New rearsets!

New rearsets!, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

I was pretty happy with my old Ebay rearsets - it was strong, well made, and cheap. But there few were draw-backs: the rest of the adjustments were meaningless to me, and it is a bit too 'wide' due to the double layers of thick aluminum. I have been looking for some time for replacement; but nothing came close to what I had before with the low price point. Unit last week I came across this rearsets. It's sold by Bohemian Racing here in Oakland, and It looks ALMOST EXACTLY like Sato's rearsets - design, finishes, hardware etc. But cost 1/3 of that's Sato asks for. You know, if it's a direct / close copy with that low of a price - it can't go wrong! So after a few clicks the rearsets were on the way.

Shipping was fast and package was nice. The quality of the reartsets and related parts were really good - all the movement had bearing installed, and all the parts were packed individually. Instruction and part list was clear, and the installation itself was a piece of cake. BTW, it came with EVERYTHING you need - that's one hell of a deal!!!

I specifically ask for silver color pegs. It's easier for cleaning but it probably looks better if it's all black. I may change it later... but so far I love the new rearsets! The only complain is the boot guard - the original one is too small too short. It just happens that I can just re-use my old boot guard. It looks great IMO. Can't wait to put her on the road... =)

Happy solo ride - Tomales Bay run

Happy solo ride - Tomales Bay, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Another great ride!!! The weather stays really nice and dry, and it's hard not to go out and enjoy it!

Nice weather in North Cal - low 70's in early March!

Nice weather in almost 70's...in March!, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Oh yeah - I know you guys from mid-west probably drooling all over. Believe me, it's not normal - we have a extremely dry winter in California. Rain season usually starts at late November, and usually last unit April. But so far this year we have only a few storm systems passed through the area. The dry weather translates into good business for motorcycle dealerships, shops, and gear stores. All the shops I know of stay pretty busy throughout the 'low season'. As a rider, I just keep hitting the roads and enjoying the warm sunshine.... =)

Weekday solo run - Tomales Bay

Qucik stop after lunch

Beautiful day!

View of San Francisco downtown and 2 bridges

Weekday solo run - Tomales Bay, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Well... there is nothing new in my 'usual' route. The only different were... the weather was super nice, and it was free of cars and cop!!! The road was pretty empty, and even if there were cars, usually were someone who knows where to go and knows what to do. It was a huge plus - It's not the first time people driving while looking at map or GPS, and almost ran into me.

Funny thing was I almost end up with a tow truck. My rear wheel was locked up while I was going uphill. I will fill in the details in next post.... stay tune!

Dry clutch deep clean

Rusty and dirty

Cleaned and lubed

Speedymoto has some nice details!

Done cleaning! Time to put it back!

Ducati dry clutch deep clean, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

It was a wonderful quiet night to spend time alone with my bikes. After 4K mile, it's time to do some deep cleaning. The clutch plates and basket both look pretty new; but the dry clutch cover, pressure plate, and the first clutch plate are cover with clutch dust and rust. It's just cosmetics - but just like other motorcycle enthusiast, we always activity look for thing to do or add with no reason... I hope you enjoy the garage time as much as I do.

Replacement Gloves - Dainese Full Metal Pro

Close up

Start from the right: Full Metal Pro 2011; Full Metal Pro 2009; Ignition 2010; and 4 Storks 2011

Replacement Gloves - Dainese Full Metal Pro, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

It's all started about 3 months ago when the weather still nice and warm - I found a small hole at the right palm of my Full Metal Pro leather glove. At the end of the 3rd season after more than 3 yrs of ownership, it's normal to have some wear and tear. I just wanted to fix it - seriously, I love the Full Metal Pro - it's soft, light weight, full of protection, and the best is, IT FITS ME LIEK MY SECOND SKIN. So I bought back to D-Store in San Francisco and asking for help. Mike from D-store told me that the hole is not located at a normal tear location so I may need to pay for repair if the warranty didn't cover the repair cost; but they will process it anyway. I was completely fine with it - all I want is get it fixed...

So after 3 months of waiting (sounds long but it's normal for warranty work. Due to the weather change, it too cold to use the Full Metal Pro anyway so it's OK for the wait), Mike called saying that a new pair of glove is waiting for me! It feels like Christmas all over again =) Thank you D-Store for their excellent service; and thank you Dainese to stand with their products once again.

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!