Gerontious

I owned its 'brother' the F800S and it was a lovely bike. I only sold it because it couldnt take full size panniers. Had I bought the ST, I would probably still have it today. Great bikes that are woefully under appreciated. buy as 'late' a model as you can.. with luggage if possible and 'sensible' upgrades. Look for one that has the computer and ABS and isnt due a major "Valve" service any time soon.. as this is the expensive one. Best thing about them by far is the Belt drive. no messing. no need to replace spockets.. as the bike doesnt have any. its far safer than a chain. never needs to be tensioned.. aside from when first fitted. In an emergency it can be replaced in 15 minutes.. and makes for a very smooth ride. next best thing to a shaft. Best words that describe them are smooth and torquey and so easy to ride... Ive always felt they make an ideal first big bike if you're lazy or cant afford a shaft and dont want the more usual 600cc. and.. have an idea at the back of your mind that touring is part of your future. The under the seat fuel tank means all the bikes weight is under the seat.. the top of the engine is just above the seat and so the bike feels exceptionally light. The fake fuel tank has the battery underneath it. The bike ended as a model in 2014 and was replaced with the GT.. which is essentially the same bike. just minor changes. some cosmetic. some more profound like the newer bike has a longer wheelbase and so has a different size of belt. And aimed squarely at the Touring market. Belts are available very cheap now.. compared to the BMW original. these are made by Continental and are identical aside from missing the BMW logo and price. http://tinyurl.com/yak4w53p BMW recommend that the belt is replaced at 24000 miles.. but they can last a lot longer.. keep an eye on it and when it begins to lose 'blocks' or 'teeth' then its time to replace. only known fault with the bike is the oil cooler can develop a weep. this isnt dangerous. and is simple enough to replace. Mint examples with low miles crop up on eBay and similar sites all the time.. it was a relatively popular bike.

No

My bet is that the bike had crash bars fitted at one time and this has been left over.

I phone the tyre shop to make sure they have the tyres I want. If they don't then it's "next day" and ride down and drink coffee while the job is done... Pay and ride Home No car..so it has to be ride in/ride out. Place I use. Independent place owned by a former racer. http://www.mtsnottingham.co.uk

I always have my bikes serviced during the winter, not because of any discount, though that's always an incentive. But, because they can always fit the bike in on a day that is convenient to me and usually within days of the phonecall. Rather than weeks in the future.

No.. they shouldn't. because the vast majority of owners do not even dream about riding during the winter in their worst nightmare. what they should be is offered as an option on all new bikes and easily retro fitted. with, at the very least, **an electrical connection point close by and easily accessible. If I was buying a bike just to ride in the 'season' why on earth should i be paying for, or even want heated grips that are of absolutely no use to me? ** This is what should be standard out of the factory. My new bike came with two (switched). One in the front fairing and another under the seat. So, its easy as pie for me to add extra lights or heated grips without having to route a cable back to the battery and splice it into a feed. same goes for anything added at the rear. The only exception, where heated grips should be standard are for bikes that are specifically marketed at commuters.

in many countries that get 'proper' snow... not cleaning the roof of your vehicle before driving is illegal.

Heated gloves usually need an electric supply from the bike.. So that will mean a fused socket connected to the battery and the socket somewhere convenient that you can plug the gloves into. In summer you can use the socket for something else, like charging a phone. Heated grips are fairly easy to fit. Look at those from Oxford in particular. The best way to improve matters is, for the depths of winter, fit hand muffs so your hands are enclosed and out of the wind blast, this usually means that with heated grips you can get away with thinner gloves. Then once the temperatures are above 10c or so, take the muffs off until next winter.

We never had fish and chips when I wear a lad. We had it tough. Fish on Friday were usually some foreign muck like lobster thermidor aux crevettes, with a mornay sauce garnished with truffle paté, brandy and a fried egg on top and spam. It were awesome, like.

one of the guys takes oil with him as his bike guzzles it. But nobody else does. Same goes for all other fluids, nobody bothers. my new bike is due it's next service at 6000 miles and it's highly likely I will do that, oil/filter change before we go. Having the bike serviced before you go is always a good idea. You can generally pick up anything you might need, like oil. At almost any petrol station so there's no need to carry it with you unless you're really fussy and insist on a particular brand.

I would start with a repair/service manual, like Haynes. This will have all the info you need for basic maintenance and servicing as well as give you the various torque values for critical fixings. Ally this with a factory service manual if you can find one. Either should tell you what tools you need. Especially oddities. Tools that may not be part of a basic set, for example a breaker bar. Deep sockets and so on. To make life simpler it's always useful to have the specific oil filter tool.

Salopettes. And the advantage, especially in winter is that regardless of riding position your jacket will always overlap enough that there won't be any cold air getting where it shouldn't.. They're warmer.

Awesome. That new bike is awesome. New pattern Arai helmet: awesome. These heated grips are awesome. I changed my exhaust and now the bike sounds awesome. It's all too awesome for words in a way that can only be described can as awesome. This thread is awesome. And it's just totally awesome being a part of it. Awesome. Absolutely Awesome. Indeed.

Awesome.

My biggest issue with tubed spoke wheels is the huge pain in the neck when you inevitably have a puncture. Also,the tyre will instantly deflate and best case, you have a brown trouser moment. Worst case, the tyre comes off the rim and the rims are damaged and you possibly come off. Spoked wheels for the racer are definitely tubed. At a £395 upgrade they can't be anything else. Tubeless spoked wheels are going to cost. There are several options. You can have the BMW wheels "taped" however this is only half a job as the rims are very likely not built with the tubed safety hump. So... It's still possible for the tyre to come off the rim. Or the tape to fail and leak. You can buy tubeless wheels. The two brands I know of are Alpina and Kineo, both Italian. You go to the websites, use the drop down menu and decide how you want the finished wheels to look. Pay. And wait for delivery, 6 to 10 weeks later. Have tyres fitted, swap over the brake discs etc and that's it. Done. Of the two, Alpina use O rings to seal the air in the rim and tyre. The vast majority of owners have no problems. Expect to pay circa £1,600 for Alpina... Or more depending on bling factor. And £1000 more, so £2,600+ for Kineo. Kineo are by far the best option to go for as the spokes do not go through the rim, the rim has just one hole for the valve so leakage of air is impossible unless you actually damage the rim. These wheels will definitely add value to the bike. But the cost is high... Very high.

What does the handbook say... (after checking slack) I consider myself 'new' to chains... as Ive not owned or even thought about a chain driven bike since the early/mid 1990s. And even then.. a couple of brand new bikes, I had a scottoiler fitted from new. And didn't keep the bikes very long.. so to be frank, I've not had to think about a chain since the late 1980s!! But, coming back to them, I have a few observations. make it easy for yourself, either fit a scottoiler (or similar) Or, make it less of a chore by either fitting a centre stand, or having a paddock stand. So, you can easily rotate the wheel and do all the above with the minimum of fuss. This is why, the moment I read the specs for my bike, I knew straight away that a centre stand had to be the first priority. fitted from new. I'm not in any rush to fit a scottoiler.. but, who knows? that may well change as time goes by. Ive been using the cheap bicycle citrus degreaser from Wilko. I bought one of those cheap blue square end chain brushes from eBay. and a can of 'oil based' silkolene lube. With it being winter.. just as with my push bike, I wont use wax based lube.. its too wet and the stuff just washes off. on the push bike and presumably its no different on the motorbike. I understand the owners manual.. and ultimately DID are telling me to use proper bike lube unless Im in the back of beyond and cant buy it.. then use Gear oil. So.. gear oil as a last resort? Thats fine by me. Im probably never going to be in that type of situation.. middle of outer Mongolia and no chain lube for a 1000 miles. I thought it odd that Honda/DID recommend a "neutral detergent" - and thats probably the easiest of all. its usually the cheapest stuff you can buy (not for dishes) and easy enough to find.. and easy to use. Just rinse it off with water afterwards and allow it to dry. I would likely have a ride round the block to speed that up and also warm the chain so the lube can more easily penetrate. I can see some people getting upset about using 'detergent' on a chain.. but there it is in black and white direct from Honda/DID. Im at about 750 miles now.. and have cleaned/lubed the chain twice. it was no big deal and not exactly a chore. But, I did make a point of making it easier for myself from the get-go. Centre stand. Brush. Degreaser. Rags. Lube. and some cardboard. (to stop the lube getting where it shouldn't.) oh.. and making some time. like 10 minutes to do the job. Also, Im thinking that actually taking the time to do this very minor task means that you are more likely to spot a problem in its very early stages before it can get out of hand. As is implied at the top of this (overlong) post. cleaning and lubeing the chain should be done after checking the slack.. which is something that should be done fairly regularly.. properly. One quick edit. The owners manual says "clean chain and sprockets" that's sprockets PLURAL.

Honda offered me 0% PCP or HP or Loan. I nearly jumped for the loan, but making overpayments was a right faff. So, in the end I went for a 3% personal loan from the bank. But this was to secure a top of the range bike that was so heavily discounted it actually cost me less than the lowest priced bike in the same range would now. This for the last of the 2018 bikes... The 2019s Have seen no changes.. Aside from new colours. Might be worthwhile looking around, see if any dealership has a 2018 they're willing to make a deal on to get rid. Assuming you don't particularly need to get a 2019.

Only bikes that Google can find with a 60 month warranty are https://www.symuk.co.uk/warranty And they only make one 125cc motorcycle. The Wolf SB 125

This is what happens when you own a BMW... You get this desperate need to find bikes that are really ugly to make you feel, slightly less self conscious about your own bad decision making.

Riding other Motorcycles Your Insurer will provide this cover, under section 3, if you’re riding another Motorcycle as long as: • Your Certificate of Motor Insurance shows that cover is included • The owner has given you permission to ride the motorcycle • There’s a valid insurance policy in force for the motorcycle you’re using • You’re not covered by any other insurance policy to ride it • You hold a valid driving licence, aren’t disqualified or breaking the conditions of your driving licence and any relevant law • You don’t own the motorcycle, it’s not a rental or courtesy vehicle, and you’re not hiring it under a hire purchase contract or leasing contract • The motorcycle hasn’t been seized or confiscated by or on behalf of any government or public authority • You still have your Motorcycle and it hasn’t been stolen, damaged beyond repair, or declared a total loss (write-off) • The motorcycle is registered in Great Britain or Northern Ireland • The motorcycle hasn’t been lent to you by your employer or business partner • You’re not test riding the motorcycle • You’re riding in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. Copied from page 17. https://www.hastingsdirect.com/documents/Policy_documents/Motorbike/HD-MC-GW-06-16.pdf

This is what happens when you collaborate with the Italians.. it all goes to pentola.

This.. http://tinyurl.com/yba58zcy stick full luggage on it and get yourself across the channel.. the Alps are waiting for you. I had its sportier looking brother and it was a great bike. highly recommended. maintenance free belt drive. under seat tank. very VERY easy to ride.

not by much.. not enough to notice anyway. 199KG versus 192KG for the 2012's they will always feel lighter than any standard bike of the same CC.. with the petrol tank under the seat and the top of the engine about level with the seat. there is next to no weight above the seat aside from the battery.. i should say. this makes them feel very very light.

Most obvious differences.. the 'F' bikes are now all parallel twins. though originally they were singles. (some of them) The 'G' bikes are all singles.. and originally made in China.. but i think that came to an end a few years back. more than a few now that I think about it. The modern G engine is now made by BMW.. originally they were Austrian Rotax engines. Of the 2... I would go for the 'F'... I owned an F with the same, though an 800, engine and it was great. The G is very much a GS on a budget.