where do you go for MOT's please? I used to go to spenders m/c but will go more local if there's anywhere recommended?
RGS Motorsport in Wellingborough http://www.rgs-motorbikes.co.uk If you scroll towards the bottom of the homepage there is a link where you can book an MOT.
I took the Street Triple on a run around the country roads of Yorkshire and Derbyshire today for a spot of breakfast. It occurred to me as I was riding that I couldn't remember the last proper ride I had on it. I only put it back on the road this year and I've been using the Ducati for most trips, especially for two-up journeys. (Shouldn't have to worry too much about that any more now she's got her full licence.) I still think the suspension needs sorting out - I'm sure it's less compliant than it used to be; some bumps are quite jarring. I also reminded myself how much I need a dark visor for those damp mornings when the winter sun glares brilliantly off damp roads. Couldn't see a damn thing on some stretches.
^^ I had mine done by a lad in Rochdale who used to work for Honda racing team as there lead mechanic. https://www.facebook.com/swsuspension/
Getting a lid with a drop down dark visor was a good purchase. I can also pretend I'm a fighter pilot, so bonus.
Dunno your budget Duck, and I've done an enforced winter when really too bloody old on an unsuitable (fireblade) bike so I really feel for you. Honda HRVs turn up cheap, I bought a rustbucket for 500 quid and passed it when it's MoT ran out eight months later for over 250. I love SJ suzis but they're getting a bit cult status and demanding prices above their value. There is def cheap 4x4 stuff if you've no brand loyalty/predudice and think laterally
It's bloody hard work riding a bike through winter. What a leisure rider might not appreciate is that at six in the morning the roads ride a lot different to when they've had a bit of traffic and the sun is up. I'll shake your hand here Duck and we'll poke eachother in the eye for laughs elsewhere on the forum when the occasion demands
I have been in the habit of riding to work this year as my situation favors the bike commute once again. I always used to ride to work when I lived in the UK. In fact, even though I had a car I would usually ride unless the roads were icey. I lived in Knowle on the south of Bristol and worked out of Frome as a driver for Western Vinyls. The ZX9R was pretty good at keeping the elements off you if you went fast enough, and given I was in my late 20's I didn't care much about being cold at 4.00am on a Monday. Throughout my office career in Cincinnati with P&G I would commute on the bike most days on a Multi or a Diavel when the weather was fairer, and then again when I lived in Tennessee I would commute on a bike unless I was dropping off the kid at Day-Care. However, until I got this Speed Twin, pretty much all the other bikes had a fairing or screen of types. Now I find myself wanting to ride the Speed Twin over the S1000XR at 7.00am in the morning and while the fly screen and Rukka jacket keep my trunk toasty, my skinny legs wrapped in thermal underwear and cargo pants get a bit chilly when the temperature near freezing point. I need to get some thin waterproof windbreaker over-pants. Where's all this going? Well, as this is only my third week of ownership I am a little bit surprised to discover how much heat the water-cooled twin exudes when at a stop light or plodding along in traffic at low speeds. It certainly helps. In order to aid this good fortune I felt I needed to aid the breathing so I installed a nice free flowing air filter and removed the snorkel, and what a difference it has made. Much recommended as an aid to cleaning up the on/off throttle response at partial throttle. Next will be a Booster plug to cement the deal.
Well, I saw my Speed Triple loaded up and carted off earlier today to my local dealership which Mr. Sandi and I fondly refer to as "Triumph World". They'll work on getting my clutch problem figured out since a couple of recommended simple fix-at-home attempts didn't work. As I said in my post from Sunday, I'm hopeful it's a simple fix but am very glad that it's still under warranty. The service manager said that even though I bought my Speed Triple two years ago on Nov. 23rd, Triumph allows a 45-day grace period for the warranty so I had more wiggle room than I originally thought. Hopefully I'll have Speedy back and ready to ride by this weekend!
Heated grip installed and working. Let the winter arrive, I'm ready! Those Daytona DT11 are really neat. The integrated switch is really nice and discrete.
I've been looking at those very same Daytona grips for my bikes. How easy or difficult are they to install?
They are easy to install. Like all others heated grip you'll have to rework the throttle plastic tube to make it perfectly round and remove lines. In this kit no glue included. I personally use Loctite black silicone joint I had laying there , but adapted glue exists. Electric connection is straight forward, thanks to the integrated switch. I personally wired this on the accessory circuit, after a relay, It can be connected direct to the battery. The grip wire having it's own fuse. The overall quality feels great.
My other half has one of those. It's cool but my Arai still has plenty of life in it so I'm not changing yet.
Well not today but hopefully at the weekend I will finally adjust the Speed Twin rear shocks to see if it will stop it trying to put me in a hedge. Have to take off the exhausts to do that! ( I'm going to snap my keyboard in half just thinking about that.)
Its not really though is it. Free of other twats on bikes holding you up filtering etc. Although it was this month 6years ago riding into work on sheet ice I said, "WTF are you doing?" I had the chance also to get coach driven to work if I took a secondment. Took it and sold the hack. I am now a fair-weather fairy/weekend warrior, trying to avoid being a statistic come March/April. Apologies in advance for my de-graded riding skills, poor decision making and down to a snails pace and 50 pencing round corners with a mere sprinkling of "rain." Yours humbly.