I'm a Slacker...Still!: Part 3 - Test drives

Okay, I can't believe another 2 weeks have gone by and I still haven't completed my "Slacker" series of posts. So I'm going to cut the series short and get on with it.

I mentioned that during part of my absence I was on vacation for a week in Disneyland. It was great. We took our 4 kids and went with my sister and her family and her in-laws. We had a blast. One day I hope to take a ride along the California coast. My wife has posted pictures and a "travel-blog" on our family blog at jodedeballen.blogspot.com. It's a private blog, so if you don't already have access and would like to see the blog, contact me so I can give you access rights. One caveat, though, if I don't know you personally, then I probably won't give you access. No offense, but safety and privacy still need to be protected.

Anyway, Test rides! While I was waiting to have my drive chain replaced at Rapid Cycle, I had the opportunity to test out Hyosung's GV650SE and GT650R. It was a great experience for me. Albeit, I still consider myself a newbie; I've only ever ridden two other models (my '80 Kawi 250 and a Honda Rebel). I was a little nervous of how I would handle a "big" 650. Yes, I'm a sissy. But it went really well and I feel much more confident in trying out different bikes now. Here's a rundown of my experience

Hyosung GV650

What you see here is the Special Limited Edition, 30th anniversary model, which I was able to ride. When I first saw the GV650 a year or so ago, I didn't like the looks of it. It was too different from the classic cruiser styling that I was accustomed to. There are still things about its look that I don't care for...but it has grown on me. And now that I've ridden it, I would be glad to own it. Coincidentaly, I was looking at the Harley-Davidson site the other day and was surprised to see that their V-Rod series is very similar in styling. I'm sure everyone else already knew this...but it was news to me. Anyway, after taking the bike for a short spin of the parking lot to make sure I wouldn't fall off, I took it out on the road. I was limited to just some surface streets, so I couldn't put it through rigorous paces. Although, I don't trust myself yet to be very "rigorous"... at least not with someone else's machine. The ride was great. I had in my mind that the 650 would be amazingly more powerful than the 250, verging on uncontrollable. Remember...I'm a newb. There certainly was a huge difference in accelerating power, but I wasn't at all afraid of rocketting the bike out from under me like I did with my buddy's 450 dirt bike. The sitting position is more extended than my 250, which I liked. Going from my old upright Kawi to the GV250 was quite an adjustment. Now my 250 feels upright compared to this 650. The dual front and rear disc breaks provided smooth and solid stopping power. Turning was well balanced and controlled although, it initially feels a little more sluggish because of the increased rake angle of the front forks. It just requires a little more counter pressure than I'm used to. I love the idea of the belt drive, and while '09 Hyosungs have fuel injection, the dealer says we probably won't see those models in the States 'til next year.

Hyosung GT650R

My next step was to take a spin on the GT650R. They have an 'S' model as well which has a higher handlebar height. The 'R' model is designed more for racing. This was my first time on a "bullet bike", so of course, I was afraid that I would do something crazy like pull wheelie down the street, fall off, or get a ticket for going 800 mph in a 40 and T-bone a car. But once again, my naive fears were unfounded. I really felt no difference in power than I did with the GV which, again, was really not mindblowingly different than my 250. The riding position was extremely different though, obviously. Like I said, my old Kawi sits pretty upright and is quite a difference from the GV models. But this is completely to the other extreme. I felt like I couldn't fiind the footpegs until I was practically laying on my stomach with my feet out behind me. No, it wasn't that bad, but it made my old Kawi feel like a cruiser instead of a standard bike. Also, having your hands positioned so close to the midline of the bike also felt weird. Once I got over the new position, though, I rather enjoyed the ride. The turning response is definitely more sensitive than the cruiser, but is not outrageously different. I also discovered how much pressure the forward position puts on your hands. I don't think I could ride comfortably like that for too long, but again, I don't think I would mind owning this bike either.

All in all, it was a good experience to be able to try something new. I'm going to have to set aside some time and go check out the Harley dealership and see if they are all that now that I've ridden a couple lowly Hyosungs. I think I have definitely confirmed that I'm a cruiser type of guy. The sport bikes seem fun, but I really feel best on the cruiser... for now. So there you have it...for what it's worth.

I'm a Slacker: Part 2 - a new chain

As I mentioned back on May 6, I had some sort of strange vibration start up after I had tightened my chain. I probably took longer than I should have getting it into the shop to look at it, but I finally got there. I explained the problem to the mechanic and his initial thoughts was that I had messed up the alignment of the rear wheel when I tightend the chain.

If you're not familiar with motorcycle chains, tightening one is essentially the same concept as a bicycle. You losen the rear axel and slide it back until the chain is the proper tension, making sure that the axel stays perpendicular to the midline of the bike so the wheel doesn't "wobble" when it turns. Most motorcycles have notches on each side of the axle to assist in the alignment. Theoretically if the axel is lined up with the same notch on both sides then your wheel should be straight. The mechanic says this isn't always completely reliable so they have other more rigorous ways to check alignment. I still need to learn what those are.

Anyway, when he got checking it, the alignment was okay, which made me feel better about myself. What he did find, however, was a section of the chain that was corroded. This caused some of the links to not fully straighten and bend at the joint. When the damaged portion of the chain would pass over the sprockets it would not fully bend or straighten out. This caused the chain to be extra tight during part of the rotation and loose for the remainder. So there was no way to tighten the chain evenly. The vibration was caused by the repeated tightening and loosening of the chain as it went around.

The cause of the corrosion was probably due to a lack of proper lubrication and winterizing of the chain. I was a little surprised at this since I road my bike most of the winter. I only road when the roads were clear and dry, but I road most of the time. However, there were a period of a week or 2 here or there that I wouldn't ride at all. I hadn't been lubricating the chain as frequently as I should, so I can imagine between that, the down-time and the winter road salt, the corrosion probably set in relatively quickly. The chain was getting pretty stretched anyway, so I probably didn't loose to much chain life, but it was a good reminder to properly care for my chain. That's one of the last things you want failing on you as you cruise down the freeway.

So, I got a new chain. A stock chain for my bike costs about $50, but they only had a high end $90 chain. The life of the high-end chain is supposed to be double that of the stock chain so I figured it was worth the extra money.

Part 2 down; a few more to go. Thanks for dropping by and keep the shiny side up.

I'm a Slacker: Part 1

Okay, so I'm a huge slacker. I call this "Part 1" because I'm sure it may take me several parts and several days to catch up on a month of thoughts that have been blowing through my head. Obviously, creating a blog that people enjoy reading probably requires consistency, if anything. Sure, good writing style and good content are important, but who cares? If you don't write, what will they read? Now that I've chastised myself, lets get down to business.

This last month has been a good riding month...for me, anyway. At least 2 weeks of it have been filled with storm clouds and rain. Lots of it. In fact this June has been the 9th wettest on record. To this point in June, the state is around 300% of normal rainfall. Now, I've noticed that this has deterred a lot of riders, but not me. Why, you ask?

Well first, my car's registration expired at the end of May and I haven't renewed it because it has a massive crunch where it's right tail-light should be. Thanks to some unknown person who kindly slid into it and drove away while I was pulling a nightshift at the hospital back during Christmas break. It is now in the shop getting it's butt fixed.

Second, my wife is building up a little day-care business and needs her car to haul around the kids, though now she just about has more kids than she can haul and travels less than she used to. But she needs the van, so I can't use that.

Third, I've been too lazy to get up early enough to take the bus an hour and a half each way. It's great reading time, but I'm just not in the mood.

Finally, I just love to ride. So, I try and time the storms so I get to work and back between cloudbursts. The nice thing about Utah weather is that it rarely rains constantly. Sure it's been stormy for 2 straight weeks but the drizzles, showers and cloudburst are usually short lived and have nice gaps between them. It's kept the temperature in a real nice range too.

I did get caught in a couple showers though, and one really good soaker. I have only riden in the rain once or twice last year when I got caught about 5 minutes before I got to work, but I made it in before I got too wet. This time though, I wasn't as lucky. A couple weeks ago I tried to time it between two big showers and failed. Half of my ride was in the rain. Part of the time it was coming down in big, cold drops that would run like a river down my jacket and puddle on my seat right between my legs. Woohoo, that is not a fun sensation. Then it started hailing for a few seconds and gave my knuckles a fair punishing, though it was only pea-sized hail. Much bigger could have really started to suck.

After these few episodes, riding in the rain--the Utah rain, anyway--isn't too bad. I don't mind getting wet. I do need to get a good rainsuit though. The main trick is to avoid it if you can, but if you get caught in it, just slow way down, try and stay out of standing water and ride in the tracks of the cars ahead.

Well, I could keep going, but this post is starting to get a little unwieldy. I'll pick it up again in part two. I need to update you on that mechanical problem I mentioned back on May 6, tell you about my Disneyland vacation, my test ride of the Hyosung GV650 and GT650, and throw in some nice tidbit of motorcycle safety information. Stay tuned.

Ride Log 5 - 12 May 09 & TCLOCS

This last week has been wonderful riding weather. It has been getting progressively warmer and sunny. Of course those of you who've been riding here know that. My commute has been enjoyable and without significant incedent. UDOT has started construction on highway 201 between Bangerter and 56th west to add a lane both ways. It hasn't been too big of a disruption thus far, but this morning an accident at 56th west diverted me to the surface roads and kept me in the saddle for an extra 20 minutes. I didnt' mind that too much other than I was hoping to get to work a little early and my butt was getting pretty tired by the time I got there.

In keeping with my desire to include interesting motorcycle topics, I've chosen to discuss "TCLOCS." TCLOCS is a mneumonic for remembering the components of the pre-ride inspection: Tires and wheels, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chasis, Stands. Just like good car care, we should do a regular and frequent check of our bikes before we ride. Unfortunately, most of us don't do a very good job of making a thorough inspection of our cars on a weekly basis as recommended. Therefore, I doubt we do any better with our bikes. I know it is difficult for me to remember to take the time to do. I'm trying to commit myself to doing better though. My perception may be wrong, but it seems that a failure on my bike that could have been prevented by regular inspection, is likely to be much more dangerous that one on my car. For example, I would hate to be going down the freeway and lose my chain or blow a tire on my bike.

TCLOCS is a thorough inspection process. It doesn't take too long. In fact. If you get in the habit, you can do almost half the inspection in about 1 minute every time you get on your bike. If your good at giving your bike a weekly bath during the riding season, then it becomes a natural part of your bike care. Follow this link to the MSF Library for a form that lays out all the components of the TCLOCS inspection. I hope this is helpful as you get your head in the wind... and keep the shiny side up.

Ride Log - 6 May 2009

Ah, the weather is finally starting to stabalize out a bit allowing for more consistent rides. Yesterday morning, I was out early (about 5 am) and the temperature was great! Today is going to feel hot.

It's always interesting to me how some days the flow of traffic feels so rushed and other days it is so relaxed. Today was a relaxed day. Typically, as I come into work down highway 201 the traffic all seems to blaze along at 80 mph. It's a 60 mph zone. I can cruise along at 75 and still feel "pushed". But then there are days like today where I can cruise at 65 and no one seems to be in a big hurry. It's just very interesting. I wonder if there really is a difference in the general driver attitude or if it is all in my own mental state and perception? Anyway, just a random observation.

I'm experiencing some sort of mechanical anomoly right now. The other day I noticed that my chain had become quite sloppy so I tightened it up. But, now I've got a strange vibration that is occuring. The rear wheel feels like it is binding about 1/4 turn of every rotation. I thought it might be the rear brake needing adjustment after adjusting the chain tension, but I adjusted that and don't seem to get a difference. Everything else looks right. The only thing I notice is that the chain is tighter at a certain point in the rotation and looser in the rest. I'm still new enough to the motorcycle mechanics that I'm not sure what to make of it. Guess I better call the shop.

Too busy riding

Okay, so I've missed a few days blogging. Not like it matters much, since I am probably the only one who reads this, but...I'll keep at it. The last week has been good. I've been able to ride every day. It has been on the cooler side, but I haven't had to bundle up too much.

The commute has been relatively tame. I did have one morning that I got a good scare, but it turned out to be nothing. I was in a lane on I-15 that exits on 53rd South. It is also a lane that has people merging on from 45th South. It's one of those that's tricky because the drivers exiting are having to move through this lane to get off at the same time and place that the drivers entering. So I'm in this lane and I decide to move to the furthest inside lane so I'm out of the way of the entering and exiting vehicles. I signaled to change to my right and as I looked over my right should to check my path a huge black vehicle comes flying past right where I'm about go. My heart jumps in my throat and I learch on the brake, at the same time to realize that it is just the shadow of the semi passing on my left, casting its shadow across my lane. What a relief. I thought I was going to be clipped, and then rear-end by my quick decleration. Fortunatley all was well. Just watch out for shadows.

On another note, I ran across a cool pic of one of my guitar heros, Neil Schone of Journey sitting on a very cool looking chopper. I don't go for choppers much, but I like this one. In truth I've always loved Journey's album art (as well as their music). I'm thinking one day I'm going to have some form of their winged beetle emblem painted on my bike. I think it would be awesome.
Here is a sample. (See more cool scarob designs at LightbrushStudio.com).

Ride Log - 21 April 2009 - The sun is up and...

...it's getting hot! Of course, 70 degrees will feel cool when the 100 degree weather comes along. But 70 is hot after riding in 40 degree temps for the last couple months. I actually opened my jacket vents today.

I was talking to the guys at work about this insane ride I saw on YouTube. It's a motorcycle land speed record at the Maxton mile track. Here it is.



(Conditions - Time: 8:00am & 4:30pm; Temp: Hi - ~71F, Lo - 46F; wind: 5 mph SE; Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Music: Saxon - Solid Ball of Rock, Sister Hazel - Somewhere More Familiar; Clothing: Jacket with liner, Sweater, light gloves, leather chaps and Helmut.)