Mike’s Typo

Steve McQueen sure didn’t live long.  But, he lived full.  And, he loved anything with wheels under it.  I came across a great book the other day. McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon chronicles the cars and bikes that made Steve McQueen famous in films, along with highlighting others he owned and rode over the years.  Get it on Amazon.

Harley launched a new custom seat program for Softails. It’s online. You design your seat and then we order it for you. Could this be a hint of what’s to come on the custom front? If so, it’s all long overdue. This is a cool tool. Check it out here. Better yet, check it out, build a custom seat, and we’ll order it for you!

It’s the classic story. You’re packing tight for that road trip. It starts out two pairs of jeans, six pair of underwear, four pair of sox, and so on. By the time you’ve got the T-bag stuffed you’re down to a couple of pairs of underwear and a single pair of jeans. Inevitably there’s no room for that book you’ve been reading. Or, worse you’re almost done with one book and ready to start another one. There’s definately no room for two books. “So, where is he going with this?”

Right. And, the point is. I needed a little intro to justify my latest foray into technology. The Amazon (.com) Kindle. What the heck is that, you say. It’s the latest attempt at an “electronic” book. I say latest, because there have been a handful of companies, including Sony, that have tried to create electronic books and failed. There’s nothing like the feel of a book in your hands, right?

Well, the world is changing. And, I think Amazon may have gotten it right. Who better, with their experience distributing the printed book. At roughly 5″ by 7″ and less than an inch thick, this device is the perfect size to hold and travel with. Battery life is excellent because of the completely-different-than-pc-screen-technology. Maybe best of all, it holds a ton of books. You can load maybe 5 years worth of reading on here. I’m just making that up, but really it holds a lot. You can change the size of the type. You can read indoors; you can read outdoors.

Here’s what I like almost best, it’s easier to order and receive a book than the conventional way of ordering from Amazon. Impossible you say. Believe it. Right from your Kindle screen, you search for a book, find it, one-click buy it, and it’s ready to read in about 30 seconds. Oh, and you aren’t plugged into anything. I’m not even going to tell you how that works. Check out the product site to find out more and figure out where I got my facts wrong.

So, what’s the downside. Well, the biggest one I can think of is this: the days of impressing the cute gal next to you on the plane are over. You know the scenario - she’s so impressed because your reading a well-worn, unabridged copy of War and Peace. Oh, well, that really never worked anyway.

Solves the packing problem at least!

Quick footnote: you’re probably thinking the economics don’t work. The initial buy-in to get the unit is a bit steep. But then, the books are about 2/3 the cost of the printed version and there’s no shipping, and no wireless charges. So, depending on how you want to crunch the numbers, the thing really pencils out too. Not to mention the rainforest of trees we won’t be using to print those books you read only once, blah, blah, blah. I wish I was getting a commission on this.

By my calculations, we’ve got roughly 56 hours before all that paper gets ripped to shreds and your sig other, and/or kids determine whether you’ve met their expectations. My theory is its this pressure (and all the candy) that makes seemingly normal people nutty around the holidays. Ok, that and the endless drone of holiday music - everywhere!

So, I’m done with my shopping. Ha. Ha. Well almost.

That gives me the time I need to gloat. And, being the generally good guy I am, enough time to help you with your shopping. So, I took a little tour around the store and combed through our sales data - all in an effort to recommend the perfect gifts. You know the ones that will get you …the recognition you deserve.

Bitchin’ Balls - these are truly unique and would make a gift that will be remembered year after year.

Santa Cruz Derby Cover - we made a handful of these hand-etched, derby covers. Only a few left, so call Becci, George, or Irish if you want one.

Poker Set - I’ve actually given a couple of these sets as gifts. The reaction is terrific. The black lacquered case combined with the Santa Cruz Harley chips makes this really classic and fun holiday gift.

Skull Key - very classy with an attitude. I’d love to have one of these.

Traffic Signal Tripper - ok, so I had to throw one practical gift suggestion in here. These things really work and they are super easy to install.

Well, that’s it for my top 5 unique suggestions this week. Really, we’ve got so many terrific items in the store. Come down and see for yourself. And, while your at it - pick something up for yourself!

Well, not “everything.” But, damn, these are the most comfortable boots I’ve ever worn. They’re the new engineer style boot with the comfort sole from H-D/Wolverine. Joselyn, in SC, convinced me to try them on. I was skeptical. But, what the heck. So, I’m wearing them all the time now. I think I caught a gal checking out my boots today! At least that’s what I think she was lookin’ at. Ok, a bit of wishful thinking there. Really though, what were they thinking - boots are suppose to be big, clunky, uncomfortable, and hot. These aren’t boots, these are slippers that look like boots. Oh, did I mention they make me look taller, too? They’re so new, they’re not online. Check in with J - she’ll get you fitted-up.

They’re called “Release.” Hmm. Weird name for a boot. But, they sure are comfortable.

Really, we’d prefer alive in this case. We’re putting up a reward of $250 for every new customer you bring us the rest of this month. Think of it as that second job you were thinking about getting. We’re deputizing all of you to be commissioned sales people. As scary as that thought is, we know that most of our business is referral anyway. So, this is what you’ve been waiting for - get those friends and family members off the couch and down to Santa Cruz or Green Valley. Rules of the bounty: you must physically bring your friend or family member in; the reward is a $250 gift card at time of purchase; Sportsters excluded; and, there is no limit of how many rewards you can collect between now and 12/31/07.

A bit wet & soggy, we’ve drug this out of the Typo Vaults to bring you another holiday gift idea. For the guy or gal who has everything, there is now Nikwax Map Proof. Here’s the blurb. Among traveling’s lesser joys is when rain makes a nice, expensive map disintegrate like toilet paper. It doesn’t have to be that way, though-not if you treat it with Nikwax’s Map Proof. Just sponge it on, and the solution is said to render maps waterproof, while keeping their ability to fold for storage and even write on them. One $7.95, 4.2-ounce bottle should be able to treat six or more maps. Check out the Nikwax site. If you think this is right for your enthusiast, you can order it online from Whitehorse Gear. Original source: Motorcyclist, 9/06

When Spring comes around it seems there are so many more fun things to do, than dive into a “Spring cleaning” frenzy. To-that-end, I just skip the Spring ritual and clean on a just-in-time basis. You get the idea. When I can’t find anything. When I can’t get around. When I run out of places to put things that I must keep. As I said, you get the idea.

So, the other day, I came across a small pile of posters from way back when. Some of you will remember the Miss Behavin’ posters we did. I was guessing there are a few of you out there who might like one for your garage wall. The poster is really a photographic print, suitable for framing. But, I’m guessing most people just tacked them up on the wall to keep their bike company when they can’t be in the garage. The print is 20″x24″ and is a nice addition to any suitable space.

Yup, that’s paint. Your #1 question has to be, “How long did that take?” Glad you asked. The whole photo shoot took about ten hours. The paint took about 8. It was a raining, cold, blustery day in Santa Cruz. We’d gotten permission to use part of Salz Tannery around these huge tanning drums. So, we brought in a motorhome for the artist and model to work. The photographer and crew went to work hanging 30′ long sheets of plastic to partial enclose the area where we intended to shoot. We brought in huge gas heaters. The whole scene looked right out of the movies. All day, we kept running into snags. While it felt like one disaster after another, when the model was ready, it all came together. And, two very sexy images were produced.

No sales hype here. I’m guessing this is your last chance to snap up one of these posters. When they’re gone, they are gone. We aren’t putting them on the web site. So, payment and ordering is simple - use PayPal. Here is the how: log into your PayPal account and send us a payment at: beccivigil@santacruzharley.com. The poster is $20 plus $9.95 shipping & handling. Your payment should be for $29.95 and remember to include your shipping address. Becci will pick, pack, and ship this fine art pronto!

$100 here, a hundred there. Pretty soon it starts to add up. Ok, more on that later. First, as promised in the last Typo - my picks for bike accessories. There are so many cool picks, where do I start.

If you don’t have the Reduced Effort Clutch, you’re just putting out too much effort to ride. “This may be the best $250 you’ve spent on your bike.” If I have to explain…. Just ask Julian, Dan or Jimmy. And, this might be the best time to get your bike in and get it done - read further; there’s a coupon that knocks that cost down a bit. Click to link to the touring, Softail, and Dyna RECs (Ok, I know, I hate acronyms too. I just did it for the corporate-types reading this).

With the current weather, you’re probably appreciating a little heat off the engine. Come Spring, sitting at the stop light on an FL can get a bit toasty. Harley’s got the answer - Air Deflectors. I would have expected them to call it an “Advanced Heat Management System.” But, you know there is a reason they call a crash guard, an engine guard. But, I digress. Customers said that the aftermarket versions of these (which came out first) really worked. I was skeptical, so I put a pair of the Harley ones (much better fit/much better looking) on my bike. Big improvement. And, they come in a black composite material (not smoked), so your eye really doesn’t read them. This is one of those “must haves” on my list.

If your running around on anything other than a fairing bike, I’m guessing there are times when you have XM-envy. I sure did. Not any more. I don’t listen to it all the time, but when I do - it’s so nice to have commercial free music that’s CD quality sound. I’m talking about the handlebar mount XM receiver from Harley. It’s a good size. You can read the display. And, you can punch the buttons with gloves on. It’s really well thought out. It’s on my bike and I love it. No speakers. I just use a set of headphones installed in my helmet. The headphones are made for Harley by Koss - great sound.

One more item. How about that new Isolated Drive System on the sprocket for 2008? Right. You want it. Even though you might have a bit of trouble describing what it does. Well, once again, that’s why Dan, Julian & Jimmy get the big bucks. Me, I just call it my “Cush Drive.” Good chance if you don’t have it, there is a kit that will fit your bike.

Back to the $100. I love talking about FREE money. A big thanks to H-D for making that possible. It’s the Elbow Grease promotion. Great name - what does it mean? Simply put, Harley is giving you $100 free labor against the installation of lots of stuff. Good stuff this time. Not the “slow movers.” Paint, chrome front end kits, handlebars, wheels, Screamin’ Eagle Street Legal Performance kits, and a bunch of other items. There are some terms & conditions but nothing that would stop you from taking advantage of free money.

So, to wrap this. The Elbow Grease bucks are available for a couple of my favorites: the handlebar mount XM and the Isolated Drive System kits.

It got cold quick. So, it’s time to think of heated grips, a heated seat, or my favorite the heated jacket. What a difference being toasty makes when there is a chill in the air. Call me a pansy ass. I’ve got no problem there ’cause I’m riding and I’m comfortable. The service department can throw a pair of heated grips and/or a heated seat on your bike faster than you can say the Gettysburg Address. If your looking for the ultimate clothing solution to add natural or “artificial” warmth, look no further.

First the artificial options. As I said, the heated jacket liner is “the shit.” Pardon the expression. The heated jacket liner goes under my FXRG jacket no problem. You can control it with a pocket switch and thermostat or you can wire it to a switch on your bike. I’m not big on fumbling around in my pocket while I’m riding, so I have a plug by my seat and a switch discretely mounted on the bike. I don’t use the thermostat; I just flip the switch ON when I’m cold, and OFF when I’m warm enough.

Aside from the heated jacket liner, there is a heated vest liner, heated pants liner, and heated gloves. I haven’t seen anyone around here with the heated pants liners, but we sure sell a lot of jacket and vest liners. The gloves are popular as well. If you’re using the heated jacket liner, the gloves plug right into the cuffs. Trick.

So, we’ve got this stuff in stock. Or, want it now - you can click over and order it from us online. You can find the heated jacket liner here. Want the heated vest liner? Here are the heated gloves.

There are also a host of thermal garments available from Harley. I use them all Winter. They’re great. There are a bunch you can find in the Santa Cruz or Watsonville stores or you can order them online. Here are my three favorites: the neck tube keeps your neck warm; the thermal cap is great off the bike; and, the face mask is essential if you wear a half helmet.