Let There Be Light(s)

Over the past few months, my dashboard lights have been going out.  At first, it was just the one on the right side of my tach, then the next time I rode at night (months later), I noticed that I had NO dash lights, only the idiot lights on the right.  I remembered seeing a write up on blueproof about a DIY LED fix and figured I'd give that a try.

About a week ago, I stopped by my local Radio Shack and purchased the necessary items to do the LED fix.  The cost was $18 and change!  I had second thoughts and figured that the light bulbs, through the stealership, would probably be much cheaper, so I pursued that path.  I ordered the parts from Eastbay Motorsports (Hayward Suzuki) and returned the parts back to Radio Shack.  The light bulbs were roughly half the cost of the LED project, that is, until I found out that Suzuki ordered me the wrong bulbs (of course, I didn't find that out until I was trying to shove those bulbs into the sockets)- the right ones were going to cost just about the same as the LED fix, but the LED's won't ever need to be replaced!  So back to Radio Shack I went.  Thank God no one bought those last three LED's that I needed!

 

I'm getting so good at ripping the fairing off my bike!  I can get it down to the fairing stay in about ten minutes!  )This is the part where I have to go to Radio Shack.)  The project went well.  I studied Carolyn's detailed pictures very carefully to make sure I was doing it just as she did.  I figured, if she had success, then so shall I.  The first thing that I realized was that polarity is important on LED's.  (Carolyn forgot to mention this in her write-up, so I hope that some poor sap didn't just give up, when the bulb didn't work the first try.)  Later, I got worried about which side I was soldering the resistor to- was it going to burn out my LED if I put it on the negative lead?  According to Ohm's Law, it don't matter- as long as it's there, no matter which side of the LED, the current will get slowed down.  Phew!  that was close!!

I stitched up the bike and gave her a good wash.  The project was a success.  The replacement lights are a little bit dimmer and they have a bluish glow to them, but they'll do the trick.  It's nice to see how fast I'm speeding, when night falls, once again.

Adjustments to the Carb, Again...

On this wonderful Sunday, I ripped open that bike and tried another carb configuration.  I'm getting  pretty good at getting those carbs on the bench- I can get all the bodywork off the bike and have the carbs out in about twenty minutes.  I've done it, now, about six times, so practice does make perfect.

My last try was 162.5 main jets in the front and 160's in the rear.  Running offset jets on this bike is the preferred way to go, if you're planning on running the bike hard.  I am.  With the previous setting, the bike was pulling pretty hard up on top, but I'm just curious if the bike can go faster.  My other concern is that my needle setting is pretty good, now, but I feel that it's running slightly rich.  But before I can make changes to the midrange, I need to absolutely dial in the top end, hence the change to larger main jets.

Since the 165 main jet didn't come with the Factory Pro Stage 2 jet kit, I had to pay a visit to some of the local cycle shops.  Cycle Gear didn't stock them that big, but Motoworx did.  Lucky me!

Everything went off without a hitch- the carbs and all the hoses practically put themselves back together.  When I fired up the SV, the first thing I noticed was it sounded even louder than before!  For my first test ride, I let the engine warm up a bit, then I opened it up.  My first impression was that it seemed to pull a little hard to the redline, but not by much.  I was hoping that it would get a little more into the redline, before sputtering, but that rev limiter is still doing its job.  Darn!  So I'll just ride the bike with the carbs like this for a bit, check the gas mileage, etc, before deciding if this is the best configuration.  Once I've determined that, I'll start fussing with the needle position.

I've been on these rides a couple of times before, so I'm getting to be quite a veteran, now.  Being that Ryan is leaving for the Air Force in a little over a week, we thought it might be nice to get in one last really good ride.

I got suited up and met Ryan at the Chevron at 7am, after I jammed down a quick cup of coffee from Peets.  He was already there, putting air in his always leaking rear tire.  I gassed up, handed him a Fastrak transponder and we were off to the races!

Today, there was a special guest speaker at the Doc Wong clinic.  Rich Oliver is an AMA 250 Grand Prix champion and now has a riding school, which specializes in dirt riding, in Modesto.  He spoke about his experiences, how he got started in racing, from a young age, his mentors and coaches, and the different teams he was riding with.

The lecture part of the ride usually lasts about an hour, but since Rich was there, we were about an hour behind on getting started with the ride.  Ryan and I put ourselves in group four with JC Henderson leading us on his big Honda CBR-XX.  We grouped up and traded names at the B of A across the street, and we were off.

There was more traffic than usual, probably because we were getting such a late start.  JC didn't mind doing double-yellow line passes on slow cars, which really bothered me, him being a "leader" and all, but since I didn't know the route, it was catch up or get lost.  He wasn't much for keeping tabs on the his group either.

Lunch at Davenport was nice.  We arrived around noon and headed over to the Mexican restaurant.  Since we were one of the earlier groups to get there, we actually found a place to sit.  Ryan ordered a burrito and I got a combo plate with an enchilada and a taco.  The food was okay- 7 out of 10 at best.  After lunch, we stood around for a bit, chatting about bikes.  Suddenly, it was time to go- no warning.  Even though the groups before us hadn't left yet, JC must've had ants in his pants and wanted to git!  We saw them lined up at the stop sign, so we quickly slapped our gear on and mounted our rides.

The second part of the ride was a bit faster- the highways were less twisty and technical, plus there was less traffic.  Somewhere in Bonny Doon, I got hit by a yellow jacket in the throat.  I felt it hit me, but I wasn't quite sure what it was until I felt that intense pain.  All I could do was start smashing and patting it down with my left hand!  I wasn't until five miles later, when we pulled off to the side of the road, for a minute, that I was able to verify what had hit me!  It was still stuck on my throat.  As I picked it out of my skin, it fell down my shirt, then we took off!  I wasn't sure if it was still alive, so I began smashing down on my shirt, trying to find that bugger- I didn't want it to start stinging me some more, while I was riding.  For the next twenty miles, I would periodically smash on my shirt, just in case he was still lurking alive down in there.

Finally, we were at the end of our ride.  We parked at the intersection of Highway 9 and Skyline.  I got off my bike and untucked my shirts to see what kind of insect was stinging me.  A yellow jacket flew out.

"I'm In Tune" - The Who
www.docwong.com/st-clinc/index.htm

Saddle Up to Hollister

My day started awefully early today- I've been dreading this trip for a year, but it had to be done- my vigil to Corbin, in Hollister.

I purchased my Corbin saddle, for Elliot, in 2001, and along with the purchase came the promise to restuff the saddle for free, for the first restuffing, when it needs it.  After 22K of riding, that saddle was killing my ass.  I could stand it no more.  Although the trek was only a hair over seventy miles, it always seems so long.

Since they opened at 6:30, the plan was to be there by eight o'clock.  It was too early to ask Emily to make me my morning coffee (on the weekends, she insists on personally grinding the beans immediately before brewing), so I made a stop by my neighborhood Peets, only to find a very long line waiting to order their drinks.  After half an hour, I was on my way.

The drive down was fast and uneventful- I drove in just after 8:30.  When I dropped off the saddle, I complained about the shitty customer phone service I had received over the past two weeks, never getting anyone to call me back, or commit to an answer as to what I should do, make an appointment in advance or do a drop-in.  She took me serious and began processing my work order immediately.

I stopped by the adjoining diner, while I was waiting for my saddle.  I sat at the counter and ordered a vegetarian omelette.  It was excellent!  It was probably the freshest omelette I've ever had at a restaurant, most definitely the hottest!  Service was very friendly and fast.

After breakfast, I trolled around the in-store museum for a bit, taking pictures of some of the great historical motorcycles they had on display.  Suddenly, the saddle was finished!  The entire process took just over an hour.  I thanked the woman at the counter, grabbed my saddle and off I went.

Destination Santa Cruz

This morning, I got up bright and early- supposed to meet up with Ryan at the Shell station at 9am.  Emily was such a sport and woke up early with me, just to make me a fresh cup of coffee, despite the fact that it was a weekend day and she loves to sleep in on the weekends.  I offered to ride to Peets, before meeting up with Ry, but she insisted.  What a doll!

We both gassed up and headed down to San Jose to meet up with his Uncle Brook, who is infamous for being a crazy motorcycle rider.  He used to ride streetbikes on the track, but gave it up for dirt, because he was getting a little "too good, too quickly" and that was a scary thought.  He knew if he rode the street anymore, he would just want to ride wheelies, until the cops catch him and throw him in jail.

When we got there, Grampa Gayle was there too, unloading his motorcycle, after driving down from Santa Rosa this morning.  Brook showed us around the garage and shed, where he kept his bikes and gear.  He didn't have a streetbike anymore, so he rigged one of his motocross bikes up with turn signals and a fake brake light, so it would be passable as street legal.  Looked pretty good to me!  We geared up and said good-bye to Kelly and the kid, and we were off!

We took a series of back roads till we got onto Hwy 17, somewhere around Cats Saloon.  After riding 17 for a short distance, we got off at Bear Creek Road and took the Old Santa Cruz Highway.  It eventually led us to Summit Road, then to Soquel San Jose Road, where it dumped us off smack in the center or Soquel.  Gayle needed gas, so we all stopped and gassed up at the local Qwik Stop.

We crossed under Hwy 1 to Bay Avenue and headed to the Esplanade for some lunch.  Beach traffic was SLOW and the parking was scarce, but after circling around, we managed to find parking amongst a bunch of Harley Davidsons.  All the motorcycle parking spaces were taken up, but two adjacent car spaces were stacked with motorcycles and there was still almost two hours left on the meters!

We walked across the street and took a table on the outside deck of Zelda's.  The sky was a little overcast, but the fog was starting to burn off.  It was looking like blue skies ahead!  I ordered a cup of coffee and a Mexican scramble and it was delicious.  We sat around for about an hour trading stories and talking about the MotoGP riders.

After lunch, we found our way to 41st Ave. and got on Hwy 1 towards Santa Cruz, then turned left at the Hwy 9 junction.  Just past Felton, we were really struggling with traffic, so Brook started getting creative with the route, taking side roads and such, but shortly after we came back to Hwy 9.  Gayle took control and directed us down Glen Arbor Road.  When we hit the end and found Hwy 9, again, he realized that we missed the split, so we headed back and made our way down Quail Hollow Road.  Pretty much, by now, we were a little lost, so to the best of my navigational ability (by trying to retrace our steps on Mapquest), I believe we took a left onto E. Zayante Road, which in turn(s) became Zayante Road.  That was a lot of fun- much of it was tight turns heading up an incline.  Eventually, we took a right on Summit Road and that took us back to  Hwy 17.  From there, Brook guided us through a maze of surface streets that ended at his doorstep.

Soon after, Ryan and I raced home on 680.  I made it home just before 3:30, so I was not even half an hour late!  I'm so proud of myself.  All-in-all, it was a really wonderful ride.  Great company and a wonderful sunny day made for an excellent way for me to spend a Sunday!  What more could I ask for?  It's good to be alive!

New Rear Tyre

Just installed a new Dunlop Qualifier. Bought it from Cycle Gear for $130! They match prices, so I showed them EMA's ad. Mitch took good care of me- their tire mounting machine was out of order, but he did it by hand, just so I wouldn't have to drive to Hayweird to get it mounted!

Took it for a real test ride today- headed up to the top of Mount Hamilton with fellow twisties enthusiast, Ryan Rutherford, who took his Yamaha FZ1. The weather was nice, perhaps even a little on the hot side, being about 90 degrees and all. Conditions were good- not too much gravel on the road, hardly any traffic!

I'm still testing my carb setup a little, but Sonja was running very strong and responsively. Being a brand new tire and all, it felt excellent. Didn't give me any problems whatsoever. There were tight turns and bike handled appropriately. I'm running 32psi front/36psi rear.

The engine backfired pretty frequently on the downshifting and engine-braking with some low pops, but the bike still pulled hard and didn't hesitate. I'm still thinking of moving the main jets up one size to 167.5/165 just to see if it'll be better. When that's done and tested, I'll try changing the needle position to lean out the midrange.

All-in-all, it was a good ride. We stopped at the Junction and had a Coke, while a few local patrons were watching the NASCAR race on the tube. We took another break at the Lick Observatory to use their facilities and take in some water and the awesome surroundings. It's great to live in the Bay Area!

Shop's Open!

Howdy! I'm Eddy. I've been riding motorcycles off and on for twenty years and I'm an addict.

In 1986, I was living in San Luis Obispo, attending the local junior college (just trying to get away from a crazy girlfriend, up in the Bay Area). For some reason, I purchased a Motorcyclist magazine and started reading about inertia, countersteering and frame design. There was an article in there talking about front swingarm steering designs. I was fascinated! From that moment on, I was hooked!

About a month later, I just happened to stop by the local Husqvarna dealership. I would often drop by just to sit on the new Suzuki GSX-R models. On this one particular day, there was a used Yamaha RD400 sitting out front on consignment. I used to see one of these parked at my high school and I always liked the way they looked. I really didn't know much about the bikes, but they sure did look cool! The price tag said $500. I asked the salesman if they could go any lower. He called the owner and told me that I could have it for $400. In order to take a test ride, all I needed was 1) a permit or license 2) long pants and 3) a helmet, which they could provide. I was in shorts, so I told the salesman that I'd be back the next day. Immediately, I made my way across the street to the DMV and without even opening a manual, I took the motorcycle permit test. I missed five questions, but that was a passing score!

The next day, I returned to the dealership, went for a quick test drive and purchased my first motorcycle on a Mastercard.

The years went by and eventually, after not having ridden a bike for about five years. I was living in Castro Valley and working in Menlo Park, just across the Dumbarton Bridge- a solid twenty-four mile commute. It was the height of Silicon Valley's dotcom era. I could count on seeing two fender-benders on the way to work everyday. In a car, that commute sometimes took almost three hours! Too many days spent waiting in traffic. That's when I bought a 2001 Suzuki SV650S. It's such a versatile bike! An excellent commuter as well as a fun bike for the local canyons. Suddenly, heading to work was so much less of a chore- I could count on a twenty-four minute commute no matter what.

Since then, I've been honing my bike, Sonja, toward the track. Basically, as soon as the warranty expired, I started doing more radical mods, like changing out the suspension, refitting the brakes and engine mods. I'm hopeful that next year, I'll finally get to see my first track day. I have aspirations of one day doing some amateur racing in the superstock class, so my mods can't be all that crazy- that'll help keep my budget in line!

So I thought I would start up this here blog, hopefully attracting other SV (or really any other) motorcycle enthusiasts. I'll just post miscellaneous ramblings of motorcycle related events happening in my life, from rides to wrenching. Please chime in and share some of your thoughts and experiences with me. Ride safe and maybe I'll see you out there!

Shop's Open!

Howdy! I'm Eddy. I've been riding motorcycles off and on for twenty years and I'm an addict.

In 1986, I was living in San Luis Obispo, attending the local junior college (just trying to get away from a crazy girlfriend, up in the Bay Area). For some reason, I purchased a Motorcyclist magazine and started reading about inertia, countersteering and frame design. There was an article in there talking about front swingarm steering designs. I was fascinated! From that moment on, I was hooked!

About a month later, I just happened to stop by the local Husqvarna dealership. I would often drop by just to sit on the new Suzuki GSX-R models. On this one particular day, there was a used Yamaha RD400 sitting out front on consignment. I used to see one of these parked at my high school and I always liked the way they looked. I really didn't know much about the bikes, but they sure did look cool! The price tag said $500. I asked the salesman if they could go any lower. He called the owner and told me that I could have it for $400. In order to take a test ride, all I needed was 1) a permit or license 2) long pants and 3) a helmet, which they could provide. I was in shorts, so I told the salesman that I'd be back the next day. Immediately, I made my way across the street to the DMV and without even opening a manual, I took the motorcycle permit test. I missed five questions, but that was a passing score!

The next day, I returned to the dealership, went for a quick test drive and purchased my first motorcycle on a Mastercard.

The years went by and eventually, after not having ridden a bike for about five years. I was living in Castro Valley and working in Menlo Park, just across the Dumbarton Bridge- a solid twenty-four mile commute. It was the height of Silicon Valley's dotcom era. I could count on seeing two fender-benders on the way to work everyday. In a car, that commute sometimes took almost three hours! Too many days spent waiting in traffic. That's when I bought a 2001 Suzuki SV650S. It's such a versatile bike! An excellent commuter as well as a fun bike for the local canyons. Suddenly, heading to work was so much less of a chore- I could count on a twenty-four minute commute no matter what.

Since then, I've been honing my bike, Sonja, toward the track. Basically, as soon as the warranty expired, I started doing more radical mods, like changing out the suspension, refitting the brakes and engine mods. I'm hopeful that next year, I'll finally get to see my first track day. I have aspirations of one day doing some amateur racing in the superstock class, so my mods can't be all that crazy- that'll help keep my budget in line!

So I thought I would start up this here blog, hopefully attracting other SV (or really any other) motorcycle enthusiasts. I'll just post miscellaneous ramblings of motorcycle related events happening in my life, from rides to wrenching. Please chime in and share some of your thoughts and experiences with me. Ride safe and maybe I'll see you out there!