IF I had water wings to fit I could take a trip! So for now I have ordered a CORBIN seat and am waiting for some parts to install. More rain for the next 10 days!
What color water wings do you want? I'll send me to you. =) have to support my fellow monkey... Hopefully you can use this early warning system too...
FedEx came this AM. BOX that was delivered. New Corbin Seat Mounted Note the Feathers on the Corbin Name. We have ten more days of rain coming!!!!
This is the style rack I am looking for and the Grapevine says others are also looking for a heavy duty type. You see I moved from coast to coast one time, on a bike, with enough gear to camp, clothes for work and play and a few other needed items. I had the Bike's seat and frame set up to carry a 200 lb. load. I made the trip without incident but did find the shock adjusting tab spot weld had pealed half way down and I would have lost the shock and spring on that side if it turned loose. Anyway this is the design I am looking for and in fact had one on a Harley 45. Wimpy little bling racks are of no interest to me. New luggage rack for scouts based on 1940-45 pattern chief rack 2448 x 2448 | 1175KB www.indianmotorcycles.net I will have one, one way or the other and if I produce one it will attach to the Scout with the saddle bag bolts because those bolt holes are drilled and tapped into the rear frame member. And mine will be of Stainless steel.
Finally a front came through and maybe we will have a decent day to ride. But my main reason to post is a UK Motorcycle Police Training Book. I don't know how many have ever watched them ride but I have although years ago. This came as a recommended item so I figured it was worth the bucks. This is the latest upgrade and reviews now say it is better than the first in this series. We'll See Motorcycle Roadcraft - The Police Rider's Handbook - Kindle edition by The Police Foundation. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
A few upgrades. The new controls move the Foot control position, up 1 inch, back 2 inches and out 1 inch. Provides a more comfortable position for the feet and a bit removed from the heat of the right side exhaust pipes. The road bars are good for low speed drops and can save a bunch of money should that happen. I like them.
How to load a motorcycle sounds like a no brainer, Ok here it is anyway. How to load a motorcycle into a truck: Tips and tricks - Common Tread - RevZilla Never ride a Race Bike into the back of a Van, no matter how big the Van first seems!
More surprises on the Indian, whoda thunk they hid a combo Allen Wrench/Phillips Head screw driver in hidden clips at the license plate splash guard, or that they sent it out with a plug in charge connector for the battery? Neither is in the Owner's manual.
Stuff that doesn't suck: Pat and Party Cat The fellow flanking us was filthy, and upon his shoulder sat a small orange kitten, making the chopper pilot look like world's friendliest pirate. Spurgeon and I were walking down a dirt path inside Nelson Ledges Quarry Park at the Lowbrow Getdown. We may have been inebriated. We were walking to see Blue Oyster Cult play a little rock 'n' roll. We commented to the cat-bearing fellow about how odd it was to see a kitten at a motorcycle event, and then we got the story of a lifetime. Pat hails from New Jersey, not too far from RevZilla, but we met him in Ohio, hundreds of miles from home. Pat told us a story that would have been unbelievable if he didn't have the furry proof standing on his shoulder. That adorable bucket of fuzz, by the way, now is known as Party Cat. This story is part of our series called "Stuff that doesn't suck." In the moto world, we all see things that aren't major news, but still stir our emotions and make us stop and say, "You know, that doesn't suck." Whether it's an inspired customization or an act of kindness or generosity, we want to shine a light on the good stuff in motorcycling. Seen something that doesn't suck? Tell us about it. Send an e-mail to CommonTread@RevZilla.com. "I was coming back from Born Free in California, and we had made it to Nevada," Pat told us. "I was at this truck stop getting gas, and this little guy just needed help. He was pretty badly burned, so I picked him up and tucked him inside my vest. We're feeding him regularly now, so he's doing better, even though he's sort of living on the road until we get home. "He's been eating tuna fish out of those dry-foil packs you can buy, and his burns are pretty much all healed up except for the little spot on his lip. He's so chill. He just hangs out in my vest when we get on the road. I've never met a cat so calm." Pat and Party Cat. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar. Party Cat was easily the most chopular mammal attending the Getdown. I'll be damned if I met a single soul who hadn't heard about the guy who rode cross-country with a kitten snuggled up to him. That cat had more greasy fingers petting him than anyone ever could have expected. When Party Cat's chips were down, Pat helped him out. Party Cat will repay the debt one mouse at a time out in Pat's shop, I'm sure. God knows Pat earned it. Spurgeon and Pat both said I couldn't keep him. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar. Pat and Party Cat's story doesn't suck at all. This isn't a breaking news story CNN will pick up, but it is a true tale of a biker who did something extraordinary and kind. Take an interest in your surroundings. You never know who you might be able to help on the road. Stuff that doesn't suck: Pat and Party Cat - Common Tread - RevZilla
I like the work, I just don't care for leaving all my gear in the wet and cold along with the theft potential. Now if you could just add enough space for a Rottweiler to come and go from the house then It might work..
What with some minor health concerns I am a bit late in reporting on the 2015 Indian Scout. A good bike and my only complaint was with the suspension. As a side note it seems that Polaris had a sign out for a suspension specialist and that combined with www post indicates that I was not alone. The Scouts suspension, as delivered was not a balanced system,. Front was too soft and rear was too harsh. Now understand in my past I have built and raced GP Bikes as well as a number of street bikes so I may be a little more pedantic about suspension than others. Fact is, world wide, folks have been addressing this in a very professional way and I have two shops/parts suppliers to suggest. They follow. http://www.progressivesuspension.com/ I just spoke with Frank at Progressive and they have a set up in R&D and expect to market it in 4 weeks And this one in Australia. I have been racing and riding dirt bikes for well over 40 years and have a healthy understanding of dirt bike suspension setups for more than 15 plus years racing in Australian enduro's and natural terrain Moto-X, I am in no way a suspension expert, and believe the scout is a good fun cruiser that needs some suspension tune ups, and my hope is with some correct information that you also will understand suspension like I have and be more in tune with what and how to deal with suspension setups on your Indian scout machine. You can view my company website to get a more of an insight into what it is I do. Prop Engineering Why customize your bike’s handling? When manufacturers build a bike they have to take into consideration many variables. Variables such as rider weight, rider speed, track speed, terrain, riding style and conditions must all be taken seriously to provide a bike to the public that will be a good balance for everyone. Spring rates and dampening circuits are somewhat averaged out to suit an average rider on an average track or road. These standard bikes are set up to suit a person that doesn’t really exist (ie: a compromise). All motorcycles new or old no matter what they are will require some degree of suspension rework. If you are serious about your riding and or racing, or just making your motorcycle suit you to a tee, you need a bike custom set-up for you to allow you to get the most from your machine. Customize your bikes suspension is for you the bike will perform and ride a whole lot better and you will enjoy your riding the scout a whole lot better. Once you install custom suspension and tune your suspension to your riding conditions that best suits you, you will think quit differently about the cost and suspension in general. Everyone sets money aside for things like saddle bags and handlebars, floorboards, seats, backrests, windows, trinkets for the scout, but when it comes to the very thing that needs money spent on it before anything ells, it’s like, "Hell can pay for that" I've just placed an ordered for stage 1 pipes, man it's looking and sound real good, but the ride is shit, but this will do nothing what so ever to improve the handling performance of your scout. Front Suspension So let look at the front suspension and how we can set up to perform a whole lot better than what the factory has provided you and us scout riders with. First of all the OEM fork spring is 5 to 12 N/mm with an 80mm pre-load spacer under this set up, the front forks will bottom out and give most riders jarring through the handle bars as the fork compresses and bottom out. As the spring performance been in the 5N/mm range this fork spring is best for a rider and gear under 50Kg’s (100Lb’s) very inadequate for 95% of most riders. Installing a Ikon suspension progressive fork spring For a riders weight of 90kg's to 115kg's Fork spring P/n 500-931 is 8.9 to 14.2 N/mm with the progressive portion to the top, use a 50mm pre-load spacer (to start with) do the setup procedures for you the rider, and the bikes static sag to fine tune your suspension to your riding style, by adding to the pre load spacer or making it shorter thus adjusts the bikes sag this will not change the tension of the spring, do not just install the 50mm spacer and go riding. For a riders weight of 70kg's to 85kg's Fork spring P/n 500-014 is 6.1 to 9.1 N/mm with the progressive portion to the top, use a 50mm pre-load spacer (to start with) do the setup procedures for you the rider, and the bikes static sag to fine tune, by adding to the pre load spacer or making it shorter thus adjusts the bikes riders sag, do not just install the 55mm spacer and go riding. Before doing any changes to your front suspension, follow the set up as listed below to compare the difference in static sag with the OEM fork springs and Ikons fork spring, and all suspension work should be performed by a skilled suspension expert. Fork pre load drawings showing pre load fork spacer dim's for riders weights has been added along with a drawing of the rear pre load washer also at the bottom of the page to help you determine the best for your ride conditions and riders weight. Revision No 8 The Following is my front fork suspension setup for a rider and gear weight of 75Kg’s (150Lb’s) up to 85Kg,s (170Lb’s) Fork spring P/n 500-014 Raise the front wheel off the ground so the front forks are uncompressed remove the handle bars, use a 7mm alen key and loosen the socket head cap screw at the top of the triple clamps next to the fork cap/nut using a 30mm socket undo the fork cap/nuts this will expose the pre load spacer and washer and OEM spring, note the parts as removed, OEM spacer, washer, spring. Note must be returned in this order. Installed the Ikon suspension progressive fork spring Fork spring P/n 500-014 with the progressive portion at the top, as recommended by the manufacture install OEM washer then your pre load spacer, reinstall the fork screw cap/nuts and reassemble the motorcycle. check all bolts. see fig 1 Leave the scout on the jack with the front wheel off the ground, so the front wheel is still suspended this will be the bikes unloaded suspension measurement check, take a measurement from the top of the dust seal lip to the bottom of the triple clamps right this measurement down as seen in Fig 2 (mine was 133mm) Remove the scout from the bike jack with both wheels on the ground, compress the front forks through the compression stroke and retake the measurement from the same position. Measure from the top of the dust seal lip to the bottom of the triple clamps right this measurement down (mine was 106mm) now take 106 from 133 = 27mm should be between 20mm and 30mm if you have to use a pre load spacer greater than 60mm long then a harder fork spring rate must be installed, this is the scouts static fork sag, by adjusting the pre load spacers adding or removing spacer washers 2 to 3mm at a time you will now be adjusting the scouts static fork sag and how the bike handles and performs under road conditions and cornering. Now that you have the motorcycles front forks static sag within 25 to 30mm we now look at riders sag, this is how you determine your suspension spring weights are correct for your rider’s weight, if they are outside the limits stated above then a different fork spring is needed. Place yourself with gear on the bike, if you have saddle bags load them as you would if you were going on a trip, sit on the scout and have a seconded person retake the measurement from the same position, measure from the top of the dust seal lip to the bottom of the triple clamps right this measurement down (Mine was 100mm) now take 100 from 133 = 33mm this is my riders sag. Riders sag for street should be between 30 to 40mm, I do think that having a riders sag on the scout any more than 35mm will give you pore cornering and lead to ploughing, I'm using 15wt fork oil with an oil air gap of 160mm. Go for a ride and not the difference in handling performance, if you feel that the front seems a little hard over curtain road surfaces, repeat steps from 1 to 5 and change the pre load spacer washers by adding pre load spacer washers or removing spacer washers at 3 to 5mm at a time you will now be adjusting the scouts static sag and riders sag and how the bike handles and performs under road conditions. Setting will change as the fork oil becomes hotter due to use, and your setting will change when setup with could fork or shock oil. For more information about suspension setups, here is a video on and about riders sag. Ikon suspension progressive fork spring of 8.9 to 14.2 N/mm and race tech have the same spring rate so ether spring will do install the progressive portion at the top with a 50mm pre-load spacer if your in the 200Lb riders weight if your around 160Lb use 45mm (to start with) adjustment in 2mm to 3mm spacer thickness. So lets talk a bit about fork oil and quantity's and weights if you wish to change the fork oil at the same time, as a guide fork oil weight 5,10,15,20,30 is the viscosity of the oil itself higher in number the thicker the viscosity and the slower the fork will rebound back to it's standard position. Oil level: Tune in 10mm increments. Measure the oil level with the Fork Spring out, chrome tube at bottom of stroke, top of fork tube down to the top of the oil in regards to the scout start with and air gap of 140mm from top of fork tube compressed to top of oil. NOTE: Tuning fork oil level will only affect the feel in the last 30% of fork travel. Use this variable to address bottoming issues or if not using most, or full, fork travel. Oil Viscosity controls Rebound Damping how quickly the fork extends after the bump. Thicker oil slows fork movement down, thinner oil speeds it up. Please note that Suspension Oils are not constant in viscosity between brands! Choose a brand and stay with it to ensure consistent results when making changes NOTE: Oil viscosity should be used for tuning rebound damping ( the speed at which the fork returns back to it operating length) There is no ‘right or wrong’ setup, rather what works best for a given rider for their particular riding style. I encourage experimenting with settings to find your personal ‘sweet spot.’ Always take notes and record your changes. It is easy to go back to the original settings. The forks must be removed from the scout and treated with respect as any damage to the chrome surface will end in tears. keep your work environment clean and do one fork at a time, make sure the progressive section is at the top of the fork when installing. Fig 1 Fig 2 Rear Shock Now that we have the front setup, it’s time to move on to the rear shock, this requires the rear shock to be removed from the scout and partially disassembled. This modification is best for the scout owners that are under the 200Lb's As mentioned in the front fork suspension section all work should be preformed by a suspension specialist if you do not have the aptitude or any know how in suspension setups or adjustments leave it alone. Jack the bike up so the rear wheel is just touching the ground so that the rear shocks can be removed. Remove the pre load lock nut followed by the pre load nut and remove the OEM spring from the shocker, and remove the lower spring saddle as indicated in Fig 1 – 4 Fig 1-4 ] Next slide the compression rubber up along the shock shaft to expose the lock nut, and undo the lock nut, this will allow the lower shock mount to unscrew from the shock shaft, remove the lock nut and rear shock pre load spacer, do not remove the compression stop rubber, See Fig 5 Fig 5 Install the new replacement rear shock pre load 5mm spacer only that came with the upgrade kit as to your riders weight, re install the lock nut, reinstall the lower shock mount. Critical measurement from the base of the shock to the top of the shock pre load spacer must be 50mm and can be No more. See fig 6. Fig 6 Once you have this measurement of 50mm, lock the lock nut against the lower shock mount firmly; slide the compression stop rubber back over the lock nut. Place the shock on a bench with the lower shock mount on the bench and push firmly all the way down so the shock contacts the compression stop rubber, this will indicate that you have full travel of the shock to it’s full length, congratulations you also now have increase you shock compression travel by 6mm (1/4”) to 51mm (1.422”) more than the standard compression travel of only 46mm (1.219). See Fig 7 Fig 7 Reinstall the spring and pre load nut followed by the pre load lock nut. from the base of the spring saddle to the top of the pre load nut measure 180mm with an installed 5mm pre load spacer ( this is a starting point only and you will adjust this at a latter stage during a test tide) and then secure luck nut. see Fig 8 Fig 8 Reinstall the rear shocks on the bike and tighten all bolts and check all components that have been reinstalled. At this point you your scout is close to been setup for your riding style and riders weight, push down on the rear harshly and note how the rear shock no longer impacts the rebound stop. You now have static sag, that you never had before, even go for a ride and note how much improved the suspension is compared to the old OEM setup, your scout is now more balanced than when it came out from the factory. Now if you find the shock to soft, you can adjust the pre load nut 2mm turns at time and measure from the same point that you did when resampling the shock. Note when you sit on the scout, the scout lowers front and back at the same time (Balanced Scout) Note how when riding over shit roads the rear is not smacking you in the ass and nocking your foals teeth out. Note How little often the shock hits the rebound stop. Note How softer the rear end is without rebounding back to the rebound stop. Note that you have more compression travel over road surfaces that you didn't before. Note how you now ride over imperfections in the road and not through them. Note how you now feel about riding your scout. Be very pedantic with your measurements and be quite curtain that both rear shocks are identical in dimensional setups. At this stage the front fork and rear shock upgrade kit will include the following parts bellow Sup Total $320Aus + $48 postage Total $368,00. 2 progressive front fork springs 2 Pre load spacers (cut to riders weight) 2 Rear shock pre load spacers, (only use 5mm spacer) The Pdf of the rear shock pre load spacer supersedes any and all previous release and when installing rear shock pre load spacer use the 5mm pre load spacer from the Pdf drawing and NOT the 10mm spacer fork pre load drawing showing pre load fork spacer dim's for riders weights has been addad.
A rookie police officer pulled a biker over for speeding and had the following exchange: • Officer: May I see your driver's license? • Biker: I don't have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI. • Officer: May I see the owner's card for this vehicle? • Biker: It's not my bike. I stole it. • Officer: The motorcycle is stolen? • Biker: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the tool bag when I was putting my gun in there. Officer: There's a gun in the tool bag? • Biker: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the dude who owns this bike and stuffed his dope in the saddle bags. • Officer: There's drugs in the saddle bags too?!?!? • Biker: Yes, sir. Hearing this, the rookie immediately called his captain. The biker was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the biker to handle the tense situation: • Captain: Sir, can I see your license? • Biker: Sure. Here it is. It was valid. • Captain: Who's motorcycle is this? • Biker: It's mine, officer. Here's the registration. • Captain: Could you slowly open your tool bag so I can see if there's a gun in it? • Biker: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it. Sure enough, there was nothing in the tool bag. • Captain: Would you mind opening your saddle bags? I was told you said there's drugs in them. • Biker: No problem. The saddle bags were opened; no drugs. • Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole this motorcycle, had a gun in the tool bag, and that there were drugs in the saddle bags. • Biker: Yeah, I'll bet he told you I was speeding, too.
Man, I hope that biker was just passing through.That rookie cop will be looking to "return" the favor of "lesson learned hard is a lesson learned well".
No.... Now he will just play back the Video & Audio, from his BodyCam, for the Captain, and the Biker will end up in the GrayBar Hotel ,for an extended weekend.... Isn't Modern Technology, wonderful...
