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Gerontious

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Posts posted by Gerontious

  1. I looked at that before I bought my Africa Twin. It didn’t give me any hint of the possibility that one day I might fall off the bike by just trying to get on it. That’s a huge fail in my book.

    I’m still suffering from the trauma.

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  2. Ive yet to meet an owner who doesnt like the bike, it used to get some bad 'press' usually from people who wouldn't buy it anyway. I came within a whisker of getting one back in 2018, I sat on one but due to my unlikely height and inside leg, it wasn't really the right choice for me. Also.. though my bike is a bit different, I didn't bother going down the 'perfect screen' rabbit hole. I settled the matter by going short. and added a sports screen, which is much shorter than the standard. no turbulence whatsoever. Did you get the Standard or the DCT?

    • Like 1
  3. 6 hours ago, curlylegend said:

    Looks lovely, but more importantly how does it sound ?

     

    well, now here's the thing. Its got a very different vibe going on. it doesn't sound like a CD player. the only giveaway is the total silence at the start of and between the tracks.

    It sounds more like a very good record player. none of that 'digital/dry' sound. its warm and still has all the clarity that CD is known for.

    Im very pleased. It's actually more than I hoped for.

    Ive never owned anything that uses valves before.. normally well out of my league.

    But second hand.. its 11 months old. affordable - just. it had 19 watchers on eBay. He was happy to answer questions and while I was absorbing his replies he followed up with a reduced price offer - and at that point it became irresistible. 

    Its why the bike is off the road for another 4 weeks. 20th April.. tick tock.

    • Like 5
  4. 1 minute ago, Simon Davey said:

     

    Are you dusting off the CD's ready for the Pathos to arrive? 


    I didn’t go for it.  The seller wouldn’t allow collection and I didn’t like the idea of their chosen delivery co. So I passed it up. Knocked it off the watch list and forgot about it.

    Then this appeared on eBay and, as if by magic… it’s on my sideboard.

     

    IMG_1748.thumb.jpeg.1fde41ab9cbd9de9f3a5da480124a4d0.jpeg

    • Like 4
  5. no tester has paid the slightest notice to my exhaust. but it does have the baffle in which makes it road legal. and it wasn't marketed as 'not for road use'. it's a Scorpion. but it could as easily have been any brand that comes with a removable baffle. if its one that's designed from the outset to be very loud, like one of those stubby-short cans, then you might have a problem. its purely subjective on the part of the tester.

  6. It’s a bike that was only produced for a year, I think. And that 8 years ago or so. As with any bike of that kind of age - condition is everything. It’s not the type of bike that will have been abused. And it’s definitely the kind of bike that will have been serviced religiously and to the letter. Any issues fixed years ago. They were built with customisation specifically in mind so any ergonomic issues should be easy enough to fix. The trick is finding one - especially one that you can test ride and is reasonably standard. You might have to travel outside your area. I’ve studiously avoided them for fear that a test ride would convince me it’s a must-have. I’ve been caught out by BMW that way before.

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  7. Spoken English has evolved in the UK, whereas in America it hasn't so much in the past 400 years. what seems odd to us would have been completely normal in the 1600s Its been said that modern English is just French with a funny accent. The word Route is a perfect example of this. we use the French pronunciation. The Americans do not. I think there's only a few words that have kept the old pronunciation for example - Blouse. If that had followed the way of Route, we would be saying "Blooze".

    In many ways the Americans speak a very similar form of English to the original settlers, many of whom injected their own dialects into the language and these apparent oddities are a result of that. Our language has been corrupted. And then we think its the Americans who are in the wrong. most odd.

    • Like 2
  8. 2 hours ago, Pie man said:

    I'm trying to sort out a trip this year, usually, I like to take either the first week in June or the first week in September; however, this year, its not possible for me to use those weeks.  

    My options now are either May Spring Bank Holiday (Last week in May) or 3rd Week in September. I am trying to plan a route down to Interlaken, were I would stay for 4 days (camping). But I keep thinking how good the Glossglockner could be in May. Trying to plan a good route is getting harder as I cant make my mind up 😂

    I only have a week and I don't mind putting in the mileage on the first day to be in an easy reach of my destination. Its choosing where to go that is the hardest. 

     

    It will at the very least be picturesque - but also very cold. The road is normally open by the 1st of May - dug out by snow ploughs. Its a hike to get there though and not something to be done in a day. fastest route is a little over 700 miles from the tunnel.  One of the great things about the road is you can look at the live webcams and make a decision on whether to go up. you can also look back in time and get an idea of what it might be like at various times of the year. Here for example is an image that was taken by the webcam on Friday 5th May 2023 at 16:30. air temperature was 6.9c and, incidentally that was one of only a couple of days where a view like this was even possible due to low cloud. (aka heavy fog)

     

    Screenshot2024-03-13at22_14_01.thumb.png.9a0d9b3030b7374686b70dbd1b6b87db.png

     

    To be honest I don't really think its a good idea to go there with just a week to play with, the main problem being you could arrive there and not want to go up because of low cloud, or heavy rain or even late snow or sleet. Its always a good idea to have a few days nearby and then choose the best. either a blue sky day or very high cloud. And dont even think about doing it at the weekend as its always absolutely rammed with tourists.

     

    I would head for another Alpine region, if the Mountains are what you want. or a region Ive never visited before. chase the sun and the warmth moving north from the Med.

     

    • Like 2
  9. Before Forums and back in the day when the GS was a very rare bike and 'adventure' as a word was more associated with Enid Blyton than motorbikes I joined a BMW-GS group that was based in America. I was the only UK member. (I think)

    This would have been around 1997/98 - probably.

    I lasted about two months before being banned.

    The reason given was as a result of my response to a discussion about riding history. How long have I been riding and what bikes Ive owned and so on.

    I got such a shocking response to that post it went absolutely ballistic and I was called all sorts.

    I can remember almost verbatim what I wrote.

    "Started riding on my 18th birthday on a jap 250. then after I passed my test moved on to Brit Triumphs. a T160 then a T140TSS followed by 3 modern Triumphs and now on a R1100GS - which was lent to me as a curtesy bike and I just had to buy one."

    Thats what I wrote and that is what caused all the problems which soon escalated out of hand..

    I made just one reply in the ensuing mayhem, but it was completely drowned out and I got kicked off.

    No great loss.

    • Haha 3
    • Confused 1
  10. 1 hour ago, S-Westerly said:

    Saw an absolutely gorgeous exhaust system for the Guzzi but unfortunately it has no catalyst so probably isn't going to be insurable or legal for that matter. Soo beautiful though.😪


    Don’t tell em.

     

    Specs should tell you if it’s road legal. 

  11. 1 hour ago, Capt Sisko said:

    Given '93 was over thirty years ago and a Trident was going to cost you £5,499 and the new Trident 660 cost £7,895 it shows just how manufacturing cost / Far East procurement  etc have come down. According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £5,499 in '93 is equivalent to £11,264 now.


    They were expensive at the time. But, exclusively produced in this country and it was another 7 years before Triumph made a profit. In 2020 manufacturing ended at Hinckley - aside from assembly of factory specials and prototypes. One factory in 1993. Six in 2024. The more bikes you can produce the lower the cost. Is almost £12,000 actually high for a 750cc Bike made in the UK? It’s impossible to know. Because none are.

  12. It’s a risk. But the only way a copper will pull you is if you have a cop car behind you. And the ANPR flags you up. Other than that a mobile roadside ANPR camera spots you. (Unlikely at an early hour) and be careful not to have an accident!! 

     

    if it was me then I would do what you’re planning.  But then I’m a risk taker and sometimes - needs must.

  13. Thought this might interest some of you. Having a root around I came across a price list dated 10th of May 1993!!

    A time when Triumph only made 8 bikes. 8!!  All made in the original Hinkley factory.

     

    To make it easier - here are the models and prices (inc VAT)

     

    Trident 750 £5,499

    Trident 900 £6,099

    Sprint £6.699

    Tiger £6,549

    Trophy 900 £6,999

    Trophy 1200 £7,599

    Daytona 900 £7,449

    Daytona 1200 £8,149

     

    I bought the cheapest, a year later, my very first 'new' bike... kept it for a couple of years and it looked exactly like this.

     

    Triumph-Trident-750-7.thumb.jpg.8f9af88113ed255a2b9e8692481f02ad.jpg

     

    The List.

     

    IMG_1740.thumb.JPG.17fc99a5cb5cb23a7964300303aa4077.JPG

    • Like 3
  14. There aren’t many, in fact I can’t think of any offhand that come with a centre stand as original from the factory. It’s a real sign of the. Profound change in tastes in bikes that centre stands (or the lack of them) are an issue. When the world was sports bike mad - back in the day. There were all sorts of ingenious ways of oiling a chain easily. I liked the spinner!

    The move from shaft bike to chain in 2018 meant I had to get a centre stand. It’s ok - but definitely takes more effort to get the bike onto it than my much heavier BMW. And the balance is shocking by comparison. I could lift the front wheel of the BMW off the ground with one finger. It takes quite a bit of effort to do the same on the Honda. Cleaning the front wheel is an effort. It’s almost like the centre stand on the BMW was designed in from the start - whereas the Honda was almost an afterthought. I had to have one though. Fitted from the start.

    • Like 1
  15. 12 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

    I use pay at the pump fairly regularly especially at supermarkets where its just a kiosk and no handy loo. Some of the Asda are purely pay at pump, that or nothing. I've not had an issue with excess deductions. Even in France last year although that may have been the card I was using.


    you won’t notice unless you check. But they have to do it. There’s a reason they say you can take £100 of fuel. Because you’ve promised to pay up to that amount. The alternative just opens them up to people not paying. If your account only has £20 in it and you fill up and buy £50 of fuel - what’s going to happen? They don’t want the hassle of chasing customers for money owed. This way prevents that happening. It would be better if you could tell the machine how much fuel you want to buy. £20 they just take £20 and the pump shuts off at £20. But that’s not the way they do it - they take £100 and refund £80 so fast it doesn’t even register. Worst I had in France was money taken on the Saturday and only returning the following Tuesday.

    • Like 1
  16. 2 hours ago, Nick the wanderer said:

    Are you sure? Usually they show a notice saying you can fill up to £100 worth of fuel. It only actually charges you for what you put in. 


    its completely normal and has been for years. The money going out then returning is normally instant. It only becomes problematic when you go abroad - France in particular. The money goes out and can take a few days to return. This is of particular issue if you use one of those holiday cards and haven’t loaded them sufficiently to cope. @smallfrowne had this happen to him a few years ago. He had something like £70 on his card and the fuel refused to flow. So guess who paid for his fuel!! It could have been bad if he was on his own. In this country it might be an issue if you use a card with little cash in it and no overdraft. Even if the overdraft isn’t touched the system insists on a certain amount of guaranteed payment until the transaction is completed. It takes a £100. Subtracts the value of the fuel bought and returns the balance. This should all happen in seconds. It happens every time you use pay at the pump. Unnoticed. Usually.

    • Like 1
  17. If it’s a pay at the pump I sit on the bike and use something called “care and attention” and brim it as I don’t want fuel on my lovely paintwork!! if it’s pay indoors then I usually use the side stand unless I need to brim it and will pop it onto the centre stand. Tend to brim it when I need that 300 worry free miles. Never really measured how much extra fuel can be squeezed in. But it’s definitely enough to warrant the extra effort. Bemused by the paranoia. You should see the conditions people fill there tanks in, in Italy!!

     

    been doing it this way for quite some time. Nobody fried. Or died. Or… whatever. And my lovely paintwork is still lovely.

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  18. Today, for the first time in more than 10 years, I think. I’m sitting downstairs on my couch listening to music and not over earphones. I pulled out my (spare) 2012 Mac mini and am using that as a source for now. The speakers look great - not overwhelming the eye. The little 30w amp is doing well. Though all the cabling is a bit of a dogs dinner. I’ve got a fortnight off from the 17th using up the last of my annual leave and plan to do some decorating so it’s all just temporary. And will do just fine until I get a proper CD player at the end of this month.

     

    IMG_1731.thumb.jpeg.b87e402c5cefcc7ef866f1a4270dfe7e.jpeg

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  19. 1 hour ago, S-Westerly said:

    Fortunately as I'm next to tone deaf I can't tell the difference between music on a high end system or a pair of headphones on a phone. Saved myself thousands. 

    Not sure about the lack of mortgage and credit rating - I've not had a mortgage for close on 20 years and my credit rating is as good as it gets really. 

    You’re probably right. I read something and got muddled. It happens. Still, I’ll stick with the plan anyway. It makes me feel exceptionally smug to have a mortgage and stop paying it for a year. I think back to the years of struggle. Hard times at times. A different world.

     

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