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The first modification I did to my V-Star 1100 was to add some front pegs. I am tall and needed a way to stretch out my legs on long rides. Someday I would like some Lindby Custom Linbars when funds become available. I started looking at front pegs to install to my V-Star so I could stretch out and rest my tired dogs.

Researching front pegs I found I wanted some that folded up out of the way when not in use, rather than stationary. Online I found the Kuryakyn X-Tension Highway Peg Mounts at the Kuryakyn website. I looked there because several

 After commuting to work for a couple of weeks in stop and go D/FW traffic, I had to opportunity to use my bikes horn. It was the classic vehicle changing into my lane without looking. I hit the horn button on this big, bad, V-Star, 1100cc monster of a bike I was riding and it responded with an anemic “meep” sound. I’m sure the sound was not even audible over all the traffic noise. I could sense the other drivers around me laughing. I knew then it was time to change out the OEM horn. It had, in fact, become the first thing that I wanted to change on the bike.

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Well, after 6 months I finally got my front brake problems solved on my ‘06 Breva 1100.

During the “discovery” phase: I noticed pulsing when I used the front brake. I never felt this when the bike was new, but by around 2000 miles on the clock it started becoming noticable. At this moment, at about 5000 miles, it’s obvious and disconcerting, eroding all my faith in the brakes. The pulsing isn’t felt at the lever, only at the front wheel. And it’s definitely speed sensitive, reducing in frequency as the bike slows. The stock rotors are made by Brembo (usually considered near the top of the heap).

During the “analysis” phase: I every test I could think of to determine the problem. I

So after a couple weeks of not riding, I went out to the garage to start my Guzzi to ride to work. It was cold, about 22 deg F. When I pressed the starter, I heard a whirring noise but the engine didn’t turn over. My first assumption was low battery and I was right, kinda …… it was at 11.8 volts. So I decided to put the bike on the Battery Tender overnight and try the next day. The next morning, same story, except this time the battery was at 12.5volts (due to the charge). Huh?

Time to dig deeper. I tried connecting a separate battery to the starter to see if it was getting enough juice, no difference.  I

I am at the half way point in my 2008 road racing season. I am enjoying the racing and with the summer break, I am getting back into the mood to race again.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to pick up a deal on a 2005 GSXR1000. The bike was basically bone stock, but the price was about half of what a similar bone stock bike was. Alas, as all things that are to good to be true, this one had some issues. After waiting two months, the paperwork of the bike never got cleared up. Soon the bike’s “Owner” had it up on eBay, looking for a home where someone did

The other night I got a good laugh when I was looking through this blog’s statistics.  See, I know how you got here, who you are, where you came from…but I digress.  Anyway, this little site was found via a google.com search with the entry “hate my yz426″.  Been there, done that.

I bought my 2000 YZ426f back in late 2001, only a couple of months after I moved to Arizona.  It was from a co-worker and the bike was geared for speed.  I am a trail guy and as time as passed, I have migrated to slower more technical trails versus the high-speed stuff.  Heh - we call them ‘goat trails’ out here.

Shortly after taking ownership of the bike, I hated

This article is stored in the Tech Talk Articles section on the right hand panel.  Comments should all be directed to that version of the article not here.

What is Cryogenic treatment of rotors and why do it?
What is it? Deep cryogenic treatment of brake rotors involves a slow freezing of the rotors (to about -300F), in order to eliminate the internal stresses due to the casting and machining processes. It affects the whole rotor and is not simply a surface treatment. It changes the grain structure of the metal permanently and transforms soft austinite (bad) into a harder martensite (good).

What does it do? Eliminating the above defined stresses improves rotor warping, wear, and heat cracking in heavy uses such

So I am finishing up my summer hibernation from motorcycle riding and getting ready to play Ricky road racer for the next few months.

In my quest for ever levels of greatness, I placed upon myself the task of replacing the drive system on my GSXR Race bike. Now don’t think this is an easy task, the process of chain replacement requires almost ZEN like dedication and focus. Before one can replace the chain, deep meditation on the replacement choice must be considered. Deep research on many racing message boards (WERA, AllStone, BSRacing, etc), it was decided that the DID 520ERV3 Gold chain was in order. There are many

Over the years I have probably owned more than thirty motorcycles, and at the tender age of thrity-four, that’s not a bad start.  When I say “owned” it really deserves quotes around the word because a handful of them were for parts, etc.  In the beginning, I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on bikes and decided to establish a bike fund.  I would try to keep all motorcycle expenditures contained within this fund.  I also started buying race bikes to put them back on the street…selling off the extras.  I soon discovered that there was money to be made.  That’s how the viscious cycle for me began.

Introduction: In total, I have probably parted out 5-6 complete bikes

While many excellent technologies have made their way onto modern motorcycles like fuel-injection, fully adjustable suspension, liquid cooling; some of the most simple, effective and useful technologies seem to be continually overlooked by the manufacturers. And it’s starting to piss me off!

I’ve purchased a new bike almost every year for the last 10 years. As soon as I buy a new bike; invariably, I have to start adjusting things and buying things just to make the bike “rideable” and in some case serious engineering and fabrication just to get what I consider reasonable functionality. While I appreciate the many features and technological advances on the latest crop of two-wheelers, some incredibly useful and simple items have remained AWOL.