Suzuki Burgman 400: Ride from Mission to Hope

Smoke Break #1 - Mission, BC
Originally uploaded by istargazer.

I went out on a ride today on my Suzuki Burgman 400 with a group of bikers I met on a (Subaru) online forum. We took the back roads from Vancouver, BC to Mission and then up to Hope where we had lunch. Then we took Highway #1 back to Vancouver. All together, the trip was about 250 km. It was a nice ride and while there was a lot of long-weekend traffic, there were some stretches of open road.

I was able to try out my new Shift Havoc pants, which are a combination of leather and textile. I really like them because they fit just like jeans and are very comfortable. They have armored padding on the knees, and leather for abrasion protection as well as 3 very convenient zip pockets. The fabric let through enough air while we were moving so that I did not feel overheated even in the 30-degree Celcius temps we had today....


I'm also glad to say that the 400 did admirably well keeping up with the sport bikes. While the Burgman lost on pure acceleration, if I anticipated the moves of the riders in front of me I was able to catch up quite quickly when they encountered more traffic. The top speed I reached today (as indicated on the speedo) was 158 km/h on a slight decline. On the flats, I was able to get to 150 km/h. At this speed, the Burgman still felt incredibly stable. While I normally tuck-in with my feet on the upper floor boards, today I rode with my feet flat on the lower portion and felt even more agile and stable than usual.

The weather was hot and sunny and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could have taken some pictures while we were moving.

Stupid gasoline prices

Gasoline prices have been annoying. Back in 2004 I was paying $1.94 per gallon--today, I paid $4.10!? That's more than double. The price increased by six cents just this past week. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I can now understand the appeal of a scooter.

Still, whenever I feel like complaining I always remember that there are a lot of countries paying even more than in the USA.

VW R32: Glanz Wax

Last month I finally finished the old stuff, so today I was able to use the most recent formulation of Glanz Wax. I've tested the new stuff before--but the free sample was barely enough for a single wax.

Anywhoo, I posted my impression back then, so if you'd like additional details follow this link.

UPDATE (24MAY2008): I added a couple close-up pictures that I took today.

Click below the fold for pictures.

Suzuki Burgman 400: Shift Havoc Pant

Shift Racing

It only took me three years, but I finally bought a riding pant that I like for when I'm on my Suzuki Burgman 400. It's the Shift Havoc Pant, a "hybrid" leather and textile combination that I found was quite comfortable. It has padding on the knees and will provide much better abrasion protection than the regular jeans I normally wear....

What I like about the Havoc Pants is that they pretty much fit like regular jeans. The leather/textile combo is soft and comfortable with a loose fit. They do seem to fit a little low around the waist making them feel almost like low-risers, but it shouldn't be a big problem.

Subaru Impreza WRX STI: In-car Camera Mount

GPS City Canada RAM Mount Aluminum Video Camera Zinc Coated U-Bolt Mount

I really like the Internet. I've always known how handy it is to get information about something by searching for it online, but today I was reminded of it when I was looking for some way to mount a camera inside my car....

I signed up for a track day in late June and I thought it would be neat to get video footage of me driving the STI. I've heard that most tracks don't allow you to have a camera, but I figured even if they said no, at least I'd have something to use another time.

I searched for lots of different solutions and decided that I would like something that could fit the tether anchor bolt on the hat shelf behind the rear seats. I saw lots of DYI projects and some professional ones that didn't seem to fit where I wanted it. So I posted my question on a forum and this morning followed a link that someone gave me that looked promising. Then I Googled the part number, found a Canadian company that was selling it online, and placed my order. It was shipped out this afternoon. I'll say it again: I love the Internet!

One additional benefit to this particular RAM mount is that I should be able to mount it on the handlebars of my Suzuki Burgman, too. It will be handy if I ever buy a portable GPS to use on it.