Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Super jealous @Jung ! Post updates.

Been getting more and more ‘spirited’ on the road, so decided to risk life and limb for a bit of muddy fun. Wheel change with brake pads took 30 minutes. Not upset with that.

As much as I hate the Michelin Trackers on-road, couldn’t have done this muddy stuff with anything less aggressive.

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Hope the road nap doesn't knock your Dad's confidence too much, awesome that he got the bike and sounds like he protected it from severe damage. DR's looking great.

That looks like a shit load of fun! Did you stay upright the whole time?

Gave mine a quick blast this afternoon and also a quick wash and lube up after....

@jambon, you still got that RSV4?

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@jambon it really knocked him back, which wasn’t a wholly bad thing - at least he became receptive to my militant persistence on drills in the car park (controlled stops, downshifts, etc). We went out the next day and he was a little better, and really concentrated on technique.

Been doing groundwork and building new sheds (to house the bikes) for a whole week so the bike has sat unused since.

@matt surprisingly yes. Two heart/throat moments - one on that rutted four-laner in the photo which is very near to where the GN launched me 6 months ago. Sketchy uneven flooded rut on the right deflected the front while the rear was slipping - had to gas it, twist the throttle and ride out the wobbles. I bounced diagonally across all the ruts and just about came to a standstill parallel to the hedge when the bars stopped slapping side to side. Oldboy rambler was watching it unfold, “I thought I might have to turn around and pull you out that hedge” to which I replied “so did I!”

Further up a similar thing, insane stepped ruts and deep ramp to get over, on a wheel-width, cracked the throttle and bounced my way up and over. The rambler couple looked pleasantly surprised I made it without splashing them or going a different trajectory to the bike.

@pdlouche that is true, I'm sure some good will come from it as sounds like he's okay. Getting a few scratches on the bike might mean he'll enjoy it more and not be so precious too? Sounds like you've both got some good times ahead!

@matt yeah although it's just an RSV Factory, which to be fair is still too quick for 99% of public roads. Just moved house so getting the garage in order then will ride it over and finally have a proper home for it.

That looks great, what year is it? I miss my CBR a bit, mainly the howling exhaust note. My BMW is objectively a better bike but the noise isn’t there at the moment. Better with my visor open but that’s a bit cold at the moment...

@Dramatic_Hammer - thanks. Its 2017....what did you have? You really have to drop a gear to get the revs up to really get it to push on, but when you do it purrs. Planning to ride the hell out of this all season and save up + credit card an RS660!

He was crying over the first scratches and marks. Me, I can’t have nice things - I need to dirty and damage it up as soon possible and get it out the way. I told him he needs to get on the green lanes and drop the damn thing a few times to get over being so precious about a dirt bike.

2001 600r, sounds like a similar riding experience. Great with an open road, less great for easy overtaking when you’re revving the nuts off it behind someone waiting for a gap!

What started as a way to fit the bike luggage into a cupboard, turned into a full garage tidy.

Reckon there’s room for a sports bike in the back somewhere...

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You mean space for 4 bikes in there?

There’s a bit of a trick with the lens. I reckon you can comfortably fit three including the R1250.

What I can fit and what I’m allowed are two different things.

I used up all my luck already today. Felt a little tired but tried to go on a green lane that I’ve done before, as the weather may be horrible all week after today. Heading up over the Ridgeway the misty rain got heavier. The track has some very irregular zigzag-shaped ruts and is mostly stone, and then deep clay ruts, then gravel again. I aimed to get as far as the deep clay ruts.

Felt a little uncomfortable (I needed a piss) and wanted to go at least halfway before stopping. I got through some huge deep puddles on the track, and across a few ruts and felt like the rain was making it too difficult to see properly. My visor was misty and I could see heavier clouds ahead.

I was trying to keep to the right groove and then, BAM!!!

The bike bounced out of the zig-zag rut and started to slide sideways. I could see the bike wasn’t upright and as I tried to regain balance I felt myself falling, with the front wheel almost horizontal and aiming me for the thistly hedge on my right.

As I tried to regain control, I could feel the bike falling away under me, like I was slipping back on the seat (or going over), and so as I pulled on the bars to try straighten up I twisted the throttle almost wide open and the whole bike accelerated, straightened up and powered over all the shit, and just skimmed the hedge, as I managed to get it over to the left enough to stop on a more stable surface between ruts. Possibly I had wheelied my way out.

Once I stopped laughing, it turned out I hadn’t wet myself yet, so as good a time as any to relieve myself before heading home.

10/10 not sure if a cat.

Well done surviving. During my riding career I've found the real accidents always come along when you least expect them and hurt enough to remember. Every mile is one mile nearer to the next big one.

I remember mile after mile of country bypasses at 110 in the rain and mist with very poor visibility and then one night I'm met by a dog loose on the M4 running towards me and moving across the lanes. I had to pick a lane and stick with it. 100m down the road there were 2 policemen in the carriageway that I just happened not to be in. I used to get off the TZR shaking sometimes :)

Haha - nice one! As completely counter-intuitive as it is on the road; if in doubt, gas it out has (nearly) always worked for me in the dirt.

Clay is awful. There’s a riding area that I go that has some red clay and it’s a skating rink with any moisture. As close to black ice as it gets.

Sounds scary... and you tried to sell me that bike?!?! Ha! (I would have loved it)

@Jung that’s what I’m learning. Twice or more on Friday and once yesterday, all saved by just accelerating out of the trouble.

I’m not keen on relying on luck instead of skill, but the line blurs pretty quickly on these things.

Got the front up today, rolling onto WOT in 2nd. Maybe not that surprising on a litre bike but I wasn’t quite expecting it as the initial acceleration wasn’t harsh, it just gently raised up as the CHANGE GEAR light flashed wildly at me.
Luckily the electronics are smarter than me and it held it there, probably less than a foot off the ground but it felt high!

I had one like that on the DR just outside of London a month or so ago off a set of traffic lights. My acceleration was definitely sharp, but I didn’t realise it had lifted in second/third until I began leaning into the turn and felt a wiggle as it hit the ground again.

Found a stretch of road to practice it yet?

haha first unintentional power wheelie is always interesting. With larger bikes its quite subtle as they start lifting, never ridden anything modern and powerful, guess they have an anti wheelie function, or at least it keeps front from coming way up.

Do most of you in here ride all rear round? Would create a Poll but no poll funciton #pollfail

ACF50 the bike, good gear, a more relaxed wrist and all winter riding.

Yup.

Good gear is 100% the key. Treated myself to a laminated goretex set this year. £££ but so nice to ride in. No more soggy clothes or damp seams.

Helps that the bike has shaft drive which keeps maintenance to a minimum.

My commute has a dead straight section of NSL road, just under 1km long with a decent surface and that happened to be completely empty this morning. Perfect place I think!

If you read the manual it sounds like it can’t wheelie at all in ‘road’ mode but I think it’s just very controlled.

Local thieves tried to steal my motorbike today but one of my neighbours prevented them doing so.
Footage attached!

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• VID-20201118-WA0011.mp4