Lean-off

IMS DC 2012

2012-01-20T16:22:00.000-05:00

After skipping 2 years, I decided to return to the International Motorcycle Show in DC this year.

I finally met an RC8!

My wife and 8-month-old son joined me, and the youngest of us pretty much set the pace :) I didn't get as many photos as I had hoped, but I snapped a few and got the chance to sit on some pretty wicked bikes.

It was great to see Motus Motorcycles showing DC some love and bringing their MST to the show (at Battley's tent)! The other small-time start-ups that I follow didn't seem to consider DC a necessary stop (I'm talking to you, Zero and Brammo). I'm totally excited about what Motus is bringing to the table, and it's great to see their president in-person when they take to the road.

I was really surprised to see the Erik Buell Racing 1190 at the show. The Dream Pavilion, which featured a handful of you'll-probably-never-see-one-of-these bikes, had Erik Buell's latest 2-wheel jet on display in all its carbon fiber glory. I only managed a picture of the front squeezer...

Good times - 2012 is not going to be a sleeper on the motorcycle front!

Wanting it all

2011-12-31T09:03:00.003-05:00

Ever since I had the pleasure of beholding the Motus MST sport tourers, I've been asking myself why I spent so much time and money turning our SV650 into a tourer.

I mean, don't get me wrong, the SV is a wonderful, approachable machine that is capable of more than I am. But I do have a supersport 600 with fully adjustable front and rear suspension, opposed-piston calipers, and gobs of power. So every time I take the SV, I'm leaving behind a more capable bike.

I've been pondering - why tour the SV, with it's economical components, when I could instead tour the bike with top-shelf parts? Well, it doesn't take long to come up with the first answer to that question: tour the SV because there isn't a part or modification you can't get for it. Framework for hard luggage, hand guards, adjustable foot pegs, mirrors - just visit Twisted Throttle and tell the website you've got a 2nd gen SV. It'll shower you with ways to throw away your income on mods and all you need is a set of sockets. To be clear - this is not the case for the 2005-2006 Kawasaki ZX6R.

So I've been doing some research on what is available to sport-tour my 2006 ZX6R. I've narrowed down the list of ideal components to:

Handle bar risers (clip-on risers) - comfort
Adjustable foot pegs - comfort
Saddle bags (hard, ideally) - storage

And here's what I've found...

1. Handle bar risers

Convertibars were the first to come to mind, and they thankfully have a kit for my ZX.

But unfortunately they want a cool $400 for it. Yeeowch! It may very well be worth it, as their kits are insanely adjustable. But gosh, $400? I'd have to seriously stretch my budget to fit these in...

Apex Manufacturing (who?) slides into first with a $219 solution that actually looks like a compelling option.

Cheap man's Convertibars, to be blunt (which is not an insult).

There is a product called the Variobar Riser Kit. I've found little info about this, and it's one of those products where there's a basic kit, and then an application-specific part. Kneedraggers gives some sign of what's going on, but not enough to paint a full picture. So I'm not really considering this...

And the last option I've seen is an approach where you replace your top triple clamp with a custom part that accepts a one-piece handlebar. I want to be able to quickly get the ZX ready for the track, so I don't really consider this an option.

2. Adjustable foot pegs

The MFW Vario Footpegs at Twisted Throttle seem up to the task. $150 for a complete kit.

3. Saddle bags

Aside from DIY custom solutions, there really isn't a good way to mount hard saddle bags to the ZX (as far as I can find). The product closest to solving this problem, in my opinion, is the SLS kit by The Cycle Guys.

I've covered this product before - it's not ideal, but it's a pretty slick, bolt-on solution. I've contacted them about whether it will fit my ZX (which is not explicitly supported), but to be sure they'd have to see my passenger foot pegs. In the meantime, I've got a Pelican 1550 on my pillion, so I can carry stuff.

Conclusion

I don't have one. It looks like I can get more comfortable for ~$370, and really, that's the bulk of the problem when long-distancing my supersport. Any thoughts from the public?

Learn the easy way

2011-11-22T17:42:00.001-05:00

Motorcycle education is good. It helps keep you alive while having fun. Usually, it seems to entail taking some big, intimidating step - like doing a track day or conquering a challenging road on your full-sized, powerful street bike. Or at least that's how I've approached things thus far.

But one recent weekend, I had the pleasure of giving all I had to a Honda CRF 50F - a children's 50cc dirt bike with 3 speeds and no clutch. And let me tell you, guy - it was more fun that anyone should be allowed to have.

This was the first dirt bike I had ever ridden, and by the end of the weekend I was throwing the bike into turns, rear wheel spinning all the way through the corners. I had 2 major wipeouts that resulted in no pain to me or damage to the bike. You can practically ghost ride these little machines into the woods and pick them up with no major damage (one of us sorta did that, actually).

Low risk, big fun, and a better rider at the end.

Hand guards

2011-11-15T10:41:00.001-05:00

Background

We dumped our good-times MR2 to become a one-car family. One of the biggest reasons was to dedicate a parking spot (of which we have 2) to the motorcycles. Then we wouldn't have to move a car to get a bike out. So we moved both bikes to the new, vacant parking spot and times were good!

Problem

But there's another side to this coin. We only have one car, which means someone's going to have to drive a motorcycle through the winter (which is beginning to settle in). I'm all for the challenge, but it's been a while since I commuted through the winter on a motorcycle. So on a few recent, frosty mornings, I was clearly reminded of the 1st body parts to go numb - my fingers.

Solution?

I decided to give hand guards a try, and a wee bit of research led me to believe that OEM hand guards for the V-Strom 650 (DL650) would fit our 2007 SV650. I hit Ebay and snagged a DL650 OEM hand guard kit and waited for USPS to bring me my box. The delivery happend, and under an hour later the black hand guards were installed!

Conclusion

Installation

Installation was surprisingly easy. I thought I was only buying the guards, but it turned out to be a kit with all hardware included. I had a bit of trouble with the bar ends because of the rideitmoto aftermarket, bar-end mirrors. But things worked-out in the end - just like they did for this guy.

Appearance

They're pretty in-your-face. Big, black body work that surely takes away from the SV's nakedness. But whatevs - small price to pay for less-than-freezing digits.

Functionality

I've so far used them in moderate temperature, rain, and cold (but not below freezing). In the warm temps, you notice the wind isn't hitting your hands. In the rain, your gloves clearly stay dryer longer. And in the cold, it's pretty clear that your hands get colder much slower. But the temperature still finds its way in.

#motochat

2011-11-08T16:33:00.001-05:00

So I finally discovered #motochat - an organized topic on Twitter where motorcyclists talk it up on Fridays at 2pm EST. The details are available at the motochat web page.

It's neat to talk it up with a bunch of riders who all seem to take the activity pretty seriously. I mean, you can find this kind of motorcycle discussion on your thread-based forum of choice - but there's something different about the real-time chat. And the participants seem far more friendly than those I've found at the __fill_in_the_blank__ forum.

This weekly event has led me to a few internet personalities with interesting blogs about motorcycling, so I recommend jumping into a #motochat or two.

Fog prevention

2011-11-01T17:40:00.002-04:00

It's November, and it's cold. You know what that means, don't you? Time to get the warm gear out, zip the liners back in, grab the turtle furs and clavas, and start licking your glasses.

That's right - I've searched high and low the last few years for ways to ensure my glasses don't fog up when I'm sitting at traffic lights or stop signs in the cold. And can you guess which solution I've found? Spit. I'm far from the 1st to realize this - head over to altavista and search the netz. You'll see all kinds of tweeps recommending spit to prevent your glasses from fogging-up.

There are products of all kinds out there, but don't waste your $$$. Wet your finger, lick your lenses, or project your saliva - however you do it, rub it in afterward and enjoy miles of clarity. There is nothing more debilitating than steering a motor vehicle while blind.

Roadside repair

2011-10-29T10:04:00.001-04:00

On my way home from work yesterday, the rear tire felt like it slid (big time) around two turns. This seemed too coincidental - that there were two slick spots, both in turns at lighted intersections - so I pulled over to inspect.

My chain was crazy-loose. After some deliberation, I decided the axle must be loose enough to slide around when I roll-on. But I don't have my breaker bar or rear stand - how am I going to fix this? So I roll the dice and spill the contents of the SV650's toolkit onto The asphalt.

-BAM! Pliers - I can remove the rear axle nut's cotter pin.

-POW! 24mm wrench with extender. I had to work at it, but I was able to break the rear axle nut.

-BOOM! An open-ended wrench that fits the chain adjustment nuts at the ends of the swing arm.

A few minutes and some greasy hands later I was back on the road conquering off-ramps - rear staying true. I guess it's a little late for me to be learning this, but you can do a lot with the stock toolkit on a motorcycle.

o-`o

Mayorga Coffee

2011-10-19T17:04:00.000-04:00

I wanted to side-step rush hour traffic last Friday, so I spent the 2nd half of the day working from a coffee shop near Battley Cycles (where Motus Motorcycles graced us with the status of their ambitious work). I figured if I was already in the Gaithersburg area, it would be easy for me to roll a few extra miles to get to the event at 5pm.

And as luck would have it, I located a coffee shop of note not too far away in Rockville, MD - Mayorga Coffee Roasters.

View Larger Map

All Mayorga coffee is roasted a few blocks away from this coffee shop. You can find Mayorga coffee beans at Costco, Giant, and lots of other stores. So the product is local to all us DelMarVans. The baristas were very friendly, made me 2 double-shot Americanos in a small cup (which were very good), and talked up motorcycles at the end of my stay. Nothing like good conversation across a granite bar serving up joe.

I have to be honest, I don't plan on frequenting Rockville. But I can guarantee you that, should I find myself there again, I'll be making a B-line for Mayorga.

You can finally buy the SLS!

2011-10-17T17:11:00.000-04:00

When I first got the ZX, I was not impressed with the luggage solutions available. Was I surprised? I mean, it's a super sport, not a tourer…

Anyway, one of the rays of hope I had discovered was the SLS mounting system by thecycleguys.com. It was a neat semi-hard saddle bag system that mounted in place of the passenger foot pegs. They seemed pretty stylish and functional, so I followed them for many months until they delayed the product release so many times that I had lost hope.

But check it - they can now be had for a few select applications!

I still think it's a neat product, no doubt. A few positives that strike me:

Stylish
Expandable (can fit a helmet, but doesn't have to)
Good design - reusing a solid, load-bearing mount

But there are some negatives too:

Can't really lock them
Pricey

Unfortunately, the lack of security pretty much kills the deal for me. But the price is a serious detractor as well. I'm all for the ingenuity, and I hope they are really successful with these! Get people using those screaming inline 4's to get somewhere more than just the coffee shop! Congrats to The Cycle Guys for finally getting this one out the door!

Sucker for contests

2011-10-17T16:30:00.003-04:00

RevZilla (http://www.revzilla.com/) is rocking a $500 give-away for talking up "adventure riding." And a blog post buys you a few more entries!

http://bmwmoarally.com/motorcycle-adventure-blog-contest

I've never shopped at RevZilla before, but an initial perusal makes it clear that I'd have no trouble spending $500 there! Time to roll the dice!

Inspiration in Gaithersburg

2011-10-14T21:41:00.000-04:00

Motus Motorcycles made a stop in Gaithersburg, MD to show off their goods to a dealership and the local riders. They did not disappoint!

Their MST and MST-R prototypes were gorgeous. The fairings flow from the front of the bike toward its belly, where a massive ~1.6L V4 points its cylinder to the skies. The framing of the valve covers is a pretty sexy example of form and function. And the hardly-noticeable, tubular steel frame (and swingarm) hold together what amounts to a 500lb, 160hp monster that will put out gobs of torque at low RPMs. Actually, there's probably nothing this bike can't do at low RPMs.

The seat, and frame at the point of the seat, is unbelievably narrow compared with most bikes I've straddled. This makes for a very easy reach to the ground and even shorter riders will probably find this to be a very comfortable bike.

Motus's turn-around from inception to fruition has impressed the hell out of me - I remember not too long ago seeing the original napkin-style sketch of the bike. And already they've got a few that apparently ride like a dream. They expect to have these to market by the middle of 2012. You know somethin'? If money was no object, I'd by one and it'd be my street and track bike.

Smokies 2011

2011-10-12T17:02:00.003-04:00

Another lap around the sun, and we managed to fit in a trip to the Smokies. 28, The Cherohala Skyway, Deal's Gap - we bathed in the land of curvaceous asphalt and warm tires.

We introduced a newbie to the area this time around, and he was nothing less than impressed :)

Every year I question whether it's worth the 8 hour drive to get there. And every year (once I'm there) I conclude that it is absolutely worth it. This year was the first time I traveled down on two wheels (instead of towing). Aside from driving home straight through, while sick with a fever, I think I prefer doing the whole event with just the bike.

Who wants in next year?

o-`o

See me some MST

2011-10-07T18:55:00.001-04:00

The American startup casting the the hottest up-and-coming sport-tourer is headed to my neck of the woods!

http://motusmotorcycles.com/PDF/American%20Sport%20Tour%20template_1_Battley.pdf

Motus Motorcycles (http://motusmotorcycles.com/) is rocking a Northeastern tour with their MST prototypes and they are making a return stop in Gaithersburg, MD. I'm so there; I'm totally inspired by their quickness in developing what appears to be a powerhouse of a machine. A large, push rod V4? It's like American muscle in a European body.

Back in a week with pix!

o-`o

Smoky logistics

2011-09-12T21:09:00.002-04:00

A buddy of mine asked me today, "so what are the logistics for your upcoming trip to the Smokies?" I dove into our plan - two of us are heading down there on our bikes (instead of towing them behind the Element). This led to some baiting, which I totally fell for, where my friend told me the logistics seem more complicated when leaving the trailer behind.I disagree - allow me to polish off the last quarter of this Bell's Pale Ale and tell you why.

First of all, I have the trailer prep (and or repair) that I have not yet done this year. Taking the bikes down? No such prep required.

Second, I have the packing. If I'm taking the Element, I may as well pack it with all the safety net items (race stands, toolbox, every piece of gear I own, etc.). But if I'm taking the bike? Whatever fits in the trunks and my tank bag is it. I know what I *need* to take. So packing is easier, faster, and less stressful.

Third, you have the actual act of driving. There will be many miles of boring, straight highway - and of course the convenience of conquering those in a car surely has the motorcycles beat. But then you have the twisties that start not too long after Waynesville. While navigating the good roads with a trailer can be an exciting challenge, it can also be pretty nerve-wracking if you only do it once a year. And if you want to make the most of every twisty road encountered, you may as well be on 2 wheels as soon as possible.Time to recycle this bottle...

2-wheel_errands

2011-09-11T13:08:00.001-04:00

Way-late, but I finally executed my first errand of the summer on my Genesis Track One.

Good times - best transportation for dollar spent. Ever.

Tail end of the year...

2011-09-02T19:39:00.001-04:00

Free time has been sparse since May when Declan unwillingly (but hopefully not regretfully) exited the womb...

But alas, the last 1/4 of the year is upon us and it brings the usual 2-wheeling action: a dash to the Smokies for some endless twisties and a long haul to South Carolina for a weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park.

Oh. Hell. Yes.

More to come on the lead-up to and execution of these adventures, as I know the whole 1 or 2 of you are anxiously waiting!

-- FireGlass says

No love for the Northeast

2011-07-05T05:47:00.003-04:00

Motus is taking their sweet MST prototypes out for a long touring run. And you can even meet them along the way to have a look at their machines! But the Midatlantic/Northeast is out of luck :(

I'll tumble for ya...

2011-06-27T21:40:00.005-04:00

I wanted to try out Tumblr. I gush motorcycle obsession.

Two Wheel Tool.

Free parking...

2011-06-27T07:08:00.001-04:00

... at the Vienna Metro! +1 for motorcycling.

If you haven't ridden yet this year...

2011-06-15T16:42:00.005-04:00

...you ought to make Monday your target.

See you out there on the 20th!

Much better

2011-06-09T12:38:00.008-04:00

I finally installed a stock exhaust on my 2006 ZX6R. My ears, my neighbors, and the sedans next to me on the highway all rejoiced in response to my properly-muffled maiden voyage. A sort of sensory salvation.

A while back I landed a Craigslist deal on the parts I needed to replace a deafening aftermarket tin can on my Kawi. But the parts sat in the basement for months until recently. A few short stints tinkering, buying hardware, etc. and:

purrr...

Yeah. That's how is sounds now. Instead of an obnoxious, raspy smoker's voice of an exhaust, my flat blue, two-wheeled road jet now sounds civilized, tuned - almost perfect. And I can already feel a torquier low end. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

All's not awesome, though. I had no solution to the missing stock fender that would hold a license plate. And the previous setup was all bent up and stupid. I didn't want to buy a - dare I say the gross phrase - fender eliminator, so I used spare hardware and angle aluminum I had in the basement:

So here we are. How do we look? Cuz I already know we sound frackin' awesome.

Much respect.

2011-05-27T11:29:00.004-04:00

All this...

...on a CBR125R. Hells to the yeah.

Oh how versatile...

2011-05-24T16:25:00.014-04:00

Today was the 2nd time I transported a 19" LCD monitor on the Ess Vee, so I decided to take a few pix.

An achievement worth writing home about? Maybe not. But it reminds me how far motorcycle luggage can go. I'm always impressed with what I can fit in these Pelican 1550s, and now I've added computer displays to the list.

A little extra effort and these high performance 2-wheelers can increase fun, save on gas money and provide the flexibility to carry cargo.

A Return from Paranoia

2011-05-13T14:28:00.002-04:00

I've ranted before about concerns from behind. I spend a lot of time scanning my mirrors and tucking my elbows into my body so I can see who's following me, and how closely. While I think this can be a healthy habit, it can quickly become obsessive. You can't look ahead while you're looking behind, so this can be a delicate trade-off. But is it a trade-off worth making at all?

I installed a set of rideitmoto.com's mirrors a few weeks ago. On a recent trip to work, I realized something was different - I was not looking behind me. I mean, unless I was preparing to change lanes or merge, I was not looking behind me at all. These bar-end mirrors do not land if my field of view unless I deliberately look through them. This is a serious departure from what I'm used to, where stock motorcycle mirrors seem to be visible while looking forward (even if only enough to remind you of their presence).

So I've been thinking. For quite some time now, I've strived to be all-knowing - to maximize my situational awareness on the road and cover as large a radius as my limited organic RAM allows. I believe I used the word obsessive earlier? But what's it buy me? I know I have the training to deal with what's ahead. But what am I going to do about the potential actions of the vehicles behind me?

I've had trouble answering these questions, so I'm left considering these sentiments: what's in front of me is paramount and the rest may simply be distraction.

Wantz to see!

2011-05-06T15:42:00.009-04:00

I remember hearing about this potentially awesome flick a few months ago:

TT3D: Closer to the Edge

And it appears I've been sleeping, as it was released in the US on 4/22 (at least, TT3D's imdb page says so). But I can't find playing anywhere :(

Looks like I may have to wait for to offer it, but according to what I've read, it may very well be worth the wait!

Update (5/7)
It appears that TT3D may still be in negotations for a US release, as stated by this review. So there's still hope!

Glass I can work with

2011-05-01T18:59:00.025-04:00

Problem

The mirrors on our SV have to be adjusted way too often. If I wasn't the last to ride it, I'd have to adjust them. If the all-weather cover was removed (every time the bike is ridden), the mirrors have to be adjusted. If the bike is ridden long enough, the mirrors have to be adjusted because vibration shakes them loose. When they get loose enough, a wrench is required to lock them back into place. There appears to be a ball joint at the back of the mirror, but it's either frozen solid or it isn't actually a ball joint. Who knows. Bottom line, they are not convenient for frequent adjustment.

For 6 months or so, I have been considering rideitmoto.com's billet mirrors as a replacement. And last week, I decided to finally give them a try.

Initial Reaction

The mirrors, stems, and end caps feel like high-quality parts. They are even pretty to look at. The mirrors seem a little small, but when held at arms length, their convex surface actually provides a surprising field of view. The blue tint on the glass is a curious thing ... well, whatevas, we'll see what's up once they're on.

Installation

I removed the old, weighted bar ends and installed the new bar ends, which go through the new mirrors' stems. I'm not sure why so many different spacer rings were provided, as it appears only one mates the provided bar end to the big hole in the mirror stem. Maybe those rings are for re-using your stock bar ends? That surely wasn't an option on this 2007 SV650. Anyway, unlike the stock SV bar ends (which mount with an expanding rubber grommet) the rideitmoto's billet bar ends mount with a metal expanding thingy. Unfortunately, the expanding metal doohicky starts its life at a very small diameter. So you have to get the expansion started in your hands. Vice grips or plyers to grab the inside (round) nut are necessary to keep the nut from spinning. I opted for the bloody hand method. Either way, you'll eventually get to the point where it's of a diameter that fits snugly into the bike's handle bars.

A bit of adjustment, tightening at all 3 joints (bar end to bar, mirror stem to bar end, mirror to stem), and voila, new mirrors! The only issue was clearance for the clutch and brake levers. If squeezed all the way, they made contact with the mirrors stems. But I solved this by loosening the bar clamp for the clutch and brake levers and slid it inward just a bit. Now the ball end of the levers fit in right next to the mirror stems.

Usage

These mirrors are small. The is no getting around the fact that you are sacrificing field of view by switching to these mirrors. That said, they still serve their functional purpose if adjusted correctly. I found I had to give up seeing both behind me and the lane next to me. Otherwise I would have to accept a very large blindspot.

Thankfully, these mirrors deliver most where I hoped they would. They adjust very easily since the mirrors mount to their stems with very snug ball joints. So you can adjust one at a stop light, but the joint is snug enough not to vibrate or accidentally knock out of your setting.

Conclusion

A test ride for an americano proved that the mirrors solve my problem. And personally, I think they are a nice piece of kit. But what will Megan think next time she hops on?

Flash Ride

2011-04-14T09:02:00.011-04:00

Caribou Coffee @ Fairfax Corner, 1:30pm

Spontaneity is the key. I want a reason to ride that doesn't come solely from my own motivation to get on the bike with no destination in mind. I want a social aspect to motorcycling, but I don't want to plan anything. Accommodating everyone is a pain.

Flash Ride is the answer.

Broadcast the ride (time, location).

Show up.

Anyone on the wire will see your ride. If they're in, they'll show up. You don't have to ask anyone; you don't have to wait for their responses. It's so damn efficient, itn't it?

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now. This is a new take on getting together to ride, but you do the riding alone. You pick your own route, you don't have to keep up with anyone, and you get to talk it up over coffee when you get to the destination. What you do from there is up to you, but the game is being there on time. There's a silent accountability you develop if you show up, if you're a regular, if you are always the 1st one there, etc. Or maybe you're that guy that broadcasts a ride and doesn't show up.

It's an alternative that's quicker and easier than gathering everyone at a meeting place, and then riding together. In the classic approach to a "ride," you get a mix of skill levels and when the group breaks up you're stuck playing traffic control. Time to spend less time in the rear view and more time safely reaching a destination.

And back to the keyword: spontaneity. Are you broadcasting a ride with a time of 1 hour from now? Or 6? It's all on the table.

You dig? I dig - getting this going on a website (or even just an e-mail list) is still on my to-do list...

Sold to Carmax

2011-02-25T20:55:00.007-05:00

Why
Saves us money
No longer need to pay VA car tax, registration, insurance, or to fill it with gas.

Saves me time
One less vehicle to maintain (oil changes, etc.).

Easy in/out with the bikes!
Now I don't have to move a car to use a two wheeler!

Guest parking
Our neighborhood is parking-challenged. Now we can at least ensure we have one spot handy for a visitor

Carmax
Wow, talk about a no bullsh*t business. They buy cars. They sell cars. Two independent operations and you can participate in one, both, or none. There is no discussion beyond how the process works, and they do not waste your time. I was impressed (with them and their offer for the car). Sold.

Winter blues

2011-01-22T20:20:00.005-05:00

I haven't ridden since my last post when I picked up some craigslisted ZX6R parts. In all honesty, those parts are still in the trunks of Megan's SV.

It's cold. The beloved asphalt is laced with sand, gravel, and salt. There's snow in the forecasts. These are the street bike blues.

Stocking up...

2011-01-01T21:56:00.007-05:00

Or stocking back? Well, whatever phrase sounds more marketable, I'm on the return my bike to stock bandwagon. There are lots of reasons why, like failed aftermarket tail lights and painfully-loud exhausts. The latter is my current inspiration.

I was lucky enough to find a Craigslisting in my area for a stock 2005 Kawasaki ZX6R exhaust. It should be the same piece that was originally fitted to my 2006. The buy even included the stock cable pulley that mounts to the exhaust servo motor under the pilot's seat. So I should have all I need to return my exhaust to stock.

Why would I want to bother? Well, first and foremost, because the Cobra aftermarket can that's fitted to my 2006 is annoying. It's way too loud and fitting an aftermarket exhaust for sound is just not reflective of who I am, so I want it off. Second, it's ugly as heck now that I had to put the stock rear blinkers back on. Third, there some voices on the forums that say nothing performs as well as the stock 2005/2006 ZX6R exhaust with the exhaust valve and servo motor working (taking this with a huge grain of salt). So it seems like there's little (if anything) to lose.

Kudos to Megan's SV and the Pelican 1550s for being able to fit a stock 2005 ZX6R exhaust. That thing is much larger than I anticipated...

Honda Element + Digression ...

2010-12-28T18:04:00.005-05:00

I heard from a friend a few weeks ago that Honda was going to stop manufacturing the Element. Sure enough, a Google search confirmed that 2011 is going to be the last year.

It's sad because there's no substitute for the Element. We bought one in 2007 because it could be had with a manual transmission, the rear seats can be easily and completely removed, and it could easily be equipped with a class 3 hitch.

The Element is a no-bullshit vehicle. It's heavy and completely non-aerodynamic. But it has nothing to hide - in turn for those problems it exposes an unadulterated void to fill through huge, b-pillarless openings.

Ten minutes is all it takes for me to remove *and* carry the rear seats into the basement. After that I can treat the cargo area like a truck bed because the interior absorbs nothing.

And after I fill this thing with _fill_in_the_blank_, I can enjoy my twisty roads the way I like to. The Element may be heavy, but you can still throw it into turns as Honda did an amazing job suspending the awkward-looking body.

I'm sad to see a truly utilitarian, general-purpose vehicle fall by the wayside. Worse, we are losing an option that's fun to drive and came in stick.

It costs gobs of money to get a vehicle approved for sale in these United States. Since the likes of the Element appear to satisfy few, I don't plan on seeing more like it. Here's hoping regulations stay away from motorcycles. Otherwise, I'm guessing the cost to enter will stifle uniqueness and innovation. And really, NHTSA, how are you going to help us if we decide to ride to work exposed on two wheels? Maybe you can start with traffic lights that actually sense us and put off stupidities like mandated ABS? Huh?

I want to get excited...

2010-12-22T22:04:00.015-05:00

...about the Progressive International Motorcycle Show coming to DC next month, but it's nearly impossible. Why? Well, for starters, the very same show in Long Beach, CA is so significant that it warrants its own article at motorcycle.com. But if last year was any gauge, Washingtonians get a watered-down version of the show. Avi and I went on Friday last year and it was a pretty weak experience.

Off the top of my head, here's why the event sucks:

It's winter.

We have to pay? Are you kidding? It's an advertisement fest.

None of the reps seemed all that interested in talking it up.

It's pretty awesome to have a motorcycle show land near your door. But give us a good reason to go! I mean seriously, I'm seeing pix of Keith Code's gadgetry on that review of the Long Beach show. Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies - any chance they're gonna make it out to the Washington Convention Center next month? I have my doubts...

I think the video from the International Motorcycle Show's website sums it up:

*sigh*...

Yikes...

2010-11-30T20:30:00.008-05:00

I don't know, maybe I don't go out much. But a short, 40-mile round tripper to a Dr. appointment today exposed me to two of the most insane, near-accident situations I've seen in the passed few years.

The oblivious
Not even a block away from the Old Town Alexandria practice I visited, we were following an Outback through a string of green lights when lo-and-behold, some one going way over 25 MPH comes flying through an intersection perpendicular to us (running a red that's been red for quite some time). I had more than enough following distance to slow comfortably while the Outback stopped short and turned to the right as the oblividiot slammed on the brakes and came to a halt. Both cars remained a still life photo of near disaster, inches between them as everyone looked on and waited to see how the suspense would end. 30 seconds later, both cars drove off.

The indecisive
Then, on 495 North we took the left exit for 66 West behind an 8th Gen Civic, who decided after exiting that he was going to veer back onto 495N. In the middle of his violent dash to the right, immediately in front of the water-filled crash barriers, he decided to undo his nearly complete veer and turn back to the exit lane for 66 West. The suspension never settled from his initial veer to the right, which made for some very active body roll in a car I rarely see move at all on its struts. If it was an SUV this confused highway driver would have rolled it.

WTF?! Pay attention to what you're doing on public roads, PLEASE!

Confidence!

2010-11-22T19:03:00.017-05:00

For the third year in a row, we made it down to Kershaw, SC to ride Carolina Motorsports Park with Sportbike Track Time.

I was just reviewing the notes I took after each session, and confidence is the word of the weekend. I was carrying more speed into corners, getting on the throttle harder and earlier on exit, and reaching higher speeds on the straights. I think I finally get it, though raw speed and hard braking are still my biggest mental challenges. Of course, my accolades this week came after much coaching from the experts!

By the end of this 2-day stint, track days went from being a challenging experience for me to being fun in its most extreme, thrilling form. As the fear dwindles, the positive excitement just gushes.

As usual thanks to Megan for shooting (even though I didn't bring the heavy optical artillery)!

CMP 2010 prep complete!

2010-11-14T16:15:00.003-05:00

Thank goodness. I'll refrain from sharing the laundry list, but all that remains are a few minor to-dos and this train is ready to leave!

Off Topic #1

2010-11-10T09:38:00.037-05:00

Thought I'd take a minute to rant about some cool, off-topic stuff that's been making my world a happier place the last few months...

Field Notes

Contrary to popular belief (Megan), I got into Field Notes after RetroThing retweeted a video link about how these little notebooks are produced. After seeing the vid, I just had to try them out. I use small, cheapo, spiraled notebooks to keep records for our vehicles (maintenance, repairs, etc. - my Dad taught me to do this). Those notebooks suck, and the more you flip through them, the more they suck. Eventually, the pages start falling out.

So I decided to see how much better little notebooks could get. To put Field Notes to the test, I recorded notes after each session last weekend at CMP.

It feels good to use a product that performs well and has a neat story behind it.
Field Notes perform well and the production story behind them is neat.
:. Field Notes make me feel good.

The Impossible Project

I've learned to love all image recording technologies, but I have a soft spot for black and white film. I'm a year out of practice developing film, though I'm always aiming to get back in gear. My need to capture stills with style was kept at bay when The Impossible Project released their PX 600. I bought a cheap Polaroid camera off Craigslist so I could give this stuff a whirl. And it was fun!

It's not the same as shooting Neopan in my N75, but it allowed me to experiment with monochrome film and reminded me how magical analog photography is. All I had to do was substitute money for time spent developing! Impossible's PX 600 comes out to ~$2/image, and because it's a bit experimental you won't get the image you want every time. But there's a place for experimental, instant, analog photography, and I plan to visit that place when I can...

The AeroPress

It takes an addiction and turns it into a connoisseurism. It uncovers the flavor that people used to have to work hard to extract, and does so in a simple, repeatable fashion. It's the coffee brewer you've been waiting your whole life for and it's made by the same company whose frisbees flew over the horizon when you were a kid. It is the AeroPress by Aerobie (say wha?!).

Thursday thoughts

2010-10-21T22:07:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the sustainability of this activity comes to the forefront of my mind. Gas, electric - it doesn't really matter. It's the spirit of the activity - complete, individual control of high-powered machinery that is grossly unnecessary...

...but there is so much value in the practice and discipline required to skillfully operate these machines. It's mentally and physically challenging. It satisfies a need to live on the edge, but your comfort envelope forces you to earn that exhileration...

Are there others, non-motor-powered ways to achieve whatever end I'm after? Probably...

-- Pixi says

Documentary

2010-10-14T07:34:00.007-04:00

I found an e-mail in my inbox one evening - something to the tune of:

Mycroft has subscribed to your YouTube channel

My what? I have a YouTube account? More alarming, I have my own channel?! I had two natural reactions to this event...

I must reciprocate - chances are this Mycroft has a channel as well.

Holy crap, I need to get a video up there - my surprise channel has nothing to watch!

So that night I decided I was going to record my morning routine starting with my 6:30am alarm.

Tail light disintegration

2010-09-19T21:00:00.015-04:00

I'm sure smart buyers are well aware of the lesson I just learned for the millionth time. I'm willing to wager these smart buyers actually apply what they've learned when buying a used motorcycle and aim to bag a bone-stock machine. Why? A previous post comes to mind. Unfortunately, I'm still learning to learn from my mistakes, and my beloved ZX had it's share of customizations performed by the previous owner.

These customizations included an integrated tail light/turn signal. I guess it cleans up the bike and makes for a sleeker tail section. But it also decreases visibility (since the LED cluster in the aftermarket part is sub-par when compared with the LEDs from the factory unit) and it makes it harder to telegraph your intentions to the driver behind you. Right and left turn signals encased within a single, 5-inch light fixture - in the middle of the vehicle. This makes me less than confident that my turn signal is getting the point across to the half driving, half teleconferencing motorist to my aft.

Laziness kept me driving with this language barrier until it actually began to fail. First a handful of the brake-purposed LEDs fell silent, then a handful of the left turn signal-purposed LEDs. This pathetic excuse for a light had to be replaced.

So replace I did. Some soldering and some resurrection of factory parts (which the previous owner was kind enough to include) gave me clear-as-can-be tail lights and rear turn signals. Communication restored!

However, now there's a gaping void within the stock rear turn signals and the body work they come attached to. The previous owner fitted a Cobra aftermarket exhaust. The rear of the motorcycle looks pretty hideous right now, but I think I can live with it for a while knowing I'll be seen. Now to find a stock exhaust...

Cold. Track. Gloves.

2010-09-16T21:36:00.007-04:00

Gluttons for punishment! Or maybe it's just that everyone's always available the weekend before the official Giving of Thanks? Or maybe it's the dash - the *last* track day of the year. It's now or never (never == Spring). But we're rocking CMP once again this November for the 2-day weekend of high speed activity.

Why gluttons for punishment? Because for the past 2 (three?) years, it's been *freezing*. Racing around the track with all the layers you can fit under your leathers and then camping out in the paddock in less-than-freezing temperatures isn't exactly the most convenient way to do a track weekend. There's been talk of over-nighting in a hotel, but I dunno...I want the full experience. So we'll see :)

Back to the point - Mike made clear his disappointment that I considered it acceptable to ride the Smokies with this, and so I've been forced to deal with an expensive problem I've been pretending I didn't know about:

So confronted with another track day and the knowledge that it's time to replace my most track-appropriate gloves, I've been searching. Because of the yearly visit to CMP in the cold (and sometimes wet), I believe these are the best solution:

The Alpinestars Storm Rider. Not only does newenough.com have good things to say about them, but there are comments sprinkled about the intertubes that claim this glove provides warmth without sacrificing protection (which seems to be rare). Gore-Tex FTW! Now to stare at the price for a few more days (weeks?)...

So speaking of the Smokies, I'll cover that in a different post. It's hard to sum up a week out there - and where the Dragon trips started out as get-as-many-miles-in-as-possible-on-the-awesome-roads trips, they've turned into a mix of seeing the sites/hikes as well as conquering some amazing roads. I like the change, but I always leave wishing I spent more time on the roads...

Good coffee near the Dragon!

2010-09-10T11:32:00.001-04:00

Stucco House Coffee Roasters near downtown Murphy, NC. They roast their own beans and bake their own pastries.

This is reason enough to stay in Andrews from now on!

-- Pixi says

En route to Andrews, NC

2010-09-06T05:24:00.001-04:00

Some unexpected rides turned the Civic rescue weekend into a mini moto vacation!

Now it's off to the Smokies - another early morning...

-- Pixi says

DIY Fail.

2010-09-05T08:35:00.010-04:00

So our 1st stop on our road trip was Suffolk to rescue a rejected Honda Civic. My bro-in-law got reamed at inspection for both front lower control arms and a front motor mount (among other things), so we thought we have a repair party since the labor costs were going to be...high.

Step one: remove the sway bar links.
Anyone who's removed sway bar links on a car with more than 10 miles on it knows that you put your sockets back in the toolbox and grab a hacksaw. After expending way more energy than those little bastards are worth, the front suspension was free of the sway bar and it was time to start undoing the lower control arm mounting bolts. Oh yeah, add new sway bar links to the parts store list.

Step two: remove control arm bolts
Our longest breaker bar with the jack handle slid over it gave us enough leverage to turn the front mounting bolt on the control arm. Wonderful, progress! Yeah, not so much. The bolt had frozen to the metal sleeve of the bushing, so we were turning the whole bushing. I'll avoid the gory details and just say that I'm pretty sure we'd have needed a cutting torch of sorts to beat this one...

Step three: drive your broken sh*t to a mechanic.
So we reattached what we could, tied the sway bar into a fixed position, and drove it to the professionals (who said things like, "they're just not fun to work on anymore" and "that's the risk you run when you try it yourself").

Step four: saddle-up!
So there we were, feeling beaten. Adam's got a bike; we had a trailer with two motorcycles on it...

Chalk up one more Saturday in Suffolk.

Locked n' loaded...

2010-09-03T16:28:00.009-04:00

The Suzaki duo is strapped-down.

Megan squeezed in a few hours of work before her telecon, which went quite well!

Just got the locomotive packed-up.

Closing this all with a short glass and some internet time. Tomorrow morn we just back the E to the coupler, hook up, and wave g'bye to the cats! Time to rock the Smokies! Well, after a preliminary waypoint...

Leaning-off in a left-hander

2010-08-30T16:30:00.010-04:00

Right leg wrapped around; joining centripital force to keep you but inches from the ground.

Right arm pulling, left pushing.

Push/pull eases to equilibrium as the asphalt straightens; not without your legs and torso returning weight to your right peg.

Head, shoulders, waist complete half an arc demanded by the ess, whose second half awaits as you mirror these actions.

Pelicans pelicans pelicans...

2010-08-25T09:04:00.017-04:00

Hard bags turn a bike into something useful. Sure, there are a bunch of soft bag solutions out there that can join forces to create a Voltron-esque container to store your belongings. But in my opinion? Soft bags suck. They aren't really lockable, they are annoying as hell to fiddle with when you're looking for something you packed toward the bottom. And before you know it, you've deformed your pack job to the point where you need to start all over again. UGH!!!! With a hard bag, you just smoosh everything back in and latch it. No deformation.

If I'm stuck on a bike without hard luggage, I consider myself to be using an inadequate tool of transportation. So it was with great pleasure today that I was able to place my Almax chain, backpack, and lunch into a Pelican 1550 (as opposed to a Joe Rocket tail bag that was hardly up to the task).

When I bought the ZX, the seller gave me one of those slick seat cowls that match the contours of the bike and replace the pillion seat. So I unbolted the frame from the cowl and reattached it to one of Megan's Pelican saddle bags. Much to Megan's satisfaction, this gave us the excuse to finally buy a matching orange Pelican and now her bike looks more presentable in all its VT colors!

That black Pelican 1550 started out on the SV650S, was moved to the SV650, and now has its home on the rear of the ZX. The bottom of the case is starting to look like Swiss cheese, but it's still holding strong and here's hoping it serves me well on the 636!

Trailer, 2010

2010-08-23T21:13:00.007-04:00

Usually I get the trailer back in action in the Spring, but this year took a different course and here I am spinning the trailer up in August. Better late than never, yeah?

Every year brings a different list than the last, and this one included a license plate/tail light bracket that sheared, a failed right-hand tail light, and some rewiring. That's in addition to the yearly repacking of the wheel bearings. It appears the Harbor Freight trailer mediocrity exists outside my social circle:

How to fix Harbor Freight’s 48 x 96″ 1150lb trailer with 12″ wheels

James's post above is priceless - I'm sure I'll be referring to that a few more times. Thanks to the broken pieces of information on the blogs, forums, and parts suppliers that lace our intertubes, we continue to hobble along with HF Model 90154.

September will see us down in the Smokies for our 2010 taste of the twisties. And I'll be damned if Old Red isn't the 1st thing I see every time I check the rear view.

Wednesday thoughts...

2010-08-11T19:51:00.013-04:00

Tat tags?

What's a tat? Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot that all motorcyclists have tattoos. Well, since they do, of course they will like sheet metal cut into recognizable shapes! How ...creative.

Moving right along, I've been testing this new GPS logger application on my WebOS-based phone. I dig! I'm thinking it will prove useful in the future for capturing awesome routes I stumble upon (more on this in a future post).

While I was sitting at a red light today, thinking about the logger recording my whereabouts, I spotted a sedan with a big 'ol Papa John's wart half attached to the rear passenger side window. It was a knarly thing with its tentacles reaching in through the cracked-open window and two big, nasty suction cups holding it on from the outside. Oh yeah, and a tail wrapped around the frame that came to an end with a cigarette lighter connector. Ugly.

I'm sure PJ figured that this was a great idea - get the name out there so people will call in for orders. That's a shame, because when I see it, these are the things that come to mind:

Wow, PJ's too cheap to buy delivery mobiles and lets employees rack up the miles on their own machines.

That's the ugliest contraption I've even seen.

Let me get 2 lanes away from that thing before it falls on me.

I wonder if that cord can even reach the cigarette lighter.

Do those appendages have to be DOT approved?

Those are probably not the kind of negative, doubtful thoughts you want your name to inspire. Hell, after writing this post, Papa John's is embedded in my head as a big nasty thing that finds and attaches itself to your car when you're not watching. Look out!!!

Downsides of my ZX

2010-07-13T07:48:00.005-04:00

So I've been recently questioning the choice I made back in December when I replaced my 2001 SV650S with a 2006 ZX6R. Some of the benefits I've always attributed to riding a motorcycle actually don't apply to this 636cc supersport. Let me explain...

First of all, don't get me wrong. The ZX is bleeding-edge performance packed into a gorgeous flat-blue paint job. It's just jaw-dropping to operate this thing. But I've come to the realization that the additional costs of owning and driving this bike are frustrating.

Take, for example, insurance. I actually don't insure the bike with any collision coverage - way too expensive. However, I do have comprehensive coverage. Guess how much: $118/year. Okay, maybe that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but let me put it in perspective: comprehensive costs $28/year for Megan's 2007 SV650.

And then there's fuel costs. Sure, it gets better gas mileage than a car, but its 12.9:1 compression ratio requires the highest octane available at the pump. So far, it costs as much per mile in fuel to drive the ZX as it does to drive our 2004 Toyota MR2.

I had my eyes set on a supersport 600 after our last track weekend at CMP. I felt I was beginning to exceed the capabilities of my SV's suspension, and wanted to upgrade. I'm sure my next visit to the track will remind me of this. However, I'm learning there's a price to be paid if you want high performance on hand.

I was quoted!

2010-07-07T20:49:00.002-04:00

I had a fun conversation with Patrick May of the San Jose Mercury News about Tesla's Model S. And he quoted me!

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15460745?nclick_check=1

Rock on with the Tesla coverage, Pat!

-- Pixi says

Review: Genesis Track One

2010-07-01T15:17:00.023-04:00

I mentioned previously that I solicited Wal Mart for one of their fine products - the Genesis Track One fixed-gear bicycle. Being a completely inexperienced cyclist, I'm going to go ahead and review the non-motorized machine. A friend wanted a review and, well, to be honest, I wanted to write one. So here goes.

Assembly...

...was easy! Just attach the handle bars, front wheel, pedals, and seat. The rear wheel and crank came assembled. And surprisingly, the assembled parts weren't full of rounded nuts from assemblers that didn't give a sh*t and used adjustable wrenches. I mean, they may very well have used adjustable wrenches, but the evidence wasn't grossly overwhelming.

I had to flip the rear wheel around as it came ready for riding as a single-speed free-wheeler. But I wanted to jump right into fixed-gear riding. So now my directional tire is rotating the wrong way. Wonder if that's slowing me down...

Anyway, to conclude assembly, let's just say I spent more time removing stickers than I did actually assembling the bicycle!

Appearance...

...is eh. From 10 feet away, the bike looked like it consisted mostly of paint (and minimally of decals). But alas, they actually used decals to blend the different colors together on the frame. I still tore all the decals off, though, because I hate stickers. And thankfully, they weren't too difficult to remove. I was disappointed because I thought the bike was black and white when I saw it on the website, but it's actually sparkly midnight blue and white.

The bike shipped with a chain guard on the crank sprocket. *Removed*. Also came with a kickstand! *Removed*. Why? I don't know - poking around on the internet taught me that cool people remove these things. And I wanted to be cool.

Anyway, after trimming, the bike looked simple, clean, and respectable (as if I even had something to compare it to). I will note that I'm impressed with how nicely the handle bars were wrapped. It's not coming apart or anything. Sure, it hasn't been very long. But it just seems like it was done well.

Performance...

...is respectable? Gosh, I don't know - I mean, it rolls pretty good. The brakes are a little disappointing, but I think that's because I'm use to dual front disks with opposed-piston calipers. This wheel-squeezing stuff is for the birds, I tell ya. I've looked into putting disc brakes on this thing, but it appears the hub needs to support that. And these JoyTech hubs surely don't have a mount for brake discs.

Anyway, I've probably put about 20-30 miles on the bike and I find it is particularly solid. I really like riding it around - it's easy to use, and it feels like maintenance will be almost non-existent for this bike (aside from chain cleaning). The gearing seems reasonable, and only the worst of hills and reasonable downhills cause me to run outside my pedaling capabilities.

Mods

You got shocks, pegs... lucky!

Well, I don't got that, but I do got a few other upgrades! The most significant of which is a lighter front wheel! I swept Craigslist for any goodies I could use to improve my new two-willer, and I found a guy selling a brand new Forte Titan front wheel! So that saved me a pound. Dumb wheel was made for a presta valve though, and the tube that came with my bike was shrader-valved. My friend Dewalt and a 21/64" bit helped me remedy that problem. And believe it or not, the tire that shipped with the Track One managed to mount on the narrower, 13mm Titan. Score!

Otherwise I added a water bottle holder (for which there are existing holes on the diagonal frame tube). And a slick little bar end mirror. Now I can see Megan trying to pass me with all her gears! Grrr...

Conclusion

I didn't expect much from the second bicycle I bought from Wal Mart. But it's acting like it wants to hang around for a while. And I'm loving the simplicity and silence of fixed-gear action. So if you're curious, and you want to try it, my experience so far says you won't be mistaken with the $150 Genesis Track One.

For what it's worth!

PS - pictures to come when I get some time...

Concerns from behind

2010-06-28T14:55:00.017-04:00

I love the track because you rip your mirrors off and you give the asphalt in front of you all you got. It's simple (though difficult). We're all out there trying to do exactly the same thing, so predictability is on our side. And we don't have to be concerned with what's going on behind us.

If only the street was the same way. But it's not, and the safest drivers, in my opinion, are 360-degree aware. Concerned with who, if anyone, is tail-gaiting; sure of what's behind when considering an unpredictable maneuver, etc. And particularly on the motorcycle, considering the rear view before chopping the throttle or braking hard.

That last point is worth expanding-upon. Chopping the throttle and braking. I'm sure I'm the billionth person to recognize that throttling-off on a motorcycle can often take the place of braking. There is a relatively violent deceleration on most of the motorcycles I've ridden. It's nice because you can spend less time on the brake and use one input control to regulate your speed - both for corner entry and exit in addition to simply managing your speed. However, in traffic you may slow from 15 MPH to 5 just by cutting the throttle (in a very short amount of time). Most vehicles would require the driver to apply the brakes to achieve such rapid decel. And they'd advertise that action with bright red lights for all behind them to see. But the motorcycle that shed 10 MPH just by cutting the throttle did no such thing - lets hope the driver behind has kick-@$$ depth-perception! Or lets just hope they're paying attention at all.

But like I said, I'm the billionth person to recognize this. I'm pretty sure I was told at my MSF course, some 10 years ago, to apply the brake lever when "engine-braking." Just so that the drivers behind are aware that you're slowing down. In the interest of minimizing risk, it's probably a good idea. Maybe not always convenient, but putting on this show for the cars behind you scores you extra visibility points. I consider this every time I'm on the road. I don't always employ it, but I consider it almost every time I slow down for a red light.

It takes thought - split seconds of thought that could go somewhere else. And while I never cared about those lost brain cycles before, I'm contemplating them now because I recently learned that the Tesla Roadster fires the brake lights on throttle-off.

Wha?

Yep. Weird, right? My initial reaction was that it's a bad idea, that it misrepresents what's really going on, and that I don't like it. But after I shook-off the self-imposed insult to my person, I reconsidered the whole idea with a bit more of an open mind. Think about not having to think about that brake lever when you chop the throttle on a motorcycle. I kinda dig it. One control to accelerate, slow down (even violently), and notify your tailgaiters that you're decelerating. I think that would be a nice feature.

However, there appear to be negative sides to this feature of the Tesla Roadster, as described by VFX on teslamotorsclub.com:

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showpost.php?p=46373&postcount=143

I think his points are valid, and they center around the fact that many drivers assume that a vehicle is decelerating significantly when the brake lights fire. Now how do we define significantly? I think we can do it with a value. And if we can determine a value at which deceleration becomes significant, then we can simply employ an accelerometer to turn the brake lights on and off, right?

I like the idea of linking brake lights to more than just the brake pedal. I think it can be done smartly, safely, and it can afford me one less thing to think about while slowing down. What do you think?

Don't take it lightly

2010-06-25T14:53:00.003-04:00

There is everything serious about operating a motor vehicle on a public road. Do it like you mean it, and watch this to remember why.

Cars and motorcycle videos

I have my gripes about some of the acting and cinematography, but their intention is clear and they didn't mind going raw. Well done.

New steed, no motor

2010-06-17T13:22:00.014-04:00

A recent visit to my mother-in-law's totally resurrected my interest in bicycling. She's a hardcore cyclist with a few bikes on hand, so she was able to outfit us for a 16-mile round-tripper. Fun stuff!

The whole experience brought a back-burner curiosity to the front of my conscious: fixed gear bicycles. So to the internet I went to learn what I could.

Most of my newfound knowledge came from Sheldon Brown's site. There's a lot of good information there, but it led me to realize that finding an existing fixed-gear bike or converting one myself was probably not going to be cheap.

So I continued to insert-coin at Google, and came across a fixed-gear offering from Walmart. I determined that this was the cheapest means to an end, and sold out.

For about $3, Walmart happily shipped the bike to our doorstep in a box. It assembled rather quickly and as soon as possible, I gave it a whirl. I've never ridden a bike that felt so solid, though I'm not exactly a frequent cyclist. There are less tolerances to be tested with a fixed-gear setup it seems, so everything felt firm and aligned and I had an absolute blast scooting around on it.

I'll have to brush-up on the fringe skills that seem to come in handy while riding a fixed-gear bike. But I look forward to the challenge, and can't wait to take it for a spin again!

Regulations get in my way

2010-05-11T20:02:00.002-04:00

We bought a used set of alloy wheels for our Honda Element. The stock steelies that came on our LX started to surface-rust, and we wanted something that looked more presentable.

Rock on! We get to sport new shiny wheels, right? Well, it’s not that simple. Our Element came with TPMS radios in those rusty steel wheels. So until we move those TPMS valves to our new shiny alloys, we have to stare @ an annoying TPMS light on the dashboard. Hopefully our carputer’s discontent has no adverse affects aside from the dummy light.

In the basement was a set of Eibach springs I’ve been waiting to install, so I decided to go the whole nine yards - install the springs, the new wheels, and finish it all off with new tires (both the steelies and the new alloys have old rubber) and get an alignment.

The TPMS annoyance follows us all the way to the tire shop because we need to pack all 4 steelies into the car (since they contain the TPMS units). The shop will remove and dispose of the steel wheel tires (which will cost me) to gain access to the TPMS radios. Then, the shop will move the TPMS units to the new alloys (which will cost me). And then they can finish the task I’m really interested in, which is to install new tires on the alloys and align the Elements new kicks.

So what has government-mandated TPMS done for me? It has complicated car maintenance and added to my costs. What’s TPMS done for you?

If you don't need it...

2010-03-10T07:36:00.001-05:00

...then get rid of it! I decided to operate under that principle when I recently had to replace the rear windshield wiper blade on our Honda Element.

After cleaning off the car countless times during this brutal winter, we discovered that the rear wiper was swinging some loose rubber around. To avoid leaving gashes in our rear glass, we stopped using it until I made it to AutoZone to pickup a replacement.

Long story short, the rear wiper blade on the Element is atypical. None of the commonly-available wiper blades can attach to the rear arm. Sure, you can buy a replacement blade or insert through the right outlets (particularly the Honda dealer), but those places don’t fall within my network of oft-traveled roads.

Do we need the rear wiper?

I said, “hell no.” Megan shook her head in the negative. So now the rear wiper motor is in the basement, along with it’s stupid one-of-a-kind arm and the pathetic, damaged wiper blade.

In its place is a faucet plug (typically used to blank-out unused holes in sinks), which came as a recommendation from a thread at the EOC:

So next time you have to replace something that’s not easily attainable - piece of trim, tire valve cap, clutch master cylinder, who knows - ask yourself: Do you need it?

Getting antsy...

2010-03-03T21:53:00.005-05:00

Just got a roll of film developed that's been sitting in the N75 since November. What do you know, it had a few freshly-developed frames from our November excursion to Carolina Motorsports Park!

The recent spell of cold temperatures and unusual blizzards has put me in a state of blah for a while now. But these pictures have me excited for the warm temperatures that are on the horizon.

So yeah, the next track day can not come soon enough...

Lock it down

2010-01-25T16:09:00.050-05:00

I felt I didn't have to worry about motorcycle theft. Until my most recent acquisition, my 2-wheelers have been bikes that wouldn't attract theives (or at least I believed this). A Ninja 250, a Honda Shadow VLX, a Triumph Thunderbird, and an SV650. I mean, these are way-cool machines, don't get me wrong. But anyone I know who's had their motorcycle stolen lost a 600 supersport.

So the ZX-6R came with a bit of baggage: theft paranoia. I did a lot of reading to uncover that magic trick for securing your motorcycle. You know, that simple thing that doesn't cost much yet ensures your bike will be there every morning when you wake up? Yeah, I don't think there is such a thing. I instead came to the following, common-sense conclusion:

If you don't want your bike stolen, chain it to an immovable object.

Chain
Obviously, the conclusion above assumes an impenetrable chain. A chain you can't cut through. The chain of all chains. The Almax.

Checkout how easy it apparently is to break most chains:

...and how apparently impossible it is to beat an Almax chain:

I read about the Almax chains in Motorcyclist. A few issues ago, there was a short blurb about chains and bike security. After digging up these videos, I was convinced that if you want a chain you could trust, you buy an Almax. Is an invincible chain really necessary? Is the Almax even invincible? I don't know, but I think so :)

The chain is ridiculously heavy (and the links are huge!). I didn't weigh it, but its gotta be 5-10lbs. It fits in a tail bag, so size is not a problem. But my opinion is that it's a stretch to call this chain portable. However, after the price I paid for it, this chain's coming with me on the road one way or another!

Immovable object
Chain? Check. Immovable object? Hmmm...I wanted to chain it to one of our cars. I figured a parked car to be rather immovable. But I couldn't trust myself or someone else to throw the Element into reverse after considering that a motorcycle might be tethered to it. So opted for a dedicated ground anchor.

Almax sells a ground anchor made by Hardie-Secure. It's a neat, flat, presentable-looking ground anchor. I wanted something tough, but as low-profile as possible for aesthetics. Plus, this thing's so flat I can run the motorcycle over it while parking. Since we constantly have to get creative when extracting the parked-in bikes, the shallow anchor is almost a necessity.

Installing the ground anchor was...interesting. It requires drilling a 20mm diameter hole, 100mm deep. That's a big freakin' hole to make in concrete. Thankfully, the anchor comes with a huge masonry bit to use. You have to supply the hammer drill. And I'm thinking you probably need a hammer drill for this one. It took about 30 minutes to get 100mm down. And it was quite a workout.

Conclusion
It's fun to call an Almax the best chain and to assume they make and sell the best products for securing your motorcycle. But it's not fun to look at the bill after placing your order. I converted the GBP value to USD once, forgot the number, and have decided not to think about it again.

They are expensive products that will only be worth their cost if you use them constantly and correctly. I welcome the challenge.

Insurance rant
I called Progressive to see if they'd lower my comprehensive insurance rate since I will now be chaining my motorcycle to a ground anchor. They said that they'd only lower my comprehensive insurance cost if I get lojack, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Sure, maybe lojack can disable the ignition - but we're talking about a motorcycle here. 3 guys and a vehicle can pick up a bricked motorcycle and be done with it. And sure, Lojack might assist in motorcycle recovery. But my guess is that theives will find and disable the lojack. It's a freakin' motorcycle. Where the hell can Lojack hide things? If their product is outside the crankcase, then I'm sure I could find it if I wanted to.

As far as recovery goes, that's the last ditch hope, in my opinion. If my bike is gone one morning, Lojack or not, I don't expect to get it back. Priority #1 should be keeping the theft from happening in the first place. Progressive doesn't appear to think so. Always reactionary, never preventative...

Keeping a remote machine (legally?)

2010-01-19T08:39:00.011-05:00

My job has me traveling out to the West Coast an estimated once per quarter (no complaints). Being human (or maybe just being me?), I can't seem to look a good thing in the face and indulge. I've got to make it better! And how do you make it better?

Exactly, I want an arrangement where I have a motorcycle at my disposal each time I touch-down at LAX. There are a lot of reasons a motorcycle is desirable out there (even if only 4 times per year):

Great weather

Independence

Awesome canyon roads

And of course, the last item above is the real reason to incur the cost and inconvenience of keeping a machine out there. But my initial research leaves me with many questions...

Can I register a vehicle in California as a Virginia resident?

Where will I store it?

Which road should I try out first (still got that Mad Map, T?)

Legality and logistics represent the major challenge. Updates to follow...

On to a supersport

2009-12-16T14:01:00.005-05:00

So I just took my first trip on a Supersport 600 - a 2006 ZX6R, to be specific. The first of many...

I'm coming off some serious saddle time on a 2001 SV650S, and while I welcome the challenge, this Ninja is just a little intimidating.

First of all, it's got a more aggressive sitting position, but I knew I was signing up for that. So, moving right along...

Second, the steering is unpredictable. At least I can't predict it - not yet, anyway (Boy, do I sound sure of myself or what?). The balance of throttle and counter-steer necessary to hold your lean angle is weird on this bike. There's a very sudden drop-off point - I arrive there when I'm holding a steady throttle, and increase counter-steer just a bit. I find myself in this panic sitch where I need more throttle (or less counter-steer) to stay up. Of course, this is relatively low-speed driving which I assume the bike wasn't designed for. Regardless, is this characteristic of a shorter wheelbase?

GOBS of power, and I haven't even touched the top 3rd to redline. I have a feeling I'll have to ease my way there.

The bike is adjusted for 160 lbs, and I weigh-in @ a whopping 130. I assume this explains why I have this sensation that the front of the bike is bouncing all over the place. On a nice clover-leaf off ramp, I tried to have a little safe fun. But I was continuously caught off-guard by a very active front wheel. Felt every discontinuity in the road. That's not dramatic enough; I took a tour of every discontinuity in the road. I could draw a picture of what each one looked like after I went over it. Is this what great suspension feels like, or is this what mal-adjusted suspension feels like?

Good times await!

Hands free!

2009-11-06T19:32:00.039-05:00

The MR2 we bought back in February has been a blast, but it had a few audio skeletons in its closet:

The driver side speaker stopped working completely

The CD player never worked since we bought it

Fed-up with one channel of audio for long trips, we finally broke-down and forked-out the dough for a new head unit. I like knobs and analog-esque controls, which basically means that I hate every aftermarket radio I find. So I started to look at other features, and quickly got caught-up in the Bluetooth capabilities offered on some models. Long story short, I went in with my only requirement being aux-in, and put my money down for a radio that had aux-in, USB, iPod compatibility, and Bluetooth.

I paired-up Megan's iPhone and immediately fell in love with the ability to have a conversation with someone, hands-free, from the car. Even more so, I got a kick out of every one in the car participating in the conversation. Sure, it's only a 2-seater convertible, so every one adds up to...well, two of us. But just think how fun it would be in the Element!

This Bluetooth revelation hit me so hard, I dumped my TracFone for a new Bluetooth-enabled TracFone (they're floating a great deal at the time of this posting, btw). I mean come on, $29.99 for a new phone with BT, no strings attached? I'm a sucker, what can I say...

So months later, I began researching how to add hands-free cell phone operation to stock radios. I fell for Parrot's products hook, line, and sinker. I like stock radios (they have knobs), and Parrot's lower-end CK3000 would let me keep the Element's stock radio with benefits (<-- Bluetooth). Where do I sign?!

Crutchfield. That's where! Well, a day or two after purchasing the CK3000 and a Honda ISO harness, UPS showed up at my door with the goods. Damn that was fast. I got around to installing it a week+ later (I had some fork repair still in the queue). First of all, the CK3000 (and probably all of the Parrot products) is a rat's nest. I don't necessarily mean that negatively. I just mean, holy sh*t, there are yards and yards of lots of wires and funny little boxes with connectors and plugs and ... stuff. I'm not easily-intimidated when it comes to DIY, but I must say that the mess that fell out of the Parrot box intimidated me a little. Just a little...

So I had the mess of wires in the Parrot box, and the Honda ISO harness. Speaking of which, why does one need the ISO harness? Well, apparently, European cars have these ISO harnesses on all car radios. Parrot's products cater to those ISO connections, and aren't compatible out-of-the-box with US vehicles. You need one of these ISO cables to convert your stock wiring to ISO connectors. Then, you will be able to easily hook-up the Parrot kit. Yikes, that's confusing. Especially since hands-free cell-phoning is becoming law in some states. Whateva...

So I connected all these connectors at the dining room table: plugged all the loose connectors from the Parrot kit into the loose connectors on the ISO harness. Then, I took the disaster of wires, draped over my shoulders (a copper scarf), to the car outside. I threw the mess in the passenger foot area and removed the radio. Then, I laughed. Ha ha ha ha! Here's the stock harness that plugs into the back of the radio (imagine it's here, anyway), and over here is the radio. They plug into each other. Simple. But over there is about 6 feet of Parrot/ISO mess that I need to put between the stock harness and the radio.

Ha ha ha ha ha...

That's a lot of cable to manage and stuff into the small cavity behind the radio. *sigh*. Game on!

Well, I did it. I found a place for the mic (on the rear view mirror), and snuck the long wire to the back of the radio. I found a place for the little control unit, and snuck that wire to the back of the radio. I then plugged the parrot mess into the radio, and the stock harness into the mess of wires. Then I cut up my hands scraping into all the sharp edges in the dash cavity trying to find hidden volumes where I could stuff some of the parrot mess. And voila. I did it! I screwed the radio back in, stuck the key in the ignition, and got ready to have fun!

That's where the experience turned into disappointment. Somehow, this parrot device made everything insanely loud. The radio, CD player, and the Parrot speaking menu system - everything was *extremely* loud. Three (3) graduated clicks of the volume knob and it was too loud to listen to. That's just not usable. I overlooked that for a few minutes while I paired my TracFone and did a test call. Score, it worked! But oh-my-flippin-goodness it's loud.

Some internet research, a call to Quick Connect, and a call to Parrot's tech support, led me to the following conclusion: the 2007 Element LX's audio system is an "amplified system" - meaning...I don't know what. But basically, there is an amplifier somewhere in the Element's audio system that the Parrot device does not account for. This is the reason for the ear-piercing volume post-installation.

Okay...so what do I do, remove and return it? Can I even do that? I hate being a quitter, and I hate returning things. There must be something I can do. Quick Connect offers an ISO harness for "amplified systems", but you have to be kidding me - $150??? That's more than my whole Crutchfield order! Thanks, and seriously, thanks...but no thanks.

So a heartfelt Thank you! goes out to DesignoSLK, who posted this on the Parrot user forums. Basically, it appears this user figured out a way to attenuate the signal coming out of the Parrot mute box which in turn lowers the volume of audio produced after installing the Parrot device. I copied his information to a 'T', and reinstalled the Parrot mess. What I have now is still much louder than stock, but the resolution of volume control is *much* more reasonable than the unmodified Parrot device. Did I say thank you, DesignoSLK? Well, thank you!

So I think I appreciate Parrot's CK3000, but the mystery of compatibility and mess of wires is less than cool. Worse still was Parrot's official recommendation to remedy my problem. Install a $150 ISO harness made by Quick Connect or use an external speaker solely for the Parrot CK3000. <--unacceptable. I bought this device to use my existing audio infrastructure for phone conversations. And thanks to DesignoSLK, I can!

However, if I ever rip that mute box open again (I'm pretty lazy, so this is unlikely), I'll *most def* put higher-value resistors in place. The 1 kOhm resistors helped, but not enough to be considered permanent. It needs to be a little quieter. Maybe a stereo pot is the way to go...

So put that cell phone down and keep your damn hands on the wheel. It's so easy to go hands-free, isn't it? Is it? I don't know...

Forks: known state

2009-11-03T14:47:00.029-05:00

I've read a lot about the SV650's front suspension and I get it: The forks are the result of a compromise to keep the cost of the bike down. There are a gazillion threads on every relevant forum about how to improve the front suspension on an SV, and I quickly got lost in the forest of emulators, springs, and GSX-R swaps. So I decided to rebuild my stock forks to ensure that they're giving me their 100%. This way I'd know exactly what I'm riding on before considering upgrades.

The plan went like this:

Set my sag (and create new spacers if necessary)

Replace the age-old fluid with 15w oil filled to the stock level

Replace the oil seals and wipers (the wipers were getting hard and cracking)

Setting sag

Ideally, you'd have three people available to set sag: One person to hold the bike, one person to measure, and yourself to get on the bike since the sag is being set for your weight. I only had 2, so Harbor Freight's Baxley knock-off held the bike (it did an okay job).

The conclusion was that the stock SV was pretty much sprung for my weight. Score, so I won't have to make longer spacers for the forks. That was easy.

Rebuilding the forks

I got all the parts I needed to do the job (just fork seals and wipers), and finally found the time one Saturday. Well, buying parts ahead of time does you no good when the parts are crap.

I bought a set of Leak Proof Seals for the 2001 SV650S from motorcyclesuperstore.com. I'm usually very happy with motorcyclesupertore.com. But these Leak Proof seals were garbage. First of all, they look nothing like the image motorcyclesuperstore.com has up for them. Second of all, the Leak Proof seals are not firm and they don't fit tightly. They are mushy, squishy round rubber rings that would amaze me if they could seal at all. To make matters worse, one of the seals had loose pieces of rubber stuffed into the recess (on the oil side). I thought these seals were supposed to keep particulates out of my forks.

Next.

So I dashed to a local Suzuki dealer to get a set of OEM fork seals for the 2001 SV650S. Thanks goodness they had them in stock. While I rejected the Leak Proof seals as soon as I slid one onto the fork slider, I did make use of the wipers that came in the Leak Proof kit. We'll see if they're good for anything.

My Haynes manual helped enormously with disassembling the forks. The pictures were priceless.

Finally, reinstall

I finally got the chance to put things back together in the post-set-the-clocks-back dark. I even copied Mike and pushed the forks up through the top triple a few extra millimeters <--this was to account for the taller 120/70-17 I've got on the front (as opposed to the stock 120/60-17).

Anyway, I took the SV for a ride to meet a buddy for lunch today, and the forks are definitely less divey with the new 15w fork oil. I didn't get the chance to really push it hard or test it on challenging surfaces, but in time...

Back from the Smokies...

2009-10-14T08:06:00.015-04:00

Since 2006, we've made it down to the Smoky Mountains at least once a year. The roads are unreal and aplenty.

This year the twisty faucet was running quite dry, so three of us made a go of it for 2009. After this weekend, I have gained some serious appreciation for how smoothly all of our previous trips went. Off the top of my head...

A trailer's inner wheel bearing disintegrated
A trailer got stuck in a ditch on the side of a narrow, inclined gravel road
We got lost on a 6+ mile gravel mountain road (on sportbikes) - the road Mike deemed, the Dirt-o-hala
We had to drive the wrong way on a narrow, one-way wildlife safari
It rained a lot

I'm sure I missed a few mishaps - but it wasn't all bad! We had a sweet ride on the Cherohala Skyway in sunny weather.

I also got a kick out of pushing the Element on the windy road that led up to our cabin (well, the paved part of it, anyway). And I always welcome a dose of driving and riding techniques from the daring couple.

The Hemp Jacket

2009-09-10T13:32:00.014-04:00

I'm pretty turned-on by Joe Rocket's latest innovation in motorcycle gear: their Hemp Jacket. The October 2009 issue of Motorcyclist has a blurb about the jacket in the GEAR section, and I just took a closer look on Joe Rocket's web site.

Aside from the weird snaps on the inside of the forearms, there does not seem to be any unnecessary hardware. The two-tone style is very slick (in both available colors). This is a smokin'-cool jacket, in my opinion.

If hemp holds-up to road rash, then sign me up for this bandwagon. Rapidly-renewable vegetation that doesn't require pesticides to grow seems like a helluva material for just about anything. Wish I needed a jacket!

Update
Detailed information about the Hemp jacket can be found here.

MP3: Conclusion

2009-08-05T14:47:00.009-04:00

It's been about 5 days since I turned my MP3 back in to Eagle Rider in LA. And after a short trip today on my SV650, I realized how absolutely sure I am that once was enough on the Piaggio MP3.

It was hard to touch the ground on the heavy, three-wheeled scooter because the seat was so wide. Sure, some may claim that you are supposed to lock the wheels when you stop, but that's additional operator burden that I don't find necessary. The CVT left lots to be desired, as I found myself "wringing its neck" (a Taylorism) constantly to accelerate fast and to climb hills. It's just not the positive feedback I desire.

However, the machine isn't all bad. The storage capacity right out of the box is phenomenal. I was stuffing my whole leather jacket and textile pants under the seat after arriving at my destinations. And the machine can corner...

...which brings me to the Friday activity that wrapped up my time on the MP3. My buddy rented an MP3 for the day to join me in some West Coast canyon carving. Equipped with a SoCal Mad Map, we attacked some portions of route #9. Quality roads.

While these roads were wicked fun, they also brought out another shortcoming of the MP3: cornering clearance. Once you get into it, it doesn't take you long to start asking yourself what that scraping noise is. If you're in a left turn, it's the center stand. If you're in a right turn, it's the exhaust. It was actually a lot of fun to ride through the twisties, and it deserves credit for offering handling that makes you want to push it harder. However, it also deserves a wag of the finger for surprising you so abruptly with its sudden, low-hanging hardware. I imagine one could lift that rear wheel right off the ground should they come in to a left a little too hot.

So in conclusion, I applaud Piaggio for changing my general attitude toward three-wheelers. It can be done right, and I think they did it. Give me one with foot pegs and a direct-drive transmission and I'll try it again. Until then, hello SV! I missed you...

Gaining appreciation

2009-07-28T00:11:00.004-04:00

In case the last post didn't make it clear - I'm out on the West Coast for business, and I took advantage of the fact that renting an MP3 was comparable in cost to renting a sub-compact car. Since the motorcycle mags have been favorably-reviewing Piaggio's three wheeler, I decided to give it a whirl.

I've logged about 85 miles since my last post. While I still have to find some serious twisties to test out this machine, I did find one road that was a complete riot to run through with the MP3:

View Larger Map

Palos Verdes Drive - just South of the intersection with Hawthorne Blvd. For about 1 mile, the road is a "slide" area. Apparently this has something to do with the land constantly moving. I'm not too familiar with this geographic phenomenon, but the road is curvy, with constant, significant elevation change. These are short bursts of elevation change - not the kind of roadage that warrants "% grade" signs. I've never been on a road like this, but you could totally feel the coolness in the front suspension of the MP3 while rolling over the rough, inconsistent, twisty asphalt. Even though there's but a foot or so of distance between the two front wheels, you could feel them reacting differently as they rolled over the uneven pavement. It was a feeling like no other - definitely not the kind of feed back you'd ever feel on a two wheeler.

But while this sensation was cool and unfamiliar - it doesn't seem necessary. I could have had just as much fun on the SV650. This begs the question, why did Piaggio bother to make this vehicle? I hope to get a little internet research done tomorrow night to shed some light on possible answers to that question...

Out of place

2009-07-26T15:26:00.007-04:00

Yep, that's pretty much how I feel. Why? Oh, for *so* many reasons...

...first of all, if I'm turning handlebars, I expect to be straddling something. But that's not the case on scooters. Slightly awkward, but I'm adjusting.

Second, the transmission (in this case, a CVT). Pickup from a stop is painfully unpredictable - and slow. Once on the highway, it gets even worse. Just try to maintain constant velocity. The throttle is *so* gushy, you're constantly dancing around. It's like driving a boat - any change in throttle position seems to endure a significant delay before the result can be perceived.

And third - the looks. The worst of which came from a t-shirt-and-shorts-wearing sport bike rider. He passed me 2 lanes to my left and made a significant point to turn around and stare over his shoulder before rolling-on and disappearing. I'm guessing I stand out - a fully-geared rider with a full-face helmet on a three-wheeled scooter.

But whatever, I'm tough and open-minded. I recently started running Windows again - I'm pretty sure I can make a CVT and three wheels work for me. Hello Long Beach, CA. I'm about to conquer your roads on the weirdest machine I've ever piloted.

PS - thanks to the Creama coffee shop for the free WiFi. Their bagel sandwiches are the shiznit, and their house coffee is good too.

Maximizing efficiency

2009-07-07T15:57:00.023-04:00

I don't know if it's the resource conservation, the challenge of surviving inconvenience, or the chance to be different, but it feels good to travel on a motorcycle. I don't mean commuting on a motorcycle, but traveling on one.

We recently outfitted the red SV650 with SW-Motech Quick Lock Sideracks. The aim here was to outfit a motorcycle for weekend travel to family and friends (which we do quite often). We figured that, if we used the motorcycle for enough of these weekend trips, then we could recoup the cost of the sideracks! More on that later - but the opportunity to inject some more excitement into our weekend travel is always worth $229.

We had two Pelican 1550s that were previously acting as top cases for the red SV and the blue SV. So we sacrificed these non-matching cases to mount to the SW-Motech sideracks (saved some serious $$$ that way). After a week of test rides to work, which proved very successful, we decided to put the setup to work on a voyage to Eastern PA.

I am most impressed with SW-Motech's product. First of all, the sideracks are easily-removable. So when you don't want your luggage on, it's minimal effort to take it off. This is great when you use the luggage for long trips too, because you can carry your luggage into your bedroom like you would any other bag you packed.

Second, the rack system is solid. We liberally packed (stuffed?) our 1550s with clothes, footwear, and just about everything we'd take with us were we driving in a car. So our cases were quite heavy (I'll weigh them next time). But they mounted just fine and the system of brackets hung onto our cases through all kinds of bumps, leans, and quick stops.

Third? "Nothing. There is no third thing." (Monty Python fans?)

After our weekend trip, we got an accurate calculation of the SV's gas mileage when traveling long-distance. Let's take the average miles-per-gallon for our red SV650 at the time of this writing, 55.34 mpg. Lets compare that to the average miles-per-gallon of the MR2 (since that's what we'd be otherwise traveling in), 30.46 mpg. Now let's see - I remember paying $2.49 per gallon when filling-up on our trip out to Eastern PA - and that was a good price!

$2.49/30.46 = $0.081 (cost per mile driven in the MR2)
$2.49/55.34 = $0.045 (cost per mile driven in the SV650)

So how many miles would we have to drive on the SV to save enough money to pay for the sideracks? Well, the sideracks cost $229 plus shipping - so lets say $250. The savings per mile when driving the SV is $0.081 - $0.045 = $0.036. So...

$250/$0.036 = 6,944 miles

That's not bad! If we were diligent enough in choosing the SV over the MR2, we'd make our money back within a year. Will we be that diligent? We'll see...

I highly recommend this product - I've used it transport oil change supplies for our MR2, to commute to work, for a 9-hour round-tripper, and we plan to hit the Raleigh area with it this coming weekend. Maybe this time I'll get pictures with us actually on the bike!

Rally Racing Aftershock

2009-06-09T20:57:00.011-04:00

I've been a little heavy on the MR2's throttle for the past two and a half days. I think I know why...

Will has been dying to get out to a rally racing event for some time now, and in this fine July of 2009 he managed to organize an outing to the Wellsboro, PA area for the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR). While I'm digging the vast world of motor sports that I am slowly being exposed to, I didn't have high hopes for this trip. Mostly because I knew little about rally racing.

Now that it's over, I'll tell you what - if you want to get sick about modding and racing your car, then you want to hit up a Rally America event like this one. From the crews and their insanely-quick repairs after the Super Special to the cars that are swung through hairpin turns, loosely-bound to the road, this event covered all bases. The best part about it? Show up to a spectator location early enough and you can get so close you'll be able to reach out and touch the cars as their tails whip passed you (of course you'll be pelted with a dose of gravel while you're at it).

Because rally racing doesn't typically happen on a closed circuit, you've got competitors tearing up trails and public dirt roads (shut down during the event, of course). That means that, if you want to see the actual race, you have to pick a spectator location and make the most of watching the machines cruise through that one turn. Then, if you dare, pack up and head to the next location to see them again. Inconvenient? Maybe, but navigating these country roads becomes a challenge in itself. I dug it.

I can't lie - I put down the bike this week to outlet some of this four-wheel desire I've got stored-up after watching these Subarus flung around with their turbos whining, their rotors glowing, and their raw power churning loose Earth at all four wheels.

I'm pretty sure it's decided. This must be a yearly event. Want to join us next time?

IBA Certified!

2009-05-22T21:43:00.008-04:00

I began this experience with the question, what value is there in riding 1000 highway miles within 24 hours. And now that it's over, I think I've determined that there is no simple answer to that question.

We gathered at Devil Dawg in Chantilly, VA for the send-off. It was pretty exciting. Four hundred or so motorcycles gathered together and then released to attack the streets. Everyone was excited, so everyone hit the throttle like there was no tomorrow, busting out of the industrial park to cruise my neighborhood streets. Intersections were shut-down by the police to get us all out and onto i66 as fast as possible. I don't blame them, a crowd of bikers like this? I'd want them out of my juristiction before sun-up.

By the time sun-up arrived, I was on i95 South and I'm pretty sure 75% of the bikes passed me. So much for pacing yourself. If I wanted to hang with a group, I needed to step it up to 75 mph. Strength in numbers, so...

Because I embarked on this journey alone, the highlights of my trip were meeting Adam in Suffolk, and meeting Roberta in Blacksburg, (and taking pictures with the disposable cam attached to my zipper). Aside from those checkpoints, I basically ran the bike 150 miles between stops for gas. Except for that tank I emptied on the way to our turnpoint in Bristol (exit 5 on i81). The gas light came on around mile marker 30, and I didn't want to pull over for gas knowing that I *had* to pull over again in Bristol (receiving your IBA certification required obtaining a receipt in Bristol during this ride). So I tucked in, slowed-down to about 60 mph, and finished a 180+ mile tank. That's a record for Megan's SV!

While we had lots of rain during the Eastern leg of the ride, we got the worst of it during the last 300 miles. It hailed. It hailed in the dark. It hailed in the dark, on i81 North. And then it rained. Oh how it rained. I know, for the well-experienced, motorcycling in the rain should really be no big deal. As Mike always says, you have 80% of your traction in the rain. And hell, I've ridden in my share of drizzles and downpours. But I've never ridden in weather like this. The pouring hail mixed with the complete darkness created a situation of dire straits that exceeds most others I've had on a motorcycle. But turning the panic knob down and dealing with the problem always manages to work. Even when your boots are full of water and you have to drive without your glasses because you are incapable of drying them.

I finished behind many and ahead of many, I figure, and after 18+ hours of non-stop highway driving on a 2007 Suzuki SV650, I managed to remain alert to some degree. Upon arriving at Devil Dawg, around 12:30am on Sunday morning, I got in line with a cheery but tired group of riders to get my certification! An event like this appears to bring all kinds. Could be the cause, could be the challenge, could be the camaraderie, could be anything!

I learned that you should keep a second ignition key in your pocket because you might lock the only set of keys you have in your Pelican top case (and then you'll have to fish them out with the legs of your glasses and your fingers). I learned that ear plugs are a lifesaver when you have to drive this fast for this long, so bring many, and different sized ones, because your ear canal changes shape as the day goes on. I learned that it's amazing how long you can remain alert and awake if you eat only when you're hungry, and even then you don't eat much. I learned you can use your right blinker as a hazard light when you're in the right lane - you may p!$$ people off, but at least they can see you. I learned that if you think you should pull over, whether because of fatigue or weather, then you should take the next exit (or pull over @ the next overpass). I learned that you should have a routine for each pit stop, and you should stick to it no matter what happens (otherwise you'll forget to lock your top case, lose your padlocks on the highway, and drive 150 miles with the lid bouncing up-and-down without even knowing it). I learned that there's something special about an event that was organized this well, and that draws this large a group of participants. I learned that all of this is the answer to my original question.

You can learn these lessons individually doing other, less daunting (more practical) tasks. You don't need to sign up for an IBA SaddleSore to get this education. But getting schooled this hard in 18 hours? I think that is the value of riding 1000 miles in 24 hours.

Thanks to Adam & Addison for coming out to meet me in Suffolk, Roberta for meeting me in Blacksburg and bringing all kinds of food, Megan for waiting up for me, and the organizers and participants of the Redwing 19 Ride for 2009. This post pretty much echoes the feeling the event had - skepticism->pessimism->misery->appreciation->satisfaction.

Whirlwind Tour of Virginia

2009-05-12T20:16:00.008-04:00

So I'm wrapping up my preparation for the Redwing 19 ride - tapping all resources to maximize comfort and stamina for a 1000 miles of vertical motorcycling at highway speeds.

I had the pleasure of borrowing Paraag's windshield! We worked outside his apartment in the pouring rain to remove this from his unique 1981 Yamaha Special 400. While I appreciate the offer immensely, it proved not so compatible. The shield fit the SV quite well, but my head was too far above the top of the windshield. So all the deflected wind ran over and around my helmet. At 40 MPH it sounded like I was going 70 MPH. Too loud!

View Larger Map

I'm predicting lots of miles with little variation. There will be much more to say after the event, so I'll just let the route soak in...

Up to NY to see the Model S

2009-04-30T16:42:00.019-04:00

Still drunk on voltage from our test ride in February, Megan and I jumped at the chance to attend a private viewing of the Tesla Motors Model S sedan in Manhattan.

I mean seriously - "invited" by Tesla to a "private viewing" of their new model? How could we pass on that? Even the reality that the event was 4 hours away on a Wednesday night couldn't deter us! Oh how I payed for that decision today running on only a few hours of sleep...

...but back to the subject. Tesla seems to do everything with style, as this event was in the IAC Building, which was like nothing I'd ever walked into before (thanks to Ankur for helping us get to the building). Slick lighting, Tesla decorations, brochures on tables, and motion pictures all over the walls. High class stuff!

As for the goods they had to show: a Roadster, a fake Model S, and a Teslafied Smart Car (the last of which I got no pictures of). My father, who met us along with my sister, finally got to sit in a Roadster!

They had a Model S on display, but it was a dud. There was no interior (the windows were highly-tinted to keep you from noticing), and some of the components appeared to be fake (the brake rotors and calipers were curious).

And then there was the Smart Car. I'm not a fan of the Smart Car, but I respect it and think it would prove a much more respectable EV than the moronic version they brought to the US that runs on high-test gasoline. It appeared that they were seriously tinkering with the one we got to sit in.

Finally, at 11:30pm we got our text message telling us that our ride was ready! So we dashed across the street where they were giving extremely short demo rides of the Roadster and real, drivable Model S. We jumped in the S with another couple, and a Tesla driver took us for a spin. He figures the machine we were riding in, all things considered, was 50% representative of what will roll off the assembly line in 2011.

Five thousand to reserve an S, huh? Hmmm...

Hungry For Throttle

2009-04-14T21:36:00.028-04:00

That's the way I like to sum up my first track experience of 2009. Easter weekend this year found us at Summit Point's Shenandoah circuit for back-to-back track days with Team ProMotion.

View Larger Map

It rained, uninterrupted, from the time we got up early Saturday morning until after lunch, which made for some slow laps around the track. Megan always says, "better to rain at the beginning than at the end." That's for sure, because I ended up spending the first half of Saturday getting my race line just right. So when things dried-up late in the afternoon, confidence was high.

Day one ended with boiled hot dogs, coffee, and way-cold temperatures for mid-April (down in the 30's). We woke up Sunday morning to the light ridicule of our RV-equipped neighbors. You know, the ones who had heat all night!

But this was where the back-to-back track days payed-off. I hit the ground running Sunday morning with the track fresh in mind. By the third session, I was hungry for throttle. Where for most of Saturday, it was...

slow down

lean-off

turn

apex

exit

apply throttle

...by mid-day Sunday, it was...

slow down

lean-off

apply throttle

turn

apex

ROLL ON

exit

WIDE OPEN

Gradually arriving at the latter order of operations allowed me to maintain the smooth as the aggression set in. It was awesome. Thanks to Megan for shooting!

The Trusty Trailer

2009-04-05T11:25:00.012-04:00

It's that time of year again - the first track day is cresting the horizon and it brings to mind all that trailer maintenance I've been putting off. Repacking the wheel bearings, fixing the license plate mount, rewiring some of the electrical...

We purchased a Harbor Freight trailer in Spring of 2006. The product came highly recommended from our friends who pioneer all the trends in motorcycle activities (at least from our point-of-view). The biggest reason this product is popular among our group is cost. For $330 (plus shipping), you get a 4x8 frame with 12" wheels. Add the bed material of your choice, and you're done. However you get what you pay for, and the Harbor Freight trailer definitely has its share of design flaws. The folding hinges shear, the rear half ends up sagging, the wiring layout results in a poor ground, and the list goes on. But these problems are easily surmountable with a bit of thought, as we're still going strong 3 years later.

We neglect our trailer; living in a townhouse makes it tough to protect our 4x8 friend since we store it on our property. It's out in the weather every day of the year and that's reflected in the red powder-coating, which has faded significantly. But there has been no detrimental corrosion whatsoever.

It has turned out to be a great tool for us. And at this rate, we expect to pull this thing behind us for another 3 years.

Orange and black

2009-03-31T21:55:00.008-04:00

Coming home on 66 West this evening, I got a wave from a fellow two-wheeler a few lanes to my left. After a triple-take, I realized I had the pleasure of beholding Harley's XR1200.

This bike was initially released in Europe only (go figure), but HD finally brought it to the US recently. When I first read motorcycle.com's review, I was pretty excited about the first modern Harley I actually wanted to ride!

And seeing the machine on the road has piqued my interest once again. It's a darn cool looking bike, with it's in-your-face orange and swept-up, dual exhaust. I may have to happen into the local dealership to see if they've got one on the floor.

Endurance with no purpose?

2009-03-20T16:26:00.011-04:00

Is there value in this?! I keep asking myself that question while considering a friendly invitation to an Iron Butt Association (IBA) event. Ever heard of the IBA? I hadn't...

...anyway, a workmate from my last job wants to do the Redwing 19 ride. The event honors a group of fallen military men, and bears the endorsement of the IBA as a SaddleSore - that's a ride wherein a thousand miles are completed in 24 hours.

I'm into riding with the intent of honing your riding skills and operation of the machine. Unless this is 1000 miles of back-country roads, I'm guessing the experience will fall short as a technical exercise. But I guess an event like this is more for planning and documentation. It could be fun to log progress and metrics - how short and frequent your pit stops are, your average speed, miles covered on day one, miles covered on day two, planning your stops so that you have WiFi access (after all, I'd be riding with a Touch!).

I'm so torn, but that probably means I should challenge myself and just give it a whirl. Anyone else got an opinion? Wanna join me?

Update: (2008-03-30)
I'm signed up. Saturday, May 16th. It's on!

Unconventional performance

2009-02-24T17:36:00.008-05:00

We were left speechless after a recent visit to the Tesla Motors store on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles. Aside from a small arsenal of stunning American machines with carbon fiber bodies, this store had knowledge to share.

Our genuine interest resulted in a pummeling of questions for an apparently well-prepared Tesla employee. She answered questions of all kinds - from financials and company structure to drive train and voltage conversion. Taylor floated the possibility of a demo, and our generous host offered the unimaginable.

The ride is like no other I've ever experienced. Megan pointed out that the Roadster's acceleration resembles that of a linear-induction roller coaster. She was spot-on. The quiet, but high-pitched whine and the subtle sound of the air rushing over the windshield was all your ears had to report. When not accelerating to 70 MPH in the blink of an eye, there was little sound aside from the ambient noise of traffic that you'd here if you were standing on the sidewalk.

It's way out of most people's price ranges, it can't get me to my parents' house in a single charge, and they recommend against taking the car to the track because of heat-related issues (according to our Tesla driver).

Minor shortcomings aside, I can't help but feel misguided by automotive convention. The Tesla Roadster has a transmission with a single gear, and a motor that spins in both directions. Is this the necessary simplification of a tool that has been over-complicated for too many years?

Fun on four wheels

2009-02-18T08:41:00.027-05:00

I usually try to keep this blog strictly on the topic of motorcycles, but I caved in light of our recent acquisition:

About five years ago, I began commuting regularly in a 1991 Honda Accord DX from Oakton to Rosslyn, and it did in my left knee. It got pretty bad, and I went to a handful of doctors and underwent physical therapy. The result is a condition I can deal with, but that still doesn't gel with certain kinds of motion.

The experience left me in a bit of a bind. I'm an avid anti-fan of conventional automatic transmissions. My aversion to automatics is a mix of inherited values (Dad, you rule!) and personal preference. So during the peak of my injury, I researched many solutions to driving a manual transmission without a left leg. I even prototyped a vacuum-assisted, hand-operated clutch master cylinder on that 91 Accord. I came so close to engaging the clutch with the squeeze of a bicycle brake lever, but the throw of the Geo Metro brake booster I employed wasn't long enough...*sigh*

I spent a lot of time on that project, and when the the execution failed, I was regrettably out of steam. So I used the DC Metro and my Ninja 250 as often as possible for commuting in order to limit my use of a clutch pedal.

Back on topic - my research had uncovered more than just a Frankenstein of off-the-shelf parts. I had learned about Toyota's Sequential Manual Transmission (SMT) that was fitted to the MR2 Spyders. This transmission was exactly what I was looking for - a manual transmission with a clutch, but a clutch the driver didn't have to operate. Awesome! It was way out of my price range at the time - both because I was just out of college and because the cars were still more or less brand new.

So that should explain why we sought this mid-engine convertible as our next automobile. In some ways, traveling in the MR2 Spyder will be a lot like traveling on the bikes. There is no storage space, save for a little cavity behind each seat and the trunk rack we snagged from craigslist. We'll probably want to keep earplugs on hand for long highway trips (SureFire makes a great pair, believe it or not).

The bottom line is that I do consider the transmission a compromise, but an acceptable one. And now I don't feel so bad about living without an MG B!

Another Pelican

2009-01-04T17:39:00.006-05:00

My wife has the more reliable and efficient of our bikes - a 2007 Suzuki SV650. It's a beautiful black and red beast with 2 spark plugs per cylinder and fuel injection! I'm so easily impressed by modern automotive technology...

Anyway, we aim to turn that bike into a touring machine. If we want to two-up on a trip to visit family (maybe to save on gas or to add excitement to our many 200-300 mile trippers), then we'll have a bike that's up to the task. The first requirement that comes to mind is luggage space. In my opinion, the simplest solution to sturdy, lockable luggage is a top case. I previously mounted a top case on my first-generation SV650 by mounting a Pelican 1550 directly to my passenger seat. I've been really happy with the result, but my barbaric approach rendered my passenger seat useless. Unfortunately, mounting hard luggage while still retaining use of the passenger seat means spending more money (because I'm not interested in manufacturing a complete solution myself). So I purchased the SW-Motech ALU-Rack from TwistedThrottle.com, with the intention of mounting a Pelican 1550 to it. The SW-Motech ALU-Rack is supposed to be used with a conversion plate specific to the kind of case you are going to mount (like a Givi case or other motorcycle-specific container). However, the rack happens to have three conveniently-spaced holes:

All of my plans were first okayed by the bike owner. While I can take credit for most of the ideas here, an exception can be found in the color of the Pelican case. But hey, that's cool! To each her own.

Installation was quite simple - little was left up to assumption given the single picture in the ALU-Rack manual. Aside from having to grind down 2 aluminum spacers and losing one of the provided nuts, the rack was assembled without issue. Mounting the Pelican 1550 was also a simple task. I went with the very straight-forward method of bolting the 1550 to the ALU-Rack via the 3 available holes. After drilling 3 holes into the case and picking up the necessary hardware, the case and the rack became one. The final product looks acceptable and, as expected, does not prevent use of the passenger seat.

The question is, will the rack support the weight of a Pelican 1550 (~10 lbs) full of traveling gear and supplies (? lbs). Only time will tell, and I plan to test this setup tomorrow when I head to work. Should this arrangement prove useable, we plan to incorporate the SW-Motech Quick-Lock side racks. With two top-loading Pelicans on the sides, we may have enough room for a weekend trip!

It gets better every time!

2008-12-01T19:55:00.005-05:00

Every track day is more fun than the last one - this is definitely something I need to do more than 3 times a year...

...so on November 23rd, we found ourselves warming up to the tune of high-revs in the paddock at Carolina Motorsports Park. An unseasonably cold weekend had us doing our first session in thirty-some-odd degrees, but the fun-factor did not suffer!

I spent most of the day working on form, as my inside foot touched-down first at my last 2 track days this year. I wanted to be sure that, if I carved the corners hard enough, my knee would be the first thing to feel the track. Unfortunately track day number five goes to the archive and my knee pucks still look brandy new. Oh well - maybe next time.

On the upside, I had a wicked-cool track coach that was nice enough to tail me for an entire session - with a video camera! Watching yourself in third person is an amazing learning experience. The ability to critique with all distractions and fear removed - amazing! I've come to two major conclusions after watching this video. Number one, I turn in and apex way too early on a lot of corners. Number two, I have a world of throttle to go before I get dangerous, so it's time to apply some aggression (<--Mike's terminology).

Technical assessments aside, it's always a good time meeting the motorcycle experts for a weekend of action :)

Swapping treads myself

2008-11-16T18:12:00.013-05:00

I finally committed...I've been wanting to get into changing motorcycle tires myself ever since a buddy of mine began doing it. I was sick of paying the shop $30 to swap a tire (especially since I was removing the wheel from the bike). Opportunity always strikes when you're not looking for it, as such was the case when I stumbled upon a used tire changing stand on craigslist.org.

About $180 later, I had everything I needed to remove the rear tire on my SV650:

$50 - used MRP tire changing stand (appears to be an older version of this)

$10 - pair of tire irons the guy threw in

$100 - No-Mar Mount/Demount Bar

$10 - Balancing weights

$10 - shipping

$180/$30 = 5. The math says that five tire changes is all it will take for me to recoup all my expenditures. Awesome.

So I took on the challenge this wonderful Sunday morning and removed the rear wheel from the SV. I then banked on the information I found here about using 2x4s and a car to break the bead. I cut a 2x4 into the necessary pieces (keeping an 8-footer in its entirety for leverage) and went at it. Of course I emptied the tire of air before playing the bead-breaking game.

Then it was into the basement where I had my tire changing stand and related tools. I messed around some, called my friend, and realized after we hung up that I never actually broke the bead. That was hard for me to believe, seeing as the bead was sliding up and down the inside of the wheel when I was working it over with the 2x4. But sure enough, the bead maintained a seal throughout all that! Wow...

After looking at pictures of tools meant for breaking tire beads, I realized my primitive 2x4s needed improvement. So I sharpened, if you will, the short piece that actually makes contact with the bead of the tire. This ended up being a winner, as I could hear the seal give way when prying and the little air pressure that remained seeped out. Score!

I mounted the wheel onto my tire changing stand and grabbed my No-Mar Mount/Demount Bar. Now, let me first mention how impressed I was when I received my shipment from No-Mar. I ordered their mount/demount bar, a set of wheel weights, and a free DVD they have showing off their products and how to use them. When I opened the box, I found the 3 items I ordered, plus a 2nd DVD, a spray bottle of tire mounting lubricant, and a jar of lubricating jelly for tire installation. And to top it off, the mount/demount bar came with 3 (three!) replacement demount tips (the tips are made of a non-marking material). I definitely felt like No-Mar took care of me, and I'm not easily impressed.

I watched the video and payed close attention to how I should use the mount/demount bar when removing the tire. Unfortunately, the video did not translate so well to the Pirelli 160-60ZR17 I was working with. In the video, No-Mar was able to use the mount/demount bar alone to get between the tire bead and the rim to ultimately pry the bead up over the rim. However, I had no hope of working the demount tip of the No-Mar bar between the bead and the rim. The bead would just go wherever I forced it, and never fought back! So I had to pry the bead away from the rim with a tire iron and then squish the demount tip of the No-Mar bar into the opening made by the pry bar. The first time I was successful getting the demount tip where it belonged, I ended up ruining the demount bar tip as the picture above shows. I was pretty upset, but realized even a fine tool like the No-Mar bar is rubbish if one does not apply common sense. Basically, you should only pry with the No-Mar bar if the fat portion of the demount tip is what makes contact with the rim. In my case, I had pushed the bead so far down, that when I began to pry, the contact point on the No-Mar bar was the actual metal bar! This put intense stress on the connection of the demount tip to the metal bar. Thankfully, No-Mar provided 3 replacement tips in the package! So I swapped demount tips and tried again (making sure the demount tip was in contact with the rim when I began to pry the bead up and over the wheel).

So I got the tire off the wheel and learned how to use the tools I have (without permanently ruining them). I should be picking up a fresh Pirelli SuperSport tomorrow, so I'm pretty sure my tires will pass tech at CMP next weekend.

Riding with a Touch - conclusion

2008-10-30T09:58:00.004-04:00

I expect my Friday trip home to be uneventful, so I thought I'd type this up now.

Weather:
It was between 35 and 45 degrees for most of the riding. Rain found its way into about 50% of the trip, and there were very gusty winds. Definitely not ideal, but with the right gear, all this can be relatively easy to deal with.

Gear:
Layers. I had a wicking layer on closest to my skin, from neck to toe (I'd love to get some of that capilene by Patagonia). All subsequent layers worn (aside from the riding jacket and pants) provide insulation, and I had two such layers (feet included!). And the last layer was the asphalt protection - Joe Rocket jacket and Fieldsheer pants. Oh yeah, and who can forget the rain protection? $30 at Target's camping section gets you all the rain protection a rider needs!

Fingers and feet! These are the first to get cold, and the hardest to keep warm. I know they make heated grips, but that's like running up the wrong escalator instead of walking on the appropriate moving staircase. So I think the best solution to cold weather riding is to get dirt bike-style hand guards. For the most part, it's the wind chill that's numbing my fingers. So get 'em the hell outta the wind!

The feet I haven't figured out yet. Two layers of socks helps (as long as the first layer wicks), but socks are nothing without an amazing pair of boots. I need to find a pair of waterproof, insulated moto boots.

Riding with a Touch - NJ

2008-10-29T15:11:00.001-04:00

I made it! Friendly relatives and the kindness of complete strangers got me to my 3rd home. Can't wait 'til my sister comes home!

Song of the day: More Than a Feeling by Boston - just bought it from iTunes using some neighbor's unlocked WiFi connection. Is this device un-be-freakin'-lievable? I believe it is :)

^ keyed into my iPod touch : )

Riding with a Touch - Wed morn

2008-10-29T07:31:00.001-04:00

Just got up - my wife's Aunt and Uncle put me up last night. I slept in a Marmot sleeping bag I'm borrowing (thanks, professor), and I'll tell you what: these hardcore, mummy-style sleeping bags are AWEsome! They're warm, they pack tightly, they rule.

My hosts have 2 young boys, and I think I'm gonna follow them to school this morning. I was invited to, and I figure this is a good way to get the full local experience while waiting for the traffic to cool down.

It's not raining, I see a glimmer of sun light pushing through...I'm pretty hopeful for decent weather.

Last word: damn I'm getting fast @ typing on this thing!

^ keyed into my iPod touch : )

Riding with a Touch - stopped counting

2008-10-28T21:47:00.011-04:00

Wow, where to start? Last time I wrote was from a McDonald's just east of the Susquehanna. I was waiting for the downpour to subside, but decided that I was hitting the road again at 11am no matter what.

So I suited back up, and went into the rain to start the bike. Guess what? It wouldn't start. So there I was in the rain, my feet still wet from earlier, I was cold, and I was wondering what the heck I was gonna do. After messing with the choke, throttle, and starter, I found the magic combination that got the bike running. However only one of the two cylinders were firing. Great...

Even though I had to use the throttle to keep the engine alive at idle, I decided to hit the road in hopes the other cylinder would just start working. After about 2 miles, I realized my dream was not gonna come true.

So I pulled over on the side of 462 and removed the seat to get to the tool kit...in the cold rain. I got to the point where I had the tank propped up and I inspected the ignition wires. There was nothing obviously wrong. I realized I was not going to be able to troubleshoot this problem with the tools I had (let alone the environment I was in).

I pondered my awful luck for no more than 30 seconds before a van zipped by and violently pulled-over into the shoulder ahead of me. Then, the driver threw it in reverse and snaked around me so that the front of his car faced me in the shoulder.

"You need help?" came blaring out of a PA system. I was like, "uhhhh..." I walked over to the passenger side door, and the driver rolled the window down. The guy's name was Raul (I don't know the spelling, but the phonetics were like Rah-ool). He was a scooter rider, and stopped for me because he'd want someone to stop for him if he were in the same situation. I've since decided to adopt the same code...

Anyway, Raul told me about Trans-Am Cycles in Lititz, PA, which was about 12 miles from where I was. He gave me their number (well not exactly, but gave me enough info to figure it out), and said he'd, "pray for me." Thank you, Raul.

So I put my bike back together, got my luggage re-attached, and hobbled my one-cylinder bike to Trans-Am. It was a rough ride, because the dead cylinder would kick-in rarely (causing the machine to accelerate sporadically).

So I finally arrived at Trans-Am, and Dave, from the service department, was ready to dive in. After about 2-3 hours, I was back on the road with new plugs and a thoroughly-cleaned pair of carbs. Trans-Am was so accommodating, I am in debt to them for taking me on such short notice and turning around a completely road-worthy bike.

More rain, wind, and hypothermia awaited, but I finally ended up at my destination. It took me all day to drive, effectively, 100 miles.

Last word this time? I know I hate them, but I will always own a cell phone from this point on.

Riding with a Touch - stop 4

2008-10-28T09:09:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed warm, restful, and most intellectual accommodations at my cousin-in-law's. I had only put in about 110 miles by the time I arrived, but they were some cold miles, dammit! It was an evening of hard cider, sushi, and cocktails from the bookshelf bar (with lots of conversation in-between).

So I followed a well-dressed college professor out the front door of an old York town home this morning, and into rejecting weather. After about 25 miles, I retired to a McDonald's - I know, I know, but do you know how warm it is in there?!

My rain gear is creating a puddle on the floor and I'm taking up a whole table with my stuff. Here's hoping the rain stops...

Last word - you have to pay for WiFi @ McD's? WTF?!

^ keyed into my iPod touch : )

Riding with a Touch - stop 2

2008-10-27T14:25:00.001-04:00

York College. Weird layout - I can not tell where the campus starts and where it ends! Anyway, it has not noticeably warmed-up.

So I crossed the Mason-Dixon on 194, and that road's scenery did not disappoint. I beheld some of most striking Maryland landscapes ever, even under threatening skies. And in PA, 194 was a window into some kick-@$$ industrial towns with old brick buildings backed by mills and other factories. 110 miles in...song of the afternoon is AKA Driver by TMBG. Let's see if I can find a hot spot so I can post these.

^ keyed into my iPod touch : )

Riding with a Touch - 1st stop

2008-10-27T11:34:00.001-04:00

It is flippin' cold as hell! This was not part of the plan, so I'm @ a Dunkin Donuts in Frederick, MD eating sausage, egg, & cheese on a bagel. I don't even remember how much I payed for it, but as far as I'm concerned, its warmth was worth $20.

So I am doing a short motorcycle trip since have a few days off between jobs, and I bought an ipod touch for the occasion. What is the correlation, you ask? There isn't one, but this device is the sh*t!

Well, here's hoping things warm up - this 1st 50 miles has been rough. Pictures for each stop will be added later. Gonna listen to some Mraz - I was singing his stuff in my helmet since I left Centreville!

^ keyed into my iPod touch : )

Tire Paranoia

2008-10-10T09:49:00.003-04:00

I just signed up for my fifth track day. I should totally be excited about this, but like every other track day, I look at my tires and ask myself, "Am I going to get through tech with these?"

It shouldn't be a big deal. They've got tire vendors on location that can help me out if I fail inspection. But between the novice-level classes and the fact that I'm still an amateur, the last thing I need is another logistical step on my track day.

My tires have enough tread for many more miles of street use, but I have little experience with the amount of tread required to get on the track. I'm sure this is a common dilemma where the real solution is to get good @ taking the wheels off. That way you can quickly get the wheels to the tire vendor so they can replace them if needed. I wonder if they charge an installation fee, or if you just pay for the tire...

Finally.

2008-08-28T20:13:00.004-04:00

It finally happened - I finally found a collection of roads in our area worth riding. I had pretty much accepted that there was nothing for us, and that we'd just have to wait for our Smoky Mountain trips to make the most of our 2 wheelers. But at last - salvation!

It's about 30 miles of interstate to get to the roads of interest, and then you get a good 70 miles of twisties and switchbacks. Unfortunately, once you finish the roller coaster, you're about 50 miles from home - that's a total of 150 miles, 80 of which is highway traveling. Tough trade-off, but it's the best I can find in Northern VA.

Pelican Case Closure

2008-08-07T20:59:00.004-04:00

I'll keep this one short - I finally mounted a Pelican 1550 that I bought in person at Dulles Case Center. The case is mounted via two bolts that go directly through the passenger seat.

I drove to work today with my backpack in the case. The 1550 has a lot of room, and the mounting method seems to be pretty darn stable.

Back to the workbench

2008-07-29T20:49:00.007-04:00

I don't know why I do it, but every few months I insist on pushing my skilled labor to its limits. This usually results in extreme frustration and disappointment. I mean, I don't know how to weld, and really, my ability to work with metal is limited to hacksaws (cutting), files (making up for bad cuts), drills (making holes), and JB Weld (gluing metal, if you will).

While most of my attempts result in failure, sometimes I succeed. This usually happens when I design a solution that's crude, simple, and does not require tight tolerances. Hell, our Honda Element is still roaring along with our homemade intake bracket.

So my latest endeavor consists of mounting a Pelican case to the SV. I looked at the Givi top case rack, but it's just way too expensive. I also considered buying a spare passenger seat, and mounting the Pelican case directly to that. Unfortunately a used passenger seat will set me back about $60. On the other hand, five-or-so feet of angle aluminum was $12 at ACE Hardware, so here I go again.

I'll post back with more as I get further, but I'm already under way on a bracket, made solely of angle aluminum. Said bracket will mount to the bike in place of the grab rail. And as soon as I'm done, I'll have earned the reward of shopping for my Pelican case!

Update #1

I've created 4 pieces of my 5-piece design so far - 2 pieces bolt directly to the subframe (where the grab rail originally mounted).

The other 2 pieces are take-offs, if you will, from the pieces that mount to the bike. I'm joining each piece with JB Weld (what else?) to hold them together so I can complete the bracket. If I decide JB Weld won't cut it, I'll have to figure out some other way to sure the connections...

Update #2

*sigh* - after many design discussions with my wife and my father, I was convinced that a much better design was to mount the case directly to the passenger seat (for stability reasons among others). So I've got the seat off and I think I've decided on a way to make it all work. I'll be picking up a Pelican case tomorrow @ lunch and hopefully I'll have it mounted for our Shenandoah trip Sunday!

Barber Motorsports Park

2008-07-23T20:54:00.008-04:00

We did a track day with STT Southern at Barber Motorsports Park a few weeks ago. I've started this post three times since then, and I'm still having trouble getting my raving lunacies under control. So I'll use a few images this time in place of words.

Unbelievable. Where other tracks simply provide an area to park your rig and some decent asphalt to carve, Barber invites you into a gated community of golf course-quality grounds, an unmatched collection of motorcycle history (see their museum), and a crash-friendly, jaw-dropping race course.

I have a lot to learn about road racing (only my 4th track day), but the STT staff at a venue like Barber rewards you just for trying. I definitely got my money's worth on this track day -

- and of course the great company didn't hurt.

Thanks to the beautiful photographer, who plans to be on the bike next track day!

Route planning

2008-06-04T18:32:00.011-04:00

Ask me what I'm doing this weekend, and I'll tell you visiting family. Ask me what I did last weekend, and I'll tell you the same. Ask me what I'm doing next weekend...you get the point. I love visiting family, but this way of life wreaks havoc on my motorcycling time. I know, why not use the bikes to go on these trips? No reason.

And so this weekend we're giving it a go - visiting my father-in-law on the SV650S and Ninja 250. The idea seemed simple and appealing at first, but then when I thought about the Interstates we usually use to get there, I decided we needed to find a back-roads way of getting there. This trip usually takes us about 3.5 hours using 66, 495, 95, 476, 76, and Pennsylvania's SR-422. How can I possibly come up with a route anywhere near that simple if I stay off the highways? Oh, I forgot to mention one little thing...

...friends of ours recently shared their Mad Map with us - theirs was a map outlining large weekend loops to drive in the Smoky Mountain area. Mad Maps seems to focus on twisty and/or scenic roads for their weekend loops. When our Economic Stimulus $$$ rolled in, we bought 3 Mad Maps, and one of them covers New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We tested this map out a few weekends ago when we aimed the Civic for Northern New Jersey - instead of our usual early morning sprint up 95, we swung West and came in on 78. Before the PA/NJ border, we branched off to drive a 30+ mile portion of one of Mad Maps's Pennsylvania loops (which ended up putting us on 80, and we entered the Garden State that way).

We were not disappointed.

This was 30 miles of windy roads with constant elevation changes and banked turns. Speed limits would drop to 25 as you pass through a 4-block ghost town, and before you knew it, you were back up to speed carving asphalt you may never have found otherwise.

So, what I haven't mentioned, is that we aim to fit a portion of a Mad Maps loop into each trip. Now keeping the whole trip off the freeway and getting a taste of Mad Maps in the same trip to Perkiomenville, PA has proven quite challenging. I admit, route-planning is a very new activity for me. But with Google Maps and a AAA membership, I should have the tools I need to come up with a decent line.

While the jury is out on the decency of my line, the fact remains that it's a 210-mile route with over 70 turns - all of which GMaps estimates will take us 6.5 hours. It's quite a price to pay if this is the cost of using motorcycles to visit family. We'll see how we feel about it when we reflect upon the trip on Steve's wooden rockers...

Update:

Well, it basically took us about 8 hours. We did everything from ferrying across the Potomac to sliding through gravel roads with our sport bikes. The scenery was great, some of the roads were totally cool, but this is no way to get from point A to point B. Needless to say, we took a much simpler route home.

No regrets, though!

Yeah, I'd wear a Triumph t-shirt

2008-05-19T17:14:00.002-04:00

I usually hate sporting brand names. It makes me feel like a tool for someone else's profit. At least, that's how I usually feel. But after our Saturday motorcycling adventure, I think I've made an exception.

Megan tracked down a Triumph demo event happening at Clinton Cycles, a dealership just over the Woodrow Wilson bridge in Maryland. The idea of getting to test drive a Street Triple had us more than interested in heading out there, so I hit Google Maps in an attempt to plan a back roads route. We even managed to gather Will onto our bandwagon - the more the merrier!

And so we set out Saturday morning, the 3 of us riding staggered. While we kept off the highway as much as possible, we had to hit 495 to get across the Potomac. We hopped onto some local roads asap, and got lost as fast as we got off the interstate. Our impeccable sense of direction and Megan's map got us, finally, to the Triumph dealership much later than we had planned.

Ah, but this is where the fun began! Parked in the lot was a gigantic 18-wheeler sporting the Triumph logo, and a fleet of machines straight out of their 2008 catalog. After cooling off in the dealership's accessories department, we headed for the Triumph demo truck to see what they had to offer.

It was great - after a waiver, they had a sign-up sheet with a matrix - each row represented a bike they had, and each column was a 1/2 hour time slot. Every 1/2 hour you could sign up for whatever bike you wanted to take out! If the bike you wanted was taken, you could just sign up to ride whatever other model was available. Between the 3 of us we got to try 4 different models - it was a blast.

The Triumph team led us out in a staggered group on the local roads. They had one lead rider, one rider in the middle, and one rider taking up the rear of the pack. Mixed in-between were people like us getting a kick out the whole event.

The Triumph reps were really friendly and they basically let us have a little field day with their bikes. It was a low-stress, low-intensity motorcycling event, but for some reason it was still way fun. I'll leave the bike reviews for future posts, but bottomline? I like Triumph.

To modify, or not to modify...

2008-03-27T17:27:00.004-04:00

I remember after my first track day with a Triumph Thunderbird about a year ago. Sure, it exemplified, for me anyway, that you learn more after your 1st track day than you learn in a year of street riding. But I also thought I learned my TBird's ground clearance wasn't good enough, so I began chasing down foot peg and exhaust modifications to keep them from touching the track. After a lot of money and time, I learned that my problems were really due to my riding skills and the fact that I was using a motorcycle that would never really be meant for the track.

So my modifications were fruitless.

Then I swapped the TBird for a 1st gen SV650. The supposed niceties of the SV I bought included an already-installed GSXR rear shock, and clip-on risers. Guess what? I recently installed a stock rear shock from Ebay and I'm currently installing stock clip-ons. Why? The GSXR shock was way too stiff to get any rear wheel feedback, and the front brake lever would compress fully against the front fairing before the handlebars lock when turned to the left.

So I'm spending my time undoing modifications instead of riding.

Mine for yours.

2007-10-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

After a 2nd track day with the 2002 Triumph Thunderbird, I was completely convinced that this triple was not the bike for me. I mean, in the past year I've had alot of fun with it. It's torquey as hell, it has top-end pull, it never leaves you wanting more power...

...but it's heavy, it has just a tad too much rake (for the track, anyway), and it's tough to practice proper body positioning on it with the low seat and stock footpeg locations. It seemed that, if I wanted to progress and get the most out of my track day experiences, I needed something sportier. At least this was where I stood after our Team ProMotion track day early September, 2007.

Fast-forward to early October, and I'm now the proud owner of a 2001 Suzuki SV650S. A Triumph-lusting resident of State College, PA offered to trade his SV650S for my TBird. After some Blue-booking and decision making, we agreed to a trade: his Suzuki plus $300 for my Triumph.

We lived over 300 miles apart, so we met at a Sheetz in McConnelsburg, PA - halfway between us. M came with me on her Ninjette, and we made our way through some back-country roads to our Sunday bike trade.

Lack of cell phone reception on-site made the meet-up a little rough, but within an hour of our appointment, we were all at Sheetz looking the bikes over. Between cups of coffee to warm up (it was a brisk morning), we test drove each other's bikes and made the trade.

M and I took our last look at the Triumph, and we high-tailed it back home - this time I was on a blue Suzuki with handlebar risers and a fairing. Crazy.

It was an interesting experience - to trade. Especially when the round trip was about 260 miles. The differences between 2 bikes really jump right up at you when you spend so much time on each one back-to-back.

Riding With Lenses

2007-07-05T18:51:00.000-04:00

Gear:
Oakley Minute Rx Sunglasses

I've seen @ least a few people like myself - who ride with glasses. I guess if you need to wear corrective lenses, you have 3 options: wear glasses, wear contacts, or get LASIK. I've had my bout with contacts (the contacts won, so to speak), so contacts are a no-go for me. I also avoid surgery if at all possible, so LASIK is not really an option. That leaves frames.

So I've been wearing eyeglasses for my entire riding history, and my specs definitely do not cover peripheral vision. Actually, they don't even come close. And I recently read about an accident in which a rider's glasses snapped and nearly cut his eye. So resilient frames with a facial contour seemed in order.

I decided it was time for a drastic (read expensive) solution to my riding eyewear, and where better to turn than Oakley? Exactly.

So to get to the point, I am now the proud owner of an Oakley pair of "Minute" Rx sunglasses. The verdict? I'm speechless. I can easily rant for 4 paragraphs about why I love these glasses, but let me give the summary: They are clear, they kill all glare, they cover virtually my entire viewing range (I turn my eyeballs now, not my head), and they fit under my helment with ease. I'm impressed in every sense of the word, and I will always own a pair of Oakley Rx sunglasses from now on. No question about it.

New bars - new bike!

2007-05-29T20:45:00.003-04:00

Machine:
2002 Triumph Thunderbird

Mods:
Tommaselli Condor Adjustable Bars

The Thunderbird can definitely be classified as a "standard" in the motorcycle world. Rather vertical sitting position, handle bars bent toward for ease-of-reach, and foot pegs right underneath you (not behind or in front of you).

I decided to give the Tommaselli Condor bars a try. The adjustable Condor bars came up alot at the Triumph Rat forum, and most of the reviews seemed to be on the good side. I got the impression that it was an easy way to get the clip-on experience without actually retro-fitting clip-ons to the T-Bird.

I gave in to curiosity and tried them out. After 3 rides, I think I can say that it changes the riding experience completely. I now ride right up against the gas tank, leaning much further forward to operate the motorcycle. This is a pretty serious change of posture, compared with the relaxed, up-right experience I had with the stock bars. It is much more like riding a sport bike, except that the gas tank feels like it's in the way of the experience...

My final verdict is that I like them. When adjusted properly, my wrists find a much more comfortable home than they did with the stock bars. Otherwise, it's something to get used to. When riding hard, the Condor bars seem to promote a decent riding position. When sitting in traffic, it's less than ideal. But I think I like 'em.

Where's the love?

2007-05-15T21:11:00.000-04:00

Machine:
1995 Kawasaki Ninja 250

...1st in line at a red light - left-hand lane waiting for the green arrow. Cars are passing by us as their light says 'go.'

-"Nice scooter!"

Some punk yells this at us. Car full of high school/college kids with all the windows down and the sunroof open. Wow, that one hurt.

Obviously he knows something about motorcycles if he can recognize our unmarked Ninja 250. Is this the impression motorcyclists have about the Ninjette? That it's some kind of "scooter" (read with a negative connotation)? I guess some do. It's a shame when something as serious as riding becomes a pissing contest...

Lean-off

IMS DC 2012

Wanting it all

Learn the easy way

Hand guards

#motochat

Fog prevention

Roadside repair

Mayorga Coffee

You can finally buy the SLS!

Sucker for contests

Inspiration in Gaithersburg

Smokies 2011

See me some MST

Smoky logistics

2-wheel_errands

Tail end of the year...

No love for the Northeast

I'll tumble for ya...

Free parking...

If you haven't ridden yet this year...

*Much* better

Much respect.

Oh how versatile...

A Return from Paranoia

Wantz to see!

Glass I can work with

Flash Ride

Sold to Carmax

Winter blues

Stocking up...

Honda Element + Digression ...

I want to get excited...

Yikes...

Confidence!

CMP 2010 prep complete!

Off Topic #1

Thursday thoughts

Documentary

Tail light disintegration

Cold. Track. Gloves.

Good coffee near the Dragon!

En route to Andrews, NC

DIY Fail.

Locked n' loaded...

Leaning-off in a left-hander

Pelicans pelicans pelicans...

Trailer, 2010

Wednesday thoughts...

Downsides of my ZX

I was quoted!

Review: Genesis Track One

Concerns from behind

Don't take it lightly

New steed, no motor

Regulations get in my way

If you don't need it...

Getting antsy...

Lock it down

Keeping a remote machine (legally?)

On to a supersport

Hands free!

Forks: known state

Back from the Smokies...

The Hemp Jacket

MP3: Conclusion

Gaining appreciation

Out of place

Maximizing efficiency

Rally Racing Aftershock

IBA Certified!

Whirlwind Tour of Virginia

Up to NY to see the Model S

Hungry For Throttle

The Trusty Trailer

Orange and black

Endurance with no purpose?

Unconventional performance

Fun on four wheels

Another Pelican

Much better