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........just in case my knees aren't warmed-up enough first time out !
Had a think and have decided to ride down to Barcelona through France. Not a motorway dash but a 5 day meander. It’ll be dependent on weather but I’d like to head for the Route de Grand Alps and then across to Carcassonne before heading to the MotoGP at Catalunya. After that a few days in Spain then slowly make my way back to Calais through the Pyrenees and via Millau.
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.
New tyres are lovely.
The guy who runs the track days at out local circuit was/is a decent racer, and a pro who has done a lot of tyre testing (predominantly for BMW for some odd reason). Barring specialist racing slicks and compounds, he advises running everything else in the range of 32psi-36psi (hot) - says that's the normal design operating range for road tyres. Running at the lower end of the range will maximise the grip (at some cost to the life) - the higher end of the range you'll trade off some grip in return for longer road life. Less than the recommended I think the carcass tends to roll and flex more, which isn't great for stability, and going too far upwards decreases the tyre-footprint on the road so the grip starts to tail off.
I generally run mine about 32psi cold front and rear on the Triumph on the road , and find in normal riding they come up to about 34 rear / 36 front. Was surprised that the front heats up more esp with all the drive going through the back, but maybe the fact that it's a smaller carcass and all of the braking is through it makes the difference.(No idea what pressures are in the Hawg..it gets a shot of air at the local garage once a month or so if/when I remember )
I'm still surprised I didn't notice the same difference in feel over the Z8s when I put the 01SEs on, mind.
The Michelins feel quite a lot more compliant as well - probably due to having more rubber on the carcass, but I noticed a definite softer ride for the same pressures.
Hopefully they won't square off too badly before I hit the Spanish mountains in mid June! So looking forward to that, if only to feel some feckin' sun on my back for a bit! Watch, it'll rain like buggery over there now!
The girl who lives across the road (she's from just south of the Pyrenees) reckons I won't see a drop of rain and will be basking in 20+ degree warmth, but last time I took the bike abroad it snowed, so I'm expecting the worst but hoping for the best!
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.
I've also driven through Andorra (proper sh*thole of a place) in June btw, in the middle of a blizzard. Might be worth taking a few layers, just in case
Whilst we're on pillions, if we were looking to do tours (possibly going along the north coast of Africa at some stage) what bikes would you recommend? My wife wants to do it but is also nervous (by nature) so comfort and stability would be a bonus although something that could handle different roads/terrain would also be a consideration too I guess?
Later models of the same bike state 36/42 for all conditions, so solo, with pillion or with pillion and luggage.
I haven't seen a MC tyre yet that has a maximum safe pressure above 42psi, so I'd check what your tyres state on the sidewall and inflate to something around that.
In theory you could work it out mathematically using the load index and max pressure for the tyres and calculating the combined weight of the bike, yourself, your pillion and any luggage, then do a percentage difference of the max weight/pressure permitted for the tyre and adjust accordingly.
Personally, I think you should be ok at 36/42 unless you start loading it like a Delhi taxi.
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.
Couldn't get out of the place quick enough, but of course YMMV
I took my bike in for an inspection service this morning. I used to have it fettled by Stroud Motorcycle Company, they were a very highly regarded outfit, but have shut up shop in the last few months.
The service manager lives round the corner from me and is still doing a bit of work from a place in the Forest of Dean, so I've taken the bike up to him this morning to give it the once over before I take it to Spain in about six weeks.
One thing I wanted checked as a slight knock I have when the rear wheel is turned - if I'm moving the bike with the engine off I can just about hear it, for example. To call it a knock is an exaggeration but there's a definite mechanical noise there somewhere, albeit not overly prominent.
The bike rides fine and I can't claim any real issue at all, I was hoping the noise was just a worn UJ on the driveshaft or something.
Mike (the service guy) heard it and seemed quite worried by it, he's never heard anything like it before but reckons it's coming from the gearbox!
So, potentially looking at a replacement gearbox. Mike stated it might be nothing or it might be sign that it's about to fail catastrophically.
Problem is, on this bike it's a big job - the bike has to be split in half, and while you have the bike in two pieces it makes no sense to not take care of everything else while it's apart, so things like the clutch and rear main seals etc.
Probably looking at a big invoice!
Again, bugger!
Edit: move along nothing to see here.
Talk about blind panic over nothing, ended up being nothing more than a slightly dry UJ on the driveshaft - apparently it's an aftermarket rebuildable shaft. All greased up and it's good to go, plus with rider weight on the shaft it runs straight and so doesn't bother the UJs as much.
Total bill, £50.00!
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.
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.