Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
ST1300 (STX1300) FI Light: My Bike so Clever!
I tell you, nowsadays, the motorcycles are getting more and more kiang (clever).
My Vice (name of my ST1300) is so kiang until he knows how to tell me he want to Attend B (fall sick).
Can somemore troubleshoot himself why he is sick without going to Medical Centre.
And then talk to me on where he is sick so he can be easily treated in case kena some purn-tang (stupid) mechanic.
Kiang right?
You don't believe my ST1300 is so clever? I tell you my story.
FI Light Up
One day I was song song riding my Vice along Singapore PIE. Just normal cruising and not doing any hiong hiong thing. I looked down and saw on my dashboard the red Fuel Injection (FI) light is on.
I was very puzzled and suprised because my Vice has been so reliable so far. And even when the FI light was on, the bike felt like normal. So what is wrong?
I called up my bike mechanic. He is none under then the Looi's Motor's chief mechanic Meng Tong.
There is sign language, animal language and valgur language. Meng Tong taught me how to read bike language.
When the FI light lights when riding (normall it is off), don't turn off the engine.
Engage into neutral gear. Put side-stand down. Then look at the FI light. The FI light will start to blink. Count the number of blinks. Long blink equal to 10s, short blink equal to 1s.
Har? Zun boh? My bike so clever can send morse code back to me?
So I did exactly what Meng Tong told me.
Neutral gear. Side-stand. Then look at the FI light.
One long blink. Pause. Another long blink. Pause. Then short blink for six times.
Wah! I almost cannot believe my own eyes.
And my own brain got count wrongly or not?!
Don't worry. The pattern repeats again. And exactly the same pattern appeared.
The bike is telling me the magic number 26.
Wah, I know what '69' means but what does the code 26 mean?
At the Workshop
I brought the bike to Looi's Motor and asked Meng Tong to decode.
Meng Tong pulled out the Honda Service Manual for Shops and check up the Code.
It says possible Right Fuel Sensor error. Wah, I thought my bike only got the ECU niah and didn't know got this simi sai Right-Fuel-Knock-Sensor.
The manual then spells out in detailed step-by-step procedure to isolate exactly what is the fault.
The Mechanic's ST1300 Bible.
So Meng Tong patiently and skilfully dissemble my ST1300.
The Right Fuel Sensor is just below the right cylinder head. First,trouble shoot if it is Knock Sensor itself is spoilt.
Meng Tong trying to reach the connector to the Right Knock Sensor.
Meng Tong follow the procedure to test. Phew, heng chai the right knock sensor itself boh dai ji (no problem).
Next test if it is the EPROM spoil. Wah, I thought only those cheem cheem computer than got what EPROM. Didn't know my ST1300 also got EPROM. And I thought the EPROM would be located near the engine block.
Surprise suprise. It is located right at the tail of the bike. Machiam the little blackbox of a 747.
The EPROM is at in the tail light housing.
And when I saw the EPROM, my jaw almost dropped. Because there are like 1,000 wires running out of this fella. Make my ST1300 like some super cyborg like that.
The thousand and one wires to the ST1300's computer brain.
So people are not wrong when they say my ST1300 is like a "Transformer".
Bit by bit step by step. Meng Tat was able to trace and isolate the error to this particular blue/red wire which connects the right knock sensor to the EPROM to be spoilt.
So he did a by-pass and hooked a new wire to connect the knock sensor to the EPROM. Test it and now everything works fine. Wah lah!!!
Meng Tong connecting a new white wire to by-pass the burnt original blue-red wire.
So you see, I never bluff right?!
My Vice, and Honda, is really so clever.
For such a complicated and sophiscated bike like ST1300, can isolate and narrow down the fault to one particular blue/red wire. Wah, sibei kiang ah!
If not for this self-diagnostic capability, I tell you, any mechanic sure go crazy one because there is one thousand and one things to check. And the owner will also go crazy as the mechanic go tikam tikam (trial-and-error).
This episode makes me feel so good about the ST1300. Yes, it is a very expensive bike.
But this expensive bike backed-up by such fine details such as self-diagnostic capability
that few peope knew about and yet which is something that is really useful.
St1300 is really got liao (substance).
New Shoes
I fitted new tyres to replace my worn out Bidgestones BT-020 Battleaxe.
The new tyres are the BT-020 replacement, the BT-021 Battleaxe Sport Touring tyres.
Vice's new rear shoe: Bridgestone Battleaxe BT-021.
I like the new thread pattern of the BT-o21 over its predecessor BT-020.
I will tell you how they are next time.
I have used 3 sets of BT-021 tyres and I am so satisfied by them that I have not switched to other brands. The BT-021 is supposed to be even better than the BT-020.
You can read reviews about BT-021 at:
http://www.battlax.co.uk/news.asp#
The Sign of Things to Come: Piaggio MP3
Outside Looi's Motor, I saw a new shipment of Piaggio MP3 scooters.
Welcome to a Brave New World.
The 3-wheeled Piaggio initially looks like some Frankinstein invention. A bike with 3 wheels, somehow just looks weird.
Even more weird is when the bike is stationary, it does not slant. Rider no need to put foot down. It stays upright.
This bike has an engine grill housing its radiator, just like a car.
Note the twin front wheels.
And the brake disc in the inner side of each wheel.
Whoever invented this stuff should be given a Nobel Prize.
I hopped onto the stationary MP3 and without riding it, I could start to understand its technology combines the fun of riding a bike and the safety from eliminating the danger of a falling bike. How marvelous!
If I have a wife, girlfriend or daughter that wants to ride a bike and I worry for her safety, I would introduce her to ride this 3-wheeled miracle.
The 400cc Piaggio MP3 sells for about $14,000. There are Class2b and 250cc versions which are even more affordable.
My Vice (name of my ST1300) is so kiang until he knows how to tell me he want to Attend B (fall sick).
Can somemore troubleshoot himself why he is sick without going to Medical Centre.
And then talk to me on where he is sick so he can be easily treated in case kena some purn-tang (stupid) mechanic.
Kiang right?
You don't believe my ST1300 is so clever? I tell you my story.
FI Light Up
One day I was song song riding my Vice along Singapore PIE. Just normal cruising and not doing any hiong hiong thing. I looked down and saw on my dashboard the red Fuel Injection (FI) light is on.
I was very puzzled and suprised because my Vice has been so reliable so far. And even when the FI light was on, the bike felt like normal. So what is wrong?
I called up my bike mechanic. He is none under then the Looi's Motor's chief mechanic Meng Tong.
There is sign language, animal language and valgur language. Meng Tong taught me how to read bike language.
When the FI light lights when riding (normall it is off), don't turn off the engine.
Engage into neutral gear. Put side-stand down. Then look at the FI light. The FI light will start to blink. Count the number of blinks. Long blink equal to 10s, short blink equal to 1s.
Har? Zun boh? My bike so clever can send morse code back to me?
So I did exactly what Meng Tong told me.
Neutral gear. Side-stand. Then look at the FI light.
One long blink. Pause. Another long blink. Pause. Then short blink for six times.
Wah! I almost cannot believe my own eyes.
And my own brain got count wrongly or not?!
Don't worry. The pattern repeats again. And exactly the same pattern appeared.
The bike is telling me the magic number 26.
Wah, I know what '69' means but what does the code 26 mean?
At the Workshop
I brought the bike to Looi's Motor and asked Meng Tong to decode.
Meng Tong pulled out the Honda Service Manual for Shops and check up the Code.
It says possible Right Fuel Sensor error. Wah, I thought my bike only got the ECU niah and didn't know got this simi sai Right-Fuel-Knock-Sensor.
The manual then spells out in detailed step-by-step procedure to isolate exactly what is the fault.
The Mechanic's ST1300 Bible.
So Meng Tong patiently and skilfully dissemble my ST1300.
The Right Fuel Sensor is just below the right cylinder head. First,trouble shoot if it is Knock Sensor itself is spoilt.
Meng Tong trying to reach the connector to the Right Knock Sensor.
Meng Tong follow the procedure to test. Phew, heng chai the right knock sensor itself boh dai ji (no problem).
Next test if it is the EPROM spoil. Wah, I thought only those cheem cheem computer than got what EPROM. Didn't know my ST1300 also got EPROM. And I thought the EPROM would be located near the engine block.
Surprise suprise. It is located right at the tail of the bike. Machiam the little blackbox of a 747.
The EPROM is at in the tail light housing.
And when I saw the EPROM, my jaw almost dropped. Because there are like 1,000 wires running out of this fella. Make my ST1300 like some super cyborg like that.
The thousand and one wires to the ST1300's computer brain.
So people are not wrong when they say my ST1300 is like a "Transformer".
Bit by bit step by step. Meng Tat was able to trace and isolate the error to this particular blue/red wire which connects the right knock sensor to the EPROM to be spoilt.
So he did a by-pass and hooked a new wire to connect the knock sensor to the EPROM. Test it and now everything works fine. Wah lah!!!
Meng Tong connecting a new white wire to by-pass the burnt original blue-red wire.
So you see, I never bluff right?!
My Vice, and Honda, is really so clever.
For such a complicated and sophiscated bike like ST1300, can isolate and narrow down the fault to one particular blue/red wire. Wah, sibei kiang ah!
If not for this self-diagnostic capability, I tell you, any mechanic sure go crazy one because there is one thousand and one things to check. And the owner will also go crazy as the mechanic go tikam tikam (trial-and-error).
This episode makes me feel so good about the ST1300. Yes, it is a very expensive bike.
But this expensive bike backed-up by such fine details such as self-diagnostic capability
that few peope knew about and yet which is something that is really useful.
St1300 is really got liao (substance).
New Shoes
I fitted new tyres to replace my worn out Bidgestones BT-020 Battleaxe.
The new tyres are the BT-020 replacement, the BT-021 Battleaxe Sport Touring tyres.
Vice's new rear shoe: Bridgestone Battleaxe BT-021.
I like the new thread pattern of the BT-o21 over its predecessor BT-020.
I will tell you how they are next time.
I have used 3 sets of BT-021 tyres and I am so satisfied by them that I have not switched to other brands. The BT-021 is supposed to be even better than the BT-020.
You can read reviews about BT-021 at:
http://www.battlax.co.uk/news.asp#
The Sign of Things to Come: Piaggio MP3
Outside Looi's Motor, I saw a new shipment of Piaggio MP3 scooters.
Welcome to a Brave New World.
The 3-wheeled Piaggio initially looks like some Frankinstein invention. A bike with 3 wheels, somehow just looks weird.
Even more weird is when the bike is stationary, it does not slant. Rider no need to put foot down. It stays upright.
This bike has an engine grill housing its radiator, just like a car.
Note the twin front wheels.
And the brake disc in the inner side of each wheel.
Whoever invented this stuff should be given a Nobel Prize.
I hopped onto the stationary MP3 and without riding it, I could start to understand its technology combines the fun of riding a bike and the safety from eliminating the danger of a falling bike. How marvelous!
If I have a wife, girlfriend or daughter that wants to ride a bike and I worry for her safety, I would introduce her to ride this 3-wheeled miracle.
The 400cc Piaggio MP3 sells for about $14,000. There are Class2b and 250cc versions which are even more affordable.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Race Shield: Keeping Your Paint Work As Good As New
Look at my bike, a Honda ST1300 Pan European. It is different from any other ST1300.
Can you spot the difference? To know the answer, read on.
We man bikers are so funny.
We take so little care of our face, but take such good care of our bikes.
For me, I use the same normal soap that use to wash my feet to wash my face.
But for my bike, I got shampoo lah, wax lah, polish lah, plastic polish lah, bug remover lah, etc etc.
Once when I fell down on a track at 80kmh and slide on the rough tarmac floor for a good distance of5 car lanes, the first thing I did when I stopped sliding is to ran up to see how is my precious bike.I was so heart-pained when I saw its fairing was scratched and broken. Then I started to think of how to repair the damages and how long it will take and how much it will cost. Only then I looked down and saw that I had burned off some skin.
If you are like me, then you would want to preserve the paint work of your bike, whether your bike is new or second hand. You don't want any scratches on your paint work. You don't want your paint work to fade.
Let me share with you one product that I am currently using, that few people know about--Race Shield. I called it condom for bikes.
The idea is basically, you stick clear transparent plastic film onto the vulnerable parts of your bike to protect its paint work. I bought my Race Shield is from www.ar2performance.com.
The Race Shield looks just like any normal plastic film, but it is not. It is very strong.
See:
It is really very difficult to tear it.
So my ST1300 has Race Shield applied to its front fairing, mirrors, side panniers and fuel tank.
These are the most scratchable areas.
I just came back from a ride to nearby Mersing. Already you can see how much dirt, grim, tiny rocks and debris thrown up by the vehicles in front that hit my frontal aspect of my bike.
Can you spot the transparent Race Shield?
If you see carefully, you can see the line of the edge of the Race Shield running along the top edge of my front headlight. Click on the picture to see it more clearly.
If not for Race Shield, all those grim that you see on my bike would have hit the actual paint work of my work.
My side mirrors also have Race Shield because it is part of the frontal aspect that takes most of the road debris.
Again, can you see the outline of the Race Shield running around my orange indicator light?
Click on the picture to see it.
My side panniers also have Race Shield.
There is a wavy scratch mark on the top-front of my pannier.
Courtesy of my own clumsy boot when I swinged my leg on and off the bike.
But fortunately, the Race Shield absorbed the scratch. Otherwise, it would have been on my paintwork.
How much does it cost? I ordered a subset of the possible panels for my bike and it cost about S$300 including installation.
You may say it is not cheap. Well, compared it to spray painting your front fairing alone once.
It comes out to be the same cost. And anyone who rides a bike long enough would see the inevitable effects of road pebbles striking your paint work at high speed and peeling off the paint work like sand paper.
Worse, the aftermarket spray paint work is never like the original paint work. You can never restore back to this quality. Once you scratched your original paintwork, it's gone, forever. So with Race Shield, you can preserve your paint work in its original form.
Well, it's your call. If you are interested, go to www.ar2performance.com to ask.
I am not paid by this ar2 and not related to the company. I merely bought its Race Shield and is a customer.
So far, I am happy as I have already seen it saved my paint work several times, helping to keep my paintwork original. So I am sharing something I think that is useful to fellow bikers :)
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Value of Hazard-Oriented Vision (HOV): One recent case of how HOV saved me
This is my 11th year of motorcycling. Somehow, as each year passes, I find motorcycling less and less alarming to myself, as compared to my first few dramatic years.
Are Singapore roads getting safer? Are drivers now more aware of motorcyclists? Are all the TP advertisements finally working? I thought to myself. Then great! There's no need for me to tell people about HOV anymore. Save my time and effort.
Or it feels safer now because I am just getting more numb to danger? This I worry. 'cause I fear I can no longer spot and react to danger when the time comes.
Then on Monday 3 Sep 2.00 pm. All these thinking got wiped off.
I was riding out of my house in my STX1300 Pan European. The usual route that I would take to AYE. I probably done that thousands of times liao.
800 m out of my house, I am approaching a T-junction with a traffic light. I am on the major road and going straight in the T.
Light is green in my favour and I am going straight. It is 2.00 pm in the afternoon. There is not a single car around the T-junction as I approached it.
Still, it's my practice to always slow down to a speed that I can e-brake and stop whenever approaching any traffic light even if it is green, and I did just that. So probably I dropped from 70 to doing 50kmh.
As I approach the T-junction, a blue Wish appears on the left-turning split lane of the T-junction. That is, the Wish is on my left, about 100m in front. It starts out going from my left to right and is trying to turn to its left, trying to join the straight road and same direction as me.
I could see the driver is an average looking guy about 30 yrs old, with an average looking wife beside him, sitting in this average car.
He turned his head and looked at my direction and at me, as both of us converged.
Nothing seems amissed. Until he doesn't seem to be slowing down as he negotiates his filter lane. He is moving to join the main straight as if the way is clear and I am not present.
Yet he is looking at me all the while. I am riding a HUGH 300kg Pan European, with a tall windscreen, with very powerful twin headlights that lights up the night, with a colouful helmet.
Our vehicles are really going to meet each other.
Thank God for HOV.
Any junction is a potential hazard as it is an opportunity for traffic to cross your path, even if you have the right of way and there are no vehicles.
Any vehicle, car or bike, approaching a junction or stationary at a junction, is a hazard because it can move into your way, for whatever reason, as in this case.
So I was already on alert right from the beginning. I start to brake hard and blared my twin snail horns. BBBBBOORRRRRR!!!! Yet the Wish continued. And the driver did not seem to register at all.
I braked until finally almost coming to a stop but still before the exit of the Wish. And it is only at this time, the Wish suddenly realised and jammed brake.
I looked at the driver in disbelief as I start to build back my speed and pass the Wish. The driver genuinely looked innocent and had no slightest look of ill intention.
Even if he did not stop in time, I could still stop in time and nothing would have happened. Thanks to ingrained-HOV sense.
If I had not have HOV sensing, I would not have slowed down at the junction as I have every right of way. Then I would not have been able to slow down in time. And the ending would be a smashed up Wish but ok driver and passenger, but with a wecked STX and a rider on the floor. And another just statistics in the TP report.
Parting Shots
No songs this time. You may be like me. Never knowing the Bible is the master at dispensing advices on Love.
Check out these few brief but highly meaning full verses!
Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
Corinthians 13:13
Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up,never loses faith, is always hopeful,
and endure through every circumstance.
Corinthians 13:4
For love is as strong as death.
...
Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it.
Song of songs 8:6
Last but not least, Shakespeare, JK ROwling...some of the greatest writers of all time, none of whom has written about motorcycles. Instead, try this song by Meatloaf (the rock band) which combines love with motorcycling and reasonate when we ride...
Bat out of Hell
I'm gonna hit the highway
like a baterring ram
On a silver black phantom bike
When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry
...
Well I can see myself
Tearing up the road
Faster than any boy has ever gone
When my skin is raw but my soul is ripe
And no ones gonna stop me now
I'm gonna make my escape
But I can't stop thinking of you
And I never see the sudden curve until it's
way too late.
Excerpt from Bike Magazine Sep 2007
Are Singapore roads getting safer? Are drivers now more aware of motorcyclists? Are all the TP advertisements finally working? I thought to myself. Then great! There's no need for me to tell people about HOV anymore. Save my time and effort.
Or it feels safer now because I am just getting more numb to danger? This I worry. 'cause I fear I can no longer spot and react to danger when the time comes.
Then on Monday 3 Sep 2.00 pm. All these thinking got wiped off.
I was riding out of my house in my STX1300 Pan European. The usual route that I would take to AYE. I probably done that thousands of times liao.
800 m out of my house, I am approaching a T-junction with a traffic light. I am on the major road and going straight in the T.
Light is green in my favour and I am going straight. It is 2.00 pm in the afternoon. There is not a single car around the T-junction as I approached it.
Still, it's my practice to always slow down to a speed that I can e-brake and stop whenever approaching any traffic light even if it is green, and I did just that. So probably I dropped from 70 to doing 50kmh.
As I approach the T-junction, a blue Wish appears on the left-turning split lane of the T-junction. That is, the Wish is on my left, about 100m in front. It starts out going from my left to right and is trying to turn to its left, trying to join the straight road and same direction as me.
I could see the driver is an average looking guy about 30 yrs old, with an average looking wife beside him, sitting in this average car.
He turned his head and looked at my direction and at me, as both of us converged.
Nothing seems amissed. Until he doesn't seem to be slowing down as he negotiates his filter lane. He is moving to join the main straight as if the way is clear and I am not present.
Yet he is looking at me all the while. I am riding a HUGH 300kg Pan European, with a tall windscreen, with very powerful twin headlights that lights up the night, with a colouful helmet.
Our vehicles are really going to meet each other.
Thank God for HOV.
Any junction is a potential hazard as it is an opportunity for traffic to cross your path, even if you have the right of way and there are no vehicles.
Any vehicle, car or bike, approaching a junction or stationary at a junction, is a hazard because it can move into your way, for whatever reason, as in this case.
So I was already on alert right from the beginning. I start to brake hard and blared my twin snail horns. BBBBBOORRRRRR!!!! Yet the Wish continued. And the driver did not seem to register at all.
I braked until finally almost coming to a stop but still before the exit of the Wish. And it is only at this time, the Wish suddenly realised and jammed brake.
I looked at the driver in disbelief as I start to build back my speed and pass the Wish. The driver genuinely looked innocent and had no slightest look of ill intention.
Even if he did not stop in time, I could still stop in time and nothing would have happened. Thanks to ingrained-HOV sense.
If I had not have HOV sensing, I would not have slowed down at the junction as I have every right of way. Then I would not have been able to slow down in time. And the ending would be a smashed up Wish but ok driver and passenger, but with a wecked STX and a rider on the floor. And another just statistics in the TP report.
Parting Shots
No songs this time. You may be like me. Never knowing the Bible is the master at dispensing advices on Love.
Check out these few brief but highly meaning full verses!
Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
Corinthians 13:13
Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up,never loses faith, is always hopeful,
and endure through every circumstance.
Corinthians 13:4
For love is as strong as death.
...
Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it.
Song of songs 8:6
Last but not least, Shakespeare, JK ROwling...some of the greatest writers of all time, none of whom has written about motorcycles. Instead, try this song by Meatloaf (the rock band) which combines love with motorcycling and reasonate when we ride...
Bat out of Hell
I'm gonna hit the highway
like a baterring ram
On a silver black phantom bike
When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry
...
Well I can see myself
Tearing up the road
Faster than any boy has ever gone
When my skin is raw but my soul is ripe
And no ones gonna stop me now
I'm gonna make my escape
But I can't stop thinking of you
And I never see the sudden curve until it's
way too late.
Excerpt from Bike Magazine Sep 2007
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