Thirteen Moto

Grip Puppies

I've been getting a little vibration induced numbness in my hands lately. After trying on a million pair of padded gloves and reading reviews and opinions of all manner of gel and foam grips I decided to give California Sport Touring's Grip Puppies a shot. Lots of people had lots of good things to say about them and at a bit under a ten spot, the price was right.

I installed them according to the instructions. It was basically a matter of smearing some soapy water on the outside of the grips and the inside of the foam sleeves before wiggling them on. Both of them went on easily enough and didn't budge once dry. They were a little long but easily trimmed with a utility knife.

They work extremely well. They increase the grip diameter just enough to fit my hand better and the foam absorbs enough of the vibration to completely eliminate the numbness I was getting. I thought I found my solution until I got caught in the rain. I live in a Mid-Atlantic swamp, rain is common. Problem being that when the foam soaked through, the left GP broke loose and spun freely. Fortunately the throttle side held firm. This wouldn't be a huge deal in a light sprinkle but in a biblical downpour when your shield is fogging and you can't tell how much standing water is on the road, the last thing you need is another distraction no matter how minor. To make matters worse the Grip Puppy still hasn't tightened up after 3 days drying time.

It looks like the search continues.

Posted by James at 6/22/2009 9:27 PM | Add Comment

More Suspension Work!

The SV went back to SpeedWerks last week. I decided that it was time to do something with the rear suspension. The front end works so well now that the problems out back are even more evident. I called the shop a few weeks prior to discus options. I didn't want to drop a ton of cash on it as my bike isn't exactly a track weapon. I just wanted it to perform better on the road. We settled on a Penske 8900 Series 'sport' shock. I didn't get the external reservoir. I can add it later if I feel the need.

Steve placed the order with Penske who built the shock to spec. About 10 days later it was in Dover and ready to be installed. Scheduling issues kept me from getting down there for a few days but I finally made it. Dave installed the shock while I waited. It took about an hour and a half. Not bad considering that lunch was delivered in the middle of the job.

The difference is remarkable. The back end sits a little higher now. I get a little more cornering clearance (not that I really need it) and I can still get both feet flat on the ground. More importantly the mush is gone. The stock shock wasn't that great to begin with, it was complete crap after 9 years of hauling my considerable encumbrance around. I feel the difference most on ripply pavement. The old shock always felt like it was trying to catch up with road's surface. Like it was compressing and expanding just slightly out of sync with the bumps. The new one feels rock solid. It's definitely stiffer. I can feel more of the road then I could before but not too much. I have to say that this is the best money I've spent on the bike so far.

Posted by James at 6/20/2009 9:46 AM | Add Comment

MOTRAX Mini Billet Bar-End Mirrors: Update

It would appear that the MOTRAX mirrors belong in the "You get what you pay for" category. One of the mirrors has become very loose at the point where the mirror is attached to the arm. It looks like it's attached with a pair of small rivets. I don't see a way to tighten it. My faded, banged up, old Napoleons are back on for now. I'm thinking about trying the Oberons next.

Posted by James at 6/19/2009 10:26 PM | Add Comment

Ride to Work Day

The third Monday in June quickly approaches.

Posted by James at 6/12/2009 7:08 AM | Add Comment

Something worth watching on TV...

    I've been catching up on DVRed episodes of Twist the Throttle on Discovery HD Theater this week. Forget the biker build-offs and Orange County Family Drama, this is great motorcycle television.

    Each episode is a short documentary on a different manufacturer. They do a great job of presenting the history of each company as well as how that manufacturer's design philosophy has evolved over time. There are great interviews with designers, engineers and factory racers. The new footage is absolutely beautiful. This is why you bought a hi-def TV. They also show some fantastic historical race footage. It's not as sharp as the new stuff but it's just as thrilling.

    If you're a road race fan you have to at least catch the Yamaha episode to hear Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz and Ben Bostrom talk about the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. It's well worth the price of admission.

Posted by James at 6/4/2009 11:45 AM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Gear Up!

The Gear Up! Project is all about educating riders about protective gear while giving us an chance to talk back to the industry. Seems reasonable enough right? This is what they have to say.

It's pretty simple really. Our goal is three fold: to encourage riders to actively think about what it will take to keep them safe in case of an accident, convince people that you can wear the right gear and still look cool, and educate riders on what safety features to look for when choosing gear. While this site is still pretty minimal at the moment we'll be adding educational materials soon.

Go, take the survey and get a free retroreflective sticker (I like stickers). It won't cost you anything and you don't even have to give up your name or address if you don't want the sticker.

Posted by James at 5/27/2009 11:45 PM | Add Comment

2009 Sport-Touring.net Region 6 Burger Run

I set out for the 2009 Meet and Eat in Clearfield, PA around 8:30 on the morning of Saturday April 26th. I hit some local back roads on my way to Rt. 41. I thought I'd warm up on some mild twisties and then stick to faster roads until I was out of the area. I ran up 41 to 30, made a quick gas stop at 896 and then continued on. I really didn't want to deal with the 4 lane slab around Lancaster so I went through the city. What I didn't know at the time was that there was a parade scheduled that day.

I'm cruising through town when traffic just stops. I'm on a one way street with heavy pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks and police everywhere. There was no place to go and nothing to do other then wait it out. We crept forward at less then walking pace for what seemed like hours. I can see that the cross street is one way to the right so I wiggled my way over to the right lane and settled in. I finally get to the corner. I look to the right, police barricades, the road is closed, I CAN'T TURN! The street only appears to be closed for one block and I don't see any activity. There is room for me to slip through but I ride in this area frequently and I don't want to end up on the wrong list for a stupid reason.

There's a police office just across the street. I caught her attention and pointed at the gap between barricades as if to say 'Can I?'. She shot a sideways glance, wrinkled her nose a bit and turned her back as if to say 'As long as I don't see it'. At least that's how I chose to interpret it. I pointed my front wheel down the closed street and goosed the throttle. I was once again underway.

I alternated between the boring but fast Rt. 30 and more interesting back roads past York and Gettysburg until I reached my first planned stop in Chambersburg.

I have a small collection of briar pipes. The first one I bought was a funky little green bent from a shop in Springfield, VA. It was a very inexpensive handmade signed "Boswell". When I discovered that JM Boswell's shop was practically on my was to Clearfield I figured I had to make a stop.

I was greeted by Dan when I walked in. He offered me a place to stow my tank bag and helmet while I browsed the shop. I told him about that old bent which I had with me. I showed it to him and he confirmed that it was one of theirs. Dan offered to clean the pipe up for me so I handed it over while I continued to look around. He disappeared in to a back room and handed it back to me a few minutes later looking better then it ever has. There was a nice sheen on the briar and the stem was smooth and free of oxidation.

I picked up a new pipe while I was there. Dan packaged it up along with a tamper, some pipe cleaners, a couple boxes of wooden matches and an ounce of their Autumn Blend tobacco. It was very nicely presented.

I was offered a soda or water and encouraged to hang out and try out my new pipe before I left. I wanted to get on the road so declined and I saddled up. These guys know how to do customer service. I felt welcome in the shop. The staff was attentive with out hovering and they definitely went the extra mile to make sure I was not only happy with my purchase but with the experience as well. It makes me happy to find that shop keepers like the Boswells are still part of the American landscape. I'll be back as soon as I run out of Autumn Blend.

On the advice of a couple members of the ST.N community I jumped back on Rt. 30 which takes on a very different character west of Chambersburg. It gets pretty twisty over the mountains. I eventually turned north and headed for Clearfield. I didn't have a specific plan, I just picked roads that looked interesting and trusted the GPS to drag me to the Super 8 eventually. It did.

I arrived around 4:30 in the afternoon. I checked in to the motel, bought a bottle water and rehydrated. After relaxing with some pointless TV I jumped back on the SV and headed out to do a little exploring. I buzzed through town and hit some more mountain roads before heading back. I wanted to get an early start the next morning so I grabbed some take out at the KFC and settled in for the night.

My plan for Sunday morning was to ride a good 3 hour loop before getting to Denny's between 11:00 and 11:30. I checked out, loaded up and fired up the GPS. Garry, the organizer of the event was kind enough to provide Garmin Mapsource files containing suggested routes.

My Garmin Quest was invented soon after the sextant and compass. Memory is limited in the device. I have to pick and choose the maps I need before each trip. This usually isn't a problem. I plan my route and then click "select maps around route" or something like that. I did that for the routes I planed but neglected to do the same for Garry's. I called up the loop I wanted only to find that I didn't have the correct maps loaded and of course, I didn't bring my laptop. No big deal, I'll just tell the device to avoid highways, toll roads and dirt roads and let the auto routing fill in the gaps. Apparently the Mapsource database could use some updating. It kept trying to put me on unpaved roads despite my instructions to avoid them. I would keep going and let the device recalculate until it found some proper blacktop. Once it did, I enjoyed some glorious twisties over pristine pavement for about 3/4 of a mile. The pavement was light in color to begin with and a bit dusty. It just sort of disappeared. My first clue was that the back end wasn't sticking as well as it should. Oh yeah, that's dirt.

And that's a turkey. He trotted along next to me for a bit as I tip toed over a very loose section on very street tires. I know it's not a great shot but was moving pretty quickly. I couldn't talk him in to coming back when the light was better.

The SV did pretty well. It was a bumpy ride but it wasn't terrible. The Diablo Stradas did pretty well through most of it. They got squirly in a few areas but they stuck better then I would have expected under those circumstances.

I got to restaurant around 11:15 as planned. I hung out in the parking lot for a bit talking to other riders from several states. I got a very enjoyable lesson in the history of the MZ motorcycle company and checked out the bikes already in attendance.

It was early still when I decided to head inside for lunch. I didn't see anyone I knew in side. I grabbed a seat at random and ordered a root beer. I was soon joined by Ed (Squeezer from ST.N) from central PA who rode in solo that morning. After some good food and good conversation (I'm still waiting for pics of the poodle with a mohawk) it was back out to the parking lot for some more hanging out before the ride home.

There were a couple more touring 1st gen SVs.

A loaded Buell...

with an interesting finish.

Some old skool Buell.

Here's a good example of the diversity present in this crowd.

The european marques were well represented.

Want!

Another view.

I really dig the color scheme on this Duc.

And the retro logo on the tank.

The lot at Denny's.

Coolest bike at the meet? This little MZ gets the prize.

The ride home was basically a mirror image of the trip there. I had to make an emergency stop on 896 to dislodge a bug the inside of my helmet. Other then that, it was free of incident.

Miles: 648
Miles off pavement: 14
Lesson Learned: Turkeys don't take direction very well.

Posted by James at 5/3/2009 11:46 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Ephrata: April 2009

First Sunday in Ephrata is an interesting event. It's not a show, there are no requirements for entry and it doesn't cost anything to attend. It's just a parking lot and as I learned today, you can get breakfast if you want. Sure, it's an over priced buffet but it benefits the American Legion so it's all good.

This parking lot draws an amazing variety of bikes. You can see high-buck customs.

To rattle can specials.

Vintage Italian iron.

Modern sport bikes.

Here's a detail of that paint work.

And everything in between. Here's a sampling of some of the highlights of the day.

An automatic Hawk.

This is the gage cluster with a gear indicator where the teach would be.

And a parking brake where the clutch lever normally goes.

A Yammie Rat.

Wearing the truest bumper sticker ever.

A PC800. I want one... I know, it's a sickness.

A couple XTs with top boxes. I wonder if the front tires ever touch the ground.

A H-D tank signed by The Man and The Other Man.

A Goldwing embracing the stereo type.

Which of these things is not like the others?

Coolest bike of the day.

The other coolest bike of the day. Lots of custom fab work and attention to detail in this little gem.

That's a lot of spokes.

To quote Nigel Tufnel: "It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

The only Guzzi I saw all morning.

Posted by James at 4/5/2009 10:45 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

A Wet Commute

There is something seriously magical about riding home in the rain. I'm not talking about a storm that would inspire ark building just a nice Spring shower. Everything changes. The same roads I ride every day look different, they're all shiny and clean. The world sounds different with a gentle tat-tat-tat on my helmet and the whirrr of the water coming off of tires all around me. Things even smell different. For good or ill the rain releases a whole range of new scents from the trees, grass and pavement and then mixes them all together. It offers a different perspective on the everyday.

Many riders, at least those who have survived commuting for any length of time can achieve an elevated state of awareness on the road. Everything becomes crystal clear, focus gets sharper and sounds more distinct. This phenomenon seems to be exaggerated even further in the rain. You look past the water on your face shield. The flat light becomes an asset with no shadows to fool the eye. The rain also encourages you to slow down and leave a little extra room. That's a good thing. It takes any lingering aggression out of the ride. It gives you permission to take it easy, to forget about acceleration and put all of your energy in to being as smooth on the controls as possible. A wet ride is a gift. So are a dry change of clothes and a hot cup of tea after rolling in to the garage.