Dunlop Elite III’s were on my 95 Aspencade when I got it. Front tire was brand new and rear appeared to have well over half of original tread. This spring I really had to replace those E III’s. Not being wildly impressed with the Dunlops coupled with personal finances I decided to take my chances on a pair of Kenda Kruze tires. At approximately $180 from American Motorcycle Tire http://www.americanmototire.com including shipping for the pair it seemed worth the gamble.
First impressions when delivered was they appeared well made, lots of meat on the rear tire and likewise for the front. So I packed them into my pickup along with the wheels and headed to my brother’s place where the tire changer and balancer are. My biggest mistake was not getting two replacement valve stems from the local dealership before going the 70 miles to his place. It meant wasted hours driving back to Fargo (yeah, there’s a stupid movie by that name) and back to brother’s place. It won’t happen next time ‘cuz I bought two extras (painful at the dealership price). By the time we finished mounting and balancing it was getting late so brother and I did some serious beer drinking and I went home next day. Oh, guess it’s worth mentioning my brother also bought two to fit his ‘87 Venture Royale and so far our observations have been pretty much the same.
Between 800 and 1000 miles since putting the bike back together I have the following observations: the tires are accurately produced and provide smooth and comfortable highway performance. What are they like above the 100 MPH mark? Sorry, I ain’t the one to give you that information but nothing up to and a little above the 90 mark gave me reason for pause. Straight line riding is quiet and comfortable but in side to side leans the noise levels are similar to the E III’s. Gravel roads don’t feel any different with the Kendas than with Dunlops. Tar snakes feel somewhat spooky, especially in temperatures above 80° when the tar is soft. In curves I got a feeling of the front end wanting to come out from under me when negotiating the tar snakes even though not riding aggressively. OK, let’s not discount the possibility I’ve become a chicken shit at this stage of my life. While visiting our sister in Minneapolis, her next door neighbor verified he had the same feel on the street by their house and he was riding a much lighter bike with a more mainstream brand of tires so the chicken shit possibility still exists. Rain and wet conditions have been minimal but nothing unusual noted during non-aggressive driving.
Kenda seems to have made these not so much for the hard riding, foot peg dragging rider that tends to push the limits. The tires feel like Kenda uses a little stiffer compound that may provide more miles than the softer, stickier compounds you want for pushing the edge.
Comparing these to the Elite III’s one huge difference made itself immediately obvious. Much discussion goes on about the Goldwing 35 to 45 MPH wobble. From the time I picked up my Aspencade it had that wobble and it had a brand new Elite III on the front along with a near new Elite III on the rear. No such problem with the Kenda’s. That’s not something I can explain but it sure doesn’t do much to recommend the Dunlops. As miles pile up the Kenda’s may prove no different but from brand new the Dunlops exhibited this.
Budget allowing, when I gotta replace tires again I want to try a set of the Michelin Pilot GT’s but if finances won’t allow I’ll be OK with Kenda’s again unless their prices have gone bonkers.
Posted in Riding
Good news, despite copious amounts of snow and winds that would embarrass those who refer to that Illinois city as windy, the Harbor Freight shelter still stands. Framework is sturdy and intact and tarps are securely in place. At this point I’m believing it will endure the winter not much less worse for wear.
Bad news, the materials to close off the bottom couple inches were acquired and still sit in the garage. Seems that along with getting older and health issues, I don’t handle cold very well. So my excursions out to work on the shelter though frequent were short lived and accomplished little compared to the task at hand. I’m also coming to grips with a bit of depression resulting from the passings of my niece and my mother. At least it is in retreat without the use of additional meds (shucks I already take enough of them). So the bottom remains open, plus snow and ice arrived early and stayed which is a little unusual. There is no way I will brave riding a bike the size of a 1500CC Goldwing on packed snow and ice. The bike remains in the garage.
Giving consideration to the amounts of snow this fall and winter already I’m somewhat pleased the bike didn’t make it into the shelter. Not to say it would have been less secure there but the truth is if snowfalls continue in amounts and frequencies we’ve already experienced we are in for a very wet back yard come spring. Now I don’t expect we will have flooding here but very few miles east, the Red River will. And there is the football field distance of wet clay to be traversed before getting to pavement. That is more challenge than an 800+ pound motorcycle plus rider (the rider would be me) may be willing to accept. Even not flooded it will be very wet and clay is really greasy when wet. Yep, considering that, I’m glad it isn’t back there.
In the meantime Janice is using the garage next door. The next door townhouse is for sale and unoccupied, so we came to an agreement with the owner to use the garage until the property sells. For us the price is right since all I have to do is keep the drive, walkway and front steps cleared of snow. Considering the amounts and frequencies of snow so far it does mean I’ll have ample cardiac rehab whether I go to the gym or not. In general though I think we have a win – win.
The shed continues to prove itself a worthy investment. It has endured high winds and copious snow. Let me tell you about the snow, or better yet I won’t. Put it this way, if it’s still standing come spring, it will get covered with pole barn siding and made into a much sturdier shelter. That was the intention from the beginning. This could be an inexpensive way to end up with a good storage shelter. Hmmmm.
Posted in Ramblings
For the major part of six decades I’ve observed preparations for the new year including drunken debauchery (got to admit to participating a few times myself), major partying, and even doing some foolish things such as driving home when I really shouldn’t have. Knock on Formica covered particle board but those indiscretions on my part did not result in accidents, injuries or worse. That can only be attributed to luck and in order to keep the lucky streak intact I ceased from taking such chances in a vehicle. After all, New Years Eve and the first few hours of New Years Day are nothing less than the ultimate amateur night. End of sermonizing.
There is however one tradition I have taken more entertainment from than any other. That is listening to the New Years Resolutions so many make each year. Resolutions are overwhelming in their variety and scope but nearly all end up being two things:
1. Attempts to improve oneself.
2. Short lived.
Today is January 3, 2009 and I suspect I can safely bet 87% (how’s that for an arbitrary number) of all resolutions have gone by the wayside by now. Of course there are a few that make it longer, and even a few of those actually make it to the next year. And to those successful resolution makers I impart my hardiest congratulations and admiration.
Someone reading this is thinking: “OK, so do you make New Years Resolutions and how well do you do”. The answer is yes, I continue with the same resolution from year to year and thus far have never broken it since I began. You see, I’ve had many accomplishments and many failures, such is the nature of life but one thing I’ve observed: I have not failed or succeeded in something only because I started the practice at 12:00:01 AM, January 1st of any year. After coming to that realization I decided to resolve that I would make no other New Years Resolution but instead change things as needed or as I became aware of them. It has worked well, I have experienced no failed New Years Resolutions since.
So how’s everyone else doing?
Posted in Ramblings
So many post so much explaining all the things for which they are thankful. This Thanksgiving I’m hoping everyone found more reasons to be thankful than not since I know we have.
One thing I am most thankful for is the season itself and all the marvelous entertainment that comes along with it. I am amused to observe the bargain hunters camping in the parking lots of larger stores hoping to be amongst the first in at 4:00 or 5:00 AM so they can snatch up the big savings. Now understand, this is Fargo, North Dakota, USA (nope, it’s nothing like that stupid movie) and this time of year is not uncommon for overnight temperatures to drop into the teens. So this evening we drove past those camping outside the local Best Buy store. Aside from many vehicles (newer vehicles with $350 to $WhoKnows/month payments) were a number of tents. I have to wonder how many of those tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses and etc. were bought only days to weeks before just so their owners could be amongst the first in the store. And at what cost versus the potential saving realized by being part of the elite “first in the store” crowd? That is information I do not have but I wonder if the answer would make me scratch my head.
Never let it be said I am part of the conspiracy theory crowd, BUT, I wonder if the large retailers here in the USA hold an annual convention where they all compare notes of how they plan to make some portion of the population jump through entirely stupid hoops the morning after Thanks Giving. If they do, I’ll bet they rent huge sound proof auditoriums so we all do not hear their uproarious laughter.
OK, I take off my curmudgeon costume to express my most sincere hopes we all found bountiful reasons to be thankful.
Let the festivities begin!
Posted in Ramblings
Her townhouse was entirely her domain and organized to her comfort. The garage had room for her Cherokee. Scraping frost and brushing snow off simply didn’t happen. Even after I invaded the Cherokee spent winter evenings tucked snuggly away in the garage. That is until the Goldwing which occupied that space for the last two winters. Well this spring Janice made it understood her Cherokee was going to reclaim the garage at least for the colder months. So it became a summer long quest to find a movable shelter large enough to store and work on the bike during the winter months.
We started out looking at portable sheds at Lowes, Menards, Home Depot and a number of other places. The problems with each was the same: the ones of a size that would work either had too low a doorway or too large a price tag for my fixed income. We struck on the idea of finding a thoroughly used (beat up but serviceable in other words) travel trailer or construction office trailer. We found one office trailer that was too large for the space we have and one travel trailer that was too nice and required far more alteration than there was time or money for. Time was running out and I was feeling a bit discouraged. Then I walked into the local Mills Fleet Farm store and they had a storage tent on display. After examining closely I believed it would work and the basic frame could be used in the future to secure pole barn siding to which made it an even better concept. A plan began to gel. We returned several times and shopped other places. The local Harbor Freight store had a similar one on sale at over $100 less. The frame is a bit less sturdy but will work equally well.
The construction project should have went smoothly and been completed while weather was still mild and before fall was more than a couple weeks old. Well I said “should have”. The first day of autumn brought the death of my niece and twelve days later mom passed on. All projects got shoved back by at least a month and by then the weather had turned wet making the clay soil of the back yard greasy and. messy It’s most unpleasant working when footwear grows in both size and weight with each step. Much as I may wish to do a major gripe campaign here I have to consider it has been far less problem for me than for many farmers still trying to harvest crops as temperatures go consistently below freezing. My problems are few by comparison. Anyway the shelter is up and has withstood enough North Dakota winds (Chicago has nothing on us) to bolster confidence it will endure the winter (fingers, toes, eyes, arms and legs crossed). There are a few details still to be dealt with but I save them for future posts.
Goldwing shelter or fiasco? Time will tell.
Posted in Life Beyond Riding
