Yeah, Fuck It

I didn't get NEARLY enough time on my bike this weekend, so I rode it to work today on surface streets, and obviously home again. It was a total blast!!!

It took me about the same amount of time to get to work this morning as it usually does, and about an hour or so this afternoon to get home. I'm going to do it again tomorrow. As I've stated previously, I have no idea why I waited so long to get another bike, or for that matter, why the hell I got up to my neck in project cars. I should have just gotten another bike after I got my panel truck and my '31, and should have sold the Chevelle a LONG damn time ago.

Whatevs. Live and learn. NEVER without a bike again, I swear.

Yep, Two Posts in One Day!!

My bike originally came with a sort of air suspension in the front end, which was really nothing more than a couple of air lines and a Schrader valve added to add or remove air pressure. There's a reason Harley stopped doing this. It worked OK enough, but wasn't great.

Anyway, the previous owner removed the air lines and plugged the fittings in the fork caps with stock Harley plugs made expressly for this purpose. Unfortunately, someone overtightened them at some point, and the right fork tube has been leaking, especially after hard riding. Had to be fixed.

Today, I got new plugs and some fork oil. Fixed it myself. No big deal. I also cleaned my bike. Yep, washed it, polished the paint and chrome, and used some of the stuff they sell at the Harley dealer on the engine for detail. Jeez, I should just go and join my local HOG chapter. (That's sarcasm, folks.)

The Big Nothing

Yep, A Couple More Pictures

This is Jack happy because he just bought his FXR:



And this is Jack's back while riding his FXR home:



Words cannot completely express how I felt that day, but the first photo pretty much says it all.

*********

Weirdness: So, I get a text message from one of my neighbors yesterday morning at about 7:30 saying that there's some sketchy dude checking out my house and my bike. (!!!!!) I go to my front window, and sure enough, there's some dirtbag sitting on the curb across the street from my house, just staring at my pad. WTF? I text my neighbor back, and tell him to keep watching because I'm going to get dressed.

As I'm getting my boots on, I get another text from the same neighbor telling me that the guy is jerking off!! Really, WTF?!?!?!?!?!? I call the cops. While we're waiting for the cops to show up, a couple of other neighbors drive or bike down the street, so the guy quits whacking it. THEN the cops showed up. Dammit!! Anyway, they ushered him off, and as far as I know, he hasn't been back.

I mean, it was pretty obvious that the guy had some serious mental stability issues, but jeez. How crazy do you have to be to decide to crack one off in the middle of a nice street on a warm Sunday morning, while staring at a '62 Comet and a '91 Harley?

"What's the problem, officer? No, it's just such a nice morning, and there's this beautiful bike and car, and I have a fresh cup of coffee..."

All humor aside, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for the guy. He really needed help, and that's exactly why I wasn't stomping him when the coppers got there.

If You Want Blood

So, pretty much all I've been doing is riding my bike since Friday. I rode up to Joe and Jai's place in Northridge, yesterday I rode out to the Old Crow Speed Shop in Burbank to visit Lucky, and today I just rode over to Bartels' HD to see Axel, but he wasn't there. (Jerk.)

My hands and face are sunburned, my legs are sore, and I couldn't care less. I have no real idea why I waited so long to get another bike!!!

150 trouble free miles so far. She coughed on me once or twice, but that's it. I didn't have that kind of luck with my '84 Softail back in 1990 when that Softail was only six years old. This one's 18, and runs fucking great. I can die happy.

On another note, I went and saw Joan Jett last Thursday at the OC Fair. She was AWESOME!!! She sounds great, she looks amazing, and we had a great time.

Something On My Side

So, I just had to do a little digging. I found out some interesting and, dare I say, useful, information about my new (to me) bike.

Obviously, we know that she's a 1991 Harley Davidson FXR. What I didn't know is that she's a Lowrider Special Edition, and has the EM code, so technically, she's a convertible. (I believe that this meant she was available with a "touring" package; windshield, hard saddle bags, etc. She was also meant to haul ass when she was stripped of all that crap.)

So, she's an FXRS-SP Lowrider Special Edition that was built at the York, Pennsylvania plant as a California Special (I'm assuming that's the "Special Edition"). Neat!! I'm looking for a manual and factory photos for reference...

Oh, and I got my motorcycle learner's permit today, so I'm legal to ride during daylight hours on the streets. No riding to work just yet, I guess.

Lifer

Here she is, in all of her ugly paint glory, sitting in my driveway:





After Summer is over, I'll paint the tins basic gloss black. In the next few weeks, I'll swap the bars for something a little more aggressive. Eventually, I'll add a two-into-one pipe, I'll rake the neck MAYBE five degrees, and I'll add a 21" front wheel and an 18" rear. She's already a rocket sled, and in about a year or so, she'll look like one, too.

Super extra special thanks go out to my brothers Joe T Creep, Jai Creep, and Axle Creep, and to Gene and Ron at Bartel's Harley Davidson. Without the support and encouragement of my brothers and girlfriend, I wouldn't have gotten off of my ass long enough to actually make it happen, and without the help of Ron and Gene, it certainly wouldn't have happened as fast as it did.

Here Comes Sickness

And not in the good sense. After taking a month or so off of my 'blog, and after doing some serious soul searching, I've decided to sell off a couple of my projects and a few of the guns in my rather extensive collection. I really want that FXR.

As far as sickness is concerned, I'm just getting over a nasty chest cold. Blech. Started on Wednesday at work, and by yesterday, I simply could not breathe easily.

Anyway, I'm selling my '52 Ford Customline Tudor sedan project, and my '70 Chevelle project. If you're interested or curious at all, hit me up here, or on the Jockey Journal under the user name Creepy Jack. No, they aren't super cheap, but are worth my asking prices by simple virtue of the sum of their parts.

Oh yeah, my friend Dave is selling his sweet '59 XLH, and pretty reasonably priced, too. You can see a photo of it in this 'blog somewhere.