May 28, 2008 by David.

Thanks to my buddy Jon’s recommendation on the Airhawk seat for motorcycles by the ROHO Group. When planning our upcoming rides, I knew we needed to get something for our butts - especially for my wife who’s little butt goes south after about an hour’s ride. Jon has taken numerous LONG bike trips - much longer than some of our planned trips - and swears by Airhawk.

The seat pad is air bladders (a little over an inch square), inflated very low (to just get your butt above the seat), with a cloth case that has a sticky bottom (can also use the included straps to hold it down, but I don’t find them necessary) and a top that circulates air freely. Hey, a sweaty butt isn’t all that comfortable either. It is seriously heavy duty and reports are that it has a very long life.

Sharlet and I have found them to work great and highly recommend them for longer rides.

You can check out the Airhawk  systems on their site, but it doesn’t hurt to browse around; you may be able to get better pricing on eBay or with other retailers.

Note that they also make similar products for trucks, office chairs, and healthcare.

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April 23, 2008 by David.

Want to show off those fancy wheels on your scooter? Hate covering them up with brake rotors? 360 Brake comes to your rescue. They’ve created a brake that is self contained in a hub that is just a few inches in diameter - about the same size as your existing wheel hub. It’s good for both front and rear wheel applications. It utilizes a circular piston and pads activated by hydraulic pressure which delivers complete 360 degree braking power to the rotor.

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January 30, 2008 by David.

My favorite looking Harley engine is the “knuckle head.” Well, check out what S&S is up to. They’ve bought Flathead Power, their first purchase in 50 years, and will be shipping in a few weeks. Meanwhile check out www.FlatheadPower.net. A 120″ knuckhead! Holy Cow! Now that would look fucking good in my planned redo of my springer (a.k.a. Bad Boy Bobber).

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November 24, 2007 by David.

The rear swingarm on a HD bagger isn’t the most stable thing in the world. Glide-Pro has an improved pivot shaft to tighten things up. Stronger, more heat resistant metal (yes, it gets so hot you can’t handle it) and polyurethane bushings replace the stock rubber bushings. Reportedly a big improvement, although I haven’t put one on my bike yet. Runs $400.

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November 20, 2007 by David.

There are only two magazines dedicated to baggers that I know of.  I subscribe to Hot Bike Bagger, but they don’t have a website for the magazine. There is also American Bagger Magazine, which I may try a subscription to after my Hot Bike Bagger runs out.

American Iron Magazine is what I like best, though. It isn’t dedicated to baggers but they cover a lot of them and I like their hop up and other technical articles. I’ve had a subscription to it for years and it keeps getting fatter and fatter, dang near a book every month. Their subscription revenue must be doing well.

Now get out there and customize something!

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October 15, 2007 by David.

Can’t believe I haven’t heard of this product even though it has been out a couple years. It is an impact jacket that inflates when the rip cord attached to the bike is pulled. Credited with saving the life of a guy in Baltimore (who now says he is giving up crotch rockets for cruisers…).

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September 25, 2007 by David.

I’ve only been to Street Vibrations once before, nearly a decade ago. I had ridden my springer down to an annual meeting outside of Sacramento and after the meeting I met up with my buddy Gary and we rode over the hill to Reno. We checked out vendors that evening and the next morning I headed back home. Before leaving, however, we had one of those free motel breakfasts - and that’s where the fun began. Gary and I were dressed in full leathers and everyone else in the dining room were, well, definately not bikers. Mostly older folks there for the gambling. First off, I dropped one of those stainless lids over the scambled eggs and it fell with a rambunctious, echoing clatter to the floor behind the serving table. That aparently was just to warm me up for the next event. I picked up the ketchup bottle and, as is my practice, I shook it before opening to get the goods broken loose to come out. Well, upon opening the ketchup bottle I learned an important lesson: Never shake - or better yet, never open - a multi-colored ketchup bottle. The bottle was mostly red with a little yellow at the top. Yes, the ketchup had gone bad. Very bad. And the shaking primed the contents to spray all over everything in a ten foot diameter. My leathers were covered in yellow and red stinking rotton ketchup. Let’s just say the blue hairs downing their eggs didn’t seem very impressed with my antics.

Fortunately on this trip there were no exploding ketchup bottles. Weather was unseasonably cold and rainy, but we had a good time. I rode to Gary’s Thursday night and Friday morning a dozen bikes headed out, riding back roads beside Hwy 50. We came home Sunday. For some pics, go to HawgRides.com.

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May 29, 2007 by David.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we did some Harley riding.  [Duh.]  We stopped by this little restaurant/bar in Rio Vista, CA (you know, where those whales have been in the news for hanging around in the Sacramento River) called Foster’s Bighorn.  It is a showcase for the hunting exploits of Bill Foster from the early 1900’s.  There are over 300 trophy heads mounted on the walls, including some no longer legal to hunt such as an elephant. 

I had their bison burger for lunch.  If you are ever in the area, you have to at least stick your head in and look around.  Even if you aren’t a hunter, you will find it truly amazing.

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April 30, 2007 by David.

Just got back from my first Laughlin motorcycle rally.  Naturally, went with Gary and a dozen of his friends.  Was lots of fun.  Dang hot.  Took rides to Williams, AZ and Oatman, AZ.

 
Our campsite.  Three RV’s and a dozen bikes - almost all Road Glides.

View of downtown Laughlin from our camping area.

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April 5, 2007 by David.

Larry got his 2007 Road Glide on April 1.  Black Cherry.  Check it out!

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March 20, 2007 by David.

Interested in custom boots made from high quality materials?  Check out boots from West Coast Shoe Company.  The quality of materials is second to none and make my boots made by Harley Davidson look like, well, cheap imports.  They are made by hand, and have been for a couple generations.   You have the option of customizing the boots and/or customizing the fit.  Their online site allows you to step through the options and pricing for each of their boot models, selecting the sole, leather, color, height, hardware, etc.

I’ve always liked extra tall black boots with serious, slanted heels ever since I was a teenager stomping around the corral.  That’s not the big seller, however, so finding a place that would make exactly what I wanted is nirvana.

The boots I ordered were the “Jobmaster” lace ups, 16″ high with Read the rest of this entry »

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January 29, 2007 by David.

Today my cousin Larry ordered a new Harley Davidson Road Glide.  Black.  This is his first Harley and he’s been badgering the sales guys at Latus Motors in Portland, Oregon for months now.  It paid off.  He got it for a grand under list.  This is the shop I bought my two Harleys from and I thought I got a great deal on my 2005 when I got it for list price, but Larry got his for a grand under what I paid two years ago.  Nice going, Larry!  Now he’s faced with the challange of what to do to it right off the bat, but he’s got a month ’till it arrives.

So, be like Larry.  Getcha one er dem oh sevens, ya hear?

Ok, I’ll spill Larry’s secret.  The Albany, OR dealer is offering a grand under list till the end of January and Larry got Latus to match it.  Actually, the Albany dealer is one of the most agressively priced Harley dealers you’ll find, so if you are within driving distance, I’d check them out.  However, I can’t personally vouch for them as I haven’t ever been there myself.

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December 19, 2006 by David.

A word about that first Harley, the Springer.  It is a 1995 limited edition Bad Boy.  What’s that all mean?  “Springer” refers to the front forks which are a throwback to over 50 years ago.  They have dual downtubes with a lever between the two to mount the front wheel, giving all of about 3″ of travel.  Other bikes have single slider tubes with twice or more travel.  As to “Bad Boy”, that just means that it has had “stuff” blacked out, primarily the forks.  I took the blacked out theme and ran with it, blacking out a lot of things.

It was a few months old and had 1200 miles on it when I got it.  It had a windshield and, yes, bags added.  That was all well and good when it was my only bike, but now that I’ve got a real bagger, what’s a guy to do with the old bike that shakes like hell?  As my friend Gary says, Harleys are like kids: you can’t ever get rid of one once you have it.  As my first Harley I really didn’t want to sell it and I admit it has languished in the garage after we got the Road Glide. 

I’ve finally settled on its future direction.  I’ll strip off the windshield and bags and turn it into a “Bobber.”  What’s a Bobber?  Back in the day, a Bobber was a bike that had been chopped and stripped down and one of the primary styles is a shortened rear fender.  I figure there is a lot I can do myself, but I’d like to fatten up the rear tire, put on flat bars, and of course hot rod the engine.  Did I mention power is good?

I’ve only seen one bike that is the style like I want to make and it confirmed that is what I want (picture above).  For more on the springer, go to www.BadBoyBobber.com.  Yes, I know the site name assumes I’m heading in in the direction of a Bobber even though it isn’t there yet… 

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December 18, 2006 by David.

Hey, it if the URL is BaggerBlogger.com, then how about starting with a post on Baggers.  For the non-Harley types, “Bagger” is a moniker used for Harley Davidson tour bikes - with the bags (usually “hard” fiberglass) on the back. 

Baggers are pretty much limited to two models, unless you want to count in custom built bikes.  First, the Electra Glide family which has a handle bar mounted fairing (called “batwing”) and is historically Harley’s touring bike.  The second is the Road Glide, which is what I have.  Road Glides have a frame mounted fairing (and I confess I still think it is kinda ugly) and is a newer machine.  Technically the “only” difference between the two is fairing (and a couple options on the Electra like plug-in communication systems).  All but one person I’ve talked to says they handle very differently, as in the Road Glide being a noticably better handler, considered to be because wind buffeting doesn’t move the frame-mounted fairing and since it weighs a little more it seems to give a better weight distribution, tracking nicely.

After having a Springer for ten years, we got the Road Glide and really love it.  Now the Springer seems small - and slow.  The  Springer only had the typical pipes, ignition, air filter improvements.  The Road Glide was bumped to 95″ and a cam before I even brought it home.  Comfort and speed.  What more could a guy want.

Oh, just for the record, the Road Glide is my wife’s bike.  Just ask her.  Never mind that she doesn’t have her motorcycle endorcement or ever gets out of the passenger seat.  That’s fine with me.  She can get as many of “her” Harleys as she’d like!

For more info in the Road Glide, go to www.BlackBagger.com.  The site has lists of enhancements, how-to pictures, dyno results, and more.

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