Hasso

Our loyal companion passed away September 4th @ 230 pm.

So long buddy, it was a privilege to have you with us.

States Visited by Bike....So Far

2008 MS 150

Stay tuned...

Mena (better late than never)

It occurred to me, that I have yet to post the Mena trip report. So with no further ado.....

Took a trip to Queen Wilhelmina State Park http://www.queenwilhelmina.com/ in Arkansas, in September 2007. John Vegas met me at the Conroe McD's. We both agreed on finding a more palatable breakfast spot for the next road trip meet.

Riding off into the sunrise......

JV had plotted a fantastic route away from major highways. Essentially, 'twas a zigzag pattern through National Forests. Here we are at a break....

And the best part about local roads.....zero traffic conglomerations.

Crossing into Oklahoma....

....through the back door of Arkansas....

We arrived in the late afternoon at Queen Wilhelmina State Park. This is where the Chain Gang has held their annual rally for the last 9 years now. Setting up accommodations....

"Headquarters"

Nice UT inspired bike

The views are breathtaking.....

....and the riding was superb.....

.....but cut short. A fellow rally attendee passed away the next day, after going off the road and falling down a cliff. We speculate that he may have had a massive heart attack while riding.

Needless to say, the mood back at camp was subdued in reverence to this event. But we feel at peace that he passed away while doing what he loved to do.

I took the trip back solo. No pics, camera bit the dust (literally). Saw an abandoned overturned ambulance, got soaked in Longview, then took a leisurely route back home.

New Years' Maintenance

Bike was due for some major maintenance, and Christmas blessed me with an influx of motorbike-related gift cards.

The Supervisor :-)

Rear sprocket. Guess which one is the new one....

The rear wheel hub had 6 years' worth of grime on it. Not anymore.

New bling

I also upgraded the brake system. Rear disc was at end of useful life, so sprung for a whole Galfer setup.

Yum, more bling :-). And stops apear to be quicker now. Ready for more rides now!

Edit: Big Addition completed a few days ago.....

Moto-Sport Pannier Racks

Seahorse Cases. They are similar to Pelican Cases, but they have an optional lock integrated with the latch. Surface is also smoother. Me likey....


More road trips to prove their mettle :-)

Did some work in the living room

We wanted to make the living room and front "formal" room flow together for some time now. So I decided to make this a end of the year project. My wife was a bit perplexed by the "surprise" start but, save for finishing touches, the project is done.

The middle column is there, because the drain downpipe from upstairs is there. In addition, it gives the top beams additional support. they replace the actual wall as support structure for the upstairs.

Done....for now

I found some NORMA style hose clamps at Auto Zone today, better than regular drum style hose clamps (even pressure on all sides of hose).

Used them to reconnect fuel lines to pump, tank, filter, and throttle housing. The small hose on the lower left of the throttle housing was off, causing bike to "stutter". Motto for next time - double and triple-check all plugs,hoses, etc. that they are properly seated/connected.

The new fuel filter has a built-in pressure regulator, so it was rather expensive (about $110 - yikes). But it should last for a good 60,000 miles, and bonus is that the bike started right up from cold start and continued running without so much of a hiccup. Yes!

After a few miles of riding though, noticed oil residue on the motor and hoses. Crap. Turns out, another hose from the bottom of oil tank had worked itself loose. Back on and tighten the clamp tighter, presto its running just fine now.

So i took a pic of the bike in the front yard. You'll notice that i also took the time to paint the black plastic panels/trim with plastic enamel. Looking good again.