Escape ride

Escape ride - rest stop, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

It was another successful escape ride! The weather was a bit cold in 50s but the sky was clear and roads were dry - we had enough time for a short oyster run. We planned to do some photo shooting but it was a bit late. But the video turn out great with the low sun angle. Stay tune for more and better picture in next meet!

Weekday Escape

Weekday escape - Ridgecrest, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

The rain season has begun and it going to be harder to find sunny and dry day to ride - the worse part is, nice days always happens on weekdays! So today I took a day off and hit the mountain while the road still dry. It's still cold for me; but it's far better than rain. It was a easy photo shooting kind of ride - quiet and relax. I hope you enjoy it!

Almost forget about the video! Enjoy!

Sunday Solo Tomales Bay run

Finally additional mounts were installed and I was able to move the camera a bit. It was a easy ride and fun as usual : )

Tourist solo run - San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

Lonely Rider, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

It's fun to visit some of my favorite tourist spots in San Francisco with my motorcycle and DSLR. Today I picked the Golden Gate Bridge, and the blessing of nice weather, the images turned out nicely. It was a short photo shooting ride; but it was fun =)

Sunday Ducati Group Ride

Sunday Ducati Group Ride , a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

We had a great turn out! It was a birthday ride for one of the local owner club member, and we all had a blast at our 'usual route' Sky was a bit over-cast but it has no fog, plus the road was dry and no wind - can't ask for more. Check out the vedio!

Contour ROMA first road test

Contour ROMA first road test, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

I am glad to report that everything works really well. Check out the video of my short local easy ride and judge it yourself!

New guy in town - Contour ROMA Comcorder

Contour ROMA, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

After some back and forth finally I made a decision to get Contour ROMA. People may ask why not GoPro Hero HD? I own a older Hero, and the image quality and sound quality were both very good. But both the mounting and operation were really painful - half of the time I can't even tell the unit is on! The worst part is the mount - you HAVE TO keep the unit up-right, and deal with all the little mounting pieces on the go just simply too much to deal with. So I decided to give Contour a shot. I was thinking about getting the nicer unit - Contour GPS. It has full HD recording; plus GPS tracking to tell exactly your path and location. But after going through some user reviews I realize I rather trade the GPS function for a longer battery life and simpler operation. Just one slid on the top of the unit, it's on and start recording! SImple and easy. It offers Full HD recording at 30 fps and 170 degree wide angle (unlike the Contour GPS, it offers Full HD at 60fps but at 125 degree only). It has laser guild to make sure the lens stay horizontal and it's water proof too (up to 1m depth). The best part is, it's about $70 cheaper then Contour GPS!

I got myself a nice mounting to go along with my new toy - RAM Mounting System. It's made by marine grade aluminum with 1" rubber balls for vibration isolation. Everything so far comes together well - can't way for field this Sunday! Stay tune!

Mt. Hamilton weekend solo run

Mt. Hamilton, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

So that was my first time to ride up to Mt. Hamilton - It's one of the 'most ride' for all the local riders. Fun road - a bit technical; but not too bad compare to some of the goat trials in Santa Cruz Mountain. Recently the city repave few sections of the roads - it's like adding big bandages in sections - meaning loss gravel everywhere. Riding a road have a lot of turns and next to a cliff most of the time... it's actually fun! The view up there was super - all the hard work is well worth =)

CRG - Arrow Mirror

CRG - Arrow Mirror, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Today was the first ride after the installation - I am glad to report it works really well. Just like LS, the image was clear regardless what speed I was at. The main thing I like the Arrow more than the LS is the objects in the mirror - it is closer to a 'normal' size. The LS sees more things; but everything get smaller... It is harder for me to tell the objects distance. In term of flipping action, LS is way easier and quicker. I need to push the Arrow pretty hard before I can flip it.

All in all it's a keeper... check out the next post for some nice picts from today ride!

New CRG Arrow Mirrors

CRG Arrow Mirror, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Just out of the blue I decided to give the Arrow mirrors a try. It surprises me in every way - it feels stronger and better made than the LS mirrors; and it looks better on Streetfighter than LS. Don't get me wrong - I still love the LS - it offers wide angle view and blu-free vision regardless what speed I am at. Will see how well the new Arrows work - can't wait to test it out in a real ride!

Weekday get away...

Weekday get away..., a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Weekday get away - and I got the entire road!!! Well, maybe not all; but it was nice and peaceful. One down side is that there were more big tucks and school buses running up and down along HW1, and getting in and out I just have to split through the busy weekday traffic in town. Still - it's a small price to pay for a nice ride in perfect weather and quiet mountain roads.

Custom belt cover - fun Friday afternoon project

Side veiw

From clutch side

After installation, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

I always liked the open belt approach - it really shows the mechanic side of the L-twins engine. I was thinking to run open (without covers); but it's hard to let go the beautiful carbon fiber cover. So I decided to do something in-between - modify the stock part. It gives the bike a custom feel without breaking the bank. This is not my first time; but this is the first time on 'larger scale' Carbon Fiber.
I think it turns out nicely - I could be opened a bit too much - oh well, it's ok. I still have the stock part just in case. Will work on the upper cover later - let's see if I can get used to it first =)

Close up right before 3 layers of gloss paint

Wet sand at 1500 sand paper

Rough cut...

This was my setting - with a running vacuum to reduce dust level

Let's the fun begins!

After installation, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Amazing sunset in Bay Area fog

Amazing sunset in Bay Area fog, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Took this on my way home from work - the sunlight over fast moving fog was pretty amazing. Too bad all I have was just an iphone...

Sunday small group ride

Sunday small group ride, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Meet up with a local Sport 1000 LE owner for a quick Sunday spin - man, the weather was perfect! Everything was nice except there were load of cops out there with radar guns. Feeling lucky to come home without ticket =)

Dainese 4 Stroke Leather Gloves

Dainese 4 Stroke Leather Gloves, originally uploaded by Speedy Chung.

While my bike still in the shop, let's go shopping! Just kidding... but I do need a pair of shorties to fit my jackets better. The sleeves of both the Racing jacket and the HF Special jacket just a bit too long for the long gloves to handle. So... I picked the 4 Stroke. After 5 weeks of wait finally it arrived. After close inspection I found out that It's not as well made as Piston (sold on Ebay a year ago); but the 4 Stroke is still pretty nice - and it's a lot cheaper - $60 cheaper then the original Piston. Seriously I don't where Dainese cuts corner.... But it's for sure looks good and feel good for me! One small complain - the pinky has a lot of protection - which is good; but it's pretty painful to break-in. Oddly enough, the higher priced items like Full Metal actually needs less time (if not none) to break-in. I guess that's where the fitment and craftsmanship comes in.

Yeah, it's like Christmas in July =)

Dainese Racing Jacket - my latest jacket addition

Dainese Racing Jacket, originally uploaded by Speedy Chung.

I have been eyeing on a new leather jacket for some time since I sold my beloved Delmar jacket few weeks back - and finally I found this nice white Racing jacket (big thanks to Mike at D-Store San Francisco). One thing I learn from my old Delmar jacket is that the so-called aerodynamic spoiler is really unless POS when it comes to street riding. My suit has one - it looks cool and fast, and it keeps my temperature down during the hot day. But in the case of jacket, especially without vent, it just adds extra weight without any real benefit. In fact, it creates problem when I use backpack. So it's time to get something simple and light wight for work day riding. The fitting of the Racing jacket is great. It's light in weight (comes without heavy liner) and fit me really well compare to the new Delmar, Alain, and Santa Monica (BTW, Santa Monica is one of the very best jacket out there; but I was informed that it will be discontinued in next season - that translated into big saving at the end of this riding season. Anyone interested, make sure add yourself into D-store mail list).

Next thing will be nice shorty gloves...

Escapism from barry munsterteiger on Vimeo.
Found this very nice video from my local riding forum - all the roads are local, and it really connects to the way that I ride when I am out there - get away from the daily life, having fun and speed on the open roads in control manner - no dragging knees, no wheelies, no drama. Good job buddy!

Friday backyard ride

Friday backyard ride, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Got of work early and taking the advantage of summer sunlight; I took a quick local run with the newly acquired Dainese retro jacket after the Triumph Demo Day at Ace. Too bad I am not my Classic but still worked out nicely. Love the fit and style... I look soooo 70's LOL