Sherri and Gary Leave for Stugis

My friends Sherri and Gary are off to Sturgis. We rode with them over Ebbits Pass to Carson City where they caught Highway 50. The road over Ebbits Pass is Highway 4. Highway 4 is good road from where they close the road for the winter, near Lake Alpine to the turn off for Monitor Pass, but only about a lane and half wide. This means taking the far outside on blind curves, which is not a problem but still makes you jump when a car comes around the corner.

Marie and I took Highway 395 north to Reno then took Highway 80 home.

Blacked Out Rear Bumper

I was washing the bike when I found that the rear bumper was broken. The piece was probably cracked a couple of years ago when I was hit from behind while sitting a stoplight by a homeless cranker. He had been living in his car and had deferred out the brake maintenance in favor of his favorite recreational substance. No license, no brakes, no insurance, no problem.

After the crash, I replaced the rear fender and a few other parts but not the rear bumper. When I found the bumper had finally broken, I called my local HD dealer and ordered the part. The part was $117 and would arrive in about 5 days.

The next day Marie and I were going for a little ride with our friends, Gary and Sherri, so I decided to weld it up. Here you see the results. I did a little grinding on the welds, primered and painted and voila.

I like the look so well that I canceled the order on the new chrome piece.