Post Kickstand Switch Removal Shakedown

At the Gun Club

On Thursday evening, after work, the Bullet got a shakedown tour to check out the differences on the pre and post removal of the kickstand switch.

I left the house shortly before 19:00 with 3876.3 miles on the odo.  There was no concrete flight plan on file, just probably a run out Goshen/Strasburg to open the throttle a little.  Soon after crossing 252 on Goshen the plan changed slightly.  The new plan was for a run to Garrett Mill out to 352 and that out to the gun club since it being Thursday night and the league starting time having been changed to 18:00 some of my friends might still be there.  This new plan provided a little comic relief, as I approached the red barn on Garrett Mill a white goose came running at me trying to scare me off its property.  I was able to avoid it without any problems but I almost fell of the bike laughing.

I made good time out on the run and was out at the club by 19:30.  However, by this time everything was shut down tight and everyone had gone home.  So I just turned around and headed back home on the same route I had taken on the way in.  Once I turned back onto Goshen from Garrett Mill I revised the plan again to take Sugartown out to the Paoli Pike and then follow that loop of Darby/Devon/Sugartown and the other Waterloo to the Easttown Library.  This was a good change because there is that bit of road on Sugartown between Goshen and Providence where the straightaway is good to really open the throttle.

I stopped at the Easttown Library for a bit and then headed home from there via Church.  I was back home at 20:31 with 3926.6 miles on the odo for 50.3 miles on this run.

The Bullet appears to be running much more smoothly since the removal of the kickstand switch.  There are not as many backfires and sputterings as I had noticed since the installation of the Power Commander.  There were no disengages or power loses and overall the riding experience appeared much smoother.  My theory is that the increased thump and vibration from the new silencer caused the switch to disconnect, however slightly, several times during the ride.  Most times these momentary disconnects just caused sputtering and backfires but sometimes they were big enough to cause a complete stoppage.  On the straightaway run on Sugartown the Bullet was able to take full throttle and reach and maintain 75 mph without out any problems.  Maybe the disconnect issues are finally resolved.

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Motorcycle Day - 2015

2735.1 at the gas station

 Officially calling Maundy Thurday, 02 April 2015, Motorcycle Day for the year.  After I got home from the ride with my wife on the MG I decided to continue the fun and run the Bullet out to get some gas at the Wawa in West Chester.  It didn't really need gas but with such great weather after this long winter I was not going to let the opportunity go to waste.  Besides, I wanted to see how much juice the new muffler and Power Commander added to the mix.

I took the regular Goshen - Strasburg Rd loop out to the Wawa.  The Bullet definitely has a lot more pep than before.  Unfortunately, the roads are still pretty torn up and full of potholes so I don't think I was able to open her up as far as she would go.  I did get a nice stretch where I was able to reach an maintain 75 mph for a shot while.  It felt like the Bullet might even go a little faster but we ran out of good road really quickly and I didn't have the chance to try it.

Other than the hole on the rode the ride out and back were great.  When I left the house I had 2725.3 miles on the odo from the morning commute to work.  At the Wawa the odo read 2735.1.  The tank took 2.254 gallons at $2.989 per gallon for a total of $6.74.  I put 123.6 miles on the odo since the last fill-up on Christmas Day of 2014.   That puts the mileage at 54.83 mpg.  I suppose that new set up will lower my mileage but I am glad to have the extra punch.

A great ride despite the potholes.  On the return home, I had 2744.9 miles on the odo.  Couldn't ask for better weather or conditions.  Unfortunately, rain is on its way so I might not be able to ride again until Easter Sunday which also happens to be the Feast of Saint Vicenç de Ferrer this year.

2744.9 at home

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Engine Guard and New Silencer

3/4 front view - engine guard and muffler

Last December I posted about getting a package from Nfield Gear with an engine guard, Power Commander, and sports muffler that I wanted to install on the Bullet.  After many delays, last Saturday morning I rode the Bullet out to Joe's Cycle to get those things installed.

Last Saturday at 09:00 the temps were right at 36 degrees and I cannot imagine a more miserable experience than riding in those temps.  Doubling up and layering up helped but, even with the glove liners that I got from Cycle Gear last December, my hands burned from the cold.  Luckily, Joe's is not that far from the house so in the end it was doable.  Joe kept the bike over the weekend and called me on Monday, despite the fact that they are closed on Mondays, to tell me that the hardware package I got from Nfield Gear for the muffler did not have the right brackets.  Of course I missed that call and I also missed his call on Tuesday.  I got a hold of him first thing Wednesday morning and he told me that he could fab up some brackets if I didn't want to wait for Nfield Gear to correct the issue.  We went with that route.  Besides all of that, they also did an oil change and a Spring check up to make sure everything was good to go.  He had the bike ready by 16:00 and I headed out there from work to pick it up.

I did not take a big ride, had other things to do that evening, but I came home via West Chester Pike and 252 and the Bullet rode very well.  I think the new muffler and Power Commander combo will make a big difference.

The attached pics are from Wednesday morning when I rode it for my work commute.  I am officially calling 02 April 2015 the beginning of riding season.  Last season I put 2715.5 miles total on the Bullet.  Not bad for a little less than a year.

3/4 front

3/4 rear

Rear port side

Rear starboard

2715.5 miles on 02 April 2015 at 08:32

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