Motorcycle Journeys Trip Logs

Category: Gear Review

  • Nolan N103 visor mechanism replacement

    This post is more about my great experience with Nolan than it is about the repair. I purchased my Nolan N103 at the motorcycle show in November 2009 and immediately loved it. It had all the features I wanted — comfort, flip front, interior visor, padded neck straps so my neck doesn’t get raw, room for speakers.

    Difference in noise

    I have an Autocom  system with helmet speakers and with my previous helmet (a Caberg Justissimo that fell apart) I’d had a difficult time listening to music when riding at highway speeds and if it was windy I could just forget it; the helmet noise drown out the volume no matter what it was set at. Even under good conditions I would have to set the volume so high for the road that it was too loud when I slowed down through towns.  (Factor in that I never ride without ear plugs)

    Before buying the Nolan I had read the review on advrider.com that told people to never buy this helmet because of terrible wind noise.  Granted I don’t have a ton of experience with motorcycle helmets since this is only my third one, but if I’m not happy with the Nolan I think maybe I need to be riding in a car.

    With the Nolan the difference in my music volume is barely discernible whether on the highway and riding 20 MPH and I can even hear the music with the visor open. That never happened before. The simple joy of being able to hear my music just the way I like — set low so it’s in the background.

    Seal repair

    I put a lot of miles on a helmet and figure the Texas heat probably isn’t the easiest thing on them, so I wasn’t entirely surprised last spring when a small section of the seal around the visor came loose. I called Nolan for how to repair it myself, but they insisted I send it back so they could do it and make sure the seal adhered properly. I don’t think the entire process took  a week; I shipped it, they received it, repaired it and shipped it back  the same day. All of which was covered under warranty. I was impressed.

    New visor mechanisms from Nolan

    Visor mechanism worn

    Another feature I love about the helmet is that I’ve been able to have the visor partially open and even at highway speeds it stayed put.

    In the summer heat of Texas I can’t hardly breathe with the helmet fully closed, so this has been one of the most valued features of the helmet. So I was a little disappointed on the ride last weekend down to the hill country in mid 80’s temperatures and the visor wouldn’t stay open even at slower 60-65 MPH speeds.

    New mechanism in place

    I called Nolan when I got home and they knew exactly what the problem was and no questions asked they shipped replacement visor mechanisms at no cost and told me to call for help if I had any problems while replacing them.

    I did call for instructions on how to remove the old mechanisms and they suggested a plastic screwdriver to pry them off. I used a plastic putty knife.

    I snapped the new mechanisms in, snapped the visor back on and was good to go.

    Nolan believes in Customer Service

    I don’t know about anyone else, but this isn’t the level of customer service I experience when I call most places. Seal replaced for free and quickly. Visor parts sent at no charge and followed by cheerful help over the phone.

    When it’s time for a new helmet I will get another Nolan, not just because I like the helmet, but because they stand behind their products.

  • DIY Hood for Garmin Nuvi 2450

    I finally upgraded from my antique Garmin GPS V (no snickering) and purchased a Garmin Nuvi 2450LM for use on my motorcycle. No, it’s not waterproof, but I will either get a waterproof box or pull it when I ride into rain. Since research showed the smart plan is to get new technology every few years, I wanted the most economical Garmin GPS I could get that would still allow the import of up to 100 routes and 1000 waypoints. The 2450 was as low as I could go and I got one for $157.

    I purchased a Ram Mount from Express Mounts for attaching the GPS to my motorcycle handlebar. The 2450 snaps back into the frame after passing back across a roller at the center top. It’s impressive how firmly mounted the GPS is in the Ram Mount. No worries about the GPS falling out on the road.

    The 2450 meant going from a less than 2 ¾” display to a full 5” display so I looked forward to the first test ride with great anticipation. It was like going from a postage stamp monitor to a full LCD mounted on my handlebars. I took the motorcycle out on a sunny day and couldn’t see a thing on the display. Back to the drawing board.

    After a lot of time spent researching screen films and various hoods I decided they were all over-priced and no guarantee of solving the problem and wanted a DIY option that wouldn’t break my heart if it didn’t work.

    I didn’t want a soft hood (fabric) so I started racking my brain for a light weight plastic that would be cheap and flexible enough to bend and force into the small gap between the Ram Mount and the GPS. I found one DIY post where a guy used a DVD case, but the gap between the Ram Mount and my 2450 would never accommodate plastic that thick.

    It finally hit me – a flexible binder cover was the correct weight. I went to Walmart and found just what I wanted – a black plastic opaque binder. Make sure the binder is not translucent. Hold it up to the light and verify you can’t see your hand through it. Total cost: $1.87.

    I measured the GPS and made a pattern from craft paper. I used a rotary cutter and a straight edge, but the plastic could just as easily be cut with scissors.

    The most important issue was finding a way to accommodate the roller that holds the GPS so I cut 1” slits to make a tab in the plastic. The tab has to be forced under the roller that holds the GPS. Less than 1” slits and the top of the hood is forced down blocking the view of the screen.

    I folded the plastic at the top corners of the GPS and then forced the sides into the small gap between the GPS and the Ram Mount. That was it. I was ready for a test ride.

    I left fully expecting the thing to get ripped off by the wind before I got out of the neighborhood. I ride a BMW F650GS with very little wind protection. The GPS, mount, and hood would pretty much be hanging out taking the full brunt of the wind.

    I went for a 685 mile trip and the hood stayed in place even at highway speeds and in wind gusts. I would check every once in a while and make sure it wasn’t being pushed forward.

    Best thing? It blocked the sunlight so I could clearly see the GPS display. I found it’s very important to have the GPS pointed squarely at your eyes to avoid glare in bright sunlight.

    Yes, the plastic bows up a little on each side of the top roller, but it doesn’t allow light in to decrease visibility of the screen and apparently doesn’t catch enough wind to pull it off.

    Since the binder cover has enough plastic to make 4 hoods I plan to make a backup hood to pack on the motorcycle in case the hood fails or gets blown off. It’s not like it will take a whole lot of space to slip in somewhere.

    It will take you longer to go to Walmart and get the binder than it will to cut the hood out and put it on the GPS. 4 hoods for $1.87? Seems like a deal to me.

    As far as the 2450 – the touch screen worked great with gloves on my hands. I do think I’ll apply a screen protector to prevent scratching. Now I just need to learn how to use the new GPS 🙂

  • Auxiliary Light Install

    After a long, long search I finally decided on some auxiliary lights for my F650 GS. I have wanted them for a long time for improved conspicuity during the day as well as being able to see better at night. The OEM F650 headlight is pretty sad. They make a motorcycle that get take you anywhere but you just aren’t able to see where you are. I had already upgraded to an HID headlight, but I still have wanted more light.

    Power draw was a big consideration since the 650 doesn’t have the strongest alternator and I already run a lot of electrical accessories like heated gear, radio, GPS while riding. But cost was a big factor too — I would have loved to get Touratech lights but there was no way that would fit into my budget.

    I stumbled across a post about Vision X Solstice Solo 2″ light pods that only draw 10 watts of power each but appeared to deliver a decent amount of light. It was a confusing purchase because they are sold in four different versions — narrow, medium, wide and elliptical beams — and when I call Vision X two times with questions I got conflicting information.

    I decided on the narrow beam for the right side since it would pierce the darkness the farthest on the side of the road and the elliptical on the left so it wouldn’t bother oncoming traffic.

    http://www.visionxusa.com/LED-Solstice-S1100/c1_48_88/index.html

    Great. I had finally made the decision on what lights I wanted. Now how the heck was I going to attach them to the motorcycle?

    I really wanted something like the Touratech brackets, but they aren’t allowed to sell those separately. I looked at a lot of different options, talked to a lot of people, and finally found the perfect brackets at BLM Accessories made specifically for the F650.

    http://www.blm-accessories.com/BikeModels.cfm?Model=F650

    Bill McAvan at BLM was great to deal with — if they didn’t fit or I didn’t like them he said I could send them back. Bill ships them with a variety of spacers so getting them positioned exactly where I wanted them was easy.

    My only concern is they are just one more thing that will have to come off if the plastic needs to be removed, but I didn’t like any of the options that didn’t involve the turn signals and I really wanted the lights high up.

    When I was happy with the brackets I ordered the lights from Accessory Partners. I ordered the two lights, a supposedly waterproof switch (I hope it is), and their wiring harness. Not a great purchasing experience. They told me the lights would ship on Monday, but they didn’t send them out until Friday and I wasn’t able to get an answer when I called and emailed them.

    I laughed out loud when I saw the wiring harness — way, way too much wire and crap to fit on my little F650. I returned the harness and made my own.

    There was a warm day between Christmas and New Year so I went out to give the F650 her Christmas present. It ended up being an all day project, but that’s because of my choices. I wanted parts to be removable and installed connectors so the switch or the lights could be individually removed from the install.  I mounted the switch on the handle bars where it would be out of the way. I decided to drill small holes in the turn signal brackets to feed the wires through for the lights so the wires wouldn’t have to run on the outside of the plastic from the headlight area.

    I was careful to use blue Loctite after reading a couple posts where the mounting nuts for the lights vibrated loose.

    The lights are infinitely adjustable up and down and side to side — I’m hoping that doesn’t end up driving me crazy. I think I have them adjusted so they won’t point at oncoming drivers and will still light up the road  and the side of the road for me. I will need to see how they’re positioned for another rider in front of me though.

    The difference in light is pretty impressive for 10 watt LEDs but I won’t be able to really comment on how I like them until I take them on a trip and right now that’s sounding like April. At the moment my driveway is a sheet of ice my SUV won’t go up, so the motorcycle isn’t going anywhere.

    When the weather improves I’ll get pictures of just the headlight and then the headlight with the LEDs to show what the difference is.

  • Top Equipment picks for the trip

    The Good

    The top two equipment winners for this trip were my Tilt Cruise throttle lock and what someone referred to as my “side stand jack”.

    Tilt Cruise in off position

    The Tilt Cruise performed flawlessly and maintained speed each time I needed it. It’s ease of use — flip it up with your little finger to engage it and flip it down with your little finger to turn it off — made it a pleasure on the entire trip. If there is anyone who may be interested in getting one I have the contact information for the Gilbert Piccard in Montreal who makes them for several BMW models. Since my hands are my weak link being able to let them rest is critical for me on long rides.

    The “side stand jack” (term coined by one of the guys who helped me fix my motorcycle in Colorado) is an inch thick block of wood with a string attached to it. When I got the new Ohlin shock absorber right before leaving it increased the height of my motorcycle. This caused two problems: 1) I now barely have my feet on the ground when stopped and 2) the bike leans at a frightening angle on the side stand and makes it impossible for me to get the motorcycle off  the side stand when fully loaded. So I left town with the block of wood tucked in my tank bag.

    I was embarrassed to use it despite the fact I was hurting myself

    "Side Stand Jack"

    getting the bike off the side stand. That came to an end when I stopped for coffee in Albuquerque and had to go back in and ask a man to help me get the motorcycle off the side stand. Between those two options I found using the block of wood less embarrassing than having to ask strangers for help.

    Then I arrived at the Treasure of Yosemite Rally and had another rider tease me that I had stolen his idea — he had a block of wood under his side stand too and said there was no way he could stand his bike up without the block. That helped me feel less silly even though people continued to make fun of me 🙂

    The block of wood enabled me to park with the side stand a little downhill (there are a lot of gas stations what are not level) and still stand the bike up with ease, even if it is a little time consuming. Others may disagree, but for me it was a really important little piece of equipment.

    And of course — my motorcycle. She ran incredibly well every mile of the trip. And I’m sure she wasn’t too thrilled when her rear end fell off and was hanging by a thread, but she suffered through the indignity with grace.

    The Problematic

    My number one problematic piece of equipment on this trip was my MP3 player that had a variety of problems starting with charging and ending with a system error that made me fear the entire thing was fried. I really thought if I had to ride one more day without music I was going to need a straight jacket or padded room.

    The player is four years old and has taken a lot of abuse — I don’t know how long they usually last. Since I got home I figured out how to format the hard drive in the player and loaded an open source firmware on it called Rockbox and all seems to be well, but I need to take it riding to make sure it’s really fixed. Rockbox is very cool firmware with lots of options available for many MP3 players  and I’d suggest anyone who is MP3 player dependent like me check out their web site at http://www.rockbox.org/.

    I have had an ongoing problem when I add my Gerbing pant liner under my Aerostich suit — no matter how I move the wires in the Gerbing around they seem to end up over my right knee cap when I zip the leg of my Aerostich. The Aerostich knee pad presses them into my knee and it becomes extremely painful and a potential distraction while riding. My kneecap is still bruised/branded almost a week after last using the liner. It makes me dread putting the pant liner on so I have to find a solution for this.

    But I must give the Gerbing jacket and pant liner and my Aerostich credit. I rode into the snow storm with sunglasses, light leather gloves, and my Gerbing gear on. The sunglasses were bad — especially in the Eisenhower tunnel with the ice warnings. The light gloves quickly soaked all the way through, but I kicked the heated grips on high. I cranked the Gerbing liners all the way up and they kept me warm. My Aerostich kept me dry as a bone in both the rain and the snow. Being warm and dry is about all I had going for me over Vail Pass and the Eisenhower tunnel — well that any my hyper-vigilant guardian angels.

    I don’t know about other people, but any equipment irritation seems to add up over the miles. I always seem to come home with a to do list of things I want to tweak or correct so they don’t bug me on the next ride.

  • Ztechnik windshield + new Nolan N-103 helmet trial 3

    Got to ride back from Big Bend for a few hours with good conditions and I have to admit I’m pretty happy with the Ztechnik/Nolan combination.

    The helmet is definitely quieter and I can hear my music much better than ever before. Another plus is that prior windscreens were insect delivery systems to my helmet visor. I realized on the way home my windscreen was a mass of bug splats and I had few if any bugs on my visor. That is an enormous improvement.

    About half way home the wind picked up and became very gusty from the north and since I was heading northeast I alternated between and side and a head wind. The helmet and the windshield provided a pleasant ride.

    I would recommend both. The helmet is very quiet and comfortable on my head — bear in mind I wear earplugs at all times. The windshield deflects the air from helmet and does a good job making a fairly quiet ride.