Everyday Riding

Harley Sidecar with Dog

2013-06-17T09:31:00.001-05:00

I saw this sidecar at the farmer’s market this weekend. I wonder if the dog is a standard accessory? Dog and sidecars just seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Walk with the Geezer

2013-06-14T15:46:00.001-05:00

The weather finally took a break from near constant rain. If I didn’t know better, I’d thought Minneapolis had been transported to the pacific northwest. It’s rained more days that not, but I’m not complaining too loudly since it isn’t snow. Yup, I’m looking at you May. You let us down with that late snowfall; April showers bring May snows?! Bah.

I took the Ural since I wanted to run a few errands after the walk. The the special skills of my Russian Lawn Tractor aka Ural were required. The Tom’s (Geezer with a Grudge)WR250X is hiding under the nice Aerostich cover. I’m kinda jealous of the cover. It would work nicely on my SV650.

It was a very nice day for a couple laps of Lake Como.

The Russian Lawn Tractor is very capable of hauling home a pile of plants. I went to get some straw, but ended up with plants. They were out of straw. Next time I guess. Now to get these guys in the garden.

Another Successful BRC

2013-06-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

This weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching a BRC with Tom Day (Geezer with a Grudge). We had a fun time teaching together. We were lucky to have such a good batch of students with varying ages and skill levels. A few were a bit rough around the edges in the beginning, but with a bit of patience they came around. It rained quite hard the second day, but cleared up in time for the skills test. All of them passed. I’m proud of them.

One student wrote this note on the feedback form. It has TOTALLY made my week!!

Thanks to the students (and Tom) for a fun weekend of teaching!

Slime Tire Inflator Review Updated

2013-06-08T08:59:00.001-05:00

I really like my Slime Power Sport Tire Inflator. When a spammer attempted to comment on the post this morning, I realized it had been a couple years since I updated the review. The photos have been enlarged and the text freshened up.

You can read the full review here: Slime Power Sport Tire Inflator Review

Pros:

Small size
Cheap price ($29)
Lots of 12V connection options included
It works!

Cons:

Not very quiet
Not very fast - It took about 8 minutes to fill up a tire
The air hose connections get pretty hot after a few minutes of use
Tire gauge came broken

Overall, I am happy with my purchase of the Slime Power Sport Tire Inflator. Its small size will make it easy to carry on the bike to keep my tires inflated to their correct spec. I would buy it again.

UPDATE: October 20, 2010: I’ve used my slime inflator many times this year and it is still running strong. I carry it almost every time I ride. It has been very handy and saved me from being stuck with a flat. I also updated the post with an extra con #3. I would still buy it again.

UPDATE: June 8, 2013: I am still using my slime inflator. It works great, and I would buy it again. I’ve been thinking of buying another one, so I don’t have to keep moving it between bikes. I carry it on nearly every ride. It has been very handy.

Video on Youtube:

Motorcycle Parking

2013-05-20T10:17:00.001-05:00

I'd love to see more signs like this 'Motorcycle Parking Only'. It isn't closer to the building, but at the other end of the lot away from the door. It also has a nice concrete pad to avoid sidestand damage to the asphalt too. It is a welcomed sign compared to the 'No motorcycles allowed' signs.

Do you have motorcycle parking at your location?

TC_DualSport Tech Day 2013

2013-05-05T10:19:00.001-05:00

Under cloudy skies and temps barely reaching 40F, TC_DualSport had their annual tech day yesterday. It’s a day for riders to get together early in the Spring to get help with some maintenance tasks from the large to the small.

Due to the weather, only about 15 bikes showed up. I saw six in various states of disassemble throughout the morning and early afternoon. Some working on small tasks like tires while others were replacing gaskets in the engine.

The bikes weren’t limited to just dualsports either. There was a cruiser getting a new rear tire, and a fun looking Ninja250 joining in.

The event is hosted by my friend Paul. He is gracious enough to open his garage and well stocked tool chest to other riders. He is an experienced moto mechanic. He’s helped me in the past with tires and sprockets. Thanks for hosting Paul!

It was a good time chatting with friends about rides and motorcycles. The only thing better would have been to go for a ride. I rode my WR250R to the event, and was happily surprised to see another one show up later. It’s owned by a guy named Tom who is planning to ride it to Alaska later this year. Sounds like a fun trip to me. It was fun to compare ownership notes on our WRs.

Tom Day from “Geezer with a Grudge” was also at the event. He rode his VStrom 650. He has a WR250X, so he joined in on our WR ownership comparison. We all decided the WR is an awesome little bike.

Tom was also kind enough to let me take his VStrom out for a short ride. I quickly felt very comfortable riding it. He has it very well equipped too with several of the things I’d consider doing: givi rack, custom seat, engine guards, center stand, skid plate, handguards, outlets, etc. Wow. I want one even more now.

And Then There Were Four. Goodbye BMW

2013-04-28T11:53:00.001-05:00

Today, marks the end of an affair with a bike I wanted to like, but it just didn’t click for me. I sold my BMW R1150GS. I spent too much time and money trying to make the GS my bike rather than just accepting it wasn’t a bike for me.

It should have been a clue, that it wasn’t for me when I didn’t update my blog banner to include it. I had it for two years, and now it is going to a better home where it will be ridden much more. In my garage it spent most of its time keeping the other GS (GS500) company. I enjoyed the SV650 so much more.

I’m not 100% sure what I will replace it with, but a VStrom 650 is near the top of the list.

Goodbye GS.

Back on the SV and Some BRC Practice

2013-04-25T07:42:00.001-05:00

At the risk of jinxing it, Spring looks like it might be here! It was almost 50F yesterday, and I was able to ride my SV650 again. yay!

After work, I met up with another RiderCoach, and we set about practicing exercises for the BRC (Basic Rider Course) we are teaching this weekend. It was a fun time on two wheels. The two hours flew by. The forecast called for strong rain. The clouds looked threatening, but we managed to stay dry.

Our main training bikes this year: TU250X (below front) and a TW200 (below rear). There might have been a DR200 hiding in the back of the trailer too. The main bike looks to be the TU250X. They finally replaced all of the GZ250s.

If the forecast is correct, it might be 70F tomorrow. By the same forecast, it might also snow again next week. Here’s hoping for real Spring weather as we ride into May.

BTW: So nice to be back on two wheels!!

Spring?

2013-04-22T18:57:00.001-05:00

The snow melted over the weekend, and we got to see a touch of green grass. It is snowing heavily again as I type this. We might get eight inches and further north over 16!

Skipped Summer. Back To Winter

2013-04-18T18:17:00.001-05:00

It appears we have skipped summer and have gone back to winter. It's hard to believe I was riding the SV last week with all the snow on the ground today.

It is snowing quite hard. We don't normally get snow this late in the season or for this long for that matter. There is about 3-5 inches of slushy heavy snow out there right now. I had a fun time riding home. The Ural handled it easily.

I am ready for spring!

Raining snow! 2wd Ural Fun.

2013-04-11T08:45:00.001-05:00

The last few days of riding the SV has been great. The Ural's unique services were required this morning. It is predicted we will get a total of 5-8 inches of snow today.

When I left, there was one inch of ice and slush covered by a very dense two inches or more of snow. I tried 1wd, and got stuck immediately. After I engaged 2wd by locking in the sidecar wheel, I was moving normally again.

I took the scenic way ton work, but there was so much snow falling visibility was very low. The camera lens was coated in only a half mile. The thunder and lightning during the ride added to the atmosphere. The ride home should prove interesting.

MinneADV Swap Meet Success

2013-04-06T19:56:00.001-05:00

Today, was the first MinneADV swap meet, and it was a success. The weather cooperated as the event was rain-free even though the forecast was 90% rain when I looked the night before.

Selling was free, so there was a good mix of sellers and buyers. I arrived just before the 9am start and was surprised to see how many people were already set up. Most of the activity was concentrated in the first 45 minutes and the last 45 minutes.

I hauled all my stuff to sell on the Ural including a little table to display it on. Throughout the day about five others showed up on bikes. I think most people drove so they could haul stuff.

My stash of stuff about mid-way through. That little REI camping table has been very useful. Most of my stuff was gone by 10am. I had a fun time chatting with the other riders there. I did well; I went home with much less than I came with. Success!

Commuting On Two Wheels (Go Away Snow)

2013-04-05T16:10:00.001-05:00

This week, I was finally able to start riding two wheels regularly. The mornings were cold, but the afternoons warmer in the 40s and 50s.

I rode the SV every day this week except for Monday. There was a bit too much ice out. 15F was a bit cold to ride without a windshield, so I took the Ural.

It has been great remembering how much fun a motorcycle can be. I'm a bit sad as I write this since it is snowing again. Time to wake the Ural up!

Motorcycle First Thursday–April 2013

2013-04-04T21:21:00.001-05:00

Today, was a great time at Motorcycle First Thursday in Minneapolis. The sky was clear and bright blue. It was one of the warmest days we’ve had so far in the mid 50s. Over 100 motorcycles came out. Perhaps even 200. A good start for so early in the spring, but nothing like the 1000-2000+ we get in the summer.

The smaller crowd was nice. It made it easy to find friends to talk to as well at look at the bikes. The ratio of folks wearing Aerostich gear when I first arrived was surprisingly high.

It was a good mix of bikes. Some cruisers, sportbikes, adventure bikes, and a pile of others. There were even two sidecars.

The most interesting bike for me this month was a Honda GoldWing. Yea, yea. A very common bike, but this one had something on it I had never seen before. The odometer was at 461,636 miles! Impressive! I wish I didn’t have a mortgage payment, so I could have the time to ride that much.

The stickers on the back of his bike said “4 times 10 day 10,000 miles”, “40,000 miles a year club”, and “450,000 miles strong”

This is a Suzuki VStrom 1000. When I finally sell my 1150GS, I want to bike a VStrom 650. I like how this one is setup. Many of the mods I’d like on a VStrom: bags, bars, plate, and seat. Missing the extra lights though. I’m not sure if I’d get mine in black though.

It was a good night chatting with folks until the sun went down.

First Two-Wheeled Ride of 2013

2013-03-27T19:09:00.001-05:00

This week the warmth has finally started to return to Minnesota. The snow is receding and spring might finally be on the way. Today, was exceptionally nice with temps soaring to the high 40s! I have seen a couple other motorcycles around, and have been envious of their ride.

When I leave in the morning, there is still a fair amount of ice around from the snow melt, so I’ve been taking the Ural. After I got home tonight, I couldn’t wait anymore. It was time to get the SV650 on the road!

I checked the tires, oil, chain, and took it off the tender. It started up on the second try, and I let it warm up while I got my WR250R ready to ride. I forgot how much I love the sound of the SV exhaust.

Once I sat on it, it was like putting on an old leather glove. It felt perfect. I had just enough gas in the tank to get to the gas station, and then it was off to an empty parking lot to practice.

I’ve been riding all winter, but three wheels is a tad different than two. I wanted to get reacquainted with the SV. It was nice to practice braking, swerving, and some tight turns. The brakes are so much better than the Ural it was almost a bit scary. It was pure joy to be back on the SV.

Once I was comfortable with practice, I took the very long way home. I was reminded why the SV is my favorite bike. The sound, the feel, and the experience. My face hurts from smiling. I so needed that ride today. It’s been a long winter.

I took the WR250R out for a short ride as well. So maneuverable and fun. I was doing full lock circles in no time. Maybe next week I can ride to work on two wheels.

MotoGP - Wet Super Slow Motion Video

2013-03-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

I just saw this video on the MotoGP channel from the Jerez test. Amazing slow motion footage of riding fast in heavy rain. Cool stuff!

YouTube Video: MotoGP - Wet Super Slow Motion Video

A Frozen Easter Island

2013-03-24T09:26:00.001-05:00

While riding my Ural to work the other day, I felt like I was being watched for part of the journey. On the way home, I noticed two heads starring at me.

It is nice to see someone making something beautiful with all the snow we have been getting.

They did a nice job copying the original Moia on Easter Island.

The only beautiful thing I have made out of snow is donuts. Hmm. I suppose that was more fun than beautiful though.

Have you ever made something beautiful out of snow? What did you make?

Commuting in a Snow Storm

2013-03-18T10:13:00.001-05:00

It has been cold and snowy the last few days with the overnight temps in the single digits. Today, was about 29f and a solid two inches of snow already on the ground with more falling every minute. Awesome riding conditions!

As usual in heavy snow, I took the long scenic route, so I could have most of the roads to myself. The ride was very enjoyable.

The camera caught me during a quick glance to admire the snow in the park.

One Horse Power

2013-03-15T12:09:00.001-05:00

Found this on Facebook today. Awesome!

Snowy Lakes Ride

2013-03-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

It snowed early this morning for a total of about an inch. I took the scenic route around a couple local lakes rather suffer on the freeway in the herd of cages. It was a good ride in the snow.

Commuting Bliss

2013-03-05T10:57:00.001-06:00

Overnight it snowed about six inches. It was still snowing when I clicked the Ural into 2WD and roared out of the driveway in a shower of snow.

I intentionally took neighborhood roads on the way to work to fully enjoy as many unplowed roads as possible. If only it would snow like this every day. I would hate running the snowblower that often, but I LOVE riding in snow! Commuting bliss.

You're Freaking Awesome Man!

2013-03-04T09:37:00.001-06:00

I had a unique experience this morning. I was getting my gear on while admiring the falling snow. I walked out into the garage and went through my usual Ural starting procedure. The sidecar roared to life and I pushed it out of the garage to warm up while I finished getting ready.

I turned to go back in the house and I heard a voice behind me. I turned and saw a red car parked in my driveway and a guy wearing a black coat walking up to me. I just stopped and stared thinking "who is this guy?" "Why does he have such a big grin?" "Am I supposed to know him?"

He stuck out his hand, so I shook it.

He said "You are freaking awesome man! I see you often on my way to work. I just wanted to meet you."

A bit dumbfounded, I said "thanks"

Him: "Wow. What is it? How old is it?"

Me: "2009 Ural patrol"

Him: "so cool! Can I look at your other bikes? I ride an ST1100."

Me: "Sure!"

He took a few minutes looking and then got back in his car. I was surprised. It is one thing to have people write it online, but it was a very humbling experience for me to hear it from a complete stranger looking me in the eye after going out of his way just to say so.

I made his day by just doing what I love: riding, and he made mine in return.

You're freaking awesome man, thanks for taking the time to stop and say hi.

PS: the ride to work in the snow was fun!

Making Smiles

2013-02-16T09:59:00.001-06:00

I’ve seen many people taking photos of me this winter. It seems like more than the previous years. How do I notice? The rolled down window and bright flash are usually a good clue. More commonly though, a car comes up behind me at passing speed and then lingers behind me instead of flying past. In the above case, I was focused on traffic and didn’t even notice!

I’ve wondered how long it would take for one of those photos to get posted in a place I could see it. Facebook was the answer. I found the following text and above photo on the Aerostich page after being mentioned a few times by friends. (Thanks Kevin, Mike, John, and Shawn.

“Feb. 12, 5:45 pm, St. Paul, MN, 33 degrees. What is that I see on my way home? It looks like a helmet. I haven't seen one of those in a while, what the heck?!?
Guy on a Ural with a sidecar. Two wheel drive! Wearing a 'stich, of course.
Sir, you are awesome! And you made my day!”

The photo was taken by “Dan O’Neal”. Thanks Dan for the kind words! As I’ve written before, I love the simple act of riding my Ural in the winter while going to and from work brings a smile to so many faces. Cool stuff.

Motorcycle First Thursday–February 2013

2013-02-09T11:47:00.001-06:00

This past Thursday was Motorcycle First Thursday at Dulono’s Pizza in Minneapolis. I missed January due to my Malaysia trip, so I was looking forward to seeing some friends. I had also heard that there were no motorcycles in January.

When I arrived on my Ural, the parking lot was covered in ice and snow. It was full of cars, but I managed to squeeze between a car and a truck. One of them was taking up a space and a half. Fortunately, the Ural only needs half a space.

I went inside and had a nice time chatting with friends. Later my friend Jeff appeared on his DRZ400 shown below. He was quite brave to ride so far given the road conditions. The cold is the easy part, but the ice and snow are a bit unforgiving.

Jeff found out the hard way on the way home why I like a sidecar for winter. He crashed on some ice. Both he and the bike were fortunately ok.

Images from Malaysia

2013-02-04T19:52:00.001-06:00

This is the final in my three part post on my trip to Malaysia (part1, part2). This one doesn’t have any motorcycle content unlike the first two. It is largely just pictures I like or images that give a sense of the differences between Malaysia and the United States.

One of the first differences I was aware of, thanks to wikitravel, before I left not that it pertains to me, but it sets the tone of the country as conservative.

The sign above reads: [emphasis added] “Malaysia enforces very strict laws against drug trafficking for which upon conviction, may result in capital punishment.” Wow!

A tollbooth along the one freeway in the country. It runs North-South. This one was between Kuala Lumpur and the airport. It looks very similar to ones in the US. The main difference is the booth is on the other side since they drive on the left.

My first glimpse of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Twin Towers dominate the skyline. They are the tallest twin towers in the world at 452 meters.

Above is an average street scene in Kuala Lumpur.

In contrast to one further north:

Near the highlands in central Malaysia. I love the look of the mountains in the distance. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit the. We were only able to play tourists one day. The rest of the trip was spent enjoying the company of family.

We played tourists one day and visited the Petronas towers. We got there early to line up and buy our tickets to visit the skybridge and the top. While we waited to go up, we explored the downtown area. If you watched Entrapment you might remember these towers as they were featured prominently in the movie.

Above: A view of the park below from the skyway. The skyway is a double-decker with the employees using the top and the tourists in the bottom.

Above: a view from the top of one tower looking at the other. The KL Tower is in the background.

While we waited to go up to the top of the Petronas towers, we explored the markets in the surrounding area. There were a lot of tourists in the downtown area.

I enjoy a good cup of tea, and Malaysia has some great tea. My favorite is Tae-O which is black tea with a bit of sugar. The common to-go container is shown below: a plastic bag. The tea was awesome. I wish I had some right now. Yum!

The downtown area also had a lot of murals that I enjoyed looking at while we waited for the light rail trains to take us where we needed to go. The colors were very vibrant and the designs distinctly different from common version of the same in the US.

Another common sight were mosques. Islam is the most common religion in Malaysia followed by Buddhism. This was my first experience in a Muslim country and I enjoyed the different voices of the muezzins during the call to prayer five times a day. Some really were enthusiastic and it almost sounded like singing.

Another very common sight in Malaysia are the lizards. They are only an inch or three long. They squeeze through small spaces and climb on the walls and get into food/water. Saying “lizard” and pointing will make the locals excitedly look around. I had a hard time getting a photo of one. They are quite skittery.

I saw some strange things in Malaysia as well such as the box near the checkout at a grocery store. “Essence of Chicken” umm?! It isn’t chicken broth either, it is some health product taken as a daily pill. eww.

Lots of tasks were completed with manual labor. These guys are building a new train station. I love the guy on the right with his hardhat over his rice hat.

An average fruit market full of tasty fruits, some of which I had never seen before and always crowded.

One day at lunch we witnessed a march for a fair election. Fortunately, it was peaceful, and the police didn’t have to fight like they did the one before. You can see some of the people wearing masks. 30,000 people marching by while we were eating lunch was an experience.

Down the street, the police assembled in large numbers. I love the tourists casually walking across the closed street.

And finally, no trip to Malaysia or other Asian country could be complete without mentioning the squat toilets. They are the most common toilet around. Toilet paper was not common. Had it been, it would have likely been a soggy mess; the bathrooms were usually quite wet thanks to the hose.

It takes a little practice, but they are very usable. These squat toilets flush which is an upgrade to the ones I was first exposed to when I visited China years ago. Just make sure to use lots of soap when washing your hands! :)

The trip was great. I mean, what’s not to like? I spent a lot of time with my awesome in-laws in a hot tropical climate with 12 hour days. A major upgrade to the frozen, dark, and snowy Minnesota winter. I’m looking forward to our next trip even though I have no idea when it will be. I am hopeful it will be under more happy circumstances.

Check out the full flickr album below along with the first two posts in this series. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Full Malaysian Flickr Album: 44 photos.

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