New Tires and a Gadget

Ever since I got the bike, in Jan of 2008, I've been looking for a 'real' 50-50 tire (50% dirt and 50% street). The choices were limited to either end of the spectrum;  road tires(stock Anakees) or big knobbies(TKC-80's). I finally found what I was looking for in the Heidenau K-60. However, there were no dealers in the Denver area.

 With numerous calls to the North American distributor( the tires are from Germany) and a couple of stops to Erico Motorsports in downtown Denver, I was finally able to get a set of these tires delivered and installed! Just in time, I just turned over 10,000 miles on my bike and the original tires were starting to look a little thin!

Here is a look at the front and rear tires. Now I just need the snow to melt up in the mountains and the fire roads to dry out to really put them to the test!






I took off for the plains and some flat, dirt roads to break in the tires. The winds were fierce, gusting to 30-40 mph and I could really feel the difference with the bigger contact patch. I guess I'll probably lose a couple of MPG's with these tires, but since I've been averaging around 60 mpg, the impact on the gas bill should not be too bad ;)

Spot II GPS Locator

I don't know how many times I've been up in the mountains and out of cell phone range. Not just on the motorcycle, but with mountain or road biking as well.  There's always that thought, in the back of your mind, "what if..." So, I've been researching the Spot gps Locator. Laura thought it would be a good idea to get one; For some reason, she hates when I don't (can't) check in on a regular basis. Well, who am I to argue when Laura agrees with me on the need for a new gadget!

The Spot is pretty cool with a "check in- I'm OK" button that sends and email or a text to anyone you designate. There is also a send help button(non life threatening) and and emergency button(send out search and rescue). I spent the extra $12.95 for a year of insurance to cover up to 2 'extractions' per year, up to $100,000. I figured cheap insurance should I ever need that service!

The Spot also has a cool tracking feature that queries your location every 10 minutes and uploads to a Google map so you can get stats from your adventures, cool feature! Go to my Spot adventure page to see what it looks like: First Big Ride of the Year.

I also found this tank bag with a window pouch that fits the spot perfectly, allowing it to have a constant view of the sky. Should be no problem keeping track of my whereabouts!

That's all for today! It's amazing how tired you get after battling super high winds for a couple hours. It is supposed to be pretty nice tomorrow, I'll have to see what kind of adventure I can come up with.

Rich