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By Johnny, June 15, 2007 2:49 pm

As planned I took my bike into Moto Tecnica. I had to get my new tires mounted and my chain swapped. They did such a great job on my transmission, I felt confident going back to them for more work. The owner, Polo was cool. This time they have a new mascot. A little puppy named Chocolate. Very cute dog except I’m not much of an animal lover.

Polo installed everything within 2 hours. In the process, he accidentally dropped my bike. My brake lever broke. They replaced that. I wasn’t upset with the incident. I mean it wasn’t as if the bike was laid down but rather slowly tilted over. I know he felt really bad and had given me a $10 discount, a can of chain lube, and offered to straighten out my front rim and change my front brake oil the next time I come in. The rim was bent at multiple places due to my riding but they were minor bends and not too bad. He also told me to get bigger tires since the ones I purchased with the stock configuration are lower profile. He said I’d get a better ride from a bigger tire.

I left the place with 2 brand new tires, a new chain, and a new lever. My bike has never rode so smoothly. The chain swap has absolutely change the feel of the bike. It is much smoother on gear shifts and my acceleration is much more consistent. My bike use to hesitate on take off, not anymore. The only thing I noticed but wasn’t a big deal was that Polo forgot to put the valve stem caps on my tires. I had to go to a local auto supply store to pick up some spares.

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By Johnny, April 2, 2007 11:27 pm

For my sweetheart’s birthday, I decided to go out and rent a cruiser and take her up the California coast starting from where she lived. I rented a brand new 2007 Honda Shadow Aero. It had 2 miles on the odometer when I picked it up. The bike had a really nice exhaust sound. I don’t like loud bikes like the many Harleys out there. I now know how important it is to have a full-face helmet or a windscreen. The wind killed me when I was wearing the open-faced helmet that they provided me. After riding on the freeway to her house and back home afterwards, my eyes was red for 2 days.

We had alot of fun riding and relaxing up the coast from Long Beach to Malibu. Even took her out through Mullholand and then back down PCH. We took frequent breaks to stretch out. Unfortunately, her back pains got to her at the end so it made it painful to sit longer than the 7 hours we were gone. It’s definitely an experience I’m willing to try again. But maybe not that long all at once. We all that was said and done I brought the bike back with close to 200 miles of riding. Motorcycle rental was provided by Eagleriders. The one in Santa Monica / Marina Del Rey is the only one that rents out the Japanese bikes in the Southland. Most places rents out Harleys or BMWs. They don’t rent out sports bikes if you’re wondering.

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By Johnny, March 18, 2007 9:02 pm

I lost my bike’s transmission this past Friday on the way home. As a result, I had to bring it into a new shop in East LA. I quickly did a search on a local forum and found alot of people who recommended a mechanic named Polo who runs Moto Tecnica. Polo was friendly and his prices seem fair. They were about a couple of hundred dollars less than the dealers. He outright guaranteed his work so I felt more comfortable. His shop is pretty cool with plenty of motorcycle items. Can’t wait to get my bike back and see how it runs. I trust that it should be ok. I may have my own motorcycle mechanic here.

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By Johnny, February 25, 2007 11:11 pm

Many people who knows me knows that I got into a motorcycle accident 3 weeks after I bought my bike. I was riding with a friend through Santiago Canyon. It was a painful experience. So painful it had prevented me from going canyon carving for a good 3 years. Of course, I over came that fear when I went canyon carving with some people back in January. To fully declare that I am over my fear of riding in two-lane back roads, I had to overcome my fear of riding through the roads of my accident. With my renewed confident in riding, I set out on my journey after some lunch with a few friends today (btw, if you ever go to the City of Orange don’t forget to visit Felix for great Cuban food). I bravely revisited the same location on a solo ride across Orange County and eventually made it to the haunting road. To make matters worse, it started to rain at times. That didn’t stop me from continuing. I was determined to ride the same road that injured me physically and psychologically for all these years. Although I didn’t ride as agressive as I would like to but I took my time and got through the fatal turn. Thinking back at the event, I know what I did wrong and how I am a much better rider than then. It was a great relief to relive those moments briefly today.

I eventually road my way out of the wet weather and found myself riding along the coast in Laguna Beach and then eventually Newport Beach. I didn’t stop riding for a good 2 hours and when I got home, I was completely beat. Unfortunately I had a basketball game tonight. I’m tired right now, but I just have to make a note of this accomplishment before I become too lazy to acknowledge it. Hooray for me!

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By Johnny, January 15, 2007 12:10 pm

I’ve been riding about 3 years now but never really got to go canyon-carving or taking myself to the twisties in the canyons and mountains. Sunday’s impromptu ride took care of that last riding goal of mine. We met over at Garrett’s place at 10:30am. I sent my invitation to a group of riders I know at work and besides Garrett, Praveen was the only one who showed up. The Friday before, we were playing at a poker tournament at Douglas’ place and found out that he bought a bike that day. So we invited him on the ride as well. He came with his friend Brad. Brad is probably one of the most “hardcore” riders that I’ve ever met. He started riding when he was a kid and now he rides to work everyday plus he services his own bike. He also did some long riding trips with his father when he was younger. You know, the kind where you ride somewhere far, camp out, and continue riding. I can only wish I was able to ride as early as he did.

So at 10:30, we all suited up and rode towards Sunset and PCH at the Unocal gas station to top off our bikes. When we were done, we took PCH up to Las Flores Canyon Road where our adventure began. Las Flores eventually forked to Piuma Road. We eventually got on Mullholland either through Cold Canyon Road or Mullholland Highway. I’ll have to ask Brad. We past Malibu Lake and eventually ended up at our first stop for lunch. The place was called Rustic Canyon Grocery & Grill. One of the popular places where bikers hang out.

At this point Douglas had to go solo to run a few errands so he took off. Unfortunately for Douglas, the ride became much more interesting afterwards. We past The Rock Store and was all over the place in the mountains and canyons. We took roads such as Latigo Canyon Road, Mullholland coming from PCH, and one other one that I forget. Mullholland from PCH was one of my favorites. You’re able to hit 100mph on this road because the road was much cleaner than the rest and the turns are not as twisty so you can really practice your lean. After about 2 or so hours we ended up back at Rustic Canyon Grocery store for some well-deserved hot beverages and fire.

The day ended with a casual ride from Mullholland to Las Virgenes Road / Malibu Canyon Road near Pepperdine University to finally PCH. We all eventually split away from the pack to our relative homes. I had the furthest ride so I got to see everyone go.

I learned alot on this ride and feel much more comfortable with my bike. I guess it made up for some lost time in the 3 years I shied away from riding the twisties.

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By Johnny, July 18, 2006 12:35 am

For all the riders out there, if you don’t normally ride to work on a Wednesday, make sure you do it tomorrow. It is the 15th Annual Ride To Work Day. This will raise awareness of all the motorcycles out there and show the benefits of reduced traffic congestion as well as reminding all the drivers in cars that they share the roads with motorcyclists. So if you have a bike go out there and ride on the 19th of July.

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By Johnny, February 15, 2006 1:41 am

This video is making its rounds around the Internet this week. Thanks to Lex who sent me the link from the Czech Republic to the SoCalSportBikes forum post on this. She definitely knew how to handle that situation correctly. I would have done exactly the same thing she did. Taking the left would have definitely been unpredictable so the logical choice to me was to try to steer towards the right. That Civic driver was a complete dumbass. Situations like this reminds me that anything can happen whether you’re riding or driving. I think I’m going to look into a full leather suit and maybe camera set-up like hers after I finish paying off my student loan. Learn from your mistakes as well as others. Just a friendly reminder to stay safe out there and if you’re on 2 wheels be extra careful.

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By Johnny, January 17, 2006 11:38 pm

Believe it or not, its easy to change your oil on a motorcycle. At least on my 1999 Yamaha R6, its easy! Hopefully this post will help out those who may think this maybe a daunting task. Daunting only because a single mistake can cost you significant injuries or even worse, your life. And with that, I would like to add that I am not liable for any injuries that may have been the result of this post. I merely describe my experiences. Please use caution and continue at your own risk. Hopefully you still want to read on and learn something new.

This guide should be applicable not only to 1999 R6 but any R6 from 1999-2002. Also, the steps taken here should also help guide oil changes for other sport bikes.

To begin, make sure you have the right tools for the job.

Shown in the picture are 3 quarts of motor oil, 1 oil filter, 1 oil filter tool, 1 torque wrench, and 1 ratchet wrench set. Not shown but is required is a flat-head screwdriver, dirty rag, and a rear motorcycle stand.

An oil container to collect your oil and recycle will help as well. You’re probably wondering, “I don’t have a rear motorcycle stand or a torque wrench.” Well, the motorcycle stand is very helpful if you’re working on your motorcycle. Its also perfect if you park your motorcycle for a long period of time. This way the oil is distributed evenly in the center of the engine so that its not constantly leaning to the left side. A torque wrench is probably not as essential. If you do want one, I suggest go out and splurge on a really nice one that gives you 0-150 ft. lbs. of torque reading. Don’t go for what I have in the picture. Its very difficult to read and I’ve already returned it.

You should also consider the brand of oil. Although, my owner’s manual for my R6 recommends a 10W30 SAE oil for cold weather and 15W40 for warmer weather, I went with the Castrol R4. At $10 a qt, it isn’t the cheapest stuff out there. But its supposedly the best thing you can put in your bike which burns really clean and its synthetic. The only difference I’ve noticed is that when my bike is idling now, the wound is alot deeper and sounds better when I accelerate. I believe there may be some improvements on horsepower, but really no way in validating this without bring it in for a test. Its probably more psychological than anything else.

The oil filter I chose was from Fram. Filter number PH6017A should fit the standard R6 from 1999-2002.

After you’ve straightened out the items you need to buy, warm up your motorcycle. Take it out for a quick ride and come back so you can help the oil drain out easier when the vehicle is warm.


Remove the screws indicated by the arrows in the photos and remove the left and right lower fairing.

The left side of your motorcycle should look like this without the fairing.

The fairing should come off in one piece like the image above.

Remove the oil cap and check the oil level with the oil dip stick.

Locate the oil filter and drain plug and remove the drain plug first.

Oil should drain out like the image above as soon as you remove the drain plug. Wait till there’s a trickle left until you proceed to remove the oil filter. The oil filter will have residual oil so make sure you catch the dripping oil with your pan/container.

Set your oil cap and drain plug aside while you’re draining your oil. Once all oil is drained, clean the drain plug with your rag.

Apply a light coat of oil around the rim of the oil filter and drain plug. Make sure you do not lose the washer of the drain plug! Clean the hole or surface where you’re going to screw the oil filter and drain plug so that there’s no dirt that may get trapped. The filter should be screwed on with 12 ft. lbs. of torque and the drain plug should be 36 ft. lbs. of torque.

After you’ve tighten both oil filter and drain plug, proceed to pour your 3.5 quarts of oil in the engine. Check the dipstick constantly to make sure you have enough oil. Warm your bike up again and make sure oil is not leaking from the drain plug or the oil filter. Once satisfied, proceed to attach the fairing back to the same position and screw the piece back on. This may take some time and is primarily the reason why shops charge an hourly rate because it takes them time to remove and put back these fairing pieces back together. And there you have it! Your first oil change.

On a side note, I bought 2 cleaner solutions called Moto Pro to clean my bike. That stuff is incredible!

The first cleaner does a really good job removing the dirt from your bike. The contact cleaner is incredible on tough dirt. Check out the before and and after photos of my rear wheel.

Needless to say I’m happy with the $7 I spent on the cleaner spray and $4 on the contact cleaner.

I also recommend that you lube your chain while you’re at it. I use Bel-Ray’s Super Clean Chain Lube. This stuff sprays on white and keeps your chain from getting dirty. After it sets for 15 minutes, it doesn’t splatter any oil while the chain is spinning through the sprocket during operation. That’s the main reason my rear rims was so dirty was because my previous oil change guy used motor oil to lube my chain.

This should get you started in your new weekend job as a motorcycle mechanic! If not, its another thing you can put under your skills section of your resume. Actually not really. Its just good to know for your own curiosity. Let me know if you find this useful.

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By Johnny, January 14, 2006 12:58 am

There comes a time when you don’t ride your motorcycle for awhile and the battery goes out. What is one to do? Fortunately for you, yours truly have been stranded in that same situation enough time to know exactly what to do. Yes, you should try to push start your bike.

First thing you should do is find some open area so you have enough space to begin the actual pushing. This process is much easier if you have another person doing the pushing or if you find an incline so that you can push yourself while on your bike.

Turn your key to the “On” position and have your bike’s engine stop switch (the one that kills your engine) in the “On” position as well. Unfortunately I don’t have a fuel switch on my bike so I don’t know what you’re suppose to have that on. I would imagine having it at the open setting or the reserve fuel setting should be adequate.

Shift your bike to 2nd gear. That’s one click up from the neutral position. This way when the bike comes to life, you don’t get jolted out on first gear.

Grab and hold down the clutch lever and proceed to have your bike either pushed by someone else or by yourself down an incline. By the time you hit about 5-10 mph, slowly ease off of the clutch. As soon as you hear or feel the engine come to life, twist the throttle so you let in more gas to get the engine going. Make sure when the engine starts up and you twist the throttle that you hold down the clutch immediately. Otherwise serious injuries may occur if you forget to hold the clutch down and you turn your wrist too much on the throttle. That’s it!

I recommend doing this when you really don’t need to. It’s a good thing to practice and learn before you really need it.

Note: By following the suggestions on this post may cause serious injuries if not done correctly. I am not liable for any injuries that may result in this. Please understand that it is your choice to proceed. Consider yourself warned!

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By Johnny, December 13, 2005 12:56 am

What does December bring besides lazy work days and holiday celebrations? No not gifts. But rather the International Motorcycle Show. Like many other years, this was also held at the Long Beach Convention Center. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ride there like I had planned last year, but we had fun regardless. We went in the afternoon when it was less crowded. There was arena cross, located at the same venue. We had plenty of time to go through each motorcycle company and vendors across the floors.

We then went to have a small poker game at Drew’s. After the dust settled, I ended up down $12.50. Guess who was the big winner? Yes, my baby with a whopping $50!

On a side note, this photo totally cracks me up!