Noot

Fall night rides are best . . .

1950 Ford

A local guy called my friend who runs an auto repair shop, and asked if he could bring in his truck for a tune-up . . . and this is what showed up !

New primary gasket

The '65 XLCH runs the dry clutch which didn't have time to get oil in it . . . since oil ran out the primary so fast - it never had a chance to fill up !

Dean Kelsey - Harley-Davidson Dealer

I see an obituary for 90 year old Dean Kelsey of Iowa Falls today. Dean ran a salvage business, was a H-D dealer, a Bridgestone dealer, sold chain saws, drove a Caterpillar . . . a million things this guy could do.
Dean was a founding member of the Ghost Town Ramblers M/C, he did motorcycle stunts at the fair, and was a Class C professional hill climber. I remember going with my dad a couple times down to "Kelsey's" where Dean would sell a spanking new Sportster (still in the crate) to Noot . . . and then Noot would set them up and sell it at his custom shop . . . B&N Cycle. There was this very, very steep road to manipulate down into the salvage yard to pick up bikes. I'd crawl on the floorboards since it was too scary for me . . . Dean sure lived a full life. Awesome motorcycle stories now archived forever.

House of Large Sizes

They had these giant I.P.S.(Iowa Public Service) power line spools for tables at Stebs. HOLS would open for The Dig Mandrakes and the bar would furnish cotton on the tables if it was too loud for you. Bed mattresses around roof support beams prevented injuries during slam night ! This was the first girl I ever saw in a rock band - so, she was like "super cool" to everyone that watched a gig. Plus, House had their our tunes - and were just damn good ! Then, it was on to The Stein for a pizza slice at 1:55am . . . Drinking age was 19 . . . All was great in the world, no cares - no money.

Drednex

. . . possibly at Stebs or Dean's Parkade ?

I lived in Cedar Falls (1 block from Stebs)

at the height of the late 80s scene.

Keep it simple . . .

A simple striping job. Do all the things I always do. But, the paint won't dry. I tried fans, heat, hairdryer, more fans, inside, outside. It's drying, but very very slowly. Wet for two days, tacky for 3 days. Just One-Shot Reflex Blue with a pinch of One-Shot Silver. A couple drops of One-Shot Low Temp Reducer, everything strained. Clean X-Caliber. A bit of spirits . . . Cleaned lid with my wax & grease remover until it squeeks. Huh? It's drying, but damn . . .

Supersuckers Show . . .

I got hooked on this band from my friend Matt, who burned me a couple CDs (which I play quite a bit). They were within' an hour drive - so, I went down and checked 'em out. The "No Coast" punk band and Hellbound Glory were both excellent. The Supersuckers were kinda loud (I am 47 now), and Eddie played both tunes I requested. (Kinda cool) I asked him how "life on the road was . . ." and he replied, "Great, goin' good . . . " which is the same reaction I got from any band member I asked that night. Eddie signed a CD for me, and said they are headin' west now to a venue near you possibly - so go check 'em out. It would not be the life for me, but if you like what you are doing - and you are becoming a professional at it - you may as well keep doing it. PS. Why is it, the coolest dudes I meet lately have these huge Duck Dynasty beards . . ?

Bel-Ray 75W - 1/2 Quart

You can use this oil if you run the dry clutch system.
Otherwise, run the proper "Sportster" primary lubricate safe for wet clutches . . .

Polished 'early' Borranis

. . . din-int wook wike dis ven I verse gots 'em.
18" & 19"

Kurpius' Ride . . .

I see this photo (by Jeff Wright) from the Brooklyn Invitational . . . shows that Josh's motorcycle is still out there traveling the byways of this great country. I asked him once who did his motor (lower end) and he didn't know. He never had it apart yet. That was last year, and I assume it's still running the same bearings?
This motorcycle has been coast to coast - multiple times. Where's the headlight? Maybe in his saddlebag, or he parks it before it's dark? Or . . . he rides real close to his buddy? Whatever the case, I'm sure Kid Kurpius can handle it. Hi Josh ! Safe Travels !

Brucie ( by Danny Lyon )

Whenever I perform any of the rituals of owning an XLCH, I many times think of Brucie (the Chicago Outlaw depicted in the book "The Bikeriders" by Danny Lyon). Me and Brucie may have been decent friends due to the fact we have similar motorcycles, and would drink similar beer. Cleaning dry clutch plates, polarizing generators, setting valves, changing sprockets, timing the mag, tightening CP1038 bolts. If you ride a CH, you know what I'm talking about. The tin primary cover. Yes, the magneto. I've ridden a 1960s Sportster for almost 1/2 my life. If Brucie is still alive, it would be cool to meet him. I sure look at his bike a lot. Wish I had one of those tachs . . . . I like that he took off the horn, low mirror - and that white buddy seat !

Oil Coolers

Yes, I agree with oil coolers. However, your oil (and your engine) is designed to run at an optimum temperature. Not too hot, Not too cold. These cooler fall days and nights require an oil cooler cover.

I.C.E.

The Internal Combustion Engine. They are available with one cylinder, two, or twelve . . . or more. I like the ones with two best. Preferably 1938 to 1970s . . . Harley-Davidson.

From Japan for Americans

. . . with multi-pistons, pipes, carbs & crash guards.

Zach Reynolds

Top: Drag racing his fast XLCH

Bottom: Zach's 4 door 4 speed Pontiac (he ordered it special)

Gnarly Fucking Chopper

No reason to be nice about . . .
( . . . so is the Honda )

Panhead Evolution . . .

Chris' '63 outside oiler pan was runnin' Evo pinion roller set-up . . . Hmmmm? Learn something new everyday. As far as rods go - the crankpin measured -.0005 under(maybe worn a bit) but straight. His rods were 1.6265 (thou & a half oversize) It had +.0006 over rollers (a bit loose - that's what was in it).
I could slightly hone the races to square them up and go with +.001 over, which is probably what I'll do. Remember, we still need .001 clearance in there somewhere. Hey, mathematics was not my strongest subject - I only went to intermediate algebra and hung it up.

Corky Keener #62

One of the fastest guys to ever dirt track a motorcycle . . . Keener is in more flat track photos than any other rider. He was on the podium more times, and a threat to win any race at any time. All the greats from Springsteen to Roberts looked over their shoulder and saw a big " 62 " comin' at 'em . . . Keener had a front row seat to many of the AMA's greatest races (since he was bar to bar with them all 25 laps). I can't believe he isn't in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. There's probably as many photos of CK in there as anybody . . . Last photo above: Keener, Shell Thuet(Robert's tuner), King Kenny and Dave Aldana. Total Flat Track Royalty ! Period.