This is the time of year that most of us on the east coast get a little antsy. It’s almost April, which means it’s almost time for us to bust our beloved two-wheelers out of storage.
A lot of people take different approaches to storing their rides for the winter months. Some place their bikes in a storage facility that is climate controlled and then later have it professionally detailed, others have their own heated garages and lovingly polish the chrome in the middle of January as they “X” out the days of the calendar for Spring to arrive. Me, I am lucky that my parents let me store mine in their unheated, under utilized garage.
While my motorcycle is protected from sitting out in open, exposed to the harshest elements, it still gets exposure to some. Typically when I pull it out in March there is a fair amount of surface rust, mold on the leather and a few other things that make my hand and elbow ache as I start to think of cleaning all of those things.
dirty...and not in a naughty way!
moldy & dirrty leather
get me some engine cleaner, stat!
inspecting all the work ahead of me
Actually in previous years I’ve had good luck cleaning everything up with a Mother’s power ball (although these days I use a Flitz. It holds up a little better to wear and tear) and some nano polish, which was subject of one of my very early posts. Everyone has different fail-safe techniques but this one works for us.
So, as I followed my yearly tradition and visited my ghost-flamed, two-wheeled friend I also came to realize that this is going to be the year that I really have to make some major modifications. First on the list is new exhaust pipes. The one’s on there are stock, but I did drill out the baffles to make it a little louder (which now may be a bit too loud now, since the fascists in this state are beginning to crack down on noise pollution). Now the big question is: what kind of pipes should I get? I want some that look great and have a bit of noise to them but aren’t stoopid loud. Anyone have any suggestions?
That also means I need a new air kit. A few years back I was having problems with air flow with the stock set up and ended up drilling out the carbs to adjust the mixture, then I pulled the stock air kit and installed a Uni filter. But that opened up a new and different can of worms. So it’s time to try something else.
my saddlebags are begging to be cleaned...
I do love my Willie & Max saddlebags. I like the size and think the two-toned colors of the bags go well with the paint on my bike. The only thing I don’t like about them is that they’re not quick release. Does anyone know if there is a kit out there to modify saddlebags to do this? I also got a great little River Road studded fork bag from Riders Discount that I’m looking forward to using on some day trips.
Soon enough it will be back in shiny, summer time shape and I’ll be ready to rip up the roads!