Saturday, June 18, 2011

From the North Oregon Coast

I eat too many turkey meals.  I should find a backup eatery but Subway is good and fast and... well, fresh.

Wednesday morning I headed for the coast to work for three days.  I used our place at the beach for two nights as a base for working from Newport to Astoria.


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This was lunch in Newport on Wednesday.  The ride through the mountains in the morning was mostly wet but at the coast the weather was nice.  It was in the low 60's (F) with the usual onshore breeze of good fresh air.

The weather for the three days was suppose to be mostly dry.  There was only a 30% chance of showers on Wednesday morning.  I debated on whether to take a regular duffel bag or my Helen 2Wheels waterproof bag.  Amber reminded me that this is Oregon and it can rain at any time. I didn't really need a reminder. I ended up getting the 30% on 100% of me so I was glad I had Helen's bag.  I've had this large roll top sack for over a year and it has served me well.  It's surprising how much one can pack in it when items are rolled into tube shape.

When I first started using it I was a little nervous about leaving it on the bike when I'm inside on a sales visit but so far it's been fine.  I don't put anything too valuable in it and I generally park in areas which are not too public.

Below are some road trip photos.

A beach chapel that has weathered many storms.

Twin Rocks (Rockaway Beach) as high clouds approach. 

This one is titled, "Waiting for Sunset".

It's nice to stop and explore in these small coastal towns.  I stopped here Thursday afternoon to get something to drink.

Friday morning the clammers were out during low tide in Tillamook Bay. Homemade clam chowder sounds good.

I have many photos of this lake.  On a clear morning when it's calm I can't help but stop and click a few shots.  It's a serene view that's quite different than the hustle and bustle of downtown Portland only 90 miles away.  What would life be like without the push and pull of a BlackBerry and computer? 

The trip was a little over 400 miles.  It was a pleasure to be on the bike.  For a while now I've been experimenting with riding at higher rpm.  On the way back to Portland through the mountain range I stayed in 4th gear most of the time.  The speed limit is 55 mph with nice sweeping curves. The bike handled better at the higher rpm with easier ability to roll on and off the throttle and less shifting.   

I hope you get some higher rpm this weekend!

God's speed.


Friday, June 10, 2011

Photos From the Week

With a full week of good weather things lined up nicely to acquire some quality saddle time.  Although I was "Riding and Thinking," rather than post any particular thoughts I decided to share a few photos from the week. Nothing earth shattering just some doodling with the camera.

The one above is the oil cooler radiator vents.  After doing the brakes last Saturday I washed and waxed the bike.  If you look closely you'll see the haze of dried wax yet to be polished. Kind of a different view.

Yesterday while working in Corvallis I parked under a large shaded area.

Something caused me to look up and I noticed how the branches seem to be leaning toward the sun. These old trees make a nice big shade canopy.

Before leaving Corvallis I like to stop at Great Harvest Bread to get something before hitting the road for home.  Instead of taking the Interstate I took the country way through small towns.  I happened to get behind a guy on a cruiser bike.  Out in the country we rode at a good pace but in the towns he went pretty slow and kept a large distance away from the car in front of him.  I try to learn what I can from these experiences.  I realized that I tend to drift in a little too close sometimes when following traffic.  The obvious problem with this is when traffic stops suddenly.  The other issue, which I don't think of as often as I should, is road debris.  It's harder to see and react when following too closely.

This was today behind one of the hospitals I visit.  It would have been nice if I could have gotten the bike in that lift.  Looks like it's waiting in line for the next ride.

Today I had lunch at a mall.  While walking back to the bike I noticed the light gently bouncing off the back wheel.  This shot looks a little lonely but in my humble opinion the mall is actually a happy place.  The sun didn't show up today so everything had the Northwest shade of gray. 

Just some doodling with the camera while on two wheels.

God's speed.




Sunday, June 5, 2011

Brake System Transfusion

Back in April I devoted a post to trying to break a boxer engine myth by showing the relative ease of a routine valve adjustment.  At the end of that post I commented about flushing the brake system in the coming weeks.  I intended on doing this post sooner but I've been fighting a virus with a persistent cough for the past  month. Friday I finally went to the doctor at the strong urging of my wife Amber.  The prescribed antibiotic seems to be doing its work.  I feel somewhat better.  I wasn't aware of the general state of crumminess that had overtaken me.

The weather was nice yesterday.  It was the first summer-like day of the year.  Sunny and about 85 F.  A perfect day to go riding but I thought I should get the much needed replacement of the brake fluid done.  

I've decided not to go step-by-step through this process for two reasons.  Firstly, it might be boring but the big reason is I want to avoid any liability issues.  The brake system is obviously an important part to the safe operation of the motorcycle, consequently, care should be used to make sure no air gets into the brake lines and no leaks are evident when done.  I used a comprehensive writeup available online on the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association forum by a member Semper Fi.  If you're a member and you log in you'll also see his photos.

But this post is not about BMW stuff.  As with the valve adjustment post, I'd like to encourage you to try flushing your brake system yourself no matter what brand you ride.  The tech support post by Semper Fi is only mentioned to show that once you find a good source for step-by-step instructions, it's similar to finding a good recipe for brownies. It's hard to go wrong when you follow the recipe.  Okay, maybe some surprises can pop up but trial and error does wonders for gaining experience.  As I mentioned above, ingesting air into the brake system is the biggest threat and you'll know if it happens before you go for a test ride.  More about that in a minute.  

This is as close as it gets to a hospital setting in our garage.  When I looked at this photo it seemed sort of medicinal with the vacuum gauge and the old t-shirt spread out.  The t-shirt is protecting the painted surfaces from an accidental spill of the brake fluid which is very bad for paint.  The vacuum gauge (Mityvac) is used to draw the old fluid out of the reservoirs and to bleed the brake system.  The setup above is the first step which is to draw the old fluid from the front brake reservoir. 

Here is the the bleed nipple on the front brake reservoir.  This is conveniently used in the process to replace the fluid in the reservoir.

Brake fluid is not suppose to look like your favorite iced tea on a hot summer afternoon.  Pop open one or both of your reservoirs and if it looks like this and it's been a while since it's been changed then this project should make it to your list of things to do.  Good brake fluid is clear.  

The brake system works by hydraulics.  The fluid doesn't compress much so when we pull the brake lever the piston at the lever forces the fluid down the line to compress the pistons in the calipers on the wheel(s).  Over time however, a couple of things happen. One is that air can get into the system, either by absorption directly into the brake fluid or more commonly by absorption of water, which contains air.  This makes the fluid turn dark and the brakes feel a little squishy.  As a rule of thumb the brake fluid should be checked once a year at the very minimum. The fluid level should be checked more often.

This photo shows the old nasty fluid has been flushed and replaced with new.  One way to do this is to use a small syringe or turkey baster to pull out the old fluid.  Always leave a small amount in the bottom of the reservoir that covers the hole where the fluid goes to the brake line.  This keeps away the dreaded threat of inducing air into the system.  After adding new fluid, then it's a repeated process of drawing out and replacing most of the contents of the reservoir through the bleed nipple until the fluid looks completely new.

After the reservoir has been flushed it's time to flush the line between the reservoir and the calipers on the wheels.  I removed each of the two front calipers and spread the brake pads apart being careful to make sure the fluid in the reservoir didn't overflow from the back up of fluid.  Then it's the same procedure as with flushing the reservoir.  It's a repeated process of drawing out the fluid at the caliper with the vacuum gauge and replacing it with new in the reservoir until the fluid being drawn is clear.

When that's done the calipers are reinstalled and the brake lever is pumped, while keeping an eye on the reservoir level, until the pads make contact again with the rotors.  At this point it's time to see if any air has made its way into the system by bleeding the brakes at each caliper.  I won't go through that step but the photo above shows the setup I used for bleeding the front.  

This is how the fluid should look as it's coming out the bleed nipple at the caliper during the bleed process.  No air bubbles and clear fluid. This is where we make sure things are right well before the test ride.

When the front brakes are done the same process is used on the rear.  I thought the photo above of the rear reservoir shows the somewhat dramatic difference between old and new fluid. 

That's pretty much it.  While riding to church this morning the brakes felt stronger and I think they grabbed a little earlier.  Remember that the goal when done is to have no air in the lines, no leaks, and ending up with all new fluid throughout the system.  Before going on a test ride straddle the bike and make sure the brakes are firm and have a strong grip.  

Then maybe have a brownie, a glass of milk and go for a ride.  You might avoid iced tea for a while though.

God's speed.