Hanging off up the river

We've had two dry days in a row in Western Oregon and I've taken advantage of it to put some miles on the GSX-R750. I rode it to work on Friday, carrying my gear in my MotoCentric soft bags. They are light, functional, and look fantastic. I rode the long way home, following the Sandy River through Springdale, past Oxbow Park, then through the rural communities of Aims and Bull Run before emerging back up the hill to Sandy and home.

Saturday I took the Gixxer up the Clackamas River on Highway 224 to Ripplebrook Ranger Station. It was overcast and chilly up the river valley but the pavement was mostly dry. There was only a smattering of sanding gravel in the center of each lane on the last few miles before reaching the turn-around point.

The ride wasn't just for fun (although it certainly was that). I was specifically practicing my right-hand turns. To counterstear, you push right to turn right, and push left to turn left. The problem with pushing right to turn right is that's where the throttle is. You don't want your pushing to affect your throttle input. So how do you push without pushing?

I practiced two techniques. The first was gripping the tank with my knees and keeping my upper body directly lined up with the bike; i.e. no hanging off. This works fine for slower cornering, but doesn't work if you jack up the speed around the turn.

The second technique was to lean my body to the right, hanging half of my butt cheek off the seat, and supporting my body by pressing the inside of my left leg and my left elbow against the tank. This removed weight on my right wrist. I made sure I was supporting myself enough by flexing my right hand and ensuring I had a light touch on the grip.

After riding 80 miles of a decent set of turns, it started to become easier. By the time I was heading home I was easily able to double the posted corner speed with a great deal of control and comfort.

Getting paid to ride

I work in Gresham, Oregon but we have a satellite office in Lacey, Washington. I needed to install a new server in that office so I used the opportunity to ride there on my 2007 Suzuki V-Strom 650 yesterday. I left home at 7 AM and got there shortly after 9 AM. It was a chilly ride, never getting over 40 degrees until late morning. Other than some chilly toes and finger tips, my Aerostich Darien jacket and Firstgear Kathmandu pants did a great job keeping me warm.

The V-Strom ran perfectly, too. It has a neutral seating position and good coverage with the Givi after-market windscreen (and Madstad windshield bracket) and both combined to make it a comfortable ride.

By the time I got back home at 5:30 PM I had ridden 284 miles round trip. That's easy to do on a 'Strom.

Trip Itching

No, I'm not talking about frustrating skin conditions when traveling long distances on a motorcycle. I'm talking about itchy feet, the desire to travel that occurs in the late winter months. I've spent a lot of time indoors and haven't taken any overnight or multi-day rides since the Fall and I'm feeling a little stir-crazy.

I have some trip ideas for the upcoming riding season -- scratch that. Let's call it trip season, since I ride all year long. One includes a jaunt up into southern British Columbia, another involves a fair bit of off-road adventure riding on the V-Strom. Yet another idea is to take the same route of last June's 5,000 mile ride to Colorado, but in reverse order. Every given road you encounter provides two experiences, and it's a good idea to ride it in both directions to experience each.

My V-Strom has 53,000 miles on it and I've got some major preventative maintenance scheduled in the coming weeks. The bike has been rock solid reliable and preventative maintenance is the key to making it so. I'm also just a few miles shy of 3,000 on my GSX-R750, and I'm gearing up for some overnight trips on that as well. So far it's only been used for local day rides.

Although the plans haven't firmed up yet, 2013 looks to be a high mileage, high smiles trip year.

Chains and frost

Saturday I pulled both bikes out into the driveway. It was chilly, in the low 30's, but the sun was shining. I gave the chains on each bike a thorough cleaning, then added fresh lubrication. I ran the engines for 10 minutes, and using the center stand on the V-Strom and the paddock stand for the Gixxer, was able to run the bike in gear.

I rode my V-Strom to work last week so it received it's once-a-week maintenance ride, but my Gixxer hadn't received any forward momentum love. I decided to suit up and zip into Gresham and back on the sport bike. It was good to get it out onto the road, although anywhere shade crossed the pavement I encountered a frosty road surface. Those kind of rides require a mellow throttle and brake application.

Cold maintenance rides

This is the time of year when I seldom ride for fun. I commute occasionally, as weather and errands allow (I oftentimes have to run errands that require the use of a four-wheeled vehicle). I also try to ride each bike at least once a week just to keep it running. I don't like to let my vehicles sit.

One tip I've read is to either park your bike with a nearly empty tank and fuel stabilizer added, or better yet, park it with a full tank of fuel. When bikes sit for long periods, water condensation can form on the inside of the tank. If the tank is full, there is very little exposed surface area inside where condensation can form. That is why I choose to keep my tanks full when they are parked.

I'm not a mechanical expert by any means, so if any of my knowledgeable readers want to pipe in and comment on the validity of this approach, I'd appreciate it.

Review: Cortech Scarab Winter Gloves

A few months back I purchased a pair of Cortech Scarab Winter Gloves from MotorcycleSuperstore.com for $78. I wanted a 1) leather 2) gauntlet-length 3) waterproof glove with 4) knuckle armor. I also didn't want to spend more than $180 for the pair.

After reading a LOT of product reviews, I chose the Scarabs. My short review is: they have met my expectations.

I have worn them while riding my 2012 Suzuki GSX-R750, which has no hand guards or heated grips, in temperatures ranging from 70 degrees down to 40 F. I have worn them on my 2007 Suzuki V-Strom 650, which has hand guards but no heated grips, in temperatures from 55 degrees down to 40 F. The gloves are surprisingly warm, which is code for: it takes 45 minutes before my hands get cold instead of 15 minutes like most multi-season gloves.

They are somewhat stiff when operating controls but after putting a few dozen hours in them I can tell they are breaking in and loosening up a bit. They are comfortable, easy to put on and take off, and don't make my hands sweat (which is rare; I have sweaty hands). I've not tried to put the gauntlet under my jacket sleeves and I doubt it would work if I tried. These gloves are allegedly waterproof, but I've not yet ridden in anything other than occasional showers. Normally when it's raining hard, you want your jacket sleeve to fit over the glove. The gauntlet on these is big enough that it's not feasible to do so. If I were wearing these in anything more than moderate rain, I'd wear my Aerostich triple-digit rain covers over the top.

My ultimate test of a product's worthiness is value: does it's features and quality exceed the cost? In the case of the Cortech Scarab Winter Gloves, I definitely feel they do. They are a good value in an armored, gauntlet-style waterproof glove.

Update: 12/31/2012

I have since worn the Scarab's in colder temperatures, down to the upper 30's, riding both my V-Strom with hand guards and my Gixxer (no hand guards). The gloves work reasonably well and I maintain adequate dexterity. I have used them with a pair of silk glove liners and find my hands are comfortable quite a bit longer before they get cold. So far I would say these gloves exceed my expectations.

There's a change in the weather

It's amazing what can change from one month to the next. In western Oregon, we had record-setting low precipitation from July through September. And then October arrived and said, "Eff that!" I think October may have set a new record for high precipitation.

This is the season when my Gixxer becomes sad. I'm not afraid to get the bike wet but I'm concerned about riding a bike with so much torque and horsepower on wet pavement. This time of year, when all the leaves are falling, is especially dangerous because the wet roads are extra slick.

In other news, I'm already itching for another long trip. Normally I don't start getting the urge to plan long bike trips until January or February, but this year it has hit me early. The fatigue and strain of my 5,000 mile trip back in June is long past and over time the positive memories and feelings of such a journey take dominance. This time, I'm longing to go somewhere even more exotic. Perhaps an early Spring ride to Death Valley to see the blooms? Or maybe a mid-summer jaunt further up into Canada?