The projects have been stacking up on the bike lately! I can tell that touring season is nearly here. During the winter, I squeeze in a day ride here and there, but any long distance multi-day stuff waits for better weather. In the mean time, upgrades to the bike pass the time…

The next project is installing a wiring harness to power the Garmin StreetPilot 2610 GPS I just picked up for the bike (and the car). The factory refurbed units were a deal I couldn’t pass up. I ordered a Garmin factory motorcycle kit with the GPS, which includes a mount for the GPS (which connects to a RAM base) and a fused wiring harness. The bike end of the factory wiring harness ends in bare wires, so my first decision was whether to direct wire it in somewhere or make it modular. I prefer modular connections where possible, so I decided to fabricate a coupling that would allow me to tie in to my bike’s power using a 2-conductor SAE style connector. My ZZR-1200 has a set of unswitched auxiliary power leads under the seat that are terminated with spade style connectors from the factory. Phase one of the project then, was putting together a small adapter that would plug into the bike with spade connectors and provide an SAE plug to connect the GPS wiring harness (or anything else) into.

Phase two was terminating the Garmin wiring harness with a matching SAE connector. I kept the factory inline fuse as insurance.

It was dark by the time I got done this evening, but I plugged everything into the bike just to see if the GPS would power up, and wonder of wonders it actually worked the first time!

The next step will be routing the harness from underneath the seat up to the dashboard where the GPS will mount on a stem stand, but that will have to wait until tomorrow when there is more light to work by!

The latest project, installing a new (to me) Ventura Luggage system on the old Zed (ZZR-1200). I pulled the tail off while I was test fitting the bracketry. Someone with small hands could probably fit it without but it was easier for me to just take it completely apart and have unrestrained access. It was cold and gray today, soon as the sun comes back I’ll move the bike out into the yard and take a shot with the luggage installed on the racks. This will give me better capacity on trips and still leave my passenger seat open (or allow me to carry my old bags in addition to the Ventura bags).

Impressive commercial for the Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle produced in India.

John says I’m a nerd. I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday at my friend Brian’s. A couple of of times a year he hosts a big LAN party. A bunch of us haul our computers over to his big rec room and settle in for a weekend of computer games, pizza and fun. Brian purpose built a facility on the second floor of his detached garage to use for this purpose. It’s wired with extra power and built in networking, a bathroom and a small kitchenette. Everything a gamer needs!

Saturday was a beautiful day. After dropping my gear off Friday, I rode the motorcycle over Saturday morning. Brian’s wife Cindy recently took the MSF Basic Rider Course and got her motorcycle endorsement. Brian then bought a motorcycle for his wife and oldest son to use (he’s licensed as well). Cindy is still a little leery about riding by herself, so I offered to cruise around the neighborhood with her and give her pointers. She was especially worried about stopping and starting on a hill, so we found one and practiced the technique a bit.

Then it was back to gaming! I was supposed to go on a group ride down to Mt. Saint Helens on Sunday, but I was just too tired. Then I got an e-mail from the organizer that they were rescheduling the ride due to weather so I might be able to go after all! I’m spending the rest of today just relaxing before I head back to work tomorrow.

So, how was your weekend? Photo courtesy of Denyse

True, they happen but they are preventable. Mine certainly was. I was heading home from Seattle on an evening late in September 2005. It was actually a bike meet and I was riding the ZZR. It was dark out, raining a little and as I merged onto I-5 heading south I could tell there was a problem from the bumper-to-bumper traffic. I found out later that a semi had jackknifed further down the road.

Prefering not to ride in heavy traffic like that, I decided to take the next exit and work my way around the traffic jam on surface streets. I wasn’t familiar with that exit but I expected I could navigate my way to surroundings I knew. That decision set into motion a chain of events that would consume the next five months of my life.

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