Any Motörbike riders here?

p90fool

Had to put a bigger tank on one of mine so I can make border raids into England as it's still illegal to ride here....

Dominic

there must be a Royal Enfield that fits the bill........if you're not worried about max performance for a small engine

Dominic

p90fool said:

Had to put a bigger tank on one of mine so I can make border raids into England as it's still illegal to ride here....

Nice little bobber.......are you NCC ?

Dominic

Illegal to ride ?.......that's ridiculous .......illegal or simply "advised" ?

p90fool

Dominic said:

Illegal to ride ?.......that's ridiculous .......illegal or simply "advised" ?

Well technically you can, and I do ride to work every day, but you'd better have a damn good excuse ready if you're not shopping or working. 
Ten bikers were fined in my immediate area last weekend, they don't seem to bother with cars as much. 

p90fool

And no I'm not NCC. It's actually CCW here and I work with two of the local members, though in the years I've known them I've never seen either of them on a motorcycle, I guess it's just an accessory for the club run uniform for most of them. 

Dominic

that's the funny thing.......builders always wrenching .....never riding .....
 All the MC s respect 'em tho' .........welcome in any clubhouse .....I'm guessing N Wales is Black and White 

cruxiform

hollywoodrox said:

cruxiform said:

Bought a BMW K1200S recently, my second one. I love them. Got it for an absolute steal. Managed to get out for a few hours after the relaxation of restrictions with my buddy on his Fireblade.

That construction with the arches is very interesting in the background

It's Newhaven Harbour Arm. 

cruxiform

TheBigDipper said:

I’m looking for clothing suggestions from the hive mind of experienced riders who come here…

Background:

I’ve been steadily losing weight over the past few months (hooray) and not riding (boo) because I’ve been supporting lockdown. I’ve discovered none of my jackets or trousers fit any more. The armour is all out of place. Trousers fall down and jackets billow in the wind. So I need some new stuff. The question is, what? In other times, I’d just visit lots of shops and try stuff on, get a feel for the quality, etc. Not possible right now, obv.

I’ve mainly been a serial Rukka and BMW textile clothing user for nearly two decades. Both are expensive and I’m still losing weight, so I’m not thinking of investing so much money this time around. I’m hoping to be buying again next spring. I’m looking for something that will pop me on until the winter and then go in a cupboard in case I revert. In winter, I think I’ll be able to wear a Furygan winter jacket (far too hot for summer) that I’ve got, with some under layers to pad it out a bit. I'm not going to look at used clothing. 

I currently ride a BMW 1200GS, so an upright riding position - which won’t change even when I change the bike. These days, I rarely do any rides longer than all day - no overnights or touring. I don’t do much commuter or urban riding, either. Generally I get dressed for a half day or full days riding and I’m on the bike. I don’t need something I can walk around the shops in (nor the pad, dear instructors)

Questions:

I’m toying with the idea of wearing my armour in undergarments and not in the jacket and trousers themselves. Anyone doing that? Any brands I should research? Rukka armour is so comfortable. Anything else like that from elsewhere? 

I’m thinking of textiles again but does anyone have a leather jacket or trousers they’d recommend for summer/autumn use? Not race rep stuff, but cool in warmer weather. 

Anyone have a mesh jacket they’d recommend? My current overlarge BMW Rallye 2 suit has lots of mesh panels (underneath flaps) and that has been great in really warm weather. 

I like garments with the waterproofing built in to the top shell of the fabric (so it doesn’t soak in) rather than underneath the top layer (allowing the top to get wet and heavy even if I stay dry). I’m also happy to just stop and put a waterproof shell over the top if it’s raining. What I don’t like is a porous jacket or trouser with a waterproof lining that I can zip in. You wear it all day just in case it rains and boil-in-the-bag instead…  

OK folks, that’s enough from me. What do you suggest I take a look at? 

When I lost weight, I had my gear professionally adjusted. More cost effective if your gear is expensive to start with.

I can recommend 

https://www.hill4leather.com/

They did a top job on my leathers and textile suits. 

Kittyfrisk

p90fool said:

Had to put a bigger tank on one of mine so I can make border raids into England as it's still illegal to ride here....

Nicely equipped workspace, I'm very jealous & more than a little envious.

Kittyfrisk

TheBigDipper said:

I’m looking for clothing suggestions from the hive mind of experienced riders who come here…

Background:

I’ve been steadily losing weight over the past few months (hooray) and not riding (boo) because I’ve been supporting lockdown. I’ve discovered none of my jackets or trousers fit any more. The armour is all out of place. Trousers fall down and jackets billow in the wind. So I need some new stuff. The question is, what? In other times, I’d just visit lots of shops and try stuff on, get a feel for the quality, etc. Not possible right now, obv.

I’ve mainly been a serial Rukka and BMW textile clothing user for nearly two decades. Both are expensive and I’m still losing weight, so I’m not thinking of investing so much money this time around. I’m hoping to be buying again next spring. I’m looking for something that will pop me on until the winter and then go in a cupboard in case I revert. In winter, I think I’ll be able to wear a Furygan winter jacket (far too hot for summer) that I’ve got, with some under layers to pad it out a bit. I'm not going to look at used clothing. 

I currently ride a BMW 1200GS, so an upright riding position - which won’t change even when I change the bike. These days, I rarely do any rides longer than all day - no overnights or touring. I don’t do much commuter or urban riding, either. Generally I get dressed for a half day or full days riding and I’m on the bike. I don’t need something I can walk around the shops in (nor the pad, dear instructors)

Questions:

I’m toying with the idea of wearing my armour in undergarments and not in the jacket and trousers themselves. Anyone doing that? Any brands I should research? Rukka armour is so comfortable. Anything else like that from elsewhere? 

I’m thinking of textiles again but does anyone have a leather jacket or trousers they’d recommend for summer/autumn use? Not race rep stuff, but cool in warmer weather. 

Anyone have a mesh jacket they’d recommend? My current overlarge BMW Rallye 2 suit has lots of mesh panels (underneath flaps) and that has been great in really warm weather. 

I like garments with the waterproofing built in to the top shell of the fabric (so it doesn’t soak in) rather than underneath the top layer (allowing the top to get wet and heavy even if I stay dry). I’m also happy to just stop and put a waterproof shell over the top if it’s raining. What I don’t like is a porous jacket or trouser with a waterproof lining that I can zip in. You wear it all day just in case it rains and boil-in-the-bag instead…  

OK folks, that’s enough from me. What do you suggest I take a look at? 

Have you looked into something like the Knox Action Armoured Shirt? https://www.planet-knox.com/product/knox-action-shirt-for-men/
Affordable, comfortable & discrete. Sounds like an upmarket sanitary towel, but hard!  because we're worth it 

jaytmon

TheBigDipper said:

I’m looking for clothing suggestions from the hive mind of experienced riders who come here…

Questions:

I’m toying with the idea of wearing my armour in undergarments and not in the jacket and trousers themselves. Anyone doing that? Any brands I should research? Rukka armour is so comfortable. Anything else like that from elsewhere? 

I’m thinking of textiles again but does anyone have a leather jacket or trousers they’d recommend for summer/autumn use? Not race rep stuff, but cool in warmer weather. 

Anyone have a mesh jacket they’d recommend? My current overlarge BMW Rallye 2 suit has lots of mesh panels (underneath flaps) and that has been great in really warm weather. 

I like garments with the waterproofing built in to the top shell of the fabric (so it doesn’t soak in) rather than underneath the top layer (allowing the top to get wet and heavy even if I stay dry). I’m also happy to just stop and put a waterproof shell over the top if it’s raining. What I don’t like is a porous jacket or trouser with a waterproof lining that I can zip in. You wear it all day just in case it rains and boil-in-the-bag instead…  

OK folks, that’s enough from me. What do you suggest I take a look at? 

Thoughts in no particular order:

I've been using Dane textile kit for a few years now, and I've been very impressed. There are a number of options for waterproof laminates but they also do a summer mesh jacket - the Fano - which I've been tempted by. When the temp was exceeding about 26-27 degrees last year I was too hot in the Sealand jacket. The previous drop-liner jacket (Limfjord) I had was what I needed then. Rukka also do a mesh jacket - the Corsair - if that's your thing. AFAIK Rukka use D30 armour, which quite a few other manufacturers use. Also consider Klim - more offroad oriented kit but they have introduced a touring line as well. The only comment I'd make about this is that you don't get any sort of thermal insulation with their kit. You're expected to layer up as needed, and it can be a bit stiff. It's difficult to beat Rukka for comfort. I've also read good things about Stadler, (think the police use it?) but no personal experience. 

The Rallye suit, as an adventure suit, is probably going to offer much better venting than a standard touring waterproof laminated one, so your thoughts of mesh jacket/waterproof overjacket is definitely worth considering, especially given the recent good weather!

TheBigDipper

cruxiform said:

TheBigDipper said:

<snip> 

When I lost weight, I had my gear professionally adjusted. More cost effective if your gear is expensive to start with.

I can recommend 

https://www.hill4leather.com/

They did a top job on my leathers and textile suits. 

Doh! I know about altering leathers (just no longer own any). I didn't consider anyone would do textiles. Ta!

p90fool

Kittyfrisk said:

p90fool said:

Had to put a bigger tank on one of mine so I can make border raids into England as it's still illegal to ride here....

Nicely equipped workspace, I'm very jealous & more than a little envious.

Thanks, it is a handy space, though you soon expand to fill it!

TheBigDipper

Ta for the clothing advice so far. I'm intrigued by the Knox range. Anyone on here actually own any Knox stuff - not just the armour, but the layered clothing system? 

guitargeek62

TheBigDipper said:

Ta for the clothing advice so far. I'm intrigued by the Knox range. Anyone on here actually own any Knox stuff - not just the armour, but the layered clothing system? 

I do! I've got one of the armoured undershirts, it's a brilliant concept and well executed - the sizing comes up quite tight though (it's meant to), so bear that in mind when ordering. I've not got any of the layering pieces to go over it, as I mostly bought it as a warm-weather jacket in itself. I've got a pair of Richmond Mk1 jeans from them too; they're nice enough, but I prefer my Resurgence Warriors for their fit, although the side-entry knee armour is ingenious. 

I've also had a couple of pairs of their Orsa gloves and can't praise them highly enough - particularly the suede motorcross-esque ones! On top of that, I've also got their armour in another jacket and another pair of jeans

Gulliver

Just bought a 2018 SV650 - immediately put a louder exhaust on it.

It's been pissing it down all weekend so can't go ride it

 

guitargeek62

Gulliver said:

Just bought a 2018 SV650 - immediately put a louder exhaust on it.

It's been pissing it down all weekend so can't go ride it

 

Nice/not nice!

I went out for a bloody lovely ride yesterday with some guys from work. Twisty route from Sevenoaks down to Eastbourne for lunch on the beach, then across to Hastings and back to Sevenoaks via the A21. Not too much traffic around, and perfect weather here! Incident free too, which is always nice - though I did almost rear-end a van when I got distracted by some rather nice eye candy in a miniskirt...!

Kittyfrisk

guitargeek62 said:

Gulliver said:

Just bought a 2018 SV650 - immediately put a louder exhaust on it.

It's been pissing it down all weekend so can't go ride it

 

Nice/not nice!

I went out for a bloody lovely ride yesterday with some guys from work. Twisty route from Sevenoaks down to Eastbourne for lunch on the beach, then across to Hastings and back to Sevenoaks via the A21. Not too much traffic around, and perfect weather here! Incident free too, which is always nice - though I did almost rear-end a van when I got distracted by some rather nice eye candy in a miniskirt...!

Typical summer hazard, 'Suns out, buns out".

Gulliver

guitargeek62 said:

Gulliver said:

Just bought a 2018 SV650 - immediately put a louder exhaust on it.

It's been pissing it down all weekend so can't go ride it

 

Nice/not nice!

I went out for a bloody lovely ride yesterday with some guys from work. Twisty route from Sevenoaks down to Eastbourne for lunch on the beach, then across to Hastings and back to Sevenoaks via the A21. Not too much traffic around, and perfect weather here! Incident free too, which is always nice - though I did almost rear-end a van when I got distracted by some rather nice eye candy in a miniskirt...!

Went for a short ride this evening into Birmingham City Centre, mainly so I could play in the tunnels!!!   New exhaust is already a solid investment - I may yank the baffles out, we'll see...