Motorcycle Insurance

I took the bike out Monday because the weather was so nice and I knew that the weather was going to turn sour. I rode down to the insurance company to see how much it would be to cover the bike. As she starts figuring out my premium she stops and asks,

"Now, do you have health insurance?

"Yes" I respond thinking that she is going to start a conversation about health care reform.

"Oh good" she says, "Because motorcycle insurance doesn't cover the rider."

Well okay. Now I'm thinking, why would I insure the bike then? What am I out if I wreak it? Even if the bike was totaled I wouldn't be surprised. If I can see that a wreak is going to happen, I am going to sacrifice the bike. Ditch that sucker and save yourself.

Really, It seems kind of silly to insure a bike after hearing that. Maybe if I had a really expensive bike I'd feel differently.



May as well.

Floor board pic

As you can see the new case guard really frees up the driver foot space. I'm really pleased how well they turned out.

At long last

So last Tuesday I spent the full day mounting the driver floor boards. Yes, ALL day. As it turns out the person who designed the floor boards has no intention of actually installing them. Everything mostly fit, mostly.

One trip to the College to drill out one of the bolt holes.

One hour to decide that it is impossible to shorten the amount of travel in the rear brake despite what the instructions say.

One trip to Ace Hardware to get extra washers, rubber grommets, and a nut.

One tired dude.

And one good looking bike.

In the end they turned out really nice. I had to remove the case guard and replace it with the one that was on the '78. In turn I temporally lost my highway boards, but I no longer bang my shins on them. There is much more room for the driver however the controls are still back in the original spots. The rocker shifter is a little weird. I've been out a few times now and I am getting better with it. I'm afraid that in a bind I would resort to reflex and that rocker could get me in trouble.

Not too shabby

I got the chance to take the bike out for a little ride this evening. I played with the clutch adjustment for just a minute on the center stand. It seemed okay there. As the bike warmed up a little it would clunk just a bit going into first gear. But, it shifts right into neutral and all the other gears fine. The handle pulls much easier now as well. Just a little fine tuning and I should have it.

The whole bike seems to be a little smoother now. I found as I was emptying my use oil pan that the spring that keeps the oil filter tight had fallen in the pan. So now I'll have to drain the bike down one more time so I can pull the filter and put the spring back in. It's not like me to only do things once.

The highway boards are an excellent addition to the bike. For my short frame they are perfect. I only wished that the shift lever and brake controls were up there as well. Rachel says that the passenger floor boards were a good buy.

Next I'll look to the brake cylinder.

Christmas Morning

Two reasons that I called it Christmas morning. One, I woke up to snow. Two, FedEx delivers early. That's right. All the parts came together. I had some chores around the house to finish before the boss would let me get to work on the bike but this afternoon was great.

The highway boards mounted right up and look and feel really good. I obviously need to ride to see if they are just right. The passenger boards were a simple one bolt switch. I did however add a rubber spacer to the hinge bolt just to take up some space. It is a little sloppy and I thought the rubber would reduce vibration noise. They look really good on the bike and I had Rachel custom adjust them for her comfort.

I drained the SeaFoam oil and pulled the filter. The oil was a little bit milky towards the end and I assume that is from the Seafoam and not leaky head gaskets. That is what I'm telling myself anyways. Otherwise the color wasn't too bad. The filter that I replaced was a K&N. I felt bad taking it out because I know that they are expensive but, irregardless I did change it. Everything went back together really well. I ended up using Mobil 10w30 red cap. I have read that a lot of Wingers like it. I didn't go synthetic because it was twice as expensive. I might try it in the future but not now.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to replace the clutch cable. The most difficult part is removing all the tupperware and the clutch adjustment cover. I fished a length of parachute cord through with the old cable and was able to pull the new cable though quite easily with the help of a beautiful blonde. I ran out of time before I could make the final adjustments to the clutch but I am very optimistic that it will adjust better now. The pull on the new cable is much smoother and lighter.

I still need to replace the brake cylinder and mount the driver boards and rocker pedal. One post on the forum said that it took him about an hour and a half to mount his. I'll be glad if I do it in a day and a half. The instructions are on a single sheet of paper, front and back. Could prove to be interesting. Trev has already offered to help which I will gladly accept.

Total garage time today: 3hrs 30 min.