Thursday, February 04, 2010
Summer Road Trip - No Interstates
I'm contemplating a 2000 mile road trip this summer. My goal is to stay off the Interstate Highways and travel through some scenic parts of the Western U.S. during some nice hot days. Traveling the two lane highways adds a bit over 200 miles to the round-trip compared to driving on I-90.
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# posted by Jack @ 7:33 PM
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
One Way To Lube a Motorcycle Clutch Cable
I've been thinking about how to shoot some lubricant into the clutch cable on my Kaw P19. I don't know if it really needs any lube but I've been riding in the rain so I thought it wouldn't hurt.
You can buy a special lubricator tool like this one, but I'm sort of cheap and I've seen people using those with a fair amount of mess/spray coming out rather going in the cable. I thought about going to the drugstore to see if I could buy a syringe with a long needle, but wasn't sure if that would work. I ended up using a ziplock baggie with one corner cut open and taped with electrical tape around the end of the cable.
Put enough of your favorite cable lube in the corner of the baggie to cover the cable where it enters the sheath. I used a combination of 3 in 1 oil, 20-50 Mobil One, Autozone general purpose spray lube and some extra virgin olive oil (just kidding about the last one). I wanted something that was thin enough to enter the cable and not drag then it gets cold - but with a little more lubricating ability than WD40. I think any lubricating oil that isn't too thick when it gets cold would be fine.
It might be obvious but you have to remove the cable from the clutch lever before you tape on the baggie. To do that you loosen the middle cable adjuster, which is in front of the engine, by unlocking the locking nut and screwing the adjuster barrel in (clockwise). Loosening the locking nut takes two 12 MM open end wrenches. Or one 12 MM and one 1/2 inch in my case since I couldn't find two 12 MM wrenches and I have about ten 1/2 inch wrenches.
You also have to loosen the thumb wheel on the clutch lever cable and screw that adjuster in until you have enough slack to release the cable from the clutch lever. There's a groove cut into the threaded portion of the clutch lever adjuster that you line up to free the cable (it's a lot clearer when you look at it). You might need to use a small flat head screwdriver to gently pry the cable end piece from the clutch lever.
The baggie method is generally a gravity feed - but I didn't want to wait around while lube hopefully dripped through the cable. If you capture a little air in the baggie and ziplock it closed, you can carefully squeeze it to force the lube through the cable. Make sure you have something to catch dripping oil underneath the middle adjuster and the point where your clutch cable enters the engine. Squeeze the baggie until the lube comes out the other end and your done.
Pretty much done anyway. You have to put the cable back in the lever and unscrew the middle and upper adjuster until your clutch feels right. Once your happy with the feel of the lever tighten the lock nut on the middle adjuster and the thumb wheel on the clutch lever. I try to set the middle adjuster so the clutch lever adjustment is threaded about halfway in so I can fine tune it either way at the lever by hand and not have to use wrenches to mess with the middle adjuster.
There are some measurements given for lever free play (1/8 inch) but basically you want the clutch to start disengaging with about 1/4 lever pull (you can feel it). You want the clutch to completely disengage when you pull the lever in (so you aren't grinding gears/trying to hold your bike from creeping forward when it's stopped in gear) and completely engage when you release the lever (so the clutch plates don't slip and burn out).
Probably a good idea to do some stops and starts in a non-congested area to make sure the clutch friction zone is where you like it before taking off in traffic. Slow speed riding is really dependent on using the friction zone and small changes can throw you off if you're used to a certain sweet spot.
# posted by Jack @ 5:01 PM
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It's a Little Snowy in New York
I've been hanging around
Binghamton, New York this week. It's a nice area - home of Rod Serling, Johnny Hart creator of the BC comic strip, Binghamton University, six antique carousels and the Spiedie. The city is located at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers.
I had some good homemade pasta at the
Little Venice Restaurant. The Little Venice started business 64 years ago in 1946 so you know it has something going for it.
It's about 31 F this morning with some light snow - but it doesn't feel nearly as cold as when it gets to 31 in the Seattle area. I wish I had some more time to explore the area - maybe a
visit some spring, summer, or fall when the leaves are changing color.
# posted by Jack @ 10:08 AM
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Sunday, January 10, 2010
Nice Weekend
It was in the 50's Saturday and Sunday. I got the outdoor Christmas lights put away, cut up the Christmas tree to put in the recycle bin and rode my Sportster 150 miles; 50 miles on Saturday and 100 miles today - not bad for the first part of January.
Saturday was sunny and I was able to ride comfortably with a sweater, gloves and jeans. Sunday was cloudy and a little windy so I rode with my leather jacket, gloves and over-pants.
I rode the Snohomish River Road, Old Snohomish-Monroe Road and Ben Howard Road to Sultan then headed up to Goldbar and then back west to Kayak Point Park which is about a 104 mile trip. The bike used just under 2 gallons of gas.
I'm averaging about 1000 miles a month on two wheels. On a monthly basis that is about 320 miles commuting and 680 miles just tooling around. I still haven't taken an overnight trip because of time/work/vacation/weather constraints but there are plenty of nice places to ride in this area and I'm looking forward to some longer trips this
summer.
# posted by Jack @ 10:55 PM
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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Traveling on $100 a Day
As I wait for the planet to tilt back toward the sun I've been daydreaming about taking extended trips on the
Blue Highways of America. At one time I thought a
Travels with Charley setup - just me and my dog tooling around the USA in a camper, would be a good way to go.
My recent obsession with motorcycles, and the price of gasoline, has made me think a trip on a two wheeler might be the way to go. I used to think about a bicycle but that seems too slow right now - and a little on the masochistic side when I think about the people I saw riding bicycles across the middle of Montana last summer.
I'm thinking 10 gallons of gasoline a day at about $3/gallon, $15 for food, $15 for miscellaneous (campground fees, laundry, shower, oil, stove fuel, maint) might be a fair estimate.
For $60/day I could travel 300 miles each day sleeping outside for a few days and then check into a motel every 3 or 4 days to clean up, wash clothes, get a good nights sleep, log-on etc.
It's a really rough guess. I don't think I'd really want to travel 300 miles every day; depending on where I was it might make more sense to not travel at all, more than 300 miles, or less than 300 miles and just spend my time stopping to look at/experience anything that looked interesting. Can't think of how many times I've passed something on a trip where I thought, "that looks interesting but I don't have time to stop or turn back to check it out." It sounds nice to slow down and have all the time I wanted to take to just wander around.
I plan to try it out this summer with some shorter trips over highway 20 the
North Cascades Highway maybe drifting up to Canada and over to Montana at some point.
I'm still trying to figure out the right vehicle. The Sportster is fun but has very little carrying capacity for camping gear. It is also fairly tiring for long rides without a windshield or fairing. It would work if I only wanted to stay in motels and drive short distances - or if I want to get a rack/sissy bar that I can strap a bag on. It gets 50 mpg and with a 4.5 gallon tank has a good range. The KZ has a lot of carrying capacity but isn't as fuel efficient - with a 4 gallon tank and a range of only about 100 miles in stop and go conditions. I think I have to buy a different motorcycle.
Or I have to remember what it was like when I was 17 and drove my Honda 350 hundreds of miles around Montana over the
Going-To-The-Sun Highway in Glacier Park and up the
Cooke City Highway into Yellowstone Park...plus just tooling around in the big open spaces. It didn't have a windshield, rack or saddle bags and would vibrate enough at certain speeds that you couldn't use the mirrors, but none of that seemed to be a problem, so my idea that I need the "perfect" motorcycle to get out and go may just be an excuse.
_____________________________
I really like the idea of one of these
Concours motorcycles though and I may end up selling my two to end up with this one. Or maybe keep all three - Sportster for short trips in nice weather, KZP semi-beater for winter/commuting and then the
Connie (or the newer
GTR14) for road trips.
The Concours seems to be a good bang for your buck sport touring motorcycle, reading the owners comments they seem to be quite happy. I see new ones on E-Bay for a little over 10K and some slightly used ones like this one on Craigslist in S.F. for 4K
2003 Kawasaki Concours (trade?). I wonder what the weather would be like for a ride from San Francisco to Everett this weekend...?
# posted by Jack @ 5:12 AM
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Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Riding in The Rain
When I took a Motorcycle Safety Training course at the San Diego Naval base many years ago the instructor said he never rode in the rain. I thought that was pretty good advice, and really not much of a problem to accomplish in San Diego.
San Diego is pretty dry, with an average of 10.3 inches of rain a year; an average of about 3.6 days per month with some precipitation - ranging from one day in June, July, August and September to seven days in February and March. That small amount of rain tends to leave the roads pretty slippery for a 2 wheeler since it isn't enough to wash away the oil from cars. On average, there are about 263 sunny days per year in
San Diego so there's plenty of days to ride without having to venture out in the rain.
My experience riding in
Columbus Montana was somewhat similar with about 14 inches of precipitation per year - 69 days with any measurable precipitation, and an average of 202 sunny days, per year. The difference in Montana is that some of the precipitation is in the form of snow and some of those sunny days can be below freezing.
Everett, Washington is a different sort of place with an average annual rainfall of 37 inches which is spread out over an average of 148 days with measurable precipitation.
If I stuck with the "no riding in the rain" rule I'd end up not riding - 43 days in San Diego, 69 days in Montana and 148 days in Everett. The comparison with Montana isn't fair though since there's probably 148 days where there's either snow on the ground or it's so cold that you wouldn't want to ride a 2 wheeler.
The nice thing about Everett is that even though it gets some rain, it generally isn't that cold. Snow is fairly rare here and the
average monthly low temperature is never below freezing so most days are okay for riding. I wouldn't want to spend much time on the busy Interstate Highways around here in the rain, particularly at night - but for my daily sixteen mile 35 mph commute - riding in the rain is fun.
# posted by Jack @ 6:32 PM
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Friday, January 01, 2010
Ringing In The New Year
I'm getting over the flu or else one heck of a cold.
I haven't had enough energy to stay upright for longer than an hour or so for the last few days - but I'm just about over it now. I'm a little bummed that I wasted a few days being sick and missed some fun times, riding and working out but there will be plenty of time for that as the days get
longer.
I almost feel up to hopping on my bike for a first ride of the new year now at 11 pm...almost.
I'm looking forward to 2010!
It's going to be a lot better than the last few days for sure.
# posted by Jack @ 9:31 PM
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ed, Bill and Ralph
Edgar - King of the chair
Bill - Has a cold
Ralph - big puppy
Edgar and Ralph moving - I like the expression on Ralph's face
# posted by Jack @ 11:13 PM
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Cold Weather Motorcycling
I wanted to get the Harley Davidson Cold Weather Gauntlet
gloves since in the Motorcycle Cruiser review of
Cold-Weather Motorcycling Gloves they say they are the warmest - but it doesn't appear HD makes that particular glove anymore.
I like the quality of my Firstgear cold weather
One-Piece Suit so I assumed they make pretty good winter gloves too. My hands were nice and warm on the 15 mile ride home at speeds from 35 to 60 mph with the temperature in the high 30's.
I'm looking forward to seeing how they work in the rain.
# posted by Jack @ 6:55 PM
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
KZP Headlamp Replacement - It Pays to Shop Around
The low beam on my Kawasaki burned out awhile back and I went shopping for a replacement.
The replacement bulb for a 2000 KZP is Kawasaki p/n 92069-1002. A local Kaw dealer and BikeBandit.com want $62.96 for that bulb. The stock bulb is a H4 (Hella 4) 60/55W. This bulb is also known as a 9003 bulb. It's used on some automobiles as well as motorcycles.
That seemed like a lot of money for this little bulb so I ended up buying a couple from
Napa online for $5.49 each plus $7.49 shipping. I would have bought them locally but none of the Napa auto parts stores had them in stock and they wanted me to pay shipping and then pick them up at the store. Made more sense to have them shipped to me.
I replaced the bulb and noticed it wasn't as bright as the one that had failed. I assumed the burned out bulb was stock but it turned out to be a H4 100/80W bulb. You can buy one of those at JC Whitney or Amazon etc. for 9 bucks. The description of the 100/80W bulb says it's for use in off-road conditions only. If I was doing much night driving I might go ahead and get one - it made a difference in road visibility and no one was flashing their high beams at me while I was driving with it - so I assume it wasn't blinding oncoming drivers or annoying them.
You can read about the H4 9003 designations on
Wikipedia or at
CandlePowerForums. The H4 comes in a range of wattage ratings e.g. 60/55W, 100/55W, 100/80W, 130/90W. This first number is the high beam and the second is for low.
I guess it pays to shop around and check to see that the part you are ordering is actually same as the the one on the bike. I never thought of going through the minor hassle of pulling the old bulb to make sure what wattage it was - I was more interested in riding and I had a high beam and a couple of driving lamps working.
# posted by Jack @ 6:31 PM
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Immediate Feedback
A lot of things we do tend to be fairly abstract in the sense that there is no immediate relationship between our actions and the results. We accept that is the case when we raise children, work as teachers, put effort into becoming more educated or do things like limiting our food/alcohol intake and increasing physical activity in hopes of being healthier.
The challenge is that in our modern world we sometimes find too many things we do in our work and our leisure time (if we focus on online activities) to be abstractions or distractions.
If you were a subsistence farmer and made a mistake in your crop planning, planting, cultivation, or harvesting you might end up starving. If you were a cave person and got too close to the Saber Tooth cat you might be lunch.
It doesn't have to be anything that dramatic though - if you are sewing a shirt, knitting a sweater, cooking a meal, working on a car or motorcycle - you get pretty immediate feedback that what you are doing is or isn't working. I think that appeals to people - you don't have to wait and wonder if that email you sent did what you wanted - you can see you knit one sleeve longer than the other, you stripped that bolt - you burnt the pie.
If you interact directly with another human (especially the younger type humans) you will get immediate feedback.
If you pet or play games with a dog or a cat - you get immediate feedback.
Individual sports like golf, bowling, fishing have that same sort of appeal where what you do has an immediate impact on the results. Not so much a team sport where the team wins or loses - although there is certainly the opportunity for one person to have a positive or negative impact on the game (sort of like work for some people) - but you can't say one person won or lost a football, basketball or hockey game.
One of the appeals of gambling is that you either win or lose a bet, and thereby validate your actions, although money in itself is a bit of an abstraction in some context.
You can take it up a notch with other activities like bicycling, kayaking, mountain climbing, motorcycle riding where the risks are higher and you either manage risk - or one day your luck runs out.
I think it's all about wanting to be alive while you're living and know that what you do has an impact. So go bake a pie or ride a bike or talk to a little kid or something (talking to myself again...)
# posted by Jack @ 7:31 PM
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Monday, December 14, 2009
The Deep Roots Project
I'm posting this video because I like the background music. The song is "It's My Youth" - lyrics written by Jesse Altig, and music by Andy Tabb. It's one of the songs written by high school students for the
The Deep Roots Project which was started in the Portland area in 1998 by a high school teacher named
Chris Gragg. You can listen to samples of their music and buy CD's at
CD Baby
# posted by Jack @ 8:25 PM
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Sunday, December 13, 2009
Westlake Holiday Carousel
It was a lot of fun to volunteer tonight. I got more carousel rides in one
night than in my whole life. All for the good cause of supporting
Treehouse for Kids.
# posted by Jack @ 9:48 PM
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Today's Ride
I rode my
KZP from Everett to the
Seattle International Motorcycle Show today.
It's the first time I've been to one of those. I thought it would be like the
Seattle Bicycle Expo where you can get some good deals on clothing and bicycles. I'm not in the market for a motorcycle but I was surprised at the prices (and lack of selection) for clothing and gear. I was interested in a pair of over-pants, but the prices at the show were higher than what you pay online - at least for the couple of pairs of Tour Master pants that I looked at. They were asking MSRP but these things always seem to be on sale online.
It was a good day for a ride - sunny and 36 to 38 degrees, parking was free and I think I can use my ticket at a Harley dealership for $10 off on some gloves I want - so the show cost me a buck.
On my way home I snapped a picture of the 75 cent room sign in Pioneer Square -
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I wandered over to Peets in Freemont and had a double espresso on the deck in front -
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Then went under the bridge and got a picture of the troll -
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Then I headed North through stop and go traffic on I-5 and got home in time to see the University of Montana
Grizzlies win their football game against Appalachian State in the semi-finals. Game time temp in Missoula was about 18 F with some blowing snow thrown in for extra excitement.
# posted by Jack @ 5:10 PM
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Friday, December 11, 2009
Quest for Warm(er) Hands - MSR Hand Deflectors
I ordered some
MSR Hand Deflectors from
BikeBandit.com. They don't completely enclose your hands, and aren't insulated with fleece, like the
Hippo Hands.
I have some cold weather neoprene bicycling gloves I wear under a pair of leather gloves that work pretty good - but it would be nice to have my hands just a little warmer. I think the MSR hand deflectors might offer just enough wind protection to keep my hands comfortable on short rides on cold days and those longer rides on chilly days.
The MSR units are advertised as universal fit - they strap on, so they don't require a mounting bracket. I'm interested to see how they work out.
Postscript Jan 7 2010:
The MSR hand deflectors didn't work for me. With the single strap they tend to flop around and were impossible to mount securely, orient correctly since they hit the mirrors and they tend to push on the clutch/brake lever as the wind pushes them back. You could, if you were so inclined, modify them by drilling a hole in them so they'd fit over the mirror stems and construct (or buy) a mounting bracket to keep them from pushing on the clutch/brake levers. I wasn't so inclined so I returned them.
I've figured out that the fairing on the KZP makes a big difference in wind chill compared to the Sportster, and for the type of riding I'm doing a pair of winter gloves is sufficient on the KZP. For the Sporty you would need some heated grips or gloves or some sort of wind deflector if you were going to ride it in below 40 weather (which I don't anyway since I'm not using a winter weight oil).
# posted by Jack @ 7:01 AM
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
AMA Membership - Includes Motorcycle Towing
For $39 a year an American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
Membership provides some pretty good benefits.
You get towing service that covers -
- All of your motorcycles, cars and trucks
- Towing up to 35 miles.
- Up to five dispatched service calls per year
- RV's
- Trailers
- Trip Routing
I think getting the tow coverage for the price of a magazine subscription is a good deal. I'll find out for sure if I ever have an occasion to use the service.
For comparison purposes
AAA"Plus RV" covers motorcycles and is $125 a year. The basic AAA membership is $59 a year but only covers tows up to 5 miles and doesn't cover motorcycles. It might make sense to sign up for the AMA even if you don't have a motorcycle.
# posted by Jack @ 6:14 AM
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Motorcycle Consumer News
I haven't read a lot of motorcycle magazines since I was a kid, but I have to say nowadays my favorite is
Motorcycle Consumer News. The other magazines have lots of ads and pictures and tend to focus on a particular type of bike or riding. Motorcycle Consumer News doesn't have any ads and has a wide variety of articles of interest to any type of bike or riding.
They also have a
Used Bike Value Guide that's a handy reference point when you're perusing the
craigslist motorcycle classifieds. It's not surprising that the majority of motorcycle owners are asking more for their used bikes than the NADA price.
The NADA prices are for the "full retail value of a stock motorcycle in a reconditioned or clean, undamaged and well-maintained condition with average mileage, ready to be sold by a dealer or between individuals. The value assigned is a national average." These prices are a good starting point for determining if that craigslist bike is a good deal or not.
It's not online but Motorcycle Consumer News also has a summary of every popular motorcycle showing 0-60 time, top speed, horsepower, torque - if you like to compare those things.
I'd guess Motorcycle Consumer News probably appeals more to a mature rider, or someone who likes motorcycles, and riding motorcycles, in general and isn't locked-in on a particular brand or type of riding.
MCN is available at the
Everett Public Library or you can get your own subscription for $22/year.
# posted by Jack @ 6:14 PM
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Google Chrome - For Linux
The
Google Chrome browser is available for Linux now. It's still beta but seems to be working great for me - faster than the fox. You can search from the address bar using CTRL K, so you don't need a separate search box and you don't need to move your cursor to start typing a search term. Chrome has other
Keyboard and mouse shortcuts that might make things quicker for you too.
I downloaded a pre-beta version months ago and it wasn't ready for distribution. Google developers were clear on that, so I just played with it for awhile and got on the mailing list for when the official beta came out.
Chrome will import all your Firefox favorites - so it's easy to switch over and see what you think.
# posted by Jack @ 6:41 PM
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Sunday, December 06, 2009
Creamy Squash Soup Recipe
I made this soup yesterday using the recipe from the back of a Silk Soymilk container -
Ingredients -
3 cups butternut squash chunks (de-seeded and peeled)
3 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic - minced
1 cup Silk Organic Unsweetened Soymilk
1 pinch ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the garlic in your saucepan, add the vegetable stock and squash chunks - let simmer until squash is soft (about 10 minutes).
Puree in a blender. I used a hand blender, because I don't like pouring boiling hot stuff in a blender, and didn't feel like waiting for it to cool off. You could probably use a mixer or a fork if you don't have a blender.
Add the soymilk, ginger, salt, pepper and reheat.
I used a couple of random squash (squashes? squish?) that were in the kitchen (not butternut) and it turned out very good - nice and sweet and good on a cold wintery day.
# posted by Jack @ 3:58 PM
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Friday, December 04, 2009
Time To Garage the Bike - Maybe
It was 28 F when I left for work this Friday morning. The cold isn't really a problem but the frost could be. I felt my tires start to come loose from the pavement while going around a corner - an adrenalin boost on a two-wheeler...but a little too risky for my tastes. Riding a motorcycle on icy streets is probably a bit stupid, so I'll be trying to avoid that in the future.
Postscript - Saturday was nice - sunny and cold, but there was some frost in the shady areas so we spent the day going up North to cut down a Christmas tree (drove the pickup...not a bike). Sunday afternoon it was 36 F and sunny. I rode my Kaw about 70 miles - mostly on the freeway. It wasn't bad at all with the windshield and riding suit. I just need something a little better for my hands - maybe some
Hippo Hands or something like that.
I tried to fire up the Sportster when I got home and that 20-50 oil was like molasses in January. It's suppose to be good down to 40 F, so it was a little cold for that weight oil and the engine just couldn't get spinning fast enough to fire-up, plus it's probably not the best thing for the engine bearings, cylinders, push-rods to run that weight oil when it's below 40. I have the trickle charger/maintainer on it now and hope we see some 40 plus weather here in the not too distant future.
# posted by Jack @ 9:26 PM
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Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Kawsaki and Harley - A Few Observations
A few observations on the 4 cylinder Kawasaki vs. the Harley V-Twin - (a) it's a lot easier to change the oil and filter on the Harley. The Harley has a spin on oil filter and a drain plug held in place with a hose clamp, so you if you have a screwdriver and fairly strong grip to spin the filter you can change the oil and filter. The Kawasaki on the other hand has a complicated filter assembly that won't clear one of the exhaust pipe clamps, so you get to free that rusted nut before dropping the filter out. Make sure you get the two o-rings, spring, washer, and top cap back in correctly when you reassemble (see pic below for the parts that make up the oil filter assembly) (b) hydraulic lifters make the Harley worry free when it comes to valve adjustment. The Kaw on the other hand is supposed to have the valves checked, and adjusted using shims if necessary, every 3000 miles. This involves removing - the gas tank, 20 bolts from the valve covers and some other stuff (I haven't tried it yet...). and (c) The Harley has a belt drive. No messy chain lubing like on the Kawaski.
They are both fun to ride and wrench on. Just different. The Kawasaki is lighter and more maneuverable. The Harley gets up and goes at low RPM's. The Harley sounds good and gets 50 mpg around town. The Kawasaki sounds like a 4 cylinder engine revving pretty high (4000 rpm at 60 mph) and gets about 30 mpg around town (more than 50 mpg on the highway though).
# posted by Jack @ 10:58 PM
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Two Favorite Motorcycle Forum Topics - Engine Oil and Chain Lube
People love to ask and answer questions about what's the best oil to use in a motorcycle engine and the best lubricant, and how to apply it, for a motorcycle chain.
You get all sorts of opinions.
Some folks think it doesn't matter what brand of oil you use and that is doesn't need to be specifically formulated for a motorcycle. I tend to think there's some happy median (medium or something). Harley recommends diesel engine oil if you can't find the secret formula HD brand oil. Diesels run hot and go long distances between oil changes, so the oil for those engines has to be pretty good stuff.
The economics of trucking make the price for diesel engine oils competitive, unlike motorcycle oil where people can afford and are willing to pay 10 dollars for a quart of oil - because it's all discretionary spending to begin with unless it's your only vehicle - which is unlikely.
Interesting that if you're driving a semi-truck you can get service at
Peterbilt including - oil (up to 44 quarts), oil filter(s), fuel filter, water filter and chassis lube for $179.95, and there are
people who claim a Harley dealer wanted $225.00 to change oil or $191.00 if you supply the oil (4 qts). For that price it's probably a good idea to buy a screwdriver and a manual unless you don't like getting your hands dirty or are wrench challenged.
I only recently discovered that motorcycle forums have almost as many threads on chain lube as engine oil...
Some people like to remove chains from motorcycles and boil them in kerosene and then bake them in the oven to get a nice coating of grease - those would be your single motorcycle riders with a lot of time on their hands, who have older bikes that have a master link in the chain. Recommended interval for drive chain lubrication is every 200 miles and if it's wet/dirty on the road you may need to do it more often - so the boil and bake probably isn't very practical.
Some people use 3 in 1 oil or WD-40 on their chain. Some people think you should use a lubricant that says it's for a motorcycle chain (I'm with them).
Some people don't think you ever need to oil a chain - they must of never ridden a bicycle with a dry chain and realized how much easier it is to pedal when the chain is oiled.
I don't have any answers when it comes to oil for motorcycles but this guy seems to know what he's talking about when it comes to
All About Motor Oil.
I've been using Mobil V-Twin 20W-50 synthetic oil in my Sportster and Shell Rotella Diesel Engine Oil 15W-40 in the Kaw. I used some super cheap Safeway brand before the Rotella. From what I've read that isn't a problem, as long as you change your oil frequently - which I was planning anyway. I was using the Safeway oil to make sure I had the right amount of oil in the crankcase and as a pre-drain oil before I put in something better a few days later when I did my first oil and filter change on the Kaw.
Rotella is around 14 bucks a gallon and Mobil 1 is 10 something a quart, at Autozone, which is about 7 blocks from my house - which plays into my decision to use those brands. Both the HD and the Kawasaki use a little less than a gallon of oil for an oil change and the recommended oil change is every 5000 miles on the Harley and every 3000 miles on the Kawasaki.
# posted by Jack @ 10:18 PM
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Taking The KZP Out For a Spin Today
This is on the bluff by Legion Park - there's a hint of sun today,
after lots of rain.
# posted by Jack @ 3:27 PM
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
Keeping Busy
I haven't been updating my blog for awhile because I've been busy with motorcycley things. Mostly outdoors or in the garage.
I really like my Sporty but I don't like riding it when it's wet out because it's so nice and shiny, and the saddlebags on it are made of leather which soaks through in the rain. I looked into saddle bag upgrades and a rack - but those are pretty pricey and I like the clean look of the Sportster as it is.
Not that I'd buy them, but a pair of color-matched Harley hard bags for a Sportster are $1400 and a rack/sideplates/sissy bar/light relocation kit is another $350. Throw in a windshield and a fairing and you are getting up there.
Once I'd justified to myself that another motorcycle might actually be less expensive then adding those things - and allow me to leave my Sportster looking cool, I started looking for a used bike. One that already had storage space, and maybe a windshield and fairing. Something I could ride and not care if it got wet and dirty. I know a Harley could be just fine in the rain and slop - I just wanted something to beat around on and want to keep my Harley shiny and new looking for awhile at least.
I ended up getting a 2000 KZP 1000 (Kawasaki Police Motorcycle Model P19), from a guy in Silvana, for commuting when the weather isn't so nice and for general banging around. The bike has 29K miles on it and belonged to the Snohomish County Sherriff's Department. He bought it at a local auction. The P models were made from 1982 to 2005 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and are all basically the same motorcycle so parts are easy to find.
It has two hard bags, a big rack, three nice bright head lights, a windshield and fairing with a couple of storage pockets. It also has a big trunk the previous owner gave me off another bike that I can mount with a little drilling and adapting.
I've been busy riding and learning the basics of maintaining the bike, getting the owners manual, repair manual, oil and filter change, air filter, tire pressure, brake pads, chain lube...that kind of stuff.
It's a fun bike to ride to work and has enough storage space to carry my stuff. So far it runs great and it's old enough that it needs a fair amount of tinkering for fixing small stuff - which I like. It still has the run-flat tires on it so if I ever have to run across a spike strip roadblock, I have that going for me.
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I've been doing some online lurking in the various motorcycle forums like
What is the strangest thing you hit/almost hit? - ADVriderYou can learn a lot from those forums - for example I learned that if you ride a motorcycle you should stay the hell out of Georgia - they have all kinds of weird crap on the road that might hurt you. One guy from Georgia has this almost hitlist -
"1) A live turkey, back roads, Austell, GA. Spun me around but I did not go down.
2) Aluminum Ladder, I-285 Atlanta. Kinda jumped it, should have wrecked but didn't.
3) A steel nut, about 2 inches in diameter, straight to the chest (thought it stopped my heart it hit so hard) I-285 Atlanta
4) Muffler and attached exhaust pipe, 575 near Canton, GA. No wreck
5) Water melon, I-75 near Valdosta. Almost, and I mean almost but no wreck.
6) Wooden pallet (empty) East/West Connector, Austell, GA. Scared me shitless.
7) A helmet, unstrapped and blew off another rider in front of me, Daytona. No wreck.
8) German Shepherd, near Bo-Bo's house. No wreck but torn up a guys fresh grass stopping it."
"Weirdest I have heard, guy from Earl Smalls Harley Davidson in Marietta, Ga was headed to the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantawith a group of bikes. I-75 south after dark. He hit an upside down wheelbarrow tub that already had the wheels and supports knocked off. Was almost a perfect ramp. Said he was about 8 feet off the ground, got some good distance and landed without crashing. LOTS and LOTS of damage to the bike."
But he's not done yet...
"And then on I-20 near Madison, Ga early one morning I am zipping along behind a big generic Fed-Ex/UPS kinda truck when he abruptly swerves and right there was a camper shell from a pick-up! Easy to react on a bike but still odd. Same place the next year was a bed liner."
They must not have much traffic in Georgia because if there was that much stuff laying on I-5 in the Seattle area we'd have total gridlock or a lot of accidents quick.
My stories are boring compared to that guys. I grazed a pig at high speed one time (me at high speed not the pig...he was going pretty slow and came up out of some brush as I was rounding a corner). I was Southbound out of Columbus Montana just before the bridge over the Yellowstone River, steep banks on either side - so there wasn't much room to maneuver. I swerved and just clipped him which bent the shifter pedal sideways. Another time lane-splitting in California I got my foot caught between a tire on a car going about 70 mph and my foot peg. The friction from that spinning tire melted my cheapie tennis shoe really quick. Nothing that exciting - I haven't got any air jumping over upside down wheelbarrows on the interstate...yet.
# posted by Jack @ 6:55 PM
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Sunday, November 08, 2009
"It Is Better to Travel Hopefully Than to Arrive"
The title of this post is from
Robert Louis Stevenson.
I ran across the quote in a good book called
Lois on the Loose written by a young woman who left her cubicle in London to ride a 225cc Yamaha Serow trail bike from Anchorage, Alaska to
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina at the tip of South America.
There's an interesting article about the author Lois Pryce
here and information about her motorcycle at this
link.
She doesn't think the world is a scary place, and consequently is able to do things some people only dream of and others would never consider.
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A little side-note on Robert Louis Stevenson.
He is considered one of the first outdoor adventure writers for his book
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes written in 1879. He
writes about the sleeping sack he designed saying "I was determined, if not to camp out, at least to have the means of camping out in my possession; for there is nothing more harassing to an easy mind than the necessity of reaching shelter by dusk, and the hospitality of a village inn is not always to be reckoned sure by those who trudge on foot."
His sleeping sack was 6 x 6 feet, waterproof, lined with sheepskin and so bulky it forced him to travel with the donkey to carry it.
The hull of his schooner the
Equator is stored at the Everett waterfront.
# posted by Jack @ 4:37 AM
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- Name: Jack Crossen
- Location: Everett, Washington, United States
I feel very fortunate to have known some good teachers in my life. They gave me the childlike curiousity to learn a little every day, appreciate the wonder all around us, and last but not least the ability to not take things too seriously.
I can sit really still sometimes. Other times I just go in circles. I love to laugh, and try to make other people laugh. I ran out of room on the interest section but I also am interested in water, air, life, birds, flowers, animals, mountains, rivers --- everything.
View my complete profile
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
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