This page offers a chronology of my bike purchase,
a book store, some links, and a testimony of how the bike came
to be a fixture in my garage.
NOTE: Being an owner of a new H-D, I remember when I
used to surf the web, hunting for anything that would satisfy.
I especially enjoyed the personal sites made by bike owners,
and I liked them a bunch more than the dealer sites, because
dealer sites were all the same. Hope you enjoy this site, and
if yer interested in owning a Harley
... may you some day be blessed with having one.
After you get past the initial photo of
my bike, and past the featured books from my store, you can find links to more photos at the bottom
of this page.
I have one of the most
comprehensive on-line H-D bookstores available!
Click above
--To buy Harley-Davidson books, videos,
games and calendars!
Here are ...
Featured Books: Just click the book
or title to order.
With sexy full-page photo spreads
and plenty of motorcycle lore, this commemorative volume celebrates
the centennial of the legendary motor company. Willie G. Davidson,
vice president of Styling at Harley-Davidson and the grandson
of one of the original founders, gives a decade-by-decade account
of the company and the rise of biker culture. He describes the
tinkerers perfecting the "motorized bicycle" in the
basement of the Davidson family home in Milwaukee, Wisc., in
1903; the role of women riders-who were among the bike's earliest
enthusiasts-and H.O.G. rallies and socials; and, of course, the
postwar decades when rebel types "eager to have too much
fun" captured the public imagination and forever changed
the image of the motorcycle. The book includes two-page spreads
of motorcycles for years during which Harley offered a new design,
and Davidson shares his own passion for the machines and his
memories of the family business throughout. "
Reviewer: Gary Schwebach (gschweba@aol.com)
from Indianapolis, IN. -- "Great guide to high performance
for low dollars.This easy-to-read handbook discusses all aspects
of Sportster performance, from engine to suspension modifications.
It provides suitable modifications at every price point, from
dirt cheap to very expensive. I used it to customize my 1999
883 and am delighted with the results. It also provides valuable
lessons for anyone interested in modifying any motorcycle. I
would recommend this book to anyone planning to customize their
ride."
Reviewer: An anonymous buyer from Austin, TX --
"Lots of good info. Lots of diagrams and the book is broken
down into chapters about specific areas of the bike and goes
step by step for fixing most problems. Some good troubleshooting
info. Not much info on some areas like the wiring for the lights
and some things are hard to find but overall DEFINATELY worth
the money. If you own one of these bikes and want to do your
own maint. Buy this book."
Reviewer:midlantic1@aol.com
from Runnemede, NJ. -- ''Great accent to your favorite service
manual. Finally, a book that takes a lot of the guess work the
factory manual leaves us with. Great shortcuts and tips to get
the job or upgrade done fast and right. This book is well-written
in laymen's terms, fully illustrated with great color and cloe-ups.
Kip (the author) tells you htings the factory 'FORGETS' to tell
you. If you like to work on your Harley as part of the pleasure,
it will be a great pleasure to read this book. Thanks, Kip --
great job!"
--To browse for more Harley-Davidson
books, videos, games and calendars!
... The timetable of my bike: how it and
I became one.
Mid-February --
I uploaded this page to the web when my
motorcycle was just a prayer. It contained nothing but a picture
of the bike I could only dream about.
March 22, 1999 --
To my surprise, 126 visitors have already
hit the page, so I kinda feel bad because all I had up for over
one month was a picture I stole from the H-D Web Site. You can
find that original photograph at:
The above webpage is at the H-D website
and you just hafta look for the words "LARGE PHOTO POP-UP
WINDOW (30KB)" and click on them. When the window opens,
just right-click your mouse on the photo and save it to your
hard drive. I also have made this photo into a BMP file so it's
always on my Winders Desktop.
To Each His Own ...
So ... enough already. My new bike should
be at the dealer any day now. There are those who say, "The only Harley is a black
Harley." Well, to that, I say,
"They wouldn't
make red and blue ones if black were the only Harley." I also have to follow that up with, "But, there are a lot of colors
I wouldn't buy." Just so happens, mine is coming in "Cobalt Blue Pearl," and it's exactly what I wanted. I was in Miami,
FL about a month ago and got to see one in "Lazer Red Pearl"
with a "Cobalt
Blue Pearl" right beside it. The
quote that fits here is, "To
each his own," but the "Cobalt Blue Pearl" is a mix between blue and purple like I've never
seen before, and my heart was instantly set on "Cobalt Blue Pearl."
Now ... I don't dream often, but even my recent dreams have been
tinted in "Cobalt
Blue Pearl."
March 23, 1999
I dropped by BCHD (http://www.texas-harley-davidson.com in Harker
Heights, Texas, where I bought my bike) today during lunchtime
and ordered the following to be put on the bike when it comes
in: Screamin' Eagle slip-on pipes (turn-out style); DynaJet jet
kit; high-flow K&N air filter; engine oil cooler; and braided
stainless brake lines (front and rear). That's it for now --
The only other thing I want to add maybe one month after I get
it is a sissy bar, but I don't know what kind yet ... they just
offer too many and it's hard to tell right now.
Later ...
Turn only your head when you look to the
rear to check traffic while riding your bike ...
March 24, 1999
I went by the dealer again today. Seems
I can't stay away, anticipating its arrival. I talked with the
Chief Mechanic, Tony, or Roy (I'm not good with names) about
the cost of installing the pipes, oil cooler, air filter, jets
and brake lines. It comes to about $250 labor. Sounded OK to
me, since I expected it to be more. I've been reading about jetting
in this month's issue of "American
Iron Magazine," so I also
talked to him about how they set it up. Seemed to me they have
to run it a bit to get it breathing and running right. He told
me they do so many that they've established a base point to work
from, and they also run them on the street and on their dyno.
The bad thing is that I won't be able to tell the diference between
how it ran before, and how it will run after, so I guess I'll
never know -- WHO CARES?
While I was there, Dave the salesman (I
called him Ed on my second visit ... said I wasn't good with
names) was finally entering me in the computer as the buyer of
the bike. He asked how I was doin' and I was a little afraid
to talk to him because I'm in there every day lately. I told
him I was upset with him because he rushed me out yesterday.
There was a blonde waiting to see him behind me, and he actually
did rush me out the door. I told him
I wasn't going to hold it against him ... that I could see why
he was in a hurry to get to the next customer. He chuckled a
bit. Then I told him I felt like I was coming in too much and
didn't want to become a nuisance. He said all buyers come in
every day and he was the same way once, so he didn't mind. He
said, "Come every
day all day if you want, Mike." Well, don't know if
I'll do that, but it was good to know I wasn't being a bother
to anyone. Dave's the type of guy ... well, let me just say you'd
know Dave's being bothered by you if you bothered him.
When the bike comes in, I'm adding right
away some less-restrictive pipes, a high-flow air filter, a jet
kit, engine oil cooler, and maybe some braided stainless brake
lines.
Later ...
When you brake, use them both, front and
rear ...
March 25, 1999
Motorcycle Riding Class began this evening.
Got home about 10 p.m. and hafta be at the riding course before
7 a.m. Gotta get some sleep.
March 26, 1999
Motorcycle Riding Class got off to a good
start. It rained for two hours, but we continued even in the
rain, but that was a good thing because now, I'm not scared of
the rain anymore.
But something better happened today --
I saw my bike for the first time. It arrived late Friday. There
was a Custom Bike/Corvette/traveling Harley Museum at BCHD today,
so I went, still soak-and-wet from riding in the rain. I was
looking at a couple of custom (all chrome ... the only thing
that wasn't chrome was the tires and seat) Fat Boys in the garage
area, and then I started looking at the bikes in for repair.
I caught it in the corner of my eye ... 1999 Cobalt Blue Pearl
883 Custom, and felt in my heart it was mine. It is. The feeling
... well, you have to feel it to understand it.
All the parts are in except the engine
oil cooler. They'll start working on it Tuesday. Maybe I'll be
able to listen to it for the first time then. It's going to stay
at the dealer until the oil cooler comes in, so it will grace
the showroom floor for a few days ... I don't mind. Maybe someone
else will be able to have one like it ... but only if God wills.
When I bring it home, I'll put a few pictures
here ... I am overwhelmed by the blessing.
May 5, 1999
I've had the bike for a little over one
month now. I have some detailed shots if you click HERE, of the accessories I've installed so
far (sissy bar, rear light kit, brake lines, oil cooler). Gotta
go ...
May 6, 1999
The bike has 760 miles on it now. I also
took an Advanced Motorcycle Riding Course last week, which was
awsome. We drove for about 5 hours, and the result is that my
turns got a LOT better. Driving in a course tires you out. One
guy had to sit out a few minutes because he was beat ... we all
were real thirsty the whole time and drank lots of water.
I did my first oil change at 561 miles.
It was easy. Next time, I'm gonna use a synthetic, but I don't
know what kind yet, but I think I'm gonna go with Belray. When you talk synthetics with folks,
some replies you get are really dumb. This was the best: "Don't use a synthetic in
a Harley. Harleys need friction to operate properly." Huh? There are some definate misconceptions about
synthetic motor oils, and that was the biggest, so I'm gonna
trust what I already know -- I have a 1989 cage (in case you
don't know, biker lingo for "car") with 170-K-miles
on it that has used synthetic exclusively and mechanics say the
engine internals are like new. So, I'm gonna go ahead with the
synthetic next time.
I've noticed that on windy days, butterfiles
fly low, next to the surface of the road. This is one thing you
definately can't ever notice while driving a cage. Bikes are
great!
May 14, 1999
I'm at 982 miles now ... the bike is finally
broken in!!!! Thousand-mile checkup is May 20.
This here fancy web site is finally generating
some traffic, and is listed at AltaVista as number 4, 5 or 6,
depending on what yer searchin' for. Once in a while, people
will send an e-mail message about their bikes, and I really enjoy
reading them ... maybe I'll meet some of these folks on the road
some day.
June 13, 1999
I haven't mentioned it, but I'm in the
US Army and I began leave June 8. Leave ends June 18. Since leave
began, I haven't been riding much ... just two short trips for
about 35 minutes each ... I took leave to do some work around
the house: puttin' up a fence between my house and the neighbor's
fence [so I'll be fenced in on 4 sides] and texturizing and painting
my unfinished garage. Come to think of it, it's now a half-finished
garage -- texturized, awaiting paint tomorrow.
Bike has about 1,850 miles one her now.
I've added some chrome (something I didn't think I'd do) in the
form of battery cover and top; fuse box (that triangle thing);
oil tank cover; and belt guard. I also changed the pegs and shift
peg and after the garage is painted, I have H-D's chrome engine
guard and some foot pegs for it to put on ... decided I needed
these after a 160-mile round trip a few weekends ago -- I found
I needed an alternate riding position for my legs and feet.
November 17, 1999
I couldn't update this site for a long
time now. Being in the Army, I was sent to South Korea during
late September and this is where I'll be for the next two years.
As for my bike, it is in a storage facility
back in the States. I'm back to dreaming about her again, and
that's a damned shame.
Well ... if you read this and own a bike,
I don't expect you to think about me when you ride, but, if you
do, let me know so I can feel a little better about being without
my bike.
This page offers a chronology of my bike purchase,
a book store, some links, and a testimony of how the bike came
to be a fixture in my garage.
100 Years of Harley-Davidson
Motorcycles -- by Willie G. Davidson -- Price is $45.50, you save $19.50
(30%)
Harley-Davidson
Sportster Performance Handbook -- Price is $17.56, you save $4.39 (20%)
Harley-Davidson
Sportsters 1959-1985, Service, Repair, Maintenance -- Price is $23.16, you
save $5.79 (20%)
101
Harley-Davidson Performance Projects for Evolution Big Twins
and Sportsters
-- Price is $23.96, you save $5.99 (20%)
--To browse for more Harley-Davidson
books, videos, games and calendars!
wouldn't buy." Just so happens, mine is coming in "Cobalt Blue Pearl," and it's exactly what I wanted. I was in Miami,
FL about a month ago and got to see one in "Lazer Red Pearl"
with a "Cobalt
Blue Pearl" right beside it. The
quote that fits here is, "To
each his own," but the "Cobalt Blue Pearl" is a mix between blue and purple like I've never
seen before, and my heart was instantly set on "Cobalt Blue Pearl."
Now ... I don't dream often, but even my recent dreams have been
tinted in "Cobalt
Blue Pearl."
him
I wasn't going to hold it against him ... that I could see why
he was in a hurry to get to the next customer. He chuckled a
bit. Then I told him I felt like I was coming in too much and
didn't want to become a nuisance. He said all buyers come in
every day and he was the same way once, so he didn't mind. He
said, "Come every
day all day if you want, Mike." Well, don't know if
I'll do that, but it was good to know I wasn't being a bother
to anyone. Dave's the type of guy ... well, let me just say you'd
know Dave's being bothered by you if you bothered him.
