Monday, May 19, 2008

On Thursday, May 15th, 2008, I became an official member of MBI.




Yea!

I'm proud to be a part of the Motorcycle Bloggers International group. A.K.A., MBI.
http://www.mbiweb.org/

I hope I can contribute something worthwile as I continue to blog.
Thanks to those of you who stop by and read my site.

To those at MBI,
Thank you for accepting me into your community.
It is an honor.

Mr. Motorcycle

Friday, May 16, 2008

Tech. Tip #5 Show Car or Show Bike Shine

Many people often wonder what is the best product to get a show car, or show bike shine witout a professional detail job.


Here we need to address Waxes & glazes, and another product called Wizard's Mist n Shine.
As far as getting that luster back in your old paint, or bringing out a show quality shine in a somewhat shiny paint to begin with, I prefer Race Glaze, or a McGuires brand glaze. "Not a wax". Glazes give you that high luster sheen, and unlike waxes, don't leave a hard crusty white powdery film that is really hard to remove once dry. They go on easy, and wipe off easy. Both products can be applied with a buffer, or by hand. I've used, and still do use both.




Lots of people swear by Wizard's Mist and Shine.




I think this is o.k. for quick cleanups, and shines, but does not compare to a glaze. Because it has alot of cleaning agent in it, I've actually had it remove the glaze I just applied, and lost the high luster shine to get Wizard's Mediocre Luster. I thought it would build on the shine but did just the opposite. This is when I realized that nothing tops a good glaze for a show bike quality shine.

Keep in mind, glazes are not permanent, and need to be re-applied every so often. I re-apply glaze to my tins about every time I clean the bike, and it only takes about 3-5 minutes.

Good luck!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

One liner biker wit

.
I only feel like riding my motorcycle on days that end with the letter "Y".

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Exile Cycles (NOT!!!!)

I was driving down the road on Monday, and spottted this bike in front of me. We came up to a stop light. I saw a sticker on the back and had to see what it said. "Exile cycles".



I was humored.




SOOO NOT EXILE.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Part of my weekend with a bit of insider humor.

My wife is a knitter. I ride, she knits. This works.


To satisfy her knitting paraphenalia, we go the the Washington County state fair grounds each year for what is called the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival.


The picture above is of some angora goats.


This is where knitters, and such can show off and sell their wares, including raw fibers to be spun into yarn, etc.


Anyway, beyond the fresh real kettle corn, and seeing all of the different stuff people make, One thing caught my eye. This is for you Ronman! http://www.ridesroadsandronman.com/


Can you believe it! Everywhere you go, no matter what the event, or day, there is almost always something to post about.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Tech. Tip #4. It's all in the details

.
Tech Tip #4. It's all in the details is kind of a continuation of tech tip #1. Hiding or making the gas tank mount brackets blend in, is an important detail to me. This is part of making a bike look clean.
.
Another way to look at the little details, or better yet, not notice them is by blacking out, and silvering out nuts, bolts, & wires. You can do this with a simple can of spray paint in black, and one in silver, and a cheap brush.
.

.
.
Flat paints work best. Simply spray a puddle into a plastic cap, aluminum can bottom, or onto a piece of cardboard.
.
Apply to the nut or bolt head, wire, or what ever it is that you are trying to make blend in.
.
Keep in mind I recently had work done to my bike, so some of the nuts, bolts, etc. that I had blacked out, got damaged, during repairs, so I needed to re-do them. I have a couple of before and after shots below that show you examples. And some additional shots of afters. Some are wires, some are hose clamps, etc. But you get the point.
.
Before:
After:
Before: Notice the gas tank mount bolt head, and the side to side gas tank hose clamps.

After:

After:
After:
.
This makes a very subtle difference, but it's sometimes what you don't see, or don't notice that makes a difference. The object is to get things that should not stand out to blend into the back ground.
.
This is a simple detailing trick that anyone can use, and anyone can do it themselves.
.
Mr. Motorcycle

Sunday, May 11, 2008

A Mother's day tribute. Why do so many bikers name their motorcycles after women?



I've posted before that I named my bike Kenny after my father Ken, because I though Ken sounded too serious for me, and I could not name it Shirley and Ken, cause that just sounds stupid for a motorcycle name. I choose my father's name because I think personally that Motorcycles, no matter how sexy, are kind of a masculine thing.

Anyway, tons of folks name their bikes after women. It is standard tradition. I think some of it might come from the infuences their mother's had on them as children.

So for a Mother's Day tribute to all of the mothers out there, I give you the top 25 reasons to say thanks to Mom.

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE . 'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. 'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL . 'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. ' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. 'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY 'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. 'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA . 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. 'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION. 'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY . 'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't h ave wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPA TION. 'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING . 'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. 'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP. 'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
20. My mother taught me HUMOR. 'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . 'If you don 't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. 'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. 'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE . 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you !!

(O.K. my father taught me number 25. But I think my mom had some secret influence going in on this one as well.)

I was the third of three children. Not referred to as the third child, but rather the "terd" child.

***********************

Mom-

As I was running through the house with scissors, wearing a pair of dirty underwear, I realized I needed to get you a Mother's Day card. (My actual words were "Damn, I need to pick up a F-n card for Mom!"
So, with my messy hair, and unbrushed teeth, I hitched a ride to the store with a perfectly nice stranger who gave me some candy. And without the sales clerk (who I think you know from church) even noticing, I stole this card for you!
Well, anyway, I gotta go... My no good friends are jumping off a bridge, and, of course, I have to do it too!

Happy Mother's Day
from your son


Mr. Motoryccle