In the magazine ! Not exactly what I planned...

In early spring I usually take my motorcycle out of "winter storage" and start getting it ready for a new season of riding. This takes place in late February or early March...whenever the weather starts to break and I can stand the temps in the garage long enough to get something done...

In 2012 the weather was pretty good early and I had a lot to do on 2 bikes (mine and my sons) so I got them out and started to work toward our riding season. As luck would have it we had a sizable snow fall followed by a few really nice days, and the conditions outside where pristine and enticing. Seeing an opportunity I moved my bike outside to take advantage of the high contrast between the crisp white snow that had fallen overnight and the Sparkling Pearl Blue of my motorcycle.

I carefully snapped a series of pictures and took great care to format several with a lot of open space at the top of the picture. I knew that the Goldwing Road Riders Assn magazine "Wing World" preferred this type of picture so they could position their header along the top without covering the photo itself. This is what I was hoping for..a cover shot!

After I submitted the picture I herd nothing from the Editor nor staff at the magazine, and was not sure they even had received it, but I placed my confidence  in the e-mail system and patiently waited. I felt that if they were going to use my shot it would be during the winter as it was a snow shot, and that I just had to be patient and wait it out...

Then one day I got an e-mail from a buddy who told me to turn to page 52 of the just released October issue of the magazine.... The editor had decided to use it a cover page for an article written by one of the Goldwing experts they have on staff instead of a cover shot....

Nice try anyway....

Financial realities - Old motorcycle love is expensive

It has been quite some time since I last posted and I have learned several lessons about loving and restoring (rejuvenating?) oldish motorcycles.  The old 1982 CX500 Custom that spent some time in my garage and being ridden by my 18 years old son is now gone and an even older GL1100 Interstate Goldwing from 1980 has taken it's place.

It seems the CX500 was outgrown rapidly ( at about 6000 total miles ridden) and that was somewhat expected anyway. It was that reason that found my son cruising the internet on Craigslist and tripping over an ad for a 1980 Goldwing. It seems the owner was using it to commute daily into the city from his home in the crowded suburbs and was tiring of dodging traffic with a large touring bike. He was seeking to sell the Goldwing, and find a smaller more nimble bike that would deliver excellent fuel economy as well as reliability and maneuverability. The CX fits that bill remarkably as the courier services knew in the lat 70's and early 80's as this was eventually the primary use of this bike.

After several exploratory e-mails were traded, my son asked me to go look at this bike he was thinking about trading his CX for...(he owned the CX even though is was registered to both of us in order to reduce insurance costs). I asked to read his e-mail exchange and found that not only did this deal look legit, it was a guy I knew from the Goldwing club going back several years.

So we went to look at this bike -

After the test ride, the negotiations led us to conclude that after stripping off some of the extras hanging on the CX, we could make the trade even up --so that is how this bike came to live in my garage.

Trade made, and registration complete, we started into the task of making this bike as up to date and reliable as possible. During this phase of riding and testing we soon discovered that the overall maintenance on the bike had fallen woefully behind.


Simple things like brake fluid levels, coolant, and brake pads were neglected. The clutch cable need replacing, and adjustment, and the valve tappets had not been adjusted for some time. The tires needed replacing , but we knew that going in,  but the other more simple things are the ones that I worried about. It is more about the lack of caring, and not so much about the expense of caring that I worry about. If these bikes are neglected and just ridden hard and put away, they tend to break down rather sooner than later.

So - I was relegated to doing ALL the maintenance that had been forgotten or ignored for some time in an effort to at least create a time line base for our regular intervals going forward.

Here is where the costs come in and a dose of reality appears. I am convinced the previous owner was not so concerned about the riding the  bike , as much as the cost  of maintaining the bike going forward . He had reached a precipice of potential debt as one looks at all the things that needed doing.  And if his financial situation was not liquid, it would be back breaking.  Here are the things we have decided to do and the approximate costs so far... bear in mind I have not factored in any LABOR hours as I do all this work myself...

Clutch Cable - $20
Oil change - $20
Radiator flush & fill - $20
Rear final drive flush & fill - $10
New brake pads (3 sets) & Master cylinder rebuild kits (2 sets Front & rear) & caliper rebuild kits (3 sets) - $250
Tires (pending spring) - $175
Final Drive Moly - $10
Brake fluid flush & fills - $10
Clutch cable adjustments - $0 but several hours
New battery - $100 (in spring)

Add - ons -
LED lights - TBD
Handlebar CB Radio - $0.00 - we already owned it at about $300

So in total a little over $600 to get it road worthy and dependable again...

That is the hidden cost of an older motorcycle. These costs are static across any bike one may own however these maintenance items come up at differing intervals if you already own the bike and the costs are not so apparent. And if one is tight on cash as many are recently due to the economic downturn suffered these past few years these items can be shuffled into the future. But they can not be ignored forever, and I think that is the hurdle the previous owner faced, and did not want to deal with, when he traded off his much more valuable bike for a cheaper model.

Considering the actual investment coast of both bikes at this point it seems we have the better end of the deal... The CX represents a total investment of about $1200 so that becomes the base cost of the GL. Add on the $600 and we are into the GL for under $1900 and the real worth of it in the spring sellers market would be $2200 approximately. The added benefit is that my son gets to ride a bigger, better smoother bike when we travel together next summer, and probably increase his ability to go farther in any one day without testing the limits of his endurance.




Ergonmic comparison CX500 Custom vs GL1100 Interstate

Just a little something to think about

I found this on an internet forum in someones signature line. I thought it was cool and to the point so I copied it here for future consumption...

You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.

On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming. That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousness.

--Robert Pirsig, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

Speed vs Comfort

Motorcycling often seems to be a study in paradoxes. Riders must constantly be evaluating conditions, measuring and assessing risks and rewards, and making decisions that will affect them both immediately and long term.

One of these paradoxes is fashioned when trying to cover long miles in one day. The evaluation centers on the decision of which type of road to ride. The Interstate highway system, or the regular back highways and county surface roads that dice up our countryside. One must consider the pros and cons of this choice and decide which works best for the circumstance presented.

Beginning with the Interstate system, this was initially created by the Federal Highway Act in 1956.  The idea was to create a national system linking the entire United States fostering better travel conditions and easing troop deployment should a crisis arise.  The speed limits on the Interstate typically are considerably higher than local roads and often take the most direct line from one place to another. This higher speed and straight-line methodology fosters the most efficient method of moving from one city to another.  If you really need to make quick time of covering miles, the Interstate is the best choice to do so. 

However, the things that make it a good choice also make it a bad choice for some motorcyclists and travelers. The higher speeds and increased traffic can cause a lot of wind buffeting which can cause fatigue as the rider fights the bike through the airstreams of many passing trucks and cars. The higher speed can also make a normally comfortable bike at lower RPMs vibrate considerably at the sustained higher speeds of the Interstate system. This vibration can also cause fatigue and excess wear on the machinery as it is working near the top of the design limit range.

Local highways and county roads offer benefits to the rider however, there is a cost that must be reconciled. Often times these roads cut through rural areas and pass directly through small towns and communities along the way. Some feel this is the best way to actually experience America as compared to zipping past at high speed on the Interstate. By rolling slowly through the neighborhood, the rider can see the local flavor, feel the breeze coming off the water, and smell the cut grass and flowers as well as the factory nearby. Hearing the noontime whistle while rolling through a small town harkens one back to a simpler time, when information was passed person to person rather than instantly via social media.

The lower speeds, decreased traffic and buffeting combined with a more tolerable RPM range on the riders bike also pays dividends in the form of creature comfort. The ride becomes easier and more pleasurable and the experience seems to count more. Most of my best motorcycle riding memories is of this type of travel, not the mindless miles pounding down the interstate.  

This leisure comes at a cost as well… By slowing down along these back roads; one also assumes the longer hours spent in the saddle to get to the same place. The Interstate rider will pound along at a higher speed on a more direct line and arrive well before the back road rider. This is the conundrum presented when trying to cover long miles per day. How best to do it…?   

Extra parts –

Motorcycle repairs and maintenance often brings with it a certain level of satisfaction. The personal pride in knowing you did it yourself. The knowledge gathered from the process, an intimacy with your machine earned from being inside the working bits and pieces of the machinery. An attitude of self-reliance as the repairs were accomplished without the aid of a factory technician, or dealership mechanic; not to mention the many service related dollars saved from doing it yourself. By not paying that dealerships going hourly rate, one can save significant dollars that will be much better spent going into the gas tank for extra pleasure miles rather than paid to someone who really has less at stake than you do when considering doing the job completely and perfectly.

And that brings us to the nagging question of shade tree mechanicism (yep I made that word up).  That heart sinking moment when one gets to the end of a project and there are extra parts laying on the workbench… It happens. There are as many reasons for it as there are home do-it-yourself mechanics.
Lack of organization-Lack of familiarity with the proper assembly- Lack of manual consultation.  

It seems that every project follows a similar pattern –

Prepare the work area –

Get the bike set-up and the tools out. Have the coffee brewed and the radio set to an appropriate channel (For me it is usually the oldies rock station) Organize the newspapers required to catch fluids if you are going to work on anything that may leak or spill. Rags, and supplies and new parts should be ready (Which for me means sitting on a nearby worktable so that I can see them and not forget them).  And anything else you may need or want as the time goes by.

Dig right in –

For my Goldwing is usually means taking off the seat and plastic body panels in an attempt to get TO the mechanism needing work.  Then it’s into the repair itself. Some times, I know the proper tool, and sometimes I need to make 2 trips to the toolbox before I get the correct size. It is actually easier on the Goldwing as 2 sizes cover a lot of the misc nuts & bolts.  8 and 10 mm are common to Honda motorcycles so I always have those out. The 12 and 17 are used and of course the metric Phillips head.  This is where things get fun. If I know what to do, the time goes by easily, unless of course the unexpected pops up…Things like an oil filter stuck so hard all the Kings horsemen were required to loosen it. And the dropped washer that rolls out of the garage and into the lawn that takes 15 minutes to find. That is part of the joy and challenge of the home repairs.

One of my habits while removing parts is to put the needed fasteners with the part I have removed on a nearby table, which I have set up specifically for this purpose. I stand the table nearby but off to one side so I have to take a few steps to get to it. That way I know my actions are deliberate and thoughtful and I believe that will help me remember where each part is, and how it goes back together. Usually….However there are those surprise parts that fall off as you remove a part or fastener. Those washers that roll away, or drop into the inner workings of your bike, never to be seen again. And of course – SPACERS – the very bane of my existence. It always seems that there is a set of spacers that I was unaware of that fall near my feet. Casually I pick them up and place them on the table behind me, with the tools and supplies and rags. Not deliberately walking them to the parts table so I have an accounting of them...No instead they are placed haphazardly and absentmindedly onto the tools table because they fell while I was engrossed in making sure the light didn’t crash to the cement below.  

Reassembly –

The fun part of the project. Everything is done. The wrench twisting, the screw turning, the grunting and groaning. Even the sweating from the effort of un-sticking fasteners without breaking anything (an absolute art in itself)  Knowing the job was well done and brimming with satisfaction and pride in the success of the effort, the home mechanic effortlessly begins to re-hang the removed parts. In fact this is a good time to polish each piece so out comes the cleaner and every inch of each part of plastic, and chrome is shined as it goes back on. The evidence of fingerprints wiped clean and forever from the body panels so as to not betray the intrusion. Briskly the parts seem to fly back onto the  bike – ever less to do as the project really picks up steam and momentum. Each part replaced is a marker of triumph for the home mechanic. Finally the last part is bolted on, and the seat remounted so the bike is now ready for riding again.

Clean – up

The drudgery of the job is always the clean up. My way of doing it is to gather the garbage and start a waste bag. I toss out wrappers, and used parts as well as dirty paper towels, and empty containers. Then the bag awaits further stuffing as I begin to return the tools to their permanent home in the tool chest. I like to have a rag in hand and I wipe them off as I place them back in the proper drawers. Knowing I put them away clean helps assure me they will be ready when I am for the next project.  Soon they will all be back in place and I can go out on that test ride…

Then I see them – those spacers I so carelessly placed on the wrong table! Damn my inattention! How could I leave these off the bike? Why did I not notice them as I reassembled the housing?!  What should I do now..?

Here is where the human aspect of motorcycle maintenance becomes apparent…I ask myself this telling question… “How important are these spacers?” Of course I already know the answer. The designer wouldn’t have put them in if they weren’t needed. But it means I have to take the tools back out, and the parts off again…

And the cycle repeats……

Weather & Compromise – The condition bank.

How often is the weather exactly perfect? Not often enough that’s for certain. And if the weather is just right usually, why do so many local folks (regardless of where you go, the people are always local folks as you are the visitor) talk about the changeability of the weather? You know you’ve heard it… “If you don’t like the weather just wait a few..” . You know the rest – I know you do!

If you ride a motorcycle, you have to contend with all sorts of weather conditions. Often it is too cold, or too hot or perhaps raining or windy. Far too infrequently is it just perfect. So in order to be a rider one has to compromise and ride in less than ideal weather conditions more often then not. Otherwise, you would rarely ride anywhere. (Some motorcycle owners are like this but in my world fair weather motorcyclists are not really riders – but it may account for the vast number of low mileage bikes in the world especially around Milwaukee).

Here is what generally seems to happen. There are times when the weather is just a bit too cold or warm to be completely comfortable. As a rider, I try to dress for the conditions and ride anyway. Sometimes I get the dressing guesswork correct, and other times not.  It seems that the perfect match of weather and riding gear is a very small window of opportunity and a shift of even a few degrees can make a big difference in how we ‘feel’ the weather. Once I am rolling and get a real impression of my choice of attire for the ride I ten must satisfy myself with the knowledge that I learned a bit more about what to wear in order to be comfortable.

I usually soften my self-evaluation with COMPROMISE. If I dress too lightly and my arms are getting a bit cold, I say to myself.. “Sure it may feel too cool right now, but remember this when you are riding in HOT conditions some future day”. Therefore, I compromise with myself – I like to ‘bank’ those miles I am riding in the cold for days I ride in the heat. For ME – being a little too cold is better than being a little too hot. I know if I get too cold, I can add clothes, but there is a limit to what I will ride without. I ride with all the gear, all the time – I would rather sweat than bleed.

Someday when I am riding and it is really HOT – I will simply remember the ride when I was a little too cold and it seems to make one ride or the other somehow better. It is an easy withdrawal from my riding weather bank.  On those days when I am too cold I think of those rides when the humidity was over the comfortable index and think of how it could be worse. With this little mind game I am able to find enjoyment in a lot of differing weather conditions – and thereby find myself riding my motorcycle a lot more often than those who would not ride in cool or hot temps.

Motorcycle Haiku - Japanese Poetry

I currently own 2 Honda motorcycles- a 1996 GL1500 Goldwing, the epitome of grand luxury touring motorcycles. A purpose built machine that defines the category and sets a standard for all other manufacturers to strive to match. And a  1982 CX500 Custom which is a vintage cruiser from the late 70’s and early 80’s that was a radical design concept for motorcycles of the day with it’s liquid cooling and shaft drive. Today’s CX variant motorcycle have attained a cult-like following with devotees across the globe sharing information and admiration for these bikes through the internet.

I was reading an online article about Japanese poetry - the Haiku - and it's very simple form and function process'. The Haiku is meant to "strip away" as many unnecessary sounds as possible and to leave behind a pure and elegant message on a subject. This passion toward elegant simplicity is culturally Japanese and shows itself in many forms in the products they build, as well as this poetic art form. As I own two Japanese motorcycles, I thought this might be a way to experiment with my writing, and honor the creators and designers of my favorite toys.

Traditional Japanese Haiku requires a rigid form with rules dictating certain elements like a mention of a 'season' of sorts within the poem thus always rendering it about nature and time.

Evolved Haiku has corrupted those rules and offers more simple rules that only dictate form and some very expansive functions :

Simple Haiku form - 17 syllables

Line 1 = 5 syllables– set the context
Line 2 = 7 syllables– add depth to content
Line 3 = 5 syllables– summarize or juxtaposition.
So I wanted to play around with a few just to offer something to all you motorcycle enthusiastic souls...

CX500 Variant Specific Poems

Twisted Twin Form

Engineers Inspiration

Beholders Beauty

The Café Racer

Simple, Elegant, Light Weight

Speed Personified

CX500

Middleweight motorcycle

Faster than you think

Liquid cooled, shaft drive

Radical innovations

Less garage, more ride

Cult like following

Devotion to the design

Riders love affair

Goldwing Inspired

Luxury riding

Comfort for mile after mile

Flying too close to the ground

One thousand miles

Long distance super hero

Ironbutt rider

Required tool kit?

Credit card, cell phone, some cash

Full reliability

Big heavy beastie

Dancing Hippopotamus

800 pounds wet

Simple or complex

The Goldwing can be either

Riding or wrenching?