Front forks DONE!

Well, I finally removed the 24+ years of accumulated grime/yellowed clear coat from the front forks. It was fairly easy and best of all, I didn't have to remove the front tire to do it. I've seen forks that shined like chrome, and I may do that at some point, but for now, it looks much better.

I need new tires. I keep saying that, but to slap down $200 for new tires is a bit hard right now.

So my next order of business will be the tires, and I might as well replace the wheel bearings too.

So much to do, so little time.

Where to go...

I was tooling around on my bike today and stopped into this little coffee shop called Coffee & Chocolate. Great coffee, but I've always wondered why coffee has to be so darned expensive. It can't be for the witty conversationalists behind the counter, although she was nice, she seemed more interested in flirting with this college frat boy than getting me my chocolate mocha espresso. However, good stuff.

I like just riding around, seeing the sights, but sometimes feel that I have nowhere to go. Jump on the bike and just ride. I really need to have a destination, someplace to go each time I ride so I don't feel like I am just riding around, going nowhere.

Well, as my requests for a riding partner have failed, I think I am going to start riding to different cities in Michigan. There are lots of little burgs, hamlets, villages, whatever you want to call them that deserve some attention. So, I'll have to come up with some witty by-line detailing this little pits of Americana.

Stay tuned...

Took a little trip

I took the bike out for an extended ride today, to Portland, MI. Great looking little town with a real small town appeal. The streets had plenty of space for parking (no meters!) lots of interesting shops. I wanted to pull over and take some pics but there honestly was no place to do so. Of course, I was in the downtown area right at lunch time, so that may have had something to do with it.

I also found a cool little shop called 4 Seasons Yamaha that had several Yammies (1985 and newer) parked in the window. Lots of accessories, but alas, no engine guards for my bike. The shop owner was a nice fella (didn't get his name because he was busy) but he did say I have a nice looking bike. There were several Maxim's, a Seca or two and several others I didn't recognize. Ill be going back there at some point and will get some pics.

I also stopped into a little Chinese food place for lunch (so much for my diet) with a nice couple of owners who were very attentive. Lunch was cheap too!

The bike ran great! Nice acceleration, nice handling, but I do really need to get tires soon. I am picking up some extra shifts this week so I should be able to get them. The power boost (or Max Factor, as I like to call it) seemed more powerful at higher RPMs (over 6k) but pulled well through all gears and allowed accel up to 85 easily at one point to get around a truck that was kicking stones at me. Of course, the truck had to be doing at least 75 itself.

Saw several other bikes on the road, all very friendly. It's nice to wave and be waved at by complete strangers. I don't see many people in cars doing that.

More riding tomorrow!

Bike's running Great!

I know it's not nearly as exciting or dramatic, but the bike is running pretty well. I need to turn in the settings a bit since I am running a bit rich. The plugs aren't nearly as sooty as they once were, and one side of the plug isn't sooty at all. Not sure what that means, exactly, but as a wise man once said, "better rich than lean." The bike is looking pretty good, but I am eager to get started on the front forks to see if I can shine them up. I am wondering if I can do it without taking the wheel off. Might be risky, but with taping things off, it might be possible.

Beautiful weather today, but I am only going ot be able to ride my bike to work. Working nights definitely puts a crimp on the old riding plans, but I have the next 4 days off so I may take a road trip up north. I've been wanting to see Traverse City and Elk Rapids and I think with the stretch of nice weather over the next couple of days might make the trip worthwhile. I'll be sure to take lots of pics.

It's about a 2 hour ride, definitely a beautiful trip.

Hope my ass is up to it. It's been a while since I've ridden that far.