By Talya Adams I don’t know if there’s anything that stresses me out more than money, maybe my mom, but that’s all. So, whenever I have to get work done on my bike, I get very tense and focused on getting the best bang for my buck. My upcoming bike work has been in
Choosing a Repair Shop
By Talya Adams No matter what you drive, car or motorcycle – no one enjoys taking his or her ride to the shop. I don’t think dread is an innate response to the process, instead I think it’s a learned reaction to negative experiences while visiting mechanics. Often when I think of trips to
Diagnosing Troublesome Problems – Part 3
By AJ Jacobsen After loading up the race bike early Sunday morning, my friend Anh and I headed to another friend’s house to see if he could convince this clutch basket nut to come off. Alan had a full shop set up with all the fun machining tools, and we got set up to
Zoom Zoom Trackdays Women’s VIP Day 2018
By AJ Jacobsen Back in 2011, I had my first experience with a track day. After winning a spot through my riding club, I had shown up excited, scared, and nervous to finally ride my bike on a track. Friends surrounded me, and that first day was phenomenal, and laid a desire that came
Final Winter Race Prep
By AJ Jacobsen After completing the rebuild on my transmission, and getting that and the clutch reinstalled in the bike, I had one more weekend of final prep left to do before I felt ready to kick off the season. First up was installing a new chain. While this is a routine task, it
Diagnosing Troublesome Issues Part 2
By AJ Jacobsen It was a lovely Saturday morning. The sun was shining, the weather perfect, and I was ready for a weekend of learning some new things about my bikes. I had my service manual by my side and ready to go, my bike on the stands, and space to work and spread
Diagnosing Troublesome Issues Part 1
By AJ Jacobsen In December of 2016 I picked up my brand new, fresh from the factory 2017 ZX10R. I was so excited to get my hands on the bike, and could hardly wait to turn it into a race bike and get out on the track with it. I had big plans, and
Sometimes It’s the Little Things
By AJ Jacobsen 2018’s season preparation is already far underway, and the investments have already started. The biggest purchase (besides my street/B bike) was the Ohlin’s shock and cartridge kits that I bought for the race bike. Thankfully my sponsorships made these purchases a little easier, but it’s still far from cheap. I knew,
Looks Do Matter!
We’ve all been told at some point in our lives looks aren’t the most important thing. Mostly this pertains to people’s appearances, however today I’m going to apply this saying to motorcycles. I’m even going to go a step further and suggest looks do matter, especially when it comes to your bike. About a month
Spring Moto Fix
It’s that time of year again. The beginning of flowers blossoming, and motorcycles coming out of garages. I recently went to the mechanic to get my headlight inspected, and I figured while I was there I’d get an oil change as well. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I needed to replace my back
Small Dings Add Up
How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, it’s only cosmetic damage?” In the past I’ve heard a variation of this sentiment more times than I can count when shopping for a used vehicle. The seller of course wants to down play the eyesore their bike is sporting, and the buyer tries to decide
Get a Grip – Changing Your Motorcycle Grips
Let me first start out by saying that I am not a mechanical person, and I take my car, and motorcycle in, for almost all maintenance. But, there are some jobs I can do on my own – as a way to save money and time, plus to have some level of pride. By installing
Five Things To Do When Your Bike Won’t Start
If you own a motorcycle, the last thing you want to do is have it die on you in a parking lot, or worse yet, in the countryside. I have ridden for years, and out near the deserts of San Diego, I have had to be towed back to the nearest town, at a high
Al’s Cycle Shop Review
Do you hate auto shops? Yes? Well, don’t feel bad. Almost everyone I know hates auto shops. It doesn’t matter if they drive a car or motorcycle, as the disdain for going to the shop tends to cause as much dread as a trip to the dentist. I too hate these journeys to the shop.
Five Ways to Make Your Bike Fit Better
When bikes come off the assembly line, each model pretty much rolls off one-size fits all—unlike riders, who come in every size and shape imaginable. Fortunately, a bike that comes to you one-sized doesn’t have to stay that way. You can change up a bunch of elements, make key adjustments, until your new bike fits
Putting the Pieces Back Together
My bike has been down for a long time. After last November’s ‘car turned left in front of me’ incident, I’ve been scraping money together for parts and repairs. The first thing I bought was a new helmet. It has some WIFI dingus. I got it to talk to my phone, so I can play
2002 Yamaha R1 – Rear Shock Service and Oblivious Handicaps
“I know it’s been awhile since I last rode this track, so I’m not surprised that some bumps have turned up here and there. But I just feel like there seems to be too many bumps. I’m getting a lot of action on my front end. Can you check it out?” I had asked my