Tag Archives: Gear & Stuff

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How to combat the killer Mosquitoes in the North


Back in 2011 when we rode to Alaska we were fortunate to only run into the mosquito swarm once near the Atigun Pass.  We were armed with two of these shirts just in case.  The draw back to not being attacked by these “killer”, huge bugs was that we rode in cold rain almost the entire trip.  You never know what season it will be up there if you are planning a trip.  You need to prepare for HOT, warm, cold to down right freezing weather. 

If you have sun and warmth on your adventure, then there is a good chance you will have mosquitoes.  This shirt may seem like over kill, no pun intended but from those who have had to use it swear by them…we did not have to use ours but it will be a staple item if we venture back up-country.

CHECK out bugshirt.com for this shirt

The Original Bug Shirt®: Elite Edition

Elite sandstone bugs - small

“ELITE EDITION” Continue reading →

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New Farkles – Some for FUN some we need!


It’s always fun when you get a new bike and get to buy some big-ticket items but sometimes it’s the little less expensive farkles that make your bike your own.

Having owned BMW’s before, two ’10 F650GS’s, we have learned from our first time out of the gate what we want, need and who we want to buy from as in dealers/suppliers.  The good news there are accessories for these bikes all over the place and so many choices and price ranges.  I do most of the research for what goes on the bikes and Cheryl of course installs it all.  Recently, we have been on a AltRider kick.  Why?  Well, the do make some great products like our crash bars, head light protector and rad guard but I have to say they ship so fast to Canada I can often get my order faster than I can ride down to my dealer here in BC.  We pick and choose where and when we buy accessories/farkles based on impulse ;-) or as we can afford them.

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How-To Adventure Prep Your Bike: Before You Go A Guide to Being Smart About Your Upcoming Trip


I have to agree with this great article….again not only for Noobs is this written for…even experienced riders who travel far distances can always learn from insight. 
BMW GS Adventure Prep
By , Photography by BMW,

Nobody walks out to the garage and pulls on a helmet and riding gear thinking, “I really want to be bored. I think I’ll go ride my motorcycle.” Continue reading →

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You be the Judge….


Read the entire post please

We have been posting on this blog since really June 2011.  Me, as in Leslie has reviewed  100′s of motorcycle accessories, bikes and gear, etc…and I really try to be fair and honest without losing credibility or defacing a company.  Up until now I have to say it’s been real easy to  keep things positive or critique as constructively as I can. 

However, recently,I was shocked by the response I got from a return I recently made and I will keep the business name anonymous for now because I can’t wait to see how they actually handle my order. Please note:  These lights were ON SALE for the public.  He did not discount them as a special favour to me as he implies in the below email…

Scenario is simple:  I order Rigid Aux LED lights for both our bikes from a USA company as I do in many cases, I see what they really look like on the same bike as ours this past weekend and decided NOPE, not for us…too big for the place we want to mount lights.  Simple right?  Well, even before I refused the package that I spent a lot of $$ to be shipped to Canada I emailed the owner, said thank you for answering all my questions but unfortunately these lights won’t work for us so I was going to not even open the package and just send it back….this is the first email I got back. Continue reading →

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Evolution of a Custom Seat Part II


Still have NOT been on the bike long enough to form an honest opinion and will try to get a 500 KM trip in someday soon.  This is what Janice did to my Renazco seat from my BMW 650GS.  Trimmed the width by the nose and added a gel pad…Once I get some seat time I will let Janice as well as everyone else know what I think of the “new” and improved level of comfort.

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Farkles for the 2013 BMW F800GS – ask before buying


It appears that BMW may have changed a few things on their new model. As for the frame, that seems to be the same as previous years so things like skid plates, luggage mounts etc should fit. But other accessories other than BMW parts might not fit. ADV Spec crash bars will not fit…so..hmmmm..has the frame changed too?
. ADV Spec has informed me that they believe their bars will fit as the frame seems once again to be the same as previously stated. They are not sure how their originals will look until they test them out on a new 2013. Stay turned!

We have found out this…our BMW hand guards do not fit as is, Touratech also right now do not have guards for this year bike. That would also mean Barkbuster hand guards need to be tweaked. I am waiting to hear back from them directly but one could assume they are running into the same fit issue.

Continue reading →

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Chrome Niko Camera Bag


SOURCE Motorcyclist, September, 2012
Chrome Niko Camera Bag
Chrome Niko Camera Bag
By Joe Neric, Photography by Joe Neric

Chrome is renowned for making cool, functional and tough messenger bags and backpacks, and now the San Francisco-based company is branching out into more purpose-specific products. The Niko is Chrome’s crack at a camera bag, and for someone like me who rides motorcycles and shoots photos, it’s just about perfect. If you’re a professional photographer and think you’ll want to carry more gear than you see here, however, this isn’t the bag for you. Continue reading →

KRIEGA FORKS SEAL COVERS
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KRIEGA FORKS SEAL COVERS


One of the best investments we made for our trip this past summer was buying fork seal protectors.  For $25 these little things can save you a lot of inconvenience.  Although we have no proof that using fork seal covers worked, I guess you can say since we never had any issues perhaps they did.

We ran into a few folks where a blown seal halted if not ended their trip.  There are many ideas out there like DIY covers and other brands, but we went with KRIEGA covers.  They fit perfectly on the Triumph Tiger 800XC forks and also looked the part too.

Fork Seals

Increased service life for your USD forks with more effective protection from mud & dirt. Made from NEOSKIN (coated neoprene). Easy fit/clean, no fork disassembly required.

Kreiga Fork Seal Covers

Completely understated, yet so valuable when traveling in general.  Very easy to install and every once in a while we would take them off, rinse them and put them back on.  Every time we hit the gross stuff up North practically the only place on the bikes that stayed “clean” were the forks.

The forks would stay clean even when the bikes were caked in this!

Do you have to buy KRIEGA?  Nope…but when you want something practical that only costs a few bucks but can save you a possible PITA (pain in the ass) situation, some sort of seal cover is in your best interest.

BTW, we have them on our BMW’s now, and although the forks are not inverted they still fit and if needed there are little loops to use cable ties just in case.  Check them out, or at least think about doing something to protect your seals.  You can’t go wrong by doing something and not over looking this area of the bike. 

KRIEGA FORK SEAL COVERS CLICK HERE

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HEIDENAU DS TIRES – Where to buy?


I have been asked numerous times where we buy our Heidenau K60 tires.

On this trip this summer because we rode the Triumph Tiger 800XC bikes we needed a 150/70-17 rear and 90/90-21 inch front.  The new version of the K60 is the Scout.  You can find these tires at many dealers now and most seem to have stock.  There was an issue with the 150′s for a while last year with production out of Germany.  I think it had something to do with the company having to change how they made this tire to meet the environmental standards.  This seems to have been worked out.

On our 2010 BMW F650GS we are on our second set of the Heidenau tires. Rear size 140/80-17 and front 110/80-19.  Interesting the tires for the Beemer are more money than the tires for the Tiger or the F800GS. 

We buy from Robert at MTR Sports.  Not a fancy web site but MTR sells in both the USA and Canada.  Seems to have competitive pricing but again you can find these tires from many other dealers and even some BMW dealers are stocking them too.  MTR carries most of the items we need like brake pads, oil filters, stuff like that.  The best way to contact MTR is either by calling or email.

sales@mtrsports.com

MTR SPORTS link here

We really like the Heidenau tire because of its DS appeal and handling on the road.  Tires are so subjective and truly depends on your riding demands.  Some call this tire an 50/50 tire.  I think it is more like a 80/20?  I mean we commute everyday on the Heidenau and have taken it off-road on forest service roads, gravel, mud, sand, etc.  But it is not a true knobby.  Because we do not have a tire changer to go from a street tire to a more aggressive tread when we want, we ride with these to try to cover whatever road we take.

Our first set of tires we got over 19,000 KM out of them and that was after we rode cross-country in the summer of 2010.  When we went to get the new Heidenau’s installed our dealer asked why were changing out our tires when there appeared to be so much tread left.  The tires we rode though northern BC, Yukon and Alaska this year had over 14,000 KM and quite a bit of life in them when we gave the Tigers back.

Presently, Cheryl and I both have our second set on our Beemers and I am up to 13,000 KM on mine and they are just beginning to show some wear.  We keep the pressure up as per Heidenau recommendations, 36 PSI front and rear.  We might lower the PSI just a bit if we are rocky or loose terrain but not by much.  Again different thoughts about lowering PSI off road and getting better traction. We feel better by having the PSI up on such a heavy bike, less risk of damaging the tire and rims.  Just our opinion.

The tires before Heidenau added the center strip used to square off quite a bit but with the new tread pattern they seem to keep their shape better for longer. 

140 rear at 19,000 KM

You can see a little tear in the old tire but it did not seem to penetrate enough to jeopardize the tire and we never lost air. Back in the summer 2010 on day 2 of our 26 day trip I got a nail puncture in my rear.  We plugged it and I rode the entire trip and then some on the plug.  Again probably not the best practice but the hole was dead center on one of the knobbies and the plug held until I installed new tires.

K60 After Corss country trip in 2010

The plug I rode on

So, in the end we have found our tire, have you?  This tire for us is such a great well-rounded tire and remember where we live….the WETcoast of BC, Canada near Vancouver and it rains a lot.  As far as traction on wet roads, we both have confidence in this tire.  Mind you we do not over do it in the rain but at the same time we can still have fun and be safe. 

Here is an example of the Scout center strip that Heidenau has added.  Some like it some hate.  On the Triumph Tigers

Happy Tire hunting!  Remember tires, like seats, shields etc are all subjective and you just might have to try things out first to find out either the reviews were right for you or not.  We are very happy this tire is out there and we can get them on our bikes.