Pointman’s Page

I use Sea Foam and Techron (fuel injector cleaner) in rotation in my VTX, each for their own purposes. The problem I have is measuring and transporting the right amount. These products, as most automotive fuel system products, come sized for a 20-25 gallon tank. The VTX has a 4+ gallon tank…
So I have been […]

After purchasing Nitro Racing’s cold weather gear I finally got a chance to test it in todays weather mix. The good news is that I was plenty warm and toasty where the Nitro gear is concerned. The First Gear gauntlet gloves aren’t as warm as I’d like but my polyprop liners add enough extra warmth […]

After the VTX tech session today in Darlington we conducted on a tour of the Ropkey Armor Museum by Mr. Ropkey. What an awesome collection.

There are worse ways to spend a beautiful sunny day. By the time I filled up the last time and made it back to the casa I clocked 302 miles. I was fortunate to catch gas at $2.26 at 10AM (BP at I-70 and SR267) but it was back to $2.68 by the return […]

I have finally uploaded the pictures of the Damaged VTX 1800 Retro wheels. Feelers are out for replacements but no luck so far.

Speaking of the Nanny State there it is in all it’s glory. I doubt many remember the calls for wearing helmets in cars. Instead we built new technology like air-bags because of the huge opposition to driving around in a Rambler with a crash helmet on.

With all the bravo sierra nanny stuff going around I found the post on Motorcycle Crash Statistics rather interesting.
72 percent of fatalties(sic) in [motorcycle] operator age group 40-49 involved alcohol.
It is typical to blame the motorcycle for the accident just as it is typical to blame a firearm for the actions of a criminal. […]

Spoke with the shop owner Tuesday and without any welshing owned up to it being the shop’s responsibility. He indicated that if he were to find a set of used wheels for me as replacements if I wasn’t happy with them then he’d be in the same boat and out $300-400. He’s right. So he […]

I just got back from the shop and swapping out for a good set of used wheels isn’t an option. Seems the shop is broke. But at least they let the mechanic go, seems he was new. I hate to think this way but the fact they let him go that quickly improves my chances […]

I dropped the wheels off my VTX today and took them to a local independent shop a few miles down the road to put on the new Avon’s from Direct Line. I came back in a couple hours to pick them up and the edges of the rims are beat to hell like the guy […]

With the high cost of gasoline many including myself have been using motorcycles to take advantage of 40-60mpg. But as I hit 9k on the VTX and order a set of tires I started crunching a few numbers.
Motorcycle tires have incredibly short lifespans compared to car tires. So taking the average cost of a […]

For the first time in nearly 3 weeks I actually drove the car today due to the forecast of rain and heavy storms. I can drive through my local agricultural countryside and see huge waves of withering beans and corn starting to turn well short of its growth potential, ears with little on them. […]

Today marks one month with the VTX and I find that I have logged 3,302 miles in those 31 days. In the last 10 1/2 months I have put 14k miles in on two wheels and if I continue at this rate by the end of September that number will be well over 18k. […]

I’ve known for some time the Shadow’s tires are ready to be replaced. As I my original plan was to replace the Shadow in September I had to ponder what to do. Three-hundred and seventy five dollar ($375) tires for 2 months seems a less than desirable use of my mone. […]

One of our favorite motorcycle trips is out through the Shades and Turkey Run and specifically state roads 47, 234 and 236. From twisties to sweeping curves and beautiful scenery its an all around worthwhile area to spend some time in the saddle. I’ve often thought about writing up some of these trips and […]

The Oakalla Covered Bridge is just west of Greencastle, Indiana and like most covered bridges in Putnam county it is over the Big Walnut. We had attempted to visit this bridge last fall when several other bridges were added to my Covered Bridges gallery but we turned around when the road turned to gravel. […]

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow which according to lore means an early spring rather than 6 more weeks of winter. It’s Feb 2nd… the difference between 4 and 6 weeks of more winter isn’t much. Though just to be on the safe side I’ll start prepping the motorcycle for the […]

January in Indiana is what we Hoosiers refer to as “cold”. Now you folks up further north such as the Dakota’s would consider our “cold” rather balmy in comparison but to Hoosiers it’s still “cold”.
So here it is the 5th of January and as you can see by the timecode on this […]

One of the “Last Last Harrah” days (Thanksgiving thru the seven days) I made it down to Cataract Falls. It’s been many years since I’d been to Cataract but it hadn’t changed much, though the water was a bit higher in the lake below making the lower falls appear lower than they are during the […]

When I bought the motorcycle at the end of September I figured I’d have a few weeks to ride and then it’d get stored for the winter. Probably by Halloween. But Indiana weather can be amazingly unpredictable. As a matter of fact in 1984 there were many riding days, though few Decembers have […]

So maybe 50 degrees isn’t that warm but that’s what the temp was when I left the house this morning. Brr! But like most things, doable if you have the right gear, and I have at least enough. The air, even at 50 was quite warm this morning and that big yellow thing in […]

After waiting for the helmet I ordered from Motorcyclehemets.net I canceled the order. It seems they’re moving and had been unable to process my order for 2 weeks when their website (still) indicates their HJC line will arrive in 2-5 days. Naturally the next couple of days I will need the helmet and […]

This past Monday looked like such an outstanding weather day that I requested it off the week before. And disappointed I wasn’t when the day arrived and the mercury was above 60 before 10AM. Come 10:30AM I was rubber to the road with the wind on my face.
Up to Indianapolis I go […]

Eagerly looking forward to anything over 50 degees.