Hi there from Gloucestershire. I've had my SS for almost exactly a year and been a member of various forums, but a mate suggested I join here as you're a friendly bunch... Regards me, I've been riding for almost 40 years and have owned and ridden every thing from step through 50cc mopeds to supercharged Kawasaki 1000s. I've currently got 3 BMW boxers from 1982, 1989 and 2015, and added the SS last year after riding one and it putting a proper smile on my face that I don't think I've had since getting a BSA Bantam back in the day. It was the first bike that I'd ridden in years where, rather than analysing the capabilities of the machine, I was simply riding it and enjoying watching the world go by. Since then I've spent lots of time and money tweaking it and modifying it to get it just right for me, but have done nothing to remove the basic character of the bike. Despite being a 2019 bike, he engine is seriously under-powered by modern standards, the suspension is coarse, the equipment is spartan, the brakes are underwhelming but changing any of those things would, in my opinion, make it worse.As it is it's just right! I really enjoy cruising around the back roads at 45-55mph, but would need to be twice that fast to feel happy on some of my other bikes. My friends with sports bikes don't seem to understand that it's possible to enjoy riding a motorcycle like this, and possibly on theirs it isn't! I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to contribute, but I'll do my best to pop in and join in occasionally Gyp
Gyp Welcome to the family. Real nice steed you have there. Bet that pipe sounds good. Thanks for sharing the picture. Regards Joe.
Cheers Joe, the pipe sounds nice, especially with a Meerkat decat, but doesn't fit with the luggage (it flares out at the end more than the OEM twin pipes). I was also finding that in my rural pottering I was coming across a lot of horses, so at the moment both the V&H pipe and the decat are wrapped up at the back of the garage. I'm "wuffleing along" rather than "barking"
Hiya Gyp......small world . Where did you get the Meerkat....they're website doesn't have one for the TSS??
What a surprise seeing you here The meerkat decat involves opening the cat box, gutting it and putting it back together again. Peter will do them for you but if you've the tools/capability there's detailed pictures on the the other forum (and may be on this - I've not looked) I bought a second hand one from (I think) Croatia, and posted it to Australia to be done. The work cost something daft like $20AU, but the killer was the postage and, err, of course buying the second hand one. That way I could retain the original in case I wanted to refit it... which I have done as I found the bike too loud. It's possible that I may have not quite got the exhaust gasket right, so I might fit it again and try again, but for now I'm running the stock exhaust and cat which in all honesty seems best suited to the bike.
Not all together, but here are the bikes... The 2015 R1200R Sport with the Scrambler just after I got it. The 1989 R80RT, that I've had since 1989. It has taken me from Lands End to John O'Groats in a day and as far afield as Monaco It also has the ability to lug the missus' makeup bag if we go out for the day. The 1982 R65, fitted with the RS fairing. This is my late father's bike and it's in need of light restoration and recommissioning. It's on the to-do list. A few from the archives... My Tiger 1050 in Austria. This one took me and my lad to Naples and back. The wonderful RSX1300R Hayabusa at Castle Combe circuit. Not the most flattering photo but a brilliant bike R1150R. Awful thing. Kawasaki Z750 - bought when my lad was 10 so he could start riding pillion. His little legs wouldn't reach the pillion pegs on any of my more sensible bikes Yamaha TDR250. Totally mental, totally fun. And last but not least, my one and only Harley (so far) Bought as a stock 883, after which I converted to 1200, SE heads, cams, ignition, twin disks, shock upgrade, forwards, seat, screen, luggage, rack, etc etc etc then sold it as the fun was in fiddling, not riding.