First motorcycles: Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America it's a great example how the industry got started.

1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Motorrad

The first vehicle to be called a motorrad (German for motorcycle) was also the first to be mass produced.

Engine type: 2 cylinder, four stroke, water cooled - 2.5hp output
Displacement: 1498 cc
Valve Train: automatic inlet, pushord exhaust
Transmission: direct drive
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Top seed: 50 kmh (31 mph)




There's a video of a running one, although they don't say if it's a restored original or a complete replica.
Running Hildebrand and Wolfmüller, first production motorcycle

tags: "first ever motorcycle" "first mass produced motorcycle" "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley Motorcycle museum" "first production motorcycle" "first ever production motorbike" "19th century motorcycle" "vintage motorcycle replica"

First motorcycles: Daimler "Riding Car"

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America this one is a great example how the industry got started.


1885 Reitwagen - Daimler "Riding Car"

Prior to the name 'motorcycle' these 'riding cars' were created to test various engines. According to the exhibit this model was not mass produced.

Engine type: combustion principle four stroke
Displacement: 462 cc
Valve train: 1 intake valve, 1 exhaust valve
Transmission: 2 stage pulley sets on output shaft and countershaft
Brakes: hand operated pad brake on the rear wheel
Max speed: 12 km/h

tags: "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "motorcycle exhibition vancouver" "first motorbikes" "first motorcycles" "vintage motorcycles" "19th century motorcycles" "first ever motorcycle" "first ever motorbike" "vintage motorcycle replica" "wooden frame motorcycle" "wood frame"

Motorcycle museum

Vancouver is home to Trev Deeley Harley dealership which has a great selection of vintage motorcycles on display. This year's show is titled "Made in America".
www.deeleymotorcycleexhibition.ca
I've had a chance to visit it recently and I'm hoping to post a few pics over the next few days.

Stay tuned and ride safe,
CR

New bike... ie used but new for me :)

It was back to scouring Craigslist and the dealerships deciding what to buy. I decided to go with a lite, agile bike like a Ninja 250 but unfortunately that bike is a bit too cramped for me (I'm about 6ft tall and weigh 190 lbs). Also to be honest I don't like the way the Ninja looks and prefer the naked street-bike look. There isn't too much of a choice if you want a smaller engine and a full frame. Luckily I had an opportunity to also try a Hyosung GT250 (the naked version) and it proved to be just what I needed. Good looks, V-twin provides nice smooth power and the bike handles beautifully. It is simply a joy to ride. I don't really care it's only a 250. It has more than enough power for city riding and occational highway trips. As an added bonus the insurance for a bike in this class is cheap. Having ridden it for almost 3 seasons now I've had zero problems with this 2006 model.  Never have to use choke, even after winter storage.

PROS

full frame, good for taller riders

upright riding position lets you see properly in traffic

cheap insurance

new modern 250cc engine designed in Japan

handles very well, smooth power output

economical on gas

CONS

the finishing touches on these South Korean bikes are not as good as on the Japanese ones.

tags: "Hyosung GT250" "250cc beginner bike" "beginner motorcycle" "naked bike" "naked sportbike" "hyosung comet"

And then there was an old junker

Once I got my motorcycle license and sold my Honda Ruckus scooter (which proved exeeding easy btw) I was on a hunt for an older motorbike to commute to work on.
I was not too picky but I knew I wanted a fairly small displacement bike to practice on.
Eventually after a month or so I came across a Yamaha Maxim xs 400, a parallel twin 400cc bike. Price was ok and it seemed to be the right size for me so I figured why not?
Here is what a bike like that looks like...


It was fun to upgrade and I enjoyed that bike a lot but I felt it was too loud,"chunky" and not as responsive as I would like so again I decided to change bikes after one season of riding it.

tags: "first motorbike" "first bike" "motorbike upgrade" "small displacement motorbikes"

First time for everything

Something odd happened today as I was riding back home.
I was stopped on a red light in Burnaby when a woman in a van next to me rolled down her window and said "My bike won't start. Do you know what to do?"
To be honest I was a bit stunned. Where do I start? Just seconds left on the red light...
We had a quick chat and went our separate ways but that got me thinking. How many people take the easy way out and not prep their bikes for winter storage? All it does is cause headaches come spring time. It's really easy and doesn't need to be time consuming or costly.
Here is what is commonly recommended and what I follow:

Fill up your tank with gas. Why? To prevent rust from forming.

Add fuel stabilizer. Why? To prevent your gas from going bad. It's only good for 6 weeks. After that chemical changes cause it to get sticky which often clogs up the carbs or fuel injectors.
Go to your nearest Canadian Tire (or Walmart, or whatever store has a car section) and buy a $5 bottle of fuel stabilizer.

If your motorbike is carburated then drain those carbs. Why? To prevent that little bit of fuel in there from getting gunky and blocking the fuel flow later.

Get a trickle charger for your battery and plug it in. That will set you back about $40 or so. All that does is keeps your battery topped up. I learned this one the hard way and had to dish out the cash for a new battery. Trickle charger is cheaper.
That's the bare minimum.

If you feel like actually getting dirty then you should also

Change your oil before storage. For that you'll need the right tools, new oil filter for your bike and a crush washer. I've done this a few times myself but generally being short on time I just go and get it done at a bike shop. That will run you about $50 in total.

Lube up your clutch cable.

Fog your cylinders. What does that mean? It's getting the inside of the engine cylinders sprayed with oil. That typically involves removing the spark plugs and spraying the inside with Fogging Oil (again see the car section in your favorite store). I've been told by a couple of motorbike mechanics that if your bike is stored in a garage (say 5C or warmer, that's 41F or above) then you don't need to fog your cylinders. Mine is stored in a garage so I don't bother. No problems so far.


All in all I've been just riding 4 years now but these few steps ensure your bike will start each spring without costly repairs or towing to your mechanic.

Ride safe.
CR

tags: moto motorcycle "motorcycle maintenance" "winterization" winterize "motorcycle storage" "motorcycle winter storage" "winter maintenance"

Chilly ride

Today was the coldest ride I have ever taken. It was 4C (39F) on my balcony but down on the ground it must have been cooler. There was frost everywhere on the grass and cars as I was rolling down the street. Sunny beautiful day but freaking cold. By the time I got to work 20 minutes later my fingers were tingling despite the double gloves I was wearing (with the outside ones being the thick leather riding type). The roads were damp but luckily there was no frost. Despite the cold, I'm glad I rode in this morning. The views of Vancouver's snow covered North Shore mountains bathed in the sunrise light were awesome. Always puts a smile on my face.
Ride safe,
CR

tags: moto motorcycle motorcycles "morning ride" commuting "chilly ride" "cold ride" "ride to work" "vancouver spring"