DIY – Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy

How to Turn any Gloves Touchscreen Compatible (For Cheap!)

My favourite pair of motorcycle gloves were supposed to be touchscreen compatible. Strangely, after a couple of washes, the touchscreen magic seem to have worn off – leaving me which just, well, a pair of motorcycle gloves. And it’s extremely frustrating to have to remove the gloves every time I had to access my mobile phone’s GPS features.

Installation took literally less than a minute.

So I found a set of cheap Chinese-made gamers’ finger gloves and decided to try them out. Now, instead of fitting them over my fingers, I simply capped them over my gloves instead.

G650GS Sertao Fuel Pump Failed

At 8.5 years old and some 75,000km, the fuel pump on my G650GS Sertao failed. The engine died from fuel starvation and left me stranded some 500m from home. As I was a short distance away, I decided to push the bike home.

The GS-911 confirmed my suspicion of a fuel pump failure.

While at home, I whipped out my trusty GS-911 diagnostic tool an read the ECU for fault codes. And as suspected, the Sertao suffered from the infamous fuel pump failure. It is one of these times where I thought a carburated bike may actually not be that bad an idea after all!

G650GS Sertao TPMS Battery Replacement

The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) display on my G650GS Sertao started screaming at me this morning. It appears that the battery on the rear sender unit has depleted and needs replacement.

I purchased this third party TPMS monitor for the Sertao as it did not come with one from factory. The built-in TPMS on my R1200GS had saved me a few times and warned me of a tire puncture before the tire turned truly flat. But as with most BMW stuff, it was severely over-priced. Back when I had to replace the TPMS sender unit on the R1200GS, it was $155 per piece. And it doesn’t even include installation! The GS-911 helped saved me a few dollars and I could easily program the 1200GS to talk to the newly replaced sensors.

The TPMS sender unit takes a single CR1225 button battery.

Converting my DRZ400 into a utility vehicle

One of the BEST mods to make to a motorcycle is to add luggage carrying capability to it. A simple rack / box / bag combo instantly converts the motorcycle from a toy to a utility machine.

While I use my DRZ mostly for dirt riding, I generally dislike the idea of carrying stuff in a backpack. I prefer the freedom of not having something cling onto my back. So I went scouting for a nice rack for the DRZ so that I could find a platform to mount my Ogio tail bag.

Adding the SW-Motech Steel Rack to the DRZ.

SW-Motech Crash Bars on the BMW G650GS Sertao

I was resisting installing a set of crash bars on my Sertao. Reason being, the R1200GS used to be my primary bike, and the Sertao – my “dirt bike”. And I wanted to keep the weight low on the Sertao.

Now that I no longer own the R1200GS, the BMW G650GS Sertao is now my “primary bike”. For dirt fun? I have my DR(e)Z! (More on that another time…)

The SW-Motech crash bars installed on my BMW G650GS Sertao. Now I’m ready to tour!

I loved the looks of the SW-Motech crash bars! I’ve looked at AltRider’s, looked at Touratech’s, considered the cheap Chinese-made “Touratech lookalikes” sold on AliExpress, and even bought the Givi ones some time back (sold them away later). I think there’s something real beautiful about the SW-Motech’s design.

Pledge – The Amazing Helmet Polish and Cleaner?

I’ve been using Meguair’s Quik Wax on my vehicles and motorcycle helmets with excellent results. Easy on, easy off application. Smells great too! However, I do find Quik Wax to be a little on the pricey side.

So since I had a can of Lemon Pledge laying around my house (I use it regularly to clean and polish home furniture), thought I’d give it a go on my motorcycle helmet.

Lemon Pledge works excellent as a CLEANER wax!

Giving my Scorpion ADX-1 a Pledge snow-wash treatment.

I realised that one major ability that Pledge had that Quik Wax and most of the other waxes I previously used did not have was a very deep cleaning ability. Areas on my all-white helmet that started showing black’ish stains were easily removed using Pledge.

Inexpensive, effective, and so readily available – Pledge is now my newfound favourite helmet cleaner and polish!

Kaoko Throttle Control on the G650GS Sertao

I missed the cruise control on my R1200GS. Now with the 1200 gone, and the G650GS being my primary bike, I was searching for ways to introduce a cruise control-like feature on the otherwise low-tech bike. Until I came across the Kaoko Throttle Stabilizer!

The Kaoko Throttle Stabilizer comes in a really cute package!

The Kaoko isn’t a real cruise control. It simply adds some adjustable friction to the throttle to keep it in place. The solution is simple and elegant. And dare I say, not as “dangerous” as it sounds. It doesn’t lock the throttle at all, but merely introduces friction to hold it in place. Even with the additional friction employed (ie, cruise control ON), it was still relatively easy to ease off on the throttle merely by twisting it forward. Granted that it won’t “spring back”, but nothing a little twist of the wrist can’t handle.

Practiced repairing a tire tube

Since I had accidentally pinched the inner tube on my DRZ while self-installing tires for the first time, I thought I’d use the opportunity to attempt a patch repair. Good to pick up a useful skill during this Covid Circuit Breaker season.

1. First, look for the puncture site.
2. Then scuff it up with a rasp file or some sandpaper.
3. Apply a generous coat of rubber cement / vulcanising paste.
4. Wait for at least 5mins to allow the rubber cement to dry.
5. Peel off the aluminium foil backing of the patch and apply patch onto puncture site.
6. Stitch the patch by rolling some blunt tool over it.
7. The patched tube is now ready for use!

Covid Lockdown – Brake Fluid Flush

Since I had to stay home due to the Covid-19 circuit breaker measures in place, and that I couldn’t ride, I decided to do a little bit of bike maintenance. I’ve not replaced the brake fluids on my G650GS Sertao since I purchased it about a year ago. And now with the DRZ in my stable, I thought I’d take the time to get the brake fluids replaced.

The brake fluid in the reservoir looks a little dark.

Brake bleeder connected and ready to bleed!

Since it was easier on the DRZ as there’s no ABS pump to deal with, I started with the Zee. Connected the bleeder valve kit to the brake bleed valve and started pumping away.

DRZ400SM to Dirt Conversion

Got myself a DR-Z400! It’s torquey motor, light weight, and Japanese reliability makes it the perfect fun bike! And what better way to enjoy a fun bike than to make some modifications to take it to the dirt!

The DRZ400 in supermoto config – very light, very flickable, very fun!

The first step to making it dirt-friendly is to get a set of larger dirt wheels. The DRZ400 comes in 3 configurations – DRZ400SM, DRZ400S and DRZ400E. The S and E versions come with dirt-friendly 21″ front and 18″ rear wheels, while the SM version has 17″ wheels. So I bought myself a set of S / E 21″ & 18″ wheels for my SM.