Swing Arm Spool Stand

On Friday last week I popped over to Harbor Freight and picked up a "Low Profile Rear Motorcycle Spool Stand."

They were already on sale and I had an even bigger discount coupon that I clipped from a Motorcyclist magazine that I'd cleverly placed in the bathroom at work.

http://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html

The retail price is $49.99.

It was on sale for $39.99 (which it always seems to be)

I had a coupon for $29.99.

Though it seems to be designed to work with smaller diameter spools, it worked with behemoths that I received for Christmas.  A little of the paint was scraped off, but functionally, it worked fine.

I can use this in conjunction with the front-end stand that I received for Christmas.

Swingarm Spools

Some of my wife's family members tend to not be extremely creative (well, a few are, but most are not).  So when you ask for something for Christmas, you really need to specify what it is you want ... exactly.

That prompted me to I write a Christmas List website where one can specify what they want for Christmas, exactly, and one can almost guarantee that you will get exactly what one specifies on his/her list.

On my list this year, I added quite a few motorcycle parts/tools and knowing that her family would probably get me EXACTLY what I ordered, I felt confident enough to add a few links to things on Amazon or eBay that I really wanted for my shop and/or bike(s).

One of those little trinkets was a set of Swingarm Spools:
http://www.amazon.com/MIT-Motors-Universal-Swingarm-Hayabusa/dp/B00CW7BOD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382961021&sr=8-1&keywords=sv650+lift



While Suzuki didn't engineer a center stand for the SV650S, you can purchase an aftermarket one for about $300 if you so choose.  But, man, does it look ugly.  And it adds unnecessary weight.

Luckily, Suzuki realized that the core market for this bike would likely be people that recognized it's potential as a race bike, and they opted to add a place to bolt on swingarm spools. These spools are used as pivot points for a swingarm spool lift stand (See THIS blog post).

I asked for the blue ones pictured above to match my 2004 SV650S's paint scheme.  The bolts fit exactly as designed and a few turns of an allen wrench (sorry, I mean Hex Key) had these bad boys fitted to my bike.  I haven't had an opportunity to test them out yet, but I assume they will work just fine.  The only thing I'm unsure about is how BIG they are.  They seem to poke out way farther than they need to.

A couple of positive things here (notwithstanding the enormity of them):
1.  They are easily removed.  Grab an allen wrench, lefty-loosey, and store them in your garage until the next time you need to lift the rear tire off the ground.  At that point, righty-tighty them back on and hoist your bike up with a swingarm stand.
2. The are inexpensive. $20 with shipping.
3. If you're interested in frame sliders that protect your your swingarm, this might fit the bill.  OK, this benefit is probably not realistic.  ;)

Bel Air/Harford Road/Boordy Vineyards Loop

Ride Info Date: December 21, 2013 Approx. Mileage: 30 Approx. Time: 1 hour Features: Lots of curves and elevation changes.

Riders Bikes Dan 2004 Suzuki SV650S

This weekend's weather was fantastic!

Saturday's high was around 65 degrees, so I decided to take a quick spin on the SV.  I only had about an hour of good daylight left, so I opted to take a short spin up Harford Road/Rte 147.

Starting at the mall, I headed south on Harford Road/Rte 147.  This route also doubles as the Rte 1 business loop for the first couple of miles.  Which means that I was in traffic until I hit the Rte 1 Bypass (which most people turn onto).

I followed Harford Road probably five or six miles before it began to get fun.  The curves continue a little past Gunpowder Falls State Park, and that's when you begin to get into the outskirts of Baltimore.

And that's where turned around and headed back.

But along the way, I spotted a sign pointing to Boordy Vineyards and decided to take a look, turning left onto Long Green Pike.  Long Green Pike has a number of quick elevation changes and I lifted the front wheel over a couple of them - honestly, I wasn't trying to.

I passed the vineyard on the left and noticed that they had wine tasting and tours.  I don't drink, but I may want to return to take a tour some day.

Continuing on, I came to a 4-way stop and decided to turn right onto Fork Road, which I knew would lead me back to Harford Road.  Fork Road is very treed and, when the pavement is dry (unlike it was on this ride) has the potential to be a fun little ride.

When I reached the traffic light where Harford Road intersected Fork Road, I turned left and returned to my starting point.

This ride was fun, but a few things were lacking:
1. The snow was melting furiously and every road I went on seemed to be wet.  Especially the ones in the twisty areas that don't get as much sun.
2. I noticed after the ride (while preparing the map for this post) that I was only a mile or so away from Loch Raven Reservoir.  Had I known that I probably would have made another detour to find a new favorite road.

Bel Air/Conowingo Dam/Port Deposit Loop

Ride Info Date: November 16, 2013 (or some other Saturday around then) Approx. Mileage: 50 Approx. Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Features: Fall foliage, Conowingo Dam

Riders Bikes Dan 2004 Suzuki SV650S

The weather was nice-ish one day back in November (I'm actually writing this on December 23, 2013) and I had some time available on a Saturday.  It was a little chilly, but not so much that it was unbearable.  I had just purchased some warm weather riding gloves and pants and I wanted to try them out.  They made the ride much more tolerable.

I actually left my house, but to make sure I don't disclose my home address, I will document my rides from public areas.  In this case, the Harford Mall in Bel Air, MD.

I headed out along Rte. 22 from Bel Air toward Aberdeen.  Rte. 22 can be a little more busy than I like, so I took a left onto Rte 136.  It's a nice ride through the country and includes a narrow bridge crossing of Deer Creek.

After about 5 miles on Rte. 136, I turned right onto Rte. 1/Conowingo Road.  Rte. 1 can also be somewhat susceptible to traffic, but often it's a nice ride through the country.  The most significant sight on this portion of the ride is the Conowingo Dam, which doubles as a bridge across the  Susquehanna River.  To my left was Conowingo Lake, which is the reservoir created by the dam.  As you ride across the dam, it can appear as though you're at the same level as the water.  To the right, the dam drops almost straight down about 100 feet.  The bottom of the dam is rocky and you can see Rowland Island probably a quarter-mile downstream.


I took an immediate right after crossing the dam onto Susquehanna River Road/Rte. 222 South toward Port Deposit, MD.

About a half-mile along Rte 222 I saw an interesting arch bridge crossing Octoraro Creek off to the left.  Moore Road seems to go back in that direction and I'll have to investigate it when I have more time in the future.

But today I wanted to see the historic town of Port Deposit.  I've lived in Maryland for almost 15 years and had never been there.

Port Deposit was first visited by Captain John Smith in the early 1600s.

The day I rode through, it appeared a little dilapidated.  What can I say, it's a port town in November.  I assume it's very quaint in the summer when its streets are bustling with visitors.

There appeared to be a fun little s-curve under a railroad overpass, but because of cold tires and bumpy pavement, I opted to take it slow.

Leaving Port Deposit, the road winds its way to higher altitude.  I noticed a little sign noting that Rte 222 is a scenic byway.  It was very scenic.

I followed the signs to I-95 South and opened the throttle as I merged with traffic in preparation to cross the Tidings bridge back into Harford county.  I should probably mention that Tidings Bridge is a toll road when you are going northbound on 95.  Southbound, it is not.  So this loop is actually a toll-free ride as long as you cross over the Conowingo Dam (no toll in either direction) on your way to Cecil County.

After fewer than five miles of freeway riding, I took Exit 89 and headed west on Rte 155/Level Road.  I followed Level Road and passed a few slow-moving cars to Rte 22, then took an immediate left onto Rte 136 South.

I could have just stayed on the two lane highways, but I prefer the quieter roads, so I make a right onto Schucks Road and follow it to Wheel Road (crossing Rte 543) before turning right onto East MacPhail Road.

I pass castle-like manors, view various greens of the Maryland Golf & Country Club, and enjoy some pristine curves that attempt to follow Bynum Run.  Within a few short miles, I'm back into Bel Air and civilization.  East MacPhail is a fun little road, but I have to be cautious as I've seen many deer in the area, particularly in the fall and winter months when the deer come into town to find greener pastures (translated: lawns).

A right turn onto Rte 924 puts me on Bel Air's Main Street and its charming little village square.  One could spend hours window shopping the many boutiques and eating at the many ... er ... eateries.

I turn left onto Rte 22 and return to the mall where I started.  Along the way, I gaze at the pretty motorcycles lined up in front of Pete's Cycle.

All-in-all, this was a fun ride through my own back yard.