Where did you ride your Super X today?

[Donkey Hotey]

Took Jennie (1989) with plans for a really long day last Friday. A few miles from home, she had other ideas. After some sputtering and stalling, she rolled to a stop. The audible spraying sound of fuel inside the tank was what I feared: ruptured aorta (blown fuel transfer hose on the pump assembly). With zero fuel pressure, we weren't going anywhere.



After rebuilding the fuel pump assembly with fresh o rings and a hose, she's back in action. Did 85 miles this afternoon as a shakedown and senseless waste of fossil fuel.


We did one of the usual local roads, this time headed toward Lake Castaic. Here she is on a super-secret forest service road that I never knew they paved.


And a few miles later, above Lake Castaic, from Lake Hughes Road (Valencia, CA).

[Donkey Hotey]

Had plans to take Jennie for a few longer rides but, she had other ideas. Last Friday, only 40 miles from home, the clutch started to get flaky. Stopping to check, the slave cylinder dripped a few fatal drops from the primary cover. Hmm...how long ago did I rebuild that? Wow, I guess it was nine years ago already. Okay, back home for new o rings.

After a good bath, she got out Sunday for a shakedown run. With no other problems and clear skies ahead, we wandered off to the Santa Monica Mountains and Mulholland Highway for pictures. While I recognize not everyone lives in So Cal where you can get your picture taken by a guy like Victory Jon, most bike roads do have similar local photographers. Treat yourself and buy a photo or two of yourself on your bike.

[bobbybhb]

Looks like a great ride and bike. I’m Jenny jealous.  1488 will get some predictive maintenance on the slave cylinder soon. I rebuilt the master based on your info. It works very well now. I just ordered the Kuryakyn 7427 levers for me and the bike.
 Bobby Baum Calgary

[Donkey Hotey]

Hey Bobby, I think you'll like those levers. They genuinely match the bike better than the stock parts. They also have a smoother feel to the gloves and I like the wider contact face with the barrel shape of the grips.

I was rereading your interview / article out there about Excelsior-Henderson the other night. Good stuff.

[Donkey Hotey]

I've been trying to get all the riding possible before winter sets in. Next up in the rotation was 0333: Beulah Forsberg (the only bike to have a last name). Like the Jennie, she too blew out a fuel transfer hose. Hers was over two years ago on a short local ride. The failure was similar: erratic running, then completely stalled. I was in the middle of restoring her tank. Inertia set in (next to a few dozen other projects) and she sat...and sat.

Sit no-more. She returned to the road Monday night. She then needed a few other things fixed that had been put off for too long and had the parts collecting dust. Yesterday was a shake-down and today was a proper 300 mile ride through the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

We started with a ride through the Tehachapi Wind Farm, around the Tehachapi mountains and out to Bakersfield. From there, a quick joggle up the freeway to enjoy some roads through the Sierra foothills before catching CA-155 toward Glenville.



155 winds up the hillside and through an area that was burning out of control only a few weeks back. If you saw national news on California fires, this is part of where it was. Fortunately, some was spared so we have these pics of how the rest of the road once looked.

155 eventually drops down next to Lake Isabella. A turn north for about five miles got us to Kernville where we gassed up. As I was filling the tank, I heard someone over my shoulder, "Excelsior-Henderson? Are they making motorcycles again? Wow, that is some bike!"

I got to explain that it's 22 years old and then went on to share the story. He's a rider of many brands, including Harley and now a KTM. He knew all about Victory but, somehow the Super X missed him. After getting him caught up on the brand and chatting about bikes for a few minutes, we were off again.

The meadow out there is actually the bottom of Lake Isabella. It has indeed been some very dry years out here.




After winding around the east end of the lake, it was CA-178 eastward toward Walker Pass. We chased the edge of daylight all the way over the mountain and down to CA-14, before turning south toward home. Just over 300 miles today. She ran flawlessly.



It's also somewhat shocking to ride one of these bikes completely naked (the bike, not me  ). Many of us get used to the extra 80 pounds of accessories (yes, the stuff really weighs that much), Beulah is a ballerina in comparison to her more completely-equipped sisters.

[Donkey Hotey]

With the weather cooperating, today was another chance to get out before winter arrives. Beulah got to go because it was picture day. She's the last of my Super Xs to be shot by Victory Jon. That meant Santa Monica Mountains.

And Santa Monica Mountains means the obligatory stop by the Rock Store. It was 2:30 PM by the time I arrived and most of the interesting bikes had been and left. The infamous "snake" portion of Mulholland Highway just up the road from here, was damaged in a fire a few years ago. Due to all the problems they've had, there has been no rush to repair or reopen the road. As a result, fewer bikes make it to the Rock Store these days. Okay, and I could have got my lazy butt out of bed earlier.



Obligatory shot on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.




And finally, headed eastward toward home, through the farm lands of Oxnard, Camarillo and Santa Paula. No, it's not the freakishly clear most of the time. Today was an exceptionally clear day for sure.

[bobbybhb]

The Rock Store is definitely a bucket list place for me. Many great articles have been written about the bikes and riders attending there. Thanks for sharing.

[Donkey Hotey]

Would it help if I said the Rock Store doesn't live up to the legend on most weekends? The road closure may have a lot to do with that. The other 'destination' spot is Neptune's Net out on Pacific Coast Highway. Both places have too many people trying way too hard to be cool.


The real gem is/was Newcomb's Ranch up on Angeles Crest Highway. Unfortunately Newcomb's has been closed since the pandemic hit and is now up for sale. In the past, the parking lot would almost always have something interesting or unusual out there. Sunday afternoon used to be riding up there for lunch and then sitting on the bench outside to watch bikes come and go for a few hours.


Not my picture but, this was a very typical Saturday or Sunday mid-morning at Newcomb's. Twice this many bikes was not unusual.

[Donkey Hotey]

Ahh, just downloaded the latest batch of pictures from Victory Jon on Sunday. Beulah has now done her 'school pictures' as well.

When Jon shot the first of these bikes, he made a comment about how clean the underside of the bike was. He made an accusation about detailing that too. No particular care had been paid to the underside but, it did become something to be aware of for future shots.

Only now is it obvious that the underside of the front frame cross member was missed before these shots. Every bath, this bike gets a little cleaner but she still has a ways to go.

[Donkey Hotey]

When Victory Jon started shooting the pictures of the different bikes, he had this idea brewing and suggested it. While it seems horribly self-indulgent, yeah, so what? At this point in life I've got them, Jon photographed them and was nice enough to put together this collage of all six. We aren't dying until we stop buying motorcycles. 

Knowing Jon was going to do this, I was careful to always show up at the same approximate time of day, same weather conditions and somewhat same season to keep the lighting consistent. It's been in the works for a few years now (thanks Covid!). One extra lane of closeness to the camera in the uphill shots meant that he ran out of room trying to squeeze them all in. That's why the change of direction from the original grouping of three.

And I'll explain (again) why the bikes all have names so people don't write me off as completely insane. I had my original 1525 with the intent of keeping it womb to tomb. I unboxed it, prepped it and nobody else has ever touched a wrench to it. Jennie came 12 years later. In conversation about them it was always "the Jennie" or "the other one." Since most outside the community don't know what a Jennie is, it sounded like I liked the new bike more and named it. Out of respect for the original, she got named Molly.

That worked until 0333 was on the trailer coming home. That wasn't too difficult since she spent her earlier life in Beulah Wyoming. The Deadwood was self-named. Babe the blue ox was kind of easy.

Sinclair (the green dinosaur) got its name while drinking a Gatorade at a Sinclair gas station in Red Lodge Montana. I had stopped on the 1,600 mile tow home to ride the newly-purchased bike a few days in the Yellowstone area. I had just come off the most amazing motorcycle ride of my entire life: Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Beartooth Highway.

Sitting in the shade of the tree, staring at the green bike, I pondered almost out loud, "What name do you give a big green motorcycle?" Only then did I notice the green dinosaur logo behind her and had just filled her tank "with Dino Care." Sinclair it was (though I believe their mascot's name is simply Dino).

Two days later, at the Sinclair gas station at Old Faithful Lodge, I found two styles of logo'd keychains. Not able to decide between them, she got both.

Now you all know the story...

[bobbybhb]

A short ride to the car wash and some photos of Calgary before the snow.
Notice the shift linkage. Different script on reverse side. Like it.

[Donkey Hotey]

Very nice. The pictures don't look too cold.

They sure are nice looking bikes when all the touring accessories come off.

[Donkey Hotey]

Today was once again the Southern California Norton Club's annual Dam Ride (appropriately held at Hansen Dam). Thanks to Covid, last year was "cancelled" though I learned today that there was still an unofficial gathering.


Sinclair got to go to the Central Coast show a few months back. Molly was at this show three years ago. The Deadwood went two years ago. It seemed reasonable that Babe the Blue Ox got the nod this year. She was already clean and waxed but, not good enough for a show. She got another bath and even more wax yesterday in preparation. Had to make sure the white striped tires were clean!


The weather was so cold I had to wear a sweater under the Aerostich. It may have been 50 degrees when I rolled out at 6:30 this morning. 

Unbelievably, there were TWO complete freeway closures on the short ride down there. I'd have taken back roads but, wanted to see bikes and kick tires ASAP. Had I known in advance...

Got there in plenty of time anyway. Maybe 200-250 bikes of all kinds. Two years ago, a Hesketh showed up so the Super X was not the only Weslake-engined bike in attendance. Today, she was the only one.


At past events, I've either been involved with or overhead accounts of Excelsior-Henderson, who the company was, what happened, how many years, etc. I started hanging story boards on the saddlebag at past events. This time, it went a step further: an aluminum document frame, mounted to the right master cylinder cap at face level. All the major specs and a very brief history of the brand right there for people to see.



There is usually a very nice car show about 15 miles away to attend (always the same weekend and time). My back wasn't up to another couple of hours of walking so I opted for a nice ride toward home. Along the route was an In-n-Out Burger. Opinions of their burgers are kind of exaggerated, but I hadn't had one since the pandemic started and today was as good as any.


After a number 1, no onions, we were off again. Not knowing how the back would behave, I took the longest route possible, while never being more than 45 minutes from home.



With weather in the high 60s and bright sunshine, it was Bouquet Canyon to Elizabeth Lake Road (like so many of my local rides) and west across Pine Canyon Road, overlooking the western Antelope Valley. We returned home just as the reserve light started to glow on the cluster.

[bobbybhb]

The Blue Ox looks great. Nice idea for the info sign.

[Donkey Hotey]

In case you or anyone else wants to copy the document holder, here's a picture of the back. I've been through a bunch of different versions of something that would fit in the saddlebag, be visible, not get in the way of seeing the bike, not blowing over in the breeze, being too low on the ground to read, etc, etc.

It's mounted with a common door hinge that has a removable pin. The main piece is a document-size, front-loading snap frame. I bought it on ebay but, they're available from other sources. The front edges of the frame snap open, the plastic protector face comes out and you put whatever you want inside. It was much more sturdy than the cardboard and wood frames I've tried in the past.


The hinge is riveted to the lower edge of the frame, upside down. With the hinge in this position, the frame can't flop over and allow the frame to hit the tank (!?!). The frame is blocked by the master cylinder if it tries to pivot forward and away from the bike.


The hinge hole spacing was close but, not exactly the spacing on the master cylinder cap (54 mm). I used the mill to elongate the edge of the holes but, a Dremel or even a file would work. M5 x 15mm screws to fasten it. I glued a small piece of innertube to the underside of the hinge to protect the paint on the master cylinder. I ride to the event, pull the frame out of the saddlebag, install the hinge pin and it's ready. At the end, pull the pin, stow the sign in the bag and ride away.



The hinge isn't pretty but, it's only installed for events like yesterday. Two screws, the bracket comes off and it all goes back in the original cardboard box for protection.