Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Tire repair




Today, I closely examined my rear tire since once again I found it at very low pressure after commuting home. The rear of the bike had felt a little squirrely on the way home. I did not find anything the first go around, went and got a more powerful flashlight and spotted it:

http://redlegsrides.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-need-to-replace-my-tires-again.html

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Honda NT650, more commonly referred to by the name it was given for the American market: the Hawk GT

http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2007/10/01/hmn_feature28.html

http://canyonchasers.net/
Workshop
Honda Hawk GT:
M4 Exhaust installation - Rated to increase horsepower more than the other pipes.
Cush-Drive replacement - Replacing these critical but often overlooked rubber bits.
Fox Shox or the CBR900 rear shock - suspension upgrade What's the better option?
t595 rear hugger installation A Hugger on a Hawk? Apparently it can be done!
General aesthetic changes All the little things I did to make my bike pretty.
Clipon selection Getting a handle on the bars.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Best Motorcycle Products of 2007

Best Motorcycle Products of 2007 - WebBikeWorld

http://www.pittedchrome.com/2008/01/best-motorcycle-products-of-2007.html


WebBike World's Best Motorcycle Products of 2007 were posted yesterday, and there were some surprises in the bunch.

** If you're not familiar with WebBike World, you probably should be. They have countless reviews and how-to's on motorcycling products, and are usually the first to get a detailed review of products we see here in the US. And best of all, they're un-bised un-solicited reviews from knowledgeable motorcyclists like you and me **

Here are some highlights on the "Best" list that pleasantly surprised me-

2007 Motorcycle Helmet of the Year

The GMAX GM68S helmet.

Goodness, a 100$ helmet?...from a new manufacturer?...Helmet of the year?...holy crap!



2007 Motorcycle Clothing of the Year - Jeans


SHIFT Lowdown Jeans
Pretty impressive considering Jeans, even "ballistic" style are usually looked down upon as inferior protection. Might have to check 'em out.



2007 Motorcycle Tool of the Year



Harbor Freight Gordon LED Flashlight

I was just in Harbor Freight yesterday, and yest they are 4.99$..and built pretty darn well.

KTM 690 SMR

http://www.helmethairblog.com/2008-motorcycles/ktm/new-hot-supermoto-ktm-690-smr/


KTM 690 SMR
This motorcycle might very well go to the top of my wish list, looks like heaps of fun waiting to be unleashed. KTM have disappointed me before when I first saw the bike for real though. But the 690 SMR looks very promising, so maybe this one will be different.

Ducati 750 Sports

http://blog.mayoreric.com/

DucatiPaso.org very welcoming and helpful. The other parent to the 750 Sport is the 750 F1, who shares the same Verlicchi frame, aluminum swing arm, and convertible seat. As readers here will note a couple entries down, F1's are too rich for my blood. The major difference between the F1 and the 750 Sport is that the latter has the rear cylinder reversed so that the inlet ports face each other in order to use the Weber carb. Most folks swapped out the difficult-to-tune Weber out for Dell'Orto's or Mikuni's.

The 750 Sport only lasted a couple of years, from 1989-1990. In 1991, Ducati altered the bodywork, added a gear (to six), and dropped a disk (from double fixed discs to a single floater). By the time they added the second disk, the 750's had too much of a modern look for my tastes.

In all honesty, now is not the best time for me to acquire yet another motorcycle, but I know that I would regret passing this up if I did so there you have it. Another rationalization for this impulsive purchase is that when friends come visit we can ride Ducati's together.