BlueSky

A motorcycle business cycles more than the economy in general. When things get tough, spending on toys goes away first. We all deal with career choices. I grew up in a small town in NC (like Mayberry) and went to work at the local plywood mill. Hard work for not much pay. The draft forced me to decide on joining the Army. Afterwards I went back to school and got a chemical engineering degree. Back then, textile plants were all over NC, SC, and GA. I interviewed for jobs and got offfers in that industry. Luckily, I also got a job offer that I accepted at a utility working in their nuclear engineering dept. I can't say I've been ecstatic about my career choice. But, it has paid for a good living. The textile industry in the US went away. My son was a bad student and floundered around for a while getting into a little trouble. He worked as a busboy, cook, pizza delivery guy, and then bought a couple of turntables and taught himself to scratch records. He had found something that inspired him. He then asked me to support him through a 12 month school called Full Sail in Orlando, FL to learn how to become a music recording engineer. Afterwards, he got a job as an unpaid intern at a recording studio in Manhattan, NYC. He worked really, really hard because he loved what he was doing and now he is a major recording star's recording engineer. You saw her perform at the half time show at the super bowl. His work has gotten two grammy nominations so far. My Ruskie stepson was a disciplined, very intelligent student who has a passion for computers. He got a degree in Computer Science and is now working for a company writing computer programs. He loves his job and they have treated him really well. My daughter now is a very intelligent underachiever. She is still trying to find her place in the world. Not sure what will happen there. Everybody has to choose their own path. It's always different depending on the person's interests, opportunities and what will pay the bills. I wish the young man great wisdom in his choice.

My Dad wouldn't hear of me getting a motorcycle. But, he got me a BB gun at age 6 and a 20 gauge shotgun at age 10. I loved to hunt as a kid. I had a motorcycle when my two boys were growing up. I didn't ride a whole lot but I always had one. Neither of them ever developed an interest in motorcycles or guns which as a parent kept me from a lot of worry. Now that my Ruskie stepson is grown, he has developed an interest in guns and got a concealed carry permit for his 1911. He also recently bought an ak that he enjoys on a range. He's a very responsible young man.

Anybody seen a Venture like this? Looks like training wheels. http://smd.craigslist.org/mcy/5442670932.html

One way to look at it. Your job probably won't be outsourced to China or Mexico.

Really scary to watch. I couldn't do it. After Christmas, I saw 3 boys about 6 yrs old in my neighborhood with little electric motorcycles. That's a good starting point and those boys were sooo happy! This reminds me of an incident in 2008 when a Dad and a Firearms Instructor both allowed a 6 yr old boy to shoot an UZI. When the weapon started kicking back on full auto the boy shot himself in the head killing himself instantly. I never heard what charges if any were brought against the instructor or dad. Totally inexcusable in my opinion and met the definition of Involuntary Manslaughter.

The vacuum restrictors that came with the Motion Pro carb sync tool had holes that were so small, I could barely see them. By the way, I'm not recommending a Motion Pro.

Good information. Thanks. I had wondered about that.

Have you checked with this dealer? http://www.crystalharley.com/

Happy Birthday! 73 sounds like a good age. I'll be there if I make it a little over a year from now.

A throttle lock would be sufficient with a 688 lb bike with a 1352 cc, 140+hp engine.

I heard good things about the VFR.

Could the clutch cylinder have leaked in the past? A little brake fluid will destroy the plastic it drops on.

I don't think I want one either. I'm sure it's much nicer and better designed than the 2004 Concours I had for a couple of years but my 04 was extremely top heavy and hard to control at low speed. There were spacers available to raise the handlebars to help alleviate the necessity of leaning forward too much. Your feet are also a little high folding the knees. After all, it is a sport tourer. And being a sport tourer the rake was less than a touring bike which combined with the high cog contributed to it being tippy. I probably would have kept the 04 if it hadn't been so tippy. The gas tank mounted up top held 7.5 gallons of gasoline which weighed 45 lbs. (The new ones have a little bit smaller tank.) I could have been happy with it otherwise. And leaning forward a little was not bad on my back at all. The fairing and windshield protected me from the elements very well and kept my helmet in a very quiet zone. Those water cooled engines last a long time. It's nice to know my wife would be okay with me buying a new bike. Actually, she would prefer that I sold my old clunkers and bought a new one. But, I'm just too cheap to spend that much money on a bike and then I would feel like I'd have to buy full coverage insurance too.

I was on my subdivision walk and I saw a new Motorcycle in a neighbor's driveway and stopped to admire it. He sold his BMW LT1200 that had 119k miles on it and replaced it with a shiny new Kawasaki Concours. He said he had wanted the new BMW 1600 but could not bring himself to spend $30k for a motorcycle and got a special deal on the Concours for $10k. He rides 70 miles/day to work days it doesn't rain. Anyway here is a photo of a bike like his new one. Except he has already put a matching trunk on the rear. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TOYzCNhEazc/maxresdefault.jpg As a post script, I told my wife about it and she said I should sell both my old bikes and buy a new bike!

Thanks for the write-up. But I do disagree on the way to clean up the bore. Seems to me that going in the direction of the piston movement would be more likely to cause a leak. I certainly would have cleaned it up going around the bore. I could be wrong but that is how I always cleaned up brake wheel cylinders. The wheel cylinder hones that are available for purchase for sure hone around the cylinder.

Congratulations! Retirement's a tough job but somebody has got to do it! I've been needing some help!

This reminds me of the car that Holman Moody built way back when. They were big into Nascar cars and engines back in the day. They installed a small diesel in a Mercury Capri (Mustang) and claimed it got 75 mpg. They tried to market it but by the time the EPA got through with them, they gave up on the idea.

Check with the companies that sell windshields and see what they have for your bike. National Cycle, Cee Bailey, and many others

Nah, I like my big ole comfy 4,300 lb Dodge Magnum with a 350hp Hemi engine!

Bike year? Model?

I think there is a risk of gasoline washing the oil off the cylinder if it isn't firing and may cause additional wear.

If you decide to ride again in the future, you don't need an 800lb bike to do it with. Thanks to someone posting this web site, we can read about and see a guy ride his little Honda C90 all over the world getting 110 mpg! http://c90adventures.co.uk/

There is a 3 hour documentary on Showtime now about the Eagles! Just watched it! Fantastic show about an incredible band!!

So, how many actually will get the tires? I still suspect they got the prices wrong and had to do something to keep from losing money.

I worked at one of those for a while part time when I was in school. Filled up with gas, cleaned the windshield, and checked the oil and battery. Those days are gone forever.