Ah Shucks!....Missing Photos In My Posts

Damn, damn, damn.......I just looked at some older posts, and was alarmed to see that the pictures were missing. I don't know what the fuck happened, but they're gone.

The part that sucks is that the Joker posts.....easily the most popular how-to posts......were effected. I'm going to edit those and reload the pictures.

Technology seems to conspire to make life complicated, even though it's supposed to be the other way around....

Sorry about that...
Cowboy

UPDATE: 3/29 - As it turns out, while trying to set up folders in Picasa for use as I blog, I deleted a folder that I hadn't set up. It was full of my pictures, and the size of it was preventing me from uploading more pictures for use as I updated by blog. 


I was puzzled at to how it even got there, but as it turns out Blogger was maintaining that folder, using it for a repository for blog images. And when I deleted it, I broke the link to almost every photo in the blog. In a word, FUCK! All that work down the drain, and without a warning.


I now have to rebuild (or delete) each blog post from the beginning. I'm doing these a couple at a time each evening, and it's a real pain to try and remember what pictures were originally included. I don't even have them all.


I guess I should have realized something, but without any kind of warning, label, or protection by Blogger, how would anyone know? And no, if you simply reload images to a folder, that won't do the job.You need to re-add the images one at a time to fix the problem. 


Groan..... Stay turned as I rebuild.

New Ride! Road King for Cowboy!

After 2 years of screwing around, I finally bit the bullet and bought a bike for the open road. It's not like the Softail Custom wasn't comfortable....it was....but with all the add-on stuff like the windshield, bags, luggage, GPS, lowers, etc, etc, etc. that bike looked like a parody of itself.  Like someone dumped the contents of the J&P catalog all over it.

And there's one thing for sure. With the windshield, the Softail Custom was suicide whenever I got up behind or alongside a semi, and if they were pulling a double, it literally scared me each and every time. The forks would start to shimmy very, very bad when the turbulence caught the windshield. I thought for sure I was going down on I-81 once....I was thinking that it was really going to hurt. The only way to stabilize it was get on the front brakes hard, and that time on 81, I had some lady in a white mini-van running right up my exhaust pipe. I'll never forget that one. I just backed off the gas to let the truck pull away, and thankfully she slowed down too.

So this year, I got to thinking that the ride to Sturgis would be fun, but I could do without the scary bits. I screwed around on eBay and gave up on that, and about the time I was just going to give up and ride the Softail, my Bro Jeff came outa the blue with news of a deal on a Road King. That was on a Friday, and the following Sunday I was leaving a deposit on one sweet motorcycle. Yes, that makes THREE Harleys for me, but you can't have too many Harleys, right? One for all occasions. Like T-Shirts.

Details to be added as I remember them, but here the major specs. It's a 99 with a Stage 2 Big Bore kit...95.1(?) Cubic Inches, S&S gear driven cams, Vance & Hines pipes, Screaming Eagle carb, valves, intake, etc. etc. It's putting out a dyno-tuned and documented 85.36HP and 101.28Ft/Lbs torque.

Eagle-eyed observers have also noted that this bike might even be comfortable for a passenger! Now that's a new wrinkle I hadn't considered. Maybe I can talk Becky Lynn into test-riding the back seat and giving us a little review...Hey, that's the only way to know, right? (and my phone will be ringing off the hook now...WHAT?!?!)

I'll add that this bike was caringly put together by a great guy, Paul, and I think he was sorry to see it go down the road on the trailer...

So this bike gets ridden to Sturgis. For the record, the Softail Custom is in the shop right now for a full service and new rubber, getting it ready, but I think I'll just let it sit this August.

Cowboy!

Timonium (Maryland) Motorcycle Show 2012

Like most anything, the Timonium Motorcycle Show is what you make of it. It's the first decent mid-Atlantic event of the year, and people and vendors come from miles around to make this one. I saw vendors from as far away as New York, Florida, and Ohio. Bike dealers show up too, and bring more bikes there than to the DC show held in January. Lots of goodies to look over.

And speaking of looking over the goodies, the fine people from Strip Club Choppers were there in case the bikes didn't quite do it for you.....

Like new...BETTER than new...1966 XLCH

(Every time I look at this picture, and right after lust kicks in, I also remember what it was like to get one of these things started. Anyone that had one of 'em had to begin getting their bike running a half hour before a run was supposed to start, just so they'd be ready to go with us. And a lot of guys [me for one] got hurt knees and ankles when they got kicked back!)

The Timonium show gets mixed reviews. Most people hate it because of parking, a sometimes-long wait in traffic just to get to the venue, and the crowds inside. Go there at the wrong time and you'll spend an hour in traffic, park a 1/4 mile away, and won't see half the stuff because people are packed in like sardines.

I don't like it for all those same reasons, but it's the first show in the area where a lot of vendors show up, and they typically sell something besides fucking sunglasses and helmet stickers. I really don't understand how those sunglass vendors make any money. Even at little events, there's always a hundred of 'em. How many pairs of sunglasses can they possibly sell? But I digress....

81

So I just got up early, drove the 70 miles north, and missed all the traffic. I parked near the door, and was inside right after opening at 10AM. I got to see everything, twice, plus I had access to vendors to ask questions. I was done in time to sit down, eat lunch, and watch the babes cruise by.

Hooray! The vendors were selling the kind of stuff bikers (this one, anyway) need. Pitbull Lifts (Tennessee) was there again, and another outift with a lot of great parts for trailers, towing, tie-downs, etc. There was yet another with a great selection of loading ramps, and one more selling some nice trailers. Great prices on leather jackets and chaps at the Hot Leathers booth, too, but I resisted for a change.

Barely. If that little gal would have smiled one more time, and gave me one more peek down her shirt, I'd have another leather jacket in my closet.

The great thing for me this year was that I really didn't need anything. Last year I was buying a bike lift (got a Pitbull) and a few others things for my shop. I was hoping to see a couple full size lifts....like a Handy Lift with a ramp, worktable, etc......but that's one thing that was missing. Good thing, or I mighta spent some bucks. With the Porsche gone, I now have room for a little more equipment in the garage.

And after lunch, I carefully and slowly checked out the Strip Club Choppers area, just to make sure things weren't getting out of hand. I made a couple passes....didn't want to miss anything! And yeah, took another look at bikes....After all, it WAS a bike show.

Sweet 72 Shovel, Complete with oil leak.....I loved this bike, and even more since it leaked oil. Authenticity!

And more....

Bike Builder Ron Finch, was there along with Michelle Smith (hot!, but for the life of me, I can't remember what she was famous for....), plus and Emilio Rivera from Sons of Anarchy!

Ron Finch

Michelle Smith....Not hard to look at, is she?

There's a bonus to the Timonium show, which I actually missed in the past. Up on the hill, in an entirely separate building, there's a Swap Meet going on, and even more bikes are on display. I saw a ton of cool bobbers in there, plus some nifty parts for sale...new and vintage. There were far less people in that building, and no need to muscle your way through.

I was there by 10:15, and headed back out the door by 2PM, and completely enjoyed it. I got some great ideas for bobbers, ordered an awesome custom leather belt from Tom Accordino at http://www.jekylshydes.com/, and left there with my wallet only a little emptier!

The belt!

Good time, if you time it right, and what the Hell else are you going to do on a cold February day between football season and NASCAR? Check it out sometime.

Cowboy

A Long Weekend in my Home-Away-From-Home, Daytona Beach

True to form, my plans for Daytona were made on the spur of the moment. I was feeling sorry for myself one afternoon because I hadn't made it to Florida during most of 2011, so I surfed travel sites on the 'net a bit and stumbled across a low-cost plane ticket on the net. On the heels of that, I found an equally great deal on a beachside condo. A sign from above, and not one to be ignored!

I was going alone so I figured I'd also have time to check out some business-related stuff too. And then, outa nowhere, I had unexpected company for the trip so I dialed back the business plans. And then, just as suddenly, things changed and I didn't. And people wonder why I hate to make plans.....

But why let a spare condo bedroom stay empty, right? A quick call to my daughter, Marianne, ended up in a last-minute father/daughter event that was made even more fun with Mar's friend, Marina! These gals are veteran party-animals, biker-oriented, with skills honed at Cancun Cantina and Reckless Rics, a couple infamous biker-friendly spots in Maryland. Check 'em out! No, not the girls...the bars!

Marina and Marianne

So the girls drove and I flew, for once taking the easy way south. I thought about hauling a bike down, but with the short stay, it just didn't seem worth it. I figured if the itch got too bad, I'd rent a bike for a day. I also still have vivid memories of the 2 weeks I spent last year getting all the salt and sand off the bikes after coming back north hauling 'em on that open Kendon trailer. 

If none of that makes sense to you, you probably live in a warm place. Up north, they spread liberal quantities of salt and sand on the roads to melt ice and snow, give cars a little traction, and make roads passable. Add rain to that mix, and it sticks like glue in places a q-tip can't get to, and it sure makes a mess on vehicles.

But I digress (whatever that means)....

We all had plans to meet and check into the hotel, but the girls ran late (no kidding, right?) so I took advantage of the extra time to grab something to eat. Turns out Catrina was still waiting tables at Hooters and remembered me from last year!!! I'd like to think it was my charming personality and devastating good looks, but it might just have been the tips I left. I decided not to think too much about that......

After eating and catching up on the past year's events, etc, with Catrina, I rolled out to the hotel. The condo I rented was at Daytona Regency, and what a great place. A HUGE 2 bedroom apartment larger than the place I live in. And the staff were great too. Very biker-friendly and eager to help. Be advised that you will most definitely NOT get a tall truck in the garage, and a trailer is out of the question. The tight turns into the garage would be impossible, in addition to the low ceiling. But with a car, little SUV, or a bike, you'd be set. I doubt if my H3 would have made it in.

Time passes.....

We all meet and get ready for the first night out. There's no real choice about "where" for me. I've been wanting to go back to Boot Hill Saloon ever since I walked out the last time. Boot Hill is one of the very few places I've found where I can walk in and within minutes I'm in a conversation with someone who's damn near just like me. Now that might even be scary, but it does't happen much around Washington, DC. In fact, and now that I think about it, Boot Hill reminds me of Daniel's Restaurant in Elkridge, Maryland, 'cept Boot Hill's in a hell of lot warmer place.

Boot Hill had a kick-ass band called Big Engine, and while I really don't zero in on bands, this one was just terrific. Played some real rock n roll that we all grew up on...Skynyrd, Def Leopard, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and up through the 80's, 90's and now. Great covers of great songs. Even the old folks were bouncing around at the booths, rocking out to Honky Tonk Woman!

Next day, I was off to Destination Daytona to check on bike rentals, and was disappointed to find out the HOG rental program wasn't available there. Eaglerider was though, but the prices seemed steep. About $150 per day for a bike, plus another $24 for a damage waiver. That's a Joker payment for me, so I took a pass. I found out the regular HOG rental location was available at Seminole HD, which wasn't exactly convenient, so I just browsed around and looked at all the goodies. Destination Daytona must have one of everything Harley makes, and a few things (see the pic below) that Harley doesn't make.

Nice

So as I'm rolling out, I look in the distance and see...to my surprise....J&P Cycles, that HUGE aftermarket bike parts supplier. I rolled over there and checked out the goods. Loads of quality hardware at decent prices, and the sales staff was more than willing to answer questions, take stuff apart, recommend stuff, etc. I told them I'd just ordered a Saddlemen's BR1800 Sissy Bar Bag, so they dug one up, gave me the inside scoop on mounting, etc, and told me to call them if I had questions. AND I DIDN'T BUY IT FROM THEM! That's above and beyond helpful.

I then put the fun on temporary hold and went into business mode. After retirement, not too long from now, I've got plans on starting a little motorcycle business, and what better place to locate it than Daytona. There are shops and builders everywhere, any or all of whom could maybe use a convenient, local machine shop that can build those special one-off components. I'm also an engineer, so I can help with design too, so maybe that business is a way to make a little spending money. I don't want to work hard or often, so the plan is to keep things low-key, leaving plenty time for riding and travel.

I started looking for real estate....Locations for a home and shop. I had pulled a bunch of places off the net before heading down, and my afternoon was spent checking them out. Suffice it to say there's a TON of stuff available, and I found several places that would do just fine. I even found one that looked like it could also be party-central for all my friends up north who might pass through, and that house is still on the books, though it's a little far from the beach to suit me. I'll have to think about it.

One thing's for sure, though. In a couple years, I'll be there...not in Virginia. You can bet on that.

With business out of the way, it was back to the fun! I treated myself to an "insider, all-access" tour of Daytona Speedway, which was worth every penny. I was inside, on top, under, etc. You name it. Lots of fun!!!

I worked up an appetite on that tour, which was a perfect excuse to go back and visit Catrina at Hooters, and I also wanted to get her opinion on some of the neighborhoods that I'd looked at for houses. I ate too much, talked too much, and learned practically nothing about real estate locations. In fact, I think I forgot to ask about it at all, but I guess I got distracted. You know how that goes, right?

And then there was that moment of truth! I'd been staying within steps of the beach and hadn't set foot on it the entire trip. Off I went, but without a bathing suit, figuring cowboy boots would be OK just this once, but hoping no one saw me! I got away with it!

I reckon that about wraps it up. Lots of fun, and a chance to hang out with the girls. I'm very sure the folks in Wing House will never, ever forget the three people at the outdoor bar who watched the Ravens/Patriots game. And then there was that crazy blonde, Sandra, trying to sell me time shares throughout the game. Only in Daytona. LOL 

I'll be back.

Cowboy

New Milestone, 25,000 Hits on Southern Comfort

Just wanted to acknowledge that while I was in Daytona last weekend, Southern Comfort logged its 25,000th visit!! To me, that's number is absolutely remarkable. Most of SC's audience is in the US, but the readership is truly worldwide.

The East Coast Sturgis posts retain top billing, but as you can see from the right rail of the blog, the Joker upgrade posts are clearly a high-interest item, with hundreds and hundreds of hits coming from HD Forums about the parts I've written about. Lots of people are using the how-to on speedo relocation, along with the other mods to the Joker. 

Many more read the articles about bike lifts...What works and what doesn't. I've sold at least 2 Pitbull lifts, and I'm not a dealer! I don't sell ANYTHING! An equal number of folks read about my experiences buying a Kendon trailer, and even more are interesting how I load one.

Lots more hits originate from DK Customs, with riders checking out the foot peg installation and review. Or maybe they're just trying to get Dawn's phone number, but I ain't givin' it up.

And on and on.... thanks everyone! I get some flattering notes, suggestions, and "Howdies!" too, which are the best part.

Coming soon to SC: a little something about a long weekend in Daytona. After that, I'll do a review about a new piece of bike luggage, a Saddlemen's Sissy Bar Bag. And somewhere in between, I might whine a little about making a decision between Daytona Bike Week 2012 and Sturgis Bike Rally, 2012. That ain't an easy decision.

Cowboy

1/25/2012

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope everyone gets their Christmas wishes, and that Santa Claus treats you as well as he's (so far!) treating me. I've got my health, my family, and the best friends a man can ask for. And a couple Harleys. :-) That said, if one more shows up under the tree, I won't send it back.

Funny, a few years back, while doing some last-minute Xmas Eve shopping, I stopped in a Hummer dealer just to see what those new H3s looked like. In the showroom was a new bright red H3 with a huge red bow on it. Two hours later, they opened up those showroom doors and I drove it away! So this morning, I stopped in Patriot Harley Davidson, and right inside the doors was a kick-ass Harley Limited. Ruby was just about to put a big bow on it. Yikes! I begged her to wait until I got out of there before putting it on. Not sure I could resist!!!!

It was good to see all my great friends at Patriot HD this morning. Bobby, Mark, Ruby, Jeff1, Jeff2, Keith, Tim, Alison, Marika, Kris, Danny, Vicki, George, Leah, and so on. If I missed you, I'm sorry, but Merry Christmas to everyone! Patriot HD is a terrific HD dealer....stop in and tell 'em Cowboy sent ya.

And now.....

I'm outa here. Stopping to share an early Christmas with my kids and grandkids, and then hitting the road. Maybe Harrisonburg tonight, Nashville tomorrow, and maybe a stop to see Dawn and Kevin at DK Customs near Memphis. After that, I'll make it to Fort Worth, Texas, to see the Girls of Azle and do a little work on the house. DAMN little. It's vacation, right?

Stay tuned....Might have a little fun on the way, and I'll keep the blog updated if I do. Hell, I might just lie about it and make up some stuff....

Happy Holidays!
Cowboy

T-Bags Motorcycle Gear - Follow up

T-Bags Top Roll on the Joker.....Debi too!

Sometimes I just gotta pass out the Gold Stars, and this is one of those times. Back in early 2010 when I was putting together gear to go on the road, my neighbor John mentioned that I should look at T-Bags for luggage requirements, and so I did. If for no other reason, John's a Marine officer, and those guys should never be ignored....never.

So I shopped around, finding out there were a lot of cheaper alternatives, but nothing really looked like it matched the quality, and since I was going on the road for a long time and a lot of miles, I didn't want any junk. And yeah, I didn't want to face John if a bargain bag I found ejected all my stuff on some dark Louisiana back road.

So I ended up buying T-Bags Super T with a top roll. I was totally impressed when it arrived. Obviously very high quality....no floppy canvas/fake leather like some I saw and it seemed like it would do the job. Again, not cheap, but I needed it to hold up.

And off I went from Alexandria, Virginia to who knows where....... 

3,139 miles later, through a lot of heat, drenching rain, and repeated loading and unloading, the Super T held up, and was easily one of the best pieces of equipment I could have bought for the ride. First class construction, it held up to the abuse, and kept my stuff dry. And I didn't lose any socks in Louisiana unless you count when I had to leave that little town in a hurry......But that's another story.

 

Loaded to the max....

Got some stickers on it from one of my stops!

There actually was one hiccup. After turning back from New Orleans, following the shore of the gulf, I stopped in Pensacola for a break. While stretching my legs, I noticed that one of the zippers on the backpack had pulled loose. I guess it was because I was stretching it to the limit while repeatedly pulling it over the sissy bar pad when I loaded up each day. I bungied things together temporarily, and later paid a shoe repair place to replace the zipper, but it broke again as soon as I stretched it back over the bar. 

So I gave up on trying to fix the zipper, assuming it would just pull out again. I needed to keep things tight, so I thought about lacing it up like a shoe. That sounded good, but poking holes in the material proved to be damn near impossible. I tried heating up the end of a 1/4" bolt, and it worked! I melted holes every inch or so on both sides, top to bottom. Then laced the pieces together with black rawhide I got from a craft store, using a piece of dowel I found to tie off the end. Worked like a charm and looked pretty cool too!

Of course, this little repair project kept me out of the bars, and out of trouble, for the night..... Damn!

Lace job! 

And no negative comments about the T-Bag zippers, by the way, at least not from me. I'm not complaining. I'm very sure these zippers weren't designed to be pulled and stressed the way I was using 'em, and I didn't finally break mine until about 2,000 miles into the trip. These got stretched and pulled once a day, every day, for a couple weeks before they came loose. Everything else held up like a champ!

Time passes.....

It turns out that the T-Bags Top Roll has gotten a lot more miles on it that the bigger backpack piece, and the roll bag alone was probably worth the price. I've sure gotten a lotta use out of it. It's almost always on one of my bikes, and holds just enough for a day ride or an overnighter, assuming the Girls of Azle aren't with you. And it's constantly being switched between bikes. I'd be lost without it, and it keeps from having to put those detachable saddlebags on. I just can't get used to saddlebags. Too may years on choppers, I reckon.

In Shenandoah, Virginia....

...and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania!

But all that ain't what this post was really about. I'm writing to give Shelly at T-Bags Customer Service a shout-out for outstanding customer service. See, the other day, when I was remounting the roll bag for the eleventy-third time, one of the snaps cracked. Yikes! I gotta have my bag. I'll bet those snaps have been snapped and unsnapped a million f'n times. High mileage on those puppies.

Snapped snap

Fortunately the other half of it held just fine, but the next day I decided to take a chance. I sent an email to T-Bags Customer service address and got an almost instant response from Shelly who offered free replacements if I gave her the part numbers. One more email later and SHAZAM, spare parts, including a couple extras, were in my mailbox, and Shelly gets rave reviews for being prompt, helpful, and taking good care of her customers. Reminds me of Dawn at DK Customs! Sisters? Cousins?

  Lots of spares, and FREE!

So thanks to T-Bags for making an awesome set of luggage that has been on lots and lots of rides, and to Shelly for doing a great job taking care of a customer. And thanks to my neighbor John for the tip about T-Bags, and for his service in the USMC!!!!

While I'm at it, those thanks also extend to Chuck, USMC retired; Daniele, US Army; and Brian, USMC. They're all in the Gettysburg photo. And if I missed anyone that serves our country, thanks to you too!

Beats buying from some copycat outfit in Asia that sells their crap on eBay and won't support it. Think about that when you're shopping......I do.

Cowboy