Chris Fetherston

A designer, thinker, tinkerer, and avid motorcyclist.


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Paradigm Magazine

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flosculation asked: Ask you anything hey? Hmm, do you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain?
Just a quick note to say I've been following this for a while now, great content keep it up!

I love a Piña Colada in the right situation. It was my first alcoholic drink at the tender age of 12 (I had pretty relaxed parents). When I do finally plan a nice trip to some island, surfboard included, a good Colada definitely has a spot next to my beach chair.

Getting caught in the rain. Well, on the bike, if I’m geared up, rain on. Slippery roads are great practice for throttle control. Otherwise a drenching rain can be nice on a warm summer day with someone I care about.

fishert2:

for a little over a year now I’ve struggled with finances.

This week I am selling my f4i. it pretty much is killing me to do it, but I need the monthly loan payment I make every month on it. That money is grocery money and gas money.

I will have a bike again one day, and I still have my dirtbike, but I will miss going into our garage and seeing my bright yellow f4i. I enjoyed many hours and trips on it, and when it leaves Wednesday I will most likely go inside curl up on the couch and cry…..

Don’t get out, downsize. Pick up a cheap bike for less than 2k and ride the wheels off it. Take the Ninja 500R for instance. It gets between 50-60 MPG, liability-only coverage in NJ is about $100, oil changes are <$20, you can get basic maintenance parts at Walmart, tires are cheap, the bike hasn’t changed in 16 years, and it is still ungodly fast with the right rider.

I loved mine when I had it, too bad I got bitten by the supermoto bug.

Anonymous asked: you think i need an 18k service before i ride to NYC? the bike starts and runs perfectly... i'd rather save the 700 bucks

That depends on a number of things. Most imprtantly, what year/make/model is the bike and what does the manufacturer recommend for this service interval? Other factors are important also, like how far you’re riding from and what the maintenance history of the bike has been.

So, let’s assume you’re riding a universal Japanese 4 cylinder with typical upkeep and you’re traveling from California (3k miles). I would absolutely check that the tires, chain/sprockets, control cables and brakes are in good condition and change the oil. That covers the major components that could fail and leave you stranded.

Also, depending on model, you are likely coming close to a valve adjustment. For a typical Japanese 4 cylinder, I would check the service manual for the manufacturer’s valve adjustment interval and only allow a 6k mile buffer for that spec. Your model is imperative here. If you ride a Ducati 748, your maintenance must be much more regimented than if you ride a Honda F4i.

Other than that, ride carefully, make a list of your manufacturer’s dealers along your trip and have a great ride!

Palm ratchet. Very old, still works, feels great in the hand.

Palm ratchet. Very old, still works, feels great in the hand.

Found in a pile of grease underneath 4 dozen sockets. Love that little Kendall logo.

Found in a pile of grease underneath 4 dozen sockets. Love that little Kendall logo.

Coolest inch pound torque wrench ever! I&#8217;ll use you on clutch springs for many years to come.

Coolest inch pound torque wrench ever! I’ll use you on clutch springs for many years to come.

Build for a metric future.
Cool type, cool chart. Reminded me of the conversion charts a lot of designers tape to their monitors.

Build for a metric future.

Cool type, cool chart. Reminded me of the conversion charts a lot of designers tape to their monitors.

I picked up this lovely Craftsman box for my garage off Craigslist for next to nothing. It&#8217;s at least 50 years old, covered in grease and chock-full of miscellaneous Craftsman and Snap-On tools. I&#8217;ll be posting some of the lovely vintage treasures I find in here as I parse through it all.

I picked up this lovely Craftsman box for my garage off Craigslist for next to nothing. It’s at least 50 years old, covered in grease and chock-full of miscellaneous Craftsman and Snap-On tools. I’ll be posting some of the lovely vintage treasures I find in here as I parse through it all.

"People here in America are as good as the engineers in Japan, and as good as the engineers in Germany … we have this image that Americans are lazy and sloppy. And it’s not true. So I need to prove that, that was my deal."

Erik Buell, in an interview over here regarding Buell Motorcycles, a company recently crushed under Harley Davidson’s financial house of cards. Erik will always be one of my heroes, keep an eye on this guy in the future.