Why it Pays to Read Up

Here is a quick and VERY graphic depiction as to why it pays to read up on how to properly maintain your motorcycle before you actually go ahead and do so.

Again...graphic images.

See and read about how easily you can loose parts of fingers here

AOTD: Motorcyclists Who are in too Much of a Hurry

So I am trying to be zen and not get upset with people when I ride but I have another Asshole of the Day post. Its not only cagers who can risk the health of our two wheels riding buddies but we can also endanger our own species as seen the other day. I was commuting to work and, as usual, cutting through traffic. I'm a considerate rider so I check my mirrors often and if there is a biker who's coming up on me, I will move over to let him/her by...of course I do it when its safe for me to do so. Anyway I see someone get behind me and am about to get over when a car in front of me puts their signal on and moves in front of me...I wait for them to move over before I get out of this guy's way. Apparently that's not good enough for me so he has to go by me, and then by the car that's already 3/4 of the way into the other lane. This causes him to have to make a quick transition back to the center line between the carpool and fastlanes. So now I am behind this guy and he flies down the road and starts crowding a Harley rider. The Harley is going rather quickly but not fast enough. As soon as Mr. Asshole has enough room he flies by the Harley and cuts him off. The problem here is that when he went by the Harley, he did so within inches of this guy. He also cut him off at a very high rate of speed and did so when he (the asshole) was between two cars.

Again, this comes down to saftey. Never assume, car or bike, that someone can see you. Had the Harley moved over to his right while the other bike was going by I would have had a front row seat to a pretty horrific bike accident. Also, had something happened to the car, traffic, etc when the guy cut the Harley off, it could have spelled even worse results. It takes a special breed to put people's lives on the line like that when they can't get their way.

Fieldsheer Expander Saddlebag Review

I bought the Fieldsheer Expander Saddlebags for my SV650 after seeing them in a store side by side with the other popular Cortech Sport Saddlebags. The fit/finish of the Expanders seemed better than the Cortech and the features of the bag seemed better as well. I was taking a 2,400 mile trip from Los Angeles to Fort Collins, CO and back and needed something that would hold at least 3-4 days worth of clothes, supplies, etc for me to get there do, laundry and get home. I would be staying in hotels along the way so camping wasn't a concern.

Packing the bags was simple. People complain that the single zipper, as opposed to the flap on the Cortechs, is a pain when trying to pack/unpack the bags. I had no problem packing the bags and thought that only having one zipper was one less weak point I would have to worry about. I did however gripe somewhat on my trip when I had to go hunting for things in the bags. If the item was on the bottom then I would have to take everything on top out and then repack.

Mounting was simple...at first. I had taken a 240 mile test ride (where the pictures were taken) and mounted the bags fine, but did not load them to the amount I did for the actual trip. Once loaded with all of my supplies, locking chain, etc etc etc...the bags were much more weighed down. Since I was groggy on my way out the first morning, I didn't realize it but I had put the saddlebags on backwards. I couldn't figure out why they were sagging so much but I left anyway. Once I really woke up out in the middle of the dessert I realized that I had put them on backwards. I also found that I had rubbed a nice line of finish off my new Two Brothers Exhaust DOHHHH! When I did get them turned around I would notice through my trip that they would start to hang to one side. You secure them to the bike via clips that tie down to the bike and then clip to the saddle bags and are adjustable. I mounted the front ones on the rear peg brackets and the rear ones on the passenger grab bar. They didnt move but I did find that no matter how tight I made them, they always slipped and the saddlebags would eventually favor one side. However, once mounted in the correct direction, they never came close to touching the exhaust, but they would ALWAYS bend the turn signals down. Don't worry too much about this though as they are pretty resilient and will bend back on their own.

Another mounting issue I had is with the two Velcro straps that hold the two saddle bags together. The front one should go across the front of the passenger seat and the back one across the rear. They are velcro so you can easily adjust the length. I made the front one longer than the back to accommodate for the wider front end but as I found, this somehow put more weight/pressure on the front straps, especially on the leading/front corner of the strap that was sewn into the bag. It seemed that most of the weight of the two bags was focused on the one spot on the front straps and I was getting concerned they were going to break. The reason I realized is that the straps front and back were both angled toward each other...essentially drawing a straight line between the points. The problem was that the back strap was not as long as the front...so the back was twisting the front and that straight line was being curved. The fix was taking those front straps and not laying them directly on top of each other but rather making a X to compensate for angle. This helped put the weight across the whole strap rather than just a corner of it...and the velcro is strong enough to handle just a portion being attached in that X fashion rather than the whole strap. If you were able to follow all of this jibberish I am amazed.

The bags could hold quite a bit of stuff. I had ALL of my clothes on ONE side. I had 4 t-shirts, 2 pair of jeans, 2 pair of shorts, socks, undies, bathing suit and a large hooded sweatshirt. The other side was not as full but just as heavy as I had: chain cleaning supplies, 1 pair boots (size 14) , 1 pair flip flops, toiletries bag, clear face shield, 2' heavy motorcycle chain and various other goodies I can't remember. I put everything else, rain gear, laptop, tools, etc in a backpack that was held to the back via a elastic cargo net.

I was able to find these for about $110 with shipping online. For that price I would definitely buy these again. If I was doing longer trips or more regular trips, I would bite the bullet and spring for hard cases. The soft saddlebags get to be a pain in the ass you don't want to have to deal with every morning and every time you get off the bike to move around again. Also be VERY care full when trying to adjust them when they are on your bike. I found out the hard way when yanking on them and pulled the bike off her side stand and plop on the ground.

Two Brothers M-5 Exhaust Review

In short the Two Brothers M-5 Exhaust for the SV650 sounds orgasmic. I installed the carbon fiber can and the look of it compared to other CF cans is far superior. Park it next to a M4 CF can and you'll notice the difference right away. M4, the seemingly most popular brand for the SV's, makes a very dingy looking CF can and it doesn't seem to have the lines the Two Bros does. Installation isn't too bad and once you take off the stock can you realize how light the Two Bros' is. Like most, I started my bike prior to installing the new can...loud. Once the new can was on, the bike was still loud but that harsh sound had been soothed and massaged quite a bit into what a true V-Twin sportbike SHOULD sound like.
Now...I've wanted a Ducati for a LONG time. I love the SV but who doesn't like the way a Duc sounds? I had been trying to emulate the sound but now that I've put this can on I almost want to say I like the sound of the SV a bit more. I have a friend with the Monster 800 and arrow exhaust. I brought the bike over and he was jealous of the sound it was putting out. I've had people come up and comment on how nice the bike sounds as well as a guy the other day ride by with a 1198 and dual termignoni exhaust, slow down, check out the bike/pipe and give me a thumbs up...and then he dissapeared in a cloud of dust.

I've put about 3,000 miles on since I installed the exhaust and here are some pros/cons:
- Sounds amazing...but its also very loud. I wouldnt want to ride on the freeway, etc without earplugs. Noise however at cruising speed is negligible...this was helpful on my road trip. They do make tips that help reduce added noise but who wants that :)
- I get much more notice now when in traffic or splitting lanes. Obviously a great thing but you also run the risk of getting the wrong kind of attention such as a cop, etc if you're going too fast
- The finish on the exhaust tip isn't too durable. I had my saddle bags on backwards and the edge of one rubbed on the tip of the exhaust. The gold finish was rubbed of of that one section.
- You'll have to repack the exhaust at some point
- Looks are far better than most other exhausts on the market
- The mid pipe and other hardware look like they are of better quality than other brands.

Overall, I'd absolutely buy another Two Bros can for any other bike I purchase.

EDIT: I've finally uploaded the videos. The problem is that I am using the video function on my camera. Now its not terrible but it doesn't capture sound well. It seems to cancel out all of the higher frequency noise the Two Bros can produces so in the VIDEOS it seems MUCH less loud than stock...that is the complete opposite. The Stock pipe is whisper quiet in comparison. Sorry for the poor videos.

The Cold Shoulder From Cortech / Tourmaster

Sorry its been a while but I'm finally back in the groove after taking the bike up to CO...2,400 miles round trip. Pictures and write up coming soon. Which brings me to this post. On my way out to CO my hands started to hurt considerably due to the Alpinestar gloves I was wearing. They are great shorty gloves that are meant to fit more snuggly and help your hands be more maneuverable on the street and when going through traffic. On the open road however, after being on the bike for 10 hours or so, my hands would go numb and tingle when I would take the gloves off. When I finally got to Fort Collins, I decided to find a shop and spend some money on gloves that were meant to be more touring orientated and suit me better for the ride home.

I found the Cortech Scarab RR Gloves. Once I was back on the road however I noticed the elastic portion around the left wrist of the glove was coming apart. I was already a few hundred miles out of town so taking them back to the store was out of the question. The problem got worse as I rode home. When I finally did get home I popped on the handy interweb and low and behold...no phone number for Cortech (or Tourmaster)...just an email. Their return policy is that anything you buy from the store you have to take back there. I've tried to contact Cortech/Tourmaster to see if I could ship them the item rather than having to ship it to CO but no response...not even a "This is our policy, sorry". It's been over a week. Do a quick Google search and this seems to be the norm.

Considering the considerable amount of money I spend on gear for this trip and how much money we as motorcyclists spend on stuff I am floored that a company like Cortech/Tourmaster refuses to even respond to their customers. Needless to say I won't be looking to them for any future purchases.

The Almost Perfect Headphones

I've been trying to find some great headphones for riding. Everyone has some suggestions as to what that may be but I've found that my ear canals don't have the typical shape and it makes it difficult for the in-ear headphones to fit properly. Most riders seemed to agree on the upper end that Etymotic er6i earphones were the best. However at a priced at $90-75 depending on where you can find them, its a crap shoot since I dont even know if they'll fit in my ear. I do however know that those little foam earplugs fit great and I can no longer ride without them. The wind noise annoys me now if I dont have them in my ears. So what I decided to do was go out and buy another highly recomended headphone, the JVC Marshmallow ($20), and try fitting the foam earplugs onto them.

Here is what I did.

First, cut off a bit of the foam ear plug. Up to you how much to cut but I think the plug would be too long without doing this.Next, punch a pilot hole through the center of the ear plug. Then, using a small drill bit, slowly use that to hand drill a hole through the middle of the foam. You only need to go as deep as the tube on the headphone is where you slide the foam piece on.Now you're done. Fit the foam ends on and put them in your ears! They do a GREAT job of keeping wind noise out as well as deliver great music without having to crank up the volume. One complaint I do have is that it's difficult to get the headphones in and sealed well...but again its due to how my ear canals are. I even have a difficult time with the standard ear plugs.

Colorado Trip Planning

In a couple weeks, I will be on my way to Colorado on the SV. I've been in the process of getting the bike ready for the trip and planning out my route. I had thought about doing some camping but decided that I would opt out of that and try couch surfing instead. If you've never "surfed", there are a few websites out there devoted to "surfing". I joined CouchSurfing which is a free online site that has other people who post available couches you can crash on as you come through town.

For the bike, I decided to go with Fieldsheer Expander Saddle bags. I'll be using a Tourmaster magnetic tankbag I've had for a few years and for some additional storage, I'm going to load up a backpack and secure it to the back seat/saddlebags with a cargo net. I also just installed a custom Corbin saddle and picked up a CrampBuster along with StompGrips to make the ride more comfortable.

The Route...I've decided to take 3 riding days to get from Los Angeles to Fort Collins and another 3 back. My first night will be spent in Las Vegas, then Grand Junction and finally my destination. On my way back, I'm going to change up the route a bit and go up through Wyoming and stop in Salt Lake City and then go South to Vegas. If I had more time I would continue heading west and possibly go through San Francisco and take Highway 1 back down to LA...but that would add at least another day or two I don't have.

Corbin Seat Installled!

After 5 LONG weeks of waiting, my Corbin seat finally arrived today. I've planned a trip and will be leaving in a few weeks for Norther Colorado. This seat should hopefully save my rear. A Corbin seat typically doesn't take 5 weeks to manufacture. They are made to order but I had mine custom made. Since the Corbin seat for the SV comes cupped the put the rider a bit further back in the seat, it is subsequently about an inch lower than the stock seat height. I'm 5'11 and the ergos on the SV are a little tight to begin with so I didn't want to loose an inch. I also prefer to sit up against the tank and be more upright when I ride. So when I called Corbin, I told them I wanted the seat an inch higher than standard and designed for my riding position. There was no extra cost, just added labor time.

STOCK SEAT:

CORBIN SEAT:
Upon opening the box, the first thing I noticed was that the material on the seat wasn't quite the same material I had ordered. I had ordered the "Carbon Fiber High Gloss" and it looks like I received the standard. There wasn't a price difference and considering I need the seat for my trip, I'll live with the difference. The Standard Carbon Fiber look actually matches the stock rear seat pretty closely so that mistake was actually a bonus. Looking at the invoice they also only built the seat 3/4" inch higher than standard rather than an inch. Again, should be fine but if I am spending this amount of money on a seat, I'd like it right or at least a phone call to confirm.

The seat itself looks very sturdy. The seat pan, rubber pads, stitching and metal rivets holding the leather down all seem top notch. There were some oil marks from someone's hands however all over one side of the seat that had to be cleaned off.Installation of the seat was a pain. After having installed a few parts built specifically for this bike, they have bolted on almost flawlessly. This seat however was another story. The seat had a metal bracket that is bolted into the seat pan and then that is what bolts into the bike. Its a matter of lining up 2 bolts. When I first lined up the seat the bracket was nowhere near to being close to the bikes mounting holes. I noticed that the bracket could be adjusted slightly so I loosened the bolts and slid it forward. It was closer. I then had to try bending the brackets ever so slightly to towards the front of the bike. Once I did that I was able to muscle the seat into place and get it bolted in. For a $260 seat, I would expect that it could at least line up to the two bolt holes on the bike.I spent a little time on the seat, and at first "glance", it is a harder seat but seems to spread my weight out along more surface rather than in specific pressure points like the stock seat did. I plan on giving it a plenty of butt time before I write a full review but my initial impression with Corbin is that they need to pay more attention to the details. My seat was built with the wrong material, to a different height than specified, came covered in oilly finger marks and with a bracket that doesn't seem as though it's designed to fit this bike. With these quality errors and $260 for the seat plus tax/shipping along with a 5 week lead time...you might want to look to Sargent for your seat. But stay tuned, in a few thousand miles my butt and I might be singing a different tune.

Video of Crazy Supermoto Riders!

Originally found on Return of the Cafe Racers, these guys are absolutely out of their minds...in a fun to watch sort of way but I would definitely not want to be on the same road. You can see the guy wheelieing around corners, sliding through some corners with his hands and feet out wearing nothing but a Helmet and T-Shirt. Wish I knew which country they were in so I could say "squid" in their native tongue ;)

Joe Rocket Ballistic Pants Review, Worst Gear Ever

I bought these Joe Rocket pants quite a while ago. I'm almost certain they were the Ballistic model but I could be wrong as they didn't have any model that I could see stitched on the inside. That said...it really shouldn't matter. This is, hands down, the worst piece of gear I have ever purchased.

I initially bought these because they seemed rather sturdy, had some nice knee and hip armor and I really needed a pair of pants at the time. I think I paid just north of $100 for these on sale...about average for textile pants. I needed something I could ride with year round. These had a zipper that ran down the side of each leg that you allowed you to get air, flash people, etc.

The first thing I noticed with these pants is that they were as slippery as ice! I thought I was going to slide off the bike the first few times I came to a stop! You're kidding right?

Ok...so I get the bike on the road, with the pants on, and I now realize how hot it can get in these things...and this is on a typical 70 some degree day. So I unzip the sides and damned if I didnt wear my nicest boxers that day. The side zipper started high on the hip and came down so...if you weren't wearing jeans underneath, you exposed yourself and the whole side of your leg. Call me crazy but doesn't this negate the point of wearing armored pants?

Well I couldn't return the pants so I wore them a very limited number of times over the course of the next couple months. I then stowed them away for awhile and one cold day decided to start wearing them again. Once I got home, I noticed that the seam on the side of the pants had come completely undone. I was out of warranty and out of patience with these pants. So I did what anyone else would have done...I took a lighter and melted down the edges to keep it from fraying any further. This worked for the next few rides until the OTHER side did the same thing. Screw it...wearing these is better than jeans, right? So I keep going and saving some pennies so I can upgrade my gear. Another handful of rides later the seams around the knee armor started separating. That was the last straw.I put less than a couple thousand miles on these pants, and although they were about 2 years old, they were completely falling apart. I circled every seam where the pants were coming apart. Keep in mind this was standard commuting and I was taking good care of the pants in between rides. Although they were 2+ years old, they should have held up MUCH better than they did. I'm scared to think what may have happened had I gone down in these. I'll be VERY leary of any Joe Rocket products in the future.