Garmin Zumo 660LM on my Triumph Street Triple

After a couple hours of wrangling with various Ram Mounts, I finally mounted my new Garmin Zumo 660LM on my 2012 Triumph Street Triple R. 

First, I bought the Zumo on sale from Amazon. 50% off, no tax and free shipping (with my Prime membership). Then I ordered the Ram Mounts Fork Stem Kit.

Everything else you need to mount and power the Zumo comes in the box. I decided to use the Power Cable that comes in the box and mount it on the Fork Stem Kit. Although I could use a USB cable instead, I went with the Power Cable. I didn't think that I could power the Zumo via USB but by the time I realized my mistake I already ran the Power Cable along my bike under the tank to the battery.

Unfortunately the cable doesn't come ready for you to install directly to your battery. My husband had to solder connectors to the positive and negative, so for now it's directly wired to my battery. I don't think this will be permanent, as I'd rather have it connected to my ignition wiring but I need to figure out the proper way to do that first. For now, I will have to be extra careful so as to not leave the Zumo on the bike if it's not running.

I like how it turned out and the Fork Stem Mount is a much better alternative to mounting it to the handlebar. Now I'm ready to navigate!

I know what you're thinking, why not just use your iPhone to do the navigating? I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. The one hurdle with using your iPhone as a navigator is how Difficult it is to create a route, input it into an app on the phone and THEN have it give you Turn by Turn directions! It seems to easy, but this last part is the MOST difficult aspect of the process.

I found an incredible tool not long ago called Furkot.com, to help me plan out my itinerary including gas stops and meals based on mileage range and travel times. It's awesome. I also figured out how to export that map into my iPhone using an app called Osmand and it even shows me my route. I did find some complicated methods of exporting files, downloading apps (PCs ONLY, I'm a mac girl) and converting things to use on my iPhone but I'm never going to buy a PC just to do that. So for me, spending $379 on a Garmin is well worth it. Inputting maps is easy with the Basecamp Software (although I prefer to keep navigating in Furkot).

My husband and I will be heading north up to Hancock, NY to spend next weekend riding. Can't wait to input some routes and ride the twisties!

Suspension Shops in WVA, VA, MD?

I'm heading to Deals Gap in September for the Women's Sportbike Rally! I hope you will join me, as I will be sponsoring the bike night event on Saturday. Here's the route I'm trying to take (although it's not set in stone).

If you can recommend any shops along the way that do suspension work, please post a comment with your referral. What I need is someone to help adjust my suspension as much as possible for my weight.

Thanks!

Went out for a quick 150 mile ride yesterday

Went for a quick 150 mile ride to Northern PA the other day for ice cream!

We used this ride route that I put together, but only did half of it since we didn't leave early enough. So we made it to just below Bangor, PA and then headed East towards the Delaware River heading south on 32.

On the way we stopped for ice cream at Homestead Coffee Roasters. Yum! They also have a small lunch menu, ice cream and misc snacks. There's also a nice patio out back to sit and enjoy your scoops. Oh yes, we're also both testing out new helmets! He got this special edition Bell Star Carbon and I picked up a Shoei RF-1200 'Graffiti' (LOVE this helmet).

I don't know why the man looks unhappy posing in front (it's also called the General Store), but he puts up a good front because we had a great time that afternoon.

And along the way down 32, we found this cute bridge to take a couple pics on.

The weather was perfect, high 70s for the most part. Not hot, not cold, just right. I'm testing the Scorpion Zion jacket for WRN and it worked well that day. A full review will be coming soon, so stay tuned.

QnA: How Do You Handle the Weight of Your Bike?

A woman rider asked me recently about how do handle the weight of her bike as a new rider.  Initially, she had questions about the Daytona Lady Stars, and whether they would help her get both feet down comfortably on a Ninja 250. When I do wear my Daytonas (but not all the time), they only allow me to have both balls of my feet on the ground. So most of the time I use one flat left.

"So with the boots, I'm able to put a foot down. How do you handle the weight of the bike? I meant like when you're parking or in situation where you need both feet to roll the bike?" - Mango 

I'm assuming that you can get almost one flat left or a full flat left down. If this is the case, then you will always, always keep your right on the rear brake for stability, no matter what. As long as your right foot is on the brake, your bike won't go anywhere.

Continue to practice braking as perfectly Smooth as you can. Pretend you're entering a contest for the best braking technique and the grand prize is going to be a million dollars. The only way you're going to balance the motorcycle without dropping it is really finessing and perfecting your braking so you don't stop and release too soon or grab all at once.

As far as parking, get off the bike. There's nothing wrong with having to park the bike while walking next to it. In fact, if I never did this I wouldn't be riding my motorcycle today because I can't park unless the pavement is completely flat. If there's even a slight slope I always get off and park. Most of the time I find it faster and a lot easier to manage. When you do park, lean the tank on your hip and walk the bike backwards. I have a blog post here that shows what I mean with a few pictures.

Keep practicing, and try not to think about what others will think or say or do. It's all about You riding your motorcycle, not them.