Archive for the ‘Motorcycle Gear’ Category

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

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 »

Replacing The Broken Peg

Thursday, March 26th, 2026


The old peg that broke off and the jerry-rigged buddy peg in its place.

My left peg broke off when I dropped the bike up in Estes Park last Wednesday so I needed to replace it. Looking online I found exactly what I needed on eBay for all of $12, no cost for shipping. Nice.

The set of pegs arrived a couple days ago so I set about replacing them.

First I had to remove the buddy peg Bruce had moved up and held on with duct tape, and put that back where it belonged. No problem there. Then I had to bend the bracket the peg attaches to, because in order to fit that buddy peg in place it had been necessary to bend the sides of the bracket toward each other. OK, still not a problem.

I had been surprised when this peg had broken off because I had assumed they were steel but looking at it I could see it was just pot metal. The pictures on eBay looked like the new pegs were steel but when I unwrapped them I saw they, too, were pot metal. Oh well, it is what it is.


You can see the one broken flange. You can also see how the spring is supposed to go on.

Very quickly the issue became trying to crimp the spring and slip it down in the bracket and then slip the bolt through. I tried bending the two ends toward each other and slipping it down in there but it was just not happening. So I took a look at the peg on the other side to see if that might tell me something. It did, but not what I expected.

It turned out that of the two flanges on the other peg, one of them was broken off. Next time the bike gets dropped on the right side it will probably break the other one off, too. Dang pot metal. The pegs came as a set so I could have replaced them both but I figure why bother, I’ll just throw the extra new one in the bag and if I need it I’ll have it.

But what to do about the spring? I looked at it, and its function. It appears its function is to keep the peg up if you flip it up. OK. I don’t generally have any reason to flip the peg up and because I jimmyed with the bracket it is now quite snug and if I raise the peg it stays firmly in place. Who needs the spring? Not me. I’m taking the easy way out here.

So all in all it was a pretty easy fix. And I’ll know exactly what to do when and if the other peg breaks off.

Now all I need to do is fix the hand guard. Did I mention that the left handguard also broke off when I dropped the bike? It did. I have more repair to do. Dropping the bike can be such a pain.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding a motorcycle is like experiencing life in fast forward.

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Posted in Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle mechanics, motorcycle problems, Motorcycle repair, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | 1 Comment »

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