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 Well how's that, I just jumped back on the forum to suggest to Krisfnbs to maybe have a bit of a squiz at some of Max's bloggs, and bingo, you where already onto it Max ... good on you mate. You're obviously a knowledgable bloke when it comes to these bikes and it really is damn decent of you to take the time out to share your knowhow with the rest of us. I for one have found some of your advise both valuable and informative and I'm sure quite a few other people on the forum have the same opinion Max. Keep up the good work amigo. I hope some good karma is coming back your way in some form or another.
Ride safe,
Best regards,
Hairy Bob 

  Hey guys, here's one for the books. The other day, my wife said to me ( and this is no bullsh** fellas, these where her exact words ) " maybe you should get a bit bigger bike ... you know, some thing with a bit more grunt ". I was absolutely gobsmacked. So anyway, I got all excited as us lads do when it comes to our toys, and started looking around and drooling over a few different bikes. I checked out the Kwaka W 800 a while back, which I've always liked. Also a few different cruisers ... the Kawasaki Vulcan 900, Suzuki C50 (800cc), and the Yamaha V star 650 ( not so heavy as the first two cruisers. I'm only a fly weight, about 67kgs, and that's before a crap in the mornings, and the missus ain't real heavy either ). So, what a delemma I found myself in groovers. But do you know what ... after all that, I can't bring myself to get rid of the little pony. She's been such a good little bike hey. I just love her looks (I've got the silver one) and her road manners. She's cheap as chips to run, and bloody reliable. So I'm sticking with the little pony gang. I know some of you probably think I've got rocks in my head, but as uncle Clarke once famously said .. " frankly my dear, I don't give a damn ".
So, its High Hoooooooooo Silver and away into the wild blue yonder !
Ride safe my friends.
Regards, Hairy Bob 

Well Vivo, there's only one thing for it ol mate. I reckon you and me should lobb over there ( us rock stars make really good diplomats as everyone knows ) , sit ol Kim baby down and very cool and calmly ask THE question I'm sure the whole world wants to know, and that's ... " Who cuts your hair man? "  Cos I reckon if we can point him in the direction of a decent hairdresser, when he looks in the mirror in the mornings, he might feel a whole lot better about himself and not be such an aggro little gitt ! Waddaya reckon amigo ? 

Hey there Deejays. Try Kymco parts monster. I'm on the Gold Coast, Australia and I got my parts in eleven days. Not too shabby considering they had to come half way around the world. Plus they give you a parcel tracking number so you know exactly where your stuff is. Fedex estimated mine would arrive on the tenth of this month ... and guess what, it bloody well did !!!
So maybe give them a try sport.
Regards,
Hairy Bob.
 

  Had to give the pony a bit of first aid today gang. She spat a chain slider when I was hooking through the Burringbar mountain range last ride. No big deal, but it scared the living sh** out of me when it went though. I felt this thud like I'de run over something and it had flicked up and hit under the bike. Pulled over to check her belly, and couldn't see anything wrong straight away. Started looking over her and noticed the chain had a bit too much play, then I noticed what looked like fine black rubber powder on the side plate and swing arm. That's when I realized half of the slider was totally missing, and the other half had been minced into the front sprocket. Like I said, no big deal. I just took it easy back home. It was only when you where backing off that you could hear the chain just lightly tapping the top of the swing arm. Anyway, ordered two chain sliders (one for a spare), and while I was at it I'de noticed earlier that the rubbers on each end of the gear change tie rod were pretty well perished, so ordered two of those aswell. So, after a bit of buggerizing around (reckon it took me longer to clean all the black rubber sh** out than it did to drop the swing arm etc and fit the slider), she's all Mickey Mouse again. Another silly little thing I came across a while ago, was the steel hex bolts they use where the mufflers clamp onto the exhaust pipes going really rusty and looking pretty crappy, so I changed those with high grade stainless ones. It's amazing what little things like that can do for the look of the bike.

Anyway trendsetters, hope you've been getting out on your two wheelers when you can. (Hey J.B. has the missus softend her stance on letting you get another bike yet ? If not, keep on greasing her up man  )
Ride safe everyone.
Regards, Hairy Bob. 

Hey Shanel, do yourself a favor, save your money and don't even bother with the highway pegs. But that's just my opinion. Firstly, the SPAAN highway bars I bought have a crap chrome job done on them. I've only had mine on since September, and they've started to go rusty already and I keep my bike clean and shedded, so it's not like it's been left out in the elements or anything. So for now I've taken them back off coz they look sh**.  Secondly, what I found for me anyway, was that when your riding along with your legs stretched nicely out on the pegs, your sitting with all your bodyweight right on your tailbone. So if you hit a reasonable size bump in the road, it feels like your tailbone has been jammed up into the base of your skull. To be honest, I've found the way the foot peg setup just the way the bike comes stock, seems to be the best riding position believe it or not.
Also when I first got the highway bars, before I even put the pegs on, I was riding out through one of the mountain ranges nearby, where there are some beautiful sweeping bends and halfway into one of them there was just a little bit of a dip, and I managed to scrape the bottom on one of the bars. I was hooking in a bit though I must admit. So just keep that in mind too.
So after all my buggerizing around, I've taken my windscreen, highwaybars and pegs back off. Oh yeah I bought some SPAAN mirrors too and guess what ... yep, I took those back off too coz they had a bloody sh** chrome job on them as well. So she's all back to stock except for the sissy bar and saddlebag standoffs. I might get the highway bars rechromed, I haven't really decided yet, but I won't bother with the pegs if I do.
Anyway, hopefully I might have saved you some money Shanel.
Best regards,
Hairy Bob.
 

  Holy hot camel sh** J.B. that's no no good at all mate. The main thing is your still here to tell the tail though ... bikes are replacable hey. I know what you mean about effwits in cars, some of the clowns must drive around with their heads jammed up their arses ... they just don't look ! It's the same up here on the Goldy, and sometimes even more interesting with some of those camakazee tourists driving around looking at all the sights instead of watching where they're bleeding well going. It's always been that way though, when your riding a motorcycle, you've got to be on your game, coz even if your in the right in a prang , it's gunna bloodywell hurt !! I guess that's why I don't use my bike for commuting around town [I'm lucky enough to get a company car in my job], she's mainly for cruizing out in the country side. You've still got to be switched on all the time though have no illusions, there's still dickheads in cars out there too.
I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you for a while, I thought you must have gone and bought that Harley you where talking about, not racked up in hospital you poor bugger. You've gotta get another bike J.B. just treat this little incident as a learning curve sport. I know hindsight is a good thing and I don't want to sound like a know it all, but just sit and wait in the traffic. Don't worry, I've been tempted to do the same thing myself but have always been worried about exactly that type of thing. Not that long ago up here, I'm sitting in the traffic on my way to work and this guy on a bike has come screaming up the inside shoulder, then a couple of seconds later there's this almighty friggin "BANG". This lady has turned into her driveway, totaly in the right and the clown on the bike has T-bone the car and got catapulted about 30 meters up the road. Didn't kill him, but he didn,t bounce very well I can tell you that ! The poor lady was absolutley freaked out as you could imagine, and it wasn't even her fault.

I'm still really happy with the little pony. She's got just on 6000ks on the clock now and gallops along just fine. Takes me where all the big bikes are going, so I couldn't ask any more of her. Actually I haven't been able to get out for a couple of weeks due to some pretty far out weather we've been having here, but it seems to be coming good today [saturday] so maybe early tomorrow morning if mother nature is in a nice mood. I guess it probably sounds like I'm a novice rider and this is my first bike but ... Hahh, not case grasshopper ! This IS my first road bike however. I was always into big bore trail bikes. One of my best adventures was back in the mid 80's. I had a Honda XL 600R. Got my mate to make up some surfboard racks for it and I rode that mother across Australia, from Perth, Western Aust. to Coffs Harbour N.S.W. on the east coast, about a 5000klm trip all up. Rode through some amazing country. Man I could get to surf breaks on that thing that guys in four wheel drives where battling to get to. Where some times they'd have to park and walk for a while, I could ride right down to just about where I wanted to be. It was pretty cool. Gotta admit I'm glad I invested in a bloody good kidney belt though, it wasn't quite as comfortable as the little cruizer I can tell you that !!

Anyway J.B. you just be a good boy old son, be extra nice to the wife and I'm sure you'll be back in the saddle in no time. Before you look at another Harley, take a bit of time to check the new Kwaka W800 ... very spunky looking bit of gear, but that's just my opinion, we've all got different tasts. I've just never liked Harleys, they're just all noise I reckon.
Geez ! I've been a bit long winded in this little rave hey. I hope I haven't bored you groovers too much, or upset the Hog lovers at all with my last little comment  .
Take care gang.
Best regards,
Hairy Bob.

Guess your right Vivo, no one or nowhere is exempt from mother natures fury. I just went outside and gave myself a good swift uppercut. After watching the news these last few nights, seeing what some of these other poor people have been through, bitching about a pissy bit of cabin fever doesn't even rate a friggin mention does it. I should just shut my guts and be thankful that all of my family and friends are okay and that my house is still standing and I still have a roof over my head hey.

So after my reality check, and on a lighter note, once everything settles down, I will be reporting back about some nice little expeditions on the little pony.

In the mean time seeing as there's not been much happening on the motorcycling side on things, lets talk about crows ... that's right, crows, you know, those big ugly black birds. Well I suppose there not ugly to other crows of course. But I was just wondering if they're as foulmouthed in other countries as the ones we get here in Oz. I regularly get woken up at about 5 a.m by a couple of the mongrel things sitting in the tree right outside our bedroom window going " faaark ... faaark ". Now is it just me, or does that sound suspiciously like a certain word us humans use ... only on necessary occasions of course ?
sh** ... I told you I had a touch of cabin fever didn't I, !!!
Anyway, just thought I'de throw that curved ball out there.

Regards,
Hairy Bob.