This morning's commute to my studio was a cold one. Now that there's break in the rain the weather turned sunny but cold. It's been a rainy winter here in Southern California. As for me I've been alternating between my old Toyota sedan and my BMW F650GS motorcycle between wet and dry commuting days.
While waiting at a light to turn left I caught a glimpse of another motorcycle getting into the same turn lane in my right rear view mirror. As usual I finished the turn in the outer most lane, the slow lane, on my way over to my studio; and there I caught another another glimpse of the rider this time in my left mirror as he passed me. I gave him my peace greeting before he overtook me on the left and saw him smiled and waved in acknowledgement in return. I recognize the older fellow and have seen him on a few occasion going in the opposite direction. A Harley Davidson, pretty nice but a bit on the noisy side.
A thought entered in my mind.
"Man, I wonder how long I would last riding something thumping so loudly on my long tours." How fatiguing would it be? I'm no motorcycle expert and from the looks of it, his Harley looks like a 1200 or maybe a 1500cc. "...and imagine that! I'm only on 650cc and I'm already complaining about noise and vibrations!"
About half a mile ahead, traffic was stopped at a light. I pulled into the left lane as I passed a truck and came up in the same lane as the Harley, I was on his right.
"Nice day for a ride!"
He place his right hand to the right side of his helmet, where his ear would be, indicating to me that he couldn't hear me. I edged up, this time screaming.
"NICE DAY FOR A RIDE!"
He just smiled. I don't think he heard me but "oh, well." Usually I would leave it at that. But this time the red at this light was a little longer than anticipated, and it led to an uncomfortable, pregnant pause as I sat there next to this other motorcycle. So I started talking again.
"NICE BIKE! WHAT HARLEY MODEL IS IT?"
He was struggling to hear what I screaming about. Finally he answered.
"(Garble).... (Garble).... 1995 FSR (?)...."
I just couldn't hear him. No matter, I followed up with another question.
"IS THAT A 1500cc ?"
He leaned his helmet towards me, where his right ear would be, as if straining to hear, then... He pointed to my motorcyle this time I could hear him say, "HOW DOES THAT RIDE ?"
"GREAT GAS MILEAGE!" I answered.
But by this time we were both saved as the light turned green. He sped away as I followed behind. Then it occurred to me how loud his Harley was. Had his bike been a few decibels lower we could have had a better conversation.
As the traffic once again slowed in the left lane, I switched back to the right side. I sped past him, gave him a salute and went straight while he took the freeway on ramp. I guess to each his own.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Motorcycles and vibrations
I remember my first time soloing on the freeway on my BMW F650St motorcycle: the open air, the speed,... the vibrations. Everything felt normal driving wise as if I was in my car except for the high level of vibration that I thought was curious, only to be told later by my more experienced brother that I shouldn't worry about it because that's normal at high speeds. He also added, "...be prepared for numb butts and fatigue."
Until I've been on a two wheel motorbike I, probably like everyone elso who have not experienced motorcycles before, really took automobile for granted. The comfort and the insulation from the world outside. We believe that we're in own our little world that nothing can touch us. We don't hear or sense the horrendous wind buffeting nor noise, the wind chill in the winter time nor the skin drying heated airstream in the summer, nor the incessant vibration. In a car we're literally separated from the engine via a separate compartment, but not so with a motorcycle. When riding, the rider straddles the engine.
Vibration from riding a motorcycle can lead to discomfort such as in your numbed buttocks or hands and feet. It also makes you tire over long durations. It could also lead to loosened nuts and bolts which could conveniently dropped from your motorcycle and become lost. Which leads me to this anecdote.
Last October (2009) while on the touring trip to Arizona we traversed a stretch of old Route 66 in California that resembled the moon, well, maybe more akin to something that was left over when the US Air Force jets' use runway cratering munitions. The resulting vibration and potholes broke my F650GS fork seal. But little did I know that there was another little surprise.
Ever since that trip in October, the F650ST motorcycle that my girlfriend was riding has been sitting in storage connected to a battery tender. So one day I decided to exercise the bike and took it home from my studio where it is stored. As usual I oiled the chain, make sure the tires were properly inflated and tried to take note on anything that's unusual.
Not barely half a mile out I heard strange noises coming from underneath me. Sort of an irregular clack, clack, clack. So I immediately pulled over to check. After 3 to 4 minutes of examination I couldn't find anything odd so got back on the bike and continue to ride home. Not too far from that spot the clacking sound started again I was worried and a bit annoyed but pressed on.
Once I pulled into the garage and parked, I went immediately to scrutinize it. What I found was a loose drive chain that was literally slapping the frame. "How did that come about?" Then I remembered back to Route 66. Yup! That road not only broke my F650GS fork seal but was also the cause for the loosening and shifting rear axle nut for the F650ST, making its drive chain come loose. It wasn't a big problem but could have easily become catastrophic one if the the chain was thrown off the pinion and freeze the rear wheel... Ooh, that would've been pretty!
The next day I went to my brother and got a torque wrench to re-tighten the nut. In the course of adjusting the chain I found that both left and right chain tension screws had also come loose. Furthermore, one of the screws for the pinion cover was gone and the rest of the cover screws had loosened and were about to fall out!
I usually try to be thorough after a big trip, especially the arduous ones, and check my mount before taking it back on the road. But my complacency this time almost propagated to something bad. So if you ride lots, don't forget to locktite or use a proper torque wrench with the correct torque value to keep vibration from shaking those nuts and screws loose.
Until I've been on a two wheel motorbike I, probably like everyone elso who have not experienced motorcycles before, really took automobile for granted. The comfort and the insulation from the world outside. We believe that we're in own our little world that nothing can touch us. We don't hear or sense the horrendous wind buffeting nor noise, the wind chill in the winter time nor the skin drying heated airstream in the summer, nor the incessant vibration. In a car we're literally separated from the engine via a separate compartment, but not so with a motorcycle. When riding, the rider straddles the engine.
Vibration from riding a motorcycle can lead to discomfort such as in your numbed buttocks or hands and feet. It also makes you tire over long durations. It could also lead to loosened nuts and bolts which could conveniently dropped from your motorcycle and become lost. Which leads me to this anecdote.
Last October (2009) while on the touring trip to Arizona we traversed a stretch of old Route 66 in California that resembled the moon, well, maybe more akin to something that was left over when the US Air Force jets' use runway cratering munitions. The resulting vibration and potholes broke my F650GS fork seal. But little did I know that there was another little surprise.
Ever since that trip in October, the F650ST motorcycle that my girlfriend was riding has been sitting in storage connected to a battery tender. So one day I decided to exercise the bike and took it home from my studio where it is stored. As usual I oiled the chain, make sure the tires were properly inflated and tried to take note on anything that's unusual.
Not barely half a mile out I heard strange noises coming from underneath me. Sort of an irregular clack, clack, clack. So I immediately pulled over to check. After 3 to 4 minutes of examination I couldn't find anything odd so got back on the bike and continue to ride home. Not too far from that spot the clacking sound started again I was worried and a bit annoyed but pressed on.
Once I pulled into the garage and parked, I went immediately to scrutinize it. What I found was a loose drive chain that was literally slapping the frame. "How did that come about?" Then I remembered back to Route 66. Yup! That road not only broke my F650GS fork seal but was also the cause for the loosening and shifting rear axle nut for the F650ST, making its drive chain come loose. It wasn't a big problem but could have easily become catastrophic one if the the chain was thrown off the pinion and freeze the rear wheel... Ooh, that would've been pretty!
The next day I went to my brother and got a torque wrench to re-tighten the nut. In the course of adjusting the chain I found that both left and right chain tension screws had also come loose. Furthermore, one of the screws for the pinion cover was gone and the rest of the cover screws had loosened and were about to fall out!
I usually try to be thorough after a big trip, especially the arduous ones, and check my mount before taking it back on the road. But my complacency this time almost propagated to something bad. So if you ride lots, don't forget to locktite or use a proper torque wrench with the correct torque value to keep vibration from shaking those nuts and screws loose.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Brigdestone Trail Wing TW101 & TW152 Tires
Happy new year!
The new year have also brought in a new set of tires for my BMW F650GS in the form of two new Bridgestone Trail Wings (TW101-front) and (TW152-rear). I think it was a pretty good deal for these tires, coming in under $200 for both tires.
The reason I chose the Bridgestone Trail Wings was because of their tread patterns. Being that I've ridden mountain bikes for the last 20 years I figure a bit more tread would be nice if I decided to take that "road less taken."
I enlisted my brother's help and it took us about 3 hours to get the tires on the rim, balanced and back on my F650GS. Not too bad really, for just using basic levers and soapy water to get the job done. At times like these it's not so much how long it took to get the work done, but it's the brotherly bond that's truly time well spent.
I have to admit the Trail Wings are a lot noisier than my previous Metzelers. At around 40 mph the noise starts and as the bike get faster it gets noisier. The price you pay for a bit of off road performance. I'm hoping that with some wear the noise would also subside. Other than that minor aspect, at freeway speed (I've taken it up to 85 mph), they perform beautifully on the F650GS.
Here's to the new year!
Monday, December 7, 2009
2009 Long Beach motorcycle show report
My brother and I arrived at the Long Beach Convention Center for the motorcycle show at around 3:40 pm, 20 minutes earlier than the show opening time and got in the ticket line with a lot of other people. The line moved pretty quickly and we were in at around 4 pm.
Maybe because it was a Friday but this year's motorcycle show felt very different than that of the other years. Perhaps it was only my own perception but I noticed the absence of the pre-holiday purchasing hustle bustle. I guess the wavering economy doesn't help. Gone are the new companies such as the one from Korea (I just can't seem to remember the name) that was trying to break into the market last year and the classic motorcycles in the separate show room. The major players: Honda, Yamaha, BMW, etc., on the other hand were still present.
We were both curious about the new Honda VFR 1200F and made that our first stop. We both took turns on the seat to get a feel for the new "semi-auto" shifting bike. The bike's weight feels very comfortable to me, very light and the bike's seat height was just perfect for someone who's a bit on the inseam challenged side like me. Be it that the past few years touring I've covered the road mostly on a upright seating position on my BMW F650GS and at extended times in the saddle my knees would get really tired, my only concern here with the VFR 1200F is the seating position, as are usually found on most sport tourer, that may not agree with my leg configuration. Because the position is a bit more tucked in, my legs are much more folded in which case I would imagine my knees aching on long stretches. So as much as the new Honda being a great set up I may have to pass on account of my physical limitations and stick with a mount with an upright seating position.
We also visited the BMW booth where I got to try on the F800ST. The floor model had a standard seat on and being inseam challenged I couldn't push is over. As in the case of the Honda VFR 1200F, I had the same seating position issue also. I would have to pass on a similar account, as found with most sport tourer, if I wanted to do endurance rides. Nice motorcycle though.
In between motorcycle vendors we were stopped by various merchants vending cleaning products. We were suckered into buying some of the products... What can I say, they were definitely good salesmen.
The last place that we stopped at was the Arai helmet booth. This was actually our major reason for coming to the show, to get replacements for our helmet inserts. I guess when it comes to safety there's a lot of money to be made and our replacement inserts were pretty pricey. The foam inserts do deteriorate over time and safety is always a primary concern for us so we forked over the bucks.
Overall, Long Beach was still a show with lots of motorcycles to see even though in my opinion smaller than prior years. For me it was good to get away from the grind to bond and talk shop with my brother. Can't beat that!
Maybe because it was a Friday but this year's motorcycle show felt very different than that of the other years. Perhaps it was only my own perception but I noticed the absence of the pre-holiday purchasing hustle bustle. I guess the wavering economy doesn't help. Gone are the new companies such as the one from Korea (I just can't seem to remember the name) that was trying to break into the market last year and the classic motorcycles in the separate show room. The major players: Honda, Yamaha, BMW, etc., on the other hand were still present.
We were both curious about the new Honda VFR 1200F and made that our first stop. We both took turns on the seat to get a feel for the new "semi-auto" shifting bike. The bike's weight feels very comfortable to me, very light and the bike's seat height was just perfect for someone who's a bit on the inseam challenged side like me. Be it that the past few years touring I've covered the road mostly on a upright seating position on my BMW F650GS and at extended times in the saddle my knees would get really tired, my only concern here with the VFR 1200F is the seating position, as are usually found on most sport tourer, that may not agree with my leg configuration. Because the position is a bit more tucked in, my legs are much more folded in which case I would imagine my knees aching on long stretches. So as much as the new Honda being a great set up I may have to pass on account of my physical limitations and stick with a mount with an upright seating position.
We also visited the BMW booth where I got to try on the F800ST. The floor model had a standard seat on and being inseam challenged I couldn't push is over. As in the case of the Honda VFR 1200F, I had the same seating position issue also. I would have to pass on a similar account, as found with most sport tourer, if I wanted to do endurance rides. Nice motorcycle though.
In between motorcycle vendors we were stopped by various merchants vending cleaning products. We were suckered into buying some of the products... What can I say, they were definitely good salesmen.
The last place that we stopped at was the Arai helmet booth. This was actually our major reason for coming to the show, to get replacements for our helmet inserts. I guess when it comes to safety there's a lot of money to be made and our replacement inserts were pretty pricey. The foam inserts do deteriorate over time and safety is always a primary concern for us so we forked over the bucks.
Overall, Long Beach was still a show with lots of motorcycles to see even though in my opinion smaller than prior years. For me it was good to get away from the grind to bond and talk shop with my brother. Can't beat that!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
International Motorcycle Show
It's amazing how quickly a year just zips by. It is now December and it's that time again for the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach. The event starts December 4th, lasting through the weekend and folds on Sunday December 6th. If you are in Southern California and are interested in attending you could get tickets here.
As usual, one can expect a packed convention center with lots of motorcycles. You'll get to see new world debuts, classic antiques, stunt riders, etc., and don't forget the pretty show floor girls!
I'm planning on checking out the scene on Friday to beat the crowd. See you there!
Long Beach International Motorcycle Show
As usual, one can expect a packed convention center with lots of motorcycles. You'll get to see new world debuts, classic antiques, stunt riders, etc., and don't forget the pretty show floor girls!
I'm planning on checking out the scene on Friday to beat the crowd. See you there!
Long Beach International Motorcycle Show
Monday, November 23, 2009
Chasing problems
The thing I didn't realize about motorcycles before I started on the endeavor is that one cannot leave the motorcycle idle for very long. Not only is my currency from riding become blunt but the motorcycle itself seems to get into a state of entropy. The battery looses charge, the chain needs to be re-lubed, tires deflate, etc. And in this past week without riding it did pretty much all that.
As a standard routine I would check everything over before hitting the road but this time I noticed something odd. Even on center stand the front tire was flat, way too flat. The first thing that came to mind was, "Oh great, I hit a nail!" So I spun the tire around to look for a puncture but there were no signs of one, no nails, no screws whatsoever. I pumped up the tire and decided to wait a bit before heading out just to be sure.
The tire was holding pressure but there was something about it that I couldn't leave to chance completely, so I decided to leave it overnight to see what happens and use my car in the meantime.
When I came back the next morning it was again flat. I spun the front wheel again this time carefully examining the tire. There were absolutely no sign of punctures. I tried listening to hear if there were signs of air leaking but couldn't hear anything leak. I called my brother to see if I could come by to get tools to remove the tire to examine it for leaks and possibly patch it but he was at work. I had things to do during the day so I decided to put it off until I get home that evening.
Definitely a slow leak but how long? I pumped up the tire again and this time clocked it to see how long it actually took to deflate. About 20 minutes to get to a fairly low point. Great! I could ride over instead of having to make two trips in the morning. Since my brother lives about 6 miles away, 10 minutes via freeway, I deduced that it was an acceptable risk to get the motorcycle over to his place. Plus I would pack my foot pump as a backup plan in case things go awry with the short hop.
In the morning after donning all my gear I over inflated the front slightly and started my stop watch. Even with 10 minutes to spare I constantly monitored the tire and the time because when there was full weight loaded on the tires I surmise that the front tire would leak even quicker. I made it alright and within 10 minutes of arrival, sure enough it went flat. A calculated risk and everything went as planned!
I took the wheel off, broke the tire bead and took the tube out. Inflated the tube and dunked it in a bucket of water to look for signs of leaks through air bubbles... But no bubbles, the queerest thing! My brother and I then examined the inside of the front tire and there were no protrusions. We figured there was only one other possible thing, the inner tube air valve. So I dunked the tube with the valve in water again but still found no leaks. After half an hour of chasing leaks and air bubbles, we surrendered and decided to put everything back. And just as a precautionary measure lube the valve core with WD40 before re-installing it.
Everything goes back on. We decided to wait it out once again to see if the valve is the culprit. After about half an hour we noticed that there was only a little bit of a pressure drop. That was it! It was the spring loaded valve core being stuck.
Although a small victory, I rode back home happy that I discovered the problem and fixed it. To be certain I took a new core from a spare inner tube and replaced it with the old one. I have a special tool that was included in my bead breaker kit to remove the valve core (Schrader valve - also spelled as Schraeder) but you could also purchase one from a bicycle shop (maybe a car parts store) for such use. This valve type is interchangeable from bicycles to cars to motorcycles tubes, they use the same valve. So if you wanted, you could use the valve cores from your bicycle tubes.
The moral of the story? Everything wears over time and mileage, be sure to carry spares, maintain your equipment and always keep a cool head when running into problems.
As a standard routine I would check everything over before hitting the road but this time I noticed something odd. Even on center stand the front tire was flat, way too flat. The first thing that came to mind was, "Oh great, I hit a nail!" So I spun the tire around to look for a puncture but there were no signs of one, no nails, no screws whatsoever. I pumped up the tire and decided to wait a bit before heading out just to be sure.
The tire was holding pressure but there was something about it that I couldn't leave to chance completely, so I decided to leave it overnight to see what happens and use my car in the meantime.
When I came back the next morning it was again flat. I spun the front wheel again this time carefully examining the tire. There were absolutely no sign of punctures. I tried listening to hear if there were signs of air leaking but couldn't hear anything leak. I called my brother to see if I could come by to get tools to remove the tire to examine it for leaks and possibly patch it but he was at work. I had things to do during the day so I decided to put it off until I get home that evening.
Definitely a slow leak but how long? I pumped up the tire again and this time clocked it to see how long it actually took to deflate. About 20 minutes to get to a fairly low point. Great! I could ride over instead of having to make two trips in the morning. Since my brother lives about 6 miles away, 10 minutes via freeway, I deduced that it was an acceptable risk to get the motorcycle over to his place. Plus I would pack my foot pump as a backup plan in case things go awry with the short hop.
In the morning after donning all my gear I over inflated the front slightly and started my stop watch. Even with 10 minutes to spare I constantly monitored the tire and the time because when there was full weight loaded on the tires I surmise that the front tire would leak even quicker. I made it alright and within 10 minutes of arrival, sure enough it went flat. A calculated risk and everything went as planned!
I took the wheel off, broke the tire bead and took the tube out. Inflated the tube and dunked it in a bucket of water to look for signs of leaks through air bubbles... But no bubbles, the queerest thing! My brother and I then examined the inside of the front tire and there were no protrusions. We figured there was only one other possible thing, the inner tube air valve. So I dunked the tube with the valve in water again but still found no leaks. After half an hour of chasing leaks and air bubbles, we surrendered and decided to put everything back. And just as a precautionary measure lube the valve core with WD40 before re-installing it.
Everything goes back on. We decided to wait it out once again to see if the valve is the culprit. After about half an hour we noticed that there was only a little bit of a pressure drop. That was it! It was the spring loaded valve core being stuck.
Although a small victory, I rode back home happy that I discovered the problem and fixed it. To be certain I took a new core from a spare inner tube and replaced it with the old one. I have a special tool that was included in my bead breaker kit to remove the valve core (Schrader valve - also spelled as Schraeder) but you could also purchase one from a bicycle shop (maybe a car parts store) for such use. This valve type is interchangeable from bicycles to cars to motorcycles tubes, they use the same valve. So if you wanted, you could use the valve cores from your bicycle tubes.
The moral of the story? Everything wears over time and mileage, be sure to carry spares, maintain your equipment and always keep a cool head when running into problems.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Texting while driving
Just saw this video over at The Lonely Rider. The incident happened a while ago but could just easily be today. Imagine if it were a motorcycle, scary!
All the more for us "two wheelers" to be extra careful not only on freeways but even while we're stopping at a stop sign or waiting at a light. Don't forget to check your 6'oclock and know your escape route in case something like this is barreling up behind you!
All the more for us "two wheelers" to be extra careful not only on freeways but even while we're stopping at a stop sign or waiting at a light. Don't forget to check your 6'oclock and know your escape route in case something like this is barreling up behind you!
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