RMZ250 front end swap

It's no secret the stock DR650 suspension --both front and rear-- is comprised of pretty low budget components. Last winter I bought some stiffer fork springs:  Eibach .50 Kg/mm straight rate (stock springs are progressive .43 Kg/mm). That $100 upgrade helped to tighten things up a little, along with fresh 10W fork oil. However, there was still no compression or rebound damping adjustment, because the DR's forks are old-school, old-tech, el-cheapo damper rod forks. Suzuki was so cheap they didn't even provide preload adjusters on the fork caps, so even setting sag height required removing the caps and using a shorter or longer spacer... how convenient!

Anyway, after trail riding all year I've been toying with the idea of installing Race Tech's cartridge emulator valves, but they're a lot of work to install, and making adjustments to them once they're in place is way too much effort. Plus there's the $200 cost.

I also considered Ricor-Racing Intiminators. They're a little "gimickey" if you ask me. And I did purchase them for my last bike, the '07 SV650S... at first I thought they were great but after a few weeks of riding on them the novelty wore off and I wished I had just done the popular GSXR from end swap that all the cool SV riders do. They're pretty simple to install, but again, there's no adjustment. That's another $200 I didn't want to spend.

So I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on a set of RMZ forks. After having read the details of a few folks at ADVRider who have done the swap, it's pretty much a bolt-on solution because it doesn't require any custom machining. Lots of other forks can be adapted but it usually involves pressing out the steering stem, machining the triple clamps, or other fabrication work. The RMZ is comparatively easy, much like a paint-by-numbers project. And RMZ forks are plentiful on eBay but prices are high for the ones worth buying. Cheaper ones are usually worn out, or being sold separately from the triple clamps, etc. Then I happened to run across an ad at ThumperTalk for a complete 2007 RMZ250 that was being parted out because the engine had grenaded and was going to be too costly to repair. The ad was nearly 3 weeks old and I figured the forks would be long gone. To my suprise, the seller replied indicating the entire front end was still available, even the entire front wheel assembly. And it's all in top shapre mechanically and cosmetically... The price was $500 for all of it, and he lives barely 1.5 hours away. Holy shit, this is exactly what I've been looking for.

So today I drove down there and grabbed it all. I could have re-used my DR wheel and larger brake rotor, but that would involve changing out the wheel bearings. This wheel is in perfect condition so I couldn't pass it up. I've got the complete front end, in its entirety.

I will also need to do something with the rear suspension. I've already done the rear spring (a heavier Eibach 7.8 Kg/mm). That helped a bit, but I wish there were some way to adjust rebound damping (there is a compression damping adjuster). I may send it away to Cogent Dynamics to have it re-valved and a rebound damper adjustment added. I may also just buy a Race Tech kit and install that myself. Decisions, decisions.

 

2007 Suzuki RMZ250 front end

Review: GoPro HD Hero 960 video camera

I've read all kinds of great things about GoPro's Hero cameras and I finally decided to get my own. In the short time I've had my Hero, I gotta say I'm a little disappointed. First, I'll explain a bit about the camera, then I'll get to my opinion.

I purchased my GoPro HD Hero 960 video camera from PointOfViewCameras online store. The 960 is a new model, essentially the same as the latest, greatest HD Hero 1080 model, but with a few features missing. This makes it about a hundred bucks cheaper. The video recording resolution is the main difference between them:

The expensive HD Hero 1080 can record in these modes:

    1080p: 1920x1080 pixels, 30 fps, 12  Mbit/s data rate
     960p:  1280x960  pixels, 30 fps, 10  Mbit/s data rate
     720p:  1280x720  pixels, 30 fps, 7.5 Mbit/s data rate
     720p:  1280x720  pixels, 60 fps, 15  Mbit/s data rate


while the cheaper HD Hero 960 records in these modes:

      960p:  1280x960  pixels, 30 fps, 10  Mbit/s data rate
      720p:  1280x720  pixels, 30 fps, 7.5 Mbit/s data rate
    WVGA:  848x480   pixels, 60 fps,  8   Mbit/s data rate
When comparing the 1080 model alongside the 960, they share the same wide angle lens (170 degree viewing angle), the same rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the same 5 MegaPixel still photos, yada, yada, yada. The 1080 model also has support for some yet-to-be-released accessories from GoPro that will clamp onto the back of the camera via the battery access door, including an LCD panel to show you what your recording and to review photos and videos, and an auxiliary battery pack. Basically, the 960 won't support these non-existent accessories.


I paid $179 plus the standard 13% taxes for the camera, and that included free ground shipping, which took about a week from Vancouver to Ottawa. Also included was a bonus 4GB SD memory card. It came with the standard selection of mounts.  See photo:

I'm rather disappointed with the mounts... that's one of the things people always rave about when it comes to GoPro cameras: the mounting options are supposed to be endless. Well, there maybe countless ways to mount the camera using the plastic parts supplied, but the mounts basically suck ass, in a really big way. They feel cheap and flimsy, you can't screw the little plastic knobs tight enough with your fingers to actually hold the camera securely (when mounted on the bike, my thumper's vibrations shake the damn camera all over the place, and if I loft the front tire in the air, the camera shakes violently upon landing).

With the sticky 3M two-way tape on the two supplied "adhesive mounts" you get only one chance. Stick them and leave them... they can't be moved again. I stuck the curved mount on the side of my gas tank but it vibrates all to Hell in that location. I would have stuck it on my helmet but I couldn't get it to fit the contour of my Shoei Hornet DS properly but I found the shape of my IMS gas tank to be quite close to the contour of the curved mount. So after having wasted the curved mount, I decided to think harder before wasting the flat adhesive mount and came up with this:

RAM mount for camcorder or camera.

 

I stuck the flat adhesive mount to a round camera RAM mount, and for added security, I ran a bead of silicone around the outside edge. I thought this mount would be the most secure... I clamped it onto the RAM ball mount I have on my handle bars (which I normally use for my Garmin Oregon GPS) but still, the damn camera vibrates all over the place. I'm not afraid of it falling off, it just annoys me to no end when I see the video shaking during play back. 

I even spent another $20 on my order to get a GoPro's own handle bar / seat post clamp mount... This cheap piece of crap is probably only worth $2 but some how they sell it for $20.  Again, it's cheap, flimsy plastic and it doesn't hold tight enough to handle the rough treatment it receives on the handlebars of a big thumper. A mountain bike maybe, but it can't take the vibes from my bike.

I have yet to try the head strap mount but I see no point. It's not meant to be worn over a motorcycle helmet so I really have no use for it. 

I have looked at the chest mount strap but at $50 I'm not about to get suckered into that. I've thrown good money after bad on other things before and I've learned my lesson. Remember that saying: "quit while you're ahead." 

On the positive side, the quality of the video is respectable. Not awesome, but not bad. 

Here's a sample. The higher the engine revs, the worse the camera shows the vibrations. This is using the $20 GoPro handlebar mount.




And here's a sample of the camera secured to the
handlebars with my RAM mount

Conclusion: While the camera itself seems to be a reasonable piece of gear for under $200, it's not worth shit if I can't figure out a way to mount it securely to my motorcycle. I've basically come up with 3 possible solutions:

1) dream up a mount that uses a rubber vibration damper (some type of rubber mount where it bolts/clamps onto the bike);

2) mount the camera on myself somehow because my body doesn't vibrate as much as the bike (I'm trying to buy another curved adhesive mount to try again on my other helmet but I'm not going to by a big bag of mounts). However, I'm really not interested in wearing the camera on my body or on my helmet -- I bought it to mount on my motorcycle;

3) sell the damn thing on eBay and find another camera solution.

Oh, before anyone asks if I used that silicone swimmer's nose-plug thing-a-ma-jig in the mount base, yes, I did. That thing isn't designed to absorb all the vibrations, rather, it's meant to stop the camera from wobbling around loosely in its mount. The problem I've seen is an issue that stems from the massive engine vibrations that big, single-cylinder thumpers are known for. If my bike had a sewing-machine-smooth inline-4 engine, then my impression of this camera would probably be very different.

Dirt bikin' with Dave

Dave had a few days off in the middle of the week, and I figured I was due for a sick day. So we loaded the bikes onto my newly-made trailer and we headed towards Pakenham. It was a slow start in the morning and we didn't hit the trails until noon, but it was a nice sunny day. Couldn't have asked for nicer weather for this time of year. Still some snow in the woods from the 3-4 inches that fell last weekend, and some of the puddles were covered with ice, but it was perfect riding weather.

Here, we stopped for coffee at Starbuck's

Unloading the bikes between Almonte & Pakenham

The trailer I made

Testing out my new GoPro 960 camera

Michelin T63 tires - tread wear update

OK, here's an update on my favourite tires.  With just under 5,000 Kms on them, these are the best value I've ever had for $55 a piece.

I removed the screw from the rear tire and replaced the tube. Yes, it's worn now, but there are still one or two-thousand Kms left, and the front tire is barely 1/2 worn.

Brand new Michelin T63

Tread depth 10mm.

after 1,750 Kms

after 2,500 Kms

after 4,800 Kms. 

Tread depth is about 5-6mm.

When I re-installed the tire following Monday's flat, I flipped the tire so that the slanted wear of the knobs are now facing the other way. This will help to even out the knobs during the last miles left in this great tire. I hoping the real winter snow and cold will hold off to allow me a few more weeks of commuting. If I can make it 'till Christmas then I'll toss this tire and mount a new one. I expect to have about 6,000 Kms on it by then.

Very pleased with this tire given the price tag. I've abused it to no end on the street, accelerating hard all the time, wheelies every chance I get on city streets. Not a nice way to treat a knobby.

I've got a new set of T63's in the basement!

Flat tire

Well, I got to try out my trailer today after all...

Rode to work. At lunch, I was going to zip home and discovered my rear tire was flat. So, I stayed around the office for lunch and asked a few people until I found a mini bicycle pump to borrow from a co-worker (thanks, Grant). At quitting time, I managed to pump it up to ~25 psi after about 8 million pumps. My arm was ready to fall off. I headed for home immediately, and planned to stop at a service station with a real air compressor pump just in case. By the time I got there (about 2 Kms) the tire was nearly flat. I pumped it up to about 30 psi and rode about another 1.5 Kms before it was completely flat.  At that point I was running out of time because I was on my way to meet my kids' school bus. I parked it on a quiet side street and quickly flagged down a taxi. Made it to the school bus stop just in time.

A short while later, I packed the kids into the van and hooked up the trailer. Brought the bike home and pulled the rear tire off. I've got a new Michelin T63 in the basement, plus a new heavy duty tube. I'll tackle that tomorrow evening because now I'm having a beer.

Loaded on the trailer. A little tricky when you're doing it alone.

A rusty drywall screw.

snow for Hallowe'en

Was supposed to go riding with Dave today. Yesterday was pretty soggy so we decided to plan for a Sunday ride instead because the forecast looked a little better. However, last evening the rain changed to snow and we got a couple of inches. By morning, it was beginning to melt, but it was barely a degree above freezing. With all of yesterday's rain, and the wet snow on the ground this morning, we abandoned our plan.

Our plan was to test out my new trailer and haul the bikes to Calabogie. Although it rained all day yesterday, I did bolt down the two tire tracks to the frame of the trailer.  These are actually galvanized steel commercial cable tray (the kind of rack used to support data, voice, and electrical wiring in commercial buildings -- it's suspended from the ceiling and cabling lies in the rack). I bought it from a local recycler for about $12-$20 each. I bought one narrow section (4.5" wide) and a wide one (7.5").  Quite sturdy.

This is what the weather was like at 9pm Saturday evening.

By noon on Sunday, the snow had melted off the road and the asphalt was beginning to dry up.

Hopefully Dave and I will have another opportunity to ride a few trails before winter really hits. Fingers crossed.