It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
I spent 10 days last year riding a Duke V4S Streetfighter and the KTM back to back.......I seriously wanted a V4S .
It was a great bike ,205 bhp v the 178bhp of the KTM , more refined and better balanced and better finished/built. BUT , it's just not useable on the road .....to get the benefit of the engine it needs to be 6000rpm upwards for it to feel any more 'special' than the average sporty 900 .I got an afternoon on a circuit with it where it is an amazing tool but far too much bike for me to get to grips with.......I vaguely know what I'm doing .....used to race a CBR 400RR at the same time I had a 916 ( 26 years ago ) and ,even then my lap times were always better on the little Honda.
On the other hand the Superduke is still a beast with shattering torque but it's right there from the idle ,totally tractable but lazy if you want it to be and just so much more useable on the road .....you're happy to change up on the quickshift at 4000rpm without noise or fuss because it's pulling like a freight train .
I really can't see how the Pannigale V4 or the Streetfighter V4 is truly enjoyable on the road .....it's like having a Ferrari with a black box fitted but they look superb
Does that mean they're not actually a good fit..or is it the case that a helmet both be a good fit and still noisy - or alternatively fit poorly but be quiet ?
I use an Arai Quantic, it's ok, I wouldn't say it's quieter than my AGV K6 though, but not dramatically more noisy, opening some of the vents does increase the noise I find, so I keep those closed lol.
I use plugs anyway, so don't worry too much about noise. I've just fitted the Pro Shade system to my Quantic so will have to see if that makes more of a din now.
The Arai does fit extremely well and is extremely comfortable, and it seems incredibly well made, so I'm happy with it.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
The engine on this year's 1390 RR is even better with the variable valve timing
KTM ; Keep Taking Money
I can't do an open day at the 'Ring and use the motorcycle racing lines. I'm convinced I'll get nurfed off and die. Personally, I have to ride it like a one-way road, including mirrors and lifesavers. It's still fun.
When I did my courses (I did two, 1995 and 1996) the long straight was still open all the way and didn't have the entry/exit gates that it does now. But, being honest, after a few goes at full throttle and flat on the tank, you start to go a lot slower and use it for a rest from concentrating on bends and track surface. We got onto the circuit at T13. One year, we also got a chance to ride from the Nordschleife onto the GP circuit and back to the Nordschleife again (a route used by the GT Sportscars). What a change in track grip!
First service done for £104 at my local mechanic compared to the dealer wanting £200. Now I can open it up a bit more
but essentially don’t use front brake at slow speed except in a straight line. Cos the forks compress, change the bike’s geometry and off you get.
Picking it up is the same as not dropping it. Learn the technique/ knack for both & you'll be good.
This valuable information is brought to you from the Ministry of Bleeding Obvious Retrospective Ideas...
I've had a big Harley Street glide on top of me ,lying there calling for help like a little old turtle turned upside in his shell !
I was a bit nervous, as I always am after doing work on the bike, in case I got something very wrong, especially with the tyres since it was my first time changing them myself, and fully expected them to either fall off the rims or be so catastrophically out of balance as to make the bike unrideable.
I shouldn't be so hard on myself, everything was fine.
The tyres though, what a difference!
When I bought the bike it had Metzeler Z8s on which I changed as a matter of course because I didn't know their history. I put on a set of Metzeler Roadtec 01SE, which at the time were apparently about the best tyre available. I can't say I noticed a difference at all although I felt better knowing I had brand new rubber connecting me to the road.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare a worn out set to a brand new set of tyres, but as I said before, when I switched from Z8s to the 01SEs I couldn't tell.
So, when I put on the Michelin Road 6s I didn't think a Heath Robinson-esq Luddite like me would notice any difference at all - it's not like I'm pushing the limits of grip or anything with my riding style.
But immediately I noticed a huge difference. Initially the bike felt quite twitchy which was unnerving at first but once I had a few miles under the tyres I quickly became used to that. I can't say I've noticed a massive difference in grip - like I say, my riding style wouldn't ever factor grip as a significant attribute needed from one tyre over another in this sector or price bracket.
But, I did notice a huge difference in how quickly the bike changes direction and how easily the bike now tips into a corner, it's like the bike is doing all the work for me! Given the fact that I'm still scrubbing in the new rubber I wasn't expecting to be on the limit, so to speak, but even from straight out of the mould these tyres lend the rider a lot of confidence in their feel and ability.
On the way home I popped in to see a mate of mine who has just bought a Kawasaki Z650 from 1977. It's gorgeous, and fairly mint!
Now I have a hankering for something a bit older too, maybe another older BMW airhead. If I had a garage to keep one I'd probably already be looking.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Jacked it up to do a crude check on the wheel balance and noticed it was a bit out. Made a bit of a b@lls getting the callipers off and back on so the wheel would spin freely on the axle Sorted the balance, but then couldn't get the piston on one of them to slide back in after squeezing the brake lever by mistake. So now the bike is still sitting in the air, with two dismantled callipers on the bench needing a full set of seals for a rebuild.
Some days you're the hammer, others the nail.