Archive for the ‘Motorcycle Gear’ Category

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Post Number 2000: Checking Out A Tracer At The Dealership

Monday, August 10th, 2026

As that title above indicates, this is post number 2,000 on this blog. My very first post was on Saturday, April 8, 2006. Wow. Who would have thought.


Bikes set up for demo rides in Cheyenne.

As I’m assuming you are aware, I have been looking seriously at buying a Yamaha Tracer 9. I went up to Cheyenne a few weeks ago to test ride one and since then I’ve been looking at the aftermarket mods I would want to make to the bike if I bought it.

As the next step, I visited a local dealership with one in stock, Grand Prix Motorsports. The guys up in Cheyenne were too busy running the test rides to take a lot of time to seriously go through the details of the bike and I wanted to do that.

Coming into the shop I was greeted by a sales guy and I told him what I was there for. He led me over to the bike and we talked. I had a lot of really basic questions. Where is the sight glass for checking the oil level? How do you remove the seat? How do you adjust the seat? (It can be raised and lowered.) How do you open, and how do you remove/mount the side bags? How do you raise/lower the wind screen? Stuff like that.

I also asked him about modifications. For that, he told me, I would need to speak to someone in parts. He led me upstairs and handed me off to a fellow up there.

My questions:

What are the options for a case guard? I want to mount highway pegs and it appears the way to do that is on a case guard. First you need the case guard. That’s OK, I want one of those, too. I have had case guards on all my bikes. Yamaha does make one for the bike so that would seem like the best option, although I’ve seen others on forums that I find more attractive.

What can I do to improve the seat? In test riding I felt the stock seat was too hard and too narrow. Yamaha makes a “comfort seat” but what I’ve read about those is not favorable. I offered that I could just take it to Bitchin Stitchin, a local motorcycle seat customizer, and get it done there. The parts guy strongly recommended I go to Bitchin Stitchin.

The Tracer originally came with an option for a top bag, which I want but now they appear to have backed off on that, leaving that item to the aftermarket. The parts guy told me the bags originally offered were made by Givi and now Yamaha has ceded that whole market directly to Givi. We looked at what Givi has to offer and when I pointed out one that they listed as being good for the Tracer the parts guy told me that yes, it would work, but I would also have to buy the mounting kit–it doesn’t just attach directly the way the one they sold with the bike does. So that mounting kit would be about $350 on top of the $400 or so for the bag. Ouch.

I headed back downstairs to look at the bike more and the sales guy rejoined me. I had told him that I wasn’t planning to buy that day but of course he asked me what it would take for me to buy today. I asked him what deal he could offer me that would push me to buy from him rather than any of the many other places I could get the same bike. He told me he couldn’t negotiate a price unless I was intending to buy. Fair enough; I get that. We can get to that part later, perhaps, but not today.

Then he went all salesman on me, telling me they originally had three in stock and this was the last one. If I didn’t buy it today it might not be there when I came back.

“Then I’ll just buy it somewhere else,” I replied. That shut that down.

The important information I got from the exchange was that when it came down to actually making a purchase, they do have negotiating room. The $12,599 list price is not set in stone. Also, he pointed out that with taxes and fees and whatever, out the door the price is closer to $14,000. Good to know.

I’ve looked online and $12,599 seems the standard price, though some dealerships are asking a bit more and others are asking less. Some a good bit less. But what I’m told is that some states, such as California, charge a sales tax even if the vehicle is to be licensed in another state. In Colorado we pay a use tax so if you are taking the vehicle out of state you don’t pay the tax here. So if I were to buy elsewhere I would need to discuss the terms in detail beforehand to be sure it’s actually a good deal.

Am I going to do this? I do think I am. Right now, though, this beastly heat is just discouraging me from even riding the bike I have so I’m not exactly motivated to buy another one. But it has to cool off sometime. Then . . .

Biker Quote for Today

“That is why, as soon as I felt a real attraction for my first passion which was the motorcycle, and in spite of the danger it could represent, they encouraged me.” -– Jacky Ickx

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Communicators–Nice If We Knew How To Use Them

Monday, June 22nd, 2026


My Cardo communicator on my helmet.

I did this Utah ride with the RMMRC guys and I was looking forward to having us all connected via our Cardo communicators. I told myself that before I left on this trip I ought to pull mine out and charge it and also refresh myself on how to operate it. I did charge it but I did not refresh. You know, someone else will be the main guy and he will know how to do it and all that.

Yeah, right. I got over to Morrison, where we were assembling, in plenty of time to get connected, and everyone there was asking, “How do we connect these things?” Oh great. I had the user guide on my phone so I called it up and was looking at it but it seems the process is open to interpretation. Does this mean this, or does it mean that?

We only managed to get Tom and Gene connected so Tom was leading the ride and Gene rode sweep. It’ll do. We’ll get this all figured out tonight in Green River. Meanwhile, during the course of the day I needed to let Tom know I needed a gas stop so I used old fashioned hand gestures to give the word to Gene to pass up to Tom. Hey, it worked.

That evening in Lindsay’s suite (he didn’t request it; they just gave it to him) we were sitting there with the door open so anyone walking down the hall could glance in and see these weird guys sitting around wearing motorcycle helmets. There were five of us and with some effort we finally got four connected, but the fifth just was not happening. I was the fifth. I didn’t like that situation.

We decided to try again from the start and once again we only got four connected. This time I was in but Dave was out. Dave did not like that situation.

But we were out of ideas so for this whole ride Dave was not in communication while all the rest of us were. Probably more than anyone else, I empathized with him deeply. That could have been me. But not deeply enough to offer to swap communicators with him.

Since getting home I have re-read the user guide again and I think I do understand what our issue was. We really need to get this figured out. Like, maybe get together to get it done before we’re actually leaving on the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikers don’t need a crowd; we ride alone but together.

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Posted in motorcycle clubs, Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle touring, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

No One To Blame But Me

Monday, June 8th, 2026


On the Utah trip.

I was undecided before we took off on this recent RMMRC Utah trip whether to wear my leather jacket or the mesh. I figured it could be hot in Utah but first we had to get there and that meant the Colorado high country. So I decided to call Tom, who was the organizer of this trip, and ask him what he thought.

Tom said he was wearing his mesh jacket. I was still a bit skeptical but decided that was the way I would go.

What a bad decision. Look at it this way. It’s still spring. Utah gets warm sooner than Colorado but it’s still spring. Don’t dress for summer in Utah, and especially in Colorado, if it’s not summer. And sure, I followed Tom’s suggestion, but the decision was all still mine so I don’t blame him. Heck, I know for a fact that he got cold, too.

On the day we left it was chilly in the early morning. That should have been my first warning heading out to the meet-up spot that I should put on my electric vest before heading up the hill, just to be safe. Did I do that? No. Did it get cold going up? You bet. By the time we reached the tunnel my fingertips were going numb and I was truly cold. Then, as I noted before, I knew I’d never get warm at least until we reached Vail.

When we stopped for lunch in West Glenwood Springs I finally put on my electric vest and plugged that baby in. That, and lower elevation, finally got me warm. So the next day, heading out from Green River, Utah, with a good wind blowing already, I had the sense to start the day with the vest on and plugged in. Man, did I need it. But even still, some of the high spots we passed it was so cold–and this was Utah–that again my fingertips were going numb. But thank goodness for the vest.

The third day I was finally really getting the idea. I wore everything from the day before and also an extra-warmth base-layer pair of long underwear. It was still cold but I now had on everything other than my rain suit that could keep me warm. Actually, putting on the rain suit would have been a good idea because it would have blocked the wind and it was really the cold wind that made the most difference. But on this day we also went lower than any other part of the trip and it actually got hot. I did not object.

The fourth day I expected it to finally get a bit warmer so I left off the base-layer longies and that would have been OK except that in a somewhat confused start to the day’s ride I managed to not have my vest plugged in or even zipped up. I knew there was no way I could safely plug that thing in while moving, but I tried anyway. No way. Better alive and cold than dead. When we finally made a stop I made darn sure to get that thing plugged in and zipped up.

Finally on the fifth day I had it all together and was as warm as could be expected. But the point is, it was still cold. It was still springtime in Colorado and we were in the high country. What idiot goes riding in the high country in the spring wearing summer gear?

I hope I don’t ever do it again but I know myself well enough to not swear it will never happen. You try to learn from experience but you only sometimes succeed.

Biker Quote for Today

Interstates undeniably allow us to make good time, but I question if they make time good. And making time good is why I ride motorcycles — Eric Trow

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The Benefit Of Delaying Decisions

Monday, May 25th, 2026


These are the three helmets I was considering giving to a thrift store.

I learned a very important lesson many years ago: Put off decisions until they have to be made because in many cases they will be made for you first.

I’m not a procrastinator; I generally make decisions right away and quickly act on them. But some decisions don’t require immediate action, and in fact, circumstances often change so that even if you had decided one thing, you now find yourself faced with something else.

In this case, what I’m talking about is this business of what to do with three old helmets. I noted that the norm would be to just throw them away but I also noted that when I was a lot younger and a lot poorer I bought a used helmet for $25 at a yard sale, and had I not done so I would have simply gone without a helmet. I figured there must be people out there today just like me. Wouldn’t it be better for them to have even an old helmet than no helmet if they were in a crash?

I asked for opinions, particularly if they were contrary to my thinking, and the one I got was from Dave. He said, “Something to keep in mind if you sell or give away an old helmet. If that person does get in a crash and that person or family members tracks that old helmet back to you, you may have a possible nasty legal battle. Nowadays you never know what could happen. Just throw them in the trash or keep on a shelf as a memento.”

I had not thought about legal ramifications but I really wasn’t concerned about that. If you just anonymously give an old helmet to Goodwill or someone like that, how would anyone track it back to you? But then in a case like that they might come back after Goodwill.

And I guess that’s exactly what at least some thrift stores are thinking. I decided to inquire to see if our local ARC Store would even accept old helmets. No. No explanation why, just no.

OK, I guess I don’t have to make any decision about giving them away or tossing them. It’s been made for me. And now those helmets are in the dumpster waiting to be hauled away in a few days.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if the two most important items in your toolkit are gojo and a manicure kit.

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Posted in Biker Issues, Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle helmets, Motorcycle Safety | No Comments »

Is This A Bad Idea?

Monday, May 18th, 2026


These are the three helmets I want to get rid of.

There is the ideal world and then there is the real world we actually live in. I’m considering something we’ve all heard for a long time is not good, and I’ll tell you why. Ideal world vs. real world.

We have a bunch of helmets we no longer use. I have an old Bieffe that I never liked and never wore much. Judy has her original AGV helmet, which we have replaced with a new Shoei. And we have an old Shoei that was Charley’s. None of these has been in a crash, they’re just old.

Common wisdom says you should discard helmets once they reach a certain age. I was going to do that but then I got to thinking.

What if I gave them to a thrift store? The thinking being, anyone who buys a helmet from a thrift store is probably not someone who has the money to go buy a new helmet at a motorcycle shop. And while an old helmet may not give the protection a new one will, if it is a difference of them crashing in an old helmet or no helmet, even an old helmet has to be the better option.

This is really not even theoretical. I’m drawing from my own experience.

When I first started riding the only helmet I had was a Bell hang-gliding half helmet, from my days as a hang-glider pilot. And that helmet went through a crash with me, though considering the results, my face may well have taken more of the impact than the helmet did. Not once did any one of my hang-gliding buddies suggest I needed to trash that helmet and get a new one.

I eventually gave up hang-gliding and bought a motorcycle. I had a helmet so that was the one I used–when I wore a helmet at all. Back in those days I rarely did.

When I got my first full-face helmet I did not go to Vickery or Fay Myers, I was passing a yard sale and saw a couple motorcycle helmets offered. I stopped and bought one for $25. Used, of course, who knows how old or if it had been in any misadventures.

The point is, this was what I could afford. Heck, I couldn’t really afford the motorcycle; I had to borrow money to buy that for the grand sum of $800.

I never had a crash wearing either the Bell or Bieffe but if I had I’m sure they would have offered me some protection. And if I had only had the option of buying a new, much more expensive helmet, I would not have.

Am I wrong to think that there are people out there today who are just like me way back when?

I’m just sitting on these three helmets for now. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts, particularly if you strongly disagree with me. Thanks.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if everyone on your last group ride works at your law firm, or plays golf with you.

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Posted in Biker Issues, Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle helmets, Motorcycle Safety | 2 Comments »

Now Let’s Fix This Hand Guard

Monday, March 30th, 2026

So now I needed to do something about this hand guard that broke off when I dropped the bike recently.

A bit of electrical tape and I’ve got a functioning hand guard again.

Naively, I guess, I headed down to Performance Cycle hoping they would have the item in stock. Well, no, not really. I looked around and did find a few hand guards but nothing like the one I have. So I asked for help.

After a good bit of searching and researching, the (now) two guys helping me found a system specifically designed to fit all models of the Suzuki DL650 (V-Strom). Emphasis on “system.” It consisted of brackets that would need to be installed on the handlebars, steel rod running from one bracket to the other, and then an actual shield to attach to the rod. And of course, this being a motorcycle part, I’m sure I was looking at a fairly high cost, though there was no price tag to look at.

While they were doing all this digging and searching, I was standing there thinking. First, a vague memory came back to me that perhaps this was not the first time this hand guard had come off. The end where it is secured to the handlebar has a bolt, and it was the part attached by the bolt that had broken. At the other end it was just a slot that slipped onto the bar. Previously I had just slipped the intact end onto the bar and propped the other end up onto where it broke off. Maybe I could do that again.

I told the guys what I was thinking and that maybe all I really needed was some black duct tape. “Or electrical tape,” one of them helpfully suggested. Good idea; electrical tape is thin while duct tape is quite wide. Thanks guys, I’m going to try this. If it doesn’t work you may see me again.

Going out to the bike I tried just slipping the guard back into place and it stayed pretty firmly. Great. Riding home it stayed in place.

At home I wound some electrical tape around it a couple times and I think it’s going to work fine. I know I had the headlight on my 1980 Honda CB750 Custom held together with electrical tape for many years and it did just fine. I think I’m good to go here.

Biker Quote for Today

In a world full of noise, the sound of my engine is my peace.

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Posted in Biker Issues, Motorcycle Gear, Motorcycle repair, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | No Comments »

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