Reply With QuoteThere’s no harm in agreeing to differ!Originally Posted by learningtofly
There’s no harm in agreeing to differ!
He had multiple bikes before YouTube, a range rover, a detached double garage and one of his other hobbies is flying. He could care less about YouTube revenue, he just does YouTube as something to do and because he's an enthusiast.There are far worse ways to earn a living (given that he'll be laughing all the way to the bank)
I have a friend with a decent YouTube channel, the ad revenue isn't that much, the real money comes from sponsored videos and branded partnerships.
I think TMF will get a good level of money from the insurance partnership and that money would mean a lot to me or you perhaps, but will be pennies to him.
It was the first thing that ground my gears on the video, coming as it did towards the beginning.
I could have picked other pseud highlights but that would have required me to watch more of it again, and I couldn’t face that.
Production values were great though, I’ll give him that.
I don't think he does the production. He's a motor journo working for/sponsored by FortNine, and some bloke called Steve produces the videos.
One thing I like, though, is that they've distanced themselves from the usual crowd, so don't get lavishly entertained and then brainwashed at official bike launches when they test. They have to wait, and then borrow bikes from the manufacturers press pools well after release. That means they can be brutally honest in their reviews - to the extent that none of the Italian marques (Ducati, Aprilia, MV and Guzzi) will give them bikes any more. Got to admire that.
Not sure how I missed these earlier sorry
Had a firestorm for a few weeks a while back woeful tank range (<70 miles if rode hard) and the suspension was very budget in comparison to the SP’s but sounded lovely and a cracking vtwin engine if you’re prepared to sort the suspension and brakes it’d be a decent buy.
Thanks mate good info, the R1200GS is the one that keeps pulling me in but I need to try one for filtering etc. The VFR caught my eye or ears because of the noise and a decent one can be had circa £3k where the GS is more £6k. Riding 4-5/10ths is exactly what I’m trying to achieve lol.
On a separate not bought myself a spartan carbon lid after a recommendation from this thread so thank you for that, dugout my old jacket now I just need to decide what bike to blood buy, I’ve looked at super dukes, tracers, Versys, VFRs and obviously the GS and still not any closer to making a choice.
So here goes guys budget up to around £5k (the lower the better £3k would be perfect) uprightish riding position reliable around 750cc or over or can be ridden lazily and still have fun sometimes things may have changed and a 600 would do all this these days. My background is mainly track/sport bikes but I’m trying to keep life and license intact lol. Shout out recommends because I think I’ve gone bike blind I’ve looked at that many now.
Edit. This post is answering LTF’s last post.
It shouldn’t matter really, everyone knows that the Italian bikes (any of them) are not a patch on Japanese/German/British (well Triumph) bikes, but everyone who buys Italian, buys with their heart rather than their heads.
It always has been and it always will be.
Last edited by Dave+63; 16th March 2019 at 18:42.
FWIW I have a 1200 GSA and filtering is fine. Obviously a sports bike is better but the handle bars move like a BMW so you can always navigate through.
In terms of bikes meeting your requirements a lot of the GS guys when they're bored of the PCP game buy used Suzuki V Strom's which seem to have good reviews. If you want something more sporty I would look at the Triumph Tiger Sport 1050.
Honda Africa Twin would be a good shout, I would just get an r1200gs though
I ride mine to work through heavy traffic most days and it’s fine for filtering. Paid 6k for one with ESA, full luggage and loads of other extras so I’d imagine you could get one for less.
Thanks guys you’re confirming my worst fears that nothing but a GS will do lol missed a perfect one last week £5700 24000 miles one owner from new with full history etc etc it had sold the day the ad went up so they do exist I just need to be patient. I do really need to try a triple though at some point too.Honda Africa Twin would be a good shout, I would just get an r1200gs though
I ride mine to work through heavy traffic most days and it’s fine for filtering. Paid 6k for one with ESA, full luggage and loads of other extras so I’d imagine you could get one for less.
- - - Updated - - -
Don’t want to sell it do you lolHonda Africa Twin would be a good shout, I would just get an r1200gs though
I ride mine to work through heavy traffic most days and it’s fine for filtering. Paid 6k for one with ESA, full luggage and loads of other extras so I’d imagine you could get one for less.
Nah, this guy shows how it's done. Check out the track skills -
Seriously though, wtf is going on when muppets like this get invited to bike launches and real journalists who give honest opinions are forced to wait until they can get a bike from a dealer or press fleet.
Not at the moment
That might explain why he appears to have done so few bike reviews.
Not really everyone - my last bike choice was between a KTM SDR and a Ducati Multistrada; I chose the latter...head over heart and I can't say I regret it, although I do see a KTM in my future!
How about nowNot at the moment
Lol
I’ve been mooching through gear now too has anyone any experience of Merlin bike gear? Some of it looks bloody nice on the interweb but I’ve never actually seen any to feel the quality etc. I’m now looking at Bluetooth helmet stuff too lol I haven’t even chosen a bike yet rofl
I loved my 750 VFR when I was in France (1992 or 93 model, can’t remember).
I stupidly sold it before moving here because with what I had seen of the state of the roads I thought a trail would be better suited... so got a Dominator (NX 650) [great bike btw, but in a different register].
However I got the Honda dealer to let me have a good go on the new 800 when I came back in 1999 for Summer holidays.
I hated it. Good bike, but so bland compared to the 750...
I’d have another one if it was practical in my situation.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Good to hear, yes it looks superb but sometimes as I’m sure we’ve all learnt photos don’t always tell the full story with clothing etc. Once I’ve chosen what I’m going to ride I’ll get out and have a look at some of it
I’ve read quite a few saying very similar to be honest but I’ve never ridden a VFR of any vintage I was always had flat fours or vtwins and normally owned both at the same time my mood dictated what I rode that particular day. As an aside some of these naked bikes look absolutely stunning but are no doubt pure hooligan machines.
Ah sorry I misunderstood, even better I think I’ve found the gear I want to buy anyway no more power ranger look or trying to imitate Ewan and Charlie and it’s a British brand too superb.
That’s where I’ve been looking lol although I’m now holding off until I’ve actually decided on a bike looking at a speed triple now ha ha I want them all
Any current or past r1200gs owners have any thoughts on this one?
http://stvmotorcycles.co.uk/product/bmw-r1200gs/
Sadly the only lad I knew with a gs is no longer with us (not bike related) so I’m limited on who to ask with personal experience I remember his first one being a similar age and having issues with the rear shock early on so I’m guessing that’s why this one has an Olin’s fitted.
I may give them a call tomorrow
That’s just up the road from me and I vaguely know one of the owners of the company! Let me know if you’re not local and want me to have a look.
I’m about 200 miles away lol, yes I’d really appreciate it if you could have a look if it’s not too much trouble that would be superb.
Happy to help, should be able to pop in next week. PM me and we can discuss!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In my experience (I’ve owned Ducati’s for 10 years) I would disagree. Maybe years ago before Audi group took them over. I’ve never had one problem with mine
That sounds promising....I’ve booked an XDiavel test ride for next week👍 I fancy adding another bike along side the Bobber..
A guy I speak to on another forum has just given his V4 Panigali back due to all the problems and order a 2019MY S1000rr, so I asked a mate at work if he’d had any problems with his V4. He was rather defensive/ trying to make light of it but he’s had 4 recalls and taken the bike in to be fixed 3 further times in the first year / 1,500 miles. Feck that with a £20k bike.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I got out a bit later with my lad. We certainly didn’t poodle, or even pootleWhat a beautiful morning - quick shower and then I'm out on the bike for a poodle around London before it gets too busy
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Priceless. Thanks so much for posting. What a bell end?
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
It started out replacing an exhaust
[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190317/0c588f6c22bba2878fc99d10f70c30ba.jpg
[/IMG]
Very nice!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cheers Matt
Last edited by Lammylee; 17th March 2019 at 17:57.
Thank you very much, needs thicker back tyre/ black rims to finish
Just dropped this beast off ready for cartagena next week, anyone going from here?
Look out for Joe Francis (BSB Rider) I think he may be instructing...
Just dropped this beast off ready for cartagena next week, anyone going from here?
https://mobile.twitter.com/joefrancisracin?lang=en
Last edited by Enoch; 17th March 2019 at 19:22.
Yeah I will do, i bet he's a quick lad
Very quick👍👍
An old 5VY.........
Just dropped this beast off ready for cartagena next week, anyone going from here?
13yrs out of production and still a monumental bike!
As fast a bike as I want - on the road for sure.
Spot on r1 5vy.. no rider aids whatsoever with 165bhp certainly not for the faint hearted, I love it and still runs with any of the newer bikes!👍
Well, yesterday was a day of drama (as those in the WhatsApp group will already know) but I thought I'd share what happened here, as I know I'm not unique in having done this and it may serve as both a warning and a reminder.
I had an appointment in the morning for which I'd parked my bike outside and - given that there have been some thefts in the area (Barnet) I thought I'd better take some precautions; so the steering lock was activated and I put a disc lock on my front wheel and a padlock on my rear sprocket. I came back out after an hour or so, and thought I'd have a quick vape and check my email before I set off again. Anyway, while I was doing so a car proceeded to park immediately adjacent to my bike. He initially backed in, pulled forward and the reversed again; however, he didn't seem very happy and so carried on manoeuvring, getting ever closer to the bike in the process.
I was watching him with increasing concern, and decided that the safest course of action was to just get away before an accident could occur. I therefore popped my helmet and gloves on and - spotting a break in the traffic - gave the bike a bit of throttle. Unfortunately - and I guess because I wasn't following my normal thought process - I neglected to take the locks off the bike. The front wheel was fine as the lock didn't have time to reach the calliper, but the rear sprocket... well, not so much.
Not good, and what made it worse was that this happened two days before the TZ ride-out that I've spent ages organising. I was bloody mortified.
I called Hertfordshire Triumph to see if they had a chain and sprocket kit in stock, but they didn't and couldn't get hold of one before next week. I explained that I HAD to be on the road for Sunday, and they suggested that I try Woburn Pure Triumph to see if the could help. Lo and behold, they had the kit in stock, and told me that if I could get there for 3pm (it was now mid-day) they would get be back on the road the same day. I couldn't believe my luck, and immediately called the RAC for a recovery vehicle to take me up to MK. They confirmed that they could help, but as they considered the incident to be my own fault they weren't prepared to regard it as a "breakdown" and would charge me £232 to get me and the bike to where we needed to be. I was absolutely livid - I've been an RAC member for 18 years and rarely make a claim - but my hands were tied; I therefore told them to proceed, and I'm now taking the issue up with them. If I don't get a full refund I'll be taking my business elsewhere at the end of the current term for sure.
The driver arrived after about an hour and a half. Despite me stressing no less than thee times (to different people at the RAC end) that they would need to make sure they sent someone who could relay a motorbike, his first words were "Oh - it's a bike". I could have cried, but luckily the guy knew what he was doing and after a bit of head scratching we managed to load it up, tie it down and get on our way.
We arrived at the dealership at 3.02, so an absolute result given the uncertainty. The guys there were brilliant (one of whom I knew from The Triumph Forum), and sure enough it wasn't long before I had two new sprockets and a nice shiny chain fitted to the bike.
Well, by now I'd incurred a fair amount of cost, pretty much doubling the initial recovery charges and feeling a bit sick as a consequence. However, as I was leaving the showroom to go for a walk while the repairs were carried out, something shiny on the wall caught my eye. It was something that I'd wanted for as long as I've owned the bike, and I decided to ease the pain of the unexpected expenditure by, errr, spending a bit more. For this.
Yes, I've ditched the horrible stock exhaust, and had a Yoshimura Alpha T fitted instead. They left the baffle out and it sounds INCREDIBLE... so much so that I may be forced to put the baffle back in... we'll see about that one. In the meantime, I have a few more horses, a bike that sounds divine and a weight gain (or loss) of about 4kg in the process. I also managed to turn a horrendous day into something a bit more positive, and I doubt the grin I had on my face as I rode home will be leaving any time soon when I'm on the bike.
The lesson here, though? Well sadly it's an obvious one
Although expensive, you were lucky. The more common occurrence is the disc lock on the front hitting the calliper and locking the front wheel. This usually leads to the bike being dropped with corresponding bodywork damage!Well, yesterday was a day of drama (as those in the WhatsApp group will already know) but I thought I'd share what happened here, as I know I'm not unique in having done this and it may serve as both a warning and a reminder.
I had an appointment in the morning for which I'd parked my bike outside and - given that there have been some thefts in the area (Barnet) I thought I'd better take some precautions; so the steering lock was activated and I put a disc lock on my front wheel and a padlock on my rear sprocket. I came back out after an hour or so, and thought I'd have a quick vape and check my email before I set off again. Anyway, while I was doing so a car proceeded to park immediately adjacent to my bike. He initially backed in, pulled forward and the reversed again; however, he didn't seem very happy and so carried on manoeuvring, getting ever closer to the bike in the process.
I was watching him with increasing concern, and decided that the safest course of action was to just get away before an accident could occur. I therefore popped my helmet and gloves on and - spotting a break in the traffic - gave the bike a bit of throttle. Unfortunately - and I guess because I wasn't following my normal thought process - I neglected to take the locks off the bike. The front wheel was fine as the lock didn't have time to reach the calliper, but the rear sprocket... well, not so much.
Not good, and what made it worse was that this happened two days before the TZ ride-out that I've spent ages organising. I was bloody mortified.
I called Hertfordshire Triumph to see if they had a chain and sprocket kit in stock, but they didn't and couldn't get hold of one before next week. I explained that I HAD to be on the road for Sunday, and they suggested that I try Woburn Pure Triumph to see if the could help. Lo and behold, they had the kit in stock, and told me that if I could get there for 3pm (it was now mid-day) they would get be back on the road the same day. I couldn't believe my luck, and immediately called the RAC for a recovery vehicle to take me up to MK. They confirmed that they could help, but as they considered the incident to be my own fault they weren't prepared to regard it as a "breakdown" and would charge me £232 to get me and the bike to where we needed to be. I was absolutely livid - I've been an RAC member for 18 years and rarely make a claim - but my hands were tied; I therefore told them to proceed, and I'm now taking the issue up with them. If I don't get a full refund I'll be taking my business elsewhere at the end of the current term for sure.
The driver arrived after about an hour and a half. Despite me stressing no less than thee times (to different people at the RAC end) that they would need to make sure they sent someone who could relay a motorbike, his first words were "Oh - it's a bike". I could have cried, but luckily the guy knew what he was doing and after a bit of head scratching we managed to load it up, tie it down and get on our way.
We arrived at the dealership at 3.02, so an absolute result given the uncertainty. The guys there were brilliant (one of whom I knew from The Triumph Forum), and sure enough it wasn't long before I had two new sprockets and a nice shiny chain fitted to the bike.
Well, by now I'd incurred a fair amount of cost, pretty much doubling the initial recovery charges and feeling a bit sick as a consequence. However, as I was leaving the showroom to go for a walk while the repairs were carried out, something shiny on the wall caught my eye. It was something that I'd wanted for as long as I've owned the bike, and I decided to ease the pain of the unexpected expenditure by, errr, spending a bit more. For this.
Yes, I've ditched the horrible stock exhaust, and had a Yoshimura Alpha T fitted instead. They left the baffle out and it sounds INCREDIBLE... so much so that I may be forced to put the baffle back in... we'll see about that one. In the meantime, I have a few more horses, a bike that sounds divine and a weight gain (or loss) of about 4kg in the process. I also managed to turn a horrendous day into something a bit more positive, and I doubt the grin I had on my face as I rode home will be leaving any time soon when I'm on the bike.
The lesson here, though? Well sadly it's an obvious one
Oh, I certainly fell, Dave. Luckily the bike just sustained a slight graze to the bottom of the engine casing (for the most part it landed on me, not the road). Nothing serious, and only £86 for a replacement casing when it next goes in for a service.
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