A bear to handle

That's what my friend Martin said today after I swapped bikes with him on a morning ride we had.  His is a K1200, 2003,  runs like a sewing machine and sounds like one too.  I watched him struggle along with the hack and it looks like he enjoyed having a workout on it.

We did some local riding and country roads, lots of turns and twists, not to mention potholes too.  I'll head out again later today for a longer run.  I'm waiting for the mail because I have parts due in for my R60 project.  Martin and I were talking briefly about a ride up to Nova Scotia.  Before we left the shop I removed that corbin seat and installed an old stock seat.  Bike looks better and I like the seat position too.  Even though is in poor condition I'll leave it on and recover it next month.

I did a evening ride and the odometer turned to 95,000 miles while I was riding.

Here is a photo of the stock style seat I put in place of the Corbin.

 

Now that is more like it!

Love this bike

Monday, Tuesday and today I went out for rides.  Great bike and I now feel very comfortable with driving it on the road.  So far I've added about 700 miles on the bike from speeds up to 60 mph.  I think this will be a keeper for a long time.  Plenty of power, looks nice, handles well and the patina keeps the bike looking classic in a nice way.  I will do a little more general cleaning and lube this weekend.

Sunday ride.

Last night I didn't go as far as I wanted to.  Traffic was crazy and so are most of the drivers so I just rode locally.  This morning I headed over to the annual Olney car show.  I had the only motorcycle there even though they had an area for bikes.  Got to see nice cars and was looking to see if my 1927 model T coupe that I had owned at one time was going to be there.  I sold it to George Hunt years ago and he passed it on.  It came to the show almost every year but was not there this time.  I invited some biking friends but they had other plans.  I'll head out again later today for a picnic with the beemer.

Another ride day.

Left the house at 6 am and toured around the area.  Nothing special just out and about.  Stopped for some coffee and at the hardware store when it opened.  The bike is running great and I really enjoy riding with the sidecar.  I put on just over 110 miles this morning.  Topped off the tank before returning home.  I'll make another run this after noon maybe to Gettysburg, PA.

Short week!

Well my trip was cut short and I was not happy about that so to take a mental break I took the bike and drove over to Bob's BMW and purchased a nice new set of leathers.  They had them advertised on Clist and were heavily discounted so I couldn't pass the deal up, pus they fit perfectly. After the purchase just took a drive around to see how the bike was at higher speeds.  I stayed in the 55-60 mph area and the bike seems to handle much better at those speeds.

Heading back to the shop I did a grocery run and found that the sidecar is very handy for that too, easy to load and unload.

I racked up another 80+ miles on the bike and it still a learning experience for me.

One week with out my hack

I have to take car of some business and will be away from my rig for a week.  I'll start posting again upon my return to the saddle.

Sunday Morning with Flore riding. Oh la la

I did 68 miles this morning.  Stopped by and picked up Flore for her first sidecar ride.  No screaming, just smiles and laughter.  Flore is from Paris,  Paris France, not Paris Kentucky.  If you don't know the difference these photos should help.

I've been running the bike with premium fuel and it has made all the difference in performance. Now here is the photo of Flore in the hack.

 

Now back to work on the R60.

Saturday.....ride day.

Today I took out the rig and just drove and drove and drove and drove.  I picked up a friend and drove him around a bit too just to see how it handled with a passenger.  I'd say much easier.  After dropping him off I continued riding around.....with no particular place to go.  125 miles worth!  Building driving skills a mile at a time.

Update.  I was hungry for some ice cream and what better way to get it then on the Beemer.  Took the long way around...actually the VERY long way around (35 miles).  What beautiful motorcycle weather.  (I had frozen custard ).

And second thoughts

Ok, so I removed the lights and helmet box, went back into the house for some iced tea and had those "second thoughts".  Went right back out and removed the rear rack and side storage box too.  I have more than enough space in the sidecar and it has a rack too.  Plus it's easier to service the rear wheel now that the box and mounting is removed.  Remember this was a barn find and I do have some rust on the shocks but I hope to address that soon.

Now I think that looks much better plus the added feature of being able to work on the bike a lot easier.

Take it OFF, Take it OFF!

I'm stripping down the rig and make it more "for me".  The sidecar had two halogen lights installed just below the rig frame and to me was of little or no value.  More of a power drain then anything so I removed them along with the wiring and power switch (and about 25 tie wraps, must have been a sale on them the week of installation).  This removal really cleaned up the front of the car.

 

The next thing I removed was the helmet storage box.  Very heavy duty and well made but I just don't use them and have enough storage as it is without it.  I might even remove the rack too.

 

 

                                                  

It is going to be another record breaking heat wave today so I am going to finish up after the sun goes down.