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August 16, 2005
High Beam Oddness
Tonight I went for a bit of a late night ride in some (relatively) rural areas nearby. As there are long stretches in the woods with twisty and hilly roads with no lighting, I decided to actually use my high beams for the first time.
It was quite a surprise to me when I flicked the switch on and the lights did not change. Lights were no different and no "your high beams are on" dumby light came on either.*click* *click* *click* *click* Nothing.
Oddly though, my passing/flash switch worked just fine. I.e. it turned on the high beams (and the dumby light) when I pulled in the trigger-like switch. So I figure my high beam switch is just bad and I'll have it too replaced when I bring the bike in for the 500-mile checkup. I proceed to hold the flash switch in while I go around corners etc. for the next couple miles.
I'm not sure why the idea struck me, but I decided to see what happened if I turned the high beam switch one while finger the flash switch. Et voila, my high beams stay on. Huh? If I flick the switch down to low they go off and if I repeat the flash + high beam they come on. So now I figure, "Oh, duh. That is what I get because I didn't RTFM my Owner Manual well enough. This is how they are supposed to work." I complete the remainder of my ride quite well-lit using my newly discovered high beam technique.
Now I have just got home. I park my bike and look back in wonder at my discovery. To amuse myself I flick just the high beam switch on and off to remind myself of my initial surprise that it didn't work. And it works. Turn the bike off, turn it back on, it still works. Read the fucking manual and it mentions nothing about needing any multi-switch foolery to turn on the high beams.
WTF?
Posted by delgado at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)
August 15, 2005
Safety Recall
Oh joy of joys... Baby's First Safety Recall...
N.H.T.S.A No. 05V - 276Replacement of Coolant Hose
Affected VIN: Speed Triple Start of Production to VIN 234916
...
Basically looks like there is a potentially leaky coolant hose and losing coolant is bad m'kay. This no big surprise, as I already read about it on T595.net months ago... I was wondering when this would finally arrive.
Anyways, I really need to do more riding so I can get to my 500-mile service interval. I will life life dangerously and watch out for a soggy left boot in the meanwhile.
Posted by delgado at 05:56 PM
August 12, 2005
Fall Classic Motorcycle Show
Well, my Speed Triple isn't a classic, but I still enjoy classic (which to me means pre-1972) Triumphs... and BSAs... and sure Vincents too... and even the odd Norton. I yearn for a 68/69 Bonneville.
Anyways, I have missed a bunch of other Brit bike shows earlier in the year, so this one may be my last chance to catch one in the area this year. It is run by the Mass British Iron Assoc, who provide full info on their page. I never quite understand why these things are always in the middle of the sticks, but it is a good excuse to buzz through Worcester and stop at Coney Island Hotdog.
Posted by delgado at 11:50 AM
August 10, 2005
Bar-End Mirrors
My first modification to my Speed Triple has been to replace the mirrors. I don't have a pic handy with the originals on it, but it was the standard big lumpy stuff. The looks of the stocks mirrors themselves weren't terribly bad and I could have easily lived with them if it wasn't for the fact that they gave a terrible view.
Basically, I could see in the lanes to my left and right, but I couldn't really ever see behind me. Attempts at adjusting the mirrors' angles so I could see behind me resulted in a really good view of my arms, but I just couldn't see things behind me (you know, dull stuff like encroaching cars, etc).
So I replaced them with a pair of Hindsight LS bar end mirrors from CRG (Constructors Racing Group). They are smaller than the stock mirrors, but are also slightly convex, so they offer a much wider range of view. This combined with placement further out than stock means a much better rear view (I can now definitely see everything directly behind me). The "LS" stands for "Lane Splitter"... the mirrors have pivots so they can be flipped inward if I need to squeeze into a narrow space.
Posted by delgado at 07:52 PM | Comments (2)
August 09, 2005
Now with more blog!
I really haven't much of a clue about if (real) people actually follow any of this page.. but if any of you do, I have now set it up as a blog with my Movable Type install. What this means in the end is that I will now be able to (in theory) update this more readily more frequently.
My previous entries here have been re-entered at the apropriate dates.
Posted by delgado at 07:24 PM | Comments (3)