It’s been a busy few days here at Bolty HQ. On Sunday, we completely re-organized the garage. It’s amazing what a smart layout can do: we now have open space available and can walk completely around our bikes without having to step over miscellaneous crap. The only downside is that I keep walking to where my toolbox used to be out of force of habit!
I changed the coolant and spark plugs on the SV in anticipation of the summer riding season, which for me starts next week when I ride to the Chief Joseph Rally in John Day, Oregon. Y’all know that I don’t really ride by “season,” but to me, summer means the start of moto-camping and taking longer trips in weather that doesn’t suck.
I’ve got a couple of interesting posts in the works, one of which will reveal what I think is the best motorcycle camping chair out there. (Hint: it’s not a Kermit Chair.)
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Chair? Who needs a chair when you have nature!
I still have yet to change the plugs on my SV and she’s getting close to 13K…and purrs like a kitten. Do you ever notice a difference in the bike or are you doing it for the sake of keeping up the scheduled maintenance?
You ever look more into the Delkevic slip ons? SVrider.com raves on those pipes.
@LifeOn2Whls: Clearly you haven’t moto-camped very much.
I try to do most maintenance by the book. My SV has a little over 11k miles now and I knew that the plugs hadn’t been changed at 7500 miles.
Based on my previous bike, I expected the spark plugs to be pretty clean even at 11k miles. I’m trying to track down a lean surge on this bike and wanted to see if the plugs had any clues. Fun fact: one of the plugs I changed this weekend was mis-gapped too tight.
@Mike P.: Not really. I tried to wade through the thread(s) but they’re filled with the typical forum hype and BS. I can’t bring myself to trust something that sounds far too good to be true, especially since I’ve been burned before.
I’m almost certain I want to go with Muzzy, but it might end up being a true custom job. We’ll see!
Have fun at the Chief Joseph rally. I have wanted to attend it quite some time but just haven’t managed to line up all the stars yet.
The Kermit is hard to beat, I look forward seeing your choice.
I hear ya. I lovingly call forums idiot boards. Everyone is an expert. I would like a set of Arrows on my Triumph. But for $1K, I don’t think its worth it.
@Mike P.: I’ve heard the Arrow system on an acquaintance’s Striple R, and IMHO it’s not worth that price. It sounds slightly deeper and louder than stock, and I wouldn’t call the difference dramatic by any means. If it saves a lot of weight, it might be worth considering, but on sound alone I’d pass.
Stacy:
have fun at the rally. I was at John Day last year at the same time as the rally. We stayed at the Blue Mtn Lodge in Mt Vernon and met some other bikers from British Columbia. They were a group of 2 beemers and a Suzuki Bandit. We spent some time at Kam Wah Chung then headed south to Lake Abert Rim
bob
Wet Coast Scootin
Stacy…may have missed the post but are you considering a slip on/full exhaust??? DO IT! I rode with a group on Saturday (http://forum.svrider.com/showthread….50#post1986350) and a couple of us, myself included, had the Two Bros pipes…there was a M4 as well as the Yosh. A stocker was there as well and its amazing how quiet that bike is. If I was doing it over again…Two Bros or Yosh. Both have silencers you can put in if they are too loud for you.
I’m glad to hear you’re going to Chief Joseph. I thought it was an “either-or” for you this year, but apparently not. Guess I should check out your forum to see where we are with planning a blog-con at the 4R!
Have fun at the Chief Joseph Rally! At one time, I was thinking of taking a couple of months off and try and attend all these motorcycle rallies. This is from someone who has never attended a single rally. Maybe one of these days or after Redmond, I’ll change my mind….
Looking forward to the report.
@bobskoot: Really? We were like two ships passing in the night, then, because I went to the rally last year as well.
@LifeOn2Whls: Suspension upgrade first, then frou-frou things like exhausts…
@Liz Petersen: Plans change!
@RichardM: Redmond will probably blow your mind, but don’t let it shape your opinion of all rallies. Chief Joseph is much smaller, with maybe 700 people attending, so it feels homier. Plus, there’s less traffic!
Stacy:
sorry, it was June 2008. We are in Oregon so often I get mixed up .
http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com/2008/06/motorcycles-esp-bmws.html
bob
Wet Coast Scootin