Recent content by spokewrench

I wasn't born yesterday. The photo says March 4. About 7 PM on a Thursday in April, 1965, I was pedaling up a 10% grade 1,000 feet long on a 3-speed. Most riders got off and pushed. Some could do it in low. This time, I got impatient, shifted to high, stood, pulled up hard on the bars, and...

I rode one used BMW motorcycle 50,000 miles, including a 16,000 mile tour. I rode another used one 100,000 miles, including 8,000 miles in a two-week vacation. For all that riding, I made important modifications. In cities all over North America, I'd put a dime in the meter and walk away...

I use goatskin driving gloves below 50 F, gauntleted ski gloves if it's much colder. If it's below 60 F, a skullcap under my bike helmet makes a big difference. Otherwise, I could lose a lot of heat through wind on my forehead and head, and that would make my hands and feet cold. I wear a vest...

I think it was in 2003 that the University of Utah ran an experiment to compare using a cellphone to driving drunk. It was funded by several big-league institutions like the NHTSA, the FAA, and one representing the insurance industry. They had to be satisfied with the qualifications of the...

Testing braking distance from 20mph on dry, smooth pavement, I could stop slightly shorter with the front brake alone. It was a matter of modulating the front brake to the point that the back wheel was about to come off the ground. There was almost nothing to gain from the back brake, and I...

I have a digital stopwatch on a lanyard. I hang it around my neck when I need to remember to do something. Its presence reminds me, and the reading tells me if it's time. B&D 20V NiCD chargers were made to drain batteries, powered or not. NiCDs had a problem. If a charger kept them topped off...

Spikes and surges... A few months ago I did an experiment where I measured battery voltage in hundredths to estimate how much energy I used. First I found that I could climb a certain hill with no motor at 3.5 mph. I recorded voltage and climbed it again, this time rolling on just enough...

Uh-oh, I was wrong. Low seems almost like high when I use the lights together because, while the handlebar light provides most of the lumens, the OE light provides most of the intensity. The OE light has a round lens that sends out a rectangular beam, 22 degrees wide and 12 degrees high. That...

I vaguely remember buying some. According to Wikipedia, I used it wrong. They say it's for building up worn soles of tennis shoes, jogging shoes, and skateboard shoes. My problem with rubbery cements is that eventually I have to throw most of a tube away because the contents thickened. I've had...

I don't know the requirements of a skateboard shoe, so I typed it in at Amazon, and this was the second one in the top row. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRMYNDT6 Small world! I've worn the same pair daily for 17 months. Occasionally I've used super glue where the sole was coming loose. Otherwise...

I’ve been using this for 29 months. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1B5589W I knew the claimed 8000 Lm was a lie, but the light is pretty good. They say it gets 4 hours on high from a 5.8 AH battery. That’s about 21.5 WH, or 5.38 W for 4 hours. I believe a modern LED can produce about 100 lumens...

I'll watch for that. The connectors for my Aventon lights look like Julets but are smaller. That's one way to be sure I won't use lights the controller can't handle.

Trials racing is like that. Tough off-road course, longest time gets the most points, any foot touch costs points. I spent 30 days with a CZ trials bike on a farm learning to ride motorcycles. The point was to handle the weight going very slowly on narrow, steep, twisty routes. I enjoy u-turns...

With my new seat angle, I may not use any motor during an hour's ride. With the controller idle except to power the display, the battery drains faster than expected. With no lights, the battery loses about 1% per hour of riding, or 6.8 Watts. With the head and tail light, it loses about 1.7% per...

I'm tempted. For 55 years or so I've been using steel tire irons that came with BMW motorcycles. I don't remember what I used for bicycle tires before that. My first problem came two years ago when I replaced the OE Abound tires with Schwalbe Pickups. The rear came off fine, but I had to pry the...