Me and My HD Ghost

One of the side goals of P2P is to capture footage of the ride. I'll be crossing through some magnificent scenery and I want to capture it right.

In looking around for an action video camera (vidcam), I settled on the Drift HD Ghost. It's not the market leader, but if you read all the user reviews, you'll see that it doesn't have all the quality issues that come with GoPro.

The Drift HD Ghost is a sweet little unit. It's solid, compact and bullet shaped. This is more appealing to me than the other vidcams on the market. Since I'll be using it mainly for riding, being aerodynamic is a plus.

My Drift HD Ghost gear.

What you see in the photo to the right is pretty close to what you get out-of-the-box with a Drift HD Ghost purchase. Everything in the photo (starting upper-right and going clockwise):

• Remote control and wrist strap. The colored lights let you know it's on and recording
• The HD Ghost. LCD screen and four-button controls along the top
• Microphone. Purchased extra
• Bar mount. Purchased extra
• Camera mounting clip

The unit comes with a couple mounting clips. With the HD Ghost mounting clips, you really are making a commitment since they have a strong adhesive and bond to whatever they come into contact. 

I have yet to try the microphone. I bought it because the HD Ghost mic is overwhelmed by wind noise at high speeds.

In view: the black clip on the helmet
and on the top of the side case.

For my current set-up, I've chosen the right side of my helmet and the right side case of my Tiger. Each has its positives and negatives:

• Helmet
• Pros: Stable footage and POV angle
• Con: Lots of wind noise
• Side Case
• Pros: Great off-center view of the ride. Engine is audible.
• Cons: Side case doesn't absorb road vibration very well and the camera can get knocked loose

See for yourself what I mean about the pros and cons in the raw footage below. 






By now, most folks have seen my Glacier National Park video, which you can see here. Here's another example of footage from the side case angle:




One thing I still want to do is experiment with other mounting options. This guy has some great ideas on shooting motorcycle footage.

Can You Hear Me Now?

By now you've read my thoughts on safety. Most of my gear decisions are based on protection and visibility (Hello, orange helmet!). Being heard is just as important, especially when you're in the blind spot of a car at 70 miles an hour.

There are three ways to make yourself heard when you're on a motorcycle:

1. Honk your horn
2. Rev your engine
3. Scream real loud

The second one works well when riding a Harley Davidson, but not as much when you're on a touring bike.

The third one is iffy because you're competing with car noise, radios, conversations, traffic, and in the case of full-face helmets, your own head protection.

It's the first one I'm focusing on with this post.

PIAA horn: NIB. Stock horn on the right.

Since most bikes come with stock horns that serve their purpose and not much else, I replaced the stock horn on my 2009 Triumph Tiger 1050 with a PIAA Slim-Line Sports Horn. This was my second attempt; during the first attempt, the horn stopped working, but the guys at I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah and the PIAA distributor took care of me and gave me a free replacement.

On the '09 Tiger 1050, the horn is mounted right between the front fork. It's an ideal position for projecting sound and just a little tricky for replacement. I had to be really patient with the 12mm wrench--no full rotations here--each time I loosened and tightened the bolt. 

Triumph gives you just enough wire.

There's also two extra wrinkles in replacing horn on my Tiger; the stock wires are just long enough to reach the stock horn, and the mounting bolt is off-center near the left fork. To work within these restrictions, I had to carefully, very carefully, pivot the Slim-Line mounting arm to a position where I could thread the bolt through, get the wires to reach their connectors, and get the wrench in to tighten the bolt. This is probably not unusual for mechanics, but for a guy who doesn't spend a lot of time under the hood, it was a little nerve-wracking.

Rubber washers and
blue lock are extra.

The Slim-Line comes out of the box ready to mount--it's plug-and-play--but I wanted a little extra security in the installation, so I inserted rubber washers on each side of the mounting arm through the mounting bolt (to absorb vibration), and dropped a little blue lock on the threads of the bolt for an extra grip. Probably not necessary, but it didn't seem to hurt.

Since the last time I tried this I made a bit of a mess, the PIAA rep suggested that this time I mount the horn and then attach the wires. That seemed to do the trick because the horn worked on the first try.

Check out the video below to hear the difference between the two horns.

The PIAA Slim-Line Sports Horn currently sells for about $65.

Sometimes you just can't avoid stupid

So this thing about safety: I find that it's never really over-rated. Whether on a motorcycle on the highway, or in a car in city traffic, accidents happen. And with the advent of action video cameras (vidcams), a lot more motorcycle accidents are getting captured and uploaded to the Interwebs. Take this video for example:

Each crash makes me wince. Especially the ones you can see coming a mile away. Each crash reinforces for me the need to wear a helmet and protective gear. Each one practically screams: go easy on wet pavement, don't do stunts, always look out for the other guy, don't split lanes" (Sorry California, but splitting lanes is just stupid), and don't ride motorcycles in Asia.

Required gear for the road: coffee, protein,
maps, and Shoei RF 1100.

On my ride to Glacier National Park last year, I noticed that Idaho and Montana don't have helmet laws. Sure, it can get hot riding on a summer day, but one bad accident can cause more harm than ruining your day.

So, not to be too much of a bummer of a posting, I'm closing out with my video from the Glacier ride. Thank you, Boston! Enjoy!

Class Act

1) Safety
2) Comfort
3) Style

This is the order I use for making my gear choices.  So when I head out next Spring for my cross-country journey, I'll be loaded up with gear that's been acquired with these priorities in mind.

In switching from a cruiser to a dual-sport bike, I joined a new class of riders. You see, within the motorcycling community there are different classes of bike types, and each has specialized types of gear. You can read about the different types here.

Mix, match, and Mojo.

So far, I've managed to avoid committing to one class of gear. What I wear has been a kind of mish-mash; a textile jacket, combined with jeans, leather chaps, and Army swamp boots. But the more I get into touring, the more I find myself gearing up to suit the ride.

My previous bike; the Suzuki Volusia, was a cruiser, but I never bought a leather jacket until last year. Before that, I wore textile jackets. The first was a Fieldsheer Mach 1. Plenty of armor and extremely lightweight. Perfect for summer riding in Virginia. But it wasn't so waterproof or warm, and after a few years got a little snug across the waist. If I have to suck in my gut to zip up a jacket, it's time for a new jacket.

So next I picked up a 3-season Teknic textile jacket. I still have it and up until recently was my primary riding jacket. It's a great cover for tour-style riding. It's really comfortable, and warm and dry. But it's showing its age along the piping. It's also black. Since I tend to be the slightly nervous type, I had been thinking of a replacement for a while with something that's easier to see.

A hornet snacking on the remains of
something during a stop in Kalispell, MT.

The newest jacket I picked up specifically for this trip. The First Gear Kilimajaro is a serious motorcycle jacket. It's all-season and waterproof. Armored. White. Yeah, I know. It's white.

I try to avoid all white clothing because I'm a chronic spiller. Plus, when you're out on the road in the summer, you tend to collide with flying objects; small rocks and bugs. When I traveled last August to Glacier National Park in Montana, the hornets would swarm my bike at each stop--they really honed in on the 'protein' that stuck to the front of my bike. Knowing that I'll be riding into a lot bugs as I cross the country, I full-well expect to resemble a Jackson Pollock painting by the time I hit Iowa.

One last note about jackets: last fall I picked up a BMG leather jacket. Armored and good-looking, I can wearing it on the bike or off (without looking like a doofus). It will stay home for this trip.

For pants, I've been wearing jeans for years. Namely, an extra-long pair of Northeast Outfitters from Dick's Sporting Goods. No padding, but they're long so I avoid the cold breezes up the leg. That was really important with the feet-forward Suzuki cruiser. I tried the waterproof pullovers a couple times; Frog Togs. But they aren't worth the money in my book; always ripping or getting holes burned in them from the engine.

Recently I picked up a pair of cold weather and waterproof Tour Master Venture pants. I like the feel of the armor and extra layers to stay warm. But when I wear jeans under them, the denim and the overpants bunch up behind the knees, which causes a fair amount of discomfort. I have to stretch my legs while riding more often. I still need to try them wearing shorts, and also with the liner removed. I'm already making mental notes for stretch stops along the P2P ride.

EDD: Early May

So the other day I was riding my Tiger back home from the shop. Fresh brakes installed and breaking in at every red light. The ride was less than 10 miles and along some beautiful scenery; the eastern side of Lake Sammamish. It was a beautiful day of blue skies, sunshine, and high temperatures.

My Tiger parked above the Columbia River in Eastern Washington.

Now, for those of you who do not live in the Pacific Northwest, high temperatures includes anything over 70 degrees. Live here long enough after living anywhere else and your body becomes acclimated to narrow temperature fluctuations--it's neither really cold nor really hot. And when it is, you feel it.

So there I was, riding in a short-sleeve shirt feeling might toasty, when it occurred to me that my Puget-to-Potomac run is planned for next summer. That's not a problem for here, but crossing the Midwest and into the Mid-Atlantic states in late June or mid-July will probably wilt me.

Don't even get me started on the humidity.

Portrait of my father and my grandfather's medals displayed
during last year's Veteran's Day ceremony at school.

So, in sharing my concerns with Cece, she came up with the great idea of arriving in DC for Memorial Day in time for Rolling Thunder. Brilliant. I leave Seattle in mid-May under probable cool, gray skies, and arrive in DC to the last bloom of cherry blossoms and one of the largest annual congregations of motorcyclists in the country. I've never ridden in Rolling Thunder, so it would be a great cap to the journey.

And as Rolling Thunder is the annual ride to remember our soldiers who fell in combat or are missing, I can also combine it with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, to visit the tombstones of my father and grandfather.

So right now, the estimated departure date (EDD) is mid-May. 

Next up, staying warm and dry.

Dems da Brakes

One of the advantages of mapping out this trip so far in advance is that I can spread out my expenses over the course of the year. One big expense that I just had to invest in was new brake pads for the Tiger.

At the end of the road on Mt Baker.

The bike was purchased used last year. It's a 2009 and had about 9,000 miles on it. When I got it checked out by my mechanic (I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah), he gave me about 2,000-3,000 miles to go before the brakes needed to be replaced. Sure enough, the warning squeaks started kicking on my trip back from Mt Baker last month.

Replacing brake pads on a motorcycle is something that most mechanically-minded riders could handle during a w
eekend afternoon. But then, I'm not mechanically-minded and the weekend afternoons are meant for riding.

To replace the pads, the mechanic needed to pull off the disc brake from the tire, pull apart the brakes, insert the pads and then reattached. Here's a video from the UK in which the narrator replaces the brake pads on an old Tiger. I'm more than happy to have a professional do this for me.

What I need is a motorcycle maintenance class. This would save me some money in the long run. Plus, it would provide a sense of Zen.

However, I did get a free popsicle when I picked up the bike.

So one key tip I picked up from the mechanic is that in contrast to new tires (bought those last year), which can be a little slippery for the first hundred miles, new brake pads can make stopping somewhat abrupt.

Mapping The Route

Surprisingly, the easiest part of the trip has been mapping out the route. There aren't a lot of options for heading east from Seattle without adding a lot of unproductive, butt-sore, riding to the trip. The goal is to enjoy the journey--don't rush and don't waste too much time.

The first couple days will be easy: head east on I-90 through Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Once I get to Wyoming, I'll take the first planned detour: Devil's Tower National Monument. This place has been a fixture in my imagination since Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and has carried on to my present family life. We still make jokes at dinner whenever mashed potatoes are served, whispering, "this means something."

From DTNM, I'll take my next detour to Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. This will actually be a real test to see if I can relax for a couple days, do some sight-seeing, and not feel the need to rush east. It'll be important to build up my energy because the next leg of the trip is the hardest: South Dakota to Iowa.

I don't have a lot of expectations for this leg of the journey, yet. The map suggests long and straight roads. This can become boring if not managed right, and boring leads to sloppy riding. 

From Des Moines, the next planned stop will be around Indianapolis. I'd go directly to Columbus if I could but that's a long day to push it. It will be good to be back on campus at Ohio State, but that might need to wait a day.

The drive from Columbus to DC is very doable in a day--I've done it before--but it might be nice to stop for the night in Maryland on the outskirts of the metro area and then ride fresh into DC.

One of the big lingering decisions to make is whether I ride back home to Washington state or ship the bike and fly home.

The route east breaks down like this:

• Leave Redmond (dipping the tire will take place in the afternoon the day before) and drive east on I-90.
• Stay on I-90E through Spokane-Coeur d’Alene-Missoula-Butte-Billings-Sheridan.
• Hotel 1 night in Missoula (477 miles / 7 hrs 10 min)
• Camp 1 night at Devil’s Tower (1,117 miles / 16 hrs 21 min)
• Camp 2 nights at Mt Rushmore / Crazy Horse Memorial (1,234 miles / 18 hrs 33 min)
• Stay 1 night Des Moines (1,895 miles / 28 hrs)
• Stay 1 night Indianapolis (2,366 miles / 35 hrs)
• Stay 1 night Columbus (2,543 miles / 38 hrs)
• Arrive Washington DC (2,947 miles / 44 hrs)

Kicking Off the Bike Ride Blog

This September, I turn 50. The Big 5-0. In commemoration of this feat, I will be bridging present with past by riding my motorcycle from the West Coast to the East Coast. Specifically, I'll be dipping a tire in Puget Sound at the start and doing the same at the end. The current choices to mark the start and finish are Seattle's 14th Ave NW Boat Ramp in the west and Washington Sailing Marina in the east. A tip o' the hat to Cindy Gunn for the idea.

Planning out a year in advance will really stretch out this 2,940 mile trip, and this blog will cover route planning, bike modifications, gear acquisition, and meet-ups along the way.

First up: the bike.

My bike is a 2009 Triumph Tiger 1050. I picked her up last year after riding the old 2003 Suzuki Volusia for 10 years. That was a good bike, but I love my Tiger.

The Tiger allows me to ride upright, which is my preferred seating position--the cruiser positioned me leaning back and set the center of gravity toward the back of the bike. Not a problem until you hit some of Washington State's wonderful rain grooves. With the weight displayed toward the back, the front tire would catch the grooves and cause it to swerve with the grooves. Now with the Tiger, the weight is distributed nicely in the center. I know the grooves are below on the road, but they don't steer the bike.

Some of the features that came with the bike include heated handlebars and computer system that measures average speed, top speed (109 mph to far), miles until empty (my favorite), as well as trip time.

Since buying the bike, I've added SW Mo-tech hard cases, a rear bag, and replaced the tires. This week I get new brake pads.

So if you have ideas on how to make the ride more fun or mods for the bike, let me know here.