West Malaysia loop ride

People say that time flies when you are having fun. The truth of the matter is a little different as I think time flies…regardless…and boy…did time fly! The last couple months went by in the blink of an eye (I rhymed there…hahaha!). It wasn’t that I had more fun than I usually did, really. It was probably because there were so many things to do the days just seemed to go by quicker than usual. Or maybe it is just age playing tricks on my mind. Whatever the reason, we are now just four days away from the start of the WMLR2012! It is time to get everything ready!

I took some time yesterday to get Anker ready for the ride. Here is how Anker looks like for those who have forgotten.

There were quite a number of things I wanted to get done so I thought I had better get to them sooner rather than later. Here is what Anker had for his makeover.

Visibility

One of the biggest contributors to motorcycle accidents (other than rider stupidity) is visibility to other road users. A bike, no matter what the size, is somehow almost invisible to drivers of cars, vans and trucks. There are countless accounts of riders getting hit by other vehicles from the back, the sides and the front. It is also important that the other riders can see me clearly while on the ride. This is true especially when in small towns with lots of bikes. It is easy to get lost riding at night in heavy traffic. So I wanted to ensure Anker has maximum visibility.

I purchased some LED panels with a simple blinking pattern and had them installed. I did not want those that you can get online as they tend to come in sets of blue and red which would make me look like the police. I prefer for my blinkers to be white as that would probably stand out more. I had two installed facing the front at my crash bars and two facing the rear.

They may be small…but they sure are bright! Here is a picture of the rear LED panels. The one on the left of the bike is blinking now.

And this is a picture of the front LED panels. The one on the right is blinking now.

Bright eh?

A simple solution that did not cost me a fortune…and one that will gain me much greater visibility!

Illumination

I also switched out my headlight bulb with one of the HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflective) variety. This platform emits a much brighter light without an increase in power consumption nor a reduction in life span. This is important as some of the roads we will be traveling on are very dark and a good headlight beam is necessary for illumination! I also had my spotlights switched onto my high beams so now I am fully equipped for any night riding that comes my way!

Traction

We all know that the only thing that is keeping the motorcycle steady on the road surface are the tires. No matter what the weather, traffic and road conditions are, tires that are losing treads are going to compromise safety. I had mine changed out for new ones. I decided to install the same Bridgestone Battlax BT39 tires as they served me very well for the last year.

I just love the way new tires look…and check out the grooves!

What is interesting was the test that we did as we were switching out the old tires. You see, I had installed the Ride-On TPS system last year when I first installed the tires. This system would prevent me from having to stop in the event of a puncture. I watched quite a number of videos on YouTube on how this worked but wanted to do my own test. So we plunged a thick screwdriver deep into the tire. The hole we made was slightly smaller than a quarter inch headphone jack. That was quite a large hole! Guess what happened when we pulled it out! Well, the TPS simple spurted out just the right amount and sealed the hole instantly! I am super sold on this technology! So after having the new tires installed, I went to install the Ride-On TPS again.

Mechanicals

The other areas I took care of were the usual mechanicals: brakes, clutch, chain, bulbs, cooling system, electrics and engine. One interesting thing that I had installed on Anker is the battery. Unfortunately, while I do enjoy riding a lot, the reality is that Anker is more familiar with the car park than he is with the road. I ride maybe once every two or three weeks at the moment. The problem here is that Anker has trouble getting started if I did not ride for anything longer than six weeks. So I installed a very cool battery which is smaller, lighter and more powerful than my usual Yuasa batteries. I installed the Ballistics Performance Components battery…and boy…do I love this battery! I can leave Anker along for weeks and he would start at the push of the starter button…SWEET!!!

See from this picture how much smaller it is compared to a conventional motorcycle battery.

So it would serve you well to do the same if you have the same riding pattern as I do. Of course, if you were not as lazy as I am and you are OK to take your battery out, put it on a charger at home, install it back on the bike when you want to ride…then by all means stick with a standard lead acid battery. Doing as I did will save you effort, time and worry. A win win win by any standard!

All set to go?

So Anker is all set to go…the question though is…am I?

***I will upload pictures of the lights later***