Road Captains Corner Vol.1

Happy New Year and welcome to the first installment of The Road Captains Corner.

First let me thank all the Brothers who voted for me in a very close race for the Road Captains Position. All joking aside it is truly an HONOR to be able to help lead the club into the New Year continuing to do the good things we do for our brothers near and far who have in the past and currently protect us and our families both on foreign soil and right here in our own backyards.

I’d like to spend time emphasizing the importance of maintaining our motorcycles and having them ready to go at a moments notice whether it is for the unfortunate circumstance of having to attend a wake or funeral, or to attend a ceremony or parade. We do what we do on our motorcycles 99% of the time and can’t do what we do if our bikes are in the shop with avoidable repairs. I would like address winter maintenance in this installment. I myself have a mechanical background and also called our friend Bob Steele from Steele’s Custom Cycles to come up with a short list of things to help keep our bikes in good working order during the off season.

Keep your fuel tanks full, reason for this is to keep as much air out of your tank as possible, air equals moisture, and moisture doesn’t do any part of the bike any good any where.
If you haven’t got one already, a battery tender is an excellent investment. You can find them on line at websites like, jpcycles.com, dragspecialties.com, or denniskirk.com. if your not computer savvy you can get one at any Harley dealer or auto parts store, and generally start at approximately $33.00 and go up from there.
It’s strongly recommended to change your oil and filter before putting the bike away for the winter. The byproducts and chemicals created by an internal combustion engine from running creates corrosive compounds in used oil and can cause pitting and excessive engine wear if allowed to sit for any length of time.
Bob Steele came up with this one I had never heard of it but it makes great sense. Oil soak some rags, not so they are dripping, with clean oil and put in the end of your exhaust pipes. This will serve two purposes; it acts as a moisture barrier to help keep moisture out of your engine, and keeps rodents from entering the pipes and making a home.
If at all possible and you have the room place the bike on a sheet of plywood and keep the tires off the concrete.
The final tip is to keep your bike clean, if you value your paint and chrome, a good wash and a coat of wax never hurts. If you are fortunate enough to have a Nam Knights gold plated derby cover DO NOT WASH AGRESSIVLY OR WAX IT, this will wear off the gold plating follow the cleaning instructions included with the cover.

Lastly I am working on getting up to a 50% discount off list prices at a local auto parts store I have been dealing with for years. They have been getting me my chrome oil filters, they carry high quality motorcycle oils, and lubricants and are capable of getting such items as battery tenders. You will hear more on this as I finalize and get the approvals to move forward with idea.
Lets look forward to a great year of riding, remember the more miles the club gets on their bikes, chances are we have made the club more well known by people seeing our patches learning what we do and ultimately helping us achieve our goal.

Updated: January 6, 2011

Author: Jack Weinberg

Road Captain

Nam Knights of America