Ducati Recalls Sport Classic for Fuel Hose Problem

Here's a motorcycle recall from Ducati.

Ducati Models Affected:

2007 Sport Classic
2006 Sport Classic

Component: Fuel System, Gasoline: Delivery: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

NHTSA Campaign ID: 07V017000 on January 16, 2007 affecting 817 motorcycles

Summary: On certain motorcycles, the fasteners from the fuel line to the fuel filler were not tightened properly. The fuel pump hose inside the fuel tank may separate from the fuel filter. This condition will stop the engine from running.

Consequence: If the engine stopped while the motorcycle was being driven, it could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump to fuel filter hose and fasteners to prevent the engine from stopping. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule. Owners may contact Ducati at 1-800-424-9153.
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Hyosung Recalls 2006 GV650 for Handlebar Problem

Here's a motorcycle recall from Hyosung.

Hyosung Model Affected:

2006 GV650

Component: Steering: Wheel and Handle Bar

NHTSA Campaign ID: 07V015000 on December 29, 2006 affecting 862 motorcycles

Summary: On certain motorcycles equipped with Edward Park handlebars, the bolts retaining the handlebars are too short.

Consequence: These bolts could loosen causing a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the bolts. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule. Owners may contact Hyosung at 770-447-5571.
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Internet Troubles, Puzzles, and Pics of the Week

I'm a bit upset today. One of my Web sites has stopped working. It's the one for the Polar Bear Grand Tour. It's hosted by Netmart.com. I've been with them for a few years but recently they have stopped responding to me when I have a problem -- like nobody can reach my Web site. They don't have email that works. Their phone lines go to answering machines that don't identify themselves. They have an online error reporting system that they never look at. To top it off, they sell you domain names through a third party but they still have the responsibility to service the domains. Since they don't respond to problems, they don't respond to servicing of their domains. Right now I'm trying to transfer two of my domains away from them. One is serviced by Network Solutions. No problem with them. The other domain -- for the Polar Bear site -- is serviced by Netmart. I have no idea when I will be able to transfer this domain. I may have to get another domain name and hope that someday Netmart will get around to allowing me to transfer it.

For the time being, I'm putting Polar Bear pics up at a temporary location.

My Motorcycle Views Newsletter continues to gain subscribers. If you want to stay up-to-date on how Motorcycle Views is progressing, please sign-up now.

I'm adding new content every day to the site. I have my Motorcycle Jigsaw Puzzles available now. These are a lot of fun. Kids (and my grandkids) also love to do them. I have 30 puzzles, all from pictures of motorcycle scenes that I personally shot.

I have just released my Pictures of the Week. These feature one woman and one man and their motorcycles. Now I have to tell you that I need more pictures, especially of men with their bikes. If you have a picture of you and your bike, submit it to the Moto Pic Gallery. The Pictures of the Week are chosen from that gallery.

Tomorrow, Jane and I are taking two of our grandkids (6 and 8) to our monthly GWRRA Chapter NJ-F breakfast meeting. After that, I'm heading out on my trike to the Fort Dix Club for a Polar Bear Grand Tour run where I'll be taking pictures. The pictures can be found no later than Monday on the temporary site I mentioned above. I expect to be testing out my electrics on the Fort Dix run. I tried to fix them this week and this will determine if I stay warm or freeze again like I did last week.

Here's hoping the snow will hold off for another day.

Busy, busy, busy and it all has to do with motorcycles.

On Sunday, I rode my trike to East Brunswick, NJ for the 11th ride on the Polar Bear Grand Tour. It was 20 degrees and I had to ride a total of 44 miles. Fortunately, the sun was out, the wind was nonexistent, and the roads were clear. I thought I was OK since I had my electric vest and gloves hooked up. But, as the ride progressed, I didn't feel much heat and I slowly realized that my battery connection was not working. Same thing happened last week to my wife and I found out that when the battery had been replaced in the spring, the mechanic had not reconnected the leads to the electrics. I was now waiting for a warmer time to strip off the seat and take a close look at the leads on my own trike. I left early after I took the pictures for the day and hurried home to make a 1:30 p.m. staff meeting of my GWRRA Chapter NJ-F. After that, we all went out to dinner together.

When I returned home, I got a burst of energy and decided to trace down the electrical problem with my electrics. It didn't take long to see that the connections to the battery were all OK. Then I noticed that the cap on the fuse in the line had popped off and the fuse was a bit loose. I repositioned the wiring and fuse holder and snapped it back into place. Then, I got heat through my vest when I tried it out. Guess that was the problem.

Last night I was busy working on the Motorcycle Views site when I heard a strong humming, crackling noise from outside and then everything went black. I mean the entire development of 500 homes went out in an instant. I had to feel my way through the house to get my flashlight. After about 30 minutes in the dark, I decided to take the old car out and look for the problem. I drove through my development and found no lights until I got to the very end of it and saw the shopping center in blazing light. I turned down the main highway and headed back toward home. I could see a truck working on the lines about a block ahead of where I finally turned off. About an hour later, the lights were back on. Tonight the New York TV channel 7 had a helicopter report taken last night over the next major intersection where the lights were out and the cops were directing traffic. Anyway, that incident really put a kink in my work schedule last night.

Today, I decided that I wanted to create a newsletter for the site and spent about six hours getting it setup. Now my site has a newsletter subscription box and the software behind it to handle the complete newsletter job. I was able to find a company on the Internet that could do the whole job for a reasonable price. If you intend to stick around with me as I continue to build the Motorcycle Views Web site, please subscribe to the newsletter. I plan to use it to point you to the new stuff as it's created and to hot forum discussions. Some people have told me that they miss my newsletters on the old site because they gave them a reminder to take a look at the site and forums. My new newsletter will continue this reminder service.

So, please look at the Motorcycle Views site. It's changing and growing daily. I've just added a Tattoo Gallery based on the best tats from my old gallery. Got a tat of your own? Send me a picture. Take a look at the Tattoo Gallery. And, don't forget to sign up for the Motorcycle Views Newsletter.

Also, if you have a big site, consider linking to me. Right now I'm competing with my old links on Google and they were very numerous and extensive. It's hard for me, the little guy on a new site, to compete with me, the big guy on the old site. The day is coming when the old site will be taken down and all my links will be gone. It's sad to see so much work go down the tubes but that's life I guess.

Motorcycle Views Web site is Humming

It's been only seven days since I opened the new Motorcycle Views Web site that is the content site associated with this blog. I'm adding motorcycle content every day. That's why I haven't had much time to blog here.

Here are a few things just added:

• Books - I've added a list of 50 motorcycle books I recommend.
• Glossary of Terms - 250 motorcycle terms with definitions
• History of Motorcycles - BMW, H-D, Honda, Victory and Yamaha are covered and each has a 10-question quiz.
• Motorcycle Types - I define ten types of motorcycles and give pictures.
• Quizzes - 12 motorcycle quizzes are given.
• Rallies - An article on the major rallies for 2007 is given along with separate articles for Daytona Bike Week, Americade, Rolling Thunder and Sturgis.
• Salvage Yards (Boneyards) - Motorcycle salvage yards are discussed and many such yards are listed state-by-state.

I invite you to become a regular visitor to Motorcycle Views. If you have a picture of you and your bike and want it to appear in my Moto Pic Gallery, please use the submissions link.

Bears, Books, How To's, Pics of the Week, and Leo

This is one of those days when my mind is just too full of the events of the day and what I've been doing that I have to compose this post in a somewhat disorganized way. Bear with me...

It was another Polar Bear Sunday, this time to a new destination, The Wearhouse Grill in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. Because of her knee and the rainy, foggy weather, Jane couldn't ride her trike the 160 mile roundtrip. So we took the car. Others did too. Maybe half the riders showed up. I took pictures. The best part of the run was seeing Mack and Karen. Mack is a regular Polar Bear member. He's also a member of my previous forum. Mack met Karen on the same forum. She's from Canada. Today, they both came on the Polar Bear run. Here's their picture taken with Mack's BMW. They're the second couple I know of who met on my forum and formed a serious relationship.

I've also been putting in a lot of time preparing content for my Motorcycle Views Web site. That's NOT this blog. It's the site I launched on my birthday, January 11, 2007. I just finished a book section containing 49 books that I recommend. I also wrote book reviews for many of these books. I have every single book linked to Amazon.com so that each can be purchased online. I found out that I have some valuable books. My Art of the Motorcycle book is out of print and people are offering their own copies for sale at prices up to about $2000. Wow!

I completed a set of 24 motorcycle How To's for the site. Newbies want to know things like "How to Start a Motorcycle" or "How to Shift Gears on a Motorcycle."

I also started my Pic of the Week for a man and a woman rider. That was an extremely popular feature on my old site. Here's Ginger and Ken.

At the Polar Bear run today, I spoke to Leo, a 90-year-old rider, about to turn 91 in the next week or so. Leo usually leads his group of riders but chose to drive them all today since one was having back problems. Leo is one of the oldest riders in the country. He's been riding longer than I've been alive, having started back in 1932 I believe. He's an inspiration to me. He was the oldest rider at the Americade rally in 2006. On the back of each of his two Honda PC-800s is inscribed: "Recycled Teenager."

Maybe I'll be more organized tomorrow. Then again ...

Kawasaki Recalls 2004-2007 Ninja EX250 for Fuel Leak

I found another motorcycle recall from Kawasaki for their Ninja model that quite a few people may be interested in. This one could cause a fire. Not a good thing.

Kawasaki Models Affected:

2007 EX250 F7F, F7FL
2006 EX250 F6F, F6FL
2005 EX250 F19, F19L
2004 EX250 F18, F18L

Component: Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage

NHTSA Campaign ID: 07V003000 on January 2, 2007 affecting 29,559 motorcycles

Summary: On certain Ninja motorcycles, the fuel tank may have been punctured or weakened by a fairing mounting screw or manufacturing operation.

Consequence: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and replace the tank if necessary. The recall is expected to begin on or about January 12, 2007. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381.