What did you do on or to your other bike part 2

[Gone in 60]

My first upholstry job came back to bite me. The BMW seats get oddly sticky when they get old and are sun-baked. So, my first attempt to recover a seat was for the worst one, that would leave a sticky residue on your pants and was just pain yucky. I went to the upholstry supply shop and just bought a yard of the cheapest black vinyl they had, which turned out to be pretty thick and not too flexible. I covered over the sticky original vinyl, and the result made for a pretty hard seat.

I didn't seem to mind it for the shorter runs, but on long days, my butt was a little numb at the end. Still, I didn't feel like it was too much of a burden. Still, since all of the seats are the same, I swapped that one onto the least-ridden bike, #3, and had gone on to using a much more stretchy vinyl for the rest of the seats. 

Last week, I was riding #3 with the hard seat when the boss wanted to swap me with the new black-and-white so that I could start converting it to become our #6 bike. We met up on our travels, swapped, and he headed home on #3. I got a text by the time I got home from him expressing his extreme discomfort in the hard seat. I guess I have a little more natural padding, so I promised to strip it and recover it again in what I have left over in the stretchy stuff. Had to stop by HQ for some supplies, so I swapped seats and brought the hard one home. Yeah, it's pretty darn uncomfortable. Stripped it down to the foam and redid it, and am waiting to be dispatched on a run today to try it out to see if it makes my posterior any happier. 

Also, very much enjoying #6. She's the smoothest running, most trouble-free machine in the fleet, even with the highest mileage. Still running CHiPs Style with no yellow decals. Seems the decal company has gone back to the shop to work on our kit, but due to the ridiculous shipping and tariff charges it will wait till the boss visits family in the UK soon and can bring home the decal kit in his luggage. I'm not a fan of riding a bike that looks like a cop, especially with local agencies still riding this generation BMW, but it's fine for now. 

I partiularly don't like cars in front of me at highway speeds suddenly slowing like I'm patrolling them. Yesterday it made for a somewhat hilarious incident. Coming home on the 5, in the car pool lane going about 70. There was a car well ahead of me going the same speed. Then, a typical "Zero F's Given" driver crosses over the double-yellow lines into the car pool ahead of the car in front of me. Of course, he's alone in the car, why wouldn't he be? Driving a Chrysler Cirrus. Honest, remember the Chrysler Cirrus? Yeah.

As he's alone, crossing over the double-yellow, already on the hook for a $491 ticket if he were caught, I see him glance in his mirror and spot me. And panic. So, with a car behind him going 70, he puts on his hazard lights, slows to 25, and pulls up against the median to the left, like he's just waiting for me to stop and ticket him. Of course, I just sail by without giving him a glance, he realizes I'm not a cop, and is now furious. So, he speeds up and starts following me a bit close, as if I'm the bad guy. Had to laugh a bit. Traffic opened up and started running at about 80, above the cruising speed for a still-running 90s-era Chrysler, so that was the end of that.

 

[Gone in 60]

I came to a baffling conclusion with my Enfield Interceptor. As cool as the cackle of the un-baffled mufflers may be, after a long ride I decided that quieter isn't so bad. 
Since original replacements from AEW Exhaust in India that actually fit seem to be hard to find, I got some generic cheapies from Amazon. For $17 it was worth the experiment. I went for a ride, and it sounds like it did before, which I was always happy with.

But, the plain galvanized steel and large set screw didn't look too sleek. So, I shot the inside of them with black hi-temp paint and put some recessed set screws in, and I think it will do fine. I did put Loctite on the screws, so hopefully these will stick around for a while.

And, I broke precedent. I've never felt the need to have my phone out on my handlebars. I have Bluetooth streaming into my helmet, so I can listen to directions if I need them. But having a CarPlay screen on the work bikes is so nice and practical. It's not too bad to have Waze directions visible, and it's crucial to see the arrival time to make sure I'm on schedule. 

So, I put a bracket and Quad Lock mount on Super Bird, up above the dash. I figure the more work I put into this bike to make it a touring rig, the more likely I am to acutally tour. And if I'm going somewhere I've never toured to before, might be nice to see the map while I'm riding.

 

[pdedse]

Gone...FB shows me a local '23 blue pristine INT650 with only 500 miles for $4,000, or to make an offer! Geez...I'm not going to fall for it though...I'm too strong of a person to buy another one. No...I'm notgonna...read my lips.

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I came to a baffling conclusion with my Enfield Interceptor. As cool as the cackle of the un-baffled mufflers may be, after a long ride I decided that quieter isn't so bad. 

I really enjoyed the muffler vibe of the stock.  That bike was always fun to ride and the exhaust made me feel like I was going so much faster than reality.

 

[Gone in 60]

Used Royal Enfield prices have really dropped lately. I think the original hysteria over the "New" 650 models has cooled a bit, and the used, low-mile bikes that were bought on impulse and sat unused are now hitting the used market. Also, the once dirt-cheap part prices have crept up due to the tarrif situation. I'm still in love with mine, but you'll have to fight the urge to buy a cheap one!

Last night, I tested out my final muffler baffle setup by riding to our annual International Street Fair in the Orange city plaza. It shuts down over Labor Day weekend for a panoply of food from around the world, meaning "Hey, our church or school has a guy who's grandparents came from xxx country, let's have a food stall from there!" It's a huge fund raiser for local schools, churches and other institutions, and a massive drunk-fest for Chapman College a block away. 

Hitting it on Friday night when it opens lets you enjoy it before the full drunk-stride hits on Saturday. Mrs. G came to visit as well returning from a friend's, and we strolled for a bit. Greek food forms the largest contingent, converging two Greek Orthodox churches. Mostly she observes, examines, and declares that they con't make anything that her Mom didn't teach her to make, and probably better. 

Cormanus will need to declare if the Australian offerings shown here are authentic or not...

 

[Gone in 60]

Friday, my delivery run was to a town called Temecula, inland and just above the San Diego County line. Interestingly enough, it's the exit from The 15 just before where I'd get off for my last one-year-only job that I left to take the delivery job. So, one delivery from there to Van Nuys and back home is about 220 miles. Makes for a lot of freeway time, and as I was headed South on the 15 through Corona, a B-17 Flying Fortress emerged from the hills to my East and passed over me, headed toward Chino. The Chino airport is home to two different vintage airplane museums and an annual air show. I figured something was up, so I texted my friend Giles, who knows about every airplane-related event in the area. He let me know that this B-17 was from the Commemorative Air Force out of Arizona, and it would be visiting the Planes of Fame museum in Chino on Saturday for demonstration flights. 

Mrs. G and I agreed to have "Independent Study Day" on Saturday. She wanted to do a lot of plant maintenance, so I put together a day out with Super Bird. Being the ADD perfectionist that I am, I had made a few more tweaks on my home-covered Shad seat to eliminate some wrinkles from my early test rides and wanted to take a long ride with it to see how it would do in its final form. Plus, with the recent heat spike, I was wanting a full mesh jacket. Last weekend I snagged a killer deal on a Dainese jacket at the local Revzilla store. It was pretty, Mrs. G said I looked great in it, but, being a European brand, it was cut for Europeans, who must have very small hands. There was no cuff adjustment, and I struggled to get my paddle-shaped hands in and out of it. If it takes me five minutes to put on a jacket, that's five too many. Finally, I wanted to try my new phone mount to see if I liked my decision to skip a GPS screen in favor of the phone in eyeline above the dash. 

My day was planned! First to Revzilla to exchange the jacket. The B-17 would be firing up at 12:15 for its demo flight, and a quick scan of the Planes of Fame website showed that it would be accompanied by their P-51. 
The local Triumph dealer in Brea was also hosting a Triumph Days promo with "Demo rides, music, free food, gifts and more!". I could take Carbon Canyon, a nice twisty from Chino to Brea, and finish off my ride. Mrs. G made me a nice chicken sando to munch on too.

Revzilla was most accomodating with my jacket dilemma. And quite generous. Despite my return of the jacket, they didn't delete my "Zilla Bucks", so I applied them to another jacket and paid $1.65 difference. Got a rust orange colored Reax Alta Mesh. Never had a jacket that color before. Not too dark, so it won't absorb heat, and very visible on the road.

From there, I zipped up to Chino. The parking lot was completely full, so a lot of people were excited to see the B-17 demo flight. Good thing I was on a bike! Tucked up into a tight spot, palmed my chicken sandwich so they wouldn't stop me from bringing in my own lunch, and got to the flight line as the comments about this particular B-17 were being broadcast over loud speakers. It entered service late in the war, served for many years as a fire fighting plane, then was restored back to war time configuration for commemorative flights. Nothing cooler than the sound of four huge radials. They were selling seats to ride on the big bird, but I was happy to watch from the ground as it trundled into the air and made a few passes over the museum.

Perhaps there is one cooler sound, a Merlin V12. The P-51 made several figure-eights over the museum and looked and sounded awesome. After craning my neck upwards for such a long time, I downed my sandwich and checked out the rest of the planes on display. 

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After getting my twenty-bucks worth of admission, I headed over to Brea to see what was going on for the Triumph celebration at the local dealer. Arriving, there wasn't much going on and I was apparently the only customer there. A few guys were sitting under two 10'x10' tents with a boom box playing some music, a table with a pile of hot dogs and chips and some drink coolers. I asked "So, what's going on for the Triumph shindig?"

They replied "Don't know, but the boss is making us sit out here all day. Have some hot dogs!" I never turn down a free hot dog. As I was munching on some Fritos to go with it, one of the guys said "Hey, did you, like, sign up for this thing?" To which I replied "Yes, I have the confirmation code on my phone." He replied "Ok, cool. Go see the parts manager... he has your free gift! It's a thing to put a beer in a chicken's butt!"

I was simultaneously curious and frightened.

Approaching the parts counter, I asked about the free gift. I was handed this. 

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Apparently, it's a stand shaped like a Triumph, to hold a chicken upright with a beer can inserted into its cavity to produce "Beer Chicken". I guess if you just tried it without a stand of some sort the chicken would fall over and the beer would spill out all over your barbecue. I presented it to Mrs. G when I got home and she's very curious. We're going to procure a chicken and try it out.

The seat shows nary a wrinkle, so my mind can rest, it's as good as it'll get, and I'm very happy with it. The phone... not so much. In bright sunlight it's just too hard to see. I think I'll go with a smaller CarPlay screen and give it a shot.

 

[the Ferret]

My wife has made pottery chicken beer can stands for people. The beer can provides moisture for the chicken while cooking. My wife uses jelly in the can instead of beer. Oh and she does hers in the oven and not on a grill

 

[Gone in 60]

Well, glad I got my nice ride in on Saturday. We caught the tail of a tropical storm and it was hot, wet and muggy Sunday and Monday for Labor Day. Reminded me of waiting out a rain storm in summer at any number of the race tracks I worked with in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama or Florida. Today I was back on the road for work, and was in mid 80s and rain for the morning, and 103 and sunny in the afternoon. Bleh.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Gone, did anyone see any Foo Fighters chasing the WWII planes?

 

[Gone in 60]

Gone, did anyone see any Foo Fighters chasing the WWII planes?

That's so uncanny. My friends just got back from seeing the Foo Fighters in Nashville.

I didn't see any foos, just foo(l)s on the freeway.

 

[Gone in 60]

Man, the only fool on two wheels on the freeway today was me. Everyone else had the good sense to stay inside or transport themselves in something with AC.
It was 104 when I rolled out of the garage to start my run late this morning and 111 at my pickup in Riverside. Heck, even parts of Long Beach hit 112 on my dash. 106 when I got home after 180 miles.

When I come over the hill from The Valley to West L.A. on a hot day I look forward to hitting ocean air in the 80s. It dipped down to 98 for a few miles, then went back up to 103. I've never seen such high temps over the entire L.A. Basin.

First thing I did when I got home was to spray my jacket down with diluted laundry soap and hose it down so it won't be stinky for tomorrow. it's 93 in the garage, pretty sure it will be dry by morning.

 

[pdedse]

I don't care if that heat is "a dry heat" or not, 111 degrees is HOT!

They should pay you hazard duty.

 

[Cormanus]

Agreed.

 

[Gone in 60]

Well, the job itself is sort of a hazard if you think about it. Still, beats a real job.

And unfortunately the dry heat thing isn't really much of a guarantee anymore.

 

[pdedse]

I was stymied by a closed hiway as I went looking for new-to-me forest service roads and trails...fire fighters needing to control access so they can move about unimpeded.  Oh well...I was testing out my new 3.8 gallon tank on my KLX300--stock is only 2 gallons.  Feels so good to not have to take a rotopax extra gallon of gas, nor even think about "how far do I dare ride into the forest?"

With new tank...all the original plastics fit nicely

Discovered some new camp-sites for the future

Sometimes you just accept defeat

Trail fun

70 miles in the forest and I'm wiped out.

 

[Gone in 60]

Dang, those are some tall trees. What is the range with the new tank?

 

[pdedse]

Dang, those are some tall trees. What is the range with the new tank?

In the campsite photo, there are two trunks from many years ago that are twice as thick as the others, which are pretty big themselves...makes me wonder if the forest used to look even taller.  I love it out there.

Nothing though, at least in my experience, compares with the redwood forests of N. California.  Jedediah Smith state park and hiway 199--put the area on your bucket list of mc riding if you've never been.  Humboldt Redwoods state park is 2.5 hours south, just amazing, "I-had-no-idea" experiences with nature.

My sis/brother-in-laws from Costa Rica visiting us from last September; CR has some big ol' trees too.  But even they were impressed with the massiveness of the redwoods.

  

The range with the new tank...I'm not totally sure.  It seems I get around low 60 mpg on the KLX, but that's normal street riding.  Off road riding that drops considerably because it's mainly speeds of 10-35 mph riding with higher revs, so it drops to around high 40s to low 50s.  With nearly 4 gallons, I estimate somewhere between 175-200 miles.  With the stock tank, around 100 miles, and with it I found myself limiting routes because of distance to next gas stop when out in the mountains.

 

[alprider]

today was honda-day (event)

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[pdedse]

Alp, what a great series of fun looking photos!  Lots of great action shots.

Question regarding electric bikes: is it possible for engineers to create better lines for the big block of battery?  Every time I see a photo of one, that bottom, forward corner looks so out of place for a motorcycle:

Isn't it possible to "round the corner" so that that the line flows better front to back? Perhaps a small thing, but aesthetically that's a turn-off for me.

I asked AI to round off that corner: 

So maybe they could keep the battery square but add a curved cover to it.  Now I'd consider buying.

 

[alprider]

I wonder why one has to cover a battery just because one is used to not seeing it?
or
Batteries are a new technology and this results in a different design. ; up until now, batteries have been cuboid in shape.
or
Especially air-cooled engines are also completely uncovered....

well............aerodynamics could possibly be an argument.....yes...

 

[pdedse]

I wonder why one has to cover a battery just because one is used to not seeing it?
or
Batteries are a new technology and this results in a different design. ; up until now, batteries have been cuboid in shape.
or
Especially air-cooled engines are also completely uncovered....

well............aerodynamics could possibly be an argument.....yes...

It's just a visual thing for me...I like to see "a flow" to a bike, from front to back, as if the wind sculptured the bike.  The 90 degree angle doesn't have to be there, the corner could be rounded, providing a smoother look.  It doesn't affect anything else; except...people do talk about the "lines" of objects...for some reason a given look to something appeals to one person more than another.  

A similar thing happens to me when I see 2" thick, big square radiators on bikes.  For me they don't look right on a motorcycle, and I've consciously decided not to buy certain bikes because of them.  And it's something that can be made to "look better" (granted, a very subjective term).  For example, an air cooled KZ900 Z1 from the early 70s: the exhaust lines sweep back, no radiator--nice flowy look.

Kawasaki produces a modern "retro" Z900RS, and now it has a radiator...thick, square...and Ug!  "Ugly" in my book:

 

I can't look past the radiator--it's the very first thing I notice when I look at the bike.  

So do all radiator bikes have to have a square radiator?  Triumph came up with a much more pleasing to the eye look, although the logistics of a parralel twin provide space for a this different look.  Their T120: 

It's a thinner radiator, about 1.25" thick, and it's rectactular shape is darkened and placed between the two exhausts and follows the down tubes.  When I look at the T120 (and Triumph does this for a number of their bikes), the things I notice are the headers, the tank, the side cases--what I expect to notice.  And that radiator virtually disappears when viewed from the side: 

So at some point Triumph decided that the radiator look could be improved--it didn't have to be thick and square--the bike could be made to look to have more flow to it.  I think the result is fantastic, and I'd love to have a T-120.   

And that's my point with the squared-off look the electric bike--the harsh lines of the battery could at least be hidden.  

I suppose this is another reason why I like the CB1100, the w800, the RE650...all air cooled.