Any Motörbike riders here?

quarky

Sham61 said:

Currently riding a Scrambler Ducati Classic. Had it 3 years on a PCP thing

I wouldn't do PCP on a car, but I am thinking that maybe it makes more sense on a bike (I tend to replace them faster)…
Glad you like the Scrambler, they look like great bikes. 

Of course we need a picture

Sham61

roundthebend

I think I've decided on my pannier setup for the Bonnie T120. I'm so picky and hate spending huge amounts of money. I had ideas of building something myself to keep costs down and get the look I want, but it's all a bit of a faff and might not work.

So, I've compromised a bit on the classic looks and opted for something that fits the bill.

This isn't my bike, but it's the exact same colour and shows the panniers. Incidentally, they can be swapped onto opposite sides depending on which way looks best and is most comfortable for my wife as pillion.

guitargeek62

That looks pretty good to me, very smart!

Incidentally, I've got a spare clutch cover in brass & aluminium that would fit either your T120 @roundthebend , or @quarky 's ST. PM if if either of you want it and I'll post it along, it's one of these:

midiglitch

TheBigDipper said:

In these days of too much traffic and poor road maintenance, I suspect you'll decide it's more fun to run a slower bike nearer the limit of the bike and the road in front of you. I sold my 916 (it was a long time ago) when I realised I was faster on public roads using my GS. Better suspension for real roads, enough power to get in trouble, better vision and I could see over hedges! 

My road road riding for pleasure was (and still is) small A roads and below. I could use an ER-6 or an SV 650 and never get to the limits of the bike.

Where are you in N. Dorset? There's some great stuff up there. 

@TheBigDipper I'm just between Shaftesbury and blandford, a couple of miles East of Fontmell Magna.  Some lovely roads, but too many hedges that I can't see round!

Well the track day on the 300 was a blast!  Everything a track day should be.  Worked on my lines to start with, got some instruction on the second session which highlighted that I needed to counter steer more positively to get into and out of maximum lean angle more quickly.  Focussed on that, by the fourth session knee was down on the sweeping right handers and the circuit was really starting to flow!  Overtaking an RC8 and later a gsxr 750 round the outside of quarry where particular highlights! 

Lots of props from other riders for bringing a small bike and working on corner speed rather than honing it between corners on a big bike, which was nice.

I'm absolutely certain that I am the slowest component of the bike still, so the blade is going up for sale and I am going to keep tracking the 300 until I am good enough to expose the limitations of the stock tyres, suspension, brakes and rearsets.

its funny on reflection how much I bought into all that motorcycling journalism fanfare about spec, when in reality the difference between crappy stock suspension and big piston Showas is basically irrelevant at my level of ability!  Same is true for guitars, of course!...

Moe_Zambeek

I'd say that suspension is more of an issue on the road than the track, given most of us have competence levels way below the bike's. on a nice smooth track the stock suspension will do the job where the rider isn't pushing at the limits. On a rutted, potholed, tramlined real road, suspension becomes more visibly compromised to the rider. 

maidenfan

PC_Dave said:

I couldn’t entertain the idea of a smaller capacity bike now. I’ve had my SuperDuke for 2 months now, and there’s now way I’d go smaller. It’s the perfect bike for everything, and it’s not the outright power that’s the good thing, it’s the way the power is delivered. Instant torque, any gear, any speed. It’s so nimble you can fly through traffic, and then ruin a performance car drivers day at the next set of traffic lights.

You might be able to tell I quite like it.....

I had a similar thought a couple of years back, having had (in order (roughly!):

CBR600

VFR750

VFR800 Vtec

ZZR1200

VFR800

GS 1150 ADV

XL1000 Varadero

Then following a hit and run I've had a GS650, then back to a Vtec now on a CB500X.

Of all of these, the wee CB500x is by far the most fun to ride, learning to carry far more corner speed, really using all of the rev range. Fuel economy is outstanding and being a Honda, reliability is superb. Have put 7500 miles since last October. The only thing needed is to upgrade the suspension which I'm doing later on this year with some Rally Raid kit.

Some nice bikes on this thread and love the last ones about the chap on the track day with the wee kwack!

guitargeek62

I’ve had a nice productive day installing a tail tidy and LED indicators on my Triumph. I’m about to try applying some yellow lens tint on the headlight too - not as sure that’ll stay though!

http://i.imgur.com/Ti5rXxK.jpg

TheBigDipper

I'll be out and about in North Dorset today - Cranborne Chase area, if all goes as planned. I'm doing a check test with one of my RoADAR Dorset club members who has their RoSPA test next Friday. Someone else coached him and this is his "second opinion" just in case...

I'll be the white GS BMW following the yellow RS BMW. Hopefully we'll be finished by lunchtime as it looks like being another hot one. 

quarky

I was up in Lincolnshire yesterday, and in the Cotswolds today. Great weekend on the bike!

https://i.imgur.com/pZjJ5lh.jpg

This is the brewery at Hook Norton
https://i.imgur.com/f5xf8vl.jpg

Nunogilberto

quarky said:

I was up in Lincolnshire yesterday, and in the Cotswolds today. Great weekend on the bike!

https://i.imgur.com/pZjJ5lh.jpg

This is the brewery at Hook Norton
https://i.imgur.com/f5xf8vl.jpg

Looks lovely in red, the Street Twin. I sat on one the other week and it felt nice and light.

roundthebend

So, I just sold my first motorbike which I only bought in January this year. A pretty tidy Suzuki Bandit.



And I added some Givi panniers to my new Triumph T120 Black. I wasn't keen on the modern looking boxes, but it's a compromise and I'm pretty pleased with how they look.

p90fool

Piss stop yesterday...

http://i65.tinypic.com/295wmcn.jpg

Nunogilberto

Well, I passed my MOD 2 a couple of weeks back, and though I still have my 125, my father in law put me on the insurance for his 90s Moto Guzzi 750. The second time I took it for a spin, I did a nice 20 mile round trip, before coming off it yards from the house...

I was travelling very slowly down a steep lane near my house, to get to the garage around the back. Conditions were slightly damp, so I took my time, but whilst on both brakes at crawling pace, the wheels locked and both bike and I went over to the right, with the bike coming down on me. After brushing myself off, I picked the bike up (no damage to speak of) and put it away in the garage.

A trip to the hospital a day later confirmed possible broken rib and a fractured big toe on my right foot.

A couple of weeks have passed and I took my 125 out for a quiet spin yesterday, which I enjoyed. I came back and took the bigger bike out for a short spin around the block, though the weight of handling the bike made my ribs ache a bit.

I’m eager to go out and get my first big bike but I can’t financially justify it just yet, plus I should probably get used to the 750 property before I go getting something else...

manicguitarist

Ooof. But the Moto Guzzi was a heavy bike even back in its day. Modern bikes should be a lot lighter. Hope you heal ok. 

Nunogilberto

manicguitarist said:

Ooof. But the Moto Guzzi was a heavy bike even back in its day. Modern bikes should be a lot lighter. Hope you heal ok. 

Cheers - yes, it’s a weighty beast. More when you’re manually handling it than actually riding it, though I think it was the sheer weight of the bike on the steep hill with the brakes on that caused me to skid. I did my test on an MT07 which is twice as fast and felt like half the weight. I’ve got to keep the moon boot on my right foot for another fortnight but am looking forward to doing away with it and getting back on the bike again...

TheBigDipper

Nunogilberto said:

Well, I passed my MOD 2 a couple of weeks back, and though I still have my 125, my father in law put me on the insurance for his 90s Moto Guzzi 750. The second time I took it for a spin, I did a nice 20 mile round trip, before coming off it yards from the house...

I was travelling very slowly down a steep lane near my house, to get to the garage around the back. Conditions were slightly damp, so I took my time, but whilst on both brakes at crawling pace, the wheels locked and both bike and I went over to the right, with the bike coming down on me. After brushing myself off, I picked the bike up (no damage to speak of) and put it away in the garage.

A trip to the hospital a day later confirmed possible broken rib and a fractured big toe on my right foot.

A couple of weeks have passed and I took my 125 out for a quiet spin yesterday, which I enjoyed. I came back and took the bigger bike out for a short spin around the block, though the weight of handling the bike made my ribs ache a bit.

I’m eager to go out and get my first big bike but I can’t financially justify it just yet, plus I should probably get used to the 750 property before I go getting something else...

Very sorry to hear this, old chap. We've all done it! Hope you heal soon. The likely reason for the spill is in your description. Crawling pace, downhill, slightly damp (tarmac or something else?) and BOTH brakes.

It's hard to use the front brake effectively when riding at very slow speeds, walking pace or lower - unless you're moving in a straight line on a good surface. The risk is you use the front brake too severely for the grip the tyre has, it locks up and the steering moves to one side or the other, causing a change in your centre of gravity and a spill. Or, the front forks compress suddenly, with the same CoG change and the same result.

Downhill like you describe is best done in 1st gear with the clutch engaged as much as you can without stalling, throttle shut (for engine braking), using only the back brake.

Still, at least you weren't doing what many riders would have done - paddling along with both feet down, clutch pulled in and therefore only able to use the front brake. One of the big differences between a 125 and something heavier is that you can manage a 125 at low speeds using your body strength, arms, legs and "wrestle" it. On something heavier, you can't, so it's a good idea to learn how to control a bike very slowly with your feet up, just using the controls. 

Nunogilberto

@TheBigDipper - thanks for the advice. My father in law said much the same in terms of going down that hill. It’s a tarmac lane but with a poor surface, broken in places with some moss here and there - not the best in most weathers, in all honesty.

TheBigDipper

Nunogilberto said:

@TheBigDipper - thanks for the advice. My father in law said much the same in terms of going down that hill. It’s a tarmac lane but with a poor surface, broken in places with some moss here and there - not the best in most weathers, in all honesty.

I ride a BMW GS (it's heavy and I'm not the tallest person to manage a tall bike). I'm not an off-road rider of any note, either. So... when I'm confronted with a poor surface and a tight place to manoeuvre the bike - or a hill like you're describing - it's no shame to recognise you might get in trouble and just get off and push. (Well, that's what I tell myself, anyway... :-) ) 

On a downhill like you described, I'm sure you could walk it. Lean the bike into your body and just let the weight of the bike roll it extremely slowly down the hill - under the control of the front brake, but not changing the braking pressure too much or letting the bike run away from you.

robinbowes

As others have said, 1st gear and using engine braking sounds in order here. Also, it's important to keep an eye on the surface immediately in front of you and avoid harsh braking on loose/slippy surfaces. I ride mostly country roads in a farming area and you never know what's around the next corner!