Bohn Bodyguard System

Bohn Bodyguard System

Yesterday afternoon UPS delivered a packaged from Bohn Armor containing a pair of Adventure Pants, an Airtex Shirt, and a balaclava which they threw in for good measure.  I've been thinking about getting this stuff for awhile and I finally took the jump.  It all appears to be well made, it fit well, and it was comfortable for the short time I wore it.  Haven't riding on it yet but that is definitely the next step.

Most of the armor is already in place except for the thigh guards for the pants that come separate.  The instructions say that most people chose not to wear them so they leave them out and you can put them in if you want.  I don't see the sense of having it and not wearing it so I put them in.  We'll see what the issue is once I actually use them.  They were a bit of a bear to put in until I figured out that it would be easier to turn the pants inside out, insert the armor, and then turn the back out.  That is actually easier said than done but not a huge problem or impossibility.

I seriously thought about wearing the pants under my suit on the commute to work today but I just did not want to deal with changing when I got there.  I may go that route but I just wasn't up to it today.  The commute was fine, no issue with the malfunction I experienced yesterday but then I did not push the bike either.  I have been thinking about that and I thought that maybe the bike fell into a false neutral but I did try to downshift and got no go there either.  I should have fiddled with the gears once I stopped and before I turned of the engine but I didn't so I have no way of knowing.  Let's hope it doesn't happen again.  The odo this afternoon reads 2847.8 (I think) since I did not come home for lunch.

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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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The Fifth Day of Christmas - The Feast of Saint Egwin

Cycle Gear, Cherry Hill, NJ

Bright, blue, and beautiful but down in the high 20s.  Way too cold for my taste so no riding on the Feast of Saint Egwin.  I had to go to the airport to pick up my stepson so I took the opportunity to go out to Cycle Gear in Cherry Hill, NJ, and get some gear.  The zipper on my left boot has come apart so it my present boots have needed replacement for quite a while.  I've been thinking about a pair of Bilt Sirocco boots but I didn't want to buy them on line because the reviews say they don't run true to size.  I usually wear an 11.5 but these boots don't come in halves, the 12s fit just right with the 13s being too loose.  I'm glad that I tried them on before buying.  I also bought a pair of Freeze-Out glove liners and a pair of Bilt leather cruiser gloves that they had on closeout for $12.00.  I like Cycle Gear stores, the kid at the counter told me that they have a store in Bear, DE, that might be closer to me so I will have to check that out.  I will review this gear as I use it.

Bilt Sirocco Waterproof Boots

Freeze-Out Glove Liners

Bilt Leather Cruiser Gloves

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Military Style Engine Guard

Inside the box

Friday there was a package at the door from Nfield Gear.  The package held the contents of some of my Black Friday purchases.  Specifically, an engine guard and a free poster that Nfield Gear was giving away with purchases on Black Friday.  There's still another package on the way with a sports muffler and a Power Commander unit but that has not arrived yet.

Having some free time on Sunday afternoon, the installation of the engine guard began but unfortunately it was not completed.  The engine guard came without any installation instructions but it was an easy matter to figure out how things "tied together" as it were.

The lower bracket attached easily enough.  The bolt fit through the holes in the engine mount and aligned perfectly.  However, there were two other hurdles to overcome during installation.  The first was the location of the oxygen sensor on the exhaust pipe.  The sensor is right in the way of the upper starboard bracket and to attach the main upper bracket, the sensor wire has to be separated from the frame.  This was easy enough to do by removing the plastic tie that holds the wire in place.  Not the best fit but it could be maneuvered around.  The wire is not really the big issue, it just that the sensor is right in the way of where the bracket should be.  I figured this would not be a great problem because once the new sports muffler is attached, the oxygen sensor is going away.

Sweet Free Poster!

The second hurdle came on trying to tighten the bolts holding the brackets in place.  The outside upper starboard bracket bolt is right up against the bend on the exhaust pipe making it impossible to get to it with a wrench without removing the exhaust pipe.  Had it not been for the fact that I had planned to replace the exhaust anyway I would have been majorly ticked.  Finally I decided to leave the bracket loosely in place, since the weather will probably prevent me from riding this week, and not mess with the whole deal until I have the new muffler to install.  That means probably next Sunday afternoon I might try this again.

The engine guard appears to be of solid construction.  The seam welds look a little rough but not extremely ugly.  There was a little rust discoloration along the lower part of the guard which came out with a little polishing cloth and elbow grease.  I believe that the U bolts could be a little longer to make installation easier and I may go the hardware store to see if I can find something longer.  All that is needed by ways of tools is a couple 13mm wrenches.  A socket wrench works fine in the installation of the lower bracket and I suppose would work just as well once the the exhaust pipe is out of the way.

The attached pics illustrate the install.

All the parts out of the package.  The rust stain is visible in the lower left of the photo

Lower bracket attached.  I should really clean that engine mount bracket. 

Guard attached to lower bracket.  Had to twist it down to accommodate the oxygen sensor. 

Upper brackets.  The oxygen sensor is right under the far bracket.

Port side

3/4 starboard side

Starboard side.  You can see how the pipe gets in the way of installation.

Full on

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Royal Enfield Riding Gear

Just got an email from RE linking to their shop with riding gear that is available in the US.  They have jackets, helmets, t-shirts, buffs, etc., that you can get directly from RE or that can be bought at the dealers listed at the bottom of the page.  Supposedly this stuff will eventually filter down to the local dealers as well.

The nicest thing, IMHO, is the leather riding jacket for $279.  This might be in my future.  I would hope that the sizing in these products have been adjusted for the American market.  We are some plus sized boys over here.  XD

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MGTDr Cowl Brackets

Cowl Brackets

 Got these aluminum cowl brackets for a Chevette based Fiberfab kit from one of the guys at The MGTD Replica Car Owners Club.  I thought that there should not be that much difference in this area between a VW based and Chevette based kit.

Unfortunately, the snaps to secure the side curtains to the body are quite close to the windshield post interfering with the placing of the cowl brackets.  Installing the brackets will not work out right with those snaps where they are now.

I am considering moving the snaps but before I do anything that drastic, I would need to put up the top and see if the snaps can be relocated.  That may be a project for sometime down the road.

It rained yesterday and in the afternoon of the day before.  I was able ride the Bullet to work in the morning of day before but not yesterday.  Today the weather is perfect, bright, blue, and cool.  Rode the Bullet to work and would like to take a ride after work but might not be able to do it because I have a lecture to attend and I may not get out until later.

Windshield Post & Side Curtain Snap

Location of Cowl Brackets

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Stormtrooper Bucket

New Icon Airmada Helmet from Revzilla in gloss solid white.  It's comfortable, it wasn't noisy, and it doesn't have all kinds of stupid graphics all over it.  It also has the look and feel of an Imperial Stormtrooper helmet which, being an Empire kind of guy, appeals to my sense of humor. What is there not to love?  However, it does run small so get a size larger than usual.

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Fox Tactical Fork Bag

Yesterday, while waiting for the Bullet to be serviced I wandered in to the Army Navy Store in downtown Pottstown.  Not looking for anything in particular, just looking to kill time.  There I found a Fox Tactical Modular Deployment Bag that would do the perfect job for a fork bag tool kit.  The bag cost $25.95, plus tax, and measures 11.5"x6"x5.5".  The outside is Cordura nylon and the inside is rubberized for waterproofing.

After a few minor alterations it fit fairly well on the fork and should serve well as a tool kit holder or small catchall.  I altered the bag by cutting the retaining fold on the front buckle straps so that they could be folded around the back of the bag and used as attachment points to the fork cross beam.  The attachment straps on the back of the bag are not long enough to wrap around the fork crossbeam as they are designed to attached to a belt or to modular tactical equipment.  At first I thought about buying or constructing extensions, and this is a possibility, but the original idea was to have a low cost fork bag and I didn't feel the extra hassle and cost could be justified.

A pretty neat solution, now let's see how it holds up in use.

Fox Tactical Fork Bag

Close-up Fox Tactical Fork Bag

Close-up Fox Tactical Fork Bag

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