Wings slip-on muffler

I wasn't after big sound -- in fact, I've grown to like the quiet stealthiness of the OEM exhaust system. But I don't like the thermo-nuclear temperatures that radiate from the OEM muffler.

I ordered a Wings slip-on directly from the manufacturer's website after a brief exchange of emails with the owner, Gorazd Marovic. He's a very nice guy to deal with. Shipped from his factory in Slovenia, it arrived in Berlin just two days later.  €345 was the total price including shipping. The box contained:

• the muffler
• a short mid-pipe for attaching the muffler to the OEM header pipe
• two pipe clamps
• the muffler hanger clamp with rubber insert
• a small bottle of lube (for the rubber that sits between the hanger and the muffler body)
• a sticker sheet
• a T-shirt 

In my emails back and forth with Gorazd, I asked him to not apply the logo decal plate. Instead, he included it in the box so that I can stick it on myself if I want.

The install was pretty straightforward. I didn't keep track of time, but definitely not more than 30 minutes, and I wasn't rushing.

The OEM nuclear reactor core throws a lot of heat. 

It's also quite heavy... like an anvil. 

This is the baffle insert I decided to use. Sound volume isn't much different 

compared to the stock sound, but the pitch is noticeably deeper.

This is what the pipe clamps look like. I decided to swap out the bolts 

for some stainless steel ones. I had a bunch in my tickle trunk of nuts and bolts.

Installed. 

Here you can see the quiet baffle insert 

inside the sexy carbon end cap.

Here's the before and after sound test recorded with my 
Nikon D3200 DSLR at a distance of 8 feet.

Moto vagabonding

Faced with a long weekend and no plan (and the wife and kids still away for 3 more weeks), I loaded up the Giant Loop Coyote luggage and set out with no destination in mind. Just see where I end up. I hopped on a main highway for about 15 minutes just to get out of Berlin, then it was onto secondary roads through the countryside heading southwest of the city. I did find some nice sandy/grassy double-track roads and managed to ride some 40 Kms or so of exquisite trails in the late morning and early afternoon.

Since the move last year, it seems my new tent has gone missing. Having reluctantly accepted the fact that it's not to be found and I'm out ~ 200 smackers, I went online in search of a bargain. I ended up with this: Mountain Warehouse Backpacker 2 tent

For the €59 price tag, it's not a bad deal. Aluminium poles (much lighter than fiberglass) and quite weatherproof, and packs up small and light. However, I failed to notice the reviews that mentioned how this tent is really made for short people. Not that I'm particularly tall, but if you're taller than the average 10 year old, then it's probably going to be a tight squeeze. Looks like my kids will get a new tent, and I'm shopping again for something more suitable. One other comment I would make about this tent is that it's not well ventilated: specifically, the mosquito netting material doesn't really pass much air. It's a very tight mesh polyester, and I felt like I was suffocating, even with the rain fly zippers and flaps opened up all the way. Bottom line, this tent is hardly practical. Lesson learned.

The Giant Loop Coyote is sitting a little higher and further back than 

normal. That's because I have it strapped to Wolfman side racks.

Lovely 2-track roads -- probably not allowed to be on them. With the stealthy 

exhaust system, I rode quietly and slowly so as not to attract any attention.

Picked up a couple of ice cold wobbly pops at the gas station.