My Harley-Davidson Ramblings

I hope to Post more now that I have my web site up and running. When Randy from Randy's Cycle told me he was having his Spring Open House two weeks ago. I needed to get my Web Site configured, flyer's and business cards with the Blog address printed on them so I could pass them out.

I only had a few days to do this so I just slapped the Web Site together so I could Link to it from this Blog and people could get more information on my detailing service.

What I did since the open house was add more pages to the site. Now when you visit the Web Site you arrive on the Home page it has a photo of Biker Joe then scrolling down you see pricing for the service. I even put a form on the page so anyone wanting their scoot detailed can make an appointment on the fly.

On the Testimonials And Photos page I have a few customers that left me some input on how they liked the condition their scoot was delivered to them. I will be adding more.

On the Before And After Photos page I put some photos of wheels, side covers and engines from bikes I detailed. Some of the bikes were really in bad shape and had a lot of rusty pit marks on the chrome. Once the chrome has rust you can not save it but you can get the rusty brown look off the chrome with some care.

I had a bike that had some really bad rust all over and crap burnt into the exhaust pipes. I took some before photos but the customer came to pick up his bike earlier than expected and I had no time to take after photos. I got the pipes clean and the rest of the bike was delivered better than when it came in.

I talk to bike owners about keeping their bikes clean and I get that old story, if I have time to clean I have time to ride. Hey buds no offence but these bikes are not cheap and they come with a lot chrome today. At the least you need to get that acid road grime off your bike and keep it dry when parked in the garage.

I compiled a Slide Show of scoots that came to me looking like they were never cleaned. Burnt in brake dust on the wheels, rust all over to the point of no return. Check it out below.

The Reality Of Not Cleaning Your Bike.

Note: Those crapy looking pipes looked like new when I got done with them. I don't have after photos so you will have to trust me.

Check out my Web Site to see after Photos.

I'm still working on that Detailing 101 Page that will be on the Web Site. That page will be comeing soon.

My EBay Store has gone flat. The first few weeks I was selling parts and items fast. But lately nothing is selling. I need to spend more time working on it. Looks like my plate is more then full but I need the cash flow.

Talking about bike parts. You Harley Dyna owners I have stock dealer take off parts for sale at my Store. They will fit most Dyna models up to the 2005 model year.
Check it out, if your interested make me a reasonable offer.

The Meaning Of The Day: Brain bucket - Helmet

Now You Know, Biker Joe

In my last Post I said I was going to a local cycle shop's open house. Randy's Cycle in Huntley IL. had it's annual open house this past weekend. The weather Saturday was hot and humid but the rain stayed away until the last twenty minutes of the day.

I arrived about 11:00 AM with my camera , Biker Joe's Detailing flyer's and business cards in tow. I planed on handing them out while taking photos of the event. I also planed to hobnob with fellow bikers.

There was a moderate flow of people at the event. Lot of them came to take Demo rides of the different models of bikes Victory have to offer. You never felt like it was too crowded like these events usually feel when the heat and humidity is high like it was Saturday. I think the crowd would have been larger if the threat of rain was out of the picture.

All and all Randy's open house was a pleasant place to spend a Saturday.

Now Sunday was a different story. I wanted to take my bike today but the chance of rain was to great. I'm one of those people that will not take the bike out if there is a slight chance of rain.
When I left my house the sky looked like it was going to open up and drop it's load of rain any minute. I got there early 9:30Am Sunday because it was going to end at 3:00PM. About half hour after I arrived the rain came and lasted on and off for about 2-3hours.

After the rain stopped it was to late for more people to show up. The few that did, came to take a demo ride of one or more of the Victory's bikes there. They had to wait for the streets to dry before they could go for a ride. The demo rides were taken in a group so when the streets dried, about 2:00 PM they had a few riders ready to go out on a ride. I have some photos of one such ride leaving out of Randy's parking lot.

I Posted some photos here and a slide show. Enjoy.

I spoke with some riders about my Detailing service. Some people don't understand what detailing a motorcycle is all about. They think wiping a cloth over their ride or running a hose over the bike and wiping it dry is detailing. Your bike might look clean but it has not been detailed. I'm going to explain the whole process on my Web Site soon, titled" Motorcycle Detailing 101". Check it out just click on the Tab above, "Biker Joe's Detailing.

Randy of Randy's Cycle on left and Larry one of his counter guys.

Randy doing what he does best, helping a customer.

More Photos of Open House.

Meaning Of The Day: Cage - A car, truck, or van. The sworn enemy of motorcyclists, more commonly known as automobiles. The name stems from being all cooped up inside a closed shell, with no contact with the outside air.

Now you know, Biker Joe