Simon Davey

Good early evening, nearly dinner time.

Cheers Rob, I trust the mechanic, he has been for 30 odd years. I will also discuss the the different tyre choices as above. I always fancied a Fireblade, I was in my early 20's and remember the first one, it was the power to weight ratio that no other manufacturer had achieved at the time, phenomenal.

That's the point, it is of course pi55 easy. I'm just anal about getting the tank brimming, which I do on the centre stand, for which in turn, I don't seem to have the technique/I'm being a wimp.

Yeah, I could see on the web site that you'd completed Only kidding of course. My lunch is over, I will complete these evening.

Many thanks @RideWithStyles That's plenty to think about and discuss with the mechanic.

Great work, on one of the first things you see when looking at a bike

Mine were road pilot 4, as you say, they have been known to wear oddly. It must depend on the rider surely? We need tyres that suit the bike and the rider, but who the heck can afford to switch tyres on a regular basis. My missus is offering to pay for mine as a birthday present

We chatted about it, my riding is pleasure riding (when the roads dry up) so it'll be a real mix of country A&B roads, with the odd stretch of motorway. Mostly sub 60Mph on non motorway. I've met people that are passionate about bikes, but this guy just seemed to "know". I'll go with whatever he recommends. He was also saying he does not understand why riders go for wider than factory fit when it comes to tyre changes, just stick with what the manufacturers went for, it's part of the bike design.

Yeah, sorry, my bad. The bike is 19. The mechanic was Kawasaki trained, and had been a Japanese mechanic for decades, he was even made a motorcycle mechanic in the German army when he did his national service. Just one of those guys you can talk to, and be 200% confident he knows exactly what he is doing. So I'll edit my post and definitely trust him.

A mechanic I spoke with yesterday, said exactly the same thing about BMW, and that the balance overall is superb.

Good morning

Update.... Took it out for a 1 hour diagnosis session. It's booked in for 2 weeks time. He took it out for 15 minutes whilst I stuffed my face with eggs, baon and sausage etc. The guy is 100% certain it's the idle jets. He explained the the idle jets don't just deal with idle, they look after the lower demand up to about 4K,then the main jets kick in. Also suggested new spark plugs, and with a bike at 19 years old (which mine is) , he'd like to nip the ends off the HTC leads as they're bound to be slightly corroded. He thought it wasn't so bad, but could definitely be improved. Also pointed out that my tyres are shite, and the raised stipes made the handling really twitchy, and I'd have a better chance of becoming confident if they were replaced. He says the Michelin Pilot are prone to wearing this way, so new tyres will be fitted too. Bridgestone I think. Thanks for asking. Had 90 minutes of his time, very relaxed and friendly place, didn't cost me a penny (yet).

Nope, it was a a 1 hour diagnosis session. It's booked in for 2 weeks time. He took it out for 15 minutes whilst I stuffed my face with eggs, baon and sausage etc. The guy is 100% certain it's the idle jets. He explained the the idle jets don't just deal with idle, they look after the lower demand up to about 4K,then the main jets kick in. Also suggested new spark plugs, and that at 19 years old, he'd like to nip the ends off the HTC leads as they're bound to be slightly corroded. He thought it wasn't so bad, but could definitely be improved. Also pointed out that my tyres are shite, and the raised stipes made the handling really twitchy, and I'd have a better chance of becoming confident if they were replaced. He says the Michelin Pilot are prone to wearing this way, so new tyres will be fitted too. Bridgestone I think. Thanks for asking. Had 90 minutes of his time, very relaxed and friendly place, didn't cost me a penny (yet). I'll copy this as an update.

Such a difference.

Having got my beauty gleaming and shiny last night, I took it to a mechanic this morning. Forty five minutes in the poxy rain each way..... Had a lovely breakfast in the café that's in the bike shop!

Oh wow, how awesome to have stuck it out for so long. Now you're showing your age though.

Oh nice, but sod that being in the middle of the ocean malarky, I'd get freaked. As for that responsibility....

Are you the ship's pilot? That's some tonnage to get in the right place.

Good evening Yes indeed, if it stays dry, I might even go for a ride in the dark

That's brilliant, wonder how that would go down nowadays.. As it happens, I'm 6ft1" and weigh 100kg, but that's 50kg of moobs

Took it to the mechanic this morning. He popped out on the centre stand, no problem. So, I'm just being a whimp.

Well, funny you mention 4 year olds, it does smell like bubble gum....

Good morning That damned weather! Cleaned and polished the bike ready to take to the mechanic this morning, and it's pouring with rain. At least I still get a ride

Have a look at this recent thread...

Here's one with the stand up. You'll have to zoom in, the foot lever curves around the exhaust, but on the curve of the stand, you can see where it's made contact with the tarmac. Tomorrow morning, I'm actually taking it to the bike shop for diagnosis of rough running. I'll ask him what he thinks.