What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

Having fun in the sun

 

Oh the shock of it you actually have sunshine in the UK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's nearly 7:30pm here and just checked it's currently 26 degrees in the shade outside. Make the most of the good weather as after all you don't really get a lot of it.

 

Sometimes, but I was at Almeria in Spain, for 4 days on track.
Just finished at lunch time today, rained off funnily enough

 

Sneeky going to Spain the only track I have ever driven on was Silverstone in my MGF at a big MG meeting.

 

What a fabulous photo, @tcbandituk! Poster-worthy......

 

Yesterday Helmut and I both took our Ducatis and went to the J&S Accessories / Cotswold Bike Meets day in Staverton, followed by the Silver Fox Cafe - another nice route done in the gorgeous weather we’re having!!

 

I had the latest of many, fine, Sunny evening rides round the Peak last night, following a favourite route through Hope Valley and up over Strines. I was interested to see how the local reservoirs were holding up in the dry spell and they don't look low at all IMO. Ladybower is around 85-90% full and the smaller ponds of Strines, Dale Dyke and Agden reservoirs are not exceptionally low either. Underbank reservoir looks almost full to the brim!?

Has anyone noticed there seems to be a lot more flying insects around compared to recent years? Certainly not up to the levels they were in the 90's but enough to need a few wipes of the visor on a 50-60m run. A bit of a pain for us lot but good news for someone no doubt.

 

I rode past a local reservoir here and it looks full too... what is going on with all the (usual) scaremongering?

I also agree, loads of insects this year, and frequent cleaning of my visor and the flyscreen on my bike is needed. Must be all this hot weather.... I'm not complaining though!

 

Loads, some massive ones too (with bright yellow insides!).

 

I was going to say, I'd be surprised if any manufacturer would sign it off as safe as at the end of the day it means another sale.
Speak to a dealer if you have doubts, but I would've thought it quite safe to use as you didn't hit anything solid and certainly not a point loading like the curb or handlebar.

Glad you're OK

 

First up, glad you're OK Sandi and kept the bike up on 2 wheels.

I hit a Seagull at speed many years ago on my FZR1000. It hit the bike's screen first, breaking it and deflected straight into my face which cracked the visor, covering it in Seagull "juice". I changed the visor and all was OK.
When I came off the R1, some years later and was knocked unconscious, the helmet damage was obvious and changing it was a no brainer, no pun intended.

If your health and safety laws are anything like ours I reckon any helmet seller or Shoei themselves will be unwilling to sign off the helmet as OK and will recommend replacement due to the potential failure of the helmet in any future incident, God forbid!
Cost undoubtedly comes into it. If they were $50 each then a new replacement would be an easy decision but they're not! If the damage is confined to the visor itself with none to the helmet's opening and latching mechanism's, personally I'd just fit a new visor.

I also have a Neotec 2 and I've been riding around a lot in the recent hot weather with the helmet flipped and the Sun visor down, NOT a good idea. Thank heavens you had your's locked down Sandi.

 

With a bit of cropping to improve the composition



Or this one

 

Or this one

 

MOT for the Fireblade - passed with no advisories

 

Thanks for sharing your own bird strike experience, @Pegscraper, (and your R1 off) and for your thoughts on helmet / shield replacement. You're right about Shoei being unwilling to sign off. I did get a nice response email from Helmet House, Shoei's partner vendor who inspects helmets for Shoei. But, like the inspection program document on Shoei's website, that response contained a rather equivocal and noncommittal answer.

You're also right about the cost coming into it. I paid $600 (on sale) for the helmet and now that model--as you may well know--is nearly impossible to find since they've come out with the Neotec 3. That all said, if I was truly concerned I'd "retire" the helmet (to the garbage bin). But there are absolutely no signs of problems with the helmet at all...nothing visible and all mechanisms work perfectly. The strike was confined completely to the face shield as evidenced by the oval patch where the bird removed the anodization. So, like you, I'm planning to just fit a new visor, which I just received in the mail from Cycle Gear. The shield was $119 but that's a far cry from $600 plus or, worse yet, a trip to the hospital for me and/ the repair shop for the bike. So I'm counting myself quite lucky. And I definitely won't be riding around with my face shield--much less my chin bar--flipped up! That bird would have beaned me right in the eye and eye socket. Ouch! And I'll probably email Shoei to give them kudos for designing and selling such an amazing face shield!

 

Sandi most insurers cover riding gear - might want to check with your insurance company.

 

Picked this up from the dealer yesterday. It's a new Moto Guzzi V85TT. Ever since I sold the BMW R1200RT I haven't had a bike that's comfortable enough for long distance touring. With Sandi T's encouragement I thought about a Harley bagger which would have fit the bill, but for the price of a ten year old Harley I got a new Moto Guzzi. They call it a "Retro-style" adventure touring bike with its 850cc air-cooled V-twin, but with all the modern electronics and rider aids that bikes come with these days.

To make room in the garage I sold the trusty DRZ400S to a soldier stationed in El Paso, Texas, but still have the Speed Triple for when I need that sportbike fix!
v85tt by Marco Wikstrom, on Flickr

 

I must admit, I do rather like that style of Guzzi.
Will be good to see how you get on with it.

 

Bike looks awesome.

 

Now I do like that, looks - wise. VERY nice!!!

Does remind me of this chap though: