. Using either method is not the safest way to go.

Protector Plate View

Left Side With 2x4's

See How Narrow The Lift Is

H-D Lift Adapter

As you can see in the above photos. The Lift is not stable. In photo two, the bikes weight twists the lift and makes the bike lean over. The adapters aren't any better.I don't have photos using them because when I found out they sucked, I sold them on eBay.

I like visiting Biker Forums. One of them is, V-Twin Forum : Harley Davidson Motorcycle Forums. http://www.v-twinforum.com. I Posted my experience with this Sears Lift. Here is the Post.

Start:
I know people are using the Sears yellow jack with no problems.
This is my experience with it:

I used the Sears yellow jack for two years using 2x4's for winter storage. I never liked the way the jack wobbled side to side when the bikes wheels were lifted off the ground. So I only lifted it high enough so the first safety notch was set on the lock bar. The bikes wheels just barely touched the ground, this kept the jack from wobbling. Year three I used the H-D adapters and they were no better then the 2x4's. And now that I know the orange and black parts are held together with two sided tape I would never have used them. I taught they were glued or fused together.

I was getting the bike ready for riding after a winters sleep. I was raising the bike so I could release the locking bar. Turning the handle gently like they said in the manual, the release valve got stuck so I turned the handle a little harder and the jack just dropped down and the bike fell to the ground. The straps get loose when the jack is lowered so they did not help. I never lowered the bike without siting on it. All I wanted to do was release the locking bar. You can't do that sitting on the bike. You can use this jack solo but I think this jack should be used with two people.

With all the $$$ I spent replacing all the damaged parts I could have purchased the J&S Motorcycle Lift. Last year I did purchase one and it was the best money I've spent for my Bike.
End

The Sears Lift can be used with Dirt Bikes and ATVs, but not a very good idea to use with a Harley-Davidson. I have a Link to the J&S Motorcycle Lift Web Site on my Links page. This lift is made for Harley's.

Just be care-full with any lift you use. You can be seriously injured and not to forget the cost of replacing the damaged parts when the your scoot falls.

Meaning Of The Day: Dumping the Bike/Dumped the Bike - A zero speed spill. A bike is dumped when the rider applies brakes while in a very slow turn, or is trying to get his bike up onto (or off of) its center-stand, or is walking the bike and it gets away from him, or forgets to put the side-stand down and tries to get off the bike, falling off a jack or lift, or any of dozens of other 'dumb' things that lead to losing control of the bike and its laying over onto the ground.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Twitter Addition To The Harley Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

I'm having a little trouble updating here on the Blog at times because I'm busy with my eBay store and getting ready for the detailing season to start. Buy the way I'm going to dump the store because the fees are getting way out of hand. I might do Auctions time to time, but no more store. I'm now working on an E-commerce store that I hope will be up and running in a couple of weeks. When it's ready the Tab will change from eBay-Store to E-store.

So with all that is going on I don't have the time to Post as much as I like. It takes a lot of time to do research on what I want to say the day of the new Post. I also have to hunt down photos I think you buds will like to see. All I can say is, keep checking in. When I grab up something interesting I'm going to Post it.

So that you all don't think I gave up on this Blog, last week I decided to register myself on Twitter. Twitter if you buds never heard of it before, is a real-time short messaging service. You can see it now on the right side of this Post. I will write something that comes to mind at the moment. Maybe two or three times a day. If you like everyone can join Twitter and become followers.

I went over to Woodstock Harley Saturday for their 2009 open house. I got there, took out my camera and the ###### thing would not work. The battery would not hold a charge. The battery is only 7 months old. So no photos to share. I was so ###### off.

The party was not as good as past years. I guess the bad economy was at fault. The last two years the weather was cold and wet. This year the weather was great for riding and hardly anyone rode their scoots. Lets hope this isn't the sign of the times. I said hello to some people and then went back home.

No photo today

Meaning of the day:Indie Shop - Independent, not franchised

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Almost Dumped My Harley Yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Clicking the above will bring you to The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

The weather was perfect for a ride yesterday. We almost broke the record temp. for the day, 74°. We had a few days of warm weather before this but the roads still had dry salt dust and sand on them. It rained a few times before yesterday and it looked like the roads were clean. So I took the cover off the bike and decided after the long, long, long winter, it was time to ride.

So I took a ride over to a detailing shop in the area to see how much they are charging for their service. On the way there the roads seemed they were clear of salt, sand and gravel. When I arrived I had to make a left turn off the highway to enter their parking lot. I moved into the left turn lane stopped and waited for oncoming traffic to pass. When it was clear I started to make my turn, I turned on the throttle just a little and my rear wheel slid out from under me. I quickly backed off the throttle and saved the bike from falling on it's side.

All I was thinking, what a way to start the new riding season. I was told by many old timers. Don't ride until there has been at least three good rain days after a long winter. I guess your never too old to learn new tricks.

Now after this scary ordeal I went into the shop and started to ask some questions. I wanted to get an idea what they charged for different levels of service. They are charging almost 20% to 25% more then me across the board. That made me feel good because I think my customers get their moneys worth using Biker Joe's. Now if any new customers think I charge too much I will give them this shops phone number so they can compare pricing.

If you frequent this Blog you have noticed, I Post many fine looking scoots here. I'm signed up at a number of Biker Forums. This Forum, V-TwinForum.com has a member who's name is bosken. He lives in Sweden and has a 2007 Custom Street Bob 103ci. I think it is a really cool looking scoot. Looks like he's done a lot of custom modes on this bike. With his permission I'm pleased to Post a few pics of his ride.

2007 Custom Street Bob, Sweden style.

Meaning Of The Day:W.H.O.R.E - We Haul Our Rides Everywhere. Those people that trailer their bikes to about 2 miles from an event, and then unload them and gently ride them in, only if there isn't going to be any rain, dust or dirt roads. I wish I could afford to be a W.H.O.R.E.....

Now You Know:Biker Joe

First Post Of The New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:33:00 +0000

The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

I haven't Posted since New Years because I could not think of anything to say. Last year I bitched about how bad the weather was all winter in my Posts. This year I did not want to repeat myself. I will say one thing, this winter season has really sucked. Could not get in one day of riding.

I haven't detailed any bikes since the early days of November so I've been looking for some work, but no luck. I won't be attending motorcycle shows this Winter/Spring, because I can't afford the price of admission and parking. I will have to wait for the dealers to have their open house parties. These functions are normally free and you see the same people that go to the local shows. Usually the MOCO sends out their tech guys and bring with them a few new model bikes for us to look at and even let us test ride them.

I will be visiting the new Harley museum this spring and will post photos if they let me take take them inside.

I'm having a big problem here buds, no one is leaving comments here on the Blog. I spend time thinking up interesting Posts for all to read. I take a lot of interesting photos and Post them here and still no comments. Maybe there are so many motorcycle Blogs out there no one has time for posting comments on all of them. I just like to know if anyone is visiting this Blog and if you like what you read and think it is worth coming back.

I'm still going to Post interesting subjects and photos on Harley's and other manufactures bikes when appropriate . I hope all of you biker buds will come visit more often and leave a comment or two.

Will post again soon so check in often.

Ken, my son has a friend with a 2005 Heritage Classic. They live in sunny Florida.

Meaning of the Day:Yard Shark - Dogs that come out of nowhere and try to bite your tires. Caution: Can cause motorcycle crashes, handle this type of situation with care.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

It seems like I said this yesterday. Happy New Year! biker buds. Boy, time goes by fast when your having fun.

Not a bad year, 2008. It could have been better but surely could have been worse. Got my Bike Detailing started. My eBay store was so, so. I still have a lot of Dyna, take off parts for sale. I even offered free shipping to spark up interest. I think the bad economy was the main factor for slow sales.

Keep safe, I will Post again soon.

Ride Hard, Time Is A Passing

Meaning Of The Day: Oil Pressure Warning Light - Too Late Light

Now You Know: Biker Joe

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Privacy Policy Updated April 07, 2009 For Blog "My Harley-Davidson Ramblings"

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Merry Christmas To All

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:46:00 +0000

The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Joining Biker Forums

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:20:00 +0000

The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

If you frequent this Blog you can see that my interest is in Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The mechanical side and the biker culture. I try not to discriminate. I, at times will mention other motorcycle manufactures. Hell, I even detail Victory motorcycles for a dealer in my area. I go to different dealer functions and activities. If I hear or see something interesting I usually Post it here on the Blog, in print and or photos.

Since I've got back into riding in 2005. I've joined about four or five biker Forums. My reason for joining these Forums? It's the easiest way to get information/help on technical issues. I had some with my Dyna. Things have really changed in thirty + years. Working on bikes is so different now. There are very friendly and knowledgeable people on these forums and help is only a click away.

I'm what they call a lurker. I go on line, logon and surf around the forums. I'm not one of those IM (Instant Messaging) kind of guy. I have to take time when writing because I'm dyslectic. I transpose numbers and letters in words, so I have to keep checking my spelling. Some times when I'm in a hurry words get misspelled and I don't catch them in time and they don't get corrected before I post. I only Post on Forums when I need some help or when I can help someone. I can't do that one on one communicating because I need time for checking the words and people think I forgot about them when I don't post back right away. This Blog is the perfect venue for me because I can take my time wording a Post that's going to be published. My Posts are not always 100 percent perfect, but I do try.

I met a biker, Dave/Big D, on one of the first Forums I joined. The Forum for Dyna's is kind of slow so Dave Emailed me one day and told me about a new one he found, bikershangout.com. Just a WARNING, the Forum is for adult bikers with adult content and there is not much censorship on there. I joined it but just lurked around a few months and this week I Posted for the first time. Dave recognized me and told me about another Forum, bikersforums.net I checked it out and registered yesterday. I can't say which one is best because they all have bikers that love their scoots and like to show it.

Another reason to join a forum, you can add your Web Site or Blog address to your Posts. This way you can drive some traffic your way and you are attracting people with the same interests as yours.

I want to welcome all of you readers from these Forums I joined and hope you like what you see and return often. Comments are welcome, so please Post your comments in the comment section. Lurking is advised, so check out the Blog Archive for past Posts of different functions I attended last summer. There you will find the Posts of the trip I took to Milwaukee for Harley's, 105th bash.

Harley-Davidson 105th Bash

Meaning Of The Day: Unsprung Weight - Parts of the motorcycle below or not supported by the suspension such as the rims and tires.

Now You Know: Biker Joe

Happy Thanksgiving Biker Buds

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:35:00 +0000

The Official YouTube Channel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

The First Thanksgiving, Jean Louis Gerome Ferris.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my biker buds. Weather man says temps. in the mid 40's today. Might ride the scoot today before I go over to the in-laws for the yearly feast.

Remember, if you drink don't ride/drive.

Meaning Of The Day:Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Thanksgiving, also known as Thanksgiving Day, is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is primarily a North American holiday which has generally become a national secular holiday with religious origins.

The dates and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration are a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.

Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members.

Thanksgiving (Canada): Thanksgiving in Canada, occurs on the second Monday in October and Canadians give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although some people thank God for this bounty, the holiday is mainly considered secular.

Thanksgiving (United States): Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day often is called the holiday season.

Now You Know:Biker Joe

Last Ride Of The Season

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:32:00 +0000

I think I had my last ride of the season last Friday. The day started out raining with some patches of fog. Around noon the sun broke out of the clouds and the temperature rose to the middle forties. I don't ride the scoot anymore when the temp goes below 40° or when the first salt is spread out onto the roads. I ride for fun not out of necessity and any temp. below 40° is not fun any more.

I have a feeling I had my last detail job last week so I think it is time to do the last detail for the season on mine. The fuel tank has only about a half a tank of gas. I can't store the bike with only a half a tank of gas, so I thought it would be a good excuse to take it for a ride. I waited for the sun to dry up the streets before I took the scoot to the gas station. I put some fuel stabilizer in the tank before I left so it could get mixed up with the new gas. I rode for around an hour before going home.

Since Friday the weather was below 40° and last night the temp was in the 20° range with some snow showers. So my mind was made up, I'm going to detail the scoot today, Monday, and put it to sleep till spring. I may do some mods. over the winter but all and all I'm going to say good bye, to my old friend, till Spring.

A couple of weeks ago while riding, my new chrome horn cover fell off the bike. After loosing my last horn and cover I wasn't a happy camper. Read Post from, 09/29/2008. I had some two sided tape holding it to the horn. I was going to get some Allen head screws to match the Willie G. Skull medallion screws that I attached to the cover but I had no time. Thinking that the tape would work for now the cover came off anyway, rolled down the road on it's edge and stooped in the middle of the road, face up. I pulled over as fast as I could and ran over to the cover before someone ran it over. I picked it up and looked it over and the whole edge of the cover was nicked up. The chrome was ruined. But I had a stroke of luck. The medallion had not one scratch on it.

When I got home I took a better look at the cover and there was no way I could save the thing. I will have to buy a new chrome cover but I don't want to spend any more money on this horn. I looked at it again and said to myself why not sand out the scratches and paint the cover black. I have some gloss black automotive paint in a spray can on the shelf so I got it out sprayed some on a piece of metal and let it dry. It was a very close match to the black on the bikes frame.

I sanded the scratches out of the cover, taped over the skull medallion and sprayed the cover and let it dry. Boy! It came out perfect. It looked like I purchased it at the dealer. The cover and medallion being chrome, the skull was kind of washed out. (Look at photos from the Post mentioned above). But now with the horn cover black the skull really stands out. I was saved this time.
This could have been a costly mistake.

Check my Post from, 09/29/2008, to see the difference. Chrome versus Black.

Meaning Of The Day: Farkles - (accessories). Things that can be added to your bike that make it more useful, versatile, or attractive. The price of which often exceeds the original purchase price of the bike.

Now You Know, Biker Joe

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:00 +0000

I'm not really a Halloween fan. I call it vandalism day. People think if they put a mask or some kind of costume on, that gives them the right to go around and damage other peoples propriety. Some towns around here will not let stores sell eggs to minors. I tend to stay at home and wait for the day to just go away.

I prepare for the day by putting the cars in the garage. Hide the trash cans and make sure there is noting outside that anyone can throw at the house.

Halloween should only be for little children, the ones that still have their parents in tow. So we don't forget them. My wife and I get the candy ready, put the porch light on and we wait for the children to ring the door bell.

Evey one be careful out there. Watch out for children, they tend to cross the streets without watching for oncoming cars.

Do we dare take that Halloween ride?

Meaning Of The Day, Courtesy of WikipediA:
History:
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.

History of name:
The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even (both "even" and "eve" are abbreviations of "evening", but "Halloween" gets its "n" from "even") as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to 1st November. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

United States and Canada:
History:
Halloween did not become a holiday in the United States until the 19th century, where lingering Puritan tradition restricted the observance of many holidays. American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries do not include Halloween in their lists of holidays.The transatlantic migration of nearly two million Irish following the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849) finally brought the holiday to the United States. Scottish emigration, primarily to Canada before 1870 and to the United States thereafter, brought the Scottish version of the holiday to each country. The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items.
Scottish-American and Irish-American societies held dinners and balls that celebrated their heritages, with perhaps a recitation of Robert Burns' poem "Halloween" or a telling of Irish legends, much as Columbus Day celebrations were more about Italian-American heritage than Columbus per se. Home parties centred on children's activities, such as apple bobbing, and various divination games often concerning future romance. Not surprisingly, pranks and mischief were common as well.
At the turn of the 20th century, Halloween had turned into a night of vandalism, with destruction of property and cruelty to animals and people.Around 1912, the Boy Scouts, Boys Clubs and other neighborhood organizations came together to encourage a safe celebration that would end the destruction that had become so common on this night. School posters during this time called for a "Sane Halloween." Children began to go door to door, receiving treats, rather than playing tricks on their neighbors. This helped to reduce the mischief, and by the 1930s, "beggar's nights" had become very popular. Trick-or-treating became widespread by the end of the 1930s.

Traditions:
The commercialization of Halloween in the United States did not start until the 20th century, beginning perhaps with Halloween postcards (featuring hundreds of designs) which were most popular between 1905 and 1915.Dennison Manufacturing Company, which published its first Hallowe'en catalog in 1909, and the Beistle Company were pioneers in commercially made Halloween decorations, particularly die-cut paper items.German manufacturers specialised in Halloween figurines that were exported to the United States in the period between the two world wars.
There is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in the United States or elsewhere, before 1900. Mass-produced Halloween costumes did not appear in stores until the 1930s, and trick-or-treating did not become a fixture of the holiday until the 1950s.
In the 1990s, many manufacturers began producing a larger variety of Halloween yard decorations; before this a majority of decorations were homemade. Some of the most popular yard decorations are jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, orange string lights, inflatable decorations (such as spiders, pumpkins, mummies and vampires), and animatronic window and door decorations. Other popular decorations are foam tombstones and gargoyles.
Halloween is now the United States' second most popular holiday (after Christmas) for decorating; the sale of candy and costumes are also extremely common during the holiday, which is marketed to children and adults alike. According to the National Retail Federation, the most popular Halloween costume themes for adults are, in order: witch, pirate, vampire, cat and clown.[37] Each year, popular costumes are dictated by various current events and pop culture icons.On many college campuses, Halloween is a major celebration, with the Friday and Saturday nearest October 31 hosting many costume parties.
The National Confectioners Association reported in 2005 that 80 percent of American adults planned to give out candy to trick-or-treaters,and that 93 percent of children planned to go trick-or-treating.

Now You Know, Biker Joe

Hog's, Hemis and Hog Roast

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:19:00 +0000

I'm going to combine the two last Harley-Davidson dealer functions I attended in this Post.

The first one was Woodstock Harley's, Hogs'n'Hemis Party in Woodstock, IL. on Sept. 27.

We had some really bad weather this season here in Illinois. But the last three functions I attended had the best weather I can remember. Harley's 105th bash had great weather for the whole weekend. The very next weekend we had three days of rain and many towns flooded around here.

I got there around 4 PM and parked the Scoot. To late for food, I started taking photos of the cars and bikes that where on display. I found out that they were having a contest, if I known that, I would have entered my scoot. Never entered my scoot in one yet.

After taking photos I needed for the Blog, I went inside and talked to a few of my friends that work here at Woodstock Harley. I worked here last summer, in the parts department and still feel like I'm part of the family. They couldn't call me back this summer because business was slow.

I needed to work so I started a little Detailing Service. A one man operation. So far it's been working out fine. All my work has been from, word of mouth. I like it that way because I don't want to hire any people just yet.

After I finished talking with friends I went back out side and went over to where the band was. I know one of it's members. He owns a printing shop, Tyler Press,(Click on Links For More Info) in my town. After chatting with him for a while I packed up my camera and left for home.

I like posting slide shows because I can get all of the photos in one spot instead of spreading them around the page. Here is the first slide show.

My next function visited was , Zylstras Harley-Davidson, in St. Charles, IL. They had their annual Fall Hog Roast on Oct 4 and 5. I got there around 12:30 PM. I started taking pictures right away because the odor of the food was making hungry. They had, all you can eat, for $5.00. Boy, the pork was great tasting. I made two trips to the food line.

I went inside just to see what the store looked like. I guess when you see one you've seen them all. They did have, on the upper level of the store, some vintage bikes. My flash was not working right so I couldn't get any good shoots. I tried anyway and got one I think came out alright even though it was dark.

A Silhouette Of A Time Gone Bye

I walked around and visited a vendor, Psymonsen Airbrush, owned by, Ken Simonsen. Check my Links page for his Web Site. I'm thinking about having some skulls airbrushed on my tins. He seemed very knowledgeable and will be talking to him about this more in the future.
I looked at my watch and it was time to go home. All in all, it was a good day for a ride on the scoot, good food and seeing some biker buds.

Meaning Of The Day:Law Maker - Stupid riders that kill themselves on their bikes causing stupid laws to be made 'For our protection.'

Now You Know:Biker Joe

Horn Cover Relocation & New Skull Theme

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:49:00 +0000

I mentioned in "My Trip To Harley's 105th Anniversary" part one, I almost lost my custom horn cover. The bracket broke from the vibration caused by the engine. The cover and horn was hanging by the two wires connected to the horn and that saved it from falling off.

When I got home I looked at the parts I had and came to the conclusion that the cover could not be saved. The mounting hole was gone and fabricating a new bracket and welding it to the cover was not an option because I don't have the equipment. Plus, after welding the new bracket back on the cover it would need to be powder coated. I think it would be a waste of money. I already paid $117.00 for the cover and a new horn. I could not even save the horn because the screw that adjusts the sound got broken. The reason I changed the horn cover in the first place? The OEM, cow bell horn cover was hitting my knee when I rode the bike and at idle the cover would shake so bad it looked like it would fly off the engine.

I decided I would relocate the horn to the front of the bike. I saw some Harley models like the new "Rocker", that has the horn mounted in front. I went over to my local Harley store and checked out what it would take for me to mount the horn to the front of my scoot. I had the counter guy Jim, look up the cost of all the parts needed. I was not happy about the total cost he gave me. I had him order only the bracket that holds the horn to the frame of the bike. Aftermarket horns give you a metal strip with holes as a bracket. So I ordered the horn. It only cost me about one third the price of the Harley horn.

I now had to figure out what I would put on the bracket were the old horn was mounted. The bracket is also the motor mount. I looked at the broken horn cover and said to myself, I would like to save the Harley-Davidson medallion. This medallion would look cool in-between the two jugs. I even thought, a Wille G. Skull in the middle of the medallion would even look better.

Boy, I'm lucky I live close to the Harley store. I found a skull that fit right in the middle of the medallion. I then decided, why not go the whole, Wille G. Skull Theme, on the scoot. I purchased the derby cover, timer cover, top handle bar clamp, skull license plate bolts and a timer cover for an XL. I'm going to attached it to the chrome cover on the new horn.

In order to use the horn on the front of the frame I had to splice longer wires to the horn wires in the wiring harness. Then run the wires under the tank and out the front where the horn would be mounted. It took about forty-five minutes to reroute the wires. I don't use butt connectors, I solder my splices and use shrink tubing so no moisture can corrode the splice.

After the horn, I put all the skull replacement parts on. The scoot looks like a different bike now.

I had the "Live To Ride, Ride To Live" Derby Cover and Handle Bar clamp on the bike. There for sale at my eBay store. They are priced to sell.

My next Post, I will have comments and photos of my last two Harley dealer functions I attended.

Slide show below shows how changing a few parts can really change the look of your scoot.

Meaning Of The Day: Wiring harness - The main collection of wires that are usually bundled up in some protective tubing.

Now You Know, Biker Joe

American Chopper Has Jumped The Shark

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:05:00 +0000

Let's have a show of hands, who watched American Chopper last night? American Chopper has "Jumped the Shark". For those of you who don't know what "Jump the Shark" is, Google my friend.

I watched this program for the last time. Sorry, biker buds, I know this Blog is about motorcycles and what better place to get info on motorcycles, to watch biker TV programs. This program is a total waste of my time. The whole story line, if that's what you want to call it, was about the Teutul's helping a woman sponsor a charity, a car show, not a BIKE SHOW, for her brother who passed away a while back.

Now, I'm not against charities. "Stand up for Cancer" was on last week, I watched it. Come on this program is about motorcycles! What ever happened to "Biker Build-Off", "Build or Bust", and "V-Twin TV". (I heard V-Twin TV is coming back in Oct.) These programs where about building scoots. That's what bikers want to see. The technical and mechanical side of the story not an on going family feud or a company "giving back to the community". We all give back to the community in one way or another.

So what do you think, biker buds? "Just say no" to American Chopper?

Another program that started last week, "Sons of Anarchy" on FX, cable channel. The second episode aired the other day, Wednesday. OK, my opinion, it sucks big time. Hardly any bike time and the lead actor, Ron Perlman , "Hell Boy" and "Beauty and The Beast" fame, I heard is scared crap less, riding a scoot. Katey Sagal, "Married with Children". I can see her joining a biker gang after living with Al Bundy all those years, also stars in the series. I'm going to watch it one more time next week. I have this, three strikes your out rule or philosophy with new programs. If it sucks again I'm moving on. The vibes I'm getting from the biker forums out there, I hear others feel the same way.

What do you think? We need your opinion.

This bike is no more. After I detailed this scoot, getting it to look like this was no easy task, it was totaled in an accident. A car turned right in front of the rider. The rider was not seriously injured, but the bikes frame was bent to hell.

Meaning of The Day: Went down - Crashed. Can be any type of accident at any speed.

Now You Know, Biker Joe

My Trip To Harley's 105th Anniversary Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:49:00 +0000

As I promised, "My Trip To Harley's 105th Anniversary Part Two".

A little recap. Before I left home I went on Mapquest and printed out directions so I could find my way to Thiensville from Milwaukee. I wanted to see Vinnie, you know, from American Chopper at Suburban Motors.

As you know I don't have a bagger. I have a nice sleek scoot, no bags to break up the flow, as you look at it, from front to back. I even got rid of the two up seat so there would be noting to stop that chopper/racer look. So without bags I have to put everything I want to use on a trip in my vest pockets or inside between the vest and my chest. A tank bag could work, but I don't want to scratch the tank.

I kept the directions from Mapquest in my vest, so anytime I needed to check the map, I had to pull over to the side of the road, pull it out and see if I was going in the right direction. After I said goodbye to my new biker buds, I looked at the map one more time. I then got back onto the freeway, I rode for awhile and I thought I was going the right way. I pulled over and checked again and I found out that I was going away from Thiensville. I got off at the next exit, made a flip over the bridge and got back on, going in the right direction this time. It is really hard to follow a map riding a motorcycle. This winter, I need to save for a GPS or maybe the kids can all pitch in for Christmas, hint, hint.

This little mistake set me back about 45 minutes. I wasn't too worried, because it was still early. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss Vinnie. I finally arrived at Suburban Motors. The street was packed with bikes and the parking lot across the street was full. I rode around the block a few times. The last time I came around the parking lot was open and I pulled in and found myself a parking space.

I came here for the sole purpose to take photos of Vinnie and any other stuff I saw that would be of interest. I got my camera out and started taking pictures. I went looking for Vinnie and I must have passed him about four times. They had him hidden among other venders and it was hard to see him. I thought he would be the center of attraction and have a special booth set up for him.

Anyway, I found him and took some pictures of his new chopper, he and Cody built at their new facility, V Force Customs. They traveled around the country showing the bike in order to drum up business and will be giving it away at the end of the season. I asked Vinnie, what other kind of bikes he is going to build? He said that he is not going to do production bikes. He is doing custom builds, (built to order bikes). I think that's cool, because the bike build will be a one of a kind and no one out there will have one like it.

For more information click here. V-Force Customs. I will put a Link on my Links page soon, so you can check what Vinnie's doing on his Web Site without having to hunt for this Post.

I think it was time for me to get ready for the ride home. It was a great day. I met some new riding buds and saw Vinnie. There was no break downs or mishaps, except for almost loosing my horn cover and horn.

I got home around 9:00PM, safe and sound. No one was home, so I just took a shower and fell into bed. Boy was I tired.

My slideshow.

Meaning Of The Day: Tank bag - A bag or luggage that mounts on to the top of the fuel tank.

Now You Know, Biker Joe

My Trip To Harley's 105th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Biker Joe) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:31:00 +0000

OK, I know I'm a little late Posting about my trip to Milwaukee, WI. for Harley's 105th anniversary. Better late then never I always say.

I've been very busy again. Detailing, eBay store and all that other good stuff, that takes up all my time. Not that I'm complaining, you know. I love it, love it, love it. It definitely beats pounding the pavement in an 18 wheeler. 40 years of pounding the pavement, that is.

So, lets get on with it. I left home about 9:30 Am Friday morning, after doing some finishing touches on a detailing job I had the night before. I rode over to Woodstock Harley to meet up with some people that I knew where riding over to Milwaukee, because I saw it on a poster in the store, last time I made a visit. I wanted to ride with a group, unfortunately, this was my second choice, because my friend couldn't go, he had a bad knee and could not ride for too long.

When I got there the parking lot was empty, so I thought I was early. I went inside and looked at the poster and saw I was late. The group left at 8:00 AM. Alright, I'm going myself I thought. Not the first time I did this.

So I made a pit stop and then talked to some friends that work here at Harley. I looked outside and saw some bikes riding into the parking lot. They looked like they were packing for a trip. I went outside and asked if they were going to Milwaukee? One guy said, "yes we are", so I asked if I could tag along. He said sure, but wanted me to know they were meeting up with a couple in Antioch, IL first. I said that's OK with me.

Now, I really want to apologize, I'm really bad at remembering names, I mean really bad. So my new friends, if you're all reading this, I apologize. I need to get a note book and jot down names of people I meet and make notes. I'm new at this Bloging thing you know.

I did forget to take photos of all of us at the Harley store. Anyway, off we went to meet the couple in Antioch. We rode for about twenty five minutes and arrived at a Walgreen's parking lot, where we waited for them to arrive. When they did arrive we did all the usual hand shaking and exchanging names. That did matter, as I said, I can't remember names for the life of me. Now this time I did take photos of the gang.

After everyone got their bottles of water, and other stuff, we got back on our rides and off to Milwaukee once again.

It was a beautiful day to ride. Not too hot, not too cool. We rode for a bit on Wisconsin's two lanes till we reached the freeway. Once we got on the freeway we saw motorcycles heading toward Milwaukee. I saw a sign that read 26 miles to Milwaukee. The further we rode the more bikes we saw. It was about ten bikes to one car.

Since I purchased my scoot, four years ago, I haven't had time to really take a long trip, so this was a real treat. I rode at the rear of our group, I saw the lead biker go off onto a ramp leading us to the festivities. When we got off the freeway, I felt something hitting my knee. I looked down and saw my horn cover and horn hanging only by two wires connected to the wire harness. I waved to one of the riders and pointed to the cover, we all pulled over, so I could check out the situation. Well, the bracket broke and I couldn't put it back together with out the proper tools.

The guy I met first this morning, said he could put it in his saddle bag till I decided to leave or could bring it over to my home later that weekend. I said OK, thanks. After this, we decided to go over to the Harley-Davidson Museum and see what was going on there.

It only took a few minutes to get there. I could see the big Harley-Davidson letters on the side of the museum building, from over a bridge we were on. We pulled down into the parking lot and there was no room, so they had us park in a grassy field behind the building. We got to a place where we could park our bikes and then walked around the grounds. We saw some really cool bikes and then looked for some food and drink.

We found a concession stand near the band shell. Boy, the music was so loud, I had to put my ear plugs back in. The stand had the usual food and drink, hot dogs, burgers, bratwurst, and pop.
I had a bratwurst. This was the first time I ever had a brat and it was pretty good. It was like a polish sausage and hot dog mix. We all sat down, listened to the music and talked to people at our table. I then went off and took some pictures.

After we ate, we took a walk, we stopped to look at some clothes that were for sale. One of the women bought a Harley sweat shirt. Then we decided to leave and take a ride around town and go over to the lake, where we heard a lot of bikers were parked over there. Traffic got pretty heavy going over there and the group decided to take a pass. I had plans to go to another town near by, so I asked if they wanted to come along. Vinnie from American Chopper fame was going to be at a Harley dealer's 105th party. It was about eighteen miles north of Milwaukee. They took a pass, so I got my horn cover, thanked them for letting me ride with them and I would talk to them soon. I gave a few of them my business card, hoping to detail one of their bikes in the future. Then I said my goodbyes and was on my way.

This concludes one leg of my trip. I'm going to write about the next leg in my next Post.

I'm going to leave the link to Harley's site above for a few more weeks. It has photos and videos of the celebration.

Below is a slide show I made.

Meaning Of The Day: Formation Ride - A motorcycle road event in which participants maintain their relative position in a group while riding down the road.

Now You Know, Biker Joe