Jeep Motototing South

Over the winter we got whacked by a snow plough and the insurance rental ended up being a Jeep Wrangler 4 door. I worked in an automotive shop to pay for university and Jeeps usually involved bringing an umbrella with you because they leaked so much, but this 2019 model has evolved from that poorly made thing. The mileage was better than I thought it would be for a big six cylinder, but I also discovered they come with an even more efficient turbo four that manages mid-20s MPG.

While we had it I stuck it in four wheel drive and went over a mountain of snow in a parking lot that would have beached anything else - and it did it on all season tires! At another point I had to take about 1500lbs of ewaste out of the school I work at and the Jeep swallowed it all with ease and it didn't even seem to strain the suspension. On one particularly snowy night in an empty parking lot I four wheel drifted it and it felt surprisingly obliging doing something that athletic. I found the size of it also a nice surprise. I have to fold myself into the Mazda we have, but the Jeep felt like it fit.

What surprised me most about it was that it was genuinely enjoyable to drive.  Initially I found myself fighting the big wheels on the road, but once I came to trust the different driving dynamics of the thing I found it a comfortable long distance coverer.  Being up higher means I'm not getting all the slush in the face, which is nice too.  We never got to try the roof-removing modular nature of it because it was freezing, but that's another feather in its hat.  I've been four wheeling in a tiny hatchback for so long that driving just feels like tedium.  The Wrangler made driving feel like an event instead of just a necessity.

With that all swirling around in my head, I first looked up the Wrangler and found it cost sixty grand, which is ridiculous, but that turned out to be a leather clad special edition thing.  The one I'd be looking at comes in at about forty grand, about the same as our last car, and there are big discounts on them at the moment.  They've got one with all the needed options on for about $41K nearby.

Knowing how this thing handles loads, I started looking up bike hauling options with them.  MotoTote has a 600 pound trailer hitch mounted motorcycle carrier that the Jeep could easily manage for $569 (I'm assuming that's USD - so about $780CAD).  Also knowing its go anywhere cred and how big it is on the inside, I had images of my son and I taking it camping and off-roading.  A trailer with ATV and dirt bike on it would do us well.  Parking up in the wilderness and then camping out of the thing seems like a real possibility.  The Jeep's outdoor image means there is a rich aftermarket of related products, even roof mounted tents, though it doesn't need them.  The fold flat rear seats open up a massive back space that two sleeping bags could easily fit in.  A back attached tent makes a bit more sense in that case.

It's a cool thing that could make the long wished for trip south in the winter a possibility.

COVID19 Rapid Restoration: Fireblade for the first time since Obama was President

The Fireblade project has come together nicely thanks to the strangeness we all find ourselves in with the COVID19 pandemic.  With a suddenly extended March Break, I was able to sort out the fairings, get the LED indicators wired up and finalize all the plumbing for fuel delivery.  It was all fiddly, last minute stuff, but with the time in hand it was easy to sort.  The adjustable indicator relay got wet when I cleaned up the bike which prevented the LEDs from flashing, so it got waterproofed and sealed.  The first ride was enlightening...

360° Video from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

That's the first time it's been running since Obama was in office.  It's a very different thing from other bikes I've owned.  I'm a big guy and 50 years old, but the yoga helps with the flexibility needed to ride this machine.  The foot pegs are significantly higher than anything I've owned before, and I'm leaning forward over the gas tank in a much more prone position than on the Tiger.  I was very conscious of the clip-on handlebars and the lack of leverage you have when cornering - steering on an adventure bike is much easier because you've got big, wide bars that offer a lot of pull.  The Fireblade was so much harder to turn (the weight of leaning forward doesn't help) that I actually thought the steering was obstructed, but it wasn't, it's just a lack of leverage.

After the first ride I thought, 'this thing is virtually unrideable!'  But as I was working out the details and getting used to it the riding position started to make a different kind of sense; I think this bike can teach me things.  The centre of gravity is so low, and the bike is so much lighter (over 40 kilos!) than my Triumph Tiger, while producing thirty more horsepower, that it's a significantly different riding experience.  I wouldn't want to go touring with it, but for an athletic afternoon out on nearby twisty roads, it's the instrument of choice.

The inline four cylinder 918cc engine makes a glorious noise when you crack the throttle, and the 'Blade is responsive in a way that makes any other bike I've ridden feel heavy - that's something I could get used to.  On subsequent rides I got my legs into the cutouts on the tank and once locked in place the whole thing suddenly clicked.  It'll take all the core work I've got to work with it, but this machine expects you to take riding as a sport rather than a leisure activity.

So far I'm at $1200 for the bike delivered, $250 in taxes and registration, $280 for a replacement carburetor which I cannibalized with the one I had to create a working one (if anyone needs late 90s CBR900 carb parts, get in touch), and another $200 in parts that included the shop manual, oil and filters and the LED lights.  All in I think I'm at about $2000 on the road and running like it's new again.  Looking up CBR900RRs online, a one a year older model with three times the kilometres is on for $2800.  Low mileage mint ones are going for $6-7000.  I think I could sell it in a year for a thousand more than I put into it.

When the pandemic happened here just before March Break I took home the Structure Sensor 3d scanner and did some scans, which is what you're looking at here...

1997 Honda Fireblade CBR900RR

by timking17

on Sketchfab

It's very satisfying to bring the 'Blade back to life.  Now that the mechanicals are in order I'm thinking about racing stripes.  Amazon has some well reviewed ones on for a good price, I'll give them a go rather than painting them on.

Unfortunately I'm stuck for getting the bike safetied and registered on the road because everything is closed at the moment.  I'll spend the time making sure everything is order and looking to the aesthetic details and hopefully I'll be able to put the bike on the road when we put society back in motion again in May.

KDF: Kingfisher Digital Foundry

In my day job I'm a high school computer engineering teacher.  The subject is still relatively new and covers a ridiculous range of differing technologies, all lumped under 'computer technology' because they all have some vague connection to it.  While teaching it in class can be demanding, the upside is that in the decade I've been working away at it I've become familiar with technology well beyond my background in IT.  From electronics engineering to 3d modelling and 3d printing, I've had a front row seat to the evolution of digital technology as it rapidly expands and evolves in the 21st Century.

The other benefit of this front row seat is that I've gotten to work with some skilled teachers with diverse technical backgrounds.  From Jeff who was working in CAD and 3d industrial design when most people didn't have a computer to Katy the engineer who was one of the only people in our school board who could get the first generation of 3d printers dependable enough to actually use in class, I know some very technically adept adults.

Then there are my graduates, who have gone off to work in fields ranging from robotics and industrial engineering to electronics, IT and computer science; I know years of very technically advanced young adults who bring a staggering array of expertise and intelligence to the table.

On this cold and rainy March Break Tuesday in the middle of the COVID-19 epidemic, I'm wondering how we could leverage all that expertise and create a niche product that could serve a number of different markets.

I recently found myself frustrated by a lack of parts for the late '90s Honda Fireblade I was restoring.  Knowing that Katy has been using 3d printing to create prototypes in her class, including printing in flexible materials, I was wondering why no one has filled this gap as business proposition.  To replace one perished airbox rubber tube I would have had to pay to get four them shipped from a place in the UK at over €100; no one in North America had one.  I suspect Jeff could have made an accurate model in an hour and then Katy could have printed it in about 30 minutes.  We'd then have that model on hand if it was ever ordered again and could be filling individual orders for them in thirty minutes.  At $20 plus shipping for the part we'd be offering rare parts that meet specific needs for way less than the market is willing or able to at the moment.  For ten bucks more we could put initials or a symbol on a printed piece to satisfy the customizers.  Beyond the capital costs of getting the 3d printer needed, printing a part we had a model for is a quick and easy process and would only require maybe $5 in parts and power.

There are other angles to this besides micro-manufacturing old, out of production parts.  We could also create small batch bespoke parts for companies building prototypes.  By rapidly producing accurate, high tolerance parts, we'd also be creating a library of digital 3d model files that could also be part of the service. Those models could then go on be used in production.

Beyond the out-of-production parts market and assisting companies in with their prototyping needs, there is also the opportunity to pursue bespoke custom parts.  Within five minutes of the first time I saw 3d printed additive manufacturing technology, I started thinking about custom motorcycle fairings.  The default at the moment is to stamp out cheap copies of fairings, but it wouldn't cost much more to digitally redesign unique 3d variants of fairings and sell those, it would just need a large format printer.  Variations in ducting for people wanting to fit a turbocharger?  No problem.  Want to get really crazy?  A dragon scale fairing for a Game of Thrones fan?  This is a 3d printed fairing with scales that have depth and texture.  It would take custom motorcycle design to the next level, especially with a sympathetic paint job on top.

As far as the technology needed to create our digital foundry, I'm partial to the Formlabs 3d printers because they look like something out of Terminator.  They also produce very high resolution models. Their new 3L large format printer comes close to being able to make detailed, high resolution models almost up to a cubic foot in size.

The process of additive manufacturing (3d printing) is surging forward.  It isn't quite ready for the range of parts I have in mind, which would include being able to print 3d flexible parts that are fuel resistant, but this is more a chemical engineering bottleneck than anything else, and chemistry these days is rocketing ahead. 

I'm hoping that just as I'm ready to retire from teaching, micro-manufacturing will have caught up and I can retire right into another profession making locally developed and manufactured bespoke components in a micro-manufacturing facility of my own, Big Hero 6 style.

Front right is a holographic desktop and keyboard - not quite there yet, but I've got physical hardware that does the same job now.  The blue thing in the back right corner is a large format 3d printer - in the film he prints everything from carbon fibre armour to metal mechanical parts.  This kind of localized production will be the norm rather than the exception in the next couple of decades.  You can watch Big Hero 6 on Disney - I highly recommend it.

***

This isn't the first time I've kicked around the idea of applying emerging digital technologies to mechanics and manufacturing:

https://tkmotorcyclediaries.blogspot.com/2016/04/on-verge-of-future.html

https://tkmotorcyclediaries.blogspot.com/2015/11/iihtm-digital-workshop.html

Yesterday I was out in the garage using a Structure Sensor to 3d model my motorcycles, there are so many things we could do digitally with mechanical engineering and manufacturing:

1997 Honda Fireblade CBR900RR

by timking17

on Sketchfab

'97 CBR900RR LED Indicators and Rubber Parts

The Fireblade project has the main bits (fuel leak leading to an engine drowned in gasoline) fixed with a carb rebuild and a new petcock.  But there are lots of bits and pieces to sort out before I go get it safetied and put on the road.

The weather warms up tomorrow so I'm hoping for a ride, but Saturday was a -20° March 7th kinda day, so into the garage I went to get the little details worked out.

I was initially going to hold off on the LED indicators, but dead bulbs and broken covers on a 23 year old motorcycle meant the LEDs were actually the cheaper, easier and more modern looking fix anyway.  I'd brought a second set when I got the ones for the Tiger, and also got an adjustable indicator relay, so I had all the parts on hand.

The rear indicators look like they were attached by a monkey.  I ended up pulling them all off and removing all the stripped, half installed wood screws that were holding them in.  I then drilled a hole in the rear plastic under-tray and mounted the second set of LEDs I had on hand from the Tiger upgrade.

The wiring was pretty straight forward with green being ground on both indicators (connected to black on the LED) an orange to LED power (yellow) on one side and light blue to LED power (yellow) on the other.  The LEDs also have brake light function where they strobe when you first press the brake.  Both red cables on the LEDs go together into the middle pin on the brake lights.  It works a trick:

Front LED indicators working:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/4psz7VfHg6mLnvcK6

Rear indicators working with brakes:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/AKJeo69DCpV4gzGAA

***

Some other odds and ends are also proving troublesome.  Living in rural Canada means everyone's still in love with imperial sized fasteners.  All our local hardware stores have rows of 'em, and maybe 2 metric bolts.  It was tricky figuring out the sizes of missing fasteners anyway, but some internet research into OEM parts supplier parts listings got me this far:


https://www.megazip.net/zapchasti-dlya-motocyklov/honda/cbr900rr-14743/cbr900rr-cbr954rr-fire-blade-28645/cbr900rrv-713455

Bolts to hold down the fuel tank:
96300-0604007
Bolt, flange (6x40)

Other metric sized bolts in the same assembly:
BOLT, FLANGE (6X20)

https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cbr900rr-fireblade-1997-v-canada_model2523/bolt-flange-6x32_960010603200/#.Xlvt-KhKiHs

BOLT, FLANGE, 6X32 CBR900RR FIREBLADE 1997 (V) CANADA

A 6x40 metric bold means (as I understand it) a 6mm wide bolt that is 40mm long.  But metric sizing also looks like M6x40. I'm assuming their the same but don't understand why there isn't a consistent format for metric bolt sizing.

Some other resources around motorcycle fasteners:

https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cbr900rr-fireblade-1997-v-canada_model2523/partslist/#.XlvtcahKiHs

https://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-nuts-bolts-fasteners/
Lots of links to other websites.

https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Type-Chart.aspx

The bolts into the frame that hold down the fuel tank and the brace for the windshield are 6x40, but I couldn't get an M6 bolt in there.  I ended up cleaning out the thread by tapping it out again and then it went in nicely.

***

Rubber parts are particularly hard to find on this kind of bike - it's just old enough for existing stock to be gone and just young enough not to have a classic aftermarket parts ecosystem.

The cracked airbox rubber connector to the carbs is nearly impossible to find.  The only

online place I can find them is for a full set of four plus shipping from Europe and ends up at over 70 Euro ($110CAD)... and I only need one of the damned things!

I'm looking into some cunning fabrication options.  Some people have tried plumbing PBC couplings as a kind of secure bandage over the original rubber tube.  Though if I can find one that is the right diameter and well put together I might simply be able to trim it and substitute it.

Others have tried various fixes like heat shrink or inner tubes.  I'll do some more research and figure out next steps...

These guys suggest silicon hose as a temporary measure.  Since what I need is on the airbox side (I was easily able to get carb side rubber replacements), it shouldn't see too much gasoline so the silicon fix might be the quickest way forward.

These guys suggest a sealant.  Again, because it's not on the carb side this might do the trick.  In terms of cost this is the cheapest fix, so I'll probably start here and see how it goes.

I'm wondering if I can't 3d print the correct part.  There are flexible materials we can use to print objects using a 3d printer.  I suspect we're only a few years away from having a 3d printer in our garages that can print these rare parts out of flexible filaments:

February 23rd: First Ride of 2020

The Weather Network suggested that we might get a break in the never ending snow and ice, and on the weekend of all times!

After a couple of days of near zero sun, Sunday hit the target with a 6°C high and lots of blue sky.  The last time on two wheels was November 26, 2019, so that's 89 days of misery.  That should be the longest break as I'm likely to steal some more rides in the coming weeks.

Here are some photos from the ride using the Ricoh Theta V wrapped around the rear-view mirror.  Here's the how-to on doing on-bike 360 photos.  I stopped to look at the bison since they were right by the fence...

Back home again I washed the salt and sand off and hibernated the Tiger again.  The new LED indicators work a treat.  The old Triumph fired up at the first touch of the button after a nearly three month hiatus.  The new front brakes were a little vague until they bedded in, then they felt as sharp as ever.  The chance to ride has me dreaming about making miles again soon.

Mid-Winter Motorcycle Maintenance: Triumph Tiger Front Brakes

It was a busy long weekend in the winter maintenance garage.  In addition to going over all the electrical connectors on the Tiger, I also did the front brake pads, which weren't making any noise, but after last year's noisy rear brakes forcing a change during the too-short Canadian riding season, I figured some preventative maintenance was in order, and good thing too!  You can see the metal noise strips just becoming visible in the photo.

The brake change was pretty straightforward with the caliper pin cover coming off with a bit of heat and the rest of the pieces coming apart with no problems.  After cleaning up the metal spring pads with a wire brush and thoroughly cleaning the calipers, everything went back together with minimum fuss.  The caliper action was nice and smooth and they willingly got pushed to full open to accept the new pads.  After a couple of pumps of the lever everything was tight and grippy again.  I managed to find the types of caliper I was looking for on Fortnine, and they happened to be orange and look good on the Lucifer Orange Tiger.

The only real pain were the brake master cylinder cover bolts.  The first one came out easily enough, but the second didn't want to come no matter what I did.  Eventually a hammered in Phillip's head screwdriver and some heat cracked the bolt's grip and out it came, but it's pretty mangled.

I was able to find that the bolt is a countersunk M5x16mm bolt.  It's a pretty common thing so I'm hoping I don't have to order it online and can pick one up locally.  It's probably too much to ask to find one that's got a nice coloured, metallic finish.

That covers what I wanted to get done as far as winter maintenance goes with the Tiger.  Other than the brakes and a clean and grease, it was all about the LED indicator upgrade.  Next year it'll be a swing arm removal and chassis grease and it'll have been several seasons since I last did the brake fluid and coolant, so that's on the future list too.  Now it's just the long wait for spring and a chance to get out and ride again.

In the meantime the Honda Fireblade Project is also in pretty good shape.  The carbs are sorted, as is the petcock.  I'm only waiting on a break in the weather to test everything.  In the meantime I've got another set of the LED indicators waiting to go on, but I'm tempted to wait on that as long as the stock ones work.

If you had £70k to spend on a car, which would you choose? Much more than a car!

If you had £70k to spend on a car, which would you choose?

1️⃣ Porsche Cayman GT4
2️⃣ Renault Megane RS Trophy-R
3️⃣ A second-hand Lamborghini Gallardo

This Sunday, #TopGear tackles the £70k Renault-shaped elephant in the room with a good ol' shootout at the TG track pic.twitter.com/46ThMytfSR

— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 15, 2020

£70k?  Yikes, that's $121,026 Canadian!  If I can opt out of the dick swinging options above, here's how I'd spend my hundred-and-twenty-K on things with four wheels, and two:

Mazda 2019 MX-5 RF GT
$44,870 CAD
That's a GT model with bells and whistles.  Put me on a twisty mountain road in this and your typical knuckle dragger in one of Top Gear's choices and I bet I'm the first one to the end... and I won't be sending it in for service and repairs every five minutes - and it looks spectacular!


RAM ProMaster Van
$44,625 + $15,375 upfit = $60,000
If you've read this blog before you know I've got a Guy Martin/van obsession that often coincides with a mid-Canadian-winter psychotic episode (I'm getting close now) involving escaping south with a bike in the back for a chance to get on two wheels again.  The Ram's a funky van.  I'd keep back another $15,000 to upfit it into a long distance camper/bike hauler/multi-use vehicle.


That puts me at about $105,000 Canadian with two new, very different vehicles.  What to do with the other sixteen thousand?

Suzuki DR650SE
$6000 (!)
They're on sale at the moment and a rock solid piece of off the tarmac ready kit.  It'll keep up with traffic on the road (unlike the KLX250 didn't) and take me anywhere - including expanding the short Canadian riding season by tackling the odd bit of snow.  I might look into some enduro competition with it too.  It's be a rough and ready option in situations where I'd be worried about a more road ready bike.


I've still got ten grand to play with and I've already had more fun than any of the try-hard Top Gear choices.  Time for something really frivolous that'll be as fast or faster than any of Porsche/Renault/Lamborghini nonsense that kicked this off.

'08 Suzuki Hayabusa
$7000
The first thing I stumble across on Kijiji is a $7000 '08 Suzuki Hayabusa.  Odd that Suzuki is the only Japanese manufacturer I've never owned and I've got two on the list this afternoon.

I've got a thing for orange bikes, and this one looks a peach - older rider, low mileage for the year and well looked after.

I'd hold back the other three grand just to make sure this is faster than anything on Top Gear's list because I like to be Tom... Petty.


If I had £70k to spend on a car?  I'd buy a nice car, a useful van and two awesome and very different motorcycles!  Why be dull?