by Matt on December 21, 2007
According to a news report, a certain biker bar in South Dakota was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of biker chicks were putting lipstick on in the bathroom after the ride to the bar. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the biker chicks would put them back.
Finally the bar owner decided that something had to be done. On a busy Friday night she called all the biker chicks to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night. To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the biker chicks how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
by Matt on December 20, 2007
When you think of Harley Davidson, you probably associate them with their century old tradition of making a different kind of bike. Even in today’s models, you see old-school HD at it’s finest. The technology used a hundred years ago is much different that today, and Harley has kept from making new technology a staple of their success.
That’s about to change. At least on the inside. Harley Davidson is slowly starting to use technology that they have previously shunned. I’m talking about things like stock cruise control, ABS, and electronic throttle. Keep looking for more wide-spread technological updates for your Sporty. They’re coming. Slowly.
I’m sure there will be some hold-outs that will continue to refuse to accept advances in technology, claiming something to the effect of “Who needs technology? My ride has been doing just fine for decades!” Fact is, you don’t need it if you don’t want it. But it sure is nice to have more confidence when your riding, and that’s what technology does.
by Matt on December 19, 2007
I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t have to winterize my bikes. Being in San Diego, I get to ride year round (neener neener).
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Many people aren’t as lucky, and have to winterize their bikes. One of the processes some people use on their Sportster is to spray fogging oil in the cylinder to prevent rusting. Most of us know it’s not really needed with a 4 stroke, but hey, it’s not going to hurt, right?
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Wrong.
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One guy was spraying that oil in his cylinder and had the straw come off the spray can and shoot in to the cylinder through the spark plug hole. DOH!
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Some of the remedies I heard sounded ok I suppose. Like using a bright flashlight and a hemostat to fish it out. Or use a wad of gum on the end of a stick. Or a wire with a hook. Even one of those three pronged flexible grabby thingies.
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Some things I kept hearing over and over was to not move the cylinder, not start the Sporty with the straw in there, that the straw could bend a valve or somehow cause the motor to malfunction, or that you have to be extremely delicate using metal inside the cylinder.
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I’m not going to say these people off their rocker, but I’ve been working with steel and aluminum for nearly 3 decades, and I’m here to tell you that a piece of plastic getting lodged in your cylinder is NOT going to do much damage, if any at all. And you damn sure aren’t going to scratch the cylinder walls unless you stick a screwdriver in there, tilt it to the side, then smack it with the palm of your hand or a hammer.
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But what gets me is that those straws are like 5 or 6 inches long, right? Seems to me if you move the cylinder to TDC (Top Dead Center, that’s where the cylinder is the closest to the spark plug (hole)), the straw will be moved up to where you can grab it easier.
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Or just fire that sucka up! It’s not a metal bolt inside there, it’s a little piece of plastic. Harley’s aren’t made of wood, you know…
