October 2009 - Letters

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War Machine
I am sending this on behalf of one of my former troopers in Iraq, Marc Manders. Specialist (SPC) Manders, a combat engineer, served in Iraq as a driver and .50 cal machine gunner in A Company 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. The pictured bike is a 1942 H-D WLA 45" that he and his father restored. He told me that when they started the restoration project, the engine and transmission were seized up, and that many parts sat in a wooden root beer box in a barn. It took seven years and a lot of knuckle bustin’ to get it to what you see here.

Michael L. Goodling
Via Internet

Gen X & Y
Genevieve’s June ’09 column on Gen Y hit home for me. You see I’m a Gen X 46-year-old, who just happens to be attending college with the Gen Y crowd (sometimes referred to as Millennials). Since I ride a black 2002 Sporty myself, I’ve been asked about the Iron 883 by several of these young people whom I wouldn’t expect to be interested in motorcycles, much less Harley-Davidsons. So I guess we all stereotype. I consider myself fortunate in that I fit in quite easily. It’s nice to know people are still interested in bikes.

I also checked out some of the Dark Custom videos, and I saw some interesting connections. H-D is using skateboarders and musicians in its ads. Skateboarders are independent, on-the-edge types. I can understand the ads trying to connect the products. I think Gen Xers are the bridge of the old guard and the new school; we grew up on carbs, TVs with a real antenna, and rotary dial telephones, but we’re easily at home with EFI, Internet, and cellphones. Luckily for us, there is American Iron Magazine to keep all these worlds together. I was wondering, since Harley-Davidson offers a laptop backpack, will it offer a skateboard backpack or a detachable skateboard rack in the future?

Donald Kline
Via Internet

Howdy, Tex
This is a photo of my 2006 Heritage Softail that I bought new in 2006. I’ve added fishtail mufflers, reproduction bubble bags, a windshield, and many other accessories. I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 15 (I’m 59 now), and read American Iron Magazine every month.

Steve Harlan
Waco, TX

Dig This Shovel
This ’72 Shovelhead is my third build project over the last 35 years. I purchased it in 1992 from a guy who had it stashed away in the pump house of his mountain cabin. It was built like a flat-track racer, with a Jammer rigid frame, Sportster tank, solo seat, shortened narrow Glide front end, and fenderless 21" front wheel. After gassing it up and charging it, I got it started after six kicks. Then I loaded it in my truck, and the rest is history.

Jerry Blakeney
Stockton, CA

Shelter King
Chris, I was reading Taking AIM in the July issue, and I have a quick question. You mention a storage bag that you use for your motorcycles over the winter. Can you send me the manufacturer’s name, or link to its web site? My wife and I moved to the house of our dreams last summer. Unfortunately, it is a 90-year-old colonial, and the garage gets moisture. When I got my bike (1986 Softail) uncovered and ready to ride this spring, I had a bunch of little moisture spots. I’d like to prevent that next year.

Tom Schwarzwalder
Coatesville, PA

The company is Shelter King and the web site address is www.MDMShelters.com. — Chris

Junior Achievement
This was taken at my granddaughter Natalie’s third birthday party when she got her little biker jacket. The first thing she did was run to grandma’s bike and hop on, waiting for a ride.

DeWayne Strickland
Live Oak, FL

A Head
Compliments to the magazine and Donny Petersen on another exceptionally informative and enjoyable Techline article: Performance Obstructions, Part I: Airflow Through The Heads. Donny presented a scientifically accurate and true discussion of intake airflow dynamics in the article, which interestingly also included the truth about hyped-up hemi heads, especially single-ignition system hemi engines. I’m looking forward to your next issue and Part II from Donny.

Tom Galayda
Rome, NY

Have a Nice Trip
Thought you might like this photo of my FXDXI 1450, shot in the small French town of Cadillac. My road trip through Europe this past May totaled 1,828 miles round-trip, coming in at Saint Malo, going down the Atlantic coast of France, cutting across into Andorra, then down into Spain ending up at Santander. Great roads, great scenic landscapes, and a great trip.

Mark E. Harrison
Via Internet

Keeping It Safe
I thoroughly related to your article on Safety Skills in the June ’09 issue. A major reason for this is that I was in the final stages of recovering from a crash (not an accident as I learned from the article), which left me with a tibia plateau fracture. It was a single vehicle crash. The scenario that Don used was very close to what occurred to me. One of the important points I took away from his article was that experience is not the same as skill. In addition, safety is our responsibility, and that complacency is a dangerous thing.

Patrick McGreal
Via Internet

On His Rocker
Wayne, you are right on with your H-D Rocker love it or hate it comment (June ’09). I was a hater, until seeing Heartland USA’s ad and reading your article. Now I am half love and half hate. Today, I was at Downtown
H-D’s new store in Renton, Washington, and I saw a Rocker with Heartland’s E-Z Rock-R conversion kit installed (the part I love). The Rocker’s fuel tank (instrument cluster) is ugly (the part I hate)! Please tell me who makes a high-quality, stretched Fat Bob tank that will accept H-D’s stock Fat Bob instruments and be a direct bolt-on to the Rocker. Put a Fat Bob tank and Heartlands rear fender conversion on the Rocker, and it will be love-love! I would seriously consider buying a Rocker, if it were set up with these changes. With the utmost of respect, could you get the message Willie G?

L. Harrison
Gig Harbor, WA

Rock On, Don
This is the 1987 FXLR that I purchased in 2000 as a stocker (other than the Wide Glide front end). Once I got it home, I took it apart and proceeded to make it my own. All my determination came from the fact that a year earlier, neurosurgeons had informed my wife that I’d never walk again due to various spine and back surgeries. Needless to say, we didn’t believe them!

Don Kenyon
San Dimas, CA

Ride On, Rick!
This photo was taken last August on the Highway to the Sun, in Glacier National Park, Montana. My significant other, Rick, and I are with his 2002 Harley-Davidson FLH. This beautiful bike traveled almost 30,000 kilometers last summer alone. Rick’s been riding for over 40 years, 30 of those with only one hand! Yup. Notice the hook on his right arm in the picture? He modifies his bikes so both the clutch and the throttle are on the left, and he can ride forever.

Cyndy Hunter
Prince George, BC, CANADA

Fuse Facts
Getting The Smoke Back In (July ’09) is a good article. One tip I want to pass on is how to quickly find the correct fuse. What I do is substitute a 12-volt lamp in place of the fuse. With the short present, the lamp will be at full brightness. Once the short is fixed, the lamp will dim (since this is now a series circuit). Normally, with the blade fuses, I simply remove the bad fuse, place the two wires from the test bulb in the fuse socket contacts, and plug the bad fuse back in, that way the test bulb can hang free while I check for the short by wiggling wires, etc. For the older style
(3 1AG; 8 1AG) fuse, you could do the same thing by wrapping the wires around the end caps and then reinsert the bad fuse.

Bill Intelisano
Altamonte Springs, FL

King of Cold
My 2002 Road King (bottom) and I reside in Toronto, where our riding season is cut short by winter. Commuting to work during the first week of March can be frosty, and it was 25 Fahrenheit in the photo. The Road King is my second Harley, and I keep it, and my wife’s bike, in top shape. I get a kick out of seeing the faces of people when they ask how I like my new bike, but find out that it’s seven years old and has 60,000 km on it!

Steve Broughton
Richmond Hill, ON, CANADA

Side By Side
Buzz, I look forward to receiving my copy of AIM each month, and always read it cover to cover. I especially enjoy the technical articles as I do most of the wrenching on our scoots. But I also enjoy the touring stories, and, of course, your and your staff’s columns. When I read the Share Your Story With Us invitation in your column (Feb. ’09), I decided to share our story.

My wife and I have enjoyed motorcycle touring in this grand and beautiful country of ours for many years. In fact, our honeymoon trip over 25 years ago was on a motorcycle. Although I tossed out the idea of my wife riding her own scoot a few times, she always said she was content riding two-up with me.

Then, one day in 2004 while at the local Harley shop for parts, I lost track of her. When this happens, I always know where I can find her; so I wandered over to the apparel section, certain she would be there. However, she was not to be found (even when I yelled for her through the changing room door). So I began to look around, and finally spotted her way across the store, talking to a gentleman behind the rental counter. I wandered over to listen to what they were discussing. Out of the clear blue, without a word to me beforehand, she announced that she had just signed up to take the Rider Safety course.

Thus her solo motorcycling career began. After a few short months perfecting her riding skills on a 250 Honda Rebel, she purchased a brand-new 2005 Low Rider and has made many trips riding beside me. I don’t know how she does it, but she manages to ride long-distance, multi-day trips on that LR with ease. I feel guilty whenever I look at her riding beside me on that hard-seated Dyna with me on the plush Road King.

Attached is a photo of our current rides. I’m looking forward to surprising Christy as much as she did me back in 2004.

Chuck & Christy LeKron
Houston, TX

Custom Custom
I’ve always wanted a Softail Custom. As luck would have it, I found what I was looking for. Of course, before it left the shop, I had Samson pipes and a jet kit added. A week later, it was a new paint scheme, then a custom headlight and chrome shifter linkage. After that, I went with new foot pegs, a Hypercharger, a custom seat, and a tattoo on the front fender. The neck was cut and raked to 42 degrees. With a 4-degree HHI triple tree, the bike totals 46 degrees of rake. I finished off the front end with 8"-over tubes. I’m not done yet, and I’m loving every minute of it!

Dennis Slagle
Hendersonville, NC

Iconic Gen
Love your articles in American Iron! Keep up the good work, Genevieve, you bring so much to the sport for females! I’ve read a ton about you since getting into the sport, and I believe you’re an icon for women riders. Thanks for all you do!

Ginny Passmore
Bonney Lake, WA

Bargain Basement
This is a pic of my bike that I rescued from a dark basement where it had been sitting for 20 years. I was able to talk my buddy into parting with it after a lot of calls to him from Iraq. It’s got a Road Worx frame and ’54 Panhead motor. Don’t see too many of these around!

LT. Higgins
101st ABN
Via Internet

Remember the ’70s?
I bought this 1971 Sportster in 1973. I rode and rebuilt it again and again until selling it to a cousin in Alaska in 1984. He rode it in Anchorage, until he melted a piston in 1987. I kept trying to either fix it for him or buy it back for years while the bike sat. Ultimately I got the bike back, and I immediately tore it apart and rebuilt it mechanically, doing the flat black thing before it was cool. After a full season of riding and 3,900 miles, the next winter brought out the shiny side. I tore it down again, found a NOS Hallcraft disc brake wheel replacement, and repainted everything myself. It was good for another 7,000 miles in 2008. This year, I started with a fresh valve job with new exhaust guides and valves, new rings, and a little bit of a cam upgrade. Once again, I’m having the fun I had in the ’70s.

Wendell Smith
Spokane, WA

Doubled Up
I never thought there would be two Harleys in the garage at one time, but the wife wanted a better ride, so I got the 2002 Road King. Now she wants me to sell the 2001 Super Glide. Too bad, ’cause it sure is fun to ride. And I can’t feel too bad, as it’s a problem lots of people would like to have!

Warren Jansen
West Olive, MI

From the AIM website bike photo gallery: Dan207