Bike age and reliability.

As I sit here without a running motorcycle this spring, I am contemplating the problems of riding a "classic" bike.   I ride a fully restored 1983 Yamaha Venture, at the end of last years riding season, I noticed a lower charging voltage, so I decided to repair and upgrade the system to something more modern to increase reliability.   Well, older bikes don't have parts available.  I had to have a custom Stator wound to replace my stator, and I have to do custom wiring to use a FJR1300's regulator.  This is an upgrade to modern parts, but it turns the bike into something that no mechanic will touch.   Although just being old, most dealership mechanics will not touch the bike simply because the kids they hire don't have any real troubleshooting skills for older bikes.   One local bike shop freaked out about the quad liked carbs telling me how it's impossible to synchronize them.....  In reality it's easy and takes less than 5 minutes.

So riding an old bike means if you break down on the road, you are stuck.  Dealerships wont touch the bike, nor can you trust them to have competent mechanics that can work on older  hardware.  Newer bikes have step by step repair books that make it easy for them to repair.  Dealerships like this as they can hire less skilled kids for the shop and still charge the $198 am hour.  Being stranded 500 miles from home and knowing that I can not get my bike fixed without renting a uhaul and driving it home is becoming a problem for me.   My dream long distance trip is to ride Route 66 out west and back again.  Having a bike that at least can get repaired on the road would ease some of my concerns.

I still love my bike, and there is nothing out there that can replace it.   I really dont like the Sportbike touring bikes as they all look like they are uncomfortable for the passenger.  I dont like the Harley style, and the goldwing is honestly a utterly huge bike that looks like 1/2 of a Honda civic and a price take higher than a civic, plus it has the "I am an old fart" connection to it.  I don't need the surround sound DVD player navigation with intercom.  I have Bluetooth for that.  I guess I am stuck with looking at the BMW 1200LT as my only choice.  I just dont like the recent reviews that point to BMW having bad reliability with a very high cost of repair on the last few years.

A "not bad" small travel coffee substitute.

Recently I have decided to try some of these new "water enhancers" out there and found one that I actually like.   IT delivers 60mg of caffeine per "serving" and supposedly gives you a total of  18 servings from the bottle.  Although I have not verified that yet, Still have what feels like a 1/2 bottle to go.  I wish it was a clear bottle so I could see how much was left.

The advantage is on a long ride or camping trip this is a great way to carry something that will keep you alert and take very little space in your tank bag.  The flavor is like most "energy drinks" but flatter as it lacks the fizzy carbonation.   It is effective at delivering caffeine I don't get jittery unless I drink a lot of it. and its flavor is tolerable in the morning when you don't want to bother with making any coffee.  It also works great if you are after a small wake up in the afternoon during a long ride.  squirt a little in the water and you have a bit more alertness to make it to your next camping location.

It's cheap, $3.00 a bottle and delivers what it promises.   and I like that it can live in my tank bag or even my jacket pocket as it seals up very tight.  I cant get it to leak after opening unless I open the cap and squeeze it.

They also sell non "energy" versions, I have yet to explore those.  IT still does not replace my favorite Starbucks  instant coffee sticks for morning caffeine intake, but it make up for it in convenience and a much smaller space taken for the amount of servings.

Starting equipment reviews.

A lot of sites review riding gear,  but none of them review the affordable riding gear.   Sorry but I am not impressed with a $500.00 armored jacket that looks no better than the $79.00 Xelement jacket I bought online.   I see the same flaws and poor sewing on the expensive jackets as I see on the cheap stuff.

So I plan on reviewing some of the Cheaper riding gear.   No I'm not talking the "big bad biker" gear,  that's for looks and not function.  I'm talking about the gear that promises to save your hide when you come off the bike at 70mph and skidding along the pavement.   We all know the effectiveness of leather chaps, thin leather vest and fingerless gloves when confronted with pavement.  We don't wear those for protection.

I mostly buy off brand cheap stuff simply because I cant see any difference in the super high priced gear.  I have held a set of $800 gloves in my hands with real carbon fiber inserts and a set of $29.00 cow leather gauntlets with plastic inserts and just can not see any differences at all, not even in stitching quality or fit.

In fact, I'll start with gloves in my next post.

Should I get a trailer?

Motorcycle camping becomes more enjoyable if you can bring more with you for comfort. I can tell you right now that you will get a better nights sleep on a nice big soft cot than on the ground on a sleeping pad. Sleeping pads are great for 90 pound toothpicks that are still in their 20's, they are not something an experienced adult with some age and added weight should sleep on at night. At least not if they want to get a good nights sleep and feel great in the morning. I put a very high value on the quality of my sleep, even more when I am motorcycling. I need every bit of my mind to be alert and ready to avoid the next day's cagers.

Unfortunately nobody makes a cot that fits easily on a motorcycle.

The other problem is when you ride 2 up on the bike. Your rider will take up valuable cargo space AND double the amount of gear you need to bring. Not a problem if you are motel camping or cabin camping, but can be a big problem if you want to do the roadside tent across america.

So what kind of Trailer. Well it depends. First any bike can pull a trailer, I have seen Honda Rebels that were dragging a trailer behind them. The problem is, if you are not handy with a welder, very few motorcycles have hitch adapters made for them. If you find someone who is handy with fabrication they can make a trailer hitch for any bike.

Many motorcyclists pull a small 2 wheeled trailer all the way up to almost car sized campers. These have the advantage of handling more weight but the disadvantage of having two wheels that can hit potholes you avoid and alignment issues that can cause a "weave/wander" that will get you into trouble. The biggest advantage for these kinds of trailers is that they are readily available and useful behind a car when you are not riding.

My personal favorite is a single wheel trailer.

When designed right, this kind of trailer keeps the weight load very low so the stability of the motorcycle is not compromised. The wheel also tracks where the rear tire went so any potholes you avoided, the trailer avoids as well. They do not hold as much gear due to weight restrictions and size, but most times you don't need to bring 500 pounds of gear. This small amount of added storage very low is safer than putting that 80 pound tent on top of your trunk rack. It makes a long trip a lot more enjoyable because the bike handles better, and you don't have to spend 20 minutes every morning tying everything down again. just throw everything in the box and ride away.

And when riding 2 up for a long camping trip, this small trailer allows you more leeway in buying junk to bring back home.

Not everyone needs a trailer to enjoy motorcycle camping. It's another option for when you are riding two up and need a better nights sleep, or you are the pack mule for the group carrying a 12 man tent, the kitchen, beer, etc.. It delivers more options for carrying equipment safer, cleaner, or just a whole lot more stuff.

Remember, packing minimal is not the only option, it's just the easiest and cheapest option.

What's in your safety kit?

I will be the first to admit, my safety kit on the bike is nearly empty. I have a basic toolkit, but not first aid or anything else. I really should have at least 2 flares in there, broken down on the side of the road you really need something to catch the attention of the driver that is busy texting his BFF about OMG... plus if you did take a mild crash off the bike and hurt yourself you still need to get to a hospital. Most of the time the bike will still be drivable unless you went off the road at 90mph. so if you needed to splint your broken fingers so you can at least ride 10 miles to a hospital, you need the stuff to do it. Sometimes it's even something simple as needing a bee sting kit for that honeybee that went in your helmet at 55mph. I also try to have $20.00 in cash in the safety kit or stashed on the bike. $20.00 will get you somewhere safe. $50.00 is even better, but some people cant spare $50.00 to sit around in an emergency kit.

First aid Kit: nothing special, but some band-aids, gauze, medical tape and two pop-sickle sticks. add a neosporin spray as well if you want. but keep it tiny. I like to throw in a first aid space blanket as well. they are small cheap and will save your butt when broken down on the side of the road in the middle of a rain storm when the temps dropped to 40. You need to get one.

Safety kit: Tools, you need your bikes toolkit, or if you own a newer bike then your bike maker hates you and gave you no tools. you need to build a toolkit with a multi-screwdriver, and at least 2 wrenches with double ends that have the 4 most used sizes on your bike. you also need a sparkplug wrench that actually works well on your bike. ALL of the tools must work well for your bike. The last thing you want is to fight with junk on the side of the road. I also bring 2 extra spark plugs. Also a tire plug kit, you never know when you need to fix a nail hole. set of 6 zip ties, 6" to 8" long. they work great for fixing a broken fairing or other bike part. Also at least 2 small road flares, waterproof matches in a container and a film can stuffed with cotton balls. the matches + cotton balls = instant fire. If you get a little gasoline on a cotton ball it will light instantly and burn hot and long. Yes you might have to start a fire. the 1.2 ounces for the cotton balls and matches are worth the rare chance of you needing to start a fire to save your life or at least be comfortable. A LED flashlight, crank type is best because you will forget and the thing will have dead batteries when you need it. But also add a small tube of sunscreen and a small tube of insect repellent.

Why? stuck for 5 hours in the sun being baked to a crisp is not fun. neither is getting eaten alive by mosquitoes in the eventing while you try and put a plug in the tire to limp to a motel.

This should be enough to make your breakdown comfortable and fix the cut on your knuckle when you bash it trying to fix the bike on the side of the road. 99% of the time it will not be a life or death thing, but you need to prepare for that 1%. Also having something to help a fellow rider who crashed is a big thing. if you can help a biker who is down until the ambulance arrives, you will feel better about yourself. Bikers help bikers, at least real ones do.

Winter Camping.

It's late October and I am unwilling to let go of riding season up here in Michigan. Honestly, we use the camping cabins this time of year nowadays simply because both my wife and I are getting older. But tent camping can be done in the colder temperatures, it just takes different gear.

First, you need a 4 season tent. These tents have rain-fly's that reach to the ground and vents that can be closed. These tents can be bulkier, and are certainly more expensive than a summer only tent, but are well worth the expense. Don't skimp on a tent for fall/winter camping. You do not want a tent that will fold under a November storm.

Second, you really need to take double the ground sleeping pads. having more insulation under you is important to keep it from sucking the heat out of your body. You would be surprised as to how fast a good cold weather sleeping bag can go from warm to cold in 4 short hours directly on the ground.

Lastly, a GOOD cold weather sleeping bag. Something rated down to the temperatures you will be expecting. I also bring along summer fleece bags as well because you can get inside that bag and then inside the big bag for lots of extra warmth.

This presents a problem on the bike. you will be taking extra gear to deal with the colder weather. the nice small sleeping bags have to stay home in favor for the big bulky cold weather bags as well as any extra gear you need for cold weather. This can really present a problem if you are a purist and want everything on the bike. 1 up camping is not much harder, but trying to ride 2 up with 2 fleece bags, 2 cold weather bags, a heavier tent, extra sleeping pads, etc... suddenly becomes a big problem. DO NOT get clever and tie anything to your forks. the last thing you need is to add weight to the forks or pus something up there that can jam steering. Also watch your center of gravity, the extra gear can make the bike really top heavy and twitchy.

Your "always with me" kit...

On your bike or camping trip or a backwoods trail ride. There is a list of things you REALLY need with you at all times. These items will save you a lot of pain and suffering, and sometimes save your life. But as a motorcycle camper, some are not as important unless you are adventure riding off the beaten path...

1 - a good knife. I used to carry a nice pocket knife everywhere before 9/11 now you are a terrorist if you do. But my bike has a ka-bar in it's tool kit. MULE Folder. I prefer folding knives, I'm not rambo so I dont need a full military survival 9 inch monster.

2 - a GOOD multitool. Leatherman Blast. I have yet to find another brand that works as well after being wet and used in the rain. If I do I'd love to try it. A leatherman is a lifesaver all in one tool.

3 - a minimal first aid kit. some band aids big and small, some gauze in a package and a small spool of medical tape is required. I add others, in fact I now carry in my saddlebag a full field guide's first aid kit. It's nice to have a medicine chest with you.

4 - small roll of electrical tape. Small roll of duct-tape. I have used duct tape to fix a tire to make it to a shop. duct-tape on the inside of a tubeless will seal a slice long enough at low pressure to get to where you are going if you are lucky.

5 - tools to get a tire off. two good screwdrivers will do this. add them to your bikes standard toolkit. Also a way to INFLATE that tire. small hand pumps for bicycles do work well.

6 - "emergency food" such as a couple of packs of sugar gum. not sugar free, you need calories so a fat pack of juicyfruit is a good thing. each stick is 10 calories. I'd throw in a few jolly ranchers as well. something that can last a few years forgotten in a bag.

7 - my favorite is an emergency "$50" bill hidden on the bike. Fifty bucks will get you out of trouble. Even someone that does not want to be bothered to help you will help you for $50.00

8 - a GOOD super bright 1 Watt or brighter LED flashlight and a set of duracell batteries taped in a baggie outside the flashlight. you want them fresh and to stay that way. in the flashlight you might drain the batteries.

9 - if you are off the beaten path, a decent spare compass. Sorry, but that compass has a far better sense of direction than you do.

10 - some kind of firestarter in a waterproof package. Camp matches, striker, etc.. having a way to start a fire is important. I'm talking a backup not your main way of starting a fire.

This kit can be very small or huge depending on what you want with you. Some people add more items to it like parts, repair bits for camping gear, etc... It's all about how far away from civilization you will be. If you are 24 miles away from anything in the Arizona desert, you need a LOT more than the family camping in the back yard of a friends home. Error on the safe side. If you did not need it, it's still a win for you.