Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

That's a damn good looking bike!!

 

Congratulations on your new purchase. I assume you test rode the 800 and if so, what are your thoughts about the difference to your GT Pro which I’m guessing is a 900?

 

I haven't rode the 800 yet but I will before I complete the purchase. My friend has a 2025 Sport 800 and he likes it a lot and has toured on it. So come late February or early March we can get out for an early season day ride.

I expect a sportier ride from the 800 vs the 900 GT Pro I own. On the other hand I expect the GT Pro is better long distance with all day comfort with a more absorbant suspension. There is a pretty good on YouTube comparing Tigers. The image says, "Getting old. Feeling Young!" At 70 year young this resonates with me. Where I live and ride the pavement isn't in great shape and I am tired of battling with heavy and under-sprung FJR1300 ES. I like the idea of having both the 800 and 900. Walk out to the garage and pick the bike that suits my whim for the day! It is also handy to have a spare with 3 week lead times for service.



I was interested in the Honda CB1000GT but it is unavailable in the US and at 70 years old it is not time to wait.

 

Thanks mate. Let us know your more detailed thoughts once you have tested the 800.

 

Nice and dry roads today and all the rain the last few days has washed the previous salt away. So was out on the Tiger for a few hours. Roads were busy but hey that’s where motorbikes come in to their own.

Visited my sons to help him with a little job and then thought to ride through Warrington to visit Walton Crematorium and pay my respects. I was confused by the volume of traffic at a standstill and the number of other bikes out on Manchester Road going in to town. Only to find out a local lad (8 I believe) had passed away and it was his funeral. He was big in to motorbikes and a social media post had asked if some local bikers could attend.

Was talking to a copper to find all this out and from what I understand there were around three thousand bikes turned up from near and far.

EDIT - local news story link https://www.warringtonguardian.co.u...-streets-filled-bikes-funeral-8-year-old-boy/

 

What a fantastic tribute from the North West bikers for this little boy on such a sad day for the family.
I don’t do Facebook so didn’t see this otherwise I would have gone.
There were many bikes passing my house this afternoon which I thought strange on winters day. I’m guessing by the number they must have been to Warrington, which is just up the A49 from me.

 

My daughter does social media and sent me this instagram post about the above with a video of the procession.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSn_8zDCBaq/?igsh=MW02dnN0dHcwYmRqcw==

If like me you don’t have Instagram you can click the ‘Continue on Web’ top right. Watch to the end and its bikes as far as you can see in to the distance.

 

went out on my new bike today to do some more running in miles,today was the day iv'e been waiting for for nearly 3 weeks,nice dry roads,so did 200 miles past cadwell park to louth then turned around,going to do exactly the same tomorrow with the added bonus the mcd's will be open for a coffee.

 

Bit of winter maintenance underway on my T100R. Good job too as discovered one of the throttle cables is about to let go! Bad news is, too late for Santa's list. Good news its my birthday in January so on the list for that. Also plan to replace the floats with Stay-Up ones plus new needle jets, although a bit more expensive than just a new cable!

 

As the wife had a post-lunch kip, I nipped off the carb bowls to find they already have stay up floats and new looking needle jets so that saves me a few quid. Happy days!

 

Woke up this morning to find the weather was very unusual - despite the overnight forecast it was bone dry and not that cold.

As I needed to go and look what’s available regarding a new shower tray and had no intention of buying one. I thought sod it, it’ll be easier to get round on the bike. Pulled the Tiger out and had a pleasant few hours running round. No progress on the shower tray but better than trawling through the traffic in the car.

 

I took my 2019 Speed Triple RS to our Triumph dealership recently for its "annual physical" as I call it. YIKES! I did have to get a new battery, but I rode out the door $805 lighter. My services have never cost that much--even excluding the battery cost. Labor charges for both motorcycles and cars have gone through the roof where I live. The going rate at MC dealerships is right around $200 per hour! Maybe I've been in the wrong profession all these years. Well, probably not since I don't know the first thing about actually working on bikes. Anyway, I'm wondering what sort of hourly labor charges the rest of you out there are seeing? I know many of you do your own work but how about those of you that don't? When I got home from the dealership with my bike and told Steve about labor rates and my bill and he replied, "Fun is expensive." I'll say!

 

@Sandi T:
The rate per hour is really expensive. In my area it would be nearly the same. Therefore I always ride to an other province where the prices stayed lower for the last years.

 

Hi @Sandi T here the UK the labour rates vary between the main dealers and the independent bike shops. You can pay from £65 an hour at the local shops up to £100 at the main dealers.

 

I think you would be lucky to find a main dealer at £100 now bud, standard is about £125 so about $170, not too much different over here @Sandi T

 

I’m was going off my last service. I guess when my bike is serviced in the new year I will find out the latest cost

 

Main dealers have to provide a certain standard of showroom, with staff training, customer facilities, toilets, accessories, clothing etc. I guess they've got to cover those costs somehow.

 

After weeks of really bad and ugly weather I took the window of opportunity and did a short ride with my beloved Rocket today.
At lunchtime we had about 3 degrees celsius. I enjoyed it very much. But for the next week's the weather forecast looks not very helpful for bikers. Ice and snow will return again.

 

@Markus at least you managed to grab the opportunity to get out on the Rocket, the weather looks beautiful!

 

Bit of respray on a rather tatty instrument bracket on the T100R today. I didn't have a spanner to reach those recessed bolts so resorted to spraying in situ. It's not perfect but you can't see most of it when the clocks are in place.