Each season in Japan brings a dramatic change in the landscape. This begins with the famous cherry blossoms in April, then trees everywhere sprout vivid green new leaves in May. The fields turn emerald green over summer as the rice grows and in Autumn entire mountains turn orange. However catching […]
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I have experienced an engine stall problem on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 for a number of years but now seem able to manage the issue. The exact nature of stalling was as follows: Engine from cold starts fine and runs at a fast idle then continues to idle ok at […]
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Because summer in Japan is so humid I decided to look at ways to stop my new Nolan N70-2GT helmet from turning into a swamp. The Nolan helmet already has a liner designed to wick away perspiration and has excellent ventilation from its upper air intakes but no helmet is […]
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As experienced on a Yamaha FJR1300 I have completed 100,000km touring Japan on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 and used a number of tyres over that period. It has been a few years since I last posted my tyre comparison so here is a quick refresh. The tyres used are as […]
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Is blogging obsolete? I was mocked recently for still doing this, but I’m not a luddite. My first computer was a Commodore 64 and I’ve kept abreast of technology ever since. Now computers like my Asus ROG Zephyrus have so much power that upgrades can be less frequent but have […]
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Covid-19 might appear to have me at risk of ‘gear creep’ but so many of my rider items were overdue for replacement. I had been foolishly hanging on to poor quality old gear much of which was not even CE1 rated. Since Covid I’ve thrown out my 20 year old […]
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Nylon Vs Cloth Nylon mesh jackets are what I have always worn in peak summer or if I am in SE Asia where days are steamy but recently I started to question this choice. In Japan summer is high 30’s with humidity that has you perspiring 5 steps outside of […]
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I’m going to pick up where I left off my Ishigaki to Wakkanai motorcycle tour that was washed out in May. It’s been a wet year. And Japan is a country that has no dry season to begin with. A semi reasonable looking forecast appears so I book an overnight […]
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Summer in Japan is crazy humid. I’ve been using mesh jackets but got fed up with how the nylon clings and has no breathability so decided to try a different approach. The Rough & Road cloth summer jacket is constructed of a heavy weight material similar to riding pants and […]
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You might think waiting a year to test an item would be a negative – but not when talking about rain gear. I found these gloves in Naps motorcycle accessory shop Yokohama over a year ago and got them for my 2020 touring but last summer was very kind and […]
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A milestone reached. I’ve clocked 100,000km touring Japan on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300. A few notes on the experience so far and my evolving views on what I might ride next. Long Term Ownership Experience The FJR1300 has been a very reliable motorcycle. Problems have been minor but one item […]
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It is already 8 years since I left Australia with the idea to ride my bucket list before I reach the age where we start making excuses. I’ve written previously how I felt compelled to not wait until retirement to start the ‘one day’ things so I won’t repeat. Initially […]
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