Mattman's BMW R1150GS

Sold!

2008-09-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sold. My trusty R1150GS sold in fall 2008 in Vancouver, BC. This blog is now closed.

New Bike, new Blog

2008-03-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

I bought a new bike, so I have a new blog. My new 2007 BMW R1200GS Adventure (in Alpine White) is chronicled over here: r1200gsadv.blogspot.com

I'll update this blog a few more times, at least until I sell the R1150GS bike.

FS: 2001 BMW R1150GS (non-ABS)

2008-03-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

*** SOLD ***

I've bought a new R1200GS Adventure so my reliable steed was sold.

Year:

2001

Odometer:

42,936 km

Colour:

Titan Silver Metallic

Features:

Heated Grips
Cylinder Head Covers
Headlight Shield
Aeroflow Screen + Stock Screen
Fog Lights
Luggage Brackets

Specifications:

Horsepower	-	85	hp @ 6,800 rpm
Torque	-	72	ft-lbs @ 5,300 rpm
Seat Height	-	840/860	mm
Wet Weight	-	242	kg
Fuel Capacity	-	22	litres
Transmission	-	6	gears

Price:

CDN$10,900 ... or best offer... Willing to deal.

More pictures on Picasa here.

Vancouver Motorcycle Show - BMW HP2

2007-02-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the previous post, here's the HP2. It's a big bike by any measure, except perhaps weight (considering it's class.) The engine is twin-cylinder 1200cc (approx.) and it's rated at 105 hp and 85 lb-ft of torque. Seat height is 'high' (I forget how high.)
Something unique for a BMW boxer twin is the traditional fork up front -- not a telelever assembly.

Vancouver Motorcycle Show - BMW G650 Xchallenge

2007-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Another new BMW. This is a single-cylinder 650cc dual sport / enduro bike. It's got an air shock in the back, just like it's bigger brother the HP2.
Word is that it'll be around $11,500 (Canadian $) when it comes out this spring.
Could this be an entry-level HP2 for half the price? I think so.

2007 Vancouver Motorcycle Show - BMW K1200S

2007-01-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

What more is there to say? This is the start of the new generation of K bikes from BMW. It's rated at 167 hp and compares against other open class sportbikes. Electronics out the wazoo: ABS, ESA, XYZ and PDQ.
Great bike. Great reviews. I think it would be too single-purpose for me. But then again, I haven't ridden it. For my money I still think I'd lean towards the K1200R Sport model.

2007 Vancouver Motorcycle Show - BMW K1200R

2007-01-27T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well, well.... Here's the beast. I really like the new K1200 series and this is my favourite variant that's available in Canada. The Roadster (K1200R) is a naked version of the K1200S with 163 hp in a four-cylinder 1200 cc engine.

This past spring I participated in the BMW test ride at John Valk BMW Ducati and this was one of the two bikes I chose to ride. It was quite the rush...

It's roughly double the power of my R1150GS and it was a visceral experience. There weren't many places to "open it up" on the test ride route, but one short stretch of divided highway let me toy with the throttle. Every time I twisted I instinctively leaned forward to keep the front wheel on the ground. Simply amazing. And the RPM range of the four-cylinder was almost double that of my twin. The effect was going from 40 km/h to 90 km/h in second gear without using the entire range.

Now, you might have noticed my qualifier above: "available in Canada." Since I've now seen the shots of the K1200R Sport model in magazines I've decided that's the one I would get (as a second bike) if I took the plunge. It's the same as this bike but with a half-fairing / bikini-fairing that looks really practical for getting out for a day ride or even a trip over a couple of days. But, alas, not in Canada, at least not this year.

2007 Vancouver Motorcycle Show - BMW F800S

2007-01-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I mentioned the BMW F800ST and how I am developing a slight preference for the F800S, this bike. Since I would only consider this as a second bike, not a primary bike, I feel I have sport-touring end covered with my R1150GS.

This F800S, as a more pure sporting machine, would serve to scratch the itch of faster day trips around southwestern BC and possibly northern Washington State.

Same specs as the F800ST with an 800cc twin-cylinder engine that makes about 80 hp. I believe they are belt-drive, which we haven't seen from BMW since the F650CS or Scarver.
BTW, this is my buddy Rob on the bike, trying it on for size. He rides a Buell Firebolt 900.

2007 Vancouver Motorcycle Show

2007-01-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well, another year and another motorcycle show. This year we went on Friday evening and it was the right choice. The crowds were much less and we saw everything we wanted to see in only 2.5 hours without rushing around. My buddy Rob and I left work in Burnaby at 5:30 and arrived at the Trade Ex at Abottsford Airport around 6:30 PM. (Hurray for carpool lanes!)
Over the next days and weeks I'll post pictures of bikes that interested me. This is not a soup-to-nuts coverage of the show by any means. These bikes were appealing to me enough for me to release the shutter.
This is the new 2007 BMW F800ST. It's an 800-cc twin-cyclinder sport-touring machine. Makes something like 80 hp. I categorize it as a mid-sized bike as it fit me fine at 6'2" and my wife also liked it and she's 5'4". (We tried it on at John Valk BMW Ducati in Vancouver several weeks before the show.) I am leaning 49%/51% towards the F800S as my favourite of the two. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Optilux Fog Light Installation

2006-12-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

For Giftmas I got a pair of Optilux 1450 Fog Lights. These are made by Hella, but are much less expensive. Lordco (a local auto-supply chain) had them on sale for $50 before Christmas. The kit comes with bulbs, metal housings, brackets, wire, connectors, a lighted switch and the relay.
This was the most major modification I've made to the bike yet. As you can see from the pictures, it involves taking off the tank to get at the battery and relays.
The Previous Owner (PO) must have had auxilliary lights, but removed them prior to sale. The wiring and switch was left in place. That was step one: Remove the old wiring and relay. Easy.
Installing the new lights really only had two big steps: run the wiring and bolt the lights to a bracket. All told, this job took me about 6 hours over a couple of days. I took my time and worked on a few other things on the bike at the same time.
The new Aeroflow windshield has holes for mounting lights on the bar that mounts under the beak to support the shield. I used those to mount the Optilux lights. It took two runs to Home Depot before I had the right size bolts to do the job.
The wiring wasn't particularly hard, but it took a long time because I wanted to be neat. Lots of zip-straps were used to keep the wires snug to the frame. I attached the supplied switch to the bottom of the instrument panel with velcro tape. The switch isn't waterproof, so I may need to replace it with something marine-rated.
In my next post I'll detail the first ride and some upcoming tweaks to make the setup better.

Pemberton

2006-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

A very nice ride from Vancouver is north on highway 99 through Squamish, Whistler and up to Pemberton. Even though there is a lot of pre-Olympics construction it's still one of the nicest local rides. The new four-lane divided section between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish is divine.
Anyway, we met a few friends for lunch in Pemberton. They were coming the other way after doing a weekend ride around the loop via Hope, Lilooet and south on 99 to Pemberton.
This picture is at a stop for gas at the Husky station in Whistler.

High farkle factor

2006-08-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

I guess I can't really comment on Mike's highly farkled bike without a) defining "farkle" and b) showing the bike!

"FARKLE" = "Fancy Accessory, Really Kool, Likely Expensive"
(So it's technically an acronym.) Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject: link.

Alternate definition: "Functional Sparkle." Note, it's both a noun and a verb, but I've seen the noun form in common usage more often.

Mike's bike: Krauser (?) lowered seat, Kisan SignalMinders with LEDs on handguards, two sets of extra lights (including the amazing Lightforce lights), Garmin GPSMap 376c (w. XM radio and weather), etc...

Boba Fett

2006-08-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite pictures from the trip. It's near the end of day two and I'm coming around the turn on a logging road. Mike from Oklahoma (Hi Mike!) took this shot.
Mike was on an R1200GS Adventure and he had more farkle than I even knew about, let alone had seen before. He's my hero.
He rode from Oklahoma on his GS, took the course, and rode home again. He had the TKC-80 street knobbies for the course, but I didn't ask if they lasted the whole trip or not. (Knobbies are notoriously bad for wear on the pavement.)
Why "Boba Fett"? One of my co-workers, upon seeing this picture, commented that I looked like the Star Wars bounty hunter.

GS down!

2006-08-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, the bikes do sometimes tip over. This was on one of the first drills: braking in straight line on dirt. I guess this rider was "jinxed." :-)

For the record, yes, I tipped my bike over too. I parked downhill on the sidestand in neutral. The bike rolled forward and tipped over. Very light scratches on the left side.

2006-08-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here's Jim coaching another student in one of the turning drills. Anybody who's been on Jim's courses knows that he's a very dynamic teacher.
This drill is another in the series of learning to turn sharply on low-traction surfaces. It's hard (for me at least) to learn to trust your machine and your tires and just look where you want to go. I was initially worried about the varied surfaces and asked myself how I would account for bumps and troughs without being able to see them. The secret is to let your hands go loose on the bars and the bike will pretty much take care of itself. If you're holding on too tight you'll tense up, cause the bike to not "go with the flow" and might tip over. Of course, you're doing all this while modulating the clutch, throttle and rear brake too!

Dave of GripTwisters.com

2006-08-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

This is Dave of GripTwisters.com on his 640 (?) KTM. He's a very accomplished rider and makes his home on the SE corner of the Olympic National Forest in Shelton, WA. He has a good book / CD-ROM combination of about a dozen routes through the Forest. The CD-ROM allows downloading the routes to your GPS.
Dave's also a quick rider. He would hang back on the logging roads, doing the 'sweeper' duty, and then buzz along much faster than the students until he caught up again.

Adventure Camp - turning

2006-08-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is Kim on her BMW F650GS doing a turning exercise. The idea is to put all your weight on the outside peg and look inwards to the turn. You can see Kim has her inside foot completely off the peg.
This little clearing was leftover from logging and was a minor destination for other adventure riders. When we arrived there was a little camp there and a few people had obviously settled in. After we arrived two yutes in a compact pickup arrived and unloaded their two dirt bikes. One of them proceeded to ride up an embankment that happened to be marked off limits.
Shortly after a park ranger (?) came by and scolded the yobs. He then came over to chat with us and was incredibly friendly and helpful. He showed a forest road map to us, but didn't have copies to share unfortunately.

RawHyde Adventure Camp - Pacific Northwest Edition

2006-08-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we took the plunge. A local Pacific Northwest Rider (Luca?) convinced Jim Hyde of RawHyde Off-Road Adventures to run a weekend course on the Olympic Peninsula.
(For those of you in Canada... The Pacific Northwest is US-centric. Think "south of Vancouver" and you've got it.
The class size was small, fewer than a dozen people. Jim did a great job in an environment where he'd certainly never taught before. (I'm not even sure he'd visited before.) Dave from GripTwister helped Jim with the route planning.
We did training each morning on Saturday and Sunday and logging road rides each afternoon. We stayed in Port Angeles on Saturday night at a little motel. Each day was quite long and I sure was tired by early evening.
My wife attended with me on her F650GS and did great. We rode down Friday and back on the holiday Monday (holiday in Canada.)
More pictures to come.

Trip to Harrison Hot Springs

2006-07-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Kim and I met up with our friend Alison at Brentwood Mall in Burnaby for a trip to Harrison Hot Springs. We headed out to Mission to meet up with Alison's friends Roy and Linda for breakfast. Roy is a master of the backroads around Mission and took us on a tour that my GPS would never be able to duplicate.
Alison rides a Harley Sportster 880. Roy is on a Yamaha FZ1 and Linda rides a Suzuki SV650S. Nice bikes, all of them. We stopped for a bite in Harrison and had some ice cream and a walk along the beach. Being a summer weekend it was packed with people and really hot. We took Hwy 7 (The Lougheed Highway) pretty much all the way back to Vancouver.

Strawberries

2006-06-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Update is long overdue... We took the bikes out to Aldergrove and visited the Krause Brothers Strawberry Farm. You might notice the new Jesse side bags on my GS. I got them about two weeks ago and they're great. I splurged on the 65L topcase too. The strawberry flats fit perfectly up there.

Two's Just Right

2006-05-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the two bikes in all their wooded glory.

Motorcycle Camping Take 1

2006-05-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the reason why I sold the topcase. Kim and I went motorcycle camping on the Victoria Day long weekend (kind of like Memorial Day, but in Canada.) We met friends of ours at the Coquihalla Camp in Hope, BC. This is about 90 minutes east of Vancouver. The local joke is to say, "I'm beyond Hope!"

Anyway, this was 'supported' motorcycle camping in that we depended on the kindness of friends. We shared the site with two couples with trailers and didn't have to pack food nor cooking supplies. It was great.

We bought two dry bags from MEC and stuffed everything that wouldn't fit in the cases in those. It was the first time with our new 4-person (!) Wanderer tent. Honestly, I don't know how four people would fit in there unless two were conjoined twins. Kim and I were comfortable and it was roomy for our two Thermarests and sleeping bags. I wanted a tent with some headroom and this one delivers. And yet it's not too big; I wouldn't want to take it backpacking, but for motorcycle travel it's about right.

Sold my topcase

2006-05-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm changing to a Jesse Luggage 65L Topcase, so the BMW topcase had to go. Some lucky guy in California got it for a good price from my advertisement on Adventure Rider.

Now the waiting game begins until my new Jesse case arrives.

This was / is a great case. It's 35L and made of the same material as the BMW side cases. The lid hinges upwards towards the front of the bike and opens quite wide. The latch can be locked and by default it is locked on the bike. The GS needs a topcase mounting panel that simply bolts onto the rear upper frame. It was rock solid and never even hinted at falling off. I could easily fit my XL helmet in the case. It also turns out that a Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) duffle bag fit perfectly, so I bought that to use as a liner. Oh yeah, and it never leaked, even in some heavy rains.

One downside, and this isn't really the fault of the case, is that the dirt and grime from the road would be kicked up off the back wheel and land on the lower latch. It was a routine part of my twice-yearly washing regimine to clean that out. :-)

Spirited Ride up Cypress

2006-05-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

So last Friday I went for a spirited ride up Cypress Mountain in Vancouver. We took off at lunch from work and bombed along Highway 1 to the turnoff. Simon was on his new Suzuki GSX-R750 and Rob on his Buell Firebolt. I had my trusty steed the R1150GS. Simon had scouted the road a few days earlier so we knew it was clear of sand and other debris. That meant it was fun in the corners.

What a great way to blow out the cobwebs and release some stress! Turns out that it takes about an hour from where we work in Burnaby to do the round trip.

Test Ride Day - a true Adventure

2006-05-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it. I test rode the BMW R1200GS Adventure. Yesterday was the annual test ride day at John Valk BMW put on with BMW Motorrad Canada. They had a lot of bikes there and the second one I chose to ride was the new Adventure.
My experience was good overall. Nice power. Very stable. Once moving the weight is hardly noticed. (The 33L fuel tank was full for my ride.) I especially like the wider footpegs (front-to-back) as it made standing so much more comfortable.
The ride route parallels a local park for few kilometers and the road surface is horrible. The GS just ate it up!
On the negative side I found the front brake pretty grabby, but that could be explained by unfamiliarity (and newer pads than my bike?). Also, for me, the suspension wasn't set up properly, except for the really rough part of the tour. It wallowed a bit in the 90-degree corners around the city, which didn't inspire confidence.
One final note: This is the first bike I've ever ridden where I wasn't flat-footed on both sides at a stop. It's one tall bike.

BMW Test Ride Day for Woman

2006-04-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row BMW Motorrad Canada has come to greater Vancouver for a women-only test ride day. My wife and I went and she got a chance to ride three bikes. This is her on the 2006 BMW R1200GS. She has an F650GS now and is looking at moving up to the boxer twin "soon."

Kawasaki 2002 KLR650 Road/Dirt Test

2006-03-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

Kawasaki 2002 KLR650 Road/Dirt Test
Well, another bike that I would get if I didn't have a GS. Or maybe I should get this one in addition to the GS?
I've seriously considered a second bike like this one for the main reason that I'd like to learn dirt riding on a smaller machine than Brumma, my bike R1150GS.
This article, while perhaps not the most professional (anti != ante) does rate the KLR pretty highly. Worth this quick read.

Motorcyclist Magazine and 12 tips

2006-03-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

One of the motorcycle magazines I subscribe to is Motorcyclist. It's a good combination information about new bikes plus interesting articles to help get the most out of our hobby.

They don't have a great online presence, but here's a good little article worth checking out: A Biker's Dozen

Windshield for GS

2006-03-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

So, the stock windshield on the R1150GS isn't that good. It allows a fair bit of buffeting and not much actual wind protection. Many people have spent many hours over on Adventure Rider (http://www.advrider.com/) discussing solutions. I first tried the Tobinators (http://www.stopthebuffeting.com/) and they helped with the stock shield for sure. They are extremely adjustable. Then I bought a used Cee Baileys screen. (http://www.ceebaileys.com/cycle/) It at least 4 inches (10 cm) taller than the stock shield. It really helps too.
After much riding, including a four-day ride through the southern interior of BC last summer I've decided to sell the Tobinators and keep the Cee Bailey shield. I think it provide the right level of protection that I'm looking for. I even tried the Tobinators and the Cee Bailey together but it was just a tad unstable because of the additional height of the shield.
I may even put the stock shield back on for the summer months, once the temperature gets up above 20C regularly.
Another thought is to possibly buy another stock shield from BeemerBoneyard (http://www.beemerboneyard.com/) and cut it down by 40% for the summer months. That might provide the best option for smooth airflow albeit at the expense of protection.

BMW Test Ride Day

2006-03-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last spring (2005) Kim and I attended a test ride event for women put on by BMW. She rode an R1200GS (pictured) and an R1150 Rockster. I got to watch and take lots of pictures. :-)

Donuts?

2006-03-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Police Mazda RX-8 in Tokyo.

This is a motorcycle blog, after all.

2006-03-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

One picture from my trip to Tokyo. Nice helmet!

A run to the 'wack

2006-03-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we (Beth, Orion, Kim and I) went on a motorcycle ride to Chilliwack, east of Vancouver. We had a nice lunch at The Vault. The trip out was along Highway 1 since we were so hungry. The trip back we took backroads just north of the border.

Double yum!

2006-03-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

BMW HP2. From the Vancouver motorcycle show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattman-the-ogre/sets/72057594055813658/

Yum!

2006-03-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

BMW R1200GS from the Vancouver motorcycle show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattman-the-ogre/sets/72057594055813658/

A dream

2006-03-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

This BMW F650GS Dakar has traveled around the world. (From the Vancouver motorcycle show.)

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattman-the-ogre/sets/72057594055813658/

What if I didn't have a GS?

2006-03-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

From the Vancouver motorcycle show. A Buell Xb12X Ulysses.

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattman-the-ogre/sets/72057594055813658/

What if I didn't have a GS?

2006-03-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

From the Vancouver motorcycle show. A Suzuki DL1000 Vstrom.

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattman-the-ogre/sets/72057594055813658/

Shopping for GPS Stuff in Canada

2006-03-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

It's often hard to find good ecommerce sites in Canada. Something about our small population, I presume. But when you find good ones it's worth sharing. Ecommerce in Canada allows you to typically save on shipping and customs fees at least. Sometimes you can save taxes, too, by ordering from other provinces.

So, here's two GPS sites I've used:

http://www.gpscity.ca/
http://www.gpscentral.ca/

And I new one I found today but haven't used yet:

http://www.gpsmart.ca/

2005-10-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

This one isn't really that weird, since there are a lot of ethnic restaurants in Tokyo. But it still struck me as interesting, seeing the Japanese characters on a sign for Mexican food.

Tokyo Picture One

2005-10-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

So I went to Tokyo for business last week. I'll post some of the more interesting photos I took.
This was the sign to a bar or club. I got a kick out of the phrase: "The merry making went on until late at night."

2005-09-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

On the road between Oliver and Cawston, southern British Columbia.

Pretty Darn Cold

2004-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Sunny and cold this morning. It was definitely below freezing last night as the neighbourhood is covered in frost. The sun lured me out on a ride, however.
I bundled up with three layers on the legs, two pairs of socks and five layers up top. Once off the side streets the main roads were pretty dry, but just some damp patches in the shadows. I got on to the highway despite the on-ramp being pretty wet. I was worried about little frozen patches that just wouldn't be fun on two wheels.
On highway 1 west towards Horseshoe bay there was still frost on the guardrails and shoulders, but the roadway itself was pretty good. Brilliant sunshine and I love that part of the highway because of the views over the city to the south.
I did see a salt truck and that got me thinking about more frost ahead. I figured I would be okay to get to Squamish, but now I was reconsidering. I got as far as Horseshoe bay and decided I wasn't having fun. I was worrying too much about hitting frost on the roadway, especially since it was getting wetter, not dryer, the further west I went.
So I turned around just past the ferry terminal and headed home. There was an RCMP SUV blocking one lane of traffic before the "warning 60 km/h" curve in North Vancouver. I figure the officer was just slowing us all down so we didn't lose control on the curve, which most people take at 90 km/h. Uneventful trip in all, but not terribly satisfying.
Now, sitting at home, I'm glad I cut the ride short for another reason: I'm really cold! Even with all the layers, the lack of fairing and small windshield on the GS just doesn't cut the wind enough. My hands were pretty toasty (Yay! Heated grips!) but the rest of me still has a chill.

Ride Hard, Ride Smart (book)

2004-11-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

I recently read a book called Ride Hard, Ride Smart: Ultimate Street Strategies for Advanced Motorcyclists by Pat Hahn. I picked it up at Bolen Books in Victoria, BC over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
Overall I liked the book quite a bit. It's got a lot of good information, including riding strategies and techniques along with many discussions of why accidents occur. It's made me think about my riding style and ways I can improve it to "ride smarter." So that's a good thing.
The production values of the book are great with some small exceptions for some rather amateurish photos. The use of colour throughout is a highlight.
I don't know Pat Hahn's bibliography, but I suspect this is his (or her?) first book. Some of the writing needs better editing as it, too, seems a little amateur. It doesn't detract from the book much and I applaud the author for taking the time and making the effort to write a book like this.
One particular highlight is the chapter on Night Riding: "Don't ride at night." And that's the entire chapter.
Here're two Amazon links:
Canada
Excited States of America

Stuff I'm looking at purchasing

2004-10-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of things I'm interested in learning more about:

Touratech (http://www.touratech-usa.com/)
Mudguard Flap R1100GS & R1150GS (Part Number: 040-0281) - USD19.60
Carbon Master Cylinder Cover R1150GS & Adventure (Part Number:
040-1011) - USD66.80
Side Panel R1150GS Slate Grey (pair) (Part Number: 040-2489) USD131.00
Handlebar Risers R1100GS 25mm Black (Part Number: 040-0265) USD45.80

A&S BMW Motorcycles (http://ascycles.com/)
Foot Pegs - Lowering Kit USD199 (Yikes!)
http://ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=1530

Pretty expensive stuff. I'll solicit opinions before purchasing, I
think. Maybe I can get some of this stuff locally in Vancouver?

Short report on the ride to Whistler

2004-09-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick little report on my dirt experience on the weekend.

First off, thanks to the BMW GS list on micapeak for all the advice. I
followed some and filed the rest away for the future months.

I took it really easy and did a 99% pavement ride up to Whistler and
back on Sunday morning. There are a few little offshoot roads on the
way up there that are dirt, so I did about 4-5 km of dirt riding on
those. It was certainly an experience!

- I stayed in first gear, which on the GS isn't saying much since it's so tall
- I tried standing on the pegs for a while, which worked well, but is
difficult because it's such a different way of riding
- I don't have ABS, so I didn't have to worry about turning that off

A good first dual-sport experience.

Chatterbox GMRS-X1 Communicator

2004-09-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Kim and I bought a pair of these for our trip to Nelson and Osooyoos this summer. With Kim being a new rider we felt it prudent to be able to keep in touch on the 8-hour riding days without resorting to ambiguous hand signals.
Well, they worked great. Ever better than we imagined. They took away so much of the stress of paired riding because we were in constant contact. No missed turns, no ambiguity about filling up or the reverse.
We did a trial run using VOX (voice operated transmission) only, but it was a little frustrating. With the wind noise on a motorcycle we had to have the sensitivity turned down, which meant that we were losing the first word of what we said.
Fortunately, the units come with a PTT (push-to-talk) extension cord and handlebar mounted button. This is the thing to use. We each mounted the button on the outside of the left handgrip and it's super easy to reach a pinky over to transmit.
The X1s also have stereo input so we've been listening to our iPods on longer trips. Note the music doesn't transmit, it's just played locally.
Some might worry that putting a radio on the side of your helmet would be bothersome, but we haven't noticed any problem with that. You hardly realize it's there.
Batteries are NiMH or something not NiCd, so you don't have to worry about developing memory when charging. They seem to last about 8-9 hours of continuous use, with an iPod playing the entire time. They'll probably last longer if you don't play music.
Downsides? Rechargable batteries are nice, but it would be nice if they also accepted AAs for if you ran out of juice on the road. Other than that, which is pretty unreasonable in the first place, nothing comes to mind.
Recommended for people who travel in groups of riders. Note if you just need rider to passenger communication there are less expensive options. Chatterbox doesn't have a site that allows deep linking, but here's the URL: http://www.chatterboxusa.com/ Look under "Rider to Rider."

BMW System Cases on the R1150GS

2004-09-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

I had BMW Integral cases on my K75S before. They were good, but not great. The latches, especially, left a lot to be desired. I was always worried about them popping open at highway speeds. I even went to far as to wrap one up with webbing on my BC to California ride. They were also a bear to get off the bike. Fortunately, the previous owner of the K75S had the bag liners. They were wonderful: I didn't have to detach the bags to bring stuff in to the hotel room / house after riding. Also, the exhaust pipe was low enough on the K75S that the cases were symmetrical. Equal volume on each side. However, they didn't fit a full-face helmet.
Now I have the BMW System cases with the standard lids on the R1150GS. These are a revelation compated to the Integral cases. One latch to manage to get them on and off the bike. One key per bag to operate both locking the case closed and locking the case to the bike. (The integral cases had three key holes each.) And getting them on and off is really easy, but I also feel like they're secure on the bike.
Downsides? Well, with the R1150GS exhaust coming up high the left case is smaller than the right. I could fix this with the larger size case lids, but I won't do that until I know I need to. And I don't yet have the bag liners, but I have my eye on a few non-BMW solutions.
Helen Twowheels' Saddle Bag Liners
Cee Bailey's BMW Saddle Bag Liners
BMW Inner Bags (no link available, try http://www.bmw-riders-gear.com/Index.asp and then "Luggage")
In short, I'm really glad I got the BMW System Cases with my bike.

Stuff about my stuff

2004-09-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a gadget guy. There, I said it. I like equipment. Here's a short list of the stuff on my bike.
BMW System Cases
Garmin eTrex Vista GPS on a bicycle handlebar mount
BMW Vario Tank Bag
Arai Quantum F helmet
Chatterbox GMRS X1 (Rider to rider communicator w. stereo audio in)
Apple iPod 15 GB Third Generation (run through the Chatterbox)

Another Sunday Ride

2004-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Filled up at Chevron on Boundary for $0.929 per litre of 94 octane. Regular was $0.789, which is a really good price right now. 238 km on that tank for a mileage of 33 mpg (US Gallons) or 7.13 L/100 km. (I'm going to try to get used to that metric measurement.)
Off to Trev Deeley Harley Davidson, also on Bounday. I wanted to get a cleaning solution for plastic. I ended up getting Kim a pair of Joe Rocket Ballistic pants, but they aren't the right size. They were on sale for $100 down from $210. Great deal. I think I'll bring them back and get a pair for myself instead (same price.)
I did end up getting some plastic cleaner, so I'll give a report after the next time I wash the bikes.
That reminds me, I washed both bikes again this morning.
After Trev Deeley I went up to Lynn Canyon Headwaters Park, just because I haven't been there before. I toodled around North Vancouver a little bit and then got frustrated with traffic. Off to Highway 1 and up to Cypress park again. The parking lot at the top was open and quite a few people were there, presumably hiking.
I saw many motorcycles on the road again today. People likely thinking it's one of the last good riding days. Brilliant sunshine and not too cool. Must have made it to 20C today.

Off to Antons to pick up pasta

2004-09-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Another errand on the bike. I'm at work but Kim's coming home on the late ferry from Victoria. I popped up to Anton's Pasta on Hastings in Burnaby to pick up a pasta dish for dinner. Nothing spectacular, but a nice little ride. At least it's dry, even if it is a bit chilly.

Second errand ride of the day

2004-09-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

I stopped off briefly at Fabricland and Lee Valley tools on the way back from Generic. I'm looking for a replacment catch for my waterproof and insulated riding pants. The exisiting one is broken, so only the built-in belt is holding the top of the pants closed. No luck at either Fabricland nor Lee Valley, as it turns out.
(I experimented with a rare earth magnet solution from Lee Valley, but it didn't work as planned. Maybe that's a story for another time.)
So, back to the point of the post...
Kim and I took off for Dressew, a fabric / sewing store at 337 W. Hastings. The lady at Fabricland recommended I have a look there. Boy, the streets around the Main and Hastings area are about as close to treacherous as streets can be without killing someone. Very rough, deeply gouged from bus traffic and multiple patchwork areas.
After parking nearby we quickly found what looks to be the very thing to repair the pants. Hard to describe, but essentially a hook and a loop that latch together. I haven't installed them yet, so I'll report on that in a later entry.
Then off to Robson to drop off something at the Swatch store. After an initial nightmare with parking, which is a long enough story to deserve its own entry on this blog, we found pay spots on the street about two blocks from where we wanted to be. Successful drop-off and back on the bikes.
We rode through Stanley Park, stopping briefly to change face shields as it was approaching dusk. Then across the Lion's Gate bridge and onto Highway 1 West. We took the Cypress Bowl exit and wound our way up that lovely stretch of road to the top. We even saw a pair of deer on the snow tube run near the summit. Very cool. Back down, again a lovely ride, and back to the highway to get home.
Filled up at Chevron again for $XX.XX at 138 km on the tripmeter.

Errands and nice little ride

2004-09-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

So, I had to return a computer today to Generic. Blown motherboard or power supply. Long story.
Anyway, this was probably the first true test of living the one car lifestyle and relying on a motorcycle as a second vehicle. I removed the passenger seat, battened (sp?) down the toolbox cover with the included latch and brought out the bungee cords.
Sure enough, the computer box fit comfortably wedged against the back of the main seat, on the cargo area above the tool box, resting on the raised bar across the back. One bungee to keep it from sliding left-right and one bungee to keep it from sliding back and Bob was my uncle.
Since the computer box was wedged against the seat I could feel it gently pressing into my lower back as I rode. Very reassuring and I didn't feel it move around once.
After a brief stop to pick up four chocolate eclairs for dessert this evening (they went in the right saddle bag, away from the muffler!), it was off to Generic. I removed the bungees and it was overall an uneventful ride.

Friday fill-up

2004-09-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

On my way to the check-up at the doctors I filled up at 289 km on the tripmeter. Second fill-up with the new bike.

Exploring Ioco and Buntzen Lake

2004-09-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

After work on Thursday I took off for a brief ride. I wanted to try the Barnett Hwy to Coquitlam, which was great, BTW.
I took the left for Ioco and follow a few roads to Buntzen Lake, just to explore. At Buntzen Lake I parked briefly to change faceshields (tinted back to clear) for the ride home. Good roads up that way, some mid-speed sweepers with elevation changes. Good for another shakedown cruise on the new GS.
(On the way back there was a movie or television crew shooting on a side road.)

Aborted Whistler Trip

2004-09-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

We filled up at the Chevron on Boundary. $17.42 for 17.437L for me and $12.74 for 12.748L for Kim.
Off to Whistler and we got to a point north of Lions Bay and south of Squamish before hitting a traffic jam. As we pulled into the line of cars we noticed people getting out of their vehicles ahead of us, which is never a good sign. I booted up the shoulder (carefully!) to have a look around the next corner. I couldn't see the front of the line of cars.
So we decided to turn around and keep riding rather than wait in traffic. No lunch in Whistler for us, I guess.
Off to Pitt Meadows via Highway 1 to Coquitlam and then Highway 7 (Lougheed). We ate lunch in a Boston Pizza-clone restaurant that was passable, but not worthy of return.
The return trip to Vancouver took us along 7A (?) back to Highway 1 just west of the big bridge. From there we superslabbed it home.
All in all a nice ride, even if we didn't get to Whistler.

Silver 2001 BMW R1150GS

2004-09-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a used silver 2001 BMW R1150GS from John Valk BMW Ducati in Vancouver. It came with a multivario tank bag, BMW system cases and hand protectors. It had about 26,600 km on the odometer and a full tank of fuel when I picked it up.
John Valk was great to deal with and he took a lot of time to teach me about the bike before we rode away.
Kim and I rode down together on her black 2004 BMW F650GS and then took both bikes to Kelly Fennig's place for a little BBQ.