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Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater Thu, 27 Oct 2005
I finally got back into the shop tonight (well, last night Unfortunately, now that the weights are shorter (by about 5mm), the bolts I got to attach them are too long. For some reason, there's a blockage about 20mm inside the barend threads. I ended up riding home from the shop with the barends loose on their bolts. They definitely make a difference: the bars were noticeably more buzzy without them firmly attached. I'll pick up new bolts tomorrow, then I can stop thinking about them. Hooray! Posted at 00:32 permanent link category: /motorcycle Tue, 25 Oct 2005
I was reading a thread on the High
I sat back and thought about it for a minute -- I'm also running a vastly over-rated tire, load-wise anyway. Each of the Goldwing's Firestone F560 tires is rated at 780 pounds at 35 psi. Max inflation pressure is 42 psi. I was running them at about 40 psi, although I can't remember now quite what the justification for that was. The thing is, my whole rig weighs around 1000 pounds. So, each of my tires was inflated such that it would be set correctly for a ~1600-1700 pound bike -- and the bike side of my rig only weighs around 700 pounds. Can you say "overinflation?" I knew you could. So I deflated them last night. It felt really weird to do, but I took them from 40 psi to 30, and I took the sidecar tire from 32 psi to 25. I then took a little drive around to see if I could tell the difference. There was nothing obvious, and very little that I could tell as being an actual vs. "I want it to be true" difference. However, in a few quick stops, the rig felt surer about stopping, and it was noticeably harder to lock up the tires than the last time I checked. When I got home, I checked the tires for warmth (having only ridden a few miles), and the bike tires were warmer than the air temperature, but the sidecar tire was cold. I lowered it from 25 to 20 psi to see if that would make a difference, and it took on a noticeable bulge at the contact patch (it's supposed to have at least a small one). So, I guess it's an ongoing experiment. The rig feels a bit more "wiggly" than at the higher pressure, but I am not sure that's a bad thing, I just need to get used to it. I'll take it if it means I can shorten stopping distances. Later... I went to Seattle Cycle Center today, and tried on a few helmets. Specifically, I tried on the Arai Quantum II and Shoei RF-1000, which were my two "most likely" helmets. The Arai fits a little bit better than the Shoei, but neither fits very well compared to my current Arai Quantum/f. They both feel like they have big gaps on the sides of my head, which doesn't feel safe to me. I would probably get used to it, but I'm not sure I want to get used to a less-safe situation. Unfortunately, those were really my choices for my next helmet. There's no other Arai shape that fits, and Shoeis are all the same shape. I don't trust the HJCs and cheaper helmets. That leaves "weirdo" helmets like the Roof LeMans, or a Schuberth, Suomy, Shark or Nolan. Not that I have anything against those helmets, but I don't have any way to try them on, and it's been quite obvious from the first time I tried to fit a helmet that I need to try one on for 15 minutes before I'll know if it fits right. I've provisionally decided it's just not the right time to buy a new helmet. The current lid is only 3 years old, and the recommendation is every 3-5 years, so I'm being extremely conservative if I replace it now. I guess I'll wait. Posted at 22:32 permanent link category: /motorcycle Sun, 23 Oct 2005
Ok, a little bit of research down. The contenders look about the An interesting model I hadn't heard of before is the Roof LeMans. I originally clicked on the review pretty much at random, but after reading the review, I like what I see. At first, it looked a little too strange and retro for me, but the more I look at it, the better I like it. Unfortunately, it's almost certainly not available locally, so the only way to try one on is to order it -- not a good policy with helmets. I don't know whether I'll pursue the Roof helmet any further than reading the review, but it's good to know there are alternatives out there. My next step will be to get out to a few stores and start trying things on. I'm in no rush, since my current helmet is in fine shape, so I can take my time and find one I like, for a good price. Posted at 22:30 permanent link category: /motorcycle Fri, 21 Oct 2005
The Z750s is now over 1000 miles, which means that the break-in RPM The motor gets pretty buzzy over 6000 RPM. That's actually quote convenient, as it matches up with about 75 MPH (real, not indicated) in 6th gear. The engine buzz is therefore a good indicator that I'm going too fast for the boys in blue. Despite being over-sized, I'm growing to like the Z's character. I didn't know, when I bought it, if I would be able to live with an inline-4 engine. It's basically a slightly reworked sportbike, which is one of those areas in which I've never been interested. Despite that, I look forward to riding it, and find that (size aside) it's suiting me pretty well. There are still times I think I should just go get a new Ninja 250 and stop worrying about it. In other news, the sidecar has been getting more of a workout lately, and I've actually been carrying passengers. For a while there, I figured passengers would only be a once-every-6-months kind of thing. With the play that I'm working on now, there are several people who are actually excited about riding in the sidecar, though, which is a pretty compelling reason for me to give them rides. Plus, they fit the spare gear I have. On the topic of spare gear, I think my Arai helmet is just about to its 3 year old mark, so I'm considering getting a replacement. Certainly it's a debatable point whether a helmet needs to be replaced every 3-5 years (which seems to be the manufacturer recommendation). Yes, it's in the manufacturer's best interests to sell more helmets, but I also believe what I've read about gradual degradation of the hard styrofoam in helmets over time. If anyone's going to see that (which is caused by heat and moisture, aka, my head), it'll be me, with my riding every day, and in every weather. I could probably wait another year or two, but if I get a new helmet now, I'll have the Arai as a spare for passengers while it still has some life left in it. I haven't done any research on helmets yet, so I don't have any idea what's out there. I'll have to see what I can find out. Posted at 12:14 permanent link category: /motorcycle Thu, 20 Oct 2005
From the "feed the mouth that bites you" file: I followed a Heh. Posted at 09:43 permanent link category: /motorcycle Wed, 19 Oct 2005
Just a quick note for any bicyclists who happen to come across Posted at 13:59 permanent link category: /motorcycle Mon, 17 Oct 2005
I think I've mentioned this before, but I've found the Z750s to be I'm not begrudging the marketplace its 750cc, 100HP motorcycles. They have a place, and I'm very glad they exist. However, where are the bikes for people like me? Why are there no 400cc, 50HP inline fours? Where are the CBR250s? Where, in short, are the realistic bikes? In the US, our marketplace really starts with the 600cc motorcycle. There are a few (notable) exceptions, but the motorcycle companies don't start caring about bike sales until the engine size hits 600cc. Over this size, you see dramatic R&D budgets, huge advertising expenditures, and an ever-increasing upper size limit (I'm thinking of the 1800 and 2300cc bikes which have come out recently). Motorcycles of this size provide super-legal performance in many aspects. Most of them are very capable of breaking any speed limit in the country, in a matter of seconds (even my Ninja 250 could hit 80 without trouble, which is 10 MPH faster than any speed limit I'm aware of). Most of them offer 0-60 times well under 5 seconds, which counts as a high priced sportscar in the automotive world. Most of them offer what I will call mediocre gas mileage. So, we have a motorcycle marketplace well-stocked with sportscar-performance models. Where are the sensible cars for everyday use? Where are the Honda Civics and Toyota Camrys of the motorcycle world? We had some in the 80s and 90s, with mid-size Honda Nighthawks. But even then, 500cc and up was the order of the day. There wasn't a real, thriving 100-400cc market until you go back to the early 70s and late 60s. Yet, this is a size which is well suited for the kind of driving almost everyone can do. With a 250, I was able to keep up with all kinds of traffic, and that engine was at least 17 years behind the state of the art. Imagine what a modern, fuel-injected, 4-cylinder 250 could do! And, they do, if you go to Europe and Asia. That's the most frustrating part. These bikes exist, they work well, they're cheap, and they're well-supported. But we can't get them here, because the manufacturer decided it wasn't worthwhile. Honda has been selling the CBR250 and CBR400 for years, both bikes I'd love to get my hands on. I wouldn't be surprised to find that Kawasaki sells a Z500s or Z400s (or similar bike) overseas that I can't get here -- yet that's exactly what I want. So this is an open request to manufacturers: please bring in the reasonably-sized bikes! With the recent (and likely permanent) increase in gas prices, the US market is going to open up to motorcycles with good gas mileage (and already has, see the recent rise in scooter sales in urban areas), which perfectly defines these small bikes. I can't be alone in wanting a small, reasonable-performance, high efficiency motorcycle. I know I'm not, because of the regular frustration expressed on the Ninja 250 board on this very topic. Even more than that, for every expression of frustration, there are between 10 and 100 people who aren't speaking up, or aren't even aware their frustration has any expressive path. I don't actually expect this situation to change any time soon, because hey, why would all the manufacturer's marketing surveys be wrong? Americans always want "bigger and better," never looking back or saying, "hey, actually, that one back there was perfect." Posted at 09:17 permanent link category: /motorcycle Thu, 13 Oct 2005
I spent about 5 hours in the machine shop last night, intially I located a hefty chunk of stainless barstock, and decided to whittle down some "custom" barends, which would include the 7/8" section for the mirrors to clamp on. It went alright, but that was a lot of time to spend for the amount of actual work I got done. The biggest problem I had was that working on the second one, I apparently hardened it near the center, by drilling the hole through which the bolt would go. As I tried to shorten it a bit after it was cut off too long, I made a mistake, and set the lathe to bite off more than it could chew, and quickly broke a cutting bit. I was worried at first, but this is apparently no big deal, and the shop master quickly had me on my way again. Only, less than 10 minutes later, I had broken this cutter too. I was being extremely careful, so I was surprised when it happened -- cutting off much less and feeding it "by hand" (rather than letting the machine set the feed rate) so I could feel if any problems were happening. Suddenly, BANG! and the bit broke again. The shop master came over at this point (this is probably a 3rd year ME student, so I would guess I'm 10 years older than him, although infinitely less experienced at working metal), and after some discussion about how inconsequential it was that I'd broken the cutters, had a go at it himself. He got near the center, and BANG! he broke a cutter too. He eventually figured out that the piece just wasn't turning fast enough, and when he cranked up the speed to 400 RPM, he was able to finish the face just fine. By that point, it was nearly 11 pm, and I could tell I was getting careless, so I just packed up and went home, thanking the shop master profusely for his help. So, I now have two near-finished barend weights for the Z750s. I can start using them as soon as I get bolts to hold them on the bars (the stock bolts are too short, and of the wrong type). There's a bit of finish work I'd like to do on them, mostly cupping the handlebar ends of them a bit to match the stock weights, and close the visual gap between the end of the hand grip and the weight. It's nice to know I have something that will let me start using the Z with the new mirrors. It's annoying that it's taken this long to get to it (and kind of frustrating that I still have to go back in to finish them, but at least they're close and useable). Posted at 17:24 permanent link category: /motorcycle Sat, 08 Oct 2005
I was reading about motor break-in again, considering the way I The thing that's been bugging me -- and I'm not referring to just MotoMan, or any other one person -- is the "logical" statement which seems to come out a lot: "racers do it, so it must be good." This is usually stated in the context of some particular break-in method, such as running at high RPM, or large throttle openings, or it's in the context of "these [Porsche/Chevrolet/etc.] engineers build race-winning engines, therefore the engine in a [911/Corvette/etc.] is a race-winning engine, or should be broken in that way." But it makes the assumption that if a race-team uses the method, it must be the best method available. Well, yes and no. Engineers working for Porsche (for example) certainly do make race-winning engines. Certainly some of that technology and knowledge makes it into the engine in a Porsche 911. However, you can't say that a consumer car engine and a race engine are the same, or should be treated the same. A race team expects to tear down their car's engine after every few races, or at the end of the season. That's less than 2000 miles for most races. Most consumers do not expect to tear down their car's engine after 2000 miles. Likewise, most motorcyclists don't expect to tear down their bike's engine after a few thousand miles. If you break in your engine using the racer's break-in method, do you know it'll be safe for a good 50,000-100,000 mile engine life? Well, not really. It could be. It could also be that racers break in their engines in such a way that after their racing season, they expect to replace all the bearings. I'm sure some race teams do that, and some don't. Do I know which ones do or don't, and which method they use? No clue. Why, then, would I want to break in my engine using a method which may result in its bearings being shot in a couple thousand (or even 10-20 thousand) miles? The bottom line is that, when reading a break-in article or argument, I immediately become suspicious when the "well, racers do it!" reasoning shows up. Racers also use lightweight chains (to reduce drivetrain losses) and throw them away after every race. Racers also use tires which are extremely sticky and last about 1000 miles. Racers also wear full leathers with no pockets, and no clothing underneath. Does that mean I should do any of these things? No, I want my chain to last tens of thousands of miles. I want my tires, likewise, to last as long as possible, and won't be taking hairpin corners at 40° lean angles. I don't want to go to the bathroom to change into and out of my riding clothes every day. My needs are different from a racer's needs. In related news, the Z750s is now over 700 miles, and is thus encouragingly close to being out of its break-in period. I did the oil and filter change at 600 miles, but haven't done the 600 mile inspections I'm supposed to do yet. I hope to get that done this weekend. With any luck, I'll get a chance to install the CRG bar-end mirrors this week as well -- I'm getting really sick of looking at my elbows instead of the cars behind me. Posted at 10:54 permanent link category: /motorcycle Sat, 01 Oct 2005
I finally got to ride the Z750s on the freeway for a trip last On the way out, I spent some mental energy gauging how the bike behaves at freeway speeds. It seems well composed, and willing enough to accelerate. I also found that once I'd increased the throttle by 1/4 of its rotation, that's all the more acceleration the engine would deliver. I'm guessing there's more present at higher RPMs, although that 1/4 rotation produced an admirable increase in speed. What it didn't provide was the instantaneous leap to any desired acceleration level I'd been half expecting. Still, I'm not dissappointed, as I'm sure the engine picks up a good deal over 6k RPM (which is my current limit under the breakin regimen). There's a marked increase in engine vibration around 5k RPM, although it's not bad. Just a slightly more tingly feeling. I did notice that my feet were falling asleep by the time I got back to my house, which was a bit dissappointing. I may need to figure out a different way to put my feet on the pegs. I suspect a reconfigured seat would help, since I'd be putting less pressure on my feet then -- that would also help with my hands and arms, which are too tense right now, partially because the angle is wrong, and partially because the seat is making me put weight on the bars most of the time. The most pleasant discovery for me was that when I got back, my suit was only wet on the shoulders, really. The rest of the suit was pretty well dry. Granted, that's at freeway speeds, so I won't see that level of protection at my more-normal riding speeds, but I was impressed that the little fairing on the Z kept the air off my legs and arms so well. Cornering at freeway speeds felt a little strange, although I don't know if that was from nasty pavement, or if the tires are a bit prone to falling into corners. I guess I'll find out as I put more miles on it. I may want to swap to different tires when these wear out, although at the rate I ride, that may take a year or more. Posted at 10:02 permanent link category: /motorcycle Categories: all aviation gadgets misc motorcycle theater Written by Ian Johnston. Software is Blosxom. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at obairlann dot net. |
