For Sale

So now that I live in town I'm thinking of selling the CRF230F...

it's a 2004 with the Baja Designs Kit, anyone interesed?

Alarm Arrived

So my sister came down to visit me yesterday and dropped off my replacement alarm, and guess what, the tilt sensor still didn't seem to work. They sent a new sensor so I'm hoping that once i put that on there everything will be fine....optimistic to say the least. I'm really starting to think it's in the wiring harness itself. I'll have to check it if the tilt sensor doesn't do the trick.

I didn't realize the back tire was right down to the wear bar until the other day, so i really have to be careful to avoid any trips in the rain. But thankfully this weekend was nothing but sun, so i put on a few more kilometers. My black jacket was feeling awfully hot in that sun, even on the highway. For now the black jacket and the wear bars on my tires will have to be ignored, I don't know how poor I am yet so all spending has been suspended. Which is bad since the backyard at my appartment really stinks right now. I just have to learn to hold my breath for longer so that i can make it all the way up the stairs without inhaling. Wow, i sound like mister negative today, i need to cheer up and think sunny thoughts.

On a positive note I haven't wiped out on the bike yet, even with all the potholes, bumps and dirt on some of those back roads. While on the topic of bumps, i think i need to relax a bit, hitting those bumps when i'm all tensed up is rough on the back. Overall the bike ride was especially pleasant, i got some fresh hair, some sunshine and lots of bugs on my visor instead of in my mouth :D

Replacement Alarm Shipped

Woo hoo, I just got the notification from USPS that my replacement alarm from Armed Guard Electronic Security was shipped out today, let the waiting begin.

I'm actually quite impressed that they've shipped it already since I only picked the alarm up on Saturday and installed it on Sunday. They said 5 to 7 days before it gets here, that's not too bad. I'll just keep the current alarm in there and the bike chained when I'm not riding it. It should be fairly safe in there for now.

I noticed the other day that i'm down to the wear bar on my back tire...oh well, i'll just stay out of the rain for now. Is it too early to start counting down until Friday?

Good News

I got good news last night, the company that makes the bike alarm I just bought Armed Guard said they would mail me a replacement alarm. Their Technical Support was really helpful, thanks John, he even stepped me through testing the alarm to see if there was a problem with the connection. I think it's pretty good of them to mail me a replacement alarm instead of making me go back through the dealership to get a replacement. I was starting to think maybe I should have bought one of the more sensitive alarms, but I think once the tilt sensor is working it will do the job nicely.

Now if only my luck with my cell phone went as smoothly. I went to the place where I originally got the phone and they said they could send it away(4 to 6 weeks) and they'd give me a loner. Which isn't too bad, except the loner phone is about the size of a cordless phone you'd find in somebody's house. Oh well, I was never the most stylish guy to start with. I just hope they fix my phone, I'm tired of it shutting off and resetting itself at random.

I wonder if I should try changing the oil in the bike, it sure looks easy enough. I should go pick up a drain pan and give it a try. What's the worst that could happen?

Fun Weekend

So Saturday I picked up the alarm for my bike and it's much smaller then I expected so that's a good thing since I stuck it in the 'trunk'. I never got around to installing the alarm until Sunday afternoon, but I have a feeling that it's not working quite as it should. I practically have to shake the bike to set the alarm off. On the agenda for today is a trip to the dealer to complain.

Sunday I was out to my sister's to do some visiting and to have a bbq so I got to put a few kilometers on the bike. I also confirmed that one tank of fuel gets me about 250-260kms before the light comes on. Didn't seem great, but it works out to 55.57MPG with hard driving, so that's not bad at all.

Taxes Signed

Well today I had to go across town to sign my taxes(what a ripoff that place is) and since I'm working the evening shift I decided to go as soon as they were open. So at about 9am it was 6 degrees celcius and off I go. Well in town it was nice and warm, the only spot that actually felt a little chilly was next to the water. So I think it's official, it is now warm enought to have the bike out all the time. Worst case I can put the liner back in my jacket if I feel the urge to go on the highway.

I sure hope it's not raining on the weekend, because I think I'll be on the bike.

Alarm Ordered

Just ordered an alarm for the bike, hopefully it's not too hard to install. They had some of the ones that lock onto the brake and chirp if someone tries to move it. I preferred something more permanent, so I ordered one of the 'less expensive' alarms for under the seat, no pager or anything fancy like that, but it'll make lots of noise if someone moves it...and I won't have to worry about taking it off the brake everytime I get on the bike. It's been an expensive week, $171.44 for my helmet, and $154.10 for the alarm...maybe I should wait a bit on the jacket. :-)

Sunshine

Well the weather was great on Sunday so I recruited some help so that I could get my bike from the garage to bring it down here, and still have my car down here. So my sister followed in her car, while her husband drove my car down for me. So now I have my car down here and the bike too, works out nice for when the weather is good enough for biking.

The last time I filled the bike up was when I bought the bike and I was almost half of the way home before I thought to reset the trip so I'm not positive on the distance I travelled on that tank. I think it was somewhere between 260 and 280kms and then I put in about 14 litres...that's not too bad considering the first 100kms was all into the wind the on a very windy day.

So this weekend coming up I'm hoping to put lots of kms on the bike, now all I need is the perfect weather for it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes, if I'm lucky it'll be somewhere between 16 and 20 degrees and sunny, that would be nice.

Next on the list is pricing bike alarms, I think it might be a worth while investment.

Is Summer Here Yet?

Z750
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

Well the weather today was somewhere around 13 degrees outside today...so guess what I did? I took the Z750 out for a nice drive to show it off. I started out in just jeans, but after 20 minutes I decided another layer of pants would be a good idea. After adding the extra pants I actually found the drive really nice. It's going to be nice once the summer weather gets here.

I also took the time to adjust the shocks after I got home. It was set for a 150 pound guy, so now I'm looking forward to another drive so that I can see if that smoothes out the ride a bit.

The Club

So when I bought my bike she gave me the "Club" that she had been using to lock up the rear tire when she parked the bike. It's basically just a big red cable that you can lock around the rear tire to make it harder for someone to steal your bike. So I put it on the bike even though it's in the garage...then I got thinking, how many times am I going to get on the bike before I forget to take the "Club" off and try to drive away with it on? I just hope that someone has a camera handy for when it does happen because I'll be cursing myself too much to think to take a picture.

It's Home

Well yesterday I found someone willing to drive me to town to pick up the new toy, a 2004 Kawasaki Z750). SNB was already closed when we got there and the previous owner was alright with me driving it home before I switched it over. So we went and had a bite to eat, renewed the tags online(they had expired last month) and then we went back for the bike. Now shortly before we got back I was lucky enough to hear them say on the radio that it was 4.5 degrees outside, but that it felt like 0 degrees with the windchill...I don't even want to know what 4.5 feels like at 120km/h.

After adding a couple more layers of clothing I took the bike for it's first drive. I couldn't get over how easy it was too drive, the thing practically balanced itself. I could come to a stop sign, roll to a stop and not even put my foot down...I wonder if that still counts as a stop if I don't plant a foot, but I'm pretty sure I had stopped moving for a split second before I pulled away from each of the stop signs. In town the bike is a dream, it's nimble and fast, but there's something about it that inspires confidence. It could be the fact that I'm more upgright then a super sport...but whatever it is I like it.

I know I should still be scared of it, after all it is a 750cc bike and although it may make a person feel invincible at times, there is certainly nothing about a motorbike that will protect you if you take it for granted. That being said I took it very easy going home, after all it was my first trip. I will admit that there were a couple times where I gave the throtle a quick twist and watched the speedometer climb quickly to 175. It was a cold and windy day and I'll admit on that hour long drive I did stop about half way to thaw out my fingers, but overall the ride was a blast. I will certainly be looking forward to some sunny weather so that I can really enjoy the new toy.

Mother Nature

I just noticed that I bought the dirtbike on April 1st last year and I bought the street bike on April 1st this year. Weird isn't it...it wasn't even intentional.

I was planning to go pick it up this week but the weather hasn't been cooperating at all. Cold with snow isn't exactly ideal weather for driving a bike home for the first time. I was thinking i'd much rather some sun and warm temperatures. Oh well the week isn't over yet, maybe it'll be summer by saturday. If not I may trailer it home, it seems like a shame, but it might be the simplest option at this point.

I think i'm excited about the bike...but it's hard to be excited when the weather is too cold for it.

2004 z750

2004 z750 left side
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

I put a deposit on a oriental blue 2004 Kawasaki z750 on Saturday...so i think that makes it official, i've bought a street bike. Sometime this week i need to call my insurance broker and get him to send me an insurance card so that i can get the bike registered.

Now i look at the weather and it's supposed to be five degrees celcius all week, with chance of rain. That's not exactly ideal weather for driving the bike home for the first time. I might have to wait for the weekend to get here...even then i'm not sure about the weather. Oh well, i'll take it one day at a time.

Street Bike?

So I'm thinking about getting a street bike...I considered getting a new one, but I'm cheap. So I thought what about getting one of the 'budget' bikes brand new...that could work. Well the 'starter' bikes like the 650r, sv650 and 599 are still in the $8,000+tax price range...which is a lot of money for a 'starter' bike. So now I'm considering a used one...the only problem is which one.

I don't want a super sport because I like my lower back and would like to be able to stand up at the end of the day of riding without stopping every hour. So that's a no to the super sport, but I don't want a cruiser yet either. No that does not mean I'm considering a scooter, if that thought even crossed your mind go grab the spatula out of the silverware drawer and whack yoursalf in the face. What are you waiting for, do it NOW!

Now on a more serious note, what is left to choose from without spending a fortune on a bike if you don't want a sport bike and you don't want a cruise? The sport touring class of bikes looks freaking expensive, and even used I see a lot of them priced around $10,000. So now I find myself looking and hoping to find a 'deal' on something suitable for the long drives and still sporty enough to get me in trouble.

Right now I'm considering a 2004 z750 that someone has put up for sale, it's about two grand cheaper than new, and it looks like a reasonably confortable sitting position. I think I might go check it out this weekend. Want to see a picture of it? Yeah me too, damn these people putting bikes up for sale without pictures, I guess there's always http://images.google.com

I was way off

So Collin took a look at my bike for me on Saturday, I already had the tank and everything off so it didn't take him long to show me what I was doing wrong. I found out real quick that the gap you are supposed to measure is at the top. So once you loosen the nut that shaft turns to adjust the clearance...and to measure it just follow it down a little ways and there is a little gap. If you push on that shaft you can rock it back and forth a bit and see the gap. Just be sure you're checking the right spot because if you don't have it at top dead center or you measure the wrong spot you can make a real mess.

Oh yeah, on a sidenote, Bob decided to take the spark arrestor out of his exhaust, and he thinks it has way more power, and it may. But does it ever make a lot of noise now, between the back firing and the 4 inches of flames that come out the back it can't be a good thing. Oh well, it should at least be entertaining for the next time he has it out.

I'm tempted to leave mine out...but that means rejetting, I should consider that, time to do some more research.

Found a Mechanic

Woo hoo, I found a mechanic to take a look at my bike and show me how to set my valves...it's going to be interesting to see how far off i have them. The other fun for the weekend is fixing the thumb warmer...i'm not sure what went wrong, but there's light but no heat. I'm hoping it's only because the wire isn't a heavy enough guage, all i had at the time was some cheap thin stuff. New wire has been purchased, and hopefully that'll be all it takes.

Street Bike?

Should I really be looking at a street bike? I rent a place in town so that I can walk 10 minutes to work, plus this way I don't have to pay for parking near work. If I buy a street bike I'll want to drive it as much as possible...which would most likely mean during the week too. I would go from walking 10 minutes to work to driving the bike in the summer, and after the 1 hour drive from home I pay for parking. Or even funnier I could keep renting a place in town, be at work in 10 minutes and not pay for parking. Plus there's the cost of a bike, insurance, and gas that has to go into the equation. Even funnier would be if I bought the bike and drove it to town, then parked it at the appartment I'm renting now and walked to work. Hmmm, i wonder how much the gas would be for about an hour long commute...$10 dollars a day is only $200 per month...it's all that other stuff that'll get me in the end.

It sure would be a fun way to travel though, this is one of the bikes I've been looking at. I need to do some reading to find out what people are saying about it.

Plans for the Weekend

First thing I'm going to try is removing the starter to see if it's sticking. The only bad thing about that is that after i get the starter working i can't really try it until i get the valves set. Which brings me to the next thing i have planned, my second attempt at setting the valves. I'm hoping that i have them right already, but i think i'm going to make sure before i actually fire the bike up....maybe i should see that the valves are set right before i get the starter working, or i may be tempted to start the bike.

Setting the Valve Clearance

So I took this cap off the side of the crank with a 10mm hex and now I can turn the crank.
Then I took this plug out so that I can find top dead center, at least I hope that's what the T is for.
Now how am I supposed to set the valve clearance to 0.010mm? I can't even tell where I'm supposed to measure that at. I did figure out that loosening the nut allows me to turn the 'screw' to move the valve up and down...now I just have to figure out where to measure the clearance at.

Luxury Items

If someone asks you for 'help' installing accessories you should be wary of how much help they are looking for. I found that helping can often mean i'm doing most of the work while someone that i am helping watches. Oh well, at least I didn't have to do all of the work by myself, it was like having an assistant. In the end the windshield, thumb warmer and heated grips were installed without any major problems. Wow, does that ever sound like an atv with all the luxury items or what? I thought i was spoiled when my bike got a headlight, maybe i should invest in some stuff like hand guards.

Almost The Weekend

I'm working nights for the first week since I started my new job and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Although I'm still getting up too early for someone who doesn't go to work until 12:30. But lucky for me I only work until 9pm, so it's not like I'm working the graveyard shift. The big downside is definitely that on friday night when I normally leave my desk right at 5pm I'll just be getting back from lunch to sit there and wait for another 4 hours to pass before the weekend. I'm not going to complain though, I like the new job :D

The Death of my Battery

Anyone know how to bring a battery back to life? This one didn't respond well to being hooked up to the booster cables. After five minutes on the booster cables with the car running there still wasn't enough life to get more then a 'click' out of the bike when I tried the starter. I think maybe the next step might be to hook it up to a trickle charger and see if maybe that'll bring some life back into it....or I could just go buy a new battery. Nope, I'm too cheap for that, I'm going to try charging it first.

Honda CRF230f Battery

Honda CRF230f Battery
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

Well this is the battery out of my bike, I'm pretty sure that I need a new one. Anyone have a new one just sitting around?

I found a downside to leaving the bike in the walkout basement. When you want to take it out of the basement and into the garage you have to push it through a lot of snow to get to the garage. It would have been much easier if the garage was downhill. Oh well, live and learn :D

Notice Anything Missing?

Notice Anything Missing?
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

Yeah my battery is garbage, the bike won't even turn over with the battery connected and booster cables on it. The bike actually came closer to starting when i took the battery out and ran booster cables from the car to the bike.

Winter Driveway

Winter Driveway
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

This is a view of my driveway half way between the house and the road. Doesn't the plow on the four wheeler do a nice job? I don't think the crf would quite cut it for plowing, although it would be pretty funny to see me try sometime.

Maintenance Time

I put the bike in the basement a while back so that I wouldn't have to take out the battery. I know that may sound lazy. Well actually it's a walk out basement so I just pushed it through the doors. But even sitting down there where it's warm the bike isn't turning over fast enough to start. If charging the battery up doesn't do the job I may have to take it in for some maintenance. I've had the bike since April and still haven't had the valves checked, I think the only thing I've been doing is making sure the oil is changed and the chain is lubed. Maybe if I keep saying I'm taking it in for maintenance I'll actually do it.

Any one out there want to try and diagnose my problem for me?
-needs to be push started to start it
-will start with the electric starter if it's been running long enough to warm up
-the air temperature outside is about -5 degrees celcius

I'm pretty sure the battery is near dead...I should charge that and see if that helps. Being out in the cold may have damaged the battery enough that it won't hold a charge.

Happy New Year

The year is off to a good start, I'm sleep deprived at this point, so every time a thought comes into my head it's gone again before it gets to the keyboard...yup, so I totally forget what I was going to type here...so I'm going back to sleep now.

Happy New Year!! :D

New Toy

Want to guess what I just got for Christmas? Oh come on I'll give you a hint...Now I can take lots of pictures on the trail, although I have to find a case for it first or it'll get the crap beat out of it everytime I fall on it. Yeah it's a new camera, one of those tiny little canon ones. :D

Now if I could just get my bike to start without me jump starting it, that would be real nice, and slightly less of a workout. Maybe it's finally time to take it in for some maintenance, I'm too lazy to do it myself.

Squirrel

Squirrel
Originally uploaded by BadDriver.

I've been too lazy to take the bike anywhere other then down the road and it shows. Instead of pictures from biking trips i have a picture of the squirrel that was in the tree outside the front door on Sunday. If i had been faster this morning i might have gotten a picture of the red fox that was standing in the field this morning. Maybe next time.

Gas Prices

Alright, the gas prices just took another jump, it's getting way too expensive. At this rate it won't be long before it's too expensive for me to drive to work(180kms round trip).

What's my sollution? I think it's time that i found myself a long term illness: "Sorry i can't come into work for a while, i have the plague".

I've already prepared my speech for when they confront me on it: "Well my dentist told me it's really serious, how was i supposed to know it's not the same thing"

Maybe i'd better save that excuse for later, when the gas prices get a bit higher ;-)