BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures

What? No bikes parked outside?

We used to have two bikes parked outside of our house; the white XT and the DRZ.  The XT was moved inside when the Beemer went to the shop, leaving only the DRZ.  

But now it, too, is gone....also to a shop.

Yes, dear readers, it is true...two of our six bikes are now *sniffle* at mechanic shops.  The shame! The shame!  

The DRZ hasn't idled correctly since, oh, about Colorado on our cross-country trip.  At the time, we thought it was just because the carb vacuum nipple cap had come off at some point, which we fixed temporarily with Rescue Tape (I love that stuff).  We replaced the cap at a dealership in Helper, UT when the bike got its new rear tire.

When we got home from the trip, we pulled the carb and cleaned it, which helped the idle for about a week, at which point we both said "eh, we'll deal with it after we move," and then never, y'know, dealt with it.

I did replace the petcock as that had some cracked and leaky gaskets, but it didn't help the idle problem, of course.

So, like I did with the Beemer, I looked at the bike and I looked at my calendar and thought, I just don't have time to deal with carburetors right now.  And off it went, this time to MDK Motorsports in Redwood City, which is a hell of a lot more convenient than Scotts Valley, where the Beemer is.  It's right next door to Ice Oasis, so we can visit the DRZ often. ;)

This leaves four bikes in the garage, one of which also isn't running, one of which still needs to be sold to Alison and Brandon, and one of which isn't street legal.  My stable fu, it is weak!

Ted Porter Beemer Shop Update #3

The base gasket just arrived in the shop today after being delayed by the Bulgarians for a few days.  

So it's looking like around another week of shop time, assuming everything goes well from here on out.  At least the weather's looking relatively decent for the next week, so the XT commute won't be too cold/windy.

Susie's Squirrels vs We're Not Tired!: 3-2

While hanging out at Give Hockey A Try Day on Saturday night, Liz asked me to sub for her Maroon team last night.  I think I said "yes!!" before she'd even finished asking. ;)

I wasn't sure that I'd recognize Julie, Liz's co-captain, so I looked up the roster for Susie's Squirrels before the game...and realized that I knew almost everyone on it!  I guess that shouldn't surprise me since I've skated with the Burninators a few times now, which is also Liz's team, but yay!  I wouldn't be alone on a big scawy Maroon bench! ;)

I was really happy with how I played for the Squirrels.  My blue line fu was strong and I kept some strong plays in the zone . 

One of my favorite things about the game was going up against Murty, who was playing right wing for We're Not Tired!.  I'd really liked playing on Murty's line in Vacaville, so playing against her was a blast.  She got past me a few times, but I stopped her with poke checks a few times, too.  I never really have a problem going up against people I know and being physical (this has gotten me in trouble, oops) but Murty is a physical skater, too, so it was a bunch of fun.   After the game she punched me in the shoulder and said I was a tough cookie.  *beam*

Here's one of me (white jersey) and Murty (maroon jersey and white helmet):

I was playing on a D line with Gladys (also of Burninator fame and glory), which kept both of us giggling the whole game.  We were a +2 for the game, so we joked that our mere presence on the ice allowed the Squirrels to score (we were both subs for the team).   But then Marci and Tricia were out when our team scored, so there went that stellar theory. ;)

Gladys and I:

I was really happy to get Peter's pictures of the game and see this shining example of the V position!! Thank you, Robby Glantz!

Overall, I had a really fun game and I played well despite still shaking off last week's cold.  A couple of people asked if I would be trying out for Maroon next month, which made me really happy.

Anyway, I'm glad I could help Susie's Squirrels emerge victorious against the top-ranked We're Not Tired!

New gear day!

Yesterday was a great "new gear day" for both hobbies.  My new motorcycling pants arrived from NewEnough, plus Peter and I had a successful East/West Hockey outing.

First up, the bike gear.

First Gear HT Overpants 2.0

I suppose it's not terribly surprising that my older bike gear started falling apart; I've already had to replace my jacket and boots over the past year or so, so now it was time for the pants upgrade.

I stuck with the same make and model as my last pair -- FirstGear HT Overpants -- since I really like the design and fit.  

They're waterproof up to an all-day deluge, fit well over jeans or work pants, and are comfortable for all-day touring.  I really like how the side zipper goes all the way up to the hip on each leg, making the pants very easy to take on and off...plus, while touring, I can just unzip the legs at restaurants or tourist spots and get some air without taking the pants all the way off.

At 5'1" and a muscular 125 lbs, I wear their smallest size, Women's 6.  The legs are a little too long, but not obnoxiously so, and the fit is great.

     

Tourmaster Women's Sentinel Rain Pants

Next up, new rain pants.  I've had my old pair -- Tourmaster Elite -- since 2002, so that's a pretty good run.  The matching jacket that I bought at the time is still in great shape, but the pants ripped the last time I wrestled my boot through.

Since I got the Elite set in '02 (in a men's size XS), Tourmaster has added women's rain gear to their lineup (YAY!!!).  So, this time, I was able to do a fit and sizing upgrade.

The Sentinel pants seem like they're going to work pretty well.  My only complaint is the same one I had with the Elite -- they have a side zipper at the base of the leg so that you can take the rain pants on/off while leaving your boots on, but the gusset isn't really wide enough to get the boot comfortably through without snagging the pants.  This is what eventually ripped my Elite pants, though I suppose I shouldn't really be complaining since it took 7 years of wear before that rip happened.

I bought a size S and they fit well over jeans and the aforementioned HT Overpants.

The pictures below are while wearing all three of those layers:

     

CCM Vector 6 Chest Protector 

And now, the hockey gear.

I didn't really need a new chest protector, but I'm starting to get into enough scrums along the boards that the slightly too-big fit of my original one was bugging me.  The elastic around the waist was stretched out and the whole thing would ride up and hit the bottom of my neck.

I tried on a few pair at East/West and came out with this CCM.  

Surprisingly (to both me and Jason, the shop employee), the Senior (adult) S size fit me pretty well; we were both expecting to delve into the Junior sizes.   This particular line of chest protectors must run small for the sizes, as Peter tried on a Senior L and it fit him (he normally takes a M).

Nike Bauer Vapor XVI Hockey Pants

Ah, my eternal search for hockey pants that fit!  I ripped the crap out of my Reebok 8K pants in Vegas and figured I could spring for a new pair while waiting for the magical "free time" needed to sew up the 8Ks.

I tried on a pair of CCMs that I really liked, but East/West only went down to Senior S in them.  Those were way too big;  if I fit them in the crotch, the waistband was literally in my armpits, and if I tugged them down so the waist/hips fit, I looked like a hiphop groupie with the crotch at my knees.  Tip to hockey gear manufacturers: short people play your damn sport.

Anyway, eventually I tried on the Nike Bauer Vapor XVI pants in a Junior L and I like the fit.  They have slightly less armor than either my Reeboks or the CCMs I tried on, but I think that'll be OK.  We'll see how it goes the first time I get a slapshot to my thigh. ;)  

The Junior L seems to be the right size for me, looking at the little sizing chart that came with them.  Heh, the same chart has "Age Guidelines" and apparently I am the same size as an 11 year old boy.  

I'm not sure why I look psychotic in this first picture.  Hrm.

       

Ted Porter Beemer Shop Update #2

I've been up in Redmond for work this week, so I didn't get a chance to call Ted Porter's until this afternoon. 

"Hi, my name is Carolyn Bierman and I have a a F650GS in there for..."

"Carolyn! Hi! How are you?"

Uhoh. 

This man sounded very happy to hear from me.  It was the same cheerful tone my new dentist had when I called to schedule the seven cavities and two root canals I needed.  It was the cheerful tone of someone whose children I was about to put through college.

"Well, we unearthed the head gasket and, you know what's funny?"

No, I did not know what was funny.

"We could see the head gasket was leaking from the side, but when we took the radiator off, we saw that the base gasket was leaking, too! But from the front, so you couldn't see it without the radiator off!"

Well, that certainly is funny!

"So we'll just pull that off too but of course we had to order a base gasket because almost no one blows those" -- at this point, my coworker, whose office I was squatting in, is looking at me strangely because I'm rocking myself and making soft little noises -- "and we'll just get part on in there too within the next week!"

So.  I have not only blown my HEAD gasket, I have blown my BASE gasket.  How do you even blow a base gasket?

"Haha," Mr Cheerful continued, "your bike must be trying to tell you something! It must be getting back at you!"

I'm now in the full fetal position.  My coworker is about to call 911.

I manage to get off of the phone with an agreement to talk to the mechanic again within the week.

So, I have at least another week of commuting on the XT.  Blargle.  Why must my bike with the heated gear hookup die during the rainiest/windiest/coldest time of the winter?  It must be trying to tell me something.

San Jose Burninators vs San Jose Bucktooth Angry Dolphins: 3-3

Man, this tourney is taking forever for me to write up!  OK, this is the last game.  Promise! Then I can start writing about *other* hockey games. ;)

I was so glad to end the tourney against the Dolphins since it's always so much more fun to play against people you know.  They were a really strong team in this incarnation, beating us 2-0 in our pre-tournament scrimmage, and my personal goal was just to hold my own.

Once again my line was absolutely awesome, with Sharon and Murty scoring 2 of our 3 goals.  Once again I had no points at all for the game, but I choose to believe that my incredible and inspirational positioning set up the plays that let them score. *cough*.  ;)

Light the lamp, Burninators!

Our tie in this game can clearly be attributed to Lucinda's, Sharyn's, and my matching patriotic headgear.

And that was the Vacaville tourney.  Points-wise, we tied with the Dolphins for 3rd place, but using the goal differentiator as a tie-breaker, well....you did notice we lost 0-9 on Sunday morning, right? ;)

The Seals and the North Stars played for the championship (I hear the Seals won, 1-0), but Cheddah and I chose to head home instead of staying to watch -- the weather was terrible and neither of us wanted to be stuck in traffic in the storm.

I don't know when the Burninators are playing next but I hope it's not too long!

San Jose Burninators vs Oakland Lady Seals II: 0-9

Oops, I totally forgot to blog after our games yesterday! My bad.

As you can tell from the score, this game was a total blowout.  The weirdest thing, though? We had a great time.

I've had Big Major Losses before that just weren't any fun at all -- maybe the other team was just running up the score, or being unnecessarily physical, or condescending, or any number of things.  The Seals, though? They were just an amazingly good team with amazingly good players.  It'd be like us playing the Sharks or something...oh, Joe Pavelski just scored on me again? Bummer. ;)

Not terribly surprisingly, we spent a lot of time in our own defensive zone, which was really useful for me as a wing.  They cycled a lot, both with their offensive triangle and with their side triangles (center, right wing, right D, for example) and I learned a lot about where to be and who to be on the lookout for.

Rather than get psyched about goals, we cheered when we got a good play, or a good pokecheck, or a good deke.  The bench yelled just as loudly when we got the puck safely into the neutral zone as we normally would for winning a game. ;)

Everyone was smiling and cheery by the end and the after-game handshake was full of laughter and jokes.  "Single-Digit Cara" kept them from getting 10 goals and we figured that was victory enough. :D

San Jose Burninators vs Vacaville Lady North Stars: 0-2

I don't know if they're actually from Vacaville, but I'm pretty sure this is the North Stars' home rink.

Anyway, we played a great game but still lost 2-0. The North Stars are a good team (they tied the Oakland Seals 1-1 this morning) and they had great offense in particular. Cara did a phenomenal job -- the shot count must have been huge.

Sharon, Murty, and I played well together again. We had a few great shots and plays but nothing went in the net. Ah well! I had a pretty good game personally and I really got to apply some of the Robby Glantz skills. I had two breakaways in particular that had potential -- promising for the future!

I brought my new Yamuna ball to this tourney and thank goodness. I don't know how I played hockey before this thing. I'm lying on the hotel floor now, typing this on my sidekick while rolling out my quads on the ball. Ow ow ow, yay yay yay.

San Jose Burninators vs San Jose Black List: 4-2

Happy Valentine's Day!  We're spending the holiday in the romantic town of Vacaville, CA, at the Capital Crown Tournament to raise money for autism awareness/research.

Our first game was this morning against our buddies on the Black List.

I was playing left wing with Sharon (center) and Murty (right wing) and our line was en feugo. I didn't have any points in this game but I was +4 so I can't complain!

Playing with Sharon and Murty is so much fun. I've gotten some good plays and I'm really hoping to get a point out of it by the end of the tourney. They're giving me great advice (keep my feet moving; look for the pass into the center if I'm coming into the zone and a D is closing in on me).

Our locker room has a large drawing of a, um, male part on the wall and we've decided it gives us good luck. We'll see whether our luck holds for game #2 this afternoon!

Update from Ted Porter's

Just a quick update to say that I heard from the mechanic at Ted Porter's Beemer Shop.  The water pump is A-OK, so the next thing to check is the head gasket.  

They went ahead and ordered a new one, which should be at the shop by this coming Wednesday.

In the meantime, they're stripping the bike down to the engine head and said they'd give me a call when they can tell for sure whether it's the head gasket.