Images Set in Concrete

We're visiting yet another plant this week - a cement plant in Florida. The following images were shot to offer a scope of the size of this plant and its panoramic landscape - varying at a distance of 10-30 miles away, we could see the entire skyline from Ft. Lauderdale all the way to Miami and South Beach! Enjoy...


First, the freight elevator takes us up to around 350 feet...


The various plant systems lay before us - don't know what is what, really.


This is one of several ponds - that was an easy call, I know.


Their concrete fabrication inventory is enormous and provides the components needed for tilt-up concrete buildings and other structures.


Meanwhile, train cars snake around the complex delivering raw process materials.


On our floor, huge steel process structures surround us doing the job of making cement.


At over 300 feet elevation, these huge process ducts dwarf the superstructure holding them up.


Our emissions testing equipment draws flue samples out of the stack for characterization analysis. Flow velocity, CO, dioxins and particulate are several of the parameters being measured at this site.


I'd love to tell you what this is for... I just can't.


Massive piping meets up with even more massive vessels as the cement process goes on and on.


Appearing like a giant waffle iron, these forms add rigidity to the structural steel they are welded to.

Power to the People!

We shift gears again and return to some photography taken while stack testing at a power plant. This plant is undertaking massive construction of pollution control modifications to minimize its harmful emissions, these images will give a scope of the structures and environment.

Enjoy...


These four fiberglass composite stacks each measure 20 feet across and are contained in a single concrete 'stack'. They receive flue gases from the four main boilers that provide the power to generate electricity.


Looking up the interior of the larger exterior stack wall.


Here is our only transportation. We squeezed personnel and equipment into it to take us 420 feet above! (I made at least 30 trips on it during our three days of testing.)


The coal yard and cooling ponds alongside the muddy Ohio River.


Coal barges are constantly navigated to the site for offloading 24 hours a day.


Fellow stack testers set up their monitoring equipment.

2008 Riding Season - Are You Ready?

Well, I'm ready. Really ready, that is. My first ride of the season to Norris Lake a few weeks back and another one today tell me the V-Strom is ready for the 2008 Riding Season.

First rides of the season are a big deal only because they're the start of more rides. Six to seven months of rides to be exact. Long one. Short ones. Every one of 'em. And getting ready for those rides is a big deal. Cuz this means work. Fixing, adjusting, adding, changing, finding, buying, and eventually finishing everything you set out to do so you're really actually ready to ride this spring. This process usually requires working in a cold, poorly lit garage, repeated unplanned spending of parts and supplies, and huge sacrifices in quality TV viewing. Why? To make the 2008 Riding Season better than last year's. There's also the hours spent on internet research. More hours spent keeping up with your bike's forum members for all those details and insight you can't get anywhere else. Then, choosing the right items that will make your ride truly deluxe. There's never enough time or money. We must prevail. Spring is coming!

I bought my 2007 DL650A in December and had put only a few hundred miles on it until mid-February. In the meantime, I had my 2007 Winter To-Do List. Did I get it all done? You bet I did! Everything on the list is crossed out. What did it take?

- Repositioning the rear brake pedal for better leverage and quickly activating the tail light made all the difference in rear brake operation. Replaced the stock rear brake pads with a new set of EBC HH-rated sintered pads. I am now able to easily operate the rear brakes to the point of activating the ABS for maximum performance. This fixes the flaccid factory braking syndrome many DL650 riders are experiencing.

- Adjusting the shift lever all the way down for a more ergonometric grab with my right foot was big help.

- Careful handlebar and clutch/brake lever repositionings worked for me and took the pain out of my forearms. If I concentrate on my posture now, riding is really quite comfortable.

- An Eastern Beaver fuse box/relay harness is wired up and powering accessories with plenty of room for future add-ons.

- Symtec heated grips have been installed and are an absolute must-do! Not having to wear thick winter gloves is a big step in maintaining safe control in cold weather. The best $36 accessory I have added thus far.

- A Kuryakyn LED battery meter is keeping real-time tabs on the DL's power usage.

- The Bestem top box tail light and LED side markers will add some visibility, but I really want to convert the turn signal-only assemblies into a true parking/turn signal configuration.

- Two new Richland Rick RAM-mount mirror extenders are mounted and ready to accept future RAM-mounted accessories during 2008.

- A 16-tooth Suzuki OEM Gixxer 600 front sprocket has already proven to be a better gearing partner for the stock rear sprocket over the stock 15-tooth spec. This install included a thorough cleaning, lube repacking and adjustment of the clutch release mechanism - a good seasonal chore for us all.

- A Bestem 46-liter removable top box now holds my HJC CL-31 helmet and other riding gear. My Cortech GX jacket fits in one of the Givi side cases for a complete stow at the curb.

- A black Kevin Baker DL fork brace has stabilized the front end for smoother turns and better tracking in rough pavement conditions.

- 3M Black Reflective Tape has been applied on the frame and hard cases for better night visibility. I added some stylish patches on my helmet too.

- My PVC Koozie Kola Kooler drink carrier will keep me slaked on those longer roads.

- And there's fresh Shell Rotella T 5-30W synthetic oil in the crankcase for a long season of get-on-it-and-go convenience.

Now that's a feel-good post for any rider! If you spent last winter prepping your beastie for Spring of 2008, you know what that means. This year is gonna be the best one ever - we made sure of that!

This is Adventure Touring!

Any questions?

LED Side Markers Add Visibility

Although equipped with superb headlighting power, the V-Strom is limited in the lighting department elsewhere. With no parking lights, side lighting is nonexistent and this worries me that I'll be easy pickins' in traffic where unwary motorists won't 'recognize' my V-Strom like other vehicles are normally viewed. To avoid that confusion, I'm installing side marker LED assemblies - two amber units up front and two red units at the rear. They'll be mounted on the bottom surfaces of the fairing 'tupperware' and illuminate the side of the bike while in traffic.

For just $6 per unit at WalMart, these weatherproof, three-LED encapsulated marker lights are perfect - their flat sides allow for industrial strength Velcro fastening out of sight in the daytime but clearly visible at night - classy and practical. A separate switch on my fabbed rear power panel will control these parking light additions.

The Electric Kit and Kaboodle

The immediate desire to upgrade one's V-Strom is too easy with all the great resources online. To make use of the many electrical accessories, it is wise to install a fuse box with the capacity you'll need for future add-ons. After researching the subject, this is where I went to accomplish my electrical upgrade path.

Jim Davis lives in Japan and builds premium electrical harnesses for motorcycles. He also dispenses the Powerlet line of plugs and connectors, a variety of fuse boxes and all the electrical components you'd ever need to wire your bike to the highest automotive code. His Eastern Beaver (www.easternbeaver.com) cycle website is replete with kits and bits that will turn your ride into a local utility for accessories through fused protection against the elements.

I asked Jim to rig me up a variation of his deluxe 6-fuse box harness to equip an even bigger 8-fuse version with ground cables and all - what he calls the Whole Kit and Kaboodle. And it's just that - a fully fused electrical harness that will accomodate all the add-ons I have planned: LED side lighting, a Battery Tender charger conduit, future GPS and XM connections, Symtec heated grips, a Kuryakyn battery monitor and more. Here's what I got:


Main Harness

Ground Harness

I'll be documenting the installation on this transformation to the V-Strom, along with help from John at V-Strom Riders International (http://11109.rapidforum.com), who's electrical writings offer excellent guidance to any budding bike electrician's dreams.

More as this project develops...

The Perfect Adventure Tourer

I've only had my 2007 650 V-Strom a month or so now, but after riding and reading all that is published on this Suzuki wundercycle, it's hard to be modest. I mean, when you hear of Beemer F650 and GS riders opting for a brandy new V-Strom and praise it's lighter weight, linear power and torque, low maintenance, high reliability, uh... do you see what I mean? Once you get started it's hard to stop telling the world what you've found.

Tell you what - I'll change the subject a little. Let's talk about me instead, OK? As an aging adventure seeking, young at heart type, the V-Strom fills the bill for my style and need in an adventure touring cycle. It's not heavy (I thought so at first, but I'm acclimated and love the whole feel now), it turns on a dime, it's incredibly smooth fuel injection/throttle technology is state-of-the-art in motorcycles (goodbye carburation!), it possesses a modest suspension for us mature laid back riders, and has a slew of mainstream name brand accessories available for it.

As good as it was debuting in 2004, the 650 V-Strom keeps getting better - and in important ways, not just trim packages and color changes. Check out these changes for 2007:

• Optional ABS brakes (right on!)

• Wheelbase increased from 60.6 into 61.2 in (more comfy...)

• Dual spark plugs for increased combustion efficiency and improved emissions

• Graduated Chevron Tank Graphic (that's cooler too)

• New rubber boot protectors at swingarm pivot

• Hazard switch was moved outboard of the Hi-Lo beam switch as a separate button switch

• Larger kill switch and starter button is a larger sprung rocker switch instead of a button

• Luggage rack revised from silver to black.

• Deletion of idle adjustment screw (requiring special tooling for throttle body synchronization).

• Dry weight increases from 418 lb to 427 lb (no biggie here)
  

Motorcycle Nirvana?
With an abundance of used 650 V-Stroms available online - and many with a list of farkles to sweeten the pot - the V-Strom phenomena is like nothing I've ever experienced. This is the most reasonably priced bike of its kind - and it beats out the competition in almost every way. For example, Kawasaki's Versys is a competent design, but it can't hold a candle to the V-Strom's stock configuration for daily use. A Beemer delivers a higher level of handling performance but costs plenty more with its maintenance-heavy schedule and expensive parts continuum. KTM dual sport bikes are legendary, and you'll pay for it with your wallet and your posterior. Besides, I wanna go to rural America, not Cairo - but I could if I wanted to, huh?

And yet, the V-Strom is no slacker in the get-up-and-go department - I can always hit 70 mph a lot faster than I want to. And that without an embarrassing fuel mileage average either. The Wee is a potential 200-250 miles per tank road bike, thank you very much. Ask your buddies how far their bike will take them on a tank. Finally, add some offroad clearance for fire roads and hauling capacity to the V-Strom for a bike that balances more needs than any other design for the money. And here's the best part - it's rock solid dependable. Even first year models are still purring along at 50,000 miles or more due to Suzuki's world class build quality and user-friendly service intervals. (Hey, I intend to do the 12,ooo mile valve check/adjustment myself...)

So, are you looking for an easy to ride, affordable, power and torque-endowed, on-road/off-road, coooomfortable, dependable and economical motorcycle? I think I found the perfect choice for you. It's called a Suzuki DL650A V-Strom.