Thursday 12 May 2016. Some aftermarket tool tubes for the V Star

Any ride of long distance requires the rider to consider all the little bits and pieces that add up to making the ride more enjoyable. That includes the weight and placement of luggage, including tools.
I carry a lot of tools and am always looking to refine the total number and types of tools, for the overall weight of the tools and where they fit. Over the last ten years there has been a growing awareness of the idea of mass centralization; making the weight as lower and as centered as possible. There has also been a plethora of different ideas on how to make carrying tools convenient. One example of this is the PVC down-pipe tool tube option, which I have done on the Suzuki and it works very well. That option cost me about $35.00 whereas other options of pre-manufactured tubes and boxes start at about $70.00 for one tube and go to about $200.00. In keeping with the utilitarian theme but also wanting to have some element of style, I looked at the document holder/tool tube option.

These document holders are readily available in the United States from most agricultural supply retail stores but I had been unable to find any on the shelves in Australia. Then one day after reading about someone else being ablt to source them from several stores about 40 minutes drive from home, I simply asked if they can be ordered in at the local John Deere tractor dealership. Yes, of course, no problem. $16.00 each plus any delivery charge. By the way, that's JPM Machinery in Caboolture (07 5495 1533).

The brackets I already had in my steel pile that I keep in the back of the shed and I did purchase new stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts, which came to about $8.00. In the name of looks, I did paint the tubes metallic charcoal with two coats of clear to finish it all off. This is the final product. Each of the two tubes fit the inner bags that hold the tools perfectly. Those bags I scored as leftovers from our business, so they are re-purposed and represent zero cost.

I guess they may act as some form of wind, rain and mud protection when riding in adverse conditions but I am not sure on that, we shall see. In terms of looks, being able to contain all the tools, keep them out of the saddlebags, mass centralization and nice, easy access to the tools, I think they will work well. If not, well then I have plenty of room to keep the thermos full of hot coffee.

Monday 2 May 2016. Suzuki rear suspension maintenance

No photos today, just a little bit about some maintenance on the DR800 today.

Pulled off the rear swingarm and cleaned, checked and regreased the bearings that join the swingarm to the main frame and the various suspension components. Only one bearing was a bit tight. The needle rollers were aok but the inner collar/spacer was a bit tight. An hour with sandpaper brought this together aok. Within a year I hope to take the swing arm off again, sand blast it, repaint and change out the bearing and spacer.

The frame design on these old bikes is really utilitarian, good and strong, with easy access for maintenance. That comes at a cost of weight and being wider than a more modern bike. At this stage its a fair compromise but I can see the day when a lighter bike will be very tempting, even at the cost of increased maintenance expenses.

Sunday 24 April 2016. ANZAC Day weekend, day two

Severnea -Stanthorpe - Tenterfield - Glen Innes - Rasperry Lookout - Grafton - Casino - Tenterfield - Severnlea. A very long day.

Saturday 23 April 2016. ANZAC Day weekend

Redcliffe - Warwick - Inglewood - Goondiwindi - Texas - Stanthorpe.

A big day on the bikes with Mark K and Kerrie K. The last 90 minutes was dodging wallabies, kangaroos, pigs and deers if both the live and dead varieties.

Saturday 2 April 2016. Rambling around Neurem and Mount Kilcoy

On Saturday I spent a half day exploring the country much closer to home that I usually do. Talk about beauty being close to home!

Some excellent video to come but for now, here is a look at my spot for lunch, about five minutes north of Mount Kilcoy State School.

Video footage from Sat 12 Mar 2016; a small bike nap.

Took a while but though I would share some helmet cam footage of a small slip. Nothing major, just did a rookie mistake of not checking the creek crossing. When I looked back later, I could see that it was about 10 cms deep of algae. Overall a great day though and some better footage of the ride from Toogooloowah to Crows Nest to follow:

Saturday 12 Mar 2016. Just a few extra photos

First an acknowledgement to my Horizons Unlimited friends who took and uploaded these photos. Thanks to Chris, Mark, Julie and Carien who were all involved in this little adventure.

Here we are at Crows Nest, after the short run between Toogoolawah and Crows Nest. A nice mixture of tarmac and a range of gravel surfaces.

This is the sport where I slid out. Rookie mistake of not checking the surface properly but nothing seriously hurt. Nice place to stop actually.

If you want to have a look at this area, these are some good guides to try: http://www.crowsnest.info/natural-attractions/soft-4wd 

Saturday 12 March 2016. Bimbling around Crows Nest

On Saturday a group from Horizons Unlimitee South East Queensland mob net a Toogooloowah and travelled cross country around Crows Nest, Hampton, Plainbyand Emu Creek. We followed a guide provided by the Hampton Visitor Information Centre, 'Drive G'. More on that to follow. I had a small off, did not prepare properly for a creek crossing covered in algae. Nothing serious and my diy extended hand guards worked very well. More in the trip later but for now,  a photo of the damage.