88010km

Time to change the tyres!

My old tyres were just that: OLD. Old as hell, actually. And square.. And hard... And everything a tyre shouldn't be.

My Old Metzler Lasertec had seen better days. I knew, when I bought the bike last year, that they were due a replacement. After feeling insecure in wet conditions, and experiencing some wobble with cold and semi-warm tyres I decided to change them. This was probably a few miles and months too late =P

I was very keen on getting some new shoes for my lade, but I had no idea what brand to pick. The bike runs on 100/90-19 and 120/90-19, so options were a bit limited.

Most shops I contacted wanted me to try a new pair of Lazertecs. I decided I wanted to try something different, as I wasn't happy with the Lazertecs I had. (YES, I know that the tyres were old and crappy, and that new ones would be much better). I wanted something that preformed well in wet conditions, and I couldn't care less if the tyre handles 200kph+. I use the bike for commuting.


After much deliberation, one of my friends recommended that I look at some Bridgestone BT45s. I read some tests, and a couple of reviews, and I decided to go for those.

I got the work done at Motorport - It was fairly cheap (I even got a discount! THANKS!) and I had some problems with my heated grips I wanted them to check out. I also wanted to check my rear wheel bearing.
The changed the tyres, fixed the heated grips and balanced the wheels. I picked the bike up in the POURING rain, and had a rather careful drive to work. Even with the brand new and slippery rubber, I could feel that the grip was better.

I have ridden the bike for 200~km after the change, and I am much happier that I thought I would be. As always: Rubber has EVERYTHING to say about performance and feel.

I ride more confidently through curves, and it breaks much better in the wet. I do recommend these tyres!

87401km

It is getting colder!

Autumn seems to be comming. I had to find both my jacket-lining and my trouser-lining the other day! Temperatures below 7c is cold in the morning. Especially when the heated grips I bought at Motorport seems to be malfunctioning:

At times it seems to be working just fine, but suddenly it drops the effect down to the 30% mark, at which point it doesn't seem to do much heating. I need to find out why it does this =(

It seems that the bike uses a lot of gas in the higher revs! I tested with a full tank of gas, and driving in av very non-economical way. I got about 0,8/10km.. Which is a lot... Just tanked her now, and I will see what milage I get while driving like a granny =)

86704km

Bought heated grips from Motorport. I had some on my shadow, and I want the same on this bike.
The previous one was for custom bikes, this is a bit different!


I got the Oxford hotgrips for 595,- ($99). It was 695, but the nice guy gave me a better price.

The control unit is a bit strange. It has the option of 30%, 40%, 70% and 100% effect. My old one was analog in the controls. The control unit is for mounting on a flat surface or on the left hand side controls.
I tested them directly on to the battery before fitting, and they worked!

Time to mount! =)

Removing the old grips was easy! I used my trusty leatherman wave and cut them off. I cleaned off the surface underneat, and dry fitted both grips.

The cables were stripped onto existing cables, and the grips were super-glued on. They were a perfect fit, and are comfortable to hold.

The control unit is a bit harder. The mounting plate is designed for mounting on the left hand side controlers. I have no screws there..

Nowhere to mount =(

Now,what to do? I have no flat surface fit for the unit. The solution was careful mounting on the right hand side.

A tight fit!

There was just enough room and clearance to mount the unit. Only problem now, is operating the buttons with the left hand.

I also needed to mount the unit that dristibute and control power, and hook the grips up to power.

The unit fitted perfectly underneat the seat!

More superglue!

I didn't want the grips hooked up directly to the battery, because there are a lot of kids in the area, and they fiddle with my buttons! I don't want a drained battery if someone turn on my grips.

I needed ingnition power, and decided to hook into the lightsystem. It is both controled by a button, and by the ignition.

I tested, and they work perfectly! No more cold hands during rainy days and Norwegian "summer" =)