Curbsyde Productions

Irv Seaver

If you’re lucky enough to have your own garage, and the talent to fix things then pay no attention, but for us who have no clue which end of the motor is the head, read on.

I hadn’t touched my motorcycle for a few months, because we had been working hard, family visiting, life getting in the way, but most of all there was some maintenance and repair to be done that I wasn’t up to the task of taking care of. I had a little first hand account with Baja sand a few months back and did my clutch and brake levers in pretty good, not to mention a front brake lock up situation that we couldn’t quite seem to find the answers by reading forums online. Unable to get the front brake from staying unlocked would mean getting a trailer to take the bike in for service.

Our temporary home of Southern California has a plethora of BMW dealers, but it seems over the years when we’ve been in a pinch, usually coming to and from Baja, Irv Seaver of Orange has been there for us, with parts, service and fitting us into their busy maintenance shop.

They do seem to cater to us travelers, those of us who don’t know where they are going to be next Tuesday. We would usually call in the week before and ask if they could fit us in, and usually, it would be no problem.

We loaded the bikes up, and made the drive to Orange to give them both some TLC. Joe’s F800GS was in for a full Level 2 service and Beau, a perfectionist, did everything with German precision and efficiency.

Joe’s bike getting the oil changed

Shiny new parts

Old oil coming out.

Inspecting all the nooks and crannies

Testing

Engine getting a good look over

Getting into gear

My bike, also needed a Level 2 service, but with the addition of chasing down the problems with my clutch and brakes. Just to be cautious, I replaced my scored brake pads that suffered some heat when they suddenly locked up in Baja, a new chain and sprocket set was also in order along with any other goodies that I dented up good in the crash.

New Parts to be fitted for the G650GS

Getting through the rat’s nest of wiring

Fitting on the new sprocket

Working on the head

A little more than we bargained for: Baja hitchhiker

New Oil going in

Linking it all up

Each task was performed quickly and as the day started to come to the close there was one last task at hand: the brake on my G650GS. After many attempts to get the brake right, bleeding, re-bleeding, fiddling with leaver and master cylinder, they finally wheeled another G650GS and cannibalized the master cylinder off it. Boom, problem solved.

Brand new Brake

With five minutes to six, a test ride was all that was standing in the way of us being able to cart our motorcycles back home.

Off for a Test Ride

The mechanic returned from the test ride, all systems go! We got the beasts loaded up, and let out a sign of relief that we wouldn’t have to come back to get the maintenance finished up. Thanks Irv Seaver and you team for making our motorcycles safe for the next time we travel, which I hope is a lot!

We had some great projects in 2012. From our motorcycle adventure series ‘Moto Americana: Deserts’.
Riding in a group from Death Valley to Anza Borrego with some of the best people we know..

Working on the Touratech bike builds, was of course a blast. The highlights were probably the Y
amaha Super Tenere build, or the Paddle Tire project with Jonah Street!

Cycle World gave us the chance to visit Miller Motorsports Park during the
memorial day weekend for the Superbike races. A truly great experience!

Then came the 44th Baja 500. This was our first foray into filming of the SCORE Baja series.
Not knowing what we were getting in to, we pointed our cameras towards the action and stumbled
upon some of the greatest racing we’ve ever watched.

We experimented with the ‘Go Somewhere’ series. A short web-series we will be delving into in 2013.

The 2013 F800GS came out and prompted us to return to TouratechUSA to film the
F800GS bike build and some other videos surrounding the new motorcycle.
It’s always a great time filming and working with Paul Guillien from TouratechUSA.

45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 media pre-run. This was a great experience.
We had the privilege of running the race course with the amazing folks from
Vildosola Racing, COPS Racing Team, Graham watches and of course Sal Fish.

This marked the start of our work in the SCORE desert series.
We created SCORE’s social media platform consisting of Facebook, YouTube, and twitter.
With more outlets being added each month.

We’ve created web-series like ‘Meet The Drivers’ in an effort to introduce SCORE racers to a general audience.
This was received very well and it will be a regularly running video on the SCORE’s YouTube channel and website.

Finally, the crown jewel of 2012 for Curbsyde Productions; The trailer for Resolve was released.
Showcasing the latest SCORE Baja 1000 race. This is a format we will follow for the SCORE races to come as well.

2012 was an amazing year for us. From traveling the deserts, re-living the ice roads.
Wandering up and down the western US and Baja. It really was a great time.
We want to extend a really huge thanks to you, our viewer for following along with us.

We can’t wait to share what we have in store for 2013!

Armed with possible route from Harold, we depart bright and early from Bend, and head south on Hwy 97 and take some forestry road headed towards the Paulina Lake region to ride around the crater.  The area is pretty rutted up, but beautiful scenery.

With our bikes fully loaded it makes for a long morning.  We realize time is slipping away, so we head back to the pavement and zoom passed Fort Rock and dry lake beds to try to make some distance in the day.

The skies turn from blue to a murky shade of grey as our southern route is polluted by smoke, forest fires are a reality in these parts, and with the extremely dry weather and wind it’s not a easy task to extinguish the flames.

 The weather is hot and exacerbated by the smokey air.  We stop at the town of Lakeview, on the border of Oregon and California, we had enough of the char filled air and desperately searched our maps for a camp that would give us some reprise from the tainted air.  Fires were to the south west and south east.  The valley floor was filled with dense smoke, just as we cross the California border we spot a camp, and headed up into the hills, hoping the trees would filter out some smoke.  Six miles up we finally found a camp, Cave Lake, where a plethora of wood had been chopped but left unused due to the fire bans.

Finding a suitable camp spot for the night, we popped our drinks into the cold river to enjoy later.

Night fall came quickly, and so did the neighbors, who marked their territory prolifically.

 We awoke with the sun, the buzzing of insects and the call of birds from tree to tree.  Descending through the mountains, we head southwards.  The smoke begins to fill the valley as we make down to the lake.  We are now on Hwy 395 which eventually take us to Tahoe.

With the hot weather, and smoke we are keen to get back into the mountains.  We find a little stop for lunch, outside Susanville, and then continue along 395, meandering between hills before we find our way across the Nevada border and into an increasing thickness of traffic.

Reno is in the distance, casinos, big trucks and a thick layer of desert heat.  We suck in a breath and ride through, waiting to be spit out the other side into the mountains.  With highway construction it slows slightly, then, traffic thinning out we make ascend into the mountains along the Rose mountain parkway, a slivery slab of asphalt that finds its way into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and descend into the Tahoe lake basin at Incline Village.

We reach the lake, a pool of deep blue.  The temperature has gone from hot to pleasant as we ride the shores of the east side of the lake, soaking up the scenery.  We finally reach Stateline, a small community on South Lake Tahoe and look for the Mont Blue, the host hotel of the event.  We pull into the parking lot and immediately know we’re in the right place.  J Brandon is there to greet us and get us our press passes and usher us into the parking area.  It looks like it’s going to be a good turnout for their first year

Less than a year ago, my husband told me that it was time to get my own motorcycle again.  Through the years of traveling two up across Australia, New Zealand and Canada, we changed as travelers and as motorcyclists.  Our focus moved away from destinations and more toward riding the roads less travelled.  There were a lot more dirt roads in our future.

The BMW G650GS was my motorcycle of choice. It is perfect for a beginner, gives me confidence to touch the ground at stops, and the smooth power delivery is never overwhelming.  I was a bit nervous to be honest, but I was 100% committed to making this work.  My skills were dull, and my muscle memory was hazy at best.  Starting slow would have been most prudent but I didn’t have the luxury of time as we had places to be and things to film.  I rode just 60 kms before we headed from Kelowna, British Columbia down to Seattle WA to visit Touratech-USA and get our kit installed on the motorcycles.

Not long after our arrival to Seattle we did a bit of off-road riding, then headed south to Utah to film the Utah Back Country Discovery Route (UTBDR) with Touratech USA.  I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fast paced team and settled to film from a Jeep for 10 days.  With an increased eagerness to continue my training after the UTBDR, we built my confidence by picking graded gravel and dirt roads and running drills to relearn the skills I had lost.  We toured Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho before heading down to Baja Mexico for a month to get a handle on some editing projects.

It wasn’t until we headed from Baja back up to California when I started to actively hone my skills as a rider.  After a few experiences in tough deep sand that included lots of falls, I knew I needed outside help.  With the tutoring of Gary LaPlante of Motoventures, I was able to identify some of my bad habits and work on the proper technique to improve my riding skills.  Again, it was all a rush as we were planning a 1200 km off-road adventure of the So-Cal deserts in March.  What better way to practice my new skills than by throwing myself into the deep end?

I survived the deserts of California in the end, and headed north again to Seattle.  Shortly thereafter, an opportunity came up to head back to Utah, so we added another 8,000 kms to the score. After that, we rode back down to Baja to view the Baja500, one of the best off-road races in the world!  When we headed north again things started to make more sense to me, with a better understanding of both on and off-road skills, it helped me apply to my overall technique making each subsequent kilometer more valuable to my riding than ever before.

As far as maintenance is concerned, the motorcycle has visited the shop a few times, a new chain and sprocket being the largest change, as well as fine tuning the engine, changing out the brake fluid as well as my aftermarket Konflict Motorsports front suspension.  Other than that, the motorcycle has preformed beautifully, especially when you consider what I’ve done to it.

In June we began our motorcycle rally circuit. More off-road riding, more experience, more distance, and the time in the saddle was really paying off.  There is much more in store for my little G650GS, and being less than a year old it is already a seasoned traveler.  Admittedly, this is the most riding I have ever done on a single bike and it has done well, for my confidence and for my experience.

Here’s to another 30,000 kms.

I’ll start this post by saying that I didn’t want a topcase. Flora wanted it to carry our camera gear and planned to mount it on her motorcycle but for whatever reason, I inherited it. My previous experiences with topcases were all bad and I did not want one on my brand new F800GS. I had used numerous brands and they all suffered from the same flaws: rattling loose or just plain snapping off when used in an off-road environment for a long time. That all being said, we need storage for our film equipment and other electronic items we bring for our projects.

Flora chose the Touratech Zega Pro 25L topcase and we fitted it to the back of my F800GS. My skepticism levels were still at maximum warp but I was surprised and impressed when I saw how easily the topcase could be removed and mounted again thanks to Touratech’s rapid trap mounting system. In addition, I really liked how easy it was to lock up our equipment in the topcase.

They say that the “proof is in the pudding” but in my case, it’s in the crashing. I’ve accumulated 25,000 miles on my F800GS since August 2011, the topcase has stayed on for every single one of them. These miles included long off-road trips mixed with paved travel. The off-road trips have included every type of topcase destroying terrain that I can think of. The WABDR (Washington Back-Country Discovery Route) included a lot of large ‘baby head’ rocks which would have rattled apart any of my previous topcases. On this trip the topcase was solid and the mount didn’t require any further tightening or attention.

We then traveled on to the UTBDR (Utah Back-Country Discovery Route), we rode over 800 miles of the state through various unpaved conditions. Our route included the ‘expert only’ Lockhart Basin section and this stretch alone saw me drop the bike more times than I care to count. The topcase experienced no ill effects despite the jarring falls and rugged terrain. The mounting system held fast on this trip too and our gear remained dry and safe.

The topcase was part of my luggage system for our project ‘Moto Americana: Deserts’ which was a 1200 mile trip connecting many of Southern California’s deserts together into one great ride. This run included many miles of washboard gravel roads, deep sand, and some pretty rough and rocky terrain. Again the topcase and mounting system were flawless.

On top of those major projects, there are still thousands of paved travel miles, off-road adventures, rain storms, drops, crashes, adventures, and more. The topcase still looks brand new and works perfectly. We use the rapid trap system to pull the topcase off the bike every night and it just clicks back in place in the mornings before we ride away. The Touratech Zega Pro 25L topcase is an excellent piece of equipment. It redefined for me what a topcase was capable of and I won’t travel without one now.

For more information on the Touratech Zega Pro 25L topcase.  Check out Touratech-USA’s website.

After spending a good deal of time off-road on my G650GS in the past few months, it didn’t take me long to conclude that a few things were holding me back:  namely the front suspension.  In a previous review I did of the G650GS I reiterated how the front end would easily wash out in deep sand, gravel roads and ruts.  After talking to Alex from Konflict suspension in Seattle WA, he suggested we upgrade the front forks to progressive springs for a much more off-road bias motorcycle.

For someone like me who is has trouble explaining using normal human ways, expressing that “wallowy” and “squishy” are ways to describe how my bike reacts to difficult circumstances, I turned to the internets to determine what is is that I have, and what I was going to get to see if made any sense to me at all.

The Normal Springs my bike has are Linear rate Springs which means there is equal spacing between the coils and they are designed to respond with a specific rate when compressed.  That rate will always be linear regardless of what kind of load is placed on the springs, in addition to any other loads that are placed on the springs.  Sounds good right?

Progressive Springs, which is what Konflict recommends, each coil is spaced differently and have a variable spring rate. When free, it is easy to compress progressive springs for the first centimeters. As you apply more forces, coil on a progressive spring come closer. After a certain point, coil at the top 1/4 of progressive springs begin to touch each other and finally become inactive or dead, and that makes the spring stiffer. Apply more forces to a progressive spring then it becomes stiffer because as the number of active coils in a spring decreases, the spring rate increases. So, progressive springs may both be sensitive to very small bumps on the road, while giving the stiffness you need during hard braking and turning.  This is a good thing.

In my narrow experience, the Progressive Springs are the ticket.  The “wallowy” and “squishy” feeling I was experiencing with the Normal Springs were quickly erased with “solid” and “firm” results where I needed it.  The biggest improvement on-road I noticed occurred on the highways where I would get a lot of front end wobble, now the front wheel is stationary and firm to it’s line.  Off-road the improvement is vast, each surface it feels planted and slow speed maneuvers tip in and out without the front end wildly dashing from side to side.  I’m a much happier GS rider.

At the WSBK event in Miller Motorsports Park, we had the chance to watch legendary motorcycle rider Chris Pfeiffer do a stunt presentation. We were absolutely amazed with his skill. Chris is the subject of this week’s ‘One Minute Wednesday’ video.

For more information on Chris Pfeiffer, check out his website.

For more information on Chris Pfeiffer, check out his website!

The destination for the #CWRoadTrip is upon us.  Just a quick run into Salt Lake City.  We stop in the small town of Salinas first for some breakfast at ‘Moms’ before heading on.

We really aren’t sure what to expect, we never get to see WSBK races in person, and as we wander into the pits the noise of the machines hits us. It’s truly an amazing feeling to be so close to the race bikes, the racers, and the teams.

Getting in on Friday gives us a chance to wander around casually, as well as catch up with all of the other participants of the CWRoadTrip.

Swapping stories of rides, highs and lows we all get an appreciation for just how many excellent ways there are to get to this racetrack just outside Salt Lake City.

Moving into race day, the pace changes. Crowds of people turn up to cheer for their favorite team, rider, or manufacturer. For us, we’re torn as fans of both Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi. Either way, the sound of the motorcycles screaming down the straightaway, the antics of Chris Pfeiffer doing stunts, and the throngs of Umbrella girls make this an event we will never forget.

On Memorial Day weekend the Curbsyde team was fortunate to be at the Miller Motorsports park for the World Superbike racing as part of a project with Cycle World. Here’s a 1 Minute Wednesday clip showing some of the highlights of the superbike racing. Stay tuned for more videos as part of the Cycle World Roadtrip!

We’re excited to share this note we received (via Facebook) from Darren Skewes, an Australian adventure enthusiast who recently watched the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route DVD we produced.

“AWESOME… Thank you so much for the opportunity to watch your new DVD documentary “Utah Backcountry Discovery Route” after winning it in your recent competition. I LOVED it and can’t wait to get over there and ride the trails for myself. All my family and friends, even the non-riders, were taken in by the scenery, the culture, the history and most of all the adventurous spirit of the riders that you have somehow manage to capture on film. The movie takes you so close to the action you feel like you are there with them. It really is a beautiful part of the country and if anyone has the time then get out there and get riding… I highly recommend watching the DVD, you and your friends will love it. I guarantee it will help you to gather some inspiration, warm your spirit, give you courage, open your eyes and broaden your horizons as to what you have right there in your very own back yard – you guys are so fortunate to live in such a vast wonderland of adventure riding opportunities. Thanks again, keep up the great work, good luck on your next adventure and see you one day when you visit Australia.“

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm, Darren. We’re sure glad you liked the film.

- The Curbsyde Team

We awoke in the Seven Wives Inn. Not a normal type of place for us to stay at, on road trips we camp or go to the typical motor inn. This bed and breakfast was recommended by some friends from California and we had to see what all the fuss was about. They didn’t disappoint. The breakfast was superb and a perfect end to the restful night we had.

Once on the road, it was a short trip before we started seeing the red cliff faces of Zion National Park. None of us had been to Zion prior to this trip, so this was a very large treat. From winding roads and towering rock faces, to long unlit tunnels – there’s no question why Zion has become as popular as it has. We were pretty lucky, though, it was busy but wasn’t overly crowded, which I’m sure Zion can get quite easily.

Our sight seeing in Zion finished up and we had to make a decision; B-line it up the highway and make up some time, or go out of the way and eastwards toward Bryce Canyon National Park. We decided to check out Bryce Canyon After all, when will we all be here as a group again?

We were wondering if we’d made the right decision, and then we saw the overlook to Bryce Canyon. Rock spires as far as the eye could see in varying shades of orange, white, and red welcome us to the region. Every direction our eyes wandered produced a new stunning display for us to capture on every digital device we had. 

Leaving Bryce Canyon behind, we followed the Highway 12 loop, winding along Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Some fellow motorcyclists told us to continue along Hwy 12, it was a much longer loop, and in the beginning we were regretting the decision until we were met with the Escalante river – with her eye stinging red rock walls contrasting with lush green river trees. After crossing through Boulder, we climb up to a ridge sloping on both sides as we glance back to the west to look over the park. Climbing again, this time to around 9600 feet where we’re greeted with Aspen forests. As we descended we glimpse at the astounding views to the east of Capitol Reef National Park.

We finally end up in the Torrey/Teasdale area and check into a cabin before we scarfed down some awesome tasting burgers.

Tomorrow we will arrive at Salt Lake city.

Stay tuned for additional updates as we make our way to Miller Motorsports Park for Cycle World’s ‘Road Trip!’

A gust of wind turned the chimes around in the back yard, and we arose to strong winds blowing debris into the swimming pool. Andre’s cousin’s wife was up to make us coffee and tea while Andre and his cousin went to pick up some typical German baked goods. When they returned we didn’t play the polite guests, but sunk our teeth into fresh pretzel rolls with egg, sausage and other delightful toppings. Andre’s favorite were a wafer topped with marsh mellow and covered in chocolate. Nothing but health food in this German household

After we packed up and loaded our bikes, we set off towards Lake Mead along the tourist trail to see the Hoover Dam. Just a brief stint on the highway, we turned off onto a winding road, perfect black top to drive down to the Dam. 

After paying a steep $7.00 parking charge, we trudged along the edge of the dam with the hundreds of other tourists to see one of the wonders of the modern world. Despite the heat and the crowds, the Dam was amazing. Peeking over the edge, with the sight of the bridge over head and the river far below, the graceful lines of the Dam, sloping down to the river. 

We really liked the retro details of the bridge, the graceful bronze statues, the details on the walkway and supporting buildings. Would so much care and detail be used today?

After we drove over, we continued on the scenic Lake Mead road and through the park. Today the temperatures rose past 104 degrees Fahrenheit, this made us stop more, to hydrate and sooth our fried minds. Hot weather does funny things to you, and today we really felt the effects. Heading to the lookout we briefly stopped to check out the view then headed back to the main drag before heading east toward Utah.

The winds picked up, and as we crossed the aired desert we leaned the bikes over into the breeze as we passed B-trains – transporting their loads along the route.

The sun began to set as we rode into Virgin canyon and were treated with a fiery rock light show as we finished up in Saint George for the night.  We’ve arrived in Utah!

Stay tuned for additional updates as we make our way to Miller Motorsports Park for Cycle World’s ‘Road Trip!’