Snippets

[Crusty]

Paul; I've got bars and risers, so save the room. Thanks for the offer, though.

[Crusty]

On A Warm Friday


The temperature is supposed to get up into the 60s today (that’s 15º + for you Celsius folks), which is nice. However, there are strong storms accompanying it. The good news is that it should be only cloudy during the daylight hours. The bad news is that the Severe Weather is supposed to hit a little after midnight. There’s nothing like the possibility of a tornado to really make your sleep patterns interesting.

I rode through some unseasonably warm rain on Monday. The good news was that I had prepared for it. I had bought a set of Frogg Toggs at Wally World on Sunday. They didn’t have any that were big enough to go over my riding gear, so I wore them under my outer layer. They kept me dry, even though my jacket and pants were saturated and weighed about 20 pounds more than when I put them on when I took them off at the motel.

Once the sun comes up, I’m going to take the ’06 to the quarter car wash. It’s filthy and really needs a good bath. The good news is that it’s covered with chrome and chrome is easy to clean. The bad news is that in spite of that fact, I don’t really like chrome. Oh well; it does look a whole lot nicer when it’s clean.

I’m having a lot of trouble bonding with the Custom. It runs well enough; but there are so many things that I want to change, it’s almost overwhelming. I even hate the gas cap. It’s a huge disc that’s very hard to hold and turn, and the “Decorative Gas Tank Trim” doesn’t leave enough room for your fingers to fit. I’m seriously tempted to pull that piece of trim off and just put a regular gas cap on it. I think the tank would look a sh*tload better without that useless and ugly crap.

I almost bought a luggage rack on fleaBay last night; but my inner cheapskate prevailed. My credit card balance is already too high. Other things I looked at, but didn’t buy were a Speedometer mount from an 883 Low (so I can change the bars), and a Screamin’ Chicken air cleaner. The bike has an Arlen Ness Big Sucker Air cleaner on it. My opinion is that the Big Sucker was the clown who paid that much for such a piece of crap. (But it’s Shiny crap!)

I guess the battle in my head is that if I spend the money to make the Cussed’em (Hey! That’s its name!) more functional, I won’t have it to spend on parts to fix the Express. The Gentleman’s Express will be back up and running better than ever; I just have to be patient and accumulate a bit of cash. In the meantime, I can make the Cussed’em a lot more practical without spending too much money.

I took the Cussed’em to the BMV yesterday so that they could inspect the VIN. Everything was copacetic, so I get my title on Tuesday. Then I can get the plate for only 50 or 60 bucks; the lady wasn’t sure of the rates for motorcycles. I really am glad this is a four week month; otherwise, I’d be eating hot dogs for Christmas Dinner (but I’ve got a lot of Kayem Natural Casing Franks, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing). I get my SS deposit on Monday, the 20th.

Anyhow; it’s getting light out and the temp is 48º. I think I’ll take the Cussed’em to the quarter car wash.

[sportsterpaul]

John, I believe I have a tachometer&speedo mount from my 2017, it’ll have a twist but I’m certain it can be straightened. I’ll look for it tomorrow. Also have N.I.B. chrome detachable sissybar side plates for early rubbermounts or are you good there?

[Crusty]

I have a detachable sissy bar, so I'm set there.

[ChinCactus]

Looking forward to the Crusty/Sportster Paul summit!

[sportsterpaul]

Not the one at the Artic Circle, eh?

[Crusty]

I like the idea of a Summit in Tahiti!

[Crusty]

On Your Marks…


I’m pretty sure that I’m going to keep the Cussed’em. That means I need to set it up properly for my style of riding. I can’t just keep using it the way it is. Hell; I’m still having trouble finding the footpegs without having to look down. and it’s a pain in the butt getting my foot under the shifter to upshift. Fortunately, I know someone who has a set of mid controls who want’s to trade.

It’s time to start making modificarions. I went web surfing last night and found a reference from 2008 to the “Dental floss and WD-40 method”. A few posts later, he reported success. I have both, so I guess it’s time to start making changes. I really dislike that silly, useless and non-functional strip down the center of the gas tank. While I’m at it, I’ll change the seat. The Saddlebag guards are scheduled for delivery this coming Tuesday (Um; yeowh - in my best Blind Melon Chitlin’ voice) by Fed Ex.

Next, on the cheap mods list will be the handlebars. I have a set of bars and risers; what I need is a speedometer housing. The present housing is part of the top bar clamp. I’ll have to look at it closely to see if maybe I can make it work. Ooh; I just got an idea… Then there's the luggage rack. That will be a cheap and functional addition. After that, it’ll be the air cleaner. I want to put a Screaming’ Chicken replacement on with a K&N air filter.

There are a number of cheap mods that are easy to overlook. I’m going to replace the headlight with a Chineseum LED unit. I’m going to put a Fender Extender on the front fender and I’ll replace the tail light with another Chineseum LED piece. Each of those will cost around $30.00. Cheap; especially considering how much they actually do improve the bike.

A bigger expense will be putting a tach on it.

I have a 19 inch spoke front wheel from the Roadster. While I prefer a cast wheel, a spoke wheel will work until I can afford a replacement. I’m going to wait until the front tire is worn down enough to need replacement before I change wheels. I’m also going to keep my eye out for a right lower fork leg with caliper mounting bosses. Eventually, this bike will have dual front discs.

When I think about it, I see the Cussed’em as a chromed version of my Roadster. It already has a lot of chrome, so I won’t need to do much; just buy chrome replacement parts instead of the black items I’ve been getting for the Express; like a gas cap from Lowbrow Customs to replace that stupid POS from the Factory.

I guess all the above just proves that Change is Inevitable. At least when it comes to my motorcycles.

[Crusty]

People


Sandra



Luca



Guy



Ma Zel



Jimmy



Kathryn and Ernie checking out the Cussed'em



Eating GREAT pizza at Caserta Pizzaria



Pizza worth riding to Providence for

[sportsterpaul]

Great to have friends like that John. You are blessed.