Hat's Off.........

This post could easily fall into the "Much ado about nothing" department, but if you're bored and have a little time, at least the pictures might be worth a look...

So here goes.......

Just a short while ago, I stopped at Old Glory Harley Davidson to pick up a few things, and lying on a bottom shelf was the gnarliest, most ragged looking baseball cap you ever saw. We've all seen caps that were made to look worn, but this one had been taken to the extreme. The damn thing had crud stains all over it, frayed edges, broken threads, and basically was worn out, and could just as easily have been lost by the oldest guy back in the shop. Of course, I put it right on, and while admiring my "find" in the mirror, a lady shopping in the area said something like, "I like the way that looks!".

Of course, when I left, the hat left with me. If I was wavering at all about the purchase, the comment that gal made pushed me toward the cash register, although I'm not sure it was the hat she was referring to.....But that's another story....

So up the road I go, stopping in my new favorite haunt, Olney, Maryland, where I met riding friends and began shooting the breeze. Soon, the hat became a subject of conversation, and I mentioned that the hat was actually brand new, and only looked like it was filthy and 20 years old. Peeps weren't buying it, passing it around for inspection and opinions. The verdict was that it actually was 20 years old, and very, very filthy. In other words, it had class! The bond between the hat and I became instantly permanent.

Time passes.

Last weekend, I met up with some old friends, and we made the rounds of Anne Arundel County Maryland biker hangouts, including Reckless Ricks, Glen Burnie, and Daniels, in Elkridge. We had a terrific day, telling stories about last year and about the good old days, which really were good old days. Great memories. And I wore my hat!

Charlie, Cowboy, and Linda

John, Cowboy, and Bev

Cowboy, Jenny, and Charlie 

(Charlie and I are getting back into form for the coming riding season)

Oilcap and Jenny

Daniels Restaurant, Elkridge, Maryland

Later on I left Daniels, hauling ass to Alexandria, Virginia, to beat the evening chill, and to get the bike put away before the storage area closed for the night. It's about a 60 mile run, and I did 80 practically all the way, making the storage area with literally seconds to spare. Like a scene from Indiana Jones, the gate literally slid closed just as I passed through. Cool.

Well, not so cool. When I parked, I realized I hadn't zipped up my carry bag when I left Daniels, and the sleeve of a spare t-shirt was hanging out. When I opened the lid, I noticed my spare (and very cheap) "novelty" helmet was gone, along with a pair of goggles.

And the hat. Booooooo.

To say I was bummed out doesn't begin to tell the story. For whatever reason, I had gotten attached to the damn hat, and I knew there wasn't another one to be had. I looked online on the HD site, on eBay, countless other places, and nary a one to be found. Bummer.

So the next day, I had a tattoo appointment in Baltimore, and on the way home, at the suggestion of a friend, I retraced my steps along that 60-mile highway run. About the time I'd given up, while running along a congested section of I-495, low and behold there was the hat, sitting on the shoulder next to the fast lane! I parked in the median, walked back, jumped the guard rail and snatched it up before wind blew it under the wheels of passing traffic. Totally cool.

The Hat, back in a place of honor. A Hooters table.

Now I know finding that hat might not seem like much, but I was tickled pink to get it back, and it reminded me that sometimes it's the little things that make life fun, plus I have this gnarly old hat to remind me of that.

And yeah, it's also a reminder to zip that damn bag up next time!

Cowboy

PS Here's the new tat...Artwork by Sean Bajek at Saints and Sinners, Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland. Tell him Cowboy sent ya.

Outer Banks Bike Week

Sorry for a lull in the action on Southern Comfort, but it's just that time of year. The bikes are getting a thorough check-up before riding season, chrome is getting polished, and those paint jobs get a new coat of wax. And most folks I know are just itching for that last chilly day to be behind us so we can get on with riding season 2011.

The first rally for my crew in 2011 is Outer Banks Bike Week, centered around Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where the Wright Brothers made their first flight. Key sponsors of this event are Bayside Harley Davidson, Outer Banks Harley Davidson and Nags Head Harley Davidson.

For some of us, this event is uncharted territory, but Fred's been there (Remember Fred? He makes regular appearances in Southern Comfort.), and he swears this event will kickstart us into the 2011 season. If you don't hear from Fred after OBX Bike Week, there's a chance he misled us.

This year, we have confirmed that Charlie and Linda from the UK are going, along with a contingent of us US folks, but the guest list is a little hard to nail down. Ever try to organize a bunch of bikers? It's like herding fucking cats, and somehow, I keep finding myself in the middle. Some kind of secret desire for abuse is getting fulfilled, but I think I'll opt for the whips and chains next time. That's gotta be a hell of lot more fun. (and no, don't ask.)

Last year, our first April rally was Blue Ridge Bike Fest which wasn't bad really, but was actually just an indoor bike show that you went to over and over and over. They had a few things set up outside, but overall, it was nothing special, at least in my opinion. The highlight was when John, Charlie and I appointed ourselves judges for the Bikini Contest, and for a while, that took away the monotony. Of note, we weren't invited back, so I think it musta been because of something John or Charlie said to the winners.

What else......

Next week or so, my bike is headed to Patriot Harley Davidson in Fairfax, Virginia, where Jeff & Co. in the service department are going to go over it, making sure it's ready for another long ride this July. (I'm gonna go get lost again for a couple weeks.) It's due for brakes again, an oil change, and other little odds and ends. I put about 7-8000 miles on it last season, and I need to be sure I didn't rattle anything loose. I might have to go for another set of tires too...will wait to see what Jeff says on that.

Besides waiting for OBX, I've been scouting some local.....well, sorta local....DC area joints, and to my utter amazement, tucked away in a little town north of DC called Olney, Maryland, there's actually a few biker-friendly bars! And the icing on the cake is that there's a whole slew of pretty ladies in them that ride, wanna ride, or just wanna be looked at, and Southern Comfort plans to cover all areas to make sure nothing is missed. Stay tuned for an update!

Cowboy

When in Doubt, Ask - Pitbull Turntable Epilogue

Guess this is a retraction of sorts, since the struggles I originally had with the turntable attachment for my Pitbull Lift were sorta self-induced.

It seemed pretty simple...Just bolt it on and use it....but I had issues with kickstand interference and placement of the lifting pad. After giving the turntable a less-than-stellar review in Southern Comfort, I sent an inquiry off to Pitbull asking if the turntable was really compatible with a Softail.

Mark from Pitbull's Customer Service called me the very next day, knew immediately what I was talking about, and began talking me off the ledge. He offered some simple, but critical, tips to proper placement and usage of the lift/turntable. We also chatted about the very slight difference in the shock height vs the frame height, and that whole subject is covered in the previous SC post. Read up Softail owners!

Some initial assembly pix.....

This morning I gave the lift/turntable a rematch, this time putting a couple 1x6 blocks under the kickstand to straighten the bike up a little. This is necessary since my Softail Custom is lowered, and with the bike more upright, there's a lot more ground clearance. After shimming frame rails* using the Harley frame protectors (see previous post) to clear the shocks, I rolled the lift under, with the rear red rail of the lift about even with the rear transmission cover bolt. I pushed the lift under so the turntable lifting pad was roughly centered, left and right, on the frame rails.

Up it went, this time leaving the kickstand down. And unlike the last time, I raised the lift to full height per Mark's suggestion. Of note, with the lift moved back, the rear wheel comes up a bit before the front raises.

When I pulled out the locking pin, the bike rotated freely through 360 degrees of motion. No interference at all and no issues with stability. Works like a charm, and just like the video on Pitbull's website.

In the "How can you be that stupid, Cowboy, not able to figure out a lift?" department: That's a fair question, especially for an engineer. I've certainly asked myself that a few times since. One, on the first attempt, I thought I should avoid that shock area for lifting, and that was the core of the problem. Two, that kickstand interference really worried me, and I didn't want to do any damage. Three, I hadn't raised the bike all the way up, because I was more than a little uncertain about not being in the lifting pad "sweet spot". I think that sums it up...It wasn't "as seen on TV" and I assumed the worst.

* The pix below were taken without using the frame protectors, just to see if it worked OK, but that seems risky and I won't lift without them again.

  

So that's it. Now I can now be totally fucking lazy, polishing a little on one side, and just spinning the bike instead of moving the entire lift, or without dragging all the stuff to the other side. And if you want to get up close to the bike without banging your shins on the lift, just turn it 90 degrees and walk right up to that baby. You can also scoot the bike and lift closer to the wall when it's turned 90, saving storage space. Just drop the manual locks into place and leave it there.

Now it's up to you to decide if the additional convenience is worth $150.00 + shipping, but it damn sure works nice when used correctly, LOL. And when I build my Bobber over the summer, I'll bet that turntable feature for the Pitbull lift really comes in handy.

Again, Two Gold Stars for Pitbull Lifts/Watson Manufacturing. And if you happened to read that previous rant I wrote about the turntable, just ignore it. (I pulled it down from the Blog). I just hadn't asked the right person the right questions.

Cowboy

POST SCRIPT, 4/4/2012
Since I bought the lift, I've also bought a Nightster and a Road King. The Nightster and the Pitbull Turntable are not compatible. The Road King is, but not without using the orange frame protectors. 

Pitbull Turntable, Revisited

My first encounter with the Pitbull Turntable didn't go well. I then described my problems (No..don't go there. Just the lift problems...not the others y'all think I have) here in long form, but in a nutshell, it just wasn't working out well with my Softail Custom.

Since that post, Mark, from Pitbull's customer support department, called to figure out what the problems were. We talked for a long time, and it was very clear that Mark wanted me to be happy with this purchase. So to be fair, I pulled down my original product review until I try it again using his suggestions.

I'll get to that this weekend.....

I have also learned something new, and it's something no lift manufacturers seem to mention. Like Dynas, Softails also have a quirk that needs to be taken into consideration when lifting. Softail shocks sit slightly lower than the lowest part of the frame rails. On mine, it's maybe 1/8 - 3/16th of an inch. Lift manufacturers (J&S and Pitbull) say it's OK to lift on the shocks, but lots and lots of owners say when doing so, you run the risk of bending the shock shafts. $$$$!!

I'm told that after a bend, you'll hear some squeaking when you ride.

You can just about see the height difference in this picture, taken with my bike on the Pitbull Lift, but without the turntable attachment mounted.

 Lift in a forward position, no frame shims and no turntable mounted

Solutions?

You can shim the back of the lift platform up just under the rails, wrap some tubing around the rails, or Harley even sells a set of bright orange rubber frame protector deals that pop on to make up the gap. They charge you $15 bucks, and that's gotta be the cheapest fucking part number in the whole Harley catalog! I got those, but I'll also suggest a $3.00 length of 1 1/4" PVC tubing split lengthwise and popped onto the frame at the area near the shocks. It ain't orange like the Harley bits, but it'll get you by.

And by the way, I hear those orange deals look like Holy Hell if you forget to take them off. By the way, they come in pairs so get someone to split a pair with you. Take one, cut it in half, and you're set.

Harley Davidson Frame Protectors snapped on. 

Actually these are more like shock protectors instead of frame protectors, but whatever.....

Using these allows you to move the lift back for better balance for certain jobs without stressing the shock shafts or mounts. Moving the lift back also allows the bike to spin freely with the turntable mounted.

This quirk with the shock height is something Softail owners will definitely need to remember when lifting their scoots. This is whether or not you use the Pitbull turntable, and it doesn't matter what kind of lift you use.

Or you could just take your chances. The weight of the bike quickly transfers from the shocks to the frame after the lifting starts. The shocks are simply pushed upwards until the lift pad contacts the frame. One guy swears he lifts that way without a problem, even storing the bike on the lift. Pitbull and J&S also say it won't hurt. But another says he bent his shocks doing it that way, and he had to replace 'em. For about 15 bucks (or even 3 bucks, the price of some PVC pipe), I think I'll shim mine up, and not take the chance. to be honest, though, I have lifted it without shims, and hundreds of road miles later I haven't noticed any damage.

So stay tuned for Turntable, Revisited.

Cowboy

So it's your birthday, Fred?

So good friend and Bro, Fred, had a birthday on March 1st! Southern Comfort hasn't actually covered a birthday, but hell, if you're gonna celebrate Anti-Valentine's Day, then you just gotta have a little something for Fred.

So the girl with the most famous ass on Facebook threw a gala event at the prestigious Urban BBQ in the tucked-away little town of Olney, Maryland. I probably don't need to mention who this ass belongs to for our Facebook friends, but for the rest of you, it belongs to Kirsten. I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out why it's so famous, or you can just ask Fred.

And to tell the story best, here's some photos of the crew. A FABULOUS group of ladies, many of them motorcycle owners and riders, plus a few of the boys, all helping Fred get past the reality that he's a year older.

Happy Birthday, Fred! We love ya, Bro!

Fred

Jack, Denise, and Kirsten

Lisa and Fred!

Tina and Fred

Cowboy and Becky (Is this little Darlin a Hottie or what?! Stay tuned....)

Deborah! (not feeling well, but looking fine)

Cowboy reminding Fred who really loves him

Denise (yet another Hottie) and Cowboy

Ass contest...Well, actually just a group photo. 

(Denise's hand is a little low Lisa. Just sayin...)

Fred, getting ready for the Big Blow

Fred!

Potty Shot 

(Cowboy's hand might have been a little low here, but the girls are still smiling...Or maybe that's WHY they're smiling...)

One of the favorite shots from the evening...a Potty Shot.

Cowboy