2015 was the best year yet for this little blog, click below to get the full report.
See the fireworks Motopsyco’s Asylum created by blogging on WordPress. Check out their 2015 annual report.
Source: 2015 year in blogging | Motopsyco’s Asylum
Category Archives: Rants, Raves, & Stories
Loving the Reader Feedback on This Blog
It’s always great to hear from readers about the various things that I’ve written through the years, for example a little over three years ago I wrote a post underscoring the importance of always using a new cotter pin every time you need one. Just a few weeks ago I received an email from a reader who had a near tragic ending and these next few words will be his.
Comment: I just wanted to share a story about why you should always check those cotter pins.
I had just rebuilt a 200cc bike, and after riding 50 miles, the back wheel came off. I broke my clavicle, went to the ER in an ambulance, destroyed my helmet, broke my crankcase, and scraped up fairings and the frame. The towing & impound were expensive too. In the end, this cost me thousands, and I was out for 6 weeks w/ a hurt shoulder.
All this because I rode the bike without a cotter pin.
I’d torqued up the rear nut to spec, and it only took 50 miles for the nut to back out. I never thought it would happen…but it did.
Now you’ve heard from a man who really knows and yes he still rides motorcycles. He asked me to keep his identity completely private so I will, and thank you very much kind sir for sharing this with us. If the rest of you don’t already have one stop right now & get yourself a cotter pin assortment
Another post that has generated a lot of comments & feedback was the one entitled Vintage Piston Valve Keihin Carburetor Overhaul. If you look at this post without reading the commentary you’re only getting half of the story. Check out the whole page, I learned as much from my readers as they learned from my meager do it yourself post. Of course this leads into my other series of posts Dirt Bike Carburetor 101.
Those of you with CV carbs don’t fret, I have several dozen detailed close up pictures of 2 different style of CV carburetors that I have worked on recently & will be getting a couple of detailed posts going for you about those.
Some of you may be wondering about the Project wAmmo bobber that I had started on. It’s probably the main reason that I have not posted as steadily this month as I should have because the darn thing needs to be finished. But it’s up on it’s wheels and actually went to it’s first show despite needing a few more details to finish it up. I hope to have it all wrapped up in the next 2 weeks for final pictures in the meantime give a listen to this video.
That’s about it for this post if you haven’t already signed up for email notifications please do so using the box below. There’s a lot of great stuff coming up & you don’t want to miss a thing.
Most of all thanks for the reader feedback on this blog.
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A Busy Time at Motopsyco’s Asylum
Boy life has been running wide open these last few weeks, There have been a few ups and downs but overall more ups than downs, so if you hear me complaining, just ignore me things are actually pretty good around here.
In my professional life (the one that pays the bills since I seem to be unable to sell enough motorcycle parts to survive) the last few weeks, my spare time has been devoted to studying to take the Certified Solidworks Associate exam and this past Saturday I took the test and passed it! So now in addition to my other software skills & certifications I am now also certified for Solidworks 3D CAD as well.
A couple of weeks ago I was trying to change out a 20 year old motorcycle tire when I bent a top of the line name brand made in U.S.A. tire iron. Instead of taking this as a warning I continued try to wrestle with the ancient rubber until I pulled a muscle in my shoulder.
So I decided at last to try to buy a manual tire changer. My Dad already had the Harbor Freight cheapie car tire changer that he used to change his truck, lawnmower, & small tractor tires and was very happy with it. He finally got himself a new truck and decided last week that being 72 years old, he didn’t want to fix his own tires anymore, and sent the tire changer home with me. I ran up to my local store and grabbed the motorcycle tire attachment. Unfortunately as delivered out of the box with the changes that have been made to the rim clamps on this latest redesign, it was useless. It might be capable of mounting a fresh new tire without modifications, but if you are like me and frequently deal with the treasures, (‘er junk heaps) that you have dragged up from old barns, cow pastures, and junkyards then it won’t be of much use to you either.
Since the next cheapest manual motorcycle tire changer I could find was 600 bucks it’s time to order a few parts & make a few changes. I will post more about those adventures later after I get all the parts in and put it all together. In the meantime I broke out my reciprocating saw and took care of the next pesky tire.
I like cutting up
We are heading into the heart of motorcycle show & rally season now here in the southeast, The Myrtle Beach Hog Rally, and Atlantic Beach Bikefest are the two biggies along the coast. For the vintage & antique bike lover, this weekend (May 2, 2015) in Panama City, Florida is Bikes on the Beach, in Spencer, North Carolina is the Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show, followed in two weeks by the AMCA Southern National Meet in Denton N.C.
Have fun & I hope to see you on the road!
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A Motorcycle Blog Celebration!
Hi there,
My name is Floyd Finch III and I am the owner of this little motorcycle blog. Motorcycling has been one of two passions that I have consistently kept in my life since my childhood.
I believe every biker should have a little bit of outlaw in them.
At sometime early this morning in the hours just after midnight on March 23rd 2015 this little blog of mine passed the 100,000 all-time page view mark. While this may not seem all that significant compared to some of the mega-bloggers out there it makes me very happy. Hearing from readers in the comment sections or by email is a joy as well and hopefully I have helped a couple of people out.
Since founding this blog in February of 2011, my goal has been to help as many of my fellow motorcycling do it yourselfer home mechanics as I can, and to share the experiences that I have with those not fortunate enough to get out & do even the few shows & events that I take in.
Of course let’s not forget the occasional product reviews as well, I really am honest in my opinions of the products reviewed here whether for good or bad. This will continue to be my policy in the years to come.
This little motorcycle blog is beginning to exceed anything I dreamed of when I first started it. Although it was started as a hobby a good informative blog does incur some serious expenses so you may notice a few ads around the site. You know you’re going to shop online sooner or later and if you click on an ad here to start it would be a great boost for the blog without costing you a dime that you weren’t going to spend already!
Every year since 2011 the readership of this blog has shown serious solid growth, starting in 2011 I had 1982 page views, 2012 brought in 12,173 views, a huge jump in 2013 pushed readership up to 31,706 for the year, in 2014 there were 43,227 page views on this blog. My goal for this year is to push that number up to over 50,000 for the year with more to come in the years afterward.
So this is my most sincere & hearty thanks to all of the readers, and to those of you who have made products available for review. At this time I would like to encourage everyone who would like to keep up with all that is happening around here and to always have notification of my latest tutorials, tips & reviews please scroll down and sign up for my email list at the very bottom of the page below.
If you have a question that you would like to ask me directly or a product that you would like to have reviewed or if you are interested in advertising on this site please shoot me a line to: motopsyco@motopsyco.com
Thank you,
Floyd Finch III aka Motopsyco
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Happy New Year From The Motopsyco
2014 was a terrific year with over 43,000 page views in the last 12 months. A big thank you to all of my readers! If you have an appropriate product to advertise or if you sell a motorcycle or motorcycle related product that you wish me to review, send a message using the contact form on my about page. Should you be in the mood to purchase some motorcycle parts or related gear be sure to check out Motopsyco’s Parts & Supplies.
In the meantime I resolve to keep on keeping on!
Peace Y’all
For More About This Blog’s Stats Please Click Here
Happy New Year From The Motopsyco
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Start of the Winter Season
It seems as though the start of the winter season here in S.C. has been pretty decent so far. There have been a few chilly days and a fair amount of rain but most of the time it’s been really nice just a little nippy in the morning on most of my riding days but I haven’t had to break out the snowmobile gloves
It’s Dec. 5th and I may have to put the insulated liner in sometime soon.
Yes all of your supposedly sane friends look at you like some kind of idiot or freak when they see you riding around on a motorcycle in the winter time, even here in the deep south. There are occasional times when I wonder about myself for doing it, but it’s just so much fun to ride a motorcycle! Not to mention the maintenance headaches I save from not winterizing or having to do start up service in the spring. If by some chance I were to move to a location where the snow and ice would make it dangerous to ride the bikes would go into storage for the winter but here in SC we have way too many 60 degree days for me to do that.
Life has been going really well around the farm lately, and I picked up a new shop truck to replace my semi-trusty old van. Just plain white regular cab Toyota work truck. Of course since I live by the motto, “stock sucks” the modifications have already begun starting with a tonneau cover and some cargo control updates.
I couldn’t forget the blogs web address!
Deer Hunting season went really well this year & we’re stocked up on meat for the year, so now it’s time to do a bit of cool weather trail riding. The last 2 stroke dirtbike I had was a Kawasaki KD100 that I got when I was 12 or so. Since then it has been all big 4 strokes until this year when I picked up this little blue Suzuki. This was supposed to be a restoration project but it has turned out to be such a hoot to ride just like it is, that I’m reluctant to get started on it. All of these years I was never a fan of so called “ratbikes” but now I am forced to admit there is something very liberating about riding a motorcycle on which the cosmetics just don’t mater! Tree limbs, briars, mud, dirt, dust, or dropped objects in the shop as long as it fires up with the next kick or push of the button who cares. I still love, admire and plan one day to own more beautiful bikes, but everyone should try living with at least one rat for a while.
in the woods Dec. 5th 2014 8:30 a.m.
I have developed the tendency to blast around my neighborhood without any gear, kind of a throwback to the time when I wouldn’t have been caught dead on a motorcycle wearing a helmet. Yes I still get fully geared up for serious riding but I still understand why some people wont. To each his own, live & let live or die, c’est la vie, etc.
Well that’s the start of the winter season for me, it’s just like summer but with colder shorter days and fewer ravenous biting insects. What is it like for you? Do you ride your motorcycle or do you put it away & wait for brighter days?
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Small Business Cyber Monday !
Small Business Cyber Monday you say, what the devil is this? Isn’t Cyber Monday about those giant evil internet companies out to make a quick buck and put all of the little guys out of business?
At least that’s what the whole “shop local” crowd try to tell you anyway, in my honest opinion the ones who most often spew this particular bullshit are the ones who, have poor customer service, product selection, and often pricing. The local merchants who are doing it right have nothing to fear. Let me give you an interesting example that happened to me recently. I visited a local agricultural supply store to pick up a 3 point hitch drawbar for my tractor like the one shown here.
So checked out their website and sure enough they had one listed just like this for the exact some price as that “giant evil corporation” that supports this blog and a large number of other bloggers like me. Plus it was on my way home from work so why not stop in. They did not have the one that was advertised for 89 bucks, they were out of stock, and the clerk said they had no idea when they would get any more but they had in the stock an identical product by a different company for $129. Seriously, What the fuck are they thinking? Nobody in their right mind is going to pay $40 more for a virtually identical product of the same quality. So I asked if I could special order it, because even after this I was willing to spend my time & fuel to make a second trip to the store, you know to support the local guy, and was told that it could be special ordered for home delivery and that I would have to pay the shipping. Needless to say Amazon.com got my business on that day.
The other thing to consider is most bloggers really are small businesses, some are serious pro bloggers who write for a living and don’t do anything else, while others are part timing it on the weekends, and the wee hours of the night trying to make a go of it, and some are really serious hobbyist’s trying to recoup some expenses. Yes I know what you are thinking, domain names are cheap and so is hosting, but quality content is often very expensive to obtain, and as I said earlier time is valuable.
So by all means I hope you have been supporting your good local merchants and continue to do so throughout this holiday season but I know that you will sooner or later turn to the internet to find that otherwise unobtainable gift for that special someone, and when you do please think of that other small business person, your favorite blogger(s). Instead of going directly to that merchants website, stop off at an independent blog, and click on an ad or two, check out their webstores, and shop through them to make your purchases. That way you can continue to support those fantastic large companies that can bring you the best of all that the world has to offer at the best possible prices, & often with fast free delivery, while you still help out the little person toiling away alone in the dark to try to bring a little bit of information, happiness, or perhaps even both into your life. Then it really can be small business cyber Monday!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
‘Psyco
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Attention Deficit Project Disorder!
Well it was another rough week at that thankless job that I go to everyday of every week to keep the lights on around here until my web store catches fire & I can sell enough products to retire from everything but blogging. (go buy something, click on any ad here and help a brother break free!) My original plan for the evening was to go climb up in a tree & try to shoot Bambi’s father, but it was starting to rain kinda hard when I got home so instead I decided to grab a beer, & carry the forks that the mail carrier just dropped off from the house out to the shop and maybe work on fitting them to the CM400 bobber that I’ve been tinkering with for the last few months, but decided that the shop really needed cleaning up a little before proceeding so I pushed some of the junk bikes out into the rain for more room.
What’s under your desk?
Then I moved the two portable work benches back to the sides of the shop to clear up floor space. Then I decided to go ahead & start soaking my new to me,old pile of junk Suzuki with penetrating oil so that it would come apart easier when I go to replace the rear inner tube and the 40 or 50 other parts it probably needs to be trail worthy. Of course it’s a lot easier for an old fart to work on a motorcycle if he doesn’t have to bend over so I grab the old furniture truck ramp from the yard and dig through my lumber pile for a couple of timbers to set it up on since my motorcycle lift table is loaded down with my CB360T restoration project. For some reason as I was digging through my scrap lumber pile, a misshapen piece of wood that was left over from some long forgotten construction project jumped into my hand and said, “hey look at me, wouldn’t I make the perfect Plains Indian gunstock war club?” But by this time I had enough of a buzz going that there was no way you could ever get me near the bandsaw so I threw it back on the pile, got the timbers and headed back inside to prop up the dirtbike. Hopefully I can find it again when I am sober & have some time on my hands as it would go so well with my Hawken, powder horn etc. In fact it would look really sweet hanging up next to my black powder shotgun if I ever finish building it….
Can you see the pattern here? It’s a serious disease that afflicts middle age men. ADPD Attention Deficit Project Disorder It’s incredibly dangerous, because the problem just gets bigger & bigger. You become an addict scanning Ebay & Craigslist for just the right item at the right bargain basement price. The problem is that you don’t need it, there are a dozen projects, plus your honey-do list ahead of it, and just as sure as hell your boss will start demanding extra overtime on top of what you already work, so your discretionary income is temporarily enlarged while your time to enjoy it is diminished, this leads to more shopping & less doing until your place starts to look like a salvage yard, and your neighbors start calling you Fred G. Of course this is also the time when everything in your house will break down too, so you have to take care of those things first. Sure you could pay someone to fix the plumbing or the light fixture but for two things 1; the guy you call can’t do it any better than you can & maybe not even as good. 2; You just scored the deal of the century on another old piece of shit motorcycle, gun, car, jeep, boat, plane or what ever your addiction is & spent the money already.
At any rate I got the TS185 up on the ramp so I can work on it, but since the weather is supposed to be nearly perfect for riding tomorrow, it was time to give the old CB650 a good going over & adjust the chain so I stopped to do that instead. Hey you got to look after your main squeeze if you want her to look after you! Well it’s been fun blogging with a little buzz going on, but right now I need to find a carb kit & battery for the 1969 CJ5 under the carport & figure out when I’m going to get time to fix my tractor so I can keep the wood lot clean & get the garden ready for next year. Then maybe I can relax, watch a little television while checking out the crack-list on my tablet.
Peace Y’all
//
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Scout Versus Sportster ??? Not Really
Well it looks as though Polaris has the new Indian Motorcycle Company revival going full steam. The new Chief and its variants seem to be doing well as they have a truly beautiful retro styled engine slotted into a decent heavy cruiser chassis with fairly unique looks. Not my cup of tea but I hope they do well with them.
Recently they announced the coming release of the new Indian Scout model with a 100 h.p. liquid cooled engine. This was certainly enough to make me take notice. Ever since then the internet has been buzzing with discussion about it. All of the Harley haters (and some of the “Big Twin” snobs) have popped up on Facebook and all of the forums predicting the end of the Sportster.
Normally I would not write about a motorcycle that I do not have some personal experience with and having never sat on one yet will not comment upon its performance as a motorcycle, but just by looking at the available specs and pictures I can say with absolute certainty that this new Indian is no threat to Sportster sales. I repeat the new Scout is no threat to the Sportster. Sure it may be a more modern engine, in fact when I first heard about it I really had high hopes, until I saw the chassis it was slotted into.
There is not anything really wrong with the chassis if it is what you like, the North Star company has some of the best engineers in the world, and it looks really good and probably handles very well for a power cruiser. But you are locked into what you have, sure there are different footpeg and handlebar options, but the frame & suspension are finished. To put mid controls or rearsets on this motorcycle would require extensive modification, possibly a whole new frame. Ditto for trying to chop it, rake it or anything else. This is a completely finished motorcycle with a high tech alloy frame, there is really not much left to do to it, and at present time not much you can do with it.
The new Scout is a power cruiser. Don’t think Sportster, think V-Rod, V-Max, & the dearly departed Honda Magna, this is the market segment that this new Indian plays to, and quite frankly it’s a rather limited market. Harley knows what they are doing with the Sporty, and they know that a big h.p. Sportster will not sell. They already tried with the XR1000 back in the eighties and they frequently collected dust on the showroom floors because they were unwanted and unloved.
Now THIS is a badass Harley!
Motorcycle magazines are another source of the speculation; normally they tend to treat U.S. manufacturers with kid gloves but are getting a kick out of fanning the flames of this potential rivalry. If it sells magazines more power to them.
But I digress let’s get back the Scout versus Sportster. As mentioned earlier I have not ridden a new Scout yet, but I have ridden dozens of Sportsters & believe it or not really like the way they ride and handle with the standard size wheels & tires, and some reasonably tall rear shocks. At this point in time the Sporty is still in a class by itself, Yamaha has made a good go of it with the Bolt but it still lacks street cred in some circles. It’s a cool bike but all of the other road pirates will pick on you for riding Jap crap.
Remember I mentioned earlier that the Scout seems to be a completely finished bike? Well the Sportster is not, and that is a very good thing. Sure you can buy your Sporty and leave it bone stock and have a nice enjoyable ride which will run on reliably nearly forever. But what fun is that? Here is the real advantage the Sporty has over every other motorcycle on the planet including the Motor Company’s own big twins, it is the most versatile two wheeled customizing platform to ever exist on the planet. You can make it into a chopper, bobber, street tracker, café racer, dual sport adventure bike, add bags & fairing for a touring bike, throw a wad of cash at the suspension & engine & create a canyon carver or a muscle bike / power cruiser, you can even race the damn thing if you want to. The factory has realized this and the have created several variants of the Sportster to take advantage of those wimps that don’t want to bleed on a bike in order to make it their own.
The new Scout look ready to kick ass & take names right out of the box but the Sportster is still the ultimate blank canvas for the garage artist.
Advantage Harley Davidson…
You see a motorcycle, I see art waiting to happen!
Please note any pictures not taken by yours truly were listed as “free to use and share” by Bing image search. If I have inadvertently used your copyrighted image please let me know & I will be glad to replace or remove them.
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Mercury
It was a crisp cool morning, 65 degrees made it feel more like October than the middle of August. The gravel crunched beneath my tires as I traversed that last half a mile before reaching the asphalt. To my left just peeking over the trees a huge brilliant sun was shining like a cosmic blow torch burning away the foggy mist that lay gently on the forests & fields that surround my Carolina country home. Stopping at the end of the dirt road, I made sure the choke was completely off, and checked my surroundings before pulling out onto the empty back road of the kind that I love so much.
After a quick run up through the gears, it was time to weave back and forth leaning the old Honda to the left and the right as far as I could without leaving my lane to warm up the tires a little and clean the sand off of the sides of the treads. So far, so good, the road is still empty so I ride on stepping up the pace a little, confident that all is well with my steed.
Then I spy a nicely banked sweeping curve that is followed by a nice long straight running down through the pine trees, so I lean forward a bit and twist the exhilarator a little bit more. While swinging through the apex of this gentle curve, I peer down the road ahead and note that it’s completely empty for at least the next 2 or 3 miles that I can see.
Exiting the curve I simultaneously lean over & reach down, wrapping my armor plated leather fist around the top of the left fork tube, while my right hand twists the throttle all the way to the stop, and my heart pounds as the devil may care grin on my face stretches from ear to ear. In that moment all is perfect, a curious mixture of calm serenity, and the heart pounding excitement of the illusion of danger. In this moment it seems that I am thundering down the back straight at the Indy Mile aboard the legendary RS750, as the crowd goes wild. Hitting the red line in fourth I shift into fifth and screw it on for just a few seconds more.
Real Honda Dreams
Before you know it, it’s over, it’s time to let go of the dream and the throttle. Up ahead there are houses with driveways & cages, filled with prisoners, their cell phones in one hand, breakfast in the other, and a cup of coffee between their legs as they attempt to navigate through the commute that they regard as a waste of their life. To them the road is just an obstacle course to be run, a linear prison where they are held against their will, and driving is a form of punishment. God help the innocents that get in their way.
Turning onto the multi-lane roads heading into the city, two fingers on the clutch & two on the brake crawling through traffic at forty or fifty is far more dangerous than any amount of ludicrous speed on the back roads. You watch every car & truck like a hawk, trying to anticipate any bone headed moves that might punt you into the emergency room or the morgue.
Knowing these things why do I still ride? Even sensible motorcycling is still far more enjoyable than being stuck in a box isolated from the surrounding environment, you see, hear, feel and smell what is around you. But the best times for me, are the rare moments like this morning;
I was Mercury, my feet had wings, and I could fly!
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Welcome to the Asylum 