A fool and his money....

I received an email from a friend the other day, a friend to whom I had sold my '76 KZ900LTD.

I have a history with this bike. When we moved from Canada, found work, settled in and getting established my new boss sold me a KZ900LTD he had just bought from a mechanic. He is a big fan of KZ900s with several in his shop including one he bought new and was quite knowledgeable with these bikes. I learned quite a bit too. We would take off after work and ride our bikes to the coast, we would go for chowder rides on the weekends and I commuted daily on it. I loved that bike and can't remember how many miles I logged on it, I repainted it (somewhat poorly) and even taught Trobairitz how to ride on it.

Several years ago, the old KZ started making ticking noises, the starter wouldn't engage and I much preferred the more reliable Triumph Sprint ST I had recently purchased, so I had parked the bike in the backyard and covered it. I had full intentions of restoring it but eventually admitted that I would never get around to it and at a weak moment let it go to a friend who was willing to get it running and ride it. Well, he did get the motor out and apart, replacing the valves and valve spring retainers but then life got in the way. He graduated college, went in search of work, got married, moved and just didn't have the time, money or resources to finish it. So he asked if I wanted to buy it back.

Needless to say, weak moment number two... I now have a project bike.

Some of it is in my single garage and space is tight, the rolling frame is again in the backyard under cover.  I still don't have the time and just enough knowledge to mess it up, but my intention is to sand down the tank, sidecovers and tail piece then try my hand again at painting. I'll mount some new tires, bleed the brakes, polish the bits of chrome and spot paint the frame. I need to get in touch with another friend who is a detailer to fine tune and shine up the engine.

I know she'll never be a show bike, but I certainly hope at the very least I won't have to part her out on flea bay. Maybe, just maybe, eventually we can make appearances at bike nights and coffee.


My old father used to have a saying:  If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Cool Places to Park a Motorcycle

I had to get this post in before it was too late. Gary France posted a challenge Cool Places to Park a Motorcycle and readers have been submitting their photos so I started thinking where have I parked my motorcycles.... intentional or not.

I've unintentionally parked my Sprint ST in a field on the way home from the dealership, I just bought it and was unfamiliar with the bike. Fortunately, I stayed on it and kept it upright.

It took a Jeep and a winch to pull me out of the mud.

It was this incident when I realized I needed more rider training and signed up for the Team Oregon Advance Rider Training Course. This in turn made me want to become not only a better rider but start the journey toward becoming an instructor.


Another photo I considered was my bike parked in the living room. How many of us would be able to get away with parking our motorcycle in the house, let alone smack dab in the middle of the living room? Actually, even if we weren't in the middle of renovations, my wife is so awesome she would still allow it today... I on the other hand, don't want to have to replace the new flooring.

The photo I did submit is one of my favorites, I stopped on my way home from work one evening and took some photos of my beloved Tiger in a wheat field.

This field was much drier than the above mentioned field and this was intentional.

It is great seeing all of the photos and thank you Gary for posting the challenge!

-

E2E Rally and Bridges

One advantage of Trobairitz participating in the Pace Podcast E2E Rally is that I get to check off more photo tags for my covered bridge page.

Ritner Creek Covered Bridge

We often play the "where do you want to go?" - "I don't know, where do you want to go?" game.

The prospect of 'riding to eat' seems to have dropped from our itinerary as not many roadside cafes offer 'salad' on their menu so the rally gives us much preferred picnic destinations to ride to instead.

We've scouted several photo opportunities while out and about in the car and are looking forward to warm, dry weather if and when it stops raining.

Harris Covered Bridge in Wren

I've heard somewhere that April showers bring May flowers......

In the meantime, I am commuting back and forth to work alternating between bikes. The rain bike and the non-fairing bike. I am happy in my new job and I'm realizing the benefit of working 'four tens'. We're anticipating several camping trips this summer and exploring further destinations that eluded us with the traditional two day weekend... between teaching Team Oregon classes of course.

A 'Stich in time

I have been considering purchasing an Aerostich Roadcrafter suit for several months, if not a year or more. However, due to the sudden loss of gainful employment last fall I've had to put that decision on hold.

Custom ballistics color

I've started a new job and I've been able to commute on my bike, but unfortunately I don't have any place to store my riding gear. Not only are we required to empty our pockets to pass through security, Aerostich claims to have ten pockets, we are issued small lockers not much bigger than a Trax or Happy Trails pannier and with mine being the top locker of three it is not feasible, nor very considerate to my co-workers to store dripping wet gear above. I have however, attached my tank slapping inducing top case, along with the side cases to my bike and I am strategically stuffing my gear into those. It gets a little tight with ATGATT including armor, boots, helmet and gloves... which is fine on dry days. There are covered bicycle racks outside the guard shack and on occasion I've resorted to locking my wet gear to the racks with the neon Jacket Caddy cables sent to us from Bobskoot. (Thanks Bob!)

I've mentioned in conversation that I was considering an Aerostich suit and when I asked a friend and fellow rider how he liked his new suit, he generously offered to lend me his old one...

The convenience of a one piece suit, a full length zipper and the ability to roll it up to fit in my top case sure makes life easier. I've been using it for a couple three weeks now and I don't want to give it back. If a 10 year old, worn suit is this nice, I can only imagine what  new one is like.

Although Aerostich is in San Francisco this weekend, plane tickets simply add to the cost. I'm hoping they create a pop-up store in Portland or Seattle this Spring, if not at the BMW Rally in Salem this July.

So for now I'm searching ebay, Craigslist and Aerostich Sale items for a deal in my size, at least until I can save enough pennies to pull the trigger on a new one.

A 'Stich in time... once I save nine.

My new commute...

♫ My Flat Spot Has a First Name... it's Highway34 ♫ 

♫ My flat spot has a second name it's 34 some more ♫

- A parody tune by Polarbear

My new job has me commuting 22 miles each way, so fortunately I'm back on the bike. Unfortunately, my commute isn't as leisurely as it once was and now consists of riding the boringly straight, highly despised, four lane, death trap known as Highway 34 east of Corvallis. 

So now with so many miles clicking away on such a straight road I must take into consideration joining the darksiders

Relax Irondad, I'm kidding ;)

One saving grace is that the highway is nearly empty at 5 o'clock in the morning and most of the traffic is headed in the opposite direction come 4:30 in the afternoon. I do get to wave at both Polarbear and SpartanBabe on the the way home, when I recognize their vehicles in the mass of zombie commuters.

It is also dark at 5 am which brings a new level of awareness or lack thereof and riding to work Wednesday morning a dead raccoon jumped right out in front of me. I was concerned with a semi-truck gaining on me from behind so I kept checking on him in my mirrors. "So where are you not looking when you're looking in your mirrors?" In front of you. "And where do most accidents occur on a motorcycle?" In front of you.

Now I've hit suicidal squirrels and bold birds before, but they're pretty small and don't stand much of a chance against 700 lbs of bike and rider at speed. Unexpectedly hitting an already deceased raccoon the size of a medium dog will pucker your butt and upset said 700 pounds in a heartbeat. I didn't have time to slow, brake or swerve and surmounted the obstacle nearly slamming the bars out of my hands,  I certainly appreciate Newton's Law thus keeping her upright. Needless to say, I was no longer concerned with my mirrors the rest of the ride in. Thoughts of self preservation took over.

An early morning commute means colder temperatures, however I have been able to beat the few degrees of temperature drop at sunrise. I've been using my heated grips and heated liner but lately at a higher setting than normal, this of course demands more from Lucy's electrical system.... can you guess where this is going? Tigers don't have a robust charging system so on the way home I experienced deja vu all over again with a dead battery at the gas pump. No way was I going to try and bump start her this time and made a phone call to Trobairitz to come save me instead. A quick jump start from the car battery and I was headed home to put Lucy on the charger. 

I spent Friday morning calculating power draw and my options. The easiest option is to disconnect or switch one headlight off, but I don't want to do that due to the afore mentioned raccoon. Nor do I want to mess with HIDs, wiring or ballasts... KISS. However, I do have the other lights to consider.

I'm of the mindset that electricity, like water, flows downhill so please feel free to correct me if I am wrong thinking out loud here, I may be missing or overlooking something.  

The taillight and brake light require two 1157 dual filament bulbs which draw 21 watts each for the high filament and 5 watts each for the low filament. 

The 5008 signal light bulbs are 10 watts each and with a Kisan Signal Minder which not only self cancels the signal lights  but also run the signal bulbs as running lights. I estimate these four bulbs are constantly drawing 5 to 7 watts each.

This equates to a draw of 30 watts just cruising along, the numbers jump when braking and signaling. At a stop, the taillight filament remains lit while the brake light filament ignites too, drawing a combined 52 watts (nearly the same draw as one headlight). Add the running lights and the numbers jump to 72 watts. Turn on the signal lights and the numbers jump again, albeit intermittently, to 82 watts!!!  

Watts a guy to do?

A quick Google search, a hop to ADVRider.com and a skip TigerTriple.com to confirm... the answer may just be LED baby! I jumped over to SuperBrightLEDs.com  and placed an order for six bulbs.

Two taillights:

Superbrightleds.com

The two 1157 LED bulbs only draw 1.5 watts each. I can't find the wattage for the four signal lights but they can't be higher than the brake lights so I figure maximum draw from all six lamps to be 9 watts. A significant drop from the 82 watts I'm using now.

Four signal lights:

Superbrightleds.com 

I hope to receive the bulbs in the mail this week and get them installed  right away. I'll write up a report and post before and after photos and of the install. In the meantime, I'll turn my grips down and keep my liner on low. 

The rampant raccoons however, are on their own.

An Old Dog and Some New Tricks...

Some say that it is fruitless to attempt to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers, or more succinctly, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Okay, so I'm not that old and I already know such tricks as sit, stay or roll over. That doesn't mean I can't learn something new.

This has been a busy week for me, a very good week but busy. I started a new job on Monday and all week I've been sitting in class learning, being trained and tested and believe me... my whiteboard is full.

I have been in a shipper/receiver position throughout most of my working life, my last job a logistics coordinator and now I am fortunate to have found a position in supply chain. This brings shipping and receiving to a whole new level.

So what does this have to do with motorcycles? I've ridden motorcycles since I was 12 years old, self taught before finally taking some formal training... which led me to becoming an instructor. Now I teach both students who have never been on a motorcycle before and students like myself who have been riding for years. I know the new riders are nervous and we do our best to calm their nerves letting them know that there will be plenty of coaching, that we will be with them the entire weekend.

Then there are the experienced riders, I was one of them when I took my very first Advanced Rider Training class with Irondad as my instructor. I knew how to ride and I went in with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I ended up learning something new and became a better and safer rider.

Now I've driven forklifts as long as I've been driving a car. I know the tricks and nuances of operating these bad boys and can hold my own. Standard, sit down, forks forward, counterweighted, rear steering forklifts with a conventional steering wheel.

Online photo

My new ride however, is a Crown RC 5500 similar to the picture below but with a squeeze attachment. I've seen these units before, but never operated one. How hard can it be really? The only difference is the operator is standing instead of sitting, right?

Online photo from rekarma.com - (mine has the clamp attachment)

During training we watch a couple of videos, discuss, we are tested on the material then shown how to do an equipment inspection. This involves the usual visual inspection, check the cage, guards, wheels, sound the horn and operate the hydraulic functions to make sure everything is operating properly and safely. I got it, this is easy peasy... but not so fast there hotshot.

Then came time to check the steering and now all of a sudden this is a whole different animal.

(My good friend Polar Bear of Adventures with Bud E. is a lift truck technician and I'll bet dollars to donuts he is laughing pretty good right about now and if not, he's about to).

Wow! Talk about touchy! Instead of a steering wheel I have to master the tiller type steering, which would be okay except I'm standing sideways traveling in an unnatural way... sideways!

Whoa! Brake! Brake!

Overview of the "cockpit" - photo rekarma.com

This is where all that bravado I discussed earlier takes a back seat. I now know how our students feel when they hop on the training bikes. All I could think of was squeeze and ease, squeeze and ease, get used to that friction zone. Back and forth, back and forth, squeeze and ease. All day.

Online photo from Crown.com

Something else I'm not familiar with is that there isn't a gas pedal, this thing operates via an Atari joystick. I've discovered a whole new respect for all the drivers zipping around the warehouse on these things. It took me nearly all day of practice to get the hang of it and it still hasn't 'clicked'. The tiny rear wheels are centered, making for a very tight turning radius and any subtle input sends the thing into.... well, anything within striking distance. We all know about target fixation, this thing puts it into a whole new perspective. There is no push more, lean more... I swear it goes where it wants to.

My instructor was very patient with me and I'll get it, but most of all the training certainly helped me understand what new riders go through and how easy the professionals make it look.

Not an easy task to operate this equipment for 9 hours a day.

This old dog not only learned several new tricks but a valuable new perspective.


Ride with Seriousness of Purpose but Lightness of Hand - Dan Bateman

GoPro vs Fisher-Price

All I want... is for shit to work!

I don't own a smart phone, I don't want a smart phone, I don't need a smart phone and most of all a smart phone doesn't need me. 

I have a dumb phone and I like it, in fact I love it. 

I can make calls and I can text, I can receive calls and I can receive texts. 

That's it! 

Other than storing names and phone numbers, it doesn't have to do anything else.
I can drop it on the floor and it doesn't send me into an insurance claim tizzy, praying that I won't be playing roundy round with a cell phone service provider that has me locked into an multi-year contract requiring more of a commitment than a sign here, press hard, 3 copies, 30 year fixed rate mortgage. 

My Canon camera has all kinds of menu settings and programmable features that I have no idea how to use, nor do I care to. I has an easy feature and that's how I like it. I don't fuss with shutter speed, I don't know what an f-stop is and as far as I'm concerned aperture is a state of mind.
I like the pictures it takes on easy mode. I'm happy.

My GoPro camera on the other hand, there are no dials so you have to use the electronic menu and program it. I thought it would be good to have it charged and ready for our trip to San Francisco so I downloaded the videos from the card and went to charge both batteries. The videos downloaded fine, but then I discovered that this little, innocent looking, electronic demon spawn has a mind of its own and wouldn't charge or turn on.

What the f-stop?

Fine!

So I turn to Google and search "GoPro won't turn on"

Evidently, this is a common problem with GoPro cameras, so much so that there are pages of tricks and cheats on how to override this glitch, not to mention Andy had this same problem with his GoPro.

Turn off camera

Remove battery

Plug camera into computer

Hold button X and Y simultaneously for 23.49 seconds

Chant ominous demonic chants in Latin

Reinstall battery

Prepare for the arrival of Gozar 

Or there is my much, much simpler method. Fetch original box, find receipt of purchase and return to store for a full refund. Gozar is now trapped in a tiny box in the return pile of the REI store in Eugene, waiting to be released on some poor unsuspecting soul at their next used equipment sale event.

I really appreciate reading stories and watching other blogger's videos and photos and bloopers taken with their GoPro cameras. I certainly wish my life was half as exciting as GoPro portray on the box.

But I'm not going to triple back flip, hang ten, extreme base jump or half pipe anything anytime soon.


Trust me, I wanted to and I even inquired about kite boarding the other day, but Rogey turned me around and escorted me out of the kite shop before I did something foolish.

Maybe I should stick with something more my speed...

I'm looking into the Hero 3 and hopefully it is more idiot proof user friendly than its predecessor. Otherwise, I may just buy a cheap camera and mount it like I used to... before GoPro was cool.

Kodak Easy Share mounted on my America

Come on Fisher Price you're missing out on a niche market.

Monday, Monday...

Monday morning in San Francisco promised to be a little warmer and sunny than the weekend had been. It didn't matter as everyday is sunny with Rogey.

We met at the same cafe that we'd been meeting all weekend for our morning coffee. A gentlemen sitting beside us picked up on Rogey's pleasant demeanor and asked us all where we were from and chatted for a bit. We slowly finished breakfast and made plans for our last day together as our plane didn't leave until that evening. Brandy and I went back to our hotel to grab our bags, check out then met Rogey at his room to store our things.

It was warm, the sun was shining but we weren't up for walking so we hailed a cab and rode down to the geographical center of SF, a colorful and inviting neighborhood known as the Castro. We strolled up and down the streets visiting the little shops and cafes.

We had to stop for a photo of...

Brandy and Rogey in front of Brandy Ho's

We made our way through more shops then to Harvey Milk's famous camera shop.

The current store owner told us a bit about the history of the store, the filming of the movie, the bronze plaques out front and the shop today.

Front door of Harvey Milk's camera shop

Memorial Plaque 

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Sean Penn does a fantastic job as "MILK" .

We hopped across the street to Castro Tarts for coffee and a bite to eat. Then we wandered around some more and did some shopping before calling it quits. We were tired so hailing another cab we headed back to the hotel to fetch our things. We chatted for a bit more and sadly said our goodbyes to Rogey with promises to see him again.  It was still early but I don't like big cities and with nothing more to see in SF it was good to be going home. Brandy and I walked down to the Powell Street Station and boarded the BART back to the Oakland Airport to relax and wait for our departure time.

It was a great weekend, good to meet everyone in Alameda for Sunday brunch and make new friends. Thank you Rogey for making the lay over in San Francisco, it was a pleasure to...... laugh with you.

Cheers mate.

-

It was all just a dream...

Saturday morning Trobairitz and I were on a plane to Oakland to meet a famous Kiwi blogger.

Arriving in Oakland, Bobskoot picked us up in a rental car before driving us into San Francisco. Our hotel room wasn't ready and we couldn't check in quite yet so we decided to meet Rogey then go somewhere for lunch instead. We knew about the Golden Era Restaurant from the last time we were in SF and we were eager for some soup to warm up as it was a bit chilly. Introductions were made and we all hit it off instantly. I must say Rogey is an interesting character, quite likable right from the start and very cheerful but he has this look about him that I can't quite place... I'm not so sure he can be trusted. We chatted, laughed and opened unexpected prezzies, thank you Roger, you are very generous with fantastic taste, of course. And thank you too Lori.
Sorry we didn't get many photos, Bob is the shutterbug so you can check out his photos here.

To really experience the SF touristy stuff someone suggested Chinatown, so off we went.

We wandered the shops, I bought a man bag, a tiger hat and a few small trinkets. 

Borrowed photo from Bob @ Wet Coast Skootin'

It was nice to have the rental car and much more convenient than the bus or taxi to carry on to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

It doesn't rain in California does it? I've never seen so many umbrellas and we're from Oregon. Bob and I walked back to fetch the car so Rogey and Brandy wouldn't get wet. We drove back to our hotel and went in search of refreshment then dinner, then of course... more refreshment. I just know that Kiwi is up to something, I just know it, I don't trust him...

We had been up since 3 am to catch our flight and we were pooped so we retired early.

So on Sunday morning we all gathered at a mexican restaurant in Alameda for brunch to meet up with other bloggers. We got to meet Ms. M, her friend KT Did as well as Guido and Andrea. It was wonderful to put faces and people to the blogs and form stronger friendships, thanks everyone. We had a great time chatting, it's like we already knew each other.

The fruit buffet was great and I must say I've never had a margarita for breakfast before... before I met the Kiwi. I'm starting to notice a pattern here, you could have warned me Geoff.

A short 3 hours later we said our goodbyes and the four of us Bob, Rogey, Brandy and I were off to see the Hornet aircraft carrier that Brandy wrote about. It was great to take the tour again because each docent tells a different story.

It was getting late and Bob had to get settled for the night for his early flight home Monday. Without the rental car the 3 of us enjoyed the BART experience back to SF. I'm not sure how Rogey felt about the train ride because he mentioned hiring an airport shuttle next time. All this waking was killing the poor guy. It was a bit of a walk from Powell Station to our hotels and we needed a little rest so we decided to meet in an hour for dinner.

I must have fallen asleep because the rest of the evening is all a little bit fuzzy...

 <dream sequence>

There is no truth to the rumors...

Stella is a scooter...

and what's this about Sake? 

And why did we need screwdrivers? Screwdrivers won't fix this. 

Singing? Laughing? A phone call? 

What a weird dream.

 </dream sequence>

Polar Bear Ride Fail

Well... 2013 didn't start off so good, my beloved Tiger just doesn't like the New Year, evidently she's a bit temperamental if I don't pay her attention.

We don't go out as often as we used to so our relationship has suffered. We went out for the first time in weeks for the Throw Up Christmas Ride and we hadn't been out together since, until this morning.

The last time we were out my heated jacket liner was only working intermittently and when I got home I noticed the wires at the base of the controller were broken, no problem right? I checked online for warranty information, checked my purchase date and sure enough I was past the 3 year warranty date. So with nothing to lose I think to myself, self, cut the wires, solder them back together and we're good to go... except if it wasn't for bad luck, well you know the rest. I cut the wires to find one wire was loose from the circuit board inside the controller. I took apart the controller and I knew immediately this was way beyond my patience level. You don't want me anywhere near a circuit board with a soldering iron, it ain't pretty. Fortunately my good friend Andy offered to solder it for me, Andy is a great guy and has saved me from myself more than once, thanks Andy.

In the meantime I thought what the heck, why not email Tour Master and find out if they can offer a solution? I explained what I did and they replied back within hours offering an updated dual rheostat controller for the Synergy 2.0 and adapter to work with my first generation Synergy 1.0 liner. WOW!

Andy had the original controller fixed and he even delivered it Sunday so I'd have it for the Polar Bear Ride, Andy is a great guy, thanks Andy. We hooked up the liner, plugged it into my bike and it started to warm, it works and I'm good to go.

Trobairitz came home from work Monday with a package from Tour Master, the updated controller arrived in the mail. Now I have a backup controller. I say backup because it is a dual controller which means it has 3 extra wires of tangled mess that I don't need. I figured out which wires went where and which wires were extra then hooked everything up to test it. I hooked it up to my bike and got it heating. Now if either Brandy or I need a backup controller we have it and I know how to wire it.

We got up this morning, dressed in layers and suited up to meet everyone for coffee before the ride. It was cold, icy and 26º F but sunny, I knew if we were careful we would make it to coffee and it would warm up considerably by the ride departure time of 11:00.

However, we both needed gas. I pulled up to the pump and my debit card didn't work, okaaay, then my credit card didn't work, fine I'll pay with cash. Then the pump didn't work, ffffine. I backed up to the pump that Brandy was using and topped up. I thumbed the starter and it was then I realized that when you test your heated liner, you're asking a lot from your battery and you should really plug it into a charger the night before heading out on a ride.

Alright let's see, ignition on and second gear, clutch in, push, push, push, run, run and in one graceful fluid motion.... jump, engage clutch aaaaand nothing. Second attempt my lovely assistant helped push while I push, push, push, run, run and in one graceful fluid motion.... jump, engage clutch aaaaand nothing. Gasp, huff, puff, gasp, wheeze, huff, puff, gasp, wheeze push, push, push, run, run and in one graceful fluid motion.... jump, engage clutch aaaaand nothing... but this time I lose my balance and Lucy is napping in the middle of the street. Curse, curse, huff, curse, puff, gasp, curse, wheeze, curse, curse, huff, puff, curse, gasp, wheeze... did I mention we were wearing our Sena communicators?
Off comes the gear and somehow the temperature is no longer a concern, now I have to pick up my 560 pound bike with a full tank of gas. Upsy daisy, then park her until I can get some jumper cables.

I'm in pretty good shape for a guy not in very good shape.

We hopped on Max and rode home to get the car so we could at least meet for coffee and have some breakfast. We were able to visit, explain why we couldn't make the ride and saw the group off before acquiring jumper cables and rescuing Lucy.

Of course, after being left alone in a time out, Lucy fired right up without a jump... of course.
I rode home, plugged her into a battery tender and tomorrow I will tend to her wounds.

Not letting such a beautiful sunshiny day go to waste, Brandy and I enjoyed a hike. Evidently I need to get back into better shape.

Hope your New Year's Day was as adventurous. Happy 2013 all!