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!
A collection of blurbs stemming from mostly the motorized projects that I do. Some posts mixed in have to do with my experiences in X-ray school. (Some entries are from older blogs that I killed off.) Some of my toys are a Mazdaspeed Miata that I work on and take to the track, a little Harley that I can't stop modding and an old Yamaha RD400 that I've been collecting parts for over the past 15 years. When I'm not wrenching, sometimes I mountain bike, sometimes I snowboard, sometimes I make beer.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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!
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!
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