Motorcycles

[VaderDave]

Update on the fork seals: I ordered a tool to clean out the seals on Amazon. It showed up yesterday and I worked the seals over. This morning I don't see any oil on the stanchions or any drips below the front axle, so I guess that solved the problem (or I have run entirely out of oil in the fork, LOL). So hopefully I'm back in business.

 

[Nader393]

Brought the bike back into the living room to work on it some more, because I was tired of the cramped shed. Pulled the engine and placed it on a folding work table in the adjoining den. My house is only 1300 sq. ft., my one car garage has two cars (a lift) and another motorcycle in it, so this is only way.

With the engine on the table, I pulled the cam and pressed on an adjustable cam timing sprocket.

Put it back in the head, then installed a CDI system to get rid of the previous total loss ignition using a battery and Pertronix, which have been occasionally problematic over the years. Hid the CDI box under the seat. Gave it a new coil and crimped up a set of Magnecor spark plug leads to protect the digital ignition from EMI and RFI.

Put the engine back in the chassis which was waiting in the living room:

Then back outside for a test run, which was successful. Behind it is my '76 FJ40. If this truck were better on the highway, I'd use it to transport the bike to the races.

 

[KamoteJoe]

Me and my SCR950 at El Mirage Lake

 

[KamoteJoe]

I did the annual Greenhorn ride hosted by Pasadena MC over the weekend. 400+ miles of riding on the first day with a KSU of 7am. We needed all the time they were going to give us. The route took my group from Pasadena all the way to Solana Beach (north of San Diego) through a mix of technical twisties, scenic sweepers, and a little bit of highway riding.

It started through the lush forested roads via Angeles Crest Highway and Highway 18 into Big Bear Lake. The climate shift happened with the flip of a switch when we were dumped into the empty, arid roads of Yucca Valley as we pulled into Pioneertown to gather ourselves via ice packs and cheap pizza.

As the windmills and gusty winds of Coachella Valley disappeared behind us, we had to keep pushing through as we were only 2 legs into the 5 leg sojourn. Going up the 243 into the Mt San Jacinto town of Idyllwild was a trip. Having never journeyed this far into Southern California by motorcycle, I had to record every moment of this section via GoPro. Our spirits lifted as we stretched our legs and greeted fellow riders at the pitstop gas station exchanging our oo's and ah's from the journey thus far.

From there, we rode towards the Palomar Mountain range of San Diego. We again hit a stretch of dry rock formations and idyllic vineyard properties that relaxed us before the most challenging section of the ride. Palomar Mountain is no joke, the switchbacks and decreasing radii turns required intense focus. However, once we arrived in Escondido everyone seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief. I had never journey this far in one day, neither had many of the other riders. We split up just outside of Solana Beach to head to our respective accommodations to get some much needed rest.

The journey back home felt like a return to normalcy. We pit-stopped in Laguna Beach for lunch before high-tailing our way back to Los Angeles. Couldn't be happier to own this SCR which had no issues along the way. I definitely feel alot more confident and ready to take on long rides and do more motocamping.

 

[VaderDave]

Love it! I did about 50 miles with some friends on Saturday morning through some twisty roads in the Sierra Foothills. Nothing as epic as your ride, but it was a great way to spend a morning.

 

[VaderDave]

A friend and I rode out to Sonoma Raceway for the International Motorcycle Show on Sunday. I got a chance to ride a whole bunch of motorcycles I had never tried before (not hard to do, since I have only been riding for such a short time). It was a great day and lots of fun. The ride home was 100 miles in 100-degree heat on I-80, so that was less fun.

 

[michaellosauro]

What sunglasses do you folks ride in? I’m looking for something that looks good, but has (at least) a polycarbonate lens for impact/shatter protection.

EDIT: I'm looking for something in the same vein as JMM and other thick, 60s-70s-esque acetate frames.

 

[VaderDave]

A local powersports dealership had an end-of-summer event yesterday. I rode out to check it out and while I was there I had my suspension set up by a local guy who does those sort of things. It made a day-and-night difference in how my GS handles. As a new rider, I don't really know much about how the various settings affect my ride that much--it was well worth the 60 bucks I paid to have it properly set up, just for me.

 

[VaderDave]

I've been wanting to buy a lightweight dual-sport to learn to ride on the dirt. Today a nice Honda CRF250L popped up on Craigslist for an awesome price. It's now sitting in the stable next to the GS. Score.

 

[emptym]

What sunglasses do you folks ride in? I’m looking for something that looks good, but has (at least) a polycarbonate lens for impact/shatter protection.

EDIT: I'm looking for something in the same vein as JMM and other thick, 60s-70s-esque acetate frames.

I rarely use sunglasses on the bike. I would if I was riding for several hours, but I'm not picky in that case. Something basic from somewhere like REI would be fine for me. @UrbanComposition might know a better JMM lookalike. Of course, I'm sure they could make you a polycarb lens. Have you tried looking for vintage pairs on Ebay or Etsy?

For most rides, I use one of those tinted films that go on the top of your helmet. Something like this: https://www.glarestomper.com/product/helmet-sun-blocker/

Love that thing. Well, I'm not sure if I have that exact version, but whatever I have, I think I've used the same one for about 20 yrs. Keeps the sun out of your eyes unless you're riding straight into the sunset. Even then, you could just lower your head a bit and keep riding.

 

[gnatty8]

What sunglasses do you folks ride in? I’m looking for something that looks good, but has (at least) a polycarbonate lens for impact/shatter protection.

EDIT: I'm looking for something in the same vein as JMM and other thick, 60s-70s-esque acetate frames.

Personally just ride with Persol frames, since they tend to do a decent job of keeping wind out of my eyes on the sides. I have a few pairs of riding "goggles" that I use for longer trips, but for short trips, the Persols do the trick for me.

 

[michaellosauro]

I rarely use sunglasses on the bike. I would if I was riding for several hours, but I'm not picky in that case. Something basic from somewhere like REI would be fine for me. @UrbanComposition might know a better JMM lookalike. Of course, I'm sure they could make you a polycarb lens. Have you tried looking for vintage pairs on Ebay or Etsy?

For most rides, I use one of those tinted films that go on the top of your helmet. Something like this: https://www.glarestomper.com/product/helmet-sun-blocker/

Love that thing. Well, I'm not sure if I have that exact version, but whatever I have, I think I've used the same one for about 20 yrs. Keeps the sun out of your eyes unless you're riding straight into the sunset. Even then, you could just lower your head a bit and keep riding.

I usually don't ride with a shield unless it's raining, but that's good to know. I've been keeping an eye out over on Etsy as well. I hadn't even considered the option of having someone make a polycarbonate lens, though, so that just opened up a bunch of options for me. Thanks!

Personally just ride with Persol frames, since they tend to do a decent job of keeping wind out of my eyes on the sides. I have a few pairs of riding "goggles" that I use for longer trips, but for short trips, the Persols do the trick for me.

Great to know that Persols do a good job keeping wind out. That's also been an issue I've run into.

 

[VaderDave]

New foot pegs and handlebar risers for the dual sport.

 

[gnatty8]

So the 2 or 3 months or so I couldn't ride in Philly due to cold have been replaced by the 6 months or do in SE Texas where I can't ride due to the combination of heat and miserable humidity. Never saw that one coming.

 

[John Doe]

Suck it up bro. You need to get out early in the morning and get home by early afternoon. I'm in San Antonio so it does get humid here but nothing like south east Texas. Are you in the valley?