1977 Harley - Davidson XLCR - $10500

Currently on the Detroit metro Craigslist is a 1977 Harley XLCR. Well I guess you would be able to figure that out by reading the title of the post. I guess you would not be able to nail down the exact location by the title alone. Nor does the first sentence of this post give it away. Enough of this Jack Assery, the bike is located in Kingston, which is located not in the Detroit metro area, but in what us Michiganders refer to as the Thumb, pretty much the smack dab in the middle of it. If you're not from Michigan, the next time you look at a map of the state, the thumb is the region that looks like a thumb on a mitten. Now that geographical portion of our post is complete, lets talk about the bike shall we.
The bike pictured below is the actual bike for sale.

This bike resides in the top five of my personal favorite bikes of all time. Not because it's a fire breathing canyon caver as the CR in the designation suggest. Not because I would love to toss a leg over it and ride strait from Detroit to Los Angeles. Not that it will leave any bike of similar displacement for dead in stop light to stop light competition. It doesn't do any of those task particularly well. I love this bike, for the way it looks. Willie G. got the look of this bike so right, It makes every hair on my body stand strait up.

Harley produced just 3,123 copies of this beauty in just two model years, 1977 and 1978. The main reason this bike was a sales flop was, price and about anything in it's class would flat leave it for dead. If looks alone could sell a bike, they probably would not have been able to keep up with demand. Although it just doesn't posses good looks, it also has soul and is a hoot to ride. If you have to ask, what is soul, you need to run strait out and ride a Bonnie, a 750 commando, any Iron Head Sportster, I could go on and on.

"Following is the ad:

Nice Xlcr Café Racer Harley Davidson. Still has The Original Key .Never Been Down. Adult owned. 10,000 miles . Comes with extra set of Stock hard to find Goodyears eagle At's In plastic yet (Stock Original Tires). New chain and sprocket. Lockhart Oil cooler. Owned since 1994. all Books Included new or very lightly used . Service manual. Parts manual, warranty Book . These Bikes are Getting Rare . Look at NADA Prices and you'll see this is a steal .No Offers FIRM.

I have omitted the phone number so the owner doesn't receive calls long after the bike is being enjoyed by it's new owner. Follow this link if you would like to buy the bike.

Unfortunately, I will be making no offers on this bike myself. I would love to own it, but, I can put the ten five to better use elsewhere. Perhaps sometime in the future. That is one very nice bike for the money. And a very rare find.

Start Polishing Your Insurance Card.

If a wild custom chopper doesn't tug on your beard, or a one hundred ninety H.P. super bike just can't blow your skirt up high enough. Up for your consideration is this  post apocalyptic demon machine. Powering this one way ticket to the emergency room is a 1971 Can-Am ZL-1 427-inch aluminum block big block Chevy with a 10-71 blower.

 

 

If you simply cannot live without a bike such as this, you can contact the demented souls at Sidewinders, the self proclaimed builders of "The worlds most dangerous motorcycles". This is a claim I think most would be hard pressed to dispute.  If you have enough cash on hand and a secret desire to be The Humungus, you may want to wave your wallet around in front of these people. As long as that wallet has at least seventy five grand stressing it's structural integrity. 

 

 

You certainly would stand out leaning up against this monster sipping your recently purchased Caramel Brulée Latte from Starbucks.at your local bike night. Just firing this barbarian mechanical device up will have the women and children seeking safe harbor, not to mention a large portion of grown men.

So if you have an insatiable desire to rearrange the contents of your body cavity and have been a bad enough boy. You may want to get your writing utensils out and get a letter to Santa post haste. You just may be lucky enough to spend the holiday season in intensive care at your nearest trauma unit.

It's Back

And they are looking for racers.

Check it out from the Thunderdrome folks:


Behold, The Ultimate Challenge

You can't buy honor.

RACERFOLK, LISTEN UP: WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE. WE WANT YOU TO GET UP, GET OUT AND GET ON SOMETHING DANGEROUS. SOMETIMES, THAT TAKES A SPECIAL SORT OF MOTIVATION. WE’RE UNLEASHING THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE. HERE’S THE SKINNY: YOU RACE BOTH DAYS (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) AND NO MATTER HOW YOU FINISH YOU’LL RECEIVE ONE RAFFLE TICKET PER CLASS YOU RACED IN THAT CAN ONLY BE EARNED THIS WAY. THAT’S RIGHT, YOU CAN’T BUY A RAFFLE TICKET THIS YEAR. THAT MAGIC TICKET WILL GET YOU ACCESS TO A WHOLE HOST OF SUPER RAD PRIZES LISTED BELOW. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE TROPHIES, RIDICULOUS AWARDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU’LL GO HOME WITH. SOUND GOOD? GREAT. GET YOUR RACER TICKETS AND HIT THE GRID.

Click here for a list of what's up for grabs

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. returns as banquet sponsor for the 2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

From The A.M.A

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has reaffirmed its support for the AMA Legends Weekend -- and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013 -- by returning as banquet sponsor of the Induction Ceremony at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Casino, Friday, Oct. 18.

The gala event will officially welcome the Hall of Fame class of 2013: AMA Supercross and Motocross Champion Ricky Carmichael; AMA and desert racing champion Danny Hamel; racer, promoter and motorcycle industry icon Norm McDonald; AMA roadracing champion Randy Renfrow; and motorcycling fundraisers and Ride For Kids founders Mike and Dianne Traynor.

"Kawasaki has a great history with motorcycling, and especially with one of our 2013 Hall of Fame inductees, Ricky Carmichael, who enjoyed factory support through the company's Team Green program as an amateur, as well as support as a professional on the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross circuits," said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame. "Kawasaki was part of many amateur and pro championships for Carmichael, and we're proud to have the company's support as they help us honor all of the members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013."

Said Kawasaki's marketing director, Chris Brull: "The annual induction ceremony is meant to recognize outstanding performers in our sport and industry, and Kawasaki sees the AMA's role in preserving this heritage of achievement as vital to its continued growth. Kawasaki has been part of that past for almost 50 years, and we're proud to continue our involvement with this event."

The class of 2013 will be officially inducted on Friday, Oct. 18, during the AMA Legends Weekend in a star-studded gala at Las Vegas' Green Valley Resort & Casino, with tickets available to the general public.

Also featured at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are two Hall of Fame Legends -- existing members of the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are highlighted. The 2013 Legends are: Mark Blackwell, a pioneering racer in American motocross, a six-time AMA championship race team manager and a well-respected executive in the motorcycle industry; and Torsten Hallman, a four-time FIM World Motocross champion who was instrumental in introducing the sport of motocross to America and later founded the Thor brand.

Also part of the weekend's activities is the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dave Mungenast Memorial Legends Reception on Saturday, Oct. 19, where the class of 2013, the 2013 Hall of Fame Legends and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers from previous years will be honored and interviewed on-stage in a relaxed setting that allows fans and friends to get up close and personal with motorcycling's heroes.

Additionally, fans in town that weekend also have a chance to enjoy the AMA Supercross Monster Energy Cup Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Tickets for the Legends Weekend are on sale now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. The price is $140 for Friday night's induction ceremony, and $20 for Saturday's reception, which includes a continental breakfast. Additionally, rooms at the Green Valley Ranch can be reserved now for a special rate at https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_gi_new&groupID=19471407 or by calling (866) 782-9487 and using the code GCIAMHF.

The AMA Legends Weekend is a fundraiser for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which is overseen by the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation. The mission of the AMHF is to celebrate, elucidate and preserve the rich tradition of motorcycling in America. For more information, please visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org.

About the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1990 by the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, the goal of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling. Located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, the Museum's three major exhibition halls feature the machines and memorabilia of those who have contributed notably to the sport. The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to motorcycling, including those known for their contributions to road riding, off-road riding and all categories of racing, as well as those who have excelled in business, history, design and engineering. More information can be found at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.  

Let's Face It

There are those of us whom were not meant to ride.

It's Ride To Work Day

Seeing that I now work from home, I rode my bike around the block. I hope Y'all ride to work every day.

Here We Go Again

It's no secret that I love Suzuki's first incarnation of the Katana. This design is one of those that seems to have no middle ground, you either love or hate them. I did a post a while back on a Katana built by a fellow from the U.K. named Steve Adams. That bike was a real labor of love. Steve took a basket case and transformed it into one of the most heart stopping bikes I have ever seen. The best part was, he built this bike in his garage to his vision of what his Kat should be.

AC Sanctuary takes a bit of a different approach, they have a shop that hot rods all types of super bikes from the seventies and eighties. Where as Steve built his bike for himself, Sanctuary builds their customs for sale. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Anyone with eyes can plainly see that the people at AC Sanctuary are no less passionate about the specials they build. No expense is spared when they create their road going master pieces. One would be hard pressed to ride something so beautiful. As much as I would love to ride this bike, I would want to park it in my living room and stare at it's sexy lines for hours on end.

This particular AC Sanctuary piece is called the RCM-189 Final Edition. They feel they took this bike as far as they could, hence the moniker. They lavished bits and pieces from about every high end parts producers in the book. Forks from Ohlins, OZ wheels wrapped in Pirrelli Diablo Rosso's. Sunstar discs squeezed by Brembo two pot calipers. A one off Nitro Racing exhaust and can. While a Earls 9 inch 13 stage oil cooler keeps that hot mill from cooking it's self. And a frame reinforced in all the right places to insure this object of desire can handle anything it's proud owner may throw it's way.

It's nice to know that there are companies like AC Sanctuary preserving these bikes and turning on a whole new generation on to these bikes, not just old farts like myself.

A New Guzzi Water Cooled V-Twin?

Word 'round the campfire is Moto Guzzi has a totally new v twin in the works. The 90 degree twin is not another rehash of the marques forty year old design, it is completely now from the valves to the crank. In order to comply with the ever tightening emissions regulations, Guzzi has a compact water cooled mill on the drawing board. It also is supposed to have quite a bit more power than anything the company currently offers. It is rumored to have as much as one hundred forty horse power on tap. The new engine is said to have double overhead cams and four valves per. look for the new power plant to make it's debut in 2015. Myself, I would love to see it in a modern version of the Le Mans. A friend of mine had one back in the day and I always loved the lines of that bike. The prospect of this new engine is causing beads of perspiration to form on my forehead.

Been a Year Already, Man I Miss This Guy

Unk left us a year ago today, I really miss his view of the world and sense of humor.

BOTT XR-1

My buddy Red, of Self Sufficient Slackers fame shot me a link to a motorcycle that got my heart pumping like a shapely young lady strolling past in a pair of Yoga Pants. Those pants on the right behind have been known to send me strait to my cardiologist, and to the chiropractor not long after that. So the bike we are talking about here may have you whipping out your Blue Cross card in a hurry.

If your Buell XB 12 has gotten a little milk toast for you. And you crave a street tracker that handles like a road racer, I have some good news for you. There is help in the way of BOTTPOWER. They have brought us the BOTT XR-1, it blends the DNA of a XB12 with the soul of an Street Tracker. They can build a complete bike for you, or for the do it yourselfers amongst us, they off it in kit form. In kit form, you can use your XB12, XB9 or Ulysses as a donor for the transformation. Here are the specs sniped from BOTTPOWER'S web site:

Engine Air/oil cooled 1203cc Thunderstorm V-Twin, 1203 cm3 (it is possible to build it also with the 900 cc engine), 100 Horsepower at 6600 rpm, Torque 110 Nm at 6000 rpm. Fuel system: 49 mm downdraft DDFI II fuel injection
Gearbox: 5-speed Clutch: Wet, multi-plate, compensated
Final Drive: Belt
Frame: Steel central Spine Bottpower frame, with vibration isolation system.
Front Suspension: Showa inverted fork with adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload
Rear Suspension: Showa shock absorber
Front Brake: ZTL type brake, 375 mm stainless steel floating rotor, 6 piston caliper Rear Brake: 240 mm stainless steel rotor, single piston floating caliper Dimensions Geometries are the same than the original Buell XB donor bike.
Wheelbase: 52 in OR 1321 mm Seat Height: 30.1 in OR 765 mm Ground Clearance: 4.3 in OR 109 mm
Weight: 179 kgs (20 kgs less than the original Buell XB donor bike).
Fuel Capacity: 13 liters. The bike has a top fuel tank and 2 secondary fuel tanks. Original Buell fuel pump located in the left secondary fuel tank.
Tires: Front 120/70xZR17 and Rear 180/55xZR17

As you can see from the pictures, this one is a looker. I loved the original Harley XR1000, but I am not a big fan of the current XR1200R. I think this bike shows what the XR1200R could have been.

 The XR-1 is being put through it's paces by Anthony "Ant" West, who has more than a little experience wringing the necks of dirt trackers. He has ridden everything from Honda RS125's to NSR500's to ZX-RR's in Moto GP. He currently rides out of the QMMF Racing Team stable in Moto2. Mr. West took two five lap sessions on the bike to get a feel for it. He had very good feedback for the BOTTPOWER crew so they wrapped and headed home with large grins on their faces.

So things at BOTTPOWER are on the upswing, and judging from the styling and feedback they are receiving on the XR-1 it looks to be a very popular option for those who would like to lighten up and get more performance from their XB Buells. Lets see I think I saw a couple promising looking XB's for sale on craigslist.

The Tourer, The Racer, The Dual Sport Maker

Quite a few people are faithful to one brand. Be it Harley, BMW, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, you get the picture. Myself, I'm a motorcycle Lothario, my head is easily turned by many different brands and all types of bikes. While I do find that a certain type of bike kinda gets my blood surging more than others. That would be the UJM, I have always loved naked Japanese bikes. The super bikes of the late seventies early eighties are my most desired rides.

Enough about me, let's take a look at Jimmer. He still has the Yamaha XS500 that he bought way back in '78. Thirty five years, a lot of us don't keep the same bike for thirty five months much less 35 years. It's not that Jim doesn't like other bikes, he does. I even have a picture of him drag racing a Kawasaki Z1000. But there is something about the XS that strikes a chord with Jim. He has adapted this bike for touring, road racing, drag racing and now, believe it or not, he has transformed it into a dual sport bike. Lets let Jim pick up the story from here.

I bought the bike in High School-brand new XS500. First road race-Road America, 13th overall out of 84 teams. After sport touring all over the Midwest, I returned the bike to stockish.

I was fortunate enough to grow up around bikes, cool cars, aircraft, most all motor sports and racing. My Dad, Uncles, Brother, and all his friends gave me a horsepower fix at a young age. By the time I was in high school I new twisty roads were my "thing". The XS was a sweet handler [RD Yamaha type chassis]. I drag raced all through high school, started road racing in 1981. The XS500 got the attention of many people when we placed 13th overall in what was the largest endurance race in the USA. My friend Bob Benedum and I finished 13th out of 84 bikes, all but one[GS450] were much faster/bigger bikes

After road racing for 4 years I did all street riding. The 500 covered every square inch of Wisconsin numerous times, and most of the Mid west. I really liked taking back roads en route to my favorite campsites/camping trips. Fast forward to 1996 and we are now living in Oklahoma, I new right away I needed a dual sport for the awesome dirt roads, AND I was within 1hour 25 minutes of 3 drag strips, so the 500 came off the street and went drag racing only, until this year. I never had the head off the motor until 2011! I have run stock carbs, stock carbs with a gutted air box and rejetted, Suzuki T500 carbs and the 36mm TM Mikunis which have been on forever now. For exhaust the stock exhaust is awesome [but heavy] on the street. It provides fantastic roll on torque with proper carbs and gearing.

I then add a CR500 Honda moto crosser to my spare chassis ,bike hauled azz but really needed a 6 speed or a wide ratio transmission as I had to gear it ridiculously tall to run a 1/4 mile.1st gear was then a dog and it was out of revs by 3/4 track anyways, but in between it was a rocket



My first header was a Dick's Cycle West/Racer 1 I bought from a dealer. It worked great but had really crappy ground clearance. It put me on my ass one time when I levered the rear wheel off the ground. I have been running the Jardine since mid '90's I built two different electronic ignitions for it. The first an after market Ford kit I retro fitted. Turns out it had a built in rev limiter that would shut it down at 6500! So I had to take it off. I also built an amplifier points booster from a kit that I used until I bought the Newtronics. I think that gets you pretty much up to date-sorta?!

Several years ago I had a really nice CR500 that came with some super trick alloy handle bars. I made up my mind then, that I would build an "all around bike" based on those bars. Then last autumn I picked up a 1989 YZ250 roller for $50, and so it began.

I used the YZ complete front end and internally lowered it 3 1/2" and rebuilt the forks at the same time. I mounted a new Acerbis replica fender and cut out the super critical fender vent for the cylinder head. I had the Acerbis headlight and reused that, tucking all the wiring into a PVC electrical box just behind and slightly below the headlight.

I then moved to the back end and removed a bunch of the mono shock junk from the swing arm and bolted that on after adding shock mounts. I treated myself to some new 13" Progressive Suspension shocks and springs. I reused a stock XS500 chain guard clearanced for the shock. Tires are Shinko DOT trials tires with fresh IRC tubes and rim strips. I replaced my old Acerbis LED tail light with a newer, brighter one that also has the white tag light. I added a Wolfman fender bag to the rear fender.

Next up was to detail the instrument cluster to clear the bars and headlight, and mount the reused Tiny Tach. The tach has seen 25,000 miles on my MZ and a couple more years on my brothers MZ. The controls got new dogleg levers and new rubber dust covers. I have lusted after YZ450F mufflers since 2006,so I had been watching for a good one. Wichita Craigslist came though for $40 and I welded that to a collector I had lying around. Tone and sound level is exceptional. Now it is time for an updated title and Antique Kansas tag.

That is quite a love affair with a single bike. While Jim has transformed the bike several times, he has stayed with the same bike he bought all those years ago. I never in my wildest dreams ever pictured an XS500 in off road trim, but then some people have a bit more imagination than others. Most keep stock, build a tracker, bobber or chopper like every one else. I say, great job thinking out of the box Jim.

Storm Thorgerson

Most known for his Pink Floyd album art, Storm Thorgerson also did album artwork for a long list of other bands. Not the least of which was  Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, The Cranberries and Styx. He passed yesterday at the age of 69. I was a big fan of his work.

1974 TX500 Cafe'

Our TX/XS500 friend Dean has built a very clean and well executed cafe' bike out of  two hundred dollar craigslist find. He buys and restores bike a on a regular basis as winter projects. I'll let Dean take over and describe the build and the impetus behind it.

My hobby is picking up old, titled bikes in the winter and basically doing just enough to make them look and run good. Some I ride for a year or two, however most eventually get passed on to a new owner. ( my wife calls them orphans , meaning I am not supposed to keep them..... and is always asking me about getting some of them adopted )

My '74 TX500 was a November 2010 craigslist find from Kenosha, WI about a half hour from me. The seller had it listed as a "Yamaha 600" ...( It is bit embarrassing to say... I had to look at Google images to find out what the heck it was ! ) So I went and drug it home for $200. It had good compression , a title, and less that 7k miles so I had found a good deal.

The build is of course a theme,,, if Yamaha made a replica of a late 60's Italian bike...... this is it. I am happy with the result. It is Corsa red ( Lania racing red ) with Le Mans stripes painted in white and black, then cleared. The head pipes were modified to keep the mufflers low , the upswept angle of the stock pipes was not vintage Italian. The fuel tank is the garden variety vintage Benelli .

I made the custom seat cowl, seat pan, under seat electronic compartment ( to hide everything ) and the tach bucket and mount all from fiberglass. Much of the wiring harness was modified ( and repaired ) .. most of the wiring is custom or relocated. The ignition key is on the underside of the seat. I used the stock tach, by making a custom face plate ( photo shopped and printed, used white Lexan and a base ) relocated the oil light to where the TX rear brake wear sensor was within the tach face. The big tach is now front and center with no other gauges or caution lights, everything needed is in the tach (I have a bar mount for my little GPS as a speedo.) That is the stock 7" headlight, lowered and mini bulb turn signals ( no led's on the bike ).

I made the headlight tilt bracket , rear turn signal brackets, exhaust hangers, battery bracket, etc all from 1/2" aluminum flat stock. I removed the un-needed brackets and tabs. The rear-set mounts and fuel tank brackets are all I had to weld on. The engine is stock, I just bead blasted the cases and polished every cover. All new seals, gaskets and proper adjustment checks were done. I run the stock Keihin carbs , tuned for the uni-filters.

I restored most all of the nuts, bolts and hardware ( zinc plated ). The 35mm forks and front brake are off my XS500 parts bike. The TX had only 34mm forks with a 10" disc, now we have 35mm with the 12" disc. I polished the fork lowers, before rebuilding. It has tapered roller bearings in the steering neck . That is a stock XS front fender (and my license plate is the rear fender)
The wheels are stock, I just "restored" them, new seals, bearings, some polishing and wrapped in Avon road riders ( love them). Bronze swing are bushings, rebuilt front caliper , new pads in front and shoes in back. The front master cyl is from Mike's, almost as cheap as a rebuild kit so I also bought the clutch lever................Did I mention all of the metal polishing?

I think Dean pulled off the bike he had in his head. He shows us what is possible with a idea and a plan and some motivation. He has put together a real head turner and a bike to be proud of. Way to go Dean.

Modular Housing for Your Skull

First off, I have been an AGV customer for as long as I can remember. And I wear full face helmets exclusively. I friend of mine uses a modular helmet and raves about it's versatility. I like the idea of being able to change your helmet into an open face when the weather gets hot. No matter how many vents the modern versions have, my head always comes out soft boiled when I’m riding in hot weather. So I decided to give a Hawk modular helmet from Leather Up a go and see if this modular thing blows what I have left of my hair back.

Leather Up has their own line of motorcycle gear now to go along with all the brand name gear they sell. Exelement jackets, gloves, boots and helmets, Hawk Helmets and Outlaw open-faced helmets. I just picked up a Hawk H-6611 modular helmet. This lid has MANY bells and whistles on it. First, it is a modular and I can't wait for the warm weather to try out the convertible option of this piece. As winter refuses to give up it's icy grip this year, I have only tried the open face a hand full of times. It is also equipped with blue tooth. I am kinda old school when it comes to motorcycle gear, but I am coming around. I do have a Joe Rocket ballistic jacket now for Christ sakes. And last but not least, besides the regular face shield, this helmet comes with a retractable smoked shield that slides in and out of the helmet shell like on a fighter pilot's helmet.



Let's start off with the Blue tooth. I use blue tooth in my car because I am a very big opponent of distracted driving. The less time I have to spend looking at my cell phone the better. Well the blue tooth on this helmet not only allows you to answer calls while you are riding, but affords the option of listening to your mp3's or XM/Sirius radio as well. I really have not listened to music on my any of my bikes up until a couple of years ago. I picked myself up a set of helmet speakers which are basically flat headphones that fit in you helmet. I found that they worked ok, but the wires were always getting in the way. This all goes the way of the steam engine with this helmet. I have to say, with around twelve hundred songs on my phone, and an XM unit, I am REALLY enjoying this blue tooth stuff. Plus Mrs. Gymi isn't frustrated when I return her call three hours later because I was riding and didn't hear my phone. Now she can call me to tell me she is going to color her hair and I will be able to answer the call and hear the fantastic news real time. The call quality on both sides has been nice and clear, I'm hearing them and they're hearing me. All I have to do is give the blue tooth button on the left side of the helmet a push when a call comes in. I have been riding J.J.'s Heritage to test the blue tooth out because the Viffer is still nude waiting for warmer weather so she can turn black. I found the sound quality to be adequate even with those loud shot gun pipes signing that loud V-Twin bark. I have to say this is the quietest helmet I have owned, it really keeps the wind noise to a minimum. So that makes listening to music very easy, I thought wind noise would cancel it out. This is not the case.



Next comes the retractable face shield. Here is another feature I am all tingly about. Now I don't have to carry an extra shield or pair of glasses with me depending on the time of day I'm riding. Or if I am transitioning from day to night or vice versa. Now I just reach up and slide the control on the left side of the helmet. Plus, you have built in eye protection when you are in open face mode. This internal visor does it's job pretty damn good, no watering eyes so far. There is also a snap in chin strap that I like quite a bit better than the old double ring loop through design that has been on helmets since the beginning of man. I chose a matt black unit because, I like black. So far I really like this helmet, it is every bit as comfortable as any of my AGV's. Plus is slips on to my extra large noggin like a glove. I figured Y'all would rather see a pleasant looking young lady than my ruddy mug, so I enlisted a stand in for the photographic element of this review. All in all, I find the H-6611 a light and comfortable piece of kit to keep the contents of your skull intact in the event you might find yourself bouncing down the road. At $189.95 U.S. it is a bargain as well. I haven't found any downside of this helmet as of yet. If I do, I will keep you posted. Below are the features of this helmet I lifted off Leather Up's page for this helmet.

ABS Thermoplastic shell

One button, one-hand flip-up sytem converts helmet from full-face to open-face Glove-friendly and waterproof controls

Quick-release, anti-scratch visor Interior retractable drop-down smoke tint sun-visor ( drop-down button located on left side of helmet)

Flow-through ventilation system Inner lining: removable and washable Chin strap with quick-release closure and strap keeper.
DOT-approved (non-removable graphics on the back) Hawk graphics on the front and back

  Blinc Bluetooth® Integrated Communication technology: Cell phone compatible (Iphone compatible) Compatible with many GPS units Interference free communications Lithium-Ion replaceable battery

Battery life: 4 hours continuous talk time and 100 hours standby Complete recharge of battery - 6 hours

Noise cancelling mic Full duplex communications with DSP filter Self adjusting volume

  Waterproof controls 30 feet of intercom and communications distance Music streaming

Glove friendly controls Multifunction LED indicators 110V/220V charger

Blinc Bluetooth Module System: Talk rider to passenger (Intercom) Talk bike to bike (2-way communications) Use your cellphone Listen to streaming music from MP3 and phone Listen to GPS directions

One-touch cell phone/intercom override Automatic phone/mp3 override Listen to XM radio through phone

Some Outlaw Mini Bike Drag Action

Here are a few vids of Big Toe of Outlaw Fab Shop  fame mini drag bikes in action. In the first one, one of Big Toe's chassis puts an Omni GLH on the trailer.



In this next video after a false start, a Big Toe set up has a go against the competition. His chassis is the red one in the far lane.



This time the Outlaw Fab Shop's rig is in the near lane porting the wheelie bars and spots the other bike about six lengths and still takes out the trash.



If you're in the market for mini bike drag frame or a turn key unit, check out Outlaw Fab Shop or call 248-941-2483 and tell him Gymi sent ya. Or you can click on the Mini Drag bike on the right side of the page.

I See My Red Bike and I Want it Painted Black

I see my red bike and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want to turn my bike to black.

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes I want to wet them down, with my garden hose.

I see a line of bikes and they're all painted black and I picture my bike with a red stripe down it's back I see people turn their heads and quickly look away Like seeing my new black bike might some how ruin their day.

I look inside myself and see my bike is black. I see my red bike, I must have it painted black. Maybe since I dropped my bike I have had to face the facts. It's not easy facin' up when your right side fairing is full of ugly cracks.

Some people thought I should paint my red bike in a deeper blue. I could not foresee my bike painted in this hue. If I pour enough black paint in my Sata gun. My bike will be painted black before the mornin' comes.

  I see my red bike and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want to turn my bike black.

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I want to wet them down, with my garden hose. I wanna see my bike, painted black, black as night, black as coal. I wanna see my paint gun coat my bike until the paint is dry. I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black Yeah!



After I dropped my Viffer in the garage and cracked the mid-upper fairing I knew finding a replacement would be a needle in a haystack affair. The slug said, no problem, you’ll be able to track down a replacement in no time. The Slug isn’t a sport bike guy, he is a Harley guy. Finding Harley parts is a no brainer, they are everywhere. By his reasoning, people buy perfectly good sport bikes and break them down to sell. I had to explain to him this simply is not the case. Sport bike breakers buy crashed bikes and sell off the good parts which do not include the broken fairing parts. Or you will see an ad for a “street fighter” on craigslist, this is what happens when sport bike fairings make contact of an unmovable object. When a VFR of my vintage ‘94-‘97 hits the ground, the first part to make contact is the part I’m needing. I told him because of this, finding a replacement would be an exercise in futility. He didn’t believe me


Well after searching for four months I finally tracked one down. A reproduction part for sale on eBay UK. David Silver Spares had a beautiful left side in red like my bike, but alas, wrong side. So I was just about to pull the trigger on the eBay find when I noticed He doesn’t ship to the U.S. I tried to contact the seller, but he had disabled anyone from the states contacting him through eBay. I was thinking I would never be able to pick up a replacement when I remembered I have friends across the Atlantic in the U.K. specifically one of my partners in the TX/XS500 Forum Crouchyuk. I had barely contacted him and he had already purchased the part and was making arrangements to have it arrive at my door in the shortest time possible. That is the best part about being member of the motorcycling community, we all go out of our way to help another rider out.

This brings us to me wanting to paint my bike black. I have a thing about black. Most of the cars I’ve owned including my current one have been black. Just about every bike I have owned, if it wasn’t already black, I usually wound up painting it black. With the exceptions of my ‘85 FJ1100, ‘92 GSXR750, ‘83 CB1100F they were too pretty to paint black. I really like the red paint on the VFR, but it cost a wad of cash just for a pint of it. And you need to get two pints, one base and one top. That equals $269.40 for paint and that doesn’t include clear coat. The fairing cost me just short of $200.00 US including shipping.
 
Being the cheap ass I'm known to be, I am not about to pay more for the paint than I did for the part. The only place that seems to carry the pearl red paint for my year Interceptor is ColorRite, so there is no comparison shopping. It’s a good thing that I love black bikes, because it only cost $53.73 for a quart of House of Kolor BC25 black base coat. That is more than enough to paint my whole bike, not just a 2'X2' part. And since I use a lot of HOK products, I already have inter coat clear, reducer and final clear coat on hand saving me even more money. So it looks like I have some sanding in my future.

It's Fat Tuesday Again

And that means the annual return of our bathing beauty Miss Paczki

TX/XS500 Slideshow

If you own a TX or XS 500 and would like more information on it or some repair or build tips come on over to the TX/XS500 Forum. From minters to basket cases, you will find every manner of TX or XS 500 in our membership.

Thinking About Summer

July and Vintage Motorcycle Days, Can't Wait.

Available on DVD March 4th

I can hardly wait. I have been a fan of the TT as along as I can remember, it is on the top of my "bucket List". The documentary called Grand Prix Racer is to get its world premiere on the Isle of Man on Monday February 4th and will be available to the rest of us on DVD March 4th. This year will mark the races 90th anniversary and will be run August 17th-30th. I wish I could attend, but sadly, purchase and viewing the DVD will have to suffice for this year. More info of the Manx Grand Prix can be found here, along with some great video and links to all things TT.

Talk About Close Calls

This Chinese scooter rider almost got way more than he bargained for. He stopped a bit too far into the intersection and in the process, nearly purchased the farm.

Vance & Hines SS2R

This bike came with an Vance & Hinesa SS2R slip on included but not installed. I figured, what the hell, I'll toss it on and if it's too loud I will just take it back off. It took maybe five minutes to do the swap on the VFR. It has a nice deep tone with out being obnoxious that builds into a pleasing wail when you pour the coals to her. I really like the sound, and when you're in cruise mode, the sound doesn't get on your nerves. I can live with it around town and at highway speeds. It only really raises it's voice when you're working the throttle over with your right hand. When idling and at slow speeds it has kind of a small block chevy vibe. All in all, I like it and plan to leave it on. I can't tell if there is any performance difference positive or negative, I'm just glad I didn't have to change the jets.

Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining

My dark cloud was when I dropped my bike while moving it around in my garage a couple months back. The silver lining is, to facilitate repairs to my damaged fairing I had to remove practically the whole shooting match. I’m really used to working on naked bikes, this is the first full faired bike I have owned since my 1992 GSXR750. And before the VFR, this has been the only bike that I have owned to be ensconced in ABS plastic. I know I am somewhat slow, but a picture is beginning to form as to the reason I normally ride naked bikes. Besides the fact, most naked bikes appeal to my sense of aesthetics. And as the word procrastination has a prominent spot on the tag line of this blog, you may have surmised by this point, I have a penchant to put things off. Removing all that bodywork is not what I consider a knee slapping good time. I gather putting it all back together is going to be just as fun.

That leads us to the silver lining part of this post’s title, with all the body work removed, my winter maintenance is going to be some what of a breeze. Today I am changing the coolant, basically because I’m not sure how long it has been in the bike. I’m looking at the thermometer and it is telling me it is fifty nine degrees out. Normally on a day such as this, I would be out riding and a enjoying a rare warm January day here in Michigan. But with my bike being in the state is currently resides in, I’m doing the next best thing, maintenance.

Today I am changing the coolant. I am using Peak Long Life 50/50 prediluted antifreeze and coolant. I know there are those types out there that will only use the product with the bikes manufacturer on the container. That’s fine with me, I am a cheap ass and will use other brands that don’t say Honda on them. The most important thing here being that I choose a name brand type 2 coolant to use in my all aluminum Honda motor. Type 2 coolants are silicate free (as opposed to Type 1 that are silicate-based). Why am I making this choice, aren’t silicates slightly abrasive and keep the innards of our coolant passages sparkling clean. Yes they do, and this may be the case with your brand of motorcycle. But in Honda motors this same cleaning agent is known to lead to water pump failures. I also recommend that you steer clear of that orange Dexcool as well. There are several cases out there where this stuff has turned into a jelly like substance and has also been linked to failed intake manifolds on the cars it is used in. Please check your bikes repair manual and any forums you may belong to so you can be sure of the correct product for you bike.

Seeing that I have already removed all my bikes clothes, all the way down to her bra and panties, changing the coolant is a pretty simple and strait forward affair. For the VFR, if all the body panels are removed, you only need a 10mm nut driver, 5mm nut driver, a pair of plyers and a flat tipped screw driver. If you are removing the body work you will also be needing a 5mm allen wrench to remove the fasteners holding on the body panels. And if you do need to remove them, it only takes about five minutes. I start by emptying the reservoir of all it’s contents, it is held in place by a couple protrusions on the bottom and a 10mm bolt . Next I replace the reservoir and I remove the radiator cap. We now turn our attention to the radiator hose leading to the water pump. It is held in place by a single hose clamp with a 5mm nut, at least on my VFR, you may find a different fastener on you application.

After draining all that nasty old coolant (mine looked pretty good, but better to be safe than sorry). Reattach the water pump hose and tighten your hose clamp. Be careful not to go over board here, we don’t want any leaks, but we don’t want to damage the hose either. Now it is time to refill our cooling systems boys and girls. I like to use a long narrow funnel and slowly add coolant until it is very near the top of the opening. The engine, radiator and hoses hold 0.61 gallons and the reserve holds 0.08. When your system is topped off, start your bike and let it get to operating temp. This will allow you to top off the system. When warm, the coolant will circulate and draw from the reserve to top itself off and all you have to do is add a smidge to the reserve and there you have it. Our bikes are now ready to face the elements, hot or cold. If your bike is air cooled, please disregard this entire post.