A shameless plug...

... Spark plugs, that is. Friday after work I rode over to Yamaha Sports Plaza for some scheduled maintenance work on my 2007 V-Strom. After 35,000 miles, it was time for a new air filter element and spark plugs. I went with the touted K&N air filter and the NGK spark plugs recommended by the service manager, Steve. While there I had them grease the speedometer sensor in the front axle. After a while it can dry out and make an odd chirping noise.

I rode home before the rain started. To anyone that isn't aware of what's been going on in Oregon lately, we've had an extremely wet winter and Spring. March had one or two days without measurable precipitation, and that was it. It's been nothing but rain the rest of the time, and lots of it. The few dry days we've had have been noteworthy, and even die-hard web-footed Oregonians are starting to grumble about the sun's absence.

It was dry again on Sunday, so I rode up to Ripplebrook ranger station and back. It's one of my standard routes. The bike performed great and the new air filter and spark plugs make it feel like new again. It never felt old and has been rock solid for all 35,000 miles, but psychologically it felt new again. You know what I mean.

I've been practicing leaning off the bike a little bit on my turns, a la Leon Haslam and Valentino Rossi, etc. I don't corner fast enough for it to be necessary but it's fun to do. I'm considering taking a Total Control course and being able to lean off your bike is one of the things they teach you. Lately I've been dreaming of getting a sport bike in addition to my V-Strom. I don't necessarily like to go fast but I really like carving up the twisties.

From a practical standpoint, a sport bike doesn't make much sense, though. My V-Strom is capable of harder cornering than I am, so why get an even more capable bike until my skills jack up enough to utilize it? That's where Total Control comes in. Not only is it a good idea to gain further mastery of the bike from a safety and confidence standpoint, I think the new skills it imparts would add some excitement to an already exciting motorcycle. Cornering like a sport bike is fun, but having the skill to live to do it again another day is even better.

Bridgestone Battle Wings compared to Metzeler Tourance

Once I got the stock Trailwing tires off of my V-Strom (after less than 6,000 miles) back in 2007, I switched to Metzeler Tourances and loved them. I've had three sets on my bike and got between 8,500-10,000 miles per pair with outstanding grip on dry pavement and reasonable performance on gravel/dirt (although I didn't exactly put them through their paces off-road). They are a great tire and I highly recommend them, but they are expensive.

For my latest set I switched to Bridgestone Battle Wings (BW502 rear, BW501 front). I've put 5,000 miles on them so far, a few hundred on gravel (including a flat tire in Frenchglen, Oregon) and quite a lot on wet pavement, and feel they equal the Metzeler's in performance but at a lower cost. I fixed my own flat using one of those mushroom plugs and it's held air ever since.

The Metzeler's seemed to flatten in the center fairly quickly while the Bridgestone's are maintaining their rounded shape. I'm not riding at extreme lean angles, and in fact have probably put more straight-ahead miles on this set than any of the Metzelers.

The Battle Wings have excellent grip on wet pavement, and although I don't push my tires to their performance limit they provide a grip that inspires confidence.

I expect to get a full 10,000 miles out of this set of Battle Wings and have felt they are a great value -- very good performance and capability at a very reasonable cost. Just like my V-Strom.

Clutch assist

I have plenty of strength and grip in my hands but on long rides, especially those with stop-n-go city action, my left wrist gets fatigued and sore to the point of outright pain. This is probably due to my career as a programmer -- I don't have carpal tunnel syndrome but all that typing has definitely taken its toll.

The extreme reaction is to get rid of my V-Strom and get a bike or scooter with an automatic or semi-automatic clutch/transmission, such as a Honda Silverwing, Suzuki Burgman, or Yamaha FJR. Those rides all have their pros and I would consider each for their own merits, but for now I want to keep riding my Suzuki V-Strom. An easier approach is to find a solution that reduces the amount of force required to pull in the clutch lever on my current bike. That's where Moose Racing products come in.

On the advice of someone on the Stromtrooper.com forum, I ordered the Moose Racing Easy-Pull clutch system from Motorcycle-Superstore.com. It costs $36 and I received it the very next day (their warehouse is in Medford, Oregon, just a few hundred miles from my home in Sandy). It's a small device that is installed in-line, between the clutch lever and the clutch cable. It uses an internal cam with three settings that adjusts the amount of force required to engage the clutch. Because it uses a cam, the amount of force required is not linear; initially the amount of assistance is minor but increases through it's range of motion. The amount of force required to hold the clutch fully engaged feels to be about half of what it was previously.

Installation took less than an hour, half of that time involved removing my OEM hand-guards. The device has four screws that give access to the cam inside. The cam can be adjusted by the position of a small metal pin in one of three holes. I chose the 'best assist' position. Once the cover is put back on, the whole device goes back in place in a matter of minutes. An adjustment could easily be made within minutes on the side of the road using nothing but a small Phillips-head screwdriver.

Here are two pictures of what the device looks like installed on my bike:

Tweaks and short rides

It's a nasty time of year when it comes to weather. We've had record rain fall, nasty cold, and even snow. My riding opportunities have been rather slim lately, and I've been working long enough hours that commuting on the bike isn't safe enough for my risk levels (from being tired).

I spent some time during a past weekend doing some wrenching on my bike, getting things tightened up and adjusted. I got a short ride in to test things out before heading back home to warm up. The forecast is fairly dry this coming Sunday and Monday so between those two days I'll probably log a file miles on two wheels.

This is also the time of year to day dream about possible trips during the upcoming riding season. One idea I have is to ride down to Laguna Seca and watch the MotoGP races. Another is to do a big loop of national parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier. No matter what, I plan to do more adventure touring on back roads this year, spending time on unpaved routes and sleeping in a tent instead of a motel.

Chilly, foggy rides

[caption id="attachment_719" align="alignright" width="327" caption="Weather.gov calls it 'ice fog'"][/caption]

It's been cold the past few mornings as I rode into work. Yesterday and today were both foggy and below freezing. If you travel through it long enough, the fog freezes on the surfaces of your bike, face shield, and even on your gloves and jacket. The road surface was fairly dry, although it had a nice shine to it in my neighborhood as I first headed out. I took my time and rode cautiously, as as if it were raining (which it did three days ago).

In addition to the freezing fog, the stock battery on my 2007 V-Strom was finally due to be replaced. It served me well, 35,000 miles over 4 years (my bike's 4th birthday is a week from today) which is better than normal. I swung over to Yamaha Sports Plaza in Fairview, OR on my way home yesterday and bought a new gel battery for $87, then Steve, the service manager, installed it for me right there, free of charge. They not only sell Suzuki parts but their service techs are fully qualified and experienced Suzuki wrench-heads, some of whom worked for Action Motor Sports, the previous dealership where I bought my bike four years ago (in the same location). Although they didn't have a lot of people browsing the shiny new bikes in the showroom, Steve told me they are third in the world for Yamaha parts on-line. Way to go!

Commuting in the rain

It was 37 degrees and raining when I rode into work this morning, yet I was completely comfortable and actually enjoyed the ride. "There's no such thing as bad weather, only poor choices in clothing."

Late January local rides

I've had some time off of work and took the opportunity to get some long day rides under my belt. My first trip was up the Clackamas river road to Ripplebrook ranger station. Not wanting to turn back, I kept going up toward Lake Harriett. My intention was to keep riding toward Timothy Lake until snow or road conditions forced me to turn back. Unfortunately they had the road gated closed about a mile past Harriet and I had to turn around and head back.

[caption id="attachment_712" align="alignright" width="212" caption="Gated road to the back side of Timothy Lake"][/caption]

I veered off onto the gravel road to Lake Harriet and rode past a half dozen die-hard fishermen trying to catch brown trout at Harriet. Several looked at me funny but nodded in approval anyway as I rode past.

Two days later I took a jaunt south toward Stayton. I stopped at the Silver Creek Coffee House in Silverton for a mocha and chatted with Greg, the new owner. He had ridden a lot as a young man but now had too many other hobbies to afford a motorcycle (including working 7 days a week at his coffee shop). Warmed up, I continued south until I got to a crossroad with highway 214. I headed east on 214 and rode the loop past Silver Falls State Park which brought me back into Silverton. There was quite a bit of gravel on the road from recent freezes so I had to take it slow when riding through the park. I fueled up in Molalla on my way back home.

Between the two rides my bike was filthy but happy sitting in my garage. Riding this time of year usually involves cold temperatures and precipitation, so my bike tends to have a dull well-ridden look. I also have my outdoor water faucets turned off to prevent freezing so washing the bike is not an easy option.

In a product related note, I've been wearing a pair of Aerostich triple-digit glove covers during the colder rides lately. They work as advertised, keeping moisture away from my gloves underneath and adding warmth. A more accurate way to describe their function is they enable me to ride longer in the winter before my hands get cold -- which they eventually do no matter what.