Top 12 Motorcycle Myths

This will be a quick one. I just wanted to pass along an article I found regarding motorcycle myths, and the actual facts that make them myths. Most of them we've probably all heard before, but it's an interesting read all the same. Click the title link for the article.

Minimalist Tire Changing

I recently changed the tires on the Majesty, after about 15000 miles. I had never changed them myself before, so it was a bit of a learning experience, but I managed. The first tire took me several hours, and  one tire iron to the face, to get off, but after getting the jist of it, I managed the second one in about 30 minutes and saved myself fifty bucks and a trip to the shop. Anyway, as someone who doesn't have a lot of money for tools and such, I always appreciate finding a way to do something with whatever I happen to have laying around. On that note, I'd like to share a series of videos I found about doing exactly that. 

The first one covers bead breaking. I didn't spend quite as much time as he does making the "breaker". A short piece of 2x4 with one end cut at an angle worked just fine.

The next part covers removing the the old tire, and putting on the new one. I did it pretty much the same way, but I used pieces of milk carton to protect the rim from the tire irons. They worked pretty well, though they fell apart pretty quickly too. I've heard that the plastic they use to make motor oil bottles works well, or the white jugs of orange juice. Basically, something thick enough to hold up, but thin enough to be flexible and slide in between the tire and rim.

The final part covers balancing. I didn't actually balance my tires this way. I used a product called Dyna Beads. They work great, and saved a lot of time, and the ride seems to actually be smoother than it was with static balancing. Also, since they constantly rebalance themselves, if you ever do have to plug or otherwise repair a tire in the field, it'll still be balanced.

 

Anyway, as long as you don't mind getting a little dirty, I'd definitely recommend changing your own tires instead of taking them to a shop. It's really not that difficult, especially after going through the process once, and honestly I've never really trusted any shop to do a job as well as I'd do it myself.

1st Annual Diabetes Solutions Poker Run

Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma is a not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, aimed towards improving the lives of people with diabetes and reducing the incidence of diabetes and the complications of diabetes. It also happens to be an organization that I've been involved with for a long time. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 9 years old. Only 2 months after being diagnosed, I went to my first session of diabetes summer camp, and it changed my life. Aside from the invaluable education I received that summer about the disease that was now a part of my life, I learned that I wasn't alone, and that it was possible for people with diabetes to live full and productive lives just like anyone else. Now, 14 years later, I still go to that camp every year, as a counselor for other children, many of whom are newly diagnosed and just as confused and frightened as I was. If it weren't for Diabetes Solutions, none of it would be possible. That's why I'd like to encourage everyone who's able to come out to the Thunder Road House Cafe on April 26 to support Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma, not to mention have a good time and possibly win some money while you're at it. Click on the title link to go to the Diabetes Solutions website for more information and to register for the run. I'll be there, and I hope to see you there too.

Motocamping 101

I took my first motorcycle camping trip this weekend, to Devils Den State Park in Arkansas. Lessons's were learned (including just how far my bike will go on reserve) but there were no major catastrophes and everyone (and almost everything) made it home in one piece.

This was taken at our first rest stop. The bike handled remarkably well with all the added weight, though I could definitely feel it through the tighter turns, and ended up taking most them pretty slowly. She behaved herself just fine through the wider, sweeping curves though, and that's the kind of riding I enjoy most anyway.We stopped in Henryetta, Oklahoma for lunch, at The Pig Out Palace. It's a little pricey for a greasy spoon (a little over $10 a person for the all you can eat buffet) but the food's pretty good, and the service, as well as the customers, are always very friendly.
For dessert, they have a selection of 4 different kinds of cobbler. I highly recommend the blackberry, with a little softserve on top.
If you're ever not sure where to eat on the road, just look for the place with all the trucks parked outside. If anyone knows where to eat on the road, truckers do.
We took the interstate on the way there, due to time constraints, but once we got close to the park there were some pretty good roads.
When we finally arrived, my new luggage rack and top case (more on those in the series of entries I'm currently working on) made unloading go quickly. When we first started planning the trip, I couldn't figure out how to bring everything we would need without covering the pillion seat. Luckily for me, the Majesty has a deceptively large amount of underseat storage, and a little ingenuity and some angle iron will go a long way.

Saturday was filled with hiking, and cave exploring. Here, Erika contemplates life while staring into an infinite abyss, just before we climbed around in it.
There was actually quite a bit of climbing on Saturday, not just in infinite abysses. The hole I'm sitting in is caused by pockets of sandstone, which weathers much faster than the harder stone surrounding it.
On the way back, we took I-540 south to Oklahoma Highway 9, which runs roughly parralel to I-40, but farther south. It's a much more interesting ride than the interstate, and as it turns out, takes about the same amount of time.
The only casualty from the trip was my homemade saddlebags, which had never really been filled up before. It was nothing a few zip ties and a pocket knife couldn't fix though.

p.s. I'd suggest always keeping a few zip ties on board your bike, not to mention around the house. They're really just too useful not to have.
The final mileage came out to 525 exactly, with the way there being slightly longer than the way back. There's a good chance that it was because I missed the first exit to the park on the way there, but I'd rather just chalk it up to backroads being a better way to travel.