200 miles round the Black Mountains on the Bobber Black demo.
The Rocket III was broken :-(
Also help give smoother throttle response with less popping and f@rting if you fit more ‘free flowing’ silencers.
Vance and Hines do something called a Fuelpak which is a programmable version. Had one on a Harley and it literally transformed the way it ran with free flowing air filter and exhaust.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
260 miles of mainly motorway and dual carriageway on the RR today. My recently operated on left hand was giving me plenty of gip and even with my perforated jacket on it was warm. Not much fun but certainly quicker than driving.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
You're not the first person to mention that..
I test rode a Bobber Black last year and dismissed it as, in my opinion it fell significantly short of the Harley Street Bob that I'd tested the weekend before and they were, within a few pounds, the same price. My main criticisms were the cramped riding position and the jarring uncomfortable ride. Just out of interest I rode the Street Scrambler immediately afterwards and loved it so much I bought one. Not what I'd expected when I left home!
Roll on 12 months and the SS was in for its annual service. A Rocket III was unavailable (puncture) so the dealer made a Bobber available instead. As I'd already agreed a day out with the lad on his bike, I wasn't looking forward to it at all, and the first few seconds hunched onto the bike reminded me of one of the reasons why I'd not bought one last year.
As the day progressed, my opinion changed though. I relaxed into the riding position and much to my surprise started to find it fairly comfortable. You do take almost all of your weight through your bum though, and I did have to do some riding stood up to get the circulation back.
Riding around I did find the suspension ok on the smooth roads, but annoying where the road surface was broken and I also found the brakes surprisingly poor, but that might have been because the bike was so new and they'd not bedded in yet.
I really liked the 1200 motor though; nowhere near as punchy as my 1200 BMW, but powerful in a usable intimidating way.
By the time I got back to the dealer yesterday my opinion of the bike had changed; I did find it a pretty comfortable position and I actually enjoyed the day in a way I'd not expected. It's definitely a bike for 50-60mph back road cruising rather than motorway blasting, though the suspension isn't quite right for the poor state of British roads.
Getting back on the Scrambler it felt a little flat, but at the first rut in the road I was happy that I'd made the right choice.
The Scrambler is booked in for a little warranty work soon (front tube and an oil leak) so may get to try the route again on the Rocket that time
Pretty much as I found on the BB, except that the forward controls made it better for me with my knackered knees...
The TFC though fixes many of the suspension issues, the ohlins front and rear and the massive brembos make it so that at least you can adjust stuff to get a better ride...
I still don’t enjoy anything over 100 miles though, but that’s more to do with my physical limitations than the bike.
Great fun scratching around here in N Wales, and the extra power over the normal Bobber makes it surprisingly sprightly in sport mode.
The Bobber is a great bike, but I wouldn’t want it as my only ride as it’s just not practical enough.
Yesterday I attempted to transfer a route from Google maps to my BMW (Garmin) Nav VI. It wasn't a complicated route but the process was pretty much a total failure.
My method...
1. Made the route in Google Maps.
2. Converted the route to a GPX file using "mapstoGPX.com"
3. Imported the GPX into Garmin Basecamp and then, with the Nav VI connected to the laptop, used "send to device" in Basecamp.
4. On the Nav VI, somehow converted the file to a "trip" (not sure how I did this step, but it involved the Nav Vi calculating the route).
5. When I was ready to go, I went into "Apps" on the Nav VI, selected the saved trip and pressed go. I also made sure the Nav VI had "route re-calculation" switched off, as I'd read somewhere that I should do that.
6. For the first couple of miles, the route showed successfully on the Nav VI and the voice directions were correct. However, pretty quickly it all went wrong. Initially, voice guidance disappeared although the route still showed on the map and then the route disappeared and I was left with "Head to Congleton Road" as the only instruction...
So, a long-winded process that didn't really do anything for me.
Anyone got a definitive guide on how to do this?
I had one of these fitted to help my hand, maybe worth a look.
I had a perforated jacket on yesterday when it get past a certain heat you are better off with a solid jacket.
http://www.oberon-performance.co.uk/...nders_CSC.html
Somewhat surprisingly (for me, at least), I'm giving some serious thought to the CCM Spitfire Stealth Bobber at the moment, having swung a leg over a couple of them earlier in the week.
I'm not 100% sold on the stock end can but think I can switch that for a beautifully-welded alternative from the CCM Six instead.
The riding position is more like a very upright and comfortable street bike than an actual bobber, and the ergonomics (with a 790mm seat height, mid-mounted pegs and swept back bars) are absolutely perfect for me. There's also an option to add an Ohlins rear shock together with a second disc on the front, which would make it a far better spec for not a huge amount of money.
Interestingly, whilst Carl Fogarty puts his name to - and personally signs - the CCM Foggy models, he actually owns a Bobber and reckons its the best of the CCM bunch.
I use basecamp to generate the route, and then transfer to the zumo...
I’ve learnt a lot from watching YouTube videos..
This guy gives good instructions... https://youtu.be/U75KTv-dxB0
Basecamp ranks as one of the top 10 worst pieces of software ever written. Clearly written by a hardcore engineer/coder who has absolutely no sense of common sense or usability.
I too suffer from knackered knees, so like a good stretch from bum to footrest. I was expecting the stock BB to cause a problem but it was surprisingly OK.
Ah yes, M50s would have made a huge difference (I have them on my BMW) and the Ohlins would too.
Yes, I'm thinking now that I'd quite like a Bobber, but it would have to be a TFC, and it would likely have to be a "third" bike, but as I already have four then maybe not
This is going to seriously piss me off.
Fancy machined brake fluid reservoir fitted...
Writing on the top faces directly away from me.
^^^ Yep. That would annoy me more than a plastic reservoir!
Fitted a new fuel pump this morning and took it out for a quick spin.
I think I need something a little more sedate!
Are there any riders here that suffer with carpal tunnel syndrome or similar?
I have suffered mildly for a while and use stretches and splints when it gets niggly but I’ve always been able to manage.
I gave up the Triumph Sprint ST1050 that I had as that was hurting my wrists more and more, since then I’ve had a Victory Vegas and a BMW 1200GS, neither of which gave me any real trouble, but to be honest they were rode so infrequently that they wouldn’t.
I’ve recently started using more power tools with my work, core drilling 5” flue holes etc, this can cause some issues but again, I seem to be able to manage it ok.
I’ve now got a bike that I ride regularly, it’s a great riding position, not heavy on the wrists and comfortable but it seems combined with the work changes and increased riding I am experiencing more pain than I can manage.
The last few times I’ve been out on the bike, I’ve managed about 10 minutes before I’m numb from my finger tips to my elbow, I’m waking in the night in pain and losing feeing in the arm and in the morning my fingers need manipulating and freeing a little to get going.
Any tips from the collective, other than a visit to the doctors or surgery?
Grip Puppies.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Amazing motors those Rotax's....and nooOooooooo!!!....you don't need anything more sedate....they're awsome just as they are!! Your Gen1 is an appreciating asset btw....getting difficult to get a good one these days. Light, flickable, great P2W ratio...what's not to like??
One of my biggest regrets was chopping in my Tuono.
Aprilia as a company suck chunks service and after sales wise, any calls you make get bumped to Italy to be answered by their office cleaner...rubbish. Dealers too leave much to be desired. Will never buy Piaggio again.
13 years of ownership, ended up doing all my own servicing, engine rebuilds, everything. Quite easy really as there are a few amazing Aprilia forums with a wealth of knowledge.
It’s got the typical v twin grunt even though it’s the base model rather than an R or Factory.
You certainly need to keep an eye on the speedo. It’s smoother than I thought it would be too. It’s the first time I’ve ridden it having hit it MOT’d just before lockdown and the fuel pump becoming another casualty of the Corona virus!
It was an enjoyable ride but the idle was set too low so it wanted to cut out at low revs. That’s sorted now so it should be better on the next run.
It’s painful on the wrists at slow speed and I was getting pins and needles in my right hand but it’s stable through bends and I found myself starting to get into a racing crouch and leaning off a bit. Maybe I need to get it on a track!
Went to see Elvis, Marilyn and the Blues Brothers today.
Been bimbling (with a bit of bombing) around the Chilterns.
This view is from North of Aylesbury looking east to the Chiltern Hills.
Hot as you like - just got to keep moving.
(I wear Knox Aero jacket which seems to combine decent protection and cooling)
R9T isn't an "all day" bike, but certainly comfortable enough for 3.5 hours this afternoon.
As a heads up, I bought a couple of the new Vodafone Curve GPS trackers to attach to my bikes.
They're pretty cheap - £20 to buy + £2/month
And you get all the tracking features you'd expect.
Location history, GPS zones.
I'm not paranoid about my bikes - but this seemed a pretty easy way to keep an eye on the them.
https://eshop.v.vodafone.com/uk/curve-gps-tracker
decatted the Street Scrambler this afternoon.
Not because I particularly wanted it decatted, but because I was bored.
I'll likely recat it in a few days once I get annoyed by the noise.
Correct - without being connected to a charging point, it lasts 7 days.
I leave it attached (hidden) to a USB port so it gets charged whenever I ride it.
TBH only really need it when I'm taking the bike away as bike is rarely left when I'm just on a ride.
So it wins in terms of convenience.
Device is about 3cm diameter so easy to secrete on the bike
When I generate the route I use lots of waypoints to make sure I stay on the roads I’ve chosen. But even then, if the Garmin asks if you’d like to re-route, and you say yes, it will change some of the route especially if there is some distance between way points.
I’m still learning, but up to now, when I tell it NOT to re-route, it keeps the route as inputted.
Took my TL out today .... beautiful riding day. Lovely while you are moving but my arse gets boiled at slow speeds. If anybody ever wonders what a shopping trolley with a 1000cc V Twin would drive like they should ride a TL to give them an idea!! Gotta love that big arse.. or not. I do though:)
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Lovely, old school bike and that one looks really well cared for.
A totally underrated bike in the day so quite rare now.
Another V twin from the turn of the century.
That's it, bike sold, sad day. Hopefully the same again in a year or two, maybe even an R9T or a classic Triumph for a change.
A tiny touch lower than what I asked but happier selling with farkles. Would have got more money putting it back to stock but a year later half the stuff would have been unsold in the shed. The R9T uses old GS headers so I was tempted to keep the headers in case I got an updated R9T but wasn't worth the effort.