Slime Tire Gauge

About a year ago I purchased a Slime brand tire pressure gauge, the round type with a needle to show the pressure in the tire. It broke after only a few uses, so I contacted Slime and they replaced the gauge free of charge.

Last month, the tire pressure light on my car came on. This didn’t surprise me because it happens when the temperature drops. So I check the tire pressure and three of the tires were a few psi low, and one was about 10 psi low. I pumped up the tires and everything was good.

The next week the tps light illuminated again. I checked the tires and only the one was about 10 psi low again. I figured there was a slow leak in the tire, so I took it off and searched for a leak. I couldn’t find anything. I took the tire to the local garage and they couldn’t find the leak either. I put the tire back on and figured I would see what happens.

The tps light didn’t come on for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would check the tire pressure again. Sure enough it was about 10 psi low, but the tps light didn’t come on, so I figured something was wrong with the tire and tps. No big deal, I’ll just check the tire pressure each week to see what is happening.

After a couple of weeks, I got tired of dragging out the compressor and extension cord, so I purchased an air tank to top off the tires. This was much easier. I found all the tires on both of my cars were reading different air pressures each week. Each week I would pump them up to the proper psi.

Finally after almost two months, I decided to try a different tire pressure gauge. All of my tires should be 33 psi per the manufacture. When I used the Slime gauge they were reading 23 to 28 psi each week. When I used my craftsman digital they read 40 to 45 psi! I got a cheap pencil gauge and it was also reading in the 40 to 45 psi range.

Unbelievable, I was furious. I spent weeks messing around with my tires and even bought an air tank all because of a stupid, inaccurate tire pressure gauge made from a company that sold a defective product from the beginning!

The scary part is I used this tire gauge on my motorcycle too! Having an under or over inflated tire isn’t as dangerous in a car as it could be on a motorcycle.

In the past I have written to consumer reports and popular mechanics regarding tire pressure gauges. A couple of times a year they harp on the importance of proper tire pressure in your vehicle. They usually even state something like, even 1 psi off can make a difference in fuel economy and handling. Well, I have used multiple tire gauges on my cars and have gotten different results repeatedly. So, I asked them to do a report on tire gauges to see which one is most accurate. As you can imagine, no response and I have yet to see a report testing them.

Moral of the story, I will be using two tire gauges to check the pressure in my tires from now on. I suggest everyone else to do the same.

Shadow Adventures: Last ride of the season?

I haven't had many adventures recently for a various number of reasons.

Yesterday, however, was an excellent riding day. I decided to take advantage of the situation and go for at least one more ride this season.

I have been wanting to stop by the Staple Bend Tunnel at Mineral Point for some time now, so I decided to take a ride and check it out. The ride was pretty uneventful and most were rural roads with very little traffic, so the ride was enjoyable. The weather was sunny and about 65 degrees.

I wasn't really sure what to expect to see, but when I got to what I thought was a tunnel was just a small overpass. Here is a picture of what I thought I drove 24 miles to see.

There isn't really anything spectacular about it, except for the fact that once you drive through the "tunnel" there is a 90 degree turn on the other side. Hence the stop light directing traffic one way at a time through the tunnel.

After driving through the "tunnel," I decided to continue on down the road a little ways before I turn around. It's a good thing I did, because the "tunnel" was not really the tunnel! I came across a nice parking lot with a trail to access the real tunnel!

This will have to be another adventure to hike the two mile trail to see the tunnel.

The return trip home was a nice ride, I decided to take a different route home. It total it was a 47 mile trip and a great afternoon!

Until the next ride.....

Shadow Adventures: Commuting

I haven't really gone for many joy rides on the bike recently.
I spent some time working on my saddle bag brackets and finally got them installed.

They didn't turn out too bad. Some schedule 40 PVC pipe and mending braces is all it took. They may not look pretty, but they work just fine.

Since the bracket install, I have been taking the bike to work on sunny days. It is a great way to start and end the work day for sure. Plus, I get the added bonus of around 60 miles per gallon. The coldest morning temperature has been 41.9 degrees. I was comfortable, but the ride home was rather warm wearing all of the cold weather gear! I am hoping to continue riding as long into fall as possible.

Shadow Adventures: Official Business

As mentioned in a previous post I had a doctors appointment last Friday and was hoping to take my bike on an official trip, not just a joy ride. Well, that didn't happen. I had other stuff to do, like drop off the recycling, and the storage capabilities of a motorcycle are somewhat lacking. Plus the weather didn't look too promising.

Thankfully, the doctor decided I needed some fasting blood work done, so Saturday morning at 6:30 I am on my way to the hospital lab for blood work. On my bike of course. It was 48 degrees out and pretty foggy. I closed the vents on my helmet, but it was still a pretty chilly ride. By the time I got to the lab, I was also pretty wet driving through the fog. It is amazing how much moisture is in fog. The ride home was much warmer with the sun shining brightly.

No problems on the ride, in fact it was nice to ride the open road. Of course, at 6:30 on a Saturday morning there isn't much traffic either.

I was able to carry my paperwork and other items in a backpack I purchased. It worked perfectly.

This weekend is Thunder In the Valley. I am not sure if I will attend the main event in Johnstown or some of the surrounding events like the Nanty Glo Pool n Pork or the Ebensburg Wheels and Wings. Either that or I will be a rebel and have my own one man ride! Thunder at Doe Valley!

Until then, keep on thinking....

Shadow Adventures - First Fill-up

I bought some biker boots on Saturday and was itching to try them out. I wasn't sure what I wanted for boots and most are expensive. I saw a great deal on some Harley Davidson boots, but they were too tight. So I got these GBX Dorado boots, not bad for $9!

I knew that I needed some gas in the bike as well, so what better way to test out the boots than to do a road trip for fuel.

The local gas station is about a mile away and should take about 5 minutes to get to. But of course that is not the gas station I opted to patronize. I went to Sheetz, which is several towns away. It was a great ride. The boots felt perfect.

The trip involved some rural roads, two lane and four lane highways. There wasn't much traffic. The temperature was nice with a light breeze. The trip was about 35 miles and took about an hour.

I filled up with 104 miles on the tank and it took about 1.6 gallons, so that equates to around 63 miles per gallon. Not too bad.

I am hoping for a road trip on Friday where I will actually have several stops to make. I still need to research saddlebags or some other type of storage options.

Shadow Adventures - Nature Area

My adventures continued last night with a ride to a local nature area. The weather was perfect, sunny and a comfortable 70 degrees.

Before the trip, I needed to check the coolant. I started the bike to let it warm up a little. All of a sudden the bike stalls. I start it up and it stalls immediately once again. I start it up and open the throttle a little, stalls again. It was as if it wasn't getting any fuel. Then I remember to turn the fuel value to the "on" position. The bike fired back up again and continued running.

I looked at the coolant reservoir but I couldn't see any fluid in there so I drove the bike up to have my brother check it out with me. Up there we were able to see the coolant level and it was fine. It appeared to be blueish so I'll have to research that a little more. I gave him my trip details and off I went.

This trip was going to involve a short run on two major highways in the area. One is a two lane and the other is a four lane. I started my journey. As I approached the first major highway there were three other bikers in front of me so I followed them and to my surprise they were turning onto the same road I was going.

Apparently, they were not out for a joy ride, because as soon as we turned onto the rural road they took off! I kept going about the speed limit which was 45 mph. As I approached the four lane highway I wasn't sure which way to go because of the way the intersection is laid out, but I always say when in doubt go right. So right it was!

There weren't many cars on the four lane so it was a nice ride for about half a mile, then I turned off onto the road to the nature area. The exit ramp was recently repaved, but as soon as you crest the little hill the paved road turns into a shale road. Thankfully, I was not traveling fast and had no problems making the adjustment to the road condition.

The nature area was about a mile down the road. As I approached the parking lot, I saw the biggest black bear I have ever seen in my entire life. He looked at me and started to walk away. Then he turned and looked at me again, so I revived up the bike and he continued on his way. I was not carrying my gun at the time either. Even if I was, I don't think my 9mm would have done much too him. Time to start researching .357's again!

I hopped off of my bike and snapped this picture of the sign.

I looked around briefly at the nature area and it didn't look like it was maintained very well. The trails were not trimmed. Obviously there is at least one gigantic bear that roams the area. I may head back again to check it out, but I think I'll take some protection with me next time!

Back on the bike to the four lane highway. Another half mile to the next exit and then back home. It was a great ride, about 25 miles in 45 minutes. The next ride will be to the gas station. Until then.....

Shadow Adventures - Memorial Day Ride

I was fortunate enough to go for another, longer ride on Memorial day. This ride was about 30 miles and formed a circle through 7 or 8 small towns. There was no traffic on these roads and it was an excellent time to continue to build my riding confidence level. I really enjoyed all of the smells from the cookouts everyone was having.

On the way home, I ended up riding by Duman Park again, so I stopped to snap a picture.

There were several campers and many families fishing at the lake.

Overall, it was a great ride. 

I purchased some pledge multi-surface wipes to clean the bike after every ride to keep it looking good. I also noticed there was no coolant in the overflow reservoir, so I'll need to check that before the next trip.

Until the next time.....

Shadow Adventures - First Ride

After a week of sitting on my motorcycle in the garage, I finally got to take it for a ride on Saturday. The weather was sunny, but cool. Around 60 degrees with a 15 to 20 mph wind. My first stop was to get the bike inspected.

After the inspection, I decided to get some practice in on the back roads. It didn't take long to find the sweet spot on the clutch. I decided to cruise to a local county park. I did a drive through and turned around to head home using a different route. Round trip it was about 12 miles or so.

I pulled into the driveway and was telling my brother all about the excitement of the ride. He walked over to my bike and said "What happened to your cover?" I looked and the side cover that holds the manual was missing.

I was not too happy. I thought maybe I just left it off when I took the manual out to read it. So down to the garage. Nothing there. I decide to head back out and retrace my ride. I get to the park and turn around. On my way back I find my cover sitting in the middle of the road.

I pulled off and grabbed the cover. It was scratched up, but otherwise okay. As I am putting the cover back into place another biker approaches. When he gets to about 25 feet away he guns his bike and takes off. What an idiot.

I return home and tell my story to everyone, but I am sure they are already sick of hearing about my biking adventures! So my 12 mile ride turned into about 25 miles! The adventure continues.

Shadow Adventures

Last week I picked up my first street motorcycle. It is a 2001 Honda Shadow with about 13,000 miles on it. The bike is in great shape and I think I got a pretty good deal on it as well. Riding it home was pretty nerve racking once I got to the main highway, but I had my brother following behind me to keep traffic back. I made it home successfully.

I thought I would start sharing my motorcycling adventures on my blog as well. This way everyone gets to share in the joy of a motorcycle ride.