Byron’s bike, 10W, and some shocking developments!

Folks, meet Byron, our newest RX3 owner!

I was in the plant Friday afternoon when Byron picked up his bike and I grabbed the great photo you see above.  I had a nice conversation with Byron; as it turns out, he and I have more than a few common interests.   Good times.

We sold a lot of bikes last week, and I missed a bunch of it because I was on the road.   RTKing (his screen name) bought a bike last week, and he was actually in the plant the same day I was, but I missed him.   Next time, Amigo!

About that 10W mentioned in the title of this blog:  Gerry replaced the oil in my forks with 10W after the Western America Adventure Ride (and what a ride that was!) and I like it.   A lot.   I thought it might make the ride too harsh, but it seems to have had exactly the opposite effect.   I was trying to think of a way to describe it, but it’s difficult.   The bike feels the same, but better.   It handles bumps better, and even though the 10W is heavier than the oil that comes stock in the bike, it feels substantially smoother.   The bike just feels more planted.  I asked Gerry about it, and he tells me that the oil doesn’t make any difference on the downstroke; it only comes into play on the rebound stroke (except maybe for the very last little bit when the fork is nearly fully compressed on the downstroke).   Whatever it’s doing, it just feels like a more connected motorcycle.   I really like it.  It improves an already great ride.

We’ve been struggling with the forest fires here in California again.   The road into the mountains (Highway 39) has been closed for that reason, and that almost certainly means Glendora Ridge Road will be closed too, so I haven’t had an opportunity to get my bike off road to check out the new front end in the rough stuff.   But I will, and I’ll keep you posted.

Steve, Gerry, and Ryan have been very busy in the accessories development department.  I saw the latest on our new seats, and they look awesome.   I’ll put one on my bike next week and give you a “seat of the pants” report after I’ve tried it.   You can get it in either a carbon fiber pattern or a gripper pattern, or a combination of both, and we can also have them done with stitching to match the color of your RX3.   Photos to follow, as they say.

Another item in development is a new rear shock.   We’re about 30 days out on it.   It will have spring compression adjustment, damping adjustment, and you can install different springs in it for the kind of suspension action you want.   It’s cool.

And another…a lowering kit.   Same deal…we’re about 30 days out.  A lot of  you have asked about this, and it’s on the way.

Hey, did you see the cool CSC flight wings I have on my jacket?

They’re the military kind…you sew or glue the backing to your jacket, and the wings attach with Velcro.  If you want a pair (and you own an RX3 or a Mustang), give us a yell and we’ll send a pair your way!

More good stuff…my story on Laughlin (in Motorcycle Classics magazine) was just published in the latest issue.   You can see it here.

Laughlin was hot (as in 115 F the day we were there).   It’s a good spot to use as a base for further exploration of the area, including Oatman to the south (I did a story a ways back on Oatman, too, that you can find here).

I’ve been busy.  I’m glued to the computer these days working on 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM.  I’m about a third done as I write this, and I’ll make significant progress today.  This is a fun book to write.   I think you’ll like it.  I’m worried about who’s going to play me when Hollywood picks it up for the movie.  Any suggestions?