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Iron Supply Motorcycles Katy, Texas. I wanted to create a topic to showcase the "lounge" type dealerships and motorcycling gear which are the norm in the USA. When I was living in Europe, the dealerships were mostly impersonal, mostly set up strictly for business, and not exactly rolling the welcome wagon. Hopefully, things have changed. I remember the signs, "don't touch the motorbikes", "don't seat"... the surly sales assistants, huddling in a corner and shooting the breeze while ignoring you. I am not saying all Motorcycle dealerships here are friendly, but while doing my Motorcycle Tour of Texas, I had the opportunity to see many in various Texan cities. And I am certain the dealers in Europe are no longer what they used to be when I was there. In any case, I decided take some photos of what is available around here. Iron Supply deals Triumph and Royal Enfield bikes as their main bill. They are extremely friendly, and helpful about just anything. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The Lounge! On Saturdays.....

I suppose we are approaching the end of the year and no word on gear set production. I'm not going to pester Joe, but hope that we are getting closer to a production run. I'm in no hurry as I'm just getting them to put under my pillow at night to keep the bad timing juju at bay . . .

Sorry, but hearing the video's voice over, I couldn't help myself...

Getting back to the exhaust heat, I class ceramic coatings as 'homeopathy' for engines since, sure, you speed up sound with added heat in the pipe but with all road registered bikes you then slow it down dramatically with the use of a muffler by expanding and cooling the gas. So the pipe benefits but the system is only as good as it's worst choke point. The best advice I ever got with retained heat in piped exhaust system is to measure the heat at the tail pipe, if that runs hotter then you have an improvement overall in gas extraction. I would still consider wrapping at least the header section and measure the difference at the tail and 'feel' the difference whilst onboard. Chris.

By the looks of that engine, and I know little about it except from looks, it appears that the inner thighs of the Vee are shrouded by the belt covers so does hot air pool behind them leading to such joys as fuel boiling, burning inside trousers, and general stagnant misery? If so then perhaps a fan may be best placed under the tank to scavenge out that hot air. Perhaps pulling air from behind the block instead of pushing it from the front would work out easier for you if frontal space is at a premium. Chris.

Stop #25 to #35 of 50; Houston to Bowie. Etapes 17, 18, 06, 33, 39, 08, 01, 47, 48, 49. This did not go as planned, since I was supposed to complete the 50 stops on this run, scheduled 11/12/13/14 of November. Nevertheless, I did the minimum 25 stops to qualify as a tour finisher. I got off to a late start on November 11th, which forced me to overnight at Gladewater. I don't ride at night for safety. On 12th morning, the Le Mans did not crank as per post in the technical thread. The bike eventually started, but I decided to cut the trip short, not knowing the nature of the problem which I got a repeat of the following morning in Cleburne. Highlights: Fantastic ride. Moto Liberty Motorcycle equipment store in Addison Jump start request through my insurer happened pretty smoothly Lowlights: Guzzi failed to crank after cold stacking for the night Bitten by bed bugs in a cheapo hotel in Cleburne Forced to cut the trip short. Stop 17 and 18 at Gladewater that I had missed on the previous outing to Paris. The Gladewater museum and the Oil rig Stop #6; Moto Liberty Addison; I watched the MotoGP qualifications; I recommend this shop as all the employees are hyper nice! Pop Quiz: Who can tell the brand of the car photographed below? Stop #33, Santa Fe Building in Gainesville. In many of the towns I visited, you find the remains of what was once a very dense and active railway covering. Gainesville was too a major hub, which former glory resides in books and records. Since "fast trains" exists almost everywhere, one cannot help but wonders why the USA did not use the technology to offer an alternative to planes; Stop 39, the illustrious Bowie knife in Bowie: No, nothing to do with David Bowie, just in case you wondered. The Bowie Knife is actually a well established genre. Follow the link if you don't know about Jim Bowie and the knife which he gave his name to. Stop 8, Bus Mural at Cleburne: But before that, I am going to spend the night in a flea infested motel. I did not pick the place, but it was getting dark, and I do not ride during the night, for safety. I got awakened at 3:00 AM as my neighbor threw his girlfriend out of their room, and she banged on the door while yelling expletives at him. I learned a few words that I did not know existed. But this is the morning when the Guzzi refused categorically to crank.... the night had been cold, as the photo show. The seat and the seat cowl are iced. Fortunately, my insurance managed to find assistance on a Sunday morning. A quick jump start and I was on my way to haul the mail. By the way, the battery was fine. That the starter cranked with the jump is still a mystery. I have reproduced the problem at home, and I have a few videos that I will post in the appropriate thread. Stop 1, Hico sign, at Hico; You are supposed to be the "i", but I did not find anybody to take a picture of me holding the dot while on the bike. The last three stops of the tour at Coleman: 47,48,49 The failed starts broke the momentum and I decided to go back to Houston after those last three stops. This concludes my 2021 Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas; I felt bad that I did not complete the 50 stops. Next year, I will be able to start earlier and hopefully, my cranking issue will be fixed.

Briggs and Kohler V-twins in everything. But now this????

OK, now this is getting ridiculous. A gear-driven, DOHC, 4-valve DESMO..... Honda Cub? Asian nations have very strict limitations on motorcycles and scooters. What to do? Hot rod those tiddlers to the max.

An example -