Month: June 2015

One shock lost One made to work:

 

IMG_0655image

imageWell the postal service lost my donated xt shock somewhere. In this case I had to get a little tricky, I happen to have a BMW f650 gs Dakar showa shock on my land speed racing bike. Problem was it was a eye to eye and the xt is a eye to Clevis, so I cut the welded eye off and cleaned up the area and welded the Clevis from my blown stock shock.. It’s now residing in the bike, it’s a lot stiffer but feels like a true bike now.. With me and my 80lbs of gear it seems to be riding pretty well.. Hopefully I’ll be back on the road later this week..

 

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I suppose all things happen for reasons we can’t explain:

 

Looking at this picture of the current radar in Ark and Oklahoma, I suppose my shock blowing was a good thing.. imageI’m sure the TAT route will be washed out till next week sometime. It looks like my shock will be here Saturday and along with a few other minor fixes the bike and I will be ready again next Wednesday.. So hopefully the roads will be dry and ready for me to blaze on them in the middle of next week.. I’ll keep everyone informed if anything else pops up. Thanks Doug

 

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Great test run:

so I guess yesterday ended up being a good test run of things. To start my day and trip off my video camera flew off my helmet and is lost in the concrete jungle. Everything was going really well till I decided to venture off road on some gravel quarry roses about 30 miles north of my destination yesterday. While turning a corner the back end felt really loose and sloppy, but no way I replaced all the linkage bushings and it wasn’t a flat tire for sure. I continued to ride on and it got worse and almost I rideable, I stopped to get some gas and came out to check things over and oil was everywhere to the rear of my bike. So I tucked my tail and ride slowly back home to see about ordering a shock.. Good news though christy from Iowa has a 5k mile shock that is in great shape and its on its way here.  

I hope to be back on the road early next week for chapter 2 of leaving for the TAT!!  

 

Before the shock blew, somewhere outside of Ohio county, Ky.

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Modern Metals

My name is Doug Devine, but I’m more commonly known as Modern Metals to motorcycle enthusiasts outside of my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Born and raised in Kentucky and the west coast of Florida, I’ve always enjoyed adventure whether it be skateboarding, surfing, autocrossing or motorcycling. In the past couple of years, I’ve become more and more interested in adventure motorcycling. As Modern Metals, I primarily focused on building vintage dual sport bikes. As my interest in adventure riding became stronger, I began planning the trip of a lifetime. With the help of Wolfman Luggage, I’m riding the Trans-America Trail on my 99 Yamaha XT225. Check in with me each day or so to see where the TAT takes me. 

 

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