Trans Am Trail Preview Pics

I won't be able to post pics as we ride, so to give ya'll and idea of the scenery I lifted these off of ADVRider.com and KLR650.net. Bear in mind the rough stuff is not in these as folks are generally too busy with ridin' and survivin' to bother with a camera. These pics were taken on the trail by two fellas who go by "Shrek650" (KLR650.net) and "Yater" (ADVRider.com) through the states we are gettin' ready to ride. Shrek rode in from Florida and Yater from Texas (shout out to EP!) to Columbia, Tn. to ride together. Nate and I aren't gonna suffer quite so much of the interstate as they. So, feast yer eyes:

powered by Audioblog.com










That last pic is what the view from Nate's saddle will be.

Remote Audio Blogging is Up and Running

powered by Audioblog.com

No Comment

This KLR is called "BigFoot"



Oh, Nate still has not picked up his bike. I warned him I was perfectly willing to ride the TAT alone and would lord it over him the rest of his life and even pass the story down to my descendants. With appropriate embellishment, of course.

Diesel Oil In My Precious Motorcycle?

Yes indeed! Auto spec oils are rapidly loosing their phosphorus content due to emmissions equipment sensitivity and the diesel oils still have it in gobs.

From the Rotella website:

Can heavy-duty diesel oil be used in motorcycles?

Motorcycle gasoline engines may not seem in the same league as the big displacement diesel engine under your hood, but they share some of the same lubrication requirements. So yes, in many cases, a premium heavy-duty universal oil capable of serving both diesel and gasoline engines is the best choice for your bike.

The high power-to-displacement ratio of a motorcycle engine means rod and main bearings are subjected to loads that are not normally found in passenger car engines. The valve train is also highly loaded, and requires extreme pressure boundary lubrication. The same can be said about gears in the transmission, which are normally lubricated by engine oil. Oil additives containing phosphorus protect these highly loaded extreme pressure areas (in both gasoline and diesel engines). Because diesel engines have higher loading of components, more of the phosphorus-containing additive is present than in typical passenger car oils. And with advanced catalyst systems for gasoline engines, the phosphorus content has been declining in passenger car oils.

Since many bike engines are air-cooled, and tend to be operated at high power outputs and speeds, their lubricating oil needs to be more resistant to high temperature oxidation. That’s another advantage of a premium universal oil. Another thing you want in your motorcycle is oil that has excellent viscosity control, so that with use it retains high temperature viscosity. Some multiviscosity grade passenger car oils, subjected to extreme loads, can quickly thin out. Their viscosity can drop to the next lower grade.

One last thing to consider is whether oil contains friction modifier additives. For improved fuel economy, most passenger car oils have such an additive. But the wet clutch in your bike doesn’t perform right with friction modifiers. Universal engine oils don’t have friction modifiers.

Be careful choosing diesel oils. Not all of them are universal. In addition to the API Service Category CI-4 PLUS for diesels, look for API Service Category SL.

Premium universal oils like Shell ROTELLA® T Multigrade are formulated for heavy-duty performance, and your bike engine has some heavy-duty challenges for oil. For optimum performance, be sure your oil is up to the challenge.

Did a Little Custom Seat Work Today

I cut about 2.5 inches out of my seating area and replaced it with 1/2" of firm closed cell foam. I glued it down and left the pillion area as it was so it would have "stadium seating" like a sportbike. I feathered the new foam in and smoothed the transition to the pillion pad with a disc grinder.

All that's left is to spoon on the Kenda K270 DOT knobbies and I'm good to go!!

Nate's pickin' up his KLX250 Monday and just called to tell me there is an impromptu motocross track (with Jumps!) across from his new neighborhood so he'll have all week to break it in and get geared up for the ride. Barring injury, of course.