Leigh Ellis still remembers the night about five years ago, when she and her husband were still working on their motorcycle care manual.
She was washing dishes. Food was on the stove. The washer and dryer were going, the dog needed to be fed and her husband, Randy Ellis, wanted her to write.
“Talk about a slave driver,” Leigh Ellis recalled, as she sat with her chuckling husband. “That is the current visage of Simon Legree, right there in that chair.”
The couple can laugh now about their experience as co-authors. A new format of their 2004 guide, “How to Get Your Motorcycle Up &Running,” is available at their Everett shop, on their Web site, GetItRunning.com, and through Amazon.com.
To promote the book, the Ellises will hold free motorcycle safety checks on Friday and discuss motorcycle care on Sunday at the Everett Public Library.
The book grew out of their Rucker Avenue shop, Randy’s Cycle Services. The Everett shop specializes in repairing old motorcycles and getting defunct bikes running again.
They opened the shop in 1985 and quickly realized people were not properly tending to their motorcycles. They had a line of 25 bikes in front of the shop, Leigh said. Each of them needed significant work.
“Nothing was in here for service,” Leigh said. “Nothing was in here for a brake job.”
They started thinking about ways to educate motorcyclists. Should they try to become newspaper columnists, or host a radio call-in show? They settled on a spiral-bound manual, drawing upon Randy’s decades of experience and Leigh’s ability to write clear prose.
The book, newly available in softcover, may sound like a good way to hurt business. Randy, 58, even touts the guide as a money-saver that will help bikers avoid $100-an-hour mechanics like himself.
He’s not overly concerned about a loss of work, however. He has taught bikers how to do their own tune-ups for years. The reason is simple.
“I can’t work on all the bikes in the world,” he said.
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
Events
Motorcycle safety check and control adjustments: 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; Randy’s Cycle Shop, 3418 Rucker Ave., Everett; 425-339-5592; free
Book discussion: 2 p.m. Sunday, Everett Public Library main auditorium, 2702 Hoyt Ave.; 425-257-8000; free
Tips from the Ellises
Keep it running: Kick it over or crank your motorcycle once a month to keep the engine from freezing. If you let it sit, it will lock up. If you want your bike to run in the spring, ride it all winter. Sure, it’s cold, but there are days when you can take it for a 3-mile ride and get the oils working.
Winterize it: If a battery sits idle for 3 months, it can die, so invest in a trickle charger. Also, wash the motorcycle thoroughly, dry it and coat all the chrome with a thin film of Vaseline to protect the metal from rust. Finally, cover it or store it inside.
Monitor it: Check the lights; if the rear light goes out, you’re in trouble, since you only have one. Keep the tires properly inflated, often between 30 and 35 psi. Under-inflated tires can detract from your handling and stability.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
