Search results

  1. Ash

    Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?

    You can invert the bike and hang it by the wheels instead of from the frame if you need to get the bike really close to the ceiling, or if the alcove ceiling is slanted and interferes with the handlebar width. You can also strap the wheels to a broom handle like a rail to keep them inline.
  2. Ash

    Middle weight bikes

    Yup, that's very roughly the same coverage that the 1st gen VStrom fairing provides if you take the windscreen off. Keeps wind off the body, but leaves the helmet in clean air.
  3. Ash

    Middle weight bikes

    I've tried a bunch of different things. A MadStad adjustable bracket mounted on top of some steel angle iron raises the stock screen by probably 8" or 10" and helps a lot, but I still need to lean forward a bit too much to get within the calm air bubble. I've used that setup on a couple of...
  4. Ash

    Middle weight bikes

    One thing that doesn't show up on the spec sheet is the nature of the engine's vibrations. I get along really well with the vibes of the Suzuki 650 V-twins. I've spent a lot of time on various Kawasaki parallel-twins, and I like them much less for extended rides; that particular p-twin buzz...
  5. Ash

    Middle weight bikes

    My VStrom 650 was only good for about 45 minutes on the stock seat until I constructed a ridiculously wide touring seat. And I could only completely solve the characteristic helmet buffeting by removing the windscreen entirely. I had a similar buffeting experience with the Tracer 900 GT screen...
  6. Ash

    Oil and Filter

    XSR900 owner's manual calls for oil every 6k, filter every 12k. Ninja 300 and Z650 owner's manuals call for oil and filter every 12k
  7. Ash

    Oil and Filter

    FWIW, the owner's manual and the factory service manual for the 1st gen VStrom 650 only calls for a filter change every third oil change. Oil every 6000km, filter every 18000km
  8. Ash

    Buying gear from Europe

    Sounds familiar. Not exactly duty charges, just BS FedEx fees. Weeks after a $75 USD item from the States was delivered, I got an actual snail-mail letter from FedEx demanding an additional $57 CAD for "disbursement fee, HST on disbursement fee, clearance entry fee and Canada HST". My most...
  9. Ash

    What did you do in your garage today..?

    For videos that have closed captioning you can also enable the transcript. Look for the "Show Transcript" button in the video's description section. It doesn't show up by default in mobile versions of Chrome-based web browsers, so you may have to click the browser's "Use Desktop site" checkbox...
  10. Ash

    Recommendations for "good" street gauntlets?

    I liked Alpinestars gloves approx 15 years ago, but the current ones use a lot more stiff synthetic material and aren't nearly as comfortable. I've switched to Five gloves, which fit similarly to the older Alpinestars. RFX1 for the track (well built, check FC-Moto for decent prices), and RFX...
  11. Ash

    Simon Crafar To Become New Head Of FIM Stewards Panel From 2025

    That is a very good choice
  12. Ash

    Heat stroke. Information.

    A retractable badge reel works well. No fumbling to stow the hose, just let it go and it reels itself back into position.
  13. Ash

    What is this thing

    I'm naturally well insulated too, so I've only used small pieces on my hands and fingers. The water-resistant stuff sticks really well, especially if you let it set for a couple of hours before getting it wet, but I think with patience you could get it off without too much deforestation. The...
  14. Ash

    Heat stroke. Information.

    I stick to a fairly low-salt diet and it took me a while to clue in to the right balance of water to electrolytes. I'd drink tons of water in hot weather activities to the point of needing to pee very frequently, but still wake up the next day with a dehydration headache. I started adding...
  15. Ash

    What did you do in your garage today..?

    Yeah, I saw that they were asymmetrical. I've been trying to resist the guy-math urge to buy a welder for this sort of thing, so I'd probably just bolt a thick plastic chopping board to the bracket and bolt the bobbins to the board for a quick and ugly solution. A much younger version of myself...
  16. Ash

    What did you do in your garage today..?

    I'm disappointed that we jumped straight to the pragmatic approach. You didn't even consider buying a lathe to turn those mushroom bobbin things yourself out of aluminum or delrin? (guy math)
  17. Ash

    Apparel safety standards

    The difference is that Brampton Leather presumably hasn't even bothered to put the EN/CE markings on their stuff, so they're not making an explicit claim of protective properties. Even if they did, there's no legal requirement for motorcycle gear in Canada to meet any PPE standards, aside from...
  18. Ash

    Commando

    For 1500 euro you can have this: THERMO-RIDER complete system – ChillRide This one has been around for longer, but is not currently available. Not sure if it ever made it out of prototypes: Motorcycle Air Conditioning by EntroSys
  19. Ash

    Commando

    Given how hot it's going to get in the coming years, maybe the 2050 model year halo touring bikes (Goldwing, BMW GS) will have an optional onboard compressor for these systems.
Back
Top Bottom