Musings

My first bike, Suzuki GS500

There is an old saying "time flies when you are having fun". It don't seem that it has been 3 years since I learnt to ride. I have owned two bikes in that time, still do in fact. What an eventful time it has been. Owning my first bike, the little Suzuki GS500. I still don't see why it gets berated so much. It is a great first bike and an ideal commuter. Having said that when I first had it it never seemed to run right and then there was the first winter where it wouldn't start at all and was left in the garage until the spring. The little GS is now waiting patiently to be sold at my parents house.

ER6F - Great bike!

Then I went on to my brand new Kawasaki ER6F. That had a turbulent first few months too. Got it in September and then ran it in for the first 500 miles. Never had to do that before even in a car. Being stuck at 55mph (4000rpm) made for some interesting trips. I tried my hardest to avoid motorways and dual carriageways, and I almost succeeded. Once ending up on a dual carriageway and being overtaken by a lorry, that wasn't fun at all. Running in for me is a time to get to know your bike. You can try out the handling without the worry of extra speed and it is surprising what fun you can have a low speed on a few country lanes! Then December came. It was a wet day and I pulled into my local Morrison's to get some milk for work. Just as I pulled into the car park a car pulled across the parking area straight into my line to travel. Nothing I could do but dump the bike. There was a sickening crunching sound, thankfully not from me but the bike as the fairing trashed itself (not that I walked away unscathed either). Fortunately it was all low speed so the damage to me was only to my knee and shoulder.

Land's End Carpark

It ended up taking close to 2 or so months before I had the bike back but when I did I was so glad to have it back. Thankfully I was given a Suzuki Bandit 600 while mine was convalescing. Didn't really like it, much to heavy for a naked plus none of the protection that I get from my ER's fairing.

After two summers that were rained out, finally got to go on a biking trip. Five of use down to Land's End over the Easter break. It was an absolute hoot and the weather was very kind to us. Compared to the congested south I live in, the wide open roads down there are wonderful to ride round. I envy the people who have it as their 'backyard' so to speak.

I have been to the NEC and ExCeL shows which are both great fun to go too. Just waiting now to see what the new styled NEC show will be like this year. I attended the Westminster M25 parking charge protest, amazing to see the M25 clear of traffic just before hundreds of bikes go past.

ER-6F Recall

Apparently there is a problem with some 2009-on bikes where the riders boot can foul on the rear brake lever. Have to wait and see if I get a letter, although may call the dealer just to be sure. Once I know more I will put it up here.

Thanks to "Canary Wundaboy" on GB Bikers for letting owners aware of this (not even on Kawasaki's website). More details can be found on AutoTraders website.

12 volt Pressure Washer

Love it or loath it cleaning a bike is the one thing that needs to be done if you want to keep it looking good. Even more so in the winter months with all the salt on the roads, it helps to prevent any rust buildup. There seem to be many ways to clean a bike, pressure washers, hoses, buckets. With the layout of my house I am unable to get any mains water out to the bike. This leaves me with the only other option, the bucket. Not any more!

I have never really liked using pressure washers, it is too easy to get that little too close and take off the paint etc. However I discovered a non-mains 12v pressure washer. This has three benefits over a mains version. Firstly it runs off of 12v, so you can use it to wash your bike anywhere (within reason it is a bit bulky!). Secondly it stores its own water supply so no need for hose pipes. Thirdly, as it is only 12v it can't get anywhere near the pressures of a mains version. This one can get up to 130psi, compare that to over 1000psi for mains. However for washing a vehicle it is more then enough. You can also set the nozzle to go from a jet to a wide, almost misting, spray. The latter giving good volume of water to wash off the soap.

It is able to store 17ltrs of water and consumes about 60watts of power when in use. Given most bikes batteries are around 10Ah that would give you a run time of 2 hours continuous use. It gets through its water in about 6 minutes and most bikes can be rinsed twice (once before washing, once after) on about a tank and a half, assuming it isn't heavily soiled.

Of the few complaints I have the most annoying is the power lead. It is just that little bit too short. True the way I power it isn't the way most would think (see below) but even coming from the bike it makes it a little hard to move it fully out of the way. And that is the other aspect, it only comes with a cigarette/cigar light type power plug. I would have liked to have seen the option of alligator clips to connect directly to the battery, does make it a little tricky to connect to a bike.

Having used it now for a couple of times I can honestly say it is so much better then using the 'throw a bucket of water' method. It is simpler and uses much less water. Plus we have a 12v solar system that I can run it off of so don't even have to worry about using the bikes battery or the power costing me anything.

Good

• Low pressure means unlikely to damage paintwork etc.
• Good flow rate.
• Holds own water supply.
• Able to run it wherever there is a source of 12v.
• Good way to get around a hosepipe ban ;)

Bad

• Although technically portable, not something you can carry on a bike easily.
• Could do with a longer 12v lead.

Kawasaki Seminars

Well it seems the weather consipred against me. I wasn't going to risk having to come back in the rain. Not that I mind riding in the rain, but only when I have too. Not to mention I didn't know what the setup for the evening was. No schedule had been given out. Sorry Kawasaki!

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Kawasaki Seminars

Kawasaki are holding a seminar tomorrow evening and I have an invite. Hoping that I will be able to attend, although if the weather turns as bad as they say it will I may not be going! Not actually sure what it is all about so my curiosity is piqued. Fingers crossed I will find out.

3 Day Trip to Land's End

In Dartmoor

Finally! After 2 years of trying I was going on a biking holiday. Okay it was only for three days but still, it would be longest I have been on a bike. The last couple of years I had been trying to have a biking holiday but the weather always conspired against me. This year the weather was perfect. So the weekend after Easter myself and four mates set off for a trip to Land's End.

Starting from Basingstoke we headed down for the A30. Although there wasn't really a set route, we did have a general idea and our first target was Yeovil to pick up the 5th rider. I have been in group formation before but in a car. One thing I always hated was being at the front, leading. I never liked having to try and keep an eye on all of the members, making sure you didn't loose any. Still there were two of us who had Autocom systems with radios which made it easier. Also one of our riders was in a reflective jacket. He stayed at the back mainly which have me an easy target to know if we were all there.

Have to say that it was a great experience to be riding with other guys who have been at it a lot longer then myself. I was able to pick up tons of confidence in being told how to filter etc. When ever we would stop for a drink or rest it was great being able to chat about what had gone on. A bit like when we went through Dartmoor. That was stunning. The road has just been laid on the rolling hills and with some nice open sweeping bends it is just perfect. You can see right through a corner and line yourself up perfectly.

Bikes at Land's End

Of course there has to be a 'funny' which happened to happen to me. The road we wanted to go down was closed, apparently it had been a major crash. So good ol' TomTom toke us down another route. Unfortunately this did have to be a single track lane. Not a problem until a huge camper-van came the other way. Was able to pull right over to let it past, but then my foot slipped on the verge (I think that is what happened!) with the bike falling over onto me. Fortunately the verge had quite a slope to it so the bike was only really leaning a few more degrees then it does when on its side stand. However I was pinned underneath it. No damage to be or the bike, but definitely another experience to chalk up.

If you have never had a ride out like that then it is definitely worth a go. Even more so if you aren't too confident and are going with more experienced riders. It makes for an interesting take on having that solo riding experience with the chance to chat (brag?) about it after. Next time we are looking at the South of France, should be fun!

Archos 1 Vision

For the last couple of years I have been using a cheapo MP3 player. It had numerous problems, but it was cheap and done the job, just. However it recently died on me so I had to look for a replacement. I had a couple of items it had to be, firstly good value (not cheap but worth the money) and it had to have some form of navigation for the music. The previous one wasn't able to navigate the music other then to go back and forth. There was no sorting by artist or album etc. For the most part it was never a problem, it was just set to random for all the music. It would be nice to sometimes select one album to listen too rather then all the music on the device.

I had looked at an iPod, to which I used to have a 2GB 1^st Gen Nano. Apple really have worked well on the interface of the iPods. It works well and seems to do all that you need in a simple responsive way. The problem with them is the cost. I refuse to get the Shuffle as I want a screen and hate that whole one button rubbish. The Nano is just too expensive for the use I want from it, this is only for use on the bike. Some investigation later I found a promotion for an Archos 1 Vision. MyMemory were selling it with £5 discount bringing it down to £20.99 inc p&p.

With 4GB of flash it has more then enough space to store the music I want to listen too. Trying to find reviews of it though, that is a different story. There were none that I could find online, only some saying its specification and a little about it. I bit the bullet and brought one. A few days latter I get to answer the door to the postman, Saturday morning and I was still in my dressing gown, not a pretty sight! Still I pulled the Archos out of its box and the first thing that struck me was how really light it is. It actually is a little too light, even though it is very well constructed. Like most gadgets you are suppose to charge before use, however like most things there is enough juice in the battery to get it going to play. To get you going Archos have included a few music files, pictures and a video. Yes, video. It is something that isn't advertised anywhere, even a 'review' said it wouldn't play video. On the front of picture and video, it works well, but I can't imagine watching a full film on such a small screen. Anyway back to the box. Included is a USB lead (charging and transfer), pair of headphones and a CD with software to convert video files. There is no software for managing or transferring music. A reason for the being so cheap I imagine. Not that it is a problem, Windows Media Player 11 picks it up and you can simply drag the music from your library. As it is a mass storage device you can drag and drop directly to it or use any software that allows syncing to mass storage (Winamp spring to mind).

So in use the system works okay. It certainly isn't up there with the iPod in terms of slickness but it is functional. There are a few weird buttons on it to get used to but you soon do. The screen, although small and LCD, is very clear and readable although looses a little in direct sunlight. Would have been better to have been OLED. Sound wise, the included headphones work in a pinch but don't really do justice to the machine. Upgrading them shows off the sound quality which is impressive given the units size and cost. If you dig into the menus there is even an equalizer which includes a 3d setting, which I felt is the best setting to have it on. You can even define your own. The buttons have a positive click on them so moving around the menus is easy. Speaking of menus, there is a noticeable flicker as the screen refreshes as it scrolls down (see video clip below).

One of the biggest annoyances on it, which shows its reduced cost, is the hiss you can hear while it isn't playing. It is only quiet and you certainly do not notice it once the music is playing. It also changes note depending on what the screen is doing. Should you wish to use it for video, the included software does the job, but it sat saying 1% complete even though it had actually finished the encoding. Looking at the output file it seems to be a 128x128 pixel image at about 380Kbps and MPEG audio at 128Kbps so using your own encoder is possible. There is also a voice recorder should the need take you. You can also view text files on it, not sure why you would though. While music is playing it shows off a graphic equaliser. It is so slow as to be pointless, I would rather seen more track information or cover art, a more productive use of the screen. Despite it being advertised, as far as my speed tests go, this isn't a full USB 2.0 device. When transferring files I get a top speed of only around 1.3MB/s. That is USB 1.1 territory not USB 2.0 as such transfers can take hours if you do a bulk transfer.

For the use I plan for it none of the issues above will prove a problem, even the hiss, which the wind noise drowns out anyway. If you are looking for a cheap and capable MP3 play with a few features this is a great unit. It is in need of a few tweeks. There needs to be a little more weight to give it that solid feeling it is missing and deserves. The processor needs to be faster in order to scroll through menus without flicker, or the firmware needs updating to reduce its effect. The graphic equaliser needs to be removed and replaced with a user selectable option of cover art or just track information. Lastly there it really needs to loose the hiss, although they may increase the cost. There is the main thing to remember, this is a very cheap MP3 player.

Good

• Bright and clear screen.

• Cheap.

• Excellent sound quality (once the headphones are changed!).

• Feature rich: music, photo, video, voice recorder and text reader.

• Easy syncing with WMP11 or Winamp.

• Numerous equaliser settings.

• Positive action on buttons.

• Really light...

Bad

• maybe too light?

• Video and photos screen too small to be something to use regularly.

• Reflective front a fingerprint magnet.

• That hiss when not playing.

• Apparently not USB 2.0 speeds.

-UPDATE-
After writing this I have run into problems with the little Archos. The system won't list out the full number of tracks I have put onto it. Now it reports that I have over 2000 songs on it (only put on around 600!) and the music directory, according to Windows, is 75Gb! Have spoken to MyMemory I am going to get a replacement. Will update when I have more information.

-UPDATE 2-
Recived the replacment unit and this one works much better. The transfer speeds are what I would expect from USB2.0 and transfering large amounts took about 30mins (approx 3GB). The hiss seems to be less on this unit, although still noticeable if you are in a really quite area and nothing is playing. Another function I have found on it is the ability to read LRC lyric files, but when it is playing them you have to remember to deselect the auto backlight off function. Overall a good little machine for what I need.

Insurance is through!

Had two letters through this week. One was from my solicitor and the other from the insurers. Both of which saying that the insurance has gone through, with the insurers including a cheque to cover my excess. So quite happy and relieved now. Only a few more things to sort and it should all be over.

Weekend Trip

Bikes are better then cars! Period, even in rubbish weather. This was meant to be a simple one day trip to a relatives 18th party, but turned into a far more enjoyable weekend away.

This seems to be the year for me to do bigger distances on the bike! The trip itself was about 100 miles each way. The forecast for Saturday was to be dry but cold. I was fine until the last half an hour when the snow started to fall (albeit for only about 5 minutes!) and the temperature dropped with it. There was the point where I started to loose feeling in my fingers. I wouldn't have minded but I had my cold stopper liners on as well. Sure I should have a go about the name, because yes they prolonged the time before my digits went cold, they didn't stop it happening. Still I know nothing is perfect and even my 5 layers of clothing started to fail me after being in such wind chill for that time. Its not a nice feeling, that insidious cold sensation when the heat is slowly sucked out of you. Still got to my destination (after visiting some friends first and getting a bite to eat) and had a good time!

Before leaving my friends to go to the party it was offered that if it got too cold and/or icy that it was possibly to crash at their place. Rather then take the 100 mile trip home in possibly bad to dangerous conditions. After leaving there and taking the 15 minute ride for food it was soon decided to take them up on that offer! Another 10 minute ride to the party soon made sure that that was the best thing to do. Party happened and was good fun. The time drew near to leave. As the father of the 18yo was an ex-biker it was suggested that we leave the bikes at their place and he would drop us off at our friends. I should say that the party was held in a village hall and the roads were a little, er, off the beaten track. At about 11.30 the temperature was certainly below zero and again that offer was taken, rather then risk the joys of B-road black ice.

So at this point I should have been on my way home, but instead ended up crashing at a friends house. It actually was really kind and I totally enjoyed hospitality and the conversation. It was a nice thing as well, normally I would only see them once a year at another party, so it was great to be able to chat and catch up. We were graciously given a lift to where our bikes were, where the invite for lunch was extended. Again this was something that wouldn't have happened if the sensible thing had been done and the car had been used. As it had been years since I had seen any of this side of the family it was fun to sit down with them for lunch. Again I have to thank them for all their hospitality! The trip home was actually slightly warmer then the trip there. Clouds and rain tend to have that effect. Two hours or so getting home and the only good part was as I got closer to home the rain slowly let off, until the M3 where it had largely stopped altogether.

At the end of it all, had we gone by car we would have been warmer and home much sooner. However being on the bikes led to a lot of happy circumstances. Staying overnight at friends and having the chance to get to know members of the family I may never have really spoken too that much. Yes the car was the sensible choice, but the bikes turned it into a far more interesting weekend.

Autocom update

Have finished getting the parts to complete my Autocom unit. Purchased the Midland G7 off of eBay. Most places seem to be selling the radio for about £50 per unit. Going onto eBay, got two units with base station for £48. Bargain! So having got the radios I had to get the lead for the Autocom to connect it. Ordered from BikeBitz in Yatley online. Really quick service, ordered 3pm Monday, received Tuesday morning, very impressed. Opened up the parcel and noted that the lead I ordered for the radio was the wrong one. A quick phone call later and I had organised to pop into their store (was passing that way) and get a replacement. Wednesday afternoon went into the store and got the replacement. Really quick and really professional 10/10 for those guys.
Using the radio requires a change in the way that you speak. As anyone who has used PMR radios before know they are 'half-duplex' or can only receive or transmit. Where as a mobile phone is 'full-duplex' so you can speak at the same time as the caller. There is also a delay in the time between speaking, the transmitter sending and the receiver picking up. Autocom's manual suggests that you have a key-word that you start what you want to say with. So for example if you said "Turn left at the roundabout" the receiver would get "left at the roundabout". The suggestion is to start with "OK", thus you would say "OK... Turn left at the roundabout". With the use of radios there is a certain etiquette and when you finish a sentence to end with "over". Although the G7 radios have a tone they play once transmission has finished.

The range of the G7's is reasonably normal for PMR, however don't expect them to work over longer distances if you are in a concrete canyon. I would say, in a builtup area out of line-of-sight, about 200-300 meters is it.

For thier intended use as communication between riders though it works very well, with the speech through the Autocom being very clear. As long as you don't get too far away when entering a built up area they are great to be able to give instructions; or just chat on those longer trips.