Whats The Last Thing You Bought?

I got it because I'm relatively tall and wanted a slightly longer jacket but I think in general they are a bit of an undiscovered gem. They seem to be very well made (in UK) at a competitive price, well worth a look when people are thinking of new kit
https://www.merlinbikegear.shop/

 

Z125 fresh out of the crate:

 

@Tom Swift
Loooove it, Tom! Can’t wait to see it unwrapped and hear what you think of it.

 

Now that looks like fun!!!

 

Today we received a new parcel with a bigger wind shield for my wife's Bonnie.
We changed from the former one to the new one and went for a test ride. For her it is ideal. The wind pressure is reduced to a very low level. Also at high highway speeds.
I also tested it on her bike, but the effect for me with my height is not useful. I got more pressure on my head and shoulders.
To compare: My wife is 5' 4" and I am 5' 9" tall.

 

That sounds ideal - I am 5ft4 too and occasionally being a bit shorter than average is useful (and often definitely isn't)!!

 

A word of advice regarding ergonomics - don't get too hung up about your height in terms of using it as a reference or comparator for things like screen heights; seat heights, etc.

Why? A real life example ......

Many years ago I worked with a guy who was 6'3", maybe 6'4" - can't remember exactly but, regardless, he was tall though not exactly a gigantic bean pole. We were chatting one day about new cars he was looking at and he was bemoaning the fact that he had tried practically ever available saloon on the market and, he said, he couldn't fit comfortably in any of them! I found that most odd because both of my brothers are a similar height (I'm a real short@rse) and they each manage to find cars in which they're comfortable.

So, some discussion followed and, in summary, it turned out that his 'problem' was that, in most cars, his head was touching the rooflining and the seat wouldn't go low enough. If the seat squab and back were lowered to the extremes to accommodate his upper body without contacting the roof, then his feet couldn't reach the pedals comfortably!

It turned out that although tall, he had (comparatively) short legs - he didn't look disproportionate in any way, but, seemingly, his spine, neck and head were longer than average for someone his height and, thus, an imbalance was created in his personal universe that spoiled the comfort continuum in vehicular ergonomics. If you get my drift!

So, with things like screens; footpeg and foot control heights, etc., it pays to try before you buy. There's probably a science behind it all but, as far as I'm concerned, I just wouldn't want you to think that you'll necessarily get satisfaction and comfort from something just because it suits someone else of similar height or even build!

 

Agreed; I am short but have comparatively long legs for my height and a shorter torso, so am often OK with things that people my height and taller have problems with in terms of leg reach.

 

Bless me Triumph fans, for I have sinned. Picked this up when I saw it in town today.

 

You've gotta love a FireBlade..well I do.

 

Me too. I love the looks of them but I’ll never be able to ride well enough to get the best out of one. I did have a Blackbird for a few years and used that pretty well. Even managed 165mph on the unrestricted autobahn on a Germany trip.
I’m just not a good enough rider to appreciate the finer points of a blade.

 

A pair of AAA - rated single - layer women’s Roadskin Taranis jeans in indigo. Much cheaper than the competition and I have been impressed with Helmut’s pair of Roadskins. I have only sat in them to work from home this afternoon (and sat on both bikes, although refrained from making “neeeeooow” noises) and my first impressions is that they fit almost like a “normal” pair of jeans and are very comfortable. The sizing is accurate which is something of a miracle for female bike kit - size chart said I needed a 10, bought a 10, they fitted . I like the fact that the back of the waistband is really high to preserve my modesty and the cuffs are slightly wider to go over boots properly.

https://roadskin.co.uk/products/mot...cycle-jeans-for-ladies?variant=40666905444524

I completed my WFH wardrobe with these beauties that also arrived today. Surprisingly heavy but feel very comfortable and look nice.

 

For 10 years I organised an annual trackday with the Ron Haslam Race School. Initially at Silverstone whilst Donington was revamped and then back up to Donington. The bikes were either Blades or the 600 RRs. Of the two, being only a tiddler, I preferred the 600. With the Blade you could do the whole circuit in second.

 

My last purchase for the Triumph was a horrendously expensive pair of bar end mirrors.

For the Ducati just some wellnuts to hold the plastic on the side of the machine. Back on the road for Monday

 

After 10 years with our old faithful Audi A4, we bought a new BMW X2 Hybrid that will hopefully keep us going for the next 10 years.

It’s a lovely drive and all the different hybrid options available are currently blowing my mind. One option I didn’t even know existed (eDrive Battery Saver) actually fully recharges the battery on a long journey, even though the car is a plug-in hybrid. Every day’s a school day!

 

My last two purchases were tyres and rear shocks, the silencers had to come off to remove the rear wheel, so I took the opportunity to fit new shocks to the rear before I refit the the Remus mufflers.

 

Nice machine.

 

When I bought my Street Triple I was so taken with it, just sitting on it in the showroom that I didn’t even test ride it. So the day I picked it up I discovered that it had an autoblipper.

The Beemers are nice cars, I love my X3 but why do they spoil the look of the front of the car when they could easily have located the flap to the charging point in the other rear quarter like a second fuel tank flap. I guess the battery is under the floor of the boot. Most other manufacturers have made an effort to disguise the charge point behind their logo or such like. Or am I being super picky in my old age?

 

As I mentioned in my last riding posting, I tried an uncountable amounts of waterproof gloves, but none of them lasted for more then one hour at really wet conditions when using my heated grips too. The xxx-function to keep them waterproof does not work with heated grips. Therefore I bought a pair of oversize latex gloves last weekend and tested them yesterday. I wear them over normal biker gloves. It was great! Nearly 3 hours under rain conditions without any issues.