No hacking required

Here's a follow up on my iPhone mount post.  What you see is one of those model-specific parts I mentioned a couple of days ago.  No hacking required.  The Ram-Bone is has a RAM ball mount on a five inch aluminum shaft.  Its designed specifically for the Yamaha FJR, and utilizes the front fuel tank bolts located just aft of the steering yoke. 

I'm going to try this location for the iPhone. It's a lot lower and out of my field of view than most of my equipment, but as I said, I'm running short on dash space.  We'll see how it works out.

Glove up

It rained like crazy the first 30 hours of the 2007 Iron Butt Rally.  I did an audio blog that rally and made a couple of entries about how soaking wet I was and how it took three times longer to do anything in the rain than in the dry.  Matt Watkins later nick-named it the Blog of Despair.  But I learned a valuable lesson that rally.

Gear that claims to be waterproof, isn’t.  The gloves on the far right of the photo will not be making the trip to Pittsburgh with me.  The work fine if you never take them off.  Once your hands are just a little bit damp, the Gore-Tex liner wants to come out with your hand as you take the glove off.  Once that happens it’s all but impossible to put the gloves back on.  The lining binds and digits just don’t fit back into the fingers as they should.  It’s an absolute nightmare.

The mid-weight Olympia gloves on the second to the right make no claim to be waterproof.  In fact, they soak right through.  They do, however, keep your hands pretty warm even when sopping wet and go on and off just as easily wet or dry.  These gloves never leave my right saddlebag unless I’m wearing them.

The two other pair of gloves are Held brand. The Steve Classic (far left) isn’t quite as comfy as the original Steve model and getting them on and off is a bit of a hassle.  I don’t remember the name of the model second from the left. I got a screaming deal on close out, and it offers fantastic protection in the event of a fall.  It’s just too slow going on and off to work as an LD glove for me.

None of these are my favorite glove.  That distinction goes to the Held Steve model that is no longer produced.  I still have a pair that might have one IBR in them.  I think they and the Olys will be what I take.

p.s. The new Held Nambi model looks like it has potential.  The shorter cuff might be an advantage.   I should check them out.

Phone Hack

I’m not the handiest guy in the world, more of a hack, which is why I prefer my motorcycle modifications to be off-the-shelf whenever possible.  Unfortunately, my recent experience adding an iPhone to my rally resources is more typical than not.

• I  want a smart phone
• Brother Daryl has an iPhone with Lifeproof case he really likes
• Lifeproof has a slick GoPro mount system that I really like
• By the time I get around to purchasing the phone and case, Lifeproof doesn’t offer the GoPro mount any longer
• The Lifeproof handlebar mount won’t fit the FJR because I don’t have tubular handle bars
• RAM doesn’t make a dedicated mount for Lifeproof cases
• I don’t like or trust the non-locking, universal mount from RAM
• I buy the Lifeproof locking belt clip and hack it up with a RAM ball mount

Actually, things went better that I expected.  I think I'll have a secure mount when all is said and done.  I haven’t decided where the iPhone is going to be mounted.  I'm strongly considering putting it in between the handle bars as dash space is getting slim.   More to follow.

What works versus what feels good

The Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Oregon citizens are under heavy attack from Salem.  I will not be posting a blog entry today so that I might instruct my legislators on solutions that will actually reduce gun violence.

Meanie, Mine-ie

The sport of LD riding is filled with stories about riders who have overslept, resulting in missed bonuses and disqualifications from rallies for being late to the finish.   I overslept just two years ago during the Dutch Treat ride.  It might have totally destroyed the ride, but my brother Rodney was watching my SPOT track.  When I wasn’t on the road as planned he was astute enough to realize what was going on and made a call to my cell phone.

A sport that requires a minimum of slept requires a maximum alarm.   That’s where the Screaming Meanie comes in.  On low, this countdown timer is loud enough to wake the dead.  On high, it’s loud enough to wake a dreaming LD rider with ear plugs in and helmet on.  Here’s the description from Amazon. 

It's called the Screaming Meanie because it sounds an extremely loud alarm until you turn it off. Created for long-haul truck drivers, the Screaming Meanie is designed to get you out of bed, no matter what. We also find it useful in a noisy situation where an alarm must be heard, or for anyone with hearing loss who is looking for a very loud alarm.

The Meanie is not the most intuitive device ever made.  Prior to using it on a rally, I decided I should use it as my every day alarm in order to learn the operation.  That was 2004 or so and I continue to use it to this day.   I don’t think I’ve been late to work since.