What did you do to your bike today?

[Mawsley]

I wouldn’t like anything heavier than the AT these days. It’s just heavy enough to have me swearing when reversing it into the garage.

[bonio]

On 22/11/2023 at 22:33, Joe85 said:

Too right . And perhaps a touch of ?

So what would you say makes it so much better than the 1250? 

PS Congratulations of course. A touch envious tbh.

[Joe85]

3 hours ago, bonio said:

Too right . And perhaps a touch of ?

So what would you say makes it so much better than the 1250? 

PS Congratulations of course. A touch envious tbh.

It just a bit more naughty, a bit more exciting. It has that something that gets the blood pumping when you give it a bit of throttle. There was always something ‘meh’ about the 1250. Great for touring, superb actually, but for a bit of fun on a weekend? Nah.

 

New 1300 just felt fun to ride.  I feel like I could enjoy commuting on it. Something I could never do on the 1250 (Adv).

 

Insurance are tearing my pants down, though. £1800 quid! Part exchanging the S1000R softens the blow a bit.

[Gerontious]

49 minutes ago, Joe85 said:

Insurance are tearing my pants down, though. £1800 quid!

I don’t do this often, but as I’m at work with the rampaging schizophrenics. Nobody will either notice. Or care.

 

£1,800 for insurance deserves a loud “EEK!!”

 

I thought. What are you? 19?? But clearly you’re not a new rider. What’s going on?

 

first year my insurance for the AT was £270. Now, 5 years later it’s £110.

No garage. No security. City centre postcode.

 

£1,800!!!   I’m tempted to gibber for dramatic effect. 

 

[S-Westerly]

6 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I don’t do this often, but as I’m at work with the rampaging schizophrenics. Nobody will either notice. Or care.

 

£1,800 for insurance deserves a loud “EEK!!”

 

I thought. What are you? 19?? But clearly you’re 

 

£1,800!!!   I’m tempted to gibber for dramatic effect. 

 

I think I'd be gibbering regardless of the dramatic effect. Weeping and wailing too.

[bonio]

Fun to ride... that's what the s1000xr has in spades but enough bar vibes to make sure the fun was restricted to an hour at a time. Yeah, I'd agree they left the FT drive off the 1250. If they've found a place to fit it in on the 1300 then I must make sure I never give one a test ride.

Sounds like a proper blast.  

Edited November 25, 2023 by bonio

[Ian Frog]

9 hours ago, Joe85 said:

It just a bit more naughty, a bit more exciting. It has that something that gets the blood pumping when you give it a bit of throttle. There was always something ‘meh’ about the 1250. Great for touring, superb actually, but for a bit of fun on a weekend? Nah.

 

New 1300 just felt fun to ride.  I feel like I could enjoy commuting on it. Something I could never do on the 1250 (Adv).

 

Insurance are tearing my pants down, though. £1800 quid! Part exchanging the S1000R softens the blow a bit.

If you get the chance go and see the off road clever kids on the 1300 at the NEC show.

Proper talented little buggers who appear to be having a lot of fun in a limited space.

Cheers

Ian

[Joe85]

12 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I don’t do this often, but as I’m at work with the rampaging schizophrenics. Nobody will either notice. Or care.

 

£1,800 for insurance deserves a loud “EEK!!”

 

I thought. What are you? 19?? But clearly you’re not a new rider. What’s going on?

 

first year my insurance for the AT was £270. Now, 5 years later it’s £110.

No garage. No security. City centre postcode.

 

£1,800!!!   I’m tempted to gibber for dramatic effect. 

 

I get bent over at the moment. The GSA was £800 a year, which is far more reasonable. The S1000R was £1200. I've 6 years NC, no rider fault accidents, and zero points/convictions. The bike is kept in a locked garage too.

Must be my location and proximity to bike crime in London.

 

Twats.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Joe85

[Tinkicker]

Did a bit to the DT100 today.  Thread is about a week out of date.

 

Spoiler alert.  It lives!

 

Tomorrow I will crank up the VFR and get it good and hot.  Nothing like a cooling fan going like the clappers to dry all the moisture collecting under the tank area.  I think it clocks up more miles on the stand, running in gear for the transmission to evenly distribute the hot oil into every crankcase recess than it does on the road.

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Tinkicker

[S-Westerly]

Rode it from Northumberland to Stroud. As expected the motorway was mind (and bum) numbing. The Fosse Way seemed just the thing but.....A nice sunny day and where was the sun? In my bloody eyes the whole way so by the time I got home my eyeballs felt they'd been bbq'd. Couldn't see half the bends so ended up riding like a geriatric. Was not fun.

[Bender]

On 23/11/2023 at 09:27, Joe85 said:

Today I learned that you can only use your no claims bonus on one policy at a time.

 

Con artists.

It's always been so

[onesea]

6 hours ago, Bender said:

It's always been so

You can with some insurance put 2 bikes on one policy, If that’s any help.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

3 hours ago, onesea said:

You can with some insurance put 2 bikes on one policy, If that’s any help.

That's what mine does. Bikesure were very good at sorting out business cover and NCD when I bought the Bobber in addition to my CBF. The premium for both is only slightly above what I was paying for one. 

[Nick the wanderer]

20 hours ago, Joe85 said:

I get bent over at the moment. The GSA was £800 a year, which is far more reasonable. The S1000R was £1200. I've 6 years NC, no rider fault accidents, and zero points/convictions. The bike is kept in a locked garage too.

Must be my location and proximity to bike crime in London.

 

Twats.

 

 

Makes a difference what you do for a living, plus being male..

[peepae]

Going to install heated grips today brrrrr…

 

the person who owned my bike before me put the same ones on but the cable has been cut?? I don’t understand why someone would do that.

[Gerontious]

Today I have started the bike. allowed it to warm up and while that was going on checked the tyre pressures. And once it was up to 3 bars  on the engine temperature doodad. I checked the oil level. and the state of the chain. nice and oily. And once Snod Blatter finally replies to my text message I'm off to see him in his funny little house oop norf. He lives in Nottinghamshire but (being special) has a Sheffield post code. wipe the cobwebs off. Ive put the thermal liners into my trousers as its just a tad chilly. The bike tells me its 2c. Bracing or what?

[Tinkicker]

Had the VFR running.  She was a bit recalcitrant as all carbed VFRs that have been parked up in cold weather for a good while are.  The cold start circuit is very lean and barely adequate in very cold weather.  Add slightly stale fuel in the float bowls into the equation...

Once left it for 4 months between starts.  Never again.  Ended up having to take the carbs off and remove every last drop of stale fuel from the fuel system.  Maybe if I had left it till the weather got warmer, it might have started.  Who knows.

I find 4 weeks to be the sweetspot.  Longer than that is pushing it.

 

Typical VFR cold start during layup.

 

Ignition on, choke on press starter button.

Starters whirrs for a few seconds while fuel pressure builds.

One cylinder fires.  Take thumb off starter button and engine dies.

Try again.  Cylinder fires with a bit more gusto.  Take thumb off starter button.  Engine dies.

Try again.  Cylinder fires and a second cylinder starts to show a little interest.  Take thumb off starter and engine dies.

Try again.  Two cylinders firing and you can finish with the starter.  It will continue to idle on two.

Touch the throttle or choke at this point at your peril.  You just have to leave it to sort itself out.

Twenty seconds later number three will start popping and banging and the revs will rise a little.

A few seconds later, but can be up to a minute, number four will start popping and banging.

That is when I up the idle to 2000 rpm and get it hot.  By hot, fan kicking in and out for 30 mins and even the subframe under the seat feels very warm.

 

Had a brand new VFR gen 4 back in 97 and that did exactly the same thing.  Leaving them tucked under a blanket all winter is not an option if you want her to start in springtime.

 

I can go out to her next weekend and she will fire and run on four almost straight away because the fuel sat in the carbs is still fresh. Note that all this is with fuel pre dosed with stabiliser.

[bonio]

@Gerontious Say hi to snod

[Joe85]

Thought I do a quick multi-bike policy check on an S1000R and a 1250 GSA - £1400 with Bennents. That's pretty decent.

[S-Westerly]

Taxed it for another year. Would be nice if government made an effort to spend road fund on roads!

[peepae]

Bought heated gloves revit freedom to see if it was something for me - but damn it's like I'm wearing 18 layers and I don't know what I'm pressing anymore, horrible.... need some winter gloves with a good amount of dexterity 

[bonio]

1 hour ago, peepae said:

Bought heated gloves revit freedom to see if it was something for me - but damn it's like I'm wearing 18 layers and I don't know what I'm pressing anymore, horrible.... need some winter gloves with a good amount of dexterity 

I so dislike winter gloves... they're like trying to ride with hands that have gone blind. I know they're hideous to look at but have you thought about bar muffs (or whatever they are called)?

[peepae]

1 minute ago, bonio said:

I so dislike winter gloves... they're like trying to ride with hands that have gone blind. I know they're hideous to look at but have you thought about bar muffs (or whatever they are called)?

I was just looking at those lol, I think this will have to be the way forward

[Gerontious]

I’ve read more than once in reviews that good quality muff used in addition  with heated grips mean you can wear gloves that are just a step up from full-on vented summer gloves. So gloves with fairly minimal insulation. Never tried them myself. One summer I got carried away in the sales and bought some rather glamorous winter gloves. With a very clever design feature, it has two ways of putting hands in. One you get maximum insulation. The other has almost all the insulation on the back of your hands and only a little in the palm - so you get more warmth from the grips. In the sale they were a tad under £200. I did slap myself (metaphorically) for spending so much on something I wouldn’t wear for months. But i am apt to such moments of madness. Sales. Keep me away from sales!!

[JRH]

1 hour ago, Gerontious said:

I’ve read more than once in reviews that good quality muff used in addition  with heated grips mean you can wear gloves that are just a step up from full-on vented summer gloves. So gloves with fairly minimal insulation. Never tried them myself. One summer I got carried away in the sales and bought some rather glamorous winter gloves. With a very clever design feature, it has two ways of putting hands in. One you get maximum insulation. The other has almost all the insulation on the back of your hands and only a little in the palm - so you get more warmth from the grips. In the sale they were a tad under £200. I did slap myself (metaphorically) for spending so much on something I wouldn’t wear for months. But i am apt to such moments of madness. Sales. Keep me away from sales!!

Sounds the same as mine, HELD.

Warm pocket and a dry pocket. Tend to be used for most of my riding and my vented summer gloves the rest of the time.