Passes & Canyons Blog

It’s bitter cold and snow is on the ground (and the roads!) and Dom Chang is reveling in his Ural sidecar rig that allows him to ride even in these conditions. This is the time of year for heated motorcycle gear. Fortuitously, I recently had the opportunity to test some electrics.

Mind you, I’m a firm believer in this stuff. I’ve had a Widder (company defunct now) electric vest for years and you’d better believe it’s been in use recently. What I tested was the StormRider body warmer, which is essentially a vest, and the StormShield gloves, which (surprise!) are heated gloves. They’re produced and sold by exo2 The Heat Inside.

Long story short, they worked great. The body warmer was very similar to my Widder vest, although it has more insulating power on its own, without the electrics turned on, and I appreciated the ability to adjust the heating level. My Widder is either off or on, unless you have a control unit, which I don’t.

The gloves were something new for me. First off, they’re heavy duty motorcycle gloves in their own right. They’ve got strategic padding and reinforcement, little wiper blades sewn onto the thumbs for wiping your visor and also provide significant insulation. Turn them on and you feel the heat instantly on the back of your hands. Very nice.

Rigging all this up was a bit of a challenge. You need to connect to your battery, then run the controller cable up to somewhere around the handlebars and instruments. There was nowhere for me to easily connect on my Concours so I just jerry-rigged it since I was only going to have it for a couple months to test. The cable splits coming off the battery and the other end runs to the vest. Another cable connects at the vest and that goes to the gloves. That cable itself splits and you run them up your back and down your sleeves.

Would I buy this gear? If I didn’t already have an electric vest I would definitely have purchased this one rather than returning it to the manufacturer. Of course, they would have given me a discount, so that would have helped make the decision easy. And I would definitely like to have those gloves, but rigging everything up for just the gloves, while still needing to rig up my Widder vest, would have been a bit much. Using the vest and gloves together just makes more sense.

If you don’t have electrics you don’t know what you’re missing. Don’t park that bike for the winter. Ride it. But stay warm in the process–it’s a lot more enjoyable.

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Biker Quote for Today

So how long did it take you to push your bike 4k thru the snow?

I mentioned on Tuesday that I was testing some video sunglasses that come equipped with a video/still camera and microphone, for use in the manner of a helmet cam. After using them a bit I have to say my assessment is mixed.

    Shot with my Nikon

First off, if you want to see some video I shot, riding through the colorful beauty of Red Rocks park just west of Denver, click this link here. It will open Windows Media Player or whatever the default application is on your machine. I tried to embed the video here, but the WordPress blog software is apparently known for making that difficult.

    Shot with DigaSpy in still photo mode

Now, as long as the window that opens matches the size of the video it’s not a bad image. Originally it opened for me at nearly full screen and looked terrible, but then I realized the video is only 640 x 480, so I shrunk the window to approximately that size and the image, though obviously smaller, was far better. Yes, you can get helmet cams that record in HD but you’ll pay a lot more for them than for the DigaSpy, which is what it is I’ve been testing.

    Shot with the DigaSpy in video mode

That’s right, the name is “DigaSpy.” As Tony Ibarra, the CEO of Digatron tells me, the camera-glasses were originally marketed for covert surveillance purposes. It was only after he started getting some interest from motorcyclists that they realized there was a whole other potential market.

The other mode offered by DigaSpy is still picture mode. Either by pressing a button on the frame of the glasses or clicking a half-dollar-sized remote you can also shoot an individual-frame still photo. Initially Tony gave me the low-end model with a .3 megapixel image. I quickly found that to be totally unacceptable so he swapped me for the top-of-the-line model with 2 megapixels. That was definitely an improvement, but with even cheap digital cameras having higher resolution than that these days I just can’t see a lot of use for this. Yes, you can shoot pictures from on your bike as you cruise along, and that would be a strength. But at least for me and for my purposes, if the shot is that good it’s worth it to me to stop and pull out the Nikon. It may be a different matter for you.

Just so you can see the comparison I’ve put up three shots of the same scene. The first was shot from a standstill with my Nikon. The second was shot from a standstill with the DigaSpy on still photo mode. The third was recorded on the DigaSpy in video mode and I captured the image from the video. I’ve done color correction and sizing just as I always do with images I intend to use.

The DigaSpy also records audio and in a calm environment the sound is good. If you view the video, however, you’ll see that on the bike you just get constant wind noise. So if you wanted to walk around at a party filming your friends it would presumably work quite well. Watching the video from the bike you may as well turn off the audio.

I know that Tony wants to crack the motorcycling market, so my hope is that they will continue developing this product and overcome the shortcomings I’ve identified. If it looks like it will meet your needs now, you can purchase the DigaSpy from Digatron. The .3 megapixel model costs $149 and the top-of-the-line model is $229. Plus, there are two intermediate models.

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Biker Quote for Today

The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.

This is going to be interesting. Earlier today I picked up a pair of glasses equipped with a microphone and digital camera, for testing on my motorcycle. They’re like a helmet camera except they go on your face like any glasses. And they have both clear and dark lenses, so the name on the box is “Video Sunglasses.” The brand is DigaNET.

The way I see it, these things have a lot of potential. Many times I’ve ridden through Glenwood Canyon and wanted to get pictures for the website that do it justice, but the only way to do that would be to stop on the highway–not a safe move. A helmet cam has come to mind more than once.

Plus, when I’ve been out shooting pictures for the site, on more occasions than I can count I have ridden along thinking “That might make a good shot” but by the time I’m saying that I’m already blasting past the point. How nice it would be to just see the great view, look at it, and presto, it’s been photographed.

So anyway, I’m going to be testing these things in the next week and will have a report for you soon after. The first thing I can tell you is that they won’t work with a full-face helmet. I tried and there is no way to get them on after you have the helmet on or to put them on before donning the helmet. So that’s an issue. Maybe the manufacturer can come up with a design that does work with a full-face helmet. I’ll be doing my testing with my half-helmet. Obviously, if you don’t wear a helmet there’s no problem at all.

One other interesting thing about these glasses: They were originally designed with covert surveillance in mind, and it is only due to interest shown by motorcyclists that the company has turned their attention in our direction. They contacted me via the Passes and Canyons website asking if I wanted to carry their ads on the site. I said I want to test this thing. And that’s how we got to where we are now. Stay tuned.

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Biker Quote for Today

If you’re lost, you’re most likely off the beaten path and that’s the best path to be on.

I ran a post on Examiner.com awhile back about Mike Corbin, the well-known custom motorcycle seat builder, retiring and putting the business up for sale. Just the other day now there was a comment posted on that article from someone identifying herself as the sister of the Gentry in the name of the company, Corbin-Gentry.

The surprising thing for me was that the company I had written about was Corbin-Pacific. It seems, as Gentry’s sister explains, that Mike Corbin started out in 1968 in the Corbin-Gentry company and then, “In the mid ’80s Corbin split, taking 1/2 of the business with him to California leaving Gentry with the other 1/2.” Thus Corbin-Gentry and Corbin-Pacific. I didn’t know this.

Gentry’s sister writes with what seems to be a bit of anger, though it’s not clear at what. Possibly she still harbors resentment toward Mike, or perhaps she just gets annoyed when her sister is ignored and forgotten. Just to air her concerns, here is the full text of her comment.

Quite interesting there is a book out about Mike CORBIN, King of motorcycle seats. It fails to mention that there was a Queen of seats, being GENTRY, CORBIN/GENTRY. This neighbor he talks about sewing his 1st seat for him was my sister. She was not a neighbor but his partner who was called Gentry. TOGETHER they formed and built the business into what would be known world wide. Without Gentry there would have been no Corbin. Gentry was by his side at every turn in the road. Corbin/Gentry was based in Connecticut and thrived from the ’60s to the ’80s. My husband worked for them as a salesman for years working the East Coast.

In the mid ’80s Corbin split, taking 1/2 of the business with him to California leaving Gentry with the other 1/2. So before Corbin rides off into the sunset saying he’s king of the seats let it be known that without Gentry he could not be saying this.

So now, what was it that Paul Harvey used to say about “That’s the rest of the story” or something like that?

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Biker Quote for Today

Life may not always be sunshine and rainbows, but what you live through will make you a better person and a better rider.

For 10 years my Kawasaki Concours has fired up for me immediately every time, not counting the times when the battery was shot and needed to be replaced. Those weren’t the bike’s fault, that was the battery, and all batteries die eventually.

So I was a little concerned while I was up in Keystone, CO, covering the International Women and Motorcycling Conference that on two mornings I had to turn it over repeatedly before it caught. Still, it got cold those nights, my whole bike was covered with frost each morning, and I chalked it up to cold.

When I was back home later, and tried starting it, you can imagine that I was considerably more concerned when I had trouble again. Something was clearly wrong. Just what I need, a mechanic bill.

I asked our resident mechanic and his presumption was much like my own: carbs need cleaning. Ouch. I’ve had that done and it’s not cheap. What’s more, I just had it done not that long ago so if that was what was needed again I was not going to be happy.

So I went over to Vickery Motorsports, my local dealer and the place where I bought the bike, and told my story to the service manager (sorry, I didn’t get his name). He asked how long it had been since I’d had a tune-up. Oh yeah. Too long, I had to admit. Well, do this then, he said: clean the air filter and replace the spark plugs. If that doesn’t work, check back.

Great. That wouldn’t cost nearly as much as cleaning the carbs and I could probably do it myself. I went upstairs and bought the plugs and thanked him again on my way out. “Be really sure to clean the air filter,” he repeated, stressing that part. I read that as meaning it was particularly important.

Now, I’m no great mechanic. I don’t generally work on my motorcycles beyond lubing the chain on my Honda and checking the tires and changing the oil. And I quickly found out that replacing the plugs on the Kawi requires removing the gas tank to get to them. That’s out of my comfort zone. But I checked my tech book and getting to the air filter was no problem.

I pulled out the filter and followed instructions on cleaning it and put it back in. Then I turned the key and pushed the start button. Vrrooom! Instantly. And it has started instantly every time since.

So wow. That is so nice. Yes, I’m still overdue for a tune-up, and I’ll get to that soon, but isn’t it amazing what even simple maintenance can do. And of course this makes me feel good about continuing to do business at Vickery. Thanks guys.

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Biker Quote for Today

If the bike ain’t brakin’ properly you don’t start by rebuilding the engine.

I have some heated motorcycle gear I’ve been given by EXO2 The Heat Inside to test and do a product review on, so I was looking for some cold weather here in August. Not the easiest thing to find, except that in the mountains it gets cold no matter what time of year it is. At least at night, and up real high.

I already had plans to be up in Keystone one evening for the return of the Adventure for the Cures “Dirty Dozen” riders from their seven-day cancer research fundraising ride. Fine, I figured I’d stay as late in the evening as I cared to and then return home over Loveland Pass. At 11,900 feet, especially at 11 p.m. or so, I figured it would be pretty dang chilly–perfect weather for testing the gear.

So it got late and it was time for me to head home and I put on the heated vest and gloves, connected the wires, pulled on my leather jacket and helmet, and set off up the pass.

The gear worked fine. I’ll tell you all about that later, once I have more time to do more testing, but I certainly had no complaints that night. I did have some concerns setting out at night in the mountains that I might encounter deer, because they can be deadly if they run out in front of you and you are unable to avoid them. But none of them showed their faces.

What I did not anticipate was issues of equilibrium. Let me set the scene.

It’s a dark night. Cloudy, so no moon or stars. No electric lights going up over the pass, and no guardrails with their reflectors. On top of that, on the lower stretches of the road up the pass, no horizon. The blackness of the trees and mountains blended totally with the blackness of the sky.

What could I see? White and yellow lines. White and yellow lines that curved and rose and fell, all in relation to . . . nothing. In just a short while this started playing tricks on my equilibrium. Am I leaning or is the road curving? I know I’m leaning because I’m in a curve, but am I leaning too far or is the road rising through the curve? I could not tell. There was no point of reference. It was downright scary.

I got over the pass by going about 15 to 20 miles per hour and being super, super cautious, and I was glad I only encountered one other vehicle along the way. That ride was not fun. I’ll be restricting my gear testing to daylight from now on.

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Biker Quote for Today

I always slow down if my riding buddy in front of me disappears or launches skyward unexpectedly.

Riding motorcycles as I have for more than 20 years you’re guaranteed to learn a few things, mainly by direct experience. I recently concluded a series of 12 posts on Motorcycling Lessons Learned on Examiner.com and now I’ve put these all together as a booklet that you can download.

For the most part, I was able to use real-life situations that my buddies and I have experienced to show the value of these lessons. Not incidentally, I don’t always look so smart in these situations, but that’s how you really, truly learn a lesson. I’m fine with you laughing at my stupidity if it gets the point across.

Just so you’ll know in advance what you’re getting, here are the titles and links to the individual posts on Examiner.

#1 – Have riding buddies
#2 – Signal your intentions
#3 – Ride your own ride
#4 – Don’t hesitate to ride alone
#5 – Carry proper gear
#6 – Know your bike
#7 – Get training
#8 – Assume you’re invisible
#9 – Take your time
#10 – Explore
#11 – Be opportunistic
#12 – Know how to pick up your motorcycle

Biker Quote for Today

It’s a friggen motorcycle, it’s not supposed to be comfortable, quiet, or safe. The wind noise is supposed to hurt your ears, the seat should be hard, and riding it should make you shit your pants every now and then. Suck it up.

I went to Steele’s Salvage and replaced my saddle some years ago when it was getting totally ripped up. To my dismay, I recently noticed that this newer saddle was starting to tear. Bummer.

Then I saw an ad for a product that I figured would be worth a try. It’s called Liquid Leather. With shipping, it cost me $8 from Amazon. I tried it out this weekend and this is my report.

For starters, as you can see in the photo, it was a very small tear. That may mean this is not as good a test as it could be, but I didn’t want to wait for it to get bigger just for the sake of doing a better test.

The package comes with eight different colors of repair goop, an applicator, and several texture sheets that help the repair blend in better. So following instructions, I cleaned the area really well, made sure it was completely dry, and then smeared the goop on the spot. Obviously, you want to apply it fairly evenly. Then I slapped on the texture sheet and that was it. Wait 24 hours, peel off the texture sheet, and you’re done. Couldn’t be simpler.

So how did it work? First let me make a couple points. These may not have been optimal conditions. For one thing, the tear was right at the ridge where the passenger portion dips down to the rider portion. For another, it’s winter, so even sitting for 24 hours out in the cold may not be enough. Still, if that is an issue, they really ought to tell you so. Third, if you use it several times you may get better at doing the job.

So here’s a shot of the finished product.

As you can see, it doesn’t look perfect. And depending on the light it can be pretty noticeable. But that’s why I think with a little practice I could do better. This being my very first time I do think I have the ability to learn from experience.

While it’s not perfect, it’s definitely better than just leaving the tear to get bigger. What I really think is the most important thing here is how well this holds up. Only time will tell on that count and for that reason I don’t consider this a final. I’ll touch back in on this in about 6 months to tell you how it’s holding up. Or sooner if it just all falls off a week from now. Likewise, even if it comes off and the repair fails two years from now I’ll let you know. But at the very least, I’ll check back in at some point with an update.

Biker Quote for Today

Maintenance is as much art as it is science.