Pee Dee ABATE Halloween Fun Run flyer!
The Pee Dee chapter of A.B.A.T.E. is having a benefit run on October 27th to benefit the local chapter of Biker Down. Go have fun! It’s for a good cause.
Pee Dee A.B.A.T.E. Chapter Halloween Fun Run
Tag Archives: ride
Riding Kiddie Bikes on the Rail Trail in Florence S.C.
At the Ebenezer Road end of the trail.
A few weeks ago our granddaughter expressed an interest in learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Since the kiddie bike she had already was way to small for her, I took an old Mongoose BMX frame set I had hanging on the wall in my shop, swapped the rear wheel out for one with a coaster brake, and then threw it together with plenty of fresh grease, flat black & pink paint to create the girly ratrod in these pics. The mint original Black Friday Krate shown is one I purchased in Charlotte earlier this year. My wife is riding the yellow Ross Polo Bike Jr. that has its original paint & chrome, but has some typical period custom pieces added such as the banana seat and the bumpers. The only thing I’ve replaced on it are the rear tire & chain.
We promised her that once she learned to ride well we would take her with us one Saturday morning, so with my beloved wife’s patient coaching she practiced until she could start, ride, & stop by herself without falling down. Of course since she was riding a 20″ bike we decided that we should too.
Left to right, Black Friday Krate, Mongoose Sniper, & Ross Polo Bike Jr.
It was fun, of course it turns out that a 20 is almost to big for the kid, just the perfect size for my wife, and ridiculous looking with my big old butt sitting on it, especially the Krate with it’s little tiny front tire.
Here we have a large man on a small bicycle! Having loads of fun too.
When putting around on these little cruisers, you can forget proper leg extension, cadence, etc. Just relax and enjoy the ride. We put in at the trailhead at the Bicycle World bike shop on Palmetto St. in Florence ( a big thanks for allowing people to park there btw ), crossed the bridge over Jefferies Creek, and turned left to ride the smooth pavement section of the trail up to Ebenezer Road, where we turned around and came back to the end of the pavement that you see above before heading back to the van to take her home in time for her Karate lesson. There is just the slightest downhill grade from Ebenezer back to the creek so I took advantage of it to try out a speed run on the Krate. At about 18m.p.h. on the speedo in third gear the front end starts to bounce a bit, push it on up to around an indicated 22 and a speed wobble sets in too. ( maybe because I weigh more than 200 pounds, not necessarily a fault of the bike ) Plus even with dual calipers the rear brake only is meant for posing not for riding like a bat out of hell. It was still FUN though!
for some reason this strange little woman keeps following me around & taking my picture, she must be a stalker 😉
Here are some pics of the bikes leaning up against the bridge.
Jefferies Creek Bridge, Florence, S.C. bicycle trail
Some wangster had been down on the trail tagging a little bit, normally I don’t mind graffiti art in the right (read urban/industrial) setting but out in the middle of the woods? Give me a break. Besides if all I could paint was ugly shit like we saw that day I’d be ashamed to pick up a spray can.
Vintage Kustom Ross, Mint Schwinn BFK, & Custom Mongoose rat bmx
To cap off a terrific morning after dropping the little one off safely at home we headed over to Creek Ratz, and sat on the deck and had a nice romantic lunch served up by a pleasant young lady while we watched the wildlife in the pond behind us.
Peace Y’all
Heron on lakeshore behind Creek Ratz
Share this:
2006 V-Star 650 Basic oil and plug change.
Hello Everyone!
Yes I have been having lots of fun lately, but every now and then you gotta do some work. Let’s turn our attention back to the motorcycling world a bit and I’ll give you a nice meaty maintenance how to for the 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650 pictured above. This is a low mileage bike that is in for a basic oil & spark plug change. I am going to do this down on the ground without using a lift, just like the majority of you who do this yourself will.
First lie down on the left side of the bike and identify the oil drain plug on the side of the block.
This 17mm plug will be a lot easier to remove if you have an obstruction wrench like this, but might be able to be done with a normal box end. (I didn’t try sorry)
These 2 shots show the wrench on the plug for removal to give you a better idea of where it is.
Next to get to the oil filter you have to remove this fake “derby” cover.
Now you can access all 5 of the bolts holding the oil filter cover on.
This long handled ball end Allen wrench is optional but I am glad to have it for jobs like this.
Here’s the back side of the cover showing the location of the long bolt in the center.
Be sure you pay close attention to how the oil filter sits in the crankcase so that you put the new one back in the same way.
Here’s the other end of the filter.
Be sure to clean this hole out well with a CLEAN lint free shop rag.
When you are cleaning the oil filter cover inspect the o-ring thoroughly and if you have any doubt about its condition replace it. Absolutely, under no circumstances should you use any type of sealer here.
The new oil filter is sitting in place.
This shot shows the location of the long bolt on the front of the oil filter cover.
While you are putting the drain plug back in make note of the oil sight glass. For reasons I will explain later I despise these archaic things, especially on bikes without a centerstand. But this engine is actually a detuned and over decorated direct descendant of the best air cooled 1980’s Japanese cruiser to ever exist the Virago, so I understand why this engine has one.
On top of the left crankcase you will find the oil filler cap, take it off, insert a good clean funnel and pour in 2 ½ quarts of any good brand of oil the meets the minimum API standards for the engine. Put the cap back on and get your lovely assistant straddle the bike and hold it straight up and check the oil level in the sight glass. It should be over the top of the glass at this point.
Start the engine and let it run at idle for just a minute and then shut it off. Once again have your stunning, ravishing, gorgeous, assistant hold the bike in a vertical position and verify the level of oil in the sight glass and if needed add more until it is at least halfway up the sight glass as shown here.
Let me add a slight disclaimer, when checking the oil level resist the urge to nibble on you beautiful assistants ankle, she might be ticklish and drop the motorcycle on your head.
At this point I am ready to replace the spark plugs, first gather your tools and parts. Because the plugs are recessed so deeply into the heads I recommend the use of either a locking extension as shown here or a factory plug wrench.
If you tend to be ham fisted, I am going to urge you to get a service manual and use a torque wrench to tighten the plugs to their specified torque values, because aluminum heads are easy to strip out. I warned you so be careful not to over-tighten your spark plugs.
Here’s a shot of an original plug next to an new plug.
Once you get the first head done, it is time repeat the process on the other cylinder.
Put the wires back on, hit the starter button and go for a ride!
Don’t forget to properly dispose of the old filter and recycle your oil!
Peace Y’all
Share this:
Great thing about living in the South
Okay,I grew up here and despite the grinding poverty, fact that available jobs suck, there is little opportunity, a social caste system that makes India look positively free by comparison, not to mention crime and racial tensions almost everywhere, there is one great thing.
You can ride your bike to work in February! 🙂
Welcome to the Asylum 