motorcycles – Page 2 – Maduko World Headquarters

Beware the Squid

Clever.
Every once in a while I see something too good not to share. This promo for summer motorcycle apparel from Revzilla is a great example.

Random Conversations on the Road

“I want you to know– you just made that man’s day.”

I was just talking motorcycles with a local at a small town eatery.

We had struck up a conversation after our waitress had asked why I was in town. “Just riding my motorcycle all over Arkansas,” was my answer. Soon the highway numbers and forgettable town names were swirling like some alchemist’s formula. A family dining behind me had overheard the conversation when a particularly scenic highway was mentioned. “No, that’s 123,” the husband had chimed in.

The Magic of a Left-Hand Drill

The other day I managed to remove a broken screw from a very expensive casting. Specifically, the engine casing of a Ducati motorcycle. But the job turned out to be a breeze using a backwards drill bit!

A previous “mechanic” had broken one of four of the M6x16 sump cover bolts. Instead of removing the remnants they had globbed it over with RTV silicone for the another poor schmuck to deal with at the next oil change. A few minutes after discovering this I could fully understand why. Being at the lowest point on the engine, it’s not an easy feat to find room for a drill… and then drill into the screw while upside down. But disregarding this hurdle, I resolved to remove the broken screw and repair it properly.

Brake Bleeder Add/Upgrade

These clever banjo bolts, with an integrated bleeder, made a huge improvement in the braking system on my Ducati Multistrada. I think the same upgrade could be applied to other bikes or cars with stubborn brake hydraulics.

Multistrada Headlight Mods

The early models of the Ducati 1200 Multistrada were equipped with four halogen headlamps. These use H11 bulbs rated at 55 watts and put out a decent amount of light. But there’s always room for improvement!

More modern headlight bulbs using light emitting diode (LED) technology can produce more, whiter light than halogens while using less power. Another complaint with the Ducati is the way the hi/low headlights work. Switching on the high beam turns off the low beams (or dipped beam as they say in the UK). For my aging eyes I want all the light I can get! Fortunately there’s an easy way to remedy this.