bonio

I was wandering around the streets of Ohrid yesterday and stumbled upon this new gen Africa Twin. The thing I didn't really expect to see in Macedonia was the New South Wales number plate. I was impressed.

Yup. Two wheel Tuesday is a great evening meet. 100s and 100s of bikes there on a fine evening, and places to pick up junk food. What's not to like? If you're just after some company on a ride, drop me PM and we can fix up something while we've got light evenings.

It's about 30kg lighter than the standard GS. I was after a bike that easier to push around. It turns very nicely indeed . But the Multistrada.... nothing I've been on turns as beautifully as that machine. You need to get yourself one before Germany.

Yes [mention]Bender[/mention] you did, but I wasn't listening back then. [mention]smallfrowne[/mention] 125mph. 94bhp. 3.6 seconds. So a bit more pipe-and-slippers than the GS.

Yes, it's true. You read it here first: I've bought a bike. It's 9 months since I sold the GS, and after covering 4000 miles on DRZ, I've finally come to admit that, while it's a blast and hoot, it's not really at its happiest munching miles on the A14, and that my regular trips to Cambridge could be better done with an engine that has more cylinders. When I sold the GS, I'd had my eyes for some time on a Z1000SX. I still think it's an awesome bike for real-life use on the road, but since then the goal-posts have shifted: I want cruise control back again. I hadn't realised how much I had used it, at 30, at 40, at 75 or 80 - it allowed me a bit of a stretch, a rest and a chance to put the body in a different position - without having to stop. So the Z was out, and I started looking around once again. I tried the Multistrada 950. Oh my. What an amazing bike - perhaps the most fun I've ever had on two wheels. It is beautifully light; it corners willingly, and with great feedback, fuelling is perfect, and it's way more than fast enough for use on the road. And that sound..... But common sense came to rescue me from another probably wallet-emptying experience: cheap cost of ownership is not Ducati's USP, and a quick read of the forums shone light on a significant group of people writing things like "The bike is it's awesome, but it's only 3 months old and unless they can sort this out I'm going to trade it in for a Suzuki". I tried a Beemer: the new F850GS. Another really nice bike (though for me, not quite as magical as Duke). But in the end, I gathered all my BMW Motorrad memories together by force of will, and the desire for another GS slowly withered away. And then I got myself a test ride on a Triumph Tiger 800. I was really impressed: it's a fun bike to ride, agile and light, easy to control even at really slow speeds. It's hugely comfortable, plus it's got cruise control and two more cylinders than the DRZ. What's more, Triumph are doing an offer of free panniers ... so I put my order in today It should be with me shortly. You don't need to ask for pictures; you'll get them anyway.

Ashby Folville is up and running again? *sigh* Those were amazing meets. They used to be the first Tuesday of the month [mention]Snod Blatter[/mention] IIRC. Or perhaps the last Tuesday? Or was it Thursday?? Tschk, don't thank me; I like to be helpful.

I've bought a couple of the rods off ebay + a blow torch. Don't know if I have the courage to try it for real, but I guess the worse that can happen is that it won't get hot enough and the metal won't stick.

Nope; it's just started to weep oil again.

Ok, so I did [mention]Snod Blatter[/mention]'s fix with the chemical metal. It was a bit tricky, as the crack is so small, it was hard to work much material in, so built it up sightly proud, let it set, and it worked a treat! For about 400 miles. And now the leak is back again. So I guess I'll scrape it off and have another go, and when that fails, I'll look at replacing the crankcase cover. Any tips out there for making a better of job of it second time round?

Naughty

This is a great idea. Thanks mate.

You're spot on: here 's the original, blown up: That was taken on Nov 28th And here's another shot taken soon after I bought it and is there even back then. So much for washing your bike as a good way to find out problems - it kind of assumes you've got your eyes open and you're bothering to pay attention to what you're seeing. Dang it what an idiot I am. The good news is that I've proved that the bike's completely ok to ride - I've done 2 or 3000 miles on it like that. Reading around, you can use JB weld to stop the leak. But getting the cover off sounds like a bit of a pain.

Got a link for that? Ta

There was a fair bit of gunk and mess on the underside of the bike at that point, but I had taken it for excess chain oil that was coming off at the drive sprocket. And, come to think of it, last time I took her out I was surprised to see that the oil needed topping up. But now the bike's clean, I can see it all clearly: it's leaking oil from the crack. I don't know when it happened, but definitely not earlier than December (which is when I washed it last and ACF50ed it). And I think more likely in just the last month, or I'd have noticed the oil level going down before.

Google fail on my part I don't know if it leaks or not - the bike was too mucky to tell. Now it's clean I'll keep an eye on it and if possible keep it going until the oil needs changing. It doesn't look that bad a job- a bit outside my (very small) comfort zone, but not impossible.

This afternoon, under grey skies and fine drizzle, I gave the DRZ its annual wash. It might get a quick sploosh down every now and then over the summer, but this one is a proper wash, with brushes and backache and all, to scrub off the grime of winter. And under the grime I found this: which was disappointing. It looks to me as if the bike's been over on its side, and the gear lever has gone into the crank case giving it a good old dent. Not just a dent either, there 's a proper crack in there too. To my mind, this is Something Very Bad and probably expensive, but tell me please, just how bad is it? Do I need to fix it? I must have ridden at least 70 miles it happened - so what will happen if I just go on riding it? And if it needs fixing, how? and who could do it? And - on a scale of ugly to unforgivingly painful - how expensive might it be? It's all a bit sad, as I know the dent wasn't there I bought last August, and although it's there now, the bike has only ever been shiny side up when I've been there to see it. I would guess that it got knocked over in a car park somewhere and someone's picked it up before I returned.

I'll put it in the diary

I've been using the DRZ for my weekly two-day trip to Cambridge. This means taking a bit of luggage - too much for a rucksack, but not enough to need serious luggage. So I'd been using a standard 40l Lomo dry bag strapped to the rear luggage rack. It was ok, but faffing about with straps soon became boring, so I started looking for a more convenient solution. I thought about panniers, but good ones £££ expensive, and I was keen to avoid adding the weight of pannier frames as the rear suspension is so soft. And I then I cam across this for £30 on Amazon, and thought it was perfect. The genius thing about it is that the straps fix to the bottom of the bag, rather than going over the top. This means that once it's on the bike, it stays on and it stays tight, regardless of how much stuff you put in. When it's empty, it's just as firmly fixed as when it's full. There's no need to keep readjusting the straps, I just put stuff in, roll the top and go. It saves me aeons of faff on each trip. And of course it's just as dry as a normal Lomo bag - we've been through some Noahic downpours and it's always stayed as dry as the inside of the Ark. I also like the handy mesh pockets - useful for a water bottle or, in my case, for putting my glasses. I guess the only downside is that it is fairly small: it's fine for a couple of days away, and I'd probably be ok with it for three or four days, but no more than that. The diameter of the bag is quite small, too, so you can't take large objects, but my monster 2" thick 17" laptop fits in nicely. Nowadays, the bag just sits on the bike all the time. It's so useful, and so convenient to use, the bike wouldn't feel complete without it. Apologies for the crap pic:

Man that is shite. Glad to hear you've got legal beagles involved. It sounds like that's the best way forward in your situation.

I have read this thread and will probably have nightmares tonight. Praying your fix works out well, [mention]Valko[/mention]

Thanks. I was about to add my 2d. Problem is, I like the sound of my opinions too much

Ohh. Half-way to mine. Drop in if you're ever nearer.

or "TURN AROUND"

So "slow" is good advice, then.

I feel your pain buddy. I used to have a few mates to go riding with until moving here a year or so ago, and it's something I miss. When you've found a solution let me know what it is