It's All About the Bike » itsallaboutthebike.com

Trying Out Klim Powerxross Gloves

moto — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:55:44 +0000

My glove collection is a lot like my wife’s shoe collection. We both have way more pairs than we need, but never seem to have the right ones when we need them. At least that’s what she says. It’s nice having heated grips on the F800 GS, but for cold weather riding, I’ve never had that perfect pair of gloves that is warm enough for sub-freezing temperatures, but not too bulky that they don’t interfere with the throttle, clutch, etc. Previously, I relied on a pair of Cloudveil Troller ski gloves, more or less a leather insulated spring glove. The Klim PowerXcross glove seems like a crossover snowmobile/motorcycle glove. This pair came to me from Motorcycle Superstore, as I was the happy recipient of a gift card from a relative during the holidays. My first impressions:

I read the user reviews on other Klim gloves which seemed to indicate their sizing ran a little small. I normally wear a medium in just about everything, but one thing I hate is when gloves are too small, and when you curve your hands around the throttle or hand grips, they pull on the ends of your fingers. That will really make your digits go numb. Best to have a little extra room, but not too much. I ordered the size Large in the PowerXross, and they are spot on. My advice, go a size up from what you normally wear.

Top shelf materials and construction. I love just about anything made from Schoeller Keprotec material. These also feature Clarino palms and a full Gore-Tex liner, so they are supposed to be waterproof (guaranteed). We’ll see. Perhaps I have found the perfect cold weather moto glove?

photo from Motorcycle Superstore's website.

New Scoot In The Hood

moto — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:02:35 +0000

Well, we did it. Chris Bowes aka New Chris picked me up at about 11:00 am and we drove down to BMW Motorcycles of Salt Lake City to pick up his new 2010 Lava Orange F800 GS. The dealership was crawling with all sorts of eye candy, it was hard to stay focused on the task at hand. We were immediately greeted by Mike the owner, but he had to deal with a demo F800 that had been dumped on a test ride. Pretty stressful actually, the demo bike was trashed! Chris’ new bike was inside, adorned with the BMW aftermarket hand guards, and a sweet set of SW Motech engine protector bars. I’ve been shopping lately for engine bars, and had previously been looking at Adventure Spec and Alt Rider models, but I must say, the SW Motech version in now in the consideration set.

Chris' new rig, all shined up and ready to go.

Before leaving the dealership, we had an enlightening chat with Mike about the current state of affairs. Now I won’t get into the politics here, for fear of dropping a pin on the spectrum of left to right for myself or the others involved. Let’s just say we were marveling at the craziness of how changing media influences our so-called modern society to be so quickly polarized and ill-informed. The old “I read it on the internet so it must be true argument.” The three moto scholars dropped some big names: Thomas L. Friedman, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynahan. Then, Tom Paine was invoked, something like:

“When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.”

Or perhaps it was this:

“Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.”

Or perhaps it was more relevant to motorcycling:

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

Not the sort of discussion you expect in a motorcycle shop, but I suppose you should always be open to the possibility of surprise and delight, otherwise life can get pretty dull, pretty quick.

Mike and Chris, talking shop, politics, religion, football, just kidding.

I rode the bike back to Park City for Chris because he hasn’t put much time in on a moto for a few years and he was not so sure about having his first ride in Utah be in afternoon traffic on I-15. The bike rode like a charm, and Chris followed me all the way up the hill, until I parked in his driveway 3 houses down. I took one last parting shot of Chris sitting on the new bike, before walking back to the IAATB home office.

New Chris. New Bike. Park City's newest F800 rider has arrived.

Bringing Home A New Baby

moto — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:49:34 +0000

Well, not mine. My F800 GS is doing just fine, if not for being just a little restless. Nope, this is about bringing a new bike home for a new neighbor, who just sealed the deal on a 2010 Lava Orange F800 GS from BMW Motorcycles of Utah. This is how it all started. New neighbor Chris has always wanted a bike. New neighbor Chris was walking by my open garage one day and saw my F800 GS. New neighbor Chris borrows Long Way Round DVD and watches every episode with wife. New neighbor Chris does some shopping online and considers getting a GS 1200 Adventure. I promptly talk new neighbor Chris out of such silliness. New neighbor Chris goes to BMW Motorcycles of Utah and the rest is history. I’ll be the designated driver to get the new baby up the hill, happy that our little gang has just added a new member. Please take a moment and welcome Chris to the posse in the comments section. We’ll take some pics of the mini adventure for a follow-up post.

More Dispatches From The Beatches

moto — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:01:11 +0000

Updates keep rolling in from Darth and Esteban, which is a good thing, because it more or less means they are safe and out of trouble. It’s the modern day version of a series of postcards from the places they have been, only in digital format, delivered in realtime, then twisted and distorted by me to make it seem like they are really not missing the rest of the posse one bit on this trip. Current location, Goulding’s Lodge near Monument Valley. By the way, if you dig the photo effects in the images below, Darth is shooting through a new iPhone 4 with the Hipstamatic iPhone App (affiliate link). I highly recommend it. IAATB approved for documenting moto trips.

Darth hitting red dirt in Shonto, AZ.

A bucket of ice and one can of PBR?

Malt Liquor always tastes better in your underwear.

Notes from the road: ...Hauled ass to get to Gouldings Lodge in Monument Valley in time for the sunset. Pulled up to the cafe to enjoy the fabulous desert expanse and enjoy a beer while I wait for Steve. Alas, all their beer is non-alcoholic. “But I want ALCOHOLIC beer!” I said. “Then you’ll have to drive 20 miles, back the way you came.” D’oh!

July Wyoming Moto Weekend

moto — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:20:21 +0000

A wet June kept many plans at bay for a proper summer moto trip, but our crew finally got one together in mid-July, starting from Park City, Utah, and venturing up into Wyoming and Idaho. I’m always a little scrambled when we do these trips, trying to get the gear ready for the agreed upon roll-out time. Darth always seems to have his stuff ready to go. This time was no different. With a rather new BMW F800 GS under me which was fresh off its 600 mile break-in service (had it done the morning of departure), my plan was to strap all my gear on the back of the bike in a dry bag. Get home from work, throw the gear in the bag, and strap it on the back. Which normally works fine, but isn’t nearly as convenient as packing all your stuff the night before in boxes. On our first dirt road out of Coalville, Utah, at the top of Chalk Creek Canyon, one of the straps let loose, and I had to stop and redo the whole thing. Would have been easier to take my time and do it right the first time, and would have been a lot easier to throw all my gear the night before into side-mounted boxes. Oh well. The debate will continue over costs vs. convenience, adding weight to the bike vs. keeping it as light and nimble as possible. You get clarity on these issues after a weekend away from civilization. I’ll probably get some boxes. Check out some of the photos below. More can be found on our Flickr page, as well as Darth’s Shutterfly. We welcomed two new members to the crew on this trip, and nearly had a third who was ready to go Thursday night before departure, but canceled early Friday morning. Maybe the photos below will give you guys a taste of why you need to make it on the next one!

Dave’s KLR Test Ride Video

moto — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:27:28 +0000

After Dave sought and attained the necessary approval to proceed with his plan to acquire a dualsport motorcycle (for tips on how to do this, read How To Convince Your Wife To Let You Get A Motorcycle), we planned a half day ride for Father’s Day to get Dave out on a test ride of another friend’s Kawasaki KLR. It’s a tangled web. This video pretty much tells the story:

New Blogroll Link: Twenty Nine Inches

moto — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:39:30 +0000

I was going some serious searchin’ using the Google, and I came across a cool blog dedicated to the Niner way of life. Niners, 29ers, what’s it all about? All I can say is, I don’t know why it’s different, but it is. 29″ wheels aren’t really that much bigger than 26″ wheels, but then again, they are. It’s like on Spinal Tap When Nigel is talking about his amp going up to 11, “this one goes to eleven.” It’s just a little bit more of everything when you are riding a Niner. Anyway, check these folks out at Twenty Nine Inches.

by Jasonwg

How To Convince Your Wife To Let You Get A Motorcycle

moto — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:39:18 +0000

This only works for adventure motorcycles, definitely not Harleys, sport bikes, or motocross bikes. But if you really want to get into adventure riding and you don’t quite know how to open the dialogue with your wife, do this. Borrow or buy a copy of Long Way Round, a documentary about traveling the world on BMW motorcycles starring Ewan McGregor and his buddy Charley Boorman. Your wife will want to watch it because it stars Ewan McGregor. That’s the Trojan Horse. That’s what you use to wheel the conversation about getting a motorcycle within the gates of “categorical NO.” As you watch episode after episode, you will imagine yourself being the crafty Odysseus, on a seemingly never ending journey home. Home is when your wife gets to the end of the DVDs, and says, “that looks pretty cool, I bet you’d really enjoy that, honey.” Not exactly a “yes,” but sort of an implied OK. Home is that spot in your garage that you start clearing, long before you have made your purchase, where you will eventually wheel in your new ride. It also can work when you have already had the conversation without a definitive green light, and you are in a sense taking your own “Long Way Round” to seeking your wife’s approval. You waive the element of surprise, because if you bust out LWR at the very end, she will know what you are up to and be suspicious. But it stars Ewan McGregor, you keep telling her. At this point, you might as well be throwing a hail mary pass into the endzone, in which case, this is the only play you’ve got left. So what do you have to lose?

Mongolian Sand Dunes

Darth Nater — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:06:16 +0000

Here is a quick video update from Nato and Ben in Mongolia. Can’t wait for the boys to return and share their photos and videos of this epic moto adventure:

SMS Update From Mongolia

Darth Nater — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:25:45 +0000

Yesterday’s update from Mongolia from Nato and Ben:

“…Day 2 in Mongolia a success. Riding across grassy plains is totally weird but very cool. Saw a large temple complex and also rode to the top of a mountain where we saw trees for the first time since we have been here. Riding sand dunes and camels on the agenda today!”