Rider 8

For Roadside Marty

This is for Roadside Marty who I am getting a FXRP fairing and floorboards from...he, like me is a fan of FXR baggers! Lets hope between the two of us we can encourage Erik Buell to start building FXR baggers for a living, and then Buells could rule the world! (I swear I think about adding Buell emblems to my tank daily.)

Anyway here is Roadside Marty's blog...

http://flatbrokecustoms.blogspot.com/

And Marty I found some sweet pictures of a Dyna Glide with a Tour Glide fairing...hell I'll just post them if I get time...

FRX goodness!!! (FXRP that is....)

Ben sent me a link to another blog that sometimes features FXR's...he said FXR's have become bigger than the Beatles...well lets hope not...and while FXR's seem to be experiencing a appreciation boom...lets remember Ben that while it is Ivo who is praising FXR's...he does live in California, home of Emo's on Harleys wearing pegged pants and Chuck Taylors...not really TEOTWAWKI types...(and don't forget ChopperDave lives in Cali...)

But anyhoo, I should be out cussing the weedeater some more so I can get the house appraised and remodeled so I can go on road trips on my FXR...

And speaking of Roadside Marty is hooking me up with some FXR parts....anything you need to plug Marty?

I picked up a copy of Cycle Source magazine today...they have a very interesting "Buy American" philosophy, and it interest me because I think America's strong point has always been it's strong Industrial and manufacturing backbone and that has been exported to countries because of cheaper labor cost...but it isn't that easy. I grew up in a very strong Union family, I saw first hand how inefficient they can be, how bad employees are impossible to get rid of and while they offered good employees good pay, it came at the end of the Manufacturers profit when things turned slow or the economy wained...this created a Manufacturing monopoly because only huge business could survive like this. No small manufacturing company could afford to hire Union labor. In the strong Union days, even huge manufacturers started looking else where they could have things manufactured and not have to deal with Union labor. It wasn't until huge Union manufacturers started going under, (Like the Steel industry in Pa.) that manufacturers started building factories and hiring non-Union labor in America(and paying them well to head off a Union threat, no denying that) and now American manufacturing is making a comeback....The government constantly taxing Corporations and classifying "Corporations" as evil does not help either. Making a profit is not evil. (but makes no bones about it, successful Manufacturers need to have a good global trade in order to grow. It works both ways.)

In Cincinnati right now, the city has their hand out to P&G to help pay for the city pools they cannot afford to keep open, (but they can afford to arrest 26 drug and gang suspects 199 times in the last two years and not put them in prison,)...P&G who make high quality products for the public and support a lot of American jobs are still treated as if they must pay up in order to do business in America...care to wonder what would happen if they don't pay up?

Here's the link to Cycle Source...(a magazine I think has potential as a great motorcycle magazine for the intellectual biker.) Interesting read!

http://cyclesource.com/home.htm

On my way to work last week....

Thinking about getting some hard bags from Tom Rose...really need them...Tom are they any lowere than my soft bags or will I need taller shocks, like right now?

Ozz's FXR....

Here's some pictures of my 'early' 84 FXRP.

I bought the bike from a former co-worker who decided to buy a Heritage. No accounting for taste.

The tank that came on it was a dented rusty POS internally, I replaced it with the current one,flames & all off E bay for $185.
Changed the shocks from the stock ones to the shorter ones on it now.Dropped it about 1-1/2"-2", so call me a heretic, it still corners fine . The stock forks on FXRP's as well as RT's, RD's and I believe FXRS-SP's are an 1-1/2 " longer than regular FXR front tubes..There's still plenty of clearence for "curb jumping". The stock pipes with the crossover and SE slip-ons work fine. Years ago BUB Enterprises did a dyno test of their pipes,Thunderheaders,SuperTrapps & the crossovers with slip-ons. The thing I noticed in the test was that the stock cross over pipes with good slip-on mufflers did nearly as well as the aftermarket pipes(within 1-2 hp) & at certain rpm's (mainly mid-range where most riding takes place)they actually did better.
I've a lifelong friend who has a newer Night Train with the 96" motor. I leave him behind whenever I want.

Rear chain drive; stock from H-D.,breather hose venting on the ground, Dry clutch,S&S "E" simply because I like them. Throw over bags (not pictured) carry what's needed. I've still got the cop bags,seat, front & rear fenders.
Slowly building a parts horde, extra seats,tanks,fenders ,speedometers (one NOS )& exhausts so far.

I turned 58 in Oct.,I remember when cop bikes were bought, stripped of parts & built to suit the rider's preferences. It's what "we" did.

Kalgon take me away...

So I get up this morning and write a couple articles, Steve B's and Angy Hoffers and about the time I amfinished, the computer crashes...FN crashes...FN Bill Gates you suck...and I have to go to work in a few hours for a week of Night shift...but never fail readers, here are some great pictures of Elvis's customers bike...Long LIve the King!

With...

Dang Ben, you found all the cool bikes today!

If I can get some sleep tomorrow...I will be installing my brake pedal and shifter on my mid mounts that I got from Elvis and post some pictures of FXR's that Elvis built...I plan on installing some floorboards on my FXR this winter...I love Floorboards!