Puzzling

Despite my prior ramblings of easily handling February's wintertime onslaught, the fact remains that cabin fever is still very much a factor.  I've been thinking of ideas that would help this forlorn Jeep-bound traveler pass the time while keeping his motorcycle focus intact.

I thought about buying some of the myriad of biker-themed books out there and then doing mini book-report postings on them, but that's much to close to actual school work, so I bailed on that.

I thought about finding some really cheesy, B-grade motorycle movies, and then inviting the guys over to have some beerverages while we check them out.  I may still do that at some point, but since I still don't have furniture or a TV down there, this plan will also be tabled.

So what did I settle upon?  Why, a jigsaw puzzle.  But not just any jigsaw puzzle, oh no.  This one is over 3' long, and isn't your standard rectangle shape.  This one is cut out in the shape of the motorcycle itself (looks like an early 90's Road King, although, with no saddlebags, as well as the look of that rear fender (and despite the spoked wheels), it could be a Fatboy).  Anyway, it arrived in the mail yesterday and upon opening it up, I found the bag of pieces had a hole in it.  Ruh-roh...

Anyway, there weren't any pieces floating around inside the box (which was factory-sealed) so hopefully all the pieces are there.  (I started counting them, but then realized that was way too much like school work, too.)

I lucked out; there were a few pieces that hadn't been separated, so that gave me a bit of a head start.  I've pulled most of the border pieces aside, but since this doesn't have a uniform, generic outline, I'm sure I missed some of those pieces.  But, everything is laid out and it's keeping my mind focused on something other than what's going on outside my window...

...although, we're getting a TON of rain today, so maybe the puzzle will be set aside (along with the Jeep) and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get some miles on soon.

Ride Hard, Put The Pieces Together

Let's Get Tired Up, People!

The call came in during Friday's lunch; my new tire was ready to be picked up.  Sweet!  I wrapped up some things at the office and headed out a bit early to catch the shop before they closed.  Back home with tire in hand, I threw the garage door open and got right to work.  It was a quick, simple process, and since daylight was fading quickly; time was of the essence if I wanted to get a test ride in, before the roads finished freezing up again.

(Once everything is back together, don't forget to squeeze the front brake lever a number of times to re-compress the brake pads!  That is a lesson I learned from almost 20 years ago, and a mistake that I've thankfully never repeated...)

Ta da!

I didn't bother to wash the blue off of the whitewall (that's what rain is for).  I did, however, receive many an odd look from passing motorists as I passed them by, during my test ride.  In line with the "time was in short supply" theme, I'd just fired her up and taken off.  No helmet, no glasses, just a t-shirt (temperatures already in the low 30's, and dwindling rapidly...)  I'm happy to report that I survived, and the front wheel did not decide to break free and head off in a different direction than the rest of the bike.

So now we just need some good, clean roads to get here.  This winter started out a bit slowly, with December and January not being bad at all.  February is making up for that with earnest.  More snow and ice this weekend (that's 3 weekend storms in a row, now) and possibly more coming tomorrow, and maybe even more, later in the week.  It's ok, though!  I'm thinking it's just a desperate, last-gasp effort by Old Man Winter to lay claim to his time of the year.  But we all know that his time is fading, soon to be replaced with warmer days, clear skies, and the miles and smiles that accompany them.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

An Institution of Tire Learning

Things have been rather dead here in the...dead...of winter.  No riding, just lots of shoveling.  I can't complain, though - both December and January were decent, allowing for some miles and smiles.  March usually brings some warmer temps and a bit of a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel kind of thing.  That leaves February sandwiched in between, and it's the shortest month, anyway, so if we have to deal with a few weeks of nasty conditions, I think we can still chalk it up to a successful winter.

But successful or not, we're hopefully on the tail end of it. That means the bike needs to be readied for when the stable doors get thrown open once again.  One thing of significant importance to that "be readied" mantra is the replacement of the front tire.  And, since we were once again facing more snow outside...

I figured it was a good day to get moving on that (despite the still-uncooperative temps)...

Ok, this is a very easy procedure and one that I'm sure you all know how to do, anyway.  However, as I said; things have been dead, so I'll try to spice up what would otherwise be a bland post, with some detailed (drawn-out?) descriptions, and toss in some pics along the way for your viewing pleasure.

First up; jack the bike.  My floor jack is a crochety old coot, and like many old timers; has a hard time hanging on to his fluids.  While this is merely a minor inconvenience to some, for a floor jack it can have bad results.  To avoid any such issues, I chocked the bike with bags of pellets on each side.

Next, I had to remove the pretty HD skull end caps.  I located the set screw on the bottom and made short work of removing it...

However, after removing the set screw, the cap still wouldn't come off.  I tried lightly prying with a large flat-headed screwdriver, but no luck.  Hmmm...I got down and looked more closely...hey, whaddya know - there's TWO set screws!  Ok, much easier, once that other screw comes out...

The cap on the left side had one set screw that didn't want to turn, but fortunately, removing the other one did give me enough play to remove it.  I sprayed the non-cooperative screw with penetrating oil and it should be good to go when it comes time to remount the cap.

Next, I placed a blanket over my crash bars so that I could lay the brake calipers over and out of the way, once they were removed.

Removal is a very easy step; two mounting bolts, and voila: the caliper is yours.

Carefully, keeping my hand in between the paint and the caliper, I worked it down and off of the rotor...

...and draped it over the blanket-covered crash bar.

Damn - I forgot about the electrical wire on the left side.  I could cut the zip-tie, but why bother?...

...when I can just wrap it in the blanket and achieve the same level of protection.

Ok, next is to mark the spacers so you can tell which one goes on which side, as well as which side faces "out" and which side faces "in".  I like to use painter's tape as it sticks just well enough to stay in place, but comes off cleanly and won't give you any trouble when it comes time to remove it.

Next step is to remove the pinch-bolts from the right side...

The wheel shouldn't drop at this point, as it's still held in place by the axle nut on the left side.  However, I still like to sit with my legs under the tire to hold it up and take any load off of the axle.  (This also makes it easier to slide the axle out.)

The axle nut was on very (very) tightly so I needed to add a bit of leverage to my wrench, but once it broke, it was smooth turning from there (and my legs went back under the tire for support).

Some light tapping on the axle (using a piece of wood to protect it!) and it moved smoothly and easily over for me.

Then, with my legs (and hand) under the tire to keep it lifted, I pulled the axle all the way out.  Be prepared; as soon as the axle clears the left fork, it will want to drop out.

Ta da!  The wheel is free!  (Well...almost...)

I  had to jack the bike up a bit higher to get enough free space to lean the tire to it's side and get it out from under the fender.  Ok, now I can say "Ta da!".

A short jaunt over to Cook's to drop the tire off and I was done for the day.  Jon and I joked about the lack of tread on the tire, me saying that I'd gotten my money's worth, and him saying he thought I'd gone way beyond that point.  I said I could've probably gotten a bit more, but that I knew I wouldn't get one of those shiny red 2013 inspection stickers that he's holding until I replaced it.

Jon said he'd have things turned around for me by early this week so with any luck, I should be able to get the tire slapped back on before the weekend...even though I'm hearing word of another weekend storm on it's way...

But that's many days away from now, so I won't worry about it yet.  In my mind, I'm already...

Riding Hard, Taking Chances