Kevict and I rode to Lake Nacimiento where we met the very smart wives, who drove there in a warm car. We camped. We came back. Full write-up to come.
Rough overview: It was freezing, it was fun, and part way there, the GS got sleepy and needed a bit of a […]
The Incredibly Understanding Wife (IUW) is more “I” than ever before! Well, okay, she isn’t more incredibly. That makes no sense. She is more incrediBLE.
Why, you ask? (Do it, ask.)
Because she got on the back of the GS, and let me pilot her from La Honda out to the coast, down […]
With Kevict’s new-to-him 1988 KLR 650 and my new R1150GS both screaming out to see some dirt, Kevict and I set out in the coastal mountians near my house in search of some unpaved pathways.
Seems that Gazo’s creek road turns dirty and leads to a secondary entrace to Butano state park. Nothing too challenging, […]
2001 BMW R1150GS - 43,000 miles, 43,000 pounds, 43,000 times more fun than sportbikes
As I tend to do, I have recently become preoccupied by the idea of a new BMW. This time however, the manifestation of my longing has only two wheels instead of four. I don’t know how it happened, […]
After 8 track days this year with Speed Research, and I have learned a ton. Primary amongst those lessons is, “Don’t open the throttle all the way when you are still fully leaned over.” My scratched fairing, broken shift lever, and scuffed leathers will remind me of that learning experience for some time.
Another […]
After swapping the stock fork from my 2006 SV1000s for a 2005 GSX-R 600 unit, I took the bike to the track and had it professionally set up by a track-side suspension expert. The spring rate and oil weight (described in the swap article linked above) were spot-on, and the shorter overall length of the […]
2005 GSX-R 600 fork and caliper swap onto 2006 SV1000s
Installing an upside down fork and radial calipers on a 2006 SV1000s is something many owners are interested in doing. Having just completed this swap myself, I can say with complete assurance that the actual work is quite simple, providing you start with the correct […]
After removing the stock exhaust from my SV1000S and replacing it with a Yoshimura 3/4 system, I have to say, the stock system is a mess.
Have look at the pictures below and imagine you are a molecule of combustion gas trying to escape an engine through the labyrinth of flattened, bent, twisted and hideously ugly […]
The stock exhaust on the SV1000S definitely gives the bike some of its “big twin” character, thanks to the dual pipes - but the sound from those pipes does not do justice to the motor, and the pipes are so low and wide as to severely limit cornering clearance at the track.
To remedy this, I […]
After having crashed my SV650 on track due to a nasty headshake, I was determined to never again get a bike without some kind of steering damper installed. The SV1000S had such a damper, and I was therefore reassured that horrific headshake would be less likely to toss me off.
Well, turns out that after […]