It's been over a week since I rode the bike, and I'm going nuts. After all the work to get her into tip-top shape and smoothed out, I gotta risk the slippery roads and get a fix. I work shifts, and I'm working a swing shift today from noon - 10pm, and it looks like there's a window of overcast but dry weather that'll let me make the commute. If it gets a little wet, it'll be a good test for the new Bell and the seal on the suit.
It's California, for Chrissakes! :yahoo:
Ride safe dude....
Thanks, will do... Kookaloo!
Made it! Dry as a bone! Forecast looks good, too. Any day is a nice day for a ride.
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 05, 2014, 02:17:09 PM
Made it! Dry as a bone! Forecast looks good, too. Any day is a nice day for a ride.
You did better than my GIVI bags, I left them on the bike in the light rain we have had over the last 4 days to see if they leaked. Both side bags had water in them today. Time to check the seals and see if I can find some fresh product that will seal better. The top box was dry, so I know where to pack my socks and underwear.
Ride on dude...
Yeah, I've been studying the luggage sitch. Can't make up my mind. I lane split, so I'm loathe to do the saddlebag thing unless I can find a skinny pair. I think the hard tail box looks goofy, but it is functional, and convenient. I'm leaning towards a soft tail bag, maybe one of the duffle bag shapes that sits across the tail, and is large enough to stick the commute one-piece inside. I dunno, I'm lovin the bike as-is, so it's all bonus from here on out.
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 05, 2014, 02:31:49 PM
Yeah, I've been studying the luggage sitch. Can't make up my mind. I lane split, so I'm loathe to do the saddlebag thing unless I can find a skinny pair. I think the hard tail box looks goofy, but it is functional, and convenient. I'm leaning towards a soft tail bag, maybe one of the duffle bag shapes that sits across the tail, and is large enough to stick the commute one-piece inside. I dunno, I'm lovin the bike as-is, so it's all bonus from here on out.
The bags come off so they are for the over night runs like rallies and this weekend up the coast. Otherwise I like my tank bag and the top box is nice to lock up the helmet and other small stuff. Now my tail bag is gonna get left at home...
Dang, I'm working both days this weekend, or I'd meet you somewhere so I could hear the real stories of the rest of these nuts. I'm eyeballin the WCR next May, tho. If it doesn't conflict with a race weekend, I'll likely make it for a day or two.
Hell... I started my FJ in the garage the other day & let it warm up, then shut her down. I do that about once a month throughout the winter. Only 6-7 more starts to go before riding season returns. :cray:
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 05, 2014, 04:04:03 PM
Hell... I started my FJ in the garage the other day & let it warm up, then shut her down. I do that about once a month throughout the winter. Only 6-7 more starts to go before riding season returns. :cray:
Oh man, that sucks. I'll stop whining now.
Quote from: FJmonkey on December 05, 2014, 02:27:32 PM
You did better than my GIVI bags, I left them on the bike in the light rain we have had over the last 4 days to see if they leaked. Both side bags had water in them today. Time to check the seals and see if I can find some fresh product that will seal better. The top box was dry, so I know where to pack my socks and underwear.
Ride on dude...
Never had one of my GIVI's leak and I've ridden though some heavy rains. I think the seals around the lids are just large O-Rings. Just as a precaution I pack everything in "Space Bags". They are then totally waterproof and I can at least squeeze the air out so everything takes up less space.
I just had a crazy idea... Has anyone fabricated a rear bag platform that can be mounted on the post that the corbin backrest mounts in?
Garth has my solution, traveling with soft bags for years has taught me to wrap it up, Use thick quality trash bags and stuff them in, the GIVI bags can leak all they want... And yes, the seals are a type of O-ring. That is why I needed to check the media in the current GIVI bag. I might find a slightly larger diameter filler to provide more compression and a better seal. The test was worth it, I was not going anywhere soon. Might have been a bad story if I trusted them on a long and wet ride.... :bad:
The O-ring joint surprised me, it was at the top of the bags. I expected to see it at the bottom where gravity allowed it to leak out. In my world of design for this stuff, if it can leak in, provide an easy way leak out.... Flapper valves etc....
Mark,
Which Givi hard cases did you end up with?
I have these two on the side (Givi E41 Keyless):
(http://static.twisted-throttle.net/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/28496d0a14ec004b76332fd2427e3099/G/e/Generale.jpg.jpg)
And this one as my top case (Givi V46 Monokey):
(http://images2.revzilla.com/product_images/0092/5906/givi_v46_monokey_topcase_detail.jpg)
All my gear was bone-dry through 19 out of 22 days of rain riding through Canada. :good2:
Might yours be an older designed case where they've now sorted out the seals on the newer ones? Do the shell halves still line up properly?
Quote from: Capn Ron on December 05, 2014, 05:53:15 PM
Mark,
Which Givi hard cases did you end up with?
I have these two on the side (Givi E41 Keyless):
And this one as my top case (Givi V46 Monokey):
All my gear was bone-dry through 19 out of 22 days of rain riding through Canada. :good2:
Might yours be an older designed case where they've now sorted out the seals on the newer ones? Do the shell halves still line up properly?
They are older bags, and likely need upgrades....
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 05, 2014, 04:04:03 PM
Hell... I started my FJ in the garage the other day & let it warm up, then shut her down. I do that about once a month throughout the winter. Only 6-7 more starts to go before riding season returns. :cray:
I don't want to rub it in, but I will, where I live we can, and I do, ride all year round. :blum1: I thought I'd just throw that out there. :biggrin:
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 05, 2014, 02:31:49 PM
the hard tail box looks goofy, but it is functional, and convenient.
I have the tail box in two sizes and run the one shown in Ron's pics most of the time... it is the bigger of my two. When I want more room, I've got a pretty big magnetic mount tank bag. I don't tour Wiz though, just heavy day trips.
I also have a backrest in place since I ride 2 up more than half the time. I like the top box since you can take it off easily, but I leave it on because it is very functional, doesn't weigh enough empty to impact handling, and (along with the backrest) indicates I'm likely not a hooligan to the LEO types. I need all the help I can get. :flag_of_truce:
Frank
Quote from: FJmonkey on December 05, 2014, 02:27:32 PM
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 05, 2014, 02:17:09 PM
Made it! Dry as a bone! Forecast looks good, too. Any day is a nice day for a ride.
You did better than my GIVI bags, I left them on the bike in the light rain we have had over the last 4 days to see if they leaked. Both side bags had water in them today. Time to check the seals and see if I can find some fresh product that will seal better. The top box was dry, so I know where to pack my socks and underwear.
Ride on dude...
Here you go Mark........................Only $3.00
http://www.giviusa.com/givi-products/spare-parts/case-components/z159r-rubber-lid-seal-detail (http://www.giviusa.com/givi-products/spare-parts/case-components/z159r-rubber-lid-seal-detail)
Quote from: Firehawk068 on December 06, 2014, 02:56:20 PM
Here you go Mark........................Only $3.00
http://www.giviusa.com/givi-products/spare-parts/case-components/z159r-rubber-lid-seal-detail (http://www.giviusa.com/givi-products/spare-parts/case-components/z159r-rubber-lid-seal-detail)
Thanks, maybe I can wait for a sale with free shipping....
"Twisted Throttle" here in the US is a good source for GIVI stuff.
George
Quote from: movenon on December 06, 2014, 06:39:05 PM
"Twisted Throttle" here in the US is a good source for GIVI stuff.
George
+1 What George said. :good2:
Quote from: Bones on December 05, 2014, 08:02:20 PM
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 05, 2014, 04:04:03 PM
Hell... I started my FJ in the garage the other day & let it warm up, then shut her down. I do that about once a month throughout the winter. Only 6-7 more starts to go before riding season returns. :cray:
I don't want to rub it in, but I will, where I live we can, and I do, ride all year round. :blum1: I thought I'd just throw that out there. :biggrin:
For not wanting to rub it in.... You sure did a fine job. LOL!
I have a dry pavement policy. I try to only ride on dry pavement. I've been out riding & had it start to rain, but I head home when that happens. I just don't trust wet streets & the other drivers who can't seem to see a bike when it's overcast & raining. Plus my bikes have mostly been garage queens all their lives. It's hard to get them real clean & dry after riding in the rain. If I need to take a bike out in the rain, I'll take my street legal XR600.
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 07, 2014, 07:05:41 AM
I have a dry pavement policy. I try to only ride on dry pavement. I've been out riding & had it start to rain, but I head home when that happens. I just don't trust wet streets & the other drivers who can't seem to see a bike when it's overcast & raining.
So I guess you won't be attending the East Coast Spring Rally? (popcorn)
Personally, I don't let weather conditions dictate my riding, `cause you never know what you'll run into out on the road.
Example: On the way to the Central Rally in Arkansas this past year, I ran through two (2) bands of rain storms that were probably the worst I had ever encountered. Similar to driving directly into a waterfall. Kinda terrifying! However... having ridden in heavy rain before, I just slogged through it. If I'd panicked and stopped, I probably would have been taken out by a semi truck or a minivan. Couldn't see shit, no tail lights, can't really see the lines on the road... water, water, water...
Just had to punch it (carefully, some car may have stopped!) and get out of the storm.
Back in Germany, I was working late one evening, and came out to a couple of inches of fresh snow. Snow! (This Florida raised boy says "What's all this WHITE shit???") Again, I just hopped on the bike and slogged through it. The dorms were only about eight (8) miles away. Not so bad on FRESH snow. Old snow with a layer of ice underneath is a different animal.
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 07, 2014, 07:05:41 AM
...my bikes have mostly been garage queens all their lives. It's hard to get them real clean & dry after riding in the rain.
Riding in the rain *IS* when my bike gets washed!
Steve
Quote from: Steve_in_Florida on December 07, 2014, 08:41:44 AM
Riding in the rain *IS* when my bike gets washed!
Steve
Yep, just wish it would rain more here in SoCal.... Dirty bike...
Quote from: Steve_in_Florida on December 07, 2014, 08:41:44 AM
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 07, 2014, 07:05:41 AM
I have a dry pavement policy. I try to only ride on dry pavement. I've been out riding & had it start to rain, but I head home when that happens. I just don't trust wet streets & the other drivers who can't seem to see a bike when it's overcast & raining.
Example: On the way to the Central Rally in Arkansas this past year, I ran through two (2) bands of rain storms that were probably the worst I had ever encountered.
Riding in the rain *IS* when my bike gets washed!
Steve
[/quote]
Had everyone who attended this years Central Rally in Arkansas had a 'no ride in the rain policy' there would have been no attendees at the rally. We all had to ride through the rain to get there. Once we were there we had the best weather that we could have hoped for. We all had a great time and rode some awesome roads.
Don't let rain get in the way of your destination.
Fred
I'm not one of those people who look outside and see it's raining and say "I'm going for a ride!". On the flip side I don't think there is one WCR that I've ridden to, where I didn't have to ride in the rain to get there. If you've got the right gear it's not a problem to stay warm and dry. At least I've always had perfect weather for the ride home. :)
Heavy rain drops hitting your helmet is a rather unique sound.
Oh... Don't get me wrong, I've ridden in the rain plenty. A dirt bike in the rain is a lot of fun.
I just prefer to keep my garage queens nice.
Quote from: ~JM~ on December 07, 2014, 02:13:56 PM
I just prefer to keep my garage queens nice.
I am unfamiliar with this concept.
Steve
Friends of mine ask why I ride in the rain, instead of taking my van to work. I tell 'em that it's just good experience for touring. The last thing you want is to be on an interstate 300 miles from home and have it be your FIRST time riding in the wet..
Quote from: novaraptor on December 09, 2014, 10:18:53 AM
Friends of mine ask why I ride in the rain, instead of taking my van to work. I tell 'em that it's just good experience for touring. The last thing you want is to be on an interstate 300 miles from home and have it be your FIRST time riding in the wet..
VERY good point. Especially if your commute is relatively close, and you can get the experience in small doses. I had precisely this experience two nights ago on my way home. When I left for work at 11am it was just a little overcast, and no rain forecast. When I left work at 10pm, I was in white-out fog door-to-door. Scariest ride of my life, but I made it, and it'll be a confidence builder if I ever get stuck in the NorCal legendary Tooele fog again. One thing I learned quickly was I want a pair of gloves with a suede patch on the back for wiping my shield.
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 09, 2014, 12:38:23 PM
One thing I learned quickly was I want a pair of gloves with a suede patch on the back for wiping my shield.
There are many manufacturers of gloves that incorporate rubber or plastic squeegee type things on the thumbs or index finger.
My First Gear touring gloves have a rubber piece on the left index finger and my Joe Rocket cold weather gloves have a plastic piece on both thumbs to squeegee the water off of the face shield.
Fred
even better idea, thanks Fred
Quote from: ZOA NOM on December 09, 2014, 12:38:23 PM
......One thing I learned quickly was I want a pair of gloves with a suede patch on the back for wiping my shield.
I have always been reluctant to wipe my road spray covered visor with my filthy road grime saturated glove because of scratching, road spray has a lot of fine grit in it.
"Rainex" or similar products will even make fog mist bead and run off, or polish it with car wax. Fit a Pinlock anti fog screen and your visor will remain clear on both sides under any conditions.
Noel