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Headlights

Between refereeing on weekday afternoons during the high school soccer season and SoCal's unusually heavy rainfall this winter, the FJR hasn't gotten a lot of work in the last few months. On the few times I've taken her out lately, I noticed that both high-beams were out. It seemed weird that the high-beams in both lights would go at the same time, but it happens. I chose the high-output bulbs for the last change, and bulb life is inversely proportional to light output.

I bought replacement bulbs a few weeks back, but work has been especially heavy lately, and I just got to it this morning. Removing the dash panels becomes second nature after a while — the A and D panels don't even come off the bike anymore unless I'm doing something directly underneath them. I've added a lot of wiring under my panels which adds to the standard hassle of removing the bulbs, but they eventually came out.

I put the new right bulb in, and hooked it up for a test that was successful. The left bulb was the same. Before I could put the boots on and close everything up, a rain shower rolled through, so I moved the bike back into the garage behind Carole's car. When the rain stops, I'll put the boots on, reconnect the plugs, retest everything, then put the dash panels back on.

I'm hoping to get in a long-ish ride on Sunday, so if the weather cooperates today I'll probably mount my hydration base too. Doug and I are planning for an in-state SS1K later this month, and I need a few rides of increasing distance to prepare. (The SS1K is itself a prep ride. I'm prepping for my long-planned/oft-postponed BBG, and Doug [the lucky dog] is prepping for the IBA5000 later this year.)

I also have some audio issues to work on. If I plug my e2c's directly into the Zumo cradle, the sound is good, but if I plug into the audio mixer the sounds is messed up in a weird way. I've already replaced the M-F patch cable that runs out from under the seat, so I may need to either replace the cable that runs under the tank from the cradle to the mixer, or possibly even replace the mixer itself.

Posted 6 Mar 2010 @ 8.24 AM in Maintenance

Valve check and spark plugs

I finally got the bike into Pasadena Yamaha for the 52,000 mile valve check - only about 2,500 miles late. As expected, it was well within the specified tolerances.

While they were in there, I had them replace the spark plugs. Kel showed me all four of the old plugs, and they all had that light brown coloring that indicates everything is well inside the engine.

As always, I was very pleased with the service I got from Pasadena Yamaha.

Posted 26 Feb 2010 @ 8.39 PM in Maintenance

Plans for the New Year

I've got some things planned for the New Year.

I'm pretty sure the situation at work won't let me repeat last year's riding, where I took two weeks off each for WFO-8 and CFR. For now, I have mostly firm plans to do a BBG in late April/early May, and am almost positive I can make WFO-9, which will likely be held on the north coast of California. I'd really like to ride up to the Dam Tour bonus dam in Hudson's Hope, BC, but that may take some doing at work.

The bike is in good shape, but there's a few maintenance items it could use if the budget holds out:

  • I still haven't gotten the 52,000 mile valve check done, and the mileage is up to 54,400.
  • I have about 3,000 miles or so left on the rear tire; the front has probably 15,000 miles left.
  • I'll probably need to do some maintenance on the suspension by the summer. If I can make it to British Columbia, or if I get some extra time for WFO, I can stop by GP Suspensions in Portland, but otherwise I can do some of it myself - and I'm sure Doug and Hal will help out if needed.
  • My hydraulic lines are still the stock OEM set, and are due for replacement. Galfer stainless lines look best.
  • I need to install my Hella FF50 auxiliary lights. The install isn't too bad, but I know that I'll need to clean-up all the custom wiring under the front fairing before I can add anything else, and that may take a few days. I may park the bike on the patio, so I can leave it torn apart overnight.

The bike is well accessorized, and there's nothing that needs to be added, but there's a few things I'd like to do:

  • I'd like to add a Pelican 1520/1527 case, mounted to the stock rear rack, for longer multi-day trips, IBA rides, and possible rallies. I've got some of the parts, and can do most of the work before I actually get the case itself.
  • At some point, I'd like to get a BLM fuel cell, with a LindaT custom cover.
  • My Wild Bill foot pegs work okay, but could be better. Maybe some Kuryakan's would do the trick.
.

Posted 16 Jan 2010 @ 7.11 PM in Future Farkles/Accessories

Because I Could

Long distance guru Dean Tanji puts together some of the best rides, and announced the "Because We Can" ride earlier this month:

SoCal’s LD Riders Last Ride-To-Eat Of the Year

Wednesday Dec 30, Guadalupe, CA

It's hard to imagine why, butt, a third of LD riders live where it's frozen solid. Their motors have been "winterized" (a very scary word). It's a process akin to embalming where fluids are changed and the life force is removed and placed on a bench with a Battery Tender on it.

All these riders are just grumpier then hell and can be found hunched over their little computers 24/7, wrapped in a tattered blanket, wearing long-johns (with button rear flap), earmuffs, fingerless gloves and peckin' away. The "sit here, twist that" aggression is now directed solely at the little keyboard and what ever pops up on the screen. They're probably typing like they ride . . . some smooth and effortless . . . others herky-jerky, pecking all over the place. All the while they're mumbling, snortin', dozin’ off and sending each message off with a "smack" of the SEND NOW key yelling "Stuff this up yur candy ass “final drive” drivel ‘n smoke it." Then muttering "If I can't ride, nobody's gonna get the last word on me!" =:o

Another third can only get out on a rare good day. Some screw little metal studs into their tires, shoes, gloves and butt to maintain traction. And they ride till they can't take the pain any longer and they're always in danger of breaking off a very blue finger or black toe. Butt, just knowing they can still ride puts them into a moderately civil disposition. :^|

While the rest of us . . . well . . . life is good. Ride every day or at least every weekend. :^) The electrics are packed away somewhere. And we might even put it on if it gets down to the low-60's! Burrrrr :^))

The timing of this ride is different this year. It’s usually on a weekend between Christmas & New Years. But with Christmas on Friday Dec 24 and New Years on Friday, Jan 1, many (including myself) have weekend family obligations. So this year well see how many can show up in the middle of the week.

SoCal LD Rider's "Because We Can" Ride-To-Eat

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

11:30 Noon - 2:00 PM

The Far Western Tavern
899 Guadalupe Street
or Highway 1 & Ninth Street
Guadalupe, California 93434

Phone: 805-343-2211
http://farwesterntavern.com/

This is a real, genuine "Santa Maria Style BBQ" steak house. The Far Western's claim to fame is their "Bull's Eye Steak" which is a prime cut rib eye steak. The 10 oz "Bull's Eye Steak" is ~$20 and the 14 oz is ~$26. Most luncheon items are in the $10-15 range.

This is not banquet food. Unlike many restaurants that require a prepaid guarantee and a limited group menu, we are ordering off the regular lunch menu and each steak is prepared as ordered. There will be "one check per table". Please bring a wad of cash in all faces (Jackson’s, Hamilton’s, Lincoln’s and Washington’s) to simplify the "one-check-per-table" paying.

Please be aware that service may be a little slower under these conditions. However this give you all more time for tire kickin'.

Northern California LD folks, this is half way between Orange County and the Bay Area! 225+ miles one-way! Not even a full tank for most of you guys. It's the perfect “last” ride-of-the-year ride.

I rsvp'd right away.

When Wednesday dawned, it was cold and rainy. I put on my Widder, and got to Burbank before the rain started and I had to put on my rain suit (under the freeway at Buena Vista). I had originally planned to ride Foxen Canyon and Tepusquet on the way to Guadalupe, but the rain delayed me enough to make the detour impractical. I went straight there, on US-101, CA-154, CA-135, and then CA-1.

I met up with a bunch of old friends, and had a great time at lunch. I sat with Old Michael (ask him about his "canker sore"...), Dr. Rich, Sin-Loki, and dcarver, and we spent the time telling tall tales. Fairlaner was there too, and Jerry White, and bunch of others. I left around 2:00pm, and headed straight back. The rain started at the top of the hill on the 154, and stayed around until the 134 split in North Hollywood. I met up with Carole and Mandy for "Did You Hear About the Morgan's" in Alhambra (not Hugh Grant's best effort...).

It may seem odd to ride 3 hours there, and 3 ½ hours back, almost all of it in the rain, just for a 2 hour lunch, but I had a great time.

Posted 1 Jan 2010 @ 2.32 PM in Rides

Yank the Weenie 2009 Results

Jerry White posted the results of the YTW rally:

Thanks to everyone to participated in the Yank The Weenie rally. It sure was a fun way to get to Dean Tanji's Bite The Weenie RTE at Pink's, Hollywood, CA. A brief overview: I selected a number of bonus locations from past rallies in the general vicinity of Pink's, and created a new rally. The "orgy factor" people have mentioned was a feature that multiplied points at a bonus if other rally riders were in the photo. It encouraged group riding and also gave some pleasant surprises when riders coincidentally arrived at the same bonus simultaneously. The top three teams plus one solo rider boosted each others' scores by arriving at the 500-point cigar store bonus at the same time. This nine-way bonus multiplier gave each rider 4500 points, the single richest bonus on the rally.

Rider Place Points Mileage
George Zelenz, 1, 20530, 444 (George rode the rally with another rider. They should have tied for first place. However that team member presented his scoresheet 15 minutes late and was therefore not considered a finisher.)

Team Ogden (The only two-up team. They sped up bonus acquisition by having Tom take all the photos.)
Chris and Tom Ogden, 2, 18023, 392
Robert Lamishaw, 2, 18023, 410

Team Chaddock
Craig Chaddock, 3, 17868,405
Doug Barrett, 3, 17868, 391
Peter Perrin, 3,17868, 391
David Stoler, 3, 17868, 395

Team Rallymaster (These guys rode with me, and were hampered by my insistence on starting near the Grapevine and not going out to Palm Springs. It wasn't the winning route, but it was fun.)
Tim Watts, 4,11733, 418
Bill Wood, 4, 11733, 418

Brian Casey, 5, 9982, 342 (half his score was from the cigar store orgy.)

Team Turbo
Turbo Dave Hicks, 6, 8700, 281
Jim Hoffman, 6, 8700, 281
Mel Hamel, 6, 8700, 281

Doug Webb, 7, 3864, 276
Margaret Peart, 8, 3811, unknown
Lorraine Hickey, 9, 3494, 239

Team FJR (low mileage team)
Greg Marbach, 10, 1842, 54
Richard Hall, 10, 1842, 54

Karl Zuercher, 11, 1264, 226
Lori Magers, 12, 1063, 75

Thanks again to everyone who rode, and to those who contributed in
other ways behind the scenes to make it a success. You know who you
are.
Jerry

Posted 24 Nov 2009 @ 3.28 PM in Rides

Yank the Weenie 2009

For the last several years, long distance guru Dean Tanji has hosted Bite the Weenie, an informal gathering of long distance riders at Pinks, the hot dog joint on La Brea and a favorite of celebrities and the common man alike. This year's BTW was held on Saturday, November 21st.

As an added bonus, Jerry White organized a companion rally he called Yank the Weenie. Jerry's a top long distance rider and IBR veteran, and YTW had just the right mix of challenge and fun to draw a big crowd of riders. Jerry published a list of 41 bonuses with varying point values. You started no earlier than 10am, and had to be at Pinks by 10:20pm to turn in your score sheet and related materials.

To make things even more interesting, Jerry added the 'orgy' factor. The point total of each bonus was multiplied by the number of rally riders who were there with you. If two riders were there, you got double the points; five riders meant five times the points.

I've been hammered lately at work, and did my ride planning literally the night before the rally. I decided on a conservative plan that would be fun, but not overly stressful. In a strange coincidence, my wife and our friend Mandy were planning to be in Lake Elsinore at about the same time I was, so I also planned on taking some time out to have lunch with them.

I had planned to be at the call box bonus near Running Springs right at 10am, but some last minute mechanical work on Carole's car delayed my departure until about 10:05. I made a high speed run east on I-210 to make up some time. As I neared I-15, my Zumo kept trying to take me off the freeway for some reason. As I got closer, I saw signs saying the freeway would be closed starting at 11am - I guess the XM traffic guys had it down as a 10am closure.

After a couple of recalculations on my part I found the call box for the first bonus (click on any picture for a larger view):

The bonus specified 'the handset', so I opened up the box:

Next was the Rim of the World bonus:

Next, down the hill to the Wigwam Motel in Rialto. The owner came out to talk to me - he'd had a few other riders stop by already, and knew there was a rally going on, but was a little perturbed about the whole deal. I spent some time explaining everything, and showed him the bonus listing for his motel, and that seemed to make him happier.

My GPS entry skills failed me again, and it took me an extra ten minutes to track down the mural on the side of the San Bernadino Convention Center.

From here, I headed down to Lake Elsinore for lunch with my wife and Mandy. I had a nice steak at the Lone Star, and relaxed for a while. After saying my goodbyes, it was up to 'The E', a hang-gliding launch spot in the hills overlooking Lake Elsinore.

As I pulled up, I found four other riders getting their picture taken. My friends Doug and Peter were part of the group, along with Dave and Craig. They hurried me into the shot, and we got a five-way orgy for this bonus.

Just as we finished up, a hang glider took off to the east:


Doug and Craig asked me to join them - they were heading east to Palm Desert, and the five-way orgy would help us all out. I had tentative plans to go west over the hills into southern Orange County, but quickly agreed to join up with the group. It's always fun riding with Doug, and I knew that sticking with them would maximize my points.

We headed over to the Kenworthy bonus:

I was really cold up the mountains with the sun setting, and put my Widder's for the ride down to Palm Desert. We got stuck behind a really lame cage going down the hill. There were no passing lanes or even dashed lines, and the cage would not pull out — by the time we hit the bottom of the hill, there were six motorcycles and seven cars stuck behind. It was frustrating at the time, but it worked out in the end.

When we got to the cigar store in Palm Desert, there were four other riders already there. We quickly took the group photos (well, as quickly as you take nine separate photos), for an orgy multiplier of 9. The base bonus value was 500, so I picked up 4500 points for this one bonus. If we had made a normal run down the hill, we probably wouldn't have met up with the other four riders. (It turns out that one of the riders in the group of nine was the eventual winner, George Z. Since I directly benefited his score, I'm taking partial credit for his win...)

Doug, Craig, Peter and Dave were headed up to Running Springs, so I parted ways and headed west. At first I was planning on heading over to the Crystal Cathedral and the Long Beach bonuses, but I knew I'd really have to push to make the southern swing and still get to Pinks in time, and I was getting really, really cold. (I've lost 30 pounds since April, and my Widder doesn't fit as snugly as it needs to to give me the most warmth.) When I reached the decision point, I veered north towards downtown.

On the way, I remembered the Donut Hole bonus in La Puente. It was just a brief detour and a quick stop:

I stopped by my house for a warmer under layer, then headed over to Pinks. I pulled in around 9:30pm, and got started finishing my paperwork. I wound up with just under 10,000 points - respectable, but nowhere near the leaders. I waited until Doug and the group pulled in to check on some details of the shared bonuses. I handed Jerry my packet (with cigar) at 10:10pm.

The line at Pink's was long, but I spent the time chatting with Lori, who rode her FJR down from Oregon, and with Doug and Ken Meese, so the time went by pretty quick. I had a spicy Polish dog with chili and grilled onions, which hit the spot. By this time I was pretty tired, so I headed home, and pulled into the driveway around 12:45am, with 39 miles showing on my fuel reserves.

A great, fun day, full of surprises and challenges. I sure hope Jerry does this again next year!

Here's my final route map (with both SPOT and GPS tracks). Click here for an interactive, resizeable map.

Posted 23 Nov 2009 @ 2.36 PM in Rides

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