So...why not "hacks for your motorcycle?" Anyone who has spent any amount of time riding motorcycles figures out some things that work well for them. So let's share them with others!
Here's some that I use myself:
For rain, I carry three items:
- Plastic grocery bags. When you're trying to pull your rain gear pants on over your wet boots, it's extremely difficult, and you can easily end up tearing your rain gear as your boots "grab" the material. Instead, slip your boot into a plastic grocery bag first, then pull the leg of your rain gear pants over it. The slippery plastic lets your boot slide easily right through the inside of the leg without grabbing.
- Nitrile gloves. I carry quite a few of these, grabbed out of my box at home. They can be used to keep grease off your hands during roadside repairs, to protect yourself (and the victim) should you have the poor misfortune to have to help treat an injured person, and for rainy days. Why rainy days? Have you ever tried to put a pair of riding gloves on your hands when your hands are wet? It's pretty tough. Worse, if your hands do get wet, when you pull them out of the gloves you can end up turning the liner inside out, which is almost impossible to fix. Put on a pair of nitrile gloves first, your hands will slip easily into the gloves, and when you pull them out, the liner will stay put inside the glove. Plus, it keeps your hands dry should your gloves not be entirely waterproof. If the weather gets a bit colder than you expect, and your gloves are insufficient, putting on a pair of nitrile gloves underneath your riding gloves will warm your hands up considerably.
- Ziploc bags. I carry the freezer variety, which are thicker and tougher. I have a wide array of electronics on my bike, some of which (i.e. GPS, bike PC) are not entirely waterproof. When I get into heavy rain, I pull out a couple Ziploc bags, put them over top the electronics, and zip the bottom closed as far as it will go. You can still see the screens of the devices, but no water can get to them. Also very handy for holding broken parts picked up off the ground after a bad tipover or "off."
Some other "hacks" that come to mind:
- Unscented Pledge furniture spray: works amazingly well as a windshield cleaner, and leaves a slight oily coating that repels rain.
- Large white "stretchy" garbage bags: these have myriad uses, from improvised rain gear (use duct tape to seal the arms and legs) to covering up external loads from rain. They can also be worn underneath a jacket to give you a warm insulated layer if the weather turns unexpectedly cold.
- It never fails: five minutes into a long trip, a great big, juicy bug smacks right into the center of your windshield or helmet visor. Soak a paper towel in water, then put it on the dried bug guts for a minute or two. The dried remains will liquify and wipe right off without a trace.
- Your new-to-you motorcycle has air-brushed "artwork" all over it that is not quite to your taste? E-Z Off Oven Cleaner will take the air-brushed paint off without harming the factory paint underneath.
- You carry a smartphone? Keep a PDF copy of your bike's service manual on the phone. It's not convenient to look through, but in an emergency roadside repair situation, it could mean the difference between being stranded and getting home.
- Your not-so-waterproof boots wet inside? Stuff some crumpled up newspaper into them and let sit overnight, they'll be dry by morning.
And not so much of a "hack" as a "keep on task" technique I brought across from piloting airplanes: Obviously fuel is of utmost importance when flying, specifically how much you have left. If you encounter more of a headwind than expected, affecting your groundspeed, you need to calculate whether or not you can still make your intended destination with acceptable reserve, and if not, divert to an intermediary airport for fuel. I would spend hours in the cockpit assessing my progress, working out speeds, fuel burn, time, and doing the math in my head to work out whether I would be OK. It kept my mind engaged on the task at hand instead of wandering.
On the motorcycle, when on long, boring highway trips, I do the same thing. How many miles since my last fill-up? How much fuel have I burned? Will I be able to continue this average speed? Where will I need to plan to get fuel next? What time will it be when I get there? I do these calculations in my head constantly, to both keep me informed, and keep me awake and focused on riding the bike. I take great pride in being able to predict my time of arrival within minutes. Those with less aptitude for mathematics might not find this quite as much fun. My wife looks at me like an alien when I explain that I do math in my head for fun and to pass the time.
