sorry but i am having trouble posting pics you may want to go to the site to see the pictures
8/20/2008
Well I think shipping is worked out now, Steve from Kansas will be taking my scooter as well as his own in the back of his pick-up. I met up with him last weekend and we made sure both his scooter and mine would fit ok. They both fit with room to spare, so i will be meeting him at the starting line. Luckily my hotel is only a mile from the start so I can just walk over and meet him before-hand.
8/25/2008
I've just returned from Tulsa Scooters where once again they have hooked me up. Sacha and Brad are my new heroes. I've got my cushy foam grips installed as well as a throttle lock...
as you can see from the second picture the grips are a bit longer than the originals but it should be fine for the ride. The cushy grips make a big difference in the amount of vibration that get to your hands, arms, and shoulders. The throttle lock is going to be a life saver on the long days. If you can see I also added some rubber grips to the brake levers which make it easier to grip especially while wearing gloves.
they also added the auxiliary tank which gives me a total of three gallons witht the original tank.
The tank sits on a black rear rack and Brad actually had to weld a couple of pieces to the rack so the tank's brackets would fit.
In the next picture you can see that original tank's vent is where the fuel line runs from; it is sitting
on top waiting for the auxiliary tank to be installed.
After some trial and error we had to add a new vent to the tank so both tanks were venting properly. In the next picture you can see both the fuel line and the vent line coming out of the back of the buddy's orange plastic just behind the seat. the vent line actually hooks around the rack so that the open end is facing down to make sure no rain or dirt gets into the line. The end of the line is copper tubing, so even if pressure is put onto it it will not kink the vent line.
I plan to take it for a couple of test rides and try to run the tanks completly empty to see what kind of range I'll have. I'm hoping to be able to go 250-300 miles between fill-ups (though 300 miles may be asking alot).
Not much more to do to get the bike ready which is good because I only have ten days or so before I have to put the Buddy on a truck headed West.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
8/12/2008
Wow, it's been a long time since I have written I've been really busy. I just got back from a few days at a business conference in San Diego. I've not only been busy with work and family, but with the planning involved in a ride like this.
I got my auxiliary gas tank delivered to my office, it isn't the tourtank that i had talked about, in the end it was just too much to spend for a gas can. I ended up buying one from ebay that was made for a go-cart for 29 bucks. Brad at Tulsa Scooters is hooking it up to the gas line as we speak. The tank holds 2 gallons It will sit on the rear rack. I'll add some pictures and a description of how it is hooked up as we get closer. I've added some foam grips to reduce the vibration from the buddy's front shocks. I added a throttle-lock to be able to rest my right hand every once in a while as I am riding. I've added some 12 gram Dr. pulley roller weights, which I may be removing before the ride. They don't seem to add much top-end and I know the take-off speed has been reduced by the heavier weight. When I first got on it I could tell it was much less responsive at the throttle than it used to be. I may go back to the original weights or I may get some 11 gram Dr. pulleys instead. the Dr. Pulleys aren't as easy to come by, and Brad seems to think that the Dr. Pulley just cant do much better unless you change the variator all together. The Dr. pulleys can't push out much further than the stock weights.
I purchased some Fieldsheer pants to go along with my Jacket. The two zip together so give the feel of a one piece suit. The pants are the Four Season Pants from Fieldsheer, they are basically a mesh pant with a very heavy liner for cold weather. So In the summer time you can wear them with shorts or even just underwear (beware mesh will reveal the color of your undies, no vital parts are exposed these are PG-13 pants) In the spring and fall you can wear pants underneath (if you're gonna do this buy a size larger than you think you need) In the winter they have a quilted down filled liner that seems like It'd keep you warm in some pretty cold temps.
The same week I purchased some Frank Thomas stunt boots. They have a little less ankle padding than a hiking boot or something so they should be much more comfortable on the scooter. They have steel shanks for a stiff sole and plastic disks at the ankles for abrasion protection. They are very comfortable, unfortunately they don't come in half sizes so you just have to pick the size above your normal size. I have to say they are comfortable, but the first time I put them on I tore the loop at the back of the boot that you pull to help get it over your heel. I am worried now the I may have other stiching problems with them but I'll let you know.
Both packages came in the same day, it felt like christmas. It did for me anyway when my wife come home to see the boxes of gear on the floor she shook her head and said something like "this trip is gonna be expensive..."
I cannot say how they perform in any weather as It was 105 degrees out the day they arrived, and my bike is now in the shop getting ready to rumble.
I've yet to get my airline ticket to San Francisco I am trying to decide whether to go 1 or 2 days early depending on how I get my bike out there. I need to buy it soon as flights are selling out and prices are rising.
The closest stop we'll have to my home town of Tulsa, OK is Fort Scott, KS so my wife will hopefully be skipping a law school class to come and Greet my arrival into Ft. Scott.
My father has volunteered to meet me in St. Louis with a pick-up truck and follow me for the last few days of the ride. We'll then put the buddy in the back and head for home. It is great to not have to buy the plane ticket home or pay to have the bike shipped back but the best part will be spending some time on the road with my dad. This will be one of the thousands of road trips that we've been on together.
I've made hotel reservations. I've not yet made reservations for shipping my scooter via forward air as a few other options have come up. I have discoved u-ship which is like an e-bay for shipping large items and I have corresponded with a trucker that may be able to take it for much less than forward air will charge. Without having to build a crate for the motorcycle i will have to pay $600 to ship to San Francisco. The trucker is willing to ship it to a local scooter shop for $400, now I just have to get the local scooter shop to agree to take the delivery. Timing is everything shipping either way, with forward air I will have to ship out almost a week before it needs to arrive. With U-ship you are sort of on the timeline of the trucker who is carrying your scoot. Then there is a guy from Kansas who is taking his scooter in a truck and I'm trying to convince him to take the scooter instead. So I have a few options. If one of the cheaper options doesn't pan out in 2 weeks i'll have to go ahead and cal forward air to be sure i can give them enough lead time.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz23@yahoo.com
Wow, it's been a long time since I have written I've been really busy. I just got back from a few days at a business conference in San Diego. I've not only been busy with work and family, but with the planning involved in a ride like this.
I got my auxiliary gas tank delivered to my office, it isn't the tourtank that i had talked about, in the end it was just too much to spend for a gas can. I ended up buying one from ebay that was made for a go-cart for 29 bucks. Brad at Tulsa Scooters is hooking it up to the gas line as we speak. The tank holds 2 gallons It will sit on the rear rack. I'll add some pictures and a description of how it is hooked up as we get closer. I've added some foam grips to reduce the vibration from the buddy's front shocks. I added a throttle-lock to be able to rest my right hand every once in a while as I am riding. I've added some 12 gram Dr. pulley roller weights, which I may be removing before the ride. They don't seem to add much top-end and I know the take-off speed has been reduced by the heavier weight. When I first got on it I could tell it was much less responsive at the throttle than it used to be. I may go back to the original weights or I may get some 11 gram Dr. pulleys instead. the Dr. Pulleys aren't as easy to come by, and Brad seems to think that the Dr. Pulley just cant do much better unless you change the variator all together. The Dr. pulleys can't push out much further than the stock weights.
I purchased some Fieldsheer pants to go along with my Jacket. The two zip together so give the feel of a one piece suit. The pants are the Four Season Pants from Fieldsheer, they are basically a mesh pant with a very heavy liner for cold weather. So In the summer time you can wear them with shorts or even just underwear (beware mesh will reveal the color of your undies, no vital parts are exposed these are PG-13 pants) In the spring and fall you can wear pants underneath (if you're gonna do this buy a size larger than you think you need) In the winter they have a quilted down filled liner that seems like It'd keep you warm in some pretty cold temps.
The same week I purchased some Frank Thomas stunt boots. They have a little less ankle padding than a hiking boot or something so they should be much more comfortable on the scooter. They have steel shanks for a stiff sole and plastic disks at the ankles for abrasion protection. They are very comfortable, unfortunately they don't come in half sizes so you just have to pick the size above your normal size. I have to say they are comfortable, but the first time I put them on I tore the loop at the back of the boot that you pull to help get it over your heel. I am worried now the I may have other stiching problems with them but I'll let you know.
Both packages came in the same day, it felt like christmas. It did for me anyway when my wife come home to see the boxes of gear on the floor she shook her head and said something like "this trip is gonna be expensive..."
I cannot say how they perform in any weather as It was 105 degrees out the day they arrived, and my bike is now in the shop getting ready to rumble.
I've yet to get my airline ticket to San Francisco I am trying to decide whether to go 1 or 2 days early depending on how I get my bike out there. I need to buy it soon as flights are selling out and prices are rising.
The closest stop we'll have to my home town of Tulsa, OK is Fort Scott, KS so my wife will hopefully be skipping a law school class to come and Greet my arrival into Ft. Scott.
My father has volunteered to meet me in St. Louis with a pick-up truck and follow me for the last few days of the ride. We'll then put the buddy in the back and head for home. It is great to not have to buy the plane ticket home or pay to have the bike shipped back but the best part will be spending some time on the road with my dad. This will be one of the thousands of road trips that we've been on together.
I've made hotel reservations. I've not yet made reservations for shipping my scooter via forward air as a few other options have come up. I have discoved u-ship which is like an e-bay for shipping large items and I have corresponded with a trucker that may be able to take it for much less than forward air will charge. Without having to build a crate for the motorcycle i will have to pay $600 to ship to San Francisco. The trucker is willing to ship it to a local scooter shop for $400, now I just have to get the local scooter shop to agree to take the delivery. Timing is everything shipping either way, with forward air I will have to ship out almost a week before it needs to arrive. With U-ship you are sort of on the timeline of the trucker who is carrying your scoot. Then there is a guy from Kansas who is taking his scooter in a truck and I'm trying to convince him to take the scooter instead. So I have a few options. If one of the cheaper options doesn't pan out in 2 weeks i'll have to go ahead and cal forward air to be sure i can give them enough lead time.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz23@yahoo.com
Saturday, June 21, 2008
buddy backrest
I have been wanting to figure out a way to fashion some sort of backrest for the buddy, as you will come to find out my fabrication skills are lacking so I did what I could to improvise the following...I tried to match the color of the seat but if you see it doesn't quite make it.
You can't see it in this picture but the base of the backrest is an "ammo can" from the army surplus store bolted to the rear rack via conduit hangers.
I wanted something I could adjust, this one has copper tubing that slides in the conduit hangers that I bolted to the top of the ammo can. here's a pic of a conduit hanger if you don't know what I'm talking about (http://images.orgill.com/200x200/1731256.jpg) .The pad also tilts to fit the back a little better.
One big problem with any of my designs was that access to under seat storage was blocked. On this box when you open the lid you can get to your underseat storage.If it's got any flaws so far 1) it's fairly heavy but really not as heavy as I thought it was going to be (it gonna get heavier when I make a rack to hold a gas can behind the ammo can)
2) some minor adjustments need to be made like lowering the back pad slightly, and when i figure out where I like it I'll more than likely cut off more copper tubing to make the rails a bit shorter.
Friday, June 13, 2008
6/13/2008
Sponsorship
Well I got a couple of interesting e-mails yesterday and today. Yesterday I recieved an e-mail from a reporter at the Tulsa World and I am to meet with him next monday for an interview. As scooters have become very popular all of the sudden, he'd like to do a story on the ride and the money I am raising for my chosen charity The Smile Train. Hopefully this will help promote my ride and help me to get some more donations. So if you are in the Tulsa area be looking for that article, or you may even be able to find it on the web. I have no idea when it will come out but I'll keep eveyone posted.
The other e-mail I recieved was from Philip Mccaleb regarding a sponsorship from Genuine. At first I was a little worried by his first sentence..."We have decided that Genuine will not officially sponsor the Cannonball run this year. Small displacement scooters were not really engineered for cross country "racing" as such, and we risk implying that they are intended for that or capable of being evaluated under those circumstances." However he went on to say that Scooterworks would be happy to support me in any way that they could. Scooterworks is giving me big discounts on anything I need for the trip, plus Philip put me in touch with his head tech for any questions that my mechanic or I have about preparing for the trip. If you don't know Scooterworks is a big scooter dealer in Chicago that is related to the Genuine Scooter Company.
All-in-all pretty good news from both e-mails.
Doomsday Clock
A new addition to the cannonball website is a counter that is counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the ride begins. I got a big lump in my throat when I saw today that there are only 89 days 15 hours 4 minutes and 10 seconds until the big ride. There are so many things that I have to do before I am ready to go, not the least of which is to figure out how to get my bike to the starting line and back home. I've got to figure out what I will do for support along the way, make hotel reservations, and buy plane tickets. I'm sure I'm forgetting all kinds of things. One of my biggest worries if having the GPS all worked out before I get there. The seconds are ticking down.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz23@yahoo.com
Sponsorship
Well I got a couple of interesting e-mails yesterday and today. Yesterday I recieved an e-mail from a reporter at the Tulsa World and I am to meet with him next monday for an interview. As scooters have become very popular all of the sudden, he'd like to do a story on the ride and the money I am raising for my chosen charity The Smile Train. Hopefully this will help promote my ride and help me to get some more donations. So if you are in the Tulsa area be looking for that article, or you may even be able to find it on the web. I have no idea when it will come out but I'll keep eveyone posted.
The other e-mail I recieved was from Philip Mccaleb regarding a sponsorship from Genuine. At first I was a little worried by his first sentence..."We have decided that Genuine will not officially sponsor the Cannonball run this year. Small displacement scooters were not really engineered for cross country "racing" as such, and we risk implying that they are intended for that or capable of being evaluated under those circumstances." However he went on to say that Scooterworks would be happy to support me in any way that they could. Scooterworks is giving me big discounts on anything I need for the trip, plus Philip put me in touch with his head tech for any questions that my mechanic or I have about preparing for the trip. If you don't know Scooterworks is a big scooter dealer in Chicago that is related to the Genuine Scooter Company.
All-in-all pretty good news from both e-mails.
Doomsday Clock
A new addition to the cannonball website is a counter that is counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the ride begins. I got a big lump in my throat when I saw today that there are only 89 days 15 hours 4 minutes and 10 seconds until the big ride. There are so many things that I have to do before I am ready to go, not the least of which is to figure out how to get my bike to the starting line and back home. I've got to figure out what I will do for support along the way, make hotel reservations, and buy plane tickets. I'm sure I'm forgetting all kinds of things. One of my biggest worries if having the GPS all worked out before I get there. The seconds are ticking down.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz23@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 6, 2008
gear review mount up
As you probably already know if you are reading this now;I am planning on using the gps that works with my phone. As you can imagine, any gps is only good as long as you can see and/or hear it. I havn't even started on a way to hear it, but I am real close to being able to see it. I ordered some of the famous Ram Mounts and recieved all of the pieces a few days ago.
I've heard it said it's kind of like an erector setfor adults, and that's not far off. Ram makes hundreds of different pieces and you pick and choose the ones you want to create your own mounting system. They make many things exclusively for the motorcycle community, such as many different ways to mount to handlebars. Because my scooter doesn't have the traditional motorcycle handlebarr, I had to get creative with what I put together. Luckily I have a windshiled on my scooter otherwise I would have had to mount to the mirror stem, either way the Ram mount required a shim provided by Ram mount as well as a shim provided by me.
I was hoping the shim from Ram mount would be enough but the diameter of the windshield bracket is too small. I am still working on a good shim to fill the extra space. I chose to purchase the small aquabox as it has virtually the same dimensions as my phone. I am probably going to regret not buying the next size up (the medium aquabox). The flexlens plastic screen allows you to control the touch screen on the phone which is nice but in order to make it waterproof the lid compresses onto the flexlens and as you can see in the next picture it forces the sides inward and my fingers can't reach the outer edges of the screen. All the pieces from Ram mount are hight quality, you can tell that they have been doing this for a while.
The aquabox can be locked with a small padlock, and you can even buy a lock so you can't take the mount apart without a key. Beause the mount I have has a u-bolt mounted to the windshiled bracket, you could simply unbolt the whole mount if you were really determined to steal it. I bought the short arm which is just the right size for the buddy, I believe the regular arm would have been too long.
You can see everything mounted to the bike in the next two pictures. In the first I am having to hold the mount in position as it is not properlt shimmed yet. When I get it all tightened up I'll take it for a test drive, and as always I'll report back here with my opinions.
I've heard it said it's kind of like an erector setfor adults, and that's not far off. Ram makes hundreds of different pieces and you pick and choose the ones you want to create your own mounting system. They make many things exclusively for the motorcycle community, such as many different ways to mount to handlebars. Because my scooter doesn't have the traditional motorcycle handlebarr, I had to get creative with what I put together. Luckily I have a windshiled on my scooter otherwise I would have had to mount to the mirror stem, either way the Ram mount required a shim provided by Ram mount as well as a shim provided by me.
I was hoping the shim from Ram mount would be enough but the diameter of the windshield bracket is too small. I am still working on a good shim to fill the extra space. I chose to purchase the small aquabox as it has virtually the same dimensions as my phone. I am probably going to regret not buying the next size up (the medium aquabox). The flexlens plastic screen allows you to control the touch screen on the phone which is nice but in order to make it waterproof the lid compresses onto the flexlens and as you can see in the next picture it forces the sides inward and my fingers can't reach the outer edges of the screen. All the pieces from Ram mount are hight quality, you can tell that they have been doing this for a while.
The aquabox can be locked with a small padlock, and you can even buy a lock so you can't take the mount apart without a key. Beause the mount I have has a u-bolt mounted to the windshiled bracket, you could simply unbolt the whole mount if you were really determined to steal it. I bought the short arm which is just the right size for the buddy, I believe the regular arm would have been too long.
You can see everything mounted to the bike in the next two pictures. In the first I am having to hold the mount in position as it is not properlt shimmed yet. When I get it all tightened up I'll take it for a test drive, and as always I'll report back here with my opinions.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
3/28/2008
3/28/2008
Just wanted to check in quickly and show some pictures of my new saddle bags, I've sewn them myself and I am to the point of fitting them to the bike. I'm not sure at this point if I will need them or not for the cannonball but it was certainly a fun project.
The silver you see on one side is heat resistant material for the side with the pipe.
I added some reflective ribbon just for extra visibilty, you can see from the close-up that they are home made.
I used nikwax to waterproof the bags and when they came out of the washer they were so wrinkly, you can see it in this picture. I'm gonna have to do something to get this side up a little more. it also could have been the way that I packed that bag to make it look full for the picture.
Again here is the pipe side with the reflective maerial on the outside. You can also see my dog Bucket trying to get in the shot here.
I'll have to apologize for the white-trash looking back yard, not everyone in Oklahoma has pallets and kegs in their back yard.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
Just wanted to check in quickly and show some pictures of my new saddle bags, I've sewn them myself and I am to the point of fitting them to the bike. I'm not sure at this point if I will need them or not for the cannonball but it was certainly a fun project.
The silver you see on one side is heat resistant material for the side with the pipe.
I added some reflective ribbon just for extra visibilty, you can see from the close-up that they are home made.
I used nikwax to waterproof the bags and when they came out of the washer they were so wrinkly, you can see it in this picture. I'm gonna have to do something to get this side up a little more. it also could have been the way that I packed that bag to make it look full for the picture.
Again here is the pipe side with the reflective maerial on the outside. You can also see my dog Bucket trying to get in the shot here.
I'll have to apologize for the white-trash looking back yard, not everyone in Oklahoma has pallets and kegs in their back yard.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
Thursday, March 27, 2008
3/27/2008
Gear review
Let's get to the bottom of it...
When I came into my office today, I had a package sitting on my desk chair. It was a large plastic fed-ex envelope. Soft to the squeeze, I thought it was some kind of clothing, but I hadn't ordered anything like that. To my surprise, the Alaska Leather butt pad I had ordered just days before had already arrived. I've yet to take pics, and there isn't a great representation on their website. It fits quite nicely on the buddy seat in a couple of different positions. I have only ridden with it for ten or twenty miles, so I'm just getting the feel for it. The pad does offer a little more comfort, and I'm sure on longer days it will be much appretiated. It is good quality leather with about 1/2" of sheared sheep skin, and I think it will really help with the dreaded monkey butt. It has an elastic strap that keeps it tight on the seat, and the width of the buddy seat maxes out the strap's length, but even in stop-and-go city traffic it stayed put. All in all, it's a nice addition, but I'll probably only use it for long rides. I can't wait until it gets warmer for many reasons, but for one in particular, so I can try out the sheepskin in the heat of the summer. Believe it or not, it's actually supposed to keep your bum cooler because some air can flow underneath. Some touring motorcyclists have one to two inch long wool or sheepskins in the summer to provide a layer of air underneath them, which theoretically should keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I'll let you know how it goes.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
Let's get to the bottom of it...
When I came into my office today, I had a package sitting on my desk chair. It was a large plastic fed-ex envelope. Soft to the squeeze, I thought it was some kind of clothing, but I hadn't ordered anything like that. To my surprise, the Alaska Leather butt pad I had ordered just days before had already arrived. I've yet to take pics, and there isn't a great representation on their website. It fits quite nicely on the buddy seat in a couple of different positions. I have only ridden with it for ten or twenty miles, so I'm just getting the feel for it. The pad does offer a little more comfort, and I'm sure on longer days it will be much appretiated. It is good quality leather with about 1/2" of sheared sheep skin, and I think it will really help with the dreaded monkey butt. It has an elastic strap that keeps it tight on the seat, and the width of the buddy seat maxes out the strap's length, but even in stop-and-go city traffic it stayed put. All in all, it's a nice addition, but I'll probably only use it for long rides. I can't wait until it gets warmer for many reasons, but for one in particular, so I can try out the sheepskin in the heat of the summer. Believe it or not, it's actually supposed to keep your bum cooler because some air can flow underneath. Some touring motorcyclists have one to two inch long wool or sheepskins in the summer to provide a layer of air underneath them, which theoretically should keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I'll let you know how it goes.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
3/11/2008
I guess it's Just coincidence that i started this page exactly 6 months before the day of the event, as you can imagine I've got a lot of things to do to prepare for my first Cannonball Run. I've already purchased a few things (windshield, gps, fullface helmet,etc.) but certainly need to purchase a few more to be ready for the trip. My list of parts, equipment, clothing, toiletries, etc. keeps growing I am trying to research from other people as much as I can before I buy some thing but I'm sure a few things I'll just have to use my own trial and error through the next six months.
Right now Tulsa Scooters has agreed to sponsor me, as of yet I'm not quite sure what that means since I'll be riding my own scooter.
But I do know that they will be doing all
of the service work and any modifications before I go. A special thanks goes out to Sacha, David, Brad, and all the great folks at Tulsa Scooters
3/12/2008
I thought I had my heart set on the right auxiliary gas tank called the tour tank it's affordable and they come in a smaller 1 and 2.5 gallon size (which is all I need). I've been warned to stay away from the metal tanks simply to avoid anymore sparks flying than I'll already have if there is a crash, but that is what the majority of auxiliary tanks seem to be made of. Plastic leaves me with a few options I could just get a one gallon plastic gas can and strap it to the floor or something which is what many riders have done in the past. I have come across a couple of plastic auxiliary tanks made for either dirt bikes or for atvs that may work well, they are ported with a 1/4" npt end at the top. I'm probably gonna try to do a gravity feed or even simpler still I could put a hose with a shut-off valve and not even connect it to the tank but instead just use it to fill the under seat tank when it gets empty. I'm talking with the guys at Tulsa scooters and trying to do any research that I can on the interweb.
3/17/2008
Happy St. Patty's day! Not a lot has progressed so far; I finally contacted the charity that I am riding the ride for to let them know about it. I figure that might be a good idea.
I believe I have made the decision to purchase the tourtank, I've talked to a few owners of the tank that have ridden them long distances from a ruckus rider to a vintage small frame and it has gotten a lot of endorsements. I e-mailed tourtanks with some questions about their product and they have yet to contact me.
3/20/2008
Well, I took a test ride today to see how I could withstand a couple hundred miles in the saddle. I just got back and I thought I'd tell you a little about it. I took a ride to my family's lake cabin and back, it was a great ride through lots of curvy, hilly back roads. According to google maps my route was 103 miles one way, but I did have a couple of detours on the part of the route I'd never driven before.
On the way to the cabin I did fairly well, even fighting a fierce 20mph wind, I got down there in just over two hours. I stopped once for gas and was able to put 1.36 gallons in the tank. I would guess I was cruising at an average of 50-55mph. You would think that with the new gps I could give more exact information, but to be honest I haven't really figured out all the nuances of pairing it with my new tilt phone. The gps did help me out a few times, when I would get turned around I would pull my phone from the glove compartment and consult it. But every time the phone turned off to save batteries it stopped recording any information. At one point on a good downhill stretch I hit an indicated 79mph, but the max speed on my gps say 59.8mph. I know the speedometer is off but surely not by more than 20%.
The ride back seemed at first like it would be so much faster because I had the wind to my back. For the first 20-30 minutes I probably had a cruising average of 65+mph, then I had to turn heading west. The wind had apparently picked up substantially from earlier in the day (the nation weather service reported gusts of 36mph) and it was moving around the road at it's will. My knuckles were probably white under my gloves, as I couldn't release the death grip that I had on the handlebars for several miles. That kind of wind speed just makes your whole body tense from riding in it. I was constantly riding with my body leaning 10-15 degrees into the wind, and I noticed for the first time that the wind hitting the side of your full face helmet can really move your head around. My wrist was really starting to hurt and as I drove into Muskogee I rode right by a Lowe's I stopped and bought a rubber o-ring to create a make-shift cruise control which helped out tremendously. The other problem I had on the return trip was the pain in my back. I used a dry bag stuffed with rain gear as a makeshift back rest and it gave some relief but I still need to figure out something a little taller to support more of my back.
I'm also looking for a good seat pad now perhaps lambs skin or something.
All in all the ride made me feel much better about riding long days on the 125cc scooter. While it was a long ride it was nothing quite like the ten days of long trips that I'm awaiting in September.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
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I guess it's Just coincidence that i started this page exactly 6 months before the day of the event, as you can imagine I've got a lot of things to do to prepare for my first Cannonball Run. I've already purchased a few things (windshield, gps, fullface helmet,etc.) but certainly need to purchase a few more to be ready for the trip. My list of parts, equipment, clothing, toiletries, etc. keeps growing I am trying to research from other people as much as I can before I buy some thing but I'm sure a few things I'll just have to use my own trial and error through the next six months.
Right now Tulsa Scooters has agreed to sponsor me, as of yet I'm not quite sure what that means since I'll be riding my own scooter.
But I do know that they will be doing all
of the service work and any modifications before I go. A special thanks goes out to Sacha, David, Brad, and all the great folks at Tulsa Scooters
Genuine Scooters has not yet agreed to sponsor me in any way, though I did get a promising e-mail from Phil saying he'd "think about it."
First gear review...
The GPS ended up buying is the Garmin Mobile X 10 mainly because it integrates with my phone's bluetooth so I can use my smartphone for yet another function. I've decided on a RAM-mount to mount the gps onto the windshield's frame but have yet to purchase. The Garmin software works great for the scooter because you can choose to avoid highways and even busy streets, because it's connected to my web enabled phone it will give live traffic updates etc. I know live search and google maps does some similar functions but to avoid highways is a major plus for me.
The GPS ended up buying is the Garmin Mobile X 10 mainly because it integrates with my phone's bluetooth so I can use my smartphone for yet another function. I've decided on a RAM-mount to mount the gps onto the windshield's frame but have yet to purchase. The Garmin software works great for the scooter because you can choose to avoid highways and even busy streets, because it's connected to my web enabled phone it will give live traffic updates etc. I know live search and google maps does some similar functions but to avoid highways is a major plus for me.
The helmet I chose after much research on full-face helmets was the Scorpion EXO-700.
I had made the decision to buy the EXO-400 but they were sold out when I went to buy it so I spent the extra $30 to get the 700 and I'm still not sure what the difference is. I love this helmet either way, granted it is my first full-face helmet but it is comfortable, the face shield can be changed so easily a monkey could do it, they have all kinds of face shield options, I've tried to fog the ever-clear shield and I just can't do it (and as you can tell, I'm full of hot air), it looks like a cool space helmet, you can ride with the face shield up at highway speeds and it is still supposed to protect you face. So far I love it, and I haven't even needed to use it yet. update 3/24/08 believe it or not it was actually warm enough here, last Thursday and Friday, to open up the vents on my helmet, I opened them all up and was a little disappointed in the airflow that came through. When I tested the vents in the winter I could tell a big difference but I really couldn't tell much of one in the warm temps.
3/11/2008 part 2
Registration is open for anyone who wants to join the Cannonball Run 2008 Registration is fairly inexpensive as support is DIY this year. Apparently this is the first time they have not had support vehicles or Sag wagons are what we used to call them on long distance bicycle trips. This means planning is essential for every rider, but especially those who will ride a vintage bike (god bless 'em). Spare parts, oil, tools will have to be carried along the road, and/or stops at scooter shops will have to be planned for very carefully along the way. This is one reason I have chosen to keep the scooter completely stock, I want to avoid as many unforeseen obstacles as possible. Obviously everyone will have to do at least an oil change or two no matter what type of scooter they are riding. I will try to plan for these but after so many miles or when that oil starts getting dark I'll have no choice but to change it even if it's a late night. Right now I'm relying heavily on the newness of the scoot, and AAA. But some riders in the cannonball may put money together to fund a support vehicle and person, but that is still up in the air.
Registration is open for anyone who wants to join the Cannonball Run 2008 Registration is fairly inexpensive as support is DIY this year. Apparently this is the first time they have not had support vehicles or Sag wagons are what we used to call them on long distance bicycle trips. This means planning is essential for every rider, but especially those who will ride a vintage bike (god bless 'em). Spare parts, oil, tools will have to be carried along the road, and/or stops at scooter shops will have to be planned for very carefully along the way. This is one reason I have chosen to keep the scooter completely stock, I want to avoid as many unforeseen obstacles as possible. Obviously everyone will have to do at least an oil change or two no matter what type of scooter they are riding. I will try to plan for these but after so many miles or when that oil starts getting dark I'll have no choice but to change it even if it's a late night. Right now I'm relying heavily on the newness of the scoot, and AAA. But some riders in the cannonball may put money together to fund a support vehicle and person, but that is still up in the air.
3/12/2008
The gear that I'm trying to research now is storage such as saddlebags and topcases etc. and auxiliary gas tanks.
I actually have been sewing some saddlebags together, I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas just so I could make up some scooter gear. Now after approx. 90% completion I am having second thoughts and thinking about mounting some hard cases on the sides instead of baggage of any kind. I guess I should at least finish the bags and give them a shot, but I really like the idea of being able to lock everything up in hard, waterproof containers, which is why I originally wanted a hard top-case but I think that space on the rear rack will be reserved for a
I actually have been sewing some saddlebags together, I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas just so I could make up some scooter gear. Now after approx. 90% completion I am having second thoughts and thinking about mounting some hard cases on the sides instead of baggage of any kind. I guess I should at least finish the bags and give them a shot, but I really like the idea of being able to lock everything up in hard, waterproof containers, which is why I originally wanted a hard top-case but I think that space on the rear rack will be reserved for a
second gas tank.
I thought I had my heart set on the right auxiliary gas tank called the tour tank it's affordable and they come in a smaller 1 and 2.5 gallon size (which is all I need). I've been warned to stay away from the metal tanks simply to avoid anymore sparks flying than I'll already have if there is a crash, but that is what the majority of auxiliary tanks seem to be made of. Plastic leaves me with a few options I could just get a one gallon plastic gas can and strap it to the floor or something which is what many riders have done in the past. I have come across a couple of plastic auxiliary tanks made for either dirt bikes or for atvs that may work well, they are ported with a 1/4" npt end at the top. I'm probably gonna try to do a gravity feed or even simpler still I could put a hose with a shut-off valve and not even connect it to the tank but instead just use it to fill the under seat tank when it gets empty. I'm talking with the guys at Tulsa scooters and trying to do any research that I can on the interweb.
3/17/2008
Happy St. Patty's day! Not a lot has progressed so far; I finally contacted the charity that I am riding the ride for to let them know about it. I figure that might be a good idea.
I believe I have made the decision to purchase the tourtank, I've talked to a few owners of the tank that have ridden them long distances from a ruckus rider to a vintage small frame and it has gotten a lot of endorsements. I e-mailed tourtanks with some questions about their product and they have yet to contact me.
Gear Review
The Fieldsheer Moto Morph jacket is an all season jacket that I got in December, and it has proved to be a great purchase. The jacket is very well made with lots of attention paid to details. The best part about it is it's the only jacket you'll ever have to buy. The core of the jacket is mesh with tons of ventilation and pockets great for hot weather riding. For Spring and Fall the mesh jacket comes with a waterproof fleece lined liner that zips easily into the jacket, or you can put a waterproof outer layer onto the mesh jacket to prevent wind from coming through. For cold weather riding you can combine all three layers to make a very warm and comfortable jacket. All in all I am impressed with the jacket, and as I buy other gear I will look at the Fieldsheer brand.
3/20/2008
Well, I took a test ride today to see how I could withstand a couple hundred miles in the saddle. I just got back and I thought I'd tell you a little about it. I took a ride to my family's lake cabin and back, it was a great ride through lots of curvy, hilly back roads. According to google maps my route was 103 miles one way, but I did have a couple of detours on the part of the route I'd never driven before.
On the way to the cabin I did fairly well, even fighting a fierce 20mph wind, I got down there in just over two hours. I stopped once for gas and was able to put 1.36 gallons in the tank. I would guess I was cruising at an average of 50-55mph. You would think that with the new gps I could give more exact information, but to be honest I haven't really figured out all the nuances of pairing it with my new tilt phone. The gps did help me out a few times, when I would get turned around I would pull my phone from the glove compartment and consult it. But every time the phone turned off to save batteries it stopped recording any information. At one point on a good downhill stretch I hit an indicated 79mph, but the max speed on my gps say 59.8mph. I know the speedometer is off but surely not by more than 20%.
The ride back seemed at first like it would be so much faster because I had the wind to my back. For the first 20-30 minutes I probably had a cruising average of 65+mph, then I had to turn heading west. The wind had apparently picked up substantially from earlier in the day (the nation weather service reported gusts of 36mph) and it was moving around the road at it's will. My knuckles were probably white under my gloves, as I couldn't release the death grip that I had on the handlebars for several miles. That kind of wind speed just makes your whole body tense from riding in it. I was constantly riding with my body leaning 10-15 degrees into the wind, and I noticed for the first time that the wind hitting the side of your full face helmet can really move your head around. My wrist was really starting to hurt and as I drove into Muskogee I rode right by a Lowe's I stopped and bought a rubber o-ring to create a make-shift cruise control which helped out tremendously. The other problem I had on the return trip was the pain in my back. I used a dry bag stuffed with rain gear as a makeshift back rest and it gave some relief but I still need to figure out something a little taller to support more of my back.
I'm also looking for a good seat pad now perhaps lambs skin or something.
All in all the ride made me feel much better about riding long days on the 125cc scooter. While it was a long ride it was nothing quite like the ten days of long trips that I'm awaiting in September.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com
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