Recap: Beginning in late October 2022 and meeting every Tuesday evening thereafter… the challenge was to rebuild a 1992 Yamaha Virago 250 cc to ride to the February 2023 Shelia’s Shakedown, a women’s bike festival held annually in Ballan, Victoria. Those many-a-late-night session spent at Kustom Kommune, leading up to the festival is a bit of a blur …
Rust and Your Motorcycle
RUST… The reddish-brown or reddish-yellow coating formed on iron or steel by oxidation, as during exposure to air and moisture: it consists mainly of ferric oxide, Fe2O3, and ferric hydroxide, Fe(OH)3 Any coating or film formed on any other metal by oxidation or corrosion; any stain or formation resembling iron rust. Cancerous RUST causes damage by eating metal, consequently …
Virago Bike Build Part I
A gloomy Tuesday had morphed into a clear summer afternoon as I wound my way through city traffic enjoying the crisp wind on my face and the warm sun through my leathers. By happenstance, I converged with three Leatherettes on the corner of Nicholson and Johnston Streets, all of us on en route to the women’s bike build. We roared …
Hand Signals
If you see anyone doing some of the following, no they’re not having a John Travolta disco moment in their seat, they’re trying to communicate something to you. Hand signals are important for group riding and other uses, e.g., your electrics may be on the blink, or you’re warning oncoming vehicles or your riding buddy. Most are common sense and …
Tech Savvy
Tech Savvy articles are accessed by clicking the photos or the text below… enjoy ♥ All Women Bike Build Part II Part II of bringing life back into an old Virago continues… do the girls make it to Sheila’s Shakedown as planned? RUST and Your Motorcycle Cancerous rust causes damage by …
Reading Your Rubbers
Read Your Rubbers Tyres miraculously keep your bike upright, pointed in the right direction and are a super-important to stop you falling off. Reading tyre wear patterns is a skill worth learning, so you know what’s going on, down below, whether you’re a weekend, highway-warrior, daily commuter or adventure gal… There are all sorts of other important technical stuff they …
Group Riding Etiquette
Hey, don’t you love riding with friends… checking out those newly discovered twisties, following the coast, trailing through the bush tracks or just off to find somewhere with a bike-friendly atmosphere to have lunch, for a long over-due chit-chat and a few laughs! Group Riding Etiquette shows you how… Riding in a large group, is a whole new concept of …
Slow and U-Turns
S-l-o-w Going… One of the least fun things to do on your road bike is to go slow but having your bike under control at very slow speeds is definitely a skill… and a skill that should be learned and practised often. Various manoeuvres require this invaluable, steady type of control, e.g., U-turns, getting caught in peak hour traffic, riding …