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…

I’ve been around bikers a long, long time, and I’ve learned how to approach just about any group of riders in many situations. You can find people willing to talk with you or even ride with you almost everywhere you find bikers. Including places like meet and greets, fuel stops, charity runs, bike nights, parties, local bars and even stop lights.

With the correct persuasion, you can approach just about anyone. As far as groups of people are concerned, bikers are one of the easiest of any group I’ve encountered. They can also be the toughest, but you can often see those few from a mile away. Don’t let the fact that you’re riding a Sportster keep you from approaching people.

The easiest way to approach a biker, just about any biker from sport riders to off-roaders, and in many cases club members, is to just ride up to them and say “hey, what’s up?”

That’s it. Maybe ask them something about their bike, or their trip. Most bikers love talking about bikes, especially their bikes. Once started, many bikers, including myself, will ramble on about their bikes or riding as long as time permits. Often longer.

If you see a group of bikes stopped getting gas or stopped at a diner or in a parking lot, stop in and say “hey, what’s up?” Sometimes it’s even acceptable (with the proper approach) to tag along during a ride. Ride in to the back of the pack, and nod at the last guy as if to say “hey, what’s up?”

As the old expression goes, variety is the spice of life. H-D owners about to have another option when it comes to aftermarket pipes. D&D Performance Enterprises- the manufacturer of Fat Cat and Boarzilla exhaust pipes, has joined forces with Zipper’s Performance Products to provide dealers throughout the United States with new products for Harley-Davidson motorcycles including Softails, Baggers, V-RODs, Dynas and our own personal favorites, the Sportsters.

In addition to pipes, D&D will be releasing their ThunderMax Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) Controller and AutoTune Module. This combination offers performance gains through a free-flowing exhaust while the controller/ module setup improves throttle response, fuel economy and more efficiently controls heat.

The D&D/Zipper’s performance package is ready to be shipped to dealers and should be appearing on shelves in the days to come. Head over to www.danddexhaust.com for more information.