Did the dealer bled my brake fluid properly?

< Air Bubble In Brake Reservoir? >

So the story goes like this:

I entrusted my beloved Lara to the dealer for the mandatory 12-month inspection. The bike went in good condition and the only changes done was the brake fluid change. The bike came out with a mushy front bike and I took this video and asked for opinion on Facebook.

Possible Air Bubble In Brake Reservoir?

I got opinions on both sides of the fence. However, the majority seems to think that the brake system wasn't bled in a proper way.

I have no way of telling if this is OK to accept, although I am riding the bike and I sure could brake faultlessly. However, just to be on the safe side, yes I will heed the opinion and go to the dealer to have them re-bled the whole thing.

Cheers,
CK

Suzuki Bikes Test Ride Day

I remember my first time attending in a test ride event was with Honda. That was like some 10 years ago. Luck has it that Suzuki is coming somewhere nearby so I decided to went for a ride and while at it do some test rides as well. 

Event was scheduled to begin at 930am but I arrived early to avoid long lines. The staff was still prepping the course. Suzuki charted the whole parking lot and made something that resembles a gymkhana course for the test ride.

Another angle at the reception booth. Notice the supply truck from Suzuki.

These were the booths for people to sit at while waiting for their turn at the bikes. They were organized by model. One model per line.

These were the bikes available for testing today.  Apparently they didnt have the whole lineup for testing but there were enough bikes to grab my attention. My goal was to test ride the sub 250cc bikes. Not much interest for the larger bikes. (I already have one)

The much hyped V-Strom 250. Funny that they call it V-Strom because it isn't a V-Twin in her but a parallel twin. Anyway I can appreciate the marketing effort there. Given a chance I might even think of owning her.

This was a little stage prepared on the bed of a truck. The timetable says there would be talk show in between the test ride sessions but I didn't wait long enough to see that.

So this is how it looked like. People waiting under the tarp and the lines of bikes right in front of my eyes. Really, I was hypnotized by the combined wonder of all those bikes. I think for once I really fell for Suzuki.

My choice of bikes. Gixxer 150 and the Burgman 200.

So this is how it works. Gotta go register at the receptionist by filling out a waiver form and showing the driver's license. Then each is issued with 3 coupons - one coupon per test ride. Use up all three and your time is up. (although the staff did approach me and asked me if I would like to get another three coupons upon finishing my turns.)

Bike pix. Damn just look at that Hayabusa. It has a 1.3 liter inline 4 under the seat. That's like a car!

And all the gixxers. The one on the right is the big gixxer and next to it is the small gixxer. I test rode the small gixxer as well.

Another angle. Really, I think the small gixxer works wonder. It's not fast by all standards but it is enough to move my soul.

Yes you got me I was trying to photo the lady in pink. Nothing weird about her but she seemed to be the only woman who displayed such intense interest in bike.

This is the Gixxer 150. I really liked it. Won't turn heads but good enough for me.

A far view of the course.

There were many people attending the test ride. All in all I would say I wouldn't just go for a test ride but would mix it with a ride day. Just too much hassle to go so far for a total of 9 minutes saddle time. 

In my opinion this is how the foreign manufacturers beat the Japanese brands in their domestic market in the large bike segment. For harley and BMW, there isn't any regular test day like this one. But they let you test their bike anytime anyway and practically without limit. You can just go and blast for half an hour, go onto the highway if you like. Japanese manufacturers need to get better....

Cheers,

CK

Replacing the stock windshield with GIVI AIRFLOW

< STOCK WINDSHIELD VS GIVI AIRFLOW >

I have been looking for an alternative to the stock windshield on Lara for a long time. Too many choices out there and I haven't encountered any after market windshield that hasn't got verdicts from both sides. Windshield is not cheap and I couldn't make up my mind until now - spotted this GIVI AIRFLOW on eBay at a price of 120USD (including shipping from Italy to Japan) and I just had to do this. I figured the price was right and I gotta try now or later anyway. (by the way this screen is retailed at 400USD in Japan, can you believe it??)

So, this is the stock windshield. Cute huh.

The GIVI AIRFLOW comes in a two-piece configuration. This is lower shield which is the exact replacement of the stock thing.

 This is the second piece in the setup. It goes on top of the lower piece. The piece is fitted onto the lower piece through the two grooves in the center. Yes it is height adjustable.

This is the steel support that goes right into the bike side cowl fitment position.

This is how the GIVI AIRFLOW looks in action.

OK, a step by step installation that I did. Hope this could help someone, somewhere, sometime.
This is the stock windshield. I needed to take this off. It's easy, just four torx screws to remove.

Then this is what you see. Keep the original torx screws, you will need it later. And don't remove the rubber washers. Let them stay there.

Next, prepare for steel support installation. This is the left side cowl of the bike. See the shiny little torx screw at the bottom of the photo? Let's remove that. You can put this away as you don't need it anymore.

This is the installation paper from GIVI. Just do as told and we are good.

For good measures I took a photo on the right side cowl as well. This is after the removal of torx screw. Do you see the small embedded square? this is where #2 in the above photo needs to go into.

ok, so we install the stem of the steel support into the side cowl, and the top end is connected to the lower piece of the GIVI AIRFLOW like this. In case you have a question, no, the upper piece of the GIVI AIRFLOW does not get any support other than the two locking devices which you can see in the photo below.

A look at the set up from the rider position.

 I thought everything could be done with torx but I was wrong. Apparently GIVI isn't BMW, so GIVI wants us to use hex screws.

 And GIVI also wants us to take out our ratchet to tighten up the top end of the steel support. OK, will do. no complain there.

Finally, install the upper piece into the lower piece. Match the groove to the guideline and it should go down pretty easy. It could be a little tight because it is the first time getting used. But don't lubricate it for easy assess.

 Taadaaa, this is how my cockpit looks now.

 A comparison between the stock and GIVI.

I went for a spin with this new setup. The result was.... fantastic. Yes it isn't without its drawback but I got what i wanted. There was no headwind resistance anymore when the screen was at its highest position. I could open my helmet visor at 100km/h, no problem at all. And the width does a good job at channeling the wind away from my upper body. The wind blew over my helmet, my shoulders and elbows and obviously left the torso untouched. It was a very easy ride with GIVI AIRFLOW.

I did not encounter any turbulence hitting my helmet or any noise issue as well. I suspect this is due to my height and build - I am only 160cm tall and I am very small. I guess the GIVI AIRFLOW protection coverage was big enough to cover all of me.

However, there were issues as well. Above 110km/h, the headwind coming from under the windshield grew stronger and it became a stream of air that blew upward, hitting my helmet from down under. As a result I was experiencing constant small vibration in the helmet and it felt like the wind was going to lift up my helmet (although it did to actually do that). When the speed is below 100km/h everything was in order. Another issue was that I could feel wind pushing me from the back. I guess this is because of the relatively vacuum pocket that the GIVI AIRFLOW created. Still, not a deal breaker.

All in all, it is a keeper. Big smile. :-)

Cheers,
CK

Day 4 (Last Day) - 2017 Golden Week Riding Trip

May 2, 2017. Tuesday. Sunny and Clear Sky.

After lying in the tent for some 8 hours straight without any sleep, I decided to wake up and get ready for the road.


I will go empty stomach this morning because all my food was flooded with shattered eggs in my top box.
The egg case wasn’t an enough protection against the violent shakings the Super Rindo gave to my bike. Well, just had to eat something along the way I guess. (and I just searched online trying to find some sturdy plastic cases for eggs. darn... why do I just love eggs so much? How do you guys store eggs?)

By the end of this trip I have come to getting used to setting/packing up tent, preparing food outdoor, having no shower for consecutive days and having to worry about shelter at night. Getting used to it, but I have to admit it did take a toll on my overall well being. To sum it in one word, it was hard. I enjoyed it no doubt, but I also have to admit that it was hard.

No drama from the time I woke up until I boarded the ferry and rode safely home. Got home, unpacked and settled down with a big sigh. So the trip is now officially over. It ended two days earlier than what I planned for. I am glad that I did all that I set out to do: I managed to pick the lower cost option most of the time, I camped and stayed away from hotel, I covered my destinations without pre-determined routes and I was cool all the time. To top it off, I managed to ride on Super Rindo and it boosted my confidence to a whole new level (per my case that is).

This is a very good experience for me and I want to do something similar more in the future. Definitely.

In coming August, I am going to FUKUSHIMA.

Cheers,

CK

Day 3 - 2017 Golden Week Riding Trip

1 May, 2017. Sunny. Clear Sky.

In hindsight, today is my last night in Shikoku. I will leave for Hiroshima tomorrow by way of ferry. Today's highlight has to be the super-rindo. 

Rindo is a Japanese word which could be directly translated as forest road, but perhaps more appropriately as "unpaved road" - meaning it could be dirt, gravel, mud, etc.

Super rindo is the longest of its kind in Japan - a total of some 88km in length, it runs through several towns along its course. This rindo is high up and deep in the mountains, when the rider successfully climbs to the top, he will be rewarded with a view unique in its kind. 

Riding the Super Rindo with Lara

This rindo has mostly gravel section with a short stretch of cement in the very beginning. People say there are dirt roads as well but I didnt see it, perhaps those are located beyond the closed section. Only a part of the entire rindo is opened to public this year - a washout has caused some big rocks to collapse in the way and local authorities are not repairing it. It makes little economic sense to repair the road, i get that I just hope that next time when I do come (yes, when I do come, that is) it will be opened. 

I always wanted to ride off road. It's not because I like it. Rather, it is because I think it is a skill that I will need when I go on my long way round trip. I have zero experience riding off road. Two weeks ago, I participated in an event organized by my dealer, in which I got a chance to ride a F700GS fitted with knobblies on a rindo. That was a great experience. It didnt prepare me for the super rindo of course, but it did give me some idea of what rindo riding is about. Lifted some of the fear, maybe. So two weeks after, here I am in the super rindo.

To be frank, when i was on the rindo i wished I could just simply make an u-turn and go home, or at least go somewhere else, anywhere but the rindo. It was terrifying! I couldn't control where I wanted Lara to go, I was constantly swept off of my feet (the wheels just kept sliding under me all the time), the tires felt like they were pierced, the all-time fish tailing...and worst of them all, was that I could see the deep valley just five feet to my either side - all the time. If anything happened to me... no one could find me, ever. I was scared shitless. 

I tried standing up - it seems to be THE way of riding off road - but sometimes it worked and sometimes it didnt. I am sure it is just me, nothing to do with the standing method. Will need to put in more time in training.

After the rindo i spent three hours getting to the camp ground and here I am, writing this blog. It is so windy tonight I feel like if I go out of my tent now the tent will get blown away, no doubt. Yes you are right I forgot the pegs. Brilliant eh?

Tonight is my last night of the trip. I wanted to celebrate it with a dinner made of up rice and eggs. Alas, the eggs didnt stand a chance battling the violent shakes of the rindo, they all smashed in my top box and all my belonging in the box is now bathed in eggs....

As a bonus, let me show you some creepy photos...

Cheers.

CK