47Moto

With the death of EBR looking to actually be the end of Erik Buell's time building production bikes, another phoenix has risen out of the ashes!

47Moto was started by Mike Samarzja, a long time Buell design manager. The design definitely shows the EBR influence.  The first bike, the Mosquito looks like an absolute blast!  Boasting 90mpg and up to 90mph, adjustable foot pegs, and intelligent EFI.

The site promises future bikes, including the Firefly, a City-X Adventure bike! That definitely sounds (looks) like small version of my favorite bike, the Buell XB12X Ulysses.  

This looks like it could be the perfect bike for my needs. 

I hope they will be able to offer affordable bikes with great features and not become another failed start up. 

GS650GL Resurrection: Part 1

A few years ago, a friend purchased his first bike, a 1981 Suzuki GS650GL.  It's your average UJM in cruiser dress, sporting an inline 4 with shaft drive.  Shortly after he bought it, he couldn't get it started.  While digging into the cause, we found a lot of half-assed "work" by the previous owner (spit).  He decided to tear down the carbs and give it a good once over. This being his first dive into all things mechanical, it had a bumpy start, followed by some progress, then nothing.  His free time decreased until the little Suzuki sat in my garage, rotting away.

Flash forward, his wife is due in 3 weeks and the little 'Zuki was still hibernating in the garage at my old house.  I offered to get it back on the road but in exchange I could ride it until his life gets back to a point where he can start riding again.  With the deal accepted, it was time to free the bike from it's cocoon and move it to my new garage.

Under the cruiser guise sits potential for a fun bike!

Not as much room as my last garage but the space is better. Sometimes, less is more.

Within the hour, I had the tank pulled and drained, the carbs pulled and bowls off. 

Not too bad for a bike that hasn't run in about 2 years.

Since I don't own the bike, I can't make any permanent mods.  I plan on adding taller rear shocks, dropping the triple down about an inch, replacing the bars and fabing my own seat and mounts for a top case.

Stay tuned.

Mating Ritual: LS2 Pioneer and SENA SMH5

A couple of people have asked how I installed my SENA SMH5 on to the LS2 Pioneer.  It wasn't very difficult compared to my other helmets but the slider for the internal visor is right in the sweet spot for a Bluetooth module.

I used the clamp mount and positioned it just behind the slider.

The internal part of the mount is between the EPS liner and shell. It's going to take some force to get it in there, so don't be gentle with it. You may need to separate the mount pieces.  After the mount was in place, I removed the liner, neck roll and cheek pads to make installing the speakers and microphone easier.

A little gaffer tape helps keep the microphone in place. 

To avoid wind noise, keep the microphone off to the side.

Extra wiring hidden under the neck roll.

Left speaker in place.

There are no real speaker pockets but there is enough room to squeeze them in there.  It will take some trial and error to get them in a position that is comfortable and gives you the best sound quality. 

I used a zip tie to help keep strain off the wires and hold them in place.

I love this helmet.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Stay safe out there.

Still alive...

Hi.

We're still here, just busy with non motorcycle parts of life.  In the meantime, feast your eyes on a wasteland worthy KTM.  (Just in time to get excited for the 2017 Indy Mad Max Run.)

We'll be back up to speed in 2018. Until then, stay safe and keep the rubber side down.