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[Flo_Evans]

So chuffed, kind of bike related news! I quit the boring office job I have been doing for 14 years last week and start working for my Local Aprilia dealer at the start of May!! I know it wont all be exciting but its great to finally be doing a job that involves one of my favourite pastimes

Gratz man. My buddy did the same thing, then got picked up by triumph corporate. He is now riding to the Austin motoGP on a triumph tiger for "work". I am kind of jealous.

semi-semi related, we just finished the local BMW dealer site http://gatewaybmw.com check it out

 

[Fixed1979]

Kinda dig it. Though I wish there was more done to it than just the paint and a special emblam. Regardless there'll be a couple hundreed lucky UKers that get there hands on this.

 

[blackprophesy]

You can't just go in and test ride whatever you want? My dealers have no issue with that.

Yeah sometimes but they get pretty busy in there so it's better to book. Especially on weekends when I'm typically looking.

 

[Jackson]

So I got to demo the new R1 this afternoon. It's very cool. Insanely quick.

The handling was what impressed me the most. With almost no effort you can lean into a turn (it's almost videogame-like). It felt like I was turning a bicycle, there was no weight to manage. The electronics on this thing are insane. The chassis is so stiff and solid it makes you feel so confident. The whole package makes you feel way better than you actual are. My Panigale felt like a thuggish, analogue brute against this dainty digital swan. The TFT screen had some cool tricks like it would show brake pressure and lean angle and g-forces. Stuff you really can't look at while riding haha. The clutch handle was super light stock and the front brake handle was ultra sensitive stock. I'm talking like pulling it even 1% was doing BIG braking. If you ever panic-braked you'd be bucked off easily.

Downsides... The exhaust note was terrible (but I'm used to Ducati grunts). I think it was worse than any Japanese bike I've heard (can be fixed with aftermarket... sure). Also this is not a DD bike at all. Not that most supersports are, but I was unconformable pretty quickly due to the ride position and I rode 7 hours on my supersport on Saturday and didn't feel as bad as I did on this. Also while the front is kinda cool, it's not a pretty bike. Nor is the fit & finish up to par for my tastes. It felt a bit cheap. Also, I'm 6'0 and I tippy-toe it at lights because it stretches my legs out wide, way wider than I'm used to. Which I didn't like when sitting at a light, but riding it felt great, you could tuck super nicely in, way better than my bike. I felt comfy tucked (which is a good thing at the speeds it can do so effortlessly).

Overall, amazing bike. Everything felt effortless. Being a litre bike it's weird staying in 1st and not caring around town lol. My 900cc acts way more like a 600cc than a litre in that regard. I dunno if I'd buy it, but I think EVERYONE should demo it. I had plenty of smiles and laughs my whole ride (and maybe poo'ed my pants a little when I opened it up in 3rd on the highway).

 

[Fallout-NL]

Thanks for the write-up and the pics. Out of all the new liter bikes, the Yamaha is definitely the most interesting (because of how insanely quick it seems to change direction, going by the videos). Also dig how the front looks (the rest not so much).


In other news, scraped the pegs on the M2 Cyclone pretty violently yesterday. Guess that new rear tire did the trick.

Yet another brake failure this morning Luckily the new job has come in handy already and a brand new Brembo rear calliper is coming out of my first few wage packets.

What do you mean, brake failure?!

 

[Dougald]

I'm sure it's a great bike, but I can't get over how hideous the front on that Yamaha is. I couldn't own one on that alone

 

[Fallout-NL]

Hah, for real? I think the front is its one saving grace. Yeah, it still does that futuristic insect sort of thing, but in a way that stands out from the other Japanese bikes. Although... come to think of it, the H2R looks very similar up front.

Wonder if they ever play with the idea to just go back to some of their other, earlier designs. For instance, I would pay good money if they were to do a replica of - or something inspired by their '94 / '95 Bol d'Or endurance YZF.

Man, those colors...

 

[Dougald]

Hah, for real? I think the front is its one saving grace. Yeah, it still does that futuristic insect sort of thing, but in a way that stands out from the other Japanese bikes. Although... come to think of it, the H2R looks very similar up front.

It's those two round lights underneath I just dislike. It looks okay in pictures but I saw it at the MCN show in London in February and it's just not for me

 

[maxheadwound]

Hah, for real? I think the front is its one saving grace. Yeah, it still does that futuristic insect sort of thing, but in a way that stands out from the other Japanese bikes. Although... come to think of it, the H2R looks very similar up front.

Wonder if they ever play with the idea to just go back to some of their other, earlier designs. For instance, I would pay good money if they were to do a replica of - or something inspired by their '94 / '95 Bol d'Or endurance YZF.

Man, those colors...

that purple rim tape is just awesome

 

[Watevaman]

Screw April and this rainy nonsense. Was 75 or something yesterday but we had thunderstorms. Gonna be 75 again today but more thunderstorms! I just want warm days with dry roads, that's all I ask for.

 

[Dougald]

It's about 16C here (60ish), nice and sunny. Perfect early season biking weather

Don't worry, I'm sure normal service will return soon and Britain will be back to rainy, overcast days and the rest of you will be out riding

 

[maxheadwound]

Started using my tinted visor.... aah so nice

 

[Dougald]

I love the flip-down on my Shoei to bits.

Days like today make me sad I'm working from home. I used to spend all day in the office thinking about the ride home, now I get much less biking in than I used to.

 

[opticalmace]

I love the flip-down on my Shoei to bits.

Days like today make me sad I'm working from home. I used to spend all day in the office thinking about the ride home, now I get much less biking in than I used to.

GT Air? I have an RF-1100 and I'm a bit jealous of the internal visor. I switch between tinted and standard visors all the time.

 

[maxheadwound]

GT Air? I have an RF-1100 and I'm a bit jealous of the internal visor. I switch between tinted and standard visors all the time.

I also got a new Shoei just before they launched the internal visor. Now I have to wait a few years to upgrade as they are a bit pricey

 

[Watevaman]

I love my Scorpions for two features, which happen to relate to the visor. First, the visor is easy as hell to change compared to almost every other helmet manufacturer I've seen. Secondly, pretty much all of the models (even my $90 EXO500) have the drop down inner visor. Great helmets for the price in terms of features, I think.

 

[phazedplasma]

Whats the RF-1100 of dual sport hlemets? I love my RF-1100 but im planning some more off road type trips this summer. Looking to match the comfort of the RF 1100...

 

[Dougald]

GT Air? I have an RF-1100 and I'm a bit jealous of the internal visor. I switch between tinted and standard visors all the time.

Yep, it's great, very happy with it, though if I'm honest my old Arai Chaser fit my head a bit better

 

[Fallout-NL]

Make sure you look at the weight as well. My new Shoei Neotec is a bit on the heavy side with 1560 gram.

Wearing my old 1350 gram Shoei now feels like a huge difference.

 

[blackprophesy]

I love the flip-down on my Shoei to bits.

Days like today make me sad I'm working from home. I used to spend all day in the office thinking about the ride home, now I get much less biking in than I used to.

Heh that's like me. I'm regularly working 2-3 days at home and end up working longer and riding less. Need to set a strict end time and go for a ride now the evenings are longer.

Love the flip down visor on my Schuberth S2 too. Very convenient.

 

[Dougald]

Yes the GT air isn't massively light @ 1.46kg due to the extra shell around the flip-down, but it's about the same as my old chaser. The fact it has proper pockets for headset earphones rocks too, that's a great feature which is becoming much more common

My wife needs a new lid this year too as her old HJC has become a bit grotty. Need something with a flip-down visor that's more comfortable than your standard bargain lids, without being the £400+ that a GT air would cost

 

[maxheadwound]

Its a damn good looking helmet..

 

[opticalmace]

Does the internal visor feel any different from just having a regular tinted visor? Or is it weird because it's closer to your face, or different when you have both visors down?

 

[Damaged]

Gratz man. My buddy did the same thing, then got picked up by triumph corporate. He is now riding to the Austin motoGP on a triumph tiger for "work". I am kind of jealous.

semi-semi related, we just finished the local BMW dealer site http://gatewaybmw.com check it out

Thanks Yeah I have just missed out on a trip to Monza so hoping these things are regular in the industry

What do you mean, brake failure?!

Well I have had the rear calliper seize on me in January then again in feb. Finally did it again yesterday and pretty much demolished itself in the process. Its done 60,000 hard miles so i guess its not too bad but still annoyed.

 

[Watevaman]

Does the internal visor feel any different from just having a regular tinted visor? Or is it weird because it's closer to your face, or different when you have both visors down?

It's usually just a light tint visor and it's not really any different if you have a clear outer visor in terms of if you just switched it out with a light tint. I actually used both the light tint inner and dark tint outer shell on my EXO-1100 back when I first bought it but it was only on a really sunny day. Usually I'll just go with the dark tint outer and call it a day unless I know I'll be riding at night.

 

[opticalmace]

It's usually just a light tint visor and it's not really any different if you have a clear outer visor in terms of if you just switched it out with a light tint. I actually used both the light tint inner and dark tint outer shell on my EXO-1100 back when I first bought it but it was only on a really sunny day. Usually I'll just go with the dark tint outer and call it a day unless I know I'll be riding at night.

Gotcha, thanks for the info. I end up riding into the evenings a lot, so I kind of have to make a choice when I leave if I should bring the smoked visor or a clear one. Something to think about.

 

[Dougald]

Does the internal visor feel any different from just having a regular tinted visor? Or is it weird because it's closer to your face, or different when you have both visors down?

You can't really tell, even when I wear glasses instead of contacts, it's no more noticeable than a regular visor

 

[Watevaman]

Gotcha, thanks for the info. I end up riding into the evenings a lot, so I kind of have to make a choice when I leave if I should bring the smoked visor or a clear one. Something to think about.

That's where I'll bring my clear visor with the drop down inner shield. A lot more convenient.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

And it makes you feel like a fighter pilot.


I never carried a clear visor. It was a pain to do so. A flip down is so convenient.

 

[Drinky Crow]

Its a damn good looking helmet..

that's mah lid! i also have a bright yellow qwest for commuting.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Thanks Yeah I have just missed out on a trip to Monza so hoping these things are regular in the industry



Well I have had the rear calliper seize on me in January then again in feb. Finally did it again yesterday and pretty much demolished itself in the process. Its done 60,000 hard miles so i guess its not too bad but still annoyed.

Fortunate as well that it was the rear calliper

 

[Fixed1979]

Bah, just got my first speeding ticket ever on bike and my first speeding ticket at all in like 4 years. 30km/h over in a 70...fucked if I knew they had new police trucks with rear facing radar. Lesson learned, probably should haven't been speeding at all today anyway, it's the first truly nice day out and people have their bikes and cars out in full force, there's cops everywhere.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Have to catch a flight out Sunday so I can't watch the race but qualifying is better than nothing!

 

[Poindexter]

That sounds like fun! Take me! I'm only three hours away from you haha

 

[Makki]

Took the recently purchased ZX9R gas tank off to check the air filter today expecting some 1997 discolored yellow and black foam mess... it was a fairly new looking K&N filter! YEAAAHHH...

Which means that if I want my idle to be smooth and power to be linear I will need to take the carbs out and do a jet upgrade since the PO installed a full exhaust as well. It will be my first time messing with carbs but after reading guides and looking at the parts involved it seems pretty straight forward. Anyone done a jetting upgrade here and got any advice or tips that helped out your process? Im expecting to have to do a fair amount of carb cleaning since its such an old low mileage bike.

 

[Poindexter]

I've never messed with a carbed bike but I imagine the principles are the same as a car. Its pretty straightforward. Just take your time. Do you have to worry about retuning?

 

[Makki]

I've never messed with a carbed bike but I imagine the principles are the same as a car. Its pretty straightforward. Just take your time. Do you have to worry about retuning?

There's some info on the internets on how to setup the needles, pick jets, and turns on the screws if you have certain mods, but besides that the bike doesnt really have any electronics to mess with.

 

[Jackson]

Have to catch a flight out Sunday so I can't watch the race but qualifying is better than nothing!

Very cool man!

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Took the recently purchased ZX9R gas tank off to check the air filter today expecting some 1997 discolored yellow and black foam mess... it was a fairly new looking K&N filter! YEAAAHHH...

Which means that if I want my idle to be smooth and power to be linear I will need to take the carbs out and do a jet upgrade since the PO installed a full exhaust as well. It will be my first time messing with carbs but after reading guides and looking at the parts involved it seems pretty straight forward. Anyone done a jetting upgrade here and got any advice or tips that helped out your process? Im expecting to have to do a fair amount of carb cleaning since its such an old low mileage bike.

Yes. It's not that difficult (I did have a friend who knows about bike mech, so it was easier) What is getting the carbs to sync and idle right.


Youtube or bike forums might be good for this.

 

[Gritesh]

Was out the other evening for the first ride of the year and took a quick photo

 

[Flo_Evans]

They also had dudes riding around in the "wall of death"

No way I would ever try that lol

!

 

[Poindexter]

just bought some spoke rims similar to these...

They're takeoffs from someone else's Road King with brand new tires. I got them for barely more than it would take to replace my tires. ($325 for the set)

I'm so fucking excited!

 

[Flo_Evans]

Omg that qualifying was siiiick. Amazing track I need to come back for F1.

 

[Drinky Crow]

went to the euromoto european bike show here in seattle today. i, uh, really want a ktm 690 enduro...

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Omg that qualifying was siiiick. Amazing track I need to come back for F1.

I haven't seen the opening races. Will have to catch up.

Goddam Marquez always gives me a heart attack.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I haven't seen the opening races. Will have to catch up.

Goddam Marquez always gives me a heart attack.

Dude is amazing.

Bike stalls runs back to pits sets track record on backup bike.

Kinda bummed I can't go to race tommorow

 

[Flo_Evans]

went to the euromoto european bike show here in seattle today. i, uh, really want a ktm 690 enduro...

Yes

 

[Jackson]

Can I have one please? I don't wanna ride it. I just wanna stare at it in my garage. It's soooooo gorgeous.

Spoiler

I wanna ride it.

It's actually not that pricey. Only $30k. I mean when a Superleggera costs double that or an HP4 costs $5k less. It's not crazy when put in their company.

 

[maxheadwound]

just bought some spoke rims similar to these...

They're takeoffs from someone else's Road King with brand new tires. I got them for barely more than it would take to replace my tires. ($325 for the set)

I'm so fucking excited!

Very nice indeed... That is a good looking cruiser

 

[maxheadwound]

This morning it was such a nice ride to work. No body warmer and summer gloves.

Damn I wish I could have missed the office and kept on going lol