High Speed 1000 FPS Affordable Performance!

Yep that's right I just got this beauty today, and it is just as advertised. It shoots lightning fast, up to 30 frames per second, and shoots movies at a rate of 210, 420, and 1000 frames per second. The quality of the 1000 FPS is just barely usuable, but the others are actually not bad. The HD is good as well, this is one fun camera and really lives up to its advertising. Juts the fact that you can get a camera that will shoot at those rates is just unbelieveable. Used to those kinds of performance were reserved for the high dollar professional cameras. I have a real strong feeling this is going to become one of my favorites, just palying around with it tonight I am blown away by what is can do. I will be back tomorrow with some specifics, pictures, and video examples. It's really hard for me to believe that a camera priced at around $300 is capable of the types of numbers that it is. There are so many features I still do not believe that I have seen them all yet, it is just one surprise after another. I will play away with it tomorrow and get a bit more familiar with it, and post hopefully tomorrow evening. I've had a great week and now have too many toys to play with, but I'll manage somehow. Until tomorrow...

Happy Father's Day!

Heres to hoping all the Fathers had a great day yesterday. I had the best Father's Day any father could ask for. I was awakened in the morning and driven 3 & 1/2 hours to Sacramento and recieved the surprise of my life. Here's what was waiting for me, a motorhome! My family got this wonderful gift for me for Father's Day, I can't put into words the emotion I felt. It was 1000 times more than I ever expected, I thought maybe we were going to Old Sac or something, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined. I am still today in the clouds, I have wanted one of these for years, and my beautiful family got me the one thing I thought I would never have, or at least not have it for a few years. We paid for it yesterday and the dealer is having it detailed, new tires, and a complete inspection done on it. It is not brand new, it is a 1999, but it is new to me, and I love it! I get to pick it up on Wednesday and then I am leaving from the dealer to take a 4 day trip, I don't know where, but I will be going somewhere. I am going to put my KLR on the back and just go find some place cool to go.

Yosemite Today

We went to Yosemite today for a family function, the weather was beautiful and as always the park is spectacular. I took alot of photos but all were of the family, so I won't subject you to that. I took my Nikon D80 and my new Casio EX-Z29, I took the Casio for its ability to shoot video. I only shot one video of a deer that was grazing in the field next tothe hotel we were in, the quality of the video is surprising good, but it does have its limitations, as expected. It did serve its purpose, I wanted a camera that could shoot useable video without dragging along another camera. The Casio is perfect, it fits in my pocket and is out of the way when I don't need it, exactly what I want. I can also use it to take pictures when I don't want to take the D80, the quality of the photos is very good if the light is good, again no surprise, and what I expected.

So here is the video, it was shot handheld and is abit shaky, OK, no problem, I can adjust to that with practice or a tripod if needed. I will need to take more footage to determine the capabilities of the camera for video, but I am not expecting perfect, just useable. At the end of the video you will notice that the camera goes off the subject and up into the trees, that was because someone bumped me while I was shooting, no problem. The video is very short, so don't worry about having to sit through a long drawn out ordeal, it was also shot in the lowest resolution the camera has, but is very clear and the file is not huge. I am hoping to sometime this week use the bracket I made for my KLR to mount the camera and shoot some video on the bike. It will be interesting to see how that comes out, I am thinking it will be alright, but we shall see. If it does not work out I will bite the bullet and just get a Ram Mount that is specifically made for mounting cameras and other things on a motorcycle. I am going back up to Yosemite next week for 4 days to camp, I am taking the KLR so I think that will be a good test for it.

2004 Kawasaki KLR650 Specifications

I guess after all this talk about my bike I should give some specifics on the motorcycle. I have owned this Red 04 KLR for 2 years, I traded a 1987 Jeep Wrangler straight across for it. When I got it, it had 2500 miles on the odometer, I am now up to 11,700 miles. I had my Jeep for sale for $3500 and found this KLR in San Diego listed for $3500, I think I got the better end of the deal. For you Jeep fans, don't fear, I have another Jeep which was the reason I let the Wrangler go. I now have a 1974 Jeep CJ5 which belonged to my father-in-law, he had it built at his Chevy dealership about 15 years ago. It was built for raw power and climbing, its built up, I'll get more specific in another post later on for those who actually care.



Anyway the following are the specs from Kawasaki for the 2004 KLR650:

Specifications for 1987-2007 U.S. Model
Engine Type
Single Cylinder, Water Cooled, Four-Stroke, DOHC, 4 valves
Carburetion
Keihin CVK-40 constant velocity carburetor
Displacement
651 cc
Bore × Stroke
100 mm × 83 mm
Peak Power
44 bhp (33 kW) @ 6,000 rpm
Peak Torque
34 lbf·ft (46 N·m) @ 5,000 rpm
Compression Ratio
9.5 : 1
Fuel Capacity
6.1 U.S. gallons (23 L) (5.6 gal usable)
Oil Capacity
2.64 U.S. quarts (2.5 L)
Charging System Output
238 W @ 14 V
Seat Height
35.0 in. (88.9 cm)
Dry Weight
337 lb (176 kg) claimed, 402 lb (182 kg) wet weight actual
GVWR
738 lb (330 kg)
Tires
Front: 90/90-21 in. Rear: 130/90-17 in.
Brakes
Front: 1 disc, dual piston caliper; Rear: 1 disc, single piston caliper.
Final drive
520×106 links O-Ring Chain

After 2 years of ownership I have to say this the most fun bike I have ever owned, and I have owned alot of bikes. For the past 15 years I have ridden Harley-Davidsons and have really enjoyed them. But after riding the KLR I have not been on a Harley since, I have 2 Sportsters just sitting in my garage that I really need to sell.

As a kid I owned many enduros, which is what we called the Dual Sport bikes back then.But I actually started out with a 1975 Honda XR 75, then got a 1972 Rickman Montesa, then a 1974 Kawasaki DE 175, and then a 1979 CR 125. After that I got my first real street bike a Yamaha 360, it was 1 year old when I got it for $475, very cool bike. After that I had everything from Triumphs, Honda CB's, Honda Shadows, and then the HD Sportsters. I love anything on 2 wheels and am a huge motorcycle fanatic.

I currently have the KLR650, an 883 Sportster, a 1200 Sportster, a 1979 Honda XL 185, a 1970's Indian Mini-Mini, a 1992 Honda XR 600R (street Legal), a pink Chinese Quad for my daughter, a Honda Elite 150 Scooter, and a 1974 Honda XL 125.

Out of all the bikes I have the KLR is by far my favorite and the only one I ride for the last 2 years. I have loaded the bike up and just ridden anywhere I felt like going and the KLR is always ready and willing to go.

The KLR's are very easy bikes to maintain and work on, they use technology that is a bit outdated but that what motorcycles are supposed to be, somewhat primitive and not very refined. Maintenance is quick and easy, I change the oil every 1500 - 2000 miles and at the oil changes I do the remainder of the maintenance. Total it take me about 1 1/2- 2 hours to do the maintenance, but I like to be very thorough. I have not had any major malfunctions on the bike, and it has never left me stranded, it is extremely reliable. I keep close track of my costs on the bike and it is very inexpensive to operate, less than 10 cents a mile, including fuel and maintenance, and not including extras I buy for the bike, that would add up quick. I average around 50 - 53 miles per gallon of gas, and usually fill up around 200 -225 miles on the odometer. The specs say the fuel capacity is 6.1 gallons, but I think that's not quite true, I think it is around 5.7 or so.

The KLR is a fantastic all around motorcycle, it is better suited for the street than the dirt, but it can in the right hands do an OK job off road. It is a very heavy dirt bike, just a bit too top heavy for most. On the street it is much more at home, it cruises at 70-75 MPH all day long without struggling. At 70-75 MPH it is about 5000 RPM's and that is where the best power on this bike is, it is no hot rod, but ist is a very good sport-touring bike and with some modifications, is very comfortable and can keep you in the seat all day long riding. Because of the height of the bike it is very good in the twisties, and handles its best, the KLR is a corning fool, and fun on that type of road.

All in all the KLR is a jack of all trades kind of bike, it does everything and is not perfect at anything, but most bikes don't have the wide range abilities that the KLR has, for the price and what it is capable of, there is really no better value in a motorcycle anywhere. Sure you can get a better motorcycle, but at double the price in most cases. I think the Suzuki DR650 is the closest match to the KLR, and that is a bike that I am seriously getting as a companion to the KLR, but it has its drawbacks in some areas, it is however a very good motorcycle. Now finish reading and go ride! That's where the good times are.

Closure of over 200 California State Parks

I normally do not get political here, but I think for me and millions of other Californians this is an issue that cannot be ignored. The State government is proposing the closure of 200+ of California's state parks, I really think this is an unacceptable option. As a life long resident I have used the parks from going to the beach, camping, or just spending the day with family and friends. The state parks are such a big part of our lives in this state, that with the closures there are many places that we go on a regular basis that will not be open to us anymore.

I hope the state leaders re-think this option and keep our parks open, I just don't understand the state's thinking process, we have uncontrolled spending and out of control taxes, perhaps we should hold our "leaders" accountable for their spending and make them live within a budget like every other American must do to survive each and every day.

You may want to check out this link http://www.calparks.org/takeaction/ to get a good understanding on what is going on and what exactly is being proposed by our government. We owe it to ourselves and our kids to keep these parks open for all to use today and for the future.

I am in no way affiliated with this organization, nor do I have any ties at all. I just think that we should do what is necessary to keep our parks open for the enjoyment of all who wish to use them. We have really let our state get into a mess and the time is coming where we must hold someone accountable for the nonsense that has gone on for entirely too long.

I am going to be following this story closely and will give updates on how it is playing out. I really don't to have to tell mey kids we can no longer use the parks they grew up playing and camping in because the state has been irresponsible with spending our money.

Here is a list of the parks slated for closure, http://www.calparks.org/takeaction/may2009_closedparks_leg-match.pdf some of these parks I grew up going to on a regular basis. Morro Strand State Beach, Hearst State Beach (San Simeon Beach), & Pismo State Beach are just a few of the sites that will close. Look closely, you may find some you recognize, very sad indeed.

New Digital Camera

I just picked up a new Digital Camera for the motorcycle trip I took on Hwy 49. You can check out the camera specifics here: http://exilim.casio.com/products_exz29.shtml. I really like this camera, I needed something to take along with me that was light & easy to carry, this really hit the mark. It takes pretty good pictures and takes video as well, the Nikon D80 I have is just too bulky to carry on a motorcycle. I am making a mount for it so I can put on the handlebars and record some riding video, coming soon, I hope. I sold another camera to pay for this one and I am very happy with it, it does well outdoors and not too bad indoors when the light is low. After finding this camera I found another Casio, that has some awesome video features. It is the EX- FC100 and is a high speed video camera, which means it takes super slow motion video. The super slow motion is rated at 1000 frames per second, 420 FPS, and 210 FPS. That is just unbelievable performance for any camera, so I ordered it yesterday and should have it on Monday. It cost $289, not bad for a high performance camera, the 1000 FPS video is not real high quality, but should be fun to play with. The other settings, the 210 and 420 are pretty good, I have seen many videos made with these two settings, and they look good. They are not super high quality, but for under $300 that is hard to beat. I had to sell off some things on e-bay to get it, but I think it will be worth it.
Back to the EX-Z29, I picked that one up at Radio Shack. They were having a promotion on it and I got the camera, a leather carry case, camera neck strap, and a 4GB SanDisk card for $119. This is a great camera for the price, it is not as good as some of the other P&S cameras out there, but it is not priced like them either. I don't think you will find a better P&S for the price, so if you are in the market for a camera that performs well and won't put a huge dent in your wallet this is a great choice. The picture is a stock photo, but mine is the same model and color, I like it alot and I am very picky about photo my equipment, it took me 3 years to find the right P&S camera, yeah, I've been looking that long.

New Video Player-Check this OUT!

Time For Change

As with any hobby, money becomes a big part of ownership. Over the last two years i have made some changes to the KLR, so I thought I would list some of the changes and show some pictures of the metamorphisis. The top picture is after, of course the bottom is before, but first a list of the changes.

Fresh paint on the side panels and the windscreen.

Modified carburetor; drilled slide and put a KLX needle in.

Opened up the airbox, installed PCV valve.

Pro Taper Handlebars-ATV Hi.

1.5" lowering kit.

Acerbis Supermoto front fender.

SuperTrapp IDS2 Quiet Series exhaust.

Mini Dash installed.

Happy-Trails side racks.

Pelican 1430 Side Cases.

Pelican Top case.

Tengai Side decals.

KLR Roundrel Reflective decals.

Custom KLR License frame.

New Pirelli Scorpion front tire.

New Rear Dunlop 607 rear tire.

New chain, New handgrips.

The Golden Chain Hwy (SR49)

I just finished a trip along the Golden Chain Hwy, AKA Hwy 49. It runs through the Mother Lode of California, including the communities of Jamestown, Sonora, Auburn, Colombia, and the famed Calaveras County (Made famous by mark Twain). The road is 295 miles from end to end, and some beautiful country, I made the trip, with many stops, in 3 days. Really 3 days was not enough time to see everything, I would recommend 7+ days. Yes, there is that much to see and do.


Many of the communities are like going back into time 100 years, very well preserved and worth seeing. They are not ghost towns, but many of the buildings are abandoned, while the homes are currently occupied. The small towns litter the entire length of the Hwy, and have survived fire, flood, and earthquakes, they have truely stood the test of time.


The towns of Coloma and Columbia have been into State Parks and are both a must see. They have been preserved and restored to their original state for the most part. Both have camping nearby and there is more to do than can be done in a day, plan a couple of days for each park, and bring your gold pan, there is and area set aside for panning in Coloma State Park.





Here are some photos, enjoy.