Well, it seems that 2015 has managed to slip by without so much as an edit to the ole blog here. I believe that a lot of it is due to the fact that I didn't get to do any riding of note this year. During the late winter and spring, it seems that Fridays were the unofficial rain day of the week. Fridays were also the only free day that I had to go riding since I try to keep my weekends open so I can maximize time spent doing things with my wife and son, and I am a self-proclaimed fair-weather rider when I can manage it, i.e. like being caught in a random shower or expecting to ride in inclement weather as part of a roadtrip.
If it wasn't raining, then there would be some bit of administrivia requiring my attention during my day off, such as doctor visits, car maintenance appointments, or visits to the vet for my dog. The next thing I knew, it was the dead of summer, and while I'm not averse to warm weather riding, my level of enjoyment plateaus quickly when the ambient temperature is significantly higher than my body temperature. Don't get me wrong, I did take the bike out, but it would mainly be for a quick morning/lunch run and quick shot back via superslab. I was also able to get the V-Strom inspected during this time, which was only...6 months late.
Work then interfered for the remainder of the summer, and fall really has yet to manifest itself in Texas this year, so we'll probably go straight to winter. Work is no longer a hindrance as I've resigned and am pursuing new opportunities that are hopefully a lot more fun, but that's another story. Suffice it to say, the weather has again turned generally crappy. Crappy, except for those beautiful days while I was suffering from strep throat and then a cold which quickly followed. So timing-wise, riding wasn't really in the cards.
And now it's 2016. I am hopeful that 2016 will be a much better year for riding. For starters, my lovely wife bought me a new Garmin zumo 660LM GPS unit for the V-Strom! While not a necessity, I think it will make my life a lot easier since I'll have maps/navigation easily at my disposal rather than having to stop somewhere, take my gloves off, dig out my phone, and using my GPS apps from there. With the country and Farm-to-Market (FM) roads in Texas, there is really no telling what direction you will ultimately end up heading as they turn and wind around long-forgotten farm boundaries. Now I can just ride, make a random turn, and not really be majorly concerned about where I'm headed, because I can track my way back using the zumo, or I can simply instruct it to take me home.
I've only played with the zumo off-bike, but I've got it updated with the latest maps, customized the icon with a motorcycle, and tweaked the settings for how I think I would like it to work. One of the things I have to figure out is how I want to handle the bluetooth pairings, which I think will involve re-reading a few manuals. In addition to my iPhone, there's the Scala Carda G9, and now the Zumo. I currently have the phone paired with the G9, but the G9 can be the hub and also pair with the zumo, or the zumo can be the hub and pair with the phone and the G9. I'm currently inclined to use the G9 as the hub even though it would be nice to use the zumo for playing MP3s since it could be controlled from the touch screen. I think the G9 is the better hub option mainly for this reason: if for some reason I should be thrown off of the motorcycle beyond BT range, the G9 would still theoretically be paired to the iPhone (assuming it has survived the unexpected dismount and is still operational in my pocket), and I could initiate an emergency call. If the zumo is the hub, then the G9 would no longer be able to find the iPhone for emergency calls. I will, of course, have to validate this assumption, but that's currently where my head is.
Before any of that can happen, though, I need to get this bad boy installed on the bike. I have an auxiliary power pigtail that I bought from Eastern Beaver, which will plug directly into the V-Strom's auxiliary power port, which is bundled up inside the right front fairing. It should be a simple matter of plugging it in and then splicing the power leads from the zumo cradle to the pigtail. The zumo came with all of the RAM mount hardware necessary to mount the unit using a RAM ball system, and I fortunately have two 1" RAM ball mounts on the handle bar courtesy of the Adventure Tech mirror extenders. I will probably go with this option first just for proof of concept, but I am considering buying the AdventureTech GPS mounting plate that goes under the windshield to mount the GPS unit front and center above the dash. My understanding is that it makes it a lot easier to use with a quick glance. As long as I'm doing all that, I may also get an AdventureTech auxiliary shelf to mount a voltmeter and AUX power outlet, but since I don't have anything that currently requires power, I may hold off on this since my actual needs might vary from what I choose now.
At any rate, those are my first thoughts of the new year. Look for an update in the near future for however I decide to mount the zumo. I'll probably document both the temporary mounting using the bar RAM mounts and then the final mounting using the dash plate.
I hope 2015 treated you better than it did me, and here's looking forward to a much improved 2016!
