tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35667610407638856412024-03-13T03:27:38.023-08:00Motorcycling the Last FrontierMe and my 2009 Suzuki V-Strom DL650, across Alaska and ???AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-44432969256956254782018-06-24T00:06:00.000-08:002018-06-24T00:06:57.624-08:00GL1000 -- Steering Head Bearings"I have not failed. I have merely found 10,000 ways that do not work." --Thomas Edison
Before wrapping up the GL1000 project for the "winter" (now that it's the middle of June), I needed to replace the steering head bearings. During my ride to Whittier for a cup of coffee (lol) last Father's Day, I noticed that the steering on the bike felt a little notchy. Since I don't AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-23667070606340941572018-06-17T21:57:00.001-08:002018-06-17T21:58:23.175-08:00GL1000 -- Ignition (and other) Upgrades, Part 2Has it really been five months since I ripped into the Goldwing?!?! I am nothing if not a procrastinator, I guess...Anyway, after a three month hiatus, I finally decided to wrap up the ignition upgrade and cooling system rebuild, since summer has now arrived in Alaska, and I really want to be riding my 'Wing again!
When I was researching the Dyna ignition upgrade, one of the common failure AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-73123366961018947362018-01-16T10:22:00.000-09:002018-01-16T10:22:51.375-09:00GL1000 -- Ignition Upgrades, Part 1
It's that time of year again, when the world grows quiet under a soft blanket of new fallen snow, when all of the birds, rabbits, squirrels and bears that frequent the woods near my house tuck themselves into their nests and burrows and dens, and when that most unpredictable of species, motocyclist insaneus, retreats into the warmth and comfort of the garage, preparing for the spring thaw only AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-2664440519109485142017-04-30T19:57:00.003-08:002017-04-30T19:57:59.083-08:00Dreams, Perspective and...Maybe Growing Up a Little?It was the summer of 1986, or so, and I had a part-time job delivering a weekly newspaper in my neighborhood in Maryland. I already knew that, sooner or later, I'd be a motorcyclist, but at this point in time, I was relegated to a BMX bicycle, which was where pretty much all of my meager earnings from the paper route went. While out delivering papers on my route, I started to notice a AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-67010046766840166982016-06-24T23:25:00.000-08:002016-06-24T23:25:17.645-08:00GL1000 Project, Part 6: It's Alive...and then Not So Much After lots (and lots, and lots...) of effort, I finally managed to get a complete, working set of brakes on the Goldwing: three calipers ordered from E-Bay (after the original set that came with the bike), three master cylinders (on the plus side, I now have two that I can rebuild :/ ), two sets of brake lines, a boatload of bleeder valves...but the brake system finally is working properly.
AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-14252037915098856312016-06-24T22:13:00.000-08:002016-06-24T22:13:57.753-08:00Animation of Some Cool Weather Near FlattopThere was some interesting weather up near Flattop on the way home today, so I took a detour, capturing a series of photos with my cell phone that I stitched together into an animation:
Call me weird, but I love riding in misty, moody weather:
Maybe it's because of all of the family trips in the mountains of Japan when I was a kid <shrug> I dunno, but while it may be more fun to AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0Glen Alps, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA61.094182900000007 -149.69745561.032765400000009 -149.8588165 61.155600400000004 -149.5360935tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-91488425615004139772016-03-09T06:55:00.000-09:002016-03-09T06:55:10.978-09:00GL1000 Project, Part 5: Brakes, Shocks, Brakes, Handlebars, Brakes, Electrics, Brakes, Plastics, and...Did I Mention Brakes?It's been a while since I updated the blog with the latest on the GL1000 project, even though I've kept fairly regular posts at Naked Goldwings (not remotely as risque as it sounds, lol). In honesty, even though I've been busy with the bike, there wasn't much going on that makes for interesting reading, so I hadn't posted much here. However, I figured it was probably about time to submit a new AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-82214410321054700672015-12-22T00:11:00.001-09:002015-12-22T00:12:40.390-09:00MiscellanyMid-winter a few years ago, a co-worker asked, "What do you do for fun, once the riding season is over?" Having just acquired the XS750 project, I replied, "There are two seasons in Alaska: riding and wrenching." I don't like to waste my riding season working on the bikes, since the riding season is short enough as is, and invariably, once I start working on a bike, I'll endAK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-82099745480165426832015-12-17T20:14:00.000-09:002015-12-17T20:17:44.845-09:00GL1000 Project, Part 4: Fork Springs
Given the intended mission of the "new" GL1000, one of the higher priority items on my to-do list is upgrade the suspension. This was also a high-priority on the XS750 project, so taking a cue from the work I did last spring on the Yammie, I bought a set of Progressive Suspension fork springs for the Goldwing. Although time consuming -- it took about 6 1/2 hours, most of which was AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-47433633739517892132015-11-26T01:04:00.000-09:002015-11-26T01:04:21.684-09:00GL1000 Project, Part 3: It Runs!Just a quick post tonight (errr...this morning!). After getting the timing belts changed yesterday, I decided to change the oil and filter for a quick and easy task to mark off the checklist. About one hour elapsed time later (about two and a half hours later, including running my daughter to a friend's house), the 'Wing had a clean, new filter and fresh oil.
The bike wasn't running when I AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-3017176679483935542015-11-25T17:39:00.000-09:002015-12-03T21:40:34.018-09:00GL1000 Project, Part 2: Timing BeltsConventional wisdom on the 1st generation Goldwings is that Honda massively overbuilt the engine, using engineering parameters for an air-cooled, inline 4 on this liquid-cooled boxer. As a result, these bikes have a reputation for lasting well into six-figure odometer readings.
However, like Achilles, they do have one weakness: the engine uses an interference design on the pistons and valves, AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-21046512958891342342015-11-24T13:37:00.000-09:002015-11-25T17:38:41.105-09:00GL1000 Project, Part 1: BrakesIn aviation circles, there's an oft-repeated, old saw: "Taking off is optional. Landing is mandatory." The meaning, of course, is that you can always change your mind about going flying, if weather, fatigue or mechanical issues suggest that you might want to stay on the ground. However, once you "slip those surly bonds," you have a finite amount of time until you must come back down to land AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-3973450790404264162015-11-11T12:49:00.002-09:002015-11-24T13:43:36.369-09:00Liter Bike!!!As I've mentioned before, my very first motorcycle was a 1978 Honda GL1000 -- one of the original Goldwings -- with the engine in pieces. Against my better judgment, I sold that bike before I ever got it running, and I've kicked myself ever since. Then, in March of 2010, I bought my Suzuki V-Strom which has been a great bike, and which I've truly enjoyed.
However, I've run into a bit of a AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-77269225579987846822015-07-06T22:49:00.000-08:002015-07-06T22:50:38.982-08:00Too Much Wrenching, Not Enough Riding!I can't believe it's already July.
Summer came early to Alaska this year. Usually, it's the first week of May before enough ice has melted off my driveway for me to be able to get the bikes out; this year, I was commuting to and from work by mid-April. The weather since then has been phenomenal too, with June being a long series of clear, blue, sunny days with temperatures as high as I've seenAK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-59381867086318354602015-06-29T21:01:00.000-08:002015-06-29T21:01:04.675-08:00Loud Pipes?I've never been a "loud pipes save lives" guy. I believe paying attention and playing the "what-if" game ("what's the stupidest @#$&!!! thing another motorist around me can do, and what will I do when -- not if -- they do it?") are the best ways for a motorcyclist to keep him/her -self safe. I've also always held the opinion that being courteous when sharing theAK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-91718487309697023912015-05-02T00:31:00.000-08:002015-05-02T00:31:25.108-08:00Wish ListI recently attended the 2015 Anchorage Bike Show, where I got the chance to drool over a number of gorgeous bikes. The variety of bikes at the show was amazing, from the latest cruisers, adventure bikes, sport bikes and dirt bikes offered by all of the local dealerships to a number of simply stunning vintage restorations, including a nicely-done '79 GL1000 that looked so similar to my old 'AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-84096266822974752292014-12-10T22:41:00.000-09:002014-12-10T22:44:17.719-09:00Summer 2014 Wrap-UpDespite the best of intentions, the 2014 riding season turned out to be somewhat anti-climactic.
Don't get me wrong -- it wasn't a bust by any stretch. I finally made it to Valdez, I got the Yamaha running well enough to put a few hundred miles on it, my wife and I participated in the Christmas in July charity ride, and Sue Zuki (the Strom) turned 30...thousand miles, that is ;) Unfortunately,AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-41865072883892410332014-08-15T19:46:00.000-08:002014-08-20T20:37:16.759-08:00XS750 Project Part 25: On Rat Bikes, Abandoned Projects and Moving the SoulI took an English class in college that was easily one of the biggest wastes of time in my entire college career. However, there was at least one grain of wisdom that the English professor teaching (ahem...) that class left with me: "A work of art is never completed," she said. "It is merely abandoned." Her point, of course, was that you can spend an entire lifetime AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-52398171213581587372014-06-20T23:35:00.000-08:002014-06-20T23:35:04.155-08:00XS750 Project Part 24: Brakes Working but Engine...Not So MuchFor the second year in a row, I tried to have the XS ready for the Ride for Hope, a charity ride in which I like to participate. The cruiser crowd is usually well represented at the Ride to Hope, with a few large-displacement touring bikes in attendance as well. My Strom is typically an odd duck on this ride, as the Ride to Hope usually conflicts with the Dust to Dawson ride, and the ADV crowd AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-25358872497661951422014-05-24T12:48:00.000-08:002014-05-24T12:48:03.318-08:00ADV Pulse Survey -- Rebutting the ADV StereotypeJust completed a survey over at ADV Pulse about whether or not so-called "Adventure" and/or "Adventure Touring" bikes are the SUV's (read "vehicles for poseurs who like to pretend they are more rugged than they really are") of today. I can't answer for anyone else, but I've taken my Strom -- certainly not the most off-road capable ADV bike on the market -- to some AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-66632700475613367412014-05-04T17:39:00.000-08:002014-05-04T17:55:56.673-08:00Early Season Ride up to Hatcher PassWhen I was a child, my family lived in Northern Japan. One of our frequent day trips was to drive to the Towada Mountains, a volcanic range of mountains, one of which had a caldera lake, with an absolutely spectacular gorge carved by the Oirase River which flowed from the lake to the ocean below and to the east. To this day, it's one of my favorite places on earth; perhaps my very favorite, AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-22154661321630641992014-02-14T18:09:00.001-09:002014-02-14T18:09:59.458-09:00XS750 Restoration Project Part...I Don't Remember Anymore -- Shock UpgradesIt's been a while since I've last updated the XS750 project pages, mostly because it's been really cold in the garage and I've been lazy ;) However, a week or two ago, I replaced the (ancient) stock rear brake line with a Goodridge braided stainless line that I picked up from Bike Bandit. Even better, yesterday, the slightly longer (330mm vs. OEM 320mm) Hagon 2810 shocks I ordered finally AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-87060556319649082892013-12-05T13:09:00.001-09:002013-12-21T01:02:01.897-09:00Fricken' Awesome!My wife recently found a video (sorry, I don't have the link or I'd paste it here) that I found really intriguing, and then today, I ran across the same story from a link at Yamaha Triples.
This is SO many levels of awesome!
Out of curiosity, I followed a link to B.A.C.A.'s web page, where they have a list of local chapters, and...
Crap. No Alaska chapter >:(
Could a scrawny (6-foot-0, 180 AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-28388820081521210702013-11-09T13:47:00.001-09:002013-11-09T13:47:47.371-09:00New Bearings -- Again -- New Brake Pads -- Again -- and a Four Letter S-WordI installed a set of All-Balls wheel bearings this spring, just before the snow melted. Happy to have replaced the "sealed on one side" OEM bearings with higher quality, fully sealed bearings, I fully expected not to need to dig into the rear wheel bearings for another 50 - 75,000 miles.
Silly me.
On Friday, the week before Halloween, I walked out to my bike at lunch, and found this:AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566761040763885641.post-86231965355066423562013-10-27T21:04:00.000-08:002013-10-27T21:52:19.934-08:00Al-Can 2013"Beginnings are a very delicate time..." --Princess Irulan, "Dune" (by Frank Herbert)
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." --Closing Time, Semisonic
It was a bright, sunshiny day in May of 1988 when I stood outside Meade Senior High School with three of my best friends, Dave Pettyjohn, Lee McShane and Mark Perry, congratulating and AK-VStromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12910944324990561810noreply@blogger.com0