It’s new helmet time

I tend to replace my helmets every few years just on general principles. I know the industry claims you should do so on a 5-year basis (link here) but that aside, I just get tired of the old one after a while. And every time I go through the same decision process about what style to buy – half, 3/4, full face, or modular?
Of the four types, the only one I haven’t worn and don’t currently own is the half helmet. I don’t have an issue with the idea of wearing a half helmet but having tried many on in the past I have never liked the way they fit or felt. So that’s off the list and I don’t even bother trying them any more.
One of the best helmets I ever had was a 1970’s model Bell Star full-face. It was extremely comfortable, had great peripheral vision, and didn’t look (or feel) like I had a beach ball on my shoulders.  Of course it probably wasn’t as “protective” as today’s models but as far as I was concerned it did the job just fine. You can’t find those any more. All the crash resistance “improvements” since then mean that the average full face helmet is now twice the size and the window significantly smaller. I get claustrophobia in today’s full face units. Besides, they’re now geared to the 18-year-old sports bike rider so the more garish the paint scheme the better – not my style.
I did, however, acquire a modular full-face a few years ago thinking that might be a suitable option. Besides, I wanted a transitional helmet for those cool spring  and fall days when the wind chill on a bare face can be brutally uncomfortable. Or if I know I’m going to be riding in heavy weather. But the reality is I don’t like it much. The flip-up mechanism is bothersome and – at least with this model – reduces the peripheral vision which really irks.
So I was back to my preferred standby, a plain, old, boring 3/4 face. However this too seems to be becoming a disappearing breed, unless one is looking for a 70’s retro glitter paint job, an American flag (I have nothing against the American flag but why a Canadian dealership should carry not one but several variations is beyond me. Imagine going into your local dealer in Oshkosh and finding 3 helmets on the shelf sporting the Canadian maple leaf. Don’t think so.), or some bizarre graffiti-inspired symbology that, for all I know, is hugely insulting to at least half the population. And if you don’t want the newest fad, flip down aviator-style visors, the options become even fewer.
But I persevered, and at the 4th(!) dealer I visited I found what I was looking for – a simple 3/4 face Arai helmet. It wasn’t my preferred colour, but it was the last of last year’s stock and so $200 off list. It’s also a traditional model they are no longer offering (like Tim Horton’s taking the dutchie off the menu in my opinion) so paying full price to get a colour choice was not even an option.
Now all I have to do is decide if I can live with silver or if it’s time to bring out the rattle cans.

 

Signs of Spring – Part Deux

Some times it’s early, some times it’s late, but the coming of Spring is inevitable as the Northern Hemisphere tilts more and more towards old Sol. A week ago I was complaining about the depth of snow still on the ground, but a few days of mild temperatures later and the view from my office is distinctly encouraging as the pockets of snow continue to shrink. Still not riding though as there remain patches of ice on our driveway where the trees shade the sun, and the local roads are heavy with winter sand until the April rains wash them clean and make travel a bit safer for 2 wheels.
But there are other pleasures to be had as we wait. With those longer, sunny days and warmer temperatures comes the annual trip to the maple bush for a pancake breakfast - another sure sign of spring.

 

Fulton’s has been a local landmark for generations, popular with both locals and city (Ottawa) folk alike, so it was no surprise to see a long line-up at the restaurant this morning at 9 AM. Visiting the sugar bush is a multi-generational experience with all ages from toddlers to aging grandparents waiting patiently in line for a unique taste treat to be followed perhaps by a wagon ride through the woods or a visit to the business side where they’ll show you how they produce the maple syrup we all love so much.

But the line moved quickly and soon enough we were inside ordering our breakfasts. Then, with our bottomless cups of coffee and unlimited maple syrup for our pancakes we grabbed a couple of seats and dug in.

Delicious!

We have done the tours before so we decided not to dawdle and instead just picked up some supplies on the way out and headed home where there was lots of yard work waiting to be done.

And yes, it *was* a great day to be at Fulton’s.

We are living in amazing times

I first got interested in old stuff back in the 70’s. A lot of the guys I rode with were into vintage motorcycles and so it didn’t take long before I had a couple of old bikes in my own cluttered garage.

The first was a 1956 Norton Dominator that really had seen better days, but it was a cheap introduction to the vintage scene. Used and abused it needed everything from basic maintenance items to cosmetics such as a new seat pan and rust-free handlebars. I never did complete the restoration because I traded it up to a Dominator collector for a newer Norton Commando (the first of several). But what I did learn while I owned it were the arcane processes of the day involved in finding and acquiring parts for old motorcycles, whether OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture), NOS (New Old Stock), or after-market replacements.

The first step was to join the local CVMG (Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group) chapter. This group treated each and every restoration as a team effort and would offer all sorts of advise on how to proceed, what substitute parts could be made to fit/work, and failing that, what businesses might sell the specific parts you needed. And if you were really lucky someone would have the original parts manual for your bike and let you borrow it for a while.

The next step was to embark on a letter-writing campaign to a number of those businesses (most often in the UK) asking if they had the part you needed and at what price. This step usually took about a month before you got a response. And sometimes you’d go through 2 or 3 iterations before you finally tracked down what you needed. Then you’d send off a money order and wait for the package to arrive, hoping they hadn’t in the meantime sold the last one in stock and were waiting for a backorder (which happened more than once).

If all went well (which it hardly ever did) you could have what you needed in your hands in about 2 months. Which was when you realized you also needed a frippen to hold the widget in place and so the process started again.

And that was for a 20-year-old motorcycle – not ancient by any means.
Contrast that to today. I now have a 63-year-old outboard motor that needs a variety of parts – seals, coils, condensers, points, gaskets, impeller, etc. At 9 AM this morning I discovered the coils needed replacing. Enter Google. By noon I had the original and replacement part numbers and several sources of supply (including eBay, of course). A quick phone call to the local NAPA Parts store and the parts were on order, to be delivered by the end of the week. For a 63-year-old motor.

Ain’t technology grand?

I think I’ll put one of my spare computers in the shop – but that’s another project for another day.