Napoleon Prestige 450 Review

I personally love this BBQ, it is a Propane BBQ which produces great flavour.

The BBQ has plenty of space on the sides as well as on the burners, it also has the warmer racks.
Also present is a side infrared searing element which I never needed however it does have the option of popping up for pots.
There are flavourizer bars that are great for insuring that meat juices get evaporated and make for a great taste.

Overall the BBQ cooks extremely well and does so with amazing food quality. I would say that it is an extremely good BBQ and one you should invest in a cover for.

The only thing I would criticize about this BBQ is one thing which is that the fat tray is a little on the small side if you are BBQing a number of Ribs. 
The BBQ is made of good quality, and the thermostat is quite accurate and it does work extremely well and three cooking zones do offer a great deal of flexibility.

I also got the cover for :P

The Infrared element.

I know it needs a cleaning, and those are the flavourizer bars.

Plenty of space underneath for the bottle the small tray is the fat tray.

Home-made Pizza Pockets

What you will need:

For Six Pockets big enough to feed three to four or two very hungry ones.

Cheese, of your choosing and quantity in accordance with how much you want and I would recommend Mozzarella or Feta.
Filling, Salami or Tuna or anything you can think off that you would like to have in there you can also throw some veggies in there.
The Dough:
Flour (4+ cups)
Salt (One Pinch)
Honey or Sugar (2 TBSP)
Yeast ( 1 1/2 TBSP)
Hot water
Spices of your choice (I recommend some Oregano.)

How you start:

You start with the dough, now here you put the Flour 3-4 cups of flour or more if you wish even more. Then you add 1 1/2 TBSP of Yeast and 2 TBSP of Honey/Sugar. After this you add a pinch of Salt. Now that you added all these together you have to add the warm water. You will add warm water until the dough has the perfect consistency. And you can form it nicely without it being to sticky or dry. This is also personal preference but I would recommend a 1 cup of water to 2 cups of flour ratio.
You will need to let the dough rise for one hour or so. After which you separate the dough into separate balls then you roll the dough out into little flat squares or close to that. Then you add your filling and cheese in there as well as some spices, for example I like to add to the Salami Pockets some Oregano. Then when you have everything in there you fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together so that they seal if they are to dry I would recommend using some water or egg to bind the dough.
Now in the BBQ they will bake in 5-15 mins depending on heat so you need to make sure that they don't end up getting burned and in the oven about 20 mins at 375F.

My Pizza Pockets and some Ribs on the BBQ.

Outdoor Backing

Now since it is raining right now I have some time to look at cooking again and am doing some BBQ baking. Which of course is a great way of baking.
Now since BBQs tend to heat well over ideal baking temps you need to bake in one of two ways:

1. You only turn on zone on and put the bake good on the other end of the BBQ. Now this works        great when baking bread or something else that large and needs time to cook to the centre without burning the exterior.

2. You do not let the heat of the BBQ exceed 400F after that most baked goods tend to burn pretty quickly. While you do that you will need to monitor your items closely to insure that nothing burns.

Qualicum Beach to Tofino

I would recommend staying out there for a while and not returning right away.

This trip is to go from Qualicum beach to Tofino, now this trip has some amazing stops and parks but beware  the road on this trip can be very treacherous. So my tip is to stay towards the centre when you can but watch for cars really carefully. The roads sides drop of at times which can get hairy so pay close attention don't be hesitant to slow down a little.


The Symbols on the map are:
Burger and shake: Food/Store
Bench: Park/Resting Spot
Blue: Gas
Yellow: Start/End
Purple: Heads-up/Info

I used the Pacific Rim Camping grounds the way-point on the Tofino end but both Tofino itself and Ucluelet offer great camping as well as accommodation options.
However I would recommend to stock up on the way on food since it going to cost a bit more out there to buy then at one of the big boxstores along the highway.
The view on the beach is great and the surfing is pretty decent for beginners as well.

Here are some summer pictures from our last Tofino trip.

 

Qualicum Beach to Tofino

*Updated 07.07.2013
We realized that while the destination is impressive and breathtaking we should include some more pictures that show how amazing the route is as well not only due to parks but simply because of the ground you do cover. As you may notice there is a picture of a black bear cub as well remember when you see a cub you can take pictures but stay away from them mama is usually near and they don't take kindly to strangers.

A black bear cup that happened near to pup up near the road...don't leave you vehicle when you see them!

Emergency Manoeuvering and why it matters

Emergency manoeuvring is often underestimated as a matter of why you should know how to do it. Why it is safer to know what to do when you need to do it.

For example I was riding along on a country road and was expecting nothing until suddenly a deer shot out of the Slegg Lumber Parking Lot. Luckily there was no one behind me and I already knew that and I was able to just break really hard and let the deer run.

In those situations it is important to remember to check quickly where you can go with your bike, either slow down hard, swerve or accelerate. Now Swerving is really the only option if you can not slow down and have plenty of space ahead on either side of the obstacle.

Slowing down rapidly is really only possible if no one happens to be tailgating you which we all know is not all that uncommon as we like it to be. However when you need to brake hard the bike behaves very differently from a regular slowing down you have to clutch of course and shift down as you slow down so that you can get the hell out of the way if someone didn't see you brake behind you. Now it is paramount that you hold your bike straight when breaking in this way its not like slowing down slightly in a turn you will most certainly fall if you try to manoeuvre with that level of breaking. If you have ABS trust your system when you feel the vibration of ABS kicking in and hold on to your brakes if you don't have ABS you have to make sure that you don't lock your wheels during braking.
Don't stare down look ahead adjust your position as needed and make sure you see whats going on and how what you are braking for is moving. This will allow you to insure that you wont be surprised and also you will know where you will end up. This will allow you to start thinking about how can move after the object is moved around.

The last one Accelerating is rarely a good choice but there are occasions when it works best and can get you out of trouble. BE VERY CAREFUL with this one don't do this unless you are certain of it being best. You sacrifice space and also often can't see what is going on ahead of you. Past turns, vehicles or even the item you are trying to evade.

If you are not comfortable with low-speed manoeuvring, emergency braking or swerving. I would recommend to find an empty parking lot for practice and insuring that you know how you and your bike will behave in the emergency without some nasty surprise needing to happen.
This will also provide you with more confidence when riding knowing that you know what to do.

Victoria To Qualicum Beach

This is a nice day trip ending at Qualicum Beach, I outlined all the basic stops for fuel and food as well as some bike shops on the way.

The Symbols mean as follows:

Yellow: Main Route Start/End
Blue: Gas
Pink: Shops/Multiple Items
Bench: Parks/Rest Spots
Burger and Drink: Food
Turquoises: Scenic Routes

The Route Starts in Langford because its a convenient spot to meet on the route for everyone from Victoria, The peninsula, Highlands or Sooke.

Now the route proceeds along the highway but you can follow the scenic routes to get some more twisties or just to see some additional nice areas without going into a dead end.

The route will take almost two hours one way without the scenic routes or stops so plan a full day accordingly. Also either bring along food or plan on eating out at the marked spots as you will need the food and break to drink don't forget to hydrate especially doing this ride in the summer will dry you right out.

I hope you enjoy the route.

Langford to Qualicum Beach

Mini-Foot Pump

The Mini-Foot Pump is appealing simply because its smaller then a coffee mug or an oil container (946ml). And can easily be stored under the seat or in a dark corner where its out of the way.
Now to be honest when I opened the package I was concerned because the pump looked suspiciously flimsy, but it does state modern engineering (they name German specifically) made this pump possible.
Now as far as that goes I am not sure about this pump however I am certain that it works surprisingly well and it does inflate a bike tire in under one minute...if you put the gusto into the pumping to make that possible.
The upside of this system is that it uses your power and the surrounding air so you are no relying on the bike to have enough juice or on the air can to have enough pressure to fill your tire. There is only one maintenance advise the pump comes with which is to disassemble it once a year and lube it up with silicone lube. Which we have not gotten to as off yet but it shouldn't be to much of a chore.
As far as the price is concerned it usually goes for about 16 bucks but can be found on sale for less which not only makes it convinient in my eyes but also fairly cheap.

Mini Foot Pump

V-Strom 650 Oil Change

So the sun has been shinning, I finally renewed my insurance which I had been dragging out and got the bike out of the shed again. Now the last thing to do the oil change.
The Oil change on a V-Strom 650 is a very straight forward enterprise, you don't need a torque wrench but if you want to be exact in your tightening of the bolts here is a link to the post on the Stromtrooper forum (It also includes the table for the 1000). V-Strom Bolt Torque Table

Now what you will need the following, one oil filter (needed every second oil change every 6000-10000km depending on Dino oil or synthetic), a couple wrenches more if you have a Skid Plate mounted, Three Cans of 10W40 Oil (three will cover all you need even with a filter change) and finally a 68mm filter Wrench which you can fit on your driver.
Cost of these items: Filter 18.90$ CDN, Oil 9.99 per liter, Filter Wrench 15.99.
So presuming you have all the tools an oil and filter change will run you about 48.87$ CDN before taxes. Without filter more like 19.98$ CDN since you will probably have a little oil kicking around and wont need to replace the oil in the Filter.
Now on the none one time items you will need Gloves for your little hands, some rags cloth or shop towel and a funnel. The funnel makes getting the oil in easier but also putting the old oil into the cans is easier that way and shops will take it without debate that way.
The WD-40 and Chain bar oil is for the Chain which should be done too but only after you warmed up the chain with riding around a little unless your chain is dry as hell then oil it a little before and give it a good oiling after the ride.

Now the next once you have assembled all your goodies is to get the work area ready.
In my case that meant removing the Skid Plate and making sure I didn't lose anything and lining my goodies up properly. And popping the bike on the centre stand; the side stand works too but not as well and you will have to right while draining. Also it recommended to rock the bike a little to get all the oil out towards the end of draining it. Just don't create a mess.

NO SKID PLATE!

Rear Skid plate mount.

Front Skid Plate Mount.

Next you will be removing the Drain Plug first (reduces the mess). You will already have your oil pan under the plug at the time and there you go. Loosen the bolt first with a wrench and then you hand turn the rest with a gloved hand reduces the amount of oil your tool and your hand has to deal with.
Now once the draining has started let it drain to a light dribble.

Pan in Place CHECK!

Look at it go!

Now once the Oil flow slows down you will want to move the pan forward so you can catch the oil that comes out when you remove the filter (make sure your pan reaches both spots or get a second one now). This of course isn't necessary if you don't want to replace the filter.
Then you place your Filter wrench on the filter and twist it off a again a gloved hand may come in handy.The drain plug will dribble for a while so don't think it will be over quickly.

No Filter!

Now next replace the drain plug so that the new oil wont run out and put the new filter on don't over torque but make sure it wont come loose while riding. Now once the filter and plug are back in place you can start putting the new oil into the engine.
You will do this as follows fill it up at first until you start seeing oil around the middle of the oil window and then stop and start the bike to move the oil around a bit. Then stop it and wait couple minutes if its a little low add a little extra until you see it slightly under the F. (I rather under fill a little then over fill oil.)

The Oil can after the Fill Up.

Put the Skid Plate back on if you have one and then you are done.

Back on and cleaned.

Now remember to oil the chain after the first little bit of riding!
Remember to oil on the inside of the chain so that the sprockets and the chain gets properly lubricated.

 

Ear Plugs

Don't forget to wear ear plugs once you lose your hearing you will not be able to replace it and it is a nice thing to be able to hear. A set of decent ear plugs can reduce the noise by as much as 25DB which as I mentioned before means an exponential decrease in the rate of damage to your ears.
You don't have to go over board just get a simple set from Rona/Walmart or similar big box store and plug them in before you ride.
It takes five extra seconds causes no discomfort during the ride, it will actually make you more relaxed because most people when they are exposed to noise bunch up and get tense. This means its more fatiguing to ride and harder to focus on the individual dangers of riding or the idiot that just merged in and didn't see you.

Remember its not just your ears we are talking about but also your comfort and safety...wear your earplugs...or get a set for your riding its worth.

How much does a hearing aid go for nowadays? That's how much minus 2-5$ is what you save.

Noisy mufflers on your bike

Some riders say that a noisy muffler keeps them safer, and most riders will do anything to be a bit safer. However many riders still don't invest in proper training which would dramatically increase their safety. Instead some riders choose to invest in a muffler which makes their bikes deafening.
Now the problem with this is many fold.
1. You will make yourself unpopular in any residential area as well as any other bike riders since people tend to paint riders with the same brush. Which means when they see one noisy bike all bikes are noisy, when a rider does something douche all riders are douche-bags. You see how this works?
2. Now there is also the little matter of your own hearing you are riding right on top of those pipes and they are noisy as hell. Now you think a couple decibels more makes me visible but doesn't hurt my ears much not so much. Because ear damage develops exponentially and increases with every decibels many fold so instead of adding you should be multiplying.
3. The noise is behind you, the people that will hear your bike better are behind or besides you but not ahead. This means not only are you suffering more damage but also you are achieving nothing but annoyance towards bikes in traffic as well.
While high visibility gear and a well lit bike may actually be worth more and improve you bikes safety much more. Not only do you see better when it gets darker but you are much more easily seen.
Overall the loud muffler achieves little to nothing and is nothing but an ear shattering nuisance be reasonable and ride something less noisy the design doesn't have to change just the mufflers interior.

Suzuki Skid Plate

The Skid Plate full fills the job of protect the lower parts of the engine such as your oil filter, drain bolt and exhaust assembly. Now this mostly relevant should bottom out somewhere but. It also can block stones from flying around and damaging the lower portions of the bike.
Really Skid Plates are out of the way so all that is expected of one is to absorb abuse when needed and be of as little inconvenience as possible. For that reason some companies advertise that their skid plates will allow you to leave them in place for an oil change. That is a big no no, not for any reason then it will always become a mess and usually it is quite easy to simply undo the rear portion of a skid plate and swing it out off the way. But it is still nicer not to have to clean spilled oil up from everywhere then having to put in some extra minutes to remove a skid plate completely.
Again skid plates have a wide range and they come with various convenience or safety extras. If you need those and how much of a skid plate you will need is up to you but don't led a brand name misguide you from the basic truth about any business they are in the business of selling with their shareholders in mind.
So the part will probably not fail because they don't want to get suit not because they like you that much and worry about you. However at the same time they will try selling you anything they can manage to, since they are also not trying to keep your money in your wallet but rather of making it come out.
Which means if you just want a basic skid plate for some added protection but don't think that you will be sliding your bike over trees on a regular basis you don't need the deluxe model the base model will probably be fine.
When going with a home made alternative stop to think about air intakes/heat exchanges and try to insure that you don't block them off completely so that they can carry on doing their jobs. Which is why you want some air going through on the Strom. 
Skid Plates range from 120-260$ each bike has their own designs and ranges but that is quick and dirty.

Engine/Faring Guard

Now I don't care what anyone says at some point somewhere some how everyone will put a big done, some more often then others. When it happens we generally hope it is at low speed with no traffic somewhere on soft cushy grass but you can't always bed on that. An engine guard that extends over part of the faring however is a good option to limit the damage and protect yourself a little more...also its another spot to put those additional headlights that you keep telling your buddies all about but haven't gotten yet.
Now I run the OEM Suzuki ones on this count as well...most of my protection is OEM why? Because a local dealer got me a good deal on the package. Which only reminds you to not get blinded by the cool names but also look at the bottom line a bit shop around you never know maybe a local dealer is trying to get rid of some gear that you want and he can make you a deal.
Anyhow the Engine guard on a V-strom is also needed to install the skid plate. The Engine guard Suzuki vendors is pretty straight forward. It follows the bikes contours where it covers it protecting the lower part of the faring and a portion of the forward section of the engine. Suzuki did change the design for these and skid plates heavily for the following models. But the use remains the same and of course the price pretty much the same as well.

Some people claim that it give you some extra wind protection but unless you start mounting solid pieces on the engine guard I don't see that happening. This engine guard however does not get in your way and it sturdy enough to absorb some good abuse if God forbid you dropped it somewhere less desirable then the perfect grassy knoll. You can't see it well in the pictures but with the handle bar kicked in as it would be if you dropped your bike the engine guard is the first point of contact to the ground protecting the faring from hard surface impacts I could see on soft soil the guard sinking in a bid though and the faring taking some abuse.

Overall engine guards are about 250$ or thereabouts they are definitely worth the investment for the piece of mind in my opinion especially when looking at the cost of a new faring never mind having to deal with the damaged bike until you are at the next shop.

Suzuki Handguards

OEM accessories have a bad reputation because people think that they tend to be useless.
The hand guards are the ones Suzuki sells for 79.99$. They are made out of hard plastic, and give generous space for the hand brakes and clutch while still shielding the hands from weather and trees fer effectively as I have tested...unintentionally on the right handle bar you can see the slight scratch on the hand guard. This scratch was cause by hitting a tree near a path at about 20-25km/h.
The hand guard did absorb most of the force leaving me very happy when I carried on that I had the hand guards.
These hand guards are also very easy to install and uninstall to check the wires that are covered up by the guards.

Suzuki Hand Guards:

CBR 250 (2012)

The CBR 250 Honda that isn't to old just yet but is already gaining a lot of traction it is a fun little pounder with a balanced one cylinder. The Engine is energetic and even does highway happily. However you do feel the low weight when riding on the highway next to bigger vehicles.
It comes with ABS which is rather uncommon for smaller bikes as well as linked brakes even less common even with slightly bigger bikes.
Overall the bike is a lot of fun and not even cramped to some around 85kg and about 1.83m which surprised me extremely as I expected to be cramped and space challenged on this bike the minute I laid eyes on it. 

Overall there is little to say about this remarkable bike not because it doesn't have anything to offer but rather because it is to well balanced. It has everything you could which of a small bike, the peppy engine and all the safety features of a bigger bike. Now I forgot to take pictures of the bike when I had the opportunity to ride and so I borrowed some pictures from the Honda website

V-Strom 650 (2011)

The V-Strom 650 I have a had a lot fun on this bike and the ride very comfortable, you sit up high and the controls respond very quickly giving you confidence in your ride. Now I know this is not the most current version of the Strom but I am happy with it.
Especially since it does come equipped with ABS which many bikes are still missing, something that does come in very handy in the rain.
The Windshield is really one of the biggest shortcomings on the bike since it is a little short to give you full protection but also a little to high to leave your head out of the turbulence. So it does make sense to consider getting a re-designed windshield from a third-party or invest in some really good ear plugs. However you will notice the buffeting regardless, and that comes of the windshield on the highest and lowest setting which does create some discomfort when riding long distance on the highway.
The seat is a reasonably stock seat nothing extravagant but nothing to scoff at, the seat is comfortable and will be fine for several hours of riding without a break.
The shocks are on the cheaper side of things but then again most stock suspensions are. They respond well to faster riding on mediocre roads and can deal well with riding on grass or gravel without feeling unstable. The highway riding is extremely comfortable and the suspension does make a superb job of that time.
The bike is mostly happy of course on a proper road but will do fine on a with a little rougher surface when needed. I wouldn't call this bike dirt happy but then no one does most people accept that the V-strom 650 is a 85-90% tarmac 15-10% off-road bike at best and really that is what this bike excels at. Being a smaller street tourer with a higher and upright seating position.

Overall as most people agree that this bike is a nice medium weight that can do some touring very comfortably as well as the daily commute without breaking the bank. Most people report that they get a 35-50 MPG average which give you a range of 300-500km. The little V-Twin is a sturdy, fun packed little engine that has some power to spare when you needed but also happily cruises without complaint. 

2011/2012 Go For about 7500CDN and the new 2013 about 9000CDN.

Suzuki side Bags

I am currently running a V-strom 650 with a few farcles...of course more to come and I review them individually as I get them on the bike for now I will of course start with the gear already installed. And other farcles will be mentioned as I get them.

Now I have a set of Aluminium side bags on my bike they are the ones the Suzuki pushes through their dealers. Now these bags have been through rain at highway speeds as well of course through sun and the nice things about them are. They don't get to hot despite them being black; what I mean by that is they wont get warm even when not riding. While riding they are of course kept cool but when you stop for a lunch or something you want to know that your sandwich, water or water ever else maybe in there is not boiling. And it does not.
These bags come with a lid seal for the top opening lid and they do come with one liner bag each which are water resistant (I haven't tested this as I had no leak into the boxes but they do repel water fine while sitting in a bathtub or being rinsed in the shower) so if you are in a lot of rain you can keep items that need to stay dry in there just in case.
The are of course as all top opening with lock in the rear and swinging to the front which makes them the same on that count as all Aluminium side bags that I have seen. 

They of course lock to the bike when mounted and the mounting is very easy and straight forward you simply slide the bag onto the pins on the mounts and lock the rear clasp to hold it in place.
Of course the lids lock as well, the locks are a little jiggly at times and you have play with the keys to unlock the cases at times.

The mounting side of the bags.

Exterior with the reflectors adding some visibility.

The side clasp is the clasp locking to the bike

.

The Liner bags.

Right Mounting bracket.

Left Mounting bracket.

Getting Ready for the real Summer

Now we on the island are getting our summer and this summer is kicking off without any delay with the end of April and everyone who didn't have their bike on the road yet will have it on the road by the next weekend after all 17-25C are a good reason to ride again. Not worry Winnipeg you will get sun again as well. In the mean time it is time to check out the farcles for the bike as well maybe even consider new bikes.

For farcles I prefer using Twisted Throttle, however you don't always have to order through them to get the same gear they advertise there are some dealers in Canada sell the gear in question on the island Miles Zero Motorsports. Those Dealers have the upside of having a local shop that you can go to and look at the gear in, someone to talk to about the gear you want and what you need. And of course its good to support the local economy. They usually sell at the same price especially when you add to cost of shipping from the states also of course means you get the farcles faster....and you have an excuse to ride somewhere you may not always ride to.