Reply With QuoteJust a bit of farkling, really.Originally Posted by Dave+63
You just can’t stop tinkering can you?
That’s got me thinking......a 2.4l Double Thruxton R, that could be interesting. V4 I think although across the frame would be easier if a little wide. Now where’s my spanners?
Last edited by Dave+63; 12th October 2020 at 17:50.
Just treated myself to one of these - fed up with trying to balance the bike upright when checking/replenishing oil and it doesn't warrant putting the bike up on stands (which for me is always a bit risky as I'm useless at it). I like the fact that it can be used on the front or rear wheel, too.
Anyone else use one?
that looks quite useful,could even use it when pushing my bike into my shed for maximum space.
can you tell me what and where please?
Very nice - I had a Harribox FZR1000 back in the day really wish I never sold it as could always bring it up to date.So a new project landed today. It’s an original Harris F1 with a 750 GSXR engine. It’s going to need a lot of work but it’s got the makings. The plan is to turn it into an XR69 replica, hopefully on the road by the spring.
Enjoy the project
Sorry, couldn't resist it!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Yep, you're right of course. I used Boyer 12v ignition conversions...not too bad to be fair.Your mechanical ineptitude is no reason to put others off beautiful 1960's bikes!
On a more serious note most 1960's bikes mechanical achilles heels have been addressed in the intervening 60 years by various independent concerns, owners clubs etc and uprated parts are readily available with usually no visible change to the bike. Things such as upgraded electrical systems now make 6v redundant, electronic ignition packages, much better materials for bearings, cylinders, pistons and the like, and a vast leap in tyre and suspension tech all makes an upgraded and well maintained 1960's machine as reliable as almost anything else these days.
Mind you, some of the home built cafe* racer tat using late base bikes are far worse.
I've seen off road tyres, drum brakes, rubbish exhausts hidden in heat wrap and unfiltered carbs....all retro fitted to give that unreliable, ill handling, uncomfortable retro look....
*Pronounced "Kaff" ...not "Kaffay"
Well spotted. New rear tyre was already on my list.
Actually raises the question. Do people ever mix and match front and rear tyres?
My front is fine, just rear needs replacing and considering moving away from Metzeler OEM tyres. Seems a waste of £100+ to swap out the front as well.
I stopped doing that years ago,it’s like a new bike when you fit a new pair of boots front and rear.
I am on my 3rd set of Bridgestone BT023 this years,nothing better on a heavy road bike.
When you don’t think about them and just ride hot or cold you know you have confidence.
What you need to remember Tony, is that original cafe racers were built in the pre-motorway 60's. At that time, trunk roads had plentiful numbers of transport cafes. Many were open 24 hours, mainly to service the needs of lorry drivers. They were also a Mecca for young motorcylists, who soon began to race from cafe to cafe, or from cafe to a roundbout (or similar landmark ) and back, hence the name itself. These cafes served the working, and mostly uneducated class, with no knowledge of correct French pronounciation. Many cafe racers were built by working class factory lads who would knock out bike parts in their lunch hour behind the foremans back. They would meet at the local 'kaff'...or go to the 'kaff' for a coffee...in the 60's the word wasn't pronounced any other way...by anyone who rode bikes. Those that did know how to pronounce the word, (the 'middle classes' ) wouldn't have beed seen dead anywhere near them.Funnily enough, we were having a little debate about that pronunciation on Sunday. I will NEVER say "Kaff", ever. In fact, who says that's the correct pronunciation anyway?
*Road 5*
Similarly, think about the American pronunciation of the word 'Coupe'.....if the car is 1950's-60's it's pronounced as 'koop'....for the same reason, American hot-rodders had no knowlege of French. It was only in the 80's that the word was correctly pronounced as 'koop-ay'
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter how you pronounce the word, unless of course you're in the company of someone who was there at the time.
I've never mixed front and rear.
I really like Metzelers; had Roadtec 01s on the Multistrada and the Sportec M7 RRs on the Super Duke, although on both bikes I found I got through the rears before the fronts, but changed both at the same time anyway.
edit - got that wrong!
Last edited by Stanford; 13th October 2020 at 21:12.
If I'm talking about a bike I generally say kaffay but when talking about a cafe (greasy spoon variety) I refer to it as the kaff.Funnily enough, we were having a little debate about that pronunciation on Sunday. I will NEVER say "Kaff", ever. In fact, who says that's the correct pronunciation anyway?
Got my Sat Nav fitted to the rocket.
I bought a bike specific bracket from “Lamonster” in the USA and got a friend to buy and ship it over
The rocket has a power socket that I could plug into but I wanted to wire it in permanently, so I connected to the rear of the plug which meant quite a bit of work to get access
But the end result is that it’s a fused socket and is only live when the ignition is on, so perfect for the job.
Doesn't the Rocket do nav on the display from your phone?
that looks like a practical solution.
No idea, but here’s a photo of my phone..👍🤔
Lovely. One of the best phones ever.No idea, but here’s a photo of my phone..樂
I do wonder though if using a sim-free smartphone or small tablet would run the triumph nav app to link to the bike and provide on-display nav?
Regarding tyres, I change the front every second time I change the rear.
Last edited by andy tims; 13th October 2020 at 20:04.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Snap!
Me too.
A little TZ ride-out video...
Some nice scenery there Tony, some care needed to pass that tractor and trailer , a lot longer than it initially seemed.
Is anyone SORN'ing their bike over winter or do people tend to keep them MOT'd and insured?
Previously I have ridden all winter but I don't fancy it this year
For the first time in decades I am keeping mine on the road,its not that much for road tax.
My thinking is that if we get even one warm ish sunny day I will go out.
The thought that I can ride my bike if I want will help me feel less confined in these rubbish times.
I had a new outside tap fitted on Monday (last one leaked) so I can connect a hose and I can give my bike a quick wash down if the roads are salty.
Last edited by bwest76; 14th October 2020 at 09:09.
Mine generally get taxed for 6m only, with one maybe going for 7-8m. I try to get them serviced once off the road for the winter - works well for the dealership too. MOTs run from spring to spring, and there is little/no point in changing/suspending the insurance. Back in March/April when it looked like biking could be severely curtailed - I did look at changing the policy to ‘off the road’ - but the savings were minimal.
Great video Tony.....that's a lovely looking Scrambler in front of you there.
It's funny watching yourself ride though. It does confirm what I'm already aware of........I'm riding quite tentatively at the moment on these lanes. I've lost the back wheel on a couple of occasions over the last few weeks with all the gravel/winter/farming crap on the lanes. Thankfully I've recovered both times and not 'gone down' but it's clearly knocked my confidence somewhat.
At risk of opening a whole 'can-of-worms'.....any tips from the seasoned bikers on here re confidence/cornering/crap on the roads?????
I used to tax for 6 months but I was surprised how many days I missed out on - especially if have some decent gear there are good opportunities to ride all year round so I have been taxing & riding more.
I bought a jacket from Infinty for the winter.
https://wolf-moto.com/wolf-fortitude...le-jacket.html
Thanks Mark, and it is indeed a beauty.Great video Tony.....that's a lovely looking Scrambler in front of you there
It's funny watching yourself ride though. It does confirm what I'm already aware of........I'm riding quite tentatively at the moment on these lanes. I've lost the back wheel on a couple of occasions over the last few weeks with all the gravel/winter/farming crap on the lanes. Thankfully I've recovered both times and not 'gone down' but it's clearly knocked my confidence somewhat.
At risk of opening a whole 'can-of-worms'.....any tips from the seasoned bikers on here re confidence/cornering/crap on the roads?????
Interesting comments regarding your confidence at the moment as - from riding behind you for quite a few miles - you were very upright on some of the corners and it was certainly forcing you to go a bit wide. It’s definitely unnerving when you feel the back go, but I’m not in a position to offer you any useful advice really, given that I've only been back on two wheels for a couple of years and there are some with decades of experience on here.
I await comments from others with interest.
I no longer ride in the winter generally, but I keep my bike insured and taxed all year in case of nice days. Did the 'ride all year no matter what' thing 40 years ago and now I'm a fair weather rider.
Basically softly softly does it in poor conditions. If the roads are slippery (wet, wet and rubber after dry spell then rain, mud, diesel, gravel, leaves, manhole covers etc etc) applying too much throttle or lean, or both and it's only going one way. If you go into corners too fast, and try to remain more upright than the corner and your speed demands, you'll go wide and that means the kerb/verge or oncoming traffic, both of which can ruin your day. It's remembering you have two contact patches on the road not much bigger than the soles of your shoes. Overconfidence and bad road conditions are poor bedfellows in my experience. As a biker you need to be always thinking ahead, and in poor conditions you need to be thinking even further ahead to ensure you don't need to suddenly use more brakes or lean than is safe.Great video Tony.....that's a lovely looking Scrambler in front of you there
It's funny watching yourself ride though. It does confirm what I'm already aware of........I'm riding quite tentatively at the moment on these lanes. I've lost the back wheel on a couple of occasions over the last few weeks with all the gravel/winter/farming crap on the lanes. Thankfully I've recovered both times and not 'gone down' but it's clearly knocked my confidence somewhat.
At risk of opening a whole 'can-of-worms'.....any tips from the seasoned bikers on here re confidence/cornering/crap on the roads?????
Just my experience from 40 years on bikes, hope it didn't sound too lecturing.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I will just add to the above that the correct speed for you and your bike on a given road is the one at which you feel comfortable, in control, and able to stop should an emergency arise in front of you, not the speed at which other bikers on different machine may feel comfortable.
I would also suggest that you looked for a track day (yes, on your scrambler) to explore the limits of your tyres, and gain more confidence (and make them round again). There is always a side where we lean further than the other, a track is a great way to address this issue.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Good reminder, thanks.
MOT is out and could do with some work so will SORN for the first time....
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
Losing confidence is a terrible thing on a bike. There are many ideas/ways to get it back, some are subjective, some will help some and not others and some are just pure bullsh!t. These are my thoughts, and mine alone. Personally if I felt low on confidence on my bike I would NOT have chosen those roads. To me, they were in the main, poorly surfaced, pot holed, way too narrow, lots of debris on them and wet/damp. That is a horrid combination for someone who has lost their mojo. Try a run out on bigger A Roads to begin with, preferably when dry. Find a nice sweepy section of your chosen route and go over it a few times, enjoy it, getting faster each time, not ballistic, just comfy fast. Maybe even find a big smooth roundabout and just go round it quite a few time and increase your speed gradually. I'm not talking knee down speeds, but you'd be surprised how quick you will go even on 'dual purpose' tyres like yours, I know this as I've followed a Duc Scrambler on similar tyres up in the dales and he could scuttle that thing way better than me on grippy rubber. Mind you he also does track days on it, as mentioned by another poster.
Maybe its a mental thing with them tyres, if so, perhaps change them to a more 'road' orientated set if you dont plan on any green laneing. Its amazing how having a new set of boots can give you renewed confidence. I say this as you say you have lost the back wheel a couple of times. Are they worn, flattened or whatever. I dont know about them tyres, but do they need to warm up for the best grip, I know mine do. Maybe be a tad easier on the throttle, and smooth is the key, grabbing a handful is no good.
As another poster has said, always ride within your limits. If out in a group theres no shame being the slowest, or at the back. Its better to arrive safely than DEAD on time my Dad always used to say. Just go out on your own, on a dry day, on bigger roads that you know, and get your mojo back.
All IMO of course.
Stuart
Fitted a pair of Denali DM 2.0 and a CANsmart controller this afternoon.
Bolting on, electrical work and configuration is a walk in the park.
Getting the panels off and back on to route the harness isn't quite so easy.
All done in about 2.5 hours though
Really must sort my header pipes.
I rode roads like that today,however experienced you are it can be scary.
My mantra is slowly,slowly dont get cocky.
I was going slow when I hit hardened lumps of mud that shock my bars,heavy gravel in the centre of both sides of the road as well.
The worst is cars that don’t slow when there’s no where for you to go but the ditch.
I wore these gloves for the first time today,on the low setting even my finger tips where warm miles better than hot grips.
I think I gave a FYI offer on here last year.
macna foton heated gloves.
They above the minimum height - otherwise remove before MOT?
Yes, heated gloves are a superb accessory for the cold weather - last winter I got a pair of these Racer Forge Urban, which I'd highly recommend.
@skmark - Mark, some of those roads we were out on would test anyone - it's the problem when using Calimoto, as even the moderate twisty routes can throw up the odd green lane, etc. Nothing wrong with being careful, and I'll happily join you on some nice gentle bimbles if you think it'll help you get your mojo back.
I'm struggling to find the regs. Any pointers?
I think it's 17" above ground.
They're 23" so should be fine
Pick a better route and avoid crap roads. I only skimmed through the video but where's the joy of riding on lanes so narrow that you have to slow down for a cyclist coming the other way and with mud or even moss growing down the middle of the lane? Motorcycling is supposed to be enjoyable and that looked about as much fun as riding a moped on a motorway.I'm riding quite tentatively at the moment on these lanes. I've lost the back wheel on a couple of occasions over the last few weeks with all the gravel/winter/farming crap on the lanes. Thankfully I've recovered both times and not 'gone down' but it's clearly knocked my confidence somewhat.
At risk of opening a whole 'can-of-worms'.....any tips from the seasoned bikers on here re confidence/cornering/crap on the roads?????
Unfortunately we're not all blessed with being surrounded by good sweeping roads devoid of traffic, speed cameras and potholes. Riding in those environments is wonderful, but it's no more valid than navigating your way round Hyde Park Corner in rush hour every day, or indeed green-laning when the need arises. All take a different set of skills, and all are skills worth developing.
Funnily enough, I was watching this by pure coincidence just now, and would refer you to the section that starts at 8m 28s featuring the current owner of the Ace Cafe. Kaff schmaffYes, I get that, of course. However, my inherent sensibilities would never allow me to dumb the pronunciation down... I’d not be able to sleep knowing that I’d done it
^^^aka «*beggars can’t be choosers*»
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Having said that, you of course both have a point. With suitable bikes (scramblers) on suitable tyres (road-trail mix) you probably have some gem rides, mixing road, lanes and paths. But maybe Calimoto is not quite the finished article if it doesn't allow you to refine to the type of roads that your bikes enjoy best. A Thruxton on mossy lanes full of horse riders is ridable, and the few rays of sunshine on top of the company of fellow riders makes it worthwhile, but it really isn't suited for that (neither was the R9T in the variant you had, of course).That's another way of putting it
It doesn't remove the pleasure you get, both for having a bike whose looks fit your sense of aesthetics and being able to ride it at the drop of a hat, of course. But I am sure there are roads within reach that would allow you to use your Triumph in the spirit in which it was conceived. I am sure there must be FB groups of riders in your area who can recommend more suitable routes, and the same 3/4 could carve their trajectories without having to worry about a horse that doesn't like motorbikes, or a tractor that cleaned his tyres in the next bend.
If it comes to the worse, make it a weekend away and go and say hello to Enoch.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Yes, you're 100% right, and I'm conscious that more careful route planning will pay dividends. Calimoto certainly presents some inherent problems in it's present guise; it should be possible to differentiate between what it regards as twisties and super-twisties, the latter being potentially problematic for road bikes. However, it seems to mix the two more often than it should and sometimes the only time you know is when you're actually on the road in question.
The fact is that I also get much pleasure riding through London and just stopping for a coffee in Camden, Chelsea, the Bike Shed, etc. I suppose the point I was making is that there's no need to be a road-snob
Edited to add: that ride was actually a really nice one. I guess I just wanted to show some footage of the various conditions we faced, but most of the ride was on good open roads devoid of gravel, horse-shit and lycra!
Posting Permissions
