Been too damn cold to ride

But I'm jonsing for some two-wheeled therapy.

 

Soon enough.

I got some two-wheeled wind therapy in my future and it can't come soon enough. 

OK, my science-minded friends, give me your opinion

It's called "Dark-Siding".  Putting a car tire on the rear of a motorcycle.

This is the sort of thing I want to do.  A good rear tire for a bike like mine can cost $350, and with the roads around here, they last maybe 10k miles.  I put 10k on my bike just this summer.  I ride.  I ride much like that guy in the video, hitting the canyons and throwing sparks.  So I've spent $700 this year just on my rear tires, plus mounting and balancing because I don't have that equipment in my garage.  That adds up quickly, and when you start seeing flat spots on your tires, and the wear bars are gone, your pucker factor goes way up.  A car tire would give me at least 30k miles.

The science, if you read it, says it cannot be done.  The thousands of people who are currently doing it says it can.

Anyone wanna take a crack at this and give me your opinion?

Davey Want.

 

This was at the Legends Motorcycle Museum in Springville, UT.  The Mrs and I took part in a charity ride for an organization that fights Veteran suicide.  Saw this bad boy, and a few other old Army motorcycles.  Drooled.

Yeah, I know that riding a bike like that is like getting kicked in the nuts repeatedly at 50 mph, but I still want it.

I need this sometimes

 Especially after the 1700 mile four-day trips...

I'm not too proud to say just how fucked up I am physically.  But what the hell.  This body is meant to be worn out by the end.

Put Put Kaput

As best as I can tell, the fuel pressure regulator on the bike just took a shit.  Started feeling a little jerky on the ride home.  By the time I got to my exit, it was stuttering, backfiring, had to keep it revved, and there was a smell of gasoline in the oil when I checked it after the engine had cooled down. 

So now I have to try to get a new FPR here in time for me to replace it for Memorial Day.  Don't know if that's going to happen.  Plus, gotta change the oil.  With a '02 VTX, when the FPR goes out, it basically dumps enough fuel that it leaks around the pistons and floods the oil pan.  Can't run the bike with crappy oil.  And there's maybe 3000 miles on that oil.  It's Amsoil.  That stuff will run for 5000 miles easy.  Not anymore.

All of this to say that IF I can get a new FPR here, I'll be busy on Friday.  If not, I'll be riding the Mrs. motorcycle for the ride folks have planned.  Not the best option, but it's an option.

We went riding yesterday

It was supposed to be a warm day.  Up in the 60's.  It was not.  It was in the 40's, which isn't bad, but not optimal for a long ride

We rode up Ogden Canyon.  There was snow on the sides of the road and frozen waterfalls.  As we rode out of the canyon and began following the shoreline of the Pineview Reservoir, we saw people ice fishing.  They all looked up to see who the insane idiots on motorcycles were, and what the hell we were doing.  Here's the camera from this morning that shows the road we were on.  All that snow and ice was there yesterday.

We turned on to Trappers Loop, which runs in front of Snowbasin Ski Resort.  The pavement was dry, but there was snow everywhere else.

We made it to Morgan in time for my fingers to lose all feeling.  A stop for coffee got that feeling back.  First ride of the season.  The Mrs. was not too fond of me, but I made sure she had all the heating gear, so she fared better than I did.

We now know what kind of cold weather gear we need.  We thought we had everything covered.  We did not.

But now, the people who made this ride get to call everybody else a bunch of wimps for at least a year, until the next "First Ride of the Year".

Well, crap

Out for a ride with the Mrs. on Monday.  Heading up Highway 39, almost to the pass, and then....

Fizzle.  Power out.  Blown fuse, apparently the same short that plagued me in the past, that I thought I had fixed by redoing all the ground wires. 

So now, once I'm done with this trip, and working all weekend, and working all next week, I'll get to tear the bike apart and see what I can do.

I hate electrical problems.

For you motorcycle riders

Here's a little photo of my Airhawk seat cushion after 15,000 miles.  This thing has doubled my riding time.  Given my *ahem* age related physical issues, anything more than a couple of hours on the bike left me feeling rather beaten.  This cushion has allowed me to ride all day.  I can honestly say this is the best accessory I've purchased for my motorcycle, hands down.

The inner cushion is still good.  I only had to replace the cover. 

Y'all know I don't do product placement unless I really like it.  I'm not getting any money or even any notoriety from Airhawk.  They just work that damn well.  If you're a rider, look at their seat cushions.  They also made cushions for passenger seats.  They're worth every penny.