Gerontious

Two bikes that couldn't be more different. I can recommend the 800 as I've owned one. Identical in almost every respect. It's very likely to have ABS... Most STs did.. Even though it was an option. And that's something that's worth having on a first big bike. (It really is) I guess it will come down to which feels right to you. A 4 cylinder bike. Or a twin. A 600 or an 800. How do the insurance quotes compare?

Very nice.. but you don't need me to tell you, photos do these bikes no justice at all. The reality is so much more.

Risk versus perceived risk is a funny thing. we freak out about plane crashes where a few 100 die and survivors have life changing injuries. and effectively ignore the 73 who suffer the same fate every day of the week on the roads. There was a radio 4 program several years ago on this subject and looking at all the statistics for accidental death, by far and away the most dangerous time for individuals is that short period between the alarm going off next to the bed and the first step into the street for the journey to work. More people die during that period of time than at any other time of the day. electrocution by the alarm. slipping in the bedroom/bathroom/stairs. Choking on breakfast. etc etc etc. All accidents are 'freak' accidents and all you can do is reduce the risk. a good start is not getting out of bed.

Tubed are pretty much essential for off road as you can run them at extremely low pressures for extra grip/traction in very nadgery conditions. 12psi +/- Like anything there is a knack to changing tyres (in the wild) but however way you look at it its a major hassle. Taking the wheel off the bike. getting the tyre off and the tube fixed or replaced. then getting the tyre back on and the wheel back on the bike. fingers crossed all the time that you haven't caused a 'pinch flat'. On the road. a tubed tyre can easily be a genuine liability. It can deflate instantly and without any stiffness to the side wall mean your practically riding on the rims. Also.. in general off road tubed rims do not have the 'safety lip' which is what prevents a tubeless tyre coming off the rim after a puncture. So.. a puncture at motorway speeds for example could mean the tyre goes instantly flat and then comes off the rim completely. Doesn't bear thinking about. On the Africa Twin, the rear wheel has this "Safety lip" but the front wheel does not. There are various companies that offer to convert the tubes wheels to tubeless.. but because of the inherent dangers of the front wheel.. they insist that it must be changed. So, you send both wheels to them and they send back the original rear - converted and a brand new front. The wheels have to go to Italy for this treatment. called BARTubeless. https://tinyurl.com/yxurouh9 Or you can buy ready done wheels from various places here in the UK that have already passed through the BARTubeless procedure. Or you can swap the wheels completely for tubeless.. and there are two choices Alpina https://tinyurl.com/y5jq2djl Or kineo. (which I have) I have no intention of ever going off road... so tubed wheels were just wrong for me. And so they had to go. There are a lot of complaints about the wheels.. even some hard-core off roaders say they would have preferred rims that were suitable for both tubed and tubeless. BMW do this.. So does Triumph. Even Honda does.. their wacky scooter type adventure thingy has these types of wheels.. so does the VFR1200X. but not.. regrettably, the Africa Twin.

After owning the bike for 6 months... (But this is also a review of the Standard AT which is identical.. only physically smaller) 20th November 2018 price OTR including centre stand fitted. £11,944 Good points:It fits me almost perfectly (no mean feat). I will need to lower the pegs a little at some point… but theres no mad rush. its not that important. The bars could also do with moving very slightly backwards.as and when. A small but still significant upgrade on my previous bike. A move downwards from 1085cc to 998cc but the result is more power, more torque. and significantly better fuel economy with a tank range of 300 miles. Fast and eager. with the mother of all quick-shifters. LED everything. Decent seat height - 35.4”. Heated grips on wide bars. No Cables to fray and snap. Impossible to stall. Super smooth (click-click) gear changes. Great brakes as standard. Good suspension. Tiny Lithium battery. Honda offer 3 different seats for the bikes. (820mm - 900mm) Bad points: Tubed wheels as standard, which suits a lot of people round the world, especially where off roading is a big deal or "normal". But isn’t really appropriate for me on a bike like this in the UK. I knew even before buying the bike that those wheels would have to go. and they’ve gone. The vast majority of after market luggage makes the bike stupidly wide.. which some owners think is a good thing!! (it isn’t) The stock panniers fit without any kind of scaffolding and are just mms wider than the bars.. but at £650 fitted. not cheap. Other minor gripe is the power socket that came as standard is only rated at 2A. So pretty useless for anything more demanding than a GPS or phone. Would you get another? Definitely, without a moments hesitation. Any other comments? Bought it without a road test as the bike I specifically wanted wasn’t available to test. Not a big deal. I knew just by looking at it that it would fit me and i also knew that I would like the engine. I also knew that moving from an older BMW to a brand new Honda would take some adjustments.. especially the completely daft (but normal for Japanese) indicator switch. and insanely stupid Horn switch position. I also knew that a short road test would not in any way answer my questions about the transmission. Which a large number of people will try and reject because its so very very weird. Weird until you get used to it… and that takes time. in the event it took me 10 minutes to get used to it.. and a couple of months to explore it completely and work out the best settings for my riding style. and settings for the various conditions i ride in mostly. I thought it would be good.. it’s not good, its bloody fantastic. It also has a very neat bar that goes over the top of the instruments that is perfect for a GPS/phone and in my opinion the best (safest) place to have one of these. There is also a switched power outlet hidden behind the fairing that is ideal to connect up to. There is another switched connector under the seat. The bike is a bit of an oddity for this day and age, a top of the line bike that has fuses. A bit old fashioned maybe.. but it makes it far less complicated or fussy about what you connect up. It also has a steel fuel tank. The bars that are intended to offer some protection to the plastics are pre-drilled and threaded to fit auxiliary lights if required. Lights are bright enough though for me. Front indicators double-up as constantly lit driving lights. Rear hazards also flash rapidly and automatically in the case of heavy braking as a warning to following traffic. (a neat touch) Horn is fairly pathetic.. but its not something I use much anyway. My other bike was completely wacky when i first bought it. and this follows on from that by being even wackier. Its Bonkers. Oh.. and it has an exhaust sound that is crazy. The sort of noise that people pay an arm and a leg for by upgrading their bike with a new system. followed by a remap/re-jet to make it work. But.. with this bike. This sound is standard with the stock exhaust and is loud and very distinctive. like no other twin I’ve ever heard. Like most stock exhausts its not pretty though and is something I’ll be changing as and when. Its a great bike and compared to others in the same segment, its direct competitors: a bargain.

That is hardly surprising as he vanished in a puff of angst years ago after getting just a bit tired of the constant sniping from a habitually immature and terminally oversensitive forum member who couldn't cope with being told he was wrong about something unimportant. (it happens) As with most internet forums there is a conveyor belt of idiots and jerks that come and go. my mistake was not realising what i was dealing with and trying to be helpful. Im far more careful nowadays. Anyway.. shorty who wasnt short. became Gerontious who also isn't short. and who has managed to resist this thread anyway... AS I'M HERE. Gerontious is a made up word (I added a surreptitious letter) and extraordinarily inappropriate for a motorbike forum. Its roots are Latinised/Greek (via TS Elliot) for "little old man" cause I'm faux intellectual-like. Im not little... and Im only vaguely old. in a vague kinda way. Im also having a Hennessey crisis.. which explains a lot.

Seat on my bike does the same job. Only tank protectors needed are where my knees grip. and they are mmm... subtle. (like the bike itself.)

He wants to leave a bit more than the other twats . No he doesn't. That is the great con that everyone who follows him has fallen for. he doesn't want to leave. he just wants to campaign about leaving, all the while being paid €100,000 per year (plus expenses) for doing almost nothing.

He doesn't want to leave the EU. he just wants to campaign about leaving the EU.

I wouldn't mind lobbing a pillowcase full of runny shit at Shami Chakrabarti... Has she made a career out of campaigning for something she absolutely doesn't want to ever happen, too?

Imagine the fire risk had it been Holy Water. But.. at least it was an expensive milk shake.. only the best for a Gieves & Hawkes suit.

Until they get stolen, and then you cry again. Then you have to replace them, and cry a third time... Well.. if you insist on living in such a high crime hot-spot as Harrogate. it kinda comes with the territory. Is living there so expensive you cant afford insurance? What ive seen is that people with expensive tools.. especially Snap-On, use them as bragging rights. something they just cant resist showing off. and Its only a matter of time before the news gets into the ears of the wrong people. Which is why I recommend Bahco. only people who know about tools will even recognise the brand and who owns it. Plus a little detail thats quite important.. to some, where the steel comes from and where the tools are made. (and it aint China)

Someone a tad wiser than me once said about buying decent (expensive) tools. "Buy once - Cry once."

I would suggest.. tattoo removal equipment manufacturers. as.. when fashions change (as they do) and tattoos become "naff" and the worlds fashion victims rush to have them removed... well.. money to be made.

Bahco.

I had this exact same reaction when i told people I was buying a certain bike way back when.. only difference then was nobody had a clue what a GS was. My first cost me £9.300 in 1997. allowing for inflation that is £16,630 in todays money. and so this new bike isnt wildly expensive by comparison. in fact its probably a bargain if you compare it with my old tractor. Im sure there are people who wonder why anyone would spend £1000s on a bike when.. back in the day. £159

Base layers are for retention of body heat. No, they are not exclusively for retention of heat. they tend to have very low water absorbance and are high wicking.. which means that in the warmer weather as you sweat it evaporates faster and cools you down. in the cold.. we don't sweat so much so that feature isn't apparent. Thermals are not just for the winter. Though in summer i tend to wear the white ones I have for when the jacket comes off.

Don't spray. Use a brush. Problem solved.

Is that what Honda are telling you to do? because its not what they are telling me to do for the chain, in my owners manual. Use your (O ring friendly) chain cleaner of choice.. or use a neutral detergent. I've read what it said in the owners manual as well as the Haynes and use Paraffin. To lube the chain use either a chain lube designed for O ring chains. or use 80w90 gear oil. I see nothing in the manual about blending paraffin and gear oil. (its going to run everywhere) And paraffin is not as volatile as you seem to think. it just isn't. (which is why its fine with O ring chains) Gear oil doesn't fling off unless you use too much and its more likely to drip all over the floor. i should know, I use it. and not a drop on the back wheel of my bike. I use a paint brush to apply it and it doesnt take much. very little in fact. Couple of teaspoons-worth max. if you see a drip forming then you are using too much. Best done after a ride when the chain is warm and leave it overnight. Two photos. what I use and the results. 2000 miles on the chain. Bike lives outside and has been ridden weekly since November. not a sign of rust.

You are looking for part number: VA31-A100-46A It also can be found under a different part number.. which is the manufacturers own internal code. 30103011 You can order the part brand new from Italy and it will cost €73.20 instead of nearly £300 here. Ive ordered from Italy and the items arrived inside 4 days!! https://tinyurl.com/yy2f7bgl from Italy. or even from Amazon for even less money. https://tinyurl.com/yyanej33 On Amazon its listed under the SPAL code.. but you can see the part number quite clearly in the image.(below)

https://www.lewisleathers.com/Jackets-Overview.html

Quite. Indeed. Yes. What this thread needs is an inappropriate theme tune.... ">

An inappropriately employed non clairvoyant sat nav with fainting fit or possible petit mal seizures.. great. this is what adventure is all about.

i just really really hate sat navs that aren't clairvoyant. (really)