BMW 1200GS Rally 2012: First Contact

Fan-tas-tic!  That is the first thought that came to mind after a first day with the 1200GS Rally edition.

It is sublime, powerful, comfortable and so on… this bike has all the charm needed to win over a motorcycle adventurist.

When I asked my contact at Moto Internationale if it would be possible to have dual sport tires, BMW Canada authorized the installation of TKC 80s to allow me to ride the bike under many different conditions.

So the plan for next few days is:

• ride long distances on paved roads to better evaluate seat comfort, wind protection, gas consumption and better understand what 110 hp @7750 rpm means!!;
• ride the Scotch road, the best place I know for a first feeling of a bike on unpaved roads;
• then the Lac des Plages (Beaches Lake) fire roads;
• and more…

The Quebec motorcycle “bible” (Guide de la moto 2012) rants and raves about the bike – so my expectations are high, but based on this first day, things are off to a good start!

Read more: Ride to Mont-Tremblant

Ciao!

dsaq

Read More

Evaluation: Seat Concept part 2

See part 1

Installation

Removing the original seat foam and cover is a breeze and takes only 15 minutes.  The installation of the new components takes some more times and one should not be afraid to start over if the result is not perfect.  Practice makes perfect.  At a first attempt to install a seat, you can count around 2 hours of work.  An experienced person can make this in 45 minutes.

I attached some pictures of the new seat installed below.

 

 

I am pretty happy with the result.  As a bonus, the new cover looks sharp!  The carbon fiber texture is quite appealing.  I would have like the stitches color to match the bike color, but that would have limited potential buyers if I ever need to sell it.

First impression

Once the seat installed I went for a 20 miles ride in the country side on Rivière Sud (South River) road with my 11 years old daughter. 

Thank goodness!  The forward slope effect from the original seat is gone – wouhou!!  Only for this reason that worth it.  During that ride, I even went for a short off-road ride close to the Exotarium and I discovered an ostrich farm not to far away.

For a moment I had completely forgot the purpose of this ride.  The new seat was comfortable and out of my mind: +1.

However, after a longer moment on the seat I started feeling a discomfort at the crotch.  I think the seat foam is not hard enough – the sit bones digs into the foam and pressure builds up at the crotch.  That could also be the pair of Jeans that I was wearing at this moment that were not adequate...may be.

Verdict.  First impression I had was great. Note that I felt much higher than the OEM seat.  The fact that I had a bar raiser installed helped for the comfort.  I should probably do a little adjustment on the handle bar (lean backward).  For a fair review I`ll need to ride the bike for a longer period of time to really compare with the original seat.

After a few more rides

The seat is way too high.  I have been commuting for 2 days: St-Eustache to downtown Montreal near the Bell Center (35 miles).  Before I install the new seat I was already short having both heels on the ground.  Now, I am tiptoeing even more - very inconvenient in stop and go traffic.  Neither appreciated on the highway – the additional height makes a noticeable difference on the air pressure against the helmet.

The seat is certainly more comfortable that the OEM one, however I should have waited for the low version of the seat - it will be available in 5 months as per the sales rep at Seat Concept.

The additional height would most likely be less noticeable if my tires were not high profile dual sport ones.  Also note that I customized my original seat a couple of times to make it more comfortable - I removed almost an inch of foam in the process.

My recommendations so far would be: if you are 6 foot tall and up, go for it, otherwise wait for the low version of the seat (I am 5’8).

Update July 15, 2012

I have been using the bike for much more time now, and I can tell without a doubt that this seat is fantastic, really.  It looks like a period of time is required to get used to it.  Or perhaps the foam needs to be broken in.

For the seat height problem: my soon, he is fifteen and 5’10”.  He can sit on the bike an have both foot on the ground without a problem – so I have probably exaggerated a little bit in my first recommendation, I suggested to be at least 6’ to consider ordering this seat and wait for the low version of the seat if one is less than 6’ tall.  So, new recommendation: 5’10” or more you should be fine, less than that wait the low version.  Of course that may vary depending on your inseam. 

To fix my personal issue with the seat height, I contacted the company and they agreed to replace the seat when the low version will be available.

To be continued...

Read More

Honda to participate in the 2013 Dakar Rally

July 2, 2012 - Honda has announced its intention to participate as a works team in the motorcycle class in the Dakar Rally to be held in January 2013 in South America, travelling north to south through Peru, Chile and Argentina. Honda competed nine times in the motorcycle class in the forerunner of the present Dakar Rally, the Paris-Dakar Rally, from 1981 through to 1989, and was a winner five times during that period. Honda's return to Dakar Rally next year will be the first in 24 years since 1989.

The Honda team, to be called Team HRC, will include Portuguese rider Helder Rodrigues, who took third place in the 2012 Dakar Rally, and Brazilian Felipe Zanol, who brings a wealth of experience in motocross and enduro race events, as well as Sam Sunderland (United Kingdom) and Javier Pizzolito (Argentina). They will ride a prototype machine developed and produced by the Motorcycle R&D Center at Honda R&D. The prototype machine is based on the CRF450X, the popular worldwide enduro racing model that combines ease of handling with superior competitive strength. Kit parts designed for use on the standard CRF450X model have also been developed and will be made available to a limited number of teams.

Tetsuo Suzuki, President, Honda Racing Corporation, commented “The Dakar requires competitors to cover several hundred kilometers per day for more than two weeks. It needs a totally different type of vehicle from events such as motocross, trials and road races. Honda has put a great deal of effort into designing and building a powerful and winning machine. We are aiming for the championship from this first year.”

[SRC: HONDA]

Read More

Evaluation: Seat Concept

I had a few occasions to ride on long day trips with my Versys.  The last time was in May – to Otis,MA and then back home. That was about an 800 mile ride.

Each time I go for a long ride, the Versys seat becomes uncomfortable after a couple hundred miles.  I tried a couple of times to fix the problem by customizing the seat: I changed the angle and carved a V shaped pillion in the seating area.  Certainly, those modifications were beneficial... however, there was still room for improvement.  Worse, my wife cannot stand the rear seat for more than 20 minutes without feeling the discomfort of the foam.

So time had come to try an after market seat.  While searching on kawasakiversys.com I found a thread on Seat Concept proposition  for the Versys. (By the way, there is a coupon code: KLR650.NET that I found on the kawasakiversys forum.)  Contrary to other manufacturers, Seat Concept only builds replacement foam and seat covers.  You need to disassemble your motorcycle seat and install the foam and seat cover on the original pan.  The good side of this approach: the cost stays reasonable at around 200$.

Required tools

The first time I made a custom modification to my seat I used a manual stapler as on the left picture.  It worked fine. 

But this time I decided to buy an air stapler which I thought would simplify the stapling process – about 60 staples are required.  I shopped around and found this one - Surebounder 9600 – for only 40$ at Langevin-Forest in Montreal Nord.  If you can’t find them, there is always the Paslode staplers that are available everywhere but at twice the price. I found the same air stapler on Amazon for only 25$.  If you ever order this one, make sure to also order the required T50 staple pack.  Seat Concept recommends the 1/4 or 3/8 in length staples.

:

The other required tool is a simple flat screw driver to remove the staples that hold the original seat cover to the plastic pan.  I used a nail puller similar the one on the left picture.

 

Seat Concept recommend to use spray adhesive to glue the foam against the plastic pan, but I did not do it.

To be continued…

Read More

Erzberg Rodeo 2012

This is the full play list of 12 videos.

La "play list" complète des 12 vidéos disponibles.

Read More

Second 2012 adventure ride: Vince’s “Not dead yet” ride part 2

The departure for the ride was getting closer.  How will I make this ride since there is no official ride guide but rather a “hostile” chart (see part 1.)

Paper strip enigma

[Roll chart holder] My parking neighbor, John, with whom I had a chat earlier, quickly resolved the enigma of the paper strip plan.

The “Roll chart holder”.  Haaaaa, what a great idea!…the paper strip plan is inserted into this gadget and unrolled as the ride goes.  Most likely, I was unprepared for this kind of ride.

On the left picture you can see the “Roll chart holder” on Hans’ motorcycle.  I’ll speak about Hans later.

Time to go.  4 by 4, motorcyclists aligned at the starting line.  I asked John if it would be OK if I followed him since I didn’t have the roller.  “Of course, you are welcome!” he said.  Very nice guy!  Finally my problem was solved - I could follow and enjoy the ride.  Even better, John’s intention was to avoid “Hero” sections which were intended for smaller dual sport bikes better suited for mud & rocky sections.

 

Departure

So John, 2 other riders and I aligned at the starting line (KTM erzberg edition, Versys, DR-Z400 and a KLR.)    Then go!

For a while, everything went well.  After 10 minutes, John changed directions and stopped for some adjustments.  So I continued to follow the group and I lost John from sight.  The DR-Z400 driver became the new guide. 

For a good moment the ride was pretty cozy.  Many nice paved and unpaved sections, sometimes in the woods ( I really felt at home on many occasions)…nothing to be afraid of - even a road bike could have done this.  The DR-Z400 driver (the guide) was riding at a slow pace and at a certain point the ride was even a little boring.

First pit stop

A couple of pictures from this first pause.  I chatted for the first time with Hans (DR-Z400) there (as I don’t remember his real name, I had to re-baptize him for the purpose of this post - Hans had a European accent, I would say German.)

So, Hans is the DR-Z400 owner.  His bike was so customized (was maybe a DR650) that only the engine and the frame were original.  Even the gas tank was replaced to gain nearly a gallon.  When I asked him about his ride plan, Hans told me that he had no intention of riding in the Hero sections…so I could follow him in peace.

What type of motorcyclist are you?

While I was riding, on many occasions I told to myself “Ah! that…that would be a good picture”.  What’s more, I had to follow Hans – and the plan – so I could not start exploring all the paths that seemed interesting like I usually do in my occasional adventure rides.  I have to admit, I am a solo adventurer: I like to take shots and follow providential paths on my way, or even just stop when nature calls.  Freedom!

Hey!  That was a hero section!?

The cozy ride suddenly wasn’t that easy anymore.  I saw it coming: rocky section on a upwards slope.  Mud and big holes and much less GS in the picture, but rather dual sport and Adventure bikes (there were motorcycles just about everywhere.)  I was following Hans who seemed a quiet rider at first.  He suddenly showed his other side:  he was literally flying over the obstacles and I struggled to follow on my Versys.  A KTM Adventure bike sped by me to the left and also seemed to fly over obstacles.  When I noticed that I was followed by a group of smaller dual sport bikes, I just stepped aside to let them pass.

I was not that bad a rider in those conditions but I needed to ride at a slower pace - much appreciated by my Versys…which I had taken to very similar places in the past, but with caution.

At the end of the section I told Hans: “Hey! Was that a Hero section?”, and he replied: “Oh, I`m just following the plan.”.  Hehe, that really spiced up the ride.

12 o’clock

After 3 hours of riding and some more hero sections, the fatigue of this already long day started to show.  And the apprehension of the remaining 300 miles to go back home was increasing.

As I rode out of the last hero section (it was particularly intense, I bottomed my suspension a couple of times), I went to see Hans and  thanked him for guiding me through this ride, but the time had come to say goodbye – I still had a long way to go.  Handshake and adios!

 

[monkey butt]  The ride home went without any issues.  Unfortunately, I felt like I had received a thousand kicks in the butt.  It is in those moments that you wish for a more comfortable seat...  I’ll need to evaluate some of the aftermarket ones.  I saw a Seat Concept solution which received good feedback on kawasakiversys.com.  So I took the plunge - I will let you know if it was worth it once installed.

 

Next rides…

Once I got home and saw how far I had gone for a day ride on Google map, I realized that Parent and the Laurentides Park were not that far after all and I would probably get lost in those area this summer…

***

I took some time later to search for a Roll chart holder and found this one on Amazon.

I also found a web site dedicated to Roll chart holders: http://www.rollcharts.org/rollchartdef.html and a software that may be useful to create charts: http://www.enduro.4t.com/rollcht.htm

If you are taking part in an organized adventure ride, don’t do the same mistake as I did: be informed about which kind of ride you’ll be participating in and see if you need that type of gadget.

***

ciao!

dsaventurequebec

Related Post:

1. Ride to Parent

Read More

Second 2012 adventure ride: Vince’s “Not dead yet” ride

May 20, 2012,  2 o’clock in the morning, I’m wide awake.  To go or not to go?  That is the question.

Retrospective:  In January, I received a tweet to participate in Vince’s “Not dead yet” ride in Massachusetts.  300 miles to go and 300 other miles to come back, plus 120 miles of adventure riding.  Nonsense, I will forget that.  (See the map below indicating the ride’s meeting point.)

View Larger Map

One week before the date I sent an email to the ride staff to see if there were still some available spots - almost hoping the answer would be no:  I had mixed emotions between the thrill of the experience and the nonsense of going that far for a day ride.  The staff email answer: “Always, there is never a max!”

So…unable to sleep…let’s go!

At 3:15 am, I’m on my way to Otis, Massachusetts.

I87 South, Adirondack

A few hours later, there I was on the I87 South.  I quickly noticed that heading south did not necessarily mean increasing temperature.  When I left home I was comfortably riding with a jacket, boots, gloves and a pair of Jeans.  But in the Adirondacks mountain area, it was much cooler!  My visor went foggy and I had to set my heated grips at ‘hi’.  That ride is most likely similar to crossing the Laurentides Park in Quebec early in the morning.  For those that do not support heat and traffic, it’s perfect.

Otis, Massachusetts

[Some of the bikes there]  Since I cruised at a fast pace, I was able to reach my destination 40 minutes before the planned departure at 9am.

First thing I told to myself arriving there: if Harley is the king of the cruiser market, KTM and BMW share the honor in the adventure bike world…at least, that was my impression.  There were lots of 1200GS, F800GS and F650GS, and many Adventure and other KTM models.  I saw some KLR, one V-Strom and 2 Versys!  Hey!, I was not the only mad person riding a V for this dual sport adventure day!  After asking the question on kawasakiversys.com the next day at home, I found out that the driver of the second versys was a friend of the owner of the Versys who was riding a 1200gs with a side car!  Small world.

Then I registered, paid, and took my stuff: a sticker to put on the windscreen and the road plan printed on a 8.5 per 11 sheet.  I took a look at the plan and I quickly realized that it was gibberish to a neophyte like me.  Hmm, how will I make this ride?  I also noticed that many people where cutting the plan instructions to make a long paper strip with adhesive tape.  Why?  Should I do the same?

8h45 – Meeting at the registration desk

[Vince Lee]  Here is the ride organizer, Vince Lee.  Vince has been fighting a cancer for many years and other complications have added to his disease.  However he is in good spirits, he seems in pretty good shape and still healthy enough to organize this ride where all profits are for charity.

After Vince addressed the crowd,  I felt the emotion when everybody warmly applauded him for his courage.  Thoughts and prayers for you Vince! 

Now that I think about it… helping a good cause was probably my biggest motivator for this crazy ride.

Note: Vince is an active member on AdvRider.com

To be continued…part 2

Read More