clutch switch problem

A couple of weeks ago, i started having starting issues with my bike. I had taken off the clutch & kickstand safety switches when i first got it. The clutch was easy, just pull the switch out of the housing & stuff the wires behind the headlight. The kickstand had to have a jumper put between the pins. I did this so i could easily reinstall them if i decided to sell someday.

Last year sometime, it started to act up. The bike would only start if put in neutral. I traced it to my jumper coming loose. I squeezed the clips, reinstalled it & taped it up. Everything back to normal.

But during our moab, kane creek death ride, it started acting up again. I assumed it was the jumper come loose again. We were pretty occupied, so i just had to shift to neutral every time to start. When i got up to my daughter's in ogden, i checked both connectors. The kickstand jumper looked fine.. but to be sure, i cut the connector & just spliced the wires together. The clutch switch seemed ok, so i just lived with it.. it still would only start in neutral.

Last night i tackled it again. I pulled the clutch switch wire all the way out.. had to lift the tank off to access the plug. When i shorted the plug, it would crank in gear, so i had discovered the culprit. Even though the clutch switch was neatly zip tied behind the headlight, somehow it got corroded inside, or mud or water had impeded the contact.. kind of strange, since the switch was not being used. I had manually pushed it several times & rechecked it, but it still was not making contact. It was an easy fix.. i snipped the plug, spliced the wires together, & plugged it back in.

If my switch went out with no use, i can imagine it going out with use, although repeated activity might have kept the contacts cleaner.. don't know. But if your bike will suddenly only start in neutral, the clutch switch & the kickstand switch are likely suspects. I understand why yamaha puts in that sort of thing, but it is unnecessary for me, so i disable it. I automatically pull the clutch before starting, or make sure it is in neutral if it is on the stand, anyway. The safety switches are just something to go wrong out on the trail, which they did! My more permanent splices should do the trick, & i don't anticipate any more issues with them.

A few more bike mods..

A few mods..

Since getting the ims tank, i've been tinkering with a few other mods, getting ready for next weeks ride in Utah.  Here's a few of them.

Radiator guard.  Flatlands.






LED tail light, brake light, turn signal combo.

I added this to the existing brake & tail light, but removed the stock blinkers.  I might add a couple more led blinkers later.

I re worked the light housing & plate holder & added a pipe standoff for my saddlebags.








Open up airbox more..

I don't know if it helps much, but i decided to open up the air box some more.. it didn't seem like the basic flapper mod gives more air flow, & i didn't see any reason to keep the whole top of the air box, if i was going to hack it up, anyway.  I would gain maybe an inch if i get underwater.. an event i seldom encounter, so i just took off the top.

I used a small drill bit to take out the plastic rivets.. i didn't drill them all the way down, just the tops.



Then i popped off the top with a small screwdriver.. no problems.



Pull it off.. no snorkel, but no restrictions, either.




I was able to put my alloy tire iron/wrench combos, a spark plug wrench, Tow strap, & a small bicycle pump with CO2 filler under the seat.  it doesn't block the air flow, & gives some useful storage.

Stebel Nautilus horn.
I loved my *loud* horn on my drz, so i kept it when i switched to the yamaha.  I had to split it.. the pump from the horn, but i was able to put it under the shroud.  I rewired, remounted it a couple of times, then ended up with the pump beside the radiator overflow, & the horn where the old horn was.  You can see it in the pics below.

Left side protection.

Since i decided to leave off the scoops & shrouds for a bit, i thought some better protection for the stuff on the left side would be in order.

I put in a couple of box aluminum struts from the frame to the bracket that supports everything on this side.



Then i made up a screen, & put an angle aluminum brace between the struts.  This attaches to the steel brace.







New tank panniers.. Kolpins.
I raised them up so my knees could slide under them when i slid forward on my bizarre but practical seat.



It's rough. it's rustic.  It looks like something out of Mad Max.  But it works & it's ready for next week's adventure!



scotty

IMS 3.1 gallon natural tank

9/7/10

Well, today the delivery person brought this:



It came with the instructions, cap & hose, the tank, & the scoop clips.  I read the instructions carefully.. in a nutshell, it says,

Step 1.
"Remove old tank".
Step 2.
"Install new tank".




I had to ride over to Cottonwood before the MVD closed for my son's truck, but it was open another 2 hours so i surely had time to put the tank on.

I pulled the seat, all the tank bolts, unclipped the wire connection (that was the hardest), & pulled off the fuel line.

The electrical clip has a snap that holds it connected on one end of the connector.  You have to pry up that snap then it pops off.

The fuel line has an orange slider thingy that slides to one side, exposing some blue tabs.  Push those tabs & the hose pops off.

Naturally, i had a full tank.  I poured it into a gas can.. got most of it in.  Then i took off all the parts on the old tank, put them on the new tank, & put it on.  It took me about an hour, but i didn't get the plastic on.. i had to ride!














I roared off to Cottonwood.. about 25 miles away, & barely made it to the mvd before they locked the doors.

I haven't filled it, yet, & unfortunately i put some gas in, so i won't know the total from empty.  But the reserve light came on when i got home.. probably still about 1 gal. in there, still.  I'll fill it up & see how much it holds from the reserve coming on.

Anyway, it took me about an hour.  Everything fit fine.. no fitment issues at all.  I got a little gas on me when transferring from the old tank.. run yours as dry as you can before swapping it out.  It will not drain out the bottom fuel pump assembly.  I had to pour it out the filler hole.

But i can see the fuel line on the tank.. it says it is '3.1' gal.  So this looks like a keeper.  I might eventually fabricate some other trim pieces.. i don't think we really need the wide scoops.  But without them, hot air blows right on your knee from the radiator.  Otherwise, i might stay with the 'mad max' look for a bit.

Minimal travel gear.. some thoughts on what to pack

I don't do a lot of solo riding & camping, but when i do, i like to keep it simple. There's something about getting away from other people & conversation.. words & other's thoughts. ..just the sounds of nature, & the bike when riding.

Our ears are inundated with noise, advertising, loud music, machinery, vehicles, etc. It's rejuvenating to get away with no sounds.. no noise.. just the quiet of nature & the great outdoors. Most of the time we are constantly interacting with family, work, media, etc. Alone & quiet we renew our acquaintance with ourselves & the great unknown. Mystery & eternity re-introduce themselves. Our minds & souls are renewed. Our focus on life restored.

Not much is essential.

As far as travel gear goes, i decided if i wasn't using something almost every day, i could manage without it. It does show us what we really need, & what we think we need. In the past, i took too many clothes & other stuff. It's easy to wash things when stopped, & out west, they will dry out quickly, especially if i bring more poly stuff.. socks, underwear & shirt. I wash them, then they're ready to wear in the morning. If there's no water around, i don't wash things.

I'm also not into lots of cooking when travelling on the bike. If there's not a local cafe around, you can always get something at the gas station. Anyway, i've found i enjoy riding with less.. i'd rather be lighter when i get into tough terrain than weighed down with a bunch of unnecessary clutter. Maybe i'm trying to get away from all my clutter at home.. years of hoarding have complicated my life with too much junk. When i ride, i leave it all behind.. part of the isolation therapy that solo riding provides.

I basically have my riding gear that i wear. I wash it when stopped (undershirt, socks, underwear, etc). I have some 'civvies' for going out or even when camping. Nylon pants, shirt, sandals. Hat & mosquito head net are nice in buggy spots. Here is my travel package list:

Ride gear:
Helmet, gloves, boots.
Mesh riding jacket with rain cover (slips in zippered back pocket).
Riding pants, knee guards.
poly underwear, underarmour type t shirt, coconut socks
Long sleeve fleece shirt & pants if cold weather traveling.

Nylon pants, long sleeve nylon shirt, flipflops, hat, head net.
sleeping bag, hammock (doubles as ground cloth), tarp for rain cover.
Camera, cell phone, gps, chargers, wallet.
Water bottle, snacks, sun block, whiskey flask(optional!)

Small tool kit, tire irons w/wrenches, patch kit, bicycle pump, zip ties, elect. tape, first aid kit, folding lock blade knife, flash light.

I have my first aid kit (which is the one thing that has increased) in a number plate bag. In it is also a string type sack/backpack in case i have to walk some distance carrying stuff.

Everything fits in my tank bag & the 2 panniers. I put the sleeping bag, tarp & hammock in a tail bag. Everything weighs less than 20#.. probably closer to 10 without the tools. The point in having a light weight bike for travel is being light weight. If you pack 100# of gear on board, you might as well get a bigger bike to haul it.

I've not had problems with bears or other wild animals.. hopefully it will stay that way. I camp pretty close to the bike, & i have an air horn on it, so i hope if some woodland creatures were scoping me out, i could let out a blast from that horn to discourage them, somewhat. Other wise, i'm left to chucking rocks at them, poking them with sticks, then a knife vs. teeth fight if all else fails. I'm pretty fearless around animals.. they have a sense of that & usually leave you alone. Usually.

I prefer the simplicity of not cooking. You have to stop for gas every so often, anyway, so i refuel myself then, too. When travelling i usually only eat 1 or 2 big meals a day. I'll have some jerky or trail mix in my bag for snacks. I fill my water at the gas stops, & get a gatorade or soda.

A hammock isn't all that comfortable.. if there are some thick leaves or grasses around, i prefer to lay the hammock down as a ground cloth & put the bag on that.. especially if it's cold. Hammocks are notoriously cold without a sleeping pad. But if you're carrying a sleeping pad, you don't really need a hammock.

It's always a work in progress.. i don't obsess about it. I just try to keep it simple. Part of 'getting away from it all' is the simplicity of things. With less to manage or think about, i have more freedom for deeper philosphical musings.. or wondering what i'll have for my next meal.. always a highlight!

Riding front tire flat

This is from a ride i did a couple of years ago.. but i realized it was not on my blog, so here it is.. just an experience of riding a flat tire..

This event took place on 8/2/08.

Just a short note, here.. i'm still in utah. ..stopped for a construction break with my daughter's house in ogden. internet is sketchy.. pics & ride reports will come later.



But i thought i'd post a little comment about riding a tire flat. I was heading up to ogden a couple of saturdays back, when i got a front flat. I had ridden through the 'hell's backbone' trail, & was just outside of boulder, ut. There was about 25 miles to go, all pavement. I had my cool spoons, but no patch kit or tire pump. I asked a couple of rv'ers if they had a tire pump in their rigs, but no offers.. one of them had bicycles loaded on.. i guess they were trying to help the environment by keeping a motorcycle off the road.



But i did get back on! I just put on my trusty zip ties!





I kept it around 30 in the mountain switchbacks.. elevations were in the 9k range. After about 10 miles of riding, i saw a camper with quads off the road. I stopped & asked if he had a pump, & he generously offered to help. I pumped the tire up, but could hear it losing air fast. I got on the road, but only got a few mile before it was gone. So i continued plodding along on the side of the road. curves are tough with a flat.



I made it into Torrey, ut. which is near capital reef, my destination. The garage was closed, but the convenience store had a patch kit, & air was near, so i commenced the patch.







I found a plastic bucket & tilted the bike onto it for a stand. took off the wheel, tire & tube. A local character stopped by, already full of beer, & offered his observations & running commentary. I patched the hole, which wasn't too big, & pumped the tube up to check for other leaks. My helper was watching closely, & might have bumped the bike, or the bucket just buckled & the bike came down on me, the gallery, & the newly patched tube. My associate helped me reposition the bike back on the bucket with too many assurances that he did not bump the bike. I reassured him that he surely didn't bump it, but the bucket just buckled, like buckets do when supporting a 300# bike.



But now i had a big cut in my tube. I put a bigger patch on it, tested it, then mounted it. It seemed to hold air. I bought my new friend the biggest can of beer they sold at the market, & after a few more stories, bid my farewell. It held up fine through bryce canyon, & made it nearly 100 more miles before i noticed it was flat again. I still had nearly 200 miles to go, it was gettin late, & was to I-15, now. I found a station who let me use their air, took the tire off, & tried to patch it again. The station owner had a bigger patch, & suggested putting it over the old patch, so i did. It seemed to hold. I gave him $10 for his patch & air, then started on the long ride on the freeway.



I tried to keep it under 65, riding behind some slower trucks. But less than 50 miles & i was flat again. There was nothing around, & slim chance of finding a tube, so i shifted my weight back & rode. I-15 is pretty straight, so i could cruise at 60 without much trouble. I made it to Provo & called my daughter. She was coming back with her boyfriend from a bicycle race in Wyoming, & would be several hours before she got home. It was after 8, almost dark, & i still had about 80 miles of freeway.. city freeway.. to go. No point whining. get on the bike & ride. It was pretty stressful.. trucks passing.. lane changing, curves & traffic on a saturday night. I could only do about 60 comfortably. There was no swerving or sudden stops for me, so i had to look ahead & hope to be lucky. I was. No problems.. no trips to the IC unit. City traffic in Ogden was just as tricky.. turns were very difficult. The front would wobble around the corners. It was after 10 when i got in.



Naturally, it would be the front, instead of the rear teraflex, which will run flat easily.



But short of carrying a spare tube, i had no other option. I put a total of about 180 mile running flat, most of which was on the freeway at 60mph. I kept my weight back & avoided sharp movements or braking. I used the rear brake when stopping. I slowed way down when turning.



I think i will add a patch kit & a small bicycle pump to my travelling tools kit. But it is good to know that in a pinch, you can ride it flat. My front was getting a little worn, anyway, so i replaced both the tube & tire when i got to my daughter's house.



It might have been different if i'd have had a lot of weight, but i travel light, & only had 20# or less in my tail bag.



I had just gotten the motion pro aluminum spoons.. they are nice. They make changing a tire in full gear a lot easier. They were pricey, but i was glad i had them, though why have them with no tire patch?



Anyway, i haven't posted much, but will have a few more adventures (misadventures?) upcoming.
I'm looking forward to getting back home, & hope to return in another couple of weeks.

Seat dye..

Caving to the peer pressure, i got some black dye & hit the seat. ..only took about 1/2 hr, very little dye, & it seems to work ok.. not coming off.. not fading, yet. Anyway, here it is.

Video Camera

I use the contour hd.
I like the way it handles varying light conditions.. better than most cams i've had in the past. It has a very smooth transition between bright sunlight & shade, which you get a lot while riding.

The main con with this unit is determining if it's on. It has a beep, but it can be hard to hear when riding. The light is also hard to see. When it's on standby, you just slide the switch forward to begin recording. Easy even with gloves.

I like the simple, all in one unit. I can get 2 hrs of video on an 8g. card. The usb rechargeable battery lasts that long without recharging. 2 hrs is a *lot* of video. I try to just take clips of 2-3 min. max.. sometimes in a very interesting ride i'll go 5 min. Other times i will just go 20 seconds or less for a quick view.

It attaches easily & in a variety of ways. I have a simple velcro strap that wraps around the chin bar on my helmet. ..easy to put on & off. It's rated as water resistant, but will not go underwater. I've had it in the rain & it seems to be ok.

Overall, for ride reports, i think i prefer stills. they are sharper, easier to take in details, & easier to take. But the vid clips enable me to get more of a feel of the ride & the views. I'm a lazy photographer.. i don't mess with the shots a lot, just crop, resample, & post. The videos i seldom crop, unless there is a long boring part with a short interesting part. Then i might crop out some of it. Mostly i just upload the vids as they are.. another reason to take short clips.

I've tried to figure out a good way to mount my point & shoot & use it as a camcorder, but a chest mount is too low, & a helmet mount is too high & hits stuff. Handlebar mounts vibrate too much.

I like the high def feature.. though it makes big files & take a long time to upload. But they catch much more detail.

If i were doing more professional type of work, i'd probably go for one of the lipstick cameras, with a microphone lead inside the helmet, so you could narrate or comment on the video. Those have a recording unit that fits in a pocket or clips to a belt or jacket. But the contour hd has pretty decent sound, great video, & is easy to use. I would get another. I like the profile of it better than the gopro, which is more like a small camera mounted to the helmet. But if money was no object, i'd get the lipstick camera system.

I'll post up some pics of it later, with my mounting system.. i'll also compare it to my older vid camera.. the Oregon Scientific ATC2K Camcorder. My earlier videos were with it.

Install fmf programmer

I've been getting by without a programmer for almost a year.. even though i have opened up the airbox, added a header, pipe & removed the ais & exup, i hadn't gotten around to the programmer.  Mostly because they were $200, & i was too cheap to spring for it, & too poor to justify it.  But Dennis Kirk had them on sale, so i put in an order.  It came yesterday, & i put it on early this morning.  I haven't had time to ride it & see how it compares, but i'll show the step by step install.

You have to take almost everything off.. seat, side panels, tank shroud, loosen the tank.  I'll assume those are commonly known procedures.  I decided to mount it on the side, by the battery, under the left panel.  I had made more room in this section when removing the exup, side stand switch, & the usual other mods.  I pulled off  a relay.. i think.. that is right by the battery, turned it 90* & pushed it back in place.

I put the sticky velcro patch right on the plug cover on the relay, then stuck the programmer on it.  The manual suggested putting it in front of the battery.

I've seen them mounted in lots of different places.  I don't figure on adjusting it much once it is set to my preferences, so it will be fine under the side panel.

Next i routed the cable under the frame & along the top tube.  I zip tied it in a couple of places.  Unplug the fuel injector connector, plug the programmer between them.  easy..  Make sure the connectors click in to place.. you have to push them pretty hard, because of the rubber sealing ring inside the connector.  Don't be afraid to squeeze them together.

The connector is under the tank, so you have to take off the tank mounting screws. It can just tilt out of the way.. don't have to disconnect anything else.

Then run the ground wire to the negative battery terminal.  Just unscrew the terminal screw & put the connector under the screw.  It's ready to run.

I bent the red power wire from the battery so it didn't rub or hit the programmer.

Then, as added protection, i stuck some foam weatherstrip on a few spots.. probably doesn't need it, but it will keep it from rubbing or hitting any button, while still leaving them accessible.

That's it!  I put it all back together & it started right up.  I'll report later on how it works.. if i notice any difference from stock.

For now, i'm leaving it with the factory defaults.  I'll tweak it later.

seat report!

This week Tom & I took a ride to sheep's bridge.. it was a total of about 250 miles, with a lot of freeway, winding, bumpy dirt roads, & some really gnarly boulder field crossings.  How did my seat work, you might ask..  Well, i think i have found a very good balance for riding long rides mixed with technical terrain.  This ride had both, & this seat fit the bill.  I hardly thought about it, except when marveling at how comfortable my behind was at the end of the day.  On the long easy stretches, i slid back in the seat & sat in comfort.  In the gnarly sections, i slid forward & had an easy reach to the ground.

Here's a pic Tom took of me going down the rocky section after the bridge.  I'm slid forward & can 'paddle' with my feet & stay steady.

I thought earlier that i might trim some of the back off & make it a bit narrower.. but now i think i'll leave it alone.. My bottom isn't that tiny & it really likes the room.

I also noticed the bumps didn't make me stand as much.. at least the bumps you get on long dirt roads ~ 40mph.  The seat soaks them up, & the combination of the gel pad, the foam under, the kydex pan, & the closed cell bottom foam all disperse the vibration.

I don't think i'll need a sheepskin cover.. this is the best motorcycle seat i've ever sat on.. compared to any custom seat & i've sat on a few.

new seat profile

Here's some pics of the seat after tweaking it some.. it is more level now, & is more comfortable in the riding position.  I don't think i needed to make it as wide as i did.. my tiny little bottom could have fit into a smaller bowl.  Perhaps if i take it apart i might shrink it more.  But the height & basic shape are satisfactory.

rox riser, alloy high bars

I've had these on for a while, but haven't described them much.  I wanted higher bars for standing & sitting back in the seat on long rides.  I also wanted a lighter, stronger  bar than stock.  I picked up a set of 7/8" rox risers on ebay, & i had a high bar.  The main problem was getting everything to fit.  The longer bar meant the throttle tube wouldn't fit, nor the clutch cable or turn signal assembly.  I cut 1" off the ends of the bars.. that made them a little narrower, but not too much.  The bike still handles fine.  I had to re route the clutch cable to the inside of the bars, instead of to the front & outside.  I also had to loosen & stretch the wires going to the turn signal assembly.

I put everything on before attaching the bar to the risers, & put the risers in line with the forks.  I didn't need them to tilt back any more, & like the feel of the bars being in line with the forks.

Here you can see the throttle tube turned down.

The clutch cable had to be routed behind the triple clamp.

I've been on several long rides with this setup, & am pretty happy with it.  It's fine on long cruises, & also in tight, technical riding.

fine tuning seat..

I took the seat out for a ride.. it seemed to slope forward too much, so i removed the cover, pulled off the seat, cut down the blue foam base & added some strips of the blue foam pad so it was more level.  I raised it about 1 1/2" in the front, & it lowered about 1/2" in the back.  There is more of a pronounced 'step' in the seat.  I'll get some pics on later to illustrate it.

I still haven't done any long rides on it.. just local errands.  I'll report more when i get more saddle time on it.

Lazy boy leather seat.. continuing the quest for posterior bliss

Here's a follow up to my original seat post listed in the Feb. '10 archives.

I've been pondering how to make the seat on the wrx more comfortable.  One of the features of a better seat is a bit of cupping on the sides & back.  I also didn't want to make it too thick, & i wanted to have it go down in the front more so i could get lower in more technical riding conditions.

So here is my latest experiment.  I took apart the stock seat so i could use the seat pan.  Here are the rest of my materials list:

Kydex seat base..       $12
Gel seat pad...         $12
spray adhesive.         $15
leather coat..          $5
1/2" closed cell foam.  $0-$10

I found a gel seat pad at a department store.. it has the cross hatched gel insert in a seat shaped foam pad.  The leather coat i found at a thrift store.  I decided to make the seat leather.. i can put a waterproofing cover on it for rain, & i don't leave it out in the sun, much, & for $5 i can change it later if it breaks down.  I decided to go with kydex for the seat base, since it can be heated & shaped.. we'll see how it holds up.

I had replaced my seat with the spiral step seat, so i could do these mods without rendering the bike seatless.  I took the stock seat apart.. being careful to not ruin the cover or foam..  i just pulled the staples.

I cut a piece of closed cell foam from an old camping pad i had around.  I spray glued it to the seat pan, cutting out a couple of holes for some bumps in the pan.



I made the base out of kydex.  I heated it with a heat gun & slowly bent it into shape.. i just pushed on it on a cardboard box, smoothing out the bumps & doing the final shaping with my fingers.  I cut it to shape, using a 12" wide piece of kydex.  Then i just spray glued it to the foam.





The second picture shows the cupping on the sides & back of the seat.

I cut out the gel seat pad to the shape of the kydex base, then glued it up.  I also reglued the gel insert back into the foam indent.







I just used the cut offs from the seat cushion to fill in the rest of the seat.. spray glued them into place.. ready for the cover.





It's not pictured, but i also filled in the gap on the back of the seat, between the stock seat pan & the kydex.  I filled it with strips of the blue closed cell foam.. just for added suppport.

Now ready for covering.  I thought there should be a poly liner to keep the leather from rubbing on the foam & sticking, so i used the liner that came with the gel seat pad, cut it & glued it to the seat pan.





I trimmed the leather out in a rough shape of the seat.. this was a long coat, so there was plenty of room to trim.  I wasn't worried about the seams, but tried to minimize the seaming in the sitting area.



I used the spray glue to put the leather in place.  I started from the back, then pulled the sides tight & spot glued it.  I folded the leather where it went around the corners.. no cuts.  Because of the bends, there are some folds in the lower sitting area.  I would have had to cut & stitch the leather to take them out... too much work for my lazy boy seat.  I finished gluing the edges, then put some short screws around the perimeter as a better mechanical connection.





Here are my design criteria, & the factors i considered for the design.

1.  Cupped kydex seat base.  This adds support & spreads the weight & pressure points around the sitting area.  The sitting area is no longer on the 'sit bones'.  This is probably the most important part of the seat.  The kydex is easy to heat & shape, is pretty durable, & adds additional 'springyness' on the outside of the stock seat pan.

2.  Gel seat.  Thick foam is not necessary.. just a thin layer of foam with the gel should be adequate.  This keeps the height down.

3.  Seat toward the back.  When riding longer roads, it's easier to sit further back, so i wanted the bigger seat toward the back.  This also keeps the dirtable part of the seat functional.  It is even lower than the stock, now, so i can slide forward & down for more technical riding, or faster cornering.

4.  Leather seat.  This was mostly a choice of opportunity.. i saw the coat at the thrift store, & thought it would make a good seat cover.  I don't care for the gripper seat so much.. i like to slide up & back for changing riding conditions.  I also figure to put a leather conditioner that waterproofs it some, for those rare times i get caught in the rain.  It should also breathe a bit better than vinyl.. not as good a sheepskin, but better than vinyl.

5.  Closed cell foam pad.  This was for additional vibration dampening, better contact on the seating area, & a better base to attach the kydex seat pan.

Time will tell how it works.  I will follow up with additional comments as i test it on rides.