5 May 2012 - Back out in spectacular Red Rock Canyon

 I still need to do quite a bit of packing, but I figured I’d do a bit of writing here and there to take my mind off everything that’s going on right now.  I don’t like going through all my stuff for a number of reasons and while I’m looking forward to having everything done, I’m not looking forward to the process of moving.  I’d much rather pay someone else to make it all magically happen if I could.  Ah well, why not write up a report on what’s happened with the bike recently?  Yes, I just turned the odometer over the 18,000 mark as I’ve already written, but there actually has been quite a bit of work done and it’s much better because of it

You might have noticed a few things missing above.  Things like a windshield, wind deflectors for the grips, and saddle bags.  I just wanted to see how different it would be and it did make a huge difference – the bike felt much quicker   That said, I’ve reinstalled the saddle bags because they’re so unbelievably handy.  The grip deflectors and windshield will go back before I head up to Utah as well just to make the move easier and you can expect to see them during cold weather and for longer trips to reduce fatigue.  For now, though, I’m enjoying the breeze in the nice weather

There has, however, been actual maintenance done on the machine lately.  One of the first things I wanted to address ahead of the move was the front brake.  I could see that the pads were about 50% worn, but that’s not really a bad thing.  The really bad thing was the color of the brake fluid in the master cylinder that I could see through the little window.  I don’t know how long it had been since it had been serviced, but I’d never done it and I’d had the bike for a year.  The recommendation is to flush the system every year at minimum which doesn’t cost much and is pretty easy to do at home.

15 April 2012 - Caliper removed so I can clean it and replace the pads

 Now, I was trying to be somewhat logical and intelligent and I figured that if I was going to flush the old brake fluid, I might as well yank the caliper, clean it out, replace the pads, and lube everything up with caliper slide lube.  Getting the caliper loose was ridiculously easy, but cleaning was a bit more difficult. Actually, it just took some Simple Green, Scotchbrite pads, and time.  There was a whole bunch of brake gunk in there and I think I’ll actually do the clean and lube bit a couple of times a year   After the pads were replaced, it was time to tackle flushing the hydraulics…

15 April 2012 - First look in the master cylinder for the front brake - YUCK!

 No, that really doesn’t look right 

15 April 2012 - Mix of 50% old and 50% new brake fluid after flushing the system

 Brake fluid should be clear with a slightly golden hue.  What came out of the brake system on my bike resembled a mixture of orange juice and apple sauce.  Now, I happen to have been riding this bike everywhere for the past year like this

Once the brake system was flushed, bled, and everything was reinstalled, I took the bike out for a ride and was in for a couple of pretty big surprises.  The first surprise was how much better the brake lever felt.  There was much less sponginess and slop.  It was a huge improvement!

The other surprise was just how much less effective the front brake pads can be before they’ve had a chance to bed in on the rotors!  I swore I’d “upgraded” to anti-STOP brakes   Well, it wasn’t all that bad if I’m honest – I just had to factor in another 1/3 of the braking distance and brake early   The front brake is now much better overall

I could’ve had the shop do this, but I’m thinking it would’ve been a bit expensive based on shop time alone.  I figure somewhere around 1.5 hours which would’ve been a bit over $100.  I spent about $40 on a tool with a built-in wrench and check valve so the flushing would be much easier, $8 on brake fluid, $2.50 on caliper lube, and $30 on pads.  I came out a bit ahead on this one, but the next time will be much less expensive and much easier as I’ll already have the experience on what I need to do

19 April 2012 - Oil draining into the pan and filter out - Oil changes are fun

 A couple days later I figured it would be a good idea to take care of the oil change.  Now, I’ve had the shop do this before (about $70 total), but saving money is a big concern these days and the videos I’d seen on YouTube made it look pretty easy (click here to see how it’s done), so I figured I’d give it a go.  I got three quarts of Motul 20W-50 motorcycle oil for about $8 per quart (yes, I’ll probably get something cheaper next time, but this stuff’s been good to me) and I can’t remember how much I paid for the K&N oil filter but it wasn’t too much.

The oil catch pan I’d bought didn’t quite fit, so I got a baking pan from Wal-Mart for about $1.00.  The whole thing took somewhere around an hour because I was taking my time.  It was a piece of cake and gave me piece of mind   I didn’t take pics, but I also replaced the air filter.  It only took about five minutes, but the part was about $20 which was more than I’d like to have spent, but it was the cheapest I could find it.

I don’t actually have any pictures from another event either, but my bike finally had into the shop a couple of weeks ago.  The manual specifies valve clearance checks and adjustments every 4,000 miles.  Those checks cost about $250 – $400 depending on the shop because they have to take the seats off (easy), remove the gas tank (pretty simple), and then removing the air intake system and carburetors   Once that’s done, the timing covers have to be removed and all the normal valve checks can be completed.  Once that’s been done and everything’s put back in its place, it’s time to synchronize the carbs which is fairly easy.

Well, I know these valves (the kind with overhead cams) are supposed to be a bit noisy and that I’d feel a loss of power if they started to get tight.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that valves always get tighter over time.  If they get too tight, bad things happen.  Anyway, I’d kept an ear on the motor and hadn’t noticed any significant loss of power, so I let it go for a while longer than normal.  OK, it was about 9,500 miles since the last time I had them checked which was when I first got the bike

Aside from figuring it was time for the valves to be checked, I thought I might want to lube the cables.  This is normally a piece of cake and easily done at home.  I’ll have more on that in a future post, but the thing I noticed was that the pull cable on the throttle (the one that gets pulled to go faster) had developed a bit of an issue up by the adjuster near the handlebars.  It had a weird kink and I figured it might be better to replace it sooner rather than later and I should probably go ahead and do the other cable (the one that’s pulled when the throttle is closed) while I was at it.  While figuring out what I’d have to do to replace the cables, I noticed that the pull cable was starting to fray near the carburetor    I also noticed that I’d have to remove the tank to change out the cable.  Well, the shop was going to do that as part of the valve adjustment, so I decided to let them do it.

Last, but not least, there was the matter of an oil seepage on the left side of the bike.  It wasn’t much and never even dripped, but I’d feel better with that taken care of as well.  We (the shop and I) thought it was coming from the shift shaft.  That oil seal is a $15 part and it’s easy to replace, so I told ‘em to have at it.

So, I got the bike back from the shop and was given some very good and unexpected news.  Remember how valves always tighten up over time and the manual says to check my bike’s valves at no small expense every 4,000 miles?  Yeah, I’m throwing that valve check interval right out the window.  The mechanic who did the valve adjustment said they were still a bit on the loose side of specifications after 9,500 miles   Then there was that oil leak…  It turns out the shift shaft wasn’t leaking, but rather the timing inspection covers.  The shop didn’t figure this out until after they’d pulled the linkage.  As a result of the shift linkage being essentially rebuilt, the feel of the shifter is like brand new!  Oh yeah – They also fixed the leak from the inspection covers while they were at it

I knew the throttle cables would feel different after being replaced, but I didn’t expect them to be that different!  I swear it feels like someone removed a friction brake from the throttle that had kept it from moving freely!  The shop also adjusted the rear brake (which I was planning on doing myself, but I’m happy to have them do it) and synchronized the carburetors so the bike is now running smoother and stronger

One of my good friends out in Florida had said he’d chip in $250 toward this service as a Christmas present (I’ve been putting it off for a while due to the expense) and that he’d just call the shop and do it with his credit card over the phone.  Well, he called the shop, but he didn’t put up $250.  He paid for the entire thing!!!  JR is a great guy and I’m very thankful for this gift   It was sorely needed and truly appreciated, especially with everything going on

This post is running long, so I’ll wait and do the write-up on the clutch lever replacement and all in a separate post in the near future.  To sum this all up though, the front brake is much better feeling and stronger, the rear brake feels better after its adjustment, the throttle is smoother and not about to break unexpectedly, the shifter feels like it’s brand new, the oil has been changed, the air filter replaced, and the carbs have been synched.

I have to say I’m pretty happy with the way my V-Star is running and riding and I can’t wait to put some Utah miles on it

Have a great day, everyone

Eye in the Clouds - Courtesy John Carmichael

 I saw this posted on Facebook and it immediately became my desktop background at work

The caption reads:

A photo I took from seat 7F, westbound somewhere near Chicago… 34,000+ feet… Was captivated by the arch created it’s own frame for the Cumulus Cloud

The photographer is a fellow blogger who I’ve known online for quite a while now and I hope he’ll forgive me for failing to add a link to the blogroll on the right until tonight   John Carmichael is another milblogger and photographer and his published works are well worth your time   He was very kind in allowing me to publish this photograph here for your enjoyment   I found John’s place quite a while back through a link over on Neptunus Lex and he has a fitting tribute to Lex posted at his place as well

Head on over to Carmichael’s Position and browse around a while – I think you’ll like the place

Thanks again, John

2 January 2012 - A different pic of the bike on the scenic loop in Red Rock Canyon

Well, I’d planned to wake up this morning rather late before working on the blog and going for a short ride.  But then plans have a way of changing.  I still got out for a ride and got this picture which I think is one of the best in recent memory

Tomorrow will be back to work, but I think I can handle that

Have a great day, everyone

1 January 2012 - The first sunset of 2012 in Red Rock Canyon

I did the pic a day thing a couple of years ago and it was a bit of a challenge at times.  Pinch started in on it, so I figured why not follow along with him and start in again myself

I was really darn tired today for no reason that I can think of, but I did manage to go for a short ride

Summer in Vegas can cook just about anything, but it also comes with longer days.  The pics that make up this panorama were taken right about 1545 hours and you can see that the sun is just about completely down.  If this had been the middle of summer, it would be around 1940 hours before this much shadow had fallen.  Yes, I sweat buckets on the bike in the summer.  Somehow, I really don’t mind it while it’s happening.  I just drink more water   I’m looking forward to longer days

Have fun everyone

31 December 2011 - Medevac helicopter at the Red Rock Canyon overlook

 I had hoped to ride through the scenic loop before going to the overlook on the main road, but when I arrived at the entrance plaza I was informed that the loop was closed due to an accident.  I headed on up to the overlook to wait before seeing if the loop would re-open and found quite the scene.  It turns out that the accident involved a rock climber and all the emergency responders decided to use the overlook as a base of operations.

31 December 2011 - Motorcycles at the Overlook

31 December 2011 - Motorcycles at the Overlook

31 December 2011 - Motorcycles at the Overlook

31 December 2011 - Motorcycles at the Overlook

31 December 2011 - Motorcycles at the Overlook

 I don’t know if everyone wanted to see a helicopter take off, but it seemed like every motorcyclist within a 10+ mile range had converged on the overlook.  Cruisers, touring bikes, sport bikes, standards, dual sports and a bit later even a scooter all showed up

31 December 2011 - Medevac helicopter leaving the area

 The helicopter eventually took off and just about everyone else left as well.  Here’s wishing the injured climber all the best and a speedy recovery!

31 December 2011 - My new watch and just about 7,000 miles since I started riding

 I’m not leaving my new watch on the handlebars – I just wanted to make sure a watch would work there   That watch is one of my Christmas presents   It’s a Casio G-Shock GWM850-1 and it wasn’t cheap   For the money, you do get some really great features.  This watch is solar powered and will charge from even relatively dim light sources like fluorescent lights.  It also sets itself daily using the radio signal from the atomic clocks around the world so you know it will always be accurate

The idea of strapping a watch to the GPS mounting bracket worked perfectly, so I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a very inexpensive Casio that’s not a G-Shock but is still waterproof and has an electroluminescent back light that’s easy to activate even with gloves on.  Finally, I have a clock in easy view on the bike

You might also notice the odometer reading – I’ve now officially traveled 7,000 miles on my V-Star!  The odometer read 8436.5 when I first rode it and it was up to 15461.8 when I took this picture.  Remember that my daily commute to work is only about four miles round trip and you can get an idea of just how much I love to ride this fine machine

31 December 2011 - The last evening of 2011 in Red Rock Canyon

 It’s always a treat to have good lighting like this when you have a camera handy

31 December 2011 - Heading south in Red Rock Canyon

31 December 2011 - Panorama - The sun has set on 2011

I couldn’t believe how gorgeous the sunset turned out tonight   These pictures really don’t do it justice, especially when you’ve seen it from the saddle of a motorcycle.  Still, I don’t think they turned out half bad at all

Actually, after watching a few James Bond movies (especially the ones with Sean Connery), going for a good motorcycle ride that produced some pretty decent photos, and chatting with friends on the phone, I’d say today was pretty darn good

That’s all for this post, but I’ll have another one published soon.  Have a great day everyone