Riding

Riding On The Gulf Coast

Living on the Gulf Coast affords motorcycle enthusiasts, like your old pal The MotoWriter, the opportunity to ride year-round, but every place has its issues, and those of us that ride all year are built, just a little bit differently. We prioritize our riding as being just as important as regular rest, food and exercise. We don't ride because it's just some cool thing to do, we ride because it's a part of our identity. Riding is how we maintain our mental health, where we can talk to God without distractions and it's where we can sort through the madness of the world around us and shed some of the stress of our lives... one mile at a time.

 

No Matter What You Ride

It doesn't matter if you ride a Harley-Davidson, a Honda, a Triumph, an Indian or any other motorcycle brand, and it doesn't even matter if you ride on the road, off the road, or both. The key component is the riding. For those of us that are more comfortable straddled on a machine that defies all the safety standards of the modern automobile than in the safe and stable rolling roll cage that is the modern vehicle, we recognize the common bond in our fellow riders. That's why we wave at strangers on the highway, why we nod in approval at the pickup truck driver hauling a dirtbike down the highway and why we talk to other riders at gas stations and rest stops. We all recognize that same energy in one another- the same wildness of the spirit and the same, untamed, fire that drives us to ride. We are kindred spirits.

Down South, It's Not The Heat, It's The Humidity

We love to say things like that here and for good reason- because it's true. Sure, the heat does play a critical factor in riding during the summer months, with temperatures often reaching the mid to upper 90's in the peak of summer. While a lot of places out West easily top 100º F, especially in the desert areas, the humidity rarely gets past 50%, but down here on the Gulf Coast, our humidity levels typically average over 70%. Combine a 93º ambient temperature with 71% humidity and most people are ready to hibernate indoors until Autumn. But not us, nooo, no. We, the motorcycling enthusiasts of your communities, can't sit still when the sun is out. We are thinking about where we can ride, what roads offer the most shade and what restaurants have the coldest drinks. The worst time for motorcyclists along the Gulf Coast has got to be hurricane season, or, specifically... when there's actually a storm in the Gulf. Hurricanes bring excessive humidity, flooded roads, washed out bridges and, often, power outages that last hours, or even days. Even the less severe Tropical Storms can hinder our riding for days or, sometimes, weeks at a time. Talk about frustration. But when the skies clear up and the floodwaters recede, you'll see us back out on the roads or trails.

Trail Closures And The Gulf Islands National Seashore

Tropical Storm Arthur dropped a ton of water on us over the past few weeks and it wreaked pure havoc on the everything south of 31st parallel, with everything from catastrophic flooding, to tornadoes to major roadways being closed due to significant washouts. One of the reasons that I enjoy riding my dirtbike so much, is that I can still ride, even when the weather isn't so great, especially when riding the Harley isn't that smart of an idea. One of the most frustrating things about the dirty bike scene on the Gulf Coast, though, is that there aren't many public trail systems, even though we have lots of public access forest land. While I live in a very rural area, all of the land around me that could offer awesome off-road riding, is either privately owned or state owned and leased to private hunting clubs, so all the fire roads and trails are off-limits. It can be pretty frustrating at times, to have to load up and haul the bike to a public trail system an hour away. It's acceptable though, as long as the trails are actually open and the USDA does some periodic trail maintenance. I've spent a lot of time on my old XR lately because, well, to be honest- it's my newest "toy." But with all of the storm damage lately, all of the local OHV trail systems have been closed, so the only dirty biking that I can do, is ripping around on my own property, which can get pretty boring, pretty fast.

So, I did what I needed to do, and I fired up the MotoWriter Road King Special and hit the road. On the first day following the storms, I only rode about 75 miles or so- basically just an exploratory ride to see what roads near me were closed. The next day, I decided to venture out a little further and, while I didn't have a destination in mind, after riding for a while, I found myself close to the Davis Bayou Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. For those that don't know, the Gulf Islands National Seashore is the largest national seashore in the United States and it stretches 160 miles from Mississippi to Florida along the Gulf of America (the body of water formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico). Mississippi has 26 miles of white sand beaches spanning from Ocean Springs to Bay St. Louis and, unlike many of the beach roads in other states, there are very few developments on the beach side, meaning that you can ride along the beach roads and actually see the beaches and the water of the Gulf. The Davis Bayou Area is located on the mainland, east of the town of Ocean Springs, and the entrance of the park is easy to overlook, as it's smack dab in the middle of a busy business district. Riding into the park though, the busy highway quickly fades away behind you and, while it's a relatively short ride in, it's pretty scenic and is a very nice departure from the heavy traffic of the highway. Even though it was hot, I found some shade and parked the bike for a few minutes. I didn't stay long, just long enough to get some water, take my helmet off for a few minutes and snap a couple of pictures for this blog post. There was a nice breeze blowing, but the air was still pretty hot coming in off the water, so after getting rehydrated, I saddled up and headed out. Since Mrs. MotoWriter is currently out of town, I took the long way home and made it back just before sunset... just in time to enjoy an ice cold beer or three before ending the day by grilling myself a steak for dinner.

Enjoy The Discomfort

I'm not suggesting that you intentionally seek out uncomfortable situations... or at least, not all the time, but discomfort makes us appreciate how good we have it. It builds, or in some cases- reveals, our character. We all want to live comfortably, but at what cost? What must we sacrifice for the sake of "comfort"? Riding motorcycles is inherently dangerous and, often, uncomfortable. There is no steady cool breeze of mechanically cooled air blowing on our faces as we sit cozily in plush seats with lumbar support and surrounded by cupholders with our iced lattes and fountain drinks and a multi-speaker stereo system blaring around us. But the experience of riding a motorcycle is not just thrilling, it's almost spiritual. You feel the wind on your face and the sun on your skin, you feel all of the temperature changes as you ride along a country road, and you smell the fresh cut grass, the hay and all of the aromas of the flowers and the trees. Being one with the machine as you lean into curves lets you experience the scenery and appreciate your surroundings in a way that you never even notice when driving in a car. We all have to endure discomfort whether we want to or not... so why not embrace it? Why not harness it and make it into something good, into something that ends with a far better result? When I ride, even in humidity so thick you can cut it with a knife, I return home with a clearer mind, less stress and memories I can look back on when my body eventually gives out on me.

Final Thoughts

No matter where you ride, or what kind of riding you do, enjoy it as much as possible. Practice your skills and improve your techniques so that you give yourself the best opportunity to avoid injuries and stay safe. Don't just be a "fair weather" rider. Some of the best experiences I've had on two wheels were when the conditions weren't "ideal". I've ridden in freezing cold temperatures and I've ridden in temps so hot that you have to take a break every hour or so, just to stay hydrated. While I try to avoid leaving in a rainstorm, I've ridden in plenty of them. I've ridden in downpours so heavy that I couldn't see the highway 20 feet in front of my motorcycle and I've ridden in a steady rain long enough for my boots to, literally, fill with water. I'm not special and I'm not bragging; instead, I'm just pointing out that discomfort is simply part of the experience. Whether it's humid, hot, raining, cold or, absolutely perfect weather, the ride will always be worth it. 

Until next time, MotoReaders...

Ride Safe, and GO RIDE!

MotoReview- Unik Leather Gloves

MotoReview- Unik Int'l Full Finger Gloves

Greetings MotoReaders! As promised... I present to you, my review of the Unik International, leather full finger gloves (SKU 8163.00 in size Large). 

Let's get right into it... 

Customer Service

Before I review the gloves themselves, I want to be clear that these are not the gloves that I initially ordered. Shortly after placing my first order, I was contacted by their Sales Executive, Fawad Khilji from Dover, NJ (USA), who informed me that I would be getting a full refund for my order, as the gloves that I ordered had been discontinued and the order could not be fulfilled. But, Fawad was very friendly and helpful (and super fast on refunding my money), and within a few moments, and after a couple of emails, I found another pair of gloves to try. He verified that they had them in stock and in my size, then he had them sent out within an hour of placing the new order. As far as I'm concerned- that is first-rate customer service. 

The Gloves- First Impression

The gloves arrived quickly via UPS and upon my initial inspection, I was impressed. The first thing I noticed was the feel and smell of them. These are real leather, and they smell like it. Leather, coffee and the smell of bacon sizzling in the pan are some of the best odors to grace our nostrils, so it's fair to say that I was pretty happy smelling leather when I opened the bag, instead of the chemical odor that sometimes accompanies new gear. The gloves have a nice weight to them- they aren't cumbersome, but they are just heavy enough that you feel like they are made of good materials. The fingers have small perforations, which I would assume are intended for breathability. The holes are small, inline and don't detract from the look, but I'm not sure how much they will help in keeping your mitts cool in the summer- only time will tell on that one. The palm of the gloves have reinforced areas and the design fits my hands well. The reinforced areas aren't bulky and over padded like you find in some gloves; these feel natural when my hands are on the grips. The backside of the gloves feature 3 knuckle pads, which seem to be effectively placed and some reinforcement stitching across the flat of the hand, which, if I'm being totally honest (and I am), give the gloves a Mickey Mouse kind of look if you think about it too hard. While I don't know why they only put three, instead of four, knuckle pads on these gloves, the design works and I feel like the pads are placed in such a way that my knuckles would be protected in the event of a strike, and the gloves don't look silly or over-designed. 

A quick look inside the cuff and I noticed a label that said "Made in Pakistan" and a very nice, soft lining inside the gloves. The lining, made with DuPont Kevlar fiber was a happy surprise for me, since that wasn't listed in the description. A good weight leather outer shell with palm reinforcements, paired with a Kevlar lining means these gloves should offer pretty good abrasion protection, and the velcro adjustment strap at the wrist should keep the gloves from sliding off your hand, in the event of an unplanned slide. 

First Ride

On the website, one of the features noted is the "touch technology" in the fingertips and, upon initial testing with my phone... it seemed to work pretty well... until the first ride. Now, I don't seek out this feature on gloves since I intentionally try to avoid electronic devices while I ride my motorcycle. Having the ability to navigate a touch screen does help, though... as I just added a Quad Lock to my Road King, and I like to listen to music through my Sena while riding. For other folks, especially those riding the newest Harley-Davidson Touring bikes with giant touchscreen displays, touch tech in gloves would almost be a necessity. 

Donning the gloves for the first time, I noticed that the cuffs were a bit tight for my hand to get into them, but they fit extremely well once on. Getting a larger size might make putting the gloves on a bit easier, but then the glove would be too big, so I'm sure that they will break-in over time and with continued use. The fingers were a bit longer and fatter than I like (see photos below), but the reality is, there is no standard for finger lengths and widths, so in designing a glove, a company has to make the most logical size to accommodate most hands, so I'm not put off by this... I'm simply making an observation. The gloves felt good and I wore them all day, on a ride of just over 250 miles. 

The first thing I noticed when I stopped for gas, which was just a few miles into the ride, was that the "skin" on the index finger and thumb for the touch technology was already coming off (see photos). Again, this isn't a deal breaker for me, but I also don't have a touchscreen display on my dash either. For full transparency- I am currently running Avon Custom Countour grips on my Road King and stock levers. The grips have a textured surface, but the levers are smooth- neither of which should have abraded the tips of these fingers enough to remove this "skin", so I assess this to be a manufacturing flaw. Not great, considering this a featured selling point for these gloves. It didn't take long for the skin to be completely worn off, rendering the touch tech feature completely useless. 

Final Thoughts

For full disclosure- as part of being a newly chosen brand ambassador (which might get revoked after they read this review), I did get these gloves at a pretty decent discount. Not to mention, they were also listed on sale, for 50% off of their list price of $59.99. With tax and shipping, I had less than $30 bucks out of the bank account for these gloves, which is a pretty decent deal for a pair of genuine leather riding gloves. These gloves aren't perfect, and the touch tech was a bit of a disappointment, but I've spent almost as much for a pair of Mechanix brand gloves that don't offer a fraction of the protection as these and are made of synthetic leather-like materials, instead of real leather like the Uniks.

The bottom line? Well, for these, I say... to each their own. I can't in good conscience recommend these gloves to just anyone, but I can recommend them to anyone who doesn't need touch technology in their gloves. The leather itself is worth the price I paid for these gloves. Add in the knuckle protection, the reinforced palms, the quality of the stitching and the overall comfort and wearability of these gloves, $30 is a deal. With that said, my recommendation to Unik, is that they leave these on sale at 50% off until they can get that fingertip issue resolved, as I would be highly agitated if I dropped $60 for a pair of gloves that had touch technology only to see it flake off in the first 15 miles of the first ride with them. My other recommendation for Unik is that they drop the touch technology "feature" on the listing, and list the Kevlar lining as a primary feature, instead.

I'm sure that, with their exceptional customer service, I could have had my money refunded, or had the gloves replaced within a few days, but to be honest, I really don't care that much- I don't need touch tech and I didn't buy these gloves for that feature. I chose to buy gloves as my first purchase for a couple of reasons- first, gloves are relatively inexpensive compared to jackets, vests, chaps, etc. Second, gloves require complex stitching, the right combination of materials and the right design elements to make a quality product. Quite honestly, you can learn a lot about a company's quality control standards, material selections and design priorities based on a pair of their gloves. 

Overall, I give these gloves a thumbs up for quality of stitching, overall design and comfort. I rode all 250+ miles with these gloves on and my hands stayed comfortable all day. For the touch tech feature- if you specifically want, or need, touch technology to control or adjust your digital touch screen display, look for a different pair of gloves, but be prepared to pay significantly more for them. 

As I've said before, I'll never recommend a product or service to my MotoReaders that I wouldn't personally use, so if someone at Unik reads this review and decides that I'm not the best person to have in their brand ambassador program, then so be it. Until then, if you want to snag a pair of gloves, or any other leather gear from them, hit the logo on the right side of this page (or click here) to get 15% off of your order.

Stay tuned for more reviews... until then,

Ride safe and make good choices!

Updates coming soon!

Hey MotoReaders!

I’m super busy at the moment, but I wanted to drop a quick post to let you know that I’ve been working (literally) and getting some fresh new content for the ole website while doing so. In the next few weeks, I’ll have some new ride reviews on the new 121ci vvt CVO Road Glide, the new Lowrider ST and the Pan America. I’ll also throw in an update on the status of the MotoWriter Dyna and I might even talk about some other cool stuff that I’ve been doing lately. 

Drop a comment and let me know which review you’d like to see first, then check back soon!

Till then- ride safe and make good choices!

Work for it

Work For It

Ferry to Logtown, MS, circa 1900's

You gotta do more than just want it

Do you want something? It really doesn't matter what it is you want- be it a successful career, a happy relationship, a new motorcycle, or maybe a whole new life. Whatever it is you are seeking, though- you can want it all you want, but wanting it simply isn't enough.

You have to work for it

Nothing gained is ever given. You either have to buy it (if you can), steal it (if you dare) or earn it. No matter which path of acquisition you take though, when it all comes down to it- you still have to work for it in some way or another.

Want to buy it? Well, you have to earn the money to buy it, if that is, it is something that even can be bought.

Want to steal it? Again, you are going to have to figure out how you can steal it and get away with it, if it is something that even can be stolen. Not to mention, if you get caught stealing it, chances are you're going to lose it and you’re still going to end up having to pay for it.

But if you earn it... well, that is something truly special, because when you earn it, no one can take it away from you. The trick is, though… once you have it, you have to keep earning it. You have to work to keep it, or risk having someone else that wants it more than you, taking it from you.

When I was a kid, my dad would say “wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one gets filled up first.” Yeah, it was a crude way of saying that sitting around wishing for something to happen was a silly waste of time, but the point was made, regardless. Over time, when my kids would tell their paw-paw they wished for something, he shortened it up to “wish in one hand” then he’d grin at me and let me explain it to them. No matter how crudely the message was delivered though, the point was clear and true- sitting around wishing for something to happen is a waste of valuable time; time that could, instead, be used for working toward making it happen. 

Logtown, MS

The photo above shows a ferry crossing the Pearl River on the South Mississippi/ South Louisiana line. I like the photo for this piece for a few reasons- 1. It shows that, all the way back around 1919 or so, motorcycles were an integral part of the southern landscape (as they still are today); 2. The tenacity of the people back in pre-war America was undisputed; and 3. The ferry is crossing to a town that no longer exists. I’d be willing to bet that few people know the history of Logtown, MS, so I’ll drop a couple of links for you here and here (the second link has some great photos). The short story is, the town, which once thrived as a primary lumber supplier for the region, dwindled over the years until it was finally taken by the U.S. government, because of it’s location in, what would later become, the buffer zone of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center.

You may be asking, what does a Mississippi ghost town have to do with working for something? It’s simple- Logtown’s success began to falter because the community couldn’t, or wouldn’t, sustain it. The sawmills went out of business, one by one, until there was only one left. The surviving mill provided the majority of jobs for the residents there and, when it finally closed down, the town rapidly fell apart, I would imagine that in no small part, due to it’s location. It was fairly isolated, as you will see if you ever decide to take a road trip to the area. By the 1960’s, only around 250 people remained in the small town. There was no other significant industry and the geographic location of the town along the banks of the Pearl River, while ideal for the logging industry, was less appealing to other commerce. Logtown was just as the name implies- a log town. Without logging, there was no Logtown. You see, the founders of Logtown were too short-sighted. They didn’t work toward building a town, they only worked toward building a community that supported their businesses. There was no ambition to found a new city, so there was no effort to try to save it when the businesses closed. Logtown was little more than a “company town.” The only roads in and out existed to support the industry, there were no efforts to draw in visitors or tourists, the local school only offered classes up to the 8th grade and all higher grade students had to be bussed to “nearby” Bay St. Louis (which was several miles away, on the other side of the county). 

By the time NASA began to move into the area in the 1960’s, the government bought out the remaining 250 or so residents of Logtown and the town was officially abandoned, leaving little more than a few remnants of what remained and a single cemetery that still exists today. You see, NASA, or rather, the U.S. government, wanted the small town more than the founders and residents of the town did… so they used what they had- the ability to buy it.

If you’re a local to the Gulf Coast, can you imagine if the founders of the town had worked to keep Logtown and worked to establish it as a prominent city on the Coast? I wonder how much the coastal landscape would have been different than it is today? NASA would have moved their site further north along the river to adjust the buffer zone? Perhaps western Hancock County would have been more developed, with a thriving city, neighborhoods, businesses or shopping malls? I suppose no one knows what could have been, but one thing is certain, no one fought to keep the town, so it’s obvious that one one wanted it enough to put in the work to keep it.

Motorcycles, relationships and promotions

I fancy myself a writer (albeit, not a very good one), and sometimes, a story teller, so maybe my analogies aren’t always as easy to relate to as I’d like them to be. As such, I get that the example of Logtown might not be the one that rings your bell, so I’ll go for the easy three:

• Motorcycles, 
• Relationships
• Promotions

These should be easy. If you haven’t figured this out yet, I love motorcycles- new, old, big, small… if it has two wheels, I’m interested. For me, while I have some great bikes that I’m really happy with, I’m also always interested in adding to the collection when the right one comes along. As with every bike I have, and used to have, I had to work for it. Wanting it wasn’t enough- no, no. I had to work for it. When I bought the Road King, I had to commit to working to keep it, every month, for the term of the loan (it was, after all, the most expensive motorcycle that I’ve bought to date). No work + no pay = no motorcycle. For my Dyna, while it was significantly less expensive than the Road King, it also didn’t run, was rusty, crusty, corroded in all the wrong places and generally looked like it had been hit with a bag of turds. I had to work to get it back on the road, to make it look good and to make it run, reliably, every time I got on it. Having it on the lift and “wanting” it to run, wasn’t going to cut it (and paying someone for something I can do myself, simply isn’t ever an option).

Relationships. Relationships require constant work. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who has been married for more than a few years. I would venture to bet that they will all tell you the same thing- it takes work, a lot of work, as a matter of fact. Through the years, as things change, as people come and go in your lives, as financial burdens come and (hesitantly) go, as temptations emerge from, and fade into, the shadows… you have to work to remain faithful, frugal, strong, vulnerable, tender and tough. You have to focus, and refocus, through the years in order to survive the burdens of time. The reward is a strong, loving relationship with someone with whom you share history with. With someone who understands why you are the way you are, and who helps you to be a better person every day. There are few things better than being in a good relationship.

Promotions should be the easiest of all three, to explain the concept of working for it. If you want a job, you have to go through some process of getting it… that takes work. You may need a special education, or training… these take work. Once you get the job, you have to work to keep it. You can’t clock in every day, sit on your ass and do nothing, and expect to not get fired. No, you have to do the job they are paying you to do. What’s next? Do you want to promote? Of course you do! Maybe you want to be promoted to supervisor? Or perhaps, you want to be over a special division, project, unit or team? Promotions and advancements are competitive and “wanting it” is equal to my dad’s analogy for wishing. You can want it until you’re blue in the face, but as long as there is someone else willing to work, or work harder than you, for it… that person is going to be the one chosen over you. Now, of course, this may not always be the case, after all, some good ass-kissing to the right people might give someone an edge in the right (or wrong) place of business, but when they get their  brown-nose in the position and ultimately fail, it will just be a matter of time before they are kicked out, demoted or maybe even fired, and the hard worker put in their place. The reason is simple- the machine has to work and if the machine doesn’t work, someone is going to be held accountable for the losses. If you are the worker- the one who passes up the opportunity to drink coffee with the boss or tell him/her that their necktie really brings out the color in their eyes, in order to get the job done and keep the machine running, then you will be the asset, and the brown-nose will be the ass.

I hope this helps

I genuinely hope this helps someone out there to re-focus, re-energize and get to work on making their dreams come true. My dad taught me at a young age to work. He taught me the importance of working on my own cars (and later motorcycles), he taught me how to make household repairs and renovations- fix plumbing, electrical, sheetrock (which I still hate) and build sheds. I learned how to keep what I had running, and in my adult life, I learned how to maintain my home and my marriage, be a good husband and try to be a good father. Each generation wants to make life a little easier for their kids, but the disservice is, that each generation will raise their kids to become more reliant on other people until there is no one out there that can do anything for themselves. I tried to raise my kids with the same values and lessons that I was blessed with as a kid… and from what I’ve seen so far, those lessons seem to be sticking. I’m also really glad that they didn’t actually poop in their hands while making a wish.

Ride safe and make good choices, MotoReaders and remember, to wish in one hand, and work hard with the other.

Our Janus Experience, Chapter 2

As a wanna-be writer, with skills that I'm sure aren't as good as I think they are, I write for the sheer pleasure of writing. Mainly because nobody is paying me to do it. Maybe, I suppose, that is a good thing, as it keeps my writing pure. With that said... I'm writing this blog post for the second time, as the first piece (which was done and about to be published) was eaten by the internet and has now disappeared into the dark abyss, never to be read again. I won't dwell on this, extremely frustrating, setback... instead, I'll tell my little story... again.

Our Janus Experience, Chapter 2

I originally planned on telling my story in a multi-piece blog post series with cool little "chapters", but as it turned out... between working an unhealthy amount of time at my paying job and some minor setbacks throughout the whole process, it just wasn't meant to be. So, I'll tell the story in the best way that I can, so that I can share this experience with you and still salvage the little bit of Saturday morning that I have left.

At the end of Chapter 1, I left you with our build sheets being sent to the production team. Well, the next part of that journey should have been getting our production numbers (I'll explain later) and our VINs so that we could get our financing in order and then getting the link to our photo albums. Yes, I said photo albums... as in, the team at Janus photographs the bikes as they're being built, so that you can watch your new Janus motorcycle become more than the sum of its parts... so to speak. 

If I've never mentioned this before- I have, what would best be described as, "dumb" luck. My best explanation is this- I wouldn't consider myself to be "unlucky" per se, however... when it comes to me, if something can go wrong, it typically will. I guess you could say that Murphy's Law lives strong here in the ole MotoWriter. Without getting too far off topic, let me give you a hypothetical example: Let's say I was in a line of 500 people, getting an ice cream cone (it's hypothetical, after all). The 499 people before me would experience a delicious frozen treat, smooshed happily inside a delightfully crispy container... but that 500th cone, my cone, would undoubtedly have a hairline crack in the bottom of it and I would end up wearing more of the sugary frozen treat than I actually ate. Now, some people might say that sounds like "bad" luck, but in my case, the rest of the story would go like this: after wearing said ice cream stained shirt for the next hour, someone at a cool store would end up seeing me, and in a random act of kindness, end up giving me 50% off a new shirt. So, basically... it's not bad luck... it's just, well, "dumb luck." 

With that explanation out of the way, our experience with buying a Janus wasn't exactly the same as what most folks were reporting. Shortly after signing off on our build sheets, unbeknownst to my wife and I, one of the team members at Janus HQ got sick and was out for several days. Now, you might think that this shouldn't be much of an issue, but at a small operation like Janus, one critical member of the team going out unexpectedly can greatly affect the overall process of the build. With that being said, though... in our case, it didn't actually affect our builds, only our communication about the builds. 

When the good folks at Janus realized that my wife and I had, sort of, fallen through the cracks... they immediately made up for it. While at work one day, I got a call from an unknown number. I almost ignored it until I saw the call location was Goshen, IN. I immediately answered and, to my surprise, the guy on the other end of the line was none other than Janus Co-Founder and Owner, Richard Worsham! That's right, the Head Cheese, the Big Kahuna, the Big Boss Man himself! Now, I don't care how big or small a company is- for the guy at the very top to take time out of his day to call a customer and offer his condolences for things going a little sideways, then offer to answer any questions or address any concerns, is a major boss thing to do. THAT my friends, is the core of customer service from a guy that truly cares about giving his customers a positive experience along with a quality product. By the end of the call, Richard told me that we'd have our photo albums by the end of the day and, sure enough... we had them before I left for work that day. 

The builds

Now, I'll just say this, while we didn't get the albums of the builds while the builds were happening, that didn't change a thing for me. I'm still enamored by the fact that we have albums of our bikes being built. Imagine, if you will, someone at Harley-Davidson taking pictures of your bike as it was being built. At Janus, they not only take photos, but before the frame ever gets set on the build stand, the technician knows where that motorcycle is going and who it is going to. That is simply unheard of in this fast-paced production focused world we are in. The guys on the production lines at the major manufacturers are simply building bikes for a nameless, faceless customer to be bought from a dealer, somewhere out in the world, but at Janus, they knew that Halcyons #908 and #909 were coming to the Gulf Coast to Mr. and Mrs. MotoWriter and that, my friends, is friggin' awesome. 

When we got our albums and we could see the bikes coming together, part by part, it was exciting to see. You also may be wondering, if you caught it, what I meant by our "production numbers." Well, one thing that is really cool with Janus, is that they (much like every other manufacturer) keep up with their production numbers of their different models. The biggest difference being, they proudly display it on their bikes. On the Halcyon 250's, for example, they have an "old school" registration plate on the front fender that has the

 production number painted on it. Why, you might ask? Simple- they are proud of their motorcycles and, in the Janus Owners Community, the production numbers are a point of pride. For example, the guy that has Halcyon JM-001 may not necessarily have a more valuable bike than the guy with JM-500, but it's certainly cool to say he has it. Plus, it's just cool to have a "pedestrian slicer" as it's commonly known, on the front fender of your bike... it's a really neat throwback detail.

Janus really delivers... literally

Once your bike has been built and your financing is in place (or you've paid the balance on it), you have two options- pick it up from the factory in Goshen, IN, or have it delivered. Being that we are a full day drive away from the quaint little town where our motorcycles came into existence, and the fact that we were both working long hours over several days, my wife and I opted for delivery. Just over a week ago, I got a phone call from Mitch McLane, telling me that he and Kyle Norwood were southbound, heading to our house. The next morning, right on schedule, the Janus van pulled into our driveway.  My wife and I watched in eager anticipation as Mitch and Kyle unloaded our bikes. The guys were actually on their way to Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, AL so they had a few bikes in the back of the van. Due to the limited space, Kyle had to leave the mirrors and the engine guards off our bikes, so I let him use my garage to get them all buttoned up as we went inside with Mitch to get all the legal stuff taken care of. Did I mention that Kyle was one of the guys who actually built our bikes? How cool is that? Before finding Janus, I couldn't have imagined that any company could offer that kind of personal connection with their customers. These are production bikes with the one-on-one personal touch of having a one-off custom built bike. You won't find that anywhere else. Period. 

Not to mention, my wife's bike was ordered with a picnic basket and, when Mitch noticed that it wasn't sitting on the bike perfectly, he took it off, placed it back in the van and said that he would have a new one sent to her as soon as he got back home. He sincerely apologized that her bike wasn't perfect when it left Goshen. After Mitch and Kyle left, on their way to the Barber Motorsports Vintage Motorcycle Festival, my wife and I just sat back and enjoyed the simple elegance of our new steeds before we had to leave to go to our respective jobs.

The next chapter

While my storytelling of our Janus buying experience may be coming to an end with this post, I assure you that our Janus ownership experience is only just beginning. My wife still has yet to learn the basics of operating and riding her new motorcycle and I'm looking forward to teaching her to ride safely, cautiously and defensively. While Mrs. MotoWriter and her bike patiently wait for their first ride, my little Halcyon and I already have a few miles on the clock together. 

Riding a small bore motorcycle isn't for everyone. The vintage styling and rudimentary technology of the Janus Halcyon 250 isn't for everyone either. But for genuine motorcycle enthusiasts like me, these motorcycles are unbelievably cool. My Road King Special is my refined, sophisticated and very comfortable cruiser/tourer; my Dyna Street Bob is my ripper; and my Halcyon is the bike I'll ride when I'm longing for those days gone by, when life was simple, calm and easy.

Whatever you do in life, make it meaningful, make it fun and make it memorable with the ones you love. Ride safe and make happy choices, MotoReaders.

My inner cheapskate LOST...

If you know me, you know that I don't mind spending a little money on things that I like....BUT... you'd also know that there are some things I just can't quite justify to myself, no matter how much I like it (or want it). Typically, my inner cheapskate comes out and saves my bank account from the abuse that my childlike fascination with shiny new things would do to it. Well, not this this time. Today, the cheapskate lost.

When I first bought my 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special, the lighting was pretty basic. The turn signals were the same generic 1157 incandescent bulbs that have been used for decades and the stock headlight was the same stock 7" halogen that was in every Harley Touring bike. It's chrome reflector against the all-black bike just looked awful and out of place. So, my very first upgrades to the scoot were LED lightbulbs all around. Now, I refused to pay full price for the $600 Harley-Davidson LED projector, so I waited until I found a J.W. Speaker 8700 (which is a half-halo LED projector with black trim) on eBay for the right price. In case you didn't know- J.W. Speaker is based in Milwaukee, USA and just happens to be the company that makes the LED projector lights for Harley-Davidson (and several other companies). I paid about a third of what the light normally cost because it was one half of a pair for Jeeps that was used as a demo. I've been pretty happy with it, especially for the price I paid. Being a Jeep headlight though, I did notice some deficiencies while riding the sharp and twisty mountain roads of the Appalachians. Obviously, Jeeps aren't supposed to lean, so this headlight projects a long, powerful beam when riding down a straight stretch of road with the headlight upright, but tip the light to one side or another, and that's when you see the end of the light beam, which, on an LED projector, tends to be a pretty defined "edge" of light and darkness. 

Enter the Adaptives.

When I first saw the Adaptive headlights a couple of years ago, I was beyond impressed with the technology. A headlight that actually shines into the corners? Crazy! But the price was ridiculous (to be honest- it still is). In spite of the price though... I just couldn't shake the temptation of dropping the dough on this super rad, Jetson's level, piece of lighting. So a few days ago, I finally broke down and did it. 

So what changed? Well, my wife and I are planning a trip to the "motorcycle motherland" next year for the MoCo's 120th anniversary celebration. This will be the longest trip that my wife has taken on the bike, so I'm getting things ready for her (new helmet, comms, rain gear, boots, passenger floorboards, etc.). While perusing the ole interwebs for the new stuff, a new product from Kuryakyn caught my eye- Tracer diffused LED turn and tail lights. WOW. These things are sexy. I normally don't care for the look of Kuryakyn's products, but these things are cool and very modern looking, as opposed to the plain ole' LED bulbs that I've got in now. As most Kuryakyn products are, the Tracers are a bit pricey, but Kuryakyn's products are well made and they are a well established company with good customer service, so I wasn't afraid of the price. So, my inner child figured that since I'm  going to be upgrading my tail and turn signals... I may as well take another look at that fancy new headlight.

The Harley-Davidson version is still well over $800, so that was a hard "no" for me, however, after perusing around a bit, I found the J.W. Speaker Adaptive 2 priced between $560 and $599. While that's still a ridiculous price, I've always believed that you get what you pay for and in this case, I'd be getting a headlight with technology that would enhance my night riding experience and, very likely, improve my safety on those twisty backroads that I love riding so much. So, after a week or so of going back and forth, trying to justify it and rationalize it over and over, my inner cheapskate said "f**k it" and gave in. I ordered everything off of Amazon, which I regret because I actually ended up spending about $50 bucks more for everything than I would have if I had ordered it from Revzilla, but the 'Zilla was out of stock on the rear Tracers and my inner child wanted it all now, so my hastiness cost me more dough. Oh well, live and learn, I suppose.

So, was it worth the price?

I love it when people ask me this question. "Worthiness" is relative. What makes something "worth the price" anyway? What is worth it to me, may not be worth it to you. After all, there are so many factors to consider, like our income, our budgets and our overall spending, to just name a few. For me, I don't hang out in bars or casinos, I don't golf, I don't own a boat or an RV (although an RV could be a fun addition to go with the bikes...) and I don't wear expensive clothes. I only drink a little when I'm at home and I don't smoke... my only real vice is my motorcycles. I work hard, earn a fair wage and, especially lately, have been working a bunch of overtime (which is why I haven't been posting much to the site). My point is- for me, adding a few hundred bucks worth of lighting to my primary motorcycle is absolutely worth it, especially if it helps me see a little further down the road or helps other drivers see me coming, or stopping. You may be asking how well the adaptive part works... well, it's difficult to describe really. If I had to use one word to describe it, I'd probably choose "seamlessly." The light is amazingly bright on low beam and I'm pretty sure the high beam may have inadvertently vaporized a bird that flew in front of it. The adaptive part works very well in adding light in the darkness of the corners, but you don't really "see" it doing it, meaning it doesn't "turn on" a light into the turn, then turn it "off" as you straighten out- it's much more subtle, which is a good thing because it does it's job without being distracting. 

As for the question of, "is it worth the money?" For me, it is. I  really like the way the adaptive headlight, paired up with the diffused LED turn and brake lights, really add a modern lighting touch to the scoot and I really like the way they perform. I haven't had a chance to try it out on any super tight, dark roads yet, but when I do, I'm sure it will be a vast improvement over my previous headlight. 

The best advice I'll tell you is this- if you do decide to upgrade your lighting, consider giving the folks at Revzilla your money. Amazon is great for some things, but not for every thing and I've never had any issues ordering from the 'Zilla. 

Until next time, MotoReaders, ride safe and make good choices... (like upgrading your lights)!

I added a few pictures of the lights, and a short video of the headlight's "start-up" sequence to my Instagram page, if you're interested in taking a look at it.

Dyna Update!

Fork seals

Ugh. Hydraulic forks are the best... until they're not. Most people will ride their motorcycles for years without ever even servicing them. The maintenance is pretty straightforward, most of the routine services simply require draining the old fluid and replacing it with fresh stuff, which, in a lot of cases, can be done without even taking the forks off the bike. Most fork seals last for years, and for thousands of miles, as long as the fork tubes are kept clean and free of debris.

But if you're a project hunter, like me, who can't turn down a great deal on a bike that needs a little love, chances are, you're gonna be doing a helluva lot more than simply swapping fluid. I've got two such bikes sitting in my garage, right now. One, is an '06 Sportster that I picked up for less than $2k a few years ago, and the other is an '11 Dyna Street Bob that I added to the stable a couple years later. Both of them were complete, but in deplorable condition- rust and corrosion was rampant on both, neither was running and both of them had been neglected for several years. But... I got them cheap and trusted myself with being able to get them back on the road, which I did. 

Both bikes have been awesome, but both have had the common issue of fork seal leakage, in part because I half-assed the job the first time on both bikes. Let me explain.

Sporty

When I first got the Sportster, the fork tubes were obviously roached. They were pitted with rust from top to bottom. The sliders were fine, but the tubes were simply beyond repair. Where I half-assed it, was I stupidly went on eBay in an attempt to save a few bucks and bought a set of used tubes that were significantly better than mine. With a new set of Genuine James Gasket seals and my new used tubes, I put her back together with some fresh 10w oil and she was good to go, for a few years anyway. After a few years of riding, one of the seals sprung a, very minor, leak. It was just minor enough to make me doubt if it was actually leaking, but after a few months, I realized that I was going to be doing a fork seal job again. 

Dyna

When I first picked up the Dyna- a 2011 FXDB Street Bob- I already had some knowledge of the bike's history. I bought it from a friend who, several years earlier, had bought it from a local Harley-Davidson dealership. He was the second owner of the bike and I was actually with him when he bought it. As it turned out, he didn't ride the bike as much as he thought he would and it ended up sitting in his driveway under a bike cover... for years. I hadn't seen the bike since he bought it and had no idea how bad of condition it was in before I agreed to buy it. It really didn't matter to me though, because for the price he was asking, it was worth it. When I first saw the bike, I was in awe of how bad it was. For a bike that was only 7 years old with less than 10k miles, it looked as if it had been abandoned in a field for a decade. I guess that's a drawback of living in the south, near the Gulf of Mexico- the salty, humid air makes short work of corroding metal. The ethanol based gasoline did it's own damage to the inside of the fuel tank, but that's a story for another day. 

The fork tubes didn't look too bad at first glance- the uppers were a little spotty, but the lower sides looked fine, even though they were both leaking. I assumed that the seals were leaking due to being dry rotted, and I wasn't completely wrong, so in my eagerness to ride the bike, I bought a set of Genuine James fork seals for it, then tore it down and put it all back together in an afternoon. I was stoked to ride it... for a few hours anyway. I assumed that the problem was with the seals, since I had previously installed a set of the same brand on the Sporty and they were now leaking after only a couple of years of riding. In my frustration, I cussed the Genuine James Gasket Company for all they were worth, then went online to do some research.

The Sporty fork saga, continued

Having had my fill of frustrations with the James Gasket seals, all my research pointed me to ordering a set of All Balls Racing seals for my trusty little XL. Once I got it tore down, however, I quickly realized that the seals weren't the problem. Apparently, something (probably sand, since I live near, and often ride beside, a beach) had gotten under the dust seal and made a nice little scratch on one of the tubes. The eBay tubes, if I'm guessing by their appearance, were most likely show chrome which is pretty, but not the most durable for a machine that is ridden a lot, so I bit the bullet and ordered a set of new hard chrome tubes, made by Hard Drive. I put it all back together with some 15w, for a little better dampening. She rides better than a new bike now...with no leaks!

The daggum Dyna

I like this damn bike, a lot, but boy it sure makes me cuss sometimes. After getting the new seals, I tore the forks down and, after a quick inspection of the tubes, put it all back together with the new All Balls Racing seals. Success! No more leaking! I was ecstatic... such a simple fix... 

...or so I thought.

Within about a month of riding, that familiar old bead of oil showed up on the high side tube again. I put the bike back on the lift, pulled it apart for what felt like the hundredth time, and inspected it like a jeweler inspecting a diamond. All of a sudden, I saw it- a small, barely noticeable, chip in the chrome, just above where the seal sets when the bike is at rest. The chip was small, only about a millimeter in diameter and was barely discolored, making it hard to spot with a quick visual inspection. The location was such that, when the bike was rolling on relatively smooth roads, the seal didn't cross over the chip, but when the fork compressed under a harder bump, the seal crossed the chip and a tiny bit of oil would leak past. 

As I dragged my fingernail across the chip, I felt it catch the edge and at that moment, I knew that I had, now twice, cussed the Genuine James Gasket Company in error. Oops... sorry guys.

I did my best to try to smooth and polish out the chip, to no avail- it continued leaking, so I called my local indie shop, French & Son's, and ordered a new set of Hard Drive hard chrome tubes and a new set of All Balls fork seals. Once I had them back in the shop, I put the Street Bob back on the lift, tore it down for what felt like the millionth time, and went to work. Having pulled the forks apart so many times, it didn't take me long to install the new tubes and seals. I topped it all off with some fresh 15w fork oil, put it all back together and rolled it off the lift... again. This time it's (finally) fixed and now it rides better than a new bike, too. 

The lesson learned

My dad used to tell me that if you're going to do something, do it right the first time. Well, for the Sportster, the biggest mistake I made was trying to save a few bucks by buying a set of cheap, used fork tubes. In my defense, they lasted a few years before they got scratched. That could have happened to anyone, I suppose, but by buying the tubes used from an individual, I had no specs on them and ended up buying a set of nice looking, but not very durable, show chrome fork tubes that were susceptible to getting scratched. With the Dyna, however, I'll admit that I half-assed it from the jump. I should have taken the time to inspect the fork tubes before I ever put it back together the very first time, but I was trying to save time and money so that could get back to riding the bike as quickly as possible. In doing so, I ended up having to do the job, way more times than I should have. Besides the aggravation, I also wasted valuable time and money on seals and oil. 

Now that both of the bikes are back together, I can focus on actually riding them. Maybe, while I'm out riding, I'll stumble across another project bike that I can tinker with. One thing's for sure though, if I do get my hands on another crusty project, I won't be cutting any corners when dealing with hydraulic fork tubes... I might just go with a springer front end, instead!

Regardless of what you might find yourself working on next, remember this:

If you do it right the first time, you'll only have to do it one time. 

Summer Bummin'

I'm still here... sorta

If you've been wondering why you haven't been seeing much activity on The MotoWriter site lately, I'd love to tell you that it's been because I've been bummin' around, riding, relaxing and exploring new backroads on my scooter. Unfortunately though, that hasn't been the case at all. I've been working... A LOT... around my house and at my "payin' job". I've had quite a few projects at the house that have been long overdue and I've finally had an opportunity to start working on them. One of the more relevant to this blog has been a fork tube replacement for my Sportster and all the rest has been manual labor stuff around my property. My 8-5 job, which at times has a tendency to numb my creativity like a bottle of cheap bourbon, has been demanding a lot of my time and energy and most nights all I've wanted to do was stretch out and let my brain rest. 

No need to worry though, I've got some new stuff in the works that I hope to post over the next couple of weeks. Doing all this work at my place has been giving me plenty of time to think about, and reflect on, a variety of things and I'm looking forward to sharing some of those observations with you, my MotoReaders. I've also been working on getting some swag designed and made for you guys (think- stickers, t-shirts, coozies and maybe even some kind of bandana). The first to get some goodies will be my BOTM features (Lee, Matt & Presley- I'm talking about you!). Sadly, I never received any submissions for April, May or June... so it looks like the BOTM feature may have been a short-lived venture that met an early demise. I was really hoping to get a little more interaction with my readers, but it's no sweat... not everyone wants to show off their bikes or tell their stories and that's A-OK with me. I'm cool with y'all just popping in from time to time to read my blog or watch my videos. 

So if you haven't given up on me yet, and you're still checking in on my little corner of the interweb, reading my words, thank you. I sincerely appreciate you and I'll do my best to push out some new stuff soon. Hell, I might even try to kick out a new vlog post on my YouTube channel, just to show you what's new on the best little coastline in the country.

Check back soon and in the meantime, enjoy this warm weather, ride safe and make good choices!