Muc-Off cleaning solutions
Hello, my fellow riders! Whether you’re a Moto guy/gal or bicycle rider, I’ve got some awesome cleaning supplies to introduce today!
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been keeping things “old school” with liquid soap and water when it came to my vehicles or two-wheeled machines. I was never one of those guys that went out and thought about a soap specific cleaning aid. If soap and water were good enough for my old man, then they were good enough for me… right? Well, yes and no. Over time, companies like Muc-Off developed specific products which help clean up and protect our most prized possessions.
I was given the opportunity to review Muc-Off’s snow foam and high performance waterless wash and I have to admit I was skeptical at first.
Video of product in action – Youtube
The snow foam is a PH neutral pre-wash solution. Yes, you heard me right: You spray it on over the mud and grime, wait about five minutes, and spray it off without having to scrub the bike. I actually have a high pressure sprayer of my own, which I used for this, but they do have a compact portable unit, which I will discuss in a later review. The formula is designed to significantly reduce the possibility of damage to paintwork and protects wax treatments.
Now, for the waterless wash, this is your go to spray-on/wipe-off for those in-between heavy wash days. If your bike is dusty or lacking that shine, spray this on and wipe off with a microfiber cloth for a nice, quick and easy clean. I’ve used this on my truck, moto, and mountain bike and it works great. The price is pretty comparable to what you would spend in a automotive store and if you sign up on the website, they send out a coupon code for 15% off.
Keep checking back, as I will be testing the full range of their products in the coming weeks, along with the specially designed portable pressure sprayer.
Until next time, ride safe and I will see you on out there!
Posted in Gear Review & Thoughts and tagged #adventure, #bmwmoa, #bmwmotorrad, #camping, #campinggear, #explore, #klim, #klimgear, #klimlife, #madeforadventure, #makelifearide, #motorcycle, #mucoff, #outdoors, #review, #spiritofgs, #tires, #travel, #xladv, CRF250L, R1200GS by admin with comments disabled.
Quad Lock System
Howdy, folks! Before you start thinking it, yes, this is a cell phone case review. It’s motorcycle related, I promise!
So, for about 4 months now, I’ve been testing the Quad Lock system with my iPhone X. I hooked up three mounts on the following motorcycles: R1200 GSA, R9T Scrambler, and the mighty CRF250L. One of the cool things about the mount is the size. It doesn’t take up much real estate unlike my old system the X-Grip by Ram Mounts.
Since I’m constantly changing motorcycles for different events, it’s nice to just leave the mount on each bike so it’s ready when I need it.
The Quad Lock system itself is pretty straightforward with no real hangups. Well maybe one… if you failed the square hole/round peg IQ test, then this might not be for you. The most challenging part (which really isn’t all that challenging) is connecting the case to the mount. It kind of resembles an “X” style cut out which you have to align, push in, turn and listen for in order for it to lock.
While using the system, I tried my best to find fault in the mounting connection. No matter what I tried riding-wise I could not get it to fail. What I have noticed is slight wear, but as with anything you use a lot, it is bound to show some signs of use. I’ve dropped the phone multiple times from various heights (not on purpose) and managed not to crack the phone screen.
The basic kit is going to run you $70 and if you add the weather resistant poncho, it’s $95. Mine came with the poncho, which is a rubber cover that slips over the case/phone. I never felt it rained hard enough for me to pull it out and slip it on. Yes, I know that sounds terrible!
Pros:
Ease of use
Great for taking a quick photo
Able to use for GPS
Good for multiple motorcycles/bikes
Different colored lever mounts
Weather resistant poncho
Cons:
Extra mounts are not cheap at $49.95
Colored lever mount is $9.95 each (if you don’t like the standard blue one)
Weather resistant poncho comes at an extra cost
So, if you’re looking for a motorcycle cell phone mounting solution, you can purchase this with confidence knowing it will do what it was intended for. Check out their website below and sign-up on the website for a discount code.
Until next time, ride safe and see you out on the road!
Posted in Gear Review & Thoughts and tagged #xladv, 2WheelAdv, BMW Motorcycle, Cell phone case, cell phone mount, CRF250L, Motorcycle accessories, Quad Lock, R1200 GS, R1200 GSA, R9T by admin with comments disabled.
2016 Honda CRF250L Bike Build For Less
2016 Honda CRF250L
Awesome Bike Build for Less
I picked up the CRF250L back in October and immediately started researching and reaching out to companies who I wanted to be a part of the build list. I attended the AIMExpo in hopes of landing some contacts with companies who wanted to make this happen. Everything seemed to be going well… I had parts ranging from oil all the way up to exhaust lined up. I went home from the show feeling confident this was going to happen. I called and emailed my newfound contacts, but to my surprise, all I got were crickets. I mean nothing, not even a call back or a reply to my emails.
Seeing that I wanted to get the CRF250L build done sooner rather than later, I used the power of Google and eBay to shop around for parts. In the long run, it probably turned out better doing it this way, as the bike was more personalized.
2016 Honda CRF250L
My parts build list & cost:
Race Tech complete suspension upgrade – Retail: $1215, discount: $940 (http://www.racetech.com)
Seat Concepts comfort seat – Retail: $279, discount: $250 (http://www.seatconcepts.com/store/)
Precision rear rack – Retail: $94 (http://www.pmracks.com)
Cyclops LED headlight – Retail: $65, discount: $59 (https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com)
Hammer Head folding shifter – Retail: $46, discount: $29 (http://soloracer.com/dualsportparts.html)
FMF Q4 exhaust – Retail: $390, discount: $292 (http://www.eBay.com)
FMF Megabomb header – Retail: $275, discount: $218 (http://www.eBay.com)
Barkbuster “Jet” hand guards – Retail: $85 (http://www.pmracks.com)
Digital voltage meter – $5 (http://www.eBay.com)
Battery tender – Retail: $12, discount: $8 (http://www.eurocyclesoftampabay.com)
Glyde by Gerbing heated auxiliary plug – Free (I had a spare)
Flatlands Racing bash guard – Retail: $110, discount: $100 (http://www.CRFonly.com)
Flatlands Racing radiator guard – Retail: $60, discount: $50 (http://www.CRFonly.com)
Labor on Rach Tech install – $200
FMF Carbon Heat Shield – Retail: $90, discount: 70 (http://www.Rockymountainatv.com)
Total retail: $2,926, total w/discounts: $2,400
Race Tech gold valve and spring.
FlatLands radiator guard and bash plate.
Honda vs. Yamaha vs. KTM:
You might ask why I didn’t buy the Yamaha WR250R or a KTM? Well, it’s very simple actually… Cost vs. reward. I knew going into this that I wanted a specific set of options. The Honda CRF250L was OTD at $5,500, w/options $7,900, whereas the Yamaha WR250R was $8,200 OTD, w/options approximately $10,600, and the KTM from a 250-350 was going to be around $9,000 OTD.
KTM makes a great product, but I’m not into servicing the bike every other weekend and wanted to focus on keeping the cost down. The Yamaha was also a nice bike, but by adding the options that would have been required to make it acceptable to me performance wise, it would have put the build at $10,600! I might as well buy a KTM 690 at this point. The CRF250L vs. WR250R torque and HP is comparable at stock.
Some stats:
The CRF250L base has a claimed 23hp and 16lbs of torque. After my install of the FMF, it added approximately 4hp without the programer or airbox mod. The FMF also removed approximately 8lbs of added weight over the stock which helps balance out the radiator guard and bash plate addition.
FMF Megabomb Header and Q4 Exhaust.
So, taking the performance data and cost as well as knowing the superior round the world reliability, can you see why I went with the Honda CRF250L? Multi-purpose dual sport for $8,000 or spend $2,000 more to ride blue and be butt hurt wishing I had a just bought the 690 KTM.
The build did not take any real technical skill except installing the front suspension. I wasn’t about to count and measure all the washers needed for the gold valve kit. After speaking with FMF, I decided not to buy the EJK. Their rep was pretty confident that unless my intention was to race this bike, the slight gains would not be worth it. Which I was glad to hear, as I’ve spent all my lunch money by now. The Q4 and Megabomb kit are designed to run effectively with stock programming.
PMRack.
In the end, the bike looks and sounds amazing. Would I buy it again? Absolutely! I have an upcoming trip planned in the mountains of North Georgia to put this bike through its paces.
Until next time,
Ride safe!
Posted in Gear Review & Thoughts and tagged #bmwmoa, #bmwmotorrad, #explore, #madeforadventure, #makelifearide, #spiritofgs, #xladv, CRF250L, Honda by admin with comments disabled.