angrygirafe

Hopped on the bike this morning only to hear sad noises instead of it firing up. 2016 OEM battery is finally dead. ☹️ Ordered a hopefully legitimate replacement off Amazon. 

This read reminded me that I hate my Givi Tanklock XS307 so much, that I went out and removed the ring from my bike. 🤣

 

Seriously though, it’s been straight up garbage, and I say that as someone who loves my Givi racks, side cases, and topbox. My first 307 had the locking plate misaligned by about 20 degrees, which isn’t the end of the world, but poor for a 150$ bag. The second one had all the zipper pulls fall off in less than a year, and the ring design was an absolute PITA to use with California fuel nozzles. 

I hope the rest of y’all had better luck or actually enjoy the bags. If you’re looking at Givi though, skip the tankbags and stick with their luggage. 

I just wear a backpack now. 

 

ETA: I forgot the sand. When I think Givi, I usually think of adventurous riding. Do NOT get sand anywhere near the locking ring. You have to disassemble it to get it to work again. 

I got nothing for advice, but wow, glad to hear you’re okay!

The bike indicated 124 on my way home that day. 

@BBB thank you! Definitely helps my understanding of what’s going on. Suspicions confirmed 😒

5 hours ago, keithu said:

UV isn't a concern because of the outer shell, but the EPS is still attacked by ozone and other free radicals. I suppose more riding would increase this exposure because it means more air circulating through the helmet, but I'm not a chemist.

Those are my concerns as an also not chemist. 😄

I guess I thought there’d be more of an environmental impact. Moved to Phoenix recently, and temps going home this week have hit 118 degrees. But if it’s mostly UV that I need to worry about impacting the EPS, then The shell does seem fine. A little scuffed, but not bad. 

45 minutes ago, daboo said:

 

But if you have an itch to buy a new helmet and have the $$$...

 

Always the itch, never the money 😄

So, I know helmets have a shelf life/expiration date, whatever you want to call it and that seems perfectly reasonable. Your helmet should be replaced after X amount of years no matter what. Foam and glue will degrade even under no use conditions. But what about helmets that see more than average use? My helmet (Shoei Hornet X2) is a little over 2.5 years old. It has about 60k miles on it. Torrential downpours, extreme heat, and even a few snow storms. I have been wondering if benign conditions will degrade a helmet, will extreme conditions degrade it faster? I’ve replaced the internal padding and gone through quite a few shields. The shell looks fine. But what about the foam that’s supposed to save my life? Any chemically inclined people have some insight?

I’m curious where you read about the valve issues? Yes, lots of reports of tight valves at the first service, followed by them being adjusted. I’m just over 44k miles on mine. Got back from a 600 mile weekend this afternoon; top case, side cases, tank bag and wife. The FJ pulled them all along at as fast a speed as I thought I could get away with. 

I always felt it was the engine response that makes this bike so fun. I’d get a Versys 650 if I wanted less punch and similar ergos. 

17 hours ago, Luma46 said:

I am pleased to report that after first ~700 kms the trany whine is substantially reduced. Hope that with further mileage it will get even better if not completely eliminated. 

I wouldn't get your hopes up too much about it being completely eliminated. I'm at 41k miles. Still got the whine, but if you imagine it's the bike squealing with joy, it's not so bad.

34 minutes ago, betoney said:

That seems to be very common on the first valve adjustment.  I wonder if they are that way upon assembly or they tighten up with mileage?  Has anyone with higher mileage done a 2nd or 3rd valve check and found tight exhaust valves again? or only on the first time inspection?

I’m probably going to do mine in a month, should be about 44k miles. They claimed mine were fine at 24k, so I’m interested to see what happens this time (at a different shop). 

19 hours ago, betoney said:

I dont know how riders can hear the engine in 6th gear, by the time I get to 6th gear I'm at 70-75+mph and long past the point of hearing anything but wind.

Same. I definitely hear it in 3rd, but I’ve never heard it in 6th. I don’t go past 4th unless I’m on the freeway. The bike is just way too happy at higher rpms to need 5th or 6th in town or in the mountains. 

6’3” here. I use a VStream sport (shorter than stock) screen in the low position normally. It leaves my head in the wind, but at least in relatively smooth air. The down side is it when it rains, it directs rain right into my collar. So until the rainy season is over, I use a VStream sport touring (medium height, taller than stock) in the high position. A bit of buffeting, but no rain down my collar. Seat is in the low position always. 

29 minutes ago, betoney said:

Um...  OK...  Good times.  😄

😄I know, my ideas of fun are not the same as most peoples. It'll get your heart rate going though

I love riding in the rain. Not that it does that a lot in SoCal, but sometimes it does, and it's always a riot. A few weeks ago we had enough rain to cause some decent flooding of my normal roads, and my feet were dragging in the water I was riding through! Still kicking myself for not bringing the GoPro. Flooded streets means oncoming traffic throws a wall of water in my face, and I always stay mostly dry. I have the Klim Latitude jacket and pants, Forma Terra boots for heavy rain Aplinstar Sektor WP shoes for everyday/light rain, and Spidi Rainshield H2Out gloves. Everything works great but the gloves. Even with Barkbuster Storms they will soak through after an hour of heavy rain, but heated grips make it not too bad. One of the more annoying problems is my neck. I have yet to find a neck gator or other option to keep water from going down my jacket collar. A touring screen in the high position helps though. So, usually I'm completely dry when I finish my hour long commute, but if I'm not I'm only a little damp around the neck and sleeve cuffs. Everything else is perfect. This same setup has also served me well when I ride back home (Wyoming) and inevitably end up in snow storms. It's scary, but I'm mostly dry, and that makes me a happy camper.

Today I tried out the tire plug kit that I’ve been carrying around for years. I think I did it right, but it’s dark, rainy, and 50 miles home, so I’m going to leave it at school and get a ride. 😐

2016  at 36K miles, bought used with 4,.5K miles in March 2017

Year round riding mostly in Southern California, 80% commuting, 10% canyon carving/joy riding, 10% multiday tours

Ridden in 116F Arizona heat and 15F Wyoming blizzards (my home state)

All warranty work done, and I alternate services between recommended and just oil/filter changes. Chain clean and lube every ~500 miles

Valves checked at 22k miles, no adjustment needed (according to dealer...)

Bunches of tires, a few chains/sprockets, a couple clutch cables (no failures, just paranoid)

2WDW Flash at ~20k miles, fantastic fun

Pile of cosmetic mods

NO UNEXPECTED MAINTENANCE/PROBLEMS

 

Not on PR4s, but whatever tires I have at the time are usually ~36 rear/ ~32 front for just me with no luggage.

Replaced my clutch cable. Again. I had replaced the original at 10k miles with the revised version, and the revised one was starting to require a lot of adjustment lately (31k miles). Figured I should swap it just in case. Swap went well and the the cable I replaced showed no signs of damage/fraying, so I guess it was just normal stretching.

Today I woke up at 4am, couldn’t go back to sleep, and quickly proceeded to cut my new chain one link short. ?

My man. You fubar stuff like I do.

 
 
I really should have made coffee first ?

Today I woke up at 4am, couldn’t go back to sleep, and quickly proceeded to cut my new chain one link short. ?

Oh man.... no way it will work?

 
 
Not in any way I felt inclined to try. I considered two master links, or smaller sprockets, but... Bought another chain.

Today I woke up at 4am, couldn’t go back to sleep, and quickly proceeded to cut my new chain one link short. ?

Changed oil, washed the bike, noted a couple tight spots on the chain and torn rings, and ordered ANOTHER revised clutch cable. It hasn't failed yet, but I've had to move the adjuster out quite a bit in the last week...