Sunday, March 15, 2009
A bike weekend
Carole is in Spokane for the weekend visiting Cindy, so I spent Saturday finishing up some little projects on the bike.
Since I got my SPOT for Christmas, the V-1 radar detector has been without a home. The SPOT mounts to the right handlebar using the RAM ball that used to be for the V-1, and there's really no other decent place to mount it. I've been playing with different mounting options for the V-1, but never came up with something usable until today. I cleaned off the top of the brake reservoir, and put on a strip of industrial velcro hook. I set up the audio adapter with loop on the bottom (it was actually already there from the previous setup) and hook on the top; the main V-1 has loop on the bottom. This gives me a stack, with the audio adapter stuck to the brake reservoir, and the V-1 itself stuck to the top of the audio adapter. Just for a little extra stability, I added a mini-bungee cord that wraps around the handlebar on one side and clips to the SPOT bracket. It's really pretty stable - the windshield keeps everything out of the wind, and both the V-1 and the audio adapter are tethered to the bike by the power cables. The SPOT mount also fits over the top of the V-1, for a little extra support.
Next, I connected up the audio mixer box I built. The mixer has two inputs - the V-1 and the Zumo - and one output for the headphones. The circuitry prevents the signal from one of the inputs getting to and damaging the other input - and vice-versa. The mixer is in a small Radio Shack project box, and just barely fits next to the cruise control unit under the front seat.
While I was under there, I also organized the miscellaneous junk under the back seat. A small zipper pouch holds some zip ties in various sizes, some extra audio connectors, and a couple of multi-tools. The pouch fits nicely behind the stock tool bag under the back seat.
On Sunday tested everything with a ride up to Santa Maria. I put my small hydration bladder into the new tank bag, and packed it up based on the checklist. I left around 9:10am, and headed out to Santa Barbara on the 101. I gassed up at State Street, then headed up SR-154 to Foxen Canyon and onto Pappy's for tri-tip and enchiladas.
SR-166 was pleasant, but I got stuck behind some traffic in New Cuyama. Once I got onto Cerro Noroeste I stopped to bundle up, and wound up with: a) a long-sleeve shirt; b) the Widder vest; c) a light sweatshirt; d) the Flex rain liner; e) the FLEX jacket, with the shell in place. I still wasn't warm. I also put in my glove liners.
Cerro Noroeste was fun, as always. A few places with rocks in the road, but no snow, and no traffic. I was going to be just short of making it home, so I gassed up at the Flying J in Frazier Park. I-5 was fast, as always. Only a few beeps on the V-1 in the first section, then free sailing the rest of the way.
A fun weekend with the FJR.
