This thing grows! Always click this HOME button to ensure you see the most recent SC posts!

To see older posts, you can either use the date selector in the Blog Archive (RH side), or just click through using the Older Posts link at the bottom of each page.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Happy Birthday, Southern Comfort



Southern Comfort First Anniversary Edition


May 24, 2010 - May 24, 2011

Yep, amazingly enough, it’s been a full year since the first Southern Comfort post was published, and I figured the milestone shouldn’t slip by unannounced. I’ll mention again that SC began as a chance suggestion by a friend of mine, Pete, when he heard I was going on that long ride in July 2010. At the time, I had no real idea what a blog about the ride might include, or if anyone would even find it interesting. But Pete’s a pretty savvy guy (not to mention a world-class photographer) and I decided to take his suggestion to "blog" about the trip.

Southern Comfort became the name, not after the booze, but actually from what I was looking for. I was kicking around ideas for a title, Southern Comfort came to me, and I stuck with it. At the time, I was up to my fucking ears in the corporate/legal DC rat race and in desperate need of mental R&R.
So that’s how the blog started, first writing about my trip preparations, buying and installing bike equipment. Then came the daily entries about the ride...places I stopped...people I met. There was even one environmental rant after my trip to Grand Isle, LA, right after the oil spill disaster. 


When I got back from the ride, I thought about letting SC collect dust, but decided to keep it going after I figured out people were actually reading it. I added a couple write-ups about equipment that worked, or didn’t, and then moved onto posts about other biker events and weekend rides. Or whatever..... Even Fred's birthday party got a post! I figured it folks were actually reading the page, maybe even enjoying it a little, I'd keep going. I'm an amateur writer anyway, so it was fun for me.....


Yup....a little ink. A reminder of the best vacations I ever took....Once in a lifetime experience.


I’ve also written about my 2008 Softail Custom (best damn motorcycle Harley ever built...Period), and now I'm writing installments about my latest bike, the Joker, a 2008 Nightster, that I'm mildly customizing. 


Over time, Southern Comfort evolved into a journal, with work stuff left conveniently out, though I'll say now that it’s great to have a job in tough times, and greater still to have one that pays enough to support my bike habit and to finance an occasional extended adventure. Thomson Reuters has been good to me. And for sure, it’s great to have a boss that understands my need to go get lost on a twisty back road in Somewhere, USA. Thanks Joe!
To my surprise (and I'm proud of it) SC got marginally popular, and links to this blog can now be found on some motorcycle parts manufacturer’s websites! Lots of peeps also find it via Google searches, or from HD Forum.
The all-time favorite subjects people read about are East Coast Sturgis, my Kendon Trailer, the Pitbull Lift, and a few of the trip/rally articles. And it seems that anything that involves a topless girl or kinky sex gets more hits, but I just can’t figure out why......
Here’s some other stats on a year’s worth of Southern Comfort:
  • Over 9,150 visits....
  • 7,260 of those were from the US, but there were also
  • 334 from Canada,
  • 157 from Germany,
  • 136 from England,
  • 127 from the Netherlands,
  • and still more from India, Russia, Thailand, Slovenia and France, in order of number of visits. I’m not upset that France was in last place.
And last, but certainly not least, over the year, Southern Comfort has earned me a whopping $6.30 from people clicking on the ads Google puts on the page. Retirement can’t be far away, so keep those clicks coming in.......
Beyond the stats, I gotta thank all the guys and girls I ride with for making guest appearances and for the zany stuff y’all do that makes the events fun, creates the memories, and adds a little zing to the articles. There’s Linda, Charlie, Damien, Natalie, John, Bev, Cathy,  Swede, Oilcap, Debi, Ricky, Deb, Kirsten, Marianne, Kenny, Becca, Mark, Becky, Becky, Becky (lots of Becky's huh!?), Angel, Jim, Beth, Helene, Denise, Jack, Billy, Debby, Harley, and yeah...that F’n Fred.


A quiz! How many girls are flashing their boobs in this photo?


And yeah, the whole fucking city of New Orleans, the fine ladies of Rochester NY, Hooters Girls everywhere, and all my good friends at Patriot Harley Davidson in Fairfax, Virginia. Especially Marika, Irish Mike, Tim, Keith, Danny Boy, Mike, George, Vicki, Ruby, Mark, Geoff, Jeff, and Jeff (Sherpa)....and yeah, Alison, (now there’s a cutie....!!!!) I’d buy another bike just to talk to her....... LOL. And if I forgot ya, sorry ‘bout that.......I got lots of great friends all over the US and the UK.


Linda and Cowboy, partying on Bourbon Street!

 My girl, Becky, who just wouldn't come home with me.....But I haven't given up!

(don't peek)

Speaks for itself....

Charlie and Linda (might have) visited here...Just sayin'.

It’s been fun, really, and I’ve enjoyed the writing and all the fun comments and “Attaboys” from readers and even parts manufacturers/distributors. I certainly didn’t expect that. I even got an inquiry or two about magazines picking up the blog, or just an article here and there, but nothing’s ever come of it. Still, it was cool to be considered. Hell, come to think of it, I really didn’t expect more than a couple peeps to even look at the damn thing, and I sure didn’t expect to still be adding to it a year later.
So Happy Birthday Southern Comfort! Best wishes for another year of fun and good times with great friends...including those I haven't met yet! Can't wait, and July is coming...... Southern Comfort, Part II.






Cowboy
5/24/2011



Posted by Cowboy at 10:02 PM 2 comments

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sunday Ride, May 22, Destination TBD

Walked out the door this morning, knowing I was going for a ride, but not exactly sure where, or even which bike to ride. I pulled the Softail out of the garage, figuring I'd had too much fun on the Joker bike yesterday. Maybe a day on something a little more civilized was in order.....

After Jay tipped me that they called for showers in the afternoon, I stopped back by the condo, grabbing a rain jacket to stuff it into the travel bag. I left my leather jacket home, glad I could finally ride in a t-shirt. Mistake!

I had thoughts of heading for Annapolis, but Debby reminded me of another event, so my first stop became the Woodstock Inn in Howard County, Maryland, where a bike show was underway. That's about 60 miles north of Alexandria, VA. At Woodstock, I saw a fair number of nice bikes and some partying people, but cut the stay kinda short. When my eyes weren't on other things, I began noticing that the sunshine had been completely replaced with dark clouds. Time to go!

Woodstock Inn


He got ridden in too....

Lots and lots of miles on this pair of Lucchese boots. This ride finally wore 'em through.

Train (no kidding, right?) at Woodstock Crossing

Rolling south again, I stopped in Ellicott City, MD, putting on a long-sleeved t-shirt that I keep stashed in my bag. I was kicking myself for leaving the jacket home. It had dropped at least 10 degrees, and rain wasn't far away. But you gotta keep going, right? Running the 60 miles back, down US 29, I hit some pockets of rain, with the worst of it just a few miles from home.

And of course, right after getting home, the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Back out after a change of clothes. Too nice a day to stay indoors....Riding season!

I decided to stick close to home, and was pleasantly reminded that, as much as I bitch about it, there's quite a lot to see in my own neighborhood: Mount Vernon (George Washington's home), Old Town Alexandria, and the scenic George Washington Parkway connecting the two. Here's a few shots along the way....Just a pleasant afternoon of riding, with no plans, and no time to be anywhere. My kinda day.

Mount Vernon

GW Parkway

GW Parkway

GW Parkway

GW Parkway

GW Parkway

Fort Washington, GW Parkway

Old Town, Alexandria

 Cowboy
Posted by Cowboy at 7:30 PM 0 comments

Monday, May 16, 2011

Nightster, Part II - Coil and Parking Light Relocation, etc.




After that first flurry of accessory orders, the tracking numbers quickly turned into boxes with real hardware made by Joker Machine, DK Customs, plus a few other manufacturers. As I said in my blog post about the Pitbull Lift, I'll repeat that I have no connection to any parts or equipment vendors.

That said, I'm a journeyman machinist, became a manufacturing engineer, and for a while I owned a machine shop making aircraft components, so I know well-made parts when I see 'em. Everything (so far, anyway) that I've seen from Joker Machine is high-quality and something I'd have bragged about if it had come from my own shop. So there's the free, but well-earned, plug for Joker. DK also gets a nod for having quality-made stuff.


Hot Tip: I got the Joker parts through Phat Performance Parts at about a 10% discount, and their prices were about the best I could find, on eBay or elsewhere, for Joker components. And for an order of over 99 bucks, shipping was free. And if you don't find the Joker P/N on their website, just call them and they'll get it for you...Anything in the Joker catalog is available, at a discount, from PPP.

After an inventory, I discovered that my black 2" Joker risers had been back-ordered, but the speedometer relocation kit, a nice black-anodized machined aluminum gas cap, and a timing cover had arrived from Joker/PPP. I also received a 2" gas tank riser kit from JP Cycles, a coil relocation kit and Screaming Eagle black plug wires from DK Custom Products (from eBay), and a Motherwell Luggage Rack from Eastern Performance Cycles, also found on eBay. And last in this bunch of deliveries, I got my front turn signal relocation kit from Grand Rapids Harley Davidson. 
A rack? WTF?


It's like this: It just might come in handy to keep a cutie's butt off my pin striping. Or better yet, I could bungee a 12-pack to it! And it's small, flat black, and very low profile. Pretty cool, and doesn't take away from the lines of the back fender. I should add that there really wasn't much to choose from in the Nightster "Rack Dept.", and I was glad to find one that would do the job, and in black no less!

So all this stuff was lying there on the dining room table (Yeah, I live alone), and I was itchin' to get to work. I wouldn't be able to relocate the speedometer until the backordered risers showed up, but I there was plenty of stuff there to get me started.

The fender rack, gas cap, and timing cover were painless additions, and in about an hour, the bike had gone beyond the pin stripe phase, into actual hardware changes...

There is one small footnote. The mounting screw that came with the rack extended well beyond the threaded area under the fender, so I found a shorter chrome button-head screw at Home Depot that was perfect. With the longer screw, I could see a groove getting cut in my tire if I bottomed out on a bump.




Beyond that, things got a little more serious. Bolt-ons are one thing, but when the cutters and hacksaw came out, I took a deep breath. After all, this is a 2008 bike that I just bought and it runs just fine! It ain't an old beater with a million miles, but what the fuck, that's never stopped me before.

 
Before - Note that there's not much space above the front rocker cover

So the idea was to raise the gas tank, create some space to hide the mass of wiring between the front rocker cover and the gas tank, and move the coil to the left side of the engine, between the cylinders. Daylight barely passes through that area above the rocker cover in stock configuration (see pix above), and I was trying for the look of an old-school stretched-frame scoot.

I loosened the front of the tank, supporting it with a foam block, while adding the 2" tank risers. I didn't put the cross bolt in until I rerouted the wiring into the tunnel created when the tank is lifted. And before doing anything else, I disconnected the battery.


That tank lift kit comes in a couple heights, 2" and 3" as I recall, and comes with extra fuel hoses and some other bits you might need for your application. For the 2" lift, I didn't use any of that stuff. Just the two risers and the 2 mounting bolts. Be on the safe side and use Blue Loctite on ALL the fasteners that you replace/remove for this or any mods.

I first removed the two plastic shrouds from either side that hide all those damn wires. Removing them involved getting out the dikes and snipping a lot of black wire ties on both sides of the shrouds. Just start at one end and work your way to the other...Cut 'em all. I also had to pry a couple small round connector plugs from here and there to get the shrouds off. Cutting those bits out of the way caused a little "pucker" moment, but in for a penny, in for a pound, right? Ain't no turning back once the cutting starts. Now everything is exposed and you can get to work.




Then I used the DK Custom kit to move the coil, which was a piece of cake. I bought some 3/8 black corrugated wire loom material to keep the wires nice and neat, and to add a little protection. You have to reroute the coil plug wire, running it down between the cylinders. This new coil setup really looks nice, and there are no issues with heat. And like I said earlier, I'm a machinist by trade, and I know quality when I see it. This mount is made well, so quit shopping around, buy the DK setup, and get it over with.



Coil is moved and new Screaming Eagle wires installed.

For the rest of that bundle of wires, I basically unplugged each connector, routed the wires over the frame rail and under the tank, and reconnected them, just one harness at a time. I'm no electrician, and electrical stuff ain't my strong point. It's a fucking mystery to me.

You'll find that almost all the wiring will fit in the tunnel between the frame rail and the tank. I didn't have to do any cutting or splicing of these harnesses, by the way, though I'm sure someone with a little more savvy with wiring could have cleaned this bundle of wiring up a bit more.

Right about here is where the hacksaw came in. I left the ignition up near the neck, and after the coil is gone, there's a lot of useless bracket hanging under the ignition switch. I chopped it off, just below the switch, and touched up the bare metal with some flat black paint. I'll buy a new replacement part when I can, just in case I ever want to put things back the way it was. I figure if I don't buy one now, I might not be able to get one in a few years. (And for the record, a 2007 or earlier bracket won't work. 2008 or newer I think, and I haven't found a single one on eBay.***)

*** Feb 2012 Update: I found out that the same coil/ignition bracket was used on a 2007 Harley Roadster, so if you need a spare and your dealer can't find the part number for your Nightster (he won't be able to), tell him to check on that Roadster P/N.


Just about everything's tucked away or relocated at this point. 
See all that daylight over the front rocker cover!

Right about here, I tried to remember if I'd done any good deeds lately or maybe helped a Damsel in Distress. See, I had to try to start the bike, and as stated, wiring ain't my forte'. After a short prayer to the Motorcycle God, I hit the starter and it fired right up! Now this might not be a big deal to you, but believe me, it was a HUGE deal to me.

I was very happy with the look, and now there's a LOT of daylight between the front rocker cover and bottom of the tank. With the tank sitting higher, it almost makes it look like the frame was stretched. The cables and the few remaining wires have to stay....moving them requires extending the wiring harness and I don't want more daylight that damn bad. I think the modifications make the bike look like an older Harley, with a simpler, cleaner appearance, and it wasn't that hard or expensive to do it.

As for the parts, I liked the JP Cycles tank risers a lot more than some I saw, and though they cost a bit more, I liked that they were one piece stampings with a nice finish as opposed to some cheaper ones that appeared to be round rod welded to a couple ends that bolt up to the tank and frame. The risers are out there for all to see, so why try to save a couple bucks here, right? Save it at the grocery store instead.

The coil relocation bracket from DK was a nice black welded steel component that is substantial and isn't going to fall apart with vibration. No issues with fit either. It just works. There's other versions out there, but nothing wrong with this DK unit, and the price was surprisingly low for what I got. Like about 60 bucks INCLUDING the Screaming Eagle plug wires. PS Be sure to tell them what color wires you want. Black and Red are the choices.


Did you know (I didn't.) there's NOTHING under that timing cover? Just a cavity, and a carry over from the old design!

Next up was moving the turn signal lights off the handlebars. I'm trying to get the flat-tracker look up top on the bars, and everything's gotta go! Harley actually sells a kit for relocating the lights, and I think the signal brackets come in either chrome or black. The part number for the black kit is: 68643-09, and it comes with the mounts, hardware, wire, wire ties, splicers, and mounting hardware. Literally everything you need and more. When I saw all that stuff, I was freaking out! WTF? (Maybe it was the extra wire and splicers that scared me?)

There's a couple set screws that you loosen and the turn signals come loose from their mounts. At first, I took one of the lights apart until I figured out how they really came off. Duh. 

Then I loosened the headlight mounting bracket so I could reroute the existing turn signal wires. Take the two bolts all the way out. I pushed both signal wires into the center of the neck area and tied them off. With a little careful pulling and tugging to get the slack out, the existing wires were just long enough to route to the new location which was a relief. I didn't need to cut and extend them, so the extra wire and splicers went back in the bag. Whew! 

I think the only hiccup was aiming the lights. Once the bracket is on, you can't get at the light mounting bolts, so you gotta get 'em pretty close, torque 'em down, and do the final adjustment with a twist of your hand, hoping like hell you don't accidentally loosen the bolt. Ask me how I know.

 



So now the handlebars are almost cleaned up. Once the speedometer is relocated and the new risers installed, it should be bare bones up top, exactly what I wanted. Clean, lean and mean...and no chrome. Stay tuned for the speedometer relocation....That one has me a little worried, but again, it's involves electrical stuff.

In other news.......

After I finished up that stuff, I wanted to take a crack at re-mapping the engine. This damn thing vibrates like mad at low RPMs, due mostly to the Vance & Hines Staggered ShortShots. Or so I was told. At high RPMs, it smoothes right out. And since it has a Vance & Hines FuelPak, I can change the mapping myself. Pretty cool. 

I called the V&H FuelPak support number and they confirmed the tendency of Sportsters to lug or vibrate more with the ShortShots. They recommended changing mapping parameters 5 and 6 to 18 and 15, respectively, down from 23 and 20. (For all settings refer to V&H Value Reference FP-0861 on this website: http://www.fuelpakfi.com/

To make adjustments, on mine anyway, I needed to take off the seat, getting access to the FuelPak. Remove the 4 screws holding the cover on, turn on the ignition, and cycle through the parameters until hitting those you want to change. Make the changes, shut off the bike, and they're saved.

Do yourself a favor and call V&H before experimenting and know your values BEFORE you call. These folks are totally cool, and really worked with me to improve lower RPM performance. It's much, much better now, but as the man said, if you don't want a vibrating motorcycle, what the hell did you buy a Sportster for, and THEN put those fucking pipes on it? You CREATED the problem. 

And that's about it. More as it happens, maybe this weekend.

Cowboy

PS The bike has taken on far more of a Joker theme, so I guess that's its name....Joker. My GF, Deb, even came through with a Hellanbach Joker t-shirt for me! And yeah, I also got a vanity tag for it that says JOKRR!





Posted by Cowboy at 8:58 PM 3 comments

Monday, May 2, 2011

Nightster Pt I, Project Beginnings

Eight or nine months ago, I started toying with the idea of getting another bike. I got bit bad by the "Bobber Bug" while at MountainFest in July, 2010, but also was thinking that an UltraGlide would be cool and more comfortable for those long distance rides. I went back and forth, from one idea to the other for a long time. And of course, the practical side of me asked why the hell I needed two motorcycles! But I've never really listened to my practical side, and I'm getting older, so I figured it was far too late to start that sort of thinking! I had to get another bike!

After wobbling back and forth about the Ultra, I kinda got away from that idea. Just too much bike for me, and I wanted a toy. The Softail Custom did a terrific job on the Southern Comfort ride last year, and it'll do it again when I decide to take off for a long one. I settled on the idea of a smaller, fun bike that I could modify/chop to make it even more fun.

So I began looking at older Ironheads and Shovelheads....even old Panheads to base a bobber on. There are lots and lots of Sportsters out there and more than a few Shovels. Panheads are less plentiful, and it's a shame to take a survivor apart. I kept coming back to a Sportster.....fun, lighter, lots of available goodies, and less expensive.
Court House Customs

Sportys, from what I've seen, have gone from general dismissal as a girl's bike to becoming the ride of choice for some, and are the basis for a lot of kick-ass bobbers. In fact, at last year's East Coast Sturgis, Damien's 77 Ironhead, hastily thrown together in a week after being rescued from under a porch, got more attention wherever we stopped than all the damn new bikes. Peeps LOVED that green monster, though it might have been Charlie's lightning bolt paint job that caught their eye!


And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Angel's Panster! How's this for a kick-ass scoot! Yep, it's a Sporty with a Panhead top end. Featured in EasyRiders magazine!



Angel's Bike!

And finally, after bidding on countless eBay bikes located on another planet, calculating in costs of pickup, I started thinking about a newer bike for a starting point, maybe not going back to a rigid frame setup, but definitely shooting for Old School. I zeroed in on Harley's Nightster, looked at a couple, and found one I liked. It already had the Vance & Hines pipes I liked, the FuelPak, and was just the right color. My buds at Patriot Harley Davidson made me a deal I couldn't refuse, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The day I brought it home....

This scoot is now in my garage, and will be the starting point. I had it pin-striped and a cool "Joker" added to the tank down at OBX Bike Week. Dan Kite Pinstriping did the artwork, and it you take a look at my OBX "Home" post, you'll see more in-process pix of Dan's work on the Nightster. 

Tank artwork, by the way, was approved by my now-ex, who promised to vandalize the bike and cut me off if I got some skanky pinup babe painted on it.....Just sayin. 
Please, no howlers about that gas cap. It was OK by itself, 
but with the artwork, it's gotta go. Black one is on order from Joker Machine.

Stay tuned for more on the Nightster.....I can't wait to get started. Parts are arriving and the lift is waiting!!


Cowboy

PS: 4/7/2012 There are now 6 articles, Pt I-VI, here on Southern Comfort that show how the Nightster has changed. Changes are subtle, and consist mostly of bolt-ons/take offs, but the bike has come a long way and it's usually one of the eye-catchers in a parking lot full of bikes.

Posted by Cowboy at 7:32 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)