First of all, I'm back. After having moved some articles over to Hyperkingdom, we decided that our efforts there should be focused on Art (leaving my beemer adventures out). So that leads us to the new post.. ;)
Today, a mile into my ride to work I go to signal a right turn (a very standard thing to do) and low and behold, I'm met with a lack of resistance and NO Signal goes on. Idiotically, I try the other direction and ride the rest of the 6 miles to work with a constant left signal (fine until I had to leave the left lane).
I jumped on A&S Cyles site and pulled up the fiche for my switch. I used the part number and sent it to Irv Seaver for a quote and it came out to $108 (which isn't bad). I should get the part of Friday which gives me a good reason to just go sit on bikes anyway. :)
Ahhh... the fun of owning older bikes and cars...
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Hyperkingdom.com
I'm going to be moving all of my content to Hyperkingdom.com but, have no fear (I know you are waiting with baited breath for the next post), I will continue to write about all of my motorcycling (and other) adventures. In fact... I have a post about an Emgo Viper fairing that you'll probably find interesting.
See you there!
See you there!
The importance of T-CLOCS
So last night I checked the oil, the tires, gave everything a bit of a once over and headed out to have dinner with my girlfriend. We had a nice but quick meal, I gave her a kiss and she went back to work and I headed home...
I fired up the bike, turned on the light... turned on the light... ummm... turned on the... crap. The headlamp, which was slowly going anyway (I had already lost the regular light so I had been running on the brights), but now it was completely out and it was nighttime. I crapped my pants and then started carefully home.
Most of the ride was easy and fairly safe. I stayed close to lit cars, kept away from side streets and signaled if I thought someone might not see me. Curse me for having a black jacket and helmet!
So this brings me to the importance of doing your pre-ride checks and following T-CLOCS as a reminder as to what to check. If you went to the safety course you would've covered T-CLOCS but just as a reminder it stands for:
MSF (motorcycle safety foundation) published a good pdf here. I suggest that we, as responsible motorcyclists follow the checklist so you don't find yourself crapping yourself in the dark of an underground parking lot. I was lucky this time... I may not be so lucky the next time.
Today, I ran out, bought an H4 headlamp (I pulled the original last night, breaking it in the process) and plugged it in, fixing my issue. To be sure, I used the multi-meter last night after pulling the bulb just to make sure that it wasn't an electrical issue. I suggest buying a multi-meter, mine is a cheapie from harbor freight but it does what it needs to - it shows me that 12 volts of power are running through the wires. If you haven't used a multimeter before, this article is pretty good.
Safe riding everyone...
I fired up the bike, turned on the light... turned on the light... ummm... turned on the... crap. The headlamp, which was slowly going anyway (I had already lost the regular light so I had been running on the brights), but now it was completely out and it was nighttime. I crapped my pants and then started carefully home.
Most of the ride was easy and fairly safe. I stayed close to lit cars, kept away from side streets and signaled if I thought someone might not see me. Curse me for having a black jacket and helmet!
So this brings me to the importance of doing your pre-ride checks and following T-CLOCS as a reminder as to what to check. If you went to the safety course you would've covered T-CLOCS but just as a reminder it stands for:
- T - Tire and wheels
- C - Controls
- L - Lights
- O - Oil
- C - Chassis
- S - Stands
MSF (motorcycle safety foundation) published a good pdf here. I suggest that we, as responsible motorcyclists follow the checklist so you don't find yourself crapping yourself in the dark of an underground parking lot. I was lucky this time... I may not be so lucky the next time.
Today, I ran out, bought an H4 headlamp (I pulled the original last night, breaking it in the process) and plugged it in, fixing my issue. To be sure, I used the multi-meter last night after pulling the bulb just to make sure that it wasn't an electrical issue. I suggest buying a multi-meter, mine is a cheapie from harbor freight but it does what it needs to - it shows me that 12 volts of power are running through the wires. If you haven't used a multimeter before, this article is pretty good.
Safe riding everyone...
Friday, October 5, 2012
Cool short film
Long Live the Kings
This was a pretty cool film with some great old BMWs... makes me want to just head down a road with a pack and no idea where I'm going...
This was a pretty cool film with some great old BMWs... makes me want to just head down a road with a pack and no idea where I'm going...
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Seats, seats and more seats...
So, if you look back a couple of posts you'll notice that I have this gigantic grey seat that is great for touring but isn't very "cool". I want to keep it intact for long rides but want something a bit more sporty for commuting and around town so now I was looking at having two seats. Having two seats is expensive...
Here's why:
1. I could make a new seat pan... great idea, lots of diy seat pan how-to's but not a lot of how to mount the seat... this means I'm looking at buying the hinges and post which starts at $45 (not too bad). Then I'd need to go cut foam, sew leather and so on...
2. I could buy a used seat... I really like this idea, but it will be at least $160...
3. I could buy a new seat, like one of those fancy corbin ones... but this would be upwards of $300...
4. Buy a new seat pan (fiberglass), runs around $130... still requires me to paint, foam and leather it...
So it looks like I'm going to do some saving. I like the idea of rolling my own, that sounds like a fun project but mounting seems challenging and worries me slightly. I still might head this direction though particularly since I found this: Converting a /5 seat from hinged to lift off. This looks promising as I would still need a post, but no longer need hinges (maybe a bit of a break?).
Anyway... I'm good with what I have so far, but this is on the near horizon.
Here's why:
1. I could make a new seat pan... great idea, lots of diy seat pan how-to's but not a lot of how to mount the seat... this means I'm looking at buying the hinges and post which starts at $45 (not too bad). Then I'd need to go cut foam, sew leather and so on...
2. I could buy a used seat... I really like this idea, but it will be at least $160...
3. I could buy a new seat, like one of those fancy corbin ones... but this would be upwards of $300...
4. Buy a new seat pan (fiberglass), runs around $130... still requires me to paint, foam and leather it...
So it looks like I'm going to do some saving. I like the idea of rolling my own, that sounds like a fun project but mounting seems challenging and worries me slightly. I still might head this direction though particularly since I found this: Converting a /5 seat from hinged to lift off. This looks promising as I would still need a post, but no longer need hinges (maybe a bit of a break?).
Anyway... I'm good with what I have so far, but this is on the near horizon.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Catching up...
So I wanted to catch up on some other stuff...
Took an amazing mid-summer trip from So Cal to Vegas and back (600 miles over two days). On the way there, I started at 6AM and made it to Vegas at noon. The temp went from 78 to over 100 on the ride, but temp never became too much of an issue. The venting on my pants and jacket were sufficient, my Camelbak kept me hydrated and when the temp was over 100, I found that wetting my shirt was not only sexy but great at regulating my core temp.
The ride back from Vegas started at 11:30 so we were going into the hottest parts of the day. The approach I took on the ride out (wetting the shirt, stops to hydrate) applied on the way back too. I made sure that stops included some sort of electrolyte replenishing fluids and stops in the shade. I didn't use a cooling vest, though I thought about buying one - I found it was good enough to wet the shirt, drink a lot and stop when you were dry - it might be different with humidity though.
On the ride, I learned a couple of important things:
First, if you are buying your first jacket in Southern California, I want to suggest you get a jacket that has either a zipper or Velcro on the cuff of the sleeves. I found that my Bilt jacket, as good as the venting it has on the upper sleeves, front, sides and back, would've been better if I could've opened the cuffs. When I rode through the Mojave desert, I found that I was dripping sweat from my sleeves on each stop; I thought, perhaps, that if I had openings on the cuffs, the airflow would've been better and I would've had a little less perspiration ;).
My pants, on the other hand, were great, at stops, unzipping the bottom allowed enough air in to keep my legs cool (and I kept a little spot by my knees unzipped during the ride for some venting too).
Next, getting air in the jacket on the ride was sometimes a challenge. I found it necessary, due to my windshield, to do this strange arm flapping thing, where I sat up straight and brought my elbows out like flying. This action allowed air to pour in the front of the jacket and in through the vents on the sleeves.
Third, if you are using a Camelbak (and I love mine - I had a heat injury in the Army years ago and since the adoption of a Camelbak, haven't had another one since - knock on wood), you are going to want to invest in or create a cover for the hose. Riding through the desert, I found that I was drinking warm tea within five minutes of riding with no cover on the drink tube. During a stop, I took a bandanna and wrapped and zip tied it to the tube. At each stop, I would soak the bandanna and found that the air cooled wet bandanna kept the water in the tube cool. The other thing about the Camelbak is that it fit in my helmet uncomfortably... the bite valve was off to the side and didn't fit right in front of my mouth. It would be interesting to see how this is with other helmets (I don't have an issue with it on my dirt helmet). Funny thing, I accidently spit water in my helmet - this resulted in cool relief for my dry face in the desert but water spots on my glasses and face shield - I did this two more times just because I found it so comfortable.
Finally, my helmet, while having decent venting, I found was just a little more comfortable if I popped the face shield up by a click. I also found that, though my glasses (Fox "The Meeting") don't have any foam around them, the wrap around lenses keep much of the air and dust out of my eyes.
I don't know if anyone would find this helpful, but I figured that I'd share.
Took an amazing mid-summer trip from So Cal to Vegas and back (600 miles over two days). On the way there, I started at 6AM and made it to Vegas at noon. The temp went from 78 to over 100 on the ride, but temp never became too much of an issue. The venting on my pants and jacket were sufficient, my Camelbak kept me hydrated and when the temp was over 100, I found that wetting my shirt was not only sexy but great at regulating my core temp.
The ride back from Vegas started at 11:30 so we were going into the hottest parts of the day. The approach I took on the ride out (wetting the shirt, stops to hydrate) applied on the way back too. I made sure that stops included some sort of electrolyte replenishing fluids and stops in the shade. I didn't use a cooling vest, though I thought about buying one - I found it was good enough to wet the shirt, drink a lot and stop when you were dry - it might be different with humidity though.
On the ride, I learned a couple of important things:
First, if you are buying your first jacket in Southern California, I want to suggest you get a jacket that has either a zipper or Velcro on the cuff of the sleeves. I found that my Bilt jacket, as good as the venting it has on the upper sleeves, front, sides and back, would've been better if I could've opened the cuffs. When I rode through the Mojave desert, I found that I was dripping sweat from my sleeves on each stop; I thought, perhaps, that if I had openings on the cuffs, the airflow would've been better and I would've had a little less perspiration ;).
My pants, on the other hand, were great, at stops, unzipping the bottom allowed enough air in to keep my legs cool (and I kept a little spot by my knees unzipped during the ride for some venting too).
Next, getting air in the jacket on the ride was sometimes a challenge. I found it necessary, due to my windshield, to do this strange arm flapping thing, where I sat up straight and brought my elbows out like flying. This action allowed air to pour in the front of the jacket and in through the vents on the sleeves.
Third, if you are using a Camelbak (and I love mine - I had a heat injury in the Army years ago and since the adoption of a Camelbak, haven't had another one since - knock on wood), you are going to want to invest in or create a cover for the hose. Riding through the desert, I found that I was drinking warm tea within five minutes of riding with no cover on the drink tube. During a stop, I took a bandanna and wrapped and zip tied it to the tube. At each stop, I would soak the bandanna and found that the air cooled wet bandanna kept the water in the tube cool. The other thing about the Camelbak is that it fit in my helmet uncomfortably... the bite valve was off to the side and didn't fit right in front of my mouth. It would be interesting to see how this is with other helmets (I don't have an issue with it on my dirt helmet). Funny thing, I accidently spit water in my helmet - this resulted in cool relief for my dry face in the desert but water spots on my glasses and face shield - I did this two more times just because I found it so comfortable.
Finally, my helmet, while having decent venting, I found was just a little more comfortable if I popped the face shield up by a click. I also found that, though my glasses (Fox "The Meeting") don't have any foam around them, the wrap around lenses keep much of the air and dust out of my eyes.
I don't know if anyone would find this helpful, but I figured that I'd share.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Shaft Seal
Changed out the shaft seal... it was a bit nerve racking but not hard work at all.
Bought the seal from Irv Seaver for a whopping $7 (their parts prices are competitive with the prices online).
With a friend's help, we put the bike at a 45 degree angle (leaning the engine case on an ATV dirt tire and rim), unscrewed the shift lever and pulled it from the engine case. The next step was to pull the old seal from the bike, this was slightly more challenging as it requires some finesse and a dull screwdriver to carefully pull the very tight seal from the tranny cover (Note: pay attention to the way the seal is seated and facing so you can put it back the same way). The third step was to take the new seal, give it a light coat of oil and begin to seat it into the cover again - this part sucks. You have to be very careful, even though the seal is pretty solid, you have to make sure you push it in slowly and evenly. You'll probably find, as I did, that the seal doesn't want to go in... I found that by using a rubber mallet and a long socket that was almost as wide as the seal was good to work the seal in... I was worried at first but as long as I worked around the edges I was good.
The challenge is knowing how deep the seal goes before it seats. If you stick your finger in there, there is a bearing (I think) that moves back and forth a bit. If you paid attention to this part before you took out the original seal you'll be able to know the placement of the seal (how deep it goes) when you seat the new one. I didn't do this step and had to guess. My Haynes manual was useless for this work and I wonder of the Clymer manual is better (I'll have to get one). After about 5 minutes of light tapping and pushing, the seal was seated correctly and I put everything back together.
Good times!! It was fun drinking a beer and turning wrenches and is always fun hanging out with a friend.
Bought the seal from Irv Seaver for a whopping $7 (their parts prices are competitive with the prices online).
With a friend's help, we put the bike at a 45 degree angle (leaning the engine case on an ATV dirt tire and rim), unscrewed the shift lever and pulled it from the engine case. The next step was to pull the old seal from the bike, this was slightly more challenging as it requires some finesse and a dull screwdriver to carefully pull the very tight seal from the tranny cover (Note: pay attention to the way the seal is seated and facing so you can put it back the same way). The third step was to take the new seal, give it a light coat of oil and begin to seat it into the cover again - this part sucks. You have to be very careful, even though the seal is pretty solid, you have to make sure you push it in slowly and evenly. You'll probably find, as I did, that the seal doesn't want to go in... I found that by using a rubber mallet and a long socket that was almost as wide as the seal was good to work the seal in... I was worried at first but as long as I worked around the edges I was good.
The challenge is knowing how deep the seal goes before it seats. If you stick your finger in there, there is a bearing (I think) that moves back and forth a bit. If you paid attention to this part before you took out the original seal you'll be able to know the placement of the seal (how deep it goes) when you seat the new one. I didn't do this step and had to guess. My Haynes manual was useless for this work and I wonder of the Clymer manual is better (I'll have to get one). After about 5 minutes of light tapping and pushing, the seal was seated correctly and I put everything back together.
Good times!! It was fun drinking a beer and turning wrenches and is always fun hanging out with a friend.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Piece of mind
Took the bike in for a once over today at Irv Seaver... seemed to be a good bunch of cats. Also had them adjust the idle real quick and make sure the valves were adjusted correctly. Picked up a seal and two crush washers for good measure.
I guess I'm ready for the road?
I guess I'm ready for the road?
Monday, August 27, 2012
Clutch Switch...
Ahh... one more woe today... the clutch switch (along with the headlights) is now on the fritz. The bike will no ONLY start in neutral. Not a biggie except that the carbs are still idling a little low so I'm prone to stalling at the light and if I'm not in neutral already, I'm walking it over to the curb to start it. :)
Here's a solution.
8/28
One more update... the switch costs $26 from bike bandit... however, on a suspicion, I went out to the garage and looked at the bike... I pushed what I assumed was the switch back towards the clutch lever and fired up the bike in gear. I think, when zip tying the acc plug, I didn't leave enough room for the bars to turn and it pulled the switch loose. I do think the little plastic harness for the switch is broken, but I can probably make it work for now... *sigh*
Here's a solution.
8/28
One more update... the switch costs $26 from bike bandit... however, on a suspicion, I went out to the garage and looked at the bike... I pushed what I assumed was the switch back towards the clutch lever and fired up the bike in gear. I think, when zip tying the acc plug, I didn't leave enough room for the bars to turn and it pulled the switch loose. I do think the little plastic harness for the switch is broken, but I can probably make it work for now... *sigh*
Leaky, leaky, leaky...
So, I dwelled on the leaky shift lever and started stressing out. Went and picked up some Valvoline 80W90 GL-5 Hypoid Gear Oil from Pepboys (so I wouldn't run out of oil). Came home and attempted to remove the transmission oil plug but it was stuck. I had the standard equivalent of the 8mm allen wrench and couldn't find the metric one so I ran out to sears.
Had dinner with the lady, talked to my friend who I'm rapidly running out of time to meet and picked up my allen wrenches. I do admit that I'm a sucker for shiny tools at Sears.
Came back and took on my task. The plug appeared to be a bit stuck... I used a pair of pliers on the end of the allen wrench (which would only fit in on the long side, not the short side) and "Pop", it came loose. Well, there was plenty of oil, it came out, spilled on the floor and I screwed the plug back into place. Once in, I looked at it again, and saw a silver ring around its edge and wondered if something wasn't missing. I gave the Haynes manual a quick look at found:
"If the washer is worn or damaged, replace it."
Crap... I looked around and found nothing... I don't know if it flew off into oblivion or was merely never there... needless to say, I have one more thing on my list to replace now. *sigh*
Am I going to make it?
Had dinner with the lady, talked to my friend who I'm rapidly running out of time to meet and picked up my allen wrenches. I do admit that I'm a sucker for shiny tools at Sears.
Came back and took on my task. The plug appeared to be a bit stuck... I used a pair of pliers on the end of the allen wrench (which would only fit in on the long side, not the short side) and "Pop", it came loose. Well, there was plenty of oil, it came out, spilled on the floor and I screwed the plug back into place. Once in, I looked at it again, and saw a silver ring around its edge and wondered if something wasn't missing. I gave the Haynes manual a quick look at found:
"If the washer is worn or damaged, replace it."
Crap... I looked around and found nothing... I don't know if it flew off into oblivion or was merely never there... needless to say, I have one more thing on my list to replace now. *sigh*
Am I going to make it?
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