New USB Power and Rear Rack Gas Tank Test

Did a little accessory installation today on the Awesome Possum. I installed a USB power cable from 3BR Powersports. Mounted the USB at the handlebars, and tapped the break light power lead so that the USB is not draining charge while the engine is switched off. I connected the ground to the battery negative terminal. The inline fuse ended up right next to the main fuse box, which was convenient. I also mounted my new RAM phone mount as well. All works well, but it will be interested to see how it charges over the course of a day while riding (will it make the phone too hot? will it slip with vibration? etc....) Some install pics....

 

Another thing that I will figure out is how to deal with that messy USB phone cable...right now I just have the excess wound up and strapped to the handlebar, but I'm sure that I will find a much neater way to manage that cable :-)

I also did a test install of my spare gas tank, which attaches to my new rear rack. Assembly was easy, and it fits on snugly. When I attach this tank, I should be able to put cargo on top of it...but I will have to be careful not to overload the rear rack until I can add some extra structural support underneath. Here's a couple of pics of the test install...

Afternoon Ride to Lick Observatory

Took a little ride for my first real outing on the CRF230L, aka the Awesome Possum, and it was epic. I've been waiting for a part to arrive so that I can get this thing running proper, and now she runs great. I rode from my place near downtown San Jose up to the Lick Observatory and back…what an amazing ride on a beautiful day. Now for some of the evidence, including plenty of bike porn…

Had to stop a lot for deer crossing the road!

Yep…just like that.

A lil' selfie on the way.

Stopping to take in yet another boring, ugly view.

Putting the bike in photos for sense of scale, the way the

old timer explorer photographers did.

I'm halfway to the observatory, which you can make out

way up yonder on that there hill top.

I also had to stop for wild boar in the road!

Dual Sport Motorcycling Navigation

My dual sport motorcycling lesson for the day: You can turn your smart phone into a super sophisticated navigation device that does not need a cell signal or internet connection to work, plus you can stream your route in real time, change course on the fly, save pics and make notes on points of interest, and many other features. You can make a turn-by-turn route on your computer, then upload it to your phone, and vice versa, or share routes with other people. You can also run the phone off the bike's battery so that you don't have to worry about it running out of juice. Oh, and some of the newer phones are waterproof so you can use them in the rain or if you go through water such as a creek crossing. Expensive, clunky, dedicated GPS devices (like Garmin) are done.

I'm getting my new smart phone this week, and I'll start playing around with the different apps that let you do all of the above. I'll also install the USB charger and phone mount on my bike. Once I get into all of that a bit, I'll report back with pics and details!

My New to Me Honda CRF230L Dual Sport

Well, I decided to sell the '79 Honda dual sport and get a modern one instead. The bike was just too nice to take off road and mess it up. So I just picked up a 2008 CRF230L last week, and have been getting it ready to hit the road and trails.

I got it in really good shape - only 452 miles on the clock. The bike was not assembled from its original crate by the dealer until late 2011, and was bought and titled by the original owner in 2012. They rode it mostly on the street, and dropped it on their first off road outing and decided not to ride it anymore. So now it's mine! It's mostly stock except for the bark buster hand guards, handlebars, and an aftermarket muffler tip.

I am going to replace the muffler tip back to the original stock spark arrester, as I want to see how the bike runs fully stock before I start making exhaust and carb modifications. I know many people make those modifications right away, but I really want to see the difference, and get used to the bike as it is first. Plus, the current muffler tip is a lot louder than I'd prefer.

Today I installed a Flatland skid plate, and just changed the oil and clean/lubed/adjusted the drive chain. Here's the new skid plate installed...

I'm waiting for the stock muffler tip to arrive, and I've also ordered a rear rack and auxiliary attachable gas tank for the rear. She's all set to go, and now I just need to find a day off work so that I can take her out on the trails for the first time!