THE GOOD BUCK

The world is going straight to hell, but I’m still making progress with the Harley. So, swings and roundabouts. I rode it in to work after my last post. I noticed on the ride home the headlight beam was rubbish. It was projecting in a horizontal line just in front of the bike. I hadn’t moved the headlight, so I was worried it was non-UK spec and I’d wasted more money. I took it off again, to see if I’d fitted it wrong, but there is a groove in the headlight casing into which it can only fit one way, so it wasn’t that. While I I had it out I looked at the two loose wires on the headlight. There is a 3 pin plug that fits directly into where the standard headlight attaches, but also two wires. I ran a wire to them and to a powered line, one lights the headlight halo orange, presumably for indicators, the other lights the halo bright white. As luck would have it there was a taped off power line in the headlight already so I just ran a wire to that. Then I read up on headlight beam setting. 3.8 metres from the bulb to the wall, 50 -110mm lower than the bulb height. Marked the fence and rolled the bike to the correct distance, then just rotated the headlight up. I think that’s all set.

Looks good.

While I was at it I fitted the new handgrips. It’s really coming along.

Mainly just adding pictures.

Spraying the plate has taught me some valuable lessons. Preparation, preparation, preparation. That was my biggest mistake. That and rushing because I was on the clock as I needed the bike back on the road for work. I ground it down and sandpapered it, but I didn’t fill or grind out all the tiny pockmarks in the metal. The paint doesn’t fill the holes in, just highlights it. Also I think I may have picked up dust. I’ve ordered some drop sheets to make a sterile tent in my shed. Another thing is it’s better to spray too little each time, I got impatient and got a drip. I only had engine black paint so I had to cure it in the oven. So, appropriate paint for the job. Possibly add more layers of clear. And finally, be very gentle with the wet sanding. I think I rubbed out some of the clear.

There are some positives. The paint went on. There is a nice reflection of the bolt on the lower right of the picture. Rough as it is, it looks better than the surrounding paintwork, and it was much worse.

I’ve had a pretty good spell since my last blog.

I got the waterproof trousers and a yellow warning for rain off the Met Office, so a solid test. On the way home, through rain, constant spray, and puddle splash on the motorway the only issue was my socks got a wet patch on the top. So my boots, combat high, aren’t fully waterproof. Oh, and my helmet needs replacing. The padding has gone, so it falls down over my eyes a bit, moving the de-mist visor insert too low. I had to ride with my head tilted back. Always something.

Then I had the local half marathon. I jogged the 2 miles there, and was well early (3 minutes to off) but oddly the starting pens were already full. I had to start behind the 2.10 pacer. There were about 1,700 people starting (half and 10k) and I must have been behind about 1,500 of them. It took me 6 minutes from the start gun to cross the start line. So the first 4 or 5 miles I was battling through tightly packed slow people. I was holding a 7.45ish pace which I thought was reasonable for my fitness. I picked two people who seemed to be holding a good pace for me as markers and stuck with them. At about 6 miles, up the hills around Appleton, they dropped to an 8 m/m pace. I thought I had more in the tank so I went for a neg split. I was doing 7.30 even with the hills. By 9 miles I knew I had enough left to make it, so I went for it. I threw in two sub 7s and then on the last miles, into the wind I held 7.05. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been miffed with myself for going out too slow. Usually I go too fast and blow up. That was a real surprise. I can only think it’s the beasting on MyWhoosh (cycling app) that have toughened my legs and improved my stamina. It’s a big boost for my sub 3 aspirations. That’s why I set off at such a modest pace, I didn’t think I had any more over the distance. I’m going to try again, a solo, flat-out half, to see where I am.

After all my speculating on the wealth I was about to accrue, the agency have let me down. I got 5 days on the week I was expecting 6 (the 6th is where you earn £34 an hour), then last week I only got 3 days, this week I’m going to get a maximum of 3. I booked lots of appointments for Mondays as that is my day off, but the agency keep asking me for Monday, so I think I’ll add that to my available days.

This makes my next thing more difficult. I’ve decided to get back to my challenges. After a year of slacking, I’m going to get back on the sub 3 quest. I don’t know if I’ll have the time to be able to train as consistently as is needed but I may never have that time, so now is as good as any time to start.

I did Camille’s bread and butter 8 miles with 10x 100m strides (sprints) today. Well, most of it. I did the miles and 8 and a bit strides then tachycardia felled me for about 15 minutes, so that was that. Back it tomorrow, then rest up until Sunday’s 17 mile half. (It’s 2 miles to the local half, so I jog there and back.)

I’ve been having an on/off relationship with my Sportster. It’s on the road, and seems to be running ok, but the handlebars have been souring the deal. The pullbacks leant you right back in the seat so made for a really uncomfortable riding position. I changed them for cheap eBay flat bars. They were comfortable but too short. The grips protruded inches over the ends of the bars. I bought the dearer ones from a reputable Harley dealer. These are long enough, but the groove in the bar, where the wiring runs, necessitated a the bars to lean down a bit and the angle of them made pulling the clutch lever in a misery. It really hurts your wrist. I’ve been chugging in the wrong gear to avoid pulling it in.

I went out for a spin yesterday to keep the battery charged. By the time I’d got back I’d had enough. I spent several hours looking for a new set. It’s not easy because I specifically need 1″ diameter bars, with the wiring groove. I think the later models (mine’s 1991) have 7/8th” bars and no grooves. I finally tracked down a second hand set of genuine Harley flat handlebars from a 1993. My model ran 91- 95. Only £23! Perfect! Then I saw that was a conversion from dollars as it was from the States. Which was £56 postage. And probably import taxes. I was going to do it. Then I noticed the seller had put up a video of the bike running before they’d stripped it. It looked a perfect position. Then I looked at the bars on their own. They were the same as the ones I have on my bike. Huh? I went out and loosened the bars and moved them to the right position. This meant the controls, because of the wires, were twisted around into an unusable position. I loosened them off and pushed them round. The wire stays in the groove. It must just pull some slack in to work. The bars are now comfy and I can pull the clutch from a natural position. It’s been raining so I’ve not tested it on the road, but I think that’s the biggest bugbear fixed. For free. So that’s a win, but how bloody embarrassing. All that time, all the different ways I tried to get around the problem, and it was just a matter of twisting the controls to the correct position.

Another free win came after I worked myself into a frenzy. I was obsessing over a new bike with a fairing for winter commuting. It started with lusting after a Triumph Tiger 660 Sport.