Tourstart – explore the world

Motor cyclists safety gear – then, now and in the future

Wednesday August 5th, 2009 @ 09:10 PM

Back then – version 1
Personal safety on a motorcycle has had many faces over the years. I have been riding motor cycles for 23 years, and always focused on personal safety. And one thing is for sure, what was considered top class safe back then is not up to speed today.
When I bought the Honda CB 400F back in 1986 as a second hand, I also looked for a leather outfit. The Dainese was bought as a second hand and used until 1993. There were only a nylon alternative to leather, why the leather was considered pretty good. Now it is necessary to define good.

Does good mean?:

  • Protecting against cold temperatures? Nope
  • Protecting against rain or wet weather? Nope
  • Protecting knees, spine and elbows? Nope

Well, if good means it protects your skin if you are down kissing the tarmac, then yes. And just to bear in mind where personal safety came from with jeans and a simple jacket, the Dainese was really good and safe. I know, comparing it with todays standard is not really fair. Back then it was a big time mess when the rain came. First the full body rain suit, then the boots got packed in and finally the gloves. And then the rain stopped… My wife and I we once went to Nordkap here from Denmark in 1992, and except Norway is a fantastic country, it was 20 days which were wet and cold. 

Honda CD400F and pre-historical Dainese leather outfit

Honda CD400F and pre-historical Dainese leather outfit

Back then – version 2
This is as the name indicates – made in Denmark. After our education we got a job and then followed some money. One of our first priorities was to get a new outfit, and got fed up with the leather stuff, we ordered some gore-tex outfit. Heaven. That is what we felt. No more wet and less cold than the old leather. Purchased in 1992 and used until 2008. After 16 years the best thing to say was the ability to be humid when rain and chilly when cold. This were not really attractive, so a new investment were considered.

Honda VFR 750 - just 18 km old

Honda VFR 750 - just 18 km old

Now
This is really good. I easily feel pretty cold, but this does the job, and was also pretty cheap. Paid €200 on sale for last year model, and it has really giving me a great quality/price ratio. Now I am not clod or wet anymore, and it is very comfortable wearing.

Held - and the same VFR now just 50 000 km old

Held - and the same VFR now just 50 000 km older

The future?
As I start I can end. Dainese. It is a bit impressive what development are about to offer us. It does not seems like it is perfect yet, but they will get there.

www.tourstart.org – getting closer

Thursday July 16th, 2009 @ 06:05 PM

Development of a web page takes a bit longer than expected. And this extra time we have spend now – and we are pretty satisfied with the result. Now it is time to get concerned if the members like our web site…
Now we have reached the point where the development team are fine-tuning the last bits and pieces, so now we can see light at the end of the tunnel.  We have been together with the team for the a period, where many aspects have been discussed, fine-tuning and preparation made to get a stable web site.

Beta testers
As soon we are ready, we need some Beta testers. Even it is a bit hype to have some Beta testers, it is pretty useful as well. We need some motorcyclists who are interested in using the web site and the services, to find any issues we may have overlooked. After a certain period with feed-back from the beta users we are ready to go full public. We search for 50 beta users in each country, so as many different user patters can be tested as possible. So when we are ready, the web site is open for signing up for the beta test. Please consider to support us in the beta test.

Tourstart web site focus on the pleasure of driving the motorcycle and building up some international friendship. For doing this we have made some functions, such as:

  • Activities
  • Tours
  • Bike clubs
  • TourNews
  • TourPlan

GPS integraton
We have focused on a high degree of GPS integration and usage of maps, to enhance the visual approach of what to ride for and where to ride to. Now there is an increasing number of motor cycle GPS sold, and then it was only natural for us to offer the GPS integration to our members. Also we have seen that there are many re-born motorcyclists who finally got the wife (or husband) convinced to invest in a bike. The re-born bikers often lacks the social net work, and also they might need a few hints for some good adventures. But, on the other hand we all might need some inspiration for some good motorcycle tours and activities, so this we at Tourstart hope you all can find.

Index page of www.tourstart.org
Until we are fully ready, we will like to share our index page with you. When you enter the site, you will get a quick overview of activities, tours and bike clubs. It is easy to see where the activity takes place and what type of activity it is. The only thing you need to do is select, transfer data to your GPS and ignite the motor cycle. We have made the web site to cover the entire world, why the local knowledge you have can be shared world wide. So if you plan a holiday abroad it is easy to find the most interesting activities to attend.

As this is a motorcycle community, the content comes from the members. We have made the web site enabling the possibilities to publish the activities, tours etc and then it is you who decide what you want to see on the web site. So whether you ride a Harley-Davidson or a Honda, you are welcome to share your experiences with other bikers.

I will get back to you shortly with more news regards the web site.

Have a fun ride,

Jan

Enhance your driving skills

Sunday June 28th, 2009 @ 11:25 AM

Just after passing the test and getting the driving license to the motor cycle, bikers just want to ride and go for rallies, coffee meetings or to get some touring experiences. It is all about getting the thrill and excitement of the wide open roads when exploring – that is what we finally have been waiting for.

Among the motor cyclists there are many re-born bikers. I am sure those who saw Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, have been dreaming of the US highways ever since they exchanged the motor cycle with a pram. Now the kids are gone and have their own motor cycle, it is time to get back on the road. Just remember the riding skills might been a bit rusty, and the bikes now have more speed potential.

So how to get a safe and pleasant ride out of it? The personal safety has always been on top of my mind when I have been riding my bike. Not to say that I always kept within the speed limitations given by our government. What I mean is the gear, and nothing less than full protection is acceptable. Not doing the jeans/sneaker trick. Imagine how your legs will look like after at tarmac tattoo…

In Denmark we have a some organizations offering training to you and your bike. The most popular ones are a week-end training program on a closed course. Here the training is about breaking, evasive actions, defensive driving style, gear and safety check of your motor cycle. A bunch of qualified guys made the www.mc-sikkerhed.dk. To motivate you to join a training like this one, just ask yourself a simple thing like maneuvering you bike. How confident do you feel when you have to move around with it in the garage? The balance and confidence of off-bike maneuvering is one of the things you learn during the week-end training. And this is really an important key to feel confident on the bike.

As you may not all understand Danish, try Google Language tools, which can translate everything. Then you also get the chance to improver your PC skills…

After being on this training course, hit the road and get some experience. This really enhanced my riding skills, why I wanted to try out some more on track days. That was thrilling and breathtaking. Also I really learned that the motor cycle was not the biggest limitation when cornering. I learned how to understand and get a feeling of my VFR´s limitations and behavior. It was not racing, it was a serious training about ideal curves, how to approach a corner and how to be confident with the bike when it is not straight up-side-down.

I now got the bad habit of watching the tires on the motor cycles I see, just to watch what angel my fellow bikers reach when they ride in the corners. And by the findings, I can see a lot of potential in going for the track day training.

OK – I am not entirely fair, as we are not all born to be swing kings, but when the confidence level increase the pleasure of riding the bike also increase, and you fully focus on the fun instead of being nervous of maneuvers, corners and breaking.

Watch those Italian police officers. Would just all bikers be as good handling the bike as they do.  


 Have a fun training,

Jan

Most famous motorcycle songs ever made

Friday June 19th, 2009 @ 08:20 PM

Songs and music is a huge part of our life, and for sure when we are at a bike ralley and the party is on. Each and every one of us have some songs we clearly remember and which links us to some nice memories. For motorcyclists I have listed the most popular ones. Last two blogs was about the future, so here are a blog about the past and where some of the biker community appears from.

Born to be wild by Steppenwolf
This song was used in the movie “Easy Rider” featuring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson. Release the biker inside yourself, and just ride. Do like Peter Fonda – get rid of the watch and let nature take over control.

Bat out of hell by Meat Loaf
This song is one of my favorites for sure. He is so full of energy and a great performer too.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
He sings about “At night we ride through mansions of glory on suicide machines”, well luckely he only sang about is..

AC/DC Harley Davidson
Seems like those guys fell in love with the Harley Davidson, and by the fame of the song some Harley Davidson riders also fell a bit in live with AC/DC. Fair enough as they do a good job.

I hope you are now in the right mood to head for a rallie and let the good times take over. Just rememeber motor cycling is much more then the iron itself.

Enjoy the party,
Jan

Alternative fuel driven motorcycle

Sunday June 14th, 2009 @ 11:48 AM

Statistically not all bikers are interested in an electrical motor cycle, why it is pretty important to have some alternatives. One is of course to stop riding your motorcycle, but this is not exactly the best option.

Another option is to fuel the motorcycle with some other stuff, which are considered more environmental friendly.

Reason
The reason for investigating in bio fuel is the fact the ordinary fuel as we know it, releases CO2 when it is burned. The released CO2 is the reason for adding to the global heating, which are on top of many peoples mind those years.

Alternatives
There are two kind of biofuel:
-Ethanol, to be used in ordinary gasoline engines. Ethanol is produces via fermentation of biomasses,
which mainly is foodstuff.
-BioDiesel, to be used in diesel engines. BioDiesel is made of a mixture of alcohol and
fat from animals or vegetables.

Nothing in this world only have pro´s. A few con´s also sneak in, and the problem with the biofuels are basically it is made from foodstuff, and in a world where many people lack food, it is not the most political correct option, as it affects food prices and do not forget the developing countries lack of food.

Well, Honda found their own solution on that problem. The invented a production method using inedible leaves and stalks of plants such as rice straw. Further they made a motorcycle with a special made fuel injection system to cope with the biofuel.

The motorcycle being the fruit of their work, are a 150 cc, which might not appeal to all bikers. For now they have released in Brazil and expect to produce 200,000 annually. This is a quite impressive number, and with the knowledge they gain from this model, it might not be the last we have heard from them regards biofuel.

honda-biofuel-motorcycle

© http://world.honda.com

The other option is to have a diesel powered motorcycle. The size makes it pretty impressive. Corners and cross-country touring is not first what pop-up in my mind, but what about 1/4 mile race?Those guys made a BMW clone, as they took the the engine from the car division and rest from the motorcycle division. Seems like they missed taking something from the design department…

You could also wait for www.dieselmotorcycles.com to start up the civilian production. This model they have tested doing 44 km/l or 105 mpg diesel. And the model is quite neat as well.

© www.dieselmotorcycles.com
© www.dieselmotorcycles.com

With the biodiesel conversion, the motorcycle from Dieselmotorcycles looks like a real good option for an everyday model, suiting the demands of the environmental concerned motorcyclist.

Have a fun ride,

Jan

Electrical motor cycles

Saturday June 6th, 2009 @ 12:46 PM

Later this year Denmark will be the host for the COP15 which is the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December 2009. High level politicians from around the globe are visiting Denmark to discuss the climate subject. Together with the politicians electrical vehicles from the main car manufactures will be presented in Copenhagen.
Many of the electrical vehicles are to be the official means of transport for the politicians, and other to be part in the general tests and to get exposure infront of the press.

There is a lot of fuzz about the electrical vehicles and that Denmark is a test bed for the electrical cars and laboratory for the rest of the world. This is to a large extend right, but where are the electrical motorcycles?

Of course the time of year is not perfect for motor cycles, as the early-mid December might give us some pretty cold temperatures. There are many manufacturers world wide having a lot of attention to the potential within electrical motorcycles, which is why I made this blog post.
First of all there are some practicalities on the manufactor side and some psychological barriers to break down on the user side before it can become a success. Many motor cyclist like touring and long distance driving, and last but not least they like the sound of their vehicles. It is some heavy barrier to break down.

Seen from my perspective the electrical motorcycles are not the most obvious solution, no matter how nice and environmentally friendly the mindset behind the idea is. At least thats how it was for me until I researched for this article. Already at this early development stage there are some pretty cool bikes out there, and some which are less cool. Are you the type looking for e-transport vehicle, and going from A-B is the main thing, then consider the Vectrix. It can do 100 kh/h, which should suit the need for a city commuter. Pretty nice as well.

vectrix1

© www.vectrix.com

The Vectrix is a standard looking scooter type, which to my needs might not be the most obvious solution, but if you are a commuter with limited needs it is a fun toy to get.

This is more than just transport

Moving into the more traditional motor cycle look-alike type, the Enertia is pretty cool. They have put a lot of effort making the bike attractive both  during the ride, but also when you are back home. Then you simply connect the bike to your PC via the USB plug and get all data about the ride. Pretty smart.

enertia

© www.enertiabike.com

Not Mission impossible

Mission One is another well designed electrical motorcycle. Their aim is to create the worlds fastest electrical motorcycle. With the data released it seems like the can walk the talk. Claiming a top speed of 240 km/h and a range of 240 km, they have a strong tool winning the race. Personally I would not be unhappy riding that bike down the cafe, and check the response from the crowd. Special when taking off in a silent and cool way. Well, it might not be right now, as I have a clue there are a price tag making this Mission Impossible for me.

www.ridemission.com

© www.ridemission.com

Electrical motorcycle racing on Isle of Man

The best development is done on the race track, and what is better than to start development of the future e-bike than where the cradle of UK motorcycle racing is? Yup – Isle of Man.
But you better hurry up and book your ticket, as the race is on June 12th 2009. The race is called “Time Trials Extreme Grand Prix” and in total there will be 19 bikes racing. All focus is on enhancing the experience level, so producing the next generation of motor bikes in a more user-friendly form. Check the link. www.ttxgp.com

They have a video of some electrical motor cycles on the track, and what a strange sound they make.

I am sure the new sound those e-bikes make will give the spectators the right mysterious feeling. Just be careful about the sound – you can easily get addicted to it.

Have a fun ride,

Jan

Mounting a Garmin Zumo on my Honda VFR

Monday June 1st, 2009 @ 05:21 PM

To fully enjoy the Garmin GPS when riding my motorcycle, I got inspired by my friend of how to mount the GPS on on the handlebar. What is essential for me when mounting the GPS is to get a plug-and-play solution, so it is easy on a daily basis. I want it to be easy when I have to stop somewhere and want to hide the GPS while I am away.

Together with the GPS some standard mounting kit followed, but for me and the bike there was two thing wrong. First it did not fit so a mount was simply impossible and secondly is was far from elegant. No matter what, another solution was needed.

Also an obstacle – for me at least – is the small annoying screw Garmin invented to keep the GPS locked in the bracket. This screw needs some special tool to be unscrewed in order to get the GPS off. Still I need to use the screw, but now it is pretty easy to take the GPS on/off, and the special screw driver is not used that often.

The mounting is now done using a special mounting pin, exchanged with one of the handlebars bolts. See the pic of how it is done.

Special mount of my Garmin on my Honda VFR

Special mount of my Garmin on my Honda VFR

I made the mounting pin of two stainlss tubes which fitted into each other, so the inner one was forced into each other in a vise. All made so the length of the pin just suit the mounting bracket from Garmin. With the two-pipe system, the wall thickness are no so thick, that it can withstand the pressure from the mounting bracket. With this the GPS are kept in place, even during harsh driving.

Mounting pin and powerplug

Mounting pin and powerplug

Note that yellow ring around the power plug. In order to get the GPS off quickly, a power plug is needed. The power cable is squeezed between the handlebar and the clutch fluid container. Works fine. The only thing I needed to do upon completion was to make the bracket fit perfect around the pin. A file and a few strokes, and it is perfect to make the hole circular. The filing on the back side is not really needed.

Filing just a few strokes

Filing just a few strokes

I hope this is useful to you.

Have a fun ride,

Jan

Tourstart – what is it all about?

Wednesday May 27th, 2009 @ 08:34 PM

Hmmm – another blog… Why??

Pretty simple to answer my own question. I am a motor cyclist who just wants to communicate with the world and assure motor cyclists all share their valuable riding experiences.

I fancy riding my bike, play with my GPS device and spend some time on some IT. Further it would be great if you could find my thoughts and experience of interest, and I will be delighted to share it with you. And I really need your comments as well.

As I find the IT, web and PC stuff pretty fascinating, it made me decide to spend some bucks on having a web site made. The web site is www.tourstart.org and we focus on riding the bike and all the fun you can get out of it – and all the focus in on sharing your knowledge with other motor bikers. Web site still under construction for some weeks!

I got a Honda VFR 750 which I bought as new years back. It does the job, and to add more fun into my life I grabbed into my pocket one day and luckily found enough money so I could go and get a GPS. Never been a fan of a GPS until I got one. Always believed the old style printed map did fine. I realized it is never too late to learn some new tricks. And when the GPS is connected to the PC it gets really fun.

Now I use the GPS when I go motorcycle touring, just ride the bike or when I am planning a route I want to ride. I never ride my bike without the GPS mounted, as I find it amusing to see how accurate the speed is displayed. Even when I ride on known routes, it is nice to see the accurate arrival time.

No more boring stuff this first time I blog. Next blog upload will contain some experience I got with my Garmin zumo 550, and how to mount it in a quite discreet way on the handle bar of my VFR. Pictures to follow in the next blog including a description of how to do it.

Have a fun ride,

Jan

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