This is an unusual tale of mechanical mystery, charming chivalry and late-night suspense. Friday night was my last shift as Crew Chief at The Ironworks, a beautiful venue that has been my home at the Jazz Fest for 4 years. Although the Ironworks studio, an artistic space in an actual converted metal-working shop previously known as Burrard Ironworks, is sophisticated and beautiful inside, it is located in the worst part of Vancouver. The neighbourhood is one of the poorest postal codes in Canada and many homeless people wander the streets in company with drug addicts and mentally ill individuals. The area is starting to gentrify, behind security barracades, but the streets are still mean and inhabitants are unpredictable — it is the Downtown Eastside.
I went over to Simon’s after work as I have been having a bit of a problem shifting gears. It was not happening all the time, so it made it difficult to diagnose. Occasionally, the bike would refuse to shift into 3rd gear. It would “hit the ceiling” as it does in 5th and give [...]
Two sunny days in a row happened last weekend, so on Monday I bought insurance for the big bike — my Yamaha FJ1200. By Friday, I was riding confidently, under a partly cloudy sky, to Yaletown. I was scheduled to meet with a documentary film maker who wanted to interview me about one of my [...]
By victoria | Published: January 30, 2008
Streaming Video From a Motorcycle Required Equipment Category Equipment 1. Image Capture Device camera lense and recorder (helmetcam or isight) 2. Notebook Computer Macintosh Powerbook Ubuntu Powerbook Choice of OS may lead to using two notebook computers Backup always good, but space limited. 3. Satellite Modem many choices data calls expensive [...]
By victoria | Published: December 30, 2007
Riding a motorcycle is always dangerous and riding in unfamiliar territory increases the risk. However, I am a very careful rider and my mandate is to capture the video, deliver the workshops, present the electronic music events and bring the whole show back in one piece. The major hazard is dropping my bike over. I [...]
By victoria | Published: December 2, 2007
There are many people recording video from moving motorcycles, so I decided to post a few links to show some of the mounting technologies that I might use to attach a video camera to the Yamaha FJ motorcycle. This is a Suzuki motorcycle, but my Yamaha has the same type of gas tank fill cap. [...]
By victoria | Published: October 30, 2007
This is my 1990 Yamaha Fj, by far the largest and most powerful motorcycle I have owned in my over 30 year history of owning motorcycles. Many thanks to my mechanic, Simon, who has just finished rebuilding the clutch. There were some pesky problems, but Simon knows these bikes very well and is an [...]
