The Monster belongs to a friend who only passed his test in 2018 and has accompanied me & my wife on tours to Bologna, Bruges, Zaragoza and this year to Germany & Holland. He purchased some nice rigid cases for it and got the biking bug, so much so he now has a 959 Panigale as well. Last year we both did an IAM skills day on the track at Thruxton (he's behind me in the pic below) and now plan to do more track days as well as trips to Europe.
20190615_113824 by Steve Bolt
68962251_140843320473665_3723590146030035993_n(1) by Steve Bolt
thats truly sparkling, mine doesn't look like that in the summer.
where did you go?
A guy in Whitchurch (Shropshire) who is in the same blood biking group as me. He's a franchise operator of www.allyearbiker.co.uk
Yeah I have seen something about that. Sure I read somewhere it wasnt waterproof though which kind of makes it iffy on a bike. Maybe they have a new one out now, I’ll check it out.
Stuart
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Shame AYB don't have a London location. Used to be one in Harpenden.
Freddy Trott does a good job though if anyone's near Elstree. Need to pop down.
For anyone who hasn’t seen the other thread...
TZ bikers weekend
Was anybody at yesterday's Chilly Willy? Incredible turnout, over 800 bikes and £5,700 raised for Air Ambulance. We watched and waved them on in Chicheley before adjourning to the comfort of The Chester Arms.
http://www.trottracing.com/
He does it from his house mostly. He can come to you but the price will be approx double. He also does the bikes at a lot of dealerships - Hertfordshire Triumph etc.
He's a 10 min walk from here if this helps:
Starbucks Coffee
Village Hotel, Centennial Park, Centennial Ave, Elstree, Borehamwood WD6 3SY
0871 222 4588
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XxT2hgWbMVoYw3N39
A Duc with anything other than a Termi?
Good Lord no.
I think you're right. I think Mr Fogarty corrupted me (us) at a vulnerable age 😂😂
I've heard them with the full Akra system (god they're loud) but it just doesn't have the same character for me. Termi all they way!!!
I am curious - anyone bought a bike and not got on with it (Tony - apologises if I have derailed the thread slightly- happy to start a new one I’d need be)? How many miles did you wait for ?
Thought you might give a more detailed reply to that one T given your flipping last year
Personally I've tried to make sure I'm going to be happy with all my bikes before I buy. I didn't keep my S1000R all that long before upgrading to the RR, but that was just because I wanted to get back on a full on sports bike, rather than not getting on with the R, which was a cracking bike.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I have. I bought a S1000RR and never got on with the riding position at all. I had had sports bikes before and thought it would be ok. But age is a funny thing I suppose, just creeps up on you when you aint looking. I’m no pensioner mind, but the crouched over position did nothing at all for me. The bike itself was a phenomenal road weapon and did everything it should, but not for me anymore that riding position. I bought it in June, saw the summer out and sold it the following February. It wasn’t miles I waited for, it was a good time to sell, which isnt too far away!!
One thing I do remember though, once I realised it wasnt the bike for me, I sometimes shunned a ride out with the lads, simply because I couldnt be bothered to get all the gear on and be on that bike. Now, compare that to the Street RS, and I’m praying for dry roads again. Thats the difference for me as my bike is purely a pleasure toy, and I found myself making excuses not to go out, and thats not right.
If you have a bike you aint getting on with, get shut and change. Not because the grass looks greener elsewhere, but because your grass aint green anymore.
Stuart
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Last edited by cinnabull; 8th January 2020 at 17:59.
its very important to have a test ride more so than with a car.
Kindve similar, but I think I've grown as a rider and want something a bit different.
I bought my bike new 18 months ago (R Nine T Racer) and have loved riding it. I have now doubt it can be an awesomely quick bike, but jumped on an S1000r and with the better brakes and suspension, I was instantly faster and move confident
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Yes, well sort of..............
Bought a Triumph Tigress 250cc 4 stroke twin scooter when I was 17! Had it for a month and sold it on thank god, then bought a Triumph Tiger Cub which led me into 'proper' biking.
After that never really had anything which I didn't like, be they British or Japanese.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
For me it was two bikes I had at the same time that should have been brilliant but for whatever reason, weren't.
R1150R - brilliant in town, point and squirt, but couldn't get on with the handling out of town. I've had 8 BMW's, this is the only one I've not got on with.
TDR250 - awful about town, bogged down, dreadful but then proper stupid and ridiculously thirsty when finally in the right rev band. Setting off I'd be holding the cars up for the first 20 yards then fighting like hell not to loop it. I'd had several tuned strokers, but this one just wasn't right.
Ended up using the BMW to do what the Yamaha should do and vice versa.
I don't regret parting with the R11, but I should have kept and sorted the Yam.
I think I will preserve. It’s a ktm 790 and I thought it would be more like the original street triple, let’s see. Looks pretty enough.
... oh yes! Bought this baby brand new. I only popped out for a light bulb. The B&Q was quite near to the Ducati main dealer in Bristol so I thought I'd put my head around the door to kill half an hour. At the time the new 999 hadn't been out long and a chap was deciding whether to buy a brand new £20k 999r or a final edition 998..
Whilst chatting I noticed a mint looking 748 so went over for a closer look. It was spotless so I wondered how old it was, but a glance at the back revealed the lack of a number plate. I asked the salesman and he said it was a brand new unregistered bike.
It had been in a Ducati Tokyo dealers but went unsold. When the 749/999 range arrived it go put into their stock room and basically forgotten. When eventually it came to light the dealer decided not to hold onto it so put it back up on the stock list which all dealers have access to. Anyway, Riders in Bristol saw it and had it assigned to them.
I'd loved the 916/996/998 range but they were always out of my budget, but this 748 was a bit cheaper, so I struck a deal then & there (no test ride was possible) and had it delivered 3 weeks later.....
It was there the problems started...it was so painful to ride, and I mean agony. Wrists and forearms took the brunt, but my neck and shoulders felt like they were on fire after more than 30 minutes riding..
I tried a set of helibars to lift the riding position but to no avail. Riding it became dangerous as the pain was affecting my concentration, even so far as not being able to look left & right at a junction as I could hardly move my head.
After 700 miles I sold it..I took a hefty hit too, oh and I never got the light bulb either!
That said it was one stunning looking bike, and being a lot fitter now than I was back in 2005 I might even try another one some day...
970 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/156536376@N05/]
OMG Steve, that's exactly what happened to me, at junctions, not able to see enough due to being hunched over. Anyone who knows the Bala Lake bike stop will know the exit is sort of on a hill and at an angle. I was turning left out of the bike stop, and simply couldn't turn my head enough to the right to see if there was any oncoming traffic in the lane I was joining. After trying my best I just pulled out. My mate behind still waiting to exit the bike stop yelled down the intercom to 'watch that mini', I thought what mini, and just twisted the throttle. Being on the S1000RR I immediately shot off at ballistic speed and the mini had already swerved anticipating he was going to run into the back of me. I must have looked like a right dick to the mini driver, a biker pulls out then sprints away instantly. My mate who pulled out after the mini said he couldn't believe how lucky I was. That was probably the moment I realised I need to get shut, before it gets shut of me !!!
Stuart
Last edited by cinnabull; 9th January 2020 at 00:26.
Oh yes. Had a beautiful MV Agusta Brutale Corsa with titanium Arrows. Just 1 of 7 in the country. Gorgeous to look at, sounded terrific with the radial valved long stroke 1078cc motor... but it was just wasn’t a great ride. Too firm for UK roads. Too edgy and with too short a wheelbase. Outed it after a year and about 300 miles. Ticked off the MV Agusta box though...
Funny that this subject has come up, as I have slight problems with my neck in that it isn't as flexible as it used to be. I've actually been having months of deep tissue massage on it, but I still struggle to really swivel my head as much as I want to. Consequently, I've come to understand that at a junction with an angled turn I really have to come to a stop and take a hand off the bars in order that I can turn my body a bit to get the visibility I need.
It's a bit annoying where, in some cases, I probably wouldn't need to stop if I had a better range of movement but there doesn't seem to be a lot more I can do about it. At 59 it's not going to get as whole lot better, massage or not.
As some of you’ll know, I’ve got a new Bobber TFC on order.
It’s been on my mind that having 2 Bobber’s is a bit daft really. So today I’ve ordered this..
A new Speedmaster like above but with a Cranberry tank which is now discontinued..
Got a great deal from Woods motorcycles in Abergele.. delivery due 1st March..
I have recently (3-4 months ago) started blood biking in my local area. I enjoy it a lot.
I did my MOD1/MOD2 around the same time as you (Nov 2018) and then moved on to my IAM test in June this year. As you say, the IAM (or ROSPA) is a pre-requisite for most blood bike organisations.
For my group, I needed to pass IAM then attend an induction event (where the activities are explained). This was followed by a "check ride", which was basically another IAM level test ride with detailed feedback, and finally a blood handling course and an induction ride (following someone and seeing the actual collection and delivery processes).