What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[dazzler24]

6 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

If you recall I reinforced the wind screen upper cross tubes with epoxy putty, and lower with a length of all-thread and aluminum Z brackets that react (brace) against an alternate screen adjustment mechanism using a bicycle QD axle (visible in my photos and covered in another thread).  This significantly stiffened the entire fairing / instrument support assembly.  However, the heads-up display  mount assembly I fabricated for a radar detector and GPS (and/or cell phone as it's wide enough for 3 devices if their heights are staggered) has light gauge brackets that are sandwiched between the two uoper shield mounting holes, and in conjunction with the long RAM double ended ball socket arm means road shock sometimes gets them occilating, vibrating quite a bit.

So yes, that is a vibration damping strut I created out of a thin, resilient vinyl tube filled with compressed closed-cell polyethylene joint filler used as a backer for caulk (elastomeric sealant) joints; often referred to as backer rod.  The backer rod stops about 37 mm from one end of the tube, and 20 mm from the other end.  I squirted a bit of 3M side body molding adhesive in the short end and then  flattened and bent it, then bonded a length of the hook side of peel n stick Velcro around covering both flattened sides.  The other end of the tube is cut on both sides inline with the flattened end, with a hole punched at the end of each cut to keep the "slit" from attenuating (extending).  This end is formed by  positioning it between the OD of the 1" rubber covered RAM ball and ID of the bracket arm ball socket, and held in place when the bracket arm clamp is tightened.  The damping tube's lower end Velcro tab is held in position by a corresponding tab of the loop side of Velcro located on top of the instrument housing between the turn signal indicator lights.

Overall, vibration is very well damped other than when traveling above around 80+ mph (128 kph) on a very bumpy road or over displaced transverse expansion / contraction joints located at regular intervals.

I know my above description is long winded and likely difficult to understand, so when I remove my wind screen preparatory to my scheduled winter maintenance, I'll take a few close up photos for anyone who's interested's edification.  😎

BTW, It's around 3 degrees F (-16 C) here today, cool even by our standards!

Now that's a comprehensive description! Thanks.  I'd be interested to see those photos when you get around to it please.

I've got a similar setup (minus the damper) and hence the interest.  The GPS does get a bit of a shimmy up at certain speeds and while it's not going anywhere I would like to tame that if possible.

On the other note about the weather - You describe -16C as 'cool'!!  If it gets below +20C here I'm looking for a jacket! -16!!!

26 degrees C here but have had almost constant rain since the 27th Dec due to an ex cyclone approaching and now parking itself just North of here and dumping its water.  Looks like there might be another one forming in the Coral Sea so that could mean more fun if it does. 🙄

Cheers.

[2and3cylinders]

Will do Daz!

Global warming?  First the fires ravaged you lil island, now torrential rain...

Coral Sea, conjures images of the great WW 2 sea battles.

Australia and New Zealand were the last bastions of freedom in the southern hemisphere.  Talk about crazy times...  

[Wintersdark]

22 hours ago, dazzler24 said:

Now that's a comprehensive description! Thanks.  I'd be interested to see those photos when you get around to it please.

I've got a similar setup (minus the damper) and hence the interest.  The GPS does get a bit of a shimmy up at certain speeds and while it's not going anywhere I would like to tame that if possible.

On the other note about the weather - You describe -16C as 'cool'!!  If it gets below +20C here I'm looking for a jacket! -16!!!

26 degrees C here but have had almost constant rain since the 27th Dec due to an ex cyclone approaching and now parking itself just North of here and dumping its water.  Looks like there might be another one forming in the Coral Sea so that could mean more fun if it does. 🙄

Cheers.

Dude.  It's been entirely below -26C here for some three weeks, often in the -30's.  Three weeks!  That's so cold, I haven't been riding at all.  Bloody miserable.  So cold it literally freezes the inside of your nose when you inhale, which is a terrible feeling.  Been staying inside as much as possible because it hurts your face to go outside. 

[2and3cylinders]

25 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

Dude.  It's been entirely below -26C here for some three weeks, often in the -30's.  Three weeks!  That's so cold, I haven't been riding at all.  Bloody miserable.  So cold it literally freezes the inside of your nose when you inhale, which is a terrible feeling.  Been staying inside as much as possible because it hurts your face to go outside. 

Yikes -14 w/o WC?

You are a fair bit north

Do you have a heated shop at least?

Not to make you feel bad but I can work in a T-shirt in mine 🤒😏

 

[piotrek]

Replaced my Powerlet socket (LH aux location), with a USB/Meter combo. Never used the 12V outlet, and I will probably never use the ports as I already have two on the handlebar... but the meter is cool. Surprisingly accurate too. The reading starts high on power-up, but settles to match my DMM within some 15-20s.

[dazzler24]

9 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Dude.  It's been entirely below -26C here for some three weeks, often in the -30's.  Three weeks!  That's so cold, I haven't been riding at all.  Bloody miserable.  So cold it literally freezes the inside of your nose when you inhale, which is a terrible feeling.  Been staying inside as much as possible because it hurts your face to go outside. 

I've got three words for you @Wintersdark - No thank you!

Humans have a core temperature of 98.6F(37C) for a very good reason as they were not designed to operate in those sort of conditions.  -30 C indeed!!

Does the sun disappear where you live for all/part of the winter?

Do you guys hibernate like the bears in that sort of climate?

I'm thinking that while you may call me 'Dude', your new handle should be 'Yeti' or maybe 'Sasquatch' from that part of the world!  What size shoe do you wear? 😁

Just in case there's any doubt - all said and meant in good humour. 🙂

[Wintersdark]

On 1/9/2022 at 1:16 AM, dazzler24 said:

I've got three words for you @Wintersdark - No thank you!

Humans have a core temperature of 98.6F(37C) for a very good reason as they were not designed to operate in those sort of conditions.  -30 C indeed!!

Does the sun disappear where you live for all/part of the winter?

Do you guys hibernate like the bears in that sort of climate?

I'm thinking that while you may call me 'Dude', your new handle should be 'Yeti' or maybe 'Sasquatch' from that part of the world!  What size shoe do you wear? 😁

Just in case there's any doubt - all said and meant in good humour. 🙂

Hahahah yeah.  I'm not so far north - @knyte gets it worse than me, as he's in the frigid wasteland of Edmonton, some 300kms north.  This year is pretty unusual, though - it's normally not this cold (and for this long) so early in the winter.  

Finally warmed up here, we even saw +2C yesterday!  Rode to work (though on the Tenere) last night for the first time since early December.  

Wrong bike, but whatever:

Note: Motoz tires are amazing in the snow.  Pirelli Scorpions are *garbage* in the snow.  Front end grabs like nobodies business, rear just wants to spin. As it is, the Tracer with it's winters is actually much better than the Tenere with studs; the Scorpion Rally rear is just that bad (even with studs).  Got a new rear on the way, have to head to Edmonton to pick it up in a week.  Yay, 6 hours of driving to get a single tire.  Stupid supply chain issues.

[knyte]

@Wintersdark

Meh, my -45C rated Canadian Forces winter parka does the trick:

 

Eventually you learn to find small pleasures in a winter city - x-country skiing, snowshoeing, doughnuts in 2wd/rwd in a parking lot, tobogganing, flying saucers...just layer up and it's all good.

[Wintersdark]

On 1/8/2022 at 4:27 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

Yikes -14 w/o WC?

You are a fair bit north

Do you have a heated shop at least?

Not to make you feel bad but I can work in a T-shirt in mine 🤒😏

 

Without windchill, yeah.  I have a space heater, but it's wildly insufficient. Leave it running on high for 4-5 hours and eventually I get to around -5ish, but that's about the best it can do.  Want to buy a 12v diesel heater, as electric simply can't produce enough heat off the single 120v 20A circuit I have to my shop: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/254474501197?hash=item3b3fdcbc4d:g:H0sAAOSwzEpf2rYr

It's rough, though.  I mounted quadlock kits on the two bikes, but had to spread it out over a couple days because you only have so much time even with work gloves before your fingers get numb.  And the tools are so damn cold

[2and3cylinders]

That's too bad and unfortunate.  I suffered similarly for 15 years here.

I've about had it with the cold though.

+40 years and counting here is about enough.

SWMBO is a diehard Chicago girl and thinks CA is a cultural wasteland.

The unfortunate homeless street people there of late do knock some of the shine off moving back to San Diego.

Three more years at most working and I'm hopefully retired fully; Covid has made it seem I already am.

When I built my garage I incorporated an integral shop with it's own 5' - 6" pocket door with an automatic operator and a service door.  Not wanting to make you feel worse but the garage / shop has its own 100 amp / 24 breaker service panel.  The shop alone has a couple hundred feet of conduit to feed quad and duplex outlets every 4 feet including a couple in the ceiling, eight 4 foot now LED flush mount ceiling light fixtures plus task lighting, electric and natural gas heat, air conditioning, an air compressor with 60 gallon receiver, a 5 gallon on-demand electric hot water heater, a MIG welder, and a Handy Lift.  I really appreciate having 2 sets of Pitbull f&R stands, a small portable lift, bottle jacks & jack stands, a gantry lift for shock replacement, 18 feet of work bench, a fridge, shelving, Wifi, carpeting, and more.

Its a place to get away and putter around.  When I'm in the Bret Cave (BC) SWMBO knows to call first and not expect me to answer right away, especially when she's heading out and wants to open the garage overhead door.  She also considers the BC off limits to her, as she's afraid what she may discover in there.

When I built it in 95 I had had it with being cold & hot, not being able to see, and sharing space with cars, bicycles, etc.. I also built a shed for the lawn mower, shovels, snow throwers, etc. that gets power from the garage.

Whereas I want a place in San Diego county, they're going to have to either carry me out stone cold feet first or kicking and screaming from the BC.  Bret Cave West will also need to have similar amenities. 😎

[roadrash83]

@WintersdarkI had a radiant propane heater that bolted to the top of a 5 gallon  propane tank. Worked great and heated up a 3 car garage, it would bring the temp up from 30F to 60F in no time. The only problems are  condensation from the heat change and watching Co2 levels if your shop is really air tight.

[2and3cylinders]

3 hours ago, roadrash83 said:

@WintersdarkI had a radiant propane heater that bolted to the top of a 5 gallon  propane tank. Worked great and heated up a 3 car garage, it would bring the temp up from 30F to 60F in no time. The only problems are  condensation from the heat change and watching Co2 levels if your shop is really air tight.

You mean CO not Co2...

By radiant heat do you mean infrared?

i.e.,

Enerco heaters generate their Infra-Red energy by combustion of propane or natural gas. The electromagnetic energy released by combustion is converted to heat only when absorbed by solid objects in it’s path. Enerco infra-red heaters warm people and heat floors, walls, machinery, and other surfaces without heating the intervening air.

[Tyghazi]

Installing mirror extensions, so I can finally see behind me without tucking in my shoulder. 

[Wintersdark]

5 hours ago, roadrash83 said:

@WintersdarkI had a radiant propane heater that bolted to the top of a 5 gallon  propane tank. Worked great and heated up a 3 car garage, it would bring the temp up from 30F to 60F in no time. The only problems are  condensation from the heat change and watching Co2 levels if your shop is really air tight.

I've considered those (you mean like this, right: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/remington-32-000-btu-double-tank-top-propane-portable-heater-0762131p.html )?  The diesel heaters have thermostat control and no exposed flame, however, making them a fair bit safer overall and easier to get to a particular temperature.  On the other hand, one of these would be half the cost, and probably make a comparable amount of heat.  

 

[Wintersdark]

1 hour ago, Tyghazi said:

Installing mirror extensions, so I can finally see behind me without tucking in my shoulder. 

Mirror extensions are so, so great.  So nice to be able to see something other than elbows/arms/shoulders in your mirrors.