What do you do with your step-son’s motorcycle? (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Ride the shit out of it!! My step-father was in town for part of the holiday, and we got a chance to ride in the 70°F weather. He rode Cylon, my 2005 Yamaha FZ6 for awhile, I was on Raider, my 2004 BMW R1150R. We switched later in the day, and he definitely preferred the FZ6. Posted in: fz6 , motorcycling , r1150r , winter miles

Motoport refund problem: the final chapter (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I’m not going to recap my nightmare experience with motorcycle safety equipment manufacturer Motoport, but over two months ago the Wayne Boyer offered to take my jacket back for a full refund. I was hopeful that the issue would be resolved quickly, and I would get my money back. Long story short: Wayne never gave me [...] Posted in: customer service , jacket , kevlar , motoport , motorcycling , review

Rev’It Fahrenheit H2O waterproof winter motorcycling gloves (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I put the Rev'It Fahrenheit H2O waterproof gloves through a torture test. The gloves are well made and are very comfortable, but they can't keep my hands warm below 45F, even with heated grips and hand guards. Posted in: fahrenheit h2o , frostbite , gear , gloves , leather , motorcycling , rain , rev'it , review

1980 Honda CB400T: Adama opens his one great eye (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Working on a motorcycle almost as old as you are isn't always as easy as it seems. A headlamp replacement turns from a drop-in replacement to an adventure in wire management. Posted in: cb400t , motorcycling

I finally dropped a motorcycle - Gravity 1, Raider 0 (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Well, after over three years of motorcycling, I finally dropped a bike. My R1150R doesn’t have a choke, but it has an ignition helper doo-dad that is used to help the motorcycle start on cold days like today. You pull that doo-dad up and start the bike. I always leave my bikes in first gear [...] Posted in: k1200 , motorcycling , oops , r1150r

Still a little damp (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

The first half of my ride home from Georgia was great. I was moving along at a good clip, and the sun was bright and shining. That is, until I got to Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville seems to be the tipping point for bad motorcycle weather. On my trip down, my route south of Fayetteville was completely [...] Posted in: boots , cayenne pro , frogg toggs , gear , georgia , gloves , jacket , kevlar , motoport , motorcycling , pants , r1150r , rain , rev'it , ride report , smartwool , socks , textile , winter miles

October 2008 Georgia motorcycle trip report (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

As mentioned earlier, I spent four days on a motorcycle trip to see two of my friends outside of Savannah, Georgia. It’s almost five hundred highway miles, which winds up being between eight to nine hours depending on traffic, weather conditions, and the bike I’m on. My best time was on my first trip on [...] Posted in: boots , cayenne pro , georgia , gloves , jacket , kevlar , motoport , motorcycling , pants , r1150r , rain , rev'it , ride report , sidi , textile , winter miles

A little damp (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

The first half of my trip down to Georgia was fantastic. It was cool enough that I wasn’t hot in my Rev’It Cayenne Pro jacket, but not so cold my hands were freezing. It was overcast enough that I didn’t have to squint behind my Native sunglasses, but not so overcast that I had to [...] Posted in: boots , cayenne pro , frogg toggs , gear , georgia , helmet , jacket , kevlar , mesh , motoport , motorcycling , pants , r1150r , rain , rev'it , ride report , sidi , smartwool , socks , textile

Sweet canine justice (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Yesterday I rode Raider, my BMW R1150R down to Savannah, Georgia to hang out with some friends of mine. I took I-95 for most of the way. Eventually I will take a less-traveled route and enjoy myself, but I like making this trip all in one day. I have been pleasantly surprised at how courteous cars [...] Posted in: georgia , motorcycling , r1150r , ride report , travel , winter miles

Decisions, decisions …. (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I was supposed to go visit my family up in Syracuse, NY this weekend. I was going to ride Raider up there and then putter around with my stepfather. I quickly encountered two monkey wrenches. 1) The bike my dad owned does not have a state inspection. Neither does Raider, but he won’t ride without a [...] Posted in: bluetooth , gear , georgia , intercom , motorcycling , new york , rain , winter miles

Unrequited (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I hate talking on the phone. I avoid it at all costs, preferring email, instant messaging, cards, face-to-face talking, and smoke signals. I don’t know why or when my hate-affair with the telephone began. I have a feeling it was when I was a child, and my father would get upset if I didn’t answer [...] Posted in: cb400t , motorcycling , tires

Rev’It Cayenne Pro textile motorcycle jacket review (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

The Cayenne Pro jacket from Rev'It combines technology, armor, fit, and style to provide a quality protective motorcycling garment. Posted in: armor , cayenne pro , customer service , gear , jacket , kevlar , knox , motoport , motorcycling , rain , rev'it , review , textile , winter miles

Teknic Speedstar full gauntlet motorcycle glove review (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I review the Teknic Speedstar full gauntlet motorcycle racing glove, with top-shelf features such as Knox armor, kangaroo leather, and kevlar at a bargain price. Posted in: armor , gear , gloves , kangaroo , kevlar , knox , leather , motorcycling , review , speedstar , teknic

Stay warm or stay connected? (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

With the American economy in a supposed state of free-fall, I’m trying to limit myself to one stupid purchase per pay period. Yeah, I know, challenge, but let’s assume I stay strong and abide by it. This pay period’s contenders: Tour Master Synergy heated jacket About $200 I ride just about year ’round, and I may be going up [...] Posted in: bluetooth , gear , intercom , jacket , link and run , motorcycling , winter miles

Gmax GM68S LED helmet review (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I review Web Bike World's budget motorcycle helmet darling, the Gmax GM68S. Despite having five top vents and a front vent, the helmet doesn't flow a lot of air and fogs more easily than some of the other cheapie lids in my stable. Posted in: gm68s , helmet , motorcycling , review , z1r , zox

Motoport / Cycleport Ultra Air II mesh kevlar jacket goes back for a refund (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

With all of the riding and motorcycling mishaps last week, I neglected to post that Wayne Boyer of Motoport has broken his usual policy and offered to take my jacket back for a refund. You can read the whole saga if you haven’t been following along. The short story: I sent my jacket back for [...] Posted in: customer service , jacket , kevlar , mesh , motoport , motorcycling

My BMW motorcycle Raider is a gas (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

A faulty plastic gas tank quick disconnect strands me and my 2004 BMW R1150R on the way to work and showered me with gasoline. Posted in: motorcycling , r1150r , repair , ride report

Remembering Ghost Rider, 2008 (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

My friend Ghost Rider passed away on July 4th, 2007. The following fall his mother and family put together a benefit ride to Yorktown, Virginia. We did it again this year, this time heading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather called for rain for most of the day. I was not deterred for [...] Posted in: frogg toggs , gear , gm68s , kevlar , motoport , motorcycling , pants , r1150r , rain , ride report , sidi , teknic , textile

By your command: My 2004 BMW R1150R (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I traded in my 2002 BMW K1200LTE touring bike for a 2004 BMW R1150R roadster. Part beauty, part brawn, this might be a near-perfect bike for me. First impressions inside. Posted in: givi , k1200 , motorcycling , r1150r

My riding to work streak is broken. (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I never thought I would be this disappointed to drive my Mazdaspeed3, but it’s true. I have to break my motorcycling streak in order to take Kaylee in for a 12,000 mile service. The streak was 39 work days in a row, almost two months of working! I don’t know what’s more impressive: riding to [...] Posted in: fz6 , k1200 , motorcycling , ride report , work

Wayne from Motoport / Cycleport responds (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Wayne, president of Motoport / Cycleport, responds to my complaints on advrider.com Posted in: customer service , gear , jacket , kevlar , mesh , motoport , motorcycling , pants , review

Never give Motoport the benefit of the doubt: how I got screwed into a $650 jacket that doesn’t fit (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Motoport trapped me into a sub-standard fitting jacket by talking me into returning a jacket for alterations, thus violating their return policy. Posted in: motorcycling

1980 Honda CB400T: And baby makes three. (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I started out wanting a streetfighter and bought this 1980 Honda CB400T instead. Cafe racer project, anyone? Posted in: cb400t , motorcycling , repair

Motorcycle personality test (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Everyone loves quizzes, and this one should be fun for most of my Gibberish readers. Most of you ride, or are the types of people who would ride. So, give the motorcycle personality test on Hello Quizzy a shot. Thanks to segue00 on the FZ6 sportbikes.net forum for linking this over the weekend. I was: The Yamaha R1 [...] Posted in: fz6 , link and run , motorcycling , quiz

Hanna: rock me like a hurricane? (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

Today will be the twenty-third day in a row I ride my motorcycle to work. Not a bad streak, eh? There’s only one problem: tropical storm Hanna is expected to hit my area sometime this evening. With weather prediction being as flaky as it is, that could mean it could show up early while I [...] Posted in: fz6 , motorcycling , rain , work

Motoport / Cycleport Ultra II Air Mesh kevlar pants and jacket: take two (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

My altered Ultra II Air Mesh kevlar jacket and pants arrived while I was away in California last week. The initial order was very mis-sized, and I had sent the jacket back to have it resized, and the knee armor on the pants relocated. After almost three weeks of waiting, I was really anxious to give [...] Posted in: armor , customer service , gear , jacket , kevlar , mesh , motoport , motorcycling , pants , review , textile

Knox Cross Sport Shirt motorcycle armor review (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I review the Knox Cross Sport Shirt motorcycle armor system. With four modular pieces, the Cross Sport is a very versatile, inexpensive way to augment your existing protective gear. Posted in: armor , gear , knox , motorcycling , review

Motoport / Cycleport kevlar motorcycle glove review (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

My disappointment with Motoport continues as I log two hundred miles in their kevlar motorcycle racing glove. Posted in: gear , gloves , held , kevlar , leather , motoport , motorcycling , review , textile

IMC BHS10 headset intercom system for a 2002 BMW K1200 LT reviewed (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I try out the IMC BHS10 intercom system for my 2002 BMW K1200 LT motorcycle after being told by a retailer that it was compatible for my bike. They were wrong. Posted in: customer service , gear , helmet , intercom , k1200 , motorcycling , review

SmartWool Retreat sock review: a motorcyclist’s perspective (Gibberish is my native language (DrFaulken)) by drfaulken

I put three pair of SmartWool light-weight Retreat socks through a sixty mile motorcycle daily commute in the middle of the Virginia summer. Posted in: motorcycling , review , smartwool , socks