Thirteen Moto

It's Clean!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:13:00 GMT

I spent my morning scrubbing Winter off of the SV. Starting with some Motul Chain Clean followed by Maguire's Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner, Simple Green, Maguire's Deep Crystal car wash, 2 buckets of water and a soft brush. Then a chamois, the leaf blower and the chamois again. Some Maguire's NXT paste wax, Maguire's leather conditioner, Never Dull metal polish and finally some Dupont Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant.

That may not seem remarkable to most of you. Once upon a time, it wouldn't have been all that unusual for my bike. I used to keep it pretty spotless. I'd wipe it down after almost every ride and wash it at least twice a month. Usually every week. So what happened? I don't exactly know. There were several gorgeous Sunday mornings last season when I walked outside, put the bike up on the Pit Bulls, filled the buckets and then put my gear on and went for a ride.

I appreciate a clean bike. I even acknowledge the tangible benefits in keeping one's bike clean. It's a good chance to inspect hoses and cables. It gives you a reason to take a really close look at your tires, rims, forks and brake discs. It also highlights all the new dings and scratches that you've collected since the last washing. Even with ten years worth of imperfections, it's nice to have a clean bike. It's sort of cathartic.

The Dog Hauler is Gone

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:12:00 GMT

Well, I've been trying to unload my Subaru for some time now. The opportunity finally presented it self last night and I took it. We are officially a single car household now. Let the experiment begin.

2 Hour Sale at Cycle Gear

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:11:00 GMT

Just an FYI for those that didn't get the mailer. It looks like they have some pretty big mark downs and an additional 10% off of everything in the store. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM on February 11th.

Cycle Gear

More From CES 2010

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:58:00 GMT

I'm still mulling over all the news and product announcements from last week's event. Here are a couple more that look interesting.

Who needs ear buds when you can Shake? The TuneBug Shake attaches to the surface of your helmet and effectively turns it in to a speaker. It's advertised for use with skate and bicycle helmets. I don't know if it would work with a full face motorcycle helmet and at $120, I'm not interested enough to find out. They're made by NXT who knows a little something about getting sound out of flat surfaces.

Have you ever been caught on the road with a dead cel phone battery and no way to charge it? Easy Energy has a solution. The YoGen is a pocket sized battery charger powered by you. The device has a rip cord of sorts that winds a generator that can charge electronics via a mini or micro-USB connection. It seems like cheap insurance and possibly a great workout at $40.

CES 2010

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:20:00 GMT

I've been following this year's edition of the Consumer Electronics Show at Engadget. It occurs to me that there are several products that might appeal to the touring motorcyclist.

The Liquid Image Summit Series Snow Camera Goggles actually broke cover just before CES but I think they deserve mention. They're designed for snow sports but the concept could easily be applied to a street helmet or a pair of off road goggles. You're $150.00 gets you a pair of goggles with a built in video camera capable of 30 fps at 720x480. It only has 16MB internal memory but it will accept an SD card up to 16GB. Look for it late summer 2010.

The Lenovo Skylight is a member of a new class of ultra-portable computer designed to out netbook the netbook. These smartbooks, as they're being called are in many cases even smaller, lighter and slower then their big brothers but they also included some kind of cellular connectivity. The Skylight runs a streamlined Linux OS on Qualcomm's Snapdragon proc. Yep, the same Snapdragon that is destined for several smart phones coming from LG and HTC among others. $499 off contract but rumor has it that AT&T may offer a subsidized version.

The Dell Inspiron Mini10 is mostly unremarkable. It's another Atom N450 netbook. Dime a dozen right? Well not quite but you can get this one for a mere $299. For a few dollars more you can add a 9.5 hour battery.

Garmin dropped a few new products including the Zumo 665. It's a lot like the 660 except that it gets traffic and weather info from XM instead of MSN Direct which is not long for this world.

DeLorme's PN-60W GPS offers all integration with social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook when paired with a Spot Satellite Messenger though it's apparently one way. More interestingly, you can also track the position of friends with the same unit. Restrictions based on range and kine of sight may limit the usefulness of this feature.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V is a 10.2MP point and shoot with a 10x optical zoom and full HD video capability. All pretty standard stuff right? Well here's the cool part: It has a feature called GPS + Compass. Not only will it geotag your photos for you but it also knows which direction the camera was facing when the pic was taken.

iHome has their usual range of traveling iPod accessories. The iP48 looks particularly appealing. It's a self contained iPod charger/speaker set/travel alarm. Best of all, it syncs the alarm clock's time with the iPod so you don't have to after a long day in the saddle. What else could you need?

Navigon was, if I'm not mistaken, the first major GPS vendor to bring a navigation app to the iPhone. Now they've done the same for both Android and WinMo.

For Sale

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:25:00 GMT

Anyone need a clean used car? The dog hauler is up for sale.

My wife and I have been talking about becoming a one car household for some time. We've decided that the middle of winter is the perfect time to take the plunge.

The Pace

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:19:00 GMT

We're podcasting which explains the distinct lack of action on the blog. Check us out at

thepacepodcast.com.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:39:00 GMT

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Another one of my favorite quotes. That one comes from Leonardo da Vinci.

Simplicate, then add lightness

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:41:00 GMT

"Simplicate, then add lightness."

Colin Chapman said that. I know he was a car guy but the man was a goddamn genius. I can't help but reflect on those words every year as manufacturers start to unveil their new models.

Oh, and the new VFR launches tomorrow.

Heads-Up GPS

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:48:00 GMT

This could be seriously cool if you could project it directly on the face shield.

Philly digs bikes!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:32:53 GMT

We're talking about people powered bikes but it's still pretty cool if you ask me. Mayor Nutter officially opened two new cross town bike lanes on Pine and Spruce. According to the Channel 6 news story I just saw they took a lane away from automobile traffic and gave it to bicyclists. That takes a lane away from us as moto commuters as well but it's still a win for the city. The only way were going to get people out of cars is to make other options more attractive.

Here's a link to the Philadelphia Inquirer story.

Lake Placid: September 2009

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:48:00 GMT

I attended Sport-Touring.net's ESTN 2009 rally last weekend. The event was held in Lake Placid New York in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains. It typically runs Friday through Sunday. Having never been to the area I decided to ride in on Thursday. I wanted to do some sight seeing before the rest of the crowd arrived.

I packed my Ventura bags and loaded up the SV on Wednesday night. I managed to roll out of the garage at about 7:15 Thursday morning. That was only fifteen minutes later then planned which is pretty remarkable for me. The early start gave me plenty of time to take a long, meandering route through four states. I crossed from Delaware in to PA on Rt. 52. I stayed west of Philadelphia slogging my way through some suburban traffic before turning east well north of the city. I cruised country roads until I hooked up with 611 crossing in to the Garden State from Portland, PA. Portland was the site of my only wrong turn of the entire trip. I'm still not entirely sure what i did wrong but I managed to cross the state line 3 times. How did people survive before GPS? Once in Jersey I found my self on CR519. This road turned out to be a nice surprise. It was a winding, 50-60 mph two lane through state forest and preserved farm land. There was no traffic to speak of, the surface was in great shape and the road just kept going in the right direction. I hit New York State around Port Jervis where I picked up 209. 209 was pretty straight and fast. I had to slow down for the occasional small town but there weren't too many of them. Those towns made gas stops easy and the red lights gave me a chance to stand up and stretch out every now and then. From there I ran parallel to I-87 on 9W. I did jump on 87 and 787 to get trough Albany. It was early enough in the day that I didn't think traffic would be an issue. It wasn't. Once north of Albany I switched back and forth between 87 and 9 all the way to 73. From there it was a short but glorious ride through the Adirondacks to the official motel of ESTN 2009.

Olympic ski jumps from Rt 73 tell me that I'm getting close

The venue was perfect. We stayed at the Lake Placid Econo Lodge just on the edge of town. The staff was pleasant, the rooms were clean and they had an indoor pool and hot tub. I really can't over state the awesomeness of soaking in a hot tub after a long day in the saddle. The coffee served in the lobby was what you would expect. That was the only miss. The Lodge was a right turn and a few minutes from Main St's restaurants and attractions. A left turn out of the parking lot led to great riding in short order.

I've arrived. No one else has.

On Friday I got my Olympic geek on. I was a 12 year old American boy in 1980. I still regard the USA's 4 to 3 victory over the USSR as the single most significant sporting event in my life time. I had to go see the ice. I also wanted to see the 1932 rink, the Olympic Museum and the ski jumps. They are all surprisingly close together. I didn't get as much riding in as I expected to on Friday. No problem. That's what Saturday was for.

My first stop was the jumping complex.

Summer training off of the 90 meter hill (extreme crop)

Walking to the lift after a successfull landing on the grass

Freestyler in training

Off of the big ramp

These guys landed in a pool. I've worn ski boots. I can't imagine swimming in them.

Next I was off to Lake Placid proper to see the ice rinks. This is the exterior of the 1932 arena.

And the interior

The site of the "Miracle"

The exterior

Lake Placid High School is situated directly next door to the ice rinks. That's the speed skating oval in front of it.

Bobsled safety gear circa 1932

Mirror Lake

By the time I got back to the Lodge other riders were arriving. We hung out in the parking lot doing the requisite tire kicking and bench racing before deciding to take the free shuttle in to town for dinner. We gathered on the curb and waited. And we waited some more. About 45 minutes later a group of us decided to ride in. We ate at the Lake Placid Brewing Company. The food was adequate, the IPA was better.

The bikes gather. That FJR has been Alaska with a car tire on the rear.

As mentioned above, Saturday was for riding. The roads up there aren't as technical as those in the south east. In Tennesseeand West Virginia the roads force themselves up and over the mountains.You feel the altitude as you climb from one switch back to the next.That's not really the case in the 'Dacks. The roads sort of flowthrough and around the mountains. that makes it easy to settle in to a grove and just ride.

Chris led a great ride along a route suggested by Garry. We enjoyed a nice mix of roads at a sane and reasonable pace. The roads were wet early in the day but they dried out nicely. We ended the ride with 2 passes on Tracy Rd. This road was definitely the highlight of the route. It was clean, smooth and curvy. There was one mid-corner bump that caught me off guard the first time through. Other then that it was fantastic. After the group split up a couple of us couldn't resist the urge to run Tracy a couple more times.

Saturday morning

Mid ride break. That's Glen, Frank and Chris in the foreground. We were also joined by Mike, Gwen, John, Robert and Jeff.

From the same location

Lunch break

Tracy rd. (Chris Hornberger's image)

After our second run on Tracy rd.

I rode home on Sunday. My route was basically the reverse of Saturday's. I did make a short detour to run Tracy rd twice more then skipped i-87 on the north end of the trip. I did ride a little slap closer to home just to make some time. Sunday was my very understanding wife's birthday. She encouraged me to take the trip despite the date. I wanted to get home in time to unwind for a bit and then take her out to dinner. A big plate of sushi from Kyoto was a great way to end a fantastic weekend.

Greg gets ready to roll out

Frank packs for the trip home

Along Rt 73

Ephrata: September 2009

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:22:00 GMT

This month's event was better attended then last month's.

A few highlights.

A very cool H-D bagger. I like the big, thick look of the front end. The black accents really work on this bike even if does create an unintentional Halloween vibe.

There were a few Nortons in attendance. The pic doesn't do it justice but that blue Commando had some of the flakiest paint I've ever seen. It was practically blinding in full sun.

You don't see one of those every day.

Notice the location of the handlebars on this rig. It was piloted by a guy in a wheel chair.

Welcome to The Matrix.

Anyone interested?

I wouldn't want to ride it but that's a good looking Trumpet.

Check out the upholstery...

and the signage.

I like!

An XB with some serious paint work.

The tank.

Now for some bikes from the WTF file.

Do you think you could ride this one...

under the triple on this one?

I find it interesting that Montessa was as well represented as Victory.

Wouldn't a Miata make more sense?

Want to ride pillion?

Yep, it's big.

Apparently it's a 350.

Is that really where you want to sit? This was on a VTX that as far as I could tell, was otherwise bone stock.

The coolest bike I saw this month had to be this little Duc.

The "Dullsville" Comes to the States

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:26:00 GMT

After more then a decade on the European market Honda is finally bringing the Deauville to the land of the free. It will be known as the NT700V here but what's in a name?

By all accounts it's 60 HP v-twin doesn't produce tons of excitement but that's not the point. This isn't a "Hyper-Sports Tourer". It's not intended to play in the same sandbox as the FJR and C-14. It's a practical bike which is just fine. Not everyone needs enough torque to spin the globe. I would happily trade some of the FJR's might for spectacular gas mileage. I haven't seen fuel economy numbers on the new NT yet. I would expect to see something in the high 50s or low 60s when ridden sedately.

Where else can you get a fuel injected shaftie with an ABS option and integrated hard bags in a 560 lbs package for $11,000? Sure the BMW F800ST weighs 100 lbs less, makes 15 more ponies and has a 6th gear. It also has a full compliment of BMW accessories available to it. It's not shaft driven but the belt doesn't have to be lubed every 300 miles either. What's that? The BMW must be more expensive you say? It is more expensive by about 12% with factory bags. Then there's Honda's own Silver Wing for $8999 with ABS. It stacks up to the NT pretty well if you can get over the whole scooter thing. That's based on sticker price of course. We'll see what happens next year. A left over NT700V with ABS for say, $9500 could be a heck of a bargain.

I've always admired the Deauville. It looks like a fantastic commuter/grocery getter/one-up tourer. I think we could use more of those here. The problem is that Americans don't seem to want to buy them. I applaud Honda for having the stones to bring this bike to the U.S. but I'm afraid that they may have missed the mark on the price. Time will tell.

What's up with Honda?

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:38:00 GMT

Seriously. Just look at the line up on American Honda's web site. This is a combination of 2009 and 2010 models.

2 touring bikes
5 cruisers
1 "crossover"
1 motard
2 dual sports
3 sport bikes
5 scooters

FIVE scooters? What country are we in again? This is the land of leather, loud pipes and pudding bowl helmets covered in those cute little stickers with clever sayings like "Boobies make me smile" or "This is America so why do I have to press #1 for English". Americans don't want practical transportation. We want chrome, flames and stupidly long wheel bases... and low seats. That's right, the lower the better. That's what's important. Who cares about fuel mileage or the ability to carry a few grocery bags.

Why the hell does Honda have as many scooters on offer as cruisers? I can't think that Honda would jump so far in to the step through market if they didn't think there was some future in it. There are lots of very smart people at Honda who know how to make money. Could this be the start of something small?

Ephrata: August 2009

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:13:00 GMT

It was wet and considerably less crowded then my last visit in April.

I have to give this guy credit for dragging his well preserved CBX out in that mess. It was certainly the coolest and most unusual bike there.

2010 Buell Blast!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:05:00 GMT

The 2010 model year introductions have started. We've seen new MXers from Yamaha and Honda and a couple new cruisers from Victory. All pretty standard stuff so far. Oddly enough the only company that's making waves so far doesn't have any new product for 2010 at all. Buell has new graphics on the 1125R and new color combinations on all most everything else, maybe a few minor updates here and there but that seems to be about it.

Buell is getting plenty of attention for what they apparently won't be selling this year. Namely, the Blast. Bikes get discontinued every year. There's nothing strange about that but the Blast wasn't allowed to simply fade out quietly. It was crushed, mangled, folded, spindled and mutilated. It was discarded like those fuzzy leftovers from the back of the fridge that no one can identify. Erik Buell, the man himself threw the switch to end the Blast's miserable existence. Hit the link to see the "Bye bye Blast" video at Buell's web site.

You have to wonder what they're up to here. Advertising is all about making noise and getting attention, I get that. In this case they've run the risk of alienating a small group of customers with out giving them anything in return. They say the Blast has to go due to this renewed focus on sport bikes. That's great except that the 2010 sport bike line up doesn't look any more serious then the 2009 range did. It's still made up of exactly two bike.

That right I nearly forgot, new graphics.

Austin TX recognizes the benifits of two-wheeled travel

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:56:00 GMT

The city of Austin has decided to allow motorcycles and scooters to park at meters for free. This is of course awesome. This is also exactly the kind of thing that the newly focused AMA should be working on in cities across the country. I can't think of a better way to get people out of their over sized SUVs and on a more practical single occupant vehicle.

Here is an excerpt from the press release:

"Recent City Council action on the new parking ordinance included an incentive to reduce carbon emissions of motorists in the urban core. Now two-wheeled vehicles, including motorcycles, mopeds and scooters will be allowed to park for free for up to 12 hours per day in parking areas at all City of Austin meters and pay stations."

You can read the whole thing here.

Two-Wheel Inspired Secondary Transportation

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:35:00 GMT

Or TWIST for short. That's what Cycle World's marketing director, Corey Eastman is calling their new campaign. This deal is all about getting people to start thinking about motorcycles as more then just recreation.

I certainly appreciate the sentiment but I have to take exception with the 'secondary' designation. If you're going to promote motorcycling as transportation there is no good reason to relegate it to secondary status. I understand that 'primary' doesn't work with the acronym (TWIPT?) but that's really no excuse. I would also think that scooters would be featured more prominently on the web site. They are mentioned but it seems to be an afterthought more then anything else. Scooters are more accessible and less intimidating for some then motorcycles. Frankly, we can't afford give that advantage up if we hope to attract atypical riders to the fold. Kymco might appreciate some twist-n-go representation. The TWIST web page is surrounded by their adds at the time of this writing.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome that a major mag like CW is actually trying to do something to grow the daily rider community. The problem is that they are kind of preaching to the choir. I first heard about this on Cycle World's own podcast. If TWIST is going to do any good it has to hit the mainstream. It has to be put in front of people who aren't already reading motorcycle centric websites and magazines. It will also need to build some synergy with like minded organizations like the AMA and Andy Goldfine's Ride to Work.

The web site is a good start but what's next? I've become a fan on Facebook, I've ordered a sticker, I've added a link over there to the right and I routinely espouse the virtues of commuting on two wheels to anyone willing to listen. How else can I get involved?

Uber Portable PC

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:04:00 GMT

I've been thinking about picking up a small, inexpensive PC to haul around on the bike for a while. Problem being that with a Dell laptop and a MacBook, I couldn't really justify the cost of another computer. My wife has a Toshiba that she's perfectly happy with so I couldn't even work that angle.

Well, Woot! came through last week. They had a deal on a refurb Acer Aspire One D150 that was too good to pass up. The wee machine arrived today. After much patching of XP and removing of bloatware I am making my first post from its tiny little keyboard. All I really know so far is that my hands don't quite fit on the palm rest and that the machine fits perfectly in my tank bag. I'm also pretty sure that I'll end up dual booting XP and something else. I'm going to try Ubuntu Netbook Remix first.

More later.

Grip Puppies

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:27:00 GMT

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.

More Suspension Work!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:46:00 GMT

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.

MOTRAX Mini Billet Bar-End Mirrors: Update

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:26:00 GMT

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.

Ride to Work Day

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:08:00 GMT

The third Monday in June quickly approaches.

Something worth watching on TV...

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:45:00 GMT

    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.

Gear Up!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:45:00 GMT

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.

2009 Sport-Touring.net Region 6 Burger Run

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:46:00 GMT

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.

Ephrata: April 2009

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 02:45:00 GMT

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.

A Wet Commute

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:33:00 GMT

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.

Lambre-twist!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:30:00 GMT

This video has been floating around the Internet for a few years now. I just stumbled upon it again and it makes me laugh every time I see it.

I will always have a parking space...

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:43:00 GMT

...as long as a-holes drive Mercedes. Thank you Mr. CLK 350 for being too awesome to fit in one parking space. I get to park 10 steps from the elevator every day because of you.

Today I had a bonus Mazda on the other side. He almost managed to fit in his space.

While this benefits me it also illustrates the inherent inefficiencies in using an automobile for a single occupant commute. They take up so much space. Especially when the driver isn't considerate enough to park appropriately. To put a rude little cherry on top of this bowl full of "I'm more important then you", these spaces are small and marked COMPACT. They are often filled with BMW X5s or Explorers.

I apologize for the lousy pics. My Blackberry's built in camera was all I had with me.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:41:00 GMT

Both of my nephews have OI. This is a link to my sister-in-law's page on the OI Foundation's web site. Just putting it out there...

Not to be snarky...

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:24:00 GMT

...but does it seem odd to anyone else that there seemed to be more Buells and Aprilias in the Daytona 200 by Honda then there were Hondas? I didn't count but how many Hondas were there other then Zemke's and Peris'?

No, the safety car does not count.

2009 Daytona 200 (ZZzzzzz...... What? Yep, I'm awake....)

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:45:00 GMT

The start of a motorcycle road race is one of the most thrilling sensory experiences in all of sport. It's big and loud and electric. You have a few dozen bikes sitting on the grid, coiled like a spring. The riders are absolutely focused with engines at full song waiting to launch. At this point, I start to feel the butterflys from my seat on the sofa. I can only imagine what it's like on the grid. Then the flag drops and it's as if 40 cannons all went off at the same time. It's a mad rush for turn one as all of those riders try to occupy the same space at the same time. Once someone claims the lead coming out of the first turn, you can take a breath.

Apparently that's not good enough for DMG/AMA Pro Racing. They decided to grace us with a NASCAR style rolling start. I was poking around ST.N during the formation lap. I looked up, noticed that the pace car was gone and thought "Oh, I guess the race started...". The thing that really bugs me is that no one said "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity". How are you supposed to know the race started if no one says "Boogity x 3"?

I also have to wonder about that first caution period due to a light failure. We've got Hayes out front with a 6 second lead and 20 laps to go. The top riders are getting ready to pit and It doesn't look like anyone's closing the gap. Could someone have bumped a light switch to tighten things up for the finish? Of course, that yellow precipitated a red flag that parked everyone in the pits for a while. That was nice. Then there were a few pointless laps before a crash brings the safety car back out. Gonna grab a sandwich, be right back. Ok, back in time for the restart with only 8 laps left! Things are heating up now, 5 laps to go... and we break for commercial. Awesome. Well, Speed is a Fox network. Good judgment has never been one of their strong points.

To be fair, I did enjoy much of the race. I've been a Ben Bostrom fan for more then a decade now. He put on a good show and won with grace. It was also nice to see Eslisk start second and keep his Buell up front during the early stages before the radiator cowling started to peel off. Racing is about details. Hopefully Buell will get those details right and put a competitive bike on the track this year. They certainly seem to be close.

Have we seen the first race on the NASBike era? It certainly seems that way but Daytona has always been a little different. I will wait to see the first regular road race of the season before passing judgment. In the mean time I'll just say, congrats Ben. Job well done.

Will your next bike be serviced by The Geek Squad?

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:32:00 GMT

Several sites are reporting that Brammo's electric motorcycle, the Enertia will be sold by Best Buy. Selling 2 wheeled transportation at traditional retail outlets is nothing new. Sears had their own line of scooters in the 50s and 60s and JC Penny's sold mopeds as late as the 70s. Pep Boys sells amazingly cheap Chinese scooters now but I don't know if those can legally be ridden on the street.

I see both positive and negative in this deal. It puts 2 wheelers in front of people who would not be looking at them otherwise. Maybe someone bites and it takes a giant SUV or two off the road. At an expected $12,000, I doubt it but It may raise a little awareness. On the other hand, this is Best Buy. I wouldn't trust those chimpanzees to install a car stereo. I certainly wouldn't want them changing a tire or brake pads or anything else that I would rely on to keep me alive.

Get this quote from Brammo's CEO Craig Bramscher "What we're selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation". That may tell you all you need to know right there.

Smackdown! Scoot v. Car

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:20:34 GMT

I caught this at The Scooter Scoop yesterday. It's awesome enough to repost.

Guess who wins...

Three Wheelers

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:33:00 GMT

Today was apparently Sidecar Day. I went for a short ride down Rt. 9 this afternoon. For no particular reason, I hooked a left in Delaware City towards Fort Delaware. The fort is located on an island and can only be accessed by ferry. According to a sign on the office door the ferry doesn't run in February so I saddled up and headed out of town. On my way out I noticed a Black CBR1100 XX attached to a matching sidecar. The side car had a dark tinted windshield and a roof. It was parked in a row of Harleys in front of what appeared to be your stereotypical "biker bar". Delaware is a non-smoking state. If you want to light up, you have to go out side. The sidewalk was covered in a visible cloud of smoke surrounding a crowd of middle aged men in leather vests and bandannas. I didn't stop for pics.

I decided to stop in at PowerSports East before heading home. I just wanted to see if they had anything new on the floor. As I pulled in to parking lot I noticed this.

As far as I can tell, it started life as a mid 80's Yamaha XJ750. The conversion is very complete and looks very slick. That sidehack was no simple bolt on project. Take a look at the front suspension.

Here's a view from the back. The rear suspension appears to have been heavily reworked as well as the fender. I wish I had a better shot of that.

Here's a look into the side car. Accommodations aren't exactly luxurious.

The whole thing looked like a very tightly integrated package. It must be a hoot to ride with ballast in the chair.

BMW SCT 800

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Do we need an 800cc step through? According to MCN, BMW thinks we do. Now, this is coming from MCN, the same people who keep telling us all about Honda's new VFR so take it for what it's worth. Apparently the new superscoot has a 4 valve, 800cc twin and 16" hoops. I can't wait to see the price tag on this one and it's "large range of exclusive accessories".

I like scooters. In fact, I think they're kind of awesome. I just can't see a monster like this stacking up favorably to the likes of an ABS equipped Burgman 400. I certainly can't see it coming in at a reasonable price point. We'll see what happens if it's actually released.

It should also be mentioned that Oberdan Bezzi's name appears at the bottom of the image. He has produced many exercises based on a manufacturer's design language. This could be a rendering.

Update: Ok, call me a moron. I just noticed that this "news" item is one of 18 posted by the artist. He usually starts his posts with something like "This is my design..." or "This is my idea...". In this case he didn't. It's presented as news.

I got a new bike!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:07:00 GMT

Well, not really but it almost seems like it.

Tires aside, the SV has been in the shop exactly twice in the eight and a half years that I've owned it. The first trip was about four years ago for a general safety check. I figured that all of my ham-fisted wrench turning earned it a trip to a real mechanic. The second occurred last spring when she decided to run on one cylinder. One very expensive, brand new ECU later and all was once again right with the world. That happened just as the weather was improving. I missed a weeks worth of prime riding weather while the shop diagnosed the problem, ordered the part and installed it.

This year, I was smart. I decided that I no longer have the time or interest in doing all of my own maintenance. Sure I'll adjust the chain and change the oil but the other stuff, the more complicated stuff that gets done less frequently, someone else can do that. I also decided that i would get this stuff done in January while the weather is less then ideal. After asking around I settled on SpeedWerks in Dover. That's about 40 miles away from my front door. There's no way I was going to get there before they closed on a weeknight so I arranged to drop off on a Saturday and pick up the following Saturday. The ride down was warm enough with temps in the high 30's. I don't have electrics but the gear I do have did it's job well. I walked in and we went over the laundry list of stuff that needed doing. Change the coolant, change the chain and sprockets, new brake fluid, check the pads, figure out why it's difficult to start in the cold...

Then we talked about the things I would like to have done. Primarily, the front suspension. We ran down that list. Seals, oil, new Race Tech springs and Race Tech Gold Valve emulators. We worked out a price on the suspension work that turned out to be lower then I expected. As it happens, SpeedWerks does a lot of work on SVs of all years. They had all the parts on hand. I didn't have to place a special order and I didn't have to commit to anything. I left the shop with instructions to do the suspension work if they could do everything for less then a specific dollar amount. As it turns out, they did everything I asked and came in well under budget.

The cold starting issue was apparently due to a bad battery. I didn't look at that immediately only because it wasn't very old. I got 6 years out of the previous battery and only 2 out of this one. The charging system checked out fine and it's perfectly happy to start at all temperatures now. It was 26° F this past Saturday when I picked it up and even colder that evening when I fired it up just to make sure all was working as it should. It was.

The funny thing about the SV is that 6th gear is absolutely useless everywhere except on the highway. At the same time, I'd occasionally find my self reaching for a 7th gear that wasn't there. I decided to go up a tooth in the front and down one in the back. Cruising RPM has come down quite a bit. So, I might need to down shift more frequently but the bike feels better at a nice lazy cruise and I should see better fuel mileage. Look for more on that in the future.

The most dramatic difference came from the new suspenders. I really should have done the Race Tech treatment years ago. The difference is remarkable. The front end feels much more planted, better connected to road. I found my self riding deeper in the corners with out even trying. There's no wallowing, no unwanted bouncing, just lots of confidence and great road feel. It really does feel like a new bike. I have to think that this is what Suzuki intended in the first place.

Next up? I've got my eye on a Penske Sport shock. I'll go back to SpeedWerks for that. They've earned a regular customer.

Winter is time for gratuitous pet blogging

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:46:00 GMT

Oscar and Zoey from my wife's cell phone camera...

More Motorcycle Tariffs? Not This Time!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:35:00 GMT

The AMA reports that our government will not impose additional tariffs on 51cc to 500cc motorcycles in reaction to the EU's ban on hormone fed beef. This is good news indeed. Here's a link and a quote from the AMA's Ed Moreland.

"There is no logical link between European motorcycles and the dispute over beef," he said. "Imposing these stiff tariffs on motorcycles would do nothing to resolve the trade dispute, but would punish American buyers of European motorcycles. A 100 percent ad valorem, or higher, tariff on these motorcycles will cause serious and potentially irreversible harm to American small- and medium-sized business owners selling the vehicles. Additionally, citizens will be denied access to certain models of competition and recreation motorcycles that contribute to the lifestyle and well-being of millions of American families."

More Fury

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:12:00 GMT

It's so bad that it deserves two entries. Here's a little video.

Mr. Furious!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:56:00 GMT

Seriously, does anyone find this thing appealing? It stinks of price point engineering to achieve "a look". Check out that exhaust and the gaps around the tank. I know that I'm not exactly Honda's target for this atrocity but they really should have done better. The Rune wasn't my cuppa tea either but it was at least interesting. They got lots of things wrong with the DN-01 but again, it's interesting. It shows some original thought. I can't say the same about the Fury.

Of course, They'll probably sell tons. It's yet another "factory custom". The rake is a bit steeper, the stretch a little longer. How can it miss with the OCC crowd?

Computing on the Road

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:20:00 GMT

I bought a new laptop about this time last year. A Dell XPS M1330. It's fast, powerful and it handles every thing I throw at it including 3D games. It's a fantastic little machine. It's so good in fact that I'm planning on retiring my old, ailing desktop without replacing it. I'll plug a USB keyboard and mouse in to the wee Dell along with a big monitor and call it done.

I could have purchased a similarly speced XPS M1530 for about the same price. The most notable difference between the two being the screen size. The 1530 has a 15.4" screen while the 1330 makes due with a 13.3" LCD. I went with the smaller screen for portability. It's nice to have a small, light weight machine when schlepping through an airport. I also thought I would take it along on multi-day motorcycle rides. I thought I might use it to plan routes, upload pics and organize my thoughts in preparation for committing them to this very blog. That hasn't happened. As compact as the M1330 is it doesn't quite fit in a tank bag and it occupies a lot of valuable space in a seat bag when you're trying to pack enough socks and undies for long trip. Fortunately, the industry has come to the rescue. Enter the Netbook!

A couple new models were announced at CES last week. First we have the Sony Vaio P Series. In true Sony fashion it appears to be a very slick, very elegant device. It has an 8" screen in an unusual 2.1:1 aspect ratio (a little more then twice as wide as it is high). This gives the machine the look of an over sized check book. It looks like it would fit nicely in a jacket pocket. It has an 82 key keyboard, lots of storage options and a reasonable number of media slots including SD, MMC and Sony's own Memory Stick Pro. You also get a built in camera, 3 flavors of WiFi, Stereo Bluetooth, 3G Broadband and a GPS receiver. They've managed to pack a pile of features in to 1.4 pounds and a mere 9.65" x 4.72". This is also one of the few machines in this class running Windows Vista. That may not be a selling point. There is of course a price for cramming all of this capacity in to such a small package and that price starts at about $900. That's not much less then I paid for my Dell. It seems a little high considering the 1.33 GHz processor.

The second Netbook that I found interesting is the Viliv S7. The S7 has much of the same stuff. Storage options are a little more limited, it's a bit bigger and it runs Windows XP. The other differences are where it really gets interesting. Viliv claims 7 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge. The manufacturer specifying video is significant because it will kill a battery more quickly then almost anything else your likely to do with a computer. That's an all day device boys and girls and that is pretty awesome. The S7's real distinguishing feature is it's screen. It has a 7" touch screen LCD that is closer to the normal wide screen aspect ratio (about 1.7:1). The screen will also swivel and lay flat in the manner of a tablet PC. This is a feature that really appeals to me. I'm a slow and clumsy typist. It's much easier for me to scribble notes with a stylus then to hunt and peck my way through. I also think I would be more likely to use a tablet at the table during lunch then I would a traditional laptop form factor. It's a matter of convenience and conspicuity. I haven't seen the price on this one yet but I'll be watching closely.

The Dell Mini9 is probably the value leader at about $350 with Ubuntu and a 1.6GHz Atom. It's not fancy but it's a good solid machine for the price. That may be the smart money in an ultra-portable. Netbooks from ASUS and Acer are in the same range as the Dell but the Dell looks much nicer.

You can find more information then you could shake a stick at on these and more over at UMPPC Portal.

A New "GPS Designed for Bikers by Bikers"

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:04:00 GMT

    Garmin announced the new Zumo 660 today at CES in Las Vegas. It looks more like the auto-focused Nuvi line which is a good thing in my opinion. It still has a ruggedized, water proof chassis and a built in MP3 player. In the "what's new" catagory you'll find a bigger touch screen and some very cool features like Lane Assist and Multiple Routing. It also supports A2DP. That would be stereo sound over Bluetooth in english. That last one seems like a no-brainer considering the on board music player, better late then never I suppose.

    The list price is a bit steep at $800. You do get a lot for the coin but I think I'll stick with my trusty Quest a little longer.

Click here for CNet's coverage and here for Garmin's press release.

Happy New Year: Part 2

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:24:00 GMT

Tomorrow will be my first work day of the year. I'm going to start tracking miles and fuel cost of the car v. the bike. My plan is to track commuting, errand running and the like. I never drive the car just for fun. I think that including Saturday morning rides and tours would skew the totals to heavily in favor of the bike.

I also plan to track the total, actual cost to own and operate the car v. the bike. I'll break that one down to a per mile figure in an effort to maintain some kind of parity. I'm not a statistician. There may be some holes in my numbers but it should be an interesting experiment. We'll see if it makes sense once I get in to it.

NPR: Gas Prices Down, SUV Sales Up

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:59:00 GMT

Here's another one. Thanks to Scooter Scoop for the link.

"SUV sales seemed doomed by high gas prices. But as prices at the pump drop, customers are returning to the big vehicles that — just a few months ago — they wouldn't look at."

Click here to listen.

CNN: With gas falling, trucks come back

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:34:00 GMT

Obviously there are other factors at work here but it is an interesting read.

"Trucks and SUVs will outsell cars in December, according to researchers at the automotive Website Edmunds.com, something that hasn't happened since February."

Click here for the rest of the article.

Happy New Year!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:39:00 GMT

As 2008 rolls over to 2009 thoughts turn to a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.

Spend less time in the car and more on the bike
Sell the Outback in favor of something without a monthly payment
Track the cost per mile of the car v. bike
At least one long motorcycle tour (probably to the ST.N National in CO)
A couple weekend trips throughout the year

Tioga County, PA
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Another trip to Marlinton WV

Attend at least one AMA Superbike race weekend
Improve my fitness to make long days in the saddle more comfortable
Figure out why my bike doesn't like to start when it's cold
Give the SV's suspension the full Racetech treatment
Consider a mid size scooter for commuting duty

I'll circle back in 12 months to see how I've done.

More Motorcycle Tariffs?

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:09:00 GMT

   In 1983 President Regan, on the advice of the US International Trade Commission imposed a 49% tariff on foreign motorcycles displacing more then 700cc. This was done in defense of Harley-Davidson. They were recently sold by AMF (think bowling balls and badminton sets) to a group of investors and were at the time uncompetitive in the market. Instead of upping their game, The Motor Company petitioned our government to price the Germans, British, Japanese and Italians out of the U.S. "heavyweight motorcycle" market. Sure it bolstered H-D long enough for them make one of biggest comebacks in history but it also negatively impacted the American consumer by limiting options on the showroom floor.

   We are now facing a similar situation. Our government is considering a 100% "or higher" tariff on 51 to 500cc motorcycles from Europe. In this case we're not defending the American motorcycle industry or even our embattled automotive industry. We are retaliating against the the European ban on American beef treated with growth hormones. To be fair, hair clippers, lingonberry jam and "viscose rayon staple fibers, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning" are also under attack. We should be encouraging the use of small, efficient single occupant vehicles. Gas prices will go up again and Americans will be shopping for small bikes again. Do you really want to pay $17,000 for an Aprilia SVX 450? How about $8,000 for Junior's KTM 65 SX? Or better still, what if you can't find 'em because manufacturers can't afford to sell them here. H-D and Victory don't compete in this market unless you count the all but forgotten Buell Blast. That would efectively make the Japanese the only game in town. The Japanese make great bikes but it's nice to have some options.

   This is why I'm a proud, card carrying mamber of the AMA. They have prepared a response. Click the link, read the letter, get mad and write your congressman. For refrence, you can find the RFC here. While you're at it, check out Motorcycle Daily's very informative article here.

Gravity Rocks!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:59:00 GMT

I ride an eight and a half year old, carburated motorcycle. It's cheap to run. cheap to insure and it's paid for. It's also a helluva lot of fun and dead reliable for the most part. We'll come back to that later.

I don't mind riding in the cold but the weather's been a little spotty for the past couple days. The combination of temps close to the freezing point and the threat of rain put me in the Subaru on Monday and Tuesday. The weather man promised blue skies and sunshine today so I decided to take the SV. It was the coldest day that I've ridden this year. I headed out to the garage, disconnected the battery tender and fired up the bike. She complained for a second but soon settled in to a nice steady idle. I let it run while I geared up. It was a chilly but pleasant ride to the office.

Traffic on the Kirkwood Highway was a little lighter then usual. Somehow, I still managed to get to work a little late. My usual spot on the second floor was occupied by half of a BMW X5. The other half of the BMW was in the space next to it. You see, an X5 is just too much awesome for one parking space marked "compact". A car that cool obviously deserves two. So I head up to the fourth floor, park the bike and go to work.

Nine and a half hours later I'm back in the parking garage. I empty my pockets in to the tank bag, turn the key, open the enricher and push the start button. Whirrr KaCha... Whirrr KaCha... Whirrr KaCha... nothing. Try again, Whirrr KaCha... Whirrr KaCha...grumble grumble sputter pop. I thought she was going to start. What a tease. I knew it was futile but I tried one more time. That attempt resulted in a pathetic little Ka-Click... and we we're done.

I do most of the maintenance on my bike but I am not exactly what you would call a mechanic. I'm not very confident in my ability to improvise in these situations. I only had one trick left before calling my wife to come get me. I geared up and jumped on the bike. I snicked it in to second, paddled down hill for a bit, lifted my feet to the pegs, released the clutch lever and thumbed the red button. She sputtered for split second before I pulled the clutch lever back in. By the time I ran out of run way and came to a stop she was purring at 3000 RPM. I backed the enricher down a bit and listened to the RPMs rise as the engine warmed. I closed it the rest of the way and took off. The little v-twin ran flawlessly all the way home. In fact, I stopped at the comic shop and the gas station on the way home. The bike started just fine both times.

Weather permitting, I will continue to ride to work through out the winter. I just won't park on the first floor no matter how early I get there.

Look at what I got in the mail today...

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:40:00 GMT

That is a post card announcing the arrival of the Harley Davidson XR1200 in the United States. It is easily the coolest motorcycle produced by the House of Chrome in a long time. Like many of the best things in motorcycling it has only been available in Europe so far. Apparently, that is about to change.

The card says "But out of respect for the XR750, only 750 XR1200 models will be available for pre-sale 12/1-12/15/08." Does that mean that this is a limited run of 750 motorcycles or does it mean that will only allow dealers to take 750 pre-orders and that it's first come, first served after that? Are they going to try to foster a sense of exclusivity around this bike to drive the price up? I'll be watching this one closely.

I want to want an American motorcycle. Lots of HDs and Buells have come close but nothing has really hit the mark yet. I haven't seen the full U.S. spec but if the Motor Company decides to offer the XR1200 with ABS one day...

Ride to Vote!

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:24:00 GMT

From Andy Goldfine and the rest of the fine folks that brought us Ride To Work Day.

Press Release: For immediate publication
Date: 10/29/08
Subject: Ride to Vote

On Election Day (Tuesday, November 4th 2008), make your vote count in the polling booth and on the road - by riding your motorcycle or scooter to vote!

No matter which candidates, propositions and issues you support, please help demonstrate that motorcycle and scooter riding is an important part of our world’s mobility landscape. Ride to your polling place, park near the entrance, and wear your riding gear when you cast your ballot. Let the other voters see you as a rider! Election day is a great day to let everyone know you “Ride to Vote, and Vote to Ride”! So record your vote, and let your riding actions be seen. And spread the word with ‘I Rode’ and ‘Vote to Ride’ stickers:

Download “Ride to Vote” Stickers and buttons here: www.ridetowork.org/signs-posters-cards-propaganda-art

Print (on adhesive paper) these “I rode to vote” stickers/buttons. Wear yours to work, and wherever you go during the rest of the day. If anyone asks you about your “Ride to Vote” sticker, remind them that riding is a good solution to many social, urban mobility and environmental issues.

Spread the message and encourage others to join the “Ride to Vote” effort this year. And please pass this email on to other riders – to help encourage “Ride to Vote”! rides. By riding everywhere on Election Day, you make a statement about the value and importance of motorcycle and scooter riding.

For additional information, please visit the Ride to Work website at: www.ridetowork.org.
The 18th annual Ride to Work Day will be held June 15th, 2009

Title 21. Motor Vehicles. Operation and Equipment. Chapter 41. Rules of the Road. Subchapter XI. Miscellaneous Rules. § 4185. Riding on motorcycles.

James@thirteen-moto.com (James) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:09:00 GMT

... and breathe.

(b) Every person operating or riding on a motorcycle shall have in that person's possession a safety helmet approved by the Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security (hereinafter "Secretary") through the Office of Highway Safety and shall wear eye protection approved by the Secretary; provided, however, that every person up to 19 years of age operating or riding on a motorcycle shall wear a safety helmet and eye protection approved by the Secretary.

    That is Delaware's helmet law.

    Now, I never ride with out a lid but I'm not a big fan of helmet laws. In fact I'm not really in to any law that assumes the government is smarter then I am. In this case it certainly is not. Let's consider this bit "...shall have in that person's possession a safety helmet...". If you're over 19 there's no need to wear the damn thing just have it in your possession. What is that good for? Absolutely nothin' (say it again). In fact I'm convinced that our helmet law is more dangerous then having no law at all. We've already established that you don't have to keep your helmet on your head which is of course the one place that it's likely to be of any use. That kind of leaves you wondering where our great state, in all of it's wisdom expects you to keep the legally required, D.O.T. approved pudding bowl. This isn't a big issue this time of year. Temps are starting to drop and helmets, especially full face helmets are warm. The problem becomes more apparent in the summer months when the squids start running.

    You'll see all manner of creative solutions to the problem. There's the "elbow through the opening", the "balanced precariously on the rear view" and the ever popular "dangling from the helmet lock". I mean, that's why they put helmet locks on bikes right? Never mind that every owner's manual I've ever read warns against storing a helmet on the lock while under way. I've see more then one lid lying in the shadow of the lookout towers along Ocean Highway. It's not hard to imagine how they got there. I would hate to happen upon one that didn't manage to bounce all the way to the shoulder.

Just don't take advice on fit from my nephew