It's All About the Bike » Gear

How My Mind Works Sometimes

moto — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:17:31 +0000

I realize this post will likely create a lot of questions about what happened. I’m not a linear kind of guy when telling the story of a five-day dualsport motorcycle trip. I don’t keep a journal when I am out on the road. When you are riding in a large group (7 on this last trip), you go with the flow. I use my iPhone camera to snap some images that will help me remember the moments out on the road, and the places we have been. Then I piece the story back together in chunks that sometimes all fit together, never neatly. This post is about the Touratech Zega-Pro anodized black cases that I installed on the bike a few months ago. This was the first trip where I had them loaded to the gills. As you can see from the photos below, they got a little banged up on this trip. I learned an important lesson. Some would say a rookie mistake. When your bike is loaded up with 75 to 100 pounds of gear, the suspension handles quite differently when you are in rough terrain. That’s all I’ll say about the cause part of the cause-and-effect. This post is about the effect. The right side took quite a bashing. The pannier rack deformed enough that the box was pinching against my gas tank, but the box didn’t come off. The box itself was dented in the rear and the side, but later that night in the City of Rocks campground, my mates helped me bang it out with a two-by-four. We also took the rack off and did some blacksmithing to bend it back to the point were it wasn’t hitting my gas tank. Unfortunately there were a few cracks in the welds, so at least the right side rack will need to be replaced. The whole assembly did a lot to prevent my bike from serious damage. Check it out:

Direct side view of the right side box, post incident.

View of the box from the back. Ouch.

Walking it off after eating it in the ditch.

The Jake Rack: Take Your Bike On Your Bike

moto — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:10:55 +0000

Check out this prototype bike rack for a motorcycle, fashioned to Jake’s new KTM 990 Adventure. There have been many times I wanted to load up my moto with my mountain or road bike and head out of town. It’s always been an either/or proposition in the past. Jake is going to prototype one of these for my BMW F800 GS. All connections are said to have quick release pins, so the hardware can be removed easily. Stay tuned for detailed photos and a test drive once we get a prototype on the BMW.

Bicycle rack for a KTM 990 Adventure

Side view of Jake's Bicycle rack mounted on a KTM 990 Adventure

Now if we could just get Jake to put some dirt tires on that KTM…

Product Review: Ricochet Skid Plate for BMW F800 GS

moto — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:00:41 +0000

I get a lot of questions via IAATB and my twitter account as to what is the best skid plate (bash guard) for the BMW F800 GS. The plastic unit that comes stock on the bike is a joke, and doesn’t protect your engine, particularly the exposed oil filter, oil cooler, and exhaust manifold pipes from rocks that you might encounter while riding the F800 offroad. I settled on purchasing the BMW brand (made by Touratech, but only sold through BMW dealers) last season, and have about 3,000 miles of mixed riding on it.

I am now testing out a locally-made product from Ricochet Offroad Armor, based right in Salt Lake City, Utah. Let me disclose that I approached them with the opportunity to try their product out and provide a review, and was generously supplied with a demo unit. Below are my thoughts on ease of install, comparative weight, likes and dislikes thus far. This will be a long term product review, and I will do a follow-up post after some miles off the beaten path. This is the only way to truly test the worth.

A little history on Ricochet: founded by motocross racer Don Gibbs, Ricochet Offroad Armor has been making aluminum skid plates and armor for motorbikes and ATVs for 30 years, originally under the Utah Sport Cycle name. I saw a little tiny ad in a dualsport digital magazine, and noticed they were here in Utah and a product for the BMW, so I gave Don a shout. I also learned they make skid plates for Toyota FJ Cruisers. How convenient, because I have one of those too.

The first thing I noticed about the Ricochet product; it’s black anodized finish is going to look sweet on the bumblebee. The next thing I noticed was the weight. Noticeably thicker aluminum than the BMW Touratech skid plate, but also heavier. In fact, below are the actual weights of the stock plastic guard, the BMW Touratech, and the Ricochet (all weighed by me, and including necessary hardware:

Stock plastic: 1.4 lbs (600 grams)
BMW Touratech: 3.8 lbs (1,700 grams)
Ricochet: 4.6 lbs (2,100 grams)

Why is this an issue? A pound here, a pound there. These bikes start getting less nimble in the dirt every time you add a farkle or doo-dad. But in this case I am willing to let it slide, because you really do need good protection to your engine.

The last thing I noticed was the amount of hardware required for the Ricochet: 20 pieces of hardware including nylock nuts, washers, bushings, brackets and bolts. The stock plastic plate only uses 6 pieces of mounting hardware, and the BMW Touratech uses only 5 of the 6 stock parts. Something tells me less is better, and although the install was easy despite all the parts on the Ricochet, I was still blown away. The Nylock nuts are a nice touch, and we’ll see if they loosen up. The hardware pieces on my BMW Touratech skid plate were not much more than finger tight when I went to take them off, which means I was probably one good ride away from losing a nut. If I put that one back on, I’ll have to use some Locktite.

That’s about it for first impressions. Below are some photos. The BMW model wraps around more of the engine casing in the front, but the Ricochet is sturdier and feels more solid in general, even with all the extra hardware. The Ricochet is far cheaper at $129, versus the $275 or so for the BMW. You’ll notice the BMW Touratech has taken a beating, all dented and scratched up. Imagine what your engine casing, oil filter, etc would look like after the same amount of riding and no skid plate! Grim.

Ricochet, BMW, and stock skid plates for BMW F800 GS

BMW Touratech skid plate has taken a beating.

Ricochet Offroad Armor aluminum skid plate for BMW F800 GS

The Ricochet skid plate uses thick aluminum plate and burly mounting hardware.

Touratech Zega-Pro Boxes Ready To Ride

moto — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:28:58 +0000

The bike has more or less been locked in the garage due to unsettled spring weather here in Utah, but I did get a brief respite and a chance to roll over to Darth Nater’s Deathstar to show off the new boxes. Here is a look at the bike from the back.

Touratech Zega-Pro Black Anodized boxes for BMW F800 GS.

Cyclemeter iPhone App For Moto Rides: Repost

moto — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:36:16 +0000

Earlier today, I posted a review of the Cyclemeter iPhone App, published by Abvio. Full disclosure: the links here are affiliate links, and when I published my post earlier today, the links were broken. I removed the post, and got a bunch of messages from readers saying they were getting 404 errors. My apologies. Here is a recap of my post.

I have been using Cyclemeter since earlier this winter. At the time, I was looking for a GPS-enabled iPhone app that would allow me to track multiple types of workouts (running, cross-country skiing, cycling). Cyclemeter utilizes GPS to track your ride route, your speed, your distance, average speed, etc. I love that it has a stopwatch screen with big giant dashboard numbers.

Cyclemeter iPhone App Stopwatch screen

I have ridden numerous times with riding buddies using dedicated Garmin cyclometers. Our total distance and average speed numbers are always consistent. I am anxious to try Cyclemeter out on some dualsport motorcycle rides this spring. Like all of the GPS iPhone apps I have tried, Cyclemeter is rather taxing on your device’s battery, so make sure you are fully charged up before your ride. The app has to continuously run in the background to be accurate. I have gotten through 3 hour rides with Cyclemeter, but my battery was toast. My favorite feature is when I complete a ride and press “done”, it publishes info from my ride to my Facebook Wall. You can change this to not post at all, post when you start, when you stop. Potential for posting overload, so I just choose to autopost when a ride is finished.

I think it will be great for day trips on the BMW, especially if I can get myself a charger for the accessory socket on my bike. Then I could go all day with Cyclemeter.

Touratech Zega-Pro Panniers F800 GS Install

moto — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:48:29 +0000

Piece of cake. I warned readers that I would call bullshit on the Touratech Zega-Pro panniers and rack system for the BMW F800 GS if they were not super-easy to install, as advertised. They really were simple. I did the whole thing in under an hour. First, you have to take the seat off, and remove the existing pillion handles. The Touratech racks are comprised of a right side and a left side, as well as a stiffening cross member. The racks utilize existing mounting points and hardware, plus a little clamp system that mounts near the passenger foot pegs. Once you get everything hooked up (without tightening everything down) the right and left racks bolt together under the seat to keep them rigid. Ingenious. Then you tighten everything down. I recommend using some threadlock like Locktite on the small bolts for the clamps that attach to the footpeg braces. Those babies will loosen up. And what is with supplying 3mm allen head bolts for those clamps? Too wimpy, they will strip out if you are not careful. Everything else is bomber. Oops. I had two washers left over. You are not supposed to have parts left over, but I figured out why: because I already had the Touratech luggage rack, which uses slightly different hardware. No worries.

I love the black anodized finish on these Touratech Zega-Pro boxes.

Installing Touratech Zega-Pro Racks to BMW F800 GS

Right and left racks come together under the seat.

Supplied clamps to connect to passenger footpeg supports.

The left and right side overlap here and are bolted together under the seat for stiffness.

The 2 dials inside are used to lock the boxes to the rack.

Whoops. Why do I have parts left over?!

Let's ride.

Packing Up Them Boxes, Hittin’ The Road

moto — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:53:01 +0000

Last Fall, I got to test out Giant Loop Moto’s Great Basin Saddle Bag on a long tour through the highlands of the Colorado Rockies. I came away thinking the Great Basin is a great product for dualsport motorbikes. For less than $400, you can carry a lot of stuff in a waterproof bag. It has great advantages over pannier boxes in terms of light weight, cost, and convenience. But there is one huge problem for me. There is no place to stick my big Rush “2112″ sticker. Another smaller problem is when we camp, all my buddies have boxes to sit on around the campfire, and I always have to sit on a rock. I’ve checked out a few solutions for boxes, and it was a tough decision between the BMW factory Adventure boxes, and the new Touratech Zega-Pro. I like the options that Touratech offers in terms of replacement parts and accessories. I like the fact these come in black. I also like the price difference: retail to retail, the Touratech Zega-Pro anodized black boxes, rack, and matching locks are about $400 less than the factory boxes. Stay tuned for a full report on the installation process. The folks at Touratech say it’s easy. I’ll put that advice to the test.

Zega-Pro black anodized panniers from Touratech. Photo courtesy of Touratech-USA.

Klim Rally Suit

moto — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:42:26 +0000

Has anyone out there seen this new Rally jacket from Klim (besides you, Chris M., since you are the one who pointed it out to me originally. Thanks for that. Now I am utterly confused as to this, new BMW Rallye 3, or Rukka gear. Please post comments if you know where this Klim gear can be found. Word has it, this jacket is somewhere in the ballpark of $1,200, but is full Gore-Tex. Anybody?

Klim Dualsport Enduro Motorcycle Jacket

New Rallye 3 Suit From BMW

moto — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:23:00 +0000

I caught a glimpse online of the new Rallye 3 suit from BMW Rider Apparel, and was immediately drawn to the black and yellow version, which would look pretty good sitting on top of my bumble bee F 800 GS. Has anyone out there seen these in person yet? Sierra BMW has them listed as “in stock.” Pricing is getting up there in the Rukka price range: about $799 for the jacket, and $500 for the pants. Premium yes, but still quite a bit less than Rukka, as I think their Allroad jacket is in the $1200 price range. Damn! It better be good. I think I am going to check with the Salt Lake BMW dealers and see if they have these in stock.

BMW's new Rallye 3 Adventure Suit

Pivot Pegz Install

moto — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:25:43 +0000

I have been hearing a lot about Pivot Pegz lately. After a September dualsport trip into the high passes of Colorado, where we spent long periods of time standing on the foot pegs, I realized the first upgrade I needed to make was larger foot pegs on my BMW F800 GS. After watching a Globe Riders DVD with host Helge Pedersen, I was convinced Pivot Pegz were the way to go. They are readily available from web retailers like Touratech or Adventurer’s Workshop (where I bought mine). They essentially have a spindle and bearings, a lot like the pedals on a bicycle. Unlike the pedals on a bicycle, they have stops so they can only rock a few degrees forward and back, under spring tension. The benefit is your feet are always flat on the foot peg platform whether you are sitting or standing. I haven’t ridden with them yet, but I will tell you the install took about 10 minutes. All you need is a flathead screwdriver and some needle nose pliers. Here are some photos of the install.

Pivot Pegz feature a pivoting axle and springs, and nice big grippy platform.

Almost twice as wide as the stock foot pegs! Very grippy teeth.

The entire install took about 5 minutes per side on the BMW F800 GS.