It's been a quiet month around this neck of the woods. I'm never one to venture too far away from home at Easter as the roads fill with all that Plonkerdom can muster. Much better to stay home, build up a few credits, tidy the shed and watch the footy.
Just before Easter I went to a concert. Now, this little black duck has been to many a concert in his time, hey, I used to mix the sound for a band. But... Knock me down, the punters at this gig were all old buggers, some were ancient, wizened specimens. No, it wasn't a classical squeak fest or a cat-strangling opera. It was a rock concert – Jason Isbel and the 400 unit. What the hell happened?
Doctor's order
Not quite a liberation of a political prisoner... but I did an extraction of Dr Z from my son's garage on Easter Monday. The Dr needs a service and roadworthy. Yep, another victim of COVID slipping through the net. It's a good opportunity to check and clean bits not usually looked at. I'm always happy I do that when I find the odd loose bolt or iffy looking wiring loom.
After a bit of boat pushing out, a new set of pipes arrived for Mario just before Easter too, stroof a set of Conti replicas cost more than I bought the friggin' bike for... .back in '79!
I view travelling to show off our gear as a bit like banging my head against a wall... It's great to have it over with. I love catching up with people and showing off our gear but it never gets any easier. Luckily the weather gods turned it on in Spades for us at the Touratech event, with the most glorious of clear days and nights.
Calmer Karma
Prior to the above knees-up, I read an old yarn of Mr Smith's about the iconic, Aussie, pub meat tray raffle. It ends when he wins the prize but enjoyed the process so much that he kept schtum so it would be re-drawn.
As life would roll that weekend when we were having a feed at the local boozery I spied a group of three blokes, also engaged in pot and parma consumption who I tagged as bikers. It transpired that they won the meat tray and donated it to the family on the adjoining table. That simple act gave both sides such a charge.
Sure enough, said blokes turned up at the trade stand the next day and I said I witnessed the charity, remarking they were just sh1t, sacred that as the price of meat is so high now, they were frightened of getting mugged on the way back to the motel!
Over the course of the day a particular punter, a total stranger, kept bringing his mates and anyone else he could pester to check out our wares. He was back and forward, haranguing people that they needed various items he'd used. It's always hilarious to watch the by-play between mates who love each other to bits but slag one another off mercilessly.
As dark approached tables were laid out for the annual dinner, jaws lubricated and exaggerations commenced. Robin Box gave his usual welcome and drew the first of the 'door prizes'. It was won by a fella whose birthday it was that day!
As dessert arrived Robin drew out a second prize that Andy Strapz had donated to the cause... And who should claim it but Ol' mate, the badgering salesman from earlier in the day!
Oh dear, the maker of this game certainly wasn't a Mensa candidate.
Garmin XT2 Arrived
Stocks of the new generation updated Garmin Zumo has zoomed onto Strapz HQ shelves. At nearly a $Gorilla, it's not cheap but as it's robust, vibration tough, waterproof and post-COVID, it's to be expected.
Here's a summary of the improvements.
NEW: ULTRA BRIGHT DISPLAY — The 6" display is 15% larger than previous models and features an even brighter HD resolution in landscape or portrait mode.
DESIGNED TO ENDURE — Rain? Vibration? Dust? Doesn't matter. This device is built to withstand all kinds of weather (IPX7) and rough terrain.
NEW:VISUAL ROUTE PLANNER — Plan a custom route on the device, or use the Tread app with a compatible smartphone.
SIMPLE MAP SWITCHING — Quickly toggle between on-road maps, topographic maps and satellite imagery, so you can always have the perfect map for your ride.
NEW: GROUP RIDE MOBILE — Use the map of your smartphone and/or zumo XT2 device to track friends with the Group Ride Mobile feature.
SATELLITE IMAGERY — Use satellite imagery from around the world to help you navigate. Download the maps directly to your device via Wi-Fi technology. No annual subscription is required.
NEW: POPULAR PATHS — See popular moto paths ridden by other riders to find new and exciting routes to explore.
GARMIN ADVENTUROUS ROUTING — Straight roads are boring. Find the most thrilling routes with hills, curves and sights, and choose from 4 levels of difficulty.
RIDE SUMMARIES — Use the Tread app to review your ride details, including speed, acceleration, decelerations, elevation and more.
WIRELESS UPDATES — Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity makes it easy to keep your maps and software up to date without using a computer. On-screen cues show when new updates are available.
LIVE TRAFFIC AND WEATHER — Access real-time traffic and weather, share routes with other riders, and get phone notifications via the Tread app.
INREACH COMPATIBILITY — Pair Zumo® XT2 with a compatible inReach satellite communicator for two-way messaging, location sharing and, in case of emergencies, SOS capabilities.
BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY — Hear turn-by-turn directions or stream music from your compatible smartphone through a connected helmet or headset.
INCIDENT NOTIFICATIONS — If an incident occurs, a text message with location information is automatically sent to your predetermined contact.
I thought you might like to have a gecko at it too.
Hi Andy, from the UK.
Beautiful tank on Mario, well the whole bike's beautiful. I had an 860 Desmo, a black/gold 900SS 1980 MY, when I was a lot younger. That was a bugger to kick over sometimes. The sheet flame out the exhaust if I over-tickled the open 40mm Dellortos used to entertain passers-by! I once made the mistake of kicking it whilst seated, and I ended up with a gash up my leg as a souvenir of the experience, didn't do that again. It was one of the various bikes I got rid of, mainly Ducatis, that are now worth a packet needless to say.
I have a DesertX and a Himalayan now, both remarkably "sanitised" but still with great character. My mate has an Adv 890R and loves it, we both rode one off-road in Wales a year ago at a motorsports complex called Sweet Lamb, amazingly capable for a biggish bike. I nearly bought one, but then the DesertX came along. I also came very close to buying the Tuareg before the DestertX, really impressed when I rode it, but ideally, I wanted a slightly larger bike for long trips into Europe.
I always enjoy your musings, and rants, keep 'em coming! Bit chilly here in the UK currently I'm envious of your easy-to-access dirt roads, we have to go to southern Europe of Morocco for that, so stuff on your trips out are always interesting.
Keep safe, cheers - Simon
Hat Chat
Helmet testing standards haven't had an update since 2005 and the testing process was open to a certain amount of 'gaming the system'. They were made thicker in the places they were tested and thinner in those not, to save weight and materials.
Enter standard 22.06, testers will now randomly choose three further test points from a selection of 12 and cut the hats sagitally and transversely to examine the consistency of the shell thickness. Angled, glancing impacts are also part of the testing regime. The hope is that helmets will reduce the forces impacting the brain as it careers on into the inside of the skull case after a thumping.
Visors will also come under closer scrutiny, having ball bearings shot at them to ensure they don't give out when a rock hits them over the old-fashioned ton.
What does this mean to us you might ask?
Well... Helmets will get heavier as they'll have to have uniform thickness and they'll be more expensive, especially hand-laid fibreglass brain buckets. I reckon top-flight hats will crest the $1500 mark next year. If we follow the EU, dealers and wholesalers will have five years to get rid of 22.05 stock. However, 22.05 helmets will still be fine to use on the road.
The other thing it will mean is that we'll see a raft of new helmets hit the wholesalers later this year as the manufacturers all work to get their products up to spec.
Jeff Duke at Brooklands
Inna Pakz - Another Unsung Hero
Some of our kit is seriously unassuming. This hinged packing cube is the only thing I take out of my travel bags (bike, 4x4, aeroplane) each night. It contains my toiletries, zip-off hike pants, a spare T-shirt, a change of undies and socks. I re-pack it every three or 4 days.
Designed to be hung from a hook in a bathroom or a branch of a tree each half is accessible via a double runner zip.
You might like to have a look at this report that examines the five main influences on the anti-motorcycle bias that has existed in Victoria, Australia over the last two decades.
Take care, it can lead you down a few rabbit holes.
