I got a small ride in on Saturday. Weather dictated that I *had* to ride. Made a small loop on some close-by State Routes. Not real twisty, but it was a nice ride nonetheless. Probably ride to work on Wednesday. Heat is coming back to us on Thursday.
It got up to 88° today. No problem with heat today. It was nearly 70 this am on the ride in, and like 84° on the way home. I found on the new pair of over pants with no vents, that if I don't tuck the pants into my boots, that the air flows up the paint legs to cool off a bit. Hey, it works.
I won this 1985 Honda 200X in a raffle for $25! Had to drive almost to Philadelphia to pick it up, but well worth it. Lots of new parts and a fresh rebuild! Also did a lot of updating to my Honda 400ex and my sons Kaw 450R this Spring/Summer. Before After The whole family
Oh my...how I lusted for a 1985 200x back in the day...ended up with a 1985 350X...just realized, don't think I have any digital pics of it! Congrats Dex...nice fleet!
I always loved it...it was a hill climbin monster...I surprised more than one guy on a 4x4 when I popped up right behind him at the top of the hill in WV. Wheelie king too! I still have an '86...sadly it is sitting under a pile o crap in the back of the garage...hasn't been run since...well, I don't even remember (I think I'll just go ahead and give myself 3 lashes now)
Think I wore this brochure out Heck, might even still have it somewhere's Can't forget this one! Never forget when my Dirt Wheels mag came in the mail and this was the feature story
One of the guys in town that I do business with has an as mint as you will ever find one 350X. Tells me that theres barely a scratch on the plastics. He's had it since new. I need to drool on it soon.
I did a frame up resto on my 86...new plastic, the whole 9 yards, looked/ran brand new...then went right out and flipped it on its side when doing the first wheelie...turns out my new Super Trapp exhaust stuck out further than my aftermarket grab bar did...pipe touched down first (and its on the right side) which turned me sideways and...well, you know how it ends...
One of the guys in my "crew" when young had a 350X. I remember it being quite the beast. We took it out for a speed run one day with a car. Bone stock they will do 73mph. He had it for 4 or 5 years and got to be pretty skilled on it. I lol remembering him constantly checking air pressure in the rears so he wouldn't veer left or right doing a 1/4 mile wheelie down the road! From what I remember, it would climb most any hill you had the guts to point it at. There were only a few three wheelers in the crew back in the day. Another guy had a Yammy 225, which was not really very sporty. An older neighbor who rode with us sometimes had an 85 250R that I thought was the devil. There was also the odd 200x now & then. We were such a rag tag bunch of riders. The good old days. Great memories.
I looked at a KTM Super Duke 1290GT yesterday after work. Very nice. Ktm is having a demo day in early August here in Wisconsin. Until then, I just keep piling the miles on the TL1000S/R. I've been riding 3 or 4 days a week pretty much the whole season so far. I do need to put the newer style crankcase breather/ oil recovery tank on my bike. The 97, mine, had a reed valve in it's cases to recover oil vapor. The 98+ motors don't have this and need a better oil breather. My used TLR engine didn't come with the breather. So I'll have to either find a used one and the proper hoses which is difficult, get a used 98+ one with no hoses ( an option) and hopefully be able to run hoses/ tubing which could be a pita, or try to fit an oil catch can typically used on automotive applications and get one to fit. Until then, it just loses a little oil. But it doesn't drip any anywhere, or visibly/ smell like it's burning it. I'll sure there's some oil in the air box from the oil vapor condensing.
Funny story, a newer engineer at work has a newer Harley bagger. Electra glide iirc, and 2 days this week he parked in my spot next to the sidewalk in the bike parking spot. Guess what? There's about 10 fresh drips of oil on the black top from his Harley. 2 days, 10 drips = no bueno.
A funny story along the same lines...so back in the winter one of the younger guys at work lobbed a snowball at me, I didn't see it coming and walked right into it...right in the junk. I told him when he least expects it...there will be retribution. So he buys a used Harley and decides to change his own oil...which he does despite having very little mechanical skills and having much trepidation about doing it. After a few days go by he is kinda bragging about getting it done by himself and how much money he saved...so I decided as payback I was gonna screw with him. Every time he rides it to work I have been going out and giving 'er a lil squirt of oil right under the oil filter...so this has been going on for a couple months on and off now...he still hasn't mentioned it...either he is embarrassed because he is thinking he flubbed something up, or he hasn't noticed...I'm not sure which yet! I'd be a little surprised if he hadn't noticed it...its a very clean bike and he is picky about it! Anyways...
I must be the oddball Harley owner. My 2006 SG (bought in 2010) never leaked a drop of oil. Late 2014 I traded it for my current 2011 SG - it hasn't leaked any oil (or any other fluids). Since the bikes have been kept on a cement garage floor, I am easily able to see there are leaks or not). My car however, leaks oil when they overfill it (one place does that consistently - when the oil gets to proper level, it quits leaking). Since I park the car and the bike in the same place at work, it could easily be misconstrued by the uniformed public. My Ex's 2008 HD also never leaked (kept inside a shed with plywood floor) - at least until 2013, don't know after that . . .
