Fish

Well as you put it so eloquently, some of us like living in that place you call a shithole filled with w**kers! just not the self serving w**ker that is our mayor.

I've got a Biker Down course on Saturday, no idea about Sunday yet.

Spent the morning on it today, bloody thing started first time so none the wiser. Checked the battery and 12.4 engine off, 14.2 running so not the issue. Then decided to check the kickstand switch, which was a little cruddy but the switch was still freely moving, but gave it a clean anyway. So in other words, clueless just have to hope it doesn't do it again next week.

I last went the first year it opened after covid, so people still concerned about going out, manufactuers hadn't booked spaces etc. Still busy enough, not been back since, but imagine it will be busier.

Not today, but I had to have it recovered last night. When I finished work I went to the bike and turned the key and everything lit up, but pull the big red button and nothing. Pump was priming, but just a click from the solenoid. First breakdown guy checked a few things then kept trying to bump start me, then the recovery driver arrived to being me home. 4 hours late getting home, and up early today just to catch a bloody train instead of the bike.

The complete tw@t known as Mayor Khan...... This soulless cretin is doing his upmost to kill traffic in London and bring it to a standstill, even on a bike it's now becoming a headache. And the worst bit is there isn't an alternative to the wenker!

Went down to the dealers, had a good chat with the salesman about what I'm looking for and by the time we finished is was a bit late to take either the Tuono or RS660. This weekend has been a write off with feck all managing to be done.

Recovering by the looks of it. Week in Portugal for work

If I dont get a call off a mate tomorrow to help with insulating the new shed, I'll be off to see if I can get a ride on a Tuono 660 or RS660 or both

Got the bike insured and MOT'd, passed no issues.

Sorted the insurance and took it for an MOT. Also looking at options for a second (weekend) bike.

Thaat would depend if it's on the same day or if you have to comeback another day. Booking onto another day will stop them getting a news customer and costs would have to be covered.

I did my training also with Phoenix but I was at Sidcup. My initial training they paired me with someone who had been riding a 125 for a few renewals, so he kept disappearing whilst I was a little more cautious. They then sent me on a loop of their internal circuit which would not normally be given to beginners. I dropped the bike on moss which they hadn’t cleared. Would I recommend them…. Not the Sidcup but Croydon gey good reviews. I don’t think there is a ‘cheap’ DAS course nowadays though.

Doing a zoom in on the pictures they could well be PR4's, which are decent rubber, but not something I'd be expecting on a bike of this style. A mate came to the dealers and when he sat on it, he even mentioned it 'felt' soft, not barring in mind he's a good 15+ kg lighter than me did make me think if what I was thinking was right. The dealer does have a new model, but being that extra cost is making me think this might not be the right bike for me. If next weekend is dry and warmer I'll see about taking both bikes back out again, but this time would be the newer model.

Not mine, but took this for a ride today. 2019 765RS, found the suspension quite soft, being shod with road rain rubber and the temps being cold made a few corners a bit skitish on the road. I was aroun 15-20mph but the rear just felt like it was sliding a little. I might be tempted to extend my budget and go for a later model I then took a 2022 Kwack Z900, which just as I left the dealers the rain started, nothing heavy but enough to make me a little more causious. They had a 2018, which when I sat on it was much smaller, so the 22 was the bike for the ride. I found the suspension much harder and I really didn't enjoy the ride one bit. I will go back once we get a dry spell and have a better ride. One this was that this had only basic suspension, which was almost at it's softest at the rear. You could certainly feel the extra 24kg weight in the bike though. I wasn't sure about the Delvic exhaust, but it sounded nice with the baffle in.

Taking a test ride on a Street Triple 765 RS, purely for research purposes

I guess you have to know the area, and as a shooter I'm more than happy these two are off the streets.

The (long) weekend starts tomorrow. Off to buy some sloe gin from a small distillery, might sample the spiced sloe before passing over my hard earned. Saturday will be wiring the workshop up. Sunday will be the final clay shoot of the year, then Monday is a funeral for an uncle that wasn't really an uncle. We're going more for an aunt than anything else.

Yes, they take a little longer to warm up but do retain the heat a little better

The throttle side on my OE Yam died and got replaced with the Ultimate Addons grips. Not bad after a few mins to warm up, and not to mention no stupid extra controller box having to be mounted on the handlebars

Would you mind sharing who you went with in the end?

Working tomorrow and we have the Chrimbo clay shoot on Sunday

Well the Optimate didn't help me, so went and got a new battery.

Received the Optimate 4 to keep the battery in condition over these colder moments

Currently in Valencia for the boys on over revving mopeds going round and round in circles.