Search

Motorcycle Hammock-Camping

The Best Midlife Crisis We Could Think Of

Open Search

Buying Used Bikes: Think low mileage is always better? Think again.

If you’re looking for a solid used motorcycle that won’t cost you an arm and a leg in repairs and maintenance, you might think low mileage is a bonus.

And it could be, but only if the bike is just a year or two old.   But let’s think this through: if a bike is — say — ten years or older, and it’s only got a few thousand Kms on it, what’s it been doing all this time?

That’s right: it’s been sitting in storage.

And what happens to bikes that sit in storage?  They dry up.  Seals, gaskets, and hoses don’t seal properly anymore.  Forks get mushy and brakes don’t grab.  Parts of the engine that should be constantly bathed in oil get dry and dusty.  Cylinder heads get gummy.

“Always ridden, never stored” is the second-best thing you can hear from a seller, right after “every maintenance milestone met.”  A motorcycle that has been properly cared for and never left in storage is going to be in much better (and much less expensive) shape than a bike of equivalent age with low mileage, because keeping a bike running is much better for its functioning than keeping it pristine is.

Take these two m-h-c.ca bikes for sale as an example:

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/mcy/d/vancouver-black-2008-yamaha-fz6/6950464868.html

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/mcy/d/vancouver-red-2006-yamaha-fz6/6950467883.html

Always ridden, never stored; every maintenance milestone met.  Always kept under cover.  Detailed service records available.  

m-h-c.ca is about to go adventuring much further off the pavement, and you could own one or both of m-h-c’s beautifully-kept sport-touring motorcycles!  Discount available if they’re sold as a set.

1

It’s not great. I was asked to write something for our summer edition of the staff newsletter at work. It was supposed to be an article but turned into this kind of spoken-word thing. Anyway, a little easy reading for you all before NMBL and I head off on our vacation this Friday. I hope you like it.

Continue reading “Motorcycle Poetry” →

0

First Aid for Riders

When was the last time you took a First Aid course? Do you know what to do if one of your friends goes down on a ride? Do the members of the group know what to do if you go down?

No one wants to think about leaving their bikes, but it happens. Whether it’s due to weather, pushing beyond your ability, or an inattentive driver, motorcyclists get hurt regularly. Knowing some First Aid is helpful in those roadside emergencies and can even save a life. NMBL and I have both done First Aid training but our certifications have lapsed. This week we took the opportunity to update our knowledge specifically for riders. The local Mottorad dealership, High Road Vancouver, hosted a First Aid on the Road clinic  with a pair of paramedics who are riders themselves. Continue reading “First Aid for Riders” →

0

Hey all, we’ve got a new camping gear review up for the Pocket Bellows. If a part of your camping experience requires a camp fire then you need to look at this nifty little piece of kit. Forget the accelerants. They’re dangerous and cumbersome. The Pocket Bellows takes up very little space and is very effective.

Our usual FYI applies: we do not get paid to do reviews nor do we get free product (with one notable exception). We review gear that we buy on our own and use during our travels. That’s it.

DES out.

0

Back to Tofino!

And it’s about time. Last year’s riding season was a bit crazy for us so we didn’t do any big rides or hangs. NMBL had her own adventure last year to GBB Fest but that was it! There was very little hammocking and even less motorcycling.

This year we’re getting our feet back on the pegs, hands on the throttles, and gear on the pillion. To get our butts used to the saddle again we once again trekked off to Tofino for the May long weekend. It was a great choice for a few reasons: first, Tofino is less than a day’s ride with some great mountain highway riding; second, it gives us a chance to suss out our gear with low risk after a year off; third, it’s just so damn beautiful over there! The west coast of Vancouver Island is one of the most striking places in an already stunning Province. We’re lucky to live here and have such a gem to travel to. Continue reading “Back to Tofino!” →

0

Spring is Here! Let’s Get Riding!

It’s time to get our motorcycles fit for the season, and we’re really happy to trust them to Rising Sun Motorcycles for the nth year running.  These guys can do right by any motorcycle of any age.  Just look at this:
20190411_164917

SO MANY BIKES!

And no wonder: these guys really know what they’re doing.   Repair, storage, fabrication…  We always ride off happy.

20190411_164934

We might just do a little (free!) hammock camping at the Pemberton Flat Track Races again this year; a couple of years back, we hung right next to the Rising Sun trailer, and these guys were mighty neighborly!

But first, it’s the May long weekend in Tofino.  Stay tuned!

 

0

GBB Fest 2018: NMBL’s Solo Tour

It’s not often that one of us can get time off but the other one can’t, but it happened this year: NMBL wanted to go to GBB Fest, but DES’s work schedule just couldn’t accommodate that.

NMBL is an old hand at music festivals, having worked in lighting and entertainment at several of them in the past.  Often the last mile into the site is terrible, as festivals are frequently held at sites in more… uh… rustic locations.  While the private recreational park at Pekin Ferry (Ridgefield, WA) is sort of rustic-ish, the last mile of road into it was amazingly lovely: farmland with the freshest, smoothest, curviest asphalt you could ask for. Continue reading “GBB Fest 2018: NMBL’s Solo Tour” →

0

Hey all, we’ve been quiet for winter and a bit. We’re not gone, just working on another big project that is taking a lot of our time. It’s exciting but has taken a bit of focus from our riding and blogging. We don’t expect to do as much camping this summer as a result but we will get a bit in here and there. We have some new gear to try out so we’ve got to get reviews done of that stuff!

You’ve really been enjoying the reviews that we’ve put up over the last year. They are the most visited posts on the site. Thanks for checking them out. We hope that they are helpful to you. If you have a piece of gear that really works for you please send us a review. We’ll take a look and may post it as a guest review!

NMBL and I spent this morning getting some pictures up from last summer. You can find them on our photos page. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them!

DES out

0

Here we go, another review! NMBL and I were given a couple of these Hang Time Hooks to try out on our trips this summer. Now that they have been on the road with us for a while we feel we can give them an honest review. Check out the review and chime in with your thoughts and questions.

You can check out the review here.

DES out.

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑