Steve_M

My good lady knows to sit still at slow speed. I took her out on the bike for our first “date” and we had a good chat beforehand about dos and don’ts. She now tells everyone she’s a very good “sack of potatoes” which is the key instruction I gave her.

Congrats. It does bring this to mind (though, in your instance, perhaps not )Louden Wainwright

I did start to shift my backside over to the inside and shifting my weight accordingly on track but given that I’m borderline inters/fast group, I’m not threatening lap records so stopped. And on the road there’s not sensible reason to need to.

But there’s no harm in seeking to improve, which I think the OP is doing. For a few years I doubt I leant my bike much at all, apprehensive of the consequences. Numerous courses, much training has made me less concerned, a result being that I enjoy my riding rather than spend so much time anxious. As an aside, I tend to ride “in line” with the bike’s axis … unless manoeuvring at slow speed or swerving, when I’ll push the bike down.

Nothing about that in Roadcraft.

I’ve just finished reading this. Apart from some navel gazing, an interesting book and well worth a read. For those of you with accounts, it’s available free on Kindle through Amazon Unlimited.

Have a go at the Knee Down course. Tom covers much of the ground from his other courses, the “knee down” is a bonus (I barely managed to touch a slider down, a mate of mine wore through a set).

Hmmm. His conclusion works as long as you take only the body position into account. Unfortunately there are a number of other variables, not least how the suspension works. He’s saying to lean the bike more, which will reduce the effectiveness of the suspension which works best the nearer vertical the bike is. EDIT; I’ve just been trying his advice. Going to Carlisle there are a number of varied bends and hazards on which to explore options. I can see the case for me in a small number of circumstances but on the whole I found it to reduce the suspension’s effectiveness and made counter (or positive) steering less easy by my inside hand. I’ll stick to using it for slow speed manoeuvring…. This is my view - i would suggest, at your own risk, trying it before dismissing it.

We’ve just had notification of the increased cost for LPG to heat our house. An increase of 20%. I suspect we’re fortunate as I hear that gas prices for some people have risen by as much as 30%.

I would recommend a “Better Riding Day” with Hopp Rider Training at Cadwell Park or one of the i2i machine control courses (or both). Each will work you through cornering, though with slightly different approaches (which is why I suggest both). And don’t worry about the Hopp appearing to be track biased, it’s for road bikes only, and most riders actually ride to and from the track.

I took part in an ONS COVID survey yesterday (for which I get some sort of voucher reward… discount on a future privatised health service, perhaps?) which i had to do a PCR test and I’m awaiting results. , I’ve since done a lateral flow test… negative. So far so good. I await my flu jab and COVID booster… Whatever ails me seems to be easing, nose is less snotty, no headache, no sore throat and I’m back working on the house without getting too tired. Hopefully your lurgy will ease soon.

Yea gods. We stayed at the Cambrian Hotel, Adelboden for about those rates., and we had a balcony room with a view of the Swiss alps for that.

The Lion in Lanbister has been superb the three times I’ve stayed there - twice with a large group. It’s well located to explore Wales, both North and South. Janet and Ray are excellent hosts - and great fun. The Lion Llanbister

As we’ve moved from a 1970’s house to a 400yr old stone house, I can confirm the accuracy of your comment.

Good morning. Third day of feeling somewhat under the weather. I think I caught a cold off my grandson. The bike’s in for service and MoT tomorrow so I need to be ok by then.

I’ve said elsewhere that I’m considering moving to something more VFR Crossrunner-ish when I replace my GS. I was hoping the new NT would fit the bill. If that’s it then it appears to have missed the mark. I await test rides and will give it a test run before I dismiss it entirely.

I started on a slippery slope with my ST1100… and I’ve stuck with the bigger bikes since. I have to manhandle mine across gravel here, so a lighter, easier to push around bike would make sense. The GS is a dream to ride, though, and as easy to manoeuvre at any speed as many a lighter bike. It’s just all so unnecessarily big.

I’m currently reading a book that is a tale of a couple riding the Wild Atlantic Way on a V-Strom 650. It’s made me think that, perhaps, it’s time to reconsider my choice of motorbike and go back to a midrange tourer. Something along the lines of a Honda VFR800 Crossrunner. I do like my GS but it’s a bit of a cliche… perhaps downsize in a couple of years when I reach my next milestone birthday as a pressie to myself.

If they want to make a difference they are quite welcome to clamber in my loft and add the insulation we’ve bought for the job.

Here’s an analogy. A modern built house on an estate. It’s thermally efficient, needs nothing more than decorating occasionally, has excellent fittings, ergonomically well laid out and sufficiently spacious to accommodate a family. vs A 400yr old stone built cottage that is picturesque, though draughty, in constant need of maintenance, has a leaky roof, dripping guttering, low ceilings, small rooms, and outdated fittings. The former might be considered bland, the latter “characterful”.

I know this sounds tricky, but relax. Ease your grip on the bars, and look a long way down the road. A tight grip doesn’t allow the bike’s suspension / steering geometry to work properly and can cause the bike to weave / wobble. Bear in mind that your bike has two feck off big gyroscopes (the wheels / tyres) keeping the bike stable, it takes a lot to unsettle the bike. EG. I did a course with a chap by the name of Tom Killeen (i2i) and he had us ride over a block of wood while sitting on the bike not holding the handlebars. Nary a wobble from my VFR800.

I may be laying my bike up for a couple of months - the first time I’ve ever done so. I’ll be following This advice.

I’ll give it a go when we’ve finished remodelling our bedroom / en suite. But it may be a while…

I’ve bought a replacement off eBay. I’m sure the damage is fixable with a bit of time and effort - I used a couple of mildly abrasive polishes and it is less obvious where I’ve done it. As we’re currently renovating our house and have much to do on the garden, spare time and effort is in short supply.

“Character” usually means it has faults that the owner is willing to overlook, or even considers desirable.