Sea to Sky and Back Again

My son and I are two up on a BMW F800ST on our way out of Sooke on Vancouver Island's south coast.  It's the last big stop before heading into the wild, and it's not that big a stop.  The road has met up with the rocky shoreline and I'm bending the bike left and right around constant corners, I'm seldom able to see more than a couple of hundred feet down the road.  From the steep hillside down to the Pacific Ocean a deer pops over the barrier onto the road right in front of us.  The BMW seamlessly comes to a stop five feet in front of the startled deer that tears off into the forest.  I wait for the inevitable follow up deer and see it next to the barrier watching us.  We pull away slowly and elect to ease off a bit and keep it under 80 kilometres per hour.  Even at speed limit speeds this road is something special.

I'm supposed to be in class, at work, instead I find myself over four thousand kilometres away from home on a cool and sunny Friday morning at the end of May with a rented motorcycle, beautiful weather and three hundred kilometres of astonishing roads in front of me, sometimes life offers up nice surprises.

I've only been riding on the road for just over a year.  I have my M2 license and I left an '07 Kawasaki Ninja 650R at home.  The BMW is only the second road bike I've ever ridden.  It's amazing how different two machines that do the same job can be.  The BMW is a bigger bike, with larger seats, it's much more comfortable according to my pillion.  The suspension is soft and supple compared to my Kawi, and the controls feel lighter.  The clutch take up is smooth and the brakes make me think I need to do the front pads and bleed my Ninja when I get home.  The BMW is a more mature bike in every sense.  The redline is a sane 8000 rpm, and with the soft suspension and big seat it's easy to ride for a long time.  Other than the weird left hand/right hand indicators it's an easy transition from the Ninja (one of the reasons I chose it).

The rider of this fine machine,
in his beaten up, old BMW
leathers was in his seventies!

We work our way down this increasingly empty coastal road until we stumble across the small town of Shirley and Shirley Delicious.  We'd been told by the technician at Cycle BC where we'd picked up the bike that the temperature can drop ten degrees on the coast, and he wasn't wrong.  After a hot coffee warm up and the best sausage roll I've ever had, we bump into another BMW rider who is in his seventies.  After some affable, Teutonic chat we are back on the long and winding road.

From Sooke to Port Renfrew,
endlessly entertaining

From Shirley we wind our way north west up the quiet coast of Vancouver Island.  The east coast faces Vancouver and is as busy as anywhere in Canada, but the west coast faces the endless Pacific and remains largely unpopulated.  From Shirley we saw only a couple of other vehicles as we chased the tail of this amazing road that clings to the side of mountains edged by ocean.  The switchbacks that lead down to single lane bridges over mountain rivers look more like Scandinavian fjords than Canadian back roads.

We stop and stretch about forty minutes into the ride at a scenic lookout, which along with many provincial parks, dot the route.  As we clear the straits between Vancouver Island and the mainland and begin to face the Pacific, tsunami warning signs and escape routes begin to appear.  You really get a sense of being on the edge of the world here.  The edge of North America, the edge of the former British Empire, facing half a world of ocean.

Port Renfrew is more an idea than an actual place; a few buildings scattered among the trees.  We pass through it in moments and find ourselves on a rough paved road into Juan de Fuca Provincial Park where we hope to find Botanical Beach.  We strip off the bike gear and stow it in the big Givi box on the back and head down the trail.  The tide is out and an amazing beach full of tidal pools awaits.

We warm up on the long walk down and soon find ourselves clambering over black stone jutting into the ocean.  The sea life is prodigious, with massive strings of clams, crabs and a million other things crawling on the rocks.  The smell of salt and sharp, clean air is magical. We're the only people we can see.

Jurassic Park has nothing on
Juan de Fuca!

We spend two hours wandering around the rocks, but I've only got the bike for the day and the sun is way past noon.  A quick uphill hike back to the bike has us both sweating.  I figure we should eat and the Coastal Kitchen on the way in looked like a good choice, but my son has a thing for chain restaurants and says he isn't hungry (though he was).  I don't get to the Coastal Kitchen, one of my few regrets on this trip.

I'm looking at my watch and wondering how I can possibly get back to Victoria since it's getting on for 2pm and we're not even halfway around our loop yet.  Lake Cowichan is halfway across the island.  It's only 63 kilometres away but this road is something else, you don't make time on it.  Around every corner (and there is always a corner) you find idyllic waterfalls, tumbling mountain rivers and absurdly beautiful alpine vistas.

Almost two thousand metres in elevation
changes, it's as uppy-downy as it's lefty-righty

The BMW is bending left and right over the patchwork surface of the road, the soft suspension soaking up the bumps.  I get into a rhythm and lose myself for a while chasing this road. 

Unlike the Ninja, I can barely feel Max back there until he uncharacteristically thumps into me as a I brake for a switchback.  He mumbles that he's ok, but we've been on the road since 9am, he's had no lunch and he's dopey, not a good combination.  I push on to Lake Cowichan, now more worried about him than enjoying the ride.  I really wish we'd eaten at the Coastal Kitchen before leaving Port Renfrew, we're not putting that to a vote next time.

We stop in Cowichan and eat lousy fast food at an A&W.  He perks right back up and we get back on the road quickly because it's getting on to 4pm and I've got less than two hours to return the F800.  But Cowichan marks the return to the populated side of the island and the highway out of it is the first 100 km/hr zone we've seen since leaving Victoria.  In a flash we're back to the Trans Canada in Duncan and, after a day spent virtually alone on twisting roads, we find ourselves in a traffic jam surrounded by box stores.  We wait our way through the worst timed traffic lights ever in Duncan and finally get moving south towards Victoria.

Even a commuter road like this makes most roads in Ontario look sad.  It's smooth (it barely snows here and frost heaves are all but nonexistent), and the asphalt constantly snakes over and around mountains.  Though very different from the west side wilderness, the highway ride back to Victoria was nice too.

At speed the BMW is surprisingly comfortable.  The tiny screen on the front had me doubting its high speed comfort, but now I understand how wind to the chest can keep your weight off your wrists.  At highway speeds you seem to lay on the wind, it's remarkably comfortable.  The minimalist aerodynamics on the F800ST do a surprisingly good job.

Once clear of Duncan we don't see another slowdown until entering Victoria, and it isn't a big slowdown.  By five o'clock we're pulling back into CycleBC's downtown shop, tired but elated.  The bike did the whole trip, over three hundred kilometres all told, on a single tank.  It also cast some perspective on my Ninja.

The BMW's suspension makes me want to look into the Kawi's, but a 650R is a very different kind of bike than an F800.  Given a choice though I'd take the BMW's buttery, compliant suspension over the teeth rattling shocks on my Kawi.  I thought the lack of a windshield would hurt the BMW but it was surprisingly good, and makes me question the turbulence I get off the aftermarket windshield on the Ninja.  The weird switch gear on the BMW wasn't convenient, but all of the controls were light and responsive, making the bike a joy to take down twisty roads.  It all sounds like a slam dunk for the BMW, but there is one place where the my older Kawasaki leaves the BMW behind.

It's pretty and capable,
but it has the heart of a tractor

After lugging that BMW engine around for a day I was happy to put it down.  At best it chugged down the road, but most of the time it sounded agricultural.  One of the reasons I fell for the Ninja was the sound of its engine, I've seldom heard anything happier.  Whereas the BMW goes about its business with conservative, grim faced determination, the Kawasaki is an eager accomplice, with a soprano's voice.  While the BMW is grumbling to its redline something magical is happening in the Kawasaki.  Happy up to 8000rpm, it dives to the 11,000 rpm redline with a euphoric banshee wail; the last half of the Ninja's rev range is something wonderful.  That it also manages to feel stronger than the BMW even though it's a much smaller lump is also telling.

I enjoyed riding the BMW, but it didn't move me.  The good news is I now have much higher standards for control feel, brakes and suspension, but without that all-singing engine I'm just not smitten.

As for the trip, it was unforgettable.  From sea to sky and back again, it was challenging, exhausting and completely worth it.  Were I to do it again, I think I'd get the bike for 24 hours instead of 8 and stay over in Cowichan before coming back the other way down the empty coast.  That road deserves two way attention, and I'd happily avoid the traffic in Duncan and the stress of trying to rush the bike back at the end of the day.  It also eat lunch at the Coastal Kitchen, damn it.  The days are long on Vancouver Island in the summer.  If you left at noon on one day, you could meander up to Cowichan enjoy a 10pm sunset and be on the road well after sunrise at 6am the next day looking forward to retracing those mad roads back to Victoria - you'd also miss rush hour on both sides.

CycleBC is located in downtown Victoria right under the conference centre attached to the Empress Hotel.  The staff are quick to get you on the road, know the area inside and out and offer up some great insider tips (why we ended up making a point of seeing Botanical Beach).  They offer a wide range of bikes from the F800ST I was on to a BMW GS, Suzuki Vstrom, Kawaski KLR, Triumph Bonneville and various cruiser options.  Everything looked to be in top form (they have an onsite technician), and the F800 was flawless for us.

If you get a chance to ride southern Vancouver Island, you won't be disappointed.  Next time I'm out there, I'm looking at a longer ride around more of the island.

Bike Bucket List: Ironbutt Glory & MotoGP photography redux

almost 1600 miles diagonally across North America.

My motorcycle bucket list includes earning the Ironbutt basics.  The first two rides are the Saddlesore (1000 miles in 24 hours) and the Bunburner (1500 miles in 36 hours).  The Austin MotoGP race happens to be just over fifteen hundred miles away, making it an ideal target for these badges of long distance endurance riding.

I'm not sure that I'd ever do an Ironbutt again, but it'd be nice to have done it once.

The MotoGP race in Austin is on April 10th this year.  Leaving on a Tuesday night would get me there for the event.  Even with a (more) relaxed ride back, I'd still only be on the road for seven days - 3 of them at the GP.

I roughed out hotel stops based on ideal distances, but it would probably be significantly cheaper to pick a hotel chain and stay with them throughout.  My hotel of choice would be Hampton Inn, so a revision based on where I can stop at those might be in order.

After Indy got cancelled, this is the only other race on my continent, so my only chance to ride to a race event.  It'd be nice to see the circus in action again this year, and Austin, while much further away, offers a chance at Ironbutt glory!

Video of MotoGP practice through the esses at Indianapolis.

I'd be nice to go down there with some good camera kit and see what I can capture.  I did pretty well with my little Olympus last summer, but another go with more effect gear would net even better results.

Many of the images I took had to be photoshopped a bit to hid the poor resolution and light intake of my camera (creating a simplified painted look in Photoshop hides these weaknesses).

 
 

I'm also getting frustrated with the lack of lens availability with the Olympus I've got.  I'm thinking of going back to a superzoom on my next camera.  The Nikon P610 has enormous reach (4x what the Olympus telephoto can manage with similar light loss).  What would be even better would be a full 1" sensor superzoom like the Pentax FZ1000, then I'd have a multipurpose camera with excellent low light ability - though they are three times the price of the smaller sensor superzooms.

I had a fixed lens superzoom a few years back and loved the flexibility, though it was one of the first electronic view finder cameras and lagged annoyingly.  It's light intake wasn't great either.  The new ones will benefit from much faster electronics and dramatically larger sensors letting more light in.

The Olympus PEN is an entry level mini-SLR.  I've enjoyed the size and convenience but the lenses are expensive and hard to find, and the kit lens has broken.  The body itself also broke under warranty when I first got it.  A second failure in three years has me thinking about moving on.  I'm looking for the simplicity and flexibility of a fixed lens superzoom again.  This would be especially handy when travelling on a bike where all the SLR clobber takes up too much space.

As a photographer I've always enjoyed being able to do more with less.  I've often seen people with suitcases of gear worth ten times mine take worse pictures.  As long as it can keep up with my eye and offer the control I need, a quality fixed lens superzoom will let me do that in spades.


Rough Planning Maps:

• Elora to Super 8 Airport North Austin: (20 mins from Circuit of the Americas)
• Elora to Best Western outside of Little Rock: 1045 miles 
• Little Rock Hotel to Austin Hotel:  535 miles
• CotA to Hampton Inn Marion (outside of Memphis) 654 miles
• Memphis to Fort Wayne:  584 miles
• Fort Wayne to home:  354 miles

Road Trip Insanity

Over thirteen hundred kilometres in two days? Bring the pain!

I'm still looking for a DRZ-400.  I just found one way up in Thunder Bay.  Here's a stupid but interesting idea:  fly up Friday, pick up the bike Saturday morning and ride it home by Sunday night.

Leave Saturday morning from Thunder Bay and trace the north shore of Gitchegumee to Sault Ste. Marie where I'd overnight Saturday after my first nearly 700km day.

Sunday morning would have me up early to tackle the final 650kms home.  At least I'd be able to pass out on the ferry from Manitoulin to Tobermory.

Insane?  Probably, especially on a 400cc dual sport bike mainly designed for the dirt, but that's also what would make it interesting.

Pearson to Thunder Bay late on a Friday night, about three hundred bucks

It's nearly June and they are still below zero overnight in Thunder Bay, so it'd be a bag of layers I'd be bringing up with me.  The riding temperature range may go from around zero all the way up into the thirties, so flexibility is key!  A water proof duffel bag for the back of the bike would work as carry on luggage and a universal way to carry gear on the bike.

In that bag I'd chuck a helmet and goggles, a face scarf, motorcycle jacket, pants and rain gear.  I'd wear bike boots onto the plane.  Repair wise I'd bring a mini tool kit and some chain lube.  Clothing would have to be everything from polar fleece to thin cotton to cover the possible temperatures.

A nice, clean, low km bike ready for an insane trip home?

It's buying an unknown bike from a stranger, though this particular one is low kms and looks very well looked after.  There are things I could do to ensure the bike is ready to go.  With some emails between the seller I think I could convince them to prep the bike for the trip as part of the purchase price.  I'm not sure about the legal requirements but if they safety it and scan it to me I could appear up there with plates, ownership and insurance ready to go.

So what would this buy-a-bike-instant-road-trip insanity cost?  They are asking $3500 for this '07 Suzuki with 14,000kms on it.  I'd be ok with the asking price if it includes the safety and prep for the return trip.  On top of that I'm looking at about $300 for the flight up there, $300 for hotels on the way back down and sundry costs (gas, food, ferry, etc).  Lets say another $300.  Forty four hundred bucks for the DRZ I'm looking for and an insane road trip to boot from The North?  Sounds like a fun weekend!

If I had more disposable income I'd be dangerous!

One Lap of Japan

7940kms... according to Google Maps

Another dream trip.

I've done most of the north end of the main island in a car, and traveled as far south as Kyoto by train, but the motorbike offers a new way to see the archipelago.

Google maps suggests that this can be done in 6 days and 16 hours, that's at a continuous average of 50kms/hr 24 hours a day.  Assuming we'd want to sleep and eat, the old two to three tanks a day might be the way to go.

At two tanks a day (about 600kms depending on the bike), we'd be back to Narita in just over thirteen days.  Call it two weeks of steady riding.

Being what it is (a volcanic island chain), there aren't many straight roads in Japan, especially if we want to stick to the coast.

When you're riding around volcanoes,
the roads get creative

The epic ferry ride to Okinawa in the south is almost a day in itself.  The riding would never be boring, and it would be miles away from interstate mile making.  Japan is a crowded but super organized kind of place, you can get places as long as you avoid the major urban centers.

Late summer would avoid the tsuyu (rainy season), so landing in Narita in the last week of August, then head north, do Hokkaido, then down the Japan sea coast to the south end of Honshu, a long ferry ride across the East China Sea to Okinawa, two days circumnavigating the island before taking a slow boat back to Honshu.  The last leg would be up the Pacific side of Honshu, through Kyoto and Tokyo and back to Narita.

It'd be nice to do the trip while riding the Japanese bike industry.  Split into four sections, we could ride Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha for a quarter of the trip each.  That way we could meet up with various clubs and groups without being manufacturer specific.  Riding all four big Japanese manufacturers also lets us experience the fantastic bikes Japan makes.

Two weeks, some serious mileage, from a tropical 26 degrees above the equator in Okinawa (roughly in line with central India) to a northern 45.5 degrees at the top of Hokkaido (right next door to Russia),  we'll experience everything from palm trees to snow.  It is entirely possible to climb five thousand feet if we're working our way through mountainous areas and wind up at sea level again by night fall.

Two weeks would be intense, but that's kind of the point.  The route picked out avoids any repeated tarmac other than driving on and off one ferry.  Every mile would be new as we circumnavigate these beautiful islands.

Replacing Perished Rubbers

I got replacement rubber bits for the now fifteen year old Triumph Tiger 955i in before Christmas, but the weather has been so diabolically cold that even with a propane heater in the garage, the floor is still radiating negative thirty degrees and working in there is a misery.  We finally had a break in temperature this weekend so I got a chance to fit new rubber on the Tiger...

It's only -1°C out there, so it's garage door open time!

My targeted bits were the rubber covers on the mirror stalks, which aren't that important but you see a lot of them while you're riding and they bothered me.  The shift leaver rubber has been held together with Gorilla Tape for the better part of a year (that's some tough tape) and one of the rubber bits that go between the seat and the frame had disappeared, so I was aiming to replace that too so the seat would sit evenly and there would be no metal on metal rubbing.

The shift leaver was a simple thing.  I cut off the tape and the old rubber which was half torn.  With the new rubber warmed up and some WD40, the new bit slid on fairly easily.

The mirror arm rubbers were equally straight forward.  The mirror is on a threaded end.  Undoing that and the nut under it that holds it tight meant I could slide the mirror rubbers off.  The old ones were cracked in multiple places and barely hanging on.  I cleaned up the threads and metal under which was a bit rusty, put some rust paint on there to make sure none comes back and slid the new rubber covers on.  Another quick fix.

The problems arose when I tried to fit the seat rubbers.  I suspect the dealer sent me the wrong bits.  The rubbers that sit between the adjustable seat height bracket under the seat and the frame are circular with a flexible back that holds them to the frame.  Strangely, there don't seem to be any listed on the OEM parts blowups.  What I got were some pieces of rubber with sticky backing that aren't even the same thickness as the circular rubber grommets.

I'd shrug it off but at $3.30 plus tax and shipping for each of these sticky rubber bits, I'm out fifteen odd bucks in parts that seem to have nothing to do with what I was trying to fix.  I did send photos of the parts required and I thought we were clear on what was needed.  Rather than flush more money on parts I didn't ask for, I found a rubber grommet that was a bit too big and cut it down to fit the hole.  It's a snug fit and compresses to about the same thickness as the other grommets.  I might eventually get four matching rubber grommets just to make things even down there, but for now the seat isn't uneven and the frame isn't metal rubbing on metal.

The winter maintenance on the Triumph has been pretty straightforward this year.  Last year I did the fork oil, spark plugs, air filter and coolant and upgraded the dodgy plastic fuel line connectors, so this year the only maintenance was my usual end of season oil change.  I run the bike on the Triumph suggested Mobil1 10w40 motorcycle specific oil and I change it once at the end of the season.

The perished rubbers thing was as much an aesthetic choice as it was a performance fix.  Little details like rubber pieces on an older bike bring it back into focus.  Regularly watching Car SOS buying full sets of rubbers for older cars they are restoring probably intensified the urge.




Since I purchased the Tiger almost two years ago I've done all the fluids and changed the tires which produced a much more road capable bike (the old ones were well past due).  I've also replaced the chain, but other than these rubber bits and the fuel fittings last winter I haven't replaced anything that wasn't a regular service item.  The old Tiger has been a trustworthy steed.

I'm usually able to steal a ride toward the end of winter as the sunlight returns and we get the odd warm day with dry roads.  With any luck I'm only a few weeks away from stealing another one.  The Tiger's ready for it.

Past Another Cold, Dark Winter

 I'm getting back out with regularity now that the worst of the winter is past. Both of the regular road bikes are fit and took to the road effortlessly. I had a bit of a breakthrough with the Concours14 last year and we're understanding each other a bit more. It's a big old bus but it's remarkably agile for how big it is and we've come to a kind of mutual kinesthesis, but I still took the Tiger out first because it's like putting on an old shoe....

... and we picked up right where we stopped. The goal is still to get to 100k this year in the bike's 20th year on the road, and I think we're good to get there.

I took the Tiger out again for some exercise in the gaps between snow and ice at the end of March....

But when I took both bikes out between the ice storms of April (isn't Canada magical?)...

I enjoyed the Connie so much that in another break in this never ending winter last week the C14 got pulled out in front of the Tiger (which enjoys pride of place in the garage).

I took the bigger road home and passing cars was like being on an arrow loosed from a bow; what a monster that bike is! ...And yet so versatile with piles of luggage space, no chain maintenance and (now that I've got the tires and shocks worked out), exceptional handling for its size. All of that and the adjustable windshield makes it feel a bit like flying an F14 Tomcat.

The Bonneville project is still not getting the time it deserves, but I'm in a new phase of work and I'm enjoying pouring my time and energy into that. In the meantime, both road-ready bikes are facing a promising riding season.

Motorcycle Book Review: Why We Drive by Matt Crawford

I just started "Why We Drive" by Matthew Crawford.  I was in the middle of transitioning from being an English teacher to a technology teacher back in 2012 when my university prof suggested Shop Class as Soul Craft, Crawford's first book.  It gave me the philosophical grounding I needed to value my manual expertise and to fight the prevailing academic prejudices of the education system I work in.

A few years later I'd embraced my new role teaching technology and found myself constantly arguing for parity with academic programs like the English one I'd just left.  Crawford came out with his second book called "The World Beyond Your Head", which made a strong argument for human expertise in a world where blind allegiance to system think made management a fragile grasp at control for people who have no other skills of value.

I'm only through the opening chapters of "Why We Drive", but I'm enjoying the angle Crawford it taking in using driving (and riding, he doesn't distinguish) as a means of questioning the assumptions we're all increasingly living under.  In the opening chapters he suggests that operating a vehicle is one of the few domains left that demand human expertise as the rest of society falls into a WALL-E like world of of systemic technology driven infantilism.

From Uber's malicious dismantling of existing industries to suit the long term game of its investors to the NHTSA's outright misleading information on Tesla's Autopilot feature (they claimed that it radically reduced accidents when this was simply untrue), and the industry driven big government money drive to chase old cars off the street by misleading the public with even more false statistics, Crawford tears apart many of the assumptions around environmental NIMBYISM and the relentless capitalism that underlies it.

I've questioned the environmentalism of hybrid and electric cars before.  It's a classic case of NIMBYism where the wealthy hide their pollution further up the chain and then claim superiority over all the people who can't afford to give up a tail pipe.  One of the difficulties in being a teacher of technology is that I understand it, warts and all.  Our battery technology is still medieval in both construction and effectiveness.  They don't hold a lot of power and don't last very long, but any analysis of electric vehicle efficiency likes to sidestep that fact.  Nissan Leaf owners can't though.

Crawford also brings up the idea of recycling already manufactured vehicles rather than giving in to the relentless futurism of consumer society where owning anything old is paramount to a crime.  He compares a massive new SUV (all modern vehicles are massive compared to older ones as they get weighed down with safety-at-all-costs tech and grown to maximum size) to his old VW.  They get about the same mileage, but driving the Karmen Ghia is a very different experience to driving a modern safety tank.

I'm about half way through it but the hits keep on coming:

It's a challenging read, but also an opportunity to wake up from the progress pills everyone has been popping and understand that being human isn't about efficiency and management, it's about agency.

https://www.amazon.ca/Why-We-Drive-Toward-Philosophy/dp/0062741969

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/why-we-drive-matthew-b-crawford

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/06/why-we-drive-by-matthew-crawford-review-artificial-intelligence-driverless-cars

What happens when we engineer our own solutions using universal dimensions instead of a manufacturer's parts catalogue...

KLR Curiosities

A super high mileage KLR, but it's pretty new (mid-00s).  Unclear on its mechanical details, other than it's very tired and the plastics and tank don't match.  

$1300 seems like a lot to pay for a bike in such condition with unoriginal parts (probably because it's been dropped hard).

If I got it I'd shelf it for a year while I broke it to pieces and rebuilt it.  I might go as high as $800, but I'll be spending a lot to give this tired old bike a second life.  I've asked the owner for info...

Followup:  I got a fantastic response from the owner.  The bike has been fettled to within an inch of its life.  The first owner took it from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and did the Demptster Highway.  The second and current owner has taken it to James Bay and various off-road adventures in the past couple of years.  It hasn't been dropped recently, but it's an off-road capable bike, so it's been down, once in Chile where they rider had to order in a new instrument cluster, the mileage is uncertain with the replacement instruments.  This bike has had a life, and now it's for sale in Southern Ontario.  

I suggested he sell it back to Kawasaki, this KLR shows what KLRs are capable of.

The mods list is extensive:
EM Doohickey
Upgraded headlight wiring harness with relay
Headlight cut out switch
Glass fuses replaced with blade fuses
Oversized side stand pad
Subframe bolt upgrade
Scott chain oiler
Progressive 420 Series rear shock
Instrument and idiot lights converted to LED
Choke relocation mod
Stainless front brake line
Headlight modulator (not hooked up but still in the fairing)
UNI air filter
LED plate light
Perelli M21 tires with lots of meat on them
Shell Rotella every 2500km or so

Kawasaki C14 Concours / 1400GTR Valve Clearance Research & Resources

 

Research

Concours 14 parts: https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/owner-center/parts/2010/ZG1400CAF

Fuel tank sits on the frame:

Cylinder cover parts and diagram. Isn't that fantastically complicated?

The battery box slots into the side of the frame. Not sure if I have to remove it to get to the cylinder head. Honestly, with that much frame around it, how on earth do you get into the valve cover at all?

Airbox diagram: it slots into the frame on the other side from the battery. Again, not sure if that all has to come out.

Based on what I'm seeing here I need to take a lot of photos as I dismantle and keep everything on a clean sheet in order next to the bike so I have a chance of getting it all back together again. Organization will be key!

***

Hints at problems with sealing the new gasket? https://forum.concours.org/index.php?threads/valve-cover-gasket.53892/

Murph's Kits parts: https://murphskits.com/c14-valve-adjustment-kit-1/ promises to provide all the bits you need (that the dealer parts counter guy won't bother to tell you about):

Oil leaks become an issue unless you replace all the o-rings as well as including a new gasket? Might as well change the spark plugs and fuel filter while in there.  Ends up being $338 (CAD) for all of it, plus another forty bucks in shipping - still much cheaper than parts from the local dealer and with helpful additions so I'm not left with a leaky mess. I've got Murph's Kit bits all over the C14 and trust them. The set is ordered.

***

Good list of parts numbers for C14: https://zggtr.org/index.php?topic=1650.0

2010 C14 Service manual - 99924-1431-01

AIR FILTERS
Air Filter Element - 11013-0014
BMC Air Filter - 466/04
K&N Air Filter - KA-1406

Fuel
Fuel Pump filter/strainer/whatever 49019-0013. From a 2013 Kawasaki 750 side-by-side (not sure what they are calling it).
Fuel Pump O-ring - 670E5075
Fuel pump (fuel pump housing would need to be disassembled) http://www.fuelpumpfactory.com/Kawasaki-fuel-pump-Concours-14-s/6323.htm

WASHERS & Push Rivets
Final Drive Crush Washer - 92022-1086
Final Drive O-Ring for Filler Cap - 92025-1735
Oil Drain Plug Crush Washer - 92065-097
Water pump coolant drain crush washer - 92200-0498 Adept Power Sports

Fairing screw nylon washers:
5.3mm ID X 11.5mm OD X .5mm thick - 92200-0006
10.4mm ID X 19mm OD X .5mm thick - 92200-0157

Windshield mounting screw nylon washers:
10.3mm ID X 17mm OD X 1.0mm thick - 92200-0380
Nylon Push Rivet (two sizes) - 92039-0051 & 99039-0051
Push rivet under the windscreen - 92039-0048
Motosport.com Bolt Brand 6mm Nylon Push Rivet - 2005-6RIV (These may not work)
Balkamp part number 665-1446 (pkg of 9) available at NAPA for (rivet 92039-0051)
Hillman push-in Nylon Rivet - 1/4 inch H#881216 (Lowes) barcode 0823671607, for the top of dash
Grainger http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Push-In-Rivet-5MUF8 (not sure if these fit)
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Tusk-Kawasaki-Suzuki-Fender-Rivets/dp/B0039LEU0I (not sure if these fit)


MC OIL FILTERS Designed for the bike
Kawasaki 16097-0004
K&N KN-303
Mobil1 M1MC-134 (crosses to a K&N KN-303)
Hiflofiltro HF303/303C
Amsoil EaOM103
Emgo 10-82222
Fram PH6017A
Parts Unlimited 010035X

Oil Filters others use (other than OEM fitment - use at own risk)
A/C Delco - PF2135
Amsoil - 24942 (I think this is a Wix filter)
Napa Gold - 1358
Napa - PS1358 (black and costs less)
Purolator ML16817 (made for MC, not sure if it fits our bikes)
Purolator Pure One - PL14610 (Note: The Purolator website does not recommend using cage filters on MCs)
Purolator Pure One - 2.5"- PL14612 (Note: The Purolator website does not recommend using cage filters on MCs)
Wix - short: 51358; long: 51356
Champion 7317 (same as SuperTech)
Mobil 1 M1-110

BULBS
Tail License Plate Bulb - 92069-1055, 5007, R5W (5 watt)
Front/ Rear Turn Signal Bulbs - 92069-1125
Turn signal bulbs are 7507A bulbs (BAU15s base)
Headlight Bulb 12V-60/55W - 92069-1002 (standard H4)
Small headlight Bulb 12V/5W - 92069-1016
City lights are either a 2825 (5w) or a 2886 (6w)
City lights (LED, inverted cone, white) 194 or 168

Switches
SPST Waterproof Miniature Rocker Switch (On-Off) 16A Green 12V (also available in red) .921" Long x .685" Wide x .551" Deep Part Number: NTE-54-204W $5.40 each https://shop.vetcosurplus.com/

TIRES/Wheels
Front Tire Size - 120/70ZR17
Rear Tire Size - 190/50ZR17
Front bearing seal (08/09) 92049-0050
Rear bearing seal (08/09) 92049-1061
Wheel Bearings (F) - 6005UU oem, or 6005 2RS1 or 6005 2RSH (SKF replacement numbers)
Wheel Bearings (R) - 6304UUC3 oem, or 6304 2RS1 or 6304 2RSH (SKF replacement) the "C3" designation is a standard for precision, SKF bearings are normally C3 unless specified otherwise...
Rear Wheel Bearing All Balls - 25-1353 (Comes with one seal - you need one kit - it has two bearings)
90 Degree retrofit valve stems for the original tire sensors: Honda part VALVE ASSY., RIM 42755-MCA-R31 2014 Goldwing

Steering
Steering Stem Bearings - All Balls Racing -Tapered roller bearing and seal kit for steering stem (steering head) C-14
Part No. 22-1039 Cost: $47.95 http://www.allballsracing.com/

BRAKE STUFF
Front pad Assembly - 43082-0071 (2 EA) (08-09)
Front pad Assembly - 43082-0112 (2 EA) (2010)
Rear pad Assembly - 43082-0055 (1 EA)
Rear brake pads - EBC FA254 (Kevlar) or FA254HH (Sintered)
Front brake pads - EBC FA417/4HH (Sintered)
Front pads - Ferodo FDB2220ST (mcstuff.com p/n 454-1071, requires two sets)
Rear pads - Ferodo FDB2111P (p/n 454-2682) (evidence is these don't last as long or bite as well as other brands)
Carbone Lorraine - 1177SBK5 (front x 2), 2813RX rear
Front ABS brake line - Galfer SS FK003D625-3
Caliper rebuild kits - https://brakecrafters.com/product/caliper-seal-kit-bcnr0036/

Engine Parts
Spark Plugs - CR9EIA replaced by CR9EIA-9, gap .036 IRIDIUM!
Valve cover gasket - 11061-0263
Pulsing Cover gasket - 92055-0086
Oil pan drain bolt - 92066-0079
Oil pan drain bolt with magnet - MP-01, MP-11 for the rear drive http://www.magneticdrainplug.com
Manual Cam Chain Tensioner APE KTZx14
(NOTE: This replaces the self adjusting cam chain tensioner and eliminates the 'startup rattle'. Downside is that you will have to keep an ear out on the adjustment. There is no track record on how long the adjustment holds. USE THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! )

Replacement Exhaust Header Nuts - McMaster-Carr 93795A230 M8.0 Oval Locknut. Use with stainless steel washers.
Fuji-lok nuts for the Exhaust Header - Use with stainless washers
Note: the '10 manual specs 13ft/lbs for torque. This should apply to the other manuals as well.
Oil filler cap - 16115-1009 (note: Fits the rear drive as well)

Tools
Oil filter wrench - 57001-1249
Pennzoil oil filter wrench 2"-3 3/4" 51mm to 95mm
JIS +2 Driver (for the 'flies) http://www.ikaswebshop.com/hodjis2dr12s.html
15mm drag link tool for rear drive filler plug http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=drag+link
Stem nut socket from CycleDude
Steering stem top nut - 12mm hex 79.7ft lbs torque
Front wheel removal - 13/16" spark plug socket, reversed
Rear Axle - 27mm socket for the large nut, 14mm hex wrench for the left side

Final Drive
Filler cap o-ring - 92055-049 (31mm)

Swing arm
OEM Left hand side torque arm bolt is 10x63mm with part number 92153B (used to be 92153A)
OEM Right hand side torque arm bolt is 10x67mm with part number 92153C (used to be 92153A)
The flanged lock nut part number is the same for both bolts 10mm diameter nut with part number 92210B

Electrical
Battery for FOBs - CR2025 3v (watch battery)
Battery for TPS - CR2032L/F1N http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=us&KeyWords=P668-ND
Other sources for TPS batteries https://octopart.com/cr-2032%2Fvcn-panasonic-19088802
Or P660-ND check both of them out on digikey's site.

12V bike battery sources
Stock battery FTZ14-BS Furakawa - dealer sourced most likely (expensive)
AGM MBTX12U 14AH by MotoBatt (I have this and it's working fine, no issues)
Shorai battery LFX21A6-BS12 Tender SHO-BMS01
Battery Stuff http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/sYTX14-BS.html

Bodywork
Left side cowling parts 39156-031, 033, 034, 0371, 0395
Battery cover stud rubber grommet - Frame fittings, p/n 92075-1011, damper

Levers
Brake - ASV BRC511
Clutch - ASV BRC511

Key Blanks
Key Blank - ILCO KW14R Warning, this may only work for the 08 model locks and there appears to be two types of keys in use. The KW14R only works with one of them. If your key starts with an A it will be a "Silca KW14R" keyblank. If it starts with a B it will be an "Silca KW14" keyblank.
Works ok on the bags but you will need to not insert it the whole way for the seat as it doesn't have the stop the Kawi key does. http://www.mysecuritypro.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=663
Ron Ayers has new Oven Knob keys. A and B style key. If you look at your key in the fob it will have a number that starts with either A or B.
27008-0050 Style A
27008-0051 Style B

TPMS sensor part numbers
US bikes 315 Mhz (green). Note that EUR, AU, SEA use 434Mhz sensors (blue). MY (have no clue what MY stands for) sensors 315Mhz (red)
2008-2013 21176-0125
2014-2015 21176-0748