2010 Year End Review

Every since the weather turned cold, I've been thinking back over the year trying to decide if I did what I wanted to do.  In 2008 and 9, I didn't get enough riding in due to theWolf and one of my goals for the new year was to ride more.  I also wanted to finally do some of the "beauty" mods I had on my wish list.  It actually started at the end of last year around Thanksgiving, when I finally bought the "racing pegs" I'd been watching on eBay.

FZ1 Mod: Gen2 Handlebar

After riding Cruzman's Stella on the Short Ride, I decided it was time to put the Gen2 handlebar I bought during the summer on the bike.  Problem was the handlebar was silver-ish and didn't match the frame.  I priced powder coating but frankly I didn't want to spend the money to get it powder coated.  The other option was to paint it and after talking to EricR I decided I'd give it a shot.

DIY: Heated Gear Controller R&D

Sometimes it is better to check your bearing before you get to the destination. When I first started making my heated glove liners last year this time, I did a thorough search to see how different manufacturers and DIYers connected their gloves and controlled the heat. I decided to take a little bit of a different approach to the connectors by using mono audio plugs and jacks. After riding with the gloves for a while, there were some tweaks I wanted to make like a smaller controller and moving it out of the tank bag since that was not my original vision.

Motorcycle Gear: The Helmet

The HJC Lesson.

At the beginning of the year I got a new helmet for the first time in 3 years.  My old Icon Mainframe was falling apart and needed replacing.  After some research, I settled on the HJC CL-SP.  It had good reviews and a popular name.  I found a good deal at Competition Accessories and bought it along with my first pair of motorcycle specific boots, Vega Touring Boots.

Impressions: Long Term Gear Review.

Over the course of the year, I bought a lot of gear.  I took advantage of closeout deals to replace things and buy things I wanted for a while but didn't think I needed until this year.  Gear includes stuff for me (like motorcycle specific boots, a new helmet, and jacket) and stuff for Baby (like luggage).  I'm not going to include farkles, like the exhaust, levers, or frame plugs, because for the most part I don't need to live with them to know if I like them.  I decided to wait until I spent some time with my new gear before posting my long term impressions.