brad nelson » Motorcycle

The long ride

brad — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:40:45 +0000

Last weekend I rode my motorcycle to Chelan, WA to meet the week old offspring of my friend Matt. To date, this is the longest ride I’ve ever taken dwarfing a trip last summer by 80 miles. My sv650 is definitely a city bike, but the seating position is upright enough that long rides aren’t bad. I’ve made a couple modifications to the bike in the year that I’ve owned it, and I was grateful for every single one. The windscreen, aux lights, and tank bag all made the trip very comfortable. The wind didn’t make me fatigued, I kept my gear in the bag, rather than and backpack, and I felt much more comfortable of being visible with the lights. I also kept the tunes going on my iPhone from some new headphones that fit nicely under my helmet.
Traveling long distances on a motorcycle can be a bit of a struggle at times. I found myself thinking about one of my favorite books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and the constant need to pay attention to everything and nothing at the same time. The music helped tremendously. Half of the trip was spent on 97, the road between i90 at Cle Elum and Chelan through Blewett Pass. It is a motorcyclists dream road. Not too much traffic, lots of enjoyable twistys, and amazing scenery. The only problem with it is the signs that warn of deer. Deer terrify me. They have a habit of running into the road, unwarned. Sure, if you’re driving in your Honda Civic, the might dent your hood and slow you down. Motorcyclists don’t have the same luxury.
It was a fantastic, quick trip. I had a lovely time meeting the newborn. When the weather is nice, there isn’t a better way to travel than on a motorcycle. Feeling the road go underneath you, breathing fresh air the entire time. Plus, I love the minimalism.
I plan on buying a more comfortable seat and some attachable luggage before the summer commences. I have a couple more trips planned that I’m eagerly awaiting.

lights on the moto

brad — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:22:52 +0000

Last month, I bought two 1100x PIAA lights for my motorcycle. My 07 sv650N has a single front headlight that has both high beam and low beam. The sun goes down so early these days that I ride home every day in the dark. I’ve been looking for a little more light to be more visible (so someone doesn’t hit me) and to see more things (so I don’t hit anything). I selected these halogen lights because that are very bright and have a wide spread, since most of my riding is in the city.

I had a couple of problems with installing the light, one foreseen, one unforeseen. I knew it would be a pain to mount the lights. There needed to be a bit of shock protection, clear sight, and sufficient separation in the lights. I bought a couple of electrical clamps and wrapped the mounting points with electrical tape.

So far they’ve been absolutely great. I’m able to see more and I feel like more people can see me, too. I really like having an annoyingly bright light. Maybe it’s my nature of being a younger brother?

Moto-cycling

brad — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:21:12 +0000

I’ve been the proud owner of a 2007 Suzuki sv650 for almost 6 months. The winter months are upon me and I’ve been looking for ways to improve the ride when it gets cold and dark by making myself warmer and more visible. My first major upgrade to the bike was a couple of months ago. I installed a givi windscreen, and that has helped tremendously lately. I’m forced to duck down a little when it gets cold, but it pushes the air over me. The next step is going to be better lighting. My SV650 is the naked version, sans the sport fairings and sport lighting. The aesthetic appeals to me, as does the riding position. Unfortunately, the front headlight contains both the high and low beam, this concerns me, as I would like be slightly more visible (read: annoying) to other drivers. I turn on the high beam when the traffic is heavy and it’s dark out. I think I’ve settled on placing 2 aux PIAA lamps up front, low to the ground. I still need to investigate mounting methods and make sure the electrical system can handle them.

heated grips
Corbin seat
luggage