I'm going to try to get a bigger set of saddle bags on next week.   The small set I have now have dried so much that one of the inner flap cracked yesterday.     ,   and the small size is almost too small .

off to Ebay !  

Thanks for the info concerning the tire. I never thought about scrubbing it with comet or ajax. I just took it for a leisurely ride. Seems to be holding well. One question though, at the repair shop they filled the rear tire to 38 psi. The sticker on the bike says 32 psi I think. Should I leave it or bring it down to 32? I did my valves 2 or 3 thousand miles ago so I think they are fine. I just picked up an HD muffler, but is going to wait until after the trip.

old_rider wrote on 04/06/15 at 20:02:57:



Here is the route for the sisters
2nd day sisters: http://goo.gl/maps/vwdkH
C to D is "The Loop" for the sisters.  It is 95 miles AND there is a gas station in Camp Wood (where 337 crosses 55 at the south west corner of the route).  So, appx 75 miles is the max you have to make on a tank.
No worries!  

Those ninja guys.. what can you do?  

springman wrote on 04/06/15 at 21:26:32:


My opinion, it depends on the tire.  SOME tire web sites list recommended pressure for their tires by motorcycle.  (Metzler does, or use to.. haven't checked in a long time).
I run 35 psi front and back.

I have a brass cleaning wheel for my drill.... and when I want to "scrub" the tire I put it up on the stand, put it in neutral, and let the drill and brush go to town.

Down here some of the "black top" is impregnated with sea shells and gets kinda slippery. It took them years to figure out that using the shells as a filler wasn't a good idea. But the roads last longer, so a lot of them have still not been redone with a newer safer road surface, so any extra grip sooner for us is better.
I spun out on Eglin Air Force Base with a light rain (in my truck), when I stopped, a Security Police Officer was sitting at the corner, and all he did was smile and wave me on, lesson learned... go really slow around that corner.
I have always "roughed up" a new bike tire to get the shiny stuff off... don't remember who I got it from.

Dave wrote on 04/07/15 at 09:21:20:


Yeah.. avoid all the stuff IF YOU CAN for the first 50 miles, or whatever.  
Until that time when you have just mounted a tire and you run into a situation where you have to do some agile maneuvering to stay up right and/or alive.

The scrub is nothing more than an extra bit of safety for my own peace of mind.  I also check the bead (is it on straight?), the valve stem (did they tighten it?), the spin direction (did they mount it bassackwards?), etc.  
The first miles after a new tire are always interesting.. as the handling can be different.. A LOT.  
Just making sure I have done all I can to insure the different handling isn't caused by something that went wrong.

Hehehe.... I am attempting to prepare lil' Harley for the trip instead of the ninja....
The ninja is tried and true and has less worries maintenance wise, plus a big ol' tank. But lil' Harley is EASY to fix and work on....plus... if I break down.... all ya'all know how to fix it!
Looks like we are trading places on our rides

P.S. Maybe I should call it Imoharley.... like imitation Harley?  Warley? wanabe Harley?  Gimme a bone here.... LOL....