News:

Registration Issues: email manjul.bose at gmail for support - seems there is a issue that we're still trying to fix

Main Menu

Considering the idea of dailying the GS this summer...

Started by rscottlow, February 01, 2017, 12:53:51 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

RichDesmond

Late to this thread, so haven't read everything. Watcher seemed to have most of it nailed though.

I spent 4 years without a car back in the early-mid '80s. This was in Albuquerque, so the weather was mostly decent, but I still rode in everything at one time or another.
Back then there really wasn't any motorcycle gear as we know it today. No armored jackets or pants, no Gore-Tex anything. No Hi-Viz.
I worked in sales back then, needed to wear a jacket and tie. I always had a backpack with a rain suit in it, in good weather I'd just put the tie in the pack and ride in my work clothes. Dress shoes, slacks, sport coat and off I'd go. Sounds crazy now, I know. :) In bad or colder weather I'd wear jeans and work boots, put the slacks and dress shoes in the backpack and put a leather jacket and/or rainsuit on.

Nowadays I have a good First Gear Gore-Tex jacket that I always wear, overpants for colder weather, and rainpants for warmer weather. Life is much simpler. :)
Rich Desmond
www.sonicsprings.com

rscottlow

Quote from: Watcher on April 15, 2017, 07:05:38 PM
I've always just used the RAM X-grip systems.  No issues whatsoever.

Right now my local Cycle Gear has these really basic strap-mount tank-bags for under $20, they're on closeout.  Might wanna go see for yourself if you need something just to get you by.

Thanks. I'm going to order an X-Grip holder so I can at least access my phone when riding, as needed.

Man, I wish we had a Cycle Gear around here. The closest ones are in Indianapolis and Louisville which are both close to two hours away. There's a place called Cycle Specialities locally, but they're primarily a dealer that carries some accessories. They've got a handful of tank bags, but all for more than I'd pay online. It's nice to be able to go in and test stuff out, but I usually end up buying from them even though I'm paying a bit of a premium. I just hate to go into the store and mess with stuff, then order from someone else to save a few bucks. It makes me feel like I'm cheating a local small business.

Quote from: RichDesmond on April 16, 2017, 06:58:52 PM
Late to this thread, so haven't read everything. Watcher seemed to have most of it nailed though.

I spent 4 years without a car back in the early-mid '80s. This was in Albuquerque, so the weather was mostly decent, but I still rode in everything at one time or another.
Back then there really wasn't any motorcycle gear as we know it today. No armored jackets or pants, no Gore-Tex anything. No Hi-Viz.
I worked in sales back then, needed to wear a jacket and tie. I always had a backpack with a rain suit in it, in good weather I'd just put the tie in the pack and ride in my work clothes. Dress shoes, slacks, sport coat and off I'd go. Sounds crazy now, I know. :) In bad or colder weather I'd wear jeans and work boots, put the slacks and dress shoes in the backpack and put a leather jacket and/or rainsuit on.

Nowadays I have a good First Gear Gore-Tex jacket that I always wear, overpants for colder weather, and rainpants for warmer weather. Life is much simpler. :)

Thanks Rich. As of last week I've started riding to work whenever it isn't raining. It's not cold enough for the morning low temperatures to be an excuse anymore. I'm making due with the gear that I already have on hand (helmet, jacket, gloves, and an old backpack that fits my work computer). I would like to get a phone mount, tank bag, and a better waterproof backpack at some point during this season. They've been low priorities since it has been cold, but once I have those items I'll feel much more comfortable about commuting with the bike. I also definitely need a new rear tire and probably a front as well, as I'm confident that they're original (it's an '09 with a little over 12,000 miles).

On a positive note, the gasoline savings are significant. I've filled up my truck only once in about 3 weeks, and I've filled up the GS 3 times instead.
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

Darkstar

I ride mine year round, about 7000 miles, which included (3) 500 miles trips, the rest being local jaunts and daily riding. 20F lowest temp, 95F highest. For my tool kit: while doing regular maintenance I put a small piece of blue tape on the tools I used most often. I also threw in a spare spark plug, short length of tube for syphoning and/or checking float levels, couple pair of latex gloves, flat kit, and C02 inflation valve thing with small canisters. Rolled them all up in a a few ziplocks and stuffed them under the seat, surprised how much you can fit in there. Jammed an old tshirt to keep it from rattling around.
2007F with 22k NY/NJ miles. Stock exhaust/airbox. Rejet to 20/60/132/one o-ring/1.25 turns out, +2 mojo

rscottlow

Quote from: Darkstar on April 17, 2017, 07:22:17 AM
I ride mine year round, about 7000 miles, which included (3) 500 miles trips, the rest being local jaunts and daily riding. 20F lowest temp, 95F highest. For my tool kit: while doing regular maintenance I put a small piece of blue tape on the tools I used most often. I also threw in a spare spark plug, short length of tube for syphoning and/or checking float levels, couple pair of latex gloves, flat kit, and C02 inflation valve thing with small canisters. Rolled them all up in a a few ziplocks and stuffed them under the seat, surprised how much you can fit in there. Jammed an old tshirt to keep it from rattling around.

I don't have any cold weather gear, and TBH I prefer the comfort of a caged vehicle if there's a high chance of rain or if I'm going to be out in temps below about 45 F. The other thing is that I absolutely won't ride if I've had anything to drink, so evening or weekend errands that I might need to run even if I've just had one beer, will automatically be in the truck. Until now, the bike has really just been for recreational riding, but there are so many pros to commuting including keeping miles off my truck and fuel expenses down, that I think I'll start to prefer it on most days.

Cool idea about the tool kit. Recently when fixing my turn signal wiring, I discovered the bike's original tool kit under the seat. I didn't even know it was there, but it's cool to have. I'll probably add a couple tools here and there, as I see fit.
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

Darkstar

Quote from: rscottlow on April 17, 2017, 08:26:07 AM
below about 45 F

soldered a heated shirt using high temp teflon coated 30 gauge wire connected to the battery. $45 and it feels good
2007F with 22k NY/NJ miles. Stock exhaust/airbox. Rejet to 20/60/132/one o-ring/1.25 turns out, +2 mojo

Watcher

Quote from: Darkstar on April 17, 2017, 08:34:19 AM
Quote from: rscottlow on April 17, 2017, 08:26:07 AM
below about 45 F

soldered a heated shirt using high temp teflon coated 30 gauge wire connected to the battery. $45 and it feels good

OMG, make a build thread if you can!  That's awesome!
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

Big Rich

Rscott: did you check reviews on the X Grip? I have one, and my phone has come out before at speed  (with a really impressive bounce off the blacktop I might add). I had to bend the arms a little bit to get more "bite" on the phone, and used glue to hold the black rubber tips onto the arms.

While the X Grip is a nice mount, it does have its flaws. I don't want you to be surprised like I was.....
83 GR650 (riding / rolling project)

It's opener there in the wide open air...

rscottlow

Quote from: Big Rich on April 17, 2017, 02:04:50 PM
Rscott: did you check reviews on the X Grip? I have one, and my phone has come out before at speed  (with a really impressive bounce off the blacktop I might add). I had to bend the arms a little bit to get more "bite" on the phone, and used glue to hold the black rubber tips onto the arms.

While the X Grip is a nice mount, it does have its flaws. I don't want you to be surprised like I was.....

Oh yeah the reviews are a little concerning, but from what I understand, they come with a tether now. And if not, I'll pick up some Velcro for extra security. For $11 shipped to my door, it was hard to pass up. Thanks for the heads up. That's a good idea about glueing the rubber tips on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

Watcher

I have seen the reviews and even video of the X-grips failing, that being said I've been using X-grips myself for a few years, over a few different models and positions and phones, and never had one fail.  Never even had the rubber arms come off despite never gluing them (modern X-grips come with the glue.
There's also a video of ChaseOnTwoWheels low-siding an R1.  The crash ends with the bike flipping from side to side and breaking off the whole front fairing.  His iPhone stayed in the X-grip just fine.


The very nature of the way the device works is the further apart the arms are the more grip force it applies.  If it was between really squeezing my phone in a smaller grip or comfortably seating it in a larger one I'd take the squeeze every time.
That being said, I'm not convinced that the failures weren't related to user error or poor judgement.
At any rate, new RAMs are coming with an added security measure.  If you don't trust the grip itself you can use their rubber net thing to strap the phone in place.
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

rscottlow

Well, apparently it was too good to be true anyway. The item was listed at $6 plus $4.99 shipping, and it was from a new seller on Amazon with no feedback or ratings (in other words, I should've known before I ordered the item, that the seller was a fraud). I got an email this morning saying my order was cancelled due to "technical problems". Lo and behold, I go to the seller's page, and all of her items are "currently unavailable". I called Amazon, and because the item was offered through a 3rd party seller, they basically offer no support or pricing guarantee. So now I can either purchase the item through Prime at $25 or I can purchase a different phone cradle...either way, I'll be spending more than double what I had expected to spend  :bs:
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

Darkstar

Quote from: Watcher on April 17, 2017, 11:17:19 AM
OMG, make a build thread if you can!  That's awesome!

Thanks, here's the link where I got the idea from. Mine was slightly different though, I ran the wire on top of a long underweartop, keeping it closer to the skin, then put another tight layer on top.:
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/35-00-heated-jacket-liner-diy.514532/

And here's the thread I started on GS to adapt to our battery
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=71208.0
2007F with 22k NY/NJ miles. Stock exhaust/airbox. Rejet to 20/60/132/one o-ring/1.25 turns out, +2 mojo

Watcher

Quote from: Darkstar on April 18, 2017, 05:27:56 AM
Quote from: Watcher on April 17, 2017, 11:17:19 AM
OMG, make a build thread if you can!  That's awesome!

Thanks, here's the link where I got the idea from. Mine was slightly different though, I ran the wire on top of a long underweartop, keeping it closer to the skin, then put another tight layer on top.:
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/35-00-heated-jacket-liner-diy.514532/

And here's the thread I started on GS to adapt to our battery
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=71208.0

:cheers:
"The point of a journey is not to arrive..."

-Neil Peart

Darkstar

2007F with 22k NY/NJ miles. Stock exhaust/airbox. Rejet to 20/60/132/one o-ring/1.25 turns out, +2 mojo

mr72

FWIW I got a "ROAM" phone mount on my GS and it works great. I don't even use the silicone add-on to hold the phone. The clamp alone holds it just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Roam-Universal-Premium-Phone-Motorcycle/dp/B01LWDCSIZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492539634


rscottlow

Quote from: mr72 on April 18, 2017, 11:22:34 AM
FWIW I got a "ROAM" phone mount on my GS and it works great. I don't even use the silicone add-on to hold the phone. The clamp alone holds it just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Roam-Universal-Premium-Phone-Motorcycle/dp/B01LWDCSIZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492539634

Thanks for the link. I'm somewhat committed to the RAM Mounts brand, as I already have the base and the connecting arm, but it looks like this one includes everything. Reviews aren't quite as good as the ones for the x-grip, but I suppose that's to be expected for a fraction of the price. What type of phone do you use with it, and how much use has it seen?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

rscottlow

Today is my first day facing potentially inclement weather. It's also the first time I'm wishing I had a larger backpack or a tank bag.

I have to go pick up my new glasses after work, and since my eye doctor is next door to kroger, I was hoping to pick up a few groceries at the same time. This also reinforces my need to be able to see my cell phone for GPS purposes while on the bike, since I don't know how to get to my eye doctor's office from work. Since I've got my laptop with me for work, I can't fit much into my small backpack. There's definitely no room for toilet paper, cat food, and stuff for tonight's dinner.

If it's raining when I get off work this afternoon, I'll head straight home. No sense in riding unfamiliar roads that are out of my way, in the rain. Otherwise, I'll probably just go get my glasses, and then make a separate trip with the truck to buy groceries. Either way, I feel like I'm just beginning to realize the challenges that come with a 2-wheel commuter. That being said, the benefits have already been evident. It's been quite a while since I've had to put gas in the Ranger, and my confidence and comfort level on the bike is definitely improving.
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

dominickbuff

the one important thing no one has brought up is tires..... i recommend commuter tires ....

rscottlow

Quote from: dominickbuff on April 19, 2017, 08:26:46 AM
the one important thing no one has brought up is tires..... i recommend commuter tires ....

Yeah, about that...

Tires are higher on my list than probably anything else of considerable expense, because I've recently come to the conclusion that they're original to my bike. It's only got 12,xxx miles on it, but it looks like the tires were manufactured summer of 2008. The bike appears to have been garage kept it's entire life, but I think it'd be in my best interest to replace them. I've heard many people say that 5 years is about as long as you should go on a set of tires before the rubber compounds begin deteriorating. I'm sure this is greatly impacted by the climate, use, and other factors, but I'd rather play it safe. I will probably put the Bridgestone Battleax BT-45's back on it, as they seem to be the best all-around tire for my money.
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

J_Walker

#58
+1 on a tire, not one that doesn't last past an oil change [5k miles]

I would also say get some HH brake pads, they last longer, produce less dust, and once warmed up, give ya some extra stopping power. they don't seem to ruin the stock rotors on the GS500s.
-Walker

rscottlow

Quote from: J_Walker on April 19, 2017, 11:04:15 AM
+1 on a tire, not one that doesn't last past an oil change [5k miles]

I would also say get some HH brake pads, they last longer, produce less dust, and once warmed up, give ya some extra stopping power. they don't seem to ruin the stock rotors on the GS500s.

I've got a countdown going until my kids are out of preschool for the summer (one month from today), and my spending budget increases exponentially. I've got quite a few motorcycle items on my Amazon wish list...

I hadn't thought much about brake pads, but the ones on the bike are squeaking just a little. I'm not sure if the rotors just need cleaned up, or if it's getting close to time to put new pads on. I'll have to take a closer look. How long does a set of pads typically last?
Scott - Cincinnati, Ohio
2009 GS500F

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk