Pictures as promised!

Freebies!!

First we met various members of the staff at Frieze HD.

The sales department gave us information on the new Sportster Iron 883. The new LOWEST bike yet from HD with a seat height of 26 inches. That puts it down with my bike (24 inch seat height) after all the customizations I've made to get my feet on the ground. So if you are vertically challenged like me and think you can't ride a Harley, think again!

I was surprised by the We Ride Free promotion going on at HD. If you buy a Sportster you can ride it for a year and then when you trade it in for a new bike, you will get the FULL MSRP as a trade in!!! That's crazy right!?! What an awesome deal. Already own a Sportster? If it's a 07,08, 09 they have a comparable deal for you too. Almost everyone starts on a Sportster and then trades up. Now you can too, with no depreciation.

Stone Celts H.O.G Chapter of Fairview Heights IL member spoke next and invited us to join their group:

Then we went back to the service department where Tim and Chris talked to us about our bikes and answered our questions:

Tim really stressed the importance of good tire pressure and showed us different places to check for wear. With good tire pressure and care your rear tire should last 10K miles.

Tim gave us an inside tip. The one sensor on a bike that will completely disable the bike is the Crankshaft Position Sensor. These sensors are model specific and if you break down, don't assume that every dealer will have the one you need.
They are small and Tim recommends you keep one in your travel bags.

This is where the sensor goes:

Got black marks on your pipes from your boots? Tim recommends Turtle Chrome polish to remove them. Get your pipes good and hot and then take a soft cloth and rub the polish on the scuffs. Watch your hands! You may need to repeat this process more than once to get all the black off.

I asked Tim about the importance of engine guards. He definitely recommends them as they will not only protect your engine but will make your bike easier to pick up. One thing he warned against is that if the tab between your down tubes becomes bent after dropping your bike, Harley considers your frame damaged and it must be replaced. This is a GREAT tip when you are buying a used bike! If this tab is bent the bike has been dropped.

Next I asked about what not to get wet when washing your bike. Tim said there are three places that you should keep dry: the bearings on each wheel and the clutch boot. In fact, after washing your bike he recommends you pull the boot down and spray some WD40 in there. Good to know! He also said that isopropyl alcohol makes a great chrome polish

Someone followed up with a question about what soap to use to wash your bike. Tim recommends spraying the entire bike with S100 and then washing it with a soap or cleaner. You can buy the HD wash or use Dawn dishsoap. You can also use a leaf blower to dry your bike thoroughly. I picked up some S100 today:

We also talked about storing your bike in the winter months. Here are some dos and don'ts:

• Don't park your bike on carpet. Plywood is actually the idea surface for your bike to rest on.
• Use your battery tender all year long.
• Don't put additives in your gas. The ONLY thing Tim feels you should ever put in the gas is Heet. Fill your tank with premium gas before you put it away for the cold months. A full tank leaves no room for condensation.
• Don't start your bike and let it run for a few minutes, then shut it off. This will cause damage over time due to condensation in the oil. You are better to not start it if you aren't going to ride it enough to get it good and hot.
• Do get a breathable cover. Moisture is a bike's enemy.

We finished up in the service department and then got some tips on avoiding helmet hair from the ladies at Fantastic Sams. We all have this problem, whether your hair is long or short, helmet smushed or windblown. A couple brave ladies volunteered.

The key to getting your hair back in shape is the pre ride prep. Use a voluminzing spray, then blow dry your hair. A little pomade on the ends to control frizz and then a styling product that has flexibility and memory. They used a finishing spray. So you can use your fingers to restyle your hair back to a degree of normalcy. Of course we all know now that you should never use any sort of pony tail holder that has metal parts.

The Health Nut (stores in Freeburg, Chester and Red Bud) gave us some information on living healthier and shared some samples with us. She shared some granola, acai juice, ear candling and Nuwady herbs which are made in St louis.

Our final segment was an overview of first aid on the road courtesy of O'fallon EMS.

I did a little shopping before I left. I got a new purple do rag and a really cute, lightweight black shirt.

I had a lot of fun and gave my information to a woman named Cindy...maybe we will go riding together.