City Rider

Gear...

2011-09-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

wow... some people pay the price for not wearing gear.

http://wiki.sabmagfaq.org/Road%20Rash%20Queen

keywords: "motorcycle safety" "motorcycle safety gear story" "road rash"

Shield up and ... ouch!

2011-08-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been much of a summer in Vancouver this year. Still... as long as it doesn't rain it's always a good day to ride.
A few weeks back I went for a quick spin to the airport and back. It was a great day, not too hot, not too cold. When I got there I made a north turn with my final destination being Iona Island. It's a nice piece of road with not too much traffic. I love slowing down around there and enjoy the views, smells and sights of planes landing. I got my visor up and was cruising around 50k. All was well and then bam... I got a bug in the face. I _think_ it was a bumblebee. If you've never had a bug hit you in the face at 50k consider yourself lucky. It hurts like a sob :)
First time this happened to me with the shield up. Not an experience I'd like to repeat. Makes me wonder how the open face helmet users do it. Especially further inland where there tends to be more bugs.

1976 HD SX 125

2011-06-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Brakes:1976 Harley-Davidson SX 125

I'm a fan of small displacement motorbikes so this one was especially neat for me to see. I had no idea that Harley-Davidson ever made bikes like that.

This little bike was produced for only 3 years. It didn't sell due to it's high price and stiff competition from other manufacturers.

Engine Type: air cooled, two-stroke single cylinder
Displacement: 123 cc
Valve Train: Rotary valve
Transmission: 5 speed
Brakes: single leading shoe front and rear

First motorcycles: Pierce Four

2011-06-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

1911 Pierce Four

America's first inline four cylinder engine.
Manufactured by Pierce Cycle Co Buffalo, NY this motorcycle had massive frame compared to it's typical counterparts which had bicycle frames.

Engine type: air cooled inline four cylinder
Displacement: 696 cc (42 ci)
Valve train: overhead valve
Transmission: 1 speed
Brakes: negligible

tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition"vintage motorbikes" "Made in America exhibition at Trev Deeley" "motorcycle history" "historical motorcycles"

First motorcycles: ROPER

2011-05-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

1896 ROPER, Steam Propelled Bicycle

This is an odd looking one. Must have been awkward to ride. It's a working replica of Roper's 1896 steamer. Sylvester Roper built his first steam powered velocipede in 1868. Later in 1895 he got financial backing from Albert Pope to develop a steam powered bicycle to pace bicycle racers.

Manufacturer: Columbia Bicycle Co, Boston MA & Sylvester H. Roper
Engine type: double acting, side valve cylinder steam engine
Displacement: n/a
Transmission: direct drive
Brakes: cycle, rear only

tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition"vintage motorbikes" "Made in America exhibition at Trev Deeley" "motorcycle history" "historical motorcycles"

First motorcycles: CCM Lightweight De Luxe

2011-05-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

1908 CCM Lightweight De Luxe

CCM (Canadian Cycle and Motor) was the first to produce a Canadian motorcycle.

Engine type: air cooled, single cylinder
Displacement: 214 cc
Valve train: side valve
Transmissinon: direct drive
Brakes: band, rear only

tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition" "vintage motorbikes" "motorcycle history" "historical motorcycles" "first canadian motorcycle"

First motorcycles: Copeland Steam Powered Special

2011-05-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

1884 American Star, Copeland Steam Powered Special

Lucius Copeland demonstrated his steam powered Star bicycle in Phoenix in 1884.

Engine: 1/2 HP steam engine
Displacement: n/a
Transmission: direct drive

tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition"
"vintage motorbikes" "Made in America exhibition at Trev Deeley" "19th century motorcycle" "steam powered motorcycle"

First motorcycles: Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

2011-05-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America it's a great example how the industry got started.

1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Motorrad

The first vehicle to be called a motorrad (German for motorcycle) was also the first to be mass produced.

Engine type: 2 cylinder, four stroke, water cooled - 2.5hp output
Displacement: 1498 cc
Valve Train: automatic inlet, pushord exhaust
Transmission: direct drive
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Top seed: 50 kmh (31 mph)

There's a video of a running one, although they don't say if it's a restored original or a complete replica.
Running Hildebrand and Wolfmüller, first production motorcycle

tags: "first ever motorcycle" "first mass produced motorcycle" "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley Motorcycle museum" "first production motorcycle" "first ever production motorbike" "19th century motorcycle" "vintage motorcycle replica"

First motorcycles: Daimler "Riding Car"

2011-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America this one is a great example how the industry got started.

1885 Reitwagen - Daimler "Riding Car"

Prior to the name 'motorcycle' these 'riding cars' were created to test various engines. According to the exhibit this model was not mass produced.

Engine type: combustion principle four stroke
Displacement: 462 cc
Valve train: 1 intake valve, 1 exhaust valve
Transmission: 2 stage pulley sets on output shaft and countershaft
Brakes: hand operated pad brake on the rear wheel
Max speed: 12 km/h

tags: "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "motorcycle exhibition vancouver" "first motorbikes" "first motorcycles" "vintage motorcycles" "19th century motorcycles" "first ever motorcycle" "first ever motorbike" "vintage motorcycle replica" "wooden frame motorcycle" "wood frame"

Motorcycle museum

2011-05-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

Vancouver is home to Trev Deeley Harley dealership which has a great selection of vintage motorcycles on display. This year's show is titled "Made in America".
www.deeleymotorcycleexhibition.ca
I've had a chance to visit it recently and I'm hoping to post a few pics over the next few days.

Stay tuned and ride safe,
CR

New bike... ie used but new for me :)

2011-05-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

It was back to scouring Craigslist and the dealerships deciding what to buy. I decided to go with a lite, agile bike like a Ninja 250 but unfortunately that bike is a bit too cramped for me (I'm about 6ft tall and weigh 190 lbs). Also to be honest I don't like the way the Ninja looks and prefer the naked street-bike look. There isn't too much of a choice if you want a smaller engine and a full frame. Luckily I had an opportunity to also try a Hyosung GT250 (the naked version) and it proved to be just what I needed. Good looks, V-twin provides nice smooth power and the bike handles beautifully. It is simply a joy to ride. I don't really care it's only a 250. It has more than enough power for city riding and occational highway trips. As an added bonus the insurance for a bike in this class is cheap. Having ridden it for almost 3 seasons now I've had zero problems with this 2006 model. Never have to use choke, even after winter storage.

PROS

full frame, good for taller riders

upright riding position lets you see properly in traffic

cheap insurance

new modern 250cc engine designed in Japan

handles very well, smooth power output

economical on gas

CONS

the finishing touches on these South Korean bikes are not as good as on the Japanese ones.

tags: "Hyosung GT250" "250cc beginner bike" "beginner motorcycle" "naked bike" "naked sportbike" "hyosung comet"

And then there was an old junker

2011-05-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Once I got my motorcycle license and sold my Honda Ruckus scooter (which proved exeeding easy btw) I was on a hunt for an older motorbike to commute to work on.
I was not too picky but I knew I wanted a fairly small displacement bike to practice on.
Eventually after a month or so I came across a Yamaha Maxim xs 400, a parallel twin 400cc bike. Price was ok and it seemed to be the right size for me so I figured why not?
Here is what a bike like that looks like...

It was fun to upgrade and I enjoyed that bike a lot but I felt it was too loud,"chunky" and not as responsive as I would like so again I decided to change bikes after one season of riding it.

tags: "first motorbike" "first bike" "motorbike upgrade" "small displacement motorbikes"

First time for everything

2011-04-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Something odd happened today as I was riding back home.
I was stopped on a red light in Burnaby when a woman in a van next to me rolled down her window and said "My bike won't start. Do you know what to do?"
To be honest I was a bit stunned. Where do I start? Just seconds left on the red light...
We had a quick chat and went our separate ways but that got me thinking. How many people take the easy way out and not prep their bikes for winter storage? All it does is cause headaches come spring time. It's really easy and doesn't need to be time consuming or costly.
Here is what is commonly recommended and what I follow:

Fill up your tank with gas. Why? To prevent rust from forming.

Add fuel stabilizer. Why? To prevent your gas from going bad. It's only good for 6 weeks. After that chemical changes cause it to get sticky which often clogs up the carbs or fuel injectors.
Go to your nearest Canadian Tire (or Walmart, or whatever store has a car section) and buy a $5 bottle of fuel stabilizer.

If your motorbike is carburated then drain those carbs. Why? To prevent that little bit of fuel in there from getting gunky and blocking the fuel flow later.

Get a trickle charger for your battery and plug it in. That will set you back about $40 or so. All that does is keeps your battery topped up. I learned this one the hard way and had to dish out the cash for a new battery. Trickle charger is cheaper.
That's the bare minimum.

If you feel like actually getting dirty then you should also

Change your oil before storage. For that you'll need the right tools, new oil filter for your bike and a crush washer. I've done this a few times myself but generally being short on time I just go and get it done at a bike shop. That will run you about $50 in total.

Lube up your clutch cable.

Fog your cylinders. What does that mean? It's getting the inside of the engine cylinders sprayed with oil. That typically involves removing the spark plugs and spraying the inside with Fogging Oil (again see the car section in your favorite store). I've been told by a couple of motorbike mechanics that if your bike is stored in a garage (say 5C or warmer, that's 41F or above) then you don't need to fog your cylinders. Mine is stored in a garage so I don't bother. No problems so far.

All in all I've been just riding 4 years now but these few steps ensure your bike will start each spring without costly repairs or towing to your mechanic.

Ride safe.
CR

tags: moto motorcycle "motorcycle maintenance" "winterization" winterize "motorcycle storage" "motorcycle winter storage" "winter maintenance"

Chilly ride

2011-04-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the coldest ride I have ever taken. It was 4C (39F) on my balcony but down on the ground it must have been cooler. There was frost everywhere on the grass and cars as I was rolling down the street. Sunny beautiful day but freaking cold. By the time I got to work 20 minutes later my fingers were tingling despite the double gloves I was wearing (with the outside ones being the thick leather riding type). The roads were damp but luckily there was no frost. Despite the cold, I'm glad I rode in this morning. The views of Vancouver's snow covered North Shore mountains bathed in the sunrise light were awesome. Always puts a smile on my face.
Ride safe,
CR

tags: moto motorcycle motorcycles "morning ride" commuting "chilly ride" "cold ride" "ride to work" "vancouver spring"

A Little Ruckus

2011-04-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is how I got started. A 50cc Honda Ruckus.

Good looking and capable scooter but ultimately at 50cc it's underpowered for Vancouver streets. If it were flat city would be a different story. I'm 190 lbs, on flat I can get it up to 65 km/h (41 mph) but with hills throughout the city I just could not keep up with traffic and that did not feel safe. Car drivers tend to be aggressive when something slow is in front of them. If you live in a relaxed town that doesn't suffer from a severe traffic congestion then a scooter like that would be plenty for getting around. In fact I would still have it if not for the traffic.
In the end I decided to go and take motorcycle riding lessons to see how a real motorbike would do. Indeed it was the right thing to do. I got my license in 2007 and after riding the Ruckus for just 4 months (~2000 km) I sold it almost without loosing any money off the retail price I paid at the dealer.
Yes, they are fun and popular but it was time for me to move on to something bigger.

PROS:

lite and good looking for a scooter

49cc so no motorcycle license required in Canada, just your regular driver's license.

fuel efficient. This thing runs on fumes. I was getting 40 km/L (94 mpg) commuting to work.

great resale value. Honda Ruckus' are reliable and have quite a fan base with many mods available. See http://www.battlescooter.com .

CONS:

like all 50cc scooters it's a bit underpowered for busy and hilly streets

designed to carry only one person

tags: moto "Honda Ruckus review" "scooter review" "moped review" "customer review" "scooters in traffic" "mopeds in traffic" "riding in traffic" "riding to work" "gas efficiency" "fuel efficiency" "cheap commuter" "50cc scooter" "49cc scooter" "small displacement engine" "user Honda Ruckus review" "Honda Ruckus PROS" "Honda Ruckus CONS"

Ha!

2011-04-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

So my first test post is on the 50th anniversary of first human spaceflight. Neato!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin

First Post

2011-04-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, this is a test post :-)