daboo

I pulled into a McDonald's in Wyoming once. Hot outside, and a vanilla milkshake seemed like a good idea. A rider on a new BMW GS pulled in just ahead of me. He sat down and was absolutely determined to get his maintenance done in town. I'm not sure if it was just an oil change, or more. But I thought he was more than silly and anal about the entire thing. Would I act that way about my car? Nah. I'd just wait. Well, our bikes are no different. We just act like they are. I'm leaving for a cross-state trip on Friday. I'll change the oil when I get back. It's synthetic oil, but I still stick to about a 6-8K interval and it'll be time for the change. I leave a week later for South Dakota. The oil will be fresh. My tires have about 4K on them. I expect them to last another 7K. (Dunlop RS4) I'll keep an eye on them to make sure I don't get any punctures, but I won't worry about replacing them on the trip. I did have a time a few years back when my tire wear surprised me, and I ended up contacting a dealership for a tire change before heading back home. My calendar has all my planned trips on it and estimated mileage. It's a way to pass the time when the rain is coming down and your trips are months away. I can look at my current tire wear and estimate when I need to plan a tire change. On one of my first rallies, I saw one rally member change his tire in the motel parking lot. We were on the Saturday ride and at a break found he had about 2 inches of cord showing. In addition to someone coaching him on how to do the tire change, he had about 30+ guys and gals offering advice from the sidelines while they drank their favorite refreshment. I plan to never follow his example. BTW, Continental has a rebate through the end of June 2021. $40 off. I thought prices across the Internet were "fixed", but Dennis Kirk sold them for about $50 less than Revzilla. !!! That's a deal. I got them today and will just store them in the back of the garage till needed. Chris

Depending on your needs, you may be better off buying aftermarket cases. I have some 37-liter SW-Motech Trek cases on my BMW F800GT. Even though they are almost twice the size of the factory cases, they don't seem to impact fuel mileage any. And I love the extra space I get. One additional benefit is when you sell your bike, keep the cases and use them on the next bike. You'll still have to buy mounting hardware, but you've saved a major portion of the cost of buying side cases. Chris

My first opinion is to wait and buy one that is a year old. Let the first owner pay the first year's huge depreciation hit. The bike will still be virtually new and you'll even get to keep his farkles. Just reading about the new model makes it seem like it is a good upgrade...but the old model wasn't so bad at all. And I think the new one is ugly. But that's just my opinion. Chris

As you can see, we'll all be glad to help you spend your hard-earned money. Chris

Last summer my Garmin 595LM departed my bike, so I needed a new GPS. After looking at the Garmin 396, Zumo XT and the TomTom Rider 550, I bought the TomTom. I've always liked the way TomTom uses the available screen real estate. There's no wasted space. You really get about the equivalent of the Garmin 595's 5-inch screen in a 4.3-inch body. But within 30 days, I returned it and bought the Garmin Zumo XT. I highly recommend it. The screen is incredibly bright. The processing is fast. The maps on it are great, and you even get a topographical map you can use that gives you a 3D view. If you're interested in a long explanation of why I returned the TomTom, read the rest. I really wanted to like the TomTom. The screen brightness was good. I like the information bar on the right side that shows you where the next gas station is, and what the traffic situation is ahead. It takes up little room, and gives a lot of info. But I noticed the POIs weren't up-to-date on the TT. I'd ride by gas stations that looked like they had been there for ten years or more...and they didn't show up. For me, that's important. I will often plan my waypoints, and use gas stations along the way. If they aren't in the POI list, I can work around that by using my phone, but that's really inconvenient. I noticed also that the screen detail was non-existent in places. There would just be a bland green screen like I was looking at a pool table. Not a deal breaker, but disappointing. But the deal breaker was the "apps" or lack of them. Garmin and TomTom pair with your smartphone to give you some extra capabilities like being able to listen to music or make a phone call. The way they implement that is totally different. TomTom uses your voice recognition software on the phone to get what you want. Having an Android, it uses Google Assistant. This caused me some concerns because I really didn't want Google listening to everything I said. But even when I got past that, it still didn't work well. I suspect I don't enunciate well. I'd tell it "Call Carol", my wife. I kept getting some lawyer's office instead that I'd never heard of. What?!?!? So I changed my wife's nickname in the phone to stop that. On long lonely straight stretches of road, I'll often play some music. So I'd tell Google to "Play Hillsong". Well, it didn't want to use the Google Music app on the phone, and instead used the Google owned YouTube to play some Christian music instead. Not exactly what I wanted. Where it got ridiculous was when it kept ignoring my commands to use the phone's app to play music on it, and kept trying to connect me to a streaming service (which generates $$ for Google)...when I'm in the middle of nowhere without any data connection. Between not being able to easily make a phone call or make the music work, I said nuts and sent it back. Garmin on the other hand, has apps built in that give you an interface you can use. It just makes it far simpler. Chris

I have a Zumo XT because my 595LM departed my bike after using it for several years. Lesson learned. One of the first things I did, was to attach a lanyard on mine, like PhotoAl did. In my case, I used the cloth side of a strip of Velcro to attach it to the back of the body. (In the winter, that's where I attach my wireless heat control.) Chris

When I first started riding again, I owned a Suzuki Burgman 400. It was a thumper. I found something interesting about it though. Without earplugs, it sounded like a thumper and was definitely not smooth. When I put in my earplugs though...the bike smoothed out and actually seemed like a nicely refined engine. 😲 I can only conclude that just as our "taste" is influenced by both the tongue and nose, our sensation of vibration is influenced by what we hear as well as what we feel. Chris

That's what I was thinking all along...that you are a "phenomenal rider". Chris

That's the reason I don't own the FJ-09. I felt like the throttle response was snatchy. So much so, I could see how hard it would be in stop-n-go rush hour traffic. Can this be fixed with a ECU re-map? Chris

Dunlop has a rebate going on for the Roadsmart III and IV tires till the end of May. I have the RS IV tires on now. They are great. I'm thinking of going back to the RS III when I change, just to see if I can tell the difference. ...besides in my wallet. Chris

I changed another set of tires since I last posted. Some thoughts from that tire change... The Harbor Freight clamps worked great. It didn't take something fancy to keep the bead from walking. I heated up the new tires before putting them on. This isn't Texas where the sun does anything to soften the rubber. I put a piece of cardboard on the floor. Laid the tire down. Put in some halogen work lamps I had ...and have never used because they are so hot. Then covered that with another sheet of cardboard. The top layer of cardboard got warm, but never in danger of catching fire. When I went to put them on the rim, just pushing down ontop of the tire sidewall got the bottom bead on all the way and the top bead only needed a gentle touch with one of my tire levers. My biggest issue was breaking the bead on the old tire. My plan is to buy a simple bead breaker when I get to that point. Perhaps the HF bead breaker. Or something like this one. Putting the tire on, or even getting it off the rim is not the hard part. The hard part is simply getting that bead to break free of the rim. Chris

I've ridden out to Mt. St. Helens using NFR-25 and NFR-99 numerous times. The temptation is to ride it fast...but the potential for wrecking your bike is huge. But once you get there, the views are great. It's a different perspective and you get closer to the crater than you do from Johnson Observatory. Plus, there are stops along the way for small lakes that aren't on the west side entrance. Here's a picture that shocked me when I was there the first time. I was riding along on NFR-99 and all around me were green trees. Then I turned to the right and saw the blast zone. This is what it looked like 30 years after the eruption.

Without pictures, it didn't happen. Chris

The forecast was for mid-70s, so John and I took off north to head for Semiahmoo. I've never been there before, and the name sounded great. This is the general route. As luck would have it, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was on, and we got to pass by some beautiful fields of tulips in full bloom, with more to come in a few weeks. The green plants to the right are tulips, just a week or so away from blooming. It smelled pretty. On the way out, to Anacortes along the coast. Washington Park, Anacortes. We ate our lunch there and sat talking and taking in the scenery for about an hour. John, on a beautiful black ST1300. We got to the end of the Semiahmoo Spit and found out how some other people live. Funny, we didn't see the owners. I guess they were working to afford their toys. Chris

I recommend heading through Utah's five National Parks on the route going west. June can be a transition month and you can hit some bad weather in the high areas, and also some very hot weather. July will be just incredibly hot. Bring a cooling vest. One with a collar would be helpful. When I did my post-retirement ride in June 2017, we headed south from Seattle to Utah. A major storm followed us. When we passed through Nevada, we were just ahead of a snow storm that would've kept us from traveling. But once in Utah, the weather was great. I'll add some pics to add to your anticipation of the trip. Come up through Northern California and Central Oregon. Lassen Volcanic National Park is well worth the stop. Then Crater Lake. Some of the best motorcycle riding roads in the USA are in that area. If you get into Canada, head up to Banff and Jasper National Parks. An upper route would be to spend a few days up in the Puget Sound region. Artist Point on Mt. Baker comes to mind. Head over the North Cascades Highway going east. Go down to Lolo Pass. It's over 100 miles of twisty road along a river. Stop in at Glacier National Park, drop down to the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. Head east through the park and go out of the park at Red Lodge. Ride through the Chief Joseph Highway and Beartooth Pass. Jaw-dropping scenery. Then head over to the Badlands. When you get to the Puget Sound area, let us know. A number of us live here and we'd be happy to show you around. A Garmin GPS would be helpful. A smartphone will probably overheat in the temps you may encounter. The Garmin GPS's have a weather app that'll show your route with the weather you'll encounter. It's nice when you're hoping to dodge thunderstorms. Chris

I was thinking when the OP had those pics of his GSXR, that he has to explain to the LEO that he was parked in the parking lot, and not moving. Beautiful bike! Chris

I think the jug says it is 4 quarts, but over here on the "left" coast, they reinvented math and so I called it 5 quarts. I went about 9 or 10 thousand last summer between oil changes. Some of that was in 100+F temps. It bothered me when I realized I had missed the oil change...but not too much. The bike was running perfect and after some clean oil, it seemed to be about the same. Chris

I get a chuckle out of how riders treat their motorcycles. A lot of riders treat their bikes better than anything else they own. Probably better than their wives and kids even. Their car might go 10-15,000 miles between servicing. It'll never get the valves checked. And the only time they think about the brakes is when the noise of metal on metal gets louder than the stereo. Their bikes though...they obsess on. Nothing is too expensive for the bike. (Forget it kid, you'll have to wait for next Christmas to get a new bicycle. We're broke.) Oil changes? We won't go 30 miles past the oil change interval. And it has to be the absolute best oil. I was going through South Dakota one time and pulled into a McDonalds to get out of the heat and get a milkshake for a break. A BMW GS owner came in at the same time. When he got seated, he was calling around to find someone to change the oil. And it had to be a "BMW" mechanic. That's ridiculous. Chris

Hooray! Kaloo, Kalay! Oh Frabjoulous Day! My Olympia XMoto pants finally died last Friday morning. The right leg zipper would go down all the way to the bottom, but then the portion about 3-4 inches above would separate and you couldn't get the zipper up. Olympia looks like they are starting back up after going out of business, so I couldn't just go buy another set of their pants. So I did my research and found the supply chain is totally messed up. Many of the pants I wanted, were out of stock in anything but the tiniest sizes or the "Omar the Tent Maker" size. I ended up ordering the HWK overpants off the evil empire, Amazon. And so, my HWK pants arrived today. I had ordered these months ago when they were $29, but returned them. There were some fitment issues back then, and I wondered how these would be. Had they changed? The basic pant looks the same. Like the picture on their website, it has some nice pluses. First, it is light colored. In hot summer temps, black seems like the absolute dumbest color to have, even if it is mesh. And I've found black gear really doesn't add any heat in the winter. Next, it has a large open area that unzips over the top of the thigh to let some cooling air in when the temps get warmer. Some pants give you just a small zippered vent area, and I wonder how well that would work. The most important thing though, is how they fit. I wear a size 34 pant. I purchased two pairs, with the intent to try both and return one. One is a 34-36. The other is a 36-38. Both fit, with obviously a little more room in the larger pair. The pants have a Velcro strap on each side to tighten the waist up quickly and easily. There's also some elastic in the waistband area to allow for expansion. While I'm at the waist, the snaps at the waistband are substantial. How long they stay on, will be up for debate. But for now, they are very strong and seem to be quality parts. The reason I returned the $29 pair, was because the calf area was too tight. That pair of pants fit fine in the waist and thigh, but the calf felt too small. Both of these new pants, seem appropriately tailored. The pants came in a plastic sealed bag. When I opened the first one, these tags were there. Interestingly enough, the second pair of pants, didn't have the tags. It looks like they were returned from a previous purchase and repackaged. Ignore the non-paid model. The tags said they used Cordura material. It appears they did. It also said they used CE armor. It appears they did. A selling point for me, was the large thigh vent area. Here's what it looks like when unzipped. I tucked the material down into the opening at the knee. Unlike the Olympia XMoto pants, the material doesn't fall all the way down into the calf area. But it does tuck away neatly. One "issue" is think will come up, is that same opening will probably pick up water in the rain. The leg opening is one place I wish they would make larger. I can't see a way to get the pants on and off without removing my boots. Every pair of pants is a compromise. The Olympia XMoto pants were not perfect. The knee armor seemed great when standing up, but in the riding position, they shifted to the side to the point where I wondered if they would do any good in a get-off. HWK has done an excellent job on these pants. The material seems durable and the stitching looks good. Zippers are on the smaller side, but seem adequate for the job. The waist adjustment, seems great and the two straps to take up the waist, are well made and simple to use. I wish the side zippers at the bottom of the leg were larger. But that's not a deal-breaker. What would've been a deal breaker, is if the pants were not cut large enough to wear over pants. The rain liner is not one I plan to use; it is the kind of material that doesn't breathe. I'll take the removable rain/wind liner out of my Olympia XMoto pants and use it instead. But what do you want for $59. These pants would be competitive to pants that cost up to $200. And when I see what they managed to do here, I have to wonder why Klim gear costs so much. Chris

I've been using Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 for years now on all my bikes. I started when I bought a bike that had a wet clutch, and the "experts" on the forum all recommended it. So I did what I usually do and started doing some research. I went to Bob is the Oil Guy forum. One of the things I realized after a few hours on the forum, was that they have their own "experts" there, and anyone can become an "expert". But one thing did stand out for me. Shell Rotella is sold as a diesel oil primarily. We're not talking about a VW diesel engine, but diesel engines that are used on construction machinery or semi's where taking a vehicle offline to do an oil change, costs a lot of money. The operators don't get moved by the marketing hype on the container. They just want something they know works. Shell Rotella meets JASO requirements. I can buy a 5qt jug for around $20 at Home Depot or Wally World. In other words, 5 qts of it is about what one quart of Motul oil sells for. And it sure seems to work just as well. One objection might be that the viscosity doesn't exactly meet what your bike manufacturer recommends. I haven't worried about it. Within a minute or two, my bike's engine temp is to the point where the oil is up at the 40 weight. If it concerns you enough, there's also a Shell Rotella T6 in a 15W-40. FWIW, my BMW F800GT doesn't use oil, and it has over 65,000 miles on it...all with Shell Rotella T6. Chances are, some of you won't even get that many miles before you sell the bike. Chris

So here is a source for the brackets. Motorcycle Pannier Accessories The brackets are not Touratech, so you can find them elsewhere by searching for Zega Pro. This is the bracket that stays on the pannier permanently. Zega Pro - Base Plate for Bottle/Accessory Holders This quick-release base plate is the foundation of the modular... The bracket above allows you to press that button in the middle and top of the bracket to release the other brackets. It's a pretty slick system they have. Here's the 2-liter fuel can and bracket. Zega EVO Accessory 2-Liter Fuel Can with Mount (Complete Kit) Here's the two individual liter fuel bottle bracket. Zega Pro Quick Release Double Bottle Holder w/ strap protectors (fits base plate 050-0830) Suitable for two water bottles for example 070-0530. Can be... Chris

This is what I've used when I traveled to places where I wasn't sure about the availability for gas. The brackets are made to carry fuel bottles. They have other brackets that'll hold about a half gallon of fuel in a black container. A nice part about this type of option, is any fuel that might escape, will be outside your panniers. You don't mention where you're going to. In the western USA, fuel isn't much of a problem if you plan for it. Like when going over Lolo Pass, there's no fuel for over 100 miles. So I fill up before starting out, just to make sure I have enough to get all the way through it. Chris

Okay...mid-February then. I set off to Rosario Beach again. Just a spur of the moment ride. The tidal pools are apparently well enough known to be on the maps. There's also an underwater park that I didn't explore. Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is just a couple miles away, and there were several F-18s flying in the area. It brought back good feelings of being in the USAF and hearing the sound of freedom. Chris

A rider baked his riding boots on his R1200RS. If that happened with a much smaller engine, I wonder how bad the heat is with a car engine on the bike? Chris