New pipes are ON - CFR Cary Faas Racing slip-ons

My Road Glide has Rinehart 3.5" slip-ons.  They are great pipes with good quality on chrome and deep sound.  But, I always think the sound is a little too quiet and can be a little deeper for me.  I need a louder pipes for the sake of safety (yeah, right)

After watched video clips on many brands of slip-ons, I decided to go with CFR (Cary Faas Racing) slip-ons.

CFR slip-ons has been very popular in the recent years, so I ended up waiting for 6 months after I placed my order back in Feb.  6 freaking months, man.  At the end, I had to switch to a different model, so they have something in stock for me.  That was definitely the first time I had to wait this long for motorcycle parts.

* Scroll to the end for the video recordings. *

Anyway, package has arrived safely.

Inside the box, the pipes are very well packaged.

Not much information except this little note.  "Rivets go towards tires."

Inside the pipe

A view on both pipes

Very nice chrome job!!

Put my bike on the lift

Done photo 1

Done photo 2

Done photo 3

Finally, here is the sound comparison!!

My old Rinehart 3.5"

New CFR 4.5"

The End.  Thanks for watching!!

HD Maintenance: Head bearing grease

One of the most neglected DIY maintenance items for your Harley is head bearing greasing.  And it's actually one of the easiest maintenance items too. 

Service interval:

1k and then every 10k

What you need:

1. Grease gun

2. HD special purpose grease cartilage 

Steps:

1. Turn the steering to the left 

2. Locate grease fitting on the steering neck

3. Connect your grease gun to the fitting

4. Pump the grease until it exudes from top or bottom of the steering neck

5. Disconnect the grease gun from the fitting and wipe out excess grease

That's it.  You are done.

[A great HD shop] RAM - Real American Motorcycle San Jose

My front tire is about 8 years old, and my rear tire is totally worn. Tires on motorcycles, especially Harleys, don't last long. On average, a Harley's rear tire is worn in about 8k to 10k miles. Front tire usually lasts longer like 2x of rear tire. However, once it gets old, you start to see cracks and stuff. It's always a good idea to get some new rubbers on.

After I did some survey on the Internet, I decided to go to RAM (Real American Motorcycle) in San Jose.

This is Bernard.  He is the owner of the shop, and he is also the master mechanic in the shop.  40 years of mechanic experience on motorcycles mainly on Harleys.  I am sure he can tighten things like a torque wrench.  An experienced mechanic is always the first sign of a great shop.

This is Mark.  He usually stays at the front desk, so you will most likely talk to him first when you need services.  He is also an experienced mechanic (and he runs a bar too).  Super friendly and easygoing dude.  Another good sign of a great shop.

Shop from the street:

They even have a dyne room.  Third good sign of a professional mechanic shop.

Garage looks super clean and everything is organized.  Fourth good sign of a good mechanic shop.

Front wheel off:

Rear wheel off:

New front tire:

New rear tire:

Cost: 

From DennisKirk.com:

Front tire: Front Commander II 130/90HB-16 Blackwall Tire $109.88

Rear tire: Rear Commander II 140/90HB-16 Blackwall Tire $137.88

16 in. x 2.25 in. Rim Strip $2.95 x 2

Inner Tube $22.88 x 2

Shop labor: 2 hours $171.03 including lube on the axels.  They even replaced the rear brake pads for me... for free (PS: I brought in the new brake pads).

Total: $470.45 (it's about enough to get my rear tire changed in a HD dealer)

Conclusion: 

1. people: super friendly and honest.  answer any question and no sugar coating and craps.

2. place: nice and clean in a convenient location.

3. equipments: very clean garage with great tools.

4. work quality: high quality as what people claimed on the Internet.  

5. convenience: did I mention they are open 7 days a week?

More details of the shop can be found at: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ram-products-real-american-motorcycle-repair-san-jose

Last but not least, supporting my local business just makes me feel gooood!!