I only got two days of riding in this week so I’m hoping to make up some miles this Sunday. Wednesday I took the girls to school, Friday I was supposed to pick-up my son, and Thursday I was tired from only about 3 hours sleep the night before (no, I wasn’t up all night playing Halo 3).
I actually felt like riding Thursday morning but don’t when I’ve not slept. Sleep deprivation has a major negative impact on my riding as it lowers my awareness – not good when surrounded by cars – and I tend to get point fixated. The point fixation is extremely frustrating and not safe. For those of you not familiar with the term, point fixation is when you find yourself staring at a point on (or off) the road. Because the bike tends to go where the rider is looking point fixation is very dangerous.
I find that rides on my Harley-Davidson Sportster are more enjoyable the further up the road I can get my mind. This takes active concentration, not just sitting back and following the road or, worse, the cars in front. This is why I don’t ride when I’ve not slept.
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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sleep Deprivation and Riding
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
500 Mile Break-In Period Complete
We just passed the 500 mile mark today, completing the factory recommended break-in period. The odometer clicked past 500 on the way down to the local dealership, San Diego Harley-Davidson, where I bought my Sportster XL1200 Custom. A fitting destination for the event made even more momentous as I was heading down to buy Mickey our brindle boxer (named after the Irish boxer in Snatch) a birthday gift.
The Best Book on Riding Technique
I’ve read a lot of books on riding over the past several years with the goals of improving my technique and having an overall more enjoyable and safer ride. By far the best book I’ve read to date is Keith Code’s Twist of the Wrist 2. This book is a very complete analysis of the physics of riding presented in a very understandable format that includes pictures and tips. Understanding the dynamics of traction and how those dynamics change during cornering, braking, and acceleration has really improved my riding and my confidence. While this book is targeted at sport bike riders the information applies to all including Harley-Davidson riders. I highly recommend Twist of the Wrist 2. Note, the first book in the series is also very good but not necessary if you buy the second.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Harley-Davidson Creed
Agree with it or not, there is a certain feel to riding a Harley that in my experience other bikes just don’t convey. Some owners may be posers but the real riders have their own take on life and the road. I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions in this video, and lord knows it’s heavy handed, but this video captures the essence of Harley-Davidson. See it at the official HD site here.
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Friday, September 21, 2007
Sound of Stock 2008 Sportster XL1200C Custom
As part of what appears to becoming a “sounds of Harley-Davidson” series I’ve captured some footage of my stock 2008 Sportster XL1200C Custom. This bike is stock including the pipes. The Sportster has about 370 miles on it so is not fully broken in yet; I expect the pipes will get louder over time. You can compare this with the sound of the Sportster Custom with Harley’s Screamin’ Eagle pipes in the video posted earlier this month.
Digg It | Reddit It | Add to del.icio.usTuesday, September 18, 2007
NPR Report on Motorcycle Makers Responding to Noise Complaints
When it comes to Harley-Davidson motorcycles “loud pipes save lives” seems to be the battle cry of the masses. When I first rode a HD it was running Screamin’ Eagle slip-ons and I thought them loud, though enjoyable, at the time.
When I bought my Sportster Custom I looked into the Screamin’ Eagle option and was told by the dealer rep that those pipes “weren’t very loud.” They seem plenty loud to me and I know it would annoy my neighbors to be running anything much louder than stock up and down our suburban street. The greatest benefit I see in the Screamin' Eagle pipes is in torque and horsepower, as shown in the dyno chart.
National Public Radio just produced a segment on the topic of loud pipes including comments from representatives of The Motor Company. The biggest concerns are the “noise laws” communities including New York City, Denver, and Lancaster, PA are passing against loud pipes. The concern is this becomes a slippery-slope that leads to further regulation of the sport.
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Update on Riding Glasses
One cautionary note on the Panoptx: do not wipe the inside of lenses if wet, this can damage the anti-fog coating and “make them pretty much useless.” While I question that this would make the glasses useless it could certainly have an impact on their day-to-day use and you don’t want to bollocks up a pair of pricey glasses.I purchased the Whirlwind CV model today. The frame are very comfortable even with the foam seal, they are fairly light and not tight on the temple – important traits for all-day use. I will provide impressions on the glasses after I’ve had a chance to ride with them for a couple of weeks. Given that the days are getting shorter I should have plenty of opportunities to use the day/night Photochromic lenses.
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Sunday, September 16, 2007
Baby’s First Bath
After commuting three days last week and a big ride yesterday it was time to clean my Vivid Black Sportster Custom today. The bike had a fair amount of dust build-up detracting from the overall shine.
I wasn’t sure if I should leave the seat on for the wash or remove it first. The ECM for the fuel injection is under the seat and I didn’t want that to get wet. At the same time, I did not want to get the seat wet unnecessarily. I ended up removing the seat (easily done by removing the lager screw at the back and pushing forward off the center mount), placing the ECM in a ziplock bag, and wrapping the large wiring connection with plastic wrap.
With the electronics protected I rinsed the Sporty lightly and washed her down with Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash. Being mid-afternoon it was pretty sunny out and the tank and fenders spotted quickly. The Sportster was overall very easy to clean and I highly recommend the stock Custom rear mag wheel over the upgraded spoke wheel. The mag is very easy to clean where a spoke wheel would be a pain.
Once washed and dried with a microfiber cloth I idled the Sportster into the garage and closed the door to keep the sun out. Meguiar’s Gold Class Liquid Wax was applied to the tin with two application on the tank to really bring out the shine. ScratchX was used lightly on the rear fender to remove some of the blemishes where the seat comes in contact.
Griot’s Garage Leather Care was applied to the seat (not even sure it’s leather but what the heck) and that cleaned it up nicely. I finished up by applying a little Purple Slice show polish to the bright work to remove a few water spots. Start to finish the job took about three hours with a result that while not show perfect looks mighty nice.
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The First 300+ Miles on the Sportster Custom
This week I’ve put over 370 miles on the Sporty including 160 on Saturday that included destinations in Julian and Oceanside. I continue to be amazed by the bike overall; it is very comfortable for clocking miles, handles well in the twisties, and has plenty of power. I am mostly surprised with how well the Harley-Davidson handles.
Going through very tight turns you can really lean the Sportster over and feel very confident in the control. The only thing to watch for is gearing, you want to be low enough in the gears to leverage the copious torque through the turns. I found that the Sporty and I performed best when looking as far as possible through the turns, and if I got fixated on the rider in front the ride became significantly less smooth and enjoyable.
My neighbor Doug and I did the 130 mile Julian loop in about three hours. Now that we’re into Fall the weather and scenery are perfect for riding and it stayed cool enough for jackets the entire time. The ride out to Oceanside on the 78 was less enjoyable but I made good time. The amount of turbulence at speed is significant without a windscreen and I can feel the effect in my back and shoulders.
Doug has a great pair of riding glasses from Panoptx that include the Photochromic Day/Night lenses that adjust the tint based on the ambient light. They go from clear to a fairly dark tint without the need to change lenses. This is a perfect solution for riders, especially those with open-face helmets, who don’t won’t to limit their riding by time of day and don’t want to pack multiple glasses or lenses. This week I found myself riding at night with my blue-blocker lenses, not impossible to see but they certainly limit the effectiveness of the excellent Sporster Custom headlight. Harley-Davidson also has a line of riding glasses with Day/Night lenses that I plan on checking out soon.
Taking the coastal 101 from Oceanside to Carlsbad capped the day – those of us in San Diego are really fortunate to have such great riding destinations and weather. Average mileage for the day, 46mpg which is pretty good considering the Sporty is still in the break-in period. I expect to see the mileage climb above 50 mpg as we get closer to the 500 mile mark.
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Thursday, September 13, 2007
Selecting the Right Lid for the Harley-Davidson Sportster
Does the helmet have to match the bike ...
When I started talking to my buddies about buying a Harley the first thing nearly everyone said was, "you’re going to need a new helmet." The helmet they were all referring to is an Arai RX-7 Corsair, a damn fine and safe helmet. The reason they all thought I needed a new helmet was because the Arai does not match the image of the Harley-Davidson; rather, it is a helmet more fitting a sportbike including the Gary McCoy paint scheme.
Riding the Sportster home I got to thinking about the helmet. It was true that the kangaroo graphic paint scheme does not match the classic Vivid Black Sporty and the full face helmet does not match the “image” of the Harley rider. I got to thinking maybe I’d try something different. So what’s the right helmet? A three-quarters number with a face shield or maybe without? Maybe a half helmet?
I knew I didn’t want the “yamika” some riders prefer as I do believe that a good helmet is the best thing to have between your head and the highway in a worst-case scenario. I had a gift card for the local import motorcycle shop and went there hoping to find something interesting. What I ended up with is a black HJC CL-21M helmet that includes a handy zip-out ear flap. The HJC fits great and it turns out is super comfortable to wear.
At speed the open face helmet really changes the ride. I wouldn’t want to necessarily put a lot of miles on the Sportster Custom without a windscreen but it is a helluva rush to catch the wind at 70mph square in the face. Kind of like the 1925 Czech FN Motorcycle Poster, but without the yellow suit.
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Operation Rolling Thunder
Bringing home a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle ...
About a month ago I came to terms with my midlife crisis and realized that it was time to re-think my approach to motorcycling. I had two bikes, a 2003 Suzuki SV650S and a 2003 BMW F650GS Dakar. Both bikes are very nice and have the pros and cons but neither was for me; the Suzuki is just not comfortable for extended trips and the BMW is both awkward (for someone of my size) and sluggish with its large single cylinder.
I had seen some of the new Harley-Davidson Sportsters and thought they looked pretty nice and that with a 1200cc engine they would have plenty of power. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spent several hours in the local HD dealers looking at bikes and thinking about what would be right for me (if any). On Labor Day I rented a Sportster XL1200C Custom and road almost 130 miles and knew at the end of the ride that was the bike for me.
Since then, I’ve sold both the Suzuki and the BMW (BTW, if you are looking to sell a vehicle I highly recommend Craigslist, both buyers came from this site while I had very few leads from CycleTrader – and Craigslist is FREE). My Father-in-Law, Warren, and I went out looking at Harleys on Saturday and found the perfect bike at San Diego HD in Kearney Mesa. This is one of the stores owned by NY Myke who you may have seen on TV in one of his commercials if you live in the San Diego area.
I picked up the XL1200C on Sunday and rode 70 miles, up the coast and out into Escondido, mostly for a run through the twisty back roads of Rancho Santa Fe. The Sportster is great, super comfortable and a pleasure to ride. My Sportster is completely stock right now, no bags, pipes, or windscreen.
Riding without the windscreen is quite an experience, and while none of my bikes have had large fairings the Harley-Davidson really seems to put you out in the wind. With the vents open on my riding jacket I felt like a parachute going up the freeway at 70mph, holding on to the bars to keep from being peeled off the bike. I realize that much of this is sensation and that I’m not likely to get blown off the bike but the feeling takes some getting used to.
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Sound of the Sportster XL1200C
Not the subtlest of sounds ...
Harley-Davidson motors may not be the most refined engines on the planet but they do have a primal charm that seems most authenticate from products made in the USA. The Screamin' Eagle pipes make the sound of the 1200cc engine more raw and (obviously) louder.
In this clip you can also hear the sound of the fuel injectors tapping away, it is most notable when I move the camera to the left side of the engine.
Overall a great sound a part of the complete Harley package.
Digg It | Reddit It | Add to del.icio.usTest Riding the Harley-Davidson Sportster
Riding the Harley-Davidson Sportster through the Center of the Sun ...
A work friend, Jesus, and I rented Harleys from the local dealer, Biggs in San Marcos. This is the first time either of us had ridden Harleys and neither of use was that comfortable with spending an extended amount of time on someone else's bike, but hey, that's why they offer rentals. I rented a Sportster XL1200C Custom and Jesus a Dyna Wide Glide, apparently the next smaller bike in the Harley-Davidson line. After signing papers and getting the run-down on the bikes we left Biggs at 10AM. It was already hot in San Marcos, probably in the high 80’s and rapidly climbing.
With jackets on we rode up the 395 past the 76 and into Fallbrook. This was the period of getting used to the XL1200 motor. I’ve ridden v-twins in the past but nothing of this size (Suzuki’s SV650 to be exact). At first the Harley motor seemed very rough, with the momentum of the internal mass, crank, pistons, etc. quite noticeable, especially at low RPMs where the Suzuki is extremely smooth. The Screamin' Eagle pipes were also a lot louder than what I am used to on my bikes, cracking out a low bark that increased in urgency up the power-band. The Sportster Custom has the forward controls and this was also a new experience. My initial impressions were very mixed with the Harley but as we rode my comfort level with the machine began to increase.
When we stopped in Fallbrook the temperature had to be over 100-degrees. We chugged some water, stuffed our jackets in the saddlebags, and applied another round of sunscreen. From Fallbrook we took the 76 East, looking for more open roads and the opportunity to get a sense of how the Sportster handles the twistys. By now had become very comfortable with the riding position and most of the controls. The only thing really throwing me off is the Harley-Davidson turn-signal configuration with a button on each hand control and, something I kept forgetting, automatic cancelling once you make the turn. Obviously, these are not significantly problematic issues, they just take some getting used to. The forward controls quickly grew on me, though I think it would be ideal to have standard pegs and highway bars for maximum comfort. Being able to weight the pegs would provide better feel for cornering and allow the rider to take some of the load off the back.
Jesus and I rode into the Pala Casino around noon and the temperature had to be 107-degrees. After cooling down we headed back out, going from the 76 to the 79 and down into Santa Ysabel where we stopped for Gatorade. On that stretch we encountered a few drops of rain from some of the clouds overhead. The cloud cover really helped drop the temperature and this leg of the ride became very comfortable.
Having had a couple of hours on the Harley I started to take in the sounds of the bike. Being a bit of a gear head I tend to be pretty tuned into the sound and feel of my machines. One of the first things I noticed with the Sportster is the fairly loud fuel injectors. They definitely make a noticeable sound at idle and constant, cruising throttle. It’s not a bad or annoying sound, just something that is very discernable in the fuel injected version. Second I notice pinging or pre-detonation that I’m guessing was caused by a combination of the heat and shite gas provided by the previous renter. The engine knock became very apparent with a twist of the throttle – I don’t believe these bikes have knock sensors, electronic sensors used on fuel injected cars to detect pre-detonation and retard timing, so the knock was not entirely unexpected. Third, I noticed rattling coming from several unidentified locations around the engine at certain ranges of the power band. I’m not sure if there were loose chrome bits or if this is “normal” for Harleys, either way, it wasn’t a big deal.
By now I was very happy with the Sportster and the appeal of the 1200 v-twin really became apparent. Unlike my other bikes the Harley is extremely relaxed, as the rider you feel in control and well positioned. The bike handles remarkably well, much better than I had expected, and by this time I was used to the hum of the engine through the Screamin' Eagle pipes. Riding through the back country, sun on my arms, the pulse of the motor underneath, the tone of the engine put a smile on face – this is what riding should be like.
We made it through Ramona, down into Escondido (friggin HOT) and to the gas station to fill up the Sporty before taking it back to Biggs. We had completed about 130 miles and consumed 2.8 gallons of gas! Amazing mileage for a fun bike and an awesome ride. This experience has really changed my perceptions of Harley-Davidson’s motorcycles, its given me a real appreciation of the machines and the experience of the ride.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
2008 New Model Year Event at San Diego Harley
My Father-in-Law, Warren, and I went down to Kearny Mesa for the San Diego Harley-Davidson Full Metal Attraction, 2008 New Model Year Event. We didn’t get down as early as I had hoped so we caught the tail-end of the event. It looked like they had a good turn out with a lot of bikes, a band, some BBQ scraps, etc.
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