Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

TKC70’s have been great on and off road.

Wore these for the first time today, really fucking nice!
https://gerbing.co.uk/collections/motorcycle-heated-gloves/products/gerbing-xr-heated-motorcycle-glove

Kept my hands warm before I even turned them on and they seem extremely well made (you’d hope so for the price tbh).

Had a bonneville (t100 centenary) years back, really liked it. Put a screen on it and took it to Germany a couple of times (including Nurburgring ) had one really great run back on a nice sunny Sunday. They make quite a good tourer if you’re not caning it.
Can’t say I noticed anything in particular about the parallel twin.
Had a few boxers (r100gs, couple of r1100rs) liked them but wouldn’t be in any rush to go back to them, just found them a bit too cumbersome for man handling around my front garden parking and also weaving in urban stuff and that would be exacerbated now by the generally shitty traffic in Sw London .

Only ever had one guzzi a v50, - swapped it for a bottle of vodka - I got the better half of the deal

How much trouble can misreading a decimal point get you into? Was servicing the CRF's air filter and it's fair to say, yep it's oily. Before being bathed in oil it was a lot cleaner.

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I wouldn’t stress about your air filter too much dude. As long as it’s not dry and dusty, or you’ve dumped it in a stream it should stay pretty clean. Make sure there is a good seal around the edges when you put it back.

Did the valves on the XR today, barely budged in a thousand hard miles. Plug was a little sooty which makes sense as it seems rich on the needle. Compression seems fine. Fucked if I know where all the oil is going, could well be it was just blowing it out somewhere at high rpm?

Thanks for the reassurance, just like to service the basics on a new bike so everything's been done correctly for peace of mind.

Thanks to black Friday targeted ads I picked up a quad lock, but wanted to ask what people use for plotting routes? Normally I use google maps like the majority of the world but keen to try something where I can plot the route turn by turn. Does this means I've entered the world of .gpx files?

Short answer is yes.
I use calimoto. You can import gpx files into.
I love the app so much I bought a years subscription.

Dunno about off road capability though..

Thanks a lot, I'll exclusively be using it for trail riding so feels like there's another layer of potential complication here. After learning a little more about the TRF seems joining to get full access to their 'Green Road Map' would be a good start to have the best chance of riding legally.

My Dads asked me to find him some replacement indicators for his Hornet 900, I’ve tried some cheapo Chinese ones on my previous bikes but they were always a bit crap. Does anyone have any recommendations for some good, bright and not too small replacements? Bonus would be plug and play LED without the need for an additional relay. Does that exist?
How about aftermarket headlights? The done thing or best to stick with stock? It doesn’t have a DRL and the sidelights a pathetic dim little thing

additional relay

I've got around this with the SRAD by replacing the existing indicator relay behind the headlight as opposed to adding more. Plug and play, and looks stock. Happy with my Shin Yo indicators, also fitted wiring (bullet to OEM) adapters so didn't have to butcher the loom too.

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The legality of it is what’s pissing me off. The new bill passed is a fucking Orwellian nightmare.
This app seems to get really good reviews btw.
https://osmand.net/

In another shout, thinking of getting rid of the tiger for a tenere 700. Bastards don’t depreciate much though do they

A test ride of one has to be dangerous, can't remember reading a bad review. Good shout on OsmAnd, seems it's listed on the TET's recommended nav apps so that's good enough for me. Cheers.

After my tribulations of buying the Copart street triple with the broken engine I finally went for a quick blast today after having a replacement engine fitted. The electronic throttle is taking some getting used to!
Mechanic thinks it had been sabotaged for the insurance payout!

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A lot of people doing long off road tours seem to swear by it. Had a mate recently go off on a wander in the Atlas Mountains and he says it was a delight to use.

@pryally banging. How’s it rolling? I do miss the striple.

thanks, a bit damp here at the moment but the one time I opened it up it flew! Feels really light too and seems to change direction with very little input. Make a great induction roar when over 6k too

Plotted a route with OsmAnd through darkest Bedfordshire and paired with the new quadlock it all worked great. Only issue was draining my phone's battery but think that was my fault for leaving the app running all day. It even allowed me to plot routes through byways which for greenlaning is kind of the whole point. Ta for the tip.

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Not being involved in the process, almost feels like it all came together quickly. Great to hear and hope it wasn't too taxing. Bet someone's looking forward to spring!

Damn, that’s a great front light!

So, now you’re hooked? Not sorry at all!

I haven’t touched the DR for a couple of months.

First I needed to try sort the pumper carb again (again). There was an idling issue so I didn’t touch it for a few weeks to clear my head. Then I went away for 3 weeks.

Plus, as I’ve just returned from walking the Camino Portugues, none of the bikes have been run for well over a month (I avoided bikes for the week or two before leaving). Gonna be a fun cold December getting them to run well again.

So, now you’re hooked? Not sorry at all!

The best part is going 20mph and it's terrifying, as opposed to finding yourself doing 120mph in the pursuit of excitement. Best of luck firing up the bikes when the time comes. Out of interest do you still have the Sherco?

The best part is going 20mph and it's terrifying

Beware that soon you’ll be going 40 before it’s terrifying, until you stack it at 30 and then all of a sudden 15mph is terrifying again. Ha!

Yep, I do still have the Sherco. I stopped using it while my crash leg healed, and then only maybe once before the Camino to avoid additional injuries pre-trip.

As I remember, I need to pull the carb and give it a clean as well as check the plug, check the air filter, and stop being a cheapskate and buy new clutch fluid as well. I have no idea what I’m doing both on the bike and in the shed, so it’s a pleasure the thing still kicks over.

The little ditch by the house was getting boring, and then the weather turned and it flooded with water and became so slippery I was totally out of my depth all over again.

Think I mentioned but did hit 40mph on a greenlane once and felt like I was momentarily leading the Dakar. Terrifying and quickly knocked it back to a heady 20. Remember us talking about the practicalities of riding a trials bike on the road a while back, saw this and made me smile.

https://youtu.be/McpBlZ_Ho1Y

Now THAT is my jam

Had no choice but to ride the XJ today. Went to the shed last night to check it. Stone cold, no battery tender, old half tank of fuel.

Bike started on the first press and the choke settled within a few seconds. Amazing. Let it warm a little and then went back indoors.

Started it this morning zero issues, warmed fine. No lumps or bumps in the revs, no low end hesitation. Madness.

I had to drive back in the rain and it was torrential. Bike felt totally okay but I didn’t dare lean too hard. First rainy cold ride in ages. First ride in well over a month.

Can’t fault the XJ at all.

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+1 Calimoto. Just the best app. It’s like having a reliable riding buddy and every route it’s worked out has been great. If the speed camera alerts save you one fine it’s paid for itself. Won’t do off road though.