Sometimes When it Comes to Motorcycle Maintenance... Cheap Don't Pay

Sometimes a guy just walks along shakin' his head... He's walkin'... cuz the bozo is too cheap for his own good.

Got the forks torn down with very little trouble really. Turned out I needed to enlist a buddy with an impact wrench to provide enough "ooomph" to pop the bolts that hold the forks together. To get them back together I've got to fabricate a "Damper tube holder".

Not a big deal... just one of the "lil' details" nobody seems to mention in their "Easy Job" write ups. ;)

I also need to break down and pick up at least a cheapie impact wrench...

The MAIN obtructification standing in my way is that bit of mush that slops around between my ears. A couple of weeks back when I ordered the fork seals... I was trying to be frugal, conservative... penny wise... yeah lots of fine sounding words that mostly mean tight wad dumb ass to cheap for his own good! ;)

What I DIDN'T order were fresh bushings. Dumb move. When I got the forks apart it was clear and plain they were worn way to much to leave... so they've been ordered now and I wait again for new parts.

In the mean time I decided to make an "Old School" modification to protect those fork seals in the future.

I started hunting around for fork boots.

Only... near as I can tell, Nobody builds any that fit the forks of a Yamaha Raider...

Most of my life, spent on the ranches, has been figgerin' ways to make what you HAVE, do the job you need it to do. So I've developed a pretty good ability to find new parts that were mistakenly believed to be something else!

Like Rancho Truck Shock Boots. Those aren't shock boots! Them there are Yamaha Raider Fork Boots! :)

Yup... their nice rubber boots fit like a freakin' glove. Takes a good bit of effort to get that skinny end started but once you do it fits like it was designed for the purpose.

I'll zip tie the ends with black ties (which will be nigh on to invisible) and dirt getting to the fork seals will not be a problem in the future!

Suh-Wheet!

Now I know... Rubber boots are not gonna appeal to folks that are all into chrome and polish, and I understand that, and that's fine.

But me? I'm into snoopin' around back roads. Signs that say "Pavement ends" don't turn me back like they tend to do for the spit and polish boys...

The only problem with that is, my ride tends to experience a bit more grit and grime than the average big red cruiser..

*Up in the Yukon*

This bike is gonna take me back to Alaska again... it's gonna take me hopefully to the Maritimes... and lots of other places in between... and lots and lots of Places and visions those riders that have to fret about their chrome will never see...except in the pictures made by nut jobs like me. :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

She May Have to Ride on the Truck Between Camps... But... A Trailer Queen She Ain't!

 I Believe People Think; "That Boy is Brain Damaged"

A biker has a choice. He/she can ride, paying little attention to the weather, or you can lose those days.

You can sit inside waiting for those sunny days... or you can just ride and take what comes...
 

*Consequence of forgotten rain gear*

If you do plan on taking what comes... I'd suggest you don't ride off and forget your rain gear... after pulling it from a saddle bag while you were rewiring your charging dock... Bwahahahahaha...

I remember pulling into the hardware I used to toil at. The thermometer on the sign board would be flashing 10 degrees as I pulled off my helmet and balaclava walking inside. The cashier would always just look at me and shake her head.

Me? I'd be grinning. I was ALIVE!

I don't care to ride in those temps any more... but... I've no idea why... rain makes me goofy.

Yesterday I rolled though the downpour... and music was swingin' through my head, helmet bobbin' to the rhythm. 

I glanced at the dad and soccer mom in their mini van as I passed, the water just pourin' off me and the bike... the look on their faces said it all; "No wonder this country is goin' to hell! So many people are NUTS!" ... Bwahahahahaha.

Some riders lay out big $$$ for exquisite paint and acres of chrome...

I've thought about it. Thought how cool it would be to ride one of those "show" bikes...

... and then thought about all the sleep I'd lose what with the work to clean and polish all that fancy four times a day...

Nah... for me... the finish I prefer, that fits this rider is the patina of miles. I'll wash off the grime once in a while when I pass a carwash...

... but worryin' any length of time 'bout bugs, dirt and rain splatter... well... that's just a waste of time.

Clean it all off and twelve miles down the road it'll all be right back on there... unless a fella leaves the bike parked under an awning waiting on a sunny day...

Screw that... I'll just remember the rain gear next time ;)

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

ATGATT... Reasonable Care? or Unreasonable Fear?

Well, this rant isn't all about atgatt... It's a convoluted and fuzzy rambling about... surety and how the foolish quest for that, ruins the life that IS surely here.

There's but one thing that's for sure and for certain in this life... Death.

I am weary to the bone of all the people droning on and on and on about do this safe or that safe... BE SAFE!

Ahhhhh... I wouldn't pay a nickle for a pound of Safe... I'm weary of that anemic idea because it's all mostly baloney built on a base of unrealistic fear in the first place.

No matter how much care you take, how religiously you eat your vegetables, no matter how skilled the Doctor or how well your preacher has the ear of God... You my friend... are going to Die.

As long as I can remember I've been propagandized with the idea, in one form or another, to always turn away at risk. Avoid it like the plague. Only foolish people take risks. Risk takers are some sort of whack job.

The reality is, nothing happens without RISK. Adventure is RISK. Excitement can't happen... without RISK.

The reality is, that psychotic, trained in fear of all the things that could go wrong... is surrendering to cowardice under the color of reasonable care.

Life is a dreary and grey place... absent of RISK.

Now... listen up... I'm saying RISK... not STUPIDITY. Accepting Risk doesn't mean ignoring  common sense. It means weighing the benefits, playing the odds and having confidence in your abilities...

OF course... if you believe you can outrun that grizzly after you poke that ugly basket thief in the butt with your sharp stick... I've got my video camera warmed up and focused...

***a bit of a sideline*** just to say it... the base source of this malicious idea of "safety" is our "Leadership". The leaders of Society don't want excited, adventurous spirits taking risks. They want obedient, quiet, productive serfs laboring in safe and reasonable pursuits. (adventurous people are difficult to control) They want those laboring, fearful masses working for them... so THEY the leadership can go out and adventure, sky dive, climb mountains, TAKE RISKS and enjoy LIFE while the rest of us support them***

I've allowed too much of my life to be stolen by that never ending droning about all the dangers of this life and their avoidance; this toxin, that seat belt, red meat, safe sex, crap in the water, crap n the air, speeding, drinking, smoking, running with a fork in your hand, bucking horses, saving money, mercury fillings, genetically modified food, cancer from your cell phone, flu shots, colon cancer, calm down you'll get a heart attack... blah blah blah...

Ugh... I Vow... more people have died from the worry piled on 'em about what might could kill 'em... than from any of those multitude of options that in the end don't matter... 'cause in the end we all end up in the same place...

... The belly of a worm burping and rubbing his stomach; "Damn! That was one good Biker!"

But even worse; While you sit around waiting to die... because once all the risks are seen and avoided... there isn't a hell of a lot left to do but read a book about Somebody Foolish Going out and LIVING... while YOU wait for the worm ... LIFE passes you by.

The thing is this... take  bit of care here and there. Don't be stupid... unless stupidity wiggles your bean. If straddling your bike geared up like a science fiction warrior is what captures your imagination... do that.

If putting it in the wind bare headed and bikini clad is your thing... do that.

Just own it. Accept the consequences of your Choice... and don't judge others for theirs. (or, think you have the right to judge... or impose YOUR values)

The thing is... live while there's living to be done. Live a Class A life while you're living.

Would you rather live one GREAT 30 year movie? or... sit through the agony of 67 years of the worst, dullest, most agonizingly moronic home movies kodak ever created? Think about it...

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

The Un-Solicited Wisdoms of; They Know Better Than Me...

I don't believe I've made it through a whole dang month in the last 45 years that some wise soul hasn't accosted me with the un-asked for burden of their denigrating wisdom.

It's not just a motorcycle thing... it's about just 'bout every piece and part of living.

Where does that sort of arrogance come from?

Now let me say right here, I say a lot here 'bout what I think is good, and what I think is bad... and the ways and trails I've found in my search to find more of the good and less of the bad... FOR ME!

BUT... I figure if a body came here... they were lookin' for my ramblings... my Oh-pin-yun about something or other.

... and I didn't rope 'em off the street and force 'em to listen neither! ... I'm not grabbin' 'em by the arm and squealin' about what weak brained droolers they are... just sayin'.

Now... if I ASK a person what they think of this... or what they think of that... I can't complain 'bout the answers I get... and generally I get enough of a variety of responses that I can sift out the sensible answer I'm lookin' for.

It's all those towering intellects, with their sou-peer-ee-ore brain functions, that stink of pomposity, self appointing themselves to dump their un-soh-lisss-i-ted advisements on me like a tsunami of bovine fertilizer; that I did this wrong or I'm screwin' up that ... that frosts my spleen and kinks my bean in a knot.

Where in the hell do folks find the arrogance to even think that THEY KNOW BETTER what pleases ANYBODY? They know what pleases their own selves. They know what works for them... and they know what they don't like... and that's all they know.

They ain't got the sliver of the shadow of a clue what motivates me... what I need and what I want... unless I tell 'em. It tickles my liver to a rolling boil when they come back at me... after I've filled 'em in with a few of those lil' tidbits about ME... that; "No you're wrong! That's Not true!"...

Seriously? I'm what? Too STUPID to know what makes me smile and what makes my liver flip?

I ride to FEEL the wind, the rain, the cold, the heat, the dust, the scent of the pines... I want to experience life... not get Told what it feels like by those who had the cajones to hang it in the wind and know it first hand.

"No" they say. "You need this and that and the other to protect and isolate you from all those things..."

Thanks... I guess I was too damn stupid to know what I want...

NO... I don't NEED those things you say I do... YOU do.

If windshields and fairings... and grip heaters... and electric underwear... and abs brakes and computer operated instant inflation airbag vests and all such accoutrements twist your throttle, I am as happy for you as a furloughed sailor with a full months pay in his pocket finding a discount whore house.

But please, STOP trying to convince me, by way of self inflation and  ad hominem assaults (didn't know I knew any of those educated words did ya?)  that ya'll know better what I like, what appeals to me... and what is better for me... Than I do.

Guess what? I stop listening juuuuuust 'bout the time you fire off the phrase, or something like it; "You HAVE TO"... or ... "You NEED TO"... or "You'd be BETTER OFF if"... arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh...

JEEEEESUS Cuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrimmmmmineeeeeeeeee! I got juuuuust a few active neurons still zingin' around in the Ol' Brain pan. I've kept myself on top of the grass through things that would kill a heavy percentage of the ones claimin' brighter bulbs than mine... and bailed their types out far more than the opposite... SO... I do believe I'm qualified to choose what I wear... and what I sit behind when I'm splittin' the wind on a scooter... and how I live the whole of my life for that matter.

If I ask for an opinion about this or that, or for a soliloquy about your experience with such or the other... by all means pipe up... but if ya'll just want to bestow on such feeble minded as me the precious jewels of your infallible wisdom about how I ain't got the sense to pee in a bucket...

... Bite your tongue...and Give that sucker a freakin' Rest!

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Stacking Up A Biker's Wish List Faster Than I Can Check 'em Off

A fella with my finances has plenty of time to drool over gear catalogs, and build lists. He's got lil' fear of emptying the list faster than he can add to it! But I can hope!

I've got motorcycle wish lists that run from bikes themselves to Riding and Motorcycle Camp gear to a bucket list of Long Rides in the Wind I'd like to get done before I get too old and feeble to keep the scooter upright.

My Motorcycle Wish List; I'd really like to be able to add two scooters to my bike garage before I'm too decrepit to ride 'em;

*The first is a step out of the comfort zone; I'd like to build a mix of a mechanically correct military matt finish - sand colored? chromeless, metric, back roadable, bobbed, semi knobbied, bagger, rat ride, dual purpose, 650+- give 'er hell and let-the-chips-fall scooter with an attitude!

Starting from maybe a Yamaha Seca core? ;) ... yup... twist the imagination a touch.

I've just found a representative pic that gives a flavor of the vision I have in me warped brain... ;)

...just shave the teeth and such. ;) make the bags bigger 20mm. cans use a 650-750 for enough juice to get deeper into trouble a lil' quicker ;) ...THIS just looks like a fun ass hoot of a project to me!

*The second would be a normal KLR sort of good and proper dual purpose back roader that I could explore with while NOT getting so many stares of What-the-hell-izzat?" from folks. :)

Then there's the Motorcycle Gear Wish List;

Lux Lite cot; This has been recommended to me by several riders as the cat's meow for aging bones that still admire to sleep under canvas motorcycle camping on their touring rides... I want one!

Bohn Armor;

I've wanted a full set of this gear for a while. It'd be nice to allow a lil' less weighty and cumbersome motorcycle safety gear on those 90 degree summer runs...

Being able to wear full impact and skid protection under my jeans and shirt would be a nice change I believe.







Yamaha Parts;

First, the Yamaha Tail rack in the black powder coated version. It's my intention to add this to my existing Yamaha back rest in the very near future. I lost the rack when I swapped out my back rest last year. I truly need to find the dinero to complete that change!

and second, the Yamaha Tank Bag designed specifically for my Roadstar Raider...

Having a convenient place for cameras, maps, and all the miscellaneous bits and pieces you want quick access to on the road is a big improvement on those long rides.



Gear Dry Bag;

 I like the look of this bag from Wolfman luggage by way of Revzilla.

There's nothing worse at the end of a long wet day in the saddle and you pull gear out of your bag, hoping to change into something dry... only the waterproof tail bag wasn't... and you have no dry socks to put on. arrrggggghhhh.

A true DRY BAG is a change I'm gonna make and forget the failed but flashy cruiser bags and covered duffles I've used and seen in the past.

If they keep a rafters gear dry on a river... they should keep a bikers gear dry on the asphalt.

LED Camp Lantern;

Reading at night in the tent on the road is problematical for motorcycle touring. But now-a-days with the rapid improvements in LED technology... the problem's been solved!

...and they've got 'em at my favorite motorcycle camping gear provider; REI. They sell the lux lite cots too!



A better camp chair;

 While this isn't really on my list any more... 'cause I already got one! ;) I thought I'd include it here 'cause it is a big improvement in a small saddle bag suitable package... for more comfortable camp sitting.

It beats the old, flat, sit on the ground stadium seat I've been using ... by a pretty wide margin.


Semi Rectangular Sleeping bag

I've changed a mite in the past few years and the mummy bag I've used for a long, long time is now just way too tight for comfort. I just can't stand being that snugly wrapped any more.

I want to change out to a lil' roomier sort of bag that can still compact as needed for packing on the bike.


Somewhere soon I need to replace my stolen motorcycle helmet cam... I'm leaning toward the Drift Ghost video camera

 My HD 170 predecessor was one of the camera's that got stolen.

I liked the way it fit far more compactly and aerodynamically than the Go Pro arrangement... against my helmet or bike... buuut the new Go Pro's still look pretty good too! ;)

Then of course, there is the seemingly unending search for Truly Waterproof, comfortable and functional Touring Gloves... since I can't say I've found anything that's really impressed me... I'm still looking for them...

... as well as a few ideas I have for a custom, removable, fuel bottle rack mounted under the yamaha tail rack using Quick fist clamps to hold fuel bottles for my Auxiliary fuel... and the fuel bottles to go on it...

 I'm leaning hard there toward replacing the thin walled, backpacking MSR bottles I've been using with something like these from Tour Tank.

I've got a "Design" rattling around in my head of a poly plate with those quick fist clamps mounted to it that could be strongly zip tied under the tail rack; for those trips in places where the distance between fuel stations are stretched out to make a rider like me a lil' nervous.

Yup... I just keep adding wishes to my list faster than my anemic earning ability can add 'em to the bike! :)

Keep tuned in... the next bit of my wish list is the Motorcycle Touring Bucket list of Rides...

Grab Your Handles and Ride.
Brian

Getting the Last Good Out of a Motorcycle Helmet

I replaced my Nolan N103 Helmet a few weeks ago. It should have had another year or two before needing to be replaced, for safety reasons from the shell age... but the mechanisms in it to operate the the visors and the modular face shield were coming to operate so poorly I was fed up with it.

I opted this time for a cheaper but better fitting HJC CL16, Standard full face.

The only problem with this new helmet was that it doesn't have the slick and still operating well, chin strap quick release that's built into the Nolan Helmets.

I picked up a variety of quick release when I bought the HJC...

But... I can't say I'm satisfied with it.

It laces onto the existing helmet chin straps... but for me it operates kind of clumsy/awkward.

Once you have it laced in and adjusted up right... You have to have the prongs aimed just right for it to fit into the slot...

Which for a lot of riders might NOT be an issue...

For me it has proven to be. Funbling around with something under my chin, that I can't see, is apparently... NOT... a skill of mine.

I got the dang thing wedged wrong a couple of times... and had a hell of a time getting it loose so I could take the helmet off. :)

Sooooo.... since that Old Nolan was still cluttering up the floor of the rig (I hadn't used it as dumpster filler yet) I had the bright Idea of scavenging it's Nolan quick release and splicing it onto my HJC Helmet!

Only took a couple minutes spinning a grinding stone in my Dewalt cordless to wear off the rivets and yank the whole strap system out of the Nolan N103.

It turns out... I could have just cut the hardware loose for the most part.

After I cut a couple of bits loose from the straps on the HJC helmet and one piece of the Nolan's strapping, to let me lace in the hardware I was in business.

The male piece just laced right onto the Longer of the HJC straps. Snugged up tight it was right where it needed to be.

On the other side... the female piece, is right up against the D-rings. It adjusts up snug enough but there's nothing left if I get any scrawnyer!

I can still work the red release lever to pull it when I'm taking it off.

If I gain the ambition I may just remove the D-rings and rivet the strap holding the Female end of the Helmet Strap quick release to the HJC factory strap. That would allow me to bump it over a lil' bit and gain a little more adjustment flexibility in the system... but for now, being lazy... I'll just use it as it is, since it is secure and works!

You just push the male end in slick and easy. A lot smoother system. Was I HJC I think I'd try to license the use of Nolan's Motorcycle helmet quick release! :) 

As for the strength of the rivets I'd use? ... Having run my own custom leather and tack repair shop for ten years or so... The helmet would rip my head off before four or so of those rivets would break! So on that account I'm not concerned at all.

Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian

Um... NO... You WILL Take a Break!

Saw an Ad pop up on another site... I couldn't believe I really saw what I thought I think I saw...

I had to go investigate it... just had to...

Tell me it ain't so? You weren't really hoping for something like this were you? Sorry... but if this is a marketable product for the reasons stated? SOMEBODY has Truly Screwed up Priorities!

When you are riding up the Alcan... or over Beartooth... or down the Pacific Coast Highway...

Or whistling across Hwy 50 in Nevada... think and prepare... Please! :)

Because... NO... You Can't just Pee Anywhere!

This is how do they say it? ... WRONG, on sooooo many levels...

I'm seldom at a loss for words... but I gotta tell you, if these folks actually succeed at sellin' this stuff... profitably... 'cause someone at a football game or leaning through the twisties can't take the time to go find an outhouse? ... it says something 'bout the society I live in...

... That I don't want to know about...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Saturday... I Got Thrust Upon me... The Sight a Rider Never Wants to See...

You roll down a long straight into a sharp right downhill... the hillside hiding the tighter, harder, steeper, left downhill, immediately following... that is really more of a U-Turn... that the righthander dumps you into...

You know it's there... so you're dropping through the gears at the end of the straight... squeezing on the binders and thinking in your head; "This thing is usually sandy, so take it slow..." as you lean into the corner, and back over into the left, running tight onto the center stripe... to stay out of the sand on the outside...

You concentrated on the road in front of you... not the bike following...

Looking back in your mirror, you expect to see the friend following you, on her Harley Fatbob, who's never rode this road... You expect to see her following along where you went... how you went...

... Your eyes focus on the mirror expecting to see just that in its reflection...

In that split second, as your eyes move to the glass, the sound of an impact hammers through your helmet...

...As your eyes see the reflection in the mirror, of her Harley slamming into the guardrail and your friend tumbling across the pavement... to slam into the rail herself, a split second later....

But you can't keep watching... 'cause the road bends back right... you have to grab hold and get your own ride shut down and parked... somehow... The Fear of What's happened behind you... spinning in your brain.

... You leave your bike in the road... there's no where else to shut it down... and... run back up the road muttering... "No...No... No... Jesus.... No...."

When you get there, she's standing beside her bike, kind of stunned... the front end of her Harley, wedged under the guardrail.

A few seconds of stuttering are exchanged as you look at hands, arms, legs... eyes... questioning... looking for and hoping to not find any serious injury... and miraculously... finding none...

The thought is flipping through your head... "She almost didn't put her helmet on... thank God I pushed it..." ... as you look at the gouges on the side of her crash pot...

There's always that possibility... that risk. It exists even if you take that same road in a Toyota... It's a risk that every rider has to weigh and decide... is what my Motorcycle gives to me... worth the risk?

I've weighed that many times... and the answer is always the same... and, for me, it takes scant seconds to reach the decision..

The loss of Riding... The loss of the Open Road, is a greater cost, and a greater risk to my life... then My Motorcycle will ever create.

But... just the same... there are sights... I can do without.

... and next time... I'll think about the road I take a little more... when I'm not sure about the experience of those I'm gonna ride with...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Guardian Bells... Gremlin Bells... and Evil Road Spirits?

Are you a superstitious Biker, or one who adheres to Motorcycle Legends?

Do you ride with a Guardian Bell or Gremlin Bell on your Motorcycle? Most folks know what they're about... do you?

What do you know about the Evil Road Spirits known as Road Gremlins?

If not... the quick story is the superstitious legend of Road Gremlins. There are gremlins out on the road waiting to jump on your bike as you roll by... and cause you all sorts of grief on a Motorcycle journey.

Unless... they jump up and get caught in the Guardian or Gremlin bell that you've got protecting you and your ride.

... Those damned Evil lil' Gremlins can't live in the presence of that Guardian Bell... They get caught in the hollow of the bell... Its steady ringing as you roll down the road drives 'em crazy and they finally fall off... to leave you safely rollin' on down the road... and some say... where the lil' buzzards hit the ground... is what causes potholes! :o)

Sounds kinda goofy... don't it? :o)

Yeah... well... I'm the superstitious sort... and there's been one wired to my Motorcycles for a long time... The bell, hanging as low to the road as I could find a place to hang it... was given to me by a most treasured friend... One of my own personal Guardian Angels...

Now... I ain't sayin' the bell is responsible... but... me and that Big Red Raider... went all the way to Alaska and back... without a burp... and that Bike has stayed upright a couple of times, as well as the V Star before it... before and after Alaska, when I was left scratching my head and wondering how?!

So... was it my riding?... or... was  that Gremlin Bell doin' its job and runnin' off all the Gremlins trying to haunt me? I know one thing... this Ol' Biker ain't gonna take any chances by not having one! :o)

*My Gremlin Bell, hanging Low on my Raider*

 Something to remember is... according to the legend, the power of the Gremlin Bell is supposed to be doubled when the bell is gifted to you by a friend... so if you're also the superstitious sort... and have some good friends you're wantin' to keep safe on their travels... make sure they've got a Gremlin Bell on their scooter!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
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*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
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New Motorcycle Boots for the ALCAN Ride

Bought some new boots... and of course... went to my Favorite place for Outside kind of gear... Bass Pro.

Been looking for some sort of a compromise boot. Something that would work well for riding... and still do a good job, for when I pull in somewhere and want to take a hike up the mountain.

Well... they sell a boot called the Iron Horse... sounds a bit right for a biker don't it? :o) ... they're built with one of the waterproof membranes, are lace up... and have the side zipper... one of the varieties of what some folks call "Duty Boots"...

These look a lot like those from Bates, and Danner... and other Brands well known for making the Duty Boot style... But... they're the Redhead Brand from Bass Pro... so they leave a lil' more in your pocket...

Been wearin' 'em now for about a week... and so far... They're doin' the job... haven't got the boots real wet yet... but I expect they'll keep me dry, as they were built to do... and they're un-insulated... so summertime wear shouldn't be an issue.

The only thing I can say... having never worn a side zipper boot before... It sounds good... but I don't think the reality measures up to the expectation. I was thinkin' that I'd be able to leave the boot laced up... and simply take 'em on and off, using the zipper...

Well... ain't gonna happen... I end up using both... which is ok... and still a lil' quicker, as I don't have to loosen the lacing near as much... otherwise, what with the good price... I'm happy with 'em... and actually, I'm thinkin' of buying a second pair... so I can alternate wearing them, letting the other pair "Dry Out"... significantly extending their life span...

So... Zip up your Biker Boots...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking

Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share...  Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
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Frogg Toggs Rain Wear Should be Just Right For A Raider Rider Heading for Alaska!

Shouldn't it?

 I mean... Froggs oughta know 'bout gettin' wet... Don't ya think? :o)

... and I wonder... how many other Star Raiders... have made the ALCAN journey? Doubt it's so... but it would be cool... to be the first to put my knees in the breeze on the ALCAN... on a Star Raider!

anyhoo... I've been using my old hiking/packing rain gear... 'cause it's lite and will pack down pretty tight... but it does have some failings...

The pants keep me dry... but are split full length on the outside of each leg with zippers...

Considering that I usually wait 'till it's already raining hard, and I'm already soaked 'fore I stop to suit up (hoping it will be 'just a short lil' shower)... and I find myself tryin' to climb into those light pants... as they're flappin' six different directions in the wind...

...I often look like an old lady who's had the elastic in her drawers fail... walkin' down the aisle in church...

... and finds herself trippin' an' dancin'... tryin' to get 'em pulled back up 'fore ever'body gets a look at her 'treasures'!

Add in that they're just a lil too snug to fit decently over my chaps... plus the jacket has a hood too heavy to slide under my helmet... and you'd agree... I needed new Motorcycle Rainwear...

Before... I pull out headed for the Great, Wet, North!

OK... yeah... I Do... I ride -GASP!- A Jap Bike... and Wear a - OH LORDY, The boy's A Girly Man Too!! - HELMET!

But that Raider hauls my lil' D.A.V. Butt down the road a whole lot faster than that Highway patrolman told me is legal... gets better'n 45 mpg most of the time... with reliability... few other builders can boast of...

and I look good doin' it... at something like 30% less Dinero... than its' only real competition...

So... ya'll ride what ya'll like... an'... I'll ride what puts a bug catchin' grin on my face. (if I didn't wear that helmet!) ... and I promise... I'll wait up for ya! :o)

... and as for the Helmet? ... makes me a girly man? ... well... I don't do the stuff that got me to bein' a Disabled Vet... any more... much...

and though I have been accused of bein' a lot of things (they just couldn't prove it!)...  bein' a wuss... ain't one of 'em...

Got the broke bones, scars and dislocated spine to prove it! :o)

The thing is... there's so many of you ugly muggs ridin' around gettin' the front end of your heads all chewed up on bugs an' asphalt... that I just felt it my American Duty... to keep my Bee-U-tiful self... as pretty as I could... for all the Gals ya'll been scarin'!

So... back to that Motorcycle Rain Gear...

I found a set of Motorcycle Rain Gear, built by Frogg Toggs... Named the "Road Toad Action Rain Suit" ... in the Classy Color of ... BLACK! at Bass Pro, down in Denver.. for the princely sum of $65. Don't know that, that is a really good price... but I went in expecting to have to pay something like twenty bucks more... so I won't complain... and Frogg Toggs has a pretty good reputation...

Now... unlike some folks that are into colors, that blind low flyin' pilots... I like, Outside of the paint on a Motorcycle... more subdued colors...

...Like the Black of this two piece Motorcycle rain wear outfit I bought today.

Some think those fluorescent, eye burning, colors make you safer... I hold with the idea that; if the cagers can't see the 80,000 pound semi... they T-Boned... They wouldn't see me if I had a million candle power, flashing red light... sticking out of my butt!

So... I ride like I'm invisible... I... depend on... ME... to keep me safe.

This set of rain gear was built by Frogg Toggs specifically for Motorcycle Riders on the Open Road. It's got the same reflective piping that my leather does (my mind ain't totally closed!)... has the zippers where you need 'em, to pull the gear on over boots and such... and is still light enough to pack down snug into the supplied stuff sack, making it an easy thing to tuck it into the top of a saddlebag or such, available for quick access...

... if the bug catcher behind the bars... gains enough sense to stop and gear up... before... he's wet!

But... the key question remains the same as in that old movie; "Who'll stop the rain?" :o) and will these Frogg Toggs stop it?... I'm confident... but won't know... till it's raining... and I've got my Frog Skin on...

I'll let you know how that turns out! With a road test... as my Raider runs the ALCAN!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Found My Replacement Motorcycle Chaps

We took a run up to Masonville yesterday... to Visit Nostalgic West Leather ...

Mostly, I wanted to scout for a jacket and maybe chaps for Heidi... and maybe see if they carried any leather Over pants... been thinkin' 'bout goin' that-a-way...

I needed to replace my chaps that I ruined a while back from carelessly forgetting them, rolled up in a saddle bag... wet... for a few days... OOPS! ... Don't do that! :o)

Ended up finding far more than I'd expected... and deciding to stay with Motorcycle Chaps... which I bought a set built by First Classics. That company happens to be the same one that built the Jacket which I've been wearing for most of a year now... So I'm familiar and happy with their quality.

Heidi's got her eye on some Motorcycle Chaps of her own... trying to decide between two jackets... and also spotted some likely boots...

It's a good store! :o) if you're bikin' in the Vicinity of Masonville... (just west of Fort Collins, behind Horsetooth reservoir)... stop in and give 'em a look see... good people... and from what I saw... they pretty much only carry good quality... not the "Event Leather" junk... you see at most "Events"...

She did buy a pair of gloves yesterday... but decided to hang fire for a short bit on the other gear... She's taking a Motorcycle Riders Course next weekend... and thinks she wants to wait till after that, to make the decision which gear she wants to wear... Makes sense to me... considering the $cash$ outlay for all of it... and how long that leather Motorcycle Gear lasts!

I have my own opinions... mostly having to do with ATGATT ( all the gear all the time) which I mention here and there :o) but, mostly, I leave the Gear Decision... up to her... though... I push most the folks I know... to use the protective motorcycle gear that's available... to me it only makes sense...

Doing without gear when you ride... so you look "Good"... seems kinda foolish to me... if it has you leaving parts of you... on the asphalt!

That's what it's all about anyway... Riders making their own decisions... walking the talk.

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Sunny Sunday Test Ride on the Bitchn Stitchn Motorcycle Seat...

The weather finally broke a bit. The wind is down, the rain is gone... and we're gonna peel that Motorcycle Cover and put That Red Head on the Road for a test of our new passenger pillion and Star Back Rest system...

I got it put on yesterday... but the road was still muddy... and I'm still "Wussin' Out", when it comes to puttin' her in the mud! :o) ... this was the old seat... the before pic...

... and this is the "New" Bitchn Stitchn seat... with the Yamaha/Star Back Rest in place...

It's a couple inches wider... an inch or so higher... and has a gel insert... The back "Seat" area is fake ostrich, with  stitching embellishing the 1/2 circle insert on the front edge (my pic needs improvement!) ... and they recovered the front panel of the Backrest pad in the Ostrich as well...

I'll get the drivers seat done... as soon as I get the Handlebar 'Pullback' sorted out... so they know where I'll be sitting... but, so far, so good!

Heidi has to be there to open her store at Noon... so I'm gonna haul her in on the Raider... While she's working... I'll do my own "Work"... and ride that Bike! :o) ... well, it works for me!

I'm hoping for some 'progress' this coming week... though it's likely to be expensive... I've got a tail rack ordered that fits the Yamaha Backrest... We also need to pick herself up a new helmet... the one we've got don't fit well.

I'm also, almost, settled on a set of bags out of Texas... anybody have anything to say 'bout a company called Leatherlyke? Their stuff is claimed to be weather tight and lockable... I'd been looking at full grain leather... but... the function of the synthetic stuff is so good... and a whole lot less maintenance needed... so... I'm leanin' that way... anyone have an opinion?... come on... speak up! :o)

A couple of other pieces I want to add to my gear is a full set of Bohn Armor ... and also, to replace my ruined chaps... a set of Leather Overpants...

I'm planning ... uh ... a long ride... and the more complete coverage of full Overpants... more complete than my old chaps... is a plus to me, if it gets a lil' chilly...

... and I'm still trying to find someone who knows where I can find a set of "Pull back extensions"... I saw 'em the other night surfin' around... and forgot to bookmark the site. Can I find it again? Not a chance! aaaaarggggh! :o) These were pretty slick... They fit into the existing handlebar risers... Baron Custom Accessories Makes 'em, I believe... but rather than just adding rise... the top of these were offset... adding 1 1/2" or so of pullback... with only an inch or so of rise... which is perfect for what I need... just can't find the suckers again!

Time for some more Trader Joes, Dark Sumatra Coffee... a lil' more Bob Seeger... and then it's Knees in the Wind!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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I Used to Just Hear Voices... Now I've got Bells Ringing!

OK... I've got to blame a good bit on the Army... and the copper mines... and a few other things... but the wind roar in my helmet don't help any...

The past few months I've had a ringing in my head called 'Tinnitis' come along... likely from too many days in the army, copper mines, shooting... and splitting the wind... without ear protection...

Like ever'body else... I didn't want to be seen as some sissy boy, afraid of a lil' noise. So now... I've got this unending whistle goin' on...

Now that the horse has escaped the barn... I've locked the door... and gone to wearing ear plugs when I ride... juuuuuust a lil' too little, and a lil' too late! :o)

My Yamaha Raider is still equipped with the factory pipes... so it ain't real loud... but, though I invested in a 'better' helmet with my Nolan Modular N103... the wind noise in it is pretty significant... as it has been in pretty much every helmet I've had...

Think about it... if you don't already have a good bit of hearing loss... or the ringin' to accompany the voices in your head... stuff some earplugs in there and protect your equipment!

... and if you're already like me? and already have to say; "Huh?" a lot... 'cause you have trouble hearing over the church bells, clangin' in your head? Do it anyway... Ride your motorcycle, with Hearing Protection... and maybe keep it from gettin' worse!

Then...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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