Tangled

I'm giving dirt a try

Cammie — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 23:12:00 +0000

I decided that I need to give dirt a try. I bought a 1980 Honda XR200.

The previous owner described it as a "not pretty" but a "great beginner" dirt bike that runs well. Since it's old style, the seat height is lower than modern dirt bikes of similar displacement. So the height turns out to be something I can handle.

The kickstart, however, is another matter. Both Scott, the previous owner and Travis, my pseudo-nephew, had no problems kick starting the bike. I couldn't seem to get the hang of it though. It didn't help that the starter was on the right side of the bike since I still have problems with my right foot that I broke last year. I did like the fact that I could lift and maneuver the bike fairly easily though.

I'm looking forward to playing in the dirt. Travis rode the bike up and down the street, over curbs and bumps. I'm going to wait until I'm off-road to give the bike a try. If it's not raining tomorrow, Travis and I may go out and try to find some dirt.

A sobering note: Travis and I went to pick up the bike in Garden Grove. On the way back on the 22 freeway we saw a terrible accident involving two SUVs and a motorcycle. The bike was a twisted crumpled mess. It looked like a newer standard/cruiser type bike. The rider was further up ahead on his back. He wasn't moving but it looked like paramedics were trying to pull open some of his clothing. He still had a half helmet on his head. I hope he makes it and will be alright.

I'm painting my first motorcycle

Cammie — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:53:00 +0000

Well sort of......I'll post up more details with pictures later.

You're never too busy to ride

Cammie — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:44:00 +0000

Work has been very hectic lately.....a lot of projects and traveling. I've given in to the need to work on the weekends rather than ride. I've recently determined that too much of this is just a bad idea.

This past weekend I decided to forget about work. Instead, I got things done around the house, spent time with my friends, went on a ride by myself after cleaning the bike and then got lost on a gloomy Sunday afternoon in our local bookstore. It was bliss.

Work was still crazy on Monday....but I wasn't. :)

Beautiful night

Cammie — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 05:59:00 +0000

I had a long hard day today. It was hectic at work. Then, I had to rush to class. Traffic was bad, it was hot and the 56 Chevy does not have air conditioning. During class, we cut and shaped a piece of metal to replace a rusted patch on the car. At 9:30, I backed up the car from the garage and headed home.

On the way, I debated whether I should take surface streets or just jump on the freeway. I fortuitously decided to remain on surface streets. At Harbor and GG Blvd, I stopped at the light. I was in the #1 lane with a turn lane on my left and the #2 and #3 lanes on the right.

When the light turned green, I drove through the intersection. I was traveling at 35 to 40 mph when traffic began to slow. As we approached the next light, I stepped on the brake but nothing happened. The car did not slow down. I pumped the brakes....still nothing. I layed on the horn swerving from the #1 lane to the #2 lane and then back again narrowly avoiding striking other vehicles. I tried the emergency brake....it didn't work. I ran the red light because I could not stop. When it looked like a crash was inevitable, I swerved into an oncoming traffic turn lane. By now I was conscious that the cars behind me were slowing down and staying back. I don't blame them.

Putting the car in park did not help. I saw a large grass median ahead of me with big lamppost. It was my intention to drive into the lamppost if I had to in order to stop the car. I drove up on the median and turned off the car. It finally came to a stop through inertia about a foot from the lamppost.

Tonight, I feel very blessed and thankful. It really is a beautiful night.

BMWs

Cammie — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:39:00 +0000

O and I went to look at Beemers last week. I've had my eye on the GS 650. I was concerned about the height of the bike though. Lo and behold, when I sat on the bike, I found the height to be manageable. I really liked the feel of the bike. It had a terrific center of gravity. You could lean the bike at a 45 degreee angle and then straighten out the bike with no problem. It seemed like a fancy dirt or dual bike. The bike I sitting on was already sold. The saleman said he was receiving two more in about a week. One of the two coming in was also sold. OTD price was about $9000....no discount there since they had trouble keeping them in stock.

Just as I started thinking that I would start looking for a good used 650, O pointed out that the 650 had chain drive. I don't know why, but I assumed that all BMWs had shaft drive. I was looking forward to having no chain maintenance.

Next to the 650 was it's big brother, the GS 1200. I looked at both bikes closely. Even though they are part of the same line, they seem to be two almost completely different bikes. The 1200 had shaft drive and a ton of other features. Still, I like the looks and size of the 650. I'll probably put the active BMW search on hold in the hopes that they make a model like the 650 but with shaft drive.

Radiator repairs

Cammie — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 06:10:00 +0000

I removed the damaged radiator Tuesday (Jim talked me through a few of the more difficult aspects) and took it to the motorcycle radiator repair shop in Fontana. I wish I had taken before and after pictures. The radiator off the bike was more tweaked than it appeared on the bike.

I picked up the repaired radiator today. It looked fantastic, almost new. They had to repair a small leak at the base of the radiator and then they tested under pressure before returning it to me. They had great friendly service for a very reasonable price.

I think the fan blade will be here tomorrow. In anticipation, I decided to reinstall the radiator. I got as far as two bolts. I couldn't find the third so I'll have to pick one up from Hahm's in the morning. Some of the next few installation steps involve the use of a torque wrench. Since I don't know how to use a torque wrench, I'll need to wait for O. His plane gets in late tomorrow.

Undaunted, I decided to try and change the brake and clutch levers. I got the Pazzo levers today. They really look great. The guys on the SV1000 forum say it takes 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of reading the instructions and not clearly understanding them, I again decided that it would be best to wait for O.

Poor O. I've learned a lot about motorcycle repairs and maintenance in the last couple of years. But, I still don't know a lot about tools. I still have problems cracking bolts and I sometimes over-tighten or under-tighten bolts. I'm getting better bit by bit but I'm often concerned that I'll damage expensive parts by my lack of knowledge in this area. I'll keep trying because it really feels good to successfully perform maintenance on your own bike...kind of like picking and eating veggies that you grew yourself. :)

Helmet Maintenance Days

Cammie — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 16:18:00 +0000

I always check the basics on my bike when I head out on a ride. Periodically, I perform maintenance on the bike as recommended by the manufacturer. The easy stuff, I can now do myself. With the harder stuff, I get help from friends and family as well as paid professionals. That being said, I periodically maintain my helmets as well.

I have a Scorpion Exo 700, an Arai Corsair and a Shoei RF 1000. All of the helmets have varying degrees of removable liners. Be careful when you remove the liners so that you don't accidentally detach something that shouldn't be detached. Yesterday, I pulled the liners out of all three helmets. They went into the washer with a mild detergent (like Woolite). I used the hand washable setting. After the liner pieces were washed, I laid them on table to air dry overnight. I would not advise putting them in the dryer.

I removed the shields from each helmet. I also pulled out the extra shields I have for each helmet. I checked each shield for cracks or damage. Then I cleaned each shield on both sides with Plexis and a soft cloth.

I wiped the inside of each helmet using a liquid spot remover and a towel. I paid particular attention to the fabric areas of the helmets that weren't removable. The outside of the helmets were cleaned using a soft cloth and Plexis. I checked the outer shells, helmet straps, cloth areas and foam for signs of wear or deterioration. I checked to make sure all the vents, breath guards, tabs, etc. were in good condition.

Today, I will reassemble everything and then pack each helmet back into their cases or bags. I will then store the helmets in the house or at least in the garage to avoid extreme temperatures. I perform full helmet maintenance every few months or so depending on use. After each ride, I will at least minimally check the helmet, wipe the interior and clean the exterior and shield without removing the liners.

I think some degree of helmet maintenance is important for safety reasons. Beyond safety, I prefer to put on a clean, fresh helmet each time I ride.

Jacket Reviews

Cammie — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 01:57:00 +0000

Since I purchased two new jackets lately, I thought I'd post a review. The first jacket is the Tour Master Cortech LRX Sport Women's Jacket in black:

I bought this jacket from a seller on eBay for a really reasonable price. This is the jacket I wore on last weekend's 400 mile Ojai trip. It comes with a liner that I foolishly forgot to bring since it was a bit cold at the beginning of the ride. In terms of fit, I'd give this jacket 8 out of 10 points. It fits better than most of the jackets I own and really does seem to be tailored for a woman in most respects. The sleeves were still too long but there were enough adjustments on them to compensate. The LRX jacket was very comfortable to wear on the ride.

Even with the liner, I think this jacket would not be warm enough for the winter though. But, it's great for the spring and fall. I will complain about the zipper though. The zipper frequently got caught in the too thin placket. Both the zipper and the plackets on the jacket could be improved

The other jacket is the Tour Master Cortech Breeze Women's Jacket:

I really don't have a lot to say about this jacket since I have not ridden in the jacket. I will note that the construction appears to be decent. Newenough has these on closeout for $61.50. The sleeves are even longer that those on the LRX jacket except the Breeze doesn't have sleeve adjustments. If I didn't know better, I would guess they just slapped a ladies label on the next smaller size mens jacket. The ladies Breeze does not seem to be tailored for a woman. I'll use this jacket this weekend and comment further later.

O's Accident

Cammie — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 21:04:00 +0000

Yesterday. O, Jim and I went to a track day at the "Streets of Willow." It was Jim's first track day and we were very excited for him. O was also looking forward to the track day. Between France and his other obligations, he's had very little time for riding. I was going as the support person for both of the guys.

April and Jim came over Thursday night to load the bikes on the trailer. We grabbed a quick dinner after and then went to bed early. We left the house around 5:18 am and headed over to Hollywood to pick up Jim. We arrived at the track around 8 am....just enough time to pit,register and go through tech before the riders meeting.

O was in the Sport group and Jim was in the Street group. The Race group went first for a 20 minute session followed by the Sport and then the Street group. So, while O's group was out on the track, Jim's group was preparing to go next.

I told Jim I was going to try and shoot some pictures of O on the track. Our pit was near the end of the front straight so I looked to the right for O. I didn't see him and I thought that was unusual. I glanced to the left and noticed that a rider had gone down. Whoever he was, he was standing so I knew he was alright. His bike was located a short distance away from where he was standing. I looked closer and noticed that the rider's leathers looked like O's. That's when I realized that it was O. It's probably best that I did not see the crash. I saw the aftermath and at least knew immediately that my O was not too badly hurt.

I then snapped some pictures:

Here's some of the lone rider standing out there by himself and his bike:

Here's Trackdaz Gil picking up O and his bike:

Coincidence....I crashed myself in almost the same spot last December. I went off-roading, abruptly stopped the bike and fell over. O was commenting that he crashed the opposite way....he sort of fell of the bike after hitting a rough patch in a turn and lowsided. Warmer tires might have enabled him to save the situation.

O's only injury is a small tear to his right thumb. Some how his thumbnail caught on something and was partially torn off. O looked at my hands after he got back to our pit area and warned me to make sure my nails were cut short for my next track day. This morning he was achy and sore, sort of all over and particularly in his lower left back.

You often hear riders say that the leathers did their job after a crash. It's true. O would have seriously hurt his back with out the leathers and their built in back protection:

The leathers are going back to Z's for cleaning and repair.

The bike suffered some paint dings from rocks or gravel on the tank, a broken shift lever and a scraped clutch lever. Frame sliders helped, particularly the fork sliders I gave O for Valentine's Day that he just installed this week. They are called "Chewy's Track Day Crash Protectors." I got them from a guy who manufactures them in England. I really think they saved the forks on the bike:

Here's a bit of an update. Chewy (Chris) is sending O free replacement crash protectors. I thought that was very nice of him. Here's a link in case anyone is interested:

http://www.chewys-stuff.co.uk/

Here's a picture of the tank damage. We were able to polish a lot of the scrapes away.

O had a data recorder attached to his bike. Since he brought his laptop to the track, we were able to see all the details of the crash on the computer. The data acquisition program showed a picture of the track and O's path as he crashed. It also gave you angles, speeds, etc. Sounds strange to say, but it was pretty cool to be able to analyze the crash data.

We also liked the laptimer as well. Jim used it on his bike and it seemed to work fairly well.

I'm glad O was safe and I'm glad Jim had a good time. I'm sorry I did not get more pictures of Jim before we began having technical difficulties (the batteries in all of our equipment died).

Gear for smaller riders

Cammie — Fri, 26 May 2006 05:36:00 +0000

So, I spent part of yesterday helping a friend try and locate gear that would fit. My friend is about 4'11" tall and weighs about 110 pounds. I have to tell you, there isn't that much out there for someone so small.

At April's suggestion,he tried on some ladies jackets. A ladies size small fit him fairly well. He at least had a good sense of humor about this though. The jacket that fit the best had little rose patches on the sleeves and chest. My friend decided that if they were removed, it would just look like a unisex jacket. He said it would be just his luck that while he was waiting at a light, a cool girl would ride up wearing the same jacket.

He's going to keep looking but might have to buy that rose jacket. He has the right idea though. He's buying gear before he actually picks up his used starter bike.

Moto GP

Cammie — Sun, 14 May 2006 18:19:00 +0000

Well, we're definitely going. O and I decided we would like to go. I don't know how much of that decision was that I wanted to go and O was willing. The problem was that we couldn't get tickets. The paddock passes we're all sold out within hours. All the packages and suites were gone, many before they went on sale to the general public. I had a reasonably priced hotel room, but no tickets. I was hoping that April would come through with some passes while debating whether I should just buy some general admission tickets that were still available.

I posted up on the CC forum and asked whether it was worth going with just general admission tickets. Christi, one of the members, posted up that she had to sell her tickets since she and her husband were moving out of the country. I sent her a pm, a little afraid of how much the tickets would cost. Here's what she sent back in reply:

These are 1 down from the top tickets sold (the top ones are the boxes on the straight)

With these tickets you get:
Turn 3 suites incl shade, drinks, food, and closed circut TV
Both pit (where bikes are stored and riders hang out) and hot pit passes (right on the track where the races start - note closed toe shoe required and no access during the start or duration of the race)
Camping Passes
Parking passes

The view:

Our accomodations:

Gen Pop accomodations:

Pit Passes:

Hot pit passes (note riders tend to be a bit grumpy just after they lost a race):

Us:

Gen Pop:

Another view from the suite - a lot of crashes happen in this corner. Downhill decreasing radius

I mean really - it can't be beat

Oh and if you get there a day early Note - those are factory Honda guys going over race strategy

These are the front straight boxes.

The only tickets more coveted than ours

Camping at the track - commute about a 10 min walk - wake up to the sounds of morning practice. There are reasonable showers and restrooms near by:

OK I'm offically bummed we can't go this year. We'll just have to catch GP in France to make up for it.

********************************************************************************

Well, needless to say, we bought the tickets. April and Jim are camping with us.....it should be fun. We are already gathering camping equipment, etc. I can't wait!

Sport tourer?

Cammie — Sun, 14 May 2006 05:29:00 +0000

I would like to have a garage full of bikes. I just don't have the room. I've been thinking about a sport tourer though. Maybe this one:

I wonder how much a good used one costs? I also like many of the larger bikes BMW makes but the idea of my feet dangling 6" off the ground does not appeal to me.

A Small Accomplishment

Cammie — Wed, 10 May 2006 03:16:00 +0000

Two years ago, I was the only person riding a bike to work. Last year, I'd occasionally see another bike in the parking structure. This year, there are at least three active riders.

Each day I rode the bike to work, I always struggled with the decision of where to park. Do I take a real space in a parking structure that is always crowded and fills up quickly? Or do I create a space in some nook or cranny and hope not to be ticketed or overlooked?

Disliking both options, I went on a campaign to obtain a MC parking area. Here is the result:

Cool

Inspiring

Cammie — Fri, 12 May 2006 04:25:00 +0000

This rider was involved in an accident almost one year ago. Her story is inspiring:

http://www.sylviastuurman.nl/motor/majorcrash/english.php

Helmet Shelf Life

Cammie — Mon, 08 May 2006 13:56:00 +0000

Yesterday, a fellow rider came by the house. He was debating whether he would join Terrie and I for dinner since it would be dark in several hours and he had his dark shield on his helmet. I offered to let him borrow my clear shield if it became too dark since I had recently installed a light smoke shield on my helmet.

He promptly said it wouldn't fit since he had an Arai RX 7. I told him I had the same helmet and it should fit. He immediately picked up my helmet and started examining it for date of manufacture while asking me when I purchased the helmet. He said an older helmet wasn't as good as a newer helmet.

I told him that both Arai and Shoei both warranty the integrity of the helmets from the date of sale and that I was aware I was purchasing an older RX 7 at the time I purchased the helmet.

After he left, however, I decided that the fact that a warranty existed did not really answer the question of whether an "older" new helmet was as good as a "newer" new helmet. So, I did some research.

Some on the motorcycle forums felt that a set rule of 5 years from date of manufacturer should be followed regardless of whether a helmet was new or used. Others took the position that a helmet was fine, even though it was 20 years old as long as it had not suffered an impact. Some believed that helmet shelf life restrictions were invented by helmet manufacturer marketing people as a ploy to get you to buy a new helmet every few years.

Here's what I found from my research:

First, since 1974, all helmet manufacturers are required to stamp the month and date of production on the chin strap. It is not unusual for a new helmet to arrive at a retail store with a 1 to 2 years or more older production date. I think a good rule to live by might be to purchase a new helmet if your helmet is pre-1974 and has no production date stamp on the chin strap.

Second, I think you should examine the safety standards that were in place when your helmet was manufactured. In general, the newer standards are more stringent and allegedly produce a safer helmet. If you have a helmet that was manufactured when there were few or lesser safety standards, you should consider purchasing a new helmet.

Finally, I think you should examine how the helmet was treated, worn and maintained. Is the helmet used frequently? Is the helmet left in a hot garage or storage area when not in use or left exposed to the elements? Is the helmet regularly cleaned and maintained removing grime, body oils, etc? Does inspection of the helmet reveal any faults such as a frayed chin strap or indentations/compression of the inner shell? Has the helmet suffered any impacts?

I think the factors listed above are important in deciding whether to buy a new or used helmet and to determine whether a new helmet with an older production date is the right helmet for you.