What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

I'm so unused to that much green that I had to blink several times when the photo first appeared, Dougie! But what beautiful countryside! Looks like just the perfect place for a spin on a motorcycle. And there's a (VERY) little bit of blue sky poking its nose out of the clouds.

 

I rode my Street Glide Special over to Tucson H-D for a little "shake-down" ride after my 10K service and prior to Mr. Sandi's and my getaway trip to Las Vegas this coming Tuesday. I also figured it would be good to get a bit acclimated to riding in the heat since the ride from Tucson to Vegas is 430 miles and we'll be spending a good chunk of that in hot temperatures both coming and going. Things were rather quiet at the dealership on this day and the good thing about that is there were few shady motorcycle parking spots available.


I pulled up further in the parking space after snapping this photo of my bike.


I wanted to check to see if I had any oil leaks under the bike since I saw a small one a few days ago. There were no oil leaks in the garage when I left or on the concrete at the dealership. But I did see some blow back on my headers. I wiped it off and figured I'd check to see if it happened again on the ride home. Back in my garage there were just a few drops so that should be the last of that.



When I arrived, I wound up parked next to this sweet 2008 Sportster "Nightster". As I was locking up my helmet the owner walked up with some purchases in hand. We struck up a conversation and it turns out she rode to Arizona from San Jose, California and was staying with friends in Phoenix. That is a l-o-n-g ride! She was on her way to Tombstone--solo-- to stay overnight. I suggested a nice backroads route to get there and also that she consider riding up Mt. Lemmon the next day on her way back to Tucson and Phoenix. Before I learned where she was from,I was hopeful that she lived in Tucson because she seemed super cool and I thought she might potentially be a female riding buddy. No dice.


After my conversation with the Sportster owner I went in to the service department to inquire about my back-ordered parts....again. I'd just checked last week but never heard back from anyone. But the first person I saw when I walked in today was the regional parts manager. I figured that couldn't be a coincidence so relayed my concerns and frustrations to him. He promised to call me back after doing some digging. The service advisor next to him pointed out that they were on the lookout for my parts and not only had a note about "Sandi's order" in their computer system under the part numbers but that the service advisor I'd been working with (who has moved on to "greener pastures"--insurance sales!) had posted this reminder in his desk area!


When I went back out to ride home, the Sportster was gone and in its place was this chopper. @Iron, I'm calling on your knowledge and expertise again. What's with THIS bike?? I just have to say that the rear tire on this bike makes my Fat Boy's rear tire look slim.




And it had an interesting, minimalist gauge and a Willie G. design gas cap.


On the other side of my Street Glide in another patch of shade was another relatively out of the ordinary Harley, this one a V-Rod. I'm not very familiar with that model so I don't know which V-Rod in particular this one is.


This was the temperature in the Harley parking lot when aimed my bike for home, about 10 degrees warmer that it was I left the garage this morning.

 

I think it's a Big Dog K9 from Big Dog International. They'll build a bike to your spec from a list of bits that they have/produce. So you can pick paint, mudguards, lights, zorsts, 300mm rear tyres etc from a price list of sorts. Costs are North of $35K I think. But no where near the properly horrible Orange County fair ground rides at around $80K.
They've been going for some years now and have quite a following amongst the re-born well'ards. But there's lots of bike 'builders' around these days and that style is quite liked by the re-borns on both sides of the pond.
The resale isn't that good but worth getting one as they have the S&S motors and other varied shiny bits to make a decent bike from.
Shit to ride with that tyre although anyone who has a 300 wide rear will tell you they are just as good at going round bends. Ask to follow them when they shoot off and watch I notice he's not getting on too well with his matt respray either....
Sorry, it's his, he loves it, so it's absolutely bloody awesome

 

@Sandi T my weather envy shows no sign of abating!! The woman on the Nightster sounds like she'd be great to get to know; shame she's not from nearby for you to go for some rides. As ever I really hope your parts turn up soon - I bet the dealer does too before you start camping in their car park .

 

Just looked those part numbers up







Looks like we've got 'em all over here. Maybe we should send them all back 'cause we need the change for the gas meter.....kin 'ell

 

Again, thanks for schooling me on some of the more "esoteric" bike I run across, @Iron. I love learning about motorcycles and I hope you don't mind that I keep tapping into your expansive knowledge base.

A good friend of Mr. Sandi's came exceedingly close to pulling the trigger on a Big Dog purchase at the Laughlin River Run probably 15 or so years back. I think to some degree he still regret not just going for it. Does Big Dog always use S & S motors?? I'm with you on that matt respray. But you're right, it's his and he loves it so it's awesome! Different tastes make the world a much more interesting place.

 

@Mrs Visor, I think YOU would be great to get to know...in person and to ride together. Too bad you and I live even farther apart than the Nightster woman and I do. Plus if that temperature of 102ºF doesn't scare you off but instead engenders envy, you and I would get along fantastically. You're right on the dealer hoping my parts come in. I'm becoming a nuisance.

 

Yep, those are them, @Iron! If I look the parts up on www.harley-davidson.com, they show up but are listed as "Sold Out". The first time I saw that, I was more than a little concerned since I'd already paid for the ones I ordered. Our local dealership had a good sale back in early January--20% off on all H-D parts and all labor. I originally was going to move slowly on decking out El Gordo but figured with that sort of sale I'd just go ahead and buy then what I knew I'd buy eventually. Well, go figure. Who'd have thought anything would be backordered nearly a year?! I have been assured that if I was able to originally order the parts (and pay for them) that I'll eventually get them. But these days, who the heck knows? I already have the grips, shifter peg, and brake pedal from that collection (Empire) on my bike so I'd like to finish it off with the Empire mirrors and floorboards for continuity. And I'm really keen on getting the cruise control module. I've become very "spoiled" with having that feature on my bikes. I have it on my Street Glide Special and on my Speed Triple RS and use it quite frequently--most often to give my right hand, arm, and shoulder a shake out and a bit of a break.

But as I've come to say, this is all a "first world problem". No parts are AWOL that keep me from actually riding El Gordo!

Edit: Just did the pounds to dollars conversion on my parts. Yikes! They are WAY more expensive there than here!

 

You never know @Sandi T if our paths will cross one day!! Just don't get yourself arrested for harassment of the dealers .

 

I think you may be right about never knowing if our paths will cross, @Mrs Visor! I do hope they do. And you know I mean right about our paths crossing.... NOT about getting myself arrested.

 

Sure this was a cactus .. looks like something that may be on it's way to help the Ukraine ?

 

On the "non Triumph" theme I watched a program tonight celebrating the Honda Fireblade's 30th birthday and I never realised! I've had 3 in the past, the first one a RRP in '93, a RRS in '95 in the sexy Urban Street Tiger colours and a RRV in '97. Pick your cliche with the Fireblade, "a game changer", "an Icon", "the benchmark" etc., added to the legendary Honda reliability there's little wonder they sold well. All 3 of mine got thrashed mercilessly and I never even had to change a light bulb on any of them. Superb machines!!

 

Perhaps it was just cleverly disguised as a saguaro, @surlyone2.

 

That would be an interesting show, i looked it up and its on again on the 2nd June on ITV4 at 11.40am

 

Noted that Triumph have taken a page from Harley's book ... snapped front brake lever on the 509, $126.00 at the dealers ! ..... that I reckoned, down to Budget Spares with the lever and along their shelves, there we go, exact match .. but heavens above, the packet had Suzuki on it, and a lovely sticker that said $ 27.00 ....

 

Some of Triumph's spares and accessory prices are eye watering. Small plastic Flyscreen for the Street Scribbler, £142 or £228 for a colour matched one, then the fixing bracket for it, £43. Alloy clutch and brake levers, £175 and you can get a virtually identical pair, minus the Triumph name, on ebay for £42. Rear luggage/parcel rack, £175 for a few bits of bent and welded tubing which is the main reason I made one! I blagged some "extras" on a cracking deal I got on my first one just after the first 2020 lockdown but the collective price of them bought seperately was almost £700!
Mind you, in 2013 I needed a new rad on the ZZR, £650, now almost £800 and a painted side fairing panel £260!

 

I sometimes see one in the Street Tiger colours near to my workplace, it still draws lots of attention!! I would imagine it's fairly rare now?

 

They command premium prices now in good original condition but many were written off including my '93 (don't ask) and others modded and messed about with. I'm often asked if I wish I'd still got one of my early 'Blades, well, not really 'cos if I had it would probably have done well over 300k miles by now! I've nothing against collectors but, personally, I can't see the point in buying a bike and sticking it in a glass case.

 

I agree they're there to be ridden. I have no idea whether this one has been messed with, I only ever see it passing me in traffic when I am in my car, so at least it is being ridden by it's current owner. I had a friend who owned a red / purple / white one when everyone else had a Ninja with matching green leathers!

 

Well I just bought this,for my daily commute to work. 250cc,70+mpg,and 85mph! And a new screen