What did you do to your bike today?

[Gerontious]

Managed to bag a fantastic bargain. nearly broke my wrist in the rush to beat other people to it mind.

 

So a fella buys a 2022 Africa Twin and goes on tour, last August with it, but he's the type who pays too much attention to Facebook and in a fit of paranoia buys an OEM battery as a spare to take with him. he doesn't use it. gets back and then this year decides to trade his bike in for some Ducati thingy.

 

Advertises this battery on FB... and while the others in the group are busy asking him where he is based, I just looked at his profile and soon worked out he was either in or near York. Send him a direct message: "How Much?" plus my mobile number. He texts me back. £150 and I say I'll have it.

 

It arrives today. Perfect. Sealed in the box. unused, obviously.

 

Thing is, from a dealership this battery costs £516. (yes really!!)

 

Will keep it as a spare. my original is now over 4 years old. There is only one alternative available in the UK that will fit and that's a SHIDO, which costs £140 and is rated at 4.5AH (The original is 6AH)

 

Its only when you see it in the flesh do you realise just how small these things are. Tiny. 4" wide.

 

I need a lie down.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Gerontious

[MikeHorton]

1 hour ago, Gerontious said:

Managed to bag a fantastic bargain. nearly broke my wrist in the rush to beat other people to it mind.

 

So a fella buys a 2022 Africa Twin and goes on tour, last August with it, but he's the type who pays too much attention to Facebook and in a fit of paranoia buys an OEM battery as a spare to take with him. he doesn't use it. gets back and then this year decides to trade his bike in for some Ducati thingy.

 

Advertises this battery on FB... and while the others in the group are busy asking him where he is based, I just looked at his profile and soon worked out he was either in or near York. Send him a direct message: "How Much?" plus my mobile number. He texts me back. £150 and I say I'll have it.

 

It arrives today. Perfect. Sealed in the box. unused, obviously.

 

Thing is, from a dealership this battery costs £516. (yes really!!)

 

Will keep it as a spare. my original is now over 4 years old. There is only one alternative available in the UK that will fit and that's a SHIDO, which costs £140 and is rated at 4.5AH (The original is 6AH)

 

Its only when you see it in the flesh do you realise just how small these things are. Tiny. 4" wide.

 

I need a lie down.

When I bought my ATAS and looked up the optimate I did think bloody hell that's small.  With electronic gizmos it had a lot of work to do.£516 it's a good job I was sitting down when I read that!

[Gerontious]

6 hours ago, MikeHorton said:

When I bought my ATAS and looked up the optimate I did think bloody hell that's small.  With electronic gizmos it had a lot of work to do.£516 it's a good job I was sitting down when I read that!

it has actuality dropped in price by £120 in recent years. Now that there are alternatives. Though, alas only one. The Shido, is readily available here in the UK. It’s not a huge concern  in the same way that it was in 2018/19, when there were no alternatives at all. And inevitably some owners got a bad one and Honda refused to warranty them. These Batteries are becoming common now so it’s only a matter of time before more alternatives become available from more mainstream manufacturers like Motobatt. Exide. Etc. But, yes. Look after it. Even £140 is steep.

[Gerontious]

I ordered a 5A optimate yesterday and it arrived this 8:50 morning. Fully charged the new battery (took 25 minutes) and am currently using it to check and charge the original - it only spent about 10 minutes charging and has now shifted to balancing the cells. Who knew that charging a battery could be so complicated?

But therein lies the biggest difference, If I did the same with the battery on my previous bikes the entire process would all morning. now, it takes minutes. Just ran downstairs to check and the optimate has finished, done in under 15 minutes. test - charge - balance - finished. So two batteries checked and charged in well under one hour!! The joys of lithium.

Its going to be a balmy 12c today so, might go out for a ride later.

New rota appears tomorrow, so time to get the bike booked in for its 'partial' 16,000 mile service. before the pre-season rush begins.

[Pie man]

Well I've decided to sell the little MT07. Gave it a good clean this morning, ready for sale.  

[Gerontious]

2 minutes ago, Pie man said:

Well I've decided to sell the little MT07. Gave it a good clean this morning, ready for sale.  

what next?

[Fish]

Gave it a clean and lube job then put it back under cover. Bit boring really

[Pie man]

1 hour ago, Gerontious said:

what next?

I haven't got a scooby. I was meant to test ride the HATAS but due to the bad weather, never made it. 

Currently looking at all the brands. 

[Stu]

Went for a ride today and ended up at squires 

 

 

Bumped in to @dynax

 

Forgot to take the airfryer though so had to have food at seaways

 

Washed the bike and plugged it into the charger and will forget about it till the next ride.....

[dynax]

Great to have a catch up with @Stu today

[MikeHorton]

Managed to get out for an hour on the bike about 4pm just before the rain started. Set up the user modes on the Africa twin and seemed pretty much perfect on the giving it some beans user setting smooth throttle control with reduced engine braking. Quite good to be able to customise the settings 

Edited March 12, 2023 by MikeHorton

[Gerontious]

Insured for another year. £120.

This has left me feeling extremely traumatised and Ive run out of Hennessy. which might have helped - somewhat.

[Trooper74]

Booked the Strom in to have it's valves done...

This is the biggest service on the Strom and once done the engine can go for 50k miles before it needs doing again ..

£558 

Why ?, the access to the cylinder heads is terrible,  half the bike need to be dismantled to get access.

The price includes oil and filter change, air filter change, fresh coolant.

The dealer Mechanic doing the work is also an owner and rider of the same year Strom and well experienced at doing the task.

 

To finance the work i've sold one of my MZ 125 restoration projects, it will cover 75% of the cost, free up shed space, and allow some actual progress on the other 2 ... maybe ...

I'm 65 next birthday and am becoming more and more focused on riding than restorations. I've rebuilt 16 bikes in the last 20 years to "oily rag", MOT'd, back on the road status. I've been spannering since i was 10, ( I invented the Skateboard !! ), Bicycles, fast jets, motorcycles, cars, ... trains .... now I just want to ride ......

 

 

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by Trooper74

[Pie man]

3 hours ago, Gerontious said:

Insured for another year. £120.

This has left me feeling extremely traumatised and Ive run out of Hennessy. which might have helped - somewhat.

That's a bargain to ride for another 12 months  

[Gerontious]

2 hours ago, Pie man said:

That's a bargain to ride for another 12 months  

 

One Call. They were the second cheapest last year, behind Bennets. (who I refuse to touch) and this year the premium has gone down by a few quid.

 

No security. No garage. (almost) inner city postcode. £300 excess.

Gate to my garden/patio is locked and so it counts as a "Locked compound", which is how the bikes overnight storage is described. Locked gate and fences over 5 feet high.

FC + Rescue + legal.

 

I couldn't care less about the reputation or reviews for insurance companies. all that matters to me is how much it costs.

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by Gerontious

[Ronnie]

3 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I couldn't care less about the reputation or reviews for insurance companies. all that matters to me is how much it costs.

Indeed. They'll all drop you in the shit if they feel like it.

[Davidtav]

Insured the bike £73. Less than half my renewal quote. I’ve been lazy last few years and not shopped around. But with 4 years no claims I thought I should. Definitely worth it

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

The mobile collection of mud had its winter wash to reveal there's a motorcycle underneath there. 

 

Despite me having disconnected the hose pipe the spray head had obviously frozen and burst when I turn the tap on. 

[Stu]

Went out after work for a ride today! 

 

Luckily I put the bike on charge the last time I was out so as I rushed to the garage to get the bike out I saw that the battery was fully charged!....Magnificent things eh  

 

Anyway went out and rode it like a bell end  

[fastbob]

What did I do to my bike today ? Nothing . Not the day before or the day before that . Give it another few weeks though and I'll probably get round to pressing the Start button . In the meantime , having spent November and December in and out of hospital , I've been knocking out a few model aeroplanes and learning the art of Airbrushing . 

[billy sugger]

Good to have you back on here @fastbob we've all missed your posts. Nice work on the models though, I just don't have the patience to build them anymore and just get covered in glue 

[Tinkicker]

I looked of the window at an unfamiliar round yellow globe in the sky.

 

I poked my nose out of the back door.  It did not start dripping.

 

Bolstered by this new development, I strode out to the bike shed and stood looking at the door with pursed lips for a minute or so, just mulling things over.

 

Back inside and carpet slippers exchanged for trainers to facilitate a walk to the road leading out of the village.

 

Checked said road and found it strewn with puddles and wet mud from the tractors in the fields.

 

Back home, carpet slippers on,  mug of hot chocolate gripped in hand, dogs laid with me on the sofa and a new Barry Sheene vid playing that has just been uploaded on youtube.

 

Closest the bike has been to taking to the road since October. 

 

 

[Trooper74]

And here is the next of the next generation .. Molly at Squires Cafe this morning ... loves her rides out on the Strom. Not a happy bunny that big bruv is going to the IOM TT with me this year instead of her. Is convinced he will drop out, he won't .... he better not ..... 

 

[Joe85]

Eurotunnel tickets booked. 7-day jaunt to Auschwitz and back on Tuesday.

 

looks like it’s gonna be another cold one!

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Pre MOT preparation.  Whilst I'm at it there's a few rust spots on the swing arm. Nothing bad, in fact for 2006 bike that's ridden all winter it's in good shape. 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Mississippi Bullfrog