Sunday, July 22, 2012

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days

Swap-meet photos (click any of the thumbnails for a larger image):


Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

West Virginia Exporation

My buddy Jimmy and I took a ride south on Sunday to check out some new to us roads in West Virginia. We found a gem!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

MRD/SSW Exhaust First Impressions



First test ride with the MRD/SSW exhaust. I have the quiet core and spark arrestor installed.

Friday, July 13, 2012

An Impromptu Dual Sport Ride

My buddy Joe called me yesterday and asked it I wanted to go ride for a couple of hours. I was free, so why not? He lead us through some of the best trails I've ridden in our area. Even though we only got in about three hours of riding, the quality definitely made up for the quantity.


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Equipment Review: GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac (Part 2)

Part 2: Battery Testing

I did two tests to check the battery life on the Wi-Fi BacPac setup. For the first the GoPro was left running continuously in time-lapse mode, taking one photo every 30 seconds. Under these conditions the battery on the GoPro was depleted in just over three hours. For the second test, I examined the "standby" time of the Wi-Fi BacPac. For this test I turned on the Wi-Fi remote and the Wi-Fi BacPac but left the actual GoPro turned off. The BacPac lasted for about five hours before it's battery was depleted and the GoPro could no longer be powered on by the remote.

Test video:



Going by the results of these two tests it seems like the GoPro battery would be the limiting factor, which is not a big problem as I have the ability to charge the GoPro from a USB outlet on my DRZ. However, in actual use I was able to run down the battery in the Wi-Fi remote before the battery in the BacPac or GoPro was used up. This was a problem as the remote requires it's own special cord for charging and I did not think to bring it with me on the bike. I may not have charged the remote to 100% the day that happened, I was charging it from my iPhone charger which may not be the ideal way to charge the remote.

Click to go back to Part 1

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Gear Review: First Gear Kathmandu

I've been using the First Gear Kathmandu jacket and pants as my go-to adventure riding gear for about a year now so I feel that I can give an accurate review at this point. I purchased the Kathmandu set looking for good all-purpose waterproof gear.

The good:
  • 100% waterproof. Even in the crotch. 
  • Venting works (to a point). I've found the Kathmandu to be comfortable from about 30 degrees F to about 70 degrees F. Any warmer and it gets a bit too hot for me. 
  • The armor seems adequate and stays in the right locations.
  • Built in hydration pack is a lot more useful than I thought. One of my favorite features. 
  • Lots of waterproof pockets in the jacket. This makes up for the lack of pants pockets in my opinion. 
  • Lots of adjustment straps. Getting a great fit was easy. 
  • Liners work in cold temperatures. I haven't tested how they work in sub-freezing temperatures yet. 
  • Durable. No problems yet and I've definitely put durability to the test. 
The bad:
  • One button cover fell off (no big deal, decorative item). 
  • Not enough venting for hot weather riding (go to mesh at that point). 
  • No pockets in the pants (newer versions do have pants pockets). 
  • Suspenders look dorky? Not really a concern for me. I'm not into fashion.
Overall, I have been very happy with both the Kathmandu jacket and pants. If I am ever able to wear this set out, I would purchase these again.

If you have any experiences to share or questions to ask, please post up in the comments!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Laurel Highlands Big Bike Ride 7/5/2012

My friend Garry put together an awesome route of dirt and gravel back roads in the hills surrounding Seven Springs. I was a little worried about the high temperatures we have been experiencing, but it ended up being very pleasant riding conditions. I wore my mesh pants and compression suit and was actually a little chilly a few times early on in the day. I didn't get hot until the ride home when I was back in a sea of asphalt and concrete. I bailed a little after lunch as I had to get back to Pittsburgh to get a car out of the shop. I want to ride this route in its entirety sometime, hopefully I can talk Garry into leading again.

Video (watch in HD full screen):



GPS stats for the day: