Christmas Comes Early

The cold weather snapped for some mild temperatures and sunny skies. A great day for a ride around town.

I finished the bars

Winter has set in with a vengeance, cold temps and snow have kept the sporty parked.

But I was able complete the z-bars with chrome hand controls & braided stainless cables.

Hopefully Christmas & my birthday will add some new parts to the project.

Fall Color Explosion

What a Day! The weather & scenery couldn't have gotten better. It's amazing how Skyline Drive never gets old.

Riding a great road with friends is what it's all about.

New Z-bars are on!

After a long battle bleeding the new brake line I finally finished installing the new Z-bars. This change has dramatically improved my riding position for those long mountain runs. All that is needed to complete the look now is chrome hand controls and braided steel for the clutch & throttle.

The November 5th run to see the fall change should be great. The weather is crisp but not too cold yet.

Getting started on the Z-bars

It's raining all day (again) I decided to get a start on installing my new Z-drag bars. Threading the control wires through the bars was fun.

Now all I need is for UPS to actually deliver the new front brake line in less than a week and I'll be able to finish up.

Time for some changin'

My new custom Z-drag bars arrived yesterday. Hopefully I will have the new brake line this week so I can mount them before the next ride.

Skyline Drive Perfection

After a week of crappy weather the sun broke out for a perfect day to catch the leaves starting to turn in the mountians.

Two new Virginia Boys from Manassas joined us for the ride Sportsterwheelie & Breggie.

Rain Sucks!

We have been planning a ride to South Richmond Harley for their open house for about 3 weeks and the the heavy rains ruined all that. The leaves are just starting to turn and hopefully the weather will cooperate for another ride in to the mountians.

Hooter's Fall Show

Well, I decided to enter the fall Hooter's show and see how I do. Today there were more Sporty's than any other class, including the 2000 purple 1200 chromed out sport that took first in the summer show.

I bumped up one spot from the summer show taking 2nd in the 1200 custom class, purple won again.

(I won Best in Class against the same purple sporty at the UAW-GM show)

7th Annual UAW-GM show

After the ride yesterday I remembered about the UAW-GM car & bike show. Since there was some rain on the ride I didn't finish cleaning the Sporty until 3a.m.

I arrive at the show and find out that it is an open judging. By the time all of the custom choppers and other bikes arrived I figure I wouldn't get anything but to my surprise I won the Best in Class award.

Good friends & a great ride

September Skyline Drive
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

The Virginia XL Forum enjoyed our best ride yet through the mountians on Skyline Drive.

Nothing broke on R.D.'s bike and aparently his APB has been recinded and was not hassled by the MAN, so it was a bonus day!

Except for a little rain I had a great ride, met some more great people had a great day and can't wait to do it again.

Just a Sunday in the Mountians....

R.D., Andy, Mike and myself went on a nice little run through some twisty backroads towards Skyline Drive. Clear blue skies and cool temps made for a perfect ride. Probably saw well over 200 other bikers that had the same idea we had. Every time I ride that area I just can't get over how beautiful the vistas are.

Had a good laugh at a rest stop when a federal park ranger stopped and searched R.D. when he thought R.D. had just lit up a joint. I guess he just looked too dangerous to leave alone.

This was a good run to get ready for the ride on the 17th when all the Virgina XLF riders meet up in Orange for another Skyline run.

8/21 Battlefield ride

8/21 Battlefield ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

A great day for a ride. The Battlefeild Sportsters add 2 new riders, Scott from Alexandria and Mack from the 'Burg. I meet Mack on the XL Forum and find out he lives just down the road.

Rode over 100 miles today. Started out in North Stafford, then headed out to Fairview Beach, through Colonial Beach and ended up for some ice cream at Carl's.

Then for a ride to the Fredericksburg Battlefield museum and a ride down Lee Rd.

Keetyn's Ride - Best Sportster

Keetyn's Ride
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

Participated in Keetyn's Ride for charity. About 400 bikers from all over showed up. Had a great 60 mile ride with R.D. & Andy. It was a little hot but had a lot of fun. The food was good, met a lot of nice sporty owners.

After the ride the bikes were judged and I won the trophy for "Best Sportster". That was kinda cool, winning my first sportster class trophy.

Award Winner

Award Winner
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

The Fred Hooter's held their Summer Bike Show today. I was just going to look but decided to enter the show.
Out of about 8 sportys there I place 3rd in the 1200 class. The winning Sportster was decked out in chrome and custom wheels.

I'm thrilled to take a trophy in my first show, hopefully when I finish the customizing I want to do I'll be tougher to beat.

Happy Birthday America!

I celebrated the July 4th weekend by exploring the Northern Virginia countryside. Putting over 700 miles in 3 days.

My Sunday excursion took me through Culpeper and as I was looking for a place to stop for a rest I came across a park. It couldn'thave been more american. Flags everywhere, red, white & blue bunting draped all over. A little league game playing and famlies enjoying a great day.

So I park my bike and go sit down to watch some of the game and a lady asks if one of the kids playing is mine. I tell her I was stopping for a rest. She asks me if I'm hungry, the next thing I know I'm at a grill getting a couple of hot dogs and a burger with all the fixin's and a glass of the sweetest iced tea I've had in years.

It couldn't have turned out to be a better day. Not a cloud in the sky, the traffic was light I was in the middle of a long ride on my bike & I'm watching a little league game eating a hot dog.

Could it get any more Ameican that this?

Skyline Drive Breaktime

Skyline Drive Breaktime
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

An all day ride through Skyline Drive & Shenendoah National Park. We started out through Warrenton and hit Thornton's Gap. We rode down for a while and stopped for some lunch at Skyland Dining Hall and then rode to Swift Run Gap. A run through backroads to Orange and back to the 'Burg.

A great day of riding.

150 miles just for fun

A clear blue sky and cool temps was the makings of a perfect day. Filled the tank and took off down the road. After passing through Ladysmith I pulled over for some more gas and a soda and after a break headed dowm a long twisty road. I ended up near New Post and cruised through town and back home. 150 miles and 4 hours later.

New Harley Paint is done!

New Harley Paint
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

The weather is great and I finally got everything back together.

Rode about 60 miles to shake down and make sure it's runnin' good.

Getting ready for the Skyline Drive ride with the Battlefield XL guys.

I Finished the Paint

I finished the paint
Originally uploaded by flskevin.

Almost 2 weeks and several long days and the new paint theme is done. It's not perfect but for doing all the work myself I am very happy with the results. I can't wait to ride it.

New Paint Theme

It took me a few days to take off the tank & fenders. I finally had time to shoot the HOK Kameleon base coat & flames.  

                            

I started with a flat black base coat. Then shot the Red to Blue Kameleon. a coat of clear the wet sand with 2000. Tape off the flames and Kameleon Blue to Red.

Three coats of clear to finish it off.

A wrong turn makes the day.

Watching the weather updates it was supposed to rain all day, but this morning it's sunnt & warm. The bike is out and warming up and as I head out I decide to try to find my sister's place.

I start out alright but one wrong turn put me on a great winding country back road with little traffic and plenty of tree covered miles. It was a warm day but going about 35 feels like the AC set to the perfect temp. Then heading in to a covered road with tall trees on both sides the temp drops and a cool rush of air hits. It couldn't be better.

I figure I'm not going to find my sister's so I just keep riding see where I end up.

I started the ride with a full tank and came out to a spot I recognized, 75 miles and 3 hours later about 20 miles outside of town. Cruised down to one of my favorite stops and had a great lunch.

The day couldn't have been better got lost without really being lost, had a great ride and a better lunch.

My Hero died too young

My Uncle Jim is a hero that I have never met. (my Mom's older brother)He graduated from High School in June 1944. Drafted that summer, and finished training and sent to Europe as a replacement in the 46th Armoured Infanry Battalion of the 5 Armoured Division January 1945. He was wounded in combat April 11, 1945 in Germany near the Elbe River and died of his wounds April 13, 1945 (less than 1 month before the end of the war). He was 19.

He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery December 20, 1948, Sec. 12, grave 7903

Battlefield XL Rolling Thunder

The original members of the Battlefield chapter of the XL Forum. Mike, myself & R.D. in Washington D.C. for Rolling Thunder 28.

Rolling Thunder 28

Ever get the feeling that your just an ant going to the hill? Thats what happens when you go to Rolling Thunder. At 6:30a.m. I was by myself, a few miles up the road and now I'm riding to Dumfries with R.D. We get to East Coast H D and hook up with Mike and over a thousand other riders. After a 30 mile ride you become part of hundreds of thousands riders converging on D.C. from all over.

Then once again that solitary ride home to remember the day.

One step forward Two back....

Time to do some maintenance to get ready for Rolling Thunder. Clean oil & filter, replaced the rocker gaskets to fix the tiny oil leak & new primary/trans oil.

I was almost done and as I replaced the battery the positive cable broke at the base of the starter. So I had to remove one of the pipes to reach the starter connection. Today a trip to Battlefield, 5 minutes & $5 later a custom cable that's better than the original.

Good Day!

I rode out to our company picnic on this sunny, partly cloudy day. After eating some BBQ and saying hi to everyone I got the itch to ride & went out to nearby Bowling Green and cruised around and came on back to the 'Burg.

One week until Rolling Thunder in D.C.

Me & HellRazur

HellRazur & I stop for a lunch break in Faquier county on our 1st Battlefield XL ride.

1st Battlefield XL ride

Hooked up with HellRazur from the XL Forum and went on a 4-hour, over 50 mile ride through the backroads of North Stafford county. The weather was perfect, traffic was slow and the ride was great.

Now it's time to get some more Fred area XL riders to join up with the rides.