Examiner Resurrection: Biker Brotherhood: A Tale Of Two Breakdowns

May 17th, 2018
working on a motorcycle

Motorcycle maintenance doesn’t always prevent breakdowns.

Biker Brotherhood: A Tale Of Two Breakdowns

My old 1980 Honda CB750 Custom gave me trouble the other day. Twice. And others bikers came to my aid. Twice. Thanks guys. Stopping and helping another biker is a time-honored tradition and it’s one of those things that makes our group special.

Starting out from home, I had only gone about a mile and she died. I knew I had switched to reserve near the end of my ride a couple days ago, but that should have meant I had plenty of gas to get to a station. But “ought to” and “should have” are meaningless in the face of reality.

Happily, as I rolled the bike onto the sidewalk to get it out of the busy intersection where it had chosen to die, another rider came along and asked if everything was OK. No, it was not OK. So Roger gave me a ride to my house to get a can of gas and then stuck around to see if that would do the job.

It didn’t. I poured the gas in, turned the key, and thumbed the starter and while it turned over just fine, that was all. The only other thing I could think of that might be a problem was the fusible link. This part of my electrical system requires removal of the seat to get to, which is not an easy proposition on this CB, so I only do it when I need to. I figured I needed to.

Roger stuck around meanwhile, and when I got to the link it was fine. So now what? As I put it all back together and put the seat back on Roger was fiddling with the gas line down under the tank. He called my attention to a translucent portion of the line, and how when he nudged it with his finger a bit more gas moved into the line. He did that several times and each time more gas filled the line until it was full.

“Try it now,” he suggested. I turned the key and pushed the starter and it fired right up. Wahoo! I would never have thought to look at that, and Roger swore he’s no mechanic but was just following intuition. Only once I was up and running again did he depart, having done a very good deed for a total stranger.

Problem No. 2
So I filled up and headed off to Loveland, where I was going to test ride some Triumphs. I’ll be telling you all about that soon but suffice it to say for now that I loved the Bonnevilles!

I headed back to Denver and thought the bike might not be running quite right about the time I got back into the metro area. It was rush hour and I was going south on I-25 right through the heart of town, so it was slow going. I was in the far-left lane right at the 8th Avenue exit when the bike just died. We were moving slowly so I coasted only about 10 feet before I came to a stop. Fortunately, there was a spot just 10 feet ahead of me where the concrete barrier dividing north- and southbound traffic separated, creating a space just big enough for two motorcycles to tuck safely out of the way. I rolled up into that space.

Clearly I wasn’t going anywhere any time soon on my own. I was stuck in the middle of the interstate with traffic not about to subside. Within just a couple minutes, however, a guy on a Kawasaki, whose name I did not get, pulled into the space (that’s how I know there was room for two bikes) and asked if I needed help.

Yes, I certainly did, could I use his cell phone to call for assistance. I made the call and also called my wife to tell her I wouldn’t be meeting her as planned. And then the Kawi guy took off, having done his good deed for the day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Long story short (and leaving out some interesting details), I was rescued and hauled off to the shop. There my bike remains as I wait to get the word on what caused the problems.

Bikers helping bikers
I have to say that this practice of bikers helping bikers is a very special thing. I know it arose out of the vagaries of undependable machinery in the early days but that it continues today, when bikes are much more dependable, is a testament to how people really can get along if they choose to.

We may not share political opinions and may have a lot of different ideas about a lot of things, but when you see someone stopped by the side of road you don’t ask who they voted for. You ask if they need help. And if they do, you provide whatever you can. What a wonderful thing it could be if we incorporated this attitude into the other parts of our lives.

Biker Quote for Today

When I hit the open road the ride becomes meditation, the sound of my pipes become music, the rolling through turns becomes a dance, and riding becomes a celebration of freedom!

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Examiner Resurrection: Motorcycles 101: Combatting Handgrip Vibration

May 14th, 2018

I figure that considering I’m not riding due to my surgery, this is a good time to repost some more of these Examiner Resurrections. I wrote for Examiner.com for about eight years but they shut down and all the stuff I published there was taken down. Much of it is still good and relevant.

Motorcycles 101: Combatting Handgrip Vibration

Harley with ape-hangers

Shake, rumble, and roll?

People helping people. That’s one of the really nice things about online motorcycle forums, and here’s a good example. On one forum I frequent, a guy who goes by “bull 156″ asked this question: How to keep mirrors from shaking so much? Can’t even use them when going faster.”

I was one of a number of people who responded to his question, and I was very interested in the wide range of options presented. Enough so that I figured it might be interesting to pass them along.

Here are some of the answers.

  • Weights inside the bars help. My Concours has weights that are attached at the very end of the bars. Rides very smoothly but I’ve been told without them it would vibrate a lot. (This was my answer.)
  • http://www.barsnake.com/ — This URL was the complete response, and when you follow the link it takes you to a site where the sell something called the “Barsnake.” It’s essentially a weight to insert inside your handlebars.
  • If the valves have tappets, they should be checked for proper gap. From the photos, it appears that it came with end weights in the handlebar; if they’ve been removed, the mirrors will shake.
  • Try unscrewing the mirrors and put in a rubber washer; it might help absorb some of the vibrations.
  • Or, install some nylon washers. With bar end weights, you should be good.
  • I think you need to check the bike over for: bad bearing (front), bad axle, bad tire, bad or loose steering head. Does the engine run smooth or rough? If the roughness or vibration comes from the engine, cure that. That engine should run smooth as silk, if all is well. Might be carb sync, valves, bad compression, whatever would make it run rough.
  • Here we have some roads that are smooth as silk, and others that are bumpy like gravel. The bumpy roads will make any bike vibrate. But you can tell on the smooth parts, no vibration.
  • For standard or cruiser mirrors try J.C. Whitney shock absorbing chromed mirror mount: SKU 1JA 060517.
  • I’m thinking maybe you’re shifting into a higher gear too soon.

So there you go. Got a question? Get an answer, fast. You gotta love online motorcycle forums. I do.

Biker Quote for Today

On the eighth day, God created motorcycles.

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Riding Opportunities This Summer With RMMRC

May 10th, 2018
motorcycles on highway

Oh, how I want to be on the road again.

I’m still not riding yet, due to my surgery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. And if you lack people to ride with I definitely recommend the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club (RMMRC) because this very active group has a lot of fun and interesting rides planned.

The riding season starts early with this group so there are several trips that have already happened. Let’s go through what’s coming up.

The big trip this year is the Northwest Passage Tour, June 2-16, approximately 4,700 miles: We will be riding from Denver north through Wyoming, Montana, and Alberta then to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and back into Colorado.

Flaming Gorge Camping Weekend, June 22-24.

Full Mountain Loop, June 30, approximately 285 miles and four mountain passes (Berthod, Gore, Vail, and Loveland).

Taylor Canyon Camping Ride, July 6-8.

Autumn Southwest Ruins Ride, October 6-11: This 6 day fall colors ride will take us through the central and southern Rockies to the SW canyons, south into New Mexico’s Rio Grande Rift valley, around the Valles Caldera, and northwest to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

There are other events planned, too, as well as spur-of-the-moment impromptu rides you can ask to be notified of as they happen. One of these days you’re going to see me on one of these but that’s still a ways in the future. I’m getting to the frustration point where I feel absolutely fine but any strenuous activity at all reminds me big time that I’m still in recovery. Heart surgery will do that to you.

Biker Quote for Today

Leave it all behind and just ride.

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Recovery To Ride And ‘Two Wheels Through Terror’

May 3rd, 2018

I was still in the hospital after my heart surgery and Bill came to see me. He figured I had a lot of time to read and brought me a copy of Two Wheels Through Terror. This is a book that tells the 2001-2002 motorcycle journey of the author, Glen Heggstad, down through Central America and South America. The big problem was that in Colombia he was kidnapped by guerillas and held for a month.

book by Glen Heggstad

Two Wheels Through Terror

Bill was really wrong about me having a lot of time to read in the hospital because for the most part I didn’t have the strength and spent most of my time sleeping. But almost six weeks out of the hospital I have picked it up and started reading it. Oh my god, what a story! And this guy Heggstad is one tough guy.

During his month with the guerillas he was force-marched long distances over steep mountains while being almost starved to death. Then as part of his strategy to get released he took to starving himself deliberately, making the point to the bad guys that if they wanted any benefit from releasing this gringo they had better do so quickly while he was still alive.

He notes that, once safely with the Red Cross, he was brought a clean shirt. Normally he wears size XXL but this was a medium–and it fit perfectly. The guy went through some serious abuse.

Anyway, it really came home to me after he was released. Most people would have given up the trip and immediately flown home but Glen was determined to keep going, even though he needed a new motorcycle and all new gear. But first he had to recover. He had to battle back to the bike. Oh yeah, I can identify with this!

Here are a few of the things he said about his condition:

So physically weakened, it would take nearly a week just to be able to walk a city block without passing out, and several more just to build up the strength to balance a motorcycle.

Oh, yeah, I know. I was two weeks after surgery before I could go out and walk part of the way up the block and back.

Add to that, time with the ELN has left me weakened mentally and physically. After a brief trip to a local gym, I found myself too weak to bench-press an empty bar.

The good thing for me is that all along I have had the total support and never-fading smile of my saintly wife, Judy. Glen had guerillas deliberately trying to break him mentally. But that bit about pressing the empty bar: I started out doing curls with one-pound weights and was tired after a set with those.

The long miserable wait has ended. After pumping up the tires, I blast down the road for a two-hour, get-to-know-my-new-friend ride into the countryside, complete with rain in the darkness on the way back. Yet even the foul weather is a welcome relief as I’m just happy to be back in the wind under any circumstance. It’s as though life flows back into me again, while the excitement of being on the road permeates my being.

OK, this is what I’m still waiting for. It’ll be about another month.

Biker Quote for Today

Forget a knight in shining armor, I’ll take a biker in dirty leathers any day.

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Can I Take Your Bike For The Day?

April 19th, 2018
Twisted Road website

The Twisted Road website.

How do you feel about handing over the keys to your motorcycle to a total stranger–even a thoroughly vetted stranger–in exchange for a bit of cash.

For most riders, that is not going to happen.

Imagine, you’ve got your totally farkled out baby, your only bike, that you love like it’s your child and that no one–absolutely no one–better mess with it. Rent it to a stranger for a day or two? Not gonna happen.

But what if you own six bikes, and while you love them all, none of them are all that special. And they all cost money to maintain and keep running, and by renting one or another of them out from time to time you can significantly defray that expense. You just might consider it.

Enter Twisted Road. Think of AirBnB for motorcycles. You register, you meet the requirements (valid, current license), and when you’re going to be somewhere with some cool riding, you locate a bike and rent it. For a whole lot less than the approximately $200/day that the big boys charge.

Or if you’re the one renting out the bike, you set the daily price you’re comfortable with while Twisted Road vets the potential renters in advance.

This is a business that might work.

So Judy asked me, would I rent out one of my bikes? (Because I would totally rent someone else’s.) Let’s see. My friends who rent bikes as a business tell me how often their dual-sport bikes come back damaged, so no, I don’t think I would rent the V-Strom. The Concours has a lot of expensive bodywork and it is my number one bike these days so no, I would not be inclined to risk it in anyone else’s hands.

That leaves the CB750. Let’s face it, I only paid $800 for it when I bought it nearly 30 years ago and while I love it–it’s my first bike I ever owned–I’m not afraid of letting other people ride it. So yeah, maybe I’d rent the Honda. Maybe.

You might think that other people would be equally reluctant to rent out their nicer bikes but a look at what is available might surprise you. Let’s just list a few.

  • 2011 Triumph Street Triple–$110/day
  • 2017 Harley Softtail–$99/day
  • 2014 Ducati Diavel–$125/day
  • 2012 Yamaha Road Star–$130/day
  • 2014 Yamaha WRR250R–$89/day
  • 2004 BMW R1150R–$95/day
  • 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale–$250/day
  • 2003 Honda Shadow 750–$75/day

OK, there are a lot of bikes listed that are not at all shabby. If all you wanted was a bike to run around on for a couple days and have fun, I for one would be very interested in that Shadow 750 for $75 a day.

One thing that’s funny about it all is this “Dumb and Dumber” aspect. In the news article I saw that brought this to my attention, the guy running this business, Austin Rothbard, said he polled riders to see how many would be willing to rent their bikes out and how many would be willing to rent someone else’s bike to ride. He found that 85 percent of owners would not be willing to rent, while 70 percent of riders would not be willing to rent someone else’s bike.

“So you’re saying there’s a chance!?”

Right. That means 15 percent of owners would be willing to rent their bikes while 30 percent of riders would be willing to rent.

And so we have Twisted Road.

Biker Quote for Today

Warning: Tampering with my motorcycle may result in an ass whoopin’ you’ll never forget!

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The Battle Back To The Bike

April 5th, 2018

Author’s Note: Unless you are reading this on https://motorcyclecolorado.com/blog/ you are probably reading it on a rip-off site where they steal my work and publish it as their own. If you are not reading it on https://motorcyclecolorado.com/blog/, please exit and do not return to this rip-off site.

motorcycles are roundabout

So many directions to choose from.

My string still holds, but it is destined to break soon. Ever since I bought my first motorcycle about 28 years ago I have ridden each bike I own at least once every calendar month. For the Honda that’s more than 300 consecutive calendar months. For the Kawi it comes to more than 200 consecutive months. For the V-Strom we’re looking at maybe just 45 months or so. But there will be no rides in April 2018. And probably none in May.

Thank you, heart surgery. Three weeks ago I had a quadruple bypass, along with repair of an aortal aneurysm and I’m not even supposed to drive for two months, much less ride a motorcycle. Heck, I’m not supposed to pick up anything weighing more than 10 pounds. How much weight do you suppose it involves just to rock a bike upright from its side stand? More than 10 pounds, I bet.

But I have to get back on the bike as soon as I can. Judy and I have plans to take a ride with our friends Willie and Jungle up to Bampf and Jasper in early July. I don’t intend to miss out on that trip. But that means that when I am able to ride, maybe around the first part of June, I’ll have just a month to get my stamina back and get my confidence up where it needs to be.

That confidence factor is a big one. I’ve never had to dust off rusty riding skills because I have never put the bikes away for the winter. This will be by far the longest I have gone without riding. And then there is the strength issue. I know I’m going to be nervous on my first couple rides so I’ve arranged with Alan to ride with me a few times. I know I’ll feel better knowing there is someone there to provide assistance if I need it.

This is all uncharted territory for me. I’m doing what I can already to build up strength, but so far it can be simply exhausting to walk around the block. Starting perhaps next week I’ll be going in regularly for rehab. No one is going to need to push me to do my rehab exercises; I intend to be pushing them.

So I don’t know how frequently I’ll be updating this blog for the interim. If I feel like I have anything interesting to discuss I’ll be here. Certainly I’ll be highlighting the big steps forward.

And also, just by way of explanation of that Author’s Note at the top, just recently two different websites have started stealing my blog posts and putting them up as their own. I’m trying to work with their web hosts to have them taken down but until that happens I want to try to make it clear to anyone coming to their rip-off sites that they are in fact rip-off sites.

Biker Quote for Today

A Biker’s Prayer: As I lay rubber down the street, I pray for traction I can keep. But if I spin and begin to slide, please dear God protect my sweet ride.

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