Project XL250S – Part 2: Parts Evaluation

So as part of bringing the XL up from the basement and getting it setup on the bike table, I tried to keep track of things as I was putting it back together so I could get a list of parts that were broken, damaged or incorrect, as well as the parts that were missing altogether. I’m pretty sure my list won’t be 100% accurate but I more or less wanted to get a rough idea on what I was up against, as well as highlight any parts that I’d need to source, especially the important OEM parts that I’ll want to use like the airbox as an example.

Project XL250S – Part 1: Intro

Wow, time really flies. I initially bought this project bike way back in May 2014 and now over eight years have whizzed by with very little progress. Plus I’ve basically forgot everything that I’ve already done so I’m now back at it and will approach it as if starting from square one. So, this first post will just be to recap the initial purchase and try and recap what exactly I did to it all those years ago.

Product Review – J-B Weld SteelStik

Any product that helps to get me home safely after a mishap on a trail gets my endorsement any day of the week and has a permanent place in my on-bike toolkit. SteelStik did just that this past summer and so I just want to give back by sharing my story of why I needed it to begin with and how it was used to get me home.

Lighthouse Hunting (Total: 34)

It probably comes from living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic but I’ve always loved lighthouses. There is just something mystical about them, knowing the history they have been a part of over the years, countless lives they’ve saved and unfortunately lost lives they must have witnessed. Over the years I’ve been able to check out a few easily accessible ones here on the island but since owning an adventure type bike it has opened up others that we not easily reached in a car.

Garage Wall Art

Had some free time and a sheet of mdf so I decided to try and make a bit of wall art for the garage. I don’t have much in the way of woodworking tools but decided to give it a try anyway with the tools I have. With the correct tools it would have been a bit easier but even with what I had it was a fairly easy, fun project. I apologize in advance for the picture quality, my old phone doesn’t take good low light pictures.

Africa Twin – DIY Oil and Filter Change

That time of year again, time to put the bikes away for their winter naps. Picked up the oil and filter this past week and so after giving the Africa Twin a nice wash I set about changing its oil before tucking it away for a few months.

CB350 Project – Paint Polishing

Recently finished painting the seat, tank and rear fender for the CB350 and was pretty excited to get these three clear coated so I could tick them off the list and move onto other tasks. Well, after clear coating with SprayMax 2K the shine and deepness of the clear was amazing, as it always is with SprayMax, but unfortunately the finish also was not as smooth as it normally is when I spray it. Not sure of the reason but I was pretty disappointed. Was thinking I would have to spray additional coats to try and smooth it out but first thought I’d try my hand at wet-sanding and polishing it.

Africa Twin – Luggage Options

I really struggled with the decision of which way to go for a luggage setup for my Africa Twin. With all the other modifications and additions I never had any problems, all choices were pretty straightforward since I knew what I wanted and the prices were all reasonable. However, with motorcycle luggage I find the prices to be way too high. Not just slightly expensive but highway robbery type of expensive. I don’t know the reason for this but I couldn’t justify paying the prices I was seeing for something that I would use so infrequently. I’ll be lucky to get out on a camping trip one or two times a year so it just wasn’t cost effective. With that said, I still wanted some kind of setup since my old DrySpec setup, even though it works great and has never let me down, is just too small and limiting.

Vectors (updated April 18)

Since I’ve been stuck in the house so much with the recent COVID-19 pandemic I decided to try my hand at learning vector based software to create some new wallpapers for my devices. I stumbled upon Affinity Designer and found it to be an amazing application. Very easy to learn and start using. I’m no graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination but still found it to be very intuitive and I could start creating some things pretty much from the start. Can’t recommend it enough, check it out.

Africa Twin – Barkbuster Handguards Install

One fear I had last year when riding my new bike was dropping it out on a ride and snapping off a brake or clutch lever, possibly leaving me stranded. The bike came with handguards but they were just basic plastic ones with no metal backbone for strength, they were mainly for looks as well as wind protection (which they did great). So I decided to beef up this area to reduce this risk of this happening by buying a set of Barkbusters Storm Handguards.