BMW Recalls 2008-2010 F650GS and F800GS Motorcycles to Correct Stalling Condition

BMW is recalling model year 2008, 2009, and 2010 F650GS and F800GS motorcycles manufactured between January 2008 and December 2009.

During engine operation, a vacuum is created in order to draw fresh air into the canister. This air then mixes with the fuel vapors captured by the canister, and is subsequently combusted. Due to the routing of the ventilation hose, water near the end of the hose could be drawn into the charcoal canister.

4498 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Kawasaki’s 2010 Motorcyles

Big Green has released the details of the 2010 model line today, and some of the changes are pretty nice. Some of them are simply…meh.

2010 ZX10R

First up is the 2010 ZX-10R Ninja. This is one of the “Meh” entries in the lineup. Not much new to talk about here. They’ve modified the bodywork a little bit. They’ve changed the steering damper to a new–and presumably better–one. And they’ve painted the muffler black. Other than that, next year’s ZX-10R is pretty much status quo ante.

My best advice is to wait for a year if you want a big Ninja. Supposedly, Kawasaki is gonna put the bike through a complete redesign for the 2011 model year. Until then, the new Ninja is pretty much what the old Ninja was.

2010 Versys

Another “meh” is the 2010 Versys. It has new headlights, that kind of have a BMW R1200R kind of feel. But it’s is, again, pretty much the same bike as this year’s.

I think we’re done with the “Meh” bikes in the line-up, though.

2010 Concours14

There are some nice changes to Kawasaki’s premier sports tourer. Not, unfortunately, some of the changes rumored earlier this year, like the night vision and HUD I wrote about a while ago. Instead, the Connie gets something called KTRC, Kawasaki’s first-ever traction control system. Also new is the the K-ACT II anti-lock braking system to control those panic stops, a larger windscreen to solve the complaints about the effectiveness of wind management, bodywork redesigned for better heat management, heated grips, upgraded suspension, and new Bridgestone tires.

Oh, and it’s blue. Blue is nice.

2010 Z1000

The Z1000 is the bike where major changes have occurred. The current incarnation of the Z1000 is OK…but just OK. Nice, but the power is kind of soft and squishy. The new Z1000 looks like a big step forward. It’s pretty much a completely new motorcycle, in fact.

First, the engine is completely new. It’s a 1043cc I-4 power plant adapted from the ZX10R, and it provides 136HP and 91lb-ft of torque. That’s a serious improvement over the current incarnation’s 953cc mill from the ZX-9. That means noticeably better acceleration, and improved top-end speed.

Next, the steel backbone frame is gone, replaced by an all-aluminum frame with a monocoque main spar. Fuel storage is now beneath the seat, so the narrower frame and changed fuel tank offers a narrower profile for better knee gripping. That’s helped by the narrow bottom and flared top of the…uh, whatever the thing on top now is, instead of a fuel tank.

There are lots of suspension changes, too, with the rear suspension being an all-new “horizontal” design, and more aggressive front-end geometry.

The styling has been updated, too, giving it a noticeable B-King vibe, but whether that’s a good thing or not is in the eye of the beholder.

The most extraordinary motorcycle GPS mount (but don't take our word for it)

Take Kevin's word for it! Here's what he says:

"If I had to describe your product in a word, it would be extraordinary! The material and workmanship was outstanding! Several employees [at my local dealership] had installed GPS's on their own motorcycles, and they said that Leader Motorsports was the place to go for top quality mounting systems. Thank you so much for your generosity. I can see why they recommended doing business with Leader Motorsports."

Thanks Kevin, you made our day!

For more information about mounting GPS on your motorcycle, click here.

My Spray Tanning Experience

(I actually can't remember if I've already done a post about this topic and didn't find anything when I did a search on my blog. But if for some reason this is the second time you're reading this, you can disregard it and chalk it up to me getting old and forgetful hahahahah)

Okay, so I'm pretty sure you're thinking, "Dania, you have a 'natural' tan, why on Earth would you need one sprayed on?!" LOL. In the beginning I never even gave spray tanning a thought since I was already pleasantly brown but a few months ago I decided to give it a try. For those of you that don't already know, I have eczema--the genetic kind so it's not like it's just going to go away, unfortunately--and I have always had to deal with large areas of discoloration. For the past few years the hyperpigmentation has made itself right at home on my stomach/midsection area. It's been a nuisance to say the least and my one dream has been to have a uniform skin tone from head to toe...see where I'm going with this?

Anyways, a few months ago I had a casting call down in Los Angeles and was told I would need to wear my swimsuit underneath my clothes because they would be taking snapshots. So I figured why not look into getting a spray tan that would simply even out my skin tone? After some research online I found a local place that was reputable and had a lot of good reviews. I followed the instructions to a tee: I showered, shaved and exfoliated, did not apply any kind of lotion or moisturizer, tied my hair back with a head scarf and wore loose, black shorts and a black tanktop. I was ready to go!

I opted to go nude so that I could try and see if the stretch marks on my butt could be covered up as well as to decrease the chances of tan lines. The type of tanning I got done didn't involve stepping into a booth but having a spray tan technician apply it manually instead. After 10 minutes I was done! I could already start to see the color building up and I got more instructions from the tech about how to care for my tan afterwards. It was pretty tedious and a bit of a hassle to me:

- Avoid showering, sweating or any kind of water for at least 8 hours
- No exfoliating of any kind
- No using body wash, loofahs, wash cloths or scented bar soap like Dove
- No baths or long, hot showers
- Only being able to use body butter instead of regular lotions, which can cause streaking

It may not seem like much but when you do these things on a daily basis without realizing it, it can be difficult to mentally kick yourself into breaking those habits. Unfortunately, the spray tan did nothing for my stretch marks but it worked wonders on my stomach. For the first time in eons I was one color! I couldn't believe how much more self confidence I had and the funny thing is none of my friends noticed, which was good because that obviously meant it looked natural and I was glad I didn't come out looking like an Oompa Loompa. And wouldn't you know it: after all that, I didn't even have to strip to my swimsuit for the casting in Los Angeles because the casting director forgot to charge her camera battery so it died before the casting even started! But it was okay, at least I was able to enjoy being one color for a while.

I kept my spray tan around for almost two weeks but what I didn't realize was that the spray tan would drive my skin crazy! Having eczema means that I have to exfoliate in order to slough off the layers of dead skin that sometimes causes my dry patches. Not being able to do that for a period of time caused my skin to become super itchy and very uncomfortable--no matter how much I moisturized. At times it felt like my skin was literally crawling. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and made an appointment to get a full body scrub at a local day spa--I didn't want to scrub off the tan myself because I figured that it would come out uneven and splotchy. While the scrub itself only added to the itchiness at first, after she wiped it off and put me in a hot shower OH BOY DID I FEEL GREEEEAAATTT!!! LOL. I stepped out of that shower soft and smooth as a baby's butt! Once my skin could breathe again I knew all was right with the world.

So what's the bottom line on spray tanning? It's a great alternative and while I totally enjoyed the freedom of not appearing like a discolored weirdo, for me it just was not worth the havoc it wreaked on my skin. I now pleasantly turn to moisturizers with gradual self tanners added. My product of choice for the past few years is the Victoria's Secret Daily Glow Moisturizer in the Medium to Dark Shade. It's $16 but well worth it because it has vitamins A & E as well as aloe. Instead of using an orange-ish, predetermined shade it works with your skin's existing pigmentation so the tan that develops looks completely natural. As long as you keep using it the color will get darker and once you get the shade you like just stop using it and it will last from 2 weeks to one month--if you're really good about taking care of it. It's worked well on my legs and stomach, although it will never match the complete results that spray tanning got. But hey, I'll just do what I've continued to do my whole life: work with what I have instead of wishing for what I don't.

Ward Hawthorne 1938

Sepeda Cruiser 26" ini di Produksi pada Tahun 1938 oleh Cleveland Welding Company, di Ohio Amerika Serikat. Yang mana perusahaan ini juga sebagai Produsen sepeda Roadmaster yang sangat terkenal.
Brand sepeda Hawthorne ini diperjualbelikan melalui toko-toko Montgomery Ward. Sebagian besar sepeda yang ditawarkan oleh Montgomery Ward cukup generik, namun ada beberapa pengecualian, seperti Hawthorne Zep tahun 1939 adalah Desain yang Eksklusif, dan begitu pula 1940-1941 Hawthorne All-American, yang dirancang oleh Desainer Industri terkenal Walter Dorwin Teague. Kebanyakan sepeda Hawthorne diproduksi oleh Cleveland Welding Company, yang mana juga salah satu pemilik Brand Roadmaster, atau HP Snyder, pembuat Rollfast.

New Vintage Red Ballon Tyre Set 26 x 2.125 

NOS Vintage Torrington Red Prewar Pedals Bicycle

NOS Vintage Chainguard Clamps

NOS Vintage Hunt Wilde Red Prewar Grips 

New Vintage Cruiser Sadle
NOS Vintage Rear Rack 26" Prewar / Postwar Era

Hawthorne Bicycle Advertising 1937 - 1938

A Quick Update About Becoming a Victoria's Secret Model

I've already done a post about what it takes to become a Victoria's Secret Model but recently came across some additional pieces of information that I thought I would pass along to you VS hopefuls:

If you want to know who has the ultimate say-so of who gets to be a Victoria's Secret Angel, his name is: Edward Razek. This man is the Senior Creative & Chief Marketing Officer for Limited Brands, which is the company that owns VS. Razek is responsible for personally selecting the models to represent the world famous lingerie company. He has helped to launch the VS careers of dozens of models whose names we would know anywhere: Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Gisele, among many others.

For those of you that are not already aware of it, VS does have a Fashion Show Competition to find the next VS Angel. The most recent one was held in October of 2009 and consisted of castings in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago. The requirements are that contestants be a minimum of 5'8" in height without shoes on (no faking it with the heels, ladies, they will check!) and you have to be a native resident of the United States. Additionally, you have to be between the ages of 18 to 30 years old. I'm sure they'll have this competition again next year and soon as I can get the info I'll be sure to post it on my blog.

~Monark Rocket 1951-1957

Manufactured by Monark-Silver King Bicycle Company, Chicago.

A classic bicycle built in Chicago in 1950-51 - its a single speed Monark Rocket cruiser. The frame has been completely Repainted and Rechromed - cleaned and polished - All bearing components including the New Departure coaster brake have been taken apart, cleaned and regreased - Oct 2009. Custom enameled/pinstriped rims and hand made spokes have been repaint . Wide Bars (26 1/2"), Coke Bottle FlexGrips, Brand New Ballon Tires/Tubes (26 x 2.125), Original Teardrop Crank, NOS Red Wald Pedals with Diamond Reflectors. Customed Seat. Customed Rear Rack Handmade Reproduction. Customed Tank Handmade Reproduction. Customed Monark Rocket Decals.

My Shifter + Hubs Bicycle Collections (Vintage)

Sturmey Archer 3 - Speed Thumb Shifter 80's:

Sturmey Archer 3-Speed Thumb Shifter 60/70's:

Sturmey Archer S2 Two Speed Hub Date: 71 (Kickback) NOS still in a box

Sturmey Archer AW 3 Speed Hub Date: 69/14  

Sturmey Archer AW 3 Speed Hub Date: 79/ 5 

Sturmey Archer AW 3 Speed Hub Date: 84/11

Used Good Conditions Sturmey Archer 3 speed:

Common used on Raleigh Rodeo Bicycle

NOS Sturmey Archer Sportshift 3 Speed Raleigh Chopper Girly:

• Mounted on Gooseneck / Stem

Mint Condition Schwinn Stingray '68 5 Speed Stick Shifter with cable tube:
NOS Knob 5 Speed and Nuts

NOS Sturmey Archer 3 + 2 / 5 Speed Raleigh Chopper Mk1:

NOS Sturmey Aarcher Shifter Cover Raleigh Chopper Mk1:

Sturmey Archer 3 + 2 or 5 Speed Raleigh Chopper Mk1:

NOS Sturmey Archer 3 Speed Sport Shift:
Common used on Raleigh Rodeo Bicycle

NOS Suntour 5 Speed:

Common used on 20" Muscle Bike Era, fit on common bicycle with single "Up Tube" on the Frame

Made In Japan.

NOS Sturmey Archer 5 Speed Twinshift:
Common used on Muscle Bike with Twin Up Tube on the Frame.

NOS Shimano 3 Speed Stick Shifter:
Usually used on 20" Muscle Bike Era, fit on common bicycle with single "Up Tube" on the Frame.
Made In Japan.

Stick Shifter Plate for Raleigh Chopper, NOS Knob and Sturmey Archer 3 Speed shifter Plate and Stick:

SF 3 Speed Stick Shifter:
Mounted on Gooseneck / Stem Tube

NOS 5 Speed Benhur / Apollo Stick Shifter