Awww, thanks tomp. Yes I always enjoy a nice rideWhat ever I can do to make things better for you. tp
Sailor_chic, I took an afternoon ride, in honor of your birthday. Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did. tomp
I wasted most of the cold/wet holiday days prior and then today had to do all the piled up housework. Laundry, cat stuff, vacuuming, dishes, trash, flipping the bed, paying bills, cleaning the shower and vanity, washing the car, and finally culminating in the outdoor Christmas lights and decorations. What a waste for a freaky warm and clear day of 65F I should have done this crap Fri/Sat then been out riding today.
Just call me "Mr. Procrastination.... to the Max"
Happy Bday C14 Chick!
Picked up a shim kit. A small dealer here in Phoenix had them in stock. I must have made 30 calls trying to source them locally, finally called North Valley Honda and scored! I know I may have saved a little time and $ by ordering them online but whenever possible I try to spend my money locally.
Also picked up some Irridium plugs from O'riely Auto Parts. Around $10 each. In stock! Sweet!
Went to see a guy I know about some high performance riding lessons. Ted is a pprofessional AMA Superbike rider and he, along with his SO (Also a AMA pro rider), have a riding school. Going from a worn out Electra Glide to this beast is akin to going from a used up Crown Vic to a Ferrari. I've ridden hundreds of thousands of miles in the last 40 years, most of which have been on Harleys. To think that I have developed the necessary skills to really RIDE this motorcycle in the manner which it was designed to be ridden would be arrogant and ludicrous. I liken it to a private pilot logging 10,000 hours as P.I.C. of a Cessna 172 buying a P51 Mustang and not getting advanced instruction. Early next year I'm getting some one-on- one instruction on a closed track! Boo ya!
Every single valve I had to adjust had an aftermarket shim in it. All were too tight. Either the same valves required adjustment again, (doubtful) or the person who did the last adjustment was trying to get the absolute minimum lash. Why in the name of Connie would someone do that? A valve that's a little loose is INFINITELY better than one that is a little tight. GRRRRR.Backwards thinking. Might as well sync the throttle bodies while your in there.
Swapped out the stock AGM lump for a Battery Tender LiFE unit. Dropped 6 pounds like a bad habit, and she's back to starting quickly again. Granted, that would happen just swapping in any new battery in place of a dead one, but given the size and weight of the new unit, I'm pleasantly surprised. No issues running the heated grips and seat, although I've taken to cutting both of those off when I'm 3-5 minutes from my destination, just so I'm not draining the battery unnecessarily right before shutting the bike off. Might help, might not, but it makes sense in my head, so I'll keep doing it.
Using the included foam wedges to make the new unit fit in the space for the old one was less than optimal. I don't understand why they don't just make a 'racing' version that is reduced size so you can eliminate the battery tray on a race bike, and a 'road' version that weighs maybe an ounce more, but comes in a plastic shell that is the same size as an original battery. Battery hold-down setups are built by the manufacturers for a given size, and swapping in an equally sized, but radically lighter unit would be easier for the consumer. Just sayin'...