Success, finally got my working. Checked the fuse on Friday, sure enough, it was blown, replaced it and it worked. So we went on a ride yesterday and had a good test. I used a splitter and hooked up both my ipod and the zumo audio. It takes a bit of juice out of volume to do that, and you get overriding voices, but unless I want to put audio files on an SD card this will work, and it will still allow me to use Sirius radio if I want.
So the pre-ride was for the girls weekend. Darlene and I were joined by Tracy and we rode to Pine Creek Lodge, near Nacogdoches, TX. We put on about 385 miles round trip. It was pretty hot, easily reaching triple digits by the time we made it home. We tested the Traditions Tyler restaurant as well and it certainly met our standards!
Felt good to get on the bikes, that was my longest ride since May I believe as we missed a couple of rides in June while my bike was in shop.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Zumo woes
I've been struggling trying to get my zumo hooked up to power on my motorcycle. Have had the wires run for some time and used the standard slicing connectors but that didn't work. the wires from the zumo are very small, not sure if that is part of the problem with the small diameter wires. So last night tried again, tried hardwiring and soldering to the cig lighter wires which worked for a bit but then stopped. Disconnected and reconnected, still not luck so gave up on that and tried some different splicing connectors. Now the cigarette lighter won't work so I must have blown a fuse.
Rode to work this am, noticed a couple of other electrical components out, confirmed online its a fuse so hopefully when I replace that, my zumo will get power. Need to try to get this fixed tonight as we have a ride tomorrow I really wanted to use the GPS on. Its a pretty straight ride but I haven't used it on the bike as much as I would like.
Oh, and its going to be hot tomorrow, triple digits.
Rode to work this am, noticed a couple of other electrical components out, confirmed online its a fuse so hopefully when I replace that, my zumo will get power. Need to try to get this fixed tonight as we have a ride tomorrow I really wanted to use the GPS on. Its a pretty straight ride but I haven't used it on the bike as much as I would like.
Oh, and its going to be hot tomorrow, triple digits.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Beach Report
Great weekend at the beach.
We got there about 3:00 Saturday, checked into the hotel and headed to the beach. Waves were a bit small, so the boogie boarding was a bit weak.
The beach was absolutely packed on Saturday. I have never seen that many folks there. We didn't ride too far on the beach and found a spot but they were relatively few and far between. I am sure that the whole beach was like that.
Sunday we got there pretty early got a spot and the beach did not get nearly as crowded as the previous day. We set up the shade canopy, great idea, have to remember to bring that when we come back. The waves were a bit better, quite a bit actually and we were able to catch some rides pretty consistently on the boards, even Darlene got in on the action.
SPF aside, several hours on the beach, sweating, water, its easy to get sunburnt. Corey got quite a bit of sun, mostly on his face. My shoulders and neck got burned, and pretty much every exposed bit on Darlene got burnt.
For a special treat we rented a couple of jet-skis for an hour and went out into the bay. It was a lot of fun. Those things can move pretty good. Corey came with me and Marc and Ryan went with Darlene. Both Corey and Ryan took turns. Apparently Marc wasn't all that thrilled with the experience. We both had a bit of seaweed get pulled into the suction so had to take care of that.
Our jetski was registering in km's, we pretty consistently rode in the low 40's. The water was a bit choppy but not too bad at all. I got up into the 60s a few times but not for long periods as Corey wasn't too comfortable at those speeds, but he kept it at 40+ pretty much for his rides.
Long ride home Monday but pleasant. This week there is a tropical storm in the gulf. May even turn into a cat 1 hurricane. The swells were about 2 feet when we were there, scheduled to increase through the week but with the storm are now forecast at over 10.5 feet. One of these trips we'll get some really good swells, maybe 3-5 feet!
We got there about 3:00 Saturday, checked into the hotel and headed to the beach. Waves were a bit small, so the boogie boarding was a bit weak.
The beach was absolutely packed on Saturday. I have never seen that many folks there. We didn't ride too far on the beach and found a spot but they were relatively few and far between. I am sure that the whole beach was like that.
Sunday we got there pretty early got a spot and the beach did not get nearly as crowded as the previous day. We set up the shade canopy, great idea, have to remember to bring that when we come back. The waves were a bit better, quite a bit actually and we were able to catch some rides pretty consistently on the boards, even Darlene got in on the action.
SPF aside, several hours on the beach, sweating, water, its easy to get sunburnt. Corey got quite a bit of sun, mostly on his face. My shoulders and neck got burned, and pretty much every exposed bit on Darlene got burnt.
For a special treat we rented a couple of jet-skis for an hour and went out into the bay. It was a lot of fun. Those things can move pretty good. Corey came with me and Marc and Ryan went with Darlene. Both Corey and Ryan took turns. Apparently Marc wasn't all that thrilled with the experience. We both had a bit of seaweed get pulled into the suction so had to take care of that.
Our jetski was registering in km's, we pretty consistently rode in the low 40's. The water was a bit choppy but not too bad at all. I got up into the 60s a few times but not for long periods as Corey wasn't too comfortable at those speeds, but he kept it at 40+ pretty much for his rides.
Long ride home Monday but pleasant. This week there is a tropical storm in the gulf. May even turn into a cat 1 hurricane. The swells were about 2 feet when we were there, scheduled to increase through the week but with the storm are now forecast at over 10.5 feet. One of these trips we'll get some really good swells, maybe 3-5 feet!
Shop report
We picked up Darlene's bike from the the shop last week. She had it in for 35K checkup and some other things. She got her cam chain tensioners checked out and they were in great shape, so that's good and a relief. 2 bikes, both in good shape. She also got some brakes and probably the big upgrade was the easy pull clutch kit.
Big improvement in her clutch response. I used to find her clutch hard to pull, but now its better than mine, and I thought mine was pretty easy to pull.
I wired my Zumo, but something's messed up as I don't have any power, will try to tackle that again before this weekend as we have a pre-ride for the Diva ride. It does work good though as we have been playing with it in the car for a few trips we have taken.
I still have to do some work on mine before the Milwaukee trip. Can't find any reported problems on the K&N oil filter so I must have just got a dud. Not sure whether to try it again or not. Lots of folks swear by them, and they have the nut on the end for easier take off... Guess it'll be a spontaneous purchasing decision at the time.
Big improvement in her clutch response. I used to find her clutch hard to pull, but now its better than mine, and I thought mine was pretty easy to pull.
I wired my Zumo, but something's messed up as I don't have any power, will try to tackle that again before this weekend as we have a pre-ride for the Diva ride. It does work good though as we have been playing with it in the car for a few trips we have taken.
I still have to do some work on mine before the Milwaukee trip. Can't find any reported problems on the K&N oil filter so I must have just got a dud. Not sure whether to try it again or not. Lots of folks swear by them, and they have the nut on the end for easier take off... Guess it'll be a spontaneous purchasing decision at the time.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Ride to Work Day
Today is the third Wednesday in July, officially Ride to Work Day. We have a fledgling biker community here at EDS and after a couple of false starts, today's organized activity went off very well. The official meeting spot was at Sonic in Plano, but that was a bit too early for me so I meet at the official EDS starting point. When I got there, there were a couple of other bikes and in short order the rest of the crew showed up. The official count came in at 33 bikes and we did a tour of the campus. There was a very wide variety of motorcycles, Harleys, Hondas, Beemers, etc., even a couple of scooters.
It was very well organized with support from EDS and Campus Security. There was a videotaping in a support vehicle, which will no doubt be posted soon.
Ride To Work Day
EDSBikers
Monday, July 14, 2008
RC Graduation
I have officially gone from a RCIT (Road Captain in Training) to RC (Road Captain). At the chapter meeting on Saturday, Holly promoted the rest of the RCITs. I guess its crunch time now, as for the past couple of months I'm not been riding a lot, for a variety of reasons, and have probably the least RC experience of the group. No worries though, just need to find the time.
There was a good turn out at the chapter meeting on Saturday, actually a very good turn out, which was suprising for the middle of summer. Got to catch up with a few folks, including Paul and Michelle, post wreck. Paul seems to be doing very well but is still moving quite slowly. I am sure he is anxious to get his bike back so he can truly assess the damage and get it back on the road.
Darlene put her bike in for some service, in preperation of out Milwaukee trip. 35K service, an easy clutch, and cam chain tensioner inspection. Hopefully it will be ready on Wednesday for the dinner ride.
We had a birthday celebration for Marc yesterday, lots of pool fun. They looked like they had a great time.
There was a good turn out at the chapter meeting on Saturday, actually a very good turn out, which was suprising for the middle of summer. Got to catch up with a few folks, including Paul and Michelle, post wreck. Paul seems to be doing very well but is still moving quite slowly. I am sure he is anxious to get his bike back so he can truly assess the damage and get it back on the road.
Darlene put her bike in for some service, in preperation of out Milwaukee trip. 35K service, an easy clutch, and cam chain tensioner inspection. Hopefully it will be ready on Wednesday for the dinner ride.
We had a birthday celebration for Marc yesterday, lots of pool fun. They looked like they had a great time.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Independence Day
Back to work after a very relaxing holiday weekend. No riding but plenty of relaxing and a bit of work around the house.
Things kicked off Friday with a neighborhood parade. Several families and kids had a parade in the neighborhood and had bikes, etc decorated. Was cute.
We went to the fireworks at Craig Ranch for Red, White and Boom, which was the name for the new annual July 4 celebration that Mckinney will be having. The location was good for watching the fireworks. We got there too late to check out the festivities, but I think the planners learned a few things about the traffic patterns. I thought we would be in and out, no doubt the planners did as well, but I think there was a lot more traffic that headed north out of the park instead of to the 121. I would like to think that next year, there will be better “action” on the departing traffic with much more assistance from the police. It didn’t take long to get home, especially considering other events like KaBoom Town in Addison, but was worse than I expected.
Saturday Darlene and I went to downtown Mckinney to partake in the festivities as the boys did not want to head out. It was packed! There was a homemade ice cream contest but there were just too many folks for us to stay in line, so we did the touristy thing and hit the antique stores, and the pub.
Police "trike" in downtown Mckinney.
We got home in time to pretty much turn around with the boys and head over to Devils Bowl Speedway in Mesquite to watch Brad Lasater race. It was a lot of fun, a dirt track with localized racing. They also had a great fireworks show.
Sunday was back to (house) work. A typical Texas summer day, so that means that one must consume lots of fluids when working out of doors. Actually we had a very productive day as I built some high shelves in the shed while everyone else was working in the garage. We are finally getting our garage back. Not that a car will ever share it again with two motorcycles in there, but at least there is now walking room.
I had a ride planned, but Darlene really didn’t want to ride in the heat and my planned destination was one I want her to be part of so will save that for another day. We got lots accomplished however.
Things kicked off Friday with a neighborhood parade. Several families and kids had a parade in the neighborhood and had bikes, etc decorated. Was cute.
We went to the fireworks at Craig Ranch for Red, White and Boom, which was the name for the new annual July 4 celebration that Mckinney will be having. The location was good for watching the fireworks. We got there too late to check out the festivities, but I think the planners learned a few things about the traffic patterns. I thought we would be in and out, no doubt the planners did as well, but I think there was a lot more traffic that headed north out of the park instead of to the 121. I would like to think that next year, there will be better “action” on the departing traffic with much more assistance from the police. It didn’t take long to get home, especially considering other events like KaBoom Town in Addison, but was worse than I expected.
Saturday Darlene and I went to downtown Mckinney to partake in the festivities as the boys did not want to head out. It was packed! There was a homemade ice cream contest but there were just too many folks for us to stay in line, so we did the touristy thing and hit the antique stores, and the pub.
Police "trike" in downtown Mckinney.
We got home in time to pretty much turn around with the boys and head over to Devils Bowl Speedway in Mesquite to watch Brad Lasater race. It was a lot of fun, a dirt track with localized racing. They also had a great fireworks show.
Sunday was back to (house) work. A typical Texas summer day, so that means that one must consume lots of fluids when working out of doors. Actually we had a very productive day as I built some high shelves in the shed while everyone else was working in the garage. We are finally getting our garage back. Not that a car will ever share it again with two motorcycles in there, but at least there is now walking room.
I had a ride planned, but Darlene really didn’t want to ride in the heat and my planned destination was one I want her to be part of so will save that for another day. We got lots accomplished however.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Shed
We finally got our shed. Easier to buy than build, given the other projects we have on the go, like the fence, and the heat of the summer. Bought it from Tuff Shed, not inexpensive, compared to building one self, but it was up in 4 hours and is very sturdy and well built. Hard to beat that. We need to paint and put up shelves and that is it.
Work in progress
FIN
Ain't it cute!
Work in progress
FIN
Ain't it cute!
Rodents and assorted pests
We've been having a minor rat problem of late. Between getting spattered in the AC unit, making a nest in Darlene's car and just being the pests they are, we decided to take action. I have seen them during the day and they are not mice, but pretty good sized rats. We put a sticky rat trap out, and the only thing we caught were feathers, perhaps a bird swooped up a rat that had been caught. After the last A/C incident I figured poison was the only way to go. Sure enough when Darlene got in her car this am, there was a very sick rat stuck in the fence, and it was a big one. With the tail it had to be at least 12-14 inches long. The others I have seen have been a bit smaller than that. The bait is all gone so I'm gonna put a bit more out there.
Shot with D's camera phone...
The next pest report is a bit more tragic. And while not everyone may consider a deer a pest, a lot do. Several of our AE Family are off riding the GCR, or Grand Canyon Rendezvous. We received word that one of them, Paul M, hit a deer earlier today. He is hurt, apparently at least a couple of broken bones, but other than that should be fine. From what I hear I think he is worse off than his motorcycle. No word on the deer. Our hearts and prayers go out for a speedy recovery and safe journey for the remainder of the group.
Shot with D's camera phone...
The next pest report is a bit more tragic. And while not everyone may consider a deer a pest, a lot do. Several of our AE Family are off riding the GCR, or Grand Canyon Rendezvous. We received word that one of them, Paul M, hit a deer earlier today. He is hurt, apparently at least a couple of broken bones, but other than that should be fine. From what I hear I think he is worse off than his motorcycle. No word on the deer. Our hearts and prayers go out for a speedy recovery and safe journey for the remainder of the group.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Happy Canada Day, eh?
Ah, its Canada Day... Hot dogs, Fireworks, officially the first day of summer in Canada... Screechh... Wait a minute, I'm in Texas, summer started weeks if not months ago! Still though, its an important day.
Down here, we are fortunate to wrangle a long weekend out to the deal as July 4 is on a Friday. Mckinney is starting an new celebration this year, Red, White and Boom, with festivities Friday and Saturday. They are having the bulk of the celebrations both downtown, and then at Craig Ranch, which should be easy for us to get in and out of.
Million Mile update - well I only contributed 15 miles but I did contribute. I checked this morning, there is still time for some more folks to contribute, but when I looked they was over 2.7 million miles on the odomoter. I don't know if they'll make it to 3 million or not but it sets a good bar.
Later this month, July 15, is national ride to work day.
Down here, we are fortunate to wrangle a long weekend out to the deal as July 4 is on a Friday. Mckinney is starting an new celebration this year, Red, White and Boom, with festivities Friday and Saturday. They are having the bulk of the celebrations both downtown, and then at Craig Ranch, which should be easy for us to get in and out of.
Million Mile update - well I only contributed 15 miles but I did contribute. I checked this morning, there is still time for some more folks to contribute, but when I looked they was over 2.7 million miles on the odomoter. I don't know if they'll make it to 3 million or not but it sets a good bar.
Later this month, July 15, is national ride to work day.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Million Mile Monday
Today is Million Mile Monday, which is a National HOG "challenge" for all riders to ride and log their miles today, with the challenge of riding an accumulated milage of greater than 1 million miles.
I just checked the web site, its only 9:25 am CST and there is already over 183,000 miles logged. I am curious by the end of the day, just how many millions will be logged.
Our chapter will be fairly significant contributers. We have approx 35-40 bikes on the GCR ride and they will likely ride close to 500 miles today, certainly over 400 most likely. Additionally there is a ride for all the local chapters to ride to Arkansas, which should be over 300 miles. Not sure how many folks will be on that ride.
I am working from home today but will put some miles on at some point, although it won't be a lot, but will be a contribution. I'll update tomorrow.
I just checked the web site, its only 9:25 am CST and there is already over 183,000 miles logged. I am curious by the end of the day, just how many millions will be logged.
Our chapter will be fairly significant contributers. We have approx 35-40 bikes on the GCR ride and they will likely ride close to 500 miles today, certainly over 400 most likely. Additionally there is a ride for all the local chapters to ride to Arkansas, which should be over 300 miles. Not sure how many folks will be on that ride.
I am working from home today but will put some miles on at some point, although it won't be a lot, but will be a contribution. I'll update tomorrow.
Turtle Rescue
Yesterday monring I went out to the truck to go get some gas for the lawnmower and there was a turtle on the road next to Ryan's truck. It was a good size turtle, the shell was about 7-8 inches long and it had a lot of algae/moss on its shell. Not really sure where it came from, there is a small creek in the area, by the fire station but its about 300 yards away, and this turtle was quite a ways from that, and the wrong side of the road. Maybe one of the neighbors has a pond or something in their backyard.
Anyway the sun was up and it was already starting to warm up quite a bit. I can't imagine that that turtle was enjoying being on the pavement. So we decided to perform a rescue. I got a bucket to put the turtle in and took him down the pond at Winniford Park. It took a few moments but he eventually swam off.
Anyway the sun was up and it was already starting to warm up quite a bit. I can't imagine that that turtle was enjoying being on the pavement. So we decided to perform a rescue. I got a bucket to put the turtle in and took him down the pond at Winniford Park. It took a few moments but he eventually swam off.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Another Lost Weekend
Not really. Got my bike back. Friday night start on fence repair, Johnny shows up, helps out. We run out of daylight before we get the posts set. So Saturday ends up being a long day, get the fence repaired though by about 7:30 pm or so. Felt good to get it back. No state rally this weekend but we had lots going on that needed to be done.
Sunday Darlene wants to plan a lunch ride for her group at work. We took the long way to Stan's in the Colony, which should be good and not too far for her group to get to from work. After that we went down to Stroker's. Neither of us had been down there in a while, they've expanded and it was busier than I expected for a hot, do nothing Sunday afternoon. After that heading home we stopped to Dukes for a beverage as well. I guess we were playing urban biker today!
Hot day, pool time when we got home!
Almost forgot, fooled around with the Zumo a bit, works well, still have to use it more to get used to it. I don't have power hooked up yet so I didn't have any audio.
Sunday Darlene wants to plan a lunch ride for her group at work. We took the long way to Stan's in the Colony, which should be good and not too far for her group to get to from work. After that we went down to Stroker's. Neither of us had been down there in a while, they've expanded and it was busier than I expected for a hot, do nothing Sunday afternoon. After that heading home we stopped to Dukes for a beverage as well. I guess we were playing urban biker today!
Hot day, pool time when we got home!
Almost forgot, fooled around with the Zumo a bit, works well, still have to use it more to get used to it. I don't have power hooked up yet so I didn't have any audio.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Does it get any better than this?
The answer is most definately yes. Further to my day yesterday, before we got home I got a call. The neighbor's jeep jumped out of gear, rolled down his driveway and smashed into our new fence. Basically destroyed 3 sections. So now, we have to pull and replace 5 steel posts, and all the work required. Some of the material we will be able to re-use, but certainly not all of it and some of the wood will have to be replaced as well.
Shed was supposed to be delivered and built today, but rain and thunderstorms put a damper on that. Has not been rescheduled as of yet.
On a positive note, its looks like progress is being made on my bike and may even be ready today! ~ a glimmer of hope!
Shed was supposed to be delivered and built today, but rain and thunderstorms put a damper on that. Has not been rescheduled as of yet.
On a positive note, its looks like progress is being made on my bike and may even be ready today! ~ a glimmer of hope!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Frustrated!!!
Aarrgghh!!
Just got a call from the dealership. I took my bike in for warranty repairs on May 31, knowing they would not get a chance to look at it till Monday June 2. Need to order a (numbered) transmission case from the factory, 10 day delivery.
Ok. No problem no trips scheduled till June 14th weekend. oh no, 10 business days... Cancel arrangement for June 14/15 as part won't arrive till June 16.
Part arrives June 16, bike put in line behind a couple of others that are all torn apart. Not likely to be ready before Wednesday.
Called Wednesday morning. Putting back together bike before mine, will work on mine in afternoon. Not likely to be ready today, when I have made arrangements to pick up.
Receive call this afternoon.... Transmission case is black, not silver.... 2 options are install black case, or order new silver case, wait another 10 business days, plus install time. Heads about to explode!!!!
Ask if they can install black case, order correct color and when it arrives I'll bring bike back in to swap it out. They need to check to make sure factory will cover labor....
Waiting on call back as clock is ticking away for this weekend.
Just got a call from the dealership. I took my bike in for warranty repairs on May 31, knowing they would not get a chance to look at it till Monday June 2. Need to order a (numbered) transmission case from the factory, 10 day delivery.
Ok. No problem no trips scheduled till June 14th weekend. oh no, 10 business days... Cancel arrangement for June 14/15 as part won't arrive till June 16.
Part arrives June 16, bike put in line behind a couple of others that are all torn apart. Not likely to be ready before Wednesday.
Called Wednesday morning. Putting back together bike before mine, will work on mine in afternoon. Not likely to be ready today, when I have made arrangements to pick up.
Receive call this afternoon.... Transmission case is black, not silver.... 2 options are install black case, or order new silver case, wait another 10 business days, plus install time. Heads about to explode!!!!
Ask if they can install black case, order correct color and when it arrives I'll bring bike back in to swap it out. They need to check to make sure factory will cover labor....
Waiting on call back as clock is ticking away for this weekend.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Happy Father's Day to me!
And to all the other Fathers as well of course!
As my bike is still in the shop, we did some more work on the fence. It feels like we are finally making progress now that we have more finished than left to complete.
Great weather all weekend, got some sun and fun in the pool, and cooked a brisket to boot. Someday I'll get a true smoker though and see what I can really do.
For Father's Day, Darlene and the boys were very good to me, a couple of kitchen utensils, and the bad boy of GPSr's the Garmin Zumo 550! Talk about full featured. I consider myself a bit tech savvy and know a bit about GPS devices, but I think this thing even has an auto pilot. If it does, the next step will be how to figure out how to turn if off as I don't want to take all the fun out of riding!
Broke Bike Update 3 - just called the dealer, sounds like cases are in, on schedule for tomorrow afternoon so probably Wednesday.... I hope so! AR state rally this weekend we are scheduled to leave Friday morning. I still gotta figure out how to get over there and get the bike home once its complete.
As my bike is still in the shop, we did some more work on the fence. It feels like we are finally making progress now that we have more finished than left to complete.
Great weather all weekend, got some sun and fun in the pool, and cooked a brisket to boot. Someday I'll get a true smoker though and see what I can really do.
For Father's Day, Darlene and the boys were very good to me, a couple of kitchen utensils, and the bad boy of GPSr's the Garmin Zumo 550! Talk about full featured. I consider myself a bit tech savvy and know a bit about GPS devices, but I think this thing even has an auto pilot. If it does, the next step will be how to figure out how to turn if off as I don't want to take all the fun out of riding!
Broke Bike Update 3 - just called the dealer, sounds like cases are in, on schedule for tomorrow afternoon so probably Wednesday.... I hope so! AR state rally this weekend we are scheduled to leave Friday morning. I still gotta figure out how to get over there and get the bike home once its complete.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Broke Bike update - part deux
Bike is still in the shop, expected delivery of part is Monday June 16, so we have had to cancel our plans to go to Caddo Lake. I was really looking forward to that trip and taking some pictures, hopefully there will be a similiar trip next year.
I have also requested them to inspect and repair as needed the cam chain tensioners. Its been bugging me and now I can take comfort in knowing they have been inspected at least.
So with no riding, have been working on the fence. Making progress, slowly but surely. Will likely put up 3 more panels this weekend then pretty much have to wait as we are getting a shed and they need access so will have to tear down a section of the old fence for that.
Kim and Glen are leaving Friday for Newfoundland by way of Bear Cove, NS. Good luck and have a safe trip and thanks to Mom and Dad for the hospitality.
I have also requested them to inspect and repair as needed the cam chain tensioners. Its been bugging me and now I can take comfort in knowing they have been inspected at least.
So with no riding, have been working on the fence. Making progress, slowly but surely. Will likely put up 3 more panels this weekend then pretty much have to wait as we are getting a shed and they need access so will have to tear down a section of the old fence for that.
Kim and Glen are leaving Friday for Newfoundland by way of Bear Cove, NS. Good luck and have a safe trip and thanks to Mom and Dad for the hospitality.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Broke bike update
Only a day and a half in the shop and already going through withdrawals. Especially after the call. My leak is definately a leak. And its apparently a bit worse. Excessive wear shifter shaft, some other things. Was not in a convenient spot to ask detailed questions but in short requires stamped parts from the factory that will take 10 days shipping. Repair is not apparently that major, but the delay is due to the factory parts. Fortunately its covered under the extended warranty.
Was hoping to go on the dinner ride, and the Friday MNO ride, and ride to work a couple of days, and, and, and....
Hopefully it will be back on the road prior to June 14 as that was the planned ride to Caddo Lake. It will be tight.... I was looking forward to that trip for the photo opportunities. I've never been to Caddo lake and we had a boat ride planned.
Was hoping to go on the dinner ride, and the Friday MNO ride, and ride to work a couple of days, and, and, and....
Hopefully it will be back on the road prior to June 14 as that was the planned ride to Caddo Lake. It will be tight.... I was looking forward to that trip for the photo opportunities. I've never been to Caddo lake and we had a boat ride planned.
Getting behind.
We've been quite busy, and I am a bit behind in posting some updated pictures. On Memorial Day weekend, we went to Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie. It was a fun day and I took quite a few pictures. There was a couple of new acts and some other changes. We watched the jousting. This weekend was a bit different, a fight to the death and a bit more theatrical that in some of the past ones we have watched.
That weekend we also did a lot of work in the back yard, working on the yard and the fence. Its hard putting in a full day in this heat, thank goodness for the pool break in the middle of days.
This past weekend, we spent Saturday on our annual primary fundraiser for AEHOG. This was the Pass-the-Pigs event. I think we were quite successful this year. Not sure how we made out overall, riders may have been down but I don't know. It was a much better day weather wise this year, and having the ending of the event at the dealership worked out very well. Long hot day, we were pretty much exhausted by the time we got home.
Sunday was more fence work and pool time!
I'll see if I can't post some pics from recent events over the next day or two.
That weekend we also did a lot of work in the back yard, working on the yard and the fence. Its hard putting in a full day in this heat, thank goodness for the pool break in the middle of days.
This past weekend, we spent Saturday on our annual primary fundraiser for AEHOG. This was the Pass-the-Pigs event. I think we were quite successful this year. Not sure how we made out overall, riders may have been down but I don't know. It was a much better day weather wise this year, and having the ending of the event at the dealership worked out very well. Long hot day, we were pretty much exhausted by the time we got home.
Sunday was more fence work and pool time!
I'll see if I can't post some pics from recent events over the next day or two.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Warranty work
Broken parts, uh oh. Nothing bad.
I changed the oil and transmission oil last night, 37K miles (for my reference) Stuck on another K&N filter. This one didn't seem to go on very well even backed it off and tried it again. so when I started the bike, quite a bit of oil leaked out around the filter. Tightened with a wrench, no more leak, hopefully I'll be able to take it off when the time comes.
But while I was checking for leaks I also tried to find out why my exhaust sounded different, and louder than normal. There is was, the rear header pipe, had a crack, almost a split, coming out of the rear head. I guess that explains why I though my bike sounded different. I was wondering if it was because I had been doing my long rides with earplugs (to reduce wind noise) and had gotten used to them or if my long trip had further "broken in" my slipons which really didn't make sense. I guess it also explains the recent increase in decel popping which I thought was due to the warmer temperatures as we are now well into the 90's.
I called the dealership, it should be covered under my extended warranty and I'm going to have them look at the small primary leak I have. From what I have been able to determine, and I could very easily be wrong, that leak may actaully be from the transmission drive seal.
The only other thing that has me concerned is the cam chain tensioner. Its one of those things that may or may not be a problem, but I don't know if I have a concern, or if its covered. Still trying to figure out how to proceed on that, maybe I'll just pick up a gasket and try to inspect it myself.
I changed the oil and transmission oil last night, 37K miles (for my reference) Stuck on another K&N filter. This one didn't seem to go on very well even backed it off and tried it again. so when I started the bike, quite a bit of oil leaked out around the filter. Tightened with a wrench, no more leak, hopefully I'll be able to take it off when the time comes.
But while I was checking for leaks I also tried to find out why my exhaust sounded different, and louder than normal. There is was, the rear header pipe, had a crack, almost a split, coming out of the rear head. I guess that explains why I though my bike sounded different. I was wondering if it was because I had been doing my long rides with earplugs (to reduce wind noise) and had gotten used to them or if my long trip had further "broken in" my slipons which really didn't make sense. I guess it also explains the recent increase in decel popping which I thought was due to the warmer temperatures as we are now well into the 90's.
I called the dealership, it should be covered under my extended warranty and I'm going to have them look at the small primary leak I have. From what I have been able to determine, and I could very easily be wrong, that leak may actaully be from the transmission drive seal.
The only other thing that has me concerned is the cam chain tensioner. Its one of those things that may or may not be a problem, but I don't know if I have a concern, or if its covered. Still trying to figure out how to proceed on that, maybe I'll just pick up a gasket and try to inspect it myself.
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