Hiatus...

I might put the blog on hiatus while we work out the details of the podcast and get into some kind of rhythm and schedule. With Winter approaching, I won't have much to talk about anyway. Maybe. We'll see...

Check out the podcast:

http://thepacepodcast.com/

http://thepacepodcast.com/forums

feed://feeds.feedburner.com/ThePacePodcast

I really wanted to hurt someone this morning...

I'm riding my 'Glide down US Rt. 1 (North of Kennett) today on my way to work (my commute is a mix of country roads, 4-lane, then suburban and urban surface streets). I'm in the left lane behind a late 80s or early 90s front wheel drive Buick. He's poking along at 15-20 under. Leaning back, right arm draped across the back of the passenger seat. I sit there patiently for a bit as traffic is moving along at or slightly over the limit in the right lane. Now... I generally try not to pass on the right but this guy is just not getting the clue as I (and a line of cars) are sitting rather patiently behind him.

I signal, find a hole in the right lane, and move over. I start accelerating to pass him and he starts drifting over at me. He's looking RIGHT at me and moving over. I'm thinking he's just an asshole who wants to move over without signalling, so I fall back. He gets back in his lane. I start passing again, over he comes. AGAIN, looking RIGHT at me. Now I'm at the fog line and the dirt and a hill is to my right. I've got nowhere to go, so I back down again. He gets back in his lane. The guy behind him starts laying on the horn. It's clear what's going on.

At this point, I have a choice. I can get by him, I've been pretty casual about it this far, or I can just take a breath, let this asshole move along and get on with my life. I just hang back. He slows down. Fuck it... I drop two gears and whack the throttle. While not as impressive a move on the Harley as it would be on, say, a Busa or ZX, I get along just fine. Damned if he doesn't slam his throttle down, run up next to me because now there's a pickup in front of me, but again he starts coming over. That's it... the guy behind me better be paying attention.

I bring the bike almost to a stop and the Buick keeps going. He stops at the light at Rt. 1 and Rt. 52. I'm about 50 yards back. I cruise very casually up to the light and I'm 2 cars behind him and one lane over. I dropped the kick stand, get off the bike and start taking a few steps. The guy in the car next to me gets out and looks at me and does that WTF thing with his hands. He's been watching this. I say to him "You saw all that, right?" "hell yeah!"

I start walking towards the car and the light turns green. The guy just sits there and as I get to his car, he slams the gas down and goes straight up Rt. 1. I walk back to my bike and remount it - everyone watching all this is being very patient - and I turn down Rt. 52 (South) and continue on my way to work.

What the hell gets in to people? I really feel like this guy was hunting. I was seriously ready to start pounding on the guy; I consider what he did a life-threatening attack with ongoing provocation. I'm fairly certain everyone who saw it would be credible witnesses to my defense. The green light saved this asshole.

J.C. Hutchins' book release: 7th Son - Descent

This month, J.C. Hutchins' latest work, 7th Son: Descent hits book stores. This is the wide distribution print release of the first book of the trilogy. The book can be pre-ordered now and will be shipping imminently.

I listened to all three installments in the trilogy when they were first podcast a few years ago, and the book (and new podcast) includes a freshening of many of the story elements and some character tweaks.

I've mentioned before that JC fleshes out his characters very well and in 7th Son - a story about 7 cloned "brothers" who are brought together to use their unique perspectives and talents to help track down a terrorist criminal mastermind - he gets to play quite a bit in that sandbox. The characters that form the core of the story range from a priest to a super-hacker and everything in between.

He does a great job of keeping the characters true to their introduced-selves and each one grows through the story. John, the "every-man", blue collar, guy-making-his-way-in-the-world "middle child" close is someone that most people will be able to identify with, to some degree.

As a long time fan of JC's, I'm very happy to see him release two books in the same year and hope for great success now and with future books.

Congrats, JC.

More info on 7th Son and JC's other works can be found at:

http://jchutchins.net/site/about-7th-son/7th-son-descent/

http://jchutchins.net/

Updates: parts, podcasts and preposterous ponderings

Thought I'd take a minute to give some updates. In no particular order of importance...


I'm working on a whole-bike lookin' over for a friend's GL1500. Among the maintenance work it needs is new wheel bearings. The OEM bearing prices are completely nuts. I found suitable replacements at http://VXB.com and http://goallballs.com. Much better pricing. It also needs tires - at least the rear - so I get to give my tire machine a serious work out. I'm all about "work smart, not hard" so I'll get to tweak my technique accordingly, I'm sure.


My garage has been gutted, cleaned, organized and properly setup *almost* perfectly the way I want it. I don't know that I'm tickled with the location of my tire machine, and I'd like to have a little more cabinet/shelf space, but all in all, I can get the bikes in it, be working on one and still have room for a car (once the last of the big-box junk is gone). So... *thumbs up*


The Sportster needs rear shocks. When I bought the bike, modification #1 was updates to the suspension, including ditching the horrid stock suspenders out back. Well, in a cost-saving move and to test out some options, I bought some used shocks off eBay that have worked out mostly ok. Now, 2 years later, they're blown (well, one is). Couldn't come at a worse time... $ is tight right now. So... the bike is still rideable but with a leaky shock. Oh well. Plus... I've got the Burgman to scoot around on and if I really need a "real" bike fix (hah!), I've still got the 'Glide. Its sale has been put on hold until next Spring.


I've mentioned in the past the possibility of doing a podcast because most of them just aren't my thing... well, my friend James emailed me recently asking how serious I was about it. We got to talking... got to thinking and scheming... and decided now's the time. So... I present to you, http://thepacepodcast.com/. We have no shows available for download yet, so we're not going gangbusters on the promotion yet, but I do have buy-in from several of the podcasters I listen to for cross-promotion. Awesome! This is a little scary... you know how some people have a "face for radio"? I've always felt like I've got a voice for mime... so I'm sure editing and proofing won't be awkward at all! :)

That's about it for now... been concentrating on life and work lately, nothing much new to report on the bike side of things.

Winter's coming... ice, frost bite, and all the good and fun things. Be safe, folks!

Interview: ST.N's "Den Mother" DantesDame

Today we present an interview with the "Den Mother" of ST.N and Nikwax pusher, "DantesDame", aka Colleen. Colleen is an active member of the popular internet motorcycling site Sport-Touring.Net, contributing author to Sound Rider (http://www.soundrider.com) and an adventure-touring fanatic.

Some of these questions will be generic; some will be specific to you. Let's get going. Colleen, thanks so much for taking the time to participate.

[... say hi :) Hi!!]


Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. General biography type stuff, and how you got interested in riding in the first place. What bikes or bike styles have you enjoyed and prefer?

A: This could be a very long answer, but suffice it to say that motorcycles came about purely by chance in my life. No one in my family rides, nor did any of my friends at the time (early college). But the scooter I bought to get to campus blew its piston, so with the "it’s too slow to keep up with traffic" concerns from my parents, I bought a motorcycle. Hadn’t a clue as to how to ride it, to the point where I had the seller ride it to my house for me. I didn’t know a thing about checking the chain, tires or mileage; I just knew that it ran. A friend of a friend came over and pointed out the workings of the bike (brakes, clutch, throttle, shifter) and then before I could even move it out of the driveway, he said "Oh! I have to go!" and there I stood, alone with my ’78 Yamaha 500. Needless to say, I signed up for the MSF course very soon after that.

Now that I have a few years of riding under my belt, I’ve reached a point where my riding would best be classified as "adventure touring". I’m happiest when I’m so far into the wilderness that I can’t even see telephone poles and the road (paved or dirt) is the only sign of civilization. It’s not about speed for me; it’s about what I can see and where I can go.


Q: You're a contributing author on the website / webzine Sound Rider, a site focused on riding in the Pacific Northwest. Can you tell us a bit about your writing? Do you stick to motorcycle-related content or are there other genres or interests where we might be able to read some of your work?

A: Right now I’m 100% moto-related only. I got to know Tom from SoundRider while living in Seattle and he was always very supportive of publishing my stuff, including asking me to do a small "Top Ten Alaska" piece for him. What I write, I usually do so purely for my family and myself. I tell myself my own stories so that I can enjoy them later. The fact that others enjoy reading them just makes it that much better. The fact that Tom will pay me for them is icing on the cake. The only other publication I have is a recent article in the September (’09) issue of BMW MOA, which I’m pretty stoked about. Seeing your pictures and words in big, glossy print is pretty awesome.


Q: I believe you spent time officially working with, or for, Nikwax and were acting as a spokesperson for their products. Do I have that right? Was that an official gig because of your active involvement with the motorcycling community, or did that all come about by happenstance? It seems like an interesting story.

A: Nikwax was an official job, where I worked the front lines of their customer service department. The landing of that job was truly amazing. Let’s see if I can sum it up quickly: I was laid off from a job of 7 years with 3 months severance pay. The first month was fun; the 2nd and 3rd months were a gradual increase in stress. By the end of month 3, I was applying for just about any job out there. Two of them interviewed me within a day of each other (Nikwax and Desteenation). Desteenation made me an offer first and I grabbed it (Nikwax called the next day, but I declined). Desteenation was a start up, however, that wasn’t quite ready to start up. After a month of doing nothing, my new boss wanted to cut my hours. "How about if I just don’t come in for a month?" I offered. He thought that was a great idea. I called up an acquaintance of mine whom I knew was heading to Mexico soon. "James, when are you leaving for Mexico?" "Tomorrow." "Can I come?" So off I went to Mexico on my KLR, spending just over a month there. But word from the job front was looking worse and worse, so somehow, I dredged up the email address of my Nikwax contact. I asked if there were any other openings and to my amazement, the original position I interviewed for was open. "When you can you start" he asked. I said, "I’m in southern Mexico. I’ll be there as soon as possible". With that, I said good-bye to my traveling companions and after 7 straight days of riding, I was back in Seattle. Whew - so much for keeping that short!


(I'd like to address the female motorcyclist aspect of your life a moment. If you would rather pass on this, that's fine. Some people find such discussions offensive, or too personal and such.)

– You’d be hard-pressed to offend me, but thanks for being diplomatic about it!

Q: As a woman who is active not only as a motorcyclist, but in the motorcycle community as a spokesperson, event organizer, etc., what perspectives or guidance can you offer other women who may feel intimidated by what is still largely considered a "man's sport" or pastime?

A: This one’s hard, because the answer is dependent upon one’s personality. It’s easy for me to say, "Just get out there and do it!" But many women (and even men) don’t have the self-confidence to put themselves out there. But think about it: if you’re a woman and you want to ride, what’s to stop you? If anything, you’ll have more support and encouragement from the men in this sport then a guy would have. The guys will want you to succeed versus just egging you on to do stupid stuff on your bike. So I guess what I say to women is to embrace the unique status they have in the motorcycle world. Take advantage of the benefit it is to be a woman in a male-dominated sport.

Or, if you can, just do it without regard of what anyone else thinks or does. That’s what I’ve done.


Q: Continuing in that vein a moment, you do a lot of riding and touring, both in groups and solo. As a solo-touring rider, do you ever find yourself in a situation that worries you, or where you question your choices to ride alone? Not just as a solo female, but also as a solo RIDER...?

A: I’ve been very fortunate in my riding history to have never been made to feel afraid or even cautious due to my being female. Perhaps it’s due to my choosing of when and where to ride, but more likely, its just luck, because I’ve chosen to ride in some very sketchy places.

As for being a solo RIDER, there are times that I’m cautious about my riding style simply because I’m in the middle of nowhere, and if something were to happen (deer, cliff, a mis-judged corner) then I’d be in serious trouble. At those times I take a step back and realize my situation. I’m not out to win any races, so I take it down a notch and enjoy the scenery.

I guess the scariest moment was during my trip to Mexico last March. On a lonely stretch of road, someone tried to flag me down. I decided not to stop, but he didn’t appear to notice that I wasn’t slowing down. His (waving) hand hit me hard, knocking back my mirror and bruising my upper arm. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to someone personally making me feel uncomfortable.


Q: You appeared on Prubert's MotoCast podcast during your Nikwax promotional days. Have you appeared on other radio shows, podcasts, tv shows, etc?

A: Nope.


Q: I believe you're married, or involved, and he rides, too. Did you two meet as a result of your motorcycling, or is that something you found out you had in common later?

A: "Involved with" is a good way of putting it. Dan and I met through a rather unique situation. He was living in Colorado and I was in Seattle. He didn’t ride at all but kept seeing a KLR on his way to work. He thought it was an awesome-looking bike and wanted to know more about it, including if it would make a good "first bike". He did some internet research to find out more and that’s when he stumbled upon my website. He sent me an email asking me about the KLR and I responded. Weeks later we stumbled upon each other on MSN’s IM and continued the conversation. He moved to California and bought his KLR and after that it was just a matter of time before I moved down there to be with him. He confesses that he’s not into riding as much as I am, but he’s a good sport and will do long-distance trips with me.


Q: Sport-Touring.Net's members have often referred to you as "the Den Mother". Can you talk a little bit about your involvement with ST.N in particular? How did that title come about? What duties, official or unofficial, do you take on at ST.N?

A: HeeHee - The "Den Mother". That nickname came about one night at a local (Seattle) STN dinner. One of the members was contemplating his third beer when I reminded him that he was on his bike and probably shouldn’t have it. He rolled his eyes and said "Ok, Den Mother". It stuck.

I joined STN in October of ’03 at the behest of one of the members before joining an STN ride. I didn’t think much of it at the time, although I found STN a fun place to hang out. Pretty soon I was more heavily involved than I ever would have thought. I planned a few National Meets, most of the WCRMs (although those are pretty much self-planning these days), produced the STN calendar and made arrangements for t-shirts to be designed/printed. Those are all unofficial duties. Officially, I’m a moderator. That’s all.


Q: Last year you put together and excellent calendar for ST.N. (Thanks for picking my picture for the cover - I felt very honored!) Was that the first time you had done that type of promotional work for ST.N? I know you're doing a calendar again this year (and I'm reviewing my submissions). Can we look forward to other events from you?

A: I’ve made an STN calendar every year since ’05. Some years there’s just one calendar, some times there are multiple. It depends on the number and quality of photos I get from the members.

As for other events, I’ve begun to take a backseat to STN planning and events. Others are coming in and taking the lead, such as with the STN hats and the 2010 National. I’ll always be there for advice or support, of course, but I guess you could say I’m passing the torch.


Q: You just moved back East after a number of years in the PNW. Was that a career-driven move? How's the adjustment going? Climate? People? Traffic? I know you're setting up the garage in the new house for bike work, how's that going?

A: Dan’s job was the impetus for this move. I thought that I’d spend the rest of my life on the West coast, and hopefully back up in the PNW, but things are ok on the East coast. After all, I spent the first 25 years of life in the northeast, so it’s not a big surprise. The people I’ve met have been very nice and the drivers are bad (but the ones I’ve met are lazy more so than "road raged"). I haven’t been too far out of my new town and I don’t have a job yet, so I don’t have a good grasp on what traffic is really like around here. I do miss lane splitting and filtering, though.

The garage is just about ready. I’m sure there are a few last-minute things to figure out, and I’m still working on organizing some items, but for the most part, the ‘garage is open’.


Let's change gears a bit, here. I always wonder about other riders' perspectives on several of the more controversial topics in the motorcycling world. Let's do a few "10 words or fewer" topics. Just rattle off what comes to mind in a few short words. Feel free to "pass" on any you don't wish to talk about, or expand on if you so choose. Let's go...

Q: Helmet laws
A: I always wear mine, but it should be a choice.

Q: Headlight modulators
A: Annoying as sin!

Q: ABS
A: Probably great, but I’ve yet to use mine.

Q: ATGATT
A: Yes.

Q: "The Pace"
A: Always

Q: Track days
A: I’m afraid I’d become addicted, so I’ve avoided them.

Q: "Tail of the Dragon", Rock Store and other hyped-up roads
A: All talk. I prefer to be where no one else is.

Q: Auto-clutches or shiftless riding like the FJR/AE or the Mana 800
A: Pansy stuff. But if it gets more people on two wheels, then it’s worth it.

Q: Women in motorcycling, in general?
A: I kind of like being a minority in this sport. But like everything else in life, there shouldn’t be male/female discrimination.


Q: Tell us three facts about yourself that we might not otherwise know from our interaction with you on ST.N or from reading you on Sound Rider.

1: I was a certified Life Guard
2: I’m afraid of drowning
3: I’m not afraid of much else


Colleen, thanks so much for taking the time today. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope the readers get a little something out of it.

Is there anything you're currently working on that you'd like to talk about? How can people reach you? Thanks again.

The only thing I’m working on - and not very hard, at that - is getting a job. Maybe someday I’ll write a book. Meanwhile, I can always be reached at DantesDame@gmail.com. Thanks for having me, Chris!

Maintenance, etc...

I responded to a query about the Sportster 883 Roadster on one of the bike forums. The person asking the question wanted some specifics on maintenance and ownership of the bike. I thought I would post my answer here too as it deals with some details of maintenance. Enjoy...

---

Hi, I just looked at your site... great minds think alike... all the mods you have done are just about what i would do to the 883R. Improved suspension & brakes, and fuel range. A classic cool looking bike but made even more practical.

So a few questions if you wouldn't mind.... What is your average fuel consumption, and what is involved in maintenance? I have built many bikes from scratch and enjoy doing it all myself, and just what tyres would you advise for use on this bike. Thanks.

-- Mr. Moto, ST.N

Something I didn't answer in the initial post was the fuel consumption. For general commuting riding, I'm getting between 40 and 45 MPG, depending on the amount of stop-n-start riding and how much I beat on it. For steady-pace touring, I routinely get ~50-52 MPG. That drops back to the high-40s when I'm really cranking it out on the highway. The bike lets you know it's thirsty on prolonged runs above 80MPH, or so. For a blended ride, where I'm "sport touring" and riding "The Pace", I'm averaging around 46 MPG and that's pretty consistent.

I actually find the stock (dual) disc brakes to be very, very good as is (better, with HH pads), if a little spongy. I haven't sprung for stainless brake lines yet, but I've ridden the exact same bike (Roadster) with SS lines and the difference in lever feel is substantial. I really should get around do doing that.

Maintenance on this bike is a snap. Oil & filter for the engine, oil for the primary/gearbox. Yes, you drain and fill them separately. Synthetic oil is recommended by Harley for the engine on a 5000-mile change interval. I use Harley's "Primary Plus" (or whatever it's called) recommended oil for the primary case / gearbox. It's probably just plain old 10W-40 according to the parts guy, but I don't care enough to do further research. It's cheap enough to just get their recommended stuff. I use good synthetic oil for the engine - Usually Mobil-1 15W-50 or the like. The oil change takes about 15 minutes. The first time you do it, and you pull the filter, be prepared for a mess. However, with the filter off the bike, cut and shape some card board to use as a funnel. There are some engine casting webs you'll want to notch the cardboard to fit around, then just hit the cardboard with spray paint to keep it from getting oil-logged. Or you could make one from plastic. I find spray-painted card board gets me thru' about 6 or 7 oil changes. In the following picture, you can see the oil filter is off and the casting webs you need to notch out for...



If you do spill or it spreads, a quick shot of engine degreaser and the hose should fix you right up. Leaving the oil on the rubber engine mount (2004 and up) will eventually beat up the rubber and you'll replace the mount. I'm 2 years and ~15k miles into my Sportster so far with no issues.


Belt maintenance is likewise, a snap. It adjusts just like a chain: axle nut and two adjusting nuts on either side of the swing arm. The deflection gauge is built right into the belt guard and again, doing this takes all of about 10 minutes if you actually have to go looking for the 24mm axle nut. It's cleaner and faster than most chain adjustments, and - again - in two years time, I've only had to add 1/4 turn to the adjusters. I ride this bike pretty hard - the belts are really good and the bike has all of 10 lbs of engine torque. So it's low strain.

This picture shows the adjusters in the swing arm, and the head-side of the axle bolt. The truly asinine part of this design is that you have to pull the rearward muffler to get the axle out and pull the rear wheel. Not cool.




The primary chain is manually adjusted and should be checked at each oil change. There's a sighting window on the primary cover that comes off with two 5/32 hex screws for checking. The chain is adjusted using an adjusting bolt and lock nut on the bottom of the prmary cover. The primary cover does NOT need to come off to check or adjust the primary chain. In the 2 years, I've had to adjust my primary chain once. Takes about 3-4 minutes.


Steering head bearings can be tricky to check because there is not secondary retainer. The bolt at the top of the steering head that holds on the top of the triple tree also adjusts/retains the steering head bearings. This uses a T-45 to tighten the neck and a 22mm(?) socket to retain it. It's a snap once you remember there's no secondary retainer - taking off the top of the triple tree also releases it from the bike. Old-school. Not like these fancy new bikes that have like 15 things you have to unthread before the tree comes out of the bike.

This picture shows the retaining bolt (going in from the top) and the back side (threaded side) of the tightening bolt.

Other maintenance... typical stuff. Cable adjustments for clutch and throttle are simple. The throttle spring is really light. I think I'm still on the same zero-play throttle cable adjustment I did shortly after getting the bike. I just adjusted clutch free play for the second time the other day when I did maintenance on it.


Tires... ah, yes... dear wonderful tires/tyres. The bane of everyone's existence.

The stock tires are 100/90-19 up front, 130/80-16 out back, bias ply, rock hard POS Dunlop D401. You might as well put diamond-coated steel bands. They wear like that and grip about that well, too. I took the stock tires off at 400 miles after backing it in to several turns. If you like to ride above 30 MPH, they're flat out dangerous in turns, IMO. But I actually lean my bikes so I might be a bit finicky.

I replaced the stock tires with Pirelli Sport Demons. EXCELLENT grip, dry and wet. 4000 mile lifespan and when they're used up, good luck getting home from where ever you are... even if it's a mile away. They went from "I should replace these" to "I'm gonna die" in about 50 miles. Great tires, short life span.

Next up were the Screaming Eagle Sportster Sport replacement tires, made by Dunlop, marketed as the GT501 or GT502 model. Holy. Crap. Hands down THE best bias ply tire I've ever ridden on. Gripped like a proper sport bike radial. I got just a hair over 7000 miles out of them. The front is still usable, but it's showing its age. The back was trashed. I put on a 150/80-16 stock Dunlop I had in my garage - a take-off from my Street Glide with about a thousand miles on it. I'm cash poor at the moment.

The next tires will be Avon Azaro Sport Touring radials - they're available in 110/80-19 for the front, 150/80-16 for the rear. I'm really looking forward to trying these. If they prove to be lower mileage or just not as good as I'm hoping, I'll go back to the GT502s and never look back. They were a great sneaker at a great price.


I did my own luggage setup because of a few reasons: 1) I love Givi's stuff, 2) I'm anti Harley Guy (r) (c) (tm) lifestyle and enjoy breaking from the tradition at every turn. LeatherLyke makes luggage to fit the bike and they're very nice bags. These would have ended up on my bike if I couldn't make the Givi kit work out. I wouldn't spend $10 on any of the actual-leather saddle bags anyone makes because they look cruiser-ish and stupid. I also added the top case because they're just so darned functional. I'm function over form 99.99% of the time.

I hope this helps. I love this bike... I know it seems weird, but in almost thirty years of bike ownership, *MY* Sportster is among my favorite and most fun bikes ever. I made it "mine" and it's very different from any other one out there. I love the way twins deliver power. It's a simple bike that's not too fast yet ballsy enough to do what I want. It's comfortable, it's ridiculously simple to work on and it's a blank canvas, ready to let me do whatever I want with it. Oh, and I know how to ride, so I can eke out some wicked fun performance from the bike, regardless of its "sport" short-comings, while still owing a simple, comfortable Standard.

And an overlooked thing about Harleys in general is the ability to farkle them to your liking, usually for far less money than some other options. Example: If you want a new seat for a Japanese bike (regardless of type of bike), you have a few options from one or two companies, or something custom made. If you want a new seat for pretty much any Harley, you've got 30 or 40 options from many companies, including Harley itself. The Harley Sundowner optional seat on my Sportster is easily as comfortable as any Mustang or Corbin or Sargent seat. And it was half the money.

Givis on the Sporster version 2

Spent some time in the garage for a change.

givis2_0001.jpg - The new Givi kit on the Sportster. The Sportster was setup as a 1-up sport-tourer, but since I'm selling my other bike, the Sportster will now handle occasional 2-up duties for riding with the kids. I had the side bag racks mounted on a removeable rack so the entire kit could be removed as an assembly.

After adding the 2-up seat, the new luggage rack is smaller and doesn't have room to mount the bag racks (Givi Wingracks). They're now affixed to the bike, independent of the luggage rack.

This kit still includes the E21 side bags and the E45NJ top case.



givis2_0002.jpg - A view of the kit installed.



givis2_0003.jpg - Side view showing luggage rack, top case, side cases installed. The new 2-up seat is a Harley-Davidson Sundowner seat.



givis2_0004.jpg - View of the top case removed from the Givi adapter plate.



givis2_0005.jpg - View showing the luggage rack removed. The luggage rack is the Harley-Davidson quick release luggage rack (without the sissy bar and back rest) in Gloss Black.



givis2_0006.jpg - Items removed thus far...



givis2_0007.jpg - View of the side case removed and the Wingrack mounted on the bike.



givis2_0008.jpg - This view shows the mounting points for the Wingracks extended from the mount points for the quick-release luggage rack.



givis2_0009.jpg - The spacers for the upper two mounting points are made from electrical conduit with 3/8" nuts pressed in to act as bushings to keep the 5/16" bolts lined up in the center of the conduit spacer. This view also shows the top end of the lower mount point bracket, which is made from 3/16" flat bar steel stock.



givis2_0010.jpg - This view shows the front top bolt with a well nut / t-nut mounted into the Wingrack. The rear top bolt is a socket head bolt threaded int the end of the stock Harley-Davidson sisy bar / luggage rack mounting hardware.



givis2_0011.jpg - This view shows the bike with all luggage parts removed, stripped down to "sport" mode.



givis2_0012.jpg -

Sharing the road: the stop-n-go

I'm a rider. I ride a motorcycle. It's my "most of the time" transportation. I'm also a "cager". I drive a car. Most motorcyclists are "cagers" as well, regardless of how painful it is for some to admit that. Most of us drive, too. I like to think that most of us, the riders, have transcended the "my road" mentality and tend to share it pretty well, no matter what we're piloting at the time.

I like to think this...

Today I want to talk about sharing the road, and specifically the quick stop, or the "touch and go" or "stop and go", or whatever other name you want to give it. We've all seen this... a quick, not-quite-stop at a stop sign, or a "rolling stop" through a right-turn-on-red intersection. I see these every day, and too often, I have to be the one to change my progress because of others' carelessness.

I think I have it figured out... these quick stops fall into two categories; "prepared to stop" and "prepared to go".

I can also say that 99.99999% of the quick stops I see are of the "go" type, meaning that people approach the stop thinking they're completely right in their decision to not actually come to a complete stop. They pull up to the red light, start into the turn, shove the front of their car (and yes, their bike some times!) half way out into the intersection while they take their time looking over their shoulder to be sure that 'their' lane is clear to turn into.

I'm tired of riding down the road and suddenly there's the left side of a car in front of me, still in motion, and I need to make a decision; stop, swerve, hit, stop and pummel, etc. Seriously, why is it people don't even have the minimum of self-preservation instincts, if not the common sense and courtesy it takes to drive on the roads? Do they really want the hassle? Or me, banging on their skull with my helmet trying to make them see the error of their ways? (Ok, that last part was a joke. Mostly....)

I'm sure that many people in such a situation think that he or she is a good enough driver, has fast-enough reflexes, and their car is able to do whatever the situation requires. Guess what... you're not. I'm guessing that people think they can play the odds and roll on through the stop and other drivers will make a hole for them (most will because they don't want to get into an "accident"), will leave room or will just flat out stop. Or not even be there in the first place. Really? You really want to risk your life on what you assume others will do? Really? You've got more nerve than I do, that's for sure. I know exactly how inattentive, uncaring or flat out crazy people can be.

As someone who rides a motorcycle, and is very much at the mercy of the larger, heavier vehicles around me (and just because it's good form in a polite society!), I simply can't afford to be so cavalier with my stops. I approach every stop situation with the intention of actually stopping; the "prepared to stop" approach. Whether it's a stop sign, a red light, a tight turn into a parking lot, traffic, etc., if it looks like I may have to stop the vehicle, I prepare to do exactly that. If I can safely resume my travel after properly assessing the situation, I'll do so, and cautiously - bet your ass!

I just don't see the value of having to be the first to get out of an intersection or to blow through a light. Is everyone really in that much of a hurry that they could so easily take the chance of getting hurt, or hurting others?

I just don't get it... What am I missing?