Fort Worth Art Dealers Association Spring Gallery Night

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day to get the bikes rolling somewhere. Margaret has a friend named Jessica who is an artist and had invited us to an art exhibition where she had been invited to show her work. This is an event sponsored by the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association and provides an opportunity for local artists to get their work noticed. The art event called Spring Gallery Night had over 30 locations around Fort Worth and into Arlington that you can tour between and see or buy different styles and types of local art.

The site we went to was named Fort Works Art and was situation just South of downtown Fort Worth in a business district. It was a warehouse that had been turned into an art showroom for the artists attending. We didn't know what to expect since we've never been to one of these events before. We arrived at 3 pm and already the gallery was busy. Doughboys Pizza Truck was onsite and fired up ready to serve. We talked with the owners for awhile who were super friendly and they let me take their picture with their food truck. I want to point out their added artistic feature which accompanied the art event that was on the back of the truck which they called "The Dark Slice of the Moon" as a spin off from "The Dark Side of the Moon" Pink Floyd album.

We entered the gallery and found Jessica Barst and spent some time with her seeing her art. There was a bar where you could purchase wine or specialty beers to drink while you socialized and viewed the artwork. We wandered around taking in all of the art, judging between ourselves what we liked or didn't. It was interesting to have a better understanding that art truly is a personal expression and invokes a personal reaction in each individual. Where I might like a specific picture or sculpture, Margaret might have a totally different view and like something that I might not. As each work of art is an extension of the artist so is the reaction created within each viewer.

As we exited the gallery the DoughBoys were pumping out the pizzas. There was a line of 20 people deep outside their truck ready to munch on their food. We didn't want to head home right away seeing as it was so beautiful out so we rode north to Rhome, TX to visit my sister and brother-in-law for awhile. The art show was interesting and provided us with a unique destination and activity for the afternoon. We had a great time, took some pictures, talked with friends, and got a good taste of local art.

Fort Worth Art Dealers Association Spring Gallery Night Slideshow

-Fort Works Art Location

How to Change the Fork Oil on a 2012 Harley Davidson Street Glide

Yea I know, another maintenance post. Sorry. It's another rainy weekend keeping us garaged again. I figured this would provide a chance to do a video on changing the fork oil on a Street Glide. I kinda browsed around the net looking for a video on this subject and never found one on performing this process on a Street Glide. Well, I did discover one video but they wanted you to pay for access which I am simply not going to do.

I was going through the owners manual a couple months ago looking at the mileage schedule for specific maintenance tasks. Then I had the idea to begin making videos for each of the maintenance points covered in the owners manual. With a small investment in a few tools most people can easily perform these tasks themselves. If you purchased a maintenance plan then by all means let the dealership do the work. If not however then these videos might help you. So hopefully before long I will have covered most if not all of the owners manual mileage maintenance points with videos to help.

Enough of my ramblings! This maintenance task is probably the most difficult of all of the owners manual routine maintenance tasks. It is supposed to be done every 50K miles. I don't know how I feel about waiting that long. That just seems to be a lot of miles on the bike before changing the oil out of the forks. However, if we are staying true to Harley's specifications, then you should be good riding it up to 50K miles. I performed this fork oil change and made this video at 41K. A bit early but its not going to do any harm doing it now rather than later. 

I want to stress that this video is specifically for a 2012 Street Glide. The year of your bike and the model could change the process slightly to extreme. Some bikes have conventional forks, some have damper valves, some have a conventional in the left side and a damper in the right. You will absolutely need a service manual for your specific bike if you're going to perform this task yourself. Another point to be made here is that the service manual specifically states that the forks must be removed to change the fork oil on a SG. That is not completely accurate. The Fork Cap Bolt once removed opens up the top of the fork providing access to fill without removal. There are also screws with a copper washer at the bottom for draining the oil. Between these two specific factors you are provided with a means of draining and filling without removing the forks. However, this is ONLY good for changing the oil. You will have no way of checking internal fork components for wear or breakage doing this. I am of the opinion that the service manual says to remove the forks, springs, and dampers to provide the chance for a visual inspection of some of the core components. I believe Harley says to remove them to be more thorough in checking for possible wear from a safety perspective, which I can understand. 

Here is what I do know. I've been riding bikes for over 40 years. You get to know the feel of the bike and how it handles under different road and temperature conditions. When a problem occurs in the front end of your bike, it doesn't take long to notice that its not handling right. If a seal pops and oil starts flowing out, you'll know. If a spring snaps in a fork, again, you'll know. Even if the fork oil is breaking down from over extended use, you'll know by the way the bike handles. So if the bike is handling right, then at least at that moment in time, you can be reasonably sure that nothing is broken and performing just the oil change will be fine.

If you keep up with this, then the clean oil you keep in the forks will help to extend the life of the internal components. Dark oil, either dark brown or black is a sign of wear. It is dark because internal parts are breaking down and leaving a residual that turns the oil dark. As the oil breaks down it fails to protect the parts well which causes the parts to break down more rapidly. So if you keep the oil clean with regular drains and refills, the components will last longer. Fork oil gets pushed through a bunch of small holes and valves to provide dampening, the friction of the oil moving makes it quite hot. This heat will break down the oil and cause a viscosity change, causing your bikes forks to work less efficiently for suspension and braking. All of that to say, there is good reason to drain and refill your fork oil without necessarily removing the forks. 

There are three specific tools you will need for this which most people just don't have. A bike jack, a #3 Phillips screwdriver, and a 1-3/8" wrench. You'll need the jack to keep the bike in an upright position and to get the front wheel off the ground so as to fully extend and decompress the forks. This will help with the refill procedure. The large wrench is necessary to get the fork cap bolts off. There isn't enough room for a large crescent wrench to be able to turn the bolt enough and get it loose. There's also not enough room between the fork cap bolt and the handle bars to fit a large socket. So your stuck having to use preferably a box end wrench to remove the fork cap bolt. The #3 Phillips screwdriver is for the drain screws. Anything smaller and I just don't think you'll succeed in breaking them loose without rounding them out. Together these 3 necessary tools will run $150.00 or less. The dealership service department if I remember correctly will charge 3 hours of labor plus parts. At $95.00 an hour your looking at $300 in labor alone, twice what it would cost to get the tools, do the work yourself, and have a nice jack to use for your bike or any future bike, or bikes you might own.

I used the Screaming Eagle Heavy Fork Oil which is heavier than the Type-E oil the bike comes with. This will provide for a stiffer ride but will also allow for better handling. If you want a smoother ride but a squishier front end then stick with the Type-E oil. If your into competition riding then the heavier oil would be perfect since the bike would be more responsive and handle better. Some people that ride part time or maybe cruise freeways without a lot of turns might like the smoother and softer ride of a lighter oil. You'll have to decide for yourself because it really is a matter of preference.

Watch the entire video to get an idea of the process before trying. This maintenance task may not be something you even want to attempt. Also keep in mind that getting the correct amount of oil in the forks according to your service manual is necessary. Too little could cause handling issue which could lead to a crash. I hope the video provides a thorough process overview for you to make an informed decision whether to do this maintenance task or not.

Ride Strong, Ride Safe

How to Change the Fork Oil on a 2012 Harley Davidson Street Glide

Grumps in Granbury

Tuesday turned out to be a beautiful day even though I worked all day. After my 120 mile round trip commute I rode into the garage to find Margaret standing there with her helmet on. I looked at her googly eyed and curious as to what she thought she (and I) were supposed to be doing. Her response was "Your taking me riding tonight!" Keep in mind here as you evaluate her request that I had been up since 5 am, rode 120 miles, part of that in rush hour traffic, worked all day, rolled back into the garage 12.5 hours since getting out of bed and now she wants to ride... Oh my! What to do? After being married to her for 20 years I have learned to choose my battles and this was not one of them.

I pulled her bike out of the garage for her while she finished gearing up and pulled my bike back out of the garage again. She didn't even give me a destination preference. All she said was she was hungry and we were riding to dinner and I had to choose where. I'm thinking, well, ok, then! You want to ride? I'll give you a ride. Off we headed to Granbury to get some burgers at Grumps, I figured the 40 miles to get there in the nice 81 degree temperature would make for a nice evening ride. 

At first to be honest I just didn't want to go. I was tired from working, but I was hungry and hadn't had a good burger since we last went to the Horny Toad Bar & Grill in Cranfills Gap. As we rolled down the back roads away from the hustle and mania of the city my mental and physical tension faded and the ride became quite enjoyable. I settled into the seat and set a comfortable speed that gave us time to enjoy the scenery as we moved along. There was a brisk wind but not overbearing enough to cause any bike control discomforts.

We arrived at Grumps around 7:00 pm and took our time eating and having some good personal time with each other. It was almost 8:30 and getting dark when we left for the ride home. The temperature was still in the high 70s' even when the sun went down. We rode most of the way in the night. It was quiet and beautiful with only the rumble of the engine to be heard steadily driving the bike along the road. It was a great time clear your mind and bring the day to a close before heading to bed. 

I'm glad she insisted on taking a dinner ride. I'm not sure how to explain it or why the ride was so nice, but for some reason it was more memorable than a lot of short rides. Even the next day we both agreed there was something special about that dinner ride. Maybe the weather, maybe the ride, maybe the scenery, maybe the night, maybe the food, maybe all of it. Sometimes there isn't always a reason as to why except that maybe it was just meant to be...

How to Lubricate the Clutch Cable on a Harley Davidson

The prospect of riding quickly faded Friday afternoon when the chance for thunderstorms on Saturday went to 90%. And as predicted the rain rolled in about noon leaving us to make plans to do something else. Rainy days do make for good maintenance though. It keeps you productive on a non riding day and yet still involved in bike related activities. With the knowledge that your not going to be riding for the weekend due to weather you will also find yourself slowing down and taking your time doing the maintenance. This will make for an enjoyable afternoon and you'll feel good about getting work done on your bike during the down time.

This time we lubricated the clutch cable on my Street Glide. The lubrication process works for all bike brands once you get the cable unattached from the clutch. The process to get the cable off the clutch handle may vary slightly between bikes but not by much. You can do this in about 15 minutes and it will keep your clutch gliding smoothly and provide longevity to the cable from wear that can occur if its not lubricated.

One can of oil can last years so the cost is negligible for the knowledge that it is being done regularly. I have no idea to the cost savings on this as I have never paid the dealership to do the work. Eventually the rain and cold will let up so we can get some riding done and move out of the maintenance info for awhile. Hope you enjoy the video.

How to Lubricate the Clutch Cable on a Harley Davidson

How to Change the Front Brakes on a Harley Davidson

I've been trying to break up the posts between riding related stuff and maintenance to keep a bit of a balance for those that don't perform maintenance. It will taper off as riding season comes more into play and we begin taking more trips and going to events. For now though, its maintenance time! This is the perfect time to get those bikes ready for some hard riding this spring, summer, and fall!

This week is about how to change the front brakes on your Harley. I did this video while changing them on my 2012 Street Glide but the principles will apply to all bikes, even metrics. The process is quite simple and you can do a front brake job in about 30 minutes and save a load of money in doing so. If you do it right, you wont even have to bleed the brake lines. What is important is to do this before your brakes wear out to the point of metal on metal. If you keep up with it you wont have to replace your rotors.

The front brake change on this video was done at 40K miles and it was the first front brake pad change on this bike. The original pads still had a ways to go but with the long trip Margaret and I have planned this summer I wanted to go ahead and take care of them now. This video only shows how to do the front pads. I had the dealership change the rear last summer when they had the wheel off to put a new rear tire on. Eventually I'll change the rear pads and do a video of that process as well.

I hope these maintenance videos are helpful and encouraging!

Ride Strong, Ride Safe

How to Change the Front Brake Pads on a Harley Davidson

Cranfills Gap & Horny Toad Bar & Grill 2014

Last weekend was looking good for a nice ride when the text came in from our friends George and Pat asking where we were going. At first I was going to wimp out and just take a shorty for lunch. Then I decided since the weather was supposed to be so nice and we had another couple to ride with that I would take a nice short ride to Cranfills Gap. It's been a long time since I had a good burger so the Horny Toad Bar & Grill seemed to be the obvious choice of destination.

I took a very scenic route which is included on my route page. The only bad part was on FM 51 since its under construction. Unfortunately it is being widened which will end up taking out the nice twisties that were so fun to ride in the past.

It was an interesting riding day in the aspect of meeting new people as well. We stopped in Granbury to take a short break and a couple rode up, parked by us, and we just talked to them for quite some time. They were headed to meet up with some friends for lunch and saw us and decided to stop and chat. The next stop was in Walnut Springs where we stopped at a city park for a break. A guy named Tracy hopped out of his minivan where he was jamming to some Lynard Skynard and came over to chat with us. He rides as well and was spending the afternoon with his daughter and grandson at the park. He was a lot of fun and we shared stories and laughs before heading out to our final destination of Cranfills Gap.

When we rolled up at around 2 pm the main street was full of bikes from riders that had the same idea as we had to take advantage of the day. We ordered and made our way to an outside table to enjoy the afternoon air. While waiting for our food a lady named Becky saw my HOG patch and asked if we were going straight back to Fort Worth when we finished. She joined us at our table and for the next couple hours we enjoyed each others company. She also joined us on the ride back to Fort Worth.

We also saw Gary from Lone Star Cruisers and their group. They had about 25 bikes that day who made the ride. Cranfills Gap and specifically the Horny Toad is a great meeting place for bikers. Whether your riding alone or with a group you can always meet another friendly face there and share riding stories.

As the ride progressed back home the temperature began to drop rapidly as a cold front rolled in. We were riding straight into it and I guess inhaling all that cold air affected me. I have been suffering all week with horrible chest congestion, fever, and clogged head.

Cranfills Gap & Horny Toad Bar & Grill February 2014 Slideshow