I bought a thing!

But before saying exactly what, I’d like to take a look at this photo from almost three years ago. At the time, I was pretty sure this was the perfect two motorcycle collection. The SV for sport bike stuff and longer trips, the DR-Z with supermoto wheels for ripping the tight local canyons. Well, I …

Further polishing the turd that is the $200 Miata

A friend’s Miata was involved in a crash last week, so I did the honorable thing and stripped out all the useful parts I could get my hands on before he sent it to the junker. Picked up some sunshades that were missing on mine, a protection panel in the trunk for fuel components that …

Motorcycle Road Trip, Day 10: Giant Trees and the road back home

I started out the last day of my trip on the coast in Northern California. I left at the crack of dawn and headed North on 101 into a dense fog. It was surprisingly cold and everything was covered in a layer of condensation. I stopped a few miles in and put on my warmer …

BRB, putting classic plates on the $200 Miata

Decided that it wasn’t worth paying recurring registration costs (especially with them doubling this year) for something that sees limited usage already, so I took the plunge and applied for SP tags. In Oregon it’s a one time registration and a permanent plate. Weird to think that early Miatas qualify for antique/classic plates in most …

$200 Miata, now with drugged out eyes

H/T to Rev_Crackle_Repeat. I had no idea that Jeep LED headlights were plug and play on the NA miata. These things have SO much more light output than the garbage stock lights. Still need to wire up the halos as selectable DRLs, and the built in orange rings to the signals, but I’m really happy …

Motorcycle Road Trip, Day 9: Apex Hunting in California

Starting out the day in Atwater, I knew I had to head Northwest, but that meant going through at least one city during a weekday morning rush our. It was either going to be straight West through San Francisco, which would maximize my time on the Pacific Coast Highway, or North through Sacramento, then West. …

Streetfighter Ninja 300

After surveying the damage, the wrecked Ninja I picked up was actually a little too nice to chop up and use for parts. I cut off the bent sections of front frame and added some cheap LED lights. Think I’ll use it as a cheap runabout/low risk track bike until I come up with something better to …

Motorcycle Road Trip, Day 8: Yosemite

I left Mammoth Lake early in the morning, and headed North toward Lee Vining and the Eastern entrance to Yosemite. From here I’d gain about 2000 feet in 10 miles hitting my highest elevation right at the entrance to the park. I hoped that the dense cold morning air would make the bike run a …

Motorcycle Road Trip, Day 7: Not Dying in Death Valley

Originally, I’d planned to cross the valley at night and watch the sun rise from the Western side, but that seemed like a waste. Every other national park I’d been through had been impressive enough that it seemed a shame to mostly skip this one for fear of discomfort. I left Beatty around 6, just …

Motorcycle Road Trip, Day 6: Sandstorms in Nevada

I woke up early and headed out of the Kaibab forest, hoping to beat the inevitable desert heat as much as possible. Bike was still running rough at first, but it smoothed back out as soon as I got below 8000 feet elevation. I headed west on 59 which gave me one last morning look …