ELECTRA SIGHTING

A beauty of a black and chrome Electra just parked near mine at work. On closer inspection I saw it was the pre UCE fuel injection and has its drive train on the left. I wonder whose it is.

Wax job

The time was right, the weather only moderately helping out. But I had been carrying that damn carnauba wax around for two weeks now in the rain and it was time to use it.
The jar doesn't come with an applicator sponge so you have to have a clean microfiber rag or something.
After a good thorough wash with hot water and Fairy dishwashing liquid, the Balita Roja looked pretty good.

Then I applied the wax. Purple Haze, it's called. Left it about 10 minutes to dry a bit, then gave it a bit of a polish with a soft cloth to bring out the shine. Here are three foots, the first two from after the wash, the last one from after the waxing. I see a nice shine going on this last one.

The jar of carnauba wax cost me 37 euros but it only took a little bit to wax my entire motorcycle, and they say it shines and protects for a couple of months.
Washing and waxing my bike is something I really enjoy but I don't have much time to do as often as I'd like to.

Burgers and an old bike

Ham and Rain

The spring rains stopped long enough today to pop by the Regional Gourmet Food Fair stalls set up on Fuencarral near my office these days. Salamanca had irresistible pata negra ham tapas and a nice young red from Burgos, for 3 euros. Who could refuse?

Dapper new helmet, a generous gift

My friend "Alfonso the Harley Guy" (but a Bulleteer honoris causa nonetheless) gave me a helmet from his rather vast collection. He said it would look dashing with my leather jacket and new goggles, and indeed it does. THANK YOU ALFONSO!

And then yesterday, a neighbor of mine in the parking lot repeated his offer to let me drive his 1976 BMW R-90 S, and in fact said that it wouldn't be a badidea to pay me to take it out from time to time.
Is that a new profession, like "dog-walker" or "cat-sitter"? I wonder what epígrafe "motorcycle caregiver" falls under in the Spanish Tax Code classifications....
Too bad I still have a year to go before I can upgrade my license from A2 to A. Grrrrr!

And no, I still haven't convinced anyone (such as its owner) to give me the BMW cruiser that usually parks outside my office window. Pedro Ogrix says I need it. I couldn't agree more.

Dodo Juice for shining up the Balita Roja

"Spring has sprung, the grass is green.
I wonder where why I've lost my sheen.
My Bullet's red, its chrome is buf.
But the polish doesn't shine enough."

Solution?

My friend Juampe from Jerez recommended I get this Dodo Juice brand Purple Haze wax. It's made with carnauba wax, a natural wax from a palm tree, copernicia prunifera, that grows only in northern Brazil.
Pretty amazing stuff, it's used in everything from lipstick and cosmetics to candy coatings (think M&M's) and chewing gum, from semiconductor molds to surfboard polish.
Elsewhere on the web some erudite chemists explained about polymere lengths and how they affect the paint on your bike. Synthetic waxes tend to be too short and can get into the paint itself and eventually bring it up, they said.

My biker friend JoseAngel and I rode out to Boadilla del Monte, to the industrial park where CarCareEurope has their warehouse in Spain, to buy a jar of Dodo Juice. It's rather expensive at 37.50€ per 250 ml jar, but supposed to be worth it. I'll find out and let you know if it eevr stops raining here in Madrid!

The Next Next Generation of Bulleteers

These being our sobrinos nietos (grand niece and grand nephew), I of course was delighted when they wanted to get up on the Balita Roja. The way I reckon it, their parents would be the Next Generation, so that would make them the Next Next Generation. Still a few years to go before they're old enough to buy a motorcycle but something tells me the Royal Enfields will still be pretty much the same. And that, my friends, is a comforting thought!