I just returned to the US on Friday from my nearly three week trip to Italy, and returned home yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit any manufacturers’ factories or museums, but I did photograph a lot of the more interesting cars, motorcycles and scooters I came across. I will be posting them soon. I may have mentioned that I bought a new camera, a Panasonic Lumix GX-1, and this was my first time using it, really…aside from a few test photos at home. I’m very happy with this camera, and the quality is way beyond anything I’ve been posting so far from my other cameras. I think you’ll all agree, too.

Ciao!

Oh dear lord, the newly released Honda Grom. Yes, it’s a 125cc street-legal minibike. Yes, I want it.

I dropped off Scruffers (my 2003 Mazda Protege5) at a new mechanic this morning to have a few things done, since I can’t work on my car at my place anymore. The prognosis: Front passenger-side wheel bearing (I asked and they said I don’t have to have the driver’s side one replaced at this time, which surprised me), replace the serpentine belt (it’s starting to squeak a little), two motor mounts, rear rotors & pads and finally new wheel studs on the passenger-side rear wheel. Whew.

Actually it’s probably for the best that I’m not doing this myself as it’s getting done a lot more quickly than if I did it. The downside of course is paying for the labor. This mechanic seems really good and is certainly a vast improvement over my last mechanic who, quite frankly, sucked.

But anyway, after this she’ll be good for quite a while…which is great, because I’ll be doing plenty of driving this summer.

New horn bracket I made today out of 1/8” aluminum:

Painted with Duplicolor bedliner. Old flimsy bracket at the bottom:

And on the bike:

I made this one so that it anchors in two spots instead of one to eliminate the pendulum effect the stock bracket has. I just had to drill a small hole at the bottom there. Also, the little wing in the middle adds stiffness. I shouldn’t have a problem with this breaking again.

Unlimited Bike Licensing Test in Japan. This is kind of mesmerizing to watch.

The Nelson Rigg SPRT-30 Touring Tail Bag is constructed of a lightweight, rigid EVA molded foam that never loses its shape. Equipped with a universal, one…

I also got this in the mail yesterday from Motorcyclegear.com on clearance. It’s HUGE. A lot bigger than it looks in the photos, imo. Not too big to put on Honeybee though, so that’s good. Now with my tank bag, panniers and this, I’m all set for motorcycle luggage for a long time.

I finally got to ride Honeybee into work for the first time this season. Unfortunately, my pants “shrunk” over the winter, so I need to do something about that. They still fit, but the waist is tight. Oops.

For Christmas, my parents generously gave me a full set of heated riding gear: boot insoles, pant liners, jacket liner and gloves (still waiting on the gloves, though). Unfortunately, I can’t wear my current riding gear over the heated liners because they won’t fit. So, I just ordered a Roadcrafter one-piece suit on clearance from Aerostitch:

They actually had three on clearance that were in the size I needed, but I liked this one the best. It was also the least expensive one (though still definitely an investment). Score!

I get cold easily, especially on the motorcycle, so all of these items will really help me extend my riding season. I still won’t ride in the winter (mainly because of the salt and sand), but it will be nice to be able to ride in three seasons at least.

I also ordered a pair of helmet speakers and a headphone amp - both also on clearance - so I can finally use a GPS on my bike for long trips. I’m going to see if I can modify the GPS I use in my car by adding a headphone jack to it for the bike. I like my GPS, so I really don’t see a need to buy another GPS unless I really have to.

Hey there! You’ll have to come off anonymous though to properly introduce yourself. ;)

This is the photo you’re talking about, right? Great bike!

I got it off of eBay and repaired it. The headlight I bought is very hard to find used. An alternative would be the Vrod headlight, which is similar and always available. I’d also suggest searching on ebay for “streetfighter headlight” and you’ll come up with a bunch of interesting headlights. Caveat emptor, though!