Great holiday in France, roads as good as ever . So glad I bought a mesh jacket as it was over 30 degrees on several days.
Bought a new visor the other day and in order to qualify for FOC delivery added a bottle of Nikwax Visor Proof which is meant to help water slide off the visor. I was pretty sceptical but I thought Nikwax know a fair bit about waterproofing and are not in the bike or helmet industry so it should hopefully be worth a try (especially as it was effectively 1p).
Got caught in a shower today (having forgotten I had applied this as was not wearing the new visor) and it was very impressive the water beaded and slid off much better than nothing or the car polish i usually use.
I am not sure yet as to durability but it does seem worth a try for those who commute / ride in the rain.
With Summer rapidly running out is there another TZ-UK ride on the cards. I failed dismally with the last one to the Sammy Miller museum a few months ago when it was just me and .. well me that turned up, although GOAT was there having walked from his home locally...
The one that Tony arranged was well supported earlier in the year ... maybe time for another ??
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And passed my IAM test yesterday.
Have to say I have really enjoyed the training with my observer over the last couple of months. I have no doubts that I am a safer (and faster) rider than I was when I started and it was well worth the time and early mornings invested!!
Luckily my local IAM group is very active and a decent group of riders which has helped.
My IAM course was £150 (although discounted by 50% support from my local county council). It consisted of 6 sessions (about 3-4 hours per session) and then the test. If anyone wasn’t ready for the test (about 30% of the group in my group) they joined the next course foc.
I think it made me a far safer rider and was the best £75 I’ve spent in a while.
I did the full advanced riding course:
https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses...d-rider-course "It will take between three and six months to complete our Advanced Rider Course, which is taken on your own bike with a local group close to you. Courses differ slightly in the way they’re delivered so check your local group to find out exactly how they do it. But all our groups include trained volunteers who’ll take you on a number of observed rides before you take the test."
Before signing up I had arranged a free taster ride with one of their national observers locally to see what I thought before committing; enjoyed that so signed up to the above course (although I had a discount through Triumph that reduced the cost to £99). That includes all learning material, log book, training manual (based on the police roadcraft system) and how ever many observed rides you need to complete the course before your final test with a serving or retired police class 1 rider.
I was lucky in that my observer was a top bloke who rode a Thruxton R and our schedules worked well so we were able to progress reasonably quickly with weekly observed rides on the weekend as we worked through the course. Weekly feedback report on the previous observed ride (2 to 3 hours each) and then work on any areas that required improvement for the next ride etc. Once he was happy that I had reached the level required to pass the test you then have a pre test check ride with a national observer and if they are happy you apply directly to the IAM for your test. Once passed you move from associate to full member. If you fail you go back a step to work with your observer until you are ready to apply for the test again. My local IAM group is also very active and has lots of group rides available etc if you want to attend (or not!).
It's not for everyone but I enjoyed it and for £99 it was money very well spent imo. I did look at ROSPA as well who do pretty much the same thing based on the police roadcraft system; main differences that I could see was that with the IAM it is a straight pass or fail on the final test whereas ROSPA grade bronze, silver or gold and require retesting every 3 years to retain their qualification. Although, you can retest with the IAM when you want if you see the benefit in that approach. Also, a lot will depend on how active the local groups are for both organisations. For where I live the IAM group is much more active than ROSPA so that swayed my decision.
Last edited by djjuk; 21st August 2019 at 10:58.
Said I'd post a few pics of the new bike when I got her. That was three and a bit weeks ago and needless to say I didn't and spent all the nice sunny days putting about 640 miles on her.
Anyone else off to MotoGP at Silverstone this weekend? I'm heading up there in a minute for practise day.
Just listed this if it’s of any use...... it’ll go nice with the seat
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...25#post5182225
Ride looks good, as do the bikes, but my god that breakfast would not have stayed down.
Amazing how bikes have gone up in price by about 400% in the last 10 years but breakfasts at biker cafes have always stayed the same price.
I'd bet my bike they don't serve soya macchiatos and kick you out for even asking
The breakfast looks awesome . Never ridden up there, must plan a trip!
I had my ride out in the Cotswolds yesterday.
Hey Enoch, me an Phil were at Bala agin today. We tried that road you recommended, Llangynog or wherever to Bala, over the tops. We went down to Oswestry then basically hung a right, to begin with it was a bit narrow and lots of loose gravel. We may have taken a wrong turn, we dont have sat navs, but eventually ended up at Bala about 12.30 ish. Had a coffee by the lake then onto Barmouth. Back over Blaneau to Betwys then home. Loved every minute but the final leg on the M56 due car drivers slowing to look at a crash on the opposite carriageway. Just dont get that at all.
Stuart
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Stuart
You want the A495 at Llynclys
Then the B4396 to Llangynog
Then the B4391 to Bala
My MTS whilst in the South of France last month, it was over 40 at one stage so just too hot!!
Put on 16k miles since buying it in 2017 and it has been 100% perfect in all weather conditions, just retired it for a new 1260 MTS and hoping to do similar mileage on this one, first big planned trip is Granada in the south of Spain.
I think thats possibly what we did mate. The ‘main’ road (A483) past Wrexham etc, then off to the right when we past Oswestry. Initially it was a quite narrow road but after a few miles it opened up nicely over the top of the mountains. Bloody sheep loose everywhere so you had to be careful. Funnily enough there was a copper in a sort of gravel track on the tops as well, sat in his car watching traffic. There were a few lads in their go faster Scoobys, Type R’s etc playing around up there. We deffo went through Llangynog so we must have done the right route. Will be doing it again as well, its worth doing the narrow gravelly bit just for the enjoyment over the tops. I actually remember saying to Phil I bet you’d be at Bala yesterday, what time were you there?
Stuart
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About midday... then off to Trawsfynydd for a spot of lunch, then called back at Bala for a coffee at around 3:30.
Was with my mate on his Ducati Scrambler..👍👍
Attended the IAM Rider Skills day at Thruxton on Tuesday. The weather was excellent all day, bar a light shower at lunchtime. This was the first time I'd ever ridden on track, and I loved it. Although not a track day as such you were able to ride at whatever pace you felt comfortable with, and the last session allowed safe overtaking.
6 x 20 minute sessions on track (3 in the morning and 3 more after lunch) with a 10 minute briefing before each session & a 10 minute post debrief. You had a choice of 3 groups depending on your experience as a rider as well as if you'd ridden on the circuit etc. I decided to go in the novice group so to play it safe. I ended up with my mate as well as two other guys who'd also not been on track before, although they were both experienced road riders.
The idea was to improve your skills on track. Things like observation, braking, counter (or positive steering) gear selection etc were covered in each session. Initially behind the instructor following his lines (helped by cones to indicate the turning point, apex and corner exit). You then took it in turns to lead the group, each time putting into practice what you'd learnt in the previous session. I definitely noticed I improved as the day went by, allowing me to pass a couple of other guys on the last session.
If you've not tried track riding before I'd definitely recommend it. It was superbly organised by the IAM and I'm considering signing up on Sunday when my local group meet. There was no pressure to ride outside of your comfort zone. There were tyre and suspension specialists on hand too...I took advantage of having my bike set up for me and the riding I do...all for just £25 which seemed good value.
I've got the bug now so looking to do another track day next year as this certainly cured my fears of track days. I'm waiting for the track side photographer to upload the her pictures taken on the day but these are a few of my own..
20190826_183459 by Steve Bolt
20190829_094628 by Steve Bolt
20190827_082629 by Steve Bolt
FE5EC32F06D24205A4693C8CA8148B0B by Steve Bolt
Nice write up on the Thruxton day, next year keep an eye out for the Ducati UK trackdays, they usually run 2 a year, one at Silverstone and one at Donington, always a good day out and lots of novice riders and semi regular trackday riders rather than hardcore ones ...
I did something similar, early in my track riding career.
If all you learn is how much faster you CAN corner vs what you thought previously, it's well worthwhile for road riding too. Should reduce the number of "panic breaking" incidents when you think you've entered a corner too fast.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Without a doubt. I usually operate the front brake with one or sometimes two fingers. We were advised to try all four when braking late into the final chicane, just to see what a difference it would make...That was an eye opener for sure. Although the bike is 16 years old now with what are dated brakes I couldn't believe the difference.
Really wondering what the stopping power must be like on a modern sportsbike...
Yes, as a member of the Owners Club I've seen these advertised in the monthly magazine. Previously I'd have not been confident enough to try one out..not really sure why as I've been riding constantly for 38 years...I guess I just like to ride an my own pace, but the IOM day certainly helped me to push a little more without overdoing things and having a moment. The instructors were excellent...ours was riding some kind of weird looking Honda scooter but with bigger wheels...boy could he shift :-)
...just found the bike the instructor rode...no wonder it could shift with a 750cc engine!
c4 by Steve Bolt
Last edited by Red Steve; 29th August 2019 at 14:32.
If anyone wants to get their advanced rider qualifications but doesn't want to do it over months there is another option. 1st class rider training in Cardiff run an advanced course twice a year over 5 days. The owner and instructors are either serving or ex Police. The last day you have the IAM and RoSPA tests, so if you pass you end up with both. Its a brilliant course, I did it originally in 2015, then went back last year to redo my RoSPA test. Its more like a biking holiday with excellent instruction, you start in Wales and end up in Scotland, where the training is done.
For all you IAM and RoSPA riders, get yourself signed up to your local Blood Bike group, we are always looking for volunteers :)