Getting the New Bike Setup

It didn't take long to know I was going to need new handlebars on the bike. We took a couple rides and the stock bars were so low that I had to reach downwards to get a grip on them. Soon after my shoulders and back began to hurt from the awkward reach. Something had to be done.

I went with the Paul Yaffe monkeybars again because the pullback and width fit me well when they were on my 2012 Street Glide. This time I put the 10" bars on instead of the 12" though. Doing this kept the hand grips behind the fairing which keeps my hands from being exposed to rocks and wind. This will help in winter riding for the cold too. They are still high enough to allow enough pull back to keep from having to reach downwards like the stock bars. And they still look nice too.

The process of installation was much easier on the 2015. Harley made marked design improvements that affected many areas of the new bikes. Fortunately some of those improvements also affected modifications to the bikes making the task easier. Installing the handlebars is an example. They put longer brake lines and hydraulic clutch lines from the master cylinder so you don't have to replace those as long as your only putting 12" or lower bars on the bike. They also made a wiring junction on a plate that is mounted under the radio. The wires in this junction are able to be removed from the zip ties that hold them and re-routed back towards the handlebars which allows you to put up to 12" bars on the bike without having to cut and solder extensions. Even the removal of the inner fairing was made easier with the new style of fork mount that allows you to simply lift upwards then back after removing the turn signals, turn signal bolts, and accessory console. That also makes adjusting them later much easier and quicker without hardly any tear down.

I did a video on the process and as mentioned for the 2012 model you need to have some mechanical and electrical aptitude to successfully accomplish the install. Even though its easier to install bars on the 2014 and 2015 models, its still not going to be for everyone. Safety is the first goal when doing something like this and not performing even one task correctly could put your life at risk on the road. If there is any hesitation about doing the installation yourself, then you probably should let your dealership do it for you.

Stock Handle Bars

Paul Yaffe 10" Monkey Apes

How to Install 10" Paul Yaffe Monkey Bars on a 2015 Harley Davidson Street Glide Special

Time to Move Along

Since beginning this blog I have written articles from a wide variety of subjects always trying to keep each write up riding related in some manner. Margaret even became part of the posts upon learning to ride and now is well part of this blog. From the beginning I started the blog to share in riding activities experienced on my Street Glide. During the blogs lifetime I went from 25 miles on the odometer to 62,908 on my bike. It has been the iron horse that carried me through every post. The same bike is what encouraged the maintenance page and was the star that began and played in my UTube channel on How to Maintain a 2012 Harley Street Glide.

That 2012 Street Glide has been a fantastic and reliable bike. It has had its share of breakages but never left me stranded. Due to my past work commute I would put 600 miles each week on it and then add whatever riding activity on the weekend to that mileage. It has seen its share of weather conditions, back roads, dirt roads, highways, and states across America. It had evolved from the stock Street Glide off the showroom floor to what it is today.

Now that I am working only 9 miles from home and left that hard commute behind the miles began slowing down. I had to consider the fact that at nearly 63k miles the depreciation was already beginning to hit the bike hard. At 75k you cannot extend the warranty any further on a Harley and I will hit that mark in a short amount of time, especially after our vacation ride this summer. Even though the bike rides as solid as it did when it was first purchased I decided to begin looking at trading it in to begin anew.

At first the numbers just didn't come together on a new bike. The mileage was the problem. I eventually just gave up and decided to dig in with my bike for the long haul. About 2 weeks later I got a call from our salesman Race saying the dealership owner wanted to make the trade happen. At first I was skeptical, after all, they weren't able to do it over the last two weeks, why now?. Within minutes Race called back, asked me to come up to his office so we could talk. Since I work at the dealership I headed that way to see what they had in mind. I never would have expected the extent of the offer.

I sat down, Race looked at me and said, "Not only are we paying your bike off, were giving you more than you owe". What?! I never would have expected that! Not with the mileage on the bike. Then he asked me how I wanted to use the money from my extended warranty. I had purchased 4 years additional at the time the factory warranty ran out. That extended service plan can be rolled into a new bike or the remaining balance can be applied as a down payment. So I applied it as a down payment. They also made an excellent offer on 5 years extended warranty which was far less than I paid for the 4 years I had on my previous bike so I added that as well. And to top it off I upgraded to a Street Glide Special as well!

I had to comment on this whole ordeal because it was the fairest offer I have ever received in the motorcycle or automotive industry. Fort Worth Harley Davidson went far beyond what anyone could have imagined and treated me very well. They genuinely want to get you on the bike your wanting and will go to great lengths to make that happen. If your shopping for a new bike I would encourage you to give them the opportunity and see what they can do for you.

I was able to swap some of the parts from my 2012 to the 2015 Street Glide which was nice. I didn't have time to remove the handlebars though so I ordered new ones and when I get some time we'll put a video up of how to install those on a 2015 since there are some differences. For now though, its time to ride!

My new 2015 Street Glide Special (FLHXS)

How to Install a Front Fender on a 2012 Harley Street Glide

This post finalizes the procedure of removing and installing a front fender on a 2012 Harley Davidson Street Glide. As mentioned in the post on how to remove the fender, mine suffered damage at an event from somebody that didn't have the decency to even leave a note apologizing for their carelessness. As in all aspects of life there are people who simply look out for themselves even if they are the cause of problems for others. Those people don't have the honesty or integrity to admit to those they affect as being the cause of the swath of destruction they leave in their wake. Oblivious to the world and people around them, they take for themselves, look out for themselves, and will not take responsibility if the outcome will affect them in a negative manner. This was the type of person that caused damage to my bike.

Fortune however smiled upon my situation as being the innocent victim in this case. A very talented and honorable man saw my plight and offered his assistance. He repaired my fender and had it back to me completed within 4 days! The work was stunning showing his perfection of his trade. You could look into the beautiful gloss black seemingly forever. The reflection was deep and the paint was smooth and without flaw. Juan is a true professional in his trade and I am grateful to know him and entrust paint work to him.

Thank you Juan for taking care of my fender situation and showing there are people with integrity and honor that believe in helping others. I would recommend him to anyone that needs paint and body work done on their bike.

How to Install the Front Fender on a 2012 Harley Davidson Street Glide

Life is Everchanging

Life is so unpredictable and seems to take extreme turns without notice. I am often in awe of how life seems to move you into different directions even without self input. Recently, one of those changes occurred to me that I am very excited about.

For almost 5 years I have worked at PepsiCo as a contract technician. The job came about accidentally like so many life changes often do. The commute has always been awful having to travel 120 miles a day round trip. Then add toll fees, gas, maintenance, repairs, traffic, road rage, accidents, heat, rain, snow, etc. and it doesn't take long to see it's not a good situation just to get there and back every day. At first the job was fine, but soon after and up until I resigned, I found I was so often completely taken advantage of as are most contractors to PepsiCo. The employees have an elevated sense of entitlement and privilege because they are employed by PepsiCo and carry that attitude with them with raised chins and extended necks as they look down upon contractors as sub-workers. My department in particular only had two employees and one contractor, me. It soon became evident that I was to be worked dry while the two employees enjoyed their privileged status by disappearing unaccounted for throughout the day for hours at a time, leaving for lunch and not returning, making their own hours which conveniently seemed to fall outside of the busiest times of the day, while leaving and expecting me, the contractor, to keep up with all of the work while they enjoyed their days at home and play as they drew a paycheck.

Mondays and Fridays were without fail, the two days one of them if not both, would call in with a sudden illness that was so bad they wouldn't be able to make it in for the day. I was always amazed how someone could acquire a new illness every Monday and Friday. The manager would call in sick weekly on one if not both of those days, and then claim to be "Working from home" on another which meant he would answer an email to justify his time sitting at home and getting paid. On the few days he would allow an interruption of his life at home by showing up at work, he would arrive at 9:30am leave at 11:30am for a 2-3 hour lunch, and if he even returned, he would close out his day at 4:00pm. PepsiCo employees rely heavily on the reliability and consistency of  its hard working contractors to keep their company running because, after all, they are too entitled to full fill the work necessary and are often times simply incapable of performing their jobs at all. And through this I was ordered by the manager to make sure our department had a polished look to the company. This was simply a cover up for the indiscretions of the two baffoons I worked with so their inappropriate habits wouldn't be found out. Even after I had left the company justified its typical unprofessional behavior as I had to endure harassing calls to my personal phone from the manager.

At the beginning of 2015 I had enough of the abuse of performing not only my work responsibilities but of the other two people I worked with while they enjoyed paid life outside of work. I made some calls, sent out my resume, did some phone interviews but just didn't have that feel good sense about any of them. I figured this go around, since I was employed, I would take my time searching for something that I wanted to do, not take a job just to keep a check flowing.

Fort Worth Harley Davidson will be expanding and opening a new dealership in Burleson, TX sometime mid summer. I began considering whether working for them would be a possibility. I worked on my resume to have it ready in case something opened up. Then on a Monday in early March, Margaret called me and said they had posted about an opening in Service. I was ready! I sent my resume off immediately to the service manager. That same Monday evening I was taking my bike to the dealership to have a wheel bearing replaced. I walked in, saw the service manager, and introduced myself. I was surprised when he pulled me into his office and gave me a spontaneous 1.5 hour interview. This was one of those times where you know it was meant to be. We meshed perfectly and got along like we had known each other for years. At no time was there any awkwardness. He said he liked my skill sets and personality and believed I would be a good fit at the dealership. He said he had a good "Gut feeling" that I would be perfect for the job.

Obviously I accepted the offer and am excited to be the newest Service Writer for Fort Worth Harley Davidson. The timing and just how the position came about without effort made it clear that I needed to move into a completely new career direction. And to have that career within something that I have a passion for, Harley Davidson, provided further confirmation that life was moving me in another path.

I'll be in training for almost 3 months to learn all of the processes and details of the position. It's a bit of a change from what I've been doing for 5 years but there are similarities in managing processes and organizational necessities that fall directly into the Service Writer position. Next time your around Fort Worth Harley stop in to service and say hello and if you need work done on your bike ask for me and I'll be there for you.

How to Remove the Front Fender on a 2012 Harley Street Glide

Sometime during the previous 2 weeks my fender was damaged on the Street Glide. We have gone to Granbury to eat dinner once and to a bike event which was very busy. I don't know when it occurred but I noticed the damage when I was putting new polyurethane handlebar riser bushings on Margaret's bike when a socket rolled against my front tire.

It's frustrating but bound to happen, especially when you ride a lot. The problem with the damage on my front fender is that a new fender is about $500 painted and depending on your insurance deductible it might not even make sense to file a claim on it.

We decided to make a video of how to remove the fender. This could be useful down the road for someone who needs to remove theirs due to damage or if your doing a fork removal and rebuilt you will have to remove the fender for that as well.

How to Remove the Front Fender on a 2012 Harley Street Glide