Those dunes are amazing! Did not know the glaciers left sand so deep in this area! Photo from the route creator's (Cannonshot's) photoessay.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Dualsport route: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
While researching my giant-loop of a ride for this summer, from Ottawa south to the TAT, up the spine of the Rockies, and then back east via South Dakota Badlands and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I ran across this route in ADVRider that's just too good to not share. Now to see how I can incorporate this into my return journey. GPXes are available through this link.
Those dunes are amazing! Did not know the glaciers left sand so deep in this area! Photo from the route creator's (Cannonshot's) photoessay.
Those dunes are amazing! Did not know the glaciers left sand so deep in this area! Photo from the route creator's (Cannonshot's) photoessay.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Fastway Adventure footpegs
Santa finally showed up with a much awaited delivery this afternoon: new footpegs!
Although the WR250R comes with some half-decent footpegs (they're all steel and sharp), the other half of that equation is they're small and uncomfortable if you have to stand on them for any length of time. They also grind your soles to pieces, and this was a contributing reason for replacing my moto boots recently.
A slightly larger peg than stock offers more control and less fatigue on long trail days. After looking at various options online, Fastway (aka Pro Moto Billet) seemed offer some of the highest quality and best set of features in terms of adjustability, and the reviews to back them up. Many riders raved about the Adventure footpeg model for it's size and improved control as a result. While I was a little dubious of going to such a large design, I put faith in the review and decided to order a pair from Gnarly Parts. All the Fastway pegs require an insert kit (ordered separately) to fit the peg to your particular bike.
As you can see, the Adventure is substantially larger than the stock. In fact, you could probably have a picnic with a couple of buddies sitting on each one, they're so huge. I think the optimal size would be about a centimeter shorter, but Fastway doesn't seem to offer anything in that size and you need to go a couple centimeters shorter.
Some assembly is required. There are two lengths of pins to install, which lets you tune the profile under your foot. I opted for the tall pins at the back and middle, and short pins in front to more or less match the profile of my boot midsole. The kit includes red thread locker, which is a nice touch.
Installation is fairly straightforward but I had some minor fitment issues. First, the inserts are a tight fit in the aluminum peg body. The kit includes a small mandrel for hammering the inserts into place, but I found this clumsy and used my arbor press instead. Of course, once I installed one insert I discovered it was about 1.5mm too long to fit in the OEM bracket on my bike. I was able to turn the insert to a precise length using my metal lathe. Alternatively, you could probably file them carefully by hand.
There are two return springs, colour-coded silver and gold. Their fitment on either the left or right side depends on whether you mount the pegs in their low or high position. The height difference isn't much; the low position is about only 5mm lower than the OEM pegs and high about 5mm higher, but with my long legs, I'll take any extra room I can get. Changing the position means pressing out the insert (use the included mandrel) and flipping it over in the peg body. There's really only one way the springs can be installed in either scenario, and with a little fiddling and exertion you can push the peg into position so it aligns with the hole and then drop the original pin through to hold it in place.
One other adjustment is the resting angle of the peg. I don't see the point of this feature on the WRR, where the footage bracket constrains adjustability, so I just installed the adjustment bolt in its lowest position (no washers) which left the peg sitting horizontal. The pegs do swing back if hit from the front, although the range of motion is limited and may not offer much useful protection except when scraping the pegs in a corner. Although, this scenario seems unlikely on a dirt bike with such high ground clearance.
With a Forma Terra (size 11) boot on the peg there's about a centimeter of peg protruding past the side. I'm curious to see how using the full range of foot positioning that's possible on these pegs can improve riding control. If the reviews are accurate and my skills are up to it, it there should be a noticeable benefit.
Although the WR250R comes with some half-decent footpegs (they're all steel and sharp), the other half of that equation is they're small and uncomfortable if you have to stand on them for any length of time. They also grind your soles to pieces, and this was a contributing reason for replacing my moto boots recently.
A slightly larger peg than stock offers more control and less fatigue on long trail days. After looking at various options online, Fastway (aka Pro Moto Billet) seemed offer some of the highest quality and best set of features in terms of adjustability, and the reviews to back them up. Many riders raved about the Adventure footpeg model for it's size and improved control as a result. While I was a little dubious of going to such a large design, I put faith in the review and decided to order a pair from Gnarly Parts. All the Fastway pegs require an insert kit (ordered separately) to fit the peg to your particular bike.
As you can see, the Adventure is substantially larger than the stock. In fact, you could probably have a picnic with a couple of buddies sitting on each one, they're so huge. I think the optimal size would be about a centimeter shorter, but Fastway doesn't seem to offer anything in that size and you need to go a couple centimeters shorter.
Some assembly is required. There are two lengths of pins to install, which lets you tune the profile under your foot. I opted for the tall pins at the back and middle, and short pins in front to more or less match the profile of my boot midsole. The kit includes red thread locker, which is a nice touch.
Installation is fairly straightforward but I had some minor fitment issues. First, the inserts are a tight fit in the aluminum peg body. The kit includes a small mandrel for hammering the inserts into place, but I found this clumsy and used my arbor press instead. Of course, once I installed one insert I discovered it was about 1.5mm too long to fit in the OEM bracket on my bike. I was able to turn the insert to a precise length using my metal lathe. Alternatively, you could probably file them carefully by hand.
There are two return springs, colour-coded silver and gold. Their fitment on either the left or right side depends on whether you mount the pegs in their low or high position. The height difference isn't much; the low position is about only 5mm lower than the OEM pegs and high about 5mm higher, but with my long legs, I'll take any extra room I can get. Changing the position means pressing out the insert (use the included mandrel) and flipping it over in the peg body. There's really only one way the springs can be installed in either scenario, and with a little fiddling and exertion you can push the peg into position so it aligns with the hole and then drop the original pin through to hold it in place.
One other adjustment is the resting angle of the peg. I don't see the point of this feature on the WRR, where the footage bracket constrains adjustability, so I just installed the adjustment bolt in its lowest position (no washers) which left the peg sitting horizontal. The pegs do swing back if hit from the front, although the range of motion is limited and may not offer much useful protection except when scraping the pegs in a corner. Although, this scenario seems unlikely on a dirt bike with such high ground clearance.
With a Forma Terra (size 11) boot on the peg there's about a centimeter of peg protruding past the side. I'm curious to see how using the full range of foot positioning that's possible on these pegs can improve riding control. If the reviews are accurate and my skills are up to it, it there should be a noticeable benefit.
Monday, January 22, 2018
WR250R winter rebuilds
With the weather oscillating between -40 and +12C, and an ill-timed crash while fat-biking that led to a sore knee, it was finally time to inspect and repair my bike for the upcoming season. This year I'm planning an epic romp that starts in Ottawa, follows the Appalachians down to the Trans-American Trail, sneaks up the crest of the Rockies to Wyoming, and beelines back home via the South Dakota Badlands and part of the TCAT north of Sault Ste Marie. Both bike and rider both need to be in good shape for this journey. If you're interested in joining, drop me a line and check out the ADVRider thread.
The WRR has now accumulated about 27,000km of 50/50 dual sport riding. Last winter I tackled several minor mods to the bike, so I was curious to see how these "improvements" stood up after a relatively short but chronically wet and punishing season of 6,000 km of trail riding.
Removing the skid plate revealed some shortcomings with my latest anti-vibration strategy. It consisted of an adhesive asphalt matting to replace prior failed attempts to use a glued rubber sheet. The asphalt material had softened and flowed with engine heat, and allowed significant accumulations of rocks and other debris to become embedded and rub against the frame, especially in the contact area under the cradle.
Since the matting itself seemed to work well at preventing reflected noise, I decided to just carve out the worst areas of grit (and all in the contact areas), and cover the remaining material with thin adhesive aluminum foil.
This should prevent more crap from becoming embedded where it can touch the frame. In addition, I laid a thin bead of silicone weatherstripping along the areas contacting the engine cradle. This shouldn't collect grit and should provide a secure base to tighten the skid plate bolts. With the asphalt material, I discovered that the bolts loosened and eventually fell out as the material softened, despite using blue Loctite.
All that grit sandwiched between the skid plate and cradle caused some abrasion and superficial rust on the steel. Light sanding followed by 6 coats of primer and paint, combined with the above skid plate mods, should resist further corrosion.
Replacing the OEM gas tank with the larger IMS last year proved to be well worth the money. Being concerned about exposed plastic soaking up engine heat and potentially deforming or degrading, I decided to apply a foil-faced foam insulation as thermal protection. This resulted in a slightly tighter fit than ideal, and some spots where clearances were especially tight (like over the radiator main outlet, shown on the left of the photo below), rubbed and wore through the insulation. This type of friction isn't good, so I peeled off all the foam and replaced some areas with just foil tape. The tank now mounts a little more easily although the hideous gaps remain on the sides (a design flaw).
While the paint was drying I also decided to repair a cracked corner on my home-brew signal light bracket, which was needed to incorporate the tail-tidy kit I had installed. The first version was fabricated from three section cut and filed from 1/8" 6061 aluminum plate, the side pieces riveted on to the centerpiece using extruded aluminum angle brackets. One corner bracket got bent in a tip-over, also cracking the turn signal housing. While hot glue fixed the housing, the bracket needed to be replaced.
Rather than fabricate an entirely new set of parts, it was easier to drill out and replace the corner brackets with new parts made from stainless steel salvaged from the decorative front panel of an old dishwasher. (The dishwasher that has kept on giving and giving!) It's a springier assembly to allow more give. These were riveted to the centerpiece using beefier stainless rivets, and the side pieces were attached using stainless screws and nuts to facilitate removal if necessary. Otherwise, removing the taillights means disassembling the whole back end, which is a nuisance in a warm shop and not recommended at all on a trail.
With the swingarm off I also inspected and cleaned the pivot bearings and chain slider. The pivot bearings may need replacing before my TAT adventure. The slider showed even wear--indicating no chain tensioning issues--but I really don't like how it sits over the pivot bearing cover (the brass-colored part) and digs into the swingarm. The material is too flexible and allows grit to become trapped underneath, which then acts to grind down the swingarm. You should be aware of this issue so you can inspect the swingarm before it leads to failure.
Searching the TN Designworks site led to more disappointment: they still don't--and are unlikely to--offer a slider for the WRR. So if anyone has a recommendation over the OEM Yamaha slider, please let me know.
A clutch inspection (very helpful using my own guide at this link!) showed virtually no wear since the last time I checked two seasons ago. At this rate I should get another 20,000km out of it before the friction plates need to be replaced.
Likewise for the front rotor: it has worn to only about 3.45mm thickness versus 3.5 mm stock and wear limit of 3.0 mm. No need to replace. However, the rear rotor wears faster in typical trail riding, so I replaced it last season.
New farkles arriving soon include Fastway Adventure footpegs from Gnarlyparts, and a Shorai LFX lithium-iron battery from Fortnine to replace the lead lump while benefiting from considerable weight loss and capacity gain. Also on the shopping list is (finally!) a new, lighter jacket (probably the Klim Carlsbad, to replace my heavy and leaky Olympia MotoQuest) and new armour (leaning towards a TekVest RallyMax tp replace my deteriorating Fox pressure suit).
The WRR has now accumulated about 27,000km of 50/50 dual sport riding. Last winter I tackled several minor mods to the bike, so I was curious to see how these "improvements" stood up after a relatively short but chronically wet and punishing season of 6,000 km of trail riding.
Removing the skid plate revealed some shortcomings with my latest anti-vibration strategy. It consisted of an adhesive asphalt matting to replace prior failed attempts to use a glued rubber sheet. The asphalt material had softened and flowed with engine heat, and allowed significant accumulations of rocks and other debris to become embedded and rub against the frame, especially in the contact area under the cradle.
This should prevent more crap from becoming embedded where it can touch the frame. In addition, I laid a thin bead of silicone weatherstripping along the areas contacting the engine cradle. This shouldn't collect grit and should provide a secure base to tighten the skid plate bolts. With the asphalt material, I discovered that the bolts loosened and eventually fell out as the material softened, despite using blue Loctite.
All that grit sandwiched between the skid plate and cradle caused some abrasion and superficial rust on the steel. Light sanding followed by 6 coats of primer and paint, combined with the above skid plate mods, should resist further corrosion.
Replacing the OEM gas tank with the larger IMS last year proved to be well worth the money. Being concerned about exposed plastic soaking up engine heat and potentially deforming or degrading, I decided to apply a foil-faced foam insulation as thermal protection. This resulted in a slightly tighter fit than ideal, and some spots where clearances were especially tight (like over the radiator main outlet, shown on the left of the photo below), rubbed and wore through the insulation. This type of friction isn't good, so I peeled off all the foam and replaced some areas with just foil tape. The tank now mounts a little more easily although the hideous gaps remain on the sides (a design flaw).
While the paint was drying I also decided to repair a cracked corner on my home-brew signal light bracket, which was needed to incorporate the tail-tidy kit I had installed. The first version was fabricated from three section cut and filed from 1/8" 6061 aluminum plate, the side pieces riveted on to the centerpiece using extruded aluminum angle brackets. One corner bracket got bent in a tip-over, also cracking the turn signal housing. While hot glue fixed the housing, the bracket needed to be replaced.
Rather than fabricate an entirely new set of parts, it was easier to drill out and replace the corner brackets with new parts made from stainless steel salvaged from the decorative front panel of an old dishwasher. (The dishwasher that has kept on giving and giving!) It's a springier assembly to allow more give. These were riveted to the centerpiece using beefier stainless rivets, and the side pieces were attached using stainless screws and nuts to facilitate removal if necessary. Otherwise, removing the taillights means disassembling the whole back end, which is a nuisance in a warm shop and not recommended at all on a trail.
With the swingarm off I also inspected and cleaned the pivot bearings and chain slider. The pivot bearings may need replacing before my TAT adventure. The slider showed even wear--indicating no chain tensioning issues--but I really don't like how it sits over the pivot bearing cover (the brass-colored part) and digs into the swingarm. The material is too flexible and allows grit to become trapped underneath, which then acts to grind down the swingarm. You should be aware of this issue so you can inspect the swingarm before it leads to failure.
As a temporary fix, I reapplied some JB Weld to fill the worn areas. A better solution would be to fill the worn area with metal, but that's not a feasible option for me.
A proper fix would eliminate the rubbing caused by the slider design. A search of eBay indicated that TN Designworks finally offered an aftermarket, improved slider made from oil-impregnated hard plastic for the WRR, so I ordered one only to find that although I'd requested the right part, the vendor shipped me something that obviously wouldn't fit.
Searching the TN Designworks site led to more disappointment: they still don't--and are unlikely to--offer a slider for the WRR. So if anyone has a recommendation over the OEM Yamaha slider, please let me know.
A clutch inspection (very helpful using my own guide at this link!) showed virtually no wear since the last time I checked two seasons ago. At this rate I should get another 20,000km out of it before the friction plates need to be replaced.
Likewise for the front rotor: it has worn to only about 3.45mm thickness versus 3.5 mm stock and wear limit of 3.0 mm. No need to replace. However, the rear rotor wears faster in typical trail riding, so I replaced it last season.
New farkles arriving soon include Fastway Adventure footpegs from Gnarlyparts, and a Shorai LFX lithium-iron battery from Fortnine to replace the lead lump while benefiting from considerable weight loss and capacity gain. Also on the shopping list is (finally!) a new, lighter jacket (probably the Klim Carlsbad, to replace my heavy and leaky Olympia MotoQuest) and new armour (leaning towards a TekVest RallyMax tp replace my deteriorating Fox pressure suit).
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Terra Forma ADV boot and AlpineStars Pro Coolmax socks review
So, after finally springing for a new set of Forma Terra boots last summer, it was an epiphany to ride in torrential rain and yet have my feet remain perfectly dry (except, of course, when wading through water crossings). Who knew that certain kinds of suffering were optional?
I struggled to choose a replacement boot. As for many people, one of my feet is slightly larger than the other, which often means that one side of a new set of shoes may fit perfectly, but the other is either too loose or too tight. Some accommodation can be made by choosing leather, since it eventually moulds to your foot. Leather was therefore high on my list of boot criteria, both for its mouldability and durability under repetitive friction. In addition, I was reluctant to spend more than $500 on footwear only to learn it posed some unavoidable pressure-point or other fatal flaw.
After trying on so many brands and models of boots that even Imelda Marcos would've raised an eyebrow, I kept coming back to the Forma based on its fit and good online reviews. They cost more than most entry-level or even mid-level moto boots, but offered real leather and metal buckles, which are likely to be more durable (and comfortable) than the moulded plastics that less costly options have all migrated to.
Initially I was concerned that they wouldn't be stiff enough compared to my moto boots: would they truly protect my ankles in a fall? While thankfully I haven't tested that limit yet, having now put some 6,000 km on them, I feel like the increased flexibility, significantly lighter weight (about 60% that of my moto boots!), overall comfort and--yes--waterproofness all contribute to enhanced safety on long ADV rides. They do a reasonable job of deflecting rocks, shifting and braking control is improved, and walking around in them for extended periods is entirely acceptable.
So far the soles have held up well although I have some new Fastway Adventure footpegs on the way that may change this part of the equation versus the sawtooth IMS-style pegs I've been running up to now. In any case, Forma appears to have solid distributor support in Canada, so there's a good selection of styles and sizes available and, presumably, good warranty support.
Further enhancing the comfort and performance of these boots are these AlpineStars Pro Coolmax socks bought online.
These are some of the most comfortable and practical socks I've worn for active sports. They wick sweat, apply an even compression all the way up your calves, resist blister formation, dry fast, and noticeably reduce fatigue on long, hot trail rides. The silver-impregnated fibers resist bacterial growth and I can attest that after 6 days of wet, muddy riding, these socks did not smell nearly as bad as other socks I've worn. At around $20 a pair, they are a must-have in your riding wardrobe. I've also worn them fat-biking down to -25C and am impressed by how well they work across such a wide temperature range. They are simply great gear.
On a related note, my stepfather received a pair of Forma short ADV boots (I don't recall which model, but I think they're also the Terra) for his mainly road-oriented riding on his 1200GS. He also finds them extremely comfortable and practical, and a significant upgrade from his previous touring boots.
Overall these boots and socks have been a pleasure to ride and walk in, offering improved control and comfort on long days, whether in extreme heat or miserable cold and wet.
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