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[OraleeWey]

I think it's time guys. Time to put it away for the winter. Pains me to say that but snow will fall any minute now.

So this is what I know to do so far

- wash it, clean it
- lube the chain
- add fuel stabilizer to the fuel
- ride the bike for a little (is this necessary?)
- top off the fuel
- shut off the petcock and run bike until it dies
- put the tires on some plywood or carpet
- raise tire psi a little bit

Is that pretty much it? I'm not sure if I should change the oil or not. I'll be keeping it in my dad's garage.

 

[QualityPixel]

I think it's time guys. Time to put it away for the winter. Pains me to say that but snow will fall any minute now.

So this is what I know to do so far

- wash it, clean it
- lube the chain
- add fuel stabilizer to the fuel
- ride the bike for a little (is this necessary?)
- top off the fuel
- shut off the petcock and run bike until it dies
- put the tires on some plywood or carpet
- raise tire psi a little bit

Is that pretty much it? I'm not sure if I should change the oil or not. I'll be keeping it in my dad's garage.

I've never put fuel stabilizer in the fuel and I've never had a problem with fuel. If you park it with a full tank then no air and water will get in. But do make sure the carb has no fuel (either by shutting off petcock while running like you said, and or draining the carb after shutting petcock then running engine till it dies).

 

[Stevey]

I just put the Optimate on the battery, throw the cover over it and leave it.
But I'll wheel it out the garage and start it up once a month.

 

[Dougald]

I just put the Optimate on the battery, throw the cover over it and leave it.
But I'll wheel it out the garage and start it up once a month.

Ditto, the longest I ever leave my bikes is 6 weeks, but without a tender the winter tends to drain the battery

 

[BriareosGAF]

I fill the tank with fuel stabilized fuel on all the bikes, run them for a few minutes to get it through the engine. Roll them onto carpet, hook up optimate/trickle, and put the cover on (lightweight indoor covers), leave them until Spring. Change the oil as part of the unpack unless it was done right before storage.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, I don't do a whole lot, just remove the batteries and put them on a tender (can't put them on a tender while they're in the bike cause I don't have juice where they're parked). I left the battery in the M2 in case the weather gets better, but I might have to remove that too.

Never fucked with fuel stabilizer, but the absolute longest I've had to leave my bikes is... 10 weeks, maybe 12? As soon as the salt is gone I start riding again.

 

[OraleeWey]

Alright cool. Good advice. The weather forecast predicted some snow next week so I figured it was time.

 

[UMGAWA]

I'm in two minds about getting the used speed triple or waiting for the price of the 2017 MT09 (FZ09) or going all out and getting a new speed triple.

So instead of going for a MT09 or a 2016 Speed triple I stumbled upon a 2012 Speed triple with 9k kms on the clocks for a tidy sum of money.
Here it is with the "other owner" taking it for a spin:

 

[Fallout-NL]

Hell yeah, good find!

And a good look for your son as well

 

[maxheadwound]

Great find and great looking bike. Must sound great with the two Arrow cans on?

 

[UMGAWA]

Hell yeah, good find!

And a good look for your son as well

Glad I held out, this thing is in great nick.

He loves it, his mother however has reservations.

Great find and great looking bike. Must sound great with the two Arrow cans on?

Thanks! The Arrows, even with the baffles in, sound and feel like thunder hitting your back on overrun. Haven't bothered taking the baffles out yet, I don't think it really needs it.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Glad I held out, this thing is in great nick.

And it's just such a great choice. My heart obviously belongs to Buell, but every time I ride my friend's Speed Triple I'm impressed by how fucking good that bike is. As close to literal perfection as you can get.

He loves it, his mother however has reservations.

Understandable. As they say: be sure to ride defensively.

 

[Dougald]

Nice Speedy, white is definitely the best colour for the Street/Speed too!

And it's just such a great choice. My heart obviously belongs to Buell, but every time I ride my friend's Speed Triple I'm impressed by how fucking good that bike is. As close to literal perfection as you can get.

Heh, as much as I never gelled with my Street Triple, I do miss how absolutely spot-on that engine was. Much more work to handle the lumpy Ducati L-twin than the smooth, torque-in-any-gear triple

 

[UMGAWA]

Understandable. As they say: be sure to ride defensively.

It's more the inevitable that her son will want to ride bikes in the future, who am I to stop him?

Nice Speedy, white is definitely the best colour for the Street/Speed too!

It definitely does look smart in white.

torque-in-any-gear triple

After the trip home from the previous owner (170kms) I was still feeling "fresh" as the engine is superb, I didn't have to work the engine in any way and sitting in 6th and having so much pull from the motor to avoid traffic on the motorway was a godsend.

 

[HellforLeather]

Anyway, I was just curious and I'll take this opportunity to ask. How do you guys lean?

Just curious

The middle is more for dirt riding. If you are going fast, then the right picture is the proper positioning. It keeps the bike more upright and the tire with the widest possible traction patch.

 

[HellforLeather]

Sorry for the double post but this thread seems a little slow.

Anybody have any experience with the 650 or 1000 Kawasaki Versys? Looking for a good two up bike for me and the GF for weekend getaways but dont want to spend a ton of cash on a brand new BMW. Ive also been looking at possibly a few-years-old Multistrada. Im kinda digging on the more street oriented adventure bikes.

 

[OraleeWey]

The middle is more for dirt riding. If you are going fast, then the right picture is the proper positioning. It keeps the bike more upright and the tire with the widest possible traction patch.

I find that I can't do the lean on the right demonstration. I think that's because of my knobbie tires though. Or maybe I should practice more?

 

[HellforLeather]

I find that I can't do the lean on the right demonstration. I think that's because of my knobbie tires though. Or maybe I should practice more?

What type of bike are we talking about here? Generally speaking, the right leaning style will feel weird unless you are going fast enough to counteract the weight shifting off the bike. Also this lean style will never feel right on slow corners, like turning right at an intersection or something like that.

 

[OraleeWey]

What type of bike are we talking about here? Generally speaking, the right leaning style will feel weird unless you are going fast enough to counteract the weight shifting off the bike. Also this lean style will never feel right on slow corners, like turning right at an intersection or something like that.

I ride a KLR650

 

[thesoapster]

You shouldn't be trying to initiate anything with the hang - you still have to push/pull the bars to get leaned into the turn. You should be hanging off in such a way that you still have control/leverage with the bars. If you're hardly leaning the bike over to begin with, the benefit/difference you'll notice will be much smaller, but if you are ever leaning to 45º or close to it, you can definitely get some benefit from hanging off.

 

[QualityPixel]

Sorry for the double post but this thread seems a little slow.

Anybody have any experience with the 650 or 1000 Kawasaki Versys? Looking for a good two up bike for me and the GF for weekend getaways but dont want to spend a ton of cash on a brand new BMW. Ive also been looking at possibly a few-years-old Multistrada. Im kinda digging on the more street oriented adventure bikes.

I owned a 2009 Versys 650 for a short while. It was awesome, good power, good seat, sporty, smooth running. I took it on a 2000 mile road trip over 4 days and had 0 issues. It's more sporty and agile than a V-Strom, but I think the Strom would have been more comfortable for road tripping. Even though I didn't keep the bike I would have if I could have afforded to keep 2 bikes around, and I replaced it with dual sport bike (Suzuki DR650).

I'll likely never own a German or Italian bike when I can get Japanese bikes that do the same thing for less.

Spoiler

(Except maybe a KTM some day)

Spoiler

 

[Fallout-NL]

I find that I can't do the lean on the right demonstration. I think that's because of my knobbie tires though. Or maybe I should practice more?

Possibly, lean angles is not really what those tires were designed for .

Sorry for the double post but this thread seems a little slow.

Anybody have any experience with the 650 or 1000 Kawasaki Versys? Looking for a good two up bike for me and the GF for weekend getaways but dont want to spend a ton of cash on a brand new BMW. Ive also been looking at possibly a few-years-old Multistrada. Im kinda digging on the more street oriented adventure bikes.

Versys, either the 650 or the 1000, would probably be perfect for your needs. A little cheaper to maintain than a Multistrada maybe. Try a Buell Ulysses if you're feeling a little frisky. Preferably '08, '09 or '10 MY or an earlier one with low miles, avoid the '07s.

 

[Dougald]

I'll likely never own a German or Italian bike when I can get Japanese bikes that do the same thing for less.

Yeah but what are you gonna do with all that extra money that you have laying around when you don't have to pay out to service and insure a Ducati?

 

[blackprophesy]

So my wife has her heart set on the Triumph Bobber. Knew I shouldn't have let her ride my Thruxton!

Our dealer is expecting a demonstrator late Jan but apparently the initial UK allocation of 450 bikes is sold already, so they're not expecting to be able to fulfil new orders until June.

Took the Thruxton and the Harley for a quick ride on the weekend to blow the cobwebs out. Was great riding the Harley again...funny getting on such an unrefined, lumpy, shaky, noisy bike again after the BMW and Triumph.

 

[maxheadwound]

So my wife has her heart set on the Triumph Bobber. Knew I shouldn't have let her ride my Thruxton!

Our dealer is expecting a demonstrator late Jan but apparently the initial UK allocation of 450 bikes is sold already, so they're not expecting to be able to fulfil new orders until June.

Took the Thruxton and the Harley for a quick ride on the weekend to blow the cobwebs out. Was great riding the Harley again...funny getting on such an unrefined, lumpy, shaky, noisy bike again after the BMW and Triumph.

Very nice indeed, that bobber is a real nice looking machine.

 

[maxheadwound]

Cannot not post a photo

 

[Dougald]

It's great apart from that single disc (I won't let that go lol)

Also sounds absolutely fantastic, can't believe it's a stock exhaust (and Euro4 no less). Just goes to show Euro 4 isn't the demon the bike press make it out to be when manufacturers put the effort in. The way Triumph disguise the catalytic converter on the new Bonneville is just genius.

 

[HellforLeather]

I owned a 2009 Versys 650 for a short while. It was awesome, good power, good seat, sporty, smooth running. I took it on a 2000 mile road trip over 4 days and had 0 issues. It's more sporty and agile than a V-Strom, but I think the Strom would have been more comfortable for road tripping. Even though I didn't keep the bike I would have if I could have afforded to keep 2 bikes around, and I replaced it with dual sport bike (Suzuki DR650).

I'll likely never own a German or Italian bike when I can get Japanese bikes that do the same thing for less.

Spoiler

(Except maybe a KTM some day)

Nice, did you ever do two up riding on it with full bags? I like the 650 (especially the price) but a little concerned that it doesnt have enough grunt to handle two people plus bags.

I ride a KLR650

Yeah more than likely you got very dirt oriented tires. Dont worry about hanging off the bike, worry about that if and when you decide to go for a sportbike.

 

[QualityPixel]

Nice, did you ever do two up riding on it with full bags? I like the 650 (especially the price) but a little concerned that it doesnt have enough grunt to handle two people plus bags.

I never had a passenger, but on that trip the luggage and bad I had tied to the back was about 100lbs. Did just fine.

If you know how to handle power, going to be traveling a lot of highway miles and are fine with paying more for insurance then get the 1000cc, but a 650 sport touring bikes still have ~40hp which is plenty. The 650 Versys was also the only fuel injected bike I've ever owned and boy was it fun.

 

[blackprophesy]

Oh shit! New Street Triple to be revealed 10 January!
Check out that dash! Harley trade in for the Bobber is postponed.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTriumphUK/videos/10154954630767625/

 

[Evo X]

Oh shit! New Street Triple to be revealed 10 January!
Check out that dash! Harley trade in for the Bobber is postponed.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTriumphUK/videos/10154954630767625/

Nice!

I've missed my STR since I sold it.

Thought I was done with riding, but this might pull me back in.

 

[Dougald]

Oh shit! New Street Triple to be revealed 10 January!
Check out that dash! Harley trade in for the Bobber is postponed.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTriumphUK/videos/10154954630767625/

Hey that dash looks the same as the one on my Monster 1200, I wonder if it will be as unreadable in direct sunlight.... The trade-off of having a display chock full of information is a reasonable one though, and Triumph tend to put more thought into usability than Ducati does with their "looks good in AutoCAD" design

Love the new lights though. I was never a fan of the post-round light models, looks like they're going for something a bit more unique than the "stick the Daytona lights on it" route.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Nice!

I've missed my STR since I sold it.

Thought I was done with riding, but this might pull me back in.

Those cars are nice, yours especially, but nothing beats two wheels .

 

[blackprophesy]

My wife in June (buying the Street Triple Rx) - "I don't care a new one is coming out I love this bike and it'll perfect for me for 3 years"

6 months later - "Ooh upgrade! "

 

[Dougald]

My wife in June (buying the Street Triple Rx) - "I don't care a new one is coming out I love this bike and it'll perfect for me for 3 years"

6 months later - "Ooh upgrade! "

Even I almost thought that, then I remembered I've only had my Ducati 6 months and I didn't fall in love with the last triple.

Bloody Triumph and their slick marketing videos, almost got me...

 

[Fallout-NL]

It is a disease, for sure. With each new purchase I'm hoping it's the one to end all purchases. Well, bike related purchases anyway.

Luckily I am into a brand that no longer builds new bikes, at least not the ones I love them for. Makes it a little easier. All I have to do now is not look at the MT-10 too hard and I should be good. I also need to remember the 998 was really, really uncomfortable.

 

[Dougald]

This is what happens in the Winter when I'm not getting out and riding, I forget I have a great bike sat in the garage..

 

[OraleeWey]

This is what happens in the Winter when I'm not getting out and riding, I forget I have a great bike sat in the garage..

I just put my bike away yesterday

 

[Dougald]

I just put my bike away yesterday

Welcome to the worst part of motorcycle ownership

Lets just all move to the equator

 

[OraleeWey]

I was watching some DoItWithDan videos and I "discovered" the Triumph Rocket III - YouTube. What I liked the most was when Dan revved the engine and the entire motorcycle torqued to the right - Timestamped, language warning. Then a few days later after seeing it on video I spotted it parked in the garage where I work and immediately knew what it was. Absolutely stunning to see it in person.

Welcome to the worst part of motorcycle ownership

Lets just all move to the equator

The equator doesn't sound so bad

 

[Dougald]

The sales guy at Jack Lilley Triumph in London told me some of the factory torque settings on the Rocket III are so high they actually have to ship the engine back up to the factory at Hinckley to get them to re-torque it after an overhaul. That thing is a beast. I'm still yet to work up the courage to test one.


Funnily the BMW boxer twins and Moto Guzzis will also try to jump off the kickstand if you rev them.

 

[OraleeWey]

The sales guy at Jack Lilley Triumph in London told me some of the factory torque settings on the Rocket III are so high they actually have to ship the engine back up to the factory at Hinckley to get them to re-torque it after an overhaul. That thing is a beast. I'm still yet to work up the courage to test one.


Funnily the BMW boxer twins and Moto Guzzis will also try to jump off the kickstand if you rev them.

If you ever do test one, let us know of your experience with the bike please!

 

[Fallout-NL]

The sales guy at Jack Lilley Triumph in London told me some of the factory torque settings on the Rocket III are so high they actually have to ship the engine back up to the factory at Hinckley to get them to re-torque it after an overhaul.

Jesus, can the aluminium even handle that much tq? Or is it a cast iron block

 

[Dougald]

Jesus, can the aluminium even handle that much tq? Or is it a cast iron block

He said it was some of the stuff on the gearbox, so I guess that's a bit stronger than the regular aluminium

Considering I had to learn how to install a helicoil within a year of buying my first Triumph I can attest to not over-torquing their stuff.

 

[maxheadwound]

Managed to get the bike in for its 600 mile service last weekend. Great ride down and a not so great ride back in the rain.

Also busy getting rid of all my old bike gear that I have not been using via ebay. Sold a pair of GS Adv boots and now I need to get rid of rear SWmotec racks.

I had a look at that BMW heatup vest when the bike was in for a service. Ooh it looks nice and it plugs directly into the bike. No need to mount cables on the battery.

 

[nico1982]

Oh shit! New Street Triple to be revealed 10 January!
Check out that dash! Harley trade in for the Bobber is postponed.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTriumphUK/videos/10154954630767625/

Same dumb mirrors as the new Speed :/

 

[Stevey]

I build turbines at work and yeah, overtorquing is nearly as dangerous as not being tight enough.
Would be interesting to know what the torque setting was that they couldn't do at the dealership.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Took the MSF course last week and had a blast as a first-time rider. I'm still nowhere near ready to ride a motorcycle in traffic though and will need a ton of practice!
My lean game is non-existent and I'm gonna have to spend dozens of hours getting proficient at it. XD

I'll probably get a moped soon (free from a relative who never uses it and wants to dump it), so that'll give me a 2-wheel fix until I get a cheap real bike by next summer.

Shit's fun though! The difference in clutch and handling in the bikes threw me off, for sure. I rode a Yamaha TW200 and got used to the really fast clutch release on that one; but I was way more comfortable leaning on the Eliminator. I also tried a Grom and I could barely operate the damned thing, lmao.

 

[OraleeWey]

Took the MSF course last week and had a blast as a first-time rider. I'm still nowhere near ready to ride a motorcycle in traffic though and will need a ton of practice!
My lean game is non-existent and I'm gonna have to spend dozens of hours getting proficient at it. XD

I'll probably get a moped soon (free from a relative who never uses it and wants to dump it), so that'll give me a 2-wheel fix until I get a cheap real bike by next summer.

Shit's fun though! The difference in clutch and handling in the bikes threw me off, for sure. I rode a Yamaha TW200 and got used to the really fast clutch release on that one; but I was way more comfortable leaning on the Eliminator. I also tried a Grom and I could barely operate the damned thing, lmao.

Nice! Exciting times are coming to your future!

 

[Fallout-NL]

Merry Christmas everyone!

And even though it's officially winter, the days should at least be getting longer now .