Street Glide Serviced

Yesterday was a great day!  I got up early in the morning, dug out my cold weather riding gear and jumped on the 1125R for a quick rip to the Harley Davidson dealership in Saint John.  The 250km round trip ride was excellent, little traffic and some alone time doing one of my favorite things!

I had an order waiting for a pick up, plus I needed an oil filter and o-ring/gasket kit for servicing my Street Glide.  After a quick chat with the boys at the Harley dealership, I threw my order into my backpack and hit the road. An interesting note, the 1125R always gathers attention at the Harley dealership.  Several people stopped to talk to me about the bike and wanted to know how it works, how I like, etc.

I arrived home around 11:30am and had one goal for the afternoon, service the Street Glide and get her ready for the road and that is exactly what I did.

Draining the Engine and Transmission Fluids

New O-Rings

Changing Primary Fluid

Done!

After torquing all of the bolts and adding fluids, I performed a complete check on all systems and fired up the Street Glide...no more excuses, she is ready to go!  It is supposed to rain all day today, but tomorrow's Victoria Day holiday is looking very promising!  Ride safe!

New Pics

This past weekend, my friend Luc and I went for a nice ride from Fredericton to St. Andrews NB.  It is a loop that we have done many times and one we always enjoy...especially the stop for fresh brewed coffee at Honeybeans on Main. St. in St. Andrews.

On the return ride to Fredericton, we stopped at the Parks Canada - Saint Croix Island Historic Site so I could take a few pictures.  I am striving to be a better photographer, so I took a few pictures of my Street Glide and Luc's VTX from this location.  I am pleased with the results (click on the pictures for a full view).

You can find my full resolution pictures at http://www.flickr.com/faceyman.

Finally...

The 2014 riding season is finally here! It seems like it was a longer than usual winter and I was starting to get impatient with late season snowstorms, crappy roads, potholes, etc. The weather turned last weekend and it was nice to have a sunny Saturday! As a result, I just had take advantage of the day!

First on the agenda, my Rocket - 2009 Buell 1125R! I connected battery cables and pulled the 1125R out to the driveway.  I gave the 1125R the once over safety check, fluids, brakes, lights, tire pressure, etc. and decided to install my new Zero Gravity SR windshield.

It was a quick install and I am very pleased with the look. The smoked shielded fits well with the red and black colors of the bike.

Next, it was on with the gear and time to go for a rip! I went for a short 60km ride and it was great! With the new EBR rotor/stator upgrade and a new K&N air filter, the 1125R seems to work much better. I did not notice any difference between the Zero Gravity windshield and the stock shield and to be honest, I did not expect to feel a difference. It was so nice to get back on the road and just enjoy myself...a feeling all bikers know!

Yesterday was another great weather day and it was time to get my 2013 Street Glide out of storage. I took the afternoon off work to get the Street Glide ready for pick up. Unfortunately, I did not get to ride the Street Glide as the Harley Davidson dealer was in town and they were picking up the HD to take it for it's 10,000km checkup/service. It was great to get the Street Glide out and I should have it back mid-week!

I did however take advantage of the weather.  After the Street Glide was loaded on the trailer and on it's way to the dealer, I fired up the 1125R and went for a 100km ride! I am looking forward to a great riding season! Life is good!

Ready for Winter!

The leaves have fallen from the hardwood trees, the temperature is getting colder and the end of our motorcycle season is here! Yesterday, it was a cool 5 degrees Celsius and I spent a good part of the day detailing my Street Glide and getting it ready for hibernation!

I still need to prep the Buell 1125R for the winter, but I am going to wait for the last possible minute as I am hoping for the one last ride!  Last season, we had an unusually warm day on Nov. 12th and I got out for a 300km ride...I am hoping for the same this year!

Mount Greylock

Recently my friend Luc and I completed a six day ride through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.  One of the many highlights of this trip was reconnecting with my friend Jeff aka @joerocket and his wife Stephanie!  On day 1, we rode from Fredericton, NB to Amherst, New Hampshire; Jeff and Stephanie offered accommodations, a great BBQ dinner and an evening of friendship!

Jeff had planned on riding with us on day 2 and suggested that we ride to Mount Greylock, near Adams MA.  Jeff explained the significance of the mountain as it is the highest point in Massachusetts!  On the morning of day 2, we were up early, bikes loaded and headed for Adams, MA. The two and a half hour ride to Adams was fun, beautiful scenery and great roads. We stopped in Adams for fuel and a drink and from their it was off to Mount Greylock and one of the best rides I have ever been on!  Twenty minutes of pure joy, riding on a perfect road to the top of a mountain.  Check out the GoPro video that was taken from the engine guard on my Street Glide...it's worth 20 minutes of your time!



Many thanks to Jeff and Stephanie for their hospitality and for the guided trip to Mount Greylock!  More to follow on road trip...ride safe!

Street Glide Videos

This past weekend my friend Luc and I got out for a ride!  Over the winter, Luc purchased a GoPro Motorsports camera and he figured it would be great to try his new camera out with a video of me riding my new Street Glide!





Looking forward to a great riding season! Keep your right hand cranked and ride safe!

First Ride 2013

March 30th, 2013 and I got out for my first ride on the new Harley Davidson Street Glide!  I usually wait until the end of April each year due to the road conditions...potholes, frost heaves, loose gravel, etc. Yesterday was a nice sunny day with a temperature of 9C (48F) and the anticipation of riding my new motorcycle was just too great to pass on!  I dug out my leathers/warm riding gear and I was off!

I adjusted the mirrors, completed a quick safety check, tuned in the stereo and fired her up!

Odometer reading - 1Km (0.6 miles)

I pulled out of the yard and I have to tell you that I had a big grin on my face, a grin that lasted awhile!  Overall, my goal for the first ride was to get used to the Street Glide.  It's the heaviest bike that I have owned and I wanted to test her out at both low city speeds and faster highway cruising!  The first thing that I have to say is that the ride is very comfortable.  There is very little engine vibration at riding speeds, the only vibration is at idle and that's just a Harley thing.  I took a quick ride through city streets to get a feel for the bike; so far, so good!  The only challenge that I ran into was with the turn signals; the turn signal switches are separate, not combined like every other motorcycle I have owned.  The left turn signal is on the left side of the handle bar and the right turn signal on the right side...this is going to take some getting used too!  I was pleased to find out that the turn signals are self-cancelling, something the dealer did not tell me.

Turn signal locations

After a quick ride through city streets, I hit the highway for a ride along the beautiful Saint John River.  The Street Glide exceeded my expectations on the highway, comfortable and very easy to handle.  Everything on the bike feels good, from the seat to the riding position, to the acceleration and the braking and the overall handling of the machine!  The "Bat Wing" fairing provides good protection from the wind and cold and the stereo sounds great at highway speeds!  I made a few stops to get some pics! (Click on pics for a full view)

King's Landing (Note: loose gravel)

Mactaquac Headpond

Just a cool picture!

Para-Skiers on the Headpond

Overall, I have to say that I am thrilled with the new ride!  It was nice to hit the road and feel the open air and even better on a new machine!  Odometer now reads 180Km and I look forward to the rest of the riding season!

 

First ride!

Ride safe and keep your right hand cranked!