Report of My First Ever Camping Ride

Good day! Finally I have had my first camping! A small step towards a bigger goal, haha.

The campsite is located in a reserved forest high up in the mountain. The campsite is called Hoshinoko Mountain Forest Reserve, Hiroshima. The camp ground is well taken care of and there are hot shower booths, toilet and running water. The total expense came down to about 20 dollars, 15 for a using the campsite for a night, 3 dollars for entrance fee and 2 dollars for a shower.

I didn’t make a campfire or bring any equipment to have a BBQ. All I had was just a gas burner and a cooker.

And plus I am not really comfortable with camp fire, all by myself. ( I have had some bad experience with fire in the past)

And so this is my dinner. A lot of sausages with ramen! (don’t tell anyone I had another big bag of chips before going to bed!)

I learned something already. 

#1, if possible get the foodstuff before reaching the camp ground. I did the opposite way just like what I read on most Japanese blogs, but guess what, it took me more than an hours to go get food. I guess this needs to be done flexibly. 

#2, i need a decent cushion to put below my sleeping bag, if not an air mattress. I did put down a yoga mat underneath the sleeping bag but oh boy, it hurts. Now my whole body aches. 

#3, A cooker is good. Two cookers would be better, and if I have a small and another BIG cooker that would be awesome! I need to have more cookers.

#4, Sourcing for water is a bit troublesome. Yes I can buy them but it would make no sense to carry around so much weight. Do you think it is better to use a water purifier? Or is it enough just to boil the tap water for consumption?

#5, Learn about the weather for god sake…. It was cold and all i had was a leather jacket with no insulation. I was stupid, yeah.

#6, If camping solo (like what I did this time), it is definitely a good idea to bring a mind fully occupied with something, or bring a lot of reading materials. The sun went down at about 7pm and I had the whole night to myself. No TV no Internet, just plain old reading.

#7, Bring an eye mask! The street light was right above my tent and I couldn’t really sleep due to that. I should have an eye mask next time.

#8, Bring some thrash bags….

All in all it was a great experience! I can’t wait to do it again actually! maybe next week? or the week after next? I really want to go back to the same camp site. I could go to the other camp site but I guess to familiarise myself with camping, I can use the same place again.

You have any advice for a newbie like me? :-)

Cheers!

CK

First Time Going On A Camping Ride!!

To camp during a ride has always been one of the things on my bucket list.

I admit there is some romantic value in it that blinds me from seeing the real side of camping, which I imagine it could be hard, harsh, dirty and uncomfortable. However, still, i would like to go camping, on my motorcycle, for one practical reason --- I am going on the Long Way Round ride! I will end up camping somewhere so might as well start piling up experience as early as I could.

So here I am, bought some gears that I think is essential for a newbie to learn how to get into camping.

A ground sheet that measures 190cm x 190cm.

A silver mat to put under the sleeping bag to smooth out the ground.

Well, a folding chair.

Sleeping bag meant for 12 degree celsius and above.

An aluminium folding table. I think this is a bit too low to use with the chair. 

A gas burner.

And a one touch tent!

Seriously I have no idea what I am doing or to be doing. This is my first trial and error is all I can say.

Can someone please give me some advice?? thank you!

Cheers.

Part 2: An Honest Review Of My 2015 Factory Lowered F700GS (aka Lara)

After traveling together with Lara for a total of 4000km, i believe another review of her is due. All riding except some 300km out of this 4000km is done with full panniers.

<Issues>
1. NOISE. I have discovered some whining noise coming from below the seat. Once heard I can't unheard it anymore. There are three noise patterns.
Pattern 1, when i sit dead centre on my seat, i can hear some whining sound like those from a running electric motor, coming from somewhere below and behind me. If I were to move my head so much to the front or rear, the noise will disappear. My dealer says they can't hear it as i claimed.

Pattern 2, there are again whining noise coming straight from the engine when i open throttle. I found this out by pure chance. I got soaked in the rain and was trying to dry my pants riding, so i opened my thighs to let more air coming in. When i open my thighs I hear the noise, and when I close my thighs the noise disappear. I believe I didn't realise about this in the past because my thighs were always firmly clamping the fuel tank therefore blocking the noise from reaching my ears.
Pattern 3, there is this rattling coming from around the engine head block. It's hard to describe how it sounds like, if you try to imagine rocking a few big needles in a bottle, that clanking noise is what it sounds like. I have no idea what it is.

2. LOW DOWN TORQUE. I know it isn't fair to compare to my last bike (sportster 883), and to be fair I have gotten used to Lara's low end torque and have since not stalled at the standstill. However I really believe for my future venture into the dirt road or gravel road riding, i would be better off to install a smaller front sprocket (to enlarge the torque by sacrificing top speed).
I was on a gravel surface the other day and I released the clutch just as always. However, Lara threatened to stall. In retrospect I believe it was because the tires have more ground contact on gravel compared to tarmac, hence the drop in comparative torque. I could have just registered this phenomenon in my head and tell myself to be careful next time, nevertheless, I think having a permanent solution is better than adapting to it on every changing situation. (i am a lazy rider)

3. GRIP HEATER. There are two stages of heating power on the heater grips. I turned it on to stage 1 (the weaker output) on a day with ambient temperature of 25 celsius degrees. My right palm and fingers could feel the heat quite OK, but not so with the left palm and fingers. I don't know if it is because i had to open up my palm to pull the clutch from time to time causing the air to come into my palm and cool my palm. Does anyone have the same feeling?





4. HEAD LAMP. Nope. Definitely not bright enough. Does anyone know how to make it brighter? for example is it better to change the bulb to LED type?

5. HANDLING. I have full panniers setup. I don't think the handling was anywhere near bad in this setup. However, when I remove the two side panniers on my way to Mount Fuji, I could tell the handling is definitely much lighter and the cornering was much more natural to the feeling. Does anyone feel the same way?

6. ENGINE. After the full throttle in Suzuka Circuit, I discovered that the engine definitely runs smoother now. There are some town legends saying that the BMW engines need to be revved hard to perform the way it is supposed to be, is there any wisdom or truth in this may i ask?























All and all I like Lara more and more. I hope you guys and enjoying your ride as well!

Cheers.

Taking A Riding Course In Honda Suzuka Circuit Traffic Education Centre In Suzuka Circuit

Why A Riding Course?

I want to go for a Long Way Round, and I need all the skills that I could get. I do not know of any riding school in Japan, except for this one in Suzuka Circuit, so, here I am! 

To my best knowledge Honda is the only Japanese manufacturer that actively engage the society in street safety regardless of driving or riding. Honda has had this training program from the 70s. It was only meant for police officers at the time but now it is opened to public. For riders, there are two genre of courses, one being on-road and another is off-road. For on-road courses, there is course for novice, intermediate courses for riders who want to brush up their skills, circuit riding course and also novice course with an extra touch of circuit cruising. I took the circuit cruising course. The fee was about 140USD inclusive of a lunch, motorcycle and protectors.

First thing first, they let you choose your ride from these Honda bikes (only Honda, mind you). The instructor kind of reconfirm my point of view towards the choice of bike. He said, the CBR250R is actually more geared towards experienced riders because of the engine characteristics. He said the CB400SF would be the best beginner bike although it has twice as much horse power. I went with the CB400SF.

And yes indeed, CB400SF was a very friendly bike. If there was a 800cc CB400SF, it would be a no brainer for me.

And so the course started with stretching exercise and bike inspection. Upon finishing we hopped on our bikes and performed a few warm up laps. Really, there isn't anything new that all riders didn't know, but we got a chance to try and do what we think we know, and we got evaluated by the instructors. We did braking, accelerating, slalom and most importantly, almost an hour of non-stop gymkhana style of training. In this training we were shown what is wrong with our riding. It was indeed very very beneficial.

 But!! This is not the only thing I came for. I came for the circuit!!! :-) The whole group of students got a chance to cruise the circuit. We weren't allowed to overtake or ride faster than the lead motorcycle because this is a cruising session, not a racing session. Nevertheless we all got to get a go at 100kmh.

My God! Lara is on full panniers and we did a few laps in Suzuka!!!! (I know it didn't sound that great really but allow me to exaggerate a little just to express how happy i was :-) )

 This is the infamous(?) Yokohama corner.

 Another shot from a different angle. There were couples, ripe riders, young riders, so-so riders and very good riders, you name it. However, all of us had fun together and the time was well spent.

And there was a guy who rides a Suzuki Katana! Man it sure sounded great. When the Katana went through the underpass of the circuit, all i could hear was her exhaust note. Very, very Katana like. Thumbs up for a 20 plus years machine!

It was a hot and long day for me. I checked into the hotel and guess what, they have beer for welcome drink!!! 

Cheers.......! Good nite....

Oasis For Riders In Japan

We riders need to rest much more than the fellow drivers, because we are exposed to all sorts of elements. I always try to get as much rest as I could while at the same trying to protect my riding schedule as well.

My choice (as a matter of fact, the choice of most riders in Japan as well) of rest station is the convenience store. For one thing I can get shelter at the convenience store, buy food and most importantly, use the toilet!

The convenience stores do not charge you any fee for using their toilet. There isn't any note that says you have to buy anything from the store after using their toilet, either. However, since a bottle of water is just a dollar, most of the people will choose to buy something out of goodwill after using the toilet. After all, one can't possibly waste a good bottle of water, can he?

Let me show you how it works. First you walk into the store. The toilet is always at the back of the store with an entrance that looks somewhat like this.

You open the door and this is what you are going to see. A basin with soap and air dryer (sometimes paper towel). The toilet is actually located on the left inside the door. This is to separate the users who really need the toilet from those who only needs to splash their faces or wash their hands.

So you enter the toilet. And this is what greets you. It is definitely clean and most of it comes with a wash-let. Meaning it is the kind of toilet that washes your backside after you are done with your business. No toilet paper is needed. (and some of them has an air dryer as well!!)

Convenience store is really a heaven for fellow riders. I even have a charge card issued by 7-11 so that i can buy stuff in the store cash-less. (of course I have to charge up the card prior to any purchase)

So, where do you find shelter on your way? Do leave your comment! :-)

Cheers.

Stranded?

In one my solo trip, I woke up in the morning already late and eager to move. And I discovered that one of the vario cases needs some realignment. Got the tools out and did it, no biggie. 

In the past I would have hissed and very pissed off, because I thought all this should just work, shouldn't need any human supervision at all. 

But now I realise that this is just something in a bigger plan, and i have to learn to accept it and get done with it. A ten minute delay in departure, naah, no big deal.

Cheers.

Original BMW Vario Side Cases - self installation advice

BMW vario side cases. I bought it online and had to install the lockset and bracket by myself. Just to share info, for the bracket do not screw tight the bracket onto the case before attaching to bike. And it is a good idea to use something to clog up the bracket inside wall (you will know what i mean when you see one) when screwing.

Another Multiple Days Trip With Lara - Could Use Some Advice

Second Multiple Days Trip With Lara

In less than 6 days I will be embarking on a 2000km road trip with Lara.
This time we are traveling from West Japan all the way to East Japan,
hoping to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji on the last leg of the trip and savouring other spots on the way.

As usual I am going all panniers. Top case keeps my off-the-bike sling bag with all personal effects.
The right pannier stores a few changes of clothe and tire repair kit.
The left pannier stores the bike cover, wheel lock, bare basic tool kit and a portable size chain spray.

Navigation is battery-powered so it is concern-free. I am still waiting for my dealer to come back to me on my order of USB power supply. Without that i am afraid smart phone and action camera could be a constant nag in the head.

May I get some advice from the dear readers, what might you prepare yourself and your bike with if you were going on a long trip? The setup above mentioned is the best I could think so, and I am sure that I am no expert.

Please kindly help a novice like me. Thank you! :-)

Cheers.

Using Garmin BaseCamp and Garmin Dakota 20 On a Macbook

Using Garmin BaseCamp & Garmin Dakota 20 on a Macbook

I guess this article serves little meaning but I will write it anyway. For those of you who are already using those on a Mac, chances are you probably don’t need to read this, and for those Windows users you probably don’t have to read this. So I will just write this for my own future reference.

Let’s start off with the most important thing: The combination of BaseCamp and Dakota 20 on a Mac works. There is no hiccup or whatsoever. 

It is required to install the map, the BaseCamp app and the MapInstaller separately into the Mac before I could get the whole package to work.

Firstly, get the MapInstaller for Mac. I just realized that I need to download the app, then click on the app to reveal the installer, then continue with the installation to really install the app on the Mac.

It feels different coming from a Windows Computer.

Then I need to install the BaseCamp, using the similar method. But at this point I don’t open up BaseCamp.

Then I open MapInstaller and install the map on my Mac, then I close the app. Next, I open the BaseCamp and read the map that I installed just a moment ago.

It will prompt me to unlock the map with a code that I have to get it from the map seller, other than that once I key in the code I could then read the map with BaseCamp, on my Mac!

I inserted a SD card in my Dakota 20, so when I connect the device to my Mac it will recognize two devices: one being the Dakota and another being the SD card (with no name, by the way).

I can create routes on my Mac now, and send it to my device and/or SD card. Here’s the catch: it seems like I need to send from Dakota to my Mac the route data first (even though those are not what  I want),

then only the BaseCamp will allow me to send from Mac to device for the routes I created on my Mac.

I found this a bit confusing and not really intuitive, but since it does work so I guess it is OK. (or maybe I was doing it wrong?)

I will leave it to you to find out how to use the BaseCamp though, since the message of this post is to tell you that Mac + BaseCamp + Dakota 20 is a go.

Cheers!

An Honest Review of My 2015 model factory low down F700GS

An honest review of my factory low down version 2015 F700GS. This could be long but I think you could justify the length of this.

I am 160cm tall with a rather short inseam. My previous bike with a similar capacity was a harley sportster 883. My view on the GS is largely derived from the comparison between 883 and GS. By the wall all riding was done solo with full pannier set up.

I have ridden a 1000km so far, just breaking in. As you can see from the photo, sitting with one leg down i could reach the ground completely. This is a good news to vertically challenged novice rider like me.

I have installed the rotaxx handle bar extender so the ergonomics is much better compared with stock. The stock windshield is better than having none, but at my height it sends all the wind towards my face, from chin and above. It doesnt create a turbulence but the wind is certainly hitting my head and shoulders. I would say wind protection is meager with the stock screen.

Another let down is the stock extra low seat. Of course it wont be fair to say this seat offers limited cushioning performance since it is indeed an extra low seat. To give it her due credit, with a leather jacket on i could endure about an hour of pain free riding, then the seat reminds you that shes there, all the time. Changing to a better seat could be a real investment.

As for the engine, it is a piece of orchestral instrument. It rattles, whines and puffs. Even a honda cb400 super four with twice as many cylinders do not make as much mechanical noise. However coming from a HD it is bearable to me. Not so sure for those who come from a japanese bike.

Performance wise, it is a mile behind the 883 in terms of low down torque. I have stalled the GS countless times whereby i could hardly remember if i did stall my 883. People say the F series GS is very learner friendly but i really doubt it, with such output characteristic. Below 2000rpm, it will lug along, below 3000, it is practical. However to keep myself happy i will gun it above 3000rpm. The sweet spot to my taste, seems to be around 3000 to 4500 rpm. At 6th gear 4500rpm returns about 120kmh. Plenty enough for my riding style.

The engine does feel very smooth, lacking the pulsey exhaust note of some other inline twin engines out there. The GS also churns out very hollow exhaust note. Pairing that sound to a fast building and dropping rpm, i find it quite entertaining. Most of the time i can just keep the gear at 5th (6th being top) and when she judders i just twist the throttle and shes good again.

The head lamp is plenty bright and wide, although at times i do hope if it were brighter. The high beam does not enhance the lume range of the low beam but just simply shines the area above. Conclusion, for better lighting, using high beam is not good enough, a pair of fog lamps would be needed.

Fuel mileage is good. A full tank returns about 330km with two bars remaining on the meter. Personally i am very happy with a range of more than 300km per tank, coming from a sportster. 300km is very important for my style of riding and touring.

Overall, i dont think the GS could do something that another bike couldnt. Yet i like the GS very much, because of the confidence inspiring handling and the emotional value I attach to it. Does it come with a premium price? At the place where i bought it, the answer is no. It is simply a choice of personal preferrence, and I chose this over the suzuki v strom or yamaha mt tracer or triumph tiger.

I hope this review will be helpful for anyone who is interested in getting a GS. I for one, think I have found a keeper.