Why not talk about all gear? Bikes Count!

So, in the spirit of keeping a running blog, I'm going to keep writing blog posts as the ideas come to me. That, and it's good practice for me; helps keep my writing skills from getting rusty.

A few posts ago I talked about helmets. Specifically, I talked about my helmets and why I preferred it over others. I figure I stumbled upon an interesting topic that way: taking a look at the various motorcycle purchases made to support my addiction to riding.

What better to start with than with the bike itself?

A 2005 Yamaha Star Motorcycles XV1700AMTC Road Star Midnight.

A few stats (for the true gearheads, in-depth stats below):

1670cc 48° V-twin (It gets very warm if you sit in traffic. Kinda like having an open oven sitting very close to your gibbly bits)
Belt final drive
5-speed transmission (Could use one more, but she loves running at highway speeds)
hydraulic brakes (So, yes, mom, I can stop very quickly if I need to)
Softtail frame (don't let that name fool you, this bike is built to hug the road, so you feel everything)

The original Road Star motorcycle was released in 1999 and was originally the XV1600 ('cause obviously you identify motorcycles by engine displacement. It's like institutionalized pen... never mind...). Yamaha, knowing the American market, originally created Star Motorcycles specifically for the American market and the Road Star was their entry into the large cruiser field (to compete with bikes such as the HD Fat Boy). In 2004, they increased the engine displacement to its current size, but kept the rest of the bike untouched. It still uses the same brakes, suspension, electrical system, and carburetor.

What else did they change? They offered the bike with three different styling packages. The basic Road Star, the Road Star Silverado (which has more chrome than you can shake a stick at), and the Road Star Midnight (which is stripped down a little more and has blacked-out components). Now, apart from the paint and chrome, there is no change to the actual functionality of the bike.

While I enjoyed my first motorcycle, it did have one glaring drawback: it was much too small for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic bike, just not the one for me (sounds like an excuse a jerk uses to break it off with a girlfriend, "It's not you, it's me"). The first one was a Suzuki Marauder VZ800 (See, told you...) However, I was able to get a really good deal for a trade in and I was able to get a bike that was substantially better for someone my size. There were a number of different bikes I looked at the second time around.

After two hours, I had it narrowed down to the XV1700 and a Honda VTX1300. I got a better deal on the Road Star (even better, it turns out, than I thought at the time). For a brief period of time, I road it without any extras on it at all. However, I had received a lovely set of saddlebags for Christmas (thanks, ma!) and I had the tool bag from my previous bike. They got me through quite a long period of time (until a crash basically took out the saddlebags). The only other thing I needed was a windscreen to help with wind on the highway. I found a simple one online and stuck that on as well.

Ah, those were the days!

I distinctly remember that my first test of the bike was to ride around the Wachusett Reservoir. I figured it would take a fair amount of time to get used to the size difference between the Marauder and this one, but it proved to be less of an issue than I thought. In fact, the Road Star, if anything, handles just as well as the Marauder ever did.

Through the months I made various changes to her. Shifted things around, bought new parts. The next big thing was the engine guard:

It was in the first few months of owning this bike that I had my second crash. This time, unlike the crash with the Marauder, I was attempting to take a turn at 35 mph (or so) and dumped the bike. As with the first crash, if I hadn't gotten back on the bike shortly thereafter, I probably would have had a much harder time bringing myself to ride again. But, I had to get home, so I rode back from Danbury, CT to Watertown, MA with an injured knee and damaged ribs.

Let's call that a learning experience. Even now, I still get a twinge when going through corners. But, that crashed forced me to not take for granted certain riding techniques. The biggest one being to look through corners (stupid target fixation). It worked like a charm on my most recent ride, that's for damn sure.

Almost as important as having good riding gear for protection is having a bike that is comfortable enough to allow you to focus on doing things like looking through corners. So, the next thing to get an upgrade was my seat. Again, I scoured for the best deals I could get and wound up getting a Mustang touring seat:

Note the Engine-Gibbly bits proximity clearly visible here.

Then, thanks again to my mother, I was able to add a light bar to the front of the bike:

After all was said and done, most of the changes I've made are simple seat configuration changes.

The last thing I really need for the bike is a new fairing. The windscreen I have is on its last legs. I've patched it several times over. It was a cheap, readily available fix for what I needed at the time, but, going forward, I would love something more long-term.

So, here she is as of my last day ride:

There is a new set of saddlebags on her. She is in her "day trip" setup, which means that I don't have the pillion seat backrest attached, and I'm using my tank bag. I also have my iPhone holder on my RAM mount, and a set of 12-volt sockets for recharging it and my helmet headset. It makes it a lot easier to travel all day when I don't have to worry about my cellphone running out of juice towards the end of the day.

Catch you all later!





P.S. Now, for the gearheads, the specs I mentioned above.

Tech Specs:
Engine: 1670cc 48° aircooled v-twin; OHV pushrod, 4 valves per cylinder
            97mm x 113mm bore x stroke; 8.3:1 compression ratio
            Mikuni 40mm carburetor
Primary Drive: Belt
Final Drive: Belt
Transmission: Wide ratio 5-speed multiplate wet clutch
Front Brakes: Hydraulic Dual 298mm front rotors with dual 4-piston calipers
Rear Brakes: Hydraulic Single 320mm rear rotor with single 2-piston caliper
Front Suspension: 43mm Telescopic front forks with 5.5 inches of travel
Rear Suspension: Single-shock, link type rear suspension with 4.3 inches of travel
Front Tire: 130/90-16
Rear Tire: 150/80-16
Dry Weight: 679 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 5.3 gallons (includes reserve tank)
Oil Capacity: 5.3 quarts
Wet Weight: 749 lbs

The Strangest Thing...

In my quest to get equipment for my new motorcycle, the biggest obstacle is, as one would imagine, the cost of parts and gear.  To that end, being a motorcyclist requires a great deal of patience when it comes to getting the look you want for your bike.  And, as a motorcyclist, it seems to be a requirement to customize your motorcycle to be exactly what you want it to be.  Granted, this isn't a requirement that others tell you about, oh no.  This particular part of owning a motorcycle is almost as inevitable as breathing, and comes about just as naturally.  None of us get into motorcycling for the express purpose of buying a bike just to customize it... well, maybe some do, but most of us don't, it just happens as soon as you hop on the bike the first time.

Usually, it starts like this, "What can I do to make this a better ride?"

As soon as that thought crosses your mind, you're already infected and there is no cure for this, and the only treatment is to start modifying the small things.  It quickly gets out of hand.

Seriously, not a day goes by that I don't spend at least a few hours thinking about motorcycles.  It's a problem, sort of.

A few weeks ago, my mother asked me to help out with the religious education course at the parish she works at.  Seeing it as a nice thing to do, I agreed to help.  Mom was a bit excited to introduce me to one of the other teachers for the program, as he is a fellow rider.  Last Tuesday, I went to Pelham for a brief orientation for the teachers and I got a chance to meet Chuck.

Chuck is a very nice guy.  It turns out that his current bike is a Road King that took him at least a season to get used to.  All things considered, it does not surprise me, as the Road King is a beast of a bike (kind of like a barcalounger on wheels) and would probably take anyone a while to get used to.  In the course of our conversation, we got to talking about his previous bike, which was a Yamaha Road Star for which he had purchased a custom seat and saddlebags.  He then asked what bike I had (and while I don't have it yet, I will soon) and I told him that it was a Yamaha Road Star.

It was shortly after that we got to talking about the modifications he had for his Road Star.  He had a custom ostrich leather seat made with a gel pad (which, as anyone who has ridden all day can attest to, is a Godsend; the gel pad, not necessarily the ostrich leather) and a custom set of ostrich leather saddlebags.  Those are not cheap, but that just serves to reinforce my point.  When it comes down to modifying a bike to suit you, it is understood that you will have to work for it.

Then the damndest thing happened, he also offered me a bed to stay in at his cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee for the Laconia Motorcycle Rally.  Granted, I won't be there for the whole week, but to offer someone you just met a place to stay, that's pretty cool.  It is not the first time I have heard of this kind of generosity between riders, but it is the first time it has happened to me.

My Scouting Trip

For the past several months I've been planning a trip to Mt. Greylock in Western Massachusetts.  It's right outside a town called North Adams, and partially forms the border between Massachusetts and New York.  It's also the highest elevation in the Commonwealth and I've heard the view is rather spectacular.  Back when I first created the meet up (thanks, Meetup.com), it was me and one other dude.  Then, about two months ago, it went from two of us, to eight of us.  Now, I will admit, I hadn't really thought through exactly what I was doing when I posted the ride.  I figured at most 3 other people would join me.

Well, such as it is, I now have to lead a group of 8 riders on a trip of some 150 miles, or so.  This, let me tell you, freaked me out to no end.  I scrambled to find someone to help me.  Enter Brenda.  She was very kind enough to lend me her expertise (she's led many rides herself), and she has offered to be the co-captain of the trip.  Whew!

As luck would have it, things didn't stop there.  This weekend, when I was hoping to ride out to Greylock, to test the trip for myself and make sure that I could plan what I needed to do (such as where it would be necessary to ride single-file as opposed to staggered), Brenda told me that the primary route I was hoping to take was closed, due to road damage caused by hurricane Irene.  On further investigation, I uncovered information that several of the routes to Mt. Greylock had also been damaged.

Rather than scrap the ride, I decided to change the route and destination.  On Brenda's suggestion, I looked at a ride to Mt. Holyoke.  With a basic map in mind and a starting route pretty much on the books, I decided that I would ride the new route, to the new destination.  Man, there were some amazing pieces of road, both in scenery and in the amount of curves involved.

Along US-202, I came across a scenic overlook, of sorts.  If offered me my first-ever glimpse of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Needless to say, I had to stop and take the above picture.

So, I continued on, taking a right at Amherst Road and continuing on.  Most of this portion was fairly unassuming.  Nothing too big, except, I ran passed lunch time again, so as I made a few mistakes, and had to search for an ATM, I was getting a little cranky.  Still, I finally made it to my destination for the day.  From the summit (a whopping 932 feet), there was a very nice view of the surrounding area, including the Connecticut River.

This is from the north "face" of Mt. Holyoke

Another north "face" picture

Last north "face" picture.  That's the Connecticut River running below.

The next pictures are all from the south "face"

Summit Cap

It was an impressive view.  I can only imagine how much better the view from Mt. Greylock is.  The cool thing about Mt. Holyoke is the access road to the summit.  It's a perfect training road for getting used to switchbacks on a bike.  I will admit, quite readily, that I have quite a way to go before I can handle the big boy switchbacks that exist elsewhere.  Still, it was a lot of fun trying them out.  I just have to learn the lines better and not be quite as scared to lean the bike over.

On a sour note, I noticed that the left front foot peg is rather damaged.  Rather than try and hobble it together for the trip next weekend, I decided I'd just order some replacement pegs (and pegs that aren't made of bad carbon steel and rubberized plastic).  When I got back, I placed and order for a new set of Arlen Ness front foot pegs.  Why Arlen Ness?  Because I really don't feel like having the foot spikes (they aren't really pegs at that point) and I wanted a set of pegs to match the passenger pegs.

Pictures of the pegs once I get them installed.

All things considered, I hope the ride next weekend goes off without too many bumps.  And, despite my earlier trepidation, I would like to see the other riders come along.  It'll be fun.

Saddlemen Seat and Install

So, my Saddlemen Profiler seat arrived yesterday.  Of course, I was at work at the time, so I was unable to install it immediately.  That said, as soon as I got home, I pretty much ripped the box open to get at the seat.

It was surprisingly light.  I figured it would be a little bit heavier, but, then again, the shipping weight was only 10 pounds.  Out of the box, it was rather a bit smaller than I figured it would be, too.  Still, it looks really cool.

I then proceeded, in much the way a crazed man pursues the voices in his head (which I tend to do anyway, but that's a different story), I went outside and began the incredibly quick job of removing the old seat and installing the new one.  It was all of ten minutes work.  I had to remove the old seat, the old pillion seat, and the "tool box" that was under the seat (truly, a laughable tool box indeed).

Installing the new seat merely required hooking the front end in place, then reinserting the screw on the back of the bike to hold the pillion portion down.  Here it is, freshly installed:

And, of course, I had to take the bike for a test ride.  It wasn't too long, only about ten minutes or so, but it did seem to make a difference, particularly on the amount of jarring I felt when going over rough roads (bumps, however, are still a bitch, but any seat would be unable to cope with those).  That said, I think this saddle will take some getting used to, as it is shaped differently and seems a little narrower.  All things considered, however, I think it will work out nicely.

Here it is, post-ride:

I must admit, I do like the look of this saddle better than the original.