As I recently wrote, I collected a lot of (in my opinion) great songs for a roadtrip album last year. Originally to listen to while riding motorcycles, it should work just fine in a car as well.

This year I decided to to it again, waiting for the season to turn and getting the bike out of storage. The list is constantly evolving, but I have currently narrowed it down to about 85 songs. As last time, the songs are from around the last 60 years or so, but this time the focus it is slightly more on modern rock.

Since several several artists occurs more than once in the list, I usually sort it by song title, not by artist:

Again, friends that I know personally can ask for a copy.

Last summer I did quite a bit of roadtripping on my bike.  And without music it tends to become pretty repetitive. So I started riding with earbuds (which you still want to use to dull the noise) and an mp3 player. But as most albums have their bad parts and it’s hard to skip songs when you’re riding at 110km/h, I decided to put together a roadtrip collection.

This collection features music from the last 60 years or so, but the focus is mainly on 70′s rock. I’ve been going through thousands of songs, made many revisions and kept only the ones that really works for me, over and over. Of course, it wasn’t the only thing I listened to while riding, but it’s still over 6 hours straight. Originally the list was 130+ songs, but now it’s down to 88. An example of a removed song is Guns & Roses – Paradise City. Sure, it’s a great song, but only if you listen to it once or twice a year. After 7-8 times in 3 months you kind of want to skip that song when it comes up.

A small warning: Several of the remaining songs are related to my childhood and what we listened to in the car when I was very young. Mostly the country songs. A few of the songs are also in Swedish.

Oh well, to the list! Since several several artists occurs more than once in the list, I usually sort it by song title, not by artist:

Friends that I know personally can ask for a copy.

Update: Don’t forget to check out the 2011 roadtrip collection as well!

Howdy,

Yes, I’m still alive, even though I’ve been out riding my bike for the last few weeks. It actually makes me feel more alive. Yes,  I know it’s a terrible cliché, but it’s true nonetheless.

Been making a few mods as well:

• Modifying and attaching the mounting thingy to the new saddlebags. They now support more weight and are easy to attach and remove, which is great for going shopping since they easily hold a full grocery bag each, and I don’t need to have them on all the time like the last ones. Should make longer road trips a whole lot easier as well, as I don’t have to unpack them at each sleepover, I can just pop them off.
• Reversed the passenger pegs to move them forward and outward to not interfere with the previously mentioned bags. The excellent guide on Volusia Riders forum was a great help, even though I used shorter bolts and spacers than described in the guide to avoid long term twisting of the frame mount. M thought that her riding position improved a lot with this and made riding easier on her back, so two good things in one!
• A custom made brake fluid reservoir lid. Pictures may come later.

I’ve also bought a new, chromed horn that I plan to install next week as the current one is on the fritz.

More things have happened in my life, but I’ll keep that private for now.

Catch you on the flipside.

I got a package today, stuff I ordered about a week ago as a birthday present to myself. Motorcycle stuff from Louis.de (good online store).

But first, let me tell you about the Swedish postal system and how complicated it can be to get a package, especially if you order stuff from abroad.
Here is what I learned today from a disgruntled (but very helpful) employee at Posten‘s (The main Swedish postal service) helpdesk:
What most people doesn’t know is that the mail part and the parcel/logistics part of Posten are two separate companies. They do have the same name, logotype, homepage etc., but they are in fact separate. And more, they are rivals. Even though they seem to work together, they apparently don’t. Or, at least not very well.

Example from today; I awaited a large package, around 1 x 1 x 0.5 meter, arriving from Germany. I followed the current location of the package online, using my tracking ID at Posten’s common homepage. When I checked the status during lunch, I could see a new note from 11:49, saying “The recipient’s door code is not stated on the package. The postal item is notified”.

Question 1: Why didn’t the guy delivering the package have the door code, when his colleague that delivers letters and smaller parcels every day have it?

Answer: Because they are rivals, and rivals don’t share information. The competition between the two parts of Posten is so stiff, despite the fact that they work under the same umbrella, that they will not even share the door codes, allowing the delivery men to enter the apartment building.

Question 2: So if the door code is not known on the first round, when will they actually deliver the package?

Answer: They won’t. It’s not possible to schedule a new delivery time, even if you provide them with the door code and stay home for an entire day. Instead, you are forced to go to Posten’s company center, 6.6 kilometers away. And 1 kilometer to the closest train station. During business hours. So if you don’t have a car and can leave work early, you are pretty much screwed. Unless you want to carry a big ass package a kilometer, then try to get it aboard the train, followed by the walk home. Luckily, I could get away from work earlier today and have a brother that could give me a ride.

But seriously, do they really expect people to be home in the middle of the day (and they will not inform you before which day or time they are coming)? And do they expect that there won’t be any door codes in apartment buildings whatsoever? Even so, they have probably made a number of deliveries to this very address this year alone, and should have the code by now. They didn’t even bother to call, even to just get the code. If they would, the package could actually have been delivered since M was in fact at home that time today.

All of this for a package that you actually paid for to be delivered to your doorstep.

Seriously Posten, get your shit together.

Ok, let’s move on. Oh yeah, what was in the package?

First off was a set of saddle bags, about twice the size of my previous bags (27 liters each). They are also better looking and more practical, allowing you to take them off without unscrewing the passenger seat. They should be more water proof as well, but just in case I also bought a set of rain covers for them that can be rigged as shower caps. Or actually, I bought two sets. I thought they were sold one by one, but them came in pairs so now I have a spare pair.

Since the saddle bags are removable, I also bought a matching 3 liter tool roll. I generally don’t like the looks of them, but this was pretty clean. I intend to use it only when the saddle bags are off, to keep a first aid kit and some emergency items like tire spray and cable ties in. To go with that roll, I also bought a water proof inner bag in roughly the same size. Wouldn’t want the first aid kit to go bad.

Additionally, I  bought a lightweight nylon cover for the entire bike to protect it from the weathers when it’s standing outdoors.

Aside from the luggage and covers, I also bought a new set of mini bullet turn indicators since the original ones on my bike are huge and not very stylish.

The last items were some valve caps with built-in pressure monitors. If the tire pressure drops with 0.2 – 0.3 bar, the indicator in the valve cap turns from green to red. I had a slight pressure drop in the front tire last summer, so this should be useful as I won’t have to stop by gas stations every 500 kilometers to check the pressure – a glance at the indicator should be enough.

On a side note, I have started to assemble my roadtrip music album for 2011. I did this last year, and had a great selection of around 130 songs that went great on the road and got good feedback from others who received a copy. I might write a separate post about that later.

All I need now is for spring to come.

So, what have happened since last time?
I’ve been riding. And riding. And riding.

First off, two days after passing my driver’s exam and buying my bike, I went upp to Strömsund in Swedish Jämtland, around 700 km from Stockholm by bike. From there we went to Finnish Lapland by car, to a town called Ranua about 80 km from Rovaniemi. After close to a week we went back, and I took the bike back to Stockholm via a night in Mora.
Back home I took a few days to wash, repack and plan,and also to install my first modification to the bike: A 12 volt power outlet (cigarette plug) hidden inside the toolbox compartment. This is in turn connected to a relay that I installed, so that it only gives power when the bike is started to prevent the battery from discharging in case I forget the power adapter to the GPS plugged in.

Anyway, me and three friends went back on the road again.
First stop was Tibro, where I lived between I was 5 and 16. Of course we went straight to Tibro Bar & Grill, and then off to our respective friends and family to sleep (3 of 4 were raised in Tibro). The next day it was more or less pouring down the entire time, so we took the shorter route to Hökerum, Ulricehamn, where my parents live. After spending the evening and night there we went on to Linköping, still in the rain. We split up again, and met the next day, when the sun finally came through. Onward to Västervik where MC-dagarna, the largest bike event in northern Europe, was held. Lots and lots of awesome bikes, both at the exhibition and in the camping area. We camped there for a night, and then the rest of the guys went back to Stockholm while I continued on to Öland where my parents had rented a house. After 5 days there, I went back to spend another night in Linköping before going back to Stockholm. Besides that I’ve been cruising around a lot in between, both in Stockholm and on Öland.

Pictures have been requested so pictures are produced: