Temu Motorcycle Gloves?

 

My current motorcycle gloves that I bought 5-6 years ago needed much TLC over the past couple of years.  It's all-leather and I like it a lot.  It is showing signs of old age though and unless I can fully replace the leather on one finger, I'll have to buy another pair of gloves.

In the meantime, I was shopping on Temu and ran across a couple of super duper cheap motorcycle gloves!  They were only $11 CAD and $8 CAD each.  Of course, you can't expect them to be anywhere close to the quality of my leather gloves but I thought, it can't hurt to try them out, right?

So, I just received the gloves in the mail today.  I go like the look of them.  They fit perfectly based on the sizing chart on Temu's product page.  Both of these gloves have touchscreen capabilities as well and both are all polyester.

This is where I'm thinking whether I can trust these gloves when riding at any speed higher than 30-40 km/h.  The black gloves have some hard plastic padding on the one side of the palm, but other than that, the materials feel thin.  There is no way, they would withstand a slide!  They would get ripped apart in a second I think.  They're nice looking and I believe would be good enough for low speed riding.  I'm thinking to keep them but I might just return the gloves as I wouldn't ride with them on highways here.

I could also just use them for gardening??

Speed and Strength Dark Horse Shoes

I've been holding out on replacing my riding shoes.  They've been worn out in a number of places and I kept patching tears up with E6000 glue.  It works but my old Speed and Strength Run of the Bull shoes really need a real upgrade.  So, I just purchased the Dark Horse shoes!

I like the Speed and Strength shoes.  They're comfortable enough that I could wear them to the office if I need to and could walk around for a couple of hours easily in them.  Plus, they're stylish too!  Very well designed shoes.  The only bad thing about these shoes I think is that they're not really durable.  I heard riding shoes should last forever.  Well, these shoes lasted me for eight years or so.  The soles are a pretty worn and like I said, there are tears in different places.  My Run of the Bull shoes are like a Frankenstein now.

The Dark Horse will be arriving shortly, just in time for some spring rides.

As of September 2024, Dark Horse has been discontinued.  If you're interested in a similar riding shoes, take a look at this United shoes on Amazon.com:  https://amzn.to/3XQbJFq

Spring Maintenance

Well, I finally got around to do the oil change last night and chain lubing this morning.

The oil change was rather simple.  I use the technique of not removing the entire left cowling.  Removing the bottom right bolt was enough to free that part of the cowling so you could pry it open slightly to access the oil filter.  As I use the KN-204 oil filter, it was easy to remove with the same 17mm socket I use for the drain plug.

I don't have an oil pan to collect the old oil.  What I use though is a Sterilite plastic container with alid.  I got mine from Dollarama but you could find one on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3K9Sujl.  It has to be big and sturdy enough to collect the oil.  It also needs to be not too tall so you can fit it under the bike for any oil pouring for both the drain plug as well as from the oil filter.  The added benefit of using an open top container like this is, is what I do to transfer the dirty oil back into the new oil bottle at the end.  That one is good for 6 quarts.

After all the oil has been drained into the Sterilite container, and after I add new oil back into the engine, I use the oil bottles to suck the oil back into the oil bottles.  I buy Repsol Moto Rider 4T Mineral Oil and the 1L bottles come with a telescoping spout.  You can use the spout to pour the oil out without having to use a funnel, and use the same spout to suck the old oil in the container back in--you'd just compress the bottle and let it expand and suck the oil in!  It's very cool, very quick and very clean.  No pouring down a funnel.  I recommend buying them from FortNine.ca:  https://fortnine.ca/en/repsol-moto-rider-4t-mineral-oil

BTW, the Sterilite container is great for many purposes, not just for collecting oil.  I use it to work on my chain as well!

The chain cleaning process is a bit more work.  I used a rear stand to make things easier.  The process is simple but feels long:  clean the chain, wait for it to dry, and apply the lube.

I've seen many YouTube videos where the cleaning is done in a garage or on the driveway where they let the old grime drip down to the floor.  That doesn't sound right to me, but I don't know if there is a better alternative.  I use kerosene to do the cleaning so there is a fair bit of the kerosene with the grime dripping down from the chain.  I used the plastic container to collect most of the drips and at the end of it, I poured it into a Coca Cola bottle.  I've been holding on to the Coca Cola bottle for a few years now and when it's half full, I'll take it to a local household hazards waste depot where they take the oil.  There are drips where the rear sprocket is and anywhere along the chain so I placed paper/cardboard to catch those drips.

One thing I like doing between the chain cleaning and chain waxing is to check for chain slack and to clean the tire rims.  I use a shop towel to wipe off the grime and old wax from the chain and I'd then use the shop towel to wipe the rims.  The rims look clean and dark now.

I should probably do other things with the bike, like maybe change the coolant and brake fluid.  I forgot when the last time I changed them.  I should do that either this year or next.

The temperature will rise to 9C in Toronto.  I think I'll take the bike out for a short ride later this afternoon.

Dark Side?

I heard about this, and I thought that was interesting.

Car tires are not designed for the dynamics of a motorcycle and can affect the handling, stability, and braking of the bike. They have different profiles, construction, and rubber compounds than motorcycle tires, which are engineered specifically for the unique demands of a bike.

Is stability and braking a problem?  I've seen YouTube videos where someone has put in 15,000 miles on the car tires on a Goldwing.  He had no problems with braking.  If fast, it seemed that he got better braking in wet conditions with a car tire.  In another video I watched, the car tire gives you more stability if you're pulling a trailer behind.

One thing I think though, is it's not meant for new riders.  A car tire can lead to reduced maneuverability and a less responsive ride.  You'd have to put in more effort when counter-steering.  This can be particularly dangerous in emergency situations.  I'd say, if you're a season rider of a large cruiser bike and are familiar with the controls of the bike and know how to deal with emergencies, it's probably safe to go to the dark side.  Half the price of a motorcycle tire and five times the life of the tire?

Dark side on a sports bike?  Nah.  It wouldn't look cool!

Caught in Snow

Winter can be treacherous for cars and even more so for motorcycles!  This was unnerving to ride at nearly 100 km/h on the highway with snow falling down all around!  The road looks pretty clean though as the snow was just starting to come down.  Still.

 

The First Person at Spring Equinox?

Could I have been the first person on the road with my motorcycle an hour after spring equinox?  I took my bike out for a ride last night, to go pick up something.  I didn't see anyone else on the road so I guess I was the first, or I like to think so!  Most other bikes are probably still hibernating in the garages or in storage. 😅

Chain Lube

I've tried a number of chain lube products over the years.  Most of the time, I was using those oil type of lube from a couple of brands, like the Maxima Crystal Clear Chain Guard. They were ok but I didn't like them too much.  They protected my chain quite well but they also make a mess as they fling a ton of the lub onto the rim and on top of the chain guard.  I'd always have to wipe them clean after a ride or two.  A couple of years ago, I started using a wax lube and what a difference it made!  No more mess or very little of it!  The wax also keeps my chain clean.  I recommend the Maxima Chain Wax product.  It's easy to apply.  Just apply it after a ride after about 700-1000 km.  It'd be best to do it while the chain is still warm.