Mean Streets

Thursday, May 24, 2007
  Motorcycle Commuting in L. A.
Just got home from work. Two close calls today, neither my fault. As a
matter of fact, I would probably be in a lot of pain right now if I
didn't compensate for other drivers lack of skill.

It just gets to me sometimes. I know street riding, especially
in L.A., is dangerous. I'm not stupid. I just don't understand why
people in cars are always doing messed up things. I just started coming
home around 2am, and I see dumb shit every night. Most of the time it doesn't affect me directly, but tonight it did.


On a side note, I'm so sick of waiting at red lights that won't change
because the sensor doesn't see my bike. I could get home 10 minutes faster if I didn't have to wait needlessly at these lights.

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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
  EX-500 Ninja for a first bike
Everyone please listen to me! Buy a cheap first bike. One that you won't loose a lot of money on when you drop it. I think this is the best advice I can give a new rider.

I was at work the other day talking to someone who has an R6, his first bike, and he was telling me he is selling it. Says he lost interest, but will buy a bike sometime in the future. When he was talking about getting the bike, I offered to sell him my EX-500 for $1000. He dismissed my advice and wasn't interested in the Ninja. So he bought the R6, put a $1200 exhaust on it, then proceeded to crash it trying to do wheelies. Did about $2000 worth of damage. He fixed it, and hasn't really ridden it since. I think the real reason he wants to get rid of it is because he is afraid of crashing again.

He is in the Marine reserves, and was telling me about one of his buddies who bought a GSXR-750 for his first bike. He told me he told him to buy a cheap bike for his first one. I said to him,"Wasn't that what I told you?" His reply,"Yes you did, and you were right." His buddy has already crashed the GSXR.

I ended selling my Ninja for $1400, I paid $1500. I put 11,000 miles on it, and learned how to survive L.A. traffic on it. I dropped it probably like 5 times. Had to replace a couple of levers and a handlebar end, total damage about $75. It was a great bike and not slow. It could outrun about any car on the road, and do over 100 mph. I basically lost no money on that bike.

So learn form my experience and my friends. Don't make the same mistake as him...
 
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
  ZX-6 636 Shock on an SV650
Everything I have ever read about my bike, a 02 SV650, says that the suspension is crap. The SV is a good low price bike, and this is one place Suzuki saved some money. The bike comes stock with dampener rod forks that are adjustable only for preload in the front and a preload adjustable only rear shock. The spring rates are also set for someone who is like 150lbs, I'm somewhere around 200.

Last year one of my front fork seals was leaking, so I decided that if my forks had to come apart, I might as well try to do something to help the front suspension. I talked to Sonic Springs, and they recommended that I change to a heavier spring and switch to 20 weight fork oil. The heavier fork oil is used to firm up the dampening action of the forks. I did this, and was happy with the results. I thought that this might make my front end feel too stiff, but it doesn't. Its defiantly firmer than before and it feels much more controlled. All added up this cost around $150 with the seals and having someone do the labor for me.

I knew from reading on SV specific message boards that a good thing to do for the rear is to replace the shock with one from an 02-06 Kawasaki ZX-6 Ninja, It sounds a little crazy at first, replacing the shock with one from a totally different manufacturer, but I figured why not try it if I can come up with one cheap enough. So I kept the idea in the back of my mind, figuring that sooner or later I would find one.

About 3 weeks ago I saw that someone had one of these shocks for sale on socalsvriders.org for $60, so I bought it. After reading how others had done this swap, I thought it was something I could accomplish without too much trouble. It was a piece of cake to install, basically a true bolt in affair. The only real modification I had to make was to space the battery box lower to clear the reservoir on the shock. The stock SV shock does not have one.

The big advantage of the Ninja shock is that it has adjustable compression and rebound dampening, along with having a threaded preload adjustment. The SV shock has only a step adjustment for preload. I used the recommended settings for the Ninja shock from the Sport Rider Magazine's suspension guide. I figured this would be a good place to start.

I have to say that this is a huge improvement over the SV shock. The back of the bike feels totally different, no more do I feel like I'm on a pogo stick. I'm going to get the shock set up better by the suspension guys at my next trackday.

So for a total of about $210 I greatly improved the suspension of my SV. You can spend $1000+ on bike suspension, and I'm sure it would be an improvement form my set up now, but I'm happy with the improvement I got for a relatively small amount of money.

Humm... Maybe I should have called this blog "Low buck SV suspension upgrade"...
 
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
  Are Trackdays For You?
Having done 2 trackdays so far this year, I got to thinking of the positives and negatives of them.

I'll start with the negatives. First of all is cost, not only the cost of the trackday, but all the hidden costs. You will have to have the proper gear that meets the organizers requirement. Your bike needs proper preparation, good tires, chain and sprockets in good condition and adjusted properly. Getting the bike to the track also needs consideration. I would not want to ride to the track, do a trackday and have to ride home. That's just too much, so you will need to have a truck or something capable of pulling a trailer. Trailer rental is another thing that has to be factored in. Oh, and don't forget there will probably be a gate fee collected when you get to the track.

Another negative for me is that it has made riding on the street somewhat harder. It is now tougher for me to legally get a thrill on the street. I have found myself riding faster than I use to. 90mph doesn't seem that fast anymore. Also, when I ride in the canyons, I am bothered more by cars coming the other way around blind curves than I use to be. Cars coming at you is one thing that you don't have to worry about on the track.

One other thing that I consider a negative for me is that I have some self doubt when I'm on the track. I tend to think that I should be faster, which may or may not be true. This is a personal thing for me, I don't know if others go through it too. Also knowing how hard to push personal limits. You will want to come home with your bike in one piece.

Ok, enough negatives, now the positives. It is the only place that you can legally use your bike anywhere near its limits. There are no Police to worry about, no cars. The track surface will be predictable. You will be on a wide track, and you can use all of it. If you make a mistake, you won't be headed into oncoming traffic. Depending on what bike you are on and what track, you can hit its top speed.

Basically, the only limits on the track are your skill and guts. Until you get many trackdays under your belt, the bike won't be the limiting factor. I know I have come nowhere close to using the full potential of my bike. Also you can do trackdays on just about any "sport" or "standard" bike.

I guess in the end my conclusion is that it is totally worth it. The thrill outweighs all the negatives. I can't wait till I can do another one...
 
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
  Accidents
Now that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has been hurt in a motorcycle accident it gives everyone the right to comment on motorcycles in general. I have been watching ESPN today and the reporters are all saying how stupid it is. They can't understand why anyone let alone a football player making millions a year would do it. Some have suggested that the NFL should not allow any players to ride. These reporters have no education on motorcycles and should not be giving their opinion on something they know nothing about. Sure they know about football, but nothing about motorcycles.

The simple fact is that if Roethlisberger had been wearing a full face helmet, he most likely would have had little injury. They report that he was not wearing any helmet, but they do not state this simple fact!

I know there is some risk involved in riding, I'm not stupid. Most everyone I know who doesn't ride likes to tell me stories. Its always starts with "My brothers friend... or My fifth cousin...". Then they tell me how they were hurt, paralyzed or killed on a motorcycle. This happens to me at least once a week. They even like telling me about random events involving a bike. My supervisor at work told me about a Police chase she saw on the news involving a bike. I found out a about Roethlisberger this way. A girl at work told me, but she didn't discuss it with anyone else.

My favorite is when complete strangers tell me these stories. I was getting fast food, had my helmet with me, and the girl taking my order feels she has to tell me about her friend. He "fell off his bike on the 405 at 3am, got up and was hit by a car." I said to her oh I'm sorry, but what I really wanted to say was I don't want to hear about it. And by the way how did he "fall off the bike on the 405?"

So it would be nice if once in a while someone tells me a good story. How much their brother... Enjoys riding. I know there are people who love motorcycle riding but no non-rider ever tells me those stories.

Be careful everyone... And wear a full face helmet!!
 
Monday, June 05, 2006
  Trackday
I did my first trackday at Willow Springs Raceways Streets course on 06/02. It was an amazing experience to be on the track. I went with Cammie and Owen, Owen was doing the trackday with me, Cammie was our support person.

A lot of preparation went into this day. First it was getting all the gear needed for the track. A leather suit is a must for protection. So over the last year I have been getting everything needed. First it was the boots, then the leather pants I got at a closeout sale back in December. Then it was figuring out what jacket I could get that would zip to the pants to make it one piece. I actually took the pants to a motorcycle shop and tried different jackets till I found one that would work. Luckily, Joe Rocket jackets did, so I got one of those. Finally, I got a pair of gauntlet style gloves.

Now I had to get the bike preped. Not too much there to do, just basic maintenance. I had to replace the chain and sprockets, brake pads, and change the oil and filter. The only track specific thing I had to do was replace the coolant with distilled water and an additive called water wetter. Antifreeze is very slippery so they don't want any of it leaking on to the track surface.

The night before I drove to Cammie's house to put the bike on a trailer. Once there I taped over all the lights and license plate. We got my bike and Owen's on the trailer and I headed home for the night.

I got up nice and early and they picked me up about 6:30, and we get up to the track about 8. We get the bikes off the trailer and go register and get the bikes tech inspected, no problems there. Next is the riders meeting where they give you information on how the day will be run, and what the flags mean. Being a new track rider, I stayed after the mandatory meeting for a new rider orientation, while Owen went back to get ready to go out on the track. He was in a different group than me being that he has track experience.

After the new rider orientation, I get back to the pits and find out that Owen had crashed on his first session out. He seems to be ok, standing out in the middle of the track waiting for the session to end. I have to get my gear on and head to the grid for my orientation laps.



The orientation laps are where you follow an instructor around the track at a slow pace, just getting to see where the track goes. Back on the grid, its time to go!

I start off slow, probably too slow, around the track. I don't know the track at all, and don't know the limits of myself or the bike. Other riders are just blowing by me. So I decide I will just try to take it easy, and take the most inside line around all the curves, and not accelerate hard down the straightaways, basically stay out of everyone's way while I learn the track more. The first session ends without incident, and I head back to the pits.

Back there I find that Owen is ok, his leather suit did its job. His bike is not however, and he is done for the day. When his bike slid, it broke off the shift lever, and nothing could be done about that quickly because it is a special order part. I relax for a while, reflect on my first session.

I'm feeling outmatched on the track. I have only ridden 1 twisty road in the last 6 months and am out of practice. Everyone seems so much faster than me. Maybe I should have prepared better for this, ridden more canyons on my days off. It was fun out there, I'm just having doubts about my ability.

5 minute call comes for my next session, so I get my gear back on, and head for the grid. My goal is to relax a litte more out there. I take off and get around the first curve and the red flag is waving. That means slow down, don't pass anyone, and head back to the grid. I get around turn 3 and see why, someone has gone down. He seems ok, standing by his bike. So they pick him up, and we start out again. Same thing happens, I get around the first curve, and another red flag. Same thing, someone has gone down. He also looks ok. So out again, no more accidents in the session. I do relax more, starting to feel better, pushing the bike more, but still staying out of everyone's way. The session ends, and I head back to the pits.

Back in the pits I put Owen's lap timer on my bike. He wants to see if it will work, he just got it before the trackday, and since he was done we put it on mine. I have an excellent lunch prepared by Cammie, and wait for the next session.

I head back out for session 3, and this one goes by with no accidents. I'm feeling better, enjoying the track more, but trying to stay out of the way. I don't want to hold anyone up, so I'm still sticking to the inside of all the curves, but am starting to accelerate hard on the straights. Session over, I head back in.



Back in the pits, Owen says to me, "You are worrying way too much about everyone else out there. You paid your money, screw them." I start to think about this and he is right. Why am I screwing myself up, worrying about giving people so much room to pass. They stressed in the rider meeting that it is the responsibility of the person passing to make the pass safely. I decide this next session will be my last, its pushing 100 outside, and I'm feeling it.

Back on the grid, I'm feeling better. I'm not going to worry about everyone else. We go and I start taking better lines around the curves, accelerating harder. I'm worrying less about everyone else, having more fun. The session seems to end more quickly, probably because I'm more relaxed.



I head back to the pits, get my gear off, get ready to pack up and go. I check the lap timer, I was 4 seconds quicker on that session than the last. I felt better out there and it was nice to see the proof. We pack up, get the bikes on the trailer, and go. Boy, the AC in the car feels good.

Reflecting back on the day, I wish I had stopped worrying about everyone else. I felt outmatched at first because it seemed like eveyone was passing me. I felt I needed to stay out of the way. Once I relaxed things went better, but I feel I could have done better.

All in all it was a great experience, aside from Owen crashing. I have more insight into how it feels to be on a racetrack. Next time will be better. I can't wait!
 
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
  New Brake Pads
I put new front brake pads on my SV650 today, here is a quick rundown on how to do it.

First thing you will need to do is clean the cover of the master cylinder, then unscrew it and take it off with the rubber diaphram underneath it. Now you will need to siphon out the fluid inside. After the fluid is out, take a rag and clean any debris left in the bottom.



Now unbolt the caliper, it doesn't matter which side you do first. Once the caliper is off this is what it will look like.



The pads are usually held in by pins. On the SV, its one pin held in by a clip. So just take the clip off and slide the pin out and the pads will come off.



Its a good idea to take some fine grit sandpaper and lightly sand the rotors to remove any of the old pad material baked on by the old pads.



Now clean the caliper and the pistons with brake cleaner. Once they are clean you will need to push the pistons back into the bores of the caliper. This can be done by hand or with a c-clamp and a small block of wood. Here is the caliper with the pistons pushed in.



Next install the new pads, put the pin back in and secure it with the clip. It all goes back in easily, just the way the old ones came out.



Now bolt the caliper back on and repeat the same thing on the other side.

To finish the job, fill the master cylinder back up with new fluid and pump the lever several times until it gets firm. This is the most important step because it will take several lever pumps to get the brakes working again. Check the master cylinder level again, and you are done.
 

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Name: Jim
Location: Los Angeles, CA

I'm laid back. I enjoy riding and spending time with friends.

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