Category: Daily Rants

First wash after the storms. No reason to wash during the storms since it is ridden daily and will see the weather.

I went from riding the Goldwing to Hell of riding the Goldwing. I haven’t been active on this blog for damn near a year.

As of now I’ve been riding to work every day non-stop under all weather conditions.

Now that sucks.

We’ve been going through a crazy time with the current gas prices. I’m not even sure what the reason the prices jumped so high across the state.

I may have to get the heated gear hooked up on the Golden Wang. It was freaking cold as f_ck this morning. I know it can’t be too cold but I must have not geared up enough.

Just saying.

I installed a Kuryakyn passenger cup holder this evening.

Installed…

I started looking at the different trunk and bag liners. I wanted something that was close to a form fit as possible.

I had purchased a set for my 2007 GL1800 and thought I had given the new owner the liners when I sold the bike. As it turns out, I kept the liners and saved a little coin purchasing replacement liners.

I’ll probably only use these Honda OEM liners when we are out traveling and having to do an overnighter. My daily liners will be a non-branded canvas bag that was designed for a saddle bag container size.

I took the Sled to work this morning. When I left the Manetarium I had the windshield at the lowest setting. That would probably be close to the 14” inch range.

I could already tell the wind would hit me smack in my face so when I stopped for gas I repositioned the windshield to the maximum height possible. This would be high side specification of 18”.

Even with the windshield all the way up I am able to see over the top lip easily. I’d say it is about an inch below my eye level at an upright position.

This configuration provides the most wind deflection possible. I’m digging the ride, I won’t say it’s like night and day difference between a stock shield but I can tell the wind envelope has gotten higher. I’d say the very top of my helmet is getting the air steam now. Whereas before it centered on my forehead. This created a lot of turbulence and buffeting on my old setup.

Klock Werks has a taller windshield available for the GL1800. The 16-20″ size is quite a bit taller and will provide the most wind protection but that is a bit too much for me. The tallest range may even have been above my eye level which is not an option for my riding preference.

I placed an order through WingStuff on 9/10/21 and received and installed the windshield tonight. That’s a 4 day turnaround!

The windshield came in wrapped and well protected.

Removing the original Honda riot shield is a straight forward process until you can’t get either side mounting screws to come off. Both screws were seized and wouldn’t budge. I had tried PB Blaster, vice grips a variety of hand tools. Damn bolts were in there good.

I ended up having to borrow a neighbors impact screwdriver with the proper bit. I must have spent 1 1/2 hours with the damn screws and took 2 seconds each using the impact driver. I’ll be investing on my set soon.

Having the right tools for the job is the key.

I chose the vented 14-18” tinted model. I find I use the vent often especially during the warm temperatures. I do admit, I like the look of the non-vent sleek curved shield but I also know how important it is to have a vent.

Transferring the old vent is a simple task. Care must taken when maneuvering the restraining tab that keeps both pieces together. This tab is located on the lower center area and can easily break.

The final fit and look is exactly what I wanted. The real test is to see if the windshield improves air flow for the rider and passenger.

I remember the days when riding a helmet was optional. This had to be around 1981 as I was going to going to school and just starting my electronics career.

I remember “borrowing” my housemate Kawasaki 900 motorcycle and riding it on highway 101 with no helmet. This is also timeframe when I sported a gigantic afro, you can imagine the clown looks I got.

Fast forward today and using these modular helmets with bluetooth intercom. These things work great! In the past we had the cabled intercom system and that would work fine but you always had to mess with the cords and plugging it in.

The SENA 20S EVO and system is state of the art. The audio quality is at highway speeds is amazing even with the modular lids flipped open.

I haven’t bluetooth piped music from the iPod yet but it is capable of performing this function. That will add another dimension to GL Cruising.