ajlyoung1221

So now that it is getting closer to Bikefest on South Padre Island, Texas, is there anyone from Texas heading down there? It is a pretty fun time, and I will be going. It is October 8,9, and 10th. If anyone is going, it would be fun to meet some of you all. Thanks, Adam.

So, I went to the local dealer and they had a couple of intercom sets. I checked and they are about $350 elsewhere and about another $100 for an extra headset. I picked up both complete sets and was just going to take a headset out of one to complete the set (passenger and rider) and install it on my bike. Well it is not going to work for me cuz my wife only wears a half helmet. I got them at 200 a piece, so that is what I will sell them for to anyone that might want it from here. I will be posting it on EBay next week if not. Let me know. They are both new in the box. Search autocom kit 300 on Google and you can see the specs. Thanks Adam

Hey Annie, If you like the leather from the ones I have in the pic, I will have enough to complete 1 set. You can have that set, but I won't be able to sew them until Wednesday. I will let you know then. Thanks, Adam

The back of the leather that I used was soft enough to leave. I am not sure if it would scratch the tank, but I am pretty sure it wouldn't. It would be really easy though, to sew a piece of material to the back of it. I just didn't think about that. Maybe you could sew a piece of an old sheet to the back?? Just cut it out in the same shape and sew it in to the seams on the back.

Ok, so I think I might actually have enough leather left over for about 2 sets of saddlebag covers. I might try to sew these up next Wednesday on my day off. Once I get done, I will post some pics and if anyone is interested, I will sell them at a good price. The tank bra is a simple sew, and I am pretty sure I can add a pocket pretty simply. So Rick, if you want a tan tank bra, send me a PM. I will let you know how much leather to buy, and if you send it to me, I will fix it up for you for a small fee. The reason I would prefer that you buy the leather (which is available on ebay pretty reasonable) is because there are SOOOO many options in even just the black leather. I would prefer you pick out the leather that you want. The black leather that I have right now, is a nice compliment to my Comfort Cruise seats, and almost matches the grain and sheen completely. Anyway, it gives me something productive to do.....

Actually nothing comes with it if you buy it from Troy, except a headache. Not even a email. Not sure how he is still selling on EBay, since I have a chargeback on his paypal account.

I still would like a lid so that I can make sure that they fit before sending them out. It definately was fun. Thank Dad. I appreciate your input.

Well, I enjoyed doing it and wouldn't mind making more sets for others, but.... I need a lid to make better templates from, cuz I don't want to be taking mine off and on. So if someone has a spare lid that I can practice on, to keep. I would give them a set for free. I don't want to sell or make something for someone else that isn't perfect. Any takers let me know.

So...after I got my $180 dollars back from the bank on my chargeback, I decided to start a journey. Here is a breakdown of how I spent my money that I got back after Troy stole it from me. I started by buying a half hide of upholstery leather on Ebay for $56 dollars. After receiving the leather, I then trekked out to the garage and made some quick templates. Took me about 1.5 hours to make the templates. At first I was going to take the cut out of the hide to an upholstery shop to sew them up, but it was a rainy day. I decided, to learn how to sew. I went down to Target and bought a sewing machine for $79.99 + tax, then headed to Hobby Lobby to buy some upholstery thread and leather needles. (They didn't have the leather needles, so I opted for the heavy duty all purpose needles.) Total Cost about $12. Then I went to Advanced Auto and bought 18 ft roll of trim for $12. I, then read the manual on how to set up the sewing machine and thread it. (It has been since 1993 in Home Economics class since I have sewn.) So, away I went... I knew I still had enough left over leather to screw up 3 times... So, I started with the Tank Bib, since that was just pretty much a straight sew. It came out really nice, I was quite impressed with my natural ability. Took me 5 minutes to sew. Then I started with the Saddle Bag Bras. These were a little more difficult, but I was still able to sew them up and trim them out in about 45 minutes. I learned a few things that might have helped. The leather that I bought was a little thick. It made it hard for the trim that I bought to go over the seams. It also was not very plyable. It worked great for the tank bib though. I also learned that I might need to redo the patterns, because as you can see from the pics, they are not a PERFECT fit. In the end, it does work for me. I may take another crack at it, and maybe some more leather projects, as I have quite a bit left over. All in All... This is my point.. If Troy would have had the templates already made. It would have taken him less than 1.5 hours to cut, sew and fabricate my order. Remember, I am a rookie and it took me that much time after I made my templates. In my opinion, he is a scam artist and he just takes payments ahead as a steal. When the pressure is put on, then he comes through. My materials cost me less than $80 (plus a sewing machine). If he really had my materials like he said, he should have sat down and sewn the order. So for 160 dollars, I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

Dad, I would buy it if it weren't so darn big. Plus I just bought one Good Luck Selling it....

Well, I guess, I am not sure if anyone here has had bad things with Wellsfargo. I did call the bank today and filed a dispute on the charge from Troy. It was simple, and they even gave me a provisional credit for the amount. Now the burden of proof lies with Paypal. I have my money back into my account already and very happy. The fact of the matter is this..... It is not that the leather making process is time consuming. It is that Troy, IMHO, is a thief. Harry, if I were to just leave it as it is, I am just authorizing Troy to use Paypal as a tool to steal money from others just to pay for my order? This is not right in my eyes. If a thief is caught stealing, lets say at Lowe's (where I work). Is it then OK, to pay us back by stealing from Kmart to make his money? I don't think I can justify that. I am sorry if this makes anyone else's situation rough, or he is unable to make your orders. That is not my intent. My intent is to stop all of this madness. He is a thief, no matter which way you look at it. And eventually it has to stop. It is just like the Ponzi schemes that people run. They have to continue to collect money to make good on past obligations. I am sorry to Troy if this causes more difficulties in his quest to live a better life. I was not trying cause you more harm, and I know how it feels to be down on luck. I didn't steal to get where I am today. I didn't lie to get where I am today. In fact, I had to give up many of the material things that I would have like to have. If I had to sell some of my personal things to make some money, I did that. Now, thanks to hard work and a more sensible style of personal management, I am very well off. Troy, if you read all this.... I am sorry about your situation. But after everything I read and have heard from you, you brought it on yourself. Believe it or not, but there are many people right now that are working at lower paying jobs to make things meet. They are not stealing from people.

Actually Credit Card Chargebacks work a lot differently than one might think. I am a manager at a retail store, and have insight into the process. Since my funds were transferred to Paypal, then my chargeback will be against Paypal. There are various reason codes, in which I would claim non-receipt. This non-receipt claim would then be sent over to Paypal to respond to. In which Paypal would have to provide the Credit Card Merchant with proof of delivery. In failure to do so, the credit card merchant would remove the funds from Paypal, and give it back to me. Then it is between Paypal and Troy to get it settled. Actually, filing the claim through the Paypal process would have got me nothing, if he had nothing in his Paypal Account. When I say that my job should take only an hour, I think maybe you did not read what I wrote in the previous post. I ordered what Troy advertises on his Website. SaddleBag Covers (which he lists on Ebay) and Baja Bra. You would think he has the patterns already made. Looking at the make and detail of them, they seem like a pretty simple cut and sew. Like sewing a pillow? He didn't need any parts of mine to make them. I have seen people sew, and I have seen people sew upholstery. This is not a tedious process. If indeed he is handsewing these in a straight stitch pattern, then I can see it taking maybe 3 hours. Anyway, tomorrow is my day off, and I will go to the bank to file the paperwork at the bank. Remember, most credit card companies extend this buyers protection. I use paypal, but I always make sure that it is via a Credit Card, and not a bank account. This is backup protection.

Actually, I know all too well also. Less than 4 years ago, when I went through a divorce, I was living in a 2 bedroom apartment. My only furnishings were 2 metal folding chairs, 1 4 ft folding table, an air mattress and a 19" Tv. I drove a '91 Jeep Cherokee. I have worked my butt off to get where I am. (Which is a lot better than most people) I finally have my dream of owning a cycle, and it irks me to be taken like this. He told me that he would be able to get them out the following week if I JUST DID HIM THE FAVOR OF STOPPING THE PAYPAL CLAIM. I did him the favor, but he didn't get it done. I have even offered him to just send me the materials. I will have someone locally make them.

Well if it was a more difficult order, i would understand. It is not what we agreed on. Godlover is my father. I will file the chargeback, because this is not acceptable. I gave him a favor and we agreed on a new timeframe. He failed to meet this timeframe again. I am done dealing with him, and would say he is a thief. Just because a thief pays restitution, doesn't make him not one. Troy stole your money, and is just paying you restitution. He stole my money too. I think a reasonable time for a Troy Savoie order, is the time he agreed upon. I too gave him the benefit of the doubt, but know he is a con.

South Texas is great for wintering. I am not old enough to retire, or not even close, but I have lived here for the last 8 years. I would say Harlingen/Brownsville area would be the best. The humidity in the winters are not too bad, but you are close to a beach, and the Mcallen Metroplex. There are a TON of places to stay, and the best part is the COST OF LIVING is extremely low. Anyway, if you do make it down this way, I can give you some good places to eat or stay. I have been around the entire Rio Grande Valley. Best of all, you can ride almost every day of the winter.