page mill
I took some pictures on a ride up Page Mill last week for Tim over at pashnit.com. Some of 'em turned out pretty nicely.

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May 16, 2003

waaaah.
The SVS is at the doctor. No, nothing's wrong -- I just realized that as it's got over 19,000 miles now, I was never actually going to finish the 15k service. In a fit of optimism, I made an appointment at G Force Performance Center in Santa Clara. Since I never take my bike into the shop, it hadn't really occurred to me that taking it to a performance shop in the middle of race season might not be the most time-efficient way of dealing with things.

Long story short -- the SVS is there now, and will be there for the forseeable future. I got email from Owner Man Mike, saying that they're actually almost done with it, so that's good. Hopefully I'll get it back next week.

laundry list of improvements.
So, what's getting done, anyway?

  • Valve adjustment. I don't expect them to be out of whack, but it's part of the 15k.
  • Coolant swap. It was due, since the bike's 2 years old. I just had them put Water Wetter in since, well, it's not like it freezes here.
  • Jet kit. I never rejetted the bike after putting on the Yosh pipes, and I figured it was due. I'd been noticing some popping, which may (or may not! who knows! it's a v-twin!) get smoothed out with the kit.
  • Tire swap. The rear was getting pretty square, thanks to the freeways of Nevada. Owner Man Mike endeared himself to me forever by suggesting swapping out the front, too, since it was "worn on the sides". Hear that? The sides! Not the center! Sides! Neener!
  • Random bolts. Apparently, I'm missing bolts. I'm going to also blame this on Nevada, because I can. Moral: bring Loctite on future trips.

Sounds nice and expensive, doesn't it? It is. Grumble. I'm trying to convince myself that it's still less than I'd have paid for regular maintenance at shops during the past two years.

the downside.
Is that I don't really have a bike right now. I went out to take the Nighthawk to work today, and discovered that the tires have about 15psi in each tire, and I was running late. Sigh.

I had wanted to do the Wind Dancers ride tomorrow, but the thought of taking the Nighthawk on a 200-mile trip is giving me a shoulderache just thinking about it. See, this is why I need at least five bikes. The logic is clear as day.

Speaking of the Nighthawk, I may have a buyer for it. My friend Sara is coming over next week to test ride it. I warned her that it's a big ol' cow, but she seems OK with that (her last bike, before it was stolen and turned into a modern art piece, was a Yamaha Maxim 750).

If I sell the Nighthawk, I might be able to pay for the SVS's shop bills! Whee! Capitalism at work.