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Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater Tue, 24 Feb 2009The ride was essentially uneventful. I got one verbal compliment on the lights, one thumbs-up from a little kid, and otherwise very little reaction. Of course, I can't know what people in most of the cars were thinking, but hopefully I was more visible to them. I noticed from some more-distant observations that the light really is visible nearly 360° around the bike. As long as something wasn't blocking my sight line (such as a wheel, fork, frame, etc.), I could see the lights. When they spin around the wheel, they're pretty eye-catching. I got up into the low 20 mph range, and didn't notice the imbalance in the wheel. However, in the spirit of fixing that which ain't broke, I decided to make three changes. The first change was to move the light as far towards the rim as I could and still have one of the zipties capture two crossed spokes. This prevents the light from sliding outward at higher speeds. Having the light further out increases its sweep speed, making the patterns persistent at lower speeds-over-ground. The second change was to safety-wire one of the attachments. This makes the light visibly harder to steal, which will hopefully be enough deterrent for those times the bike gets parked outside. Having all the racebike gear turned out to be pretty handy -- MonkeyLectric recommended using a heavy paperclip, which would have been pretty annoying to install. The safety wire is hardly the last word in security, and anyone with diagonal cutters (such as anyone with a multitool, really) could have it off in a minute or less. The final change was the real "fixin' what ain't broke" choice: I added counterweights to the wheel. It ended up needing 49g of lead opposite the light to get it almost in balance. The wheel is still slightly heavy on the Monkey Light side, but my front wheel is now considerably closer to being balanced than it's ever been before. Of course, the downside to this is that people pay good money to lose less than 49g off a front wheel. Adding that much seems a bit ludicrous, but I'm curious to try it out. Might make riding more pleasant. Might make riding more work (this is almost certainly the case), but hopefully not by too much. It's worth a try. Check back, I have pictures to add, but they have to wait while I perform some vital computer maintenance. Posted at 20:46 permanent link category: /bicycle
MonkeyLectric Monkey Light -- initial impressions
I just received my Monkey Light, and eagerly tore open the packaging. I ordered it in the Eco Packaging, which uses less material that I'm just going to throw away anyway -- huge kudos to MonkeyLectric for making this an option! It came in a ziplock bag with some paper crumpled up as padding. The first impression was pretty favorable. The unit itself feels solid, and appears to be well-built. The "clear hard coat" over the LEDs was a bit unevenly applied, but appeared to have full coverage. Not a complaint, just an observation. It comes with two photocopied sheets, one with installation instructions and illustrations (more illustrations than instructions, really) that made it pretty obvious how to install. The second sheet contained a lot of the copy that's available on the website, plus the all-important instructions on what the various buttons do. I didn't spend much time delving into the menus, since they basically seem to limit the lights to less options. I don't really care about that yet. I was interested to note that the power button cycles from off to "efficiency mode" to "high power." This works well for me, since I'll be running it in efficiency mode (which is about 2/3 the visual intensity of high power) most of the time. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to then be a single-click to power off, instead requiring a double-click through high power mode before it shuts off. This is typical of bicycle lighting products, but I figured with the obvious brains available inside the Monkey Light, they could have engaged a 5 or 10 second timer so that whichever mode you're in, the next click on the power button turns it off. A minor upgrade (or option to include) for the next version, perhaps. Waving the device back and forth in front of my eyes wasn't satisfying (although I did see the patterns), so I ran down and installed the thing on my bike. Installation is about as straightforward as you can imagine. Three zipties, three rubber pads, and it's done. I debated a bit on the placement, eventually opting for shoving the light almost down to the hub. The trade-off is that it won't move as fast, so the patterns won't look quite as cool as if it were out at the rim, but it also won't unbalance the wheel quite as badly. Some quick initial tests suggest that the current placement isn't optimal, but I take too many hills too fast to risk the severe unbalance that would come from having it further out. I'll probably relocate it towards the rim once I get home, and can add some counterbalancing weight on the far side of the wheel. Even with its current placement, the bike was wobbling on the stand pretty severely at 15 mph indicated. This makes sense -- the wheel is now dozens of grams out of balance, if not over a hundred. I'm pleased with the light, and at least based on initial impressions, would recommend it to anyone who's interested in increasing their bike's visibility. I'll report back after it's been through some rain, and after I get it mounted farther out on the wheel. Posted at 11:23 permanent link category: /bicycle Mon, 23 Feb 2009I was torturing friends on irc with the garlic bread I just made. Then I realized, hey, why not torture people on my journal, too!? 
Garlic bread The recipe (although I didn't measure so this is only approximate):
Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Mix the butter and spices together until well blended. Spread butter mix on thick-cut slices of bread, as heavy as you like (more tastes better, but obviously will be higher fat). Place bread on a cookie sheet or tin foil for softer bread, or a rack for crisper bread. Bake at 400° F for about 8 minutes, check in frequently and pull the bread once it's bubbling and/or golden brown. Broil for 30-60 seconds to get a crispy top layer, but be vigilant not to burn the bread! Ready to serve after cooling off for a minute or so. Easily multiplied for larger quantities. The photo above was taken having used about 1/8 of the mixture per slice. Posted at 18:50 permanent link category: /misc Fri, 20 Feb 2009
To the woman in the white SUV at 105th and Dayton
When you are turning left, you are expected to yield to oncoming traffic, whether that traffic is propelled by gasoline, electricity, or human power, such as a bicycle. If that traffic honks its horn at you because you are turning directly in its path, the appropriate response is not to stick your tongue out. The appropriate response is to stop and realize that you just commited a traffic infraction that can result in death, even if it's not your precious life on the line. Seriously. Sticking your tongue out? Who the fuck approved these people for driver's licenses? Posted at 18:51 permanent link category: /bicycle Wed, 18 Feb 2009I rode out to Monroe tonight, to look at a CB350 someone was selling out there. He was very nice, and pleasingly literate (it seems sometimes that Craigslist sellers and buyers acquire just enough of letters to post their ad), and the bike was in reasonable but not great shape. It wasn't running, and the rear brake was permanently engaged, and there was plenty of corrosion everywhere (not enough to really freak me out, but enough to make me inwardly groan about how much cleaning it'd require). The bike was, in short, worth roughly what I'd thought about offering him, or $600-700. He was asking $900, which is just too much for a non-running bike of this type and vintage. In any case, I took a ton of pictures of everything I could think of, thanked him, and aimed the Ninja homewards. The ride back was cold, but the night sky was clear, and the heated vest was doing its job, and kept me comfortable. I found my thoughts wandering over the bike I'd just looked at. It was obviously in need of some work to even get running: rear brake needed some kind of attention, carbs probably needed help, there was a loose connection somewhere in the wiring (the seller said it was probably the kill switch that was wonky, but also mentioned something about a wire further down the chain). It had what looked like vintage early 70s tires, which meant that before I could even think about riding it more than a "Yay I got it running" victory lap around the block, it'd need new tires and tubes. The gas cap didn't latch shut, missing a small steel pin necessary for the latch to work. The title, I was horrified to see, had been signed over to no one in 2005, which meant the 15 day transfer period (and its associated penalties) had expired at least 3 years ago. In short, it was weeks from being rideable, depending on how fast new parts arrived. It was probably months from being in reasonably good condition, and in those months, I would start racing, design a show, and have who knows what else come up to consume my free time. As I pondered these things, and thought back to how heavy the 350 felt in my hands (stuck brake aside), I realized that a 70s 350 is just more bike than I want. I really like the feel of the 175 that I race, and I liked it on the street -- no need for the bulk and power of a 350. Then, I realized, buzzing happily along on my Ninja 250, I ride so little anymore that getting any other bike is pretty much overkill. I love the Ninja, to the point that replacing it with an SV650 left me feeling uncomfortable. Why did I want to supplement it with a cranky old vintage bike? Seeing all that corrosion, and all the work that would need to go into the 350 (and would need to go into any reasonably priced 175, too), I just couldn't imagine wanting to do that. It's fine for the race bike. I've conquered the big problems, it's all refinement now. The thought of starting over again was just daunting. Maybe, thought I to myself, what I really need... is no bike at all. A radical thought. Perhaps what I already have is exactly what I should have. Posted at 21:27 permanent link category: /motorcycle Sun, 15 Feb 2009I helped tech the Shoshinz show at the Jewel Box theater in Belltown last night and tonight. It was a great deal of fun, and I'm looking forward to working with them again. The shows were well attended, and the audiences seemed to get it. But the real reason I'm posting this? I'm kinda famous now. That's a post on their blog, which I cannot read, but it does feature a picture of me, and the text "AWESOME" (I'll ignore that they went to see "Awesome" that night as well, and assume they're talking about me). Yay for fame! Posted at 02:12 permanent link category: /theater Mon, 09 Feb 2009Last Wednesday, a bicyclist was killed in Ballard. It was morning commute time, just before 9 am, and he was blitzing down a hill toward the center of Ballard. There's been some controversy over exactly what happened, but that's not really what I want to talk about. The general concensus, regardless of the details, is that the bicyclist was coming down the hill with some reasonable speed. A van pulled into traffic in such a way that the bicyclist was unable to avoid hitting it. For whatever reason, whether intentional or not, the bicyclist "laid 'er down," or fell off the bike. He collided with the van, and ended up under its rear tire, sustaining injuries that would leave him dead within a few hours. The situation he found himself in was essentially an impossible one, for a couple of reasons. He was by all accounts going pretty fast. He moved in such a way that would have been safe if the van had pulled into the flow of traffic instead of turning across it. By the time he realized the van was turning instead of joining traffic, he was too close to affect any changes that could have saved him. The driver of the van, according to accounts, was pulling out pretty quickly, trying to get the U-turn in before a wave of oncoming traffic arrived. In her haste, the driver almost certainly didn't see the bicylist coming down the hill, and the rest is history. There were a series of mistakes made in this situation, and that's what I'm really writing about. I feel like the driver's mistake was pretty obvious, and not worth discussing (there's already a lot of acknowledgement that bicycles are hard to see). The bicyclist's mistakes, on the other hand, are not normally discussed, and this will eventually kill more riders. The first mistake the bicyclist made (none of these are necessarily more or less important, so I'm starting at random) is practically built-in to a bicycle rider: "Must preserve speed." Riding a bicycle is hard work. Unlike in a powered vehicle, hitting the brakes is the option of last resort for most bikers, because it takes so much work to get going again. In fact, it's not that bad, but that's the mental attitude that develops. I suffer from this myself. This attitude leads to a lot of the behavior that non-bikers find offensive: swerving through traffic, blowing stop signs and lights, etc. If you don't slow down, you don't have to speed up again. It also means that if a car pulls into your lane, it makes a lot of sense to swerve out of their way rather than slow down. The next mistake the bicyclist made was that he assumed how the van would behave. Most likely, he saw the van pulling out, and thought, "This guy's going to join traffic southbound, so I'll swing wide of him on the left." If the van had behaved as predicted, this would have been a safe if somewhat obnoxious maneuver. However, the van didn't do what the rider had predicted, and started tracing a U-turn, so that it would be headed up the hill, to the north. The final mistake was that the bicyclist may not have understood how his bike worked. I don't know for sure, but many bicyclists I have met suffer from this problem. They don't understand emergency stops. I'm not saying anyone doesn't know how to use their brakes. I'm not saying they don't understand how to stop the bike. I'm saying that they've never practiced an emergency stop. This is absolutely standard practice in the motorcycling world. New riders are taught to practice emergency stops, if they go through any of the training programs available to them. Get thee into a parking lot, goes the wisdom, and practice running up to 15-20 mph and then stopping as fast as you can. As a motorcyclist, I do this myself, at least once a year, and am amazed every time at how much grip that front tire has. Yet, for bicyclists, there is no such encouragement. A bicycle, I think the common wisdom must go, is a low-speed recreational vehicle. It requires no skill to stop, because a bicyclist will never pass about 12 mph. Likewise, once you've mastered balancing a bike (which is actually mastering countersteering -- if you can stand upright, you've already mastered balance), no thought is given to riding, beyond some simplistic rules: don't ride in traffic; wear a helmet; etc. One dead cyclist from Ballard has recently proven that this is not the case. He was going about as fast as a 50cc scooter can go, and that requires a license (this is definitely not a screed in favor of licensing bicyclists, I'm just pointing that fact out). He was going as fast as (possibly faster than) my average speed, when I'm riding a motorcycle. He was going fast enough that training and skill were required. What can we learn from all this? What is the lesson? I think there are a few. First and foremost, if you ride a bicycle, and ever get over that mythical 12 mph limit, you need to do some training in emergency stops. Get your bike out into a parking lot. Wear long sleeves and long pants, wear your helmet and your gloves. If you have pads for knees and elbows you might want them, too -- braking is dangerous, and you might as well practice with as much safety as possible. Ride it up to a decent speed: 15 mph or so. Pick a mark, and when you hit that mark, start braking as hard as you think you safely can, with both brakes. Keep your eyes up, not fixed on the ground (this is hard, but will help you not fall over when you come to a stop, among other things). If you're like me (I tried this exercise this weekend), you'll lock up the rear tire -- this is fine, the way to deal with a locked rear tire is to leave it locked and come to a complete stop. It's not as efficient at slowing you down as a rolling rear tire is, but that's not a big deal, and definitely not something to worry about at first. (If you try to release a locked rear tire in a real panic braking situation, it's possible to flip yourself off the bike due to the tire fishtailing, so just ride it to a stop every time.) Practice your stops as many times as you can stand. Start with relatively mellow stops and work up the braking pressure. I got to the point where my fingers were unwilling to squeeze the front brake any harder, and the rear brake was consistently locked. Based on my experience, I am probably going to look for a 203mm front brake disc to get more leverage out front. The next exercise is more mental, and you can practice when you're riding. I think of it as the "What if?" game, and I play it on the bicycle, on a motorcycle, or in a car. The way it works (you're probably way ahead of me, but I'll sketch it out) is that you look at a potential threat, such as a car waiting to cross your path at an intersection, and think, "What would I do if..." and make up a scenario. What if that car darted across your path right now? What if that car on the shoulder pulled a U-turn from the curb? What if that bus didn't see you were passing, and started to pull out? When you start thinking in these terms, you will start riding more defensively. Given that in 100% of collisions, you'll go squish while the car driver will wonder what that thump was, it's in your best interests to ride defensively. This defensive thinking must include the option, "I would slow down as fast as possible." If you fall into the "preserving momentum" trap, you're just as doomed as the bicyclist in Ballard. If you ride in traffic, you need to treat yourself exactly as you would if you were driving a powered vehicle. When you start ignoring the rules of traffic (not the laws, I'm talking about how people expect everyone around them to behave), you become unpredictable. Bicyclists are already at a tremendous disadvangage in almost every way: underpowered, nearly invisible, completely vulnerable. Anything you do to increase your disadvantages (such as behaving unpredictably) has the effect of multiplying them, not just adding to them. If you only take one thing away from this article, practice emergency stops. You can do it anywhere (check for anyone behind you first), and even a little bit of practice could save your bacon when confronted with a real emergency. You'll know how fast you can stop, your fingers will know how to behave on the brake levers, and you won't be surprised at what happens (for instance, the rear wheel locking up). This is practice that can save your life. (Update: I just ordered a 203mm disc and new caliper mount from Price Point -- total charge: $37. I forgot upgrading disc size was both easy and comparatively cheap.) Posted at 02:53 permanent link category: /bicycle Tue, 03 Feb 2009If you're a Consumer Reports online subscriber, they just released a series of motorcycle and scooter tests, including the Ninja 250. This is apparently the first time they've tested two-wheelers since 1981. Interesting move, and (thankfully) their advice is very practical, and coincides nicely with advice I'd give to new riders. So it's nice to know they're on the right track, but it's also nice to know I'm on the right track. Posted at 11:14 permanent link category: /motorcycle
More stories from the front lines
This last saturday, I decided to try stopping in to Aurora Suzuki, to see if they had any SV650s I could ogle. I headed out in the late afternoon, and when I got there the shop was mostly empty of customers. I wandered (well, limped) around a little bit, checking to see if they had any of the padded shorts I've been looking for as proof against future bicycle spills (they've got energy-absorbing padding on the hips, tailbone and quads, which would have made my recent bicycle crash a much less painful event). No luck there, so I wandered (limped) back to where I'd spotted two SV650S bikes. I'm not really interested in the S version, which has a little fairing, and (most importantly) a more sporty/uncomfortable seating position. I was looking over one of the S's, answering some basic questions I'd had (such as: where's the oil filter, and what type is it? how do they route the exhaust pipes? what does the seat actually feel like?), when one of the salesmen wandered over. He looked to be a decade or two older than me, and looked like a fairly sensible, down-to-earth kind of guy. Suzuki Sales Guy: Any questions I can answer for you? me: No, thanks, I'm just looking really. Oh, actually, yeah, do you have any non-S model SV650s? SSG: Nope, sorry, this is all we have left. I think production is over. They're being replaced with the Gladius. He handed over a brochure which showed a nearly useless shot of a motorcycle leaned over, away from the camera, and some specs, the only one of which stood out to me was the noticeably higher weight. me: Oh, ok, thanks. SSG: Hey, so what are you riding? me: (with a certain amount of dread, knowing what comes next) A Ninja 250. SSG: (not obviously smirking) Oh yeah? me: Yeah, although I've been riding for a while. I think this is my ninth motorcycle. Hey, do either of these SV650s here have ABS? SSG: No, no, the ABS option wasn't very popular. You know, experienced riders don't really want ABS. This was news to me -- I wanted ABS. The ability to stop without flinching because you're worried about traction sounds like a godsend to me. me: Really? Well, I guess I'd think they're wrong, but that's a personal opinion, I won't press it on anyone else... SSG: Oh yeah, but real riders... Like, me, I've been riding for 40 years, ABS just screws ya up. I mean, when I'm taking a corner and find that I'm drifting wide, I like to tap on the rear brake, slide the rear tire out a bit, whack the throttle again, and tighten up my line that way. With ABS, you can't do that, it won't let you lock the rear tire. It just does this [chugging sound, accompanied by wide-eyed hand-waving]... I'd probably crash! me: (trying not to let my jaw hang open) Uh-huh... I was out the door less than 60 seconds later. I remembered, via this experience, why I have long avoided going near anything that might be even remotely called a sportbike. This guy was a classic example of the kind of douchebag salesman that seems to fester in that environment. Sliding the rear tire to tighten your line? Yeah, maybe on a track, but on the street? That's the kind of insane riding that would make anyone with any appreciation for safety turn white. It's riding at 9/10ths of your ability. It means you have nothing left if anything goes wrong, and there's always something ready to go wrong on uncontrolled public streets. This guy is why motorcyclists have a reputation as assholes. He's the sort who inspires lawmakers to write laws banning motorcycles. And worst of all, he's installed himself in a position where he can shower his tales of "experience" and "wisdom" on incoming riders who are usually screwed up enough to start with. Like we really need more 18 year old testosterone-washed motorcyclists on vastly overpowered machines with visions of racing glory in their heads blasting around public streets, trying to drift through corners because some dipshit salesman fed them stories like this. Suffice to say that I am again inspired to avoid Aurora Suzuki. I had lost that sense over the years since I was last seriously in there, but it's been well and truly reinstated. Secret hint to Suzuki Sales Guy, on the 1000:1 chance he's reading this: the way to handle that situation next time is to nod, and say, "Oh yes, ABS. I'm afraid these bikes don't have that option, but I think the '09 SV650S models are still available with ABS. Would you like to order one?" After I've left, you're welcome to turn to your buddies and say, in a high-pitched, nasal voice, with your eyes crossed, "Do you have ABS on this bike?" while mincing about with your wrists flopping. I know I'm a pansy in your eyes, but shoving it in my face is a great way get me to leave and never come back. It's also one of the poorer sales tactics in the world. Posted at 06:24 permanent link category: /motorcycle Mon, 02 Feb 2009I put the Goldwing sidecar rig up for sale last week, and it looks like I finally found a buyer. With any luck, the sale will close on Friday. Of course, this means the end of an era for me. I don't expect to have another sidecar rig. It was interesting, it was a worthwhile experiment, but in the end, wasn't fulfilling enough to stick with. I could see making up a bicycle sidecar as an interesting project, but that's a remote possibility at this point. I found that the sidecar required too much power (from the motorcycle) and too much effort (from me) compared to a solo bike. Granted, you can't really carry anything on a solo bike, compared to a good sidehack, but I didn't find that carrying things was a mission I was called upon to perform very often. For my cargo needs, I've been pretty happy with my cargo bicycle, and with the addition of the trailer, it's quite capable of hauling an impressive size and weight of stuff. It won't go great distances like a gas-powered vehicle will, but it was good enough to get me and 90 lbs of gear down to South Seattle and back for SketchFest last year. However, for all that this is the end of an era, it might be the start of another. I've been thinking for years, "Hmm, the SV650 looks like an interesting bike." I test-rode one a few years ago, and found it to be almost too good -- too powerful for daily riding in traffic, and possibly too tempting to do stupid things with it. My mission, however, has changed. Now, I ride a bicycle most days and for most things, and the motorcycle has again been relegated to the "fun weekend vehicle" role. The fuel mileage it achieves is no longer as important (although it's still important), compared to when I was riding it every day. The motorcycle is still an important back-up, such as now, when I'm suffering from an injury that prevents me from bicycling. For years, back in the early Naughties, I thought to myself, "Hey, that Ninja 250 looks like a pretty cool bike..." And it took me years to finally go out and get one. Once I did, I was so happy with the result, that I now ride a Ninja 250 as my exclusive road bike, including long trips, such as to Montana and down the west coast. This is the long way of saying that the whole thing turned out pretty well. So I can't help but think that the time may have arrived to pursue another years-long, "That bike looks pretty cool" thought. It worked out really well last time. But this time, there are competing thoughts. The early 70s Honda CB350 looks like an interesting bike, and strikes me as being a very likely fun city bike. I liked riding the CL175 around city streets before I converted it for race track use, but CB350s seem to be a bit easier to find, and should offer better street power. The calculus between these two choices is pretty different, though. If I got an SV650, chances are good that it would completely displace the Ninja 250, and I'd sell the Ninja. I'd be sad to lose the Ninja, since it was very well broken in, and is very well set up for me with its suspension and brake modifications. If I went the CB350 route, it would strictly be an alternate to the Ninja 250. The Ninja would definitely stay as the reliable, modern bike that I could take on long trips without second thoughts. The CB350 has a much lower initial price (I could probably find one for under $1000 without any trouble at all), but a much higher secondary and ongoing cost: I'd probably have to put hundreds of dollars (and many many hours) into fixing it up, and it would never be as reliable as an SV650. The SV, on the other hand, has a considerably higher initial cost (probably around $4000-5000 for a good used 2007 or 2008 model -- new bikes appear to be practically unavailable, as the model I'd want has been discontinued), plus about $1000 in modifications I'd want to do right off the bat (suspension and brakes, much like the Ninja 250 received). However, it would then be, by all reports, practically maintenance free (excluding oil changes and chain maintenance, of course). I haven't made any definite plans. After all, I'm still quite happy with the Ninja 250. There's no requirement to replace it, and no real impetus beyond a vague desire for something different. We'll see what happens -- it may well be that the used bike market makes the decision one way or the other pretty obvious. Posted at 14:59 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. |