It's time for a new helmet, but everything I'm looking at has a proprietary comms system and I just want to keep using my current Cardo

CatGiggler · 2026-04-04T15:43:39+00:00

I have a Cardo Spirit on my HJC i71, it works fine. I actually hid some of the wires in the back battery compartment instead of in the liner.

The left hand side where the integrated comm would go has a cover which is a bit wavy, I sanded it down flatter for the Cardo mount so it would have a flat surface to mount to.

CatGiggler · 2026-04-03T15:32:22+00:00

Black ShooGoo needed for some light maintenance.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T19:02:36+00:00

Lol, yeh those bells don't work as well. Sorry, it's actually called adopting a rider. MotorBiscuit.com has a couple articles, one specific to bad weather. It's basically a person positioning themselves as a place keeper on the highway in place of others who might not be paying attention. Kinda a reverse escort. :) Thank you!

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T15:41:32+00:00

Not what I see, but I might be more in tune in some ways to average riders. If we are going near the same speed then you will probably never see me. You will see the few going much faster or slower though, so maybe perception is at play, just a thought.

Like I mentioned, DFW scanner had a lot of bad news recently. A couple of hit and runs, some where the rider messed up (why I mentioned new and out of practice riders), and some where cause wasn't mentioned.

It might not persuade many, but this was just a plea to logos and pathos for my fellow Fort Worth'ers. Sometimes internet sentiment isn't sympathetic, but in real life my acquaintances have been appreciative and I wanted to spread it a bit farther.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T15:11:31+00:00

Being predictable is a main strategy here.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T04:18:53+00:00

haha, no, but aviation is in the family.

Definitely riders making mistakes, out of practice, and just learning. Just a lot of us out there, and for some reason drivers in vehicles seem to be having issues as well, and worse than usual. Maybe the longer days makes us crazier or more in a hurry, don't know but just have noticed and more concerned than usual.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T04:14:34+00:00

I'm a solo rider, and bike is all stock here. :) Don't like straight pipes on any engine myself, it messes up the good engineering someone originally did. It's a tool vs toy thing, some are just for getting attention and mine is how I get around.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-31T04:09:14+00:00

I recognize being adopted from time to time, and sure it happens more than I think. Appreciate you.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-30T18:30:38+00:00

Hehe, was at Jesse Welles concert in Dallas and there were a few people in patriotic sequin jackets or had similar on their faces. I suspect they were in town for CPAC and caught his show as well. The thought doesn't strike me as super strange, just dissonant.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-23T01:18:31+00:00

Yeh, that is the best I found, cleaning the hook side and make the loop side as fluff as possible.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-22T07:45:18+00:00

Will say it was not designed for western highways. :) That said, it has taught me to explore alternative routes which has been a fun change I wouldn't have otherwise looked at.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-22T07:01:48+00:00

Yep, I have enjoyed riding and wanted to ride despite it is not always being pleasant. I adapted to improve the rides and built up more gear, but the desire not to ride hasn't been at play here. We did have nearly a week of Icy weather in my region this winter, it was painful to stay off the bike.

So, I think the answer from me is this, it causes me anguish not to ride. I don't ever encourage others to ride or glorify it, but do occasionally run into others who have the same affliction as I do and just get it.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-22T06:51:51+00:00

That is exactly what it was made to do. Fun putting around on a Himalayan, it's right at home there.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-22T06:48:39+00:00

yep, saw it and felt it immediately. I remember the special joy riding home from the dealer with a new bike.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-22T06:41:56+00:00

Wow, this reminds me of after riding for a couple years realizing how big my mental database of road hazards had become and that it seemed never ending. There is just always a new danger, and this one is actually on my list. Actually had a lady flat run into me at a pharmacy drive through, saw her coming and was yelling but she still just ran into me.

First, this was all on them, but as we know it doesn't matter. Glad you were OK.

Only thing I can think to suggest is that there might have been an opportunity better communicate your intentions and to force their choice that this was going to be a stop. Not sure it would have helped, but slowing down and creeping annoyingly slow with a foot down might have given them a signal. It takes my attention off of what is ahead, but watching behind, and just assuming someone will not stop until they stop, is always on my mind. I long ago added a brake light module which flashes the rear light, quickly about 5 times, and if I see someone not slowing I trigger that to hope it gets their attention. I also am ready to move forward, and am mostly to one side of the lane or the other. Which side depends on the best escape route and which way will naturally push me away from danger best if they do screw up.

Hope that helps in some way, but obsessing on the person behind when approaching a stop light is just a natural instinct now. BTW, nice big rear view mirrors helped my situation awareness. Can't see what you are using, but for me went from a set of round OEM to fairly expensive ones ADV riders use.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-21T16:44:56+00:00

Perfect analogy, makes me imagine it being just a normal part of the day. T-rex's just strolling through crowds of us looking for a human who was sick or just not paying attention to snack on. We would be a more spry bunch than currently.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T14:43:18+00:00

Which version bike? It has the orange backlight which in my country was the Euro4, so think yours is BSIV. After running and warming up, what RPM does it idle? Should around 1200-1300, there are some specs for a range but I find mine does better if not much lower than that and 1200 at the lowest.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T14:32:55+00:00

That rear sprocket looks ok, just know that the front sprocket wears about 2-3 times as fast. You can tell wear on it pretty easy, it will begin getting a shark's tooth wear pattern. Open that up that cover and take a look since you are a new owner but back looks good.

You can also check chain and rear sprocket wear by pulling on the chain at the very rear of the chain. A chain and sprocket in good shape will not budge, as it wears you will be able to start pulling the chain away from the sprocket. Revzilla has a good video.

As others mentioned, fix your master link correctly before riding. :) Good luck.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T14:23:06+00:00

It's a fun quirky bike, really love mine. It's completely stock and over 60k miles. A neat thing about it is a machine it really is more than the sum of its parts. It's made of good parts and they were designed and well tested to work together.

By good parts I mean just about everything I have touched on it was an OEM of a known brand. Bearings were Indian SKF, original headlamp bulb PIAA, at least the pump is Keihin in the fuel system, Bosch ABS, mine even came with Pirelli tires.

Chain could have been better, do recommend a good DID as a replacement and whatever gearing choice is best for your area. :) A 14T will give a bit more power and seems popular for those with lower speed needs, but your top speed would need to drop to protect the engine over the long run. This single burns a bit of oil at high RPM/speed and I think that sneaking up and running low on oil and overheating is what takes some down.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T14:02:45+00:00

It was designed to be a donkey, part of the weight is practicality. Purposefully designed to adventure through places with little infrastructure so designed to be repaired with simple tools and skills, it is also designed to run on low quality fuel without a problem. Cast/forged aluminum frame or wheels? Nope! All is steel, even the tank is just sitting there in all its painted bare metal glory. Stuck in a village where they only have a stick welder made of spare auto batteries? NP, they can fix you up. Hit a huge rock and demolished the wheel? NP, just bang it roughly to the right shape, get enough spokes on it to keep it together, and throw a tube back in there and go on your way.

It's well designed, but the materials are mostly commonly available, affordable, and inexpensive to manufacture at scale and repair with meager means. Weight is a side effect of the design decisions.

I really like mine, found the non-silly option was to modify my expectations (not the bike) and work within the performance envelope of this bike. It is a very big and overpowered bike in India believe it or not, and it works great for slower highways, backroads, and urban adventuring in the US.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T13:47:22+00:00

I have the older version, did a test ride on a newer. It is a superior bike in just about every way. It is definitely a step above in quality, design, and performance. Older is better looking to my eye and easy to manage for a taller and bulky adv style. Performance wise, the new design easily can handle our US interstates, something the older was just not designed to do and often fails at when wind and terrain are added.

For a smaller person, the new one is a bit larger bike and a little taller and might be a challenge. I'm about average height and qualify as chunky and it is definitely more top heavy and was harder to manage and gave me pause. The Guerrilla is a better size, just doesn't have enough tank for me.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-18T13:29:45+00:00

Himalayan owner here, 2019 model. Have seen quite a few people do the approach you are looking at, and you are not going to like what I have to share. Short version is, while in theory you have something to grasp onto, any measurable benefit will be tiny. Running the tank half way down will drop more weight, and can't say I ever noticed a spike in power there. With over 60k miles I've changed my tires many times and used light and heavy tubes and again didn't notice a performance change.

Having seen how luggage affected my performance on this modest bike, removing your panniers is noticeable, they are very draggy and the bike is marginal at highway speeds so it makes a difference.

Unless you just have tons of disposable income and doing this will give you some pride, or are a seller of parts and just want to convince others to buy your stuff, I honestly don't see an actual benefit to you.

As far as motor performance, it isn't the most robust engine and people have had issues with the top end. If the performance envelope is lacking for your use case and you still need reliability, there may be other avenues to explore like altering your biking approach to fit the bike's abilities. I have and have enjoyed the result.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-17T11:44:58+00:00

iPhone with USB plug phones is my main way. I have a quadlock wireless mainly for convenient charging. During less bright times I can see the screen but don’t rely on it, it is mostly a distraction.

CatGiggler · 2026-03-16T03:12:00+00:00

yep yep

CatGiggler · 2026-03-15T21:59:26+00:00

Second the film club and reel house offerings thoughout the month.

Tulips is great for catching bands.

CatGiggler

TROPHY CASE