Growing Pains

The new bike was missing all the awesome farkles I used to have on Bee - the extended windshield, storm guards, engine bars, highway pegs, electronics...and luggage.

I installed a new 12-volt charging port and a connector for my heated vest and replaced the windshield with a Puig touring screen; those were the easy parts. I couldn't afford engine bars so I started looking for highway pegs that would fit on the frame.

Everything I could find cost more than I was willing to pay, but when I searched for '1.5" bar mount' on eBay, an interesting solution appeared: a set of light mounts for off-road vehicles. They looked like highway pegs, so I bought them as an experiment. They did exactly what I hoped.

Since the bike has a luggage compartment where the gas tank would normally go, no one actually makes a tank bag for it. I removed the tank foot from my Ion bag, got out some bungees, and got creative.

I modified this setup later so it's no longer pulling on the zippers. It works well enough.

I saved the aluminum Zega panniers from Bee, but can't get replacement mounting rails until the end of July. (Thanks a lot, Touratech.) So I pulled out the dry bags and a mess of bungees and a cargo net.

All of this would be fine if the gas filler wasn't located under the passenger seat. I get gas as many as eight times a day depending on my milage. This happens every. Single. Time.

Review: Ion Tank Bag

DuPuis had begun to feel like home, and leaving wasn't high on our list of desires; but we had a date to make in Philadelphia, so northward we went. Our first stop was another visit with Jessie and Tyson in Orlando. It was a bit more hurried this time, as we were back on a schedule and only had the one night.

I'd had some things mailed to their address, and was happy to find that along with a new rain suit and replacement cell phone, at long last I had all the correct and necessary parts to furnish Bee with a tank bag.

She came with one, but I stupidly forgot to reattach it one day after a gas stop, and it flew off and was never seen again. This was maybe a week after I got her, so I've been without for quite a while.

My uncle kindly got me a new one for Christmas, but the first one I ordered was the wrong kind for the tank ring that was already mounted on the bike. By the time I realized the mistake we were on our way out the door, so my mom mailed the incorrect one back and I had the correct one mailed to Tyson. It was waiting for me when we arrived in Orlando the first time, but had come without mounting hardware. That arrived while we were in south Florida, and I have to give credit to Twisted Throttle - even though they screwed up with the hardware, their customer service was excellent. They responded to all my emails immediately and overnighted me the new bag. I'd buy from them again with no hesitation.

Some assembly is required on these tank-ring bags, but fortunately Tyson had a drill.

I like the Ion bag, small though it is. It was mildly irritating to have to do construction on it to get it working, but the overall tank-ring system is clever. The bag doesn't touch the bike and thus can't damage the paint like magnet-mounted bags. The top has a clear pocket for maps (I tried to put the GPS in there but couldn't read it), and it comes with a neat little rain cover that's also clear on top. A handle on one end allows for easy carrying when I walk away from the bike.

I had to move all my bar-mounted gadgets around to accommodate it, but I'm very glad to no longer be using a shopping bag and a cargo net as my tank bag.

Review: Zega Mundo Pannier System

When I bought Bee, she came with Triumph side panniers and a Coocase top box. Considered "day sized," they did the job until it was time to actually move onto the bike.

There weren't a whole lot of options for luggage that would fit my Tiger 1050; the newer 800XC is the more popular adventuring model, but Touratech had a couple of options. The Zega Pro pannier kit is modular, so that if one part of the box gets damaged, you need only replace that one part. For a difference of several hundred dollars, though, I was happy to go with the Zega Mundo, which are solid aluminum boxes that don't come apart.

I had a hell of a time mounting them. The left one slipped on with no trouble at all, but to fit the right I had to unmount the exhaust can. To unmount the exhaust can, I had to remove the seat and rear plastics, and to remove the rear plastics, I had to remove the Coocase mount.

When I had most of the bolts out, I discovered that the rear mount was actually broken. One of the feet that bolts vertically into the frame had snapped off. I didn't have time to replace it, so I just shoved it back together and hoped it wasn't too important.

The Zega mounts didn't play very nicely with the Coocase mount, but after 20 minutes of shoving and cursing while Rogue held up the platform for me, we got it cobbled together. The right Zega strut and one corner of the box touch the exhaust can, but not hard enough to leave a mark. There's one bolt missing that just utterly refused to fit, but it doesn't seem to have been an issue, as there are three more on that side and four on the other.

The boxes themselves are pretty great. I had to install the locks myself, which is a puzzling way to offer luggage - why wouldn't you want locks? - but they went in easily enough. I dented one of the boxes when I dropped the bike in Orlando, but it's not visible unless you're peering through the frame.

       

 

Pros:
•Relatively inexpensive - two side boxes, locks, and mounting kit cost ~$1100
•Waterproof - the lids seal well into the bodies and don't leak
•Sturdy - dropped the bike fully loaded and only suffered a small dent
•Dual hinged - can open the box from the front or back, and the other latch acts as a hinge
•Removable lids - open both latches and the lid comes off to be a tray, seat, cutting board, or improvised corporal-punishment device
•Tie-downs - each lid has four tie-down points. They'd be better if there was another millimeter of space between the bar and the lid, because any bungee cord or cargo net with coated hooks doesn't fit.

Cons:
•Difficult to install, at least if you're mixing manufacturers. Might have been easier had I bought a Zega top box system, but I already had the Coocase. The instructions are also awful, written in poorly-translated German with grainy grey photos that show nothing useful. The parts are unlabeled, so you figure out for yourself which bracket is left and which is right.
•Box mounting system - you have to open the box and leave the lid open or off while you screw the boxes onto the struts. They're secure, since you can lock the lid shut, but they can't be completely full while you operate the hand cranks. Those cranks also take up a bit of space in the box. I prefer the mounting system for the BMW GS panniers, which is keyed and operated from outside the box.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this system. These boxes will store a lot of stuff, take a good beating, keep the water out, and provide a great place for my growing sticker collection.

The Little Things: Washcloth

The Little Things is a series of posts about tiny and/or cheap travel items that I've learned to carry because they make my life so much easier.

        

 

The washcloth is not for me; it's for Bee. Every time I wake up on a dewey morning and find the seat and mirrors dripping, I whip this out and don't start my day with a wet ass. It also comes in handy for wiping other people's spit off my seat, on those mornings when I leave work to find some disrespectful hooligan's calling card waiting for me in all its slimy glory.

Farkling

The luggage is finally on the Bee! There is also a bee on the Bee, and the bare beginnings of a sticker collection. The Bee and the Autobot are the work of Aradia from Coventry Decor.

                   

 

JKLOL Trailers

The discussions for this long-term trip initially involved a lot of talk about trailers. The idea of living permanently on the road seemed to call for them, but neither of us could afford to lay down that kind of cash, especially since I wanted a single-wheel. My dream trailer is something like this, from Third Wheel Trailers:

Photo from Third Wheel Trailers

I'd rather have the money for traveling, though, so I started cooking up plans to build my own. I considered PVC pipe, a popular solution for bicycle trailers, but Cider pointed out that it's not really up to the rigors of highway travel. I scoured the Harbor Freight catalog and picked out a small flat two-wheeled trailer, thinking I'd build a structure on top of it, but Drewbag told me that the wheel bearings in those trailers are awful and would probably leave me on the side of a lonely highway somewhere. Besides, there's no hitch for a Tiger, so I would've had to do some fabrication to add a sport-style hitch in the image of the Third Wheel anyway, and I don't have any welding skills.

Over-inspired and under-funded, I even sketched up some plans for a convertible single-wheeled camper trailer, a rolling box that would tip over on one side, open up, and turn into a tiny shelter. It seems likely that one day I'll build my own teardrop trailer.

These Boots Were Made for Failing

My old faithful boots that I bought from my mom's housemate last year are finally starting to give in. The padding in the ankle has fallen out in chunks, and the top and bottom of the sole are peeling away from each other. They don't even pretend to be waterproof anymore, no matter how recently I've oiled them. I love them to death and they're the comfiest pair of boots I've ever owned, but I think it's time.

So I did some research and bought a pair of O'Neal Rider motocross boots. The reviews said they run a little small, so buy a size up; I bought a men's 8, since I should be a men's 7, and they fit perfectly. The reviews also said they were a little stiff at first but would loosen up fast.

I don't care how fast they loosen up; I can't use them. Made suspicious by how hard it was to walk in them, I went and sat on the bike before actually going for a ride and just tried to operate the shifter and foot brake. I couldn't. It was completely impossible to even touch either lever. I opened a return order for these this morning. They look good, but damn, they're useless.

What are your favorite riding boots? Have you ever had a pair that just didn't do what you needed them to?

Review: Scorpion Exo Pants & Jacket

I bought the Scorpion Exo Savannah II riding pants in July and the matching Nip Tuck jacket about a month later. They're out of production, but as of this writing there are still quite a few for sale from various eBay sellers. Retail on the jacket is $189.95 and the pants are $179.95, but they can be found for significantly less. They come in three colors: all black, black and white with purple details and a pink hibiscus design, and black and white with gold details. I found my size in gold first, and it matches my bike...done deal.

                     

Comfort and Fit
The pants run a bit big. I ordered a small and I can pull the waistband away from my back or my belly by a couple of inches. I have to hike them up before I get on the bike or they pull oddly across the crotch. They're not at risk of falling down, though, and I like that I can fit any pair of pants I care to wear underneath them.

The jacket is also a small and it fits like a dream. It doesn't bind and it doesn't billow. The sleeves are narrow from the elbow to the wrist, so a very fat sweatshirt would be limiting, but I can wear several shirts and a thin sweater with no problem. If I need more warmth I add a vest-style hoodie underneath to keep my core insulated without turning my forearms into stuffed sausages.

The zip-out liners are great. They're wind-proof and water resistant. I do have to wear an under layer of some sort while the liners are in, because if they sit against my skin they get sticky and then I have that changing-out-of-a-wet-bathing-suit experience, except it's a head to toe ordeal instead of just the personal bits. But if the weather calls for liners, you should be wearing clothing anyway.

Speaking of weather, this suit covers a wide range of temperatures. Without liners, I'm happy in the jacket up to about 90F on the highway (I open the arm zippers and leave the wrist velcro closed), and I never take the pants off. With liners and some reasonable clothing (i.e. fleece leggings and a hoodie) underneath, I'll be okay down to maybe 55F before I want to add a rain suit on top. The only place that has severe air leakage is the neck of the jacket, since it's open down to the hollow of my throat.

The jacket has a tab in the back that can be secured through the rearmost belt loop on the pants to keep it from riding up. It doesn't hinder movement at all, as the jacket is pretty long, and it keeps the unfriendly wind gusts away from my lower back.



I haven't gone down while wearing it so I can't say anything about how it reacts to a sudden encounter with pavement. I hope it doesn't happen, but if it does, I'll post the results.

Quality
The pants have now gone about 10,000 miles and the jacket has done at least 7,000. There was one small issue with the pants after the first couple thousand miles - some thread in the crotch seam of the white panel gave way and opened a hole in the right place to insert dirty comments. But I took some quilting thread and sewed it back up, which took about three minutes, and they haven't had any further issues.

White is a downside of course, because it shows all the bug splats and road dirt, but a trip through the washing machine made it look like almost new again.

The main zippers - front of jacket, sleeves of jacket, pants fly, and ankle panels - are great. The little zippers that secure the inner liners are less so. They're inclined to get stuck on the fabric if you're not very diligent about keeping it away from the zipper's line of travel, and I had one of them tear open while I was trying to zip it closed. No damage was done and I put it back together successfully. They just require a little patience.

The liners are also secured by fabric tabs with snaps, two in each ankle, two in each wrist, and one in each side of the jacket. They're color-coded in black and yellow, so as long as you can tell a bumblebee's ass from its face, you can't get them wrong. That kind of attention to usability wins big points with me.

There are stiff foam armor panels in the knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, and spine. They zip out quite easily for washing and go back in without requiring hours of name-calling. The only oddity I found there is a lack of zipper pull on the access to the spinal armor. It makes sense, leaving no sharp metal bits to poke the wearer in the back, but you need a fingernail or something to get it started. I definitely can't put the pants on while wearing boots; I got my foot stuck in the knee armor when I tried.

Looks
Amazing! I'm in love with the cut, the colors, and the details. The pants are loose enough to allow me some layers underneath but tight enough to look damn good. I've wandered into restaurants and had people compliment them without even knowing they were riding pants; they look that nice. The sides of the jacket and the lateral edges of the thighs are laced with tubular elastic (in yellow on the gold version) for an adjustable fit. The appearance is reminiscent of corset lacing, but it says "race me" rather than "fuck me."

Scorpion Gear

Trying out the jacket and pants combo. Feeling good, looking good... I'll post a more detailed review later.

New Jacket

It arrived two days after I left, so now that I'm home, I have my new jacket. I'm super excited. It's a Scorpion Nip Tuck size small, and it fits perfectly (and matches my pants, which match my bike, because of course they do).