The Iceman Bloggeth

I Hate My Back.

2009-06-29T14:45:00.002-07:00

Remember the 'sciatica' I mentioned recently? Well, it's due to my slipping my lowest disc. Ouch, fuck and dammit. Been going through physical therapy and wearing a lift as I've found out that one leg is an inch shorter than the other. Must be from putting the hammer down too hard.

Fortunately, it doesn't bug me much when I sit down, so my job and riding career are safe.

STn National 2009, Part Two

2009-06-21T14:58:00.005-07:00

Our Official STn Dinner was held at the Pallisades restaurant. My dumb ass left my camera back at the hotel. But I met a host of fun folks--Basco, Leanintree and Mrs. Leanintree, Hickey, and more than I can list here. Bunbun and Dove made it in from Texas, and announced their engagement. Here's to 'em!

After the first night, most folks took off for rides around the area. I decided to be a wuss, relax and stay in town. Coffee and breakfast were found at a cute little coffee joint called Mochas!, just across form the Pallisades.

The next step was to find a souvenir or two for Ferretwench. A strange little shop called Trader's Rendezvous provided a T-shirt and stuffed critter, as well as a cute little dog called Piper, and endless photo ops of dead critters. On the way, I was passed by an old- school, build-it-out-of-anything T-Bucket. Too cool!

Back at the Gunnison Inn, I caught a brief snap of the illustrious VIVID1 and the bundle of energy that is Mostrogirl before they headed out on yet another ride. If you're surrounded by women who are tougher than you are...you might be an STn'er.

On the advice of my navigator, I headed to the liquor store to pick up some beverages for the evening. I found one that seemed to fit the occasion perfectly.

About 1700 local, Vivid and Mostrogirl pulled in, and Vivid found why you don't fill up a hot bike to the brim and then park it. "Oh, dude!" she wailed. "That's like a dollar in gas!" I thought only Harleys marked their spot?

Colorado is beautiful. That's both good and bad, as mxvet found out. He spaced on the scenery and lowsided his FJR. Still rideable, and he's OK. Gotta watch those roads, or they'll bite ya. After we were al l mostly accounted for, we headed across the street for beer and BBQ.

Another night of booze and bullshit commenced, and Chili got into some chili beer that blackbuell and his lady love brought. Chaos ensued, the details of which are omitted to protect the guilty.

In the morning, I awakened to a present--the last of the Rolling Rock. These are my peeps, y'all!! I grabbed some coffee, suited up, and headed out to go home. Just south of Montrose, I ended up waiting about half an hour just to drive through half a mile of dead fresh chipseal. I think my AirHawk is still sucked into my ass somewhere.

Finally, we got rolling, and I stopped in Ouray, CO to snap this cool-ass little scooter-hack and clean my visor. It's a beautiful town, but the road south is--well, scary. Very twisty, no guardrail, and it's a LONG way down. If I rode it on a regular basis, it'd be fun, but it was quite the pucker moment for me.

Then the real mountains began. I actually got hit by a couple of snowflakes on Red Mountain Pass. The Molos Pass is truly picturesque, and reminds you of one of those Austrian hamlets up in the Alps. Finally, I got through Durango(with more road construction--naturally), jumped out of Aztec NM, through Farmington into Shiprock. 93 miles later, I found myself making my last fuel stop in Gallup. Headed down the I40 into Holbrook AZ, turned southwest to Heber, and made it home before sunset.

Absolutely a fantastic time. Maybe I'll make the West Coast Regional Meet next year!

I'm Back.

2009-06-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

And man, my ass is sore. But I had a fantastic time.

More tomorrow.

STn National 2009, Part One

2009-06-17T13:37:00.003-07:00

OK, either Blogger or my laptop or my broadband connection or my Photobucket account is getting all weird on me, so I'm gonna link to my pics instead. Click on the funky-colored text.

Tuesday morning, I bid my love farewell, fired up my other love, and headed off through the mountains. Destination: Gunnison, CO. Mission: To ride strange new roads, to seek out new bikers and new adult beverages...to drink like no one has drunk before!

The morning was a little chillier than I expected, so I stopped at the top of the Mogollon Rim to put on my neckwarmer and some heavier gloves. It was at this point that I realized I'd forgotten to bring a warm hat, and a cane. (I've developed a lovely case of sciatica lately, and I figured it would help a bit.) Never fails...no matter how well I plan, I always leave out at least one thing.

I figured, for shits and grins, that I'd take the 191 north from I40 and meet up with 160. There's a gas station/restaurant/motel at that exit, so that was to be my first gas stop. Not happening. The c-store is closed and the computers are down. Hmmph. OK, run six miles down the highway into Sanders. And all they have is regular. No midgrade, no premium. And this turned out to be a good thing.

I filled up with 87 octane, hoping for the best...and discovered that Diana actually accepts it! I don't know if I originally got a bad tank of regular, or whether almost 40,000 miles with me has led her to be ready for anything, but I no longer have to worry about buying pricey gas. Which is good, because we're gonna be seeing post-apocalyptic prices on the stuff before too long--you heard it here first.

So on I went north, into the Navajo Nation reservation. As always, I have mixed feelings every time I pass through. The countryside is absolutely incredible, but the grinding poverty of the Rez really gets to me. The US continues to screw over the Red man every chance they get, and I'm tickled that the Navajo now have a casino going. Hope it makes them a bunch of money...they need it.

And I most certainly did not do 150mph on those deserted roads, and you can't prove I did.

Finally, I pass the Four Corners monument, and find myself in Colorado at last! I took a quick side trip just to grab another state.

And then, of course, construction zone after construction zone. Never fails. Finally, I get out of the mess and pass through Cortez, stopping in Dolores for fuel.

Now, I'm a C.W. McCall fan. I think all truckers have to be--it's like a DOT regulation or something. So it was a wonderful surprise to the the heralded Galloping Goose on display in town. They really did make 'em out of cars back then!

The road out of Dolores parallels the river--long, winding and green-bordered. Other than watching out for cops and wildlife, I had a lot of fun on it. I stopped in Rico to immortalize the first snow-capped peak I saw, and to take a rest since I was really starting to ache.

By the time I hit Placerville, I was cursing myself for setting out on a 600-mile ride after not being in the saddle for eight months. My sciatica didn't hurt, but everything else did--a lot. By this point, I just wanted something to eat and to get off the damn bike. I pulled over in Montrose for some Taco Bell(they had chilitos--yay!), and after a brief rest I was able to hammer out the last 60 miles to Gunnison.

Unfortunately, I left the camera up in the room for most of the night, but I did get one picture of our mascot, Chili, doing what he does best--namely drink even more than me.

More details and pics tomorrow--or the next day, depending when I get back and how tired I am.

Tick....tock...

2009-06-13T21:09:00.002-07:00

The countdown continues.

Tomorrow, Ferretwench (my betrothed) is taking me to a chili cookoff at the local casino. (She has no sense of smell, which is the reason she can feel comfortable doing this.)

Monday, preparations commence, and I'll be leaving for Gunnison first light Tuesday. I'll be bringing my laptop, camera and a powerful thirst. This will be the first in-progress, gonzo-journalism, from-the-road bike trip blog I've ever posted, complete with beer tasting and snarky humor.

This is gonna be good.

We Ain't Done Yet.

2009-06-07T10:02:00.003-07:00

So now we get to put on the new Super-G windscreen. I didn't get pics of the install, but it's fairly easy. Note that you will have to drill the windscreen to fit, and therefore, the bottom four holes will be installed differently--you will put the little rubber plugs through the trim panel, but not the screen itself.

Now that's some wind protection! I should have done this in the first place, but then I'd have just had to buy another one when she fell over.

Now I had to install the new can. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not completely stupid--I knew better than to mount it anywhere near the engine again. The MurphsKits vacuum can just fits behind the right side fairing panel.

A sticky patch, a couple of rerouted lines, and we're rockin'. While I was on the MurphsKits site, I also decided to get one of those cool-ass little brackets for the control panel. It's now beside the left switchgear.

And we're done. The lady still needs to run for awhile to blow out the cobwebs, but the speedo works, the cruise works, and I got my vacation approved for the 2009 ST.n National in Gunnison. Drink--I mean, ride report to follow.

Replan, Rethink, Redo.

2009-06-07T09:39:00.004-07:00

OK, dear readers...if you've been following along this far, well...you have no life. You're also aware of my hassles with the fairing and the vacuum can for my cruise control. Also, my battery died. The motorcycle gods need to give me a good smack for letting her sit this long.

So, the first thing to do was to repair the hashed speedo collar. I took off the brake rotor without realizing I didn't have to(dumbass!). The collar is held in place by a snap ring, and amazingly enough, I actually have a pair of snap ring pliers. What are the odds of that?

So now the new collar is on.

The next step was to install the brand-new nose fairing($$$--OUCH), which is lovely, unfaded, unscratched, pristine and makes the side cowls look like shit now. A few bugs and rock chips should take care of that.

Folks have commented that I never posted how to remove the damn thing, so just do this stuff in reverse order.

The first thing to do is attach the ram-air ducts. They're held to the bottom of the fairing by two screws.

Next, we attach the headlight assembly. This is held on by four bolts that are held to the fairing by clips. Don't lose those.

While putting the fairing back on, be sure your wiring and cabling for the cruise control, heated grips, turn signals, squid neon, cappuccino machine and all the rest is where it ought to be. It's a complete pain in the ass to have to take the whole assembly apart again because of a renegade wire or cable.

Now that everything's more or less in place, put the mirrors back on, and that'll make everything sturdy again.

There she is...looking good so far. Next post, we figure out WTF to do with the vacuum can and windscreen.

One Big Goddamned Crayfish.

2009-06-07T09:36:00.002-07:00

This is one big goddamned crayfish.

Know When To Seek Help.

2009-05-11T15:02:00.002-07:00

Well, I stripped Diana down even further today. I hate doing forks anyway, and a little shop opened up just down the road. They do ATV's mostly, but the guy was happy to do my fork springs and oil for me. So I pick 'em up next week. I'm trying to save money, but there comes a time when the cost outweighs the aggravation.

One way or another, it's getting done!!

Dammit.

2009-05-10T13:45:00.006-07:00

See that tarp? That's where Diana's been for eight months now. Yeah, I suck. Life got in my way. So, I figured it was time to kick ass and piece the girl back together. Simple, right?

Yeah, you know how my luck runs by now.

So, we pull off the tarp to find her mutilated body... :(

...and proceed to work. First thing I figured on doing was the new fork springs I ordered from HyperPro. So I boost up the front on my super-high-tech bike stand...

...and take off the handlebars, only to find that I can't get the damn forks apart. The arrangement doesn't look anything like the shop manual, and all the top plug does is spin and spin and spin. Fuck me.

So I crank up the spring preload, put the bars back on, and start in on the front wheel. The speedometer crapped out on my last ride, so I ordered another drive unit. Well, the unit might have been part of the problem, but it wasn't the whole problem.
Ouch. The collar is chewed to shit. So, back to the computer to order a new one. Further bulletins if I can ever manage to get anything done.

The Gathering Storm

2009-04-20T10:03:00.002-07:00

Well, kids...it looks like I'm finally getting back in the saddle again. I'm going to the STn Nationals in Gunnison, CO this June. Diana has been sitting a lot longer than I'd like, but that's about to change.

Apparently, I overpaid on my taxes this year, so the Great State of Arizona sent me a nice check--enough to buy a new fairing and speedometer drive!! (Excuse me whilst I engage in a Happy Dance.) Yep, the speedo crapped out on me a while back, so that had to be done. In addition, I've ordered a new Gustafsson Super-G windscreen, Hyperpro fork springs, a new vacuum can from MurphsKits(they rock) and various other goodies.

So this blog is about to get very active pretty soon, what with all the wrenching and trip preparation. Sorry about the last couple of years, but having no time or money really fucked up my riding and wrenching, and therefore blogging about them. But I've got a real job now, so we'll see if I can keep this thing updated more frequently.

Back To The Drawing Board

2008-11-30T14:46:00.003-07:00

OK...so maybe it wasn't the most brilliant idea ever to make a vacuum can out of PVC pipe. Especially when it's stuffed under the fairing near the blistering hot engine in Arizona heat.

So, the next step, once I piece Diana back together, is to try running it without a vac can at all. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll have to use something that's more sturdy and doesn't conduct heat.

Live and learn...!

Hiatus

2007-10-27T15:21:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm not going to be riding much for a long while.

The company I currently drive for has been starving me on miles for about the past year. No miles = no money. I've tried my best to find a local job, but they're all either:

Scared that I live 100 miles from PHX,
Paying so little I'd lose money going down there every day, or
Paying well and not concerned with where I live, but I have to wait in line behind the other 1,000,000,000 drivers who want that job.

So I have to go back on the road. I don't want to. But I have no choice if I'm going to dig myself out of this hole. So most of my updates will be on my Trucking Blog for the forseeable future.

Yes, it sucks, but it's what I have to do. Once the bills are paid and I have a chunk of $$ in the bank, I can think about doing something that gives me a bit more free time.

Why Me?

2007-09-22T11:37:00.001-07:00

So last week, the warehouses behind my company's terminal burned to the ground. It was a huge, monstrous, news-making fire, and I was sure my bike was toast. When I finally was able to get into the parking lot, I found a few scorch marks on my cover, but Diana was unscathed.

Since the Fire Department is still doing a bunch of stuff over there, they cordoned off the parking lot, and we had to park in the auxiliary lot. And yesterday, a huge storm came ripping through with insane winds. My bike, of course, can't just fall on a flat surface--it bashed off the tracks that hold the gate to the auxiliary lot.

This'll be expensive.

Man, this has been about the shittiest year ever. A financial downward spiral, an unsuccessful job search, bills piling up, debt consolidation...and now this. And to top it off, sitting in the middle of the cordoned-off lot, about ten feet from my normal spot, is an old Rebel 250. Still on its sidestand, completely unharmed.

To borrow a quote from a great webcomic, "It's not that God assfucks me every chance he gets, it's that annoying laughter I hear in the back of my head."

A Ride From(Through) Hell

2007-08-31T19:55:00.001-07:00

I'm usually of the opinion that a bad day on the bike is better than a good day in a cage. Not today.

Arizona DOT decided to close down half of AZ87, the route I take home from work. In their infinite wisdom, they decided to do this over Labor Day weekend. Bear in mind, AZ87 is the only road from Phoenix to everyone's vacation destinations. ADOT: YOU GO TO HELL!!! YOU GO TO HELL AND YOU DIE!!!

The backup started at the Ft. McDowell Casino and ended at Bush Highway. It took two and a half hours to ride that 10 miles. My bike thermometer read 130 F. An hour into it, my hands started going numb, my balance was off, and I couldn't quite figure out what the controls were for. Yep, dehydration/heatstroke. Just as I thought I was going to fall over, a couple of ladies in a gold Armada handed me two bottles of ice-cold water. Ladies--you literally saved my life. Thank you.

It wasn't long after that that Diana died. Just quit. I pushed her to the roadside (with a bit of help from a passing dude) and fell over, exhausted. Just then, a little old lady in a burgundy SUV ran up to hand me yet another bottle of water. (Man, just when you start hating all of humanity, people actually have to go be nice to you and stuff.) I drank, had a smoke, and gathered my wits enough to realize that the constant idling had drained the battery down to 10.8v. Yipes.

So I'm sitting there, sweaty, even more delirious than usual, and a DPS cage pulls up(that's our state's Highway Patrol types for you folks who aren't from around here). Now, I have to tell you, in the 38 years of my life, I've been hassled, brutalized, and ignored by cops, but never once have they helped me out--until today. The Officer had a set of jumper cables, and got me fired back up. Thanks, Arizona DPS! I was so happy, I damn near forgave 'em for my $750 logbook ticket. ;)

Back into the non-moving traffic, and now I'm revving the hell out of Diana to keep her battery up, watching her temp gauge and fuel gauge moving in opposite directions. A guy on a Stratoliner pulls up, and we spend the next hour doing the 1st-gear boogie and BS'ing. Finally, the road goes to one lane, the traffic clears, and I spend the next hour sweating my fuel level. Rolling into town, I put 5.7 gallons in a 6.1 gallon tank. Yipes.

So, once again, a hearty THANK YOU to the folks that took pity on a dumbass biker. Lesson learned: I'm carrying at least 2 liters of water at all times. That was just too close.

And let me reiterate for the benefit of ADOT: It's the goddamned desert. You can do construction projects year-round. Shutting down half the road during a holiday weekend was the stupidest thing you could have done, and if I find out who's responsible, I'm going to reach up his ass and pull out his soul.

I've had breakdowns, bad weather and a few drops, but this was by far the worst day I've ever had riding. But I wonder if it counts as "riding" if you aren't moving.

STn is back!

2006-12-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yep, Sport-Touring.net is back online, with the FarkledUp founders helping keep it together. So FarkledUp will be shutting down in a bit. Get your ass over there if you haven't already, and meet a bunch of other insane bikers.

IBA # 26682. Go me!!

2006-11-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened over the past few months. I got a new job, which takes me away all week, so riding and farkling time isn't what it used to be. However, a new farkle finally showed up in the mail this week. Behold:

And Sport-Touring.net has taken a giant crap. My current hangout these days is the refugee site Farkled-Up.com, which was started by a couple of STn geeks in reaction to the chaos. STn may be back, or it may not, but it's getting to the point where it's going to be irrelevant if serious changes aren't made. Sigh. Nothing cool lasts forever, I guess, but watching an icon like STn spiral down the vortex of doom is pretty depressing.

I'll be posting a bit more as time goes by...my old bike has been sitting neglected for a year now, and I need to get it up and running as a trainer bike for the ol' lady. Updates will be posted. Eventually...

A new addition...

2006-06-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

I found (or re-found) this little Visited States Map dealie on Rocketbunny's blog. So I decided to add it to the title bar as a visual of how many states I've visited on a motorcycle.

Now, granted, I didn't ride to Hawai'i (I rented a Softail) and I've been in every state but Alaska and Vermont, but trucking doesn't count. Click the link, create your own map and see how many you have to go!!

I have returned.

2006-06-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the National with two Saddlesore 2K's under my belt. One of them is even going to be official(I hope)! Click the title to catch the report.

The 2006 Sport-Touring.net National Meet

2006-06-12T07:57:00.001-07:00

Kinda weird not seeing the big red disclaimer at the front of a post these days, eh, kids? Well, in about an hour I'll be heading out to the STn National in Canaan Valley, WV. It's a 2059-mile ride, and I'll be shooting for an Iron Butt Association Saddlesore 2000. If I can't do it on the way, I'm prepared to do it on the way back.

So the bike's all prepped--saddlebags loaded with gear, tools and some Arizona microbrews. Here's how I've got it set up. I strapped on my old sheepskin seat cover...

...put the top unit on my tankbag...

...tied on my cheap-ass mp3 player...

...got my Genuine Official Sport-Touring.net sticker shined up...

...made sure the cruise control still works...

...did a pre-flight once-over...

...and in addition to my usual co-pilot Ulysses, I added a navigator called Squeak. He doesn't actually have eyes, so my navigator's blind. Kinda fitting.

So as soon as I tie up some loose ends, I'll yank the Camelback out of the fridge, gear up, fuel up, and move out. See you all in a week!

Cruise Control Install--Test Run

2006-06-10T09:21:00.001-07:00

Cruise Control Install--Zots

2006-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

Well, we're almost done with our project here. The main components have been fitted. The vacuum lines and throttle linkage have been installed. You've made sure that the vacuum lines won't get pinched, and that the throttle linkage won't bind. Now we're ready to break out the electrical kit and make all those little electrons go where they should.

Take your blue wire(the one with the red "Noise Suppressor" thing taped to it)from the servo and the little blue vampire tap from the kit. Clamp the tap around the black wire on the left side ignition coil. Then plug the end of the blue wire into the plug receptacle on the tap. Now your cruise unit can tell how fast your motor is running.

Run your red and purple wires from the servo towards the rear of the bike. Notice the white plug under the bodywork on the right side--this is where all your taillight wiring is. Unplug it, and pull the plug for the blue/red wire(this is blue with a red stripe). As we've done previously, bend the outer tines of this plug and attach your purple wire. This wire has power when either brake is applied. Now your cruise knows when you want to brake, and should deactivate at that time.

Warning: Make sure you have the right wire connected. Get out your multimeter or a circuit tester, turn on the bike, and make sure that the blue/red wire has power when either the front or rear brake is applied. This should be the proper wire, but I strongly suggest confirming this for your own safety.

The red wire will be attached to a constant-on power source. Find a bullet connector, and attach it to your red wire, then simply plug it into the white/black-wired accessory plug under the seat.

OK, now back to the servo unit. The black wire from the servo connects to ground. I used one of the gas tank bolts. The brown, yellow and green wires will connect to your control pad with the supplied, color-coded connector plugs. Fit the wires into the properly-coded plug, and do the same with those same wires from the control pad.

Now we're almost finished. There are only three more wires to hook up, and two are going to connect to the same place, while the third black one connects to ground(I used the same gas tank bolt). Go ahead and run that one into place, then get out your Phillips screwdriver and pull the windscreen. Since both inner panels are off, it'll slide right out.

Under the windscreen, you'll see a big white plug staring you in the face. We're going to take our red+fuse+orange wire, and our gray wire, and connect them to the red/brown wire at this plug, the same way we connected our purple wire to the brake light plug.

And...we're pretty much done!! Where you mount your control pad is up to you. Most folks fashion a bracket for the handlebars, but I currently have mine stuck to the left inner panel. I figure that if I'm not comfortable taking my hand off the bar to work the cruise, I probably shouldn't be using it right then anyway.

Now we get to start putting things back together. Take note of the following tips:

When replacing the velocity stack bank, make certain you don't pinch any of the o-rings around the carb mouths.

Be certain the airbox bottom is securely mounted to the ram-air ducts. Don't forget to reinstall all three breather hoses.

When replacing the gas tank, be certain your fuel pipe is on securely, that you remembered to plug the fuel sensor back in, and that all three breathers at the rear are replaced correctly. Also, if you're using the gas tank bolts as grounds, be sure all the ground wires are in place.

The fuel petcock will have OFF at the top when you put it back on, unless you didn't shut it off, in which case I hope to hell you left the garage to smoke!

Once you get done putting everything together, give it a thorough once-over. Sure you don't have any loose fasteners or extra parts lying around? OK, now start her up--it might be hard-starting until the air bubbles get out of the fuel line. Take a look at your control panel--the LED's under the switches should be on. That's your backlighting. Push the ON switch, and the LED in the center should light up, showing cruise activated. Now make sure it turns off. Everything working so far? Sweet. Gear up and get ready for the final test ride.

Cruise Control Install--Surgery

2006-06-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING: I want to make this very, very clear.
The ZZR-1200 is one of the most powerful bikes on the road today. It can get away from you in one hell of a hurry. A STUCK THROTTLE IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO YOUR CONTINUED HEALTH AND SAFETY. With that in mind, you must make absolutely certain that there is no way that our new linkage will bind, stick, hang up, or otherwise cause the throttle to not obey your commands. Failure to do this will probably kill you.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!

So now we have our linkage almost hooked up. The last thing to do is securely mount our servo cable to something. Fortunately, Audiovox took care of that as well--there's a cable-to-cable mounting bracket in the kit. Make sure you have enough slack, then tighten it down like so:

OK, so now we have the air system and the mechanical system set up. Now go back and check your work. Are all the connections tight? Do you have the appropriate slack in the areas where it's needed?

ARE YOU SURE???

Alright, then. Next post, we'll do our electrical stuff.

Cruise Control Install--Making It All Fit

2006-06-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Cruise Control Install--Disassembly (EEK!)

2006-06-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

We're now going to pull some fairing panels, the tank, and the airbox. Don't panic--if I did it, you can too. Have a cold one to relax yourself. Ain't as big a deal as it seems.

Step one: Pull the bottom fasteners from the right side of the bike. There's a Phillips screw at the back of the fairing, at the brace we removed to install our Bergmen Oil Filter mod, and one at the nose. Remove those.

Step two: Pull the side bolts from the right side of the bike, using an Allen key. There are two, one near the bottom and one near the top. You'll want to pull the upper one on the left side as well, since these body panels attach to the tank.

Step three: Pull the inner fairing panels on both sides. You've done this before if you're a regular reader. Then pull the darker-colored side panels under your seat. They attach with an allen bolt at the bottom and three grommets up top.

Step four: Turn the petcock to the OFF position. This is important, especially with the price of gas these days. Stick a Phillips screwdriver down the hole and pull the petcock handle.

Step five: Pull the toolbox and set it aside. Pull the three hoses from the back of the tank. They're color-coded, so there's no problems remembering where they went later.

Step six: There are four bolts holding the tank on. Two at the front, normally covered by the inner fairing panels, and two at the back, by the toolkit bolt holes. Remove these.

Step seven: Lift the tank up a little. You'll see the fuel sensor wires attached to the bottom. Follow these to their plug and unplug them.

Step eight: Lift the tank a little more, and look underneath. You'll see where the fuel pipe clamps on. Get some pliers, squeeze and pull the clamp back, then yank off the fuel pipe. Your tank is now ready to remove.

Step nine: Make sure all the bodywork posts are removed from their little rubber holes on the tank. Lift the tank carefully, with the right side a little higher than the left, and put it somewhere it won't get scratched.

Step ten: Congratulate yourself. You're halfway through this part. Take a break. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

Now you see the airbox--a big expanse of black plastic. Let's get that out of the way as well.

Step one: Pull the Phillips screws. There are seven. Now the top of the airbox should lift off. Set it aside.

Step two: Pull the bolts at the back of the airbox holding it on. There are four: One on the far right outside. Two with shrouds over them at the top left and center of the bank of velocity stacks. One at the bottom between those last two. You will have to remove the rubber plug at the back of the airbox to get this one out, like so:

Step three: There are three breather hoses attached to the airbox. One front left, one front right, one at the back. Pull those off. Now the whole airbox should lift out, with a tug to the rear to pull it loose from the ram-air ducts. Set it aside.

Step four: Pull the velocity stack panel. This is done by pulling the other bolts that you didn't touch when removing the airbox. Set that aside as well.

You're done with the disassembly. Not too horrendous, eh? In the next post, we start implanting the cruise unit.

Cruise Control Install--Setup

2006-06-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

Yeah, booyee!! The cruise control is installed and fully operational. I am a wrenching GOD!! (Does happy dance.)

OK, OK. Let me calm down a bit. (W00t! I rock!) When last we left this subject, I had just guided you through building your very own vacuum cannister. Now that that's done, grab that and take it out to your bike, along with:

The Audiovox cruise control unit in its little box.

Your electrical kit(you won't need it as much as you might think, but you'll use it).

About 6 feet of 5/32" vacuum hose.

One vacuum check valve, from NAPA, part #730-1347.

Allen keys and a Phillips screwdriver to pull the inner panels and bodywork.

10mm and 8mm sockets and ratchet with a 3" extension bar. A 1/4" drive ratchet will work fine and be easier to manipulate in the tight spaces you'll encounter.

Drill and bits.

Pliers and the usual assorted tools you always end up needing anyway.

In addition, you will need about 6-8 hours(unless you're a highly-experienced and organized wrench) and a twelve-pack of your favorite malt beverage. If you don't drink, substitute pop. If your favorite malt beverage is something like Smirnoff Ice or Bartles and Jaymes, quit reading my blog, you pussy. ;)

OK, here we go. The first step is to bust open the Audivox box and grab the servo unit. It's that big black heavy thing with the cable coming off it. On the opposite side of the cable, you'll see a barcode label and a panel above it. We're going to remove this panel and put it where we can find the damn thing later. In order to use the unit for our purposes, we have to do some setting up. Here's the back of the servo when it's open:

The black thing to the left is a jumper, for use with automatic transmission vehicles. Pull it off and toss it unless you have an automatic Zed, in which case I'd love to know where you got it. The dealie that somewhat resembles a memory chip is the bank of Dip switches(no, I said Dip SWITCHES, not the words we usually use to describe other drivers and politicians). These have to be set in a specific pattern to make the unit work. Up is ON and down is OFF. Get a pin or a length of stiff wire and set the switches thus:

Switch 1: ON. Switch 2: OFF. This sets the pulses-per-mile rate to 4000, which is the rate needed for a non-auto vehicle.

Switch 3: OFF. This tells the servo that you will not be using a Vehicle Speed Sensor. And you won't, even though one comes with the kit. We'll come back to that in a second.

Swtich 4: OFF. Switch 5: OFF. This sets the unit to Medium sensitivity. The Audiovox manual says that Low should be used for light, high-powered vehicles, in which category the Zed certainly falls. But most bikers who install this have better luck with Medium, and it works well on mine, so that's what we'll do here.

Switch 6: OFF. This lets you use the included control pad. Well, what else are you going to use??

Switch 7: ON. This tells the unit that you'll be using the coil as a speed signal.

Got all that done? Cool. Leave the back cover off and pull out the wiring harness--it's that rainbow mess of wires that looks like it should be on a Gay Pride float. We're going to do a bit of work on it which isn't strictly necessary, but cleans it up a bit.

There are two wires coming off it, Gray and Black, which you don't need. They're for the included magnetic speed sensor which we aren't going to use. Pull the plugs and yank these wires:

WARNING: Don't pull the complete black wire!! Just remove the plug, clip off the little black wire that goes with the gray one, and stick the plug back in. You'll need the main black wire, but not the little secondary one. Save the paired wires in your electrical kit--you never know when they may come in handy.*

OK--we've set up our servo and our wiring harness. We have everything laid out and ready to rock. In the next post, we'll go deeper into our bike than we ever have before, plundering her mysterious depths and gaining a bit more understanding of her motivations in the process.

I'd like to give major props to QueXpress, who did this on a Valkyrie and who I blatantly stole some pictures and tips from. Hope he doesn't mind.

*Yes, I do this with every extra part I have. Basically because I'm a cheap bastard, and because having something on hand saves me from having to interrupt my work to go to a parts store.

Finally--the Cruise Control Mod!!

2006-06-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yet More Ghetto Mods

2006-05-10T07:42:00.001-07:00

Three-For-One Update.

2006-04-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

Hello, boys and girls...won't you be my neighbor?

(Why is everyone fleeing in terror?)

OK...today, we've got three mods for your viewing pleasure. One is really simple and cheap. One is really simple and expensive. One is a bit more involved and also pricey. Let's take a look at my cockpit from the rider's view, and see if you can spot at least two of them. (Hint: It has nothing to do with the three switches I installed at the lower left. They'll be used later, but they're currently dummies.)

Sharp eyes will have spotted the funny little box on the lower right. Is it a glucose tester? A graphic equalizer? A tiny plasma screen TV? What the hell is that thing???

That there is the Kisan ChargeGuard digital voltmeter, ammeter, thermometer, Ice Alert, and for all I know, the sucker also makes Julienne Fries. Follow the link and grab one from CycleGadgets.com. Reading the manual, I discover that it can be an integral part of the complete Kisan Battery Charging System, but all I needed was this part--my bike doesn't stay immobile long enough for me to worry about charging the battery. If yours does, and you don't live in one of those unfit-for-human-life Arctic states, you should be ashamed of yourself. You go to hell!! You go to hell and you die!!

This is fairly involved, but not horrible. Besides the usual routing of wires, the main hassle is installing the shunt. 'WTF is that?' cry the non-electrically-inclined. Well, measuring volts is simple...you can do that wherever you have a powered wire. You just stick one lead on your meter to the wire, and the other to ground.

Amps are trickier. You have to be 'in the loop,' so to speak. Your measuring device needs to be some part of the circuit. A shunt is basically a collection of wires that puts your measuring instrument in the loop. Fortunately, Kisan already built the shunt for you as a unit--a far cry from the days when we built our own. Back then, life was cheap and the stakes were high. Men were real men and sheep were real nervous...um...uh...OK, moving right along.

All you have to do is follow the instructions, taking care to see that the correct end of the shunt connects to the battery. That's the only thing that should be connected to the negative post--all the ground wires(including the big black one that came stock with your bike) should connect to the other end. You'll end up with a bit of a messed-up looking thing, since the bike's negative cable has a claw shape to it, but the connection will fit. There's a bunch of space between the battery box and fuel tank--more than it appears at first glance.

Once the shunt is installed, figure out where to mount your temperature sensor. I mounted mine on the acre of space on the underside of the fairing, above the front fender. You could hold a soccer game on that thing except for that pesky gravity issue.

Then just route your cables, plug 'em in where they need to be, and you're done. Oh, and if you're worried--the battery drain of the clock won't keep the unit on constantly--I checked.

The next mod is the simple and cheap one. Go to your local truck stop and find a set of Barjan stick-on spot mirrors.

The Zed has a great set-up for these--the outward-angled parts of the inner fairing are the perfect place for them. This model is slightly angled and rotates, so you can adjust your field of vision, and you don't have to stick them to your mirrors and lose half the stock view. And five bucks sure beats the prices aftermarket companies charge for their auxiliary mirrors. Cheap, but it doesn't look it.

Yeah, some might consider this unnecessary, but I find myself dicing with Phoenix traffic on occasion, and I want every advantage I can get.

If you didn't find the last mod, I'm not surprised...it's an Airhawk air seat cushion. I've been riding with it for about a week, and I am duly impressed. Now my ass doesn't feel like it's falling off after 100 miles. The shifting of the air cells is a bit unnerving at first, and it does position you about 3/4" higher on the seat. But if you ride any distance at all, go get one. Seriously. I should have done this years ago. If it can work this type of miracle on Kawasaki's upholstered board, it's worth twice the price.

We're getting closer to the Audiovox update. Stay tuned.

Oil Changing Made Simple

2006-04-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Crunch. (Why frame sliders rule.)

2006-04-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

My first brand-spanking new bike. The second one I've ever owned with full bodywork. The only one I've ever really been paranoid about dropping.

Guess what?

So, I was installing the new Bergmen oil filter adaptor (update about that later), and had Diana up on her centerstand. Mod completed, I went inside and took a nap to get ready for work.

Now, you gotta understand my parking situation. The bike goes under a tarp in front of my house. The cratered, rutted, surface-of-Mars-resembling war zone that my landlord cleverly disguised as a driveway slopes up at an angle from right to left right behind my parking spot. To get the bike out, I'll roll it backwards with a slight lean to the left, dabbing to keep my balance over the ruts.

So I get geared up, start up the bike, plug the tunes into my Chatterbox, and wrestle her down off the centerstand. Roll back, lean...it's not leaning...WTF...

I'd left the goddamned kickstand down. Despite a Herculean effort to hold on, over she went, and I rolled ass-over-teakettle down the driveway. The POP of shattering plastic was not, to say the least, music to my ears.

It's my own stupid fault. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I would suggest that instead of a sidestand cutout switch, which does nothing while the bike's in neutral, manufacturers should return to Suzuki's idea of a simple SIDE STAND light. It might have saved me from this. Then again, it might not have...I was still a bit groggy.

Readers, many of you most likely ride motorcycles with a fair amount of bodywork. Fire up Google, search for a set of frame sliders for your bike, and order them. Now. Go ahead, I'll wait. You see, that was the first thing I did to my bike, and if it weren't for those little nylon pucks, I'd be looking at replacing the whole right side, instead of a $50 turn signal. And I wouldn't have even broken that if I were on level ground. The mirror housing(ZZR's have some seriously sturdy mirrors!), hard bag and slider took all the rest of the impact.

I know, detractors claim that sliders will bend the frame if you go down at speed. My feeling is that if you hit that hard, the bike would have been totalled either way. But when you're having an attack of stupid at low speed, sliders are the best investment you can make. Recommended highly.

So, I've deflowered my first virgin--bike, that is. ;)

Mad Props to One Hell of a Retailer

2006-04-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

Regular readers will know that I'm prone to bitching when things go wrong. But when things go right--especially when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty--I'll acknowledge that as well. We all hear about it when we screw the pooch, but it's pretty rare these days to be complimented for a job well done.

So this post is nothing more than a shout-out to Murphskits. These guys rule.

I ordered a Bergmen Engineering oil filter adaptor and an Audiovox cruise control from them. Apparently, Audiovox is out of stock on the cruise unit and won't have any more 'till June. Did they just blow it off and let me wonder?

Hell, no. I was notified by email, phone and snail mail before the Bergmen adaptor even got here, and my CC was credited immediately!! (Hey, Windscreen Guy--take notes. This is how you get repeat customers.)

And, along with the oil filter adaptor, they even included Permatex Gasket Maker and blue threadlocker! Everything you need to do the job right. I got the cruise control from another source, but when it comes to parts and accessories for my bike, I'm going to be searching the Murphskits site before anywhere else. Anyone who has a Concours (which they specialize in) or a ZZR should do the same. 10 out of 10. Highly Recommended.

As for the cruise control and filter adaptor? Look for updates soon...!

Safety: It's a good thing.

2006-04-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

WARNING: No Motorcycle Content

Firearm Related Post Ahead

Hoplophobes Proceed At Your Own Risk!!!

This post has nothing to do with motorcycles. It does, however, have to do with things that are manly, noisy and fun. So I guess it fits in here, pretty much, sorta.

Well, even if it doesn't, who cares? It's my damn blog and I'll post what I want.

I'm a devout supporter of the right to bear arms to defend your body, your property and innocent people from those who would seek to do them harm. I own a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber Sigma, and the ol' lady has a 9mm Ruger 89. More will follow in the future, but these suffice for now.

There are people who are afraid of guns. I don't understand how any rational human being can be afraid of an inanimate object. Guns do not leap out of their holsters and begin shooting people at random all by themselves. It takes a human being operating them to cause harm. But there are people who are afraid of motorcycles as well, and I don't understand them either. Some folks just seem to wish to live in fear. This isn't my business until they start trying to make everything that they're afraid of, illegal. That's when I start ranting and bitching and throwing things and generally getting ornery. Your neuroses are your own, so don't try to 'protect' the world from your irrational fears.

Anyway, enough on the political front. This post is about safety, specifically gun safety.

How many times have you read a news article about an "accidental" shooting? In my none-so-humble opinion, 99.999% of those cases are not, in any way, accidental. They are the result of negligence, pure and simple.

There are four (4) rules of basic gun safety. While no one knows for sure who established them, credit for their organization and popularity usually falls at the feet of Col. Jeff Cooper, hunter, warrior, gentleman and one of the leading authorities on firearms and their operation in the world today. Whenever you hear of an "accidental" shooting, read the story with care and see how many of these rules were violated. If you follow these four rules absolutely, every single time, without fail, your chances of "accidentally" shooting someone are as slim as finding a sober college student in Cancun.

Rule the First: All guns are always loaded.

Never, ever think otherwise. How many times has someone ended up standing over a dead or dying person, gun in hand, whining plaintively, "I didn't know it was loaded!"? Whenever you handle a firearm, take it for granted that it IS loaded. No matter what. A firearm is a lethal weapon--treat it with the respect it deserves.

(Side note: My gun is always loaded, with Hydra-Shocks(except when at the range--those things are damned expensive!). There's no reason on Earth to carry an unloaded gun--it's like having a Ninja with a minibike motor in it. It might look intimidating, but I wouldn't challenge anyone to a street race.)

Rule the Second: Never let the muzzle cover anything you do not intend to shoot.

Today's guns and ammunition are incredibly stable. A case of "it just went off" is almost impossible. Regardless, if you don't intend to put a hole in it, don't point your gun at it. EVER. This removes any chance of shooting something or someone you didn't want to shoot.

(Side note: If you cover anything with your muzzle but the target, there are consequences. At any legitimate firing range, you will--at minimum--get the ass-reaming of your life from the Range Officer. If you point it at me, especially if I have to warn you more than once, there's a very good chance that I will punch you in the face.)

Rule the Third: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.

You see this stupidity in the movies a lot. Folks are running around with their index finger super-glued to the triggers of their weapons while running, climbing fences, pistol-whipping others, pulling 360-stoppies on motorcycles, etc, etc. Yeah, OK...that's called "fiction." In real life, it'll result in a negligent discharge. If your sights aren't lined up on your intended target, your finger has absolutely no business on that trigger. NONE.

(Side note: See the movie Pulp Fiction for what happens when your finger has a love affair with the trigger--you eventually end up scrubbing brains off the inside of your car.)

Rule the Fourth: Be certain of your target, and what is behind it.

How many "hunting accidents" happen when people see a hint of movement a hundred yards away behind about twenty bushes and start blasting with everything they have? You absolutely must know what you're shooting at. If you aren't absolutely sure--if you don't have a clear enough view of your target to positively identify at as something you want to shoot--then you have no business pulling the trigger. Doing so is an act of dangerous stupidity. **CoughcoughDickCheneycough**

The same goes for what's behind your intended target. Bullets travel very fast and very far. If you miss your target, or your bullet punches through your target, it is your responsibility to ensure that your round will not damage or kill something a few hundred yards down the road. This is why I prefer Hydra-Shocks or other types of rapidly-expanding bullets in my personal defense weapon...there's far less chance of an errant round punching through the wall and taking out the neighbors' cat.

Guns are good things. They can put meat on your table, they can improve your hand-eye coordination. They can teach you patience and persistence. Most importantly, they can defend the weak and innocent against the strong and vicious. But--like cars, motorcycles, fire, water and power tools--there can be dire consequences if they're operated by careless morons.

You now know the Four Rules. Learn them. Know them. Live them. Or else never, ever in your life, touch a firearm.

The Laminar Lip Install

2006-03-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Warm Hands are Happy Hands--Part Four

2006-03-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Warm Hands are Happy Hands--Part Three

2006-03-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

Warm Hands are Happy Hands--Part Two

2006-03-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Warm Hands are Happy Hands--Part One

2006-03-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Windscreen Installation And Incompetence

2006-03-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

No, despite what you may think (especially regarding my previous posts), the title doesn't refer to my incompetence. I'm innocent, for once. Really.

My Gen-Mar risers and Zero-Gravity dark windscreen arrived. Only damn near six fucking weeks after I ordered them. And I'm pissed about the windscreen. I'll tell you why at the end of this post.

I didn't even bother to take pictures of the riser installation, because it's dead easy. They really only fit on one way, instructions and torque specs are included, and if you can't figure it out with about thirty seconds of trial and error, just put down the wrench and back away slowly before someone gets hurt.

OK, here we go with the windscreen install. Here's the stocker before work commences.

The first thing we need to do is remove the six screws you see surrounding it. The two screws at the end of the fairing (closest to the rider) are backed by acorn nuts, and are a different length. Don't lose the nuts, and arrange the screws where you won't put 'em back in the wrong holes. Your bike should now look like this:

To make things easier, remove the top two allen bolts on the inner fairings. This should give you a bit more wiggle room.

Now, maneuver the windscreen out of the bike carefully, towards the back. It will come out attached to the trim panel(that's the plastic bit below the windscreen that covers the top of the dash). You'll have to do some twisting and turning to clear the inner fairing. Here's the screen and trim panel out of the bike:

And here's all the stuff under it. No wonder they put in a trim panel.

Now, take your stock screen and trim panel, and your new screen, and find a place to sit where you won't lose any rubber bits that get dropped/shoot out of your fingers/whatever. What you'll have to do is squeeze the little rubber mounts out of the stock windscreen and fit them into the corresponding holes in your new one. It's a press-while-twisting operation, but it's not that hard. Just be careful not to tear the rubber, or you won't be happy.

Here's how they look inserted into the new screen. If I can do it, so can you.

Now, just replace the screen onto the trim panel and slide the whole assembly back in. You did remember to keep your screws organized, right? Tighten it down carefully--if you crank on it like Fred Flintstone, you're going to crack your brand-new windscreen and say some very nasty things.

Here it is installed. And I have to admit, it looks pretty cool...

...but I'm still pissed. And now, I'll tell you why.

I'm not usually given to spending money on mods just to look cool. The main reason I wanted a new screen is that I've been freezing my ass off in the wind this winter. So, I ordered the Sport-Touring model windscreen. That model is three inches taller, with a pronounced lip at the top to give greater wind protection. It is noticeably different in shape from the stock windscreen.

Here's my new screen with the stock screen laid over it. What's wrong with this picture?

Yep. It took six weeks to get my order, and I ended up with a screen that's no more useful to me except for the fact that it looks cool. And I paid ten bucks more for the Sport-Touring model. I've told the guy I ordered from about the problem, he acted all confused, and I haven't heard anything more from him in a week.

I try to support small businesses, but this level of incompetence is complete bullshit. I'm not saying who it is, since I really don't need any more drama out of this situation, but there's nothing at this guy's store I can't get somewhere else. Hope he enjoys that extra ten dollar profit, because it's the last dime he's getting from me.

Heated grips have arrived. Look for an update soon!

Trial and error -- powering the fuse box, real finale this time, I swear!

2006-02-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Adding a Power Indicator Light--Part Two

2006-02-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Installing a Fuse Box Power Indicator Light

2006-02-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Adding a Blue Sea 6-Circuit Fuse Box -- Finale

2006-01-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Adding a Blue Sea 6-Circuit Fuse Box -- Part Three

2006-01-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

(DISCLAIMER: These articles are simply records of what I've done, and the results thereof. You work on your own bike at your own risk. If you blow yourself up, destroy your bike, cause the neighborhood to erupt in a ball of fiery death or whatever, it is NOT MY FAULT.)

Now, we'll have to mount our relay somewhere. I hate making new holes in my bike--drilling into the underseat tray was traumatic enough. Bear in mind that every new hole is an opportunity for a possibly irrevocable screwup.

Unfortunately, the mounting hole in the relay is smaller than any available bolt, but a little reaming with the drill will fix that.

Here's the bolt I decided to mount the relay to. Notice the two female plugs above it? They're the stock Kawasaki accessory plugs. They're always-on, with a 10-amp max load. I'll be using them for something else later.

The terminals of your 4-terminal relay are typically numbered: 30, 85, 86, and 87. Terminal 30 receives the hot wire directly from the battery. Take your inline fuse holder and attach a ring terminal to one end. This will be connected to the positive post of the battery. (No need to connect it now.) On the other end of your fuse holder, attach a 10 gauge female spade connector. This will plug into Terminal 30 on your relay. See what we're doing here? You now have power running from the battery with a fuse that will blow before overloading the relay. This is why we're using a 25-amp fuse, just as a precautionary measure. This is a good time to make sure that the wiring and fuse holder will reach from your positive battery terminal to Terminal 30 of your relay. If it doesn't, you may have to extend the wire on one side or figure out somewhere else to mount the relay. Don't forget that the toolbox has to be mounted back in it's location above the battery. In this example, the wiring just barely reaches. It's tight, but it works!

Now, get some 10 gauge wire in red, or whatever color you've chosen to indicate an always-on powered wire. (Keep your wiring color as consistent as possible, or you'll end up confusing yourself and whoever ends up with your bike down the road.) Attach this wire to a 10 gauge ring terminal at one end. This will connect to the positive side of your Fuse Box. Route the wire from the Fuse Box, down the frame to the relay, being careful not to route the wiring anywhere that it may get pinched or interfere with any part of your bike. In this example, I've run the wire around behind the underseat tray, down under the bodywork, and left quite a bit in front of the relay. Better to leave too much wire than not enough--you can trim the excess, but if you've cut it too short, you're screwed. "Measure twice, cut once," wise man say. The negative side of your Fuse Box connects, preferably with black 10 gauge wire or whatever color you've chosen to indicate ground, directly to the negative battery terminal.

Once it's been routed, you will then connect the other end of this wire to Terminal 87. This will be a "hot" circuit only when the relay is activated by a secondary source of power. This is where Terminals 85 and 86 come in...these terminals are used to activate the relay and allow power to flow out of terminal 87 towards your Fuse Box. You can connect terminal 85 to any good grounding point. In this example, I chose to use a U-terminal to connect the wire to one of the outer bolts on the seat rail. For Terminals 85 and 86, a 10 gauge wire is insane overkill--simply use 16-18 gauge automotive wire as shown.

OK...we have the battery ready to be connected (through the inline fuse holder) to Terminal 30. We have Terminal 87 connected to the Fuse Box. We have Terminal 85 connected to a good ground. The project's almost done--we only have one more wire to connect. Take a break, have a beer, smoke 'em if ya got 'em. Then we'll finish this up.

Adding a Blue Sea 6-Circuit Fuse Box -- Part Two

2006-01-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Adding a Blue Sea 6-Circuit Fuse Box -- Part One

2006-01-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sliders, bags and minor stuff.

2006-01-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

About a week after taking Diana home, the dealer had my hard bags ready. Now, every other year of the ZZR-1200 had color-matched Givi hard bags, but of course, mine was the exception. Figures. So I have the Kawasaki-brand ugly bags as shown.

Well, they work, anyway. And it appears they were built by Givi, so I may be able to simply switch bags if the mounts are the same. Hopefully someone will know, or I'll be able to bring 'em in and compare them to bags in a shop somewhere. For now, they hold what I need them to, so it's no big deal.

The next addition was a set of frame sliders, as a nod to bodywork protection in case of a drop. Between the tutorial on www.zzr1200.net and the included torque specifications, they were a snap.

And, finally, a little mascot called Ulysses.

What? I like penguins.

So I Did It...

2005-10-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

I finally took the plunge and--after eighteen years of riding outdated or beat-up bikes--bought my very first Brand New Motorcycle. A leftover 2004 Kawasaki ZZ-R 1200 in Moonlight Silver, which, of course, is the Very Fastest Color. Here's me and my new love--can you tell I'm a touch pleased?

I had this blog for a long while, and posted very little. So I'm starting again, with a different theme. This will be a site dealing with modifications, add-ons and upgrades to my bike, "Diana." Maybe it'll get me off my ass to actually update this thing more often than every 6-9 months.

Just for laughs...

2004-10-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was putzing around on the net the other day, when I had an idea. Now, I think everyone's seen the Real Ultimate Power page by now. If you haven't, go read it. It's funny.

I came across a directory of RUP Parody Pages. (Parodies of parodies...gotta love the net!) I figured that my hobby of sport-touring, and its related hobby of posting on Sport-Touring.net, merited this page.

Just dinking around since I had nothing better to do.