Harley-Davidsons are known for their reliable engines, but as we all know, sometimes you’re just plain unlucky. A company called Smart Vehicle Diagnostics LLC, created the first personal diagnostic tool for Harleys, called Motorscan.

The tiny plug and play adapters work on the majority of Harley-Davidson motorcycles manufactured from 2001 to 2015. Future software updates will extend the compatibility to newer models. There is a free smartphone app that you install on your Android or iPhone that interfaces with the adapter to read any fault codes for your motorcycle.

The Motorscan adapter plugs into a motorcycle’s diagnostic port and can be left there indefinitely. Using the Motorscan app, a bike owner can read fault codes and conditions with detailed descriptions, clear the check engine light, access various bike systems, from the electronic control unit (ECU) to the dashboard, to see data parameters, view virtual gauges, and more. Bike owners can easily save diagnostic reports and email them to their mechanics with a touch of a button.

There are two types of adapters available. The MSDKHD4 4-pin adapter is compatible with older models with Delphi engine control units and 4-pin J1850 OBD connectors. The MSDKHD6 6-pin adapter works with most of the newer CAN-Bus Harley-Davidson bikes with 6-pin OBD connectors. You can check a motorcycle’s compatibility, as well as purchase the unit, over at https://motorscantools.com.

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We all have our preference of type of motorcycle, some guys love the dirt and other love speed. Some guys just love to ride and after watching this video, you can clearly see that Bill Davidson is one of those guys who just loves to ride.

The good folks Down Under from Man of Many shot this amazing video. Enjoy!

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I’ve owned my trusty Karl Wolf gloves for the better part of 10 years now, and were starting to wear out. When I walked into TracMac in Paarden Eiland, I was actually looking for something else, but ended up looking around at the glove section and the RST Tractech Evo gloves caught my attention. They had the most beautiful luminous green ones, but my wife quickly told me to put them down. Apparently she isn’t a fan of luminous green. She handed me a red and black pair which I must admit, looked super nice. I took this as her approval that I may buy them. I wasn’t going to pass up on this opportunity and bought them for around R1600.

The fit is amazing and so is the protection they offer. Aramid thread is used on all impact areas. Aramid thread is a heat-resistant thread used mainly for aerospace and military applications, as well as ballistic-rated body armor. So you can be assured it’s quite strong. I went for a 80Km ride with them and they are really comfortable to wear, allowing a lot of ventilation whilst giving your wrist a lot of support from the gauntlet.

This glove is suitable for use at trackdays and by the average street rider.

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The magical numbers on Peter’s 2013 K1300s

Apparently there’s space for one more digit

Peter and his wife on a trip

It’s not often you see a motorcycle in such a fantastic condition as this one, with 100 000km on the odometer. Let alone a relatively young model such as this 2013 model BMW K1300S that belongs to Peter Mouthaan from Belgium.

Peter told us that he hit the magical mark of 100 000km earlier this month (November 2016). He does a lot of commuting (120 – 180km a day) and the occasional day trip with his other half.

One very dirty, but happy, K1300s

Judging by the photos, Peter is no ‘fair-weather biker’, and doesn’t mind getting the bike dirty.

Along the way he’s had a bumpy ride, a few accidents (although none were his fault), as well as a couple of mechanical issues. Peter says the bike went back the dealer three times for faulty items and the engine had to be replaced at 35 000km.

He also said that although he owns a very fun ’89 Vmax with a sidecar, he loves his BMW.

I think this man deserves a Bells!

The K1300S with Akrapovic exhaust

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It’s that time of the year again, time for the annual Toy Run. To be honest, the last Toy Run I attended was a few years back on a very under powered 200cc motard. This year, I’ll be doing it with my wife (I recently got married) on my BMW F800s. There’s been a lot of rumors and talk leading up the the actual announcement of the changes happening this year. There are a few.

The end venue has moved to Kenilworth Racecourse to improve the experience for all the Toy Run participants. There’s more space, better parking and the infrastructure is setup to provide a much safer environment and provide entertainment for adults and children. Everyone should be happy to hear that the start time is now 09:00. There’s nothing worse than walking around in the heat waiting for things to kick off, especially if you’re at the back of the queue.

As per usual, you can still donate any toy, this year, more so than any of the previous years, the focus is on educational toys. Although you’re free to donate any toy you wish, they are calling for educational toys.

As you can imagine, with an event of this magnitude, there are lots of costs involved. Over the past years the Toy Run has actually been running at a substantial loss. Therefore two big changes were implemented this year. First of all, this year, for the first time, an events company called Colourworks are in charge of organising the event. They are simply streamlining operations and aren’t charging the Toy Run anything for their services. If the Toy Run does make some profit, they’ll get a percentage, with the balance going back to the charity organisations the Toy Run supports, but there is no guarantee.

Secondly, this year, you’ll be asked an admission fee to enter the entertainment area. You can still drop off your toys for free, but if you want to access the general entertainment area, you’ll have to buy a ticket at the cost of R50. This really isn’t a lot of money and the bulk of it is going to a good cause anyway. There are a few other options of VIP picnic areas at a higher cost available as well.

Head over to Computicket to book your ticket.

The post 2016 Cape Town Toy Run appeared first on UltimateVelocity.

I’ve had one too many irons in the fire as of late, which means my bike has been standing in the garage for a long period of time. It’s sad, because besides the wind, Cape Town has seen some pretty awesome weather recently. Perfect for taking a long ride out to wherever your heart desires. But, if like me, you find your free time being distributed among many of life’s other responsibilities, you’ll want to ensure that when you eventually do get time to take a ride, your bike is still in tip-top condition.

The one thing everyone remembers to do is to plug in a trickle charger to keep the battery fresh. They’re very expensive nowadays and buying the wrong one can cost you even more in the long run. I use a trickle charger, and even when riding regularly, I plug it in once every two weeks for a top-up.

When leaving your motorcycle for long periods of time, especially combined with under-inflation, your tyres can develop flat spots. The heavy load of the motorcycle can cause the part in contact with the surface to deflect and cold ambient temperatures make rubber compounds stiffer, increasing their tendency to flatspot.

The longer tyres remain stationary, the better they remember the position in which they were last parked. Tyres on vehicles stored on the ground for many months can be permanently flat-spotted. The best would be to put the motorcycle on paddock stands in the front and rear if you know you’re not going to do any riding for extended periods of time.

Did you know that petrol does in fact have a shelf-life? Generally petrol will last in equipment fuel tanks for about 3 weeks at a temperature of around 20°C, after that it will perform better when fresh petrol is added. Petrol will last in sealed containers for more than 6 months, while some breathing will take place this is not enough to significantly affect product quality.

The light components in petrol are lost first as the petrol sits in the fuel tanks. These components provide valuable octane benefits during cold start. Because they are volatile they compose most of the air fuel mixture during cold start, if they are absent then the mixture becomes lean resulting in higher temperatures, pre-ignition, detonation and piston damage.

The portion of the petrol that remains has a higher density and higher octane but this is not available during cold start resulting in hard starting. Because the fuel carburetors and injectors operate on a volume metering system the higher density means that more fuel is introduced for a given volume of air and so the air fuel ratio is fuel rich. If all the fuel cannot be burnt then it forms carbon deposits that will foul the spark plug and cause the engine to stop and not start

With long storage periods, especially in the presence of hot weather or engine heat the petrol can oxidize to form peroxides. These compounds can attack rubber and metal, stripping away the liner on fuel lines or copper from fuel pumps and attacking rubber hoses. These normally take a few months to form in sufficient quantity to cause a problem.

The best solution to all of these problems are to just keep riding your motorcycle.Remember folks, a moving bike, is a happy bike!

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Cape Town is known for the “Cape Doctor” and I’ve seen many motorcycles fall victim to a strong gust of wind ever so often. We had a chat with Max from TwoWheels Rider training academy. Max did some main circuit racing in the late ’90s through to the early 2000s. In the midst of this, he discovered his passion for teaching others to ride. Max still assists WPMC track schools as an instructor and occasionally he helps out with lectures.

I asked Max a few specific questions on issues I’ve experienced and also for some general guidelines on how to stay safe on the roads during these windy months.

UltimateVelocity (UV): Whenever I overtake a large vehicle, like a bus, I am momentarily shielded from the wind, during that brief moment I tense myself in anticipation for the wind that will hit me again as soon as I go past the nose of the vehicle. How do I prepare for this?
Max: The trick to riding in the wind is both anticipation and being as relaxed as possible. Sometimes, perhaps in your case you anticipate whats to come, and rather than remaining relaxed you tense slightly and then get caught out. With relaxed riding when the bike is pushed in either direction use counter steer to regain your path. Any tension has a negative feedback.

UV: If you’re on a three-lane highway with a bus in the center lane, which side is best to overtake the bus? On the windy side, or the shielded side?
Max: As far left or as far right as possible, because it offers and escape route. Passing any vehicle should by law only happen on the right. There is no right or wrong answer, the side you believe the driver of the vehicle has seen you… that’s far more important, after that the 1st paragraph holds true. Relax and counter steer.

UV: How does carrying luggage affect your ability to ride in windy conditions?
Max: Carrying luggage, although it does affect the ride its not significant, more in the head. More importantly make sure luggage is properly secured.

UV: Any tips for lane-splitting in the wind?
Max: Riders struggle with lane splitting, irrespective of weather conditions because they are not looking up. Without looking up you do not have the horizon and therefore you lose balance, do you find it easier at night – because you will look to the end of the light beam.

Max also shared with us some general guidelines for riding in the wind:

• Most important aspect of all riding is to relax and allow the bike to work
• If you are tense a gust of wind that hits you will be transferred to the bike
• Being loose on the bike prevents these movements transferring to the bike
• Use counter steer to counteract movement caused by the wind
• Rather than sitting on the edge of the seat, just “put your knee out” on the side facing the wind.
• All riders slow or fast, young and old should consider doing a riding school at a circuit near them. It’s not about the speed, but about honing your abilities and begin to understand the bikes limits, which in most cases is way beyond ours.

TwoWheels provides the following training:

Level 1 training:

• Understand and use motorcycle controls
• Basic motorcycle maintenance
• Slow speed control
• Basic gearing
• Braking techniques
• Emergency braking
• Basic cornering
• Survival on the road
• Maneuvering a non-running motorcycle
• Recovering a dropped bike

Level 2 training:

• Advanced braking
• Avoidance techniques
• Riding over obstacles
• Advanced Cornering
• Passenger

Basic Off-Road:

• Riding position and technique
• Slow speed control
• Braking, rear and front brake
• Cornering techniques

Contact details:

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2004 BMW R1200C

When BMW built the R1200C, they broke the mold. This is a very unique and striking motorcycle that was manufactured from 1997 all the way to 2004. The bike has a 1170cc boxer engine that produced 61Hp.

BWM produced several different models.

• There was the Avantgarde, which had ABS as an optional extra.
• The most famous of them all, the Independent, with a single seat and optional extra passenger seat & footpegs and a few other BMW embellishments.
• They also made a R1200CL which was their first attempt at converting the R1200C into a touring motorcycle.
• After that they added a CD player and a few chrome bits and called it the R1200CLC.
• Then finally, in 2004 they changed the overall design by adding vertically stacked lights and braided hoses and called it the Montauk.

There is a famous scene in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, where James and his lovely female partner jumped on an R1200C Independent, trying to get away from some bad guys who are chasing them on board a helicopter.

Although this seems like a pretty cool bike to own, I haven’t yet managed to spot one on the road, neither have I met someone who owned one. I wonder if that’s supposed to tell me something?

The post My scaled down passion – BMW R1200C appeared first on UltimateVelocity.

Black Beauty, the first customer Britten V1000 sold, being rebuilt in preparation for the Sound of Thunder, John Britten Memorial Tribute In Christchurch New Zealand – February 21-22, 2015.

The post Black Beauty Lives appeared first on UltimateVelocity.

The Pawan Jaitly Guide to Pillions

You know how it is when you eye up a fresh pillion, intending to indulge in consenting motorcycling with them – you wonder what it’ll be like, how you’ll cope with that special close contact, whether you’ll enjoy it, whether they’ll respect you afterwards. All too often your enthusiasm gets the better of you when you go for it, and your pillion slaps you, shrieking “I’m not that kind of pillion!”, and it seems that the problem is really not knowing what kind of pillion you actually are facing – well, to help you out in this matter, here’s the PJ Guide to Pillions.

Fork Bottomer

FB, aka Fat Bastard, sits like a sack of potatoes on your overstressed bike. Helps you pull monster wheelies though, even on C90’s. But watch out you don’t get pulled off too. If you do get pulled off, though, you get a guaranteed soft landing, and the pleasure of flattening the FB.

Flyweight

Delightful. You don’t notice they’re there. Occasionally pound at your back when you’re really enjoying yourself ‘cos you’ve forgotten they’re there. Worth checking to see if they’re still there now and then; you may have dropped them at the lights. The looking-over-the-shoulder routine you’re taught to have as a reflex proves invaluable with these pillions.

Petrified

These pillions are the best. They remain frozen with fear and you forget they’re there. Take a crowbar with you to prise them off the seat afterwards though.

Terrified

These are a challenge. Unlike Petrified, Terrified moves all over the place, counter-leaning in corners, clenching their buttocks and squirming on their seat as you filter through traffic, emitting pitiful cries of unhappiness as you blast off from the lights… truly annoying. Cure by applying more terror until they become Petrified.

Mumbler/regional-accent-handicapped

Can’t hear/understand a word this pillion says. Impossible to swap witty remarks with, especially in the cut-and-thrust of London traffic. Eg: “I cannaestrudelfitzlochgommrag.” “What?” “I cannaestrudelfitzlochgommrag.” “Er…what?” “I CANNAESTRUDELFITZLOCHGOMMRAG.” “Hunh?” “I CANNAESTRUDELFITZLOCHGOMMRAG.” “What? Oh soddit, the lights have changed” (repeat at every set of lights) Frustrating.

Indifferent

Not impressed by the smoothest corners, the beefiest blast offs, the wildest of wheelies and the most perceptive, prescient and pre-emptive of roadcraft; this pillion knows no fear either. Riders are mystified by this one, though theories abound: Possibly a despatch rider’s panniers in a previous life. Possibly plays Russian Roulette in spare time. Possibly a follower of the Roger Moore school of method acting. Check pulse – possibly dead – to avoid confusing with the Petrified pillion.

Asleep

Like Indifferent, but with the reason that this pillion is dozing off. Occasionally wakes up with a sudden movement or falls off. Cure with coffee, or letting them fall off. Or try and be less enthusiastic in bed the night before with your pillion, if that’s the cause.

Backseat driver

Type A: Non-vocal

Usually people with their own bike who’re scrounging a lift off you. They send useful feedback about your riding style, mostly non-verbal (eg clutching you really hard just when you’re really enjoying a corner).
Warning: If this pillion expects you to take a turning you will find your bike is heading that way regardless of your own wishes, just because the pillion has leant that way. Very disconcerting.

Type B: Vocal

Gives a running commentary of everybody and everything on the road – eg: “Bastard! Try using your indicators, fat-arse Jaguar!”, “Leaf litter!”, “Golly, what a pothole!” “AGGH! Volvo Battlecruiser in sight!” Takes while to get rid of the feeling that your mind has developed an echo. Mildly disconcerting, then you get used to it.

No-Way-Am-I-Gay (The Jason Syndrome)

If the pilot’s a bloke, and the pillion is too, this personality trait sometimes shows up in the pillion: The pillion tries perching as far away from the bloke in front as is feasible, keeping hands off the pilot. No-Way-Am-I-Gay ocassionally falls off under acceleration, but prefers that to being thought gay. Usually Italian or Greek. Will kick your head in if you tell him he’s insecure (even though you only meant he’ll find it hard to stay on).

Watch out when accelerating:

• For wheelies
• For feet in the armpits as the pillion heroically attempts to stay on without doing anything so poofy as to grab on to the bloke in front. Hopeless.

Joker

Amuses himself (rarely herself) by witty little jokes designed to endear himself to other road users.

Typical Joker actions:

• With cigarette in hand, to open-top car driver while cruising along: “scuse me mate, you got a light?”
  To open-top car driver who has just refused the Joker’s request for a light, and mumbled “Don’t be stupid, you’ll kill yourself”: “No, ‘salright mate, honest. I’m down to five a day now!”
• To car driver with smokey exhaust: “Your car’s belching out a lot of smoke.” Followed by long belch through car window.
• At the lights next to a driver who’s been on the car phone: “Ah, a telephone box!” Followed by urinating into car.

Incurable, but fortunately rare (doesn’t live long).

Well, this guide has now covered the main categories of pillion – learn from it, and may you and your pillion be blessed with many, many happy miles together!

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