Mojo Garage Archives - Motorcycle Mojo

Road Trip

A never-ending quest to fill the stable. Carl and I met in the mid 1980s due to our common interest in motorcycles, and we’ve remained friends ever since. He road raced in the ’80s and ’90s,...

The Inertial Measurement Unit

This modern wizardry helps to keep your bike upright, and you off the pavement. Rider assist systems like ABS and traction control have become almost universal in motorcycles. ABS itself has been...

Custom Tailoring your Bike

Simple adjustments can make a big difference to your riding comfort. All too often, people ride for years without ever adjusting their bikes for a proper fit. However, adjusting the controls and the...

Unscientific Ethanol Test

Last year, I wrote a couple of columns about gasoline, one explaining that octane prevents engine knock; the other that ethanol is used primarily to replace lead as an octane booster. However,...

Pressurized Engines

Big power from small displacement. Just over four decades ago, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers began experimenting with forced induction. Honda was first to hit the market with a forced-induction...

Saving fuel with your right hand

I recently took part in BMW’s ADV-X, a five-day adventure ride along logging roads, dirt roads and trails in beautiful British Columbia. I split my time aboard the new BMW R1300GS and the F900GS....

Shop Disasters

Whether accidents are slightly humourous or of grave concern, great care must be taken with things that spark. There are chemicals used regularly in a bike shop that are combustible, corrosive, and...

Continuously Variable Transmission

An efficient drive system, but it lacks rider interaction with the machine. Unless you ride a scooter, your bike doesn’t have a CVT. A CVT, or continuously variable transmission, changes ratios...

Tune-Up 101

There are many maintenance items you can easily do at home. Assuming your bike is running well and you want to keep it running that way, you’ll have to perform some regular maintenance. Your...

Ethanol

The fuel additive is everywhere. Learn about it and beware. In the previous issue, we looked at the effects of a gasoline’s octane rating on your engine. We also noted that ethanol is used to boost...

Use the Right Gas

High octane fuel isn’t always the best. A common misconception about a fuel’s octane rating is its relation to power; many people believe that the higher the octane, the more power the fuel will...

Yamaha FS1

High school desire comes to fruition for 2024 that has been simmering for more than four decades is the cause of my latest two-wheeled purchase. When I turned 14, I bought my first motorized...