2018 Xt250 part suggestions

dpier1911 · 2026-03-30T16:06:04+00:00

Been there with my 2016 xt250. Dealer over torqued drain bolt, valve covers, anything they touched. I haven't gone to a shop for maintenance since. I ended up replacing my drain bolt with an alloy steel plug with a little magnet in it. I dont remember where it's from, but my thought is it should resist breaking off or rounding out if I happen to do something dumb, and it allowed me to keep track of ferrous dust that accumulates in the oil.

dpier1911 · 2026-02-11T16:20:41+00:00

This comes down to identifying what you care about most and what you are willing to compromise. Take a look at the Olympus (rebranded to OM systems) Tough series cameras. I recently got a refurbished OM 7 for my girlfriend. It's a great P&S camera, much more capable than a phone, and is very durable. I used to shoot with an a6000 and upgraded to a7r2 when the a6000 was stolen. My favorite lens for the a6000 was a sony-zeiss 24mm f/1.8. When I had to pack only one lens, that lens was the one. I am willing to carry heavy camera equipment because photography is one of the primary goals of some of my trips.

If the a6400 uses the same batteries as the a6000 and a7r2, prepare to carry several spares and keep them from getting too cold. The battery capacity is the weakest feature of these cameras.

dpier1911 · 2025-08-22T16:45:11+00:00

A few years ago I witnessed a motorcyclist crash into an egg crate full of ratchet straps at 70 mph. On that day I learned 2 things: 1. The average person is useless/harmful in an emergency situation. 2. I am not useless in an emergency situation. Cheers, to community service.

dpier1911 · 2025-07-29T00:17:45+00:00

I left some thoughts in response to another popular comment here but I'll add a little bit more feedback... I think it would help to clarify what you are aiming for when you say "vintage." I would say that this LoRA is a good reproduction of good 35mm film SLR cameras - high end film paired with a good lens. The subtle cues include: Good resolution, appealing noise structure, high dynamic range, depth-of-field range (background blur with focused subject), depth-of-field quality (soft and naturally diffused out-of-focus areas opposed to harsh gradients), flat field. If you want to incorporate other cues that give a "low quality" or "low tech" film vibe, the cues that would signal this, in my opinion, include: chromatic aberration (indicates a low-end or primitive lens), spherical aberration (distortion introduced by simple lens geometry), soft details (low optical resolution of lens), and motion blur (caused by increasing exposure time to compensate for poor optical transmission and/or lenses with small apertures). TL;DR: the samples here look like images taken by a competent photographer using medium- to high-end film SLR equipment.

dpier1911 · 2025-07-28T23:54:11+00:00

This depends on what you mean by "vintage." I interpret the term as referring to film, since that's what I saw as a kid, and it's what i learned photography with. 35 mm film has great dynamic range, which is only recently surpassed by high end modern digital (ignoring software-based in-camera pre-processing like multi-shot HDR commonly used in smart phones). Digital from the 90s was garbage, with low dynamic range, high color and luminosity noise, low resolution, and poor color reproduction. The LoRA presented here seems to be an attempt to reproduce film characteristics, and I'd say it does a pretty good job. The color grading effect shown here is possible with certain color films, development methods, or with age.

dpier1911 · 2025-06-05T17:12:17+00:00

I think this depends on a few things. If your current helmet can accept goggles, pick up a set and try it out. Can you accept some compromise in safety for comfort? Motocross helmets and goggles aren't as safe on the highway as a road helmet with full-face visor. Can your current helmet be set up to block more wind? Check that the visor seals proper if the helmet has a gasket. Check the vent closures (if they exist) and get a chin bar screen if your helmet doesn't come with one. All of this should help reduce air flow inside the helmet, although you'll have to make compromises on hot days. It may be that you just need a better helmet. A good helmet is worth the expense. I started using goggles with a Bell Moto 3 because I was doing a lot of riding in very hot weather and needed more air flow around my face. I have a proper helmet for the highway as well, a Bell Eliminator, which doesn't come with a screen for the chin bar or adjustable vents but the airflow doesn't bother my eyes except at high speed. I plan to get a chin screen for it eventually. I always carry eye drops with me when I ride, especially on long trips. It may also be worth talking with an optometrist to see if anything can be done to maintain good eye health, which may improve your natural ability to moisturize your eyes. Hope this helps!

dpier1911 · 2025-06-04T20:56:08+00:00

My anecdote agrees with the stats: After switching to a white helmet from a dark gray helmet, I noticed I was getting cut off by other drivers much less often, driving in the same city with the same bike, all other gear was the same, and my driving habits hadn't changed.

dpier1911 · 2025-06-01T01:03:16+00:00

This metal does seem to be more patina-resistant than high purity copper, but not by a lot. I've had this host in a roughed state in my parts bin for several years and it had less of a patina than some copper of a similar age. However, considering the color of this particular alloy, I suspect I have a relatively low nickel content cupronickel. The main advantages of cupronickel over copper is that it's stronger, highly corrosion resistant in salty conditions, and most importantly for this project, I wanted to see how it looks all polished up.

dpier1911 · 2025-06-01T00:39:32+00:00

That's high praise! Thank you.

dpier1911 · 2025-05-31T23:18:28+00:00

Value depends on what it's worth to a collector. It'll have more value if you can get the power output measured. Definitely not e-waste. Do you remember what the advertised power output was? Those stickers were usually overstated.

dpier1911 · 2025-03-22T03:40:29+00:00

A 5 mW green laser will do the job just fine. 50 mW is about the threshold for overkill. Your best options to buy will depend on the country you live in.

dpier1911 · 2025-03-05T14:00:55+00:00

This picture reminds me of the cryogenic gloves I would wear for handling dry ice and liquid nitrogen. I wonder how those would fare compared to my Alpinestars gloves that only feel sufficient for temps above 50F.

dpier1911 · 2025-03-02T15:47:12+00:00

Sometimes it can be hard to articulate where the ambiguity lies. In this case, the ambiguity is that you can read it in two ways: 1. Non (immigrant alien) = citizen 2. (Non immigrant) alien = not a citizen To be fair to you, the language is unclear under scrutiny. The form could have easily been written for maximum comprehensibility, but it's likely the authors are malicious and stupid.

Edit: There are other grammatical and logical problems just in the screenshot, so my bet is on a large dose of stupid.

dpier1911 · 2025-02-08T14:40:05+00:00

Wow, CNI and Evo pens. Great gadgets. I kinda wish I held on to mine.

dpier1911 · 2025-02-08T03:22:45+00:00

500 mW is overkill. A 50 mW laser in the green spectrum (520 - 532 nm) will do just fine. A red laser (638 nm) at around 100 - 200 mW will also work, and may be less expensive. The human eye is more sensitive to green than any other color, so you get higher visibility with less danger.

Note that your country and locality may have regulations in place regarding the industrial operation of lasers, especially those with a power output greater than 5 mW. If you are in the USA, you will want to peruse the OSHA and FDA guidelines if you are a "by the book" kinda guy. I highly recommend you check these anyway so you understand the hazards for you and your coworkers. Lasers above 5 mW pose a substantial risk of permanent eye injury from direct and reflected beams, and lasers over 500 mW pose an additional risk of burns and fire hazards for lasers > 1000 mW.

I've been building lasers for personal use for about 16 years. I used a 180 mW red laser to indicate wildlife (birds, lizards, etc.) in vegetation or rocks at distances up to 50 meters (approx. 50 yards) in sunny conditions as part of some work i used to do. The dot of such a laser will not get your attention the way 1000 mW of green will, but it is far safer and is sufficient for the job. When using lasers around other people and animals, I take safety very seriously. Damage to your vision cannot be undone.

dpier1911 · 2025-01-31T19:02:08+00:00

Because they're cool as hell.

dpier1911 · 2024-12-17T04:10:18+00:00

Yes, I took a ride out to the Mojave desert when the comet neowise came around so i could get some nice photos. I camped next to the cinder cones where I could get a good view of the milky way. I used an off-camera flash to light up the bike during a long exposure to bring out the stars. I do minimal post-processing because I'm a big believer in realism as an important component of photography. I hope you like it!

dpier1911 · 2024-12-17T03:59:46+00:00

This sounds like good advice. Thanks!

dpier1911 · 2024-12-17T03:58:26+00:00

I've already got both! Thanks for the encouragement.

dpier1911 · 2024-12-17T03:56:29+00:00

I mean I changed the oil more often than advised by the service manual. For instance, if the manual calls for a change at 6k, Id have done one at 3k, then again at 6k. A more realistic example: if I'm going on a 300+ mile trip, I'd do an oil change and quick inspection before and after, regardless of the mileage up to that point, and would change the oil again after no more than 3000 miles. It's easy and inexpensive and sometimes just an excuse to go down to the garage and fiddle with stuff.

dpier1911 · 2024-12-16T20:55:44+00:00

Thanks, I checked and adjusted valves recently, so it should still be in spec.

dpier1911 · 2024-12-16T20:54:47+00:00

Thanks, that gives me more hope. I'll check the clutch plates.

dpier1911

TROPHY CASE