Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

What a torture to watch only:

Drop in a sterident tablet.

Just picked up a pair of Hood K7 Jeans and thought I’d post my thoughts just in case anyone else was thinking about bike jeans.

(probably like teaching egg sucking but I think it came up recently)

Fabrication-wise they are incredibly well made. The overall styling is a bit dad/French Supermarché - it may improve with age/wear.

My main comment would be that the Kevlar lining (or Para‑aramid) plus knee armour plus hip armour turns them from jeans into motorbike trousers. That may sound daft but it hadn’t really occurred to me. Definitely an item you need to try on to understand what they are like.

So off the bike they would be alright for a bit of general sitting around for a bit but not for a whole day in the office/home/out. On the bike mine still need a bit of breaking in, but overall they are a good balance for this time of year, cooler than my leathers but warmer (and safer) than regular jeans.

Other bike jeans may be different, but in conclusion I’d say that if you’re thinking about something to commute in that you can wear all day these aren’t really an option (ymmv). Without the amour inserts they’d be more comfie, but I don’t think they’d be comfortable.

If you want something that looks better than textiles or leather, yep. If you want something safe for the warmer weather, yep.

I haven’t tried textile trousers yet, but given how cheaply they can be picked up and the fact that most have removable liners I can imagine on a price / practicality basis they’d might be better. Coppiethat’s overalls idea does also seem like a sensible one.

Drop in a sterident tablet.

Sorry just saw this - you mean for cleaning instead of vinegar, right?

Looking at the ingredients list it does sound like good stuff.

Do you use it just for the expansion tank or for the whole rad?

Really appreciate this - I was considering picking up some riding jeans / chinos because I don't want to get changed at work. Based on your review it seems like I might be better off just biting the bullet and having separate work clothes and riding clothes.

I use the 1 or 2 size up textile trouser over the top of my work clothes method.
Winter is good and toastie, summer can be a bit sweatleg

Would anyone like a set of shorty CNC levers?
The front brake one is damaged (but can still be used) thank to my neighbour tipping my Bandit over with his car.

They are for Suzuki Bandit GSF600 SK4 but will fit a range of Suzuki including the SV650 GSF1200.

No charge obviously they are about £20 a set online.

I also have some red braided lines if there are any takers. The straight ones which bypass the splitter. Quite long so should fit most dual caliper bikes. You would need new banjos/washers. You could also use a single one on a single caliper bike.

Free with any Champagne order above a case of 6 bottles....

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Always wondered, what are they like to use?

Not great for me.

Genuine levers are more ergo, those CNC are more angular which did not feel great while using them. These are the shorty version so about 4cm shorter than standard which, once again, takes time to get used to.

The new ones fitted are also CNC but I took the long (standard length) version this time.

It takes 10 minutes to fit them with basic tools (2x 10mm spanners and a small philips screwdriver) so I would recommend buying a cheap set from China if you were keen on trying them before you splash £200 on Rizoma ones for example.

Cheers, good to know.

I was wondering about new levers as I'd like mine closer to me but they are non-adjustable. Plus the brake has the end missing so should probably be replaced at some point (only an advisory tho).

200 miles in the rain on monday, I've only just dried out.

Was given the details for my laguna that had heater radiator issues. Drop in a couple of tablets and leave it for a week then drain and rinse out. Refill with dionised water then drain and then refill with premix.

Hate riding bikes in rain.

New boots fitted (supercorsa front, Rosso corsa rear) oil and filter done and chain lubed and tensioned. Most love I've given my bike in ages.

Fitting the Tyres went uncommonly smoothly, though Mrs might have preferred if I washed the wheels first. I haven't washed the bike in 2 years so that seemed excessive...

Yowsers - bike feels criminally good. Yet again I've duped myself into running shitty old tyres too long and have forgotten what a normal bike feels like. Riding more off road recently has also done peculiar things to my riding habits. Had a quick blat up and down Mulholland this morning to reacquaint myself with lean. Delightful. Running 32/36 psi and it feels a little on the stiff side so might soften things up.

The surfeit of grip has illustrated how utterly bolloxed my rear shock is...seems to be no rebound damping at all. I'll have a nurdle with the screwdrivers but I fear it's going to require greater surgery. Pogo-tastic at the moment.

Pics plz

....and you were bang on about tyres. Fresh rubber bedded in and instant shot of confidence. No roll whatsoever.

Yup new boots are a magical thing! What tyres did you end up with?

I'll post a pic or two once I've cleaned the bloody thing and made the last couple of brackets. Functional it may be, the ziptie remote reservoir bracket for the front brake irks me. As does the original, ugly coolant expansion tank. I've got a stainless number to stick on there that will be wrapped in a team america Budweiser can for maximum naffness. (And to hopefully endear me to the locals.)

Did two distilled water and then two full mix rep's to get my bmw funduro's coolant system in shape, before leaving it abandoned in the back yard for the entire of summer*

*should prob go check its still there lol.

Used prestone concentrated stuff as seemed to be the only non bmw coolant that fitted the spec, and its cheap, about £5.50 per litre? Vs. MONEY per litre that BMW ask.

Dont see many of these about now...Yamaha "Fizzee"....was immaculate to !

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^^ Nice spot! I used to have Suzuki's equivalent ... AP50. Was my first bike, and was lots of fun! 50MPH on the flat, 60MPH downhill.

7,507cc?

Doesnt look that big.

Took a Suzuki XRS out on the weekend. A bit out of my price range, but it was a lovely bike. Oddly the thing I liked the most was that you could chill at low speeds - which is the reality of a chunk of my riding.

The one thing I didn't expect was for a naked bike to feel so...

... naked. I've only been on up to 70mph on a semi-faired bike during my lessons. There's definitely a difference. It almost makes me wonder whether a totally unfaired bike is a good idea for commuting.

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I love the way big bikes feel so solid at low speeds. You know the power will be there if you need it, and it gives you more road presence. On uneven (i.e. most of London) road surfaces, I found that the little learner bikes got bumped around a lot and were not at all restful. As soon as I moved to something a bit bigger and heavier I could concentrate more on the traffic rather than the bumps.
Filtering is more of a pain, however.

Yep. Definitely want something a bit bigger with more weight, especially as ½ my commute is on 50mph multi lane roads - and could be partially on the M1 with a bigger bike.

The XRS was a nice balance, a tiny bit high for me, but a nice overall balance - small enough to maneuver but plenty of power if you wanted it.

I had a little go on this Hornet at the weekend - only on a private road in 1st/2nd though. It definitely felt like a good size. I had started to consider a SV750 but after seeing it IRL, I'm not sure how easy London parking will be - it's pretty long.

Filtering is a odd one sometimes. I know a lot is confidence and judging gaps, but my little 125cc seems to struggle more than sports bikes on my route.

I think the height of my mirrors is a big factor as they are the same level as a transit's (of which there are lots on my route in).

MT07 if you want something maneuverable in traffic. Loved mine

Yeah I was going to have a ride of one of those but figured it's essentially an XRS with more bodywork.

How tall are you, if you don't mind me asking?

TBH its mainly the cost - they're still fairly pricey.