Tinker Moto

11/12/2022

Don't trust the light triangle info? Look up why trains have three lights on the front.

09/16/2022

Just ordered some NGK nickel plugs and SE 10mm fat wires for Charity. Coming up on 24k miles shortly and the bike is 3 years old, so the maintenance schedule says it's due (first of every 30k or 2 years).

Thought about going with either the SE plugs or NGK Iridium, but I keep hearing stories of iridium plugs running like s**t in the M8s. The Screaming Eagle plugs just seem like overkill at $11 x 4. It's not the cost, per se, but it's difficult to justify value at that price while still running a POS EPA-compliant tune (SE Pro Tuner).

I prefer NGK to H-D/Champion plugs. Ran them on my Sportster and Dyna, both stock and Stage I without any complaints. Idle is getting rougher and my fuel mileage is down a bit as well, so a tune-up should be exactly what's needed.

It'll be fun because I haven't pulled the plugs on this bike yet. I expect to find them in good shape based on how it runs and the tune applied, but it's always a mystery until you have a look.

09/14/2022

And a Cintas driver on his phone going down 1570. These last three posts were all from Monday's ride to Forney.

There was another thing. A Chevy truck coming toward us on 1565 went more than halfway offroad. The camera's FOV makes it impossible to see more than the last few seconds before he would've hit a culvert, sending dirt and grass flying behind him as he swerved onto the road at the last second.

09/14/2022

People like this drive me crazy. It's not just a biker thing either. When you're behind the wheel of a car, attention must be paid to the road and safely controlling the vehicle. She was more worried about her coffee than indicating, and honked at me for being in her way? Only to apologize a moment later. She's going to kill someone wth her pretty little Mercedes.

Driving isn't hard, folks. This lady was looking all around her (why look right to go left, from the right lane?) and holding an open cup the whole time. She...

09/14/2022

Came across this jackass on Monday. Veering out of his lanes on both sides, coming extremely close to side-swiping another truck in a curve, all while looking down at his phone at 75 and 80 MPH. Sent this video to the company. Dangerous.

This guy is dangerous af.Recorded September 12, 2022 at about 12:45 in the afternoon. Dallas-based Blitz Express trucker traveling east on I-30 between Caddo...

09/04/2022

TXR Moto becomes Tinker Moto:
TXR was never more than a stopgap. It bugged me. And, true to my name, I couldn't leave it be. The need for a road name came up and not being one to take such a thing lightly, I chose one of the most accurate descriptors for myself that I've ever heard (besides as***le, of course). It'll take Facebook a few days to approve the name change, but YouTube is already caught up.

08/20/2022

My latest motovlog discussing the challenges of riding when s**t's not always right.

https://youtu.be/v1D_EZnu0sI

Buenos dias, amigos! ALERT: Motovlog approaching. Talking a little about the times when we get in our own way, as riders. Not a PSA on mental health. It's ju...

08/01/2022

Cool little place in Elmo, TX. Gas station owner had a near life-size replica of Bumblebee made and posted proudly on its corner. On US Hwy 80. Had to grab a pic.

06/14/2022

Well, this was a hot one. Temps were around 101° with a heat index that I saw as high as 111° riding through the Piney Woods of NE Texas. This is a stretch of road I enjoy. Also enjoying the new camera (not so new but finally getting some vids done on it).

Side note. The place we ended up at is Barrel House in Winnsboro, TX. Great little place for eats and drinks. Give it a try if you're in the area (closed on Sundays).

Well, this was a hot one. Temps were around 101° with a heat index that I saw as high as 111° riding through the Piney Woods of NE Texas. This is a stretch o...

06/01/2022

Spent the weekend riding up in eastern Arkansas and think I learned a few things that I either didn't know or needed a refresher on.

1. Getting your confidence back after breaking in a new set of tires takes some real doing for newer riders. Especially front tires. Especially tires with a harder carcass that lets you feel every little bump and crack in the road. Information overload.

2. Something like a new front tire can cause you to stiffen up on the bike, which makes smooth, stable handling of twisties nearly impossible. My shoulders stayed square with the bars even around switchbacks, much to my own detriment, until I remembered to stop doing that.

3. Birds bounce impressively far and high off a batwing fairing at 60 MPH.

It was a great weekend with no drama, good friends, and fun times. Unfortunately, one rider's bike had a bearing go bad in the primary. Another was having issues with the CEL and temp light (CVO), but no actual troubles beyond the lights freaking us out. One lady passenger puked twice on a mountain thanks to a migraine. Another battled through an unknown infection her GP refuses to treat or diagnose. One brother had a knot in his back make a fiery comeback on day 2 of 3. We had it all except drama. Drama sucks. Loved the trip.

Ride Safe.