| Author | Message | ||
     Ezblast |
Funny enough - I am now a weekend rider - I got so tired parking on the city streets and coming back to my bike after work each day to find that it has been messed with - especially my black bike - that I've decided to take the Muni train to work - it will be 15 bucks more than parking per month but much more is saved in headaches and worry - since I bought the first bike long ago - I have been a daily rider - through rain, sleet, etc. - but until recently I always managed to have a private parking spot - the new gig has none and I just can't stand the carelessness that people show other peoples property on the streets - so I will now commute differently - so that means my bikes are officially toys! - let the fun begin! GT - JBOTDS! EZ  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
$15 extra a month sounds like a heck of a deal! As of late I havent been riding much to work either. The wife has been car pooling and leaving 'her' car at home. Since its one of only 2 cars I know of that are almost as much fun to drive as a bike, I've been taking it instead! (BMW MINI Cooper S being the first. Classic Mini being the 2nd!) | ||
| Ezblast |
Yeah - there are a ton of them here in SF as well - Coopers - I just don't like parking the bike down town all day - I figure its just asking for it - if I'm going out then ok - otherwise the hassles are not worth it - besides the bikes could use some freshening up - lol - GT - JBOTDS! EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
Next weekend - Mendocino with the wife - then exams, then a week of work - saturday - lol - thats when the fun begins - cut down superbike bars at 1 1/2" on each side - mount new bars and grips, adding a new brake bolt,levor(black 00 M2) and brake cover, change out fender, fuel cell cover, add mirrors, new fairing with blinkers and right rear blinker, tail, seat, pegs - the fenders last and may wait - depends how late in the day I get everything else done - The goal is two black bikes - the fender is a two way trade - the black getting new and the red gets the older - lol - still - both will now be similar yet starkly different - but black is cheaper to own, and the reds motor is now as maxed as it can get with out a higher level of mods happening - the new pegs for the Force bike are cruiser toe pegs - just enough space - your not dragging anything but toe now ;o)- Vadderette?  Then sunday after church a ride on Vadderette to meet my wife for coffee - a birthay date - then home to herth and fire, peace and etc - lol - both bikes are now pushing the 25,000 area - replacing tires on the Black and now the other - wearing them out is a Blast! GT - JBOTDS! EZ (Message edited by ezblast on December 09, 2007) | ||
| Ezblast |
    They are pretty close - though one is still more budget minded - Booth now pull well though the lesser is also the louder - no biggie to me though someday I may Take Brian Nallin's advice and cut off the reverse meg-style 'muffler' and add a Suppertrapp like the original has - it would quiet it a bit and probably hurt performance little if any. But that is at a future date - right now I like the big twin loudness and the pull on both bikes are nice with the original continuing where the other leaves off. Looking to ride as soon as the sun breaks! I got an awesome loaner for someone who wants to join! - lol EZ (Message edited by ezblast on January 27, 2008) | ||
| Berkshire |
For the 1st time ever, I rode with a group yesterday. I have to say I was favorably impressed with the whole "group ride" thing. It was nice following experienced riders thru curves they were familiar with, focusing more on riding instead of worrying so much about things like whether there might be loose dirt or gravel on the road, or blind cagers that might pull out in front of me. We were running some curvy roads at higher speeds than I would have run on my own, but having others to leading the way made me more comfortable with the brisk pace. I definately need more practice gauging entry speed on turns at the end of a straight - there were several times where I thought "OH SHIT!!!" and grabbed a handfull of brake and 3rd gear just before the turn, then found that I could have gone in a full gear faster. Typically the turns were about right for acceleration thru 4th in the turn, then tagging the rev limiter and shifting to 5th in the exit. There were 2 XB9R's, an XB9SX, a Ducati 1098S, a Kaw Z1000, a Suzi 1200 Bandit, and an SV650. Although I was often able to keep up thru the turn, there were several times when I exited the turn (running WFO!), and the guy in front just pulled away like I was sitting still... I guess that extra cylinder comes in handy! LOL I learned 3 things: 1. I want to do more riding with those guys! 2. it's time for some top end work and cams! 3. roads thru national forest are patrolled by FEDERAL LEO's!!! | ||
| Berkshire |
oh yeah... 4. XB's rawk!!!  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Yep, an extra 1000 rpms lets you pull through and out of the turns with full power {in the power band}. There's an almost surreal feeling when following others through the curves. If you trust them, you can really be in the moment and (like you said) not worry about road obstacles. Almost like being on the track.  | ||
| Jlnance |
Ed, I called you on Sunday as I was awaiting Marks arrival.  It brought back memories.  I'm gonna be in SF the second Saturday in March. Got plans? | ||
| Ezblast |
I got a loaner if you want to ride - Stinson Beach ride is always relaxing and Panoramic Hwy is definitely nice - not much of anything otherwise except work and trying to buy a house and working on two old Blasts - lol - you free that day? Sorry - was out looking at houses sunday - send me your number again and I'll call you - perhaps we could nail down a good adventure to welcome spring. EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
Dora, Jim, and I posing before we take off for Stinson Beach -  There are several great loops to there - I took Panoramic Highway to Stinson beach and 1 for the way back - except for the occasional car slowing things down - it was a great day for riding - the roads where in very good condition and this is the set of roads I cut my teeth and tires edges on - scenic and challenging at the same time!  Parked at the Beach parking lot - ready to leap into action though. We had a great set of food and conversation at a beach-side cafe, a look at the Ocean for a bit, and then back for a twisty ride home. Lost Dora for a bit after the bridge, but she managed to find our place again in the end. We had some coffee and tea - some pineapple spears and a tad of conversation to wrap things up. It was a great day enjoying the company of a new friend as well as touching base with an old one - and getting in some good riding as well! I'll take this over sitting and watching folks ride anyday - lol Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side! EZ (Message edited by ezblast on March 08, 2008) | ||
| Jlnance |
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| Ezblast |
Kublia (Fluffy the Wonder Dog), EZ, My stepson - David - a good kid! We all met together at the beaches edge - a great ride! EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
Stinson beach directly - is about 38 miles north of of where I live - using the routes we used - we added about 10 miles each way in twisties, Jim did great - the tires wear area has increased on both bikes - as only that run can do. Dora and him traded places behind me a few times - so I got used to telling who is who by the brightness of the light - my bike being brighter than the stock lightning lights. I guess I was booking a bit because there was one section where I had to stop and wait for everyone to catch up! - lol The day was glorious, great curves, beach, friends, family, just fun all around! EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
So now it begins - as soon as I move to my new house and two car garage, I will begin dis-assembly of one of my bikes, swap a few parts out to the other bike, and begin the long transformation of a Blast into the XBBlast - a definitely interesting mix of the two bikes. Some of my part choices will definitely surprise you, however, I've been thinking hard on some of the reasons Erik choose to do certain things on the Blast - we shall see what we shall see.  Vader's final look will be much like this, except there will be 3rd eye bar end mirrors, and mini - arrow rear signals. Sooner or later I'll trim off the reverse megaphone can on the Force and add a Supertrapp for better sound control, and powder-coat the wheels flat black. So the new project finally has enough parts to get going - though I do plan to freshen up the motor, and add a few things there as well;0) EZ | ||
| Jlnance |
Ed - You got the house? Congrats! Of course it only took me about a year to remember how to get to your present dwelling, hopefully the new place won't be too difficult to find? | ||
| Ezblast |
LOL - Hubris strikes again. Starting the bike I see smoke coming out from under the seat.I turn the bike off - still smoking. I take the seat off and see wires melted - went to work on the other bike - will see what went wrong later - old bikes - its always something. Like I said - next bike doesn't get touched except for maintenance - sigh. EZ | ||
| Reuel |
Everything I do is for maintenance! My exhaust pipe broke, so I replaced it. My intake was getting in the way of maintenance, so I replaced it. The paint on my foot pegs was coming off, so I repainted. One of the blinker lenses was cracked, so I did LEDs. The TPS went bad, so I'm replacing the ignition module with one that can tell me the TPS is going bad. I kept hearing about bad oil pump gears, so I inspected, and accidentally pulled out the cams. Am I reaching a little? | ||
| Ezblast |
Nope! Your fine - thats how the dark side works - my quote to my first wife was - I swear honey - all the modifications are for practical reasons - lol - funny thing is - I'm not even pissed - its an old bike and I figure some wires just got rubbed somewhere and connected - causing the melt down - I'm really curious to find out what caused what though - so when I get home the tear down and inspection will begin! The joys of Blasting on the Darkside! EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
lol - I found out what caused my little fire - the works shock hose developed a leak at the top, spraying oil on the electrical connector on that side shorting and melting that area - sigh - tomorrow I'll call works and talk warrentee, and tomorrow after work - I'll look harder at the wiring to figure what damage I have, and what I'll have to replace. Thank goodness - it wasn't anything I had done - lol EZ | ||
| Gbaz |
Hey Ez, after you strip your bike down, I know someone who may be willing to buy some of those parts you dont need anymore.... (rearsets and such) lol | ||
| Ezblast |
Sorry - I'll still be using them on the XBBlast - lol EZ | ||
| Fast1075 |
Adventure from Florida, OR Welcome to the roadkill Cafe...Yesterday I took MY first group ride in a very long time..The set-up..Me on the stock P-3, a ZX-10, a GV-1000, a Victory (don't know the model), a beautiful old school 'frisco style ironhead sportster, and a very clean Big twin custom with 21" front wheel and 40 spokes. The ride was thru an area that is reclaimed and active phosphate mines..the roads are in fabulous condition...not much in the way of twisties, but the scenery is a real change from the urban background, with lakes and woods and plenty of wildlife..(key on the wildlife)..anyways..at one point I was leading, just ambling thru a long sweeper at around 70...as I exit the corner, I saw something ahead laying across the middle of the road...(this area during the week has lots of truck traffic) that I thought was a "tire gator" where a recap slings loose and ends up in the road...As I near it, I realize it is a REAL ALLIGATOR no doubt moving from one pond to another..a small one about 6 feet long...I just jaunted over in the lane to give it some space...and as I passed it...well it didn't like being disturbed...it jumped at me...missed by a mile...I looked in my mirrors hoping the guys behind me were watching...everybody veered around and missed it except the guy on the ZX-10...WHAMMO! right on it's back...the guy must have went 2 feet in the air...landed straight and kept going...unfortunately the poor reptile didnt fair so well...(if I only had a knife and more storage on my bike!)...We all stopped a few miles down the road to refuel the sportster with the beautiful but TINY fuel tank...over coffee the guy on the ZX-10 explained that being from Arizona and growing up riding desert bikes, the gator incident was minor in comparison to running over pucker bushes that harbor boulders...Strange, yes...not the seeing the gator thing, they are very common...it was the guy not crashing that amazed me...I was taken out once on my MT/TM Honda 125 by a 'possum...but I was full committed, beveling the useless rubber off the end of a footpeg when it decided to cross the road...all went well after the alligator incident until we took the one little piece of road that does have some twisties on the way home...turns out the guy on the GV was a poser...tossed it down on a very easy corner going like 40 mph...just drove off the road...fortunately he slid into someones front yard...no curb, no trees, nice thick soft lawn...he didn't even get rash...but the bike got sort of tweaked...he got up and rode it home, but he will spend some considerable time putting it to gleaming perfection again...as for me...I reaffirmed how much I like to ride...and how much I dislike the still original front Dunflop tire...new Pirelli this weekend!!!! | ||
| Ezblast |
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| Ezblast |
Is the Blast a good in city bike? First I will say this - my favorite rides are where back rode twisties reign and skill wins out over power. My bikes are perfect dance partners and I find myself leading less rides because of it. The time alone is priceless and when you start waiting 5 to 10 minutes for the rest of the group to catch up it is too much of a worry. Am I some kind of race-track wanna be - naw, I ride for the pure joy of it, always will. I read and have had people demonstrate over and over, that the smoother you ride the faster you will get, and it is soooo true - I work on it constantly - sometimes going slower than necessary just to work on technique, but still it is always with the idea of fluidity at mind - the dance. The city - the one reason I have the one bike set up a bit differently - the dancer becomes the war horse - an Indian one at least - lol - I have the inexpensive signals, fairing, and bar-ends on - because every few months someone will bump into her and these are usually the parts that suffer. different handle bars - super-bike - to be more upright than the clip-ons, and much less expensive if damaged, lower rear-sets for more in city comfort, and a loud exhaust to let people know I'm coming in the fog. In the city I'm always prepared for the unexpected, and you've never had fun until you've gone down a steep hill, in heavy rain, knowing you'll have to stop at the end because of the sign and traffic in San Francisco. The very reason I've experimented with finding good brake pads, and tires. Constantly dodging idiots with cell phones and otherwise pre-occupied drivers, pot hole weaving/dodging becomes an art, bridge traffic is something to never enjoy - for many of the bike accidents that happen in the Bay area happen on a bridge. Many times you'll be too busy dealing with riding to wave to another, usually a nod is acceptable - the payoffs are never to be stuck in traffic, gas mileage, cheap parking, and great mobility - with inexpensive parts replacement - the bike is a road warrior mount able to deal with any thing the city throws at her and do so with style - small enough to go through the tight spots and split lanes easily, yet powerful enough to leave car traffic behind with the lights and congestion - you'll find a dozen different routes to the same place just because you can and that way you are never stuck - only in the city. The cafe is a sweet spot - parking always easy and your bike admired for the bike that she is. People will forever ask you questions about her, and the looks are priceless. The Blast is the perfect in city bike. More importantly - the Blast is just a damn good all around bike. Super-bike fast - naw, never will be, however, fast enough to do it right and hang with the big bikes in the twisties, and power in the city is just a waste. For me the Blast has been just right! Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side! EZ (Message edited by ezblast on April 26, 2008) | ||
| Ezblast |
Check this out! http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/357468.html?1209566303 Seems other folks like the idea enough to do this also! EZ | ||
| Gbaz |
I like the XB blast, but it just costs too much to do  i was looking into getting the parts and decided if would end up being cheaper to buy a used XB. May be if peeps start choppin XBs with redneck kits, the frames will start popin up for less. | ||
| Reuel |
Here is an alternative idea. I don't know if they have the best prices, but it's a good place to start research. Anybody got an extra Blast frame? (Message edited by Reuel on April 30, 2008) | ||
| Ezblast |
LOL - I have the majority of parts collected for my own XBBlast and plan to start myself when I'm done with my house move - so this is invaluable info! Totally cool! EZ | ||
| Gbaz |
That is a cool hobby. Pick up a cheap ninja 250 and make it a E motorcycle. Theres one for sale near me for $200.... |
