Passes & Canyons Blog

Gloves, gloves, we got gloves. Boy, do we have gloves.

If you’ve been riding motorcycles for any good length of time you probably do, too. As with helmets, eye protection, and so many other things, many years ago gloves were not considered essential riding gear. Nowadays, I don’t know about you, but I usually wouldn’t think of riding without them.

But just as my three bikes are each best suited to particular niches, gloves are as well. Which is why I have three motorcycles and a whole bunch of gloves.

In the beginning, I bought a pair of doe-skin gauntlets, which is to say, gloves with deep, flaring cuffs that allow room for your jacket sleeve as they extend back beyond the wrists of the jacket. A very good all-around riding glove. In warmer weather these are still my go-to gloves.

But those gloves aren’t lined or insulated so it wasn’t long before I bought a very similar pair, except that the new ones are lined with Thinsulate™. When the weather turns cooler I turn to these gloves. It’s kind of how I mark the turning of the seasons.

Thinsulate alone doesn’t cut it though when it gets really cold. So next I bought some heated gloves. Now we’re really cookin’! (Yeah, pun intended.) Now it doesn’t matter how cold it is, if I’m riding I’ve got warm hands (as long as I have the heated gloves with me–I sometimes don’t).

But I have a GoPro camera and while I’ve shot some video, where I set it to record and just go ride, I really have more use for individual still photos. To do that, I need to use a remote controller that connects via Bluetooth, and I need to press the button each time I want to take a shot. Well, I can do that with gloves on but it’s hit or miss; the gloves make it hard for me to feel the slight click as I successfully press the shutter button. So I’ve ridden at times with no glove on my left hand. That can get cold.

The answer: fingerless gloves. Judy had given me a pair of fingerless gloves a long time ago but I never wore them because they were really stiff and not at all comfortable. I wondered if treating them with oil, the way you do a baseball mitt, would soften them up and make them usable, but I couldn’t find them. I probably (discreetly) got rid of them a long time ago. So I went and bought some new ones. This is definitely the type of thing you need to pick out for yourself, not allow someone else to choose them for you when they have no idea of what makes a good product and what does not.

What else could I possibly need? Well, what about when it rains?

OK, so somewhere along the way I bought some waterproof mittens that are large and can be pulled on over regular gloves when it rains. They work great but one time I was up in Eagle heading home and it was wet, and I did not have the mittens with me. Jungle gave me a pair of scuba gloves. They not only are waterproof, they are also insulated. Nice.

And then Robert moved to Panama, and gave away everything he wasn’t taking with him. I got the top bag that I now have on my Concours and I also got . . . drum roll . . . several more pair of gloves.

One pair is made by Icon and has some armor on the knuckles. Another is made by Rev-It! and has a lot more armor in a variety of places. Both are nice and I wear them at times.

The last pair is made by Olympia and while I have worn them on occasion I don’t like and won’t keep them–for the smallest, most unlikely reason. The way they’re stitched there is a seam that comes to a point right between the thumb and forefinger where your hand wraps around–and presses against–the grip. On any ride of more than half an hour, this little bit of seam becomes very uncomfortable. It’s just poor design.

So yeah, I’ve got gloves. And did I ever tell you how I came to have five riding jackets? Or five helmets? Those are other stories for other times.

Biker Quote for Today

Harley-Davidson has invented a flying motorcycle. The old bikes will henceforth be known as ground Hogs.

I got the V-Strom back from Joel and what a difference!

The chain and sprockets were badly worn and I guess that can contribute to a loss of power but the real factor seems to have been the air filter. You can see in that photo just how bad that was. When I started looking into when I had last had that replaced I was more than a little embarrassed to find the answer was, oh, maybe seven years ago.

I had been out on a four-day Colorado Cruise with the RMMRC about a month ago and really noticed that the bike had trouble going over the higher passes and also in keeping up with the rest of the group on their big, powerful bikes. One night on that trip I did some googling and ran across something that said a worn chain will reduce power, and that was what got me thinking about that.

But when I mentioned it to Joel he said yeah, that might have a tiny impact, but not all that much. That’s when I started thinking about other possibilities. When I hit on the air filter it all made a lot more sense. It’s really hard to give your all when you’re struggling just to breathe.

And did you look at that filter? All those bugs and other debris embedded in it? Not to mention the whole load of dirt! Man, if anyone ever wondered why you need an air filter, just imagine all that crap being sucked into your combustion chamber. Yikes!

So within an hour after Joel dropped the bike back at my place I was out on it seeing how it would run now. Night and day. Joel told me he figured it would have a lot more zip and boy was he right. Plus, with the new chain and sprockets all that slapping I had heard for so long was just gone. Yahoo!

I can’t say enough about having machines that work well. Not to mention having the money to keep them working well. Too well I remember my younger days driving crap cars because that was all I could afford. I don’t miss those days.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if it’s impossible to see out of your car or trucks rear window because of all the Harley stickers.

I was off with the OFMC this summer on our annual ride and saw something that made me shake my head. We were in the Black Hills and somewhere along the way I saw this guy on a motorcycle wearing a helmet that I can only describe as a hard yarmulke, or kepi. This thing would have provided exactly zero protection if he went down so why would he bother? I mean, heck, with just a chin strap it would probably just come right off in a fall.

But that line of thinking leads to a larger group of riders. People like Bill and Dennis, my riding companions. That’s Dennis in the photo.

Both of them have full-face helmets that they bring along but much of the time they wear these half-helmets. That seems pointless to me, too.

I used to ride without a helmet at all, much of the time, but at the point when I decided not to do that any more I just went the entire other direction. I mean, look at Dennis. His face is totally exposed. How much of his chin do you suppose would get scraped off in a fall? How much of his nose? At least that chin strap is a bit more secure than the one on that guy with the hard yarmulke.

I figure if I’m going to wear a helmet I want all the protection a helmet has to offer. I’ve heard of people losing half their teeth in serious crash, and having their jaws mangled. I want a helmet that will . . . wait for it . . . protect my head. All of my head.

I know, I know. There are people who would criticize me because I don’t wear my reinforced riding pants all the time. I just wear jeans most of the time in summer. That’s not ATGATT. So I probably shouldn’t roll my eyes too much at people who feel differently than me on these other things. And I don’t. I never say anything to Bill or Dennis but I do say things to myself. I guess we all get to choose our own version of stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 36. We think leather bras are fine lingerie.

I talked about what it took to get this top bag attached to my Concours, and now I’ve had it for a while and have had a number of chances to put it to use. I have to say, I love it.

I got it on in time to have it on the OFMC trip in July and it proved every bit as welcome as I expected it would. For years I had envied my friends and how when we would stop somewhere they would just take off their helmets and jackets, drop them in their top bag, close it, and walk away. Meanwhile I was locking my helmet to the bike and hauling my heavy, bulky jacket with me everywhere I went. Now, I know a lot of people just leave their jackets on their bikes, unsecured, but I carry my wallet with my ID and credit cards in my jacket pocket and there’s no way I want to leave that just draped over the seat or the tank. And the wallet is too bulky to comfortably carry in my pants pocket. Plus, I guess I’m not as trusting as some people that no one will take my unsecured jacket. Heck, one time someone stole Bill’s mirror right off his bike. Some people really are low.

So the bag was a huge success on the trip. It’s also nice on other rides. I just pop it open, toss in my rain suit and warmer gloves, maybe an extra layer–whatever I want. It’s much easier than using the side bags. They open sideways and it’s easy for stuff to spill out. Plus, on one side I secure the thing with a strap because it has been known to come off the rail next thing I know it’s dangling out over the road, held on only by the lock. So that’s just another nuisance, undoing and then redoing that strap.

Around home, for errands, it’s great. Once a month I make a trip to the wine store and the bread store. Now I put the wine in the side bag without the strap but the bread goes in the top bag where it won’t get crushed.

All of this totally ignores the options this opens up when Judy and I ride together. When I’m traveling the side bags are generally full and I put my rain suit in my tank bag. With Judy it gets complicated. Not only do we have more stuff but more stuff to secure when we stop. Now we can put both jackets in the top bag while securing the helmets to the bike, as before.

I could go on but there’s no point. This thing is great. It was worth the extra effort.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when your dirty clothes smell like exhaust and beer.

If there was one thing that became abundantly clear to me on this recent RMMRC Colorado Cruise was that if you are riding in the high country, summer is over.

I very foolishly wore my mesh jacket and I intended to find the liner but forgot it, and that was quite a mistake. Every time we got up high–which was frequently–I was cold because that cold air just cut through that mesh. That’s what they’re for, to give you nice ventilation on hot days. But these were not hot days. So why was I wearing mesh? Idiot.

I did finally think to use my rain jacket as a wind breaker and should have done so a lot sooner. Sometimes your brain works better than other times.

At the same time, it’s not cold yet down here on the prairie. Shortly after getting home I took the Honda out for a ride and, having gotten plenty chilled again and again on the last trip, I pulled on leather AND a sweatshirt, and for good measure, my winter gloves. Out I went and gosh, who coulda thunk it, I was way too hot. I mean, heck, it was all of 80 degrees or more. But my brain was still back on top of Cottonwood Pass and Red Mountain Pass and you know, you can never be too cautious.

Yes you can.

So here’s a little simple, very obvious advice. At this time of year, if you’re going up high, dress for cold. If you’re staying down low, and the temperature is above 75, expect warmth. How difficult is that? I don’t know, apparently for some of us (me) it’s not as simple as you might think. Maybe some day I’ll figure it out.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: The rashes you get from motorcycles go away without those painful penicillin shots.

I’m still counting on taking the Kawi on the OFMC trip very shortly but nothing has happened yet on the carburetor issue. For insurance I got a new rear tire on the V-Strom a couple days ago.

I got this recommendation from both Bill and Dennis, that I get the tire at Let It Ride, on 8425 W. Colfax, and then take it next door to 1 Down, Four Up Motorsports, at 8427 W. Colfax, to be mounted. That worked out great. I called ahead about the tire and they had it in stock. I asked them to hold it for me and made an appointment so I could have it mounted while I waited.

Mid-way through the job, the guy (whose name I can’t remember–I really should make note of these things) asked if I wanted new rear brake pads because with the old ones, “there’s almost nothing there.” That didn’t surprise me; I had been thinking about that possibility. So sure, put on new pads. He said the front pads are fine.

Then as I was paying he told me they had adjusted the chain as good as they could but there was some stretching and really, the chain and sprockets need to be replaced. That didn’t surprise me either.

The ride home proved interesting then. Of course I was doing some swerving to scuff up the edges of the new tire but I wasn’t so busy with that as not to notice something else. A noise I had wondered about for quite awhile was not there.

This noise is something I’ve always thought of as maybe the chain slapping. I’ve tried adjusting the tension but never made a difference. I take it now that the shop did a better job of adjusting it than I did and at least for now that slapping–which is apparently what it was–is gone. At the very least, the noise is gone. So OK, that’s something to take care of after the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

I was born intelligent, but my bike ruined me.

My 1980 Honda CB750 Custom was my first motorcycle and I still have it and I have always loved it. That said, nobody–and nothing–is perfect.

I can say for one thing that I’m not crazy about the chain drive. Having to lube that chain, adjust it occasionally, and replace both it and the sprockets at times is a bit of an annoyance and also a bit of expense. But I live with it. And from what I’ve read, chain drive has some advantages over shaft drive, though I’m not particularly attuned to those sorts of things. I just ride the bike.

There is one thing, though, that is just an out and out pain: unmounting and mounting the seat.

Motorcycle design has changed in a huge way since 1980 and getting the seat off and on is one in which the improvement is especially huge. On both my 1999 Kawasaki Concours and my 2006 Suzuki V-Strom all you have to do is insert the key and turn it, then pop the seat off. To put it back on you just position it properly and press down till it clicks. Couldn’t be simpler.

Not so on the CB.

On this bike there are two bolts that go through holes in two flanges that extend downward from the seat frame. You can see the flange in the photo at right. These bolts screw into the frame of the bike. Under the best conditions this is a simple process with a wrench. I do not enjoy the best conditions.

First off, the seat, after 41 years, seems not to be completely symmetrical and so I find it necessary to lay across the seat from the left, putting my weight on the seat to push it down just enough to free up the bolt. Then on the right I have to lift the seat just enough to free up the bolt.

On top of that, when I first bought the bike it came with a sissy bar already on it, which is great, I like that. But the rail attaches the sissy bar to the frame of the bike in a way that blocks access to the seat bolts. I don’t have to take the sissy bar off, but it is definitely awkward reaching around it to get at the bolts.

What this amounts to is that an operation that takes about three seconds on my other two bikes takes at least five minutes on the Honda and I need to have the proper tools to do it. OK, so if this is the toughest thing I’ve got going in my life I know I’m not getting any sympathy from anyone. And I’m not asking for sympathy–just making note of one of life’s little irritations. I’ll live with it. Heck, I’ve lived with it for more than 30 years already.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if your ponytail comes off with your cap.

I took the Honda for a ride to see how the set-up I had used on this new Viking Bags tank bag was going to be secure. It was, but I figured I could configure it better. So I did.

As you can see from the picture above I no longer have the straps looping back over the sides of the tank. As the other picture shows, they now go into the cleft where the tank fits over the spine of the frame and around the steering column. Dipping below the tank it then loops around a couple frame members to hold it securely. In doing this I was very conscious of positioning the strap to not crimp any cables or wires or anything, and to not be located such that movement of the bars left and right would cause rubbing and wear.

In short, I think it’s well set up and should be fine for the long term, though I will check it periodically at least for a while so as to be sure.

So, so much for set-up. What about the bag itself? The first thing you have to understand about any Viking Bags product is that they are targeting the lower-priced end of the market. If you want premium quality and are willing to pay for it, buy Harley gear. If you want something that is perfectly satisfactory but maybe a little rough around the edges for a very affordable price, then Viking does a very good job.

That said, the bag has a fairly large storage space that can unzip to create a really large space. If you wanted to stand a water bottle upright at the back end, closest to you, there would be no problem at all. The detachable map case (Velcro) is a good size: 8-1/2 x 10. That’s big enough to fit a full two-panel section of most maps.

There is also a small zippered pocket on the bottom portion of the rear, rider-end of the bag that you could use small items you want quick access to. Some tank bags have a softer, grippy base layer that is actually in contact with the tank, that keeps the inevitable rubbing from wearing away at your paint. That’s one of those premium items that you pay more for; don’t look for that with this bag. I may try to come up with something to put under there to protect the paint–it seems like maybe a chamois cloth would work well–or I may just ignore it. Probably the latter. I mean, I’m assuming the material is nylon, and nylon won’t scratch the paint; it’s the grit that gets in between the bag and the tank that does the damage.

I really think I’m going to like having this bag. It’s a good size and can carry my rain suit so I won’t need to put the saddle bags on for that. I’ve been sold on tank bags for a long time. Now I finally have one on the Honda.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when you lie to your wife in order to spend more quality time with your bike.