Clutch woes . . .

:roflmao:Are you saying the new Harley's are like old Honda's LOL....:devil: Same thing I said to the dealer when he gave me a TC Dyna to try out when Twinkies were new....:roflmao:

Good to hear all's well with the cable....Now stop sending those rain storms up here..

. We got some rain right now but I think this little storm should be history by the time it gets up where you are. But I have to sit this one out. Maybe tomorrow . . .

It appears to me that all motorcyles, like cages, are morphing into the same thing. (They're all made of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same LOL!) Soon, the only way you'll be able to tell the difference between them all is the company logo on the tanks :roflmao:.

What would we do without J&P? Ordering a new front tire (Avon Mark II Speedmaster 3.25 x 19"). Seems the guy who installed my tire before just 5000 miles ago, didn't do a good job balancing it, and also, unbeknownst to me, didn't center the tire correctly on the rim. When riding at highway speeds, you can see the center treads, which are straight, weaving side to side about 1/8" or more. Wore the tire out unevenly. I think a new tire will eliminate some of the "hopping" I've been experiencing LOL.
I have found a local guy who races bikes and has his own shop out in the sticks. He is going to fix me up and true & balance the wheel and put the new rubber on correctly.
Always somethin' . . .

:gah::gah:

Hmmm a man from Hobgood, NC saying that he "found a guy out in the sticks". Must be way out man! Lmfao

+1 :roflmao::roflmao:

Oh, yeah, he is way, way out there on a twisty country road LMAO! Since I don't have a front fender, I can lean over a bit and watch the front wheel/tire as I tool down the road. The rim spins almost perfectly true, but the tire treads move side to side, like it wasn't mounted correctly on the rim. I know the tire could have been put on better than it was. I suspect that the wheel wasn't balanced correctly either when the first tire was put on. I've been hearing a few stories about that shop since then, and none of them is good. They scratched a custom painted gas tank ($700) and tried to say it was already like that - that kind of stuff.

Anyhow, the wheel will get checked out by a wheel specialist. This guy races bikes and has been in business a long time. He does all his own wheel work - doesn't trust it to anybody else.

Only way the tire couldn't be mounted right is if the bead wasn't popped out to the rim....be pretty difficult to see the wheel out of true rolling down the road unless it was so bad it would be almost unable to ride it...that's why the guy you're going to take it to will use a truing stand and a dial indicatornot balanced right can give you the wheel hop feeling...
Safe bet that a guy that has a shop 10 minutes past the middle of nowhere and is busy...he's good

That or there just isn't anyone else for another 10 minutes past the middle of nowhere....:roflmao:

Next nearest place is a HD dealership in Rocky Mount, 30 miles away.

:Oh, Rocky Mount, BIG City. Just joshin ya Josh.

Ha-ha! Big for around here. Takes all of 15 minutes to ride from one end of town to the other LOL. Taking my wheel & axel in today to Boots, and he says I'll have it back around lunch time, trued, balanced & with a brand new Avon Speedmaster.

Got my new tire put on today. It turns out the wheel was fine and didn't need truing. The wheel was way out of balance. He showed it to me with the old weight and tire still on it. I went for a test ride and the tire runs much truer than the last one. I haven't seen an improvement in the vibration coming thru my handlebars or the footpegs. We figure the motor must be out of balance - the bike does shake when standing still LOL. Makes sense since nothing else was done to the motor originally. Well, it's gonna stay that way - I ain't tearing the motor apart again.

Tattoo says he's seen much worse - vibrations, that is. Tells me not to be concerned - as sure as a woman wiggles, a shovel will shake.

Heh...That's about 12 minutes longer than it takes to get though mine...had a buddy named "Boots" had a cycle shop...got a pic of him,his bike and Indian Larry...see if I can find it....nice bike,Evo based custom

Well, looks like I've morphed my thread from clutch to tire stuff. I ended up getting the Avon tire from Boots. He charged me $140 for the tire and the balance, and for checking the wheels true. I thought that was very reasonable, as the tire sells for $147.

He told me next time I get a new front tire to get one a bit wider, or a different brand. There are several who have an older tread pattern, like Coker for instance, and are considered much better tires.

Anyway, for now, I'm happy. The tire doesn't wiggle as much side to side like the last one I had. It beats me why. I may have mentioned elsewhere that I'm running both my tires slightly underinflated, which seems to help with handling, though I know they will wear out faster. They're both rated at 36 and I'm running the rear one at 30 and the front at 32. I like how the tires feel and handle at this pressure, and I check them weekly to make sure pressure doesn't drop.