ABS

Partial Integral ABS and Full Integral ABS. The differences explained and what does "adaptive" mean?

Partial Integral means when the front brake is activated you get both front and rear. When the rear only is activated, you get only rear. When both are applied, which ever force is greater... you'll get more of.

Fully Integral means when either the front or rear is applied, you get everything!

Adaptive, this is new for the now fourth generation of ABS and Evo brakes from BMW. It adjusts the ratio of how much braking is applied to the front or rear depending on the bikes load (weight being carried).

What is a good and safe way to use your ABS brakes?

1. Practice before you need to use them! Take your bike out to a nice empty parking lot with no obstructions in your way. Practice braking using your new ABS system in a nice controlled environment.
2. Start slowly and gently... as you get more familiar with the ABS braking, start to apply your brakes with increasing effort.
3. Continue to do this until you are able to come to a safe and complete emergency stop with confidence.
4. Then get out there when it's raining and practice stopping when conditions are not ideal. You'll be glad you did.
   

Washing your machine

Speed up your bike washing process by using your leaf blower to dry it off. You won't have any water spots, you won't be rubbing in dirt you missed like a chamois would (the fastest way to spider webbing).

Foggy face

There are many products out there to assist in stopping your face shield from fogging. The problem is not too many shops carry them. We carry a few of them. But to this day, my favorite happens to be Rain-X's Anti-Fog. Now, you've heard me say "Don't use Rain-X!" That still holds true for their rain sheeting product that is sold in a yellow bottle. The Anti-Fog is sold in a black bottle and I have been using it for three years with no detrimental effect on the plastic face shield.

It will last for about two to three days in your face shield before you need to reapply. The bottle will last you for years.

Another fast fix that works is shaving cream. Spritz a little shaving cream into your face shield and rub in and wipe clear. The glycerin in the shaving cream keeps the fog at bay!

I will be trying a new product called Respro Foggy. See it here. It is a neoprene face mask that is installed in your helmet. The concept is it directs your breath down and away from the face shield. The normal one they sell is for full face helmets and not flip ups. It has a plastic nose piece on it that goes over your nose. While many people are reporting that it does work, as many people complain about the nose piece. The nose piece makes it difficult to remove the helmet off of your head, it gets caught up. The trick is to pull the nose piece forward.

That contraption is great, but with my big nose, that little plastic piece doesn't work too well. So I plan on opting for their Foggy X edition. Made for motocross style helmets. I plan on putting one in my Arai XD. I will post the results here. The difference with this one is it does not have the plastic nose piece.

VERDICT: Foggy X is solely for the purpose of keeping your face free of debris should you be using goggles. It helps close the space between your goggles and the front extension of motocross style helmets. This piece of foam does nothing for a foggy face shield. They should take the "fog" reference out of the products name. Don't buy for a fog problem!

Riding in the Rain:

Here in the Great Pacific NorthWET... you will ride in the rain. Whether you ride out knowing it's raining, or if you get caught in it, it's going to happen.

I use a method I have coined, "225." 2 = double and 25 = cutting a quarter. Basically I double these things when riding in the rain:

• The time it takes me to get my head straight before riding in the rain
• The time to warm up my bike
• The time I need to get somewhere
• Distance between the car in front of me, and me
• Distance I need for braking

Then I reduce these items by 25%:

• Overall speed
• Angle of bike in a turn

This is just a general guideline. There are times when I change the above formula. Take for instance some of these normal items found in the road that don't pose an issue when riding on a dry day:

• Pedestrian cross walk stripes (slicker than snot when wet)
• Manhole covers
• The large and small traffic "turtles" that make up the white and yellow lines in the roads
• Painted lines
• Railroad mats (the black rubber mats with the raised dots that lie between the tracks and the pavement)
• Railroad tracks themselves

The items above when raining are extremely dangerous. Heads up! I typically ride over these items with a 90° angle (no lean).

Also please remember that it is a lot safer riding during or after a downpour than a drizzle or light rain. A downpour will help wash away the oils from the road surface, a drizzle will just bring them to the top of the road surface and cause more problems.

Riding: Practice, practice, practice...

That is what leads to safe riding. After you have taken your MSF course or Experienced Rider course, take time out to practice what you have learned. Go back to the study book you were given when you signed up for your class and reread it.

Get out in an empty parking lot and practice those maneuvers you learned on the range.

Packing for a trip:

One of the best things you can use when packing for a trip is Ziploc 2 gallon bags. They are hard to find, so you may have to search some stores.

What is great about using these bags, you can pack your clothes by days, e.g., Day1, Day2, etc. or you can choose to pack by category, socks, shirts, etc. The bags allow for you to pull specific contents out of your main bag without pulling everything else out of the bag. They slide in and out very easily. Plus, after you've worn your clothes, your funky stuff can go in a bag and not mess up your clean clothes.

Pack light, if you are the only one, you can get away with a lot less. But if two are on one bike, just pack like two individuals. With the correct underwear (like LDComfort), you only need two pair. Wash out the other pair as needed and just cycle. Use your camp soap or hotel shampoo and wash them out, roll them up in a towel and wring out the excess moisture. They will dry in no time. Same for your undershirts.

Winter
+
short rides
+
not riding often
=
Battery Tender!

Well regardless of the time of year, how would you like to extend your motorcycle battery life up to 3 to 4 times more than normal battery life? You can by simply using a battery tender. I have two, one for each bike, and yes... I plug my bikes in every night regardless of how long my ride was.

The current generation of Battery Tender Plus and Jr. models take care of older acid style batteries, the newer AGM, and gel cells. The difference between these battery tenders and the "chargers" of old is the fact that they maintain a battery's performance level without the hazard of "cooking" your battery! This is because of the new "floating" charge system. It monitors your battery's level and only gives it the charge that is needed to bring and keep it up-to-snuff. They are available in two different configurations... a small Jr. size which is portable and a larger box style for your garage. I opted for the Jr. size. Did you know it takes approximately 20 minutes of "highway" riding to replenish the drain that one start puts on the battery? So during the winter when your trips are shorter, it's even more important to use a Battery Tender.

Don'ts

• Don't: Use Rain-X on a windshield.
• Don't: Use a pressure washer at home or at one of the car drive through cleaners
• Don't: Know what you are using. Be familiar with the product you are using to clean or polish. If you don't know what to use, call me or stop by.

More to come...