197 Days until departure to Sturgis

Seems like a long ways off but when the temps are hitting 50+F here in Michigan it is easy to dream about the open road.  I finished the installation of the radio today by replacing the broken speaker brace.  Probably the only part on the bike that costs under $200.00 which seems to be the new standard for Harley parts.  I even got a "mechanics lift" out of the deal.  The brother of the guy who helped me install it (the guy who actually did all the work) sold me an extra lift for $50.00.  Works great and the bike is now up off the concrete which should have some benefits for the tires.  If not, it looks cool and gives me a little more room in the garage. 

I learned you have to start the bike up to recycle some of the gauges in order to reactivate them after disconnecting the battery.  I was tempted to go for a short spin in this warm weather but it's raining fairly steady so I didn't go.  If I lived in Seattle a little rain wouldn't have mattered but us "Mitten Dwellers" shy away from that stuff in the winter.

Sound System is installed, tested and ready to roll

I installed, or rather my riding buddy, (Art Simmons did), a Biketronics sound system today.  Took us about 3 hours and virtually no problems except for a broken bracket in the speaker mount.  That was a "Harley" part and explains a rattle that developed while on the trip to Seattle two years ago.  The dealer has the part and the fairing will be put back together by Tuesday. 

Check the photo section for all the photos of the installation process.

System sounds great and allows me to play the radio, CD's, or plug in my MP3 Player and listen to the music of my choice.  It has an internal antennae so I don't have to have one on my "TourPak".  I'll be testing that out but the initial reception in my garage was fine.  It's easy to add a different antennae if that turns out to be necessary.

We getting our first significant snowfall today and the temps are really dropping.  After a rather warm and pleasant December and first week of January our winter has returned.  But, there is less than 3 months until riding season and it's under 7 months until we meet up in Sturgis.

"Get Your Motor Runnin'"

Adding a Sound System to the bike

After three years of resisting the temptation I've decided to add a sound system to my bike.  It will consist of a radio, CD player and a slot to plug in an MP3 Player.  Most of the guys I ride with here in Michigan have them and the new ones seem to have better audio quality so that you can even hear them.  It is a plug in system that should go into the fairing of my bike fairly easily.  That's what the brochure says, anyway.  We'll see how many guys I have to ply with beer and food to actually get it in and working. 

Should make for a good winter project.

I'll post photos of the before and after

Update on progress:

Looks like it will be this Friday before the installation of the sound system commences; a buddy of mine is coming over to give me a hand and supervise my skills.  As Don knows, Corpsmen are very adept with reassembling the human body but somewhat challenged when it comes to mechanical things.  Stand by for news!