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If you ride motorcycles for a while, you will end up using lots of products and finally settle on ones that work well for you. Here's a recap of some products that I've sampled along the way...some that were great, and some that must have been okay for someone else but not me. |
Competition Accessories Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse Dennis Kirk Kedo Thumper Parts (Germany) Thumper Stuff |
| Category | Product | Comments |
| Body/Frame | Sargent's Seat Rebuilders | What a great job these guys do. I ended up spending quite a bit to have my SR's seat rebuilt, but it looked and felt GREAT when they were done. All my instructions were followed to the letter, and they gave fast service. Very happy with the results. |
| Body/Frame | Allyn Air Cushion | I'd seen these advertised, and always figured them to be a joke of a rip-off. Not any more. Picking up on a recommendation from another rider, I ordered one for myself (from JC Whitney) and gave it a try. Simple but effective, it looks geriatric on the bike but really does help. |
| Body/Frame | National Cycle Street Shield | A very good size, small enough so that it doesn't overpower the bike's lines but large enough to take most of the wind blast off the torso. It feels like the bike is planted better also, much less skittish on interstates than before; downforce, I guess. Fits like a charm and works well. |
| Controls | Throttlemeister throttle lock | I mounted one of these throttle control devices, and they’re not normally produced for SRs (a bit of a limited market…usually installed on Concours and STs). I was able to send measurements to Rob Pemble of Sport Touring Accessories and he sent a fitment that worked well. I like it adjusted so that I can keep the setting just by resting my palm on the throttle. They're dandy, heavy bar ends, too, to calm down the vibration thru the grips |
| Controls | VistaCruise throttle lock | Another ride-transforming device is a throttle lock, allowing you to free up your right hand every so often to shake some feeling back into it or just get a little rest. This is the best fifteen bucks you'll ever spend if you're riding more than a couple of hours, even if you have to find a way to make it fit/work (little brackets supplied actually fit nearly nothing, my local dealer said he quit stocking them since all he did was repackage the returns). |
| Instrumentation | Sigma BC800 computer | The LDRider crowd swears by these bicycle computers to assist with average speed, miles traveled, and other calculations. I didn't know why I'd need one...but then my original issue Yamaha speedo went on the fritz, and I needed one just to keep jake with Johnny Law. Now that I have it mounted, it is addictive. Very cool to show average speed on this trip, and whether you are adding to this speed or slowing overall; miles travelled on this trip and since last major reset; current speed; maximum speed attained (!). Good to 150 mph, which I won't threaten anytime soon on the SR. Very handy to have. |
| Lubrication | Mobil 1 motor oil | Kind of a no-brainer, everyone uses this stuff, now that the big scare of "synthetic oil will make your clutch slip, will ruin your seals" etc. has all but been eliminated. Works great in the SR...it doesn't have the high rpm of some bike engines, but I guarantee you there's plenty of oil film stress loading in bearings as that one piston changes directions! Shifts pretty well, too...but it had been a while since I ran Yamalube (see below) which shifts much smoother. |
| Lubrication | Pennzoil motor oil | Many list folks claimed that long-time Pennzoil use causes a sludge/gel buildup wherever the oil has a chance to slow down a bit...cam/valve covers especially. I've never used Pennzoil long enough or consistently enough to see this effect personally. |
| Lubrication | Yamalube motor oil | Pretty boring, I guess, just the usual stuff that you buy at the Yamaha store, about $4 a quart. But it shifts very nicely and is what the mfr. recommends. I'm running it now again to get a good baseline before I start evaluating synthetics again. |
| Lubrication | Z Chain Oiler | Great invention, VERY handy for cleaning and lubricating drive chains. I've run conventional, non-O-ring chains always (till now) and always created a pretty good mess on the ground below the chain, the back tire and wheel, and swingarm while trying to ensure good lubrication. The Z chain oiler fixes all of this. Of pliable plastic, it wraps around the chain and tethers to a peg or other object. Rotating the wheel moves the chain thru bristles on the inside of the Z chain oiler, cleaning the chain. After a couple of revolutions, you attach a can of chain lube to the top of the device, and spray...the device directs all the spray onto the chain roller edges "just right". No (okay, a few) drips, no spills. Very clean. |
| Rider Gear | Foam ear plugs (any brand) | There is no greater ride transforming device than foam ear plugs. These so greatly reduce the wind and exhaust noise you normally experience that you will be noticably less fatigued if you use them. I wouldn't have predicted this to be the case...but it makes a tremendous difference to not have to "fight off" the noise onslaught for hours at a time. I wouldn't travel without them. |
| Rider Gear | Nolan N100 | This is a full-face model that has the chin bar hinged to flip up along with the shield (or you can just raise the shield by itself like other helmets). This is a great feature, it's very quick and easy to flip up the whole face to get a nice cooling blast in those small town zones, or to communicate with toll or gate agents. The transformation of noise and buffeting levels from my old helmet is amazing, too. Freeway travel used to give my head a real "paint-mixer" effect, no longer. Smooth as can be, and quiet. |
| Rider Gear | Joe Rocket Ballistic Nylon riding suit | I read a few reviews of riding suits over the past year, and settled on this product as a good combination of accident protection, rain resistance, and cost. I picked red for conspicuity and was pretty pleased with the fit and quality of the garment. I rode on days with temps in the low 90's, and was reasonably comfortable at speed. Some additional back venting would be nice, along with a "tall" option on the pants…they're long enough to still cover my boots when I'm folded into riding position, but just barely. |
| Rider Gear | Widder Ventura II vest | "Sunshine on a cloudy day", there are few devices so tranforming than an electric vest. My first use was on a blustery, high-30's day in St. Louis...I plugged in, dialed up about a '4' on the controller, and hit the highway. Flowing warmth thru the vest, very warm and comfy. During a ride back from New Orleans in early April, I had downpours and mid-50's, and my riding suit was finally overwhelmed. I was soaked. The Widder made the difference of being able to continue, or needing to pull off to wait it out. Well made, highly regarded, *and* Pat Widder is a motorcyclist and support of long-distance riding events. Good stuff, highly recommended. www.widder.com |