Spy Shots of New BMW R1200RT wethead, rumored to be R1200GT

Courtesy of Motorcycle.com

Power Brokers INC. Parts Shop

If you haven't been to Power Brokers lately to see the new parts shop, I highly suggest you do.  Devin made sure to stock a lot of maintenance items for us BMW riders.  He's got spark plugs, filters, oil, batteries, power hubs, and a lot of other stuff too (farkles).  He can also order from Tucker Rocky and Twisted Throttle.  Plus other stuff I've forgotten already.

One particular product he showed me last week was Motorex synthetic oil from Switzerland:

BOXER 4T

Synthetic high-performance 4-stroke engine oil for boxer engines. Developed in co-operation with AC SCHNITZER. Particularly good thermal and shear stability for air-/oil-cooled engines. Reduced oil consumption. Catalytic converter tested. New formulation. New viscosity. Viscosity: 15W/50 Specifications: JASO MA 903:2006/ API SL, SJ, SH, SG

Devin is a firm believer in this oil because of it's thermal stability.  He no longer has to replace his warped wet clutches in his KTM because of this oil.


So save your self some shipping fees, and or gas, and give Devin a call at 605-334-7355 to see what he's got for your bike.  Or better yet just stop in, maybe you find some deal you can't walk away from.

Power Brokers INC.
2810 W. Benson Rd.
Sioux Falls, SD  57107
605-334-7355

P.S.  Last Thursday at the Diner is this week.

Omaha BMW Motorcycles Open House April 27th

Demo Rides

Savings store wide

Over 50% off on select closeouts

Lunch and more!

Kouba Link Project for "Lucy"

We decided that Heidi's BMW F650ST needed to be lowered.  I was hesitant at first because it was just right for me, and in fact I could scrape the pegs while cornering sometimes when I rode it.  But, Hey!  It's not my bike and no matter how good Heidi got at her low speed maneuvering skills she could still drop it in the garage just backing it out into the driveway.

BEFORE

As you can see, tiptoes is not a good position to be in.  It is not a problem most of the time for a regular rider, but definitely not good for a new rider.

After using the great wealth of www.F650.com we decided to get the 1 inch lowering links from www.koubalink.com for $150.00.  We looked at the BMW factory kit which includes the lowering links also known as tension struts, lowered center stand and lowered side stand.  We even found one cheap on the F650.com forum, but the factory kit is more than an inch drop.  From the information on Koubalink.com anything more than 1 inch would be too much.  I wouldn't be able to ride the bike at all due to cornering clearance, and two up would be impossible from the suspension bottoming out and the rear tire hitting the rear fender.  

I had a couple minor questions, but Norm Kouba cleared those up quickly with an email.  I ordered them and got them two business days later via priority mail.

1" Kouba Link for non-injected BMW F650's

Installation was pretty easy, and the instructions were spot on.  The biggest problem I had was that my grease gun was "Kaput."  All I need was one squirt each in of the links before installation!  Luckily, my father in law had a grease gun he wasn't using anymore, but the grease in it was so old it wouldn't pump out.  So a trip to Walmart for a cartridge of grease, and time spent cleaning out the old and reloading the new grease actually took longer than the installation.  Isn't that always the case?!  So rear suspension lowered 1 inch. 

Kouba Links installed

Now to lower the front forks 1 inch to keep the geometry of the bike the same.  Loosen six bolts on the triple trees, move up the forks one inch, tighten, measure again to be sure, and torque 'em down.

 Forks moved up 1 inch

So now I throw a leg over and take "Lucy" off the center stand.  What have I done?  It feels like I'm on a Harley.  It feels way too low.  OK, dummy, you have a 36 inch inseam, and this isn't your bike.  "Heidi, get on your jeans and riding boots again.  I'm done."

AFTER

Notice the difference?  Heidi, is ecstatic!  "It's perfect!"  She says, "Did you hear that?  Lucy says she misses me!"  Darn snow, it's April now, time for riding not for shoveling.  But now one problem has arisen, but I figured it would've been from the start.  The side stand is too long, and the bike almost sits perpendicular to the ground with it on it.  But I got friends, who are good with metal work, so I don't think, and pray that it will be a somewhat easy fix.  With this stupid snow, I got time to get it done, and hopefully Heidi can report back on how the lowering worked for her.  Then we'll be cooking with peanut oil.

Hendrix Taco Feed now June 15, 2013!!

New date for Hendrix Taco Feed - June 15, 2013!!

 

Due to the power failure in SxFlls, the 8-10 inches of snow, and not a lot of relief in site for next weekend Lee & Jan have changed the date of the Taco Feed. 

Riding in the SNOW

How to ride a motorcycle in the rain or on wet roads.

15 Tips For Riding in the Rain

1. Wear proper rain gear, preferably Gore-Tex or equivalent. It needs to be able to breath but still not allow water to creep in. Make sure your helmet covers your face, since rain above 30 mph is going to hurt you.
2. Make sure your tires are correct for riding in the rain, in other words, do not go out riding in the rain with slick tires.  Keep tires at normal pressure.
3. Watch the road. What used to be kind-of slippery is now very slippery. White lines on the roads will have become ice rinks, metal plates/manholes are super dangerous, avoid them like the plague.
4. Watch out for puddles. Yes, it can be fun riding through one, but since the water hides the surface you just don’t know what you are riding into. Can the puddle in fact be a 3 feet deep hole? Do you want to find out the hard way?
5. When riding and you see a colored rainbow on the ground, watch it. It’s got nothing to do with the gay movement, chances are it’s oil.
6. When rain first starts after many days of dry weather, it’s when it’s the most dangerous since there’s a lot of oil and dirt on the road. Wait an hour for the rain to wash away the oil/dirt before riding since the road surfaces are at their slipperiest. If it’s just drizzle, then the road will remain slippery.
7. Railway crossing are to be taken as straight as possible. Remember the railway tracks are metal, and wet metal is slippery. Straighten your bike.
8. When you need to brake, apply more rear brake than normal. If your front wheel starts sliding you’re done for, if your rear wheel slides you can easily correct.
9. Do not brake strongly if possible. Brake gently. If you need to urgently apply your brakes, squeeze and press, do not grab and stomp so that you do not start aquaplaning.
10. Give yourself more space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Braking distances are much longer in the rain.
11. Relax when riding. Getting all cramped and bunched up is not good. First of all you will get tired real quickly and it is dangerous. Relaxed riding is much better.
12. Be visible. Rain makes it difficult for cars to see you. If you have high visibility clothing, now it is the time to put them on.
13. An obvious advice, but here it is anyway: reduce your speed! In many countries legally you need to reduce speed by some 10-20% when it rains, and there are good reasons for it.
14. Since we don’t have wipers on our helmets (well, maybe some do) you can easily spray something like Rain-X on the visor to help you with your visibility. Rain-X keeps the rain from the visor.
15. When lightning starts up, stop riding. Head for cover (don’t stop below a tree).

Riding in the rain will at times be necessary, and you should not stop riding just because it is raining. Relax and enjoy the ride. You are after all riding a motorcycle and that is fun. ENJOY IT.