Was thinking the exact same thing lastnight Tony, as I often catch him round Wales. I was thinking of going out today, but as I did a run round the Peaks yesterday I’ll watch the F1 and SOO instead. Thinking about going to Barmouth is what made me think whats he up to…..
Stuart
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I had and sold a Monkey on here, same engine as the Grom. Its been said before but there is a joy in using a bikes full engine potential without risking a fine. The monkey was one of those bikes that encouraged you to rev it out. However 60 mph on dual carriageways leaves no scope for overtaking.
I had a mooch around the Royal Enfield stand at the Adventure Bike Rider festival yesterday. They obviously had a few Himalayas there for the target audience but also had the rest of the range. The Interceptor they had there was a lovely red and the same seat as yours - a fine looking bike.
How is the ABR show? Looked good but I'd already booked this weekend away. Would you recommend it? Does it get really busy? Did you rife any other bikes there?
Also interested. I have a GoProlike camera that I put on the bars for the weekend, mainly so I could get some footage of the offroad riding at the ABR festival but also with a side benefit of using it as a 'dashcam*' but:
a) the quality isn't great, nothing like what I've seen on here, Youtube etc but that's no great issue. I have no plans to become the next 'Macclesfield Flyer' (Hey kids, stick around and stay tuned!)
b) the battery life is woeful. Having had it on the bike I do like the idea of having a camera on the bike. If nothing else so that when someone pulls out on me again like they did today I can give them a condescending shake of the head and point at the camera. They didn't know the battery had run out an hour before. If they'd made a proper job of taking me out it would be good if the camera was still running.
So... recommendations?
I have one bike and three helmets so I'd prefer something bike mounted.
Having said that, I do have to ride Mrs MCH's bike until she's passed her test so I'd prefer something that's not hard-wired so would need a battery life of 6+ hours (if such a thing exists)
I'm not that fussed about the shape/look. On the one hand I'd like something low profile to maintain the lovely looks of my bike. On the other hand I did wonder if having a visible GoPro shaped object sticking up from the bars might help with driver behaviour (but then I wondered if I was asking too much of someone - to spot a camera on the bars if they clearly couldn't see a 6 foot bloke on a motorbike)
(*if you can have a dashcam on the bars of a vehicle with no dash)
I use Innovv K2s on my bikes. Expensive but worth it. Video loads via WiFi direct to your phone and good quality. Hard wired but mine are for incident video rather than fun footage. In the event of an accident the other guy will always deny everything.
That said, I've got some great videos blasting through the Sussex and French countryside to watch and remember.
I enjoyed it and will go again next year. It was busy but at no point too busy. We stayed nearby and I just went for the day which works for me. If I was there with mates it might be a weekend thing but on my own a short day was good - mooch around the stands, have a nice lunch, ride the adventure trail (avoiding the expert sections except when I got carried away following someone dressed as Evil Knievel, missed the sign and followed him into one of the expert bits), have a coffee and then head out for a blast round the Malverns.
I didn't take any other bikes out. I was a bit late arriving in the morning and also forgot to get my DVLA check code before I set off. If I go next year I'll be better organised and take out (a) something more capable offroad than my scrambler on the adventure trail and (b) either a Z900RS or one of those lovely Indians as I'm toying with the idea of a Z900RS and those lovely Indians are just bloody lovely.
Off this evening for a couple of days doing this round Snetterton with a great bunch of mates.
Although I've treated the bike to new fairings and a now almost obligatory (on MSV Circuits) brake lever guard and it's pretty clean for once
oh and I've got a couple of new stickers too
Fingers crossed it comes back in similar condition.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Neil I could never aspire to ride an original Monkey for I have no tweeds or bow tie as befits the DGR poster boy :)
The original are tiny aren't they, my pal has the ST70 Chaley? Thats a hoot to ride with the 3/4 speed semi automatic box. I know it a cliche but his sounds like a sewing machine when its running its that well engineered.
Steve
Well the time is almost here, got my Mod 2 tomorrow morning.
Not feeling confident at all. Not in regards to the riding part, but the fact that my back has been severely acting up the last month or so. It is worse in the morning and my test is 10 past 9. Even me getting up and ready to be there at that time is gonna be a struggle.
Considered cancelling and rebooking but that would set it back another 2 months. So going to give it a go anyway,, obviously not if I am at the point where it would not be safe to do so.... Which would have been about 70% of mornings in of the last couple of weeks.
Will let you all know how it goes.
Chris.
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Good luck - hope the back holds up. I feel your pain as I struggled to ride until a back op 5 year ago.
Never had an extendable strap, just an issue Nato and to be honest a watch was only a trinket backup as the aircraft clocks were big enough to see and were lit.
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Looking at the bikes for sale at the moment, I'm wondering if the RE position in the market is where the growth will be, for a while at least.
The average rider age is increasing as there aren't that many youngsters starting out on bikes (as opposed to Deliveroo scooters). As riders age, manageable, comfortable bikes are prioritised over ultimate performance machines or big, heavy tourers and the RE pricing position is somewhat more pension-friendly than some others.
The Bike World review of the Meteor 350 https://youtu.be/BtOY4uZm24c went some way to confirm this for me as, rather than dismissing this low powered simple bike, they were somewhat complimentary. And it's about the same price as a Honda Grom.
I think you make some good points there. I sold my Harley because I no longer enjoyed the weight if I had to manoeuvre it around, so was looking for something a bit lighter and easier to handle. The Enfield was just the size and weight I was looking for and cost a lot less new than I sold my 2007 Harley for! It's about the same power as a T120 Bonnie so enough for 'normal' riding. They are popular with the, ahem, older riders over here, but in India the average owners age is 27! If you just want a basic 650 twin it's worth having a test ride on one. Still hanker after a Brutale some days but so far I've resisted. And still miss the Harley...
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Best of luck, Chris. If you look back in the thread you'll see that I had exactly the same problem, and ended up needing a course of physio leading up to the day of my Mod 2. I took some painkillers and went for it, and despite a bit of discomfort I suspect that adrenalin saw me through.
I'm sure you'll be fine, and don't forget to let us know immediately you're done.
the 'hipster' trend is somewhat responsible for younger people getting older looking lower powered bikes , i regularly see a mix of younger people on retro bikes as well as older people on sports bikes - the main being older people that have gone for a super naked for the riding position.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Maybe, but the tone was one of going looking for a new (lighter) bike to replace the Harley, comparing two available new bikes and choosing the Enfield given the comparable power.
Looking for a suitable classic to buy is a very different search than buying a new Enfield, requiring a whole different ownership mindset
I done it!!
Zero rider faults/minors.
I am happy :)
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Us ageing hikers have been steadily moving away from 180mph missiles for some time now, mainly onto large adventure bikes.
Smaller, simpler bikes are, in my opinion, where we will all end up. I chose the XJR1300 (I know, it’s still a big bike) because it’s a bike that I can enjoy at relatively legal speeds and can actually sit comfortably on and ride. I’m sure my next bike will be smaller and have been looking at the KTM390 Duke for a lot of fun in a small package. Sure, the acceleration and exhilaration of large bikes is addictive but it holds the potential of severe injury or severe loss of licence.
At the end of the day though, the important thing to me is just being on the road for as long as I am able.
I was surprised how high the bars are on the Thruxton R Tony. It’s a cafe racer designed with the more nature rider in mind.
It’s still a cafe racer though and far less comfortable than, say, a speed twin which is more sit up and beg.
I was looking at a friends new 1250 GS and it must feel like riding a mountain!
You're not wrong, Dave. They do a lower set (I was checking them out on the TFC when offered one) which would test me for sure. I find the Thruxton clip-ons more comfortable than the bars on the R9T, which were a fair bit higher; but nowhere near as comfortable as those on my old Street Twin.
I remember how excited people were at the launch of the BWM R9t Racer. I also remember how heavily it was reduced at the end of the year to shift it as the target market discovered that they loved the look of it but, unlike their 20 year old selves, couldn't contort themselves to ride it. It has now been quietly dropped, leaving only the versions with a more relaxed riding position
Thanks Gyp,
Was just looking to sort my insurance out with the intention of going for a little run this evening but that stopped when I had to take 2 of the kids in for a covid test. So that's me isolating untill the results come back.
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Your not the only one Dave, whilst coming from a smaller bike F700gs I too have been looking at KTM 390 Dukes. My friend has the 390 engine in his Husky and he loves it. Two of the lads on UKGS have Ktm 390’s and ditto love them. One thing that sticks in my crop was at launch 4 years ago they were £2999, now they are knocking on the door of £5k ! Im going to watch KTM prices as Nov / Dec approaches. Three years ago in Dec they discounted the 1190’s by £5K from £16 to £11k just by pre registering them with 1 or 2 miles. Some dealers have just started knocking £500 off the outgoing 2020 Duke.
Last edited by higham5; 30th June 2021 at 14:42.
The Innovv range is fine if what you really want is footage capturing an 'event' - not high quality vlog type stuff, though.
The Macclesfield Flyer make me smile - one more of that ilk would be one too many
I briefly toyed with the idea of an Insta360 but decided against it as I couldn't justify the expense, particularly during such uncertain times when decent rides may be few and far between, plus there's another software application to learn to use and the camera looks a bit vulnerable to some thieving twot at traffic lights etc. (plus you might look a bit of a pillock with the thing stuck on a clothes prop sticking out of the bike!)
Congratulations