Our crazy world just seems to get more errr... entertaining. Earthquakes shaking Strapz HQ, protesters clogging the Westgate 'coat hanger', the French spitting chips, lava filling swimming pools, the Grand Final you have when your not having one, oh and lockdown dragging on.
I have my new Carese Evo jacket but other than parading about HQ I haven't had a ride in it yet. I'm not that keen on running the gauntlet riding to work, the qualification for a work permit is pretty grey as it is, best I don't draw attention to the whole crew.
The Australian motorcycling scene seems to be one of 'haves and have nots' at present. Them as can ride and those that can't. We that can't, gaze achingly at the bikes in the shed. Us plague prisoners are spending hours in the foetal position shaking and writhing with biking withdrawal, salving our wounds by fitting ever more elaborate accessories to our steeds. Are we ready? Are the Kennedy's gun-shy?
If this thing doesn't end soon some bikes may never leave the garage, they'll be too heavy!
Dis geezer musta blagged an auto store. Let's make life easy! Note the L Plate.
Sitting at my desk in a T-Shirt is very encouraging, spring is here, blue skies are more common and the warmth is starting to squeeze out the bleak Victorian winter. I've been making a beeline for sunny spots outside HQ's front door when I can find a few moments to suck up some rays. It feels sooooo good!
This year seems to have been particularly windy, bleak and wet down this way. It's encouraging that many parts of the country have had a good drink over that time though.
Growing up a Sandgroper, I took an Adventure camping trip to the Red Center during the last record, mass wildflower event around five lifetimes ago. I'm dirty that I'm not getting to see this one. Those of you in WA must get out to see it, my experience is indelibly inked on my brain and I was only 14 or 15!
Mystery Item
This was the challenge set for you last month.
I received a few great ideas, some were oh so close.
Phil - using it to push cord through leather and canvas (technically correct Phil, mostly).
Gaye - an awl for leatherwork.
Mick - looks like a grain sampler
Woody - involved injecting 3 round pink tablets, just under the skin of the sheep's ear.
Stuart - maybe a tubeless tyre plug installing tool.
We did a search on the patent number seen on the tool - AUST. PAT. APPL.\No. 1426/46 and found that it was a rug making needle. If you feel the need to check - go here
Here's September's teaser from the shed full of "junk" I inherited years ago when I bought my first property. I genuinely have no clue what this piece of mechanical bling does. I'm half expecting someone to comeback with something like - "That's a part of a 1940's Bedford distributor and I need it!"
Whaddya reckon?
"Bluetooth", there, I said it. The ugliest word the world has heard to date, in any language! I'm sure this blery technology was developed by a twelve year old on Red Bull!
I want to know who thought that this irritating, forgetful, frustrating, seemingly obstructive technology was the way to go. I'm sure it knows when I'm in a great mood or getting ready to do something enjoyable because that's when the ornery bloody thing plays up. You can guarantee that on the days when it's coldest or raining, it will wait until I'm ready to go and have an amnesic attack.
Over the weekend I fired up a speaker that I'd used for years off the phone - Couldn't connect came the message on the screen. I could connect to the neighbour's car, it was happy to get tangled up with the helmet comms (If I turned it on) or with a series of seemingly random letters and numbers ... . "No you dumb count, the one right here!" "The one that's making that weird boink, boink noise at you". Turn off, turn on, restart, reset both 'devices'... Nothing... Not that or the next day.
Resisting the urge to provide both items with impromptu flying lessons, I looked for a firmware update. I contacted the company's help line. As I got ready to send serial numbers it connected, out of errr... the blue (sorry). Imagine my level of entertainment at this point.
The new Kato has the 'B word', it tangles me in a circuit of connecting phone to bike, bike to comms, if it feels like it! Some days, smooth as baby poo, it's done. Others, it's the most frustrating series of electronic dead ends.
It's a lottery whether the phone connects with the van each trip to and from home.
I loath bad, unreliable design! It should be called RandomTooth.
Just resting, sometimes the earth gets too far from the feet.
Riverside Camping Update
Last month you'll remember I rattled on about the opening up of camping/fishing zones on leased farm land. The Grovelment took over a thousand submissions from interested parties (the I fish, I vote bumper sticker comes to mind) around 27 sites they have yet to reveal. From September 1, theoretically, those not locked down can rock up to one of those 27 yet unnamed riversides and set up tent and fart sack.
The rules have been amended to below.
No camping is allowed within 20 metres of the river and within 200 metres of a home.
Other rules include:
No dogs allowed
Do not enter or cross private land without permission (hmmmm)
Leave any gate as found
Do not interfere with or disturb livestock
Portable toilets must be at least 50 metres from the waterway (and not on private property)
If not disposed of in a portable toilet, human waste and toilet paper must be buried more than 100 metres from the waterway (and not on private property)
All rubbish and belongings must be taken with you on departure.
Campfires permitted in some designated areas. Check the rules for each area
Firewood collection is prohibited
No cutting, felling, picking, damaging or destroying vegetation, alive or dead.
I think that as long as we have a strict, no dickheads rule we might be able to make it work.
The British grovelment has released a long winded document setting out its plans to decarbonise the Old Dart's transport by 2040.
Many of you would have traveled in the UK and know just how crowded and congested the road systems can get. Getting polluting cars, trucks and public transport who spend hours at idle in their cities has to happen. But, what's going to happen to motorbikes? How will that percolated across the world?
The simplistic non-motorcyclist's point of view is probably along the lines of, "yeah just make them electric like the rest". Great for city use and small countries, electric bicycles and scooters are well on that path and will probably cover it when infrastructure and road rules catch up.
This little black duck reckons there's bigger fish to fry. (Source: Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain)
I've had concerns about what fuel older bikes might use and how available it will be. Will we have a similar issue getting 'bang water' in out of the way places into the future?
This from the UK's report hints at technology that comes to the rescue.
Low carbon fuels will continue to play a crucial role in maximising carbon savings from road vehicles during the transition, whilst increasingly being required in other transport modes such as aviation and maritime. As demand for existing petrol and diesel blends decreases, these fuels will continue to support the decarbonisation of older road vehicles (and in niche applications with limited alternatives), including by increasing the low carbon fuel content where possible and in the longer term low carbon fuels that are net zero.
It will be interesting for those of us who are still young enough to get out there on our old dungers and wobble about.
Will the increased use of Carbonfibre sequester carbon? Carbon offset! Win win!
'Come 'ere, I need fuel.
Testing Times
As much as 25 klicks on a ride to work will allow, this month I've been trying to find the right knee guards. The thing about motorcycle protection is that there are two phases of rapid intimate contact with Mother Earth.
The hit then the slide. It's all very nice to have gear that allows you to slide down the road for an hour but you have to smack into it first. An anecdotal review study I saw a few years ago asserted that 70% of injuries in motorcycle accidents happen to lower limbs. Feet and ankles are easy - good appropriate boots. The bit often overlooked is equally appropriate knee protection. Personally, I find knee armour in pants a happy compromise. A little more mobile than we really should have. Sure strapping knee guards on is another painful, fiddly thing to stuff about with as we gear up, a little like a proper fitted back protector.
The problem I seem to come across is that the vast majority seem to be designed with a short race or a couple of hours blasting through the bush in mind. Wearing them on an adventure, dual-sport or a full road ride means hours in them. Looking for eight-hour comfortable knee guards that can be fitted or removed quickly and easily is proving challenging. Oh, and getting them to interact smoothly with shin protection on boots is another challenge.
I guess I've been trying to find the Goldilocks pair of knee guards. Phew, it's not easy! I tried what seems like a dozen sets from Aldi cheapos to extravagant, Travis Pastrana labelled soft jiggers.
There seem to be two basic styles.
Strap on - simply drop the dacks, strap them around the knobblies, pull the duds back up and 'Bob's yer Mother's brother.' The problem I have with these tend to be the length of the straps and the placement of the velcro. The Aldi set has strap adjustment but seem to be designed for a different species. The set I tested this week have a patch of the prickly 'hook' tape on the top of the knee that drags on the lining of my pants... Doh! We all know what repeated exposure to that stuff will do to that lining.
Slip-on - these tend to be the soft armour type with a stretchy (variably) breathable 'stocking' that one slips over the foot and into place. Yes, you need to have boots off (and usually pants too) to fit or remove. Most of them also have a silicone strip glued somehow to the inner and lower bands. I find that on bare skin they literally leave me with burns. Making a sleeve of our Thermalz Merino fabric fixes that and may be the key to the final choice.
The slip-on style are more flexible, the strap-on more convenient, I certainly lean toward that style. The bottom line is that the gear we use is nearly always a compromise. To find the one that works best is gonna be the key here.
Bye Bye Bumblewee
The shed is too crowded and the short straw has been pulled by the lovely V-Strom.
It was purchased originally with the idea that both Mrs Strapz and I would share it. I thought I was ready to downsize to a smaller, lower powered, user friendly, dependable mate. She didn't take to it and I was well... wrong.
As life tends to, I still had space in my life for more Phwoar as an 890 KTM fell unexpectedly into my lap. A mad-if ya-don't decision quickly followed.
I've set it up as a keeper and reckon it may well be one of the best set up 650 V-Stroms around.
Suspension by Wilbers, crash protection and ergonomics by SW Motech and a long list of nice little touches that add up to around $5k of extras. I think $10 grand is a fair price with 27,000 klicks on it with 24,000k service completed and new Dunlop Mission tyres. Or do I have to say the price is $11,000 so the buyer can knock a grand off and feel like they got a win?
All the original kit and a low seat will go with it. A set of bags is negotiable.
You have the first bite at it, should you want more photos and a full list of goodies flick me an email. If you need help with transport sing out, I know a bloke.
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