Strange Co-incidence

Last Saturday after my side cases were installed I decided to go for a short ride to put on some miles. I am trying to break the engine in according to the instructions of my dealer and it was best to stay away from the faster roads or continuous RPM's. In city riding you are constantly working the clutch and throttle which is good for the rings and pistons. I do not usually infringe upon family time which is Saturday evenings and Sundays so I tucked my bike away, wiped the bugs off, said goodnight and plugged it into my battery tender. I quickly tip-toed away as I can't stand to hear my bike whimpering.

We decided to go out somewhere for dinner so I got ready and waited in the car, turned on the radio, reclined the seat and slowly drifted away to the sounds of 60's music. I heard a car pull up and park. I turned my head, opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of the taillights. I cranked my head more to the left to catch a peek at the driver and wouldn't you know, it was my riding buddy "JohnB" with his new SO (Squeeze by Jack "r's" definition)

Me (Bobskoot): "Hi John, haven't seen you around lately"

John: "Hi, was just driving by and decided to stop to see if I was home. I bought a new "something" today.

Me: "I bought something too"

John: "what did you buy?"

Me: "I'm not telling, but I have it in the back. Why don't you come and see it ? What did you buy?

John: "If you're not telling then I'm not telling"

Me: "Okay, follow me . . . "

We get out to the back and I show him my new Suzuki Wee-Strom.

John: "It only has one exhaust"

Me: "Okay, now tell me what did you buy"

John: "I picked up my new V-strom this morning. I got a great deal on the DL1000 with factory cases"

Funny thing that we should happened to purchase basically the same bike, although mine is a Wee and his is a Vee. The Wee has the 650cc engine, while the Vee has the larger 1,000 cc engine.

While on my ride I actually drove right past John's condo and decided not to stop. I also drove right past his dealer around the time that he was actually picking up his new bike. The next day (on Sunday) we decided to go for a little ride. I arrive at John's and this is what I see



John is busy trying to remove all the factory warning stickers



John also has a fleet of bikes, among them a BMW K75, Sherpa 250, Honda CB400A & a Yamaha TDM 800 dual sport



It's hard to imagine that we both bought the same type of bike, in the same colour (Black) without telling each other. His plan was to do more 2-up touring so he wanted to have the larger motor. His Vee came with the factory top & side cases.



We planned to meet at my place later in the afternoon, have dinner somewhere and then go for a ride. We had some errands and some shopping to do. Soon it was time to go home and meet up with John and his squeeze, Lauren. Wouldn't you know, as we were coming onto the approach to the Oak Street Bridge we were racing a black bike. It soon occurred to me that this bike looked very familiar. Somehow my eyes are more tuned to notice V-stroms on the road, esp black ones. I back off the gas and let the bike pull in, in front of me


(JohnB & Lauren, riding his new '09 VEE DL1000)

I get a chance to pull alongside for a photo op. They don't recognize me yet



Notice Lauren's new Joe Rocket jacket with the pink accents. We decide to visit a neighbourhood restaurant which serves Italian food and park our bikes in front



Here's another view with my Wee in the foreground, and the Vee behind.


(WEE & VEE, two more black sea level ballons ready for the road)

It's a very warm evening and we manage to get a table by the sidewalk with a view of our Stroms



I think it's a bonus to be able to see your bikes


(Lauren & JohnB)

I had the baked Lasagna



and Mrs Bobskoot had the roast lamb with greek salad. It looked better than mine but I said nothing



We rode down to Steveston, a fishing community about an hour south of Vancouver. It was just after sunset and my gorilla pod was at home



We made one final stop at Finn Slough where we said our good byes for the evening. I headed home, northbound, while JohnB headed east towards New Westminster



It was a warm summer night. A perfect time for the Wee & Vee to get acquainted

GIVI PL532 & Kappa 40L cases for my Wee

Part of my decision for purchasing a new bike was to get it set up for touring and that means Hard Side cases and more security for my electronic stuff & Laptop. When I had the SV I purchased a set of Cortech Saddle Bags but found that I could only put expendable items into them. With the scooter I had lockable underseat storage for these items and the topbag was only for clothes or other non-valuables. The first farkle that I installed was the GIVI crash bars. Un-intended oopsies happen. It happens to all of us so better to get protected before any damage occurs. While it was my plan to purchase Givi E36 cases, my dealer conspired to give me an excellent price on Kappa 40 ltr side cases so Kappa it is. I'm always flexible when it comes to saving $$ . I arrived bright and early at the dealer's on Saturday morning but they did not have the time to install the side case brackets so I took them home and did it myself.



Kappa is a subsidiary of Givi and the PL532 bracket becomes a KL532 bracket. I'm not that technical, but I can follow instructions. It says to cut here, so out comes my razor box cutter. So far so good



I'm still waiting for my buddy, Jack "r" (whats-his-name) (<-- click link) to offer his patented Baby Harp seal look course 101, in the hopes that someone would take pity on my and take over.

Inside the package after I removed all the plastic were these 3 pieces.



The instruction sheet is not that clear having been photocopied a few dozen times and I'm not very good at reading Italian. There was also a sealed bag of nuts and bolts and a few washers. Looks straight forward so far. Left side, Right side and a connecting stabilizer bar which joins the two sides



First the top case comes off to reveal the mounting plate which has to be removed.



You have to remove the bolts for the passenger handrail wing, slide the bracket into position and replace the factory OEM bolts with the longer ones supplied. An additional spacer had to be slid in between the side case bracket and the rail, on both sides. I have read that the trick is to start the threads on all the mounting points but do not tighten yet.

Now to proceed to do the same thing on the left side





There are 3 mounting points on each side which must line up with the frame of the bike. I managed to get 5 points lined up but the 6th was proving to be difficult as I was nearly 1/2" out of alignment on one side. I loosened all the bolts again and tried to "bend" the bracket a little to eventually make it fit.

I could not install the stabilizer bar as the holes were too small with the supplied nut and bolts. I didn't think it was up to me to have to locate my larger drill bits so back to the dealer I went for them to solve this last little hurdle.



The plan was to install the bracket at home, return and snap on the bags. Here we are with the bags mounted. A little wider than what I really wanted but the cases are quite large and will hold a lot of stuff



Later, I went shopping. No worries now, I have lots of room to put all of my "stuff"



Sorry, Lucky (<-- click link), I may be able to fit in a kitchen sink or two.

From the Caribbean to the Orient

WITHOUT leaving home. Recently Mr Conchscooter wrote an entry about LOBSTER FEST ( <--- read about it here ) . Vancouver is a melting pot of ethnic nationalities and during the summer there are lots of festivities happening around the metropolitan area. Yes, there were food venders there with prepared items from exotic lands though the temperatures at our latitude are not as warm as in their home country



A couple of weeks ago we happened to be in Surrey (suburb of Vancouver) and noticed some tents being set up in a field. Things were being set up and there were few "customers" walking about



and a closer view of the trinkets and other dust catchers



an excellent place to purchase wooden knicknacks if you are so inclined. They also have cake spiced with rum if you are looking for dessert



and after dessert your main meal awaits you



The smells invoke a sense of adventure and it is difficult to resist temptation



* * * * * * *


POWELL STREET FESTIVAL:

In a different part of town there was the Powell Street Festival which was originally known as the Obon Festival hosted by the Japanese Community. Lots of food such as: sushi, barbequed Salmon, and other tidbits. This event is usually attended by thousands of people as evidenced by the long food line-ups



I remember that it was a very hot day with the sun beating down and little shade was to be had.



A lot of preparation goes into the preparation of these delicacies



Many groups take advantage of the opportunity to raise funds by preparing food, as is the case with this local dance troupe

It takes a lot of manpower behind the scenes to keep the food moving



They have a stage and performances range from music, dancing and martial arts




* * * * * * *

VANCOUVER CHINATOWN NIGHT MARKET:

This market is open on Weekends from Spring to Fall in the evenings, usually from around 7:30pm to mid-night



They close off the streets and set up vendor tents and sell a wide range of products from cell phone accessories, clothes, toys, DVDs and other electronic stuff



There is a stage and here you see a traditional Lion dance as well as other musical performances



This year there was a display of luxury and exotic vehicles for sale. Here you see two Lamborghinis. The white one on the right is around $225,000.




The White one on the Left costs nearly double, at $439,900. as evidenced by this sticker



It's amazing what you can find at the night market. There is something for everyone . . . if cost is no object.



Hard as I try, I did not manage to find any Bonnevilles tonight.

It followed me home: Wee Strom

During the past couple of months I had been visiting various dealers checking out what was available and what bike I would be comfortable with. I must say that my SV650 ran flawlessly on my last trip to Kelowna, approx 1,200 kms without missing a beat and it was all set up with my GPS and Video cam Ram-Mounts. It had lots of passing power and was very stable on the highway. As with all pre-owned machines I updated all the mechanicals. New Michelin Pilot Powers, new clutch, new chain, new brakes, new windscreen, new everything. So last Saturday, I traded it in . . .


(last seen whimpering in the dealers service area)

While they were prepping my new ride



I rode my SV home to de-nude it of all farkles, leaving the windscreen and rear top case bracket on the bike



They transferred over my 44 ltr topcase and I wanted them to install the GIVI crash bars . After all the paper work was completed, Aaron (Modern Motorcycling, Vancouver, BC) went over all the controls and explained the break-in procedure. Basically I had to keep it under 5K rpm (Yes it has a factory tach), and watch out for the tires for the first 100 kms, and of course also make sure not to glaze the brakes


(my new dash showing "0" Zero kilometers on the odometer)

I was now on my own. My new bike and myself trying to touch the ground. Yes this bike is taller than I am used to. With fuel this bike is 80 lbs heavier than the SV650, although it has the same engine



I finally make my way home 6 kms away and here is a view of the gauges before I have installed all of my accessories



Here is a closer view of the electronic controller for the "heated" grips which is needed for those of use who reside and ride in the northern climes. I also have handguards to keep your hands cooler in summer and warmer in winter



It doesn't have as much storage under the seat as my scooter, but definitely more than the SV and also more convenient to access by just turning a key. With the SV you had to get your tools out and remove both left and right panels and also two screws which fasten the seat.



I am able to store a tire plugger (Stop'N Go) kit, a set of metric open end wrenches, screwdriver and bits, and possibly some other small stuff.

Since it was a Long Holiday weekend here in Canada it was not a weekend for riding. I spent a few hours intalling my GPS & Camera mounts and also decided to wire the electrical stuff to make it easier to use. On the V-Strom I have installed permanent wiring with the 12-v accessory plugs and converters installed under the bodywork out of sight and hopefully where the rain will not find it.



On Sunday I finally had a chance to install my Cortech Saddle bags. I think I may invest in hard bags for more security while touring.



Early Monday morning, before the heat of the day, I finally had everything set up to my satisfaction and went for a quick ride to get used to the machine. I have had the V-Strom for nearly 2 days and all I have done is to install my accessories and wiring. I had 6 kms on the ODO when I arrived home on Saturday afternoon, and this morning I left with 6 kms on the ODO


(Vancouver in the background, view from Spanish Banks)


(Government dock, False Creek, Vancouver, BC)


(Wharf, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC)

It was a very enjoyable ride on my new Suzuki V-Strom DL650 (ABS model)


(Look, another V-Strom, they seem to be everywhere)

GPScity and small Balls

Lately I have noticed that there have been posts thanking businesses for their good service. Recently cpa3485 Jim (<--click link) visited his local scooter dealership and was very warmly received and they went beyond the call of duty to make him happy.

Joe (scootin da valley) (<--click link) loved Sheetz so much that he visited the Sheetz corporate office

We'll, I was getting tired of moving my Ram-mounts back and forth between my two bikes. I have gotten used to having the GPS and Video Cam mounted so wanted the convenience of having permanent mounts on both of my bikes. When I originally found out about Ram-mounts I liked them very much but here in Vancouver there is no place to buy them. Also I was a little unfamiliar with what was available and also the hassle of shipping them to my US address down in Point Roberts, WA


(video cam, Kymco X500Ri, Ram-mount with long extension)

When I rode down to the Maxi-Scoot rally last year I purchased a universal camera mount. I downgrade my car GPS and decided to actually buy the m/c cradle and another mount to properly mount it. On the local sportbike forum a lot of members had good sucess with GPScity.ca (they also operate CPScity.com in the US). I like the idea that prices are in Cdn funds and you do not have to worry about the US exchange and other border issues. Their pricing is the same as, or less expensive than the official Ram-mount.com site.



I didn't like the idea of this long extension as I thought that minor inputs to the steering would result in "bumpy" video but I need to use this on the scooter due to the proximity to the windshield

I noticed that on their site, with any order received before 3pm they will ship your items the same day. The first time I ordered my "parts" sure enough, they shipped the same day and I received them very promptly. Minutes after you confirm your checkout, they send you an email to confirm your order. It seems that your order is already packaged and ready to ship as no sooner than you blink your eyes, you receive another email confirming shipment along with the tracking information


(notice that small ball on the bottom)

On Thursday around noon, I ordered another bracket and a 1/4-20 ball for my camera


(the small ball shown along with the large camera platform)

The small ball with the standard 1/4-20 threads fit most camera tripod threads


(the small ball mounted on my Panasonic SDR-SW20 video cam)


(video cam mounted on SV650, using small ball)


(dashboard of SV650 with GPS and Video cam)



It's much more convenient to have mounts on both bikes. I am able to transfer over the GPS and Video cam very quickly. I never knew that these small balls were available. I should have ordered another small ball, then I will have two to use. You just never know . . . nice to have an extra ball around