Recent content by Ash

On older versions of Android I made the default ringtone silent, then manually switched everyone on my contact list to a real ringtone. Not ideal, but it worked. On recent versions of Android you can now get the same effect with an always-on 'do not disturb' mode which only allows notifications...

A single-bolt RAM ball would work, and looks nice when you unmount the accessory

At least it still sounds like it will continue to be motorsports-related. Pitt Race was just sold to someone who intends to turn that site into an AI data center. There's apparently a big electrical substation right next to the track.

A lot of shoes these days have hard plastic heel cups. That plastic breaks down after a while and stabs me in the ankle before the sole wears out. When that happens, I now cut off the back of the heel cup to turn the shoes into a pair of mules which last another 5 years. I have also cut off the...

The clinking of metal zipper pulls on jackets or bags bugs me, so I always clip them off and replace them with shrink-wrapped cord.

On a couple of my bikes I've swapped all of the fairing fasteners to these bolts with captive washers: https://fortnine.ca/en/bolt-hex-head-flange-nuts-with-fender-washers In some cases I've drilled out M5 threads and re-tapped to M6 so that every fastener is exactly the same. It's really nice...

The Yamaha CP3 platform (FZ-09/MT-09, XSR900, FJ-09/Tracer 900) definitely qualify as fun, light, flickable and reliable. The naked models are up to 150lbs lighter than the R1200RT.

I helped a friend with a similar problem recently. We got lots of air bubbles from the bleeder valve when just pumping the lever to bleed normally from the caliper, but we never gained much pressure that way. We eventually had to crack the banjos and bleed from the ABS unit, which sits at the...

For what it's worth, the tech inspectors at track days around here like to see 40 or 50mm of slack on my bike, which is about double what the factory recommends. It's generally better to be too loose (within reason) than too tight. At the other extreme, my XSR900 owner's manual calls for 5 to...

The slack setter tool is a luxury, for sure. It's nice because you don't need to get your eye down at chain level to get an accurate measurement like with a ruler (parallax). Just zip the slide thingy up and down and the friction of the outer tube keeps the measurement on the graduated tube, and...

FYI, the Slack Setter tool has two scales so you don't have to subtract the two measurements. Loosen the hex screw at the bottom of the graduated tube and spin it so that the "Slack Measurement" scale is facing outwards. The outer tube will then measure your up-and-down motion as the relative...

It's been two weeks since my crash and I'm feeling much better. I put on real pants today instead of sweatpants, but I had to loosen the belt by a whole notch. I'm going to choose to believe that's from the swelling around my hips and not from the 5 pounds I gained from all of the emotional...

Neat idea. You might want to do some math to see how much heated gear a TW200 charging system can handle. Fat-biking is a lot of work that'll keep you warm, but I wouldn't be able to do that trip on a motor bike since my hands get painfully cold even with heated grips and heated gloves. Most...

If a helmet is on sale it's at least 1 year old, and possibly much more. I don't worry too much about the age on street helmets. I have to pay more attention to it on track helmets since track orgs have helmet age requirements, although very few of them check. I've been wearing the same brand &...

Depends on the type of crash for me. If I tip over at a standstill, I just step off and let the bike fall between my legs, especially on a tall dirt bike. Too easy to mess up a shoulder trying to hold it up, and potential for blowing out a knee if it traps your leg. A busted clutch lever or...