Mirrors Working!

A soldering iron, some solder, heatshrink tubing and a half hour were all it took - oh I forgot the multimeter I used to confirm which wire was the ground wire in the bike''s system - it was indeed the green wire.

The turn flashers are brighter than they appear here when viewed from the side but I used flash for this photo and it makes the flasher seem less bright than it is. Viewed from the riders position, they are bright enough to remind me that the turn signal is working but not at all distracting.

Muth Mirrors

The special amber Muth mirrors I ordered arrived yesterday and as the fitting instructions looked pretty easy I rushed to fit them. Unfortunately, as I discovered, the supplied harness is designed for a USA spec bike with three wires to the mirror housing - one of which I found out after emailing Muth, is for a running light - which my UK spec bike does not have. This is yet another bone I have to pick with Honda or the British government or more likely the egregious EC inasmuch they supply what I regard as a distinctly inferior specced bike to the UK compared to the USA - not to speak of the cost.

The connectors on the left are the Muth connectors and on the right, the connector on my bike. My bike connector plainly won''t fit the white female socket on the left of the first photo and as can be seen in the other two photos, my bike is only equipped with two wires.

After advice gleaned from various parties (thanks to Dave, Riders Rally - actually Dave again(!) Chris Wedge at Muth and PricedRight) it seems the simplest thing is to splice the Muth supplied jumper lead that fits the mirror, into my bike's harness. I will do this in the mirror housing as there is plenty of room and it will save me from digging around under the mirror boot. Apparently it is important to get the correct leads connected to one another so I shall use a multimeter to check which of the wires in the bike supplies the turn signal and which is ground.

I had planned to do this today but intermittent downpours have prevented me doing the work outside and my garage is too dark to see what I am doing so the job will have to wait. This has allowed me to get up to some very significant mischief!

Completely Bonkers??

My paper Aerostich catalogue landed on the mat yesterday and for those of you who haven't yet acquired one of these I suggest you do so without delay - it is a veritable Aladdin''s cave of biking gear porn and guaranteed to be injurious to your financial health.

On the back cover was an ad for something I hadn't heard of before - Aerostich tours. Intrigued I read the text then went to the tours website to learn more. Oh what have I done? Before I knew it, I had called the States and booked myself provisionally on the "End of the Earth Tour" through Patagonia to Tierra del Fuego. Here are a few pics from the Aerostich site.

Today, after earnest conversations with my dear wife - about me going at all, as getting her to go would require at least a major miracle - my provisional booking has turned into a firm booking with deposit paid and my head filled with thoughts about freshening up my off-road riding techniques, the clothes I need to cater for temperatures ranging from freezing to boiling and whether my old motocross boots will do. Now I love my Goldwing but it sure ain't the machine for this adventure. After thinking about booking one of the optional BMW R1150GS/R1200GS bikes I have decided they are too big and top heavy for my ancient bones and have opted instead to go for the basic BMW F650 GS about which lots of reviewers are very complimentary. It is certainly capable of the job by all accounts.

I may be completely daft but I love adventures and this promises to be a biggie. Logic says it's for younger folk but also that if I don't do it soon, I shall definitely be too old to contemplate it.

I have made a start again at the gym and am determined to (a) lose weight and (b) build up muscle so that when I inevitably fall off, I shall be able to pick myself and the bike up and continue riding. Not least because the amount of off-road riding suggests a potentially exhausting trip. I reckon off-road motorcycling is probably closer to the Tour de France in this regard than most people would guess!

Now I have to do all the stuff like book flights etc etc. I may also take myself off for one of the BMW off-road courses to see what I remember and repair any deficiencies in technique (there will be plenty of those to guarantee I get my moneysworth!)

More Autocom research results

I spoke directly to Autocom this morning who confirmed that their Pro AVI unit can indeed be installed in the manner I wish viz:- integrating all bike audio functions and providing a bike to bike facility although this requires a separate transceiver (walkie-talkie pair). They also do installation work at their place in Warwick including putting the headsets into helmets which might be valuable if the installation in the BMW System 5 is difficult.

Finding it still difficult to believe that the installation in the BMW helmet would be all that difficult, I took myself off this morning to Caterham where a BMW dealer (South London Motorcycles) lives, only to find that their helmet expert is taking his summer holiday.. However, one of the service guys showed me how to remove the visor and the flip up jawpiece, and the cheek pads so I am more confident than before. Plus a bonus, I discovered an Autocom document that deals with the installation in a system 5 helmet. I think people who have been telling me that the BMW helemt is difficult is because they have assumed it was the same as the Scuberth helmets (and Schuberth make the BMW helmet), however, the fit is very different. I wanted to get a Schuberth helmet but none suited me, whereas the BMW one is very comfortable.

OK - It's going to be the Autocom

Questions posted here and there about the Autocom Pro Avi have been answered in a positive vein (notably at Rider's Rally) where a couple of members have helpfully provided the valuable info that I can wire the unit into the passenger headset lead and get the full bike inputs. One kind person has sent me pictures which will help with the install when I do it. I am now sufficiently encouraged to get this unit and I think, to install it myself - it will be my first exploration under the Goldwing's plastic so I am feeling as nervous as a kitten (or more aptly, as nervous as the first time I found out what girls wear! ;) ).

Helmets, Headsets - my head is spinning!

Thanks to Dave's advice on the problem with high impedance speakers in my old Autocom headset I was reminded of the custom fit earbuds (that I had made for me at a motorcycle show) which have speakers built in. I previously used these with the TomTom on my Pan via a bluetooth thingy that reposed in a pocket of my riding suit. Sooo.. off to Maplins for an adapter to connect my little earbuds plug to the Din plug on the bike. Easy-peasy thought I, except that the plug on the earbuds is 2.5mm and when buying the adapter I had thought it was 3.5mm - so back I go for another adapter - actually the third because initially I was forced to buy a 5 pin Din to quarter inch, a quarter inch to 3.5mm and now with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm I have something half as long as a fishing rod and just as bendy, to connect the 5 pin Din to my earbuds.

The acid test - switch on the radio, switch from bike speaker to headset - nothing! Ah well, perhaps these are high impedance too? But then I thought that the miniscule bluetooth adapter had so little power, surely these earbuds must be low impedance? So it proved when I fiddled about with my national exhibition of adapters and was suddenly deafened by the Kaiser Chiefs (I must get around to programming Radio Three :) ).

Trouble is that apart from the bendy connection, the wire to the earbuds is as thin as dental floss and probably not a lot stronger, so I really still need to find a more robust solution. Well, the OEM Honda headset is one possibility at £200! So too is a variety of cheaper headsets that all promise zero noise, quadrophonic sound and "I'll still love you in the morning". However, the helmet man at Dobles, tells me that my favoured helmet (a BMW flip-up is - despite having big cut outs for the ears - the worst imaginable for installing a headset as there is nowhere for the wires to go. He demonstrated by taking a new Arai off the shelf and showing me how in about five minutes one could install a set in that versus the 3 hours estimated for my BMW helmet. I really don't want to buy another helmet. I still own more than most mortals and not just the ones I have crashed in either, however, it's starting to look inevitable.

I am now looking at the Autocom Pro AVI stuff in the belief that I should be able to integrate it into my Goldwing audio and potentially use it for Bike to Bike communication when I get around to attending Treffens etc.

The man at Dobles is looking into this for me - I hope to hear next week what he finds out. Stay tuned!

Noises Off ( or more accurately, noise’s off)

I have a helmet equipped with an Autcom headset - sadly the Autocom unit is no longer to be found but I figured that all I needed was a 5 pin DIN cable extension and I would be able to connect my helmet to the bike's 5 pin fly lead. Well, I can but unfortunately it doesn't really wow me. The volume in the headset is pathetic and the speakers (my lonely pair of front speakers - boohoo) are quite a bit louder. I guess that the missing Autocom unit probably has an amplifier in it but being an electrical nincompoop, I really don't know if I can do anything short of replacing the headset of buying a new Autocom unit. I really am not keen on the latter option, it seems daft when there is equipment built into the bike for the purpose. All advice gratefully received!

Camping - or where do I pack it?

Having bought the bike and having joined the GWOCGB, the next logical step is to equip myself to attend WingDings and Treffens. First step in this process is to get suitable camping gear and considering the number of years since I last undertook this masochistic(?) way of spending time away from home comforts it is understandable that I can''t remember all the stuff one needs. Fortunately, I have discovered a really nifty website that automates the production of a checklist for motorcycle camping - brilliant! Unsurprisingly, a tent is called for so I took myself along to Cotswold, firstly the Orpington branch where I was told of a tent exhibition at their Maidstone branch where they had a load of tents erected in a field and having decided on one (a Jack Wolfskin Tundra 2) I was told the last available one was at the Orpington branch.. ah well I got it in the end.

Then of course I practiced putting it up in the garden. I discovered that doing it by oneself in a wind is harder than I anticipated and that what one really needs is a bunch of lead weights to hold the various bags the tent comes in, plus the tent itself down, until the proper pegs have been inserted somewhere suitable. At moments, the designers anatomy seemed to offer several interesting options for the sharp pegs but as this was my first attempt I shall defer any GBH until I have had a couple more goes and if I find out it doesn't get any easier.

I also got a Therma Rest sleeping pad and I dug out an old sleeping bag that has seen better days but a couple of hours in the sun and it didn't smell too bad!

What I then discover is that Goldwing is really far too small and perhaps there are more wrinkles to this motorcycle camping lark than I appreciated. Travelling solo, I can pile stuff on the back seat but then if it is strapped down, it makes opening the trunk problematic. If I put the tent in the trunk, there is no room for anything else to speak of.. and what am I going to do with the pots and pans, gas stove etc. etc.?

Plainly more packing practice is called for but I take comfort that once I could get all I needed on a humble bicycle - think I still have the panniers somewhere..

Kent Wings

I made my first trip to a regional wings meeting yesterday. I live just about equidistant in time (there must be a word for that?) from Capital Wings, Kent Wings and Surrey Wings but as I live in Kent (by about 100 yards) and as Aylesford where the Kent Wings meet was the easiest to get to, I went there. It's a pretty little village despite being very close to the M20. I was lucky enough to meet a fair crowd of Wingers, given that with various WingDings happening, there might well have been none there at all.

I was given an especially warm welcome by Vernon and Ursula who were the first there and took care to introduce me to the rest as they arrived. Chatting with a few folk I learnt more about my bike than I had learnt in a month of owning it - like the fact that it has no rear speakers fitted as standard! I guess I should have known this but didn't. Anyway it seems a pretty mean way for Honda to save money on such an expensive bike. I also got a good chance to look at the various "bling options" people had opted for. I decided that I should get a front fender extender to keep muck off the lower cowl and I am rather attracted by the chrome bits for the air intake and radiator cowlings that Vernon had on his bike. I also want to get the lower rear lights on the panniers fitted and hooked up - it really improves visibility.

After our session at the Aylesford village club, a few of us went on a ride to Wadhurst along some very pretty country lanes.

Essex Ride

I had a few hours riding the roads in the Essex/Suffolk border area today. Lots of evidence of heavy rains in the previous day or so with mud and grit on the roads - usually the corners - and a car or two that had found it too slippery and ended up in the ditch. Plenty of council workers out and about sweeping up though. Top marks!

I slipped in a visit to Hideout Leather to have a gander at their stuff and be amazed at the price of Rukka SRO jackets (£999 if you please! Doubtless very good but can they really justify such a price I wonder?)

Well done Priced Right!

The half cover I ordered the day before yesterday from PricedRight arrived this morning and I am happy to say, fits fine, although it is rather more bulky when packed than I would have liked - it's a good job I didn't get the full cover. It covers the important bits - at least those one wants to stay dry when touring, so it should be a boon on the wet days. I have to say I still disappointed that a bike with as many buttons as this Goldwing doesn't actually have a "Fine Weather" button :)

Cover Ordered

Well, the first item arising from my lessons learned is underway. I have just ordered a half cover from Priced Right Ltd. I chose them because they had it in stock and online ordering for it unlike Fatboyzdiner (where did they get that name?) who wanted a phone call and 10 days to source it. Being impatient, that seemed too long. I guess that getting older (with less time to waste :wink: ) and the nearly instant gratification one has come to expect from the internet are partly to blame.

As the last line of this post indicates, I am trying yet another blog editor. Qumana doesn't seem to offer anything significantly useful to me over Scribefire and above all, it's not instantly available like Scribefire

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Little Old Lady

Well that is a kind term for an elderly member of the female sex who nearly killed me on the M25 on the way home from Wales. I was in the outside lane, overtaking and abreast with her when she decided she needed to use the space I occupied to overtake the car in front of her. I slammed on the anchors and hit the horn - thank God it is better than the usual anaemic motorcycle jobbie and that she was not totally deaf, for she pulled back into her own lane with a look of surprised indignation as I waved my fist at her.

Apart from a slight swerve when I braked, the bike behaved very well. It was all so instinctive and over very quickly, so I had no real chance to evaluate the braking performance, it's possible the ABS and linked brakes did their stuff but I was concentrating on the car and I don't really know. Makes me realise I really do need a test in the safe environment of a large empty car park.

I have also thought about the horn - I am glad my thumb hit the right button amongst the mess of controls on the bars - I guess the designers have thought that one through! The horn itself sounds more like a car horn than any bike horn I have had and is therefore not bad at all but I did a quick bit of research on aftermarket horns and am now thinking of a Stebel Nautilus Compact air horn - I must try and find someone who has fitted one to a Wing. Many moons ago I had a Mercedes logging truck air horn fitted to a bike - these things are designed to be heard over forested mountains and the roar of 800hp diesels - it was a fantastic accessory - as long as you were wearing ear plugs!

So what did my first tour teach me?

1. Get a half cover for the bike, it must surely beat all that mopping up in the morning when it rains the night before.
2. The stock seat suits me just fine and the heated seat and grips are very nice to have when it's cold.
3. The large information panel on my bike is great for reading without spectacles - I guess Honda know their age demographic pretty well!
4. I waste a lot of space taking camera gear on the bike that I don't use. Basically a whole pannier for an SLR and lenses is daft when all I take is a couple of snaps. In future I shall use a simple point and shoot camera.
5. Storage on the bike is OK but no better and a little worse in fact, than my Pan with its OEM panniers and a Givi top box.
6. The Wing corners very well and I didn't ground the pegs once although I fully expected to. Part of the reason is that I wasn't prepared to corner at high speeds on the roads with stone walls and blind turns - not to speak of oncoming traffic.
7. The gearbox is plainly designed in the expectation that one will use the engine torque to overcome its limitations - rather like the Pan's in that regard. I do wish both bikes had a decent 6 speed box. The gearbox on my ancient ZZR is simply miles better than either the Pan''s or the Wing's - it's like silk and and I am never in the wrong gear. The gearbox on the Wing is the same kind of agricultural job that the Pan has and first and second sound like straight cut gears.
8. Throttle control is very nice and responsive and there is no backlash right through the drivetrain.
9. I really need to test out the brakes in a big car park, they don't seem too powerful but I haven't really slammed them on (except once - see next post!) and I am probably not using the rear brake as much as I need to on this big heavy bike. The rear disk is obviously built with heavy use in mind - being both vented and of larger diameter than the front disks.
10. Rough surfaces cause unpleasantly harsh feedback in the front wheel/suspension. I need to see if there is some way of adjusting the compliance at the front end - maybe I need that Traxxion gear?
11. The satnav works very well for point to point navigation (and perhaps for more complicated routes too although I haven't tried that). I would like to be able to enter destinations as a postcode and also to load overlays of things like speed cameras. Perhaps the next iteration of software will permit this? The speakers are fine for listening to the route instructions. They are not bad for music either although a headset would doubtless be better.
12. As usual, I took too much clothing. I need to make a proper list that I can use to pack for trips in future. It will include the new Hood jeans I bought recently but which I did not take on this trip - this was especially dumb considering what I had written here. I regretted that oversight because I could have left the Roadcrafter trousers in the B&B at Llanberis where I stayed for two nights and would then have been more comfortable with the jeans during the many stops I made to wander about and take photos.

1277 Miles

That is how far I managed on my first proper tour with the Goldwing. Having got the first service out of the way, I watched the weather forecasts and as soon as they looked halfway decent I headed up the A1 to the North York Moors.

OK so no prizes for guessing this photo wasn''t taken in Yorkshire. I stayed one night there at an excellent B&B in Ingleby Cross on the Coast to Coast walking route but the weather was basically cloud at ground zero, so the next day, I rode west where the weather man said there was some sun to be found. Before that, I did find time to traverse an excellent road from Stokesly to Helmsley, meeting another Winger there.

The Dales were brighter but still too gloomy for my taste as I couldn''t see the tops of the hills and whilst the roads were pleasingly twisty and uncrowded on this weekday, the view left a lot to be desired. I continued my westward journey to the Lakes and ended up in Ambleside where there were plenty of bikers but as far as I could see, no other Goldwings. Again, the next day looked rather threatening and the weather man said Wales look good, so after a couple of hours of motorway travel I was pointing the bike to the welsh hills. I used to climb there in my youth and I was glad to see that once in Snowdonia, things were much as I remembered them. I can't say the same for the nightmarish road from the Chester area, that is the A55 through Colwyn Bay to Bangor. It was extremely crowded and ugly - a route to be avoided at all costs in future I feel. I found a very nice B&B in Llanberis, thanks to the Tourist Information Office in the high street. I was rather glad of their help as many places I had tried earlier were full. I stayed two nights in Llanberis and that afforded me the opportunity to ride all over Snowdonia, giving the bike a thorough workout on the hills and through the valleys. It was very enjoyable and a great learning experience in terms of getting to know the bike but all too soon it was time to turn southwards and down the M1 towards home.