Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

I'll keep an eye on it the next few rides but yeah turning it 90 might be safer. Good the SRADs boot is so roomy. Feels pretty well made for a plastic tub.

Edit: went back and swapped.

Anyone ridden or got 800gs?

I rode an 850gsa last year when my 1250 was in for its service.

Really didn’t enjoy it.

Engine is so boring. Would much rather a Tracer 900 or a tiger 900 than the BMW.

Tracer isn't adventure. Tiger is, need to try both i guess. Other option is 990 adventure but bit long in tooth and cash in Spain.

Fran rides a 990. It currently needs all new clutch basket/friction plates, after the past month or so trying to fix the leaking Magura clutch.

No more DRZ?

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No, need pillion friendly bike. No more duke.

It’s a very very capable bike, but sweet baby Jesus is it boring. The ‘interesting stuff’ list can be counted on one hand.

Tiger 800XC post 2015 models. Great all rounders, and in some cases, better on road than the on road model.

I haven’t got any complaints from pillion on 250mile+ rides, apart from noisy pipe.

Today’s blat through Essex. Tempting to take it off road.

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Is yours an 800?
2015 probs too new

Yeah roadie 12 plate. I’ve got about 11k on it since purchase.

Did all work on it. It’s very smooth, so works very well with pillion. Minimal engine braking.
XC would be a decent compromise for your needs methinks.

Very capable off road, not crazy heavy, good for two up, tall enough so you’re comfy and an interesting enough engine.

I ain’t gonna light your ass on fire dude, but it’s far more interesting then that beemer.

Should rename this “anything but a beemer thread”.

The weird ones that are or aren't 800cc with the bright red frame? I think as an all rounder they are meant to be good, works most dull engine though, and a bit a weighty, zero issue for the street where most of them live.
The new 850 is totally different beast, don't think it shares anything but the crank case with the older bike, meant to be great, had a quick go on one not long after launch and fancied one, but too much £ for something to bang up off road for me, and for on road there are others (yeah tracer 9!) that would appeal to me more.
Think the outgoing tiger in xc or xcx spec is worth a look, amazing engine, some folk say it doesn't have low down grunt, a big single does, but it's worse in every other way. Would totally have a tiger xc/xcx

Rebuild time...gah. Upside, it took me 25 minutes to take out and the bore looks fresh.

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Okay thanks. Yeah my plan is a bike that I can ride on or off road, with a pillion and do trips. Byt also when a mate comes out we can use drz and whatever new bike go go ride in pyrenees together. I don't really care too much about being mad engine, but boring isn't for me.

Steady on, some of us like the pipe and slippers approach. There is always the S1000RR if you want thrills.

Piston and bore look almost new on the little bike, it’s a 52mm so is a supermini too as described. Does seem to have been put together recently, if by a gorilla - I used the impact rattler a bundle to get it apart so far. Will split cases tomorrow and see what’s what with the gearbox.

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Had a blast on the DR, maybe 45 miles out of 60 was pure dirt, lots of the Ridgeway. Everything is bone dry which presents a different set of challenges. Pumper carb has upped the fun/risk.

Gonna look at a 2016 Sherco 300 from a dealer later this week, if all goes to plan.

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Damn that’s fancy! I had one go on a modern-ish trials bike. It felt incredibly weird, like you’d almost have to learn to ride all over again. Good luck!

Thanks!

Well I’m nervous that I might miss the sale, as it seems a little fluid. The guy will let me know when it’s finished from servicing and ready for sale, but there is no reservation as such. Gonna hound him in a day or two.

Trials does seems to be a world of its own, which is quite interesting. I doubt I’ll ever reach a level to climb up vertical objects, and the bike is much more powerful than I had intended as a starter.

All the same, should be fun if it works out.

Main problem is riding a few miles out of Swindon to reach anywhere suitable to practice, but I have found some links to people cutting tall pit bike/crf50 seats to fit the scooped frame.

Seems right up my alley - get an expensive bike then cut a pit bike seat to fit.

(silly question?)
Are trials bikes road legal?

Not silly question. Awful answer: only sometimes, often no, and when yes also kind of no.

The one I’m looking at is overpowered and over budget, but from a dealer and road reg’d.

The bikes are sometimes retroactively road reg’d, but it’s easier if they already have a number plate when buying (OTR’d from new) to save all the faff with certificates of newness.

I believe minimum for MOT is horn and speedo? So very easy to add these to a trials using a bicycle speedo and some kind of honker.

Are trials bikes road legal?

Was going to ask the same question, and about service intervals. Best of luck with the hounding @pdlouche, that was my approach with the SRAD.

cheers, I figured it would be some sort of restriction on road use, day time only, that sort of thing.

Only trials bikes i've seen up close had nothing electrical, which makes sense, batteries are heavy.

They messaged me earlier so I popped down to Stroud to check it out again in person. A really nice twisty ride there that you can actually enjoy at the speed limit.

Good condition for a 5 year old bike, everything seems okay. Slow Domino throttle so should be a little less awful as far as looping it.

Put a deposit on it and should sort finance this weekend. Hopefully.

Swung by my MOT guys (who also run the local trials club) and turns out all I need is a horn, not even a speedo apparently!

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Handy to know him!
I imagine most testers would need to pull out the rule book every year.

How long have you had your licence?
and how many bikes is that now?

(I am just jealous)