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Just a quick post – these boots are super-comfy! I’ve had them for just over a week now and have worn them every day, including a full day of riding on the 13th (which I really should post about)
Suffice to say: they’re worn in, they fit nicely, they aren’t great for walking long distances in and they hold in all the right places for a well made boot. I’m going to have to watch the big velcro section to make sure it doesn’t fill up with fuzz – but other than that it’s all looking good

So, I’m going down the route of trying to make motorcycling the cheapest I can. I’m planning on doing as much repair and maintenance as I can, so that includes things like adjustments of controls, and oil & filter replacements

A couple of days ago I adjusted the throttle free-play, something that’d been plaguing me since I got the bike. It had about 1/8th of a turn of play :S

I also plastic-welded the fairings back together, which made me happy in my pants to see the bike not rattling and ripping itself apart…

Today’s work included a replacement of the oil filter and the oil in the bike. I hope to do it every six to ten thousand K’s with the oil I’m using and the bike that I have. I chose to use Motul 5100 semi-synth as it’s under sixty bucks for four litres and has good reviews on a few sites. The oil filter was easy to get – a Ryco Z411 from SuperCheap Auto for a massive twelve dollars.

The job wasn’t hard to do – I’m getting good at taking the lower fairings off Once I worked out how to take the oil cooler off without having to replace the seals on the hoses, I dropped the oil and got the filter off. I was worried if the filter would fit, as I’d read only found a vague reference to a non-standard one on a forum posting. Uh, it did, huzzah. If you want a cheap and good ZZR600 oil filter, get a Z411. I’m thinking I might try to find a highflow one later, and will take a look at things when I can. Until then, the filter designed for a much larger motor should be fine

The rest of the job was pretty easy, topping up the oil and making sure I didn’t get it all over the place. 3.6lt of oil later, and the job was done

Being 6’9″ tall with size fifteen-ish shoes makes it interesting to buy shoes at the best of times. It’s basically “what have you got? I’ll take it!” for dress shoes and joggers it’s “what do you have that’s not a basketball shoe? I’ll take it!”

Searching for motorcycle gear’s been a challenge, because it’s specialised and they don’t sell that much. I’ve found three pairs of boots that fit, and only two that fit comfortably without plans to take them to a bootmaker. Both of them are made by RJays and the ones I bought todays are their “Edge” model in a UK size 48.

I got ‘em from Springwood Suzuki for the sum of $229 or so. Don’t ask me to be specific because I’m too lazy to go find the receipt. It’s a good price, since the Sidi’s that didn’t fit me (too skinny, those girly Italian feet) were at least twice the price. But they had more shiny bits and toe vents and things. Eww. Give me boots that protect me from going smoosh, and don’t fall apart. Thanks.

I also found some leather pants that fit me, but that’s a post for tomorrow or something.

So, my bike’s in the shop and I have a morning off from work. A friend offers me a ride of his spare bike, and the opportunity to be led through the twisties heading up to the Maiala Rainforest Teahouse at Mount Nebo/Glorious. Who could say no? Not me!

I’ll admit it, I was shitting myself. On someone else’s much lighter and more responsive bike, tooling through the hills and trying to not look like a complete grandma – which I failed at, but am cool with that)

It was a great couple of hours of riding with a break for coffee and a toasted bacon and egg sammich. I got to see how my practice held up against some real roads instead of the lots-of-straights-and-suburbia I’d been riding around. Not to mention I finally met snail/rasp/David, which only took about a year or two.

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Well, my motorbike’s in for repairs. The girl that hit it at work decided that insurance (or telling her dad) wasn’t the way to go and has agreed to pay in cash. I dropped it off to Silver Star yesterday, the first time I’ve let anyone else touch it… can’t wait to get it back sans rattles