Beaky's Bitz - Part 3 - Tank Bags

Next in the series...tank bags.

Love 'em or hate 'em, I'm in the former group on this.  Partly because the common criticism that you have to move it to refuel isn't an issue on the GS :)  I like having the camera handy so I don't have to get off the bike when I want to take a photo, plus when on longer trips I can't always get into the panniers, so the tank bag give me somewhere to put everything I need quickly.

Not easy to get things from the panniers with luggage...

I first added an Oxford bag to the CBF125 which allowed me to carry a few more bits and pieces on day trips. No photo of that one, and attaching it needed a little lateral thinking as the plastic side fairings meant the magnetic mount was of limited use.

For the G650GS I had the Touratech bag designed for the bike.  This lasted well, and put up with some fairly bad Welsh weather...

G650GS with tank bag

When I picked up the F800, one of the first additions was a tank bag (the G650GS one didn't fit). Again, I went with the Touratech option.

F800GS with tank bag

The main compartment is huge - plenty of room for all the odd bits I want to have to hand, or don't want to leave with the bike.  A zipper allows the bag to be expanded if more space is needed, and there is velcro map poacket on the top that will take A4 sheets. The side pocket has a plastic buckle rather than a zip, and seems designed for a phone.  The other side has an elastic mesh thing that holds your gloves (useful at the toll booth...) and a zippered pocket is useful for small stuff like earplugs or keys.

This has worked well, but my jacket velcro was wearing away the fabric around the zip, to the point where opening the bag was a problem, and I needed a replacement (obviously after I replaced the jacket...)

The attachments for the bag stay on the bike: there are two straps that hook on at the front near the head stock.  These clip to the plastic quick-release buckles (one seen in the photo below).  The back of the bag locates on a velcro pad that is fixed under the seat.  In addition, for heavy loads there are two side straps that attach to the frame on either side of the bike.  These I don't think I have ever used, but I do carry them in one of the side pockets.

To replace this, I upgraded to the Exp Sport, also from Touratech. More expensive, but the two side pockets are zipped and so more useful, and there is still a useful elastic glove holder. This uses the same attachments as the older bag (literally, in my case, as I didn't swap them over).

I've added a couple of zip-pulls to the main section (in photo) using paracord and zip cord ends from Bouncing Rabbit (a great place for all your elastic cord needs - more on this when I get around to the camping kit).  These make opening the bag a lot easier with clunky motorcycle gloves on.

So what on earth do I carry in this?

Stuff!

For a typical day trip this lot will be in the bag along with my wallet and passport.

Back row, left to right

Tank bag (really!);  (in plastic bag) micro and mini USB cables with BMW plug (to charge from the bike); rain cover

Middle row, left to right

Wet wipes (great for getting most flies off the visor!); tissues; silk gloves (for extra warmth); digital camera; puncture repair kit; 35mm film canisters, one with fuses* and one with spare ear plugs

Front row, left to right:

Drift HD camera, with batteries and cards; various RAM mounts for camera; cloth and cleaner for the rest of the bugs on the visor; multitool; Garmin 660 satnav on carry case (usually on a handlebar mount when in use).

Not shown in photo, in pockets inside lid of bag

Baby tripod for camera; pens and I always throw in the relevant Michelin orange map** into the map holder for the area I'm in.   This still leaves room for a baseball cap or other hat depending on the weather and a jumper if I am carrying luggage that makes the panniers hard to get into...

Ride safe.

*yes, I know the GS is fuse-less...this just kinda keeps ending up in the bag instead of the tool box and at least I can help out others.

** awesome maps.  500-series, Waterproof 1cm to 2km maps with 17 covering mainland France which show enough detail that I can work out where I am to supplement the satnav.

Beaky's Bitz - Part 2 - Crash helmets

Not so much Beaky's bitz, but mine.

I've only had two crash helmets since I learnt to ride motorcycles, and haven't had cause to test them out in a crash (yet!).

These are Shoei XR-1000 (right) and the Nolan N104 (left)

Shoei XR-1000

This was bought before I even had a bike, and was chosen mostly for the colour and the fact it was a Shoei and in a sale. Having said that, it's been a good helmet for nearly three years of riding in all conditions (40 degree heat through heavy rain, hail to snow).

It's comfortable, and pretty quiet.  Also took the adhesive Drift camera mount without problem. Ventilation isn't too bad, and it has the attachment for pinlock visors (useful, but not if you also wear glasses, as those still fog up!)

The D-lock strap is easy once you get the knack of it.

Whilst the chin padding is removable, the rest of the padding isn't. This can get quite manky after a French summer of riding in 35+ degrees...

One benefit of this helmet over the Nolan that I did not appreciate fully was that it would fit into the pannier on the GS - useful when shopping.  The alternative that I also use is a cycle lock on the back to go through the chin guard and the pannier frame.

Nolan N104

After wearing the Shoei for a few years, I decided I wanted something more suited to the touring I was doing.  I decided the flip front would be useful in hotter weather, plus this also has an integral pop-down sun visor (so no more switching prescription sunglasses back and forth). Finally, the padding is all removable (and washable!) and there are the pinlock studs for the visor inserts.

I've been wearing this helmet for about six months, and it is a little noisier than the Shoei (but not much), and the only other downside I've found is that there is nowhere to mount the Drift camera - but this would be true for most flip-face helmets.

This helmet uses a clip on the strap in place of the D-rings.  Whilst this is okay, it makes for a larger strap which in some reviews can be uncomfortable - for me it is more noticeable with a high-neck jacket (e.g. Klim Overland) as it can sometimes catch as you turn your head. Not a problem, but something to be aware of.

One final note - you can't see them in the photo, but both have the obligatory reflective stickers for use in France.  When I bought the Shoei in the UK, the stickers were supplied and promptly binned; I then had to source some via the internet on moving here.  The Nolan (bought in France) had them included.

As mentioned above, this helmet doesn't fit into the GS pannier.  Whilst I should have checked this before buying, it would not have been a show-stopper to buy the helmet, as I already have an alternative in place that works just as well for this .

Beaky's Bitz - Part 1 - The Bike

Good grief, a blog entry!  Yes, I thought it was high-time I dusted out the cobwebs in here and made another post.

I've been thinking for sometime about writing up some reviews on the after-market bits and pieces I've added to Beaky the F800GS over the last two years, and perhaps also for the gear I wear.  I figured it might be useful to someone.

And so I am pleased to announce the first in an irregular series of... (drumroll...) Beaky's Bitz!

Magnum MSX horn

The stock horn on the GS is, shall we say, a little wimpy. The MSX is 130-odd decibels to wake up those car drivers. Guaranteed to scare the crap out of any dopey driver drifting your way. Fitting it was a doddle once I'd ordered the connection kit to go with the Canbus that the GS uses - simply plug in the wires and re-attach the mounting screws. I added a liberal coating of sealant around the exposed terminals, as the horn location is up behind the beak, so a little exposed to the elements. Some reviews I have seen claim the loudness is not the 130dB quoted, however it is certainly louder than the stock, and I've woken up a few people with it.

£22 from Nippy Norman and £16 for the wiring kit.

It appears this is no longer supplied by Norman, however, but I'm sure it can be sourced elsewhere.

Adventure Spec Crash Bars

I had the Touratech crash bars on the G800GS, and was close to going for the equivalent for the 800 until I saw the reviews for these. Looking at them, the offering from Adventure Spec gave better protection to the body panels and seeing some After shots from a slide down a road I decided to go for these.


Fitting these was, technically-speaking, straight forward even for one person. The issue I had was undoing the left-side bolt that was in a deep recess on the frame, and I had to order a suitable torx head socket piece.


Useage...well I haven't fallen off since fitting the bars, so can't comment first hand. It certainly looks like they would at least reduce damage to me and Beaky if we were to go over; and my leg would be given some protection against getting trapped between the ground and the bike.

One thing I have noticed is that my knees can touch the bars at times. I usually wear bike jeans with knee inserts, or waterproof overals with the same knee pads. It's not enough to be a problem, but anyone with longer legs than me might have more of an issue. My inside leg is 33", and I', 6'2".

Other than that...it's given me a cool location to mount the video camera...once I can remove the vibration.

Top Sellerie seat

Top Sellerie is a French company who offer a huge range of after market seats.  The stock seat on the GS is not the most comfortable (mind you, neither was the stock seat on the G650GS...but the CBF125 was fine...).  I found after an hour or so things would start to get uncomfortable.

After some research, I took a gamble and ordered the "type 1" standard seat, with the gel padding option. The company offer a reduced price if you send them your old seat to use as a base, but I didn't want the down time, and went for the brand new option.

The seat took a month to make, ship and deliver.  Fitting was exactly the same as the stock seat.

Style - definitely looks good, and even came with the F800GS logo embroidered on in white, to match Beaky.
Comfort - a huge improvement!  After 20k miles on this seat, I can say it's a huge improvement over the stock seat.  I've had several 8-9 hour days in the saddle, with one day reaching 13 hours.  Essentially the fuel stops are now the deciding factor on when to stop, not a numb backside.

Touratech windscreen

The stock screen is pretty small, and I'd read a lot about the improvements a larger screen makes.  I went for the offering from Touratech. Fitting was easy, with all the parts provided as usual.  

Has it made any difference?  Well...yes and no.  The amount of wind (and rain) hitting me is reduced, for sure but at the expense of increased noise and head buffet.   Neither issue is a show stopper - the buffet is not too bad, and I always wear ear plugs for longer trips.  As I mentioned before, I'm a little taller than average, so a shorter ride might have fewer problems.  I need to switch the screens back and do a better comparison at some point.

Touratech Luggage rack

Also from Touratech, this gives me a larger flat area on the back to strap things on. Does what it says on the tin...easy to fit, lots of holes to strap, hook or tie things to. It reduces the wear on the rear seat, as I can move things back a little.

Garmin 660 Satnav

There are lots of threads on various forums that discuss the pros and cons of satnavs (and not just for motorbikes).  My view is that the satnav is another useful tool to be used with a healthy dose of common sense...just like any tool.  I still carry a map on long trips, but having a turn-by-turn warning to navigate a new town is too useful. I had tried a version for my smart phone (the name escapes me) that was crap, plus the data charges for UK phones on the mainland are insane.

Anyway...I went for the Garmin 660.  this comes with all the goodies you could possibly need (and a few I don't) to get the system up and running on the bike.  It's waterproof, so doesn't get stuck in a misted-up tank bag.  It's handlebar mounted, so I can see it alongside my dashboard.  It's hardwired into the bike, so I don;t have to worry about flat batteries.

Since buying the set, I've upgrade to the lifetime map updates, and get a couple of updates each year from it for the whole of Europe.  The basecamp sofware is pretty good (once you get used to it - it's not google maps!) but works well.

I've had the occasional derp moment when I am clearly being directed down a side road, only to rejoin the main road in a few hundred meters (review earlier comment about common sense) and a couple of interesting side roads when using the "shortest route" option - not always suitable for cars (but okay for Beaky) and in a few cases down roads that aren't passable (legally or physically) by Beaky.

Oh...whilst the 660 has the ability to sync via bluetooth to a headset and phone so that you can hear directions, I don't use this, and rely at glances to the 660 for the upcoming turn.

Okay, that's enough for tonight.  Coming soon...the factory-fitted options, my gear and maybe even my camping kit.  We'll see.

Ride safe!

Hirst Arts caddy for Magic the Gathering decks

An update on Sarid and Theo's wedding and the adventures in Belgium and the Netherlands may be added later, in the meantime here is how the model for their wedding came together.

 

Hirst Arts produce silicon molds for making plaster casts of bricks and architectural features for wargaming scenery.  I had been thinking of trying them out for a couple of years, but never quite had the enthusiasm, or the ideas, to try them.

A few months ago inspiration hit me - during a game of Magic the Gathering I thought it might be an idea to make a deck caddy to hold the cards during a game. Also, with Theo and Sarid's wedding coming up this gave me an idea for a unique gift for them.

#54 Gothic Church
#55 Bell Tower

#50 Wizard's Tower Mold

#40 Basic Block Mold                   

I'd originally picked up the first two, as each is a neat project in it's own right, but for what I wanted I thought the elements of the two models would be easily modified to fit the design I had in mind.
After a weekend casting with those two, I ordered the #50 and #40 molds to help bulk out the basic bricks.

I had some fun finding a source of the plaster here in Toulouse, partly due to translation issues and partly to find a decent quality material that was recommended.  Fortunately, I found just the place, and then promptly spent the best part of two weekend casting bricks...

These are (still) sorted into piles on the floor of my spare room, although I have a few ideas to use them up.

With the bricks ready, I could start designing the caddy.  My first prototype was using simple bricks to check the scale.  This included two sections, one for the 'library' and one for the 'graveyard' discard stack.

Dry-fit prototype to check sizes and layout (each basic 'brick' is 1" long, by 1/2" high and 1/2" deep)

Boring plain wall, but it's to get the scale right!

View of cards inside:

Dry fit seemed to work, so these were glued together.  The interlocking seen above was ignored; the prototype was made in flat sections then assembled - although not as strong, the glue is good enough to not need the interlock strength.  Using this approach allows each section to be made using Lego formers to ensure everything is square.

My original idea for the final model was that the long wall would be one side of a church nave, with the end walls also having some arch designs.

Some dry-fit planning:

Short wall (end piece)

Long wall:

On the day I started assembly the wall sections using this design, I had a game of MtG with Theo (without telling him what I was doing, of course!) and realised I had made a slight error in my planning...

As well as the two bays already designed, I also needed a third for exiled cards.

D'oh.

I modified the design so the 'church' covered only one of the bays, to hold the library stack.  The other two bays would be small walled areas, like a graveyard or similar.

The modified wall sections were easy to make, as shown below:

The model base will be 3mm polystyrene plastic card, and PVA glue.

The library stack area has a plastic card base added.  This holds the cards at a slight angle, and is sized to make it easy to draw cards:

With the assembled walls I found a few large unsightly gaps that the glue had not filled.  These were filled with milliputt (a two-part epoxy putty) that can be sculpted like clay, and dries hard.

With the assembly complete, time to paint.

Undercoat:  Since the plaster is white, any areas not covered would show up on the final model. The undercoat was black acrylic paint, thinned slightly to ensure it ran into the deep gaps.

Base coat: Using the same acrylics, a 50/50 mix of black and white was used, with a touch of blue to simulate granite.  This was applied using the dry brushing (more a "wet brushing" as I wanted a fairly good coverage of everything except the deeper recessed areas). 

Dry brushing is a quick way of adding an exaggerated light shade of the base coat.  Most of the paint is wiped off the brush (so it is dry, geddit?) and then lightly brushed on.  This means the paint is only applied to the outer surfaces, not the recesses.  By applying successive lighter coats (both in terms of shade and brush pressure).

I used a 25/75 black/white mix (again with a little blue) which was dry brushed over, followed by a lighter coat using more white in the mix.

A final very pale grey highlight was added on the sharp edges.

A couple of grave stones were also added, painted in the same way.

The "grass" is Games Workshops static grass flock material, scattered over PVA glue.
Finally, I added a sheet of cork to the underside to protect the table top.

My original plan was to add some suitably Gothic miniatures in the window arches; however I was unable to find something I liked the look of, and instead printed some stained glass windows, trimmed to fit and glued in place.
 

Of course I had to check the cards fit...

Phew.

Except that, as both Sarid and Theo play Magic, one wasn't going to be enough...so I made a second in a different colour (and slightly different architecture trimmings)...

The last-but-one job was to varnish the model with a coat of varnish, then to finish I made a box to put the models in to transport them to the wedding!

Postscript:
Both models made it to the wedding in one piece, and Theo and Sarid were pleased with them.  I'm already planning the next model - a tile holder for Carcassonne pieces

Eurotour 2012 - Part Two - Blighty and Beyond

Right.  Yes.  I realised there was a Part One to my trip report from the summer, but I never completed it. So this is the second part of the journey.  (Part One can be found here)

Last time, I had just arrived back home in Somerset.  I spent a week with Mum, catching up with friends in the area and taking Beaky up to Bristol for a well-deserved 6k service (although closer to 8k on the mileage!).

From here, I left to meet up with friends in Petersfield on the way to the Eurostar, catching u with James, Gemma and little Reuben.

The Eurostar crossing was as fast and efficient as before, and I passed the 30 minutes chatting to some other bikers heading to Italy.

A quick run through northern France into Belgium, and finally arrived at Trish and Neiks.  I spent a few days here, catching up on news and playing Settlers of Catan and enjoying the local beers. Great fun!

One place I wanted to visit whilst in the area was Waterloo - I hadn't realised how close it was, and it made an easy day trip from Deinze.

The battlefield has a pretty good tourist centre, which explains the background to events, and runs a bus tour around the site.  Having watched Sharpe, it was interesting to see a slightly less -UK bias on events!

View across to the Lion's Mound from the East, along the British lines.

Close up of the Lion's Mound.

On the way back to Deinze from Waterloo, I wanted to stop at the Atomium, as last year I hadn't gone inside.

Where's Beaky?

A better view of Mini-Europe...without Beaky.

 Good to see an A380!

A few familiar sights from the UK...

 Time to move on again, this time to Halsteren again and a stay at Theo and Sarid's. I spent a few days here, catching up on news and playing Settlers of Catan Magic and enjoying the local beers. Great fun!

I also had a chance to meet up with Lily in Zaltbommel again - just so the Hobblings didn't start to feel left out.

Whilst in Haslteren I explored the coast to the west, and also the De Biesbosch National Park. Very, very flat land as expected, and a chance for Beaky to have her first boat ride on the ferry across to Dordrecht.

The lure of Settlers of Catan games was strong, and so I stopped at Deinze before beginning the journey home.

A quick stop on the way through Luxembourg for a photo - not enough time to explore on this trip.

I stopped for the night at Luneville in France and found a little camping ground near the Chateau de Luneville.  First night in the tent on this trip, and yup, you guessed it - thunderstorms overnight.  The tent held up well, and everything stayed dry, although Beaky was looking soggy in the morning.  A quick breakfast in the local patisserie, and on the road again.
 
Neik had recommended the town of Riquewihr in France as worth visiting, so I aimed for here on the way  south.  Well worth the visit, and a nice place for lunch.

 

Next stop...Switzerland!  Crossing the border at Basel, it transpired I needed a vignette to use the toll roads.  Since I had entered on one of these (and a man with a gun was insistent...) I ended up shelling out €30 on this, despite not really wanting it.  Next time, I'll plan the route to avoid needing one.


The other thing not helping my mood at this point was the rain.  It was like riding through Wales. Nice views, I think.  Hard to tell with heavy rain and a low cloud base.  I decided I needed somewhere warmer and drier than the tent, and checked into a hotel in Lucerne.

Next morning the rain had eased a little, and I was able to see something of Lake Lucerne (although the rain meant no photos!)

My original plan was to head east to Lichtenstein, and cross into Austria just to say I'd been there.  With the rain as it was, and with a planned stop in Geneva I decided to leave that for another time.  Instead, there were two places I did want to visit - Altdorf and Meiringen. 

I decided to head over to Altdorf  first (Warhammer players will understand why), and found a little town with the famous William Tell statue. I'd forgotten this was where the story was from, obviously the RNG in me was telling me something.

Looking at the map and plotting a route to Meiringen I decided the wiggly road across the Sustenstrasse looked far more interesting than the autoroute back to Lucerne and around.

"Interesting".  Right.

In terms of a gnarly road over a mountain pass, it was great fun.  I was even ready for the drop in temperature (having planned something like this whilst in Switzerland) and had a few warmer clothes to put on under the jacket.

As I climbed up, I found some amazing views of snow covered mountains.  Snow?  Yup. In August.

Below is the road ahead from the same spot, with the now-familiar Beaky.

 

What I hadn't reckoned was that the temperature would drop to -3 degrees and that the rain would turn to heavy snow.  This was a little more than I was prepared for, and wiping the snow build-up from the visor whilst winding around narrow roads with minimal markings or barriers on a mountain was tense.

I was also starting to get cold.

Bloody cold!

Luckily I crossed over the pass without incident, but was not able to find somewhere to stop until I reached Meiringen and stumbled into a cafe looking pretty miserable.

Once I warmed up I was ready for the reason I came here - Reichenbach Falls. This is the location for Sherlock Holmes fight with Professor Moriarty, in The Final Problem.

To reach them there is a little funicular railway, and as we climbed up the mountain, the falls appeared out of the rain.

The falls themselves - the location of the fight is said to be to the right, about halfway up.  Yeah, right!

Onward again...this time to Geneva and another Hobbling. Nadine had offered to have me stay over on the way past, so I found her flat just out of town but over the border in France.  She and a friend took me to a Swiss restaurant for fondue - very nice!

My final day, and the longest stretch yet.  420 miles from Geneva to Toulouse.

I left at 10am, expecting the trip to take about six hours (well, a little more with fuel stops etc).

Unfortunately Beaky had other ideas.

A problem with the remote sensor on the key fob meant that every time I stopped, it was a while  before the system decided to accept the key and allow me to continue.


To cut a long story short, we limped home and I arrived home close to midnight.

Still, not to let a downer like that spoil the trip - it was great and so much fun to catch up with a variety of friends old and new.

Total distance covered was around 3,500 miles.

Map of my route:


View Larger Map


Post script:
Beaky's electrical problem resolved itself after the battery drained overnight (the lights would stay on even with the key removed!), and BMW were unable to find a fault.  Apparently some fuel stations have a device that somehow upsets the security chip in the key. A ccolleague at work had seen a similar problem, although for her the problem goes as soon as the bike is pushed away from the pumps!