Six30

25 minutes ago, Mawsley said:

Ferry to the Hook at this time of year is horrible - either seasick pills or copious alcohol and a decent cabin.

alcohol, theres a surprise , you drunken nonce

10 minutes ago, nigelbusa said:

Well definitely not you, you've not seen it for years

at least i dont see other mens on a daily basis

On 23/11/2023 at 18:46, Mawsley said:

 

First lockdown, decided that it was only fair I treated myself to Tiger 1200. It didn't go well. While most bike have a centre of gravity somewhere between the floor and the petrol tank, the Triumph's COG was approximately two miles south of Alpha Centauri. I decided big bikes weren't for me anymore and got a Vespa instead. Then I decided I missed bikes and bought a pair of Enfields instead - but the Himalayan was gash to ride and I couldn't bring myself to ride the shiny chrome Interceptor out in anything other than glorious weather.

 

And then I had a rough weekend, woke on a morning, and decided I'd chop the Enfields in for an Africa Twin I found online. I'd never sat on one. The wife gave me one of those looks.

 

A '22 base model with DCT loaded with a stack of stuff at a good grand and a half cheaper than anything else I could find. Good price agreed for my pair in exchange. Game on.

 

 

True to form, Day 1 was nothing but rain - so a reasonable opportunity to find out how the weather protection fares. The short screen may be decent for summer, heavy rain splattered onto the helmet, reinforcing that my Neotek II allows water to dribble down the inside of the visor. But, apart from that, my knees and toes were the only other areas getting damp. Plus one for the Honda.

 

 

I love Apple CarPlay in the car: "Hey Siri, play me the kind of music that immature middle aged men think is really cool and shows that they are in denial about the ageing process." It's brilliant.

 

This doesn't work as well on the Africa Twin. Luckily, we don't have pet hamsters because I'd have had to replace them three times due to old age related death while trying to pair the helmet to the bike. Reviews knock the bike for the controls, and they're correct, the switchgear isn't intuitive and is far too clustered, but the problem lay with the Sena SRL 2. 

 

Every trip after initial pairing required me to re-pair the lid with the bike as it would forget the connection or attribute it to a pillion - so minus one to the Honda.

 

New lid, new comms system. Can't pair the Schuberth for the life of me. I'm putting this down to Sena though as the bike just can't find the SC1 Advanced. Time for Google.

 

But, when it works, which was all the time with the Shoeii, the confusing switchgear became more intuitive - as long as I wear summer gloves. The frequent hooting demonstrates that winter gloves can hit more than one button. Plus one again to the Honda, minus one for the chonky gloves.

 

 

What? You don't take a picture to memorialise the first time you succeeded in taking off your seat? You bloody will if you get an Africa Twin.

 

Nothing, absolutely nothing worked. I was convinced that something was fouling the release mechanism under the seat and was beginning to resign myself that I'd have to disassemble the bike from the subframe to sort it.

 

"Hit the front seat," said a guy on the Facebooks. "Hit it and push it as far forward as you can."

 

Bugger me if he wasn't right.

 

It's not been an issue since.

 

 

Probably done at most 400 dry miles on the Enfields in 2023. I've clocked up over 1000 over the last few cold, wet and windy weeks on the AT, a testament to how much I'm loving riding it and finding any excuse to go out for another blat.

 

I got cheapo Cool Covers knockoffs from China and they fit in a fashion. My bum is rating the seat/cover combination a full on 10/10 having ridden from full to empty a number of times with zero issues.

 

I'm 5'11'', but a laughable 28"inside leg. Even with the seat on the high setting I've no problem with putting feet down - the COG being far, far lower than the Triumph.

 

 

Which leaves the DCT.

 

The Triumph decided to try to squish me near the Super Sausage (a blindingly great cafe near Towcester that every fan of fried breakfasts should visit). It did a great job and my left ankle has been pretty buggered ever since; changing gear causes a pain on the inside of the ankle. 

 

My hands are feeling the effect of many years riding too. Either white finger syndrome or knuckle pains from clutch levers (no matter how light) turns a long ride into a torture fest.

 

I can't speak more highly about the DCT. Combined with the easy to use on the fly heated grips and cruise control, I've had zero issues from my ankle, knuckles or fingers. Zero. This is so many plus points for the Honda that it places the bike exceptionally firmly in the No.1 spot of Best Bikes I've Ever Owned - and I've owned a lot. This isn't me justifying the purchase to myself, this is the very best bike I've owned.

 

Comfort, enough power to make progress, some very useful features, and an engine/exhaust noise that gives it soul but doesn't offend children, old women, and other bikers who really should mind their own business. It scrubs up well after a mucky ride, it looks (imo) sex on wheels, and the top box/Givi panniers have acquitted themselves well at Tesco.

 

I'd like to swap the wheels for tubeless rims, I'd like metal panniers instead of the Monokeys, I'd like a Zumo XT2...but with the lad needing to come home and me having to cover his debts and rent for the next 11 months, they ain't happening now.

 

As it stands, there's enough about the bike to take me on my planned European tour in June (maybe down to the Sahara), providing I can scrape together the funds after the son's return rapes my wallet.

 

All told, what a bloody brilliant machine.

Gay

On 25/01/2023 at 18:09, goat said:

I started watching it but gave up early on I'm afraid, probably well before the plot developed.

i skipped through it , thought they was going to show them gunning em down.... but no just talking ..zzzzz

On 16/12/2022 at 12:29, husoi said:

Can I nominate someone as Nob of the decade? 

 

Phoking princess Nicola.

Another tax increase for them to waste.

Useless, brainless tw@t.

that award goes to the prick that is Sadiq Khan..... 

8 hours ago, onesea said:

And I bet you don’t know how to change the clock on your bike either

who looks at their clock 

commute on a bike ... in the winter... that'll be a no

14 minutes ago, Bender said:

No, no we won't, he's far to weird for us  

17 hours ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Save water - shower with a friend.

@Tiggie and @Bender already do that on a thursday night after a meal of noodles with no clothes on   .... The Naughty Noodle Nudie Night, they call it.

Weirdos or what

On 27/10/2022 at 13:22, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

I see Shell's profits have risen by £4 billion from £4.2bn to £8.2bn 

 

I think most of that is our house.

we are just getting ripped off

4 hours ago, rennie said:

It's Sue's birthday soon so I went shopping yesterday!

went to Telford shopping centre, hate the place!

had to pay to park, walk miles, strange people everywhere! 

I had to have several ciders to recover! 

You not drunk the world dry of cider yet .

super

13 hours ago, geofferz said:

Rock climbing near Venice - did my first multipitch - 250m, long day hard work. 

was it you two twats up the Dartford bridge

Just now, goat said:

I meant Anna fuckoolas but @Six30 you'd get my vote, purely on the basis that's an honest policy, I think you'd stick to.

yup

44 minutes ago, onesea said:

@Six30   he got to many morals and says it as it is. Who would want a PM like that.

im up for it ... first policy would be every Tuesday all vehicles would be banned from using the roads except motorbikes

horrible bitch , with no moral compass

Penny Mordaunt.... even if she is crap at the job, at least she's ok to look at

12 minutes ago, Bender said:

2 blokes with big rods being sent to the sea, sounds fishy to me. 

you think @Tiggie has something to tell us

great pics ... 80 years old ,respect to you sir

1 hour ago, Bender said:

Will that make them seamen? 

id say fisherman

57 minutes ago, Tiggie said:

Shocked to say myself and the other Fryer at work got a pay rise today!! 

 

Boss called me in on my day off for a meeting, (I obviously spent the morning trying to work out what I'd done wrong to be getting called in )  He just wanted to give us an increase to show he appreciates the work we are doing and to help out with the cost of living etc.

 

you'll go in tomorrow and he'll give the pair of you a fishing rod each and point you towards the sea.

12 hours ago, Pie man said:

Ah the voice of reason is back  you've been away for too long 

17 minutes ago, Throttled said:

History will be kind to the climate protestors, as it is to the Suffragettes. They chained themselves to things (no superglue back then) and smashed windows (no spray paint back then). But they were right, it was madness women lacked basic rights and the government was dragging its feet over those rights. It is the same now, we need immediate action over climate change and the government is not acting fast enough.

always been climate change always will be ....Scotland had a Mediterranean climate thousands of years ago... what caused that , turbo charged horse and carts ? uk  

Kill the pricks with fire .