Breakfast of champions

I thought this was kinda cool.

Short but sweet Friday post.



Happy Friday!
Have a nice weekend!

Got paint?

The above picture is of carbon fiber. It is not custom painted.

This is a post about hydro graphic printing, A.K.A. hydro graphics. Sometimes mistaken as custom painting. The graphics are so lifelike that you can't believe your eyes at what a custom painter has pulled off. Don't be fooled. This is not custom paint, but rather a custom printing process. It uses an automotive basecoat to acheive the undertone colors, and typically an automotive clearcoat as the finish product, and then wetsanded and buffed just like a custom paint job.

The process starts with prepping the part just like for regular, or custom paint. Any image you can think of that can be photographed can be put onto a special film that dissolves in a special tank of water designed for dipping the part into. The film dissolves and the image floats on the water. Thus allowing the image to be transferred.

Don't get me wrong. There are great things about this process. You can have almost anything put on almost any kind of part you want. But please don't think some great airbrush artist did it, and don't try to sell it as custom paint either. And god forbid, don't pay the custom paint price. Unlike custom paint which is truly one of a kind, anything here can be mass produced.

You've probably seen lots of it without knowing it, such as camoflauge on fourwheelers, etc.

I guess my point is buyer beware.

I know a bike shop that is pushing it to customers as custom paint, without disclosing what it really is.

To me it is no better that a factory decal that has been clearcoated over.

one liner biker wit

I’d rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God,



than sitting in church, thinking about riding my motorcycle.

Harley Davidson Edition Dodge Charger

Rumor has it there is a Harley Davidson Edition Dodge Charger.
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I believe this might be the elusive car I've heard talk about.

I spotted it and took a picture.

Today is the day we take the time to remember those who fought for our freedom

Ride free!

Thank you!

The Sixth Sense

From the twisted mind of Mr. Motorcycle



I always cary my digital camera to capture moments such as this.

I was riding my motorcycle and pulled up to this truck at a stop light. I noticed something a little odd. The box in the lower left hand corner read in upside down letters, "Dustys Body". I thought to myself, that is odd! This does not look like a hurse. Then I realized it was just a flat bed truck carrying a box with Dusty's dead body in it.
Yes, my sixth sense had kicked in. I see dead people.
I'm guessing no one else can see the dead body but me.

Good biker joke

HOW TO STOP CHURCH GOSSIP

Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose in to other people's business.

Several members did not approve of her extracurricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

One day Mildred made a mistake.
She accused Frank, a biker, and a new member of the church of being an alcoholic after she saw his Harley parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon.

She emphatically told Frank and several others that everyone seeing his motorcycle parked in front of the bar during the daytime hours would know what he was doing.

Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment shook his head, hopped on his bike and rode away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny... he said nothing.

Later that evening, Frank quietly pushed his Harley in front of Mildred's house... walked home.... and left it there all night.

You gotta love a biker!

Skyrocketing gas prices.

Not so funny money.

New U.S. five dollar bill coming soon to a gas station near you.

A buddy of mine e-mailed me this picture. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with the blogger world. So fitting to us bikers and non bikers as well.

motorcycle friendly road

In case you don't read Bikes in the Fast lane, I figured this was too good not to share.

Motorcycle friendly road.

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/first-100-motorcycle-friendly-road-opened.htm

one liner biker wit

Everyone will die.



Not everyone will live.



Ride to live, live to ride!


The pictures above are some of my friends. I took the photos while riding behind them this Saturday. This road is running parallel to the Mississippi River. We were doin a little "Living".

On Thursday, May 15th, 2008, I became an official member of MBI.

Yea!

I'm proud to be a part of the Motorcycle Bloggers International group. A.K.A., MBI.
http://www.mbiweb.org/

I hope I can contribute something worthwile as I continue to blog.
Thanks to those of you who stop by and read my site.

To those at MBI,
Thank you for accepting me into your community.
It is an honor.

Mr. Motorcycle

Tech. Tip #5 Show Car or Show Bike Shine

Many people often wonder what is the best product to get a show car, or show bike shine witout a professional detail job.


Here we need to address Waxes & glazes, and another product called Wizard's Mist n Shine.
As far as getting that luster back in your old paint, or bringing out a show quality shine in a somewhat shiny paint to begin with, I prefer Race Glaze, or a McGuires brand glaze. "Not a wax". Glazes give you that high luster sheen, and unlike waxes, don't leave a hard crusty white powdery film that is really hard to remove once dry. They go on easy, and wipe off easy. Both products can be applied with a buffer, or by hand. I've used, and still do use both.




Lots of people swear by Wizard's Mist and Shine.




I think this is o.k. for quick cleanups, and shines, but does not compare to a glaze. Because it has alot of cleaning agent in it, I've actually had it remove the glaze I just applied, and lost the high luster shine to get Wizard's Mediocre Luster. I thought it would build on the shine but did just the opposite. This is when I realized that nothing tops a good glaze for a show bike quality shine.

Keep in mind, glazes are not permanent, and need to be re-applied every so often. I re-apply glaze to my tins about every time I clean the bike, and it only takes about 3-5 minutes.

Good luck!

One liner biker wit

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I only feel like riding my motorcycle on days that end with the letter "Y".

Exile Cycles (NOT!!!!)

I was driving down the road on Monday, and spottted this bike in front of me. We came up to a stop light. I saw a sticker on the back and had to see what it said. "Exile cycles".



I was humored.




SOOO NOT EXILE.

Part of my weekend with a bit of insider humor.

My wife is a knitter. I ride, she knits. This works.

To satisfy her knitting paraphenalia, we go the the Washington County state fair grounds each year for what is called the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival.

The picture above is of some angora goats.

This is where knitters, and such can show off and sell their wares, including raw fibers to be spun into yarn, etc.

Anyway, beyond the fresh real kettle corn, and seeing all of the different stuff people make, One thing caught my eye. This is for you Ronman! http://www.ridesroadsandronman.com/

Can you believe it! Everywhere you go, no matter what the event, or day, there is almost always something to post about.

Tech. Tip #4. It's all in the details

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Tech Tip #4. It's all in the details is kind of a continuation of tech tip #1. Hiding or making the gas tank mount brackets blend in, is an important detail to me. This is part of making a bike look clean.

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Another way to look at the little details, or better yet, not notice them is by blacking out, and silvering out nuts, bolts, & wires. You can do this with a simple can of spray paint in black, and one in silver, and a cheap brush.

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Flat paints work best. Simply spray a puddle into a plastic cap, aluminum can bottom, or onto a piece of cardboard.

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Apply to the nut or bolt head, wire, or what ever it is that you are trying to make blend in.

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Keep in mind I recently had work done to my bike, so some of the nuts, bolts, etc. that I had blacked out, got damaged, during repairs, so I needed to re-do them. I have a couple of before and after shots below that show you examples. And some additional shots of afters. Some are wires, some are hose clamps, etc. But you get the point.

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Before:

After:

Before: Notice the gas tank mount bolt head, and the side to side gas tank hose clamps.

After:

After:

After:

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This makes a very subtle difference, but it's sometimes what you don't see, or don't notice that makes a difference. The object is to get things that should not stand out to blend into the back ground.

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This is a simple detailing trick that anyone can use, and anyone can do it themselves.

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Mr. Motorcycle

A Mother's day tribute. Why do so many bikers name their motorcycles after women?

I've posted before that I named my bike Kenny after my father Ken, because I though Ken sounded too serious for me, and I could not name it Shirley and Ken, cause that just sounds stupid for a motorcycle name. I choose my father's name because I think personally that Motorcycles, no matter how sexy, are kind of a masculine thing.

Anyway, tons of folks name their bikes after women. It is standard tradition. I think some of it might come from the infuences their mother's had on them as children.

So for a Mother's Day tribute to all of the mothers out there, I give you the top 25 reasons to say thanks to Mom.

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE . 'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. 'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL . 'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. ' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. 'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY 'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. 'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA . 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. 'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION. 'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY . 'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't h ave wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPA TION. 'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING . 'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. 'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP. 'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
20. My mother taught me HUMOR. 'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . 'If you don 't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. 'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. 'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE . 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you !!

(O.K. my father taught me number 25. But I think my mom had some secret influence going in on this one as well.)

I was the third of three children. Not referred to as the third child, but rather the "terd" child.

***********************

Mom-

As I was running through the house with scissors, wearing a pair of dirty underwear, I realized I needed to get you a Mother's Day card. (My actual words were "Damn, I need to pick up a F-n card for Mom!"
So, with my messy hair, and unbrushed teeth, I hitched a ride to the store with a perfectly nice stranger who gave me some candy. And without the sales clerk (who I think you know from church) even noticing, I stole this card for you!
Well, anyway, I gotta go... My no good friends are jumping off a bridge, and, of course, I have to do it too!

Happy Mother's Day
from your son


Mr. Motoryccle

Grabitpack

This is something I saw on http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf A.K.A. Bikes in the Fast Lane.

I'm not huge on doing reposts, but this one was something that I felt I had to share.

I'm doing this on the assumption that not everyone reads that blog. And I would hate for any of the people who read my blog to miss out on this if they were interested.

It is a really great option for those of us without saddle bags on our motorcycles, or a great option for anyone just looking for quick access to the wallet, cell phone, going through tolls if touring, etc.

I always wonder how I'm going to haul my stuff. My pockets in my leather jacket get stuffed, and I don't always want to wear a jacket, especially when it's hot. Sometimes I get lucky and ride with others who are willing to share their saddle bag or luggage bag storage with me.

I can't do the back pack thing. It doesn't work for my look, and fanny pack? Not fitting of the look either in my opinion.

I'm seriously thinking about getting one. It is really affordable.

I believe this might even come in handy for bikers, "like the kind that pedal".

Be sure to check out their website for more details. http://www.grabitpack.com/

Kawasaki Motorcycle

I already own a HOG, so I figured maybe I should buy a COWasaki.

A new biker word to add to the dictionary

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At a Motorcycle repair shop I frequent, there is a funny word that they use to describe making a bike look cooler than it already is, or is not.

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The first time I heard it was when I had a stock Harley, and was in there looking at options to make it Bad Ass.

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We talked about all of the things that could be done, and the list started, and the financial drain started as well.

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So my New Webster's Dictionary word addition suggestion is:

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coolify
Pronunciation: kool . if . eye
Function: adjective
Etymology: English slang biker giberish
Date: sometime after the start of the19th century
1: cool, or kool : To be lacking the stock motorcycle look:

2:To coolify, usually marks the start of ones financial drain , and loss of self-control.

A cool and calculating bike builder should be the administrator of "coolifying" ones motorcycle.

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Special thanks to Wizard and Stormy for using this wicked word, and making it part of my vocabulary.

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Special thanks to Stormy Custom Bike Works for helping me "coolify" my Harley.

The top 100 motorcycle blogs lists first interview

I recently made it on a Top 100 motorcycle blogs list, which I am humbly honored to be on, and want to thank Cristian Dorobantescu, a part time entrepreneur living in Bucharest, Romania, for doing this.

I was also honored to be the first interviewed blogger, and posted on his site.

Below is a sample of the post, including links to the author Cristian Dorobantescu's site, my interview, and Cristian's top 100 list:

Honda Motorcyles blog
Honda History, models, parts and…stories
Interview with Mr. Motorcycle
Posted on May 5th, 2008 by admin
While doing the Top 100 Motorcycle blogs a couple of weeks ago, I discovered some interesting blogs about riding a motorcycle, the biker’s lifestyle and their passions. I’ve bookmarked some of them and subscribed to their RSS feeds so I can get updates automatically (by the way, you can get updates automatically by email from the Honda Motorcycles blog as well, by clicking on orange subscribe button on the right panel), then I realized I would love to know more on the riders. That’s how I came with the idea to do a series of interviews with the motorcycle bloggers in the top 100.
First on the list is Mr. Motorcycle, a Harley rider from Minnesota. Amongst others, he is a motorcycle custom painter, father of 2 (he says 5, 2 children, 2 cats and a custom Harley) and blogger. Here is what I found out: (Click link to read more) Interview with Mr. Motorcycle

Sunday's motorcycle ride

The weather cooperated and I went out for a ride. Nowhere to go but forward on two wheels. I went where the road called me. I flew solo. I ended up going around to St. Francis, Mn. which is a cute quaint rural small town. It's off the Rum River, which is high right now, and running pretty fast.

I made a pitstop at a local watering hole:

And Noticed some nice bikes:

I passed the local American Legion and spotted a cool airplane:

Then started my journey towards home and saw a Llama farm. I just love these guys, They are so cute!

And I saw a 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 for sale that I though was kind of cool:

And I lived happily after ever.

Tech tip #3. A way to save your custom paint job or stock paint job, and save your motorcycle parts.

I've run into a custom painting opportunity a time or two, due to a crash, scratch, or likewise on a motorcycle part, or even a wave runner that was crashed into a dock.
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When a painted part cannot be masked off easily, or needs complete dissassembly, it can get costly to do a paint repair no matter how small the repair area needed is. Likewise when you have a painted part from let say, Harley Davidson that is damaged, Most shops (Harley Dealers) consider the damaged part to be disposable because they won't sell their paint to you, so you can't have your local body shop fix it. This guarantees them big bucks in sales of more parts. However, you can take your painted part into a paint store such as a Sherwin Williams Automotive Paint store and have them read the paint with a special paint scope. They can then spit out a paint formula that will be right on the money, or at least close enough to blend in most cases. But most of the time this still involves full dissasembly of a part off of the motorcycle, or what ever it is you are painting, which can be expensive.
Furthermore, in the automotive paint industry as a painter, the rule of thumb is mix paint close enough to blend because you will never get an "exact match". This could mean painting all of your motorcycle parts to match, unless it is a "very" close color match. This would be spendy for a scratch right?
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There is a way around this in many cases.
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I'll get to that in a bit.
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When you have custom paint, there is also a way you can many times save your custom paint job by adding to it.
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A classic example is:
I have a friend whose chopper's rear fender was a bit too close to the rear tire. After the tire swelled when it heated up It rubbed and burned the paint edge on the rear fender tip. It has since been adjusted to no longer rub. Unfortunately this ruined a very expensive custom paint job that he has on the bike, if not for a solution I've used in the past.
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If you can keep the repair area as small as possible and do something custom in the repaired area only, you have a chance at saving it. It can be clear coated if needed, but if small enough can be done with sign painter's paint called "One Shot"and or outlined with a "One Shot" pinstripe.
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Example below:




(I am not claiming this paint job, as this is not one of mine, but this was a classic example of how this can be done.) I know he has even got compliments on the rear fender accent that was never meant to be. Who knew( untill now)?!
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Remember that wave runner I mentioned at the beginning of the post that was crashed?



The hood got a crack. I did a fiberglass repair, primer, etc., the works, and then had to paint it. I could not match the white gelcoat that the hood had from the factory, but always have paint left over's from previous jobs, and took the colors that were already on the wave runner and gave the hood a custom paint job. Now not only did I save money, and time, I actually made the waver runner custom. This was wave runner #3 that I've done similar things to. You can even do this technique where there are no good break lines by having the clear coat edge broken off by pintriping over it like in the motorcycle example above.
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Just some ideas for you to think about, and realize that there are options for you when you get that dreaded scratch, or dent.
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This is a great excuse to go for it and get that custom paint job you've been wanting, and now have a reason to do it.
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Mr. Motorcycle

Motorcycle blogging off the beaten path

I call this post Motorcycle blogging off the beaten path, because it has multiple meanings to me.

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1st is that sometimes you have to veer away from the same things you always do to find something new.

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2nd, In the world of motorcycle riding the (winding road or off the beaten path) is like a siren calling to the sailors at sea.

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3rd. This blog post is not entirely about motorcles. I'll try to tie in in for ya though.

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Keeping in mind that I do not custom paint for a living any more, but do still take on side jobs, I've ventured into another carrer many years ago. The new carrer has guaranteed me a steady salary where I can count on a certain dollar amount each week to put food on my family's table. I still love to custom paint motorcycles, helmets, wave runners, snowmobiles, etc. on the side for cash, and for hobby, and I do love my full time carrer as well. It can be a bit stressfull with the high volume this time of year, but I get to drive around quite a bit and meet with my companies clients on a face to face basis quite frequently. This is the most satisfying part of my job.

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In doing so today, I met some of the nicest folks I've ever run into. They were extremely hospitable, and we hit it off right away. We have things in common, such as Ali likes cool cars, and motorcycles. He owns a 1930 Ford Model A. that is pretty cool, and Mary Ellen and I have art in common. Have I ever mentioned that I do more art than just custom painting? Mary Ellen has several art degrees, and If I recall per our conversation, she used to illustrate for the medical community. She has now focused on creating porcelain art. She has four kilns, and a beautiful art studio on her home's property that she teaches classes out of. She's got several published art books, and I got an autographed copy. In case anyone near Minnesota is interested in taking porcelain art lessons, or wants more information about this artform, you can e-mail her at haggertystudio@msn.com . She has also traveled worldwide to teach her techniques.

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Back to the motorcycle things. We got along so well, and shared stories, and laughs. They said to feel free and stop by somtine when passing through or when ever. Just to shoot the breeze, or have a beer. Ironicly, when I was driving my car to their home, I realized that I had travelled part of the paved roads to their house in the past. It is a nice ride from my house, but not too far away. I think I'll take my motorcycle for a ride sometime soon and say hi. I'll take them up on their beer too while I'm at it.

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I'll jabber at you all later.

Thanks for reading .

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Mr. Motorcycle