Gophers and Cheese

179 posts and this blog is still going strong... I'm looking forward to a great 2011 including a whole new look to my Sporty.  To celebrate the first year of Gophers and Cheese and a great year of riding, here are my top 25 favorite pictures and the posts they came from.  I think they do a nice job representing the year.  I have posted them in chronological order from oldest to newest.  Like all the pictures on my blog, click on them for a larger version. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!!! #25: My homemade sissy bar.  It has it's shortcomings (the rod is a little too thin and vibrates like crazy at idle) but I love the look, it's functional (to hold my license plate and keep luggage from sliding off the back), and I take pride in the fact it is homemade. See the full original post here . #24: My first ride of 2010 (on March 6th).   Yes, that's snow all over the place and I'm far from home. See the full original post here . #23: Sportster in Stillwater...

After taking the stock tank off, I disassembled the stock riser setup and mocked up the short risers. I like them a lot and will stick with them as opposed to the slightly taller pullback ones I also bought. I put the tank and seat on and I'm really happy with the results. The front of the tank is not currently attached and sitting a little high but I want to make a bracket to have it sit slightly higher. It's at about 1 1/2" higher than the stock position and I want it another 1/2" higher. I like the look and it should hopefully allow enough room to perform a wire tuck too.  I like that the top of the tank is taller than the risers.  I'll need to get a few shots from the front - it looks great. Here's one in color:

I picked up a plastic tank and siphon to drain the Sportster tank. The process was surprisingly slow and a little tedious.  The hose kept curling, which made it difficult to get to all the gas.  The siphon kept grabbing air and stopping.  After draining about half, I took the tank off the bike.  Once off, I attached a piece of metal rod to the siphon tube using some wire to keep it straight and was able to tilt the tank and use the siphon to get almost all of the gas out.  Then I removed the petcock and shook the rest out. Here are two shots with the tank off and the garage door open to vent the fumes.

Gringo & Mickey's MotoPsyco Swap Meets are set for 1/16 (St. Paul), 2/6 (Anoka), 2/27 (Duluth), and 3/13 (St. Cloud).  I've been to the one in Anoka a few times.  It's a great place to pick up a few extra parts for projects and keep hope alive for an early Spring.

Black anodized, CNC'd, billet aluminum awesomeness from eBay... just in time for Christmas. The plan is for this set of valve stem caps to go on the touring shocks I have on the rear of the Sporty. UPDATE 5/27/11: If you're looking for your own set of these, the seller's ID on eBay is sjd234.

I went to Zylstra HD in Elk River yesterday for their Mini Bikers Christmas Party.  I got a few pictures of my daughter with Santa and his white Harley Street Glide.  She didn't cry but she didn't smile either.  I think she must have been disappointed by all the stock Harleys everywhere.  It's like going to an art gallery filled with blank canvases.  How long is it until Spring anyway?

The Sporty sits waiting patiently in the garage for winter projects and repairs to begin.  I took the tank panel / tank bra off.  I also removed the seat so I could see what the LePera looks like and took off  the battery cover to plug in my Battery Tender. Here's the LePera.  It's much smaller and skinnier than my Mustang.  I think it will sit more forward with the 3.3 gallon tank.  It has to as it won't be able to be bolted to the bike in this position.  A lot more of my rear fender will show and I will probably move my flying eyeball emblem to cover the hole where you see the acorn nut (where the Mustang currently mounts).

After I dropped my bike on an icy patch of packed snow a few weeks ago, I doubt I'll every try to ride on snow with two wheels again. If you want to see how to do it properly, check out the Everyday Riding blog. Two wheels or three, he's riding around Minneapolis year-round and taking video. In winter, he's normally out on his Ural (with sidecar) but yesterday he was out in deep snow on a 2-wheeled scooter at 13 degrees below zero! I'm in awe.

This time I combined a picture of a gopher and bunch pictures of cheese from the Internet with a picture of my Sporty.  I think the sub-zero temperatures here in Minnesota are getting to me...

Just having some fun by cutting, pasting, and combining some pics I found on the Internet... Before you comment, yes, I realize his right claw is not on the throttle.  Maybe he got a cramp and he's just coasting for a second while he takes in the view.  It's winter and we got nearly two feet of snow this weekend. It's a gopher on a motorcycle.  Actually, based on the original photo, I think it's a dead gopher on a motorcycle.  Give me a break.