Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Spark Plug Replacement

Over this past weekend I went ahead and replaced the spark plugs. I had not changed them since I bought the bike in 2012; just pulled, cleaned, and gapped them. They looked ok at the time and the bike ran ok. However I was able to find replacement plugs at my local O'Reilly's Auto Parts store so I decided to give the bike a little more pep.  The plugs were only about $3 each, so they're not big ticket items by any means.

I pulled the old ones and set them out to see what they could tell me.  Here they are; Left to Right = Front to Back; Top to Bottom = Right side to Left side.


 
I'm not quite sure what to make of them. The front right has a little more oil on it than the others, but I don't know what that's telling me. If anyone wants to share their ideas I'm open to suggestions.

I installed replacement NGK DCPR6E plugs and gapped them at about .034.  I rode the bike to work today and it sure seemed to run smoother and had great acceleration and power.

Nice improvement for only about $13 and a little spare time.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Motorcycle Tool Bag

Bikesponsors.com and Decalkits.com have been gracious enough to support the upgrading my VTX at multiple levels of sponsorship.  This was the $50 level.  They sent a check for $50 and I was able to purchase whatever product I wanted.  I figured I needed a little extra storage space that I could get to easily and chose the tool bag.  It doesn't seem like a big deal, but I carry an extra pair of glasses in there and it was easy to get to them last night riding home in the rain.

I hope you like the video.

My VTX

On May 1, 2012 I bought my first Honda VTX motorcycle (my second motorcycle overall).  It's a 2003 and now has 28,876 miles on it as of this evening.  Here's a pic.


 It's been ridden quite a bit and is NOT a show queen.  It gets me back and forth to work, about 52 miles round trip, each day.

I plan on using this blog to keep up with the different upgrades and maintenance I do on the bike and hopefully share some experiences I have. (Like riding home in the driving rain yesterday; what a ride.)

Since it became mine I've been slowly adding  things to it on my own.
  • USMC license plate frame (I'm a Marine veteran)
  • Cramp-buster throttle control
  • Kuryakan handlebar mount for electronic devices like cell phones and gps navigators
In addition to these items, I've hooked up with bikesponsors.com for a sponsorship that allows me to get free items then post a video highlighting the item and presenting them to the general public.

I have a current video out and will release it in separate blog post.

More to come.....