MotoSpot

Winter and riding season rant

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 03:04:00 +0000

Where I live it has been too cold to ride since the beginning of December; first snow was in the second week of the month. As it happens, it is now the end of March and it is still freezing with the occasional flurries. Is there no end to this winter?

In general, there is a winter period of three months when there is no motorcycle riding happening due to legal reasons where I live in Canada. Where it is not technically prohibited to ride a motorcycle during winter, the time between 15th December and 15th March is a period when all vehicles must use winter tires. For one, there are no winter tires for motorcycles. And then, even if there is supposedly a certain German company actually producing such tires, and if one can find the correct size for a the motorcycle, it just does not make sense to ride a motorcycle in the ice and snow. That's unless you ride a motorcycle with a sidecar, wearing furs and a gas-mask, with a rifle strapped to the back: that's just badass... oh I am sorry; too much cold and too long without a motorcycle is enough to push a man into a post-apocalyptic motorcycling delirium.

Matter of fact is, the winter tire period here is quite accurate and more often than not, it is impossible to ride a motorcycle due to icy conditions up until April here; well beyond the time when we are theoretically allowed to ride out. This often makes for up to 1/3rd of the year without motorcycling. To people living in the south this might sound outrageous, but to many Canadians this is reality. And despite all that, there are still thousands of people here right now, waiting for another week or two when it will be just warm enough and windless enough to finally take out to the roads on two wheels again. My ninja 250 can't wait and neither can I.

Awesome Audi TT

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 03:08:00 +0000

I like Audi. I think the Audi TTRS is probably the greatest car. To be so lucky as to have my camera with me at the right moment, and capture this wonderful modified TT is incomprehensible. Check the post in my second blog for the full story.

Thoughts about Sandy and riding in the rain

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Today, it is a 5°C day with light rain going on the whole time. Yet, during my one hour drive in the city, I saw two motorcyclists. I do not feel confident enough on the ninja 250's tyres to go out in such cold and wet day, so these two people first amazed me and then reminded me of last Tuesday, the day Sandy was supposed to hit here.

The storm was obviously a nightmare to people in north-eastern USA. I sincerely hope they recover well. We were expecting some major winds and rain here as well on the morning after Sandy landed on the eastern coast. We were lucky to be spared though, as the storm did not curve north, but continued straight inland. What we had was warm weather with some showers instead.

That day, I decided to go to the cinema. Since I hate public transport and do not own a car, I decided to go by motorcycle at a time when nobody was actually sure whether the storm would decide to turn this way. The day seemed fine to me though. Cloudy with a little rain and 19°C warm. Going out of the cinema I realised it had rained, but that did not worry me much, as there was at least no wind. Riding a wet ninja is always amusing. The only part that gets wet is the knee area of my jeans. Is it due to aerodynamics or something else, I have no idea. In any case, I thought it was somewhat cool to ride a motorcycle in a time when a storm could be approaching. It gives a sense of extreme.

However, another thing that I remember from that day is the uneasy feeling of my rear tyre being unstable and slipping a little. It might have been my imagination, over worrying for riding with cold tyres on soaking wet streets, or it might have been a real slippage indeed. Fact is though, today, I saw two guys riding in much colder weather, when it has not stopped raining the whole time. And although there is no tropical storm imminent, these guys beat me on the extreme riding factor scale by a mile; amazing. But, I suppose we have no other choice here in Canada, but to ride in such weather. Otherwise, there would be only a few months worthy of riding.

How do you feel about riding in cold and rainy weather? Does it matter to you what motorcycle and what tyres you would be using in such situation?

Kawasaki Ninja 250r, no more.

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:30:00 +0000

I have bad news and good news. The bad news is, as you can probably tell from the title, north american people will not be able to purchase new ninja 250's soon. The good news for those who wanted to but did not yet buy a 250 is that now this motorcycle is replaced by the Kawasaki Ninja 300.

This is quite a sexy bike. I will not be going over the specs one-by-one because if you wanted to read that, you could always do so in kawasaki's website on your own. To save you some time though, simply put, it is better than the 250r in every single way. I have loved my 250 as a beginner's bike, but I can guarantee you, future riders, this will be even better bike that will keep you satisfied for much longer, if not forever. Oh do I want one right now...

I cannot express, however, my frustration when I saw this motorcycle being announced. It did not take Kawasaki long before scrapping away the 2008 ninja design for something completely new, did it? I certainly did not expect that. I understand it is a good thing. And don't get me wrong, this motorcycle is amazing, I stand by that even when not having ridden one. I am frustrated because I can't have one now. I wish I could have started on a bike like this.

The 250 has given me a lot. Because of its price though, it has a small issue that bothers me a lot: carburetor. With time, I started wishing I had a little more power too, especially when riding on the highway. I still think it was the best starter motorcycle to own. With the Ninja 300 the few issues (or may be better to say dislikes) that I had with the ninja 250 have been addressed, but then there is so much more added: ABS option, wider tyres, modern and better design, slipper clutch for further protection. And finally, the thing that drives me mad, the price is the same as for the 250 (without ABS).

Soon to be riders, please, you have an obligation to go buy one. I envy you so much, and I can't wait to see you on the streets riding the new Kawasaki Ninja 300.

Photo update

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 02:12:00 +0000

I am back with a few airport themed photos for you. I hope you like them; check them out after the break.

Ninja 250R photos

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Thu, 31 May 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Check after the break for a few photos of my motorcycle that I took yesterday.

Fuel consumption

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Yes, I know I haven't been riding nearly enough, but there are reasons for that; in any case, yesterday was the first time I refilled the tank after winter storage. I also did some calculations, and oh my god, this Ninja has been such a gas guzzler since winter!

Or rather, it has been a consuming monster, relative to 250cc motorcycles. It turns out it consumed 5.0 L/100km, or for you people in the US: 47mpg. I might be wrong, but aren't such consumptions expected of 600cc twin cylinder motorcycles? Of course, the little ninja needs to rev higher in order to achieve performance, so that contributes to the consumption, but last year I used to achieve 4.6 L/100km. Could the stabilizer, which I added to the fuel before winter came, be affecting the consumption in that way? Or is it a question of driving style and conditions? I don't really know, but I will find out at the next refill.

My next bike

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:42:00 +0000

It is not as if I will be buying a new motorcycle any soon, or that I am fed up with my Ninja 250R. However, I can't help contemplating on what my next motorcycle will be. I have considered and liked a few motorcycles to this point, but there is a bike this year which grabbed my attention. It is the Kawasaki ER-6n.

There are people who stick to their 250R's, or who buy a bigger motorcycle only to realize that the nimble nature of the Ninja 250 makes it a much more attractive city commuter and as a result go back to it. I can understand that. I can see the real value of the 250: it has low fuel consumption, it has low registration fees and is a lot of fun to ride around the block. However, once I go on the highway, I immediately wish I was on a bigger engine motorcycle.

Unlike the 600cc sport-bikes on the market, which are not very suitable for hot day city riding, the Kawasaki ER-6n in my opinion can offer the features that I like in my Ninja 250 and provide a bigger engine too. 'n' for naked, this is one really beautiful motorcycle equipped with a parallel twin cylinder engine, just like its smaller 250cc cousin, but bumped up to 649cc. Having the torque of this engine means you could ride at lower RPM, conserve fuel, and have a more pleasant ride on the highway. Another technical advantage to the North American Ninja 250R is that the ER-6n has fuel injection.

With its very affordable price and great specifications, I think that this motorcycle will be a perfect step up for people who enjoy their Ninja a lot, and want a more powerful bike which is of the same type as the 250R.

And here are some Google images that I have dug out to demonstrate how pretty the Kawasaki ER-6n is:

Scorpion EXO-400

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:43:00 +0000

As I am planning on buying a new helmet soon, I have decided to share my impressions of the Scorpion EXO 400 which I have used for the past year.

Because this is my first helmet and I do not have anything else to compare it to, I will try to give more concrete observations of the performance of this helmet, rather than relative ones. I also realize that now this helmet is discontinued, but this review can be used as a basis for recognizing the importance of some major changes that have occurred in the newer EXO-500 model of this helmet.

First thing first, I have an oval shaped face, and this helmet is meant for oval shaped faces. At the time I bought this helmet, most models were meant for oval shaped faces. When determining the proper helmet size for my head, Scorpion's guide showed I need a Medium helmet. Despite that, after trying on an EXO-700, I decided to buy a size small, and that was a good call, as I think even an extra-small would fit me. So, be careful with the Scorpion's sizing chart. From what I have read about the EXO-500, the company have changed the shape to fit slightly rounder faces, but this should not be a problem for people with thin faces, since they have incorporated the cheek-pad pump system, allowing the user to tighten the fit of the helmet. One thing I can say is, after a few hours of wearing, my Scorpion helmet became so comfortable that I could not feel any disturbance or weight on my head. Great fit.

A feature offered by all Scorpion helmets is the KwikWick pads. I have only one thing to say about this: it works great and does exactly what it is supposed to do.

I am not sure I can say the same about their anti-fog visors. Every time I read about it on the internet, people seem to love the anti-fog coating on the visors. Compared to my friend's HJC without coating, yes it works. However, I can't say it is absolutely 100% fog proof as often stated. I have to sometimes ride at temperatures of about 6 C, and although I do not experience as much fogging as I would in a non-coated helmet, there could still appear a very fine layer of condensation, just enough to blur my vision and force me to open the visor to vent.

I cannot tell whether the Scorpion EXO-400 is silent or not. Online reviews say it is; in my opinion it was noisy on the highway (to the point I had to wear ear-plugs). What I can say though is that due to the lack of insulation on the top edge of the visor above the hinge, an open small chamber forms which can create whistling sound at certain speeds. I was very glad to notice that on the new EXO-500, there is an additional rubber insulation around that area and the shield itself has increased in size a bit to more successfully cover the spot.

Venting was decent, but still hot as hell in summer.

To conclude, I don't think there would have been a better helmet at this price-range, considering how comfortable this Scorpion EXO-400 is. It is perfect for the city, but has some small problems on the highway and at low temperatures. I am excited to try a helmet of the new Scorpion series, as I believe the problems I have encountered so far were addressed and resolved. I can recommend Scorpion as a brand providing the most extras on a helmet for a given price. Do not forget that most new Scorpion helmets even have and internal sun-visor as default option!

Back on track

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 06:03:00 +0000

The weather outside is great. It has been great since last Saturday, so that was the day I decided to assemble my motorcycle. Since I had done a proper winterization, all I really had to do was install the battery and do a visual check up on the tires, lights, indicators, chain and whatever else I could come up as worth visually checking out. The first start up was surprisingly easy...

Well, it took me a minute to start the bike, but had I known from the very beginning how to exactly start it, it would have taken seconds. Let me explain. What I supposed had happened over winter was that very small amount of fuel had leaked into the cylinders, kind of flooding the engine. So, to start the bike, at first, I tried to give it a little gaz. That was totally wrong; the starter cranked but there were no signs of life in that engine. Option two: choke it a little and try again, but that gave no result either. It was only when I choked it all the way that I had a sign of life, and on the second crank it started. Here is that moment when I figured out what I had to do:

Ninja is back to life!

Winter almost over

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:17:00 +0000

Even though winter still surprises us with unexpected snows, as it happened the day I took this photograph, I can finally say that the sunny days grow in number and the snows now struggle to keep up recovering the naked patches of earth where the white has melted away. This and the fact that in about two weeks motorcyclists in Quebec (and I suppose rest of Canada) will be legally allowed to ride again is enough to overwhelm a motorcyclist with joy. If only our University professors could understand that and reduce the amount of homework for this period...

Electric bike I would actually like to have

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Look at it! It is brilliant. And on top of that, it comes in Kawasaki green! Thank you Gizmodo for sharing this lovely bike with us. I would totally use this at home, or in University going between campuses. Its only drawback is that it weighs 120 pounds; not quite portable, is it? Anyway, contrary to my previous electric motorcycle rant, I think this is brilliant, well designed, funny and cool. Most of all, it is not trying to be a motorcycle, it's trying to be a toy with some possible practical applications.

Brutus 2.0, the electric delight, or not

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I've just seen an electric custom, chopper...-ish thing on engadget.com. Let's see if I can express well enough what I think of it. Check what the real Brutus is after the break.

First of all, let me clearly state my position on all things environmental. I detest seeing a man pull up in front of the store in a Ford F-150 alone, just to return with a bag of chips which he will then casually throw on the passenger seat. This is absolute waste of energy. How often would he use that passenger seat for its main purpose? And what about all that space on the back of the pick-up truck? Will he even use the truck for real loads once a month, or is that man driving a giant car just because he can? Truth is, cars often carry one person and waste energy meant for carrying 5 people plus luggage. On this case, I am for the environment. Every-day vehicles should be used optimally.

On the other hand, all this eco-friendly stuff that you can buy out there is, in my opinion, absolute pretence. What is eco-friendly about mining heavy metals and burning lots of fuel to transport them to refineries? And then make batteries, which when dead in a few years, will need to be disposed of in a special way, which, to be honest, most people would be too lazy to comply with. And let's not forget where most of electricity on Earth comes from: coal and oil.

So, as long as this motorcycle does not look as a light-cycle from TRON, it should not run on batteries. Most obvious problem: 100 miles range. And what if I go up in the mountains on a rainy day when I have to use the headlights? Or, how much would it take to charge the batteries? I know my tablet has a pretty good battery and it takes a couple of hours to charge.

Otherwise, it is quite heavy, very silent and probably quite dangerous because of that. Its style is targeted at people who like especially loud motorcycles too, so I don't know how's that going to work out for them. And if it doesn't catch on fire, it certainly has the most wrong name that one could choose for such a vehicle.

THIS IS BRUTUS:

Anyway, I certainly appreciate this motorcycle as a project, as a demonstration of what can be created. But, I do not see any real application of it.

Winter storage: battery charging

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:18:00 +0000

From what I have read, I know that my motorcycle's battery needs to be charged once every two weeks or so. However, this is not the case.

The first time that I hooked the battery up to the charger was three weeks after I removed it from the motorcycle. Even so, the battery had been fully charged in only five minutes. Surprised, I decided to keep track of its voltage and see at what rate it drops with time. Well, I do not know if it is because of storage conditions, or because the battery is almost brand new, but it hasn't really lost any potential during the last three weeks. The charger cuts off at 13V and my indication today is 12.68V, so good thing to know there: if your battery is new and you keep it at room temperature, you will most likely not need to recharge it often at all. I wonder if it will drop under 12V even after two months without charging.

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Photography is something like a hobby to me. So, I thought you might like a couple of photos of my Ninja. These two were taken during a short trip one cold morning in October. Expect more photos in the future. I certainly hope you enjoy them.

The second photo is great, isn't it? :)

Best tutorial for storage preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:54:00 +0000

The last time I mentioned winter storage, I listed some procedures from a card given to me by the motorcycle school I went to. However, realistically speaking, I don't think it's necessary to do such procedures as draining the carbs and lubing the cylinders for a simple winter storage. Luckily, I found a tutorial which specifies in what circumstances exactly such procedures are necessary.

For a simple winter storage of a few months, you do not need to drain the carbs as it turns out, or lube the cylinders for that matter: not particularly beginner friendly tasks. All you need is run the system for a while with some stabilizer in the fuel instead. It might be good news for the lazy ones, but doubly so for a newbie like myself who would rather not fiddle with the carburetors. But here, check out the additional information for yourself.

I want this

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:12:00 +0000

I like my ninja, but I have to say, when I see a Triumph Street Triple, I can't help but yearn to have one. Such a beauty...

Experience with chain lube

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:22:00 +0000

So, I've had to clean my motorcycle's chain a few times now, and I think I've found the best chain lube to use. In the beginning, I didn't know where to shop for chain lubes, so my choice was limited to whatever Canadian Tire has. I was using PJ-1 black label, however...

PJ-1 is a nasty lube to put on the chain. It's very gooey and messy to apply, and no matter how much I wiped the chain, it always got sprayed all over my chain protector and rear tyre rim... I still need to wipe the rim with degreaser, it's so badly messed up because of the PJ-1. Yes, I might have put a little too much of that lube, but I surely wiped the heck out of it afterwards; there shouldn't have been excess left on the chain.

Anyway, now I have new lube. I wanted to try an alternative, so I didn't even wait for the old bottle of PJ to finish. Here's the new product I use:

ipone racing chain

This thing comes out as a fluid instead of gooey substance and is much easier to apply. I did not feel like I need to wipe the chain afterwards; it just looked really well applied. It also gives a white tint to the chain. making it, in my opinion, better and cleaner looking. I am really satisfied with this lube and I can recommend it for effortless application. As for flinging off: I haven't ridden with this lube applied yet, so I can't really tell if it will spray, but considering its texture, I think it will be much better.

Another new product that I used this time was Tirox chain cleaner, with the quite useful 360 brush. It's basically a kerosene based cleaner combined with a spiral brush which helps get rid of the dirt on the chain quite a lot. I used to clean the chain with WD-40 before, but some people say it's not good, so I tried something new and I liked it.

I really think these two products make maintaining the chain easier. I am really satisfied with them for now.

First 1000km riding

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:31:00 +0000

So, I've had my motorcycle licence for three months and a half now. I've also covered 1000km and done the first service on the Ninja 250. I've ridden in various weather conditions, enjoyed some rides and hated others. Here are my impressions of the first 1000 kilometres riding.

The first thing I would like to recommend to future riders is not to buy a motorcycle before getting the licence if possible. The temptation to ride is too strong to resist, and it's really not worthy to get stopped by the police and delay further the moment of obtaining your licence. I was lucky not to get caught, but believe me, because of that temptation and some ignorance from my part, my Ninja wears some scars even today that remind me of the mistakes that I've made.

The first, probably, 500km for me were the period of getting used to the bike: clutching, shifting, slow speed balancing, higher speed cornering, etc. I took it easy and progressed alone, without pushing myself too much. At some point, I just felt that I could move my body on the bike and feel more confident leaning in the corners. I'd watched many informative videos on cornering, so I knew the importance of looking where you want to go, which proved to be an essential skill in order not to get scared in the corners where you went in a little too fast. With time, my clutching/shifting smoothed out too. I was finally able to spend more time concentrating on the road, and not on my bike manipulation.

It might have taken me a long time to pass a thousand kilometres, but consider the fact that these are 1000km in the city. Since I tried to follow the break-in limitations on the maximum rpm as much as possible, I did not take the motorcycle on the highway until after the first service. I also used this motorcycle as an only mean of transport. During the summer, I used it to go to work every day as well as for amusement and general riding. And I think it makes sense to take your time at slower speeds before jumping on the highway. I certainly don't regret that I had to do that even though at the time I really really wanted to get on the highway.

As a conclusion, for the first thousand kilometres, I've progressed gradually and I think I've breached the point of being completely terrified and lame on the bike. I've done stupid things on the bike; I've also done quite surprising manoeuvres which left me feeling more confident. How you start in the world of motorcycling is completely up to you. But in my case, gradual progress without hurrying was the right choice.

Autumn has arrived.

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:24:00 +0000

With the end of the busy (at least for a working student) summer comes the moment when I can actually go out for some leisure riding and get back to posting here. Although autumn means that in a month or two I will have to winterize my motorcycle, this proves to be the time when I enjoy riding the most.

I like the summer. However, I don't like the heat, which combined with high humidity makes even the task of fastening your shoe laces impossible to do without sweating. You can imagine how unpleasant it was to ride in such weather with a jacket, helmet and thick riding boots.

Now, it is different. Temperatures peak at 21-23 degrees and mornings are even cooler. Most importantly, I don't go to work with the motorcycle, allowing me to see it as a source of fun and not only as a mere vehicle for taking me to the job place.

I have also serviced the bike (1000km service), which I think signifies the moment when the engine is broken in enough to go on the highway. I have finally unleashed the potential of the Ninja 250. It's time to have a couple of great riding months, before winter freezes the land, thanks to my bike which to me seems to have transformed from just a small, needing lots of shifting 250 to a revvy, comfortable and nimble joy-machine.

Summer occupation

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 03:23:00 +0000

I have been unable to post in the blog due to work and being busy a lot of the time. Finding time to do that will be an issue I will work on. Meanwhile, here is my ninja, which I now use every day to go to work.

Chain lube brands

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Lubricating the chain on a motorcycle is one of the most frequent maintenance task done. It is crucial for your safety to properly maintain the chain of your motorcycle. I've been riding in the rain a few times, and dirt is starting to layer itself on the chain of the ninja 250. So, it's time to start looking for a good brand of chain lube.

Probably just like other beginner riders, I didn't have any clue what brands of chain lube there are before. After going through some forums and reading reviews, I have listed the most famous brands of chain lube. They all should take good care of lubricating the chain. The main difference between them seems to be their colour and resistance to flinging off the chain the first time you ride after applying. This is important feature for a chain lube, as it will protect your fairings and probably clothes from getting messy when you ride. Use this post only as a guide to which brands to look for, as the opinions I provide are not my own, but those of people who wrote very contradictory things about the chain lubes on the internet.

Maxima Chain Wax and Bel-Ray Super Clean: Not exactly lube, but highly appreciated by many people. Since it is wax, I would guess it would last more on the chain in moist conditions, but attract more dirt as well. It could fling off moderately. An alternative to this one would be Bel-Rays Super Clean, which does not fling off, but paints your chain in white.

PJ-1 Black Label: Now for the other group of people, the PJ-1 fans. These guys do not seem to really review any other products and are confident that the PJ-1 Black Label is 'The Best' chain lube out there. However, occasionally I do see someone complaining from it flinging off too much. Could it be because of improper application? I don't know, but the PJ-1 seems to be quite expensive too and widely available (at least in my area).

DuPont Teflon Multi-Use: This will probably be my choice. Unfortunately, it is the most difficult brand to find here. However, I could not find one negative comment about it and people who used the other brands and switched to DuPont's product at some point, stuck to it ever since. If I cannot find it, then I will think about Maxima's product or PJ-1. Bel-Ray might be a great one, but nowhere to be found.

If you have had some real experience with these brands, please share your objective view on them in the section below.

The Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Waving to other bikers is a tradition of acknowledging the common interest that both motorcyclists have. It is kind of a solute to belonging to the club of people who enjoy the freedom of riding, who travel on two wheels not simply for the sake of getting from A to B, but for having an enjoyable time. Here is some beginners' information on motorcyclist waves.

It's a great feeling to ride on the bulevard and cross another rider in the other lane waving at you. A simple act of kindness from a complete stranger with whom the experience of riding a motorcycle is a common interest. But, there are some important things that I have learnt in my first months of riding about waves.

The first thing is not to get overexcited by being in the bikers 'club', therefore not try to wave at every possible motorcyclist encountered from every possible angle. Do not forget that you have the responsibility to be safe on the road and should wave with the left hand only when not in need to operate the clutch.

As mentioned in the article found at the end of this post, it is not considered rude to fail waving back, when waved at, because there are things that can prevent you from doing so: clutch manipulation and not noticing the other person for example. If you are busy with the clutch return a simple nod; that is enough.

Another point I would like to make is that waving at Harley-Davidson riders (especially from a shiny green ninja) seems to not result in any kind of aknowledgment from that person. They just seem to have their own perception of being too cool to wave at street bikes. There might be rare exceptions from people who owned a street bike before their HD, but don't wave if not waved at first.

New riders might be interested with the explanation of the different kinds of waves in the article at the end. Personally, I choose to do the normal straight hand wave when cruising (no need of clutching) and the safer nod when maneuvering.

Take care and especially wave if you see a green ninja! :)

Link to article on motorcyclist waves.

When to buy fuel

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:43:00 +0000

The price of gas fluctuates throughout the week. How can you make sure to put gas when the price is at its lowest and not pay money that you could have saved? Well, here's an idea.

Research! Just as with any other purchase, look for information about gas prices in your area. Usually there are websites with charts of the gas prices during periods of time. If you found one or two sites like these and checked the charts for the past fortnight, you would definitely notice a single specific day of the week when the price is at its lowest. If you visit the gas station on that day and the gas price seems reasonably low, you can be mostly sure that this price will be the lowest for the week. Don't forget that things change from season to season, so you would have to do your research a few times a year.

I understand that if you have a car and have been buying fuel for some time, you might have noticed the trends in gas pricing on your own and be thinking: "duh, did this guy just realize that?" But if you are new to this and don't have any idea how much fuel should cost, do your research.

Here's an example of a chart for my area. Prices are in cents per litre.

You can see that, since the beginning of June, the price of gas has been at its lowest on every Wednesday (1, 8, 15 June); therefore, I should buy gas on Wednesdays until I notice a change in the pattern.

If you think you have a better way of choosing the time for filling the tank, share it via the comments section below.

Cheers!

Has anyone washed their bike yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Yves) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:46:00 +0000

Riding in the rain takes its toll on a new and clear motorcycle. The tires spray mud all over the bottom parts and fairings of the motorcycle and it inevidently loses the "off the shelf" perfection that it has at first. How do you wash a motorcycle though? Should one simply take it to the car-wash? Most certainly not.

Pressurized water is not motorcycles' friend. This is the first rule I learned from reading in the Internet. I haven't done the washing yet myself, but it does not hurt to do a bit of research in the first place. There are countless videos in YouTube on the topic, but what I think is a very useful and short article is this article in about.com. Washing a motorcycle doesn't have to be so complicated that you spend 20 minutes watching someone washing their motorcycle on YouTube. Follow the easy steps in my link, and that's it. Easy!

I still think you could do without degreaser though. I will post my own tutorial with photos based on the one shown in about.com in the future.