I did it...

I bought a new bike.

:-)

Since I started toying with the idea of riding to BC and back again, I realized that the SV in her stock trim wouldn't cut the mustard. I figured I had two choices: upgrade the SV to make it more comfortable, or, upgrade the bike.

While I always liked the look of the SV, I've always found it somewhat lacking in certain departments. Now, travel on over to SVRider, and you'll find no end of SV enthusiasts and fanboys would point to the fact that there's a near endless supply of aftermarket for the little bike. For me though, that's kinda like the Racer Boyz (n' girlz, don't wanna discriminate...) who tune up n' out a Honda Civic. I guess my feeling is that no matter how you cut it, it's still a Honda Civic.

So I started looking around and after having test-ridden the VFR last summer, I decided that's what I wanted. I ended up finding a 2002 from a young lad out near Hawkesbury and made the arrangements for the purchase. Doing some what to bring her up to spec (fluids, new front tire, recall, etc.) I think she's just about ready to hit the road!

Oh yes, pictures...








So... Anyone wanna buy an SV650?

Falco Sirius 315 Waterproof Racing Boots

So I read the webBikeWorld review of the Falco 305 ESO TT Boots and was intrigued by the comopany. Since I wasn't interested in full-on racing boots, I decided to investigate further and see what else they had to offer.

Sure enough, they had a water-resistant 'sport' boot that would be reasonably comfortable to tour in but also be sporty enough for spirited riding (when I feel ready for it!) or the occasional trackday. Of course, this had to come at a reasonable price.

Advanced Motorcycle Gear is the North-American supplier of Falco boots and during my purchasing, I dealt with Todd, who was very helpful and accomodating of requests and information. In the course of our emails, he suggested a size 43 to be a good fit.

The boots arrived quickly and were well-packaged. Once out of the box and on my feet, the boots are very easy to get into, comfortable, and good-looking. They seem to be a bit on the wide-side. I am generally a 9 to 9.5 and these are a little big on me.

On the road, the boots are comfortable and warm. During 0 degree morning with only a cotton sport sock on, they kept my feet cozy during the half-hour ride to work. Brake feel is good through the sole and I felt connected to yet protected from the shift level through the top of the toe box.

The boot is lined with what Falco calls Hi-tex, which I assume is an off-brand version of Gore-texTM. I haven't had a chance to test it yet and will update this when I do.

For the price I feel that these boots represent very good value for the money. I wouldn't hesistate to buy another pair and would highly recommend them and Advanced Motorcycle Gear to anyone in the market for a set of sport touring boots with the emphasize on the sport.



Falco Sirius 315 Waterproof Racing Boots
Overall: Recommended
Advanced Motorcycle Gear: www.advancedmotorcyclegear.com
Falco Motorcycle Boots: www.giannifalco.com

Whew! Been gone too long!

So after a too long hiatus, I'm coming back to this in an attempt to somewhat semi-regularly maintain it. We'll see how it goes...