My weekend in review

This weekend held no major riding for me, as I happily committed myself to breaking my eldest nephew into the fine art of burping, farting, and fishing. We invited him to his first "Man" outing. He is five years old. Myself, my son, father in law, brother in law and his 5 yr old went camping. Needless to say, we all had a blast. It was well worth forgoing a weekend ride.

Just to scratch the itch, I did hop on the bike for a cruise around the neighborhood (literally) last night.


So since I don't have much else to leave you with today, I give you ... "one liner biker wit"....

Loud pipes drown out the voices in my head.

New Honda wave 125i - PGM Fi System

New Honda wave 125i - PGM Fi System

New Yamaha Spark 135i - 135 cc

New Yamaha Spark 135i - 135 cc

Got Cake?

Yesterday evening, I was watching Food T.V., and caught an episode of the Ace of Cakes. I am glad I have DVR or I wouldn't have been able to stop the T.V. show, and get my digital camera, and rewind to capture these pictures.
Being an artist, I can really appreciate some of the stuff these folks create on this show with cake. Duff and his crew made a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Motorcycle cake!
Friggin cool! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Please excuse the poor quality, these are pictures of my television , not pictures captures from the Web.
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Vetter Fairings

On Tuesday 6-23-08, Doug Klassen of Fourty Years on Two Wheels http://40on2.blogspot.com/ had a great post about his past, when he was a news film courier. http://40on2.blogspot.com/2008/06/news-film-courier.html. Take a moment to read it, then pop on back here to finish reading this post.

He has a picture of the old BMW he used to ride. I love nostalgic bikes. I also get a kick out of the Vetter fairing on it. I've never seen one on a BMW before. It just goes to show you learn something new all the time.

Anyway, This reminded me instantly of when I was a kid. I remember sitting in the livingroom on the floor, watching the great big old console style television. There was a commercial that I used to see frequently. This commercial is one of the things that sparked my love for motorcycles. It was (I believe) a Honda commercial. They showed a Motorcycle cruising really fast on a curvy road and it had a Windjammer fairing by Vetter. Heck, I went on for a few years thinking that Windjammer was actually the name of the Honda motorcycle that I coveted so much. L.O.L.! It's kinda like hearing a song when you are a kid, or even an adult, thinking you know the lyrics, only to find out you've been singing them in your head wrong for quite some time.

Several motorcycles into my beginning to be a real biker, I picked up a 1981 Honda Goldwing GL1100. This was the old style with the Windjammer Vetter fairing. Cooincidence? I wonder.
Anyone who has followed my blog might be wondering, sooo...If you were wondering, the answer is Yes, I customized it too.

non biker related joke

This not biker related, but a friend just shared this with me, and I felt I should pass it along.

Ben Franklin once said: "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria." In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli,(E. Coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer or tequila, rum, whiskey, (other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting. Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. It is my duty as your friend and also because of my deep concern for your health.

Glider Rider's response to yesterday's post is really F'n funny!

Lady Rides a lot, A.K.A Glider rider http://ladyridesalot.blogspot.com/responded to yesterday's post with the three stages in a man's life. Really Funny!

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Got to check it out. LMFAO!

http://ladyridesalot.blogspot.com/2008/06/three-stages-of-mans-life.html

Three things I know about women.

Joker recently posted http://harley-davidson-mystique.blogspot.com/2008/06/say-hi-to-keeley.html Quote" I'd be home bonding with my two boys. I also missed a ride up to Bub's Barbecue this morning. Some times you just have to take one for the team - if you don't want to find all your stuff scattered all over your front lawn and driveway anyway."End quote.

I comment Joker for this, but it reminds me of the three things I know about women.

1) If she is happy, I am happy.

2) If she aint happy, aint no one happy.

and.....

3) If she aint happy for a really long time, I aint happy with half my sh*t!

But seriously, I make time for my family and give up riding time quite oftern because as much as I love motorcycles, riding and the biker brotherhood, I love my wife, kids, and family more than anything in the world.

O.K., I'm done being mushy now.

Don't disturb... Triumph Speed Twin man at work!

Designer Edward Turner hier met de filmster

Rita Hayworth op een '48 Triumph Speed Twin.

Het uiterst revolutionaire 500 cc twin motorblok.

Triumph Speed Twin 5T 500 cc 1948

Where it all began...

2007:

Reeds langere tijd probeerde ik Kobus te enthusiasmeren
voor onze Dutch Vintage Motorcycle Association.
Ook liet ik hem diverse keren deelnemen en

meerijden met mijn Triumph Bonneville,
zodat hij hopenlijk de smaak van

"de engelse ziekte" te pakken zou krijgen.

Nou dat is dan mooi gelukt!

Op woensdag 11 juli 2007 was het dan zover en
gingen Kobus ik effe naar Zaandam om naar
deze Triumph Speed Twin 5T 500 cc 1946 te kijken.

Dit exemplaar is afkomstig uit Beiroet.

De koop werd gesloten!

Gewoon een leuke "motorviets" met werk...
maar wel nagenoeg compleet!

Nog effe geduld...
en ook deze rijdt als een Speed Twin betaamd
dus als een Speer....

Tenslotte is die van Hans nu
ook eindelijk sneller geworden...:)

Koosje Proficiat !! ennuh...
van Harte Welkom bij...
the Dutch Vintage Motorcycle Association!

13/07/07

Er is zeker nog veel werk aan de winkel

maar hij vonkt en loopt nu al perfect!

een videoclipje...

(Camera: Hans van Laar)

Op 25/08/07 gingen we met maar liefst 3 Triumph Speed Twins & de Bonneville
even naar "Barneville" onderdelen halen voor Ko zijn Speed Twinneke!

2008:

15 januari 2008

Kobus heeft op zolder zijn hele motor uit elkaar gehaald!
Hij laat zijn motorfiets in juiste kleur spuiten en gaat hem vervolgens,
zo goed als origineel nieuw weer opbouwen...

19 jan 2008 werd op Kempton Park in het "Engelenland"
nog een Panel tank gescoord.

"Going Dutch!"

23 juni 2008

Het frame werd eerst gepoedercoat en is daarna geheel en in de juiste kleur,

het karakteristieke >> Amaranth Red , gespoten.

26 juni 2008

Ook de achterste remtrommel wordt aangepakt.

Het opbouwen is inmiddels in volle gang...

29 juni 2008

Triumph Speed Twin kenner "HansHans" komt ook een blik werpen...

08 juli 2008

Het begint er al aardig op te lijken...

"Going Dutch II"

22 juli 2008

Voor de reis naar het "Engelenland" werd het nu echt wat kort dag.
En daarom is er nu wijselijk besloten dat Kobus op de Triumph Bonneville,
de T-120 650 cc uit 1973, deze toch stevige trip zal gaan maken en daarna
zijn restauratie rustig kan vervolgen voor de nog te komende ritten dit jaar.

NOTE:

"Van elke klus door Kobus geklaard,is de Speedtwinklus het meeste waard".
Dr.”Tiger Roelofski"

Zie ook een Fraaie 1948 Triumph Speed 5T 500 cc op de onlangs gehouden Monterey Auction met slecht 49 miles from new op den teller!

Prachtig toch!

(to be continued!)

SO

Motoring George Spauwen

Sponsored by

Victrace Sitebuilding

Tech. tip #6....Saving your scratched paint.

Before you spend money on a paint job for a minor scrape or scratch, have a shop look at it to see if they can wet sand and buff out the scratch on the paint. Don’t be afraid to try wet sanding and buffing before paying for that new paint that someone is trying to sell you. You have nothing to loose.

When I used to work in a body shop, I did wet sanding and buffing all the time to get rid of scrapes and scratches. Plus, I usually did it for free. I was honest about it if I thought I could get out the scrape or scratch without burning through the clear coat. This was a great future sales technique, because a satisfied customer would always come back when they done F’d up their vehicle good in an accident. It was an almost guaranteed comeback to have their collision work done at the shop.

Try a detail shop if you don’t trust the body shop to be honest. The detail shop has nothing to gain by burning through the clear, as you would not have to pay for the job, or shouldn’t anyway if they did burn through your clear coat, where as the body shop does have something to gain, a paint job. However, I know lots of body shop guys who do the same thing I did when I was in the shops still. They too solicit free work on small jobs to gain a bigger future sale. Sometimes the small scratch wet sand and buff job isn’t even worth their paperwork, as it can take only a few minutes to get them out. You just have to feel the shop out, and go with your instincts to see if they are going to really try to help you, and not try to get a sale for paint by burning through the clear coat deliberately. Just like anything, there are honest shops, and not so honest shops.

Sometimes the scratches are just too deep, and that can’t always be found out without trying to wet sand and buff out the scratch. So if you find an honest shop and they try, they’ll be up front with you and let you know it is a 50/50 shot.

Buell Recalls 2008 1125R for Transmission Defect

Buell has issued a recall of certain 2008 1125R motorcycles.

These vehicles can experience 5th gear galling on the clutch shaft due to lack of lubrication. This condition can allow the gear to seize to the shaft, resulting in rear wheel lock-up. This could result in a crash, which could cause injury or death to the rider.

1579 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

2008 Can-Am Spyder Roadster Road Test

On the Motorcycle Views Forum there has been a discussion of the Can-Am™ Spyder™ Roadster. This is a so-called reverse trike with two wheels in front driven by one wheel in the back. I decided that I would test ride a Spyder™ at Americade 2008 at Roaring Brook Ranch (RBR) and report on it here.

The Spyder is made by a Canadian company, Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc. (BRP), located in Quebec. Another of their products is the Ski-Doo® snowmobile. In fact, I had commented before in the forum discussion that the Spyder looks strangely like a snowmobile.

The Spyder was launched in February, 2007 and has managed to strike a chord in many riders. It appeals to riders wanting to go to a trike but wanting more power, traction, and sportiness.

I hadn't realized just how devoted to safety the Spyder is. It has a Vehicle Stability System (VSS) that includes an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), a Traction Control System (TCS), and a Stability Control System (SCS) all integrated to keep the Spyder flat footed and stable at all times. They make you watch a video before you go out for the demo ride that demonstrates the VSS. It's a system you can't turn off. However, for purposes of the video, they did turn off the system and then ran through some cornering and swerving maneuvers -- some in the rain. For the most part, these non-VSS maneuvers resulted in disastrous results with wheels coming completely off the road and the rider having little chance to stay in his lane. When the VSS was re-activated, the performance was rock solid with the rider in no trouble at any time.

The riders' meeting held before the demo ride was a complete run-through of all the controls with special emphasis on how the Spyder steers. It may be a motorcycle but it does not countersteer. No push-right go-right for this baby. You have to steer it like a car, except it doesn't have a steering wheel. It steers using the standard handlebars. Now this requires a temporary rewiring of your brain to make steering the Spyder work. I know from experience that you have to reprogram yourself to go from a two-wheeler to a three-wheeler. Otherwise, the first time you have to make a quick correction to avoid another vehicle, you'll think countersteering instead of steering. That usually takes you right into the object you're trying to avoid.

The Spyder also uses a variable power steering system. At low speeds, it provides more power to help you turn the handlebars. As speed increases, the power effect diminishes so you have near normal road feel.

They also require that you pass a simple road test before you join the group to go out for the demo ride. You have to pull forward and swerve around a traffic cone either right or left depending on a direction indicated. You had to then stop next to the stop sign stationed there and then pull forward and swerve around the next cone and stop. Then this was repeated one more time until you could pull forward and join the group. They just wanted to make sure you knew how to steer the Spyder.

Also, as part of the riders' meeting, the complete safety card was covered. This card is built into the top of the dash. You pull it out to read it and we were read every word on the card. One of the last words on the card was how you start the Spyder. If you only know how motorcycles start, you might never figure out how this thing starts. Most everything in the start up procedure is the same as a motorcycle except you need to release the side emergency hand brake and then press the "M" button on the dash to start the machine. There is an initial system start up process that you view on the dash.

There is no front brake lever. All brakes are controlled by a right foot brake.

The engine is a Rotax® 990cc, liquid cooled 106 hp V-twin.

I found myself slumped slightly forward in the seat. I understand that there are some accessories that allow for a more straight up seating position.

As we traveled in a group around the interior road at RBR, we were encouraged to steer right and then left to move the bike back and forth across the road much like the Indy cars do to warm up their tires. Our purpose, again, was to get used to the steering before we hit the highway.

On the last stretch of interior road there is a particularly bad, uneven, section that I always have trouble with when I ride my traditional trike. With my trike, I feel every bump and jolt, some very violently. With the Spyder, I felt only a very smooth ride even though I was weaving across the road and hitting every bump with force. I was impressed with the ride.

When we hit the highway, the speeds quickly rose to 45-55 mph on a two-lane road. I was soon aware that the high speed power steering was just a bit too fast for me. I wasn't getting the road feel I had expected. I guess one could get used to it though.

The Spyder handled very well. I did feel that I was sitting a little high on the machine. I also had a very low windshield. I'd call it a fly screen. Twice at speed I was hit smack in the middle of the face shield on my full face helmet by a large bug. On my own Gold Wing trike with the standard windshield, that never happens to me. I found out later that taller windshields are available.

The gas tank for the Spyder is under the seat. You have to release the seat and it rises up so you can reach the filler.

There is a storage compartment in the front. It opens forward to contain two full size helmets with a little room left over. The headlight hits the top of the opened compartment and shines down so you can see inside. Handy.

There is a full-gear reverse on the bike activated by a lever on the left handlebar grip.

The Spyder sells for $15,000-$17,000 depending on who you talk to.

With the popularity of the Spyder, I'm told that a touring model is being planned. When I was at Tour-Expo, the vendor area of Americade, I noticed a Spyder in the Corbin area. It had a tall windshield, hard saddlebags and other storage areas, and a two-person Corbin seat. I thought I was looking at the new Spyder Touring model. When I asked the Corbin rep, he said, "Nope, it's our accessories all integrated together to turn the bike into a tourer." Once again, Corbin was ahead of the curve. See Corbin website. They even give a demo that shows how I got hit by the bees.

At the end of the demo ride, the Can-Am folks take your picture as you sit on a Spyder and make it available to you in two days on the Internet. Here's my picture. Note the slightly forward riding position.

While waiting for my Spyder demo ride, I took a short video of another returning Spyder demo ride group as they sped by me on the corkscrew road leading to the Spyder demo area.




Most everyone taking the demo seemed very impressed with the Spyder, as was I.

See Americade 2008 - Day 7 for all the rest of my activities on the day I rode the Spyder.

My complete activities for Americade 2008 may be found on Americade Motorcycle Rally Day-by-Day Blog for 2008.