3-Ride Review: Harley-Davidson Heated Jacket Liner

Good afternoon, loyal reader(s)!


It's time for another one of my very sporadic 3-Ride Reviews.  Today I am reviewing a Harley-Davidson heated jacket.  I'm not exactly sure of the model as it is an older one given to me by a friend probably a year and a half ago.  I didn't immediately put the pigtail on the battery as last winter I wasn't riding as much as I plan on this winter due to a different job.


First, a description of the jacket.  It's a black lightly insulated jacket with a windbreaker like exterior and wiring throughout-the front, back and sleeves are all wired.  It zips all the way up to a closed neck (good) and has light elastic cuffs and bottom.  There are plenty of extra plugs for gloves and probably heated pants liners too.  On the inside left is a pocket that holds the lead to the wiring harness on the bike, and it had an on/off rocker switch when my friend gave it to me.  The front outside right has a plasticized H-D patch that is tasteful and I could likely get off if I really wanted to (I no longer own a Harley) and the back center has a 1x2 inch or so Harley eagle and "AN AMERICAN LEGEND" patch sewn on.  I'm not sure I'll ever run this jacket without some top layer, so these patches are no big deal.


My first ride in this jacket was Sunday morning, and it was 36 in my garage, 39 per the official weather app on the phone.  Jacket warmed up quickly and I could feel the welcome heat at in town speeds.  About 10 minutes later I was on the freeway and cruising along for about 25 minutes at California early morning freeway speeds-so plenty of cooling wind.  I was wearing an Aerostitch suit, but the top zipper is malfunctioning and opened partway through the ride.  No big deal, as the liner kept up and I never was chilled.  Riding home at 10 AM I plugged in the liner, so test ride 2 was at more moderate temperatures-roughly high 40s/50ish.  This time I had to cycle the liner a few times, as I kept the suit sealed and the liner generated more than enough heat.


Ride three was this morning.  Again, the temperature was below 40 when I left the house.  I kept the suit sealed better this time, and once I got off the freeway for the last ten minutes riding to work I kept the switch off.  I was only wearing a light dress shirt under the liner and could really feel the heat after about a minute, and then for the rest of the ride.


This liner is an XL, which might be one size too big for me (I'm 5'10" and 180) but also allows easy layering under and above, which might not be possible if it was a large.  Considering it was a gift, I'm quite happy with the size!


Pro's-plenty of heat, easy hook up to battery then one plug, quality construction
Con's-A bit extra wiring  in leads (at least the way my bike is laid out), ripstop outer construction requires outer layer

3 Ride Review: HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet

I recently bought an HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet from BikeBandit.  As you may know if you've been a longtime reader, I am an affiliate marketer for BikeBandit.  I like their wide selection, good prices, free shipping for orders over $99, and as a (mostly) local company, fast fulfillment of most orders for my friends and me here in San Diego county.  Why "mostly"?  Well some warehouses aren't in San Diego, and some parts have to be backordered and may be drop shipped from other places/manufacturers.

OK, on to what I'm going to start calling "3 Ride Reviews".  These will be reviews of new parts, modifications and accessories after just a few rides.  Not just one ride-as either excitement over a new toy or unfamiliarity could shape the review, but also not long-term, having lived with it reviews either.  I've found three or so rides are generally enough to highlight whether the purchase was a good one, future modifications needed, and pros and cons of the part.  So my first "3 Ride Review" will be on the HJC CL-Max II helmet.

This was my first modular helmet, so I went and tried a number of models and brands on.  Some shops had lower priced helmets, especially the Cycle Gear house brand Bilt.  Prices went up from there, with the HJC being on the lower end and the usual suspects being the more costly.  I tried on a Shoei helmet that really felt good, but at nearly 4x the price of the HJC and over 5x the price of the Bilt I felt it wasn't time for that expensive a helmet.  Maybe if I was doing the Iron Butt Rally this summer!  I settled on the HJC and while I often support my local shops, I also needed some maintenance parts for the Connie-too old a bike to normally have the parts at dealerships, so they would have to order them too.

The helmet and parts showed up fairly quickly-not as fast as usual for BikeBandit, but still within about a week.  I have ridden in the helmet a few times, both during the day and at night.  Here's the pros and cons.

Pro's
Value for price.  While the Bilt is less expensive and more expensive helmets are definitely made to higher standards the price point of the HJC, especially from BikeBandit or if their price is matched ($134.99 with free shipping) is a good to great price for a modern, well-made helmet.

The modular faceshield allows easy access with a chin bar-so the pluses of a half or three-quarter helmet with full face protection.

Reasonably light-This helmet feels much better on my head than previous full-face helmets (a lower priced 707 and other cheapies) and about like my 3/4 Bilt helmet.

Consistent construction-All the parts seem to be of high-quality and no one part stands out as a place HJC cut corners to knock a few dollars off the price or make a few more bucks.

Con's
Differing wind noise/buffeting-Some of this is an "attack angle" and windshield height issue.  After the first ride with lots of varying wind noise I experimented with both angle of the helmet on my head and my head in the wind and got much less noise.  When I focused on a more upright, chin up position the wind noise is definitely lower.  That said, there is still a moderate amount of wind noise where the face shield and helmet meet.

The cheek pad foam feels comfortable but kind of cheap.  This is the biggest difference other than likely the wind noise I could find between this helmet and the much higher priced Shoei.  Also due to the size of my head (big, square headed freak here) the cheek pads are pretty tight.  BTW what everyone seems to say about HJC helmets being sized .5 to 1 size too small is right-I ordered an XL and it's still kind of tight.  Of course, it will compress to match my big 'ol melon over the next few weeks so it's best to start tight.

I would definitely buy another HJC helmet based on 3 rides and anticipate this being my main helmet.  I may rig a bluetooth system to it-it has a pre-molded mounting area but this wasn't a purchase point for me.  If you have done this and can add a comment I would appreciate it!

Ride there!
Bur

It's been over a month....

Wow, just realized I haven't blogged in a month!  But I just got a new HJC helmet, so I'll post a "2 Ride Review" later tonight or tomorrow.  Sorry for the break.

Now writing articles on SeekingAlpha, including one on H-D as an investment

As I learn about social media, blogging and online money-making I was given the opportunity to do some paid blogging, which showed up on my other blog, CreationFitness.  I also was researching some investments and found out that SeekingAlpha, a financial news website paid contributors for posts.

So I checked it out, signed up and have begun writing articles-mainly on stocks I know about/already own, but also some to comment on inefficiencies that otehr readers would find profitable.  One article I just published is on Harley-Davidson.  You can read the article here.  Based on my visits to two major Harley dealerships here in San Diego with CMA, the recent International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, and an article just published about women riders, the article analizes Harley's prospects in 2014 and challenges compared to the recent stock price.

I would appreciate your thoughts and comments either here or on SeekingAlpha after you read the article.

First new Harley model in nearly fifteen years, and it's a 500cc/750cc cruiser too!

Recently I was wondering how much longer Harley was going to wait before doing something new in the middleweight cruiser line.  The Sportster has been around as an 883/1200cc engined bike for almost thirty years, with the biggest change coming in 2004 with the introduction of the rubber-mount engine.



Press Release photo that is on most every website I visited researching this post.

 

Imagine my surprise when I found out tonight that Harley-Davidson showed off a completely new cruiser at a show this week.  It's call the Street and will come in two displacements: 500 and 750cc.  Everything seems to be identical on the Sport except for the bore to the engine, which is the same way the Sportster has an 883 and 1200 model.  But this isn't a smaller engine in a Sportster frame-this is very much a different bike.  Most obviously is the fact that the Street uses a new engine Harley calls the Revolution X.  This engine is based on the V-Rod engine, has a 60 degree/wider "V" than earlier H-D engines, and can be mounted higher in the frame.  A large radiator and cowling covers the entire front of the frame as well.  From the few pictures I've seen, it looks like this bike has more rake angle than a Sportster, but that may not be true as I haven't actually seen what the rake is.

Fans of Harley-Davidsons will probably like this bike unless they are passionate about a true Harley being a Big Twin only or only being air-cooled.  It hits the Harley styling cues, and has steel bodywork instead of lighter aluminum or plastic.  It has a low aggressive stance, and the 2-into-1 pipes look a great deal like the Thunderheaders I have on my Sportster.  However, Harley detractors will also have a field day.  First this is a heavy motorcycle for 500cc displacement-nearly 500 pounds.  This is a mixed blessing-substantial feel is a benefit (you know what I'm talking about if you've ever ridden a Honda Rebel or 125cc Vulcan!).  On the other hand, "not being able to get out of it's own way" is a harsh but true statement about some cruisers that just don't make enough HP.  Claimed HP in the 750cc engine is around 54, which is similar to what my 80 pound heavier Sportster makes.  This kind of power and the six-speed gear box will be sufficient for most riding and the occasional run into realistic highway speeds.  Harley-Davidson doesn't seem to be marketing this bike for the highway distance rider anyway.

Price may be an issue as the 500 is reported to be priced at $6700 and the 750 at $7500.  This is slightly higher per cc than the current crop and the 750 will be competing with the Yamaha Bolt (as does the Sportster) at that price point and the Bolt is a 950cc bike.  And the "buying the Harley name" premium is likely only of marginal benefit for the young, urban rider/commuter Harley has aimed this bike toward.  Of course, if 5 or 10 years down the road that buyer has some discretionary cash and wants a Dyna, V-Rod, or other larger Harley, I'm sure the dealers will be happy! 

I'm pretty sure our large dealerships here in San Diego will get Street 500/750s pretty early in production, and maybe the bike will be at the International Motorcycle Show (IMS) in Long Beach CA in a few weeks.  I'll update this post or put up another one when I see one.

Update:  No Street models at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, and the largest dealership here in San Diego mentioned they likely won't get any until March 2014.  Why the long delay I don't know.


Gear Review: Grease Monkey General Purpose High Performance Work Gloves

Last week I was removing the fork tubes on my 1999 Harley-Davidson Sportster to replace the oil seals and just do general motorcycle maintenance on the front end.  I didn't have any mechanic's work gloves, so while at the other HD (Home Depot) buying some wood for another project I picked up a pair of Grease Monkey General Purpose High Performance Work Gloves.  They aren't very expensive-I paid less than $15, and the large pair fit my hands well.  This is always a concern, as these gloves are meant to be used holding tools and parts.  A previous pair I owned (I don't remember the brand) were too long for my fingers and soon were used for non-mechanical work which quickly tore them up.  Not the problem with these gloves-nice fit, decent construction so I added them to the cart.

Getting home, I used them for the removal of the front tire, brake piston, fork brace, turn indicators and then the fork tubes.  While the front end of the bike wasn't too dirty, there was some road grime and brake dust and of course fork oil (reason #1 for this project!) involved.  Having gloves on saved on clean-up time, and I was happy with the dexterity the Grease Monkey gloves provided.

Re-assembly was also done with the gloves and some of the challenges may have been as much my unfamiliarity with working in gloves as these specific pair.  Some of the smaller bolts, like on the turn indicators, I took one glove off and worked Michael Jackson style.  Also I had to grease the front axle and opted to use an ungloved hand vice a rag to apply and spread the grease.  But cleaining up was much easier.

So far they seem to be well made and will likely hold up well to the amount of mechanical work I do.  I'd be interested to hear how long any of these type gloves hold up under daily use if a professional or avid hobbyist would care to comment.  I'll also ask when I visit the auto-hobby shop or some mechanic friends.

Ride safe and enjoy wrenching and customizing bikes!

The world-famous Kawasaki Concours C10 fuel gauge resistor fix

One problem with the older Kawasaki Concours (AKA C10 model, for 1000cc engines) is the fuel gauge.  When full, the needle goes past F, which isn't too big a deal.  But as you ride the bike, after about 2-2.5 gallons are gone the needle drops halfway across the gauge.  NOT GOOD as this is a 7.5 gallon tank.  Then you ride another 80-100 miles and it drops to near empty, making you think you are about to go on reserve.  The problem is you have only used about 4.5 gallons-so you still have 100+ miles on the tank.  The needle now stays down near E as you burn off the remaining gas knowing the gauge is wrong.

Well, one of the great things about the Concours C10 is that over the nearly 30 years the bike has been on the road and the 20 year production run, lots of Concours Owners Group (COG) members have found fixes to one or another of the bike's issues.  One even has a business called Shoodaben Engineering (get it?) and like most on the board he's a great guy that probably gives away more knowledge than he makes on parts and mods.  Well in the case of the fuel gauge there are two fixes-the harder of the two involves messing with the actual sending unit in the tank.  No thanks.

The easier of the two is putting a 220 ohm resistor in the wiring from the fuel level sending unit to the gauge.  The easiest way to do that is on the pigtail from the tank to the wiring harness, where there is a blade connector easily available if you slightly lift the tank.  A clear step by step "how-to" is here and its what I used so I'll spare you a worse write-up by yours truly.  I even used the yellow zip-tie as you can see in the picture.  The second photo is a picture zoomed in on the pigtail-my work isn't as clean as in the instruction post, but it works fine.  BTW this picture was taken when I had the tank off the bike for another project-you can do the fuel gauge resistor mod with the tank bolts removed and the tank propped up like in the post. 

I was able to give some of the remaining resistors away on the COG Forum, as the whole pack probably cost 2 bucks (if that) and would have soon gotten lost or damaged in my garage.  I rate this project as a 2 out of 5 for difficulty as you have to remove the seat and the tank bolts at a minimum (removing the right side cover may help if your pigtail has dropped down).  For a California bike, any time you mess with the tank bolts you've got to clear out the hoses, adding to what would otherwise be a simply project.  Since you don't have to remove the pins in the pigtail connectors, even a non-electrician can do this mod.  I hate doing electrics but found this to be do-able.

If anyone reading this post has a Ninja 900 or Ninja 1000 from the 80s, I'd like to hear if their gas gauge has the same issue and if this fixes it for the sportier sister (as saying she was "faster" would be impolite!).

 

Tool Review: Harbor Freight Lift Table

I'm still working on the rattle can paint job and will post an update in the next few days on that project.  But to keep from going too long without a post, here's my update on the Harbor Freight Lift Table I have owned for about three years.  Like many Harbor Freight products, by watching their website, flyers and ads I was able to get a pretty good deal on it-I think about 50% of it's normal list price.  While a solid piece of equipment, the normal list price seems high compared to other table lifts that are a few hundred dollars (or more) expensive but also higher quality.  That said, at the current web price of $429.99 (as of 9/24) I think it's a satisfactory lift and if you can get it even cheaper, there is more money for improvements or other tools.

There is the picture of the lift (from the Harbor Freight website-my lift looks the same, well with some stickers, fluids, dirt, a bit of damage but more on that as we go!).  Don't be freaked out by the ramp hanging off the back-it comes off easily, and most times when I raise mine I take it off.  It's fairly sturdy, as is the table itself.  I have put both a Kawasaki Concours and a Concours parts bike on the lift without any concerns.  I haven't gotten to the 1000 pound advertised capability, but the Connie is about 2/3s that weight.

Goods:

Price for the home mechanic
Assembly is straightforward and mainly the installation of the chock parts and the wheels to the frame
Durable construction-Again, for the home mechanic, most components will outlast me
Two heights for locking bar to be passed through legs and lock lift in-both get the bike up at decent heights to work on seated or standing

Bads:
Front chock isn't very secure.   Either tie down the bike EVERY TIME or replace the chock (more later)
Mounting hardware for wheels and chock low quality-I snapped one bolt during installation without much torque whatsoever
Cylinder leaks, but could be from not using lift for almost 2 years while remodeling house/garage
While lock bar is substantial, two heights are sometimes too limiting

I have used this lift for various projects and also use it as an adjustable height workbench at times.  Over-all I am pleased with it with the major warning that the front wheel chock should be replaced.  One of the local independent shops uses this lift as their back-up lift (with a power lift being their go-to lift) and have mounted a wheel chock that almost doubles the value of the lift table.  Another option I am considering is mounting a Cycle Gear Trackside Wheel chock in place of the chock on the lift.

With that caveat, I'd recommend this to someone looking to get a lift table for periodic use, especially on lighter bikes.

BikeBandit Sale-Protect your hands and feet

Two posts in one day.  Hope you can handle the excitement, dear reader.  Or bot....

BikeBandit, one of my favorite places to get parts and accessories and affiliate marketing partner, is having a sale on boots/shoes and gloves.  Lots of brands and styles on sale including:

Boots:
alpinestars
spidi
speed and strength

Gloves:
alpinestarts
cortech
icon
tourmaster

Two quick reminders-I'd appreciate you using the buttons scattered around this page, and if you review items bought from BikeBandit on their website, you get entered in a drawing for a gift card.  We both win!

Enjoy your rides this weekend!

It's time to blog again, and change a front tire

Time slips by too quickly.  Here we are in a new year, and I haven't blogged in far too long.  I was overseas for work for a few months, but have been riding since I got back.

No epic trips to report, most the riding has been around San Diego County, but still putting some miles on the bike.  The front tire that has served me well has over 17,000 miles on it, and is getting worn down and pretty old.  It is a Kenda Cruiser S/T, not terribly grippy but I guess that's why it has lasted so long.  Because most my miles are freeway, the tire is worn down much more in the center, so I actually have more tread when leaned over.  This is a good thing overall, but wasn't too great stopping in wet parking lots last weekend!

So I'm ordering another front tire and inner tube from Bike Bandit in a few minutes, will pull the wheel and have a LBS mount the tire.  Got to find some front brake pads I've had here for years too-might as well put them in while everything is apart.

In the wind, or in the air

Update (060513):  Front brake pads looked pretty good back in January when I did this maintenance, and made me realize I rear wheel brake too much.  Trying to ride differently, especially as I got the Connie back on the road about two months ago.

Victory Test Rides at NCY Motorsports Rescheduled

The Victory test rides that were going to be held this weekend at North County Yamaha (NCY) Motorsports has been rescheduled due to all the rain we've gotten in San Diego County this weekend.

The new dates for the test rides are April 6-7, 2012.  NCY Motorcycles is located just off the 78 Freeway near Nordahl RD.  I'm betting they'll be burning burgers on Saturday, and it should be a good opportunity to ride a Victory for the first time.  Now to decide which one of the two models they are using for the test ride!  Whether its the Hardball or the Judge, I'll hopefully get a ride and will post a review afterwards.

Victory demo rides at North County Yamaha March 17-18

How about a free chance to ride a brand new motorcycle?  Sounds pretty good, huh?  I've enjoyed the few demo rides I've gotten, but have never ridden a Victory.  Well, in two weeks, I may just get a chance!  One of the local shops, North County Yamaha, is having demo days March 17 and 18.  There will be two Victory models available-the Hardball and the Judge.  I'm kind of partial to hard saddlebags, so I may try to ride the Hardball.  Any Victory owners feel like chiming in?

Updated 4/26: 2 Bike Nights this Thursday in San Diego

This Thursday, March 1, 2012, there are two bike nights in San Diego.  The first one is the periodic Cycle Gear bike night at their San Diego store.  Here's a link to the map.  These usually start fairly early, maybe at 5:30 or 6, and at past ones they have had pizza, sodas, door prizes and manager's specials.  I've found Cycle Gear accessories to be good value for the price.  Their name brand gear is as good as any other source.  Their house brands are priced fairly for the quality you get at each price point.  See an earlier post for a review of their Trackside Front Wheel Chock.

After the Cycle Gear bike night, we'll be riding over to the Mira Mesa Bike Night (Facebook page) just off the I-15.  It gets started late, so going to both won't be an issue.  If you have to turn in early, be advised that the MMBN doesn't really get going until 7:30 or 8.  With how much rain we're having this week, it may be a little small.  C'mon San Diego-lots of the country would be riding almost every day this week if they could in this light stuff!

Hope to see you there!

Update:  2 Bike Nights tonight 4/26/2012 as well.  Headed out to Cycle Gear after a quick bite to eat, then over to MMBN.

Mira Mesa (CA) Bike Night tonight and the rain should be gone!

It's another Thursday, and the weather is getting better here in San Diego.  After about a week of off and on rain it should be clear by tonight.  Mira Mesa Bike Night is on, starts at 7PM/1900 but really gets going at 8 or so.  Here's a link to the FB page: MM Bike Night page with more info, posts and pictures.  The address is 10720 Westview Parkway, but it's easiest just to look for the Mimi's Restaurant on the corner where Westview and Mira Mesa intersect near the I-15 (on the southwest side).

All clubs, all bikes, all riders welcome.  Some of the local restaurants offer discounts, there is a Cold Stone, and, of course, a Starbucks!  Hope to see you there.

Review: Cycle Gear Trackside Wheel Chock

Last night I put together the Trackside Wheel Chock I received (well, bought for myself) for Christmas.  Here's a link to the Cycle Gear page for it: Trackside Wheel Chock but it is normally on sale for much less than list price.  It goes together easily, with four bolts holding on the front stop.  One felt like it was going to strip, so I tightened the other three and left the sketchy one alone as soon as I felt it "bite".  Maybe chasing the threads would have helped?

Here's a review from a Harley-Davidson enthusiast forum:  Trackside Wheel Chock Review.  I'm not a member of that forum and that's not my post, but agree with the review.  It holds my Sporster upright securely but did slide forward slightly during some of the test runs as I rolled the bike onto the chock.  I haven't tried it with the Connie yet-don't know if a heavier bike would make the problem better or worse-I'm guessing worse.

Long term plan is to mount it to the Harbor Freight table lift-it seems very good for that use.  I've read other reviews where it was used in a similiar manner or on a trailer to move bikes.

To stay on the legal side, picture is copied from the Cycle Gear website-if there is a problem, please let me know and I'll take a pic of mine.  But hey, I'm giving them a free endorsement!

UPDATE on 2/26/2012:  Just got a new Cycle Gear catalog.  The wheel chock is on sale again for about $69.99 until April 3, 2012.  I've used mine now a couple of times and still recommend highly.