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Bomber
Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 10:59 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Mutterings on products I've gotten the last year or so . . . . .

Rider Stuff
Helmet
My Schuberth continues to be one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time – I’ve used it consistently for 2 years now (March – November season), and I still love it.

I believe these folks are the same company that used to make the System 1 lids BWM re-badged a while back, but that’s of little import. The quality of the piece is great, the front flips up and locks down like it was new, the shield adjusts easily, and stays in place at speed, the shield replacement dance is a bit fiddly and overly complicated (it’s German, remember), but I can wear the thing for 10 hours without developing pressure points on my Shoei-shaped head.

The built-in sunglasses are more useful than I expected (and a hoot at gas stops).

Only caveats are: a non-D-ring fastening system, which will make it tough to use with some helmet locks (the system works great, thought, even with very heavy gloves), the finish (mine is black) is a bit fragile, and the fact that shields are not available at every Honda dealership worldwide.

Jacket
I practically lived my Vanson vented Buell jacket (gray and black) this year . . .still looks aces (no get-offs), all the zippers are still firmly attached to the places where they should be, and the leather is FINALLY beginning to get a little flexible. I bought the optional armor for it, but, as stated above, I’ve not tested it.

With the vents open, it was comfy all summer (particularly hot this year near Chicago) at any speed above 20 mph or so – below that, nekkid wasn’t cool enough!

With the Vents closed, it’s fine down to the low 50s or so (F). There is an insulated vest liner available for it, but I’ve not tried one.

When it gets colder than that, I pull out my Hein Gericke Dakar (sort of a leather field jacket, minimal armor at elbows and shoulders . . . . . . ) with the liner in, it’s good down to 27 degress (don’t ask me how I know) . . . . it’s been down a couple of times at low speeds (approz 35), and shows little wear . . . .I’ve had this lump for almost 20 years, and love it to death.

Pants
Just picked up a pair of Joe Rocket Ballistic 3.0 over-pants last weekend – sort of the bottom of a Aerostich suit (pants zip up from the leg bottoms up to darned near the hips) . . . . no long term report, clearly, but cut the wind chill (39 yesterday morning on the way to work), ez on and off, pocket on the left thigh is good, but another on the right thigh would help, as there is no access to your pants pockets through the Rocket . . . . . .

For those that are ordering through the mail, sizing is a bit weird (could be for the entire Mr Rocket line? Dunno, this is my first product from him). I wear 34/34 or 34/36 Levis (34/36 better on the bike, clearly), and the XL-Long fits perfect in terms of length, but is kinda loose, waist and thigh-diameter-wise . . L-Long wasn't long enough . . . all-in-all, a good choice for me, as I can wear dockers and the like to work, and not walk into a meeting with my boss’ boss’ boss with bird strikes and FOD on em . . . . .

Oh, yeah, armor on the hips and knees – more padding than armor, I spose . . .. the armor on the knees rotates inward a touch, making me wonder where it’ll wind up in the event of an unplanned dismount . . . .with luck, I’ll not be able to report on this.


Bike Stuff (all in reference to my Y2K M2)

Exhaust Slip-ons
The V&H aluminum can started cracking just ahead of the forward mount – my fault, as I had not spotted the loose bolt in said mount, and, when spotted, ignored it for a 400 mile weekend . . . . . .

Installed a Wileyco Carbon Fiber can approx 2K miles ago . . . . this can is a little off the page in that the pipe that connects to the stock header is separate from the can itself . . . .the pipe and can connect using 4 ss allen-heads . . . . I had benefit of reports from MikeJ that the stock gasket that lives between the pipe and can blows out with little use and provocation . . . . .I made a gasket from 1/16” cooper (annealed dead soft), and coated both sides with permatex cooper-bearing silicon goo (the same stuff you’re supposed to slather on the header-pipe-junction) . . . .. 2k miles, and no prolems with this can

Approx 600 miles ago, I added the Aaron-explained exhaust mount set-up (see the KV) .. . . I believe the link (from the front shock mount to a large clamp just upstream from the header/muffler clamp) is originally from an S1 . . . the link and clamp took 6 days special order from Uke’s . . . . grand total of, lemme see, 15/16 cash dollars American, I believe . . . .. the idea is to provide another solid mount for the header . . . . . the value of this setup is only judged, I spose, by the lack of trouble with exhaust studs and other hardware . . . .that, and the puzzled looks from other Buellers (wazzat?).

Oil
Mobil 1 lives up to it’s reputation, lowering oil temps by about 10 degrees F (measured by an autometer phantom gauge), and looking good and clean at my every 3000 mile change . . . . combined with the Spurgin cooler and Dyna filter, I can get darned near 3 quart into the M2. Will likely change to Mobil Gear Lube in the primary this winter. I want to remove the primary altogether to get all the Sporttrans out of it, as I assume mixing is, if not fatal, less than ideal

Lights
Little teeny PIAAs (their smallest, I believe) mounted up front, below and on either side of the headlight, provide a nice, even, broad illumination of the road, and a bit of both sides, as adjust on my bike . . . . . gives a bit better view of double-letter Wisconsin Rustic Roads (what a great program!).

Silly rotating flashing LED tail light bulb – gets people’s attention . . . . .I’ve not been rear-ended since installing it (course, I’d not been rear ended before, either) . . . . really annoys some folks riding behind me. They can pass, though, as I ain’t that fast.

Gimme a shout with any questions
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Chainsaw
Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 07:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

How do you like the rotating LED? It's been on my kinda-want-to-get-one list. Is it bright from multiple angles or just straight back? Is it worth the $24.95?
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Bomber
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 09:05 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Chain . . . . .it's not particularly bright, thought the lumens don't drop off radically when viewed from an angle . . . in fact, I'm considering replacing it with a halogen taillight bulb . . . . .

Is it worth 24.95? that's hard to say . . . . .if a $25 toy makes you smile, it is . . . if a $25 toy means you're skippin lunch for a week, I'd say pass . . . . (I should have passed) . . . . Although, I gotta say they are REALLY attention-getting in S3s . . . . . .
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Bomber
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 09:24 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Also (thanks for reminding me) do NOT put one of those cute rotating LED bulbs in a blast . . .my wife's scoot ate 'em like candy . . . .. .don't know about the standard LED bulbs, just the circus ones
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Darthane
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 10:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I've got a Cordura Nylon/Leather Vanson as well. I concur completely. That jacket is AWESOME. Cool in the heat, warm down to about 55 without the liner. I've got the same Joe Rocket pants as well. Only things I don't like about them are the lack of a strap to keep the leg down and the way the padding turns in at the knee. I've work them in upper twenty degree weather and not been cold.

Bryan
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Jim_M
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 10:44 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

are those the ballistic pants?
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Bomber
Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 11:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Jim_M

yes, they are, if you throw them hard enough
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