RantMachine

Off road challenge, as inspired by Phil's YBR greenlaning adventures. But I'm thinking on a beach, to diminish the odds of wrecking a bike while increasing the comedy value as everyone skids all over the shop

There we go, that's a budget set - and a journey I'll get to thinking of mini challenges for along the way! In all honesty I think we will have a VERY tough time on £300, but who knows... I'll keep an eye on the second hand sites over the next week or so in order to get a better idea of what would be realistic. Anyone got any ideas for how we can get some sponsorship for this? As noted in the other thread, I almost certainly won't actually be able to afford to join in, so I'm more than happy to be an impartial rules-evaluating-and-enforcing-person (yes, this means if you cheat I will set your bike on fire). I would like to point out my credentials: - History of really crap bikes that need lots of bodge fixing - Do far to many miles on small CC bikes - I have 1000 bad ideas every damn DAY and this is NOTHING in comparison I could tag along on my almost-as-tiny bike to do the judging of the tasks, and as an extra pair of hands in case shit hits a fan.

Figured we needed our own thread before it gets too out of hand! Edited this: Rules are now in the rules thread http://themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopi ... 11&t=59602

If I bought the Versys I'd need all that extra space to carry the OVERWHELMING SHAME

YES But I'm not sharing, GTFO

I'm going all Metal Gear Solid on this rally, procuring all gear on site So I will probably go to a shop and buy some booze, but not sure what just yet...

Just Eat tells me that there is one takeaway that delivers to the rally site. Well, better than nothing I guess.

Hardly! All that extra weight and bulk... I just use one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gelert-X-Treme-Lite-3-4-Mat-Self-Inflating-Camping-Mattress-/131543479470?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 Once it inflates it's about 2cm thick (the product description on eBay lies), not enough to make the ground comfortable but does the important job of keeping your torso off the floor and as a result keeping your core temperature up. I need a new sleeping bag. My warm one is huge, my compact one is freezing, and my compact warm one is old and knackered. And I think I'll try to keep my cooking gear even more basic this year... or just get a takeaway Basically everything needs to be smaller because the latest bike has far far less storage space than the last two...

Inflatable bed? You wuss

Niiiiiice, awesome bike to start out on

Would he be getting his own bike after the DAS, or just adding him to the insurance for the XJ6?

Awesome, we can get a little group together You and Mr Brightside way out in front, and me trailing behind with the throttle pinned (possibly with the CG even further back)

Quick, add "For Sale" to the thread title before Rennie catches you...

+1 sabotage. Modify it so that it works fine in a UK power socket but explodes or catches fire when connected to a US plug. No, I don't know how the hell you'd do that. My job is to have pretty ideas, not to do the whole "make it practical" thing

Sounds like you found a pretty shite dealer if they wouldn't even deliver the bike without you having insured it already!

It's probably just down to the cold, need more anti freeze in your oil.

Thanks again for all the continued advice! Really appreciate getting everyone's thoughts on it. Rach - yeah, I ran a mile after your warnings about them! Already know what it's like to have a crappy and unreliable stealership, don't care to do it again. And I have to admit that being addressed as "young man" every time I called did not make a good impression on me. Colchester on the other hand have been bloody awesome so far, really helpful and enthusiastic. That's how a salesperson should be, in my books - if (in my past life of retail management) I'd employed someone like the bloke at wheels, he would've had a regular shouting at in the stock room But the Colchester lot seem just like the kind of people I liked to hire. It's hard to fake selling with enthusiasm!

Get your own damn transexual motorcycle and stop pushing it on me

Could be a good laugh! Should warn you though, I can't get out of work on the Friday so I'm setting off from Waterbeach either at 4pm or 1pm (need to ask the boss if I can switch to the other shift pattern for one week so I can get out early ). If you manage to get the leave, let me know your travel plans and I'll see if I can meet you along the way! Might have a girlfriend on a second bike, she hasn't yet decided whether she will (A) Ride up on the CG125 (B) Do her DAS by then and ride up on a CB1100 © f**k it, get a train. I can guarantee she won't be on my bike with me as she's already said that she will never go pillion on it

The chain on my old Lexmoto needed adjusting on a weekly basis, towards the end of its life it was more like once per ride... and then the Lextek chain I got as a replacement needed adjusting MID ride sometimes

Hah! Picking it up on the 2nd of March, they already had 51 people coming in on the 1st to collect new bikes so I figured that maybe I could wait one more day Amusing as an escort sounds, I reckon I'll be ok tPIC, I hope your experience of them is significantly better than mine! I still think they're actually pretty nice bikes, just not when they've been run into the ground by the previous owner and you spend the whole time fixing them up I tell you what though, it's crazy how much cheaper the aftermarket parts are for a Kawasaki...

Don't you start!! Annoyingly as my rear wheel was off to fix a puncture I have to adjust teh chain AGAIN!! arghghghghghgh Y'big wuss, chain adjustments are as simple as it gets

Of course, all good to hear! Cheers Steve, will make sure they do.

I'm gonna be leaving the house at something like 5am so that I get there nice and early and can get a lot of riding in on day one, I think a coffee may be more necessity than luxury before I try riding anything

Hey Deso, cheers for sharing your experiences - thanks for explaining about the oil thing, too. I was aware that using full synthetic is a big no-no while breaking an engine in, but didn't know that the oil they stick in it is actually thinner than the stuff that goes in afterwards. I certainly would expect the manufacturer to know what is best, but then I've also had a whole lot of naff experiences with bikes so far and it has been advice from people on here who have "been there and done that" that has helped me through it, while the manufacturers has done me very few favours, so I figure there is never any harm in asking if people have something to add. By extension, it's not that I don't appreciate Shorty giving his thoughts on the topic - I know that he's among the more experienced riders on here, just doesn't seem able to convey that experience in a way that doesn't come across as if he's talking to something foul that he's trodden in, and I don't take that sort of thing sitting down. Arwen - thanks also for your experiences. Yeah, scrubbing in the new tyres will be at the forefront of my mind too! Seen very mixed reviews on the stock Dunlops, overall the consensus seems to be that they're miles better than the stock rubber on the CRF250L in every possible way, but still far from the best option for the bike Think I'll be ok with the clutch, but the gearbox might take some getting used to. Ratios are wildly different to any bike I've owned before, and I've never owned a 6th gear before Think I'll have a chat with their service staff while I'm there, and have a flick through the service manual before I set off (they MUST have somewhere I can get a coffee, right? surely all good dealers do ). Start off easy while I'm getting a feel for the bike (and getting horribly lost trying to find my way out of Colchester) then give it a bit more spirit once I hit Haverhill, but not push it too hard at any point. And reward myself for my patience with an aftermarket can once it's been broken in