Hmmm, what are you looking at as an alternative and what did you ride prior to the Speed Twin that you're unhappy with, @Willythepooh?
To be fair, none of those bikes are comparable. Perhaps it's just a different style of ride, and you simply don't like it (because the Speed Twin is generally considered to be a superb machine).
I think you are not comparing like for like bikes. The speed twin is not a sports bike, it is a big twin and you cannot ride it like the inline fours. Once you master riding a big twin they are a brilliant bikes.
Rode 30 miles each way yesterday to enjoy a double sausage baguette at the Original Tea Hut in Epping Forest, to find to my horror that they only take cash. A kind soul in the queue stood me a cup of coffee, but by the time I’d ridden back into Epping town I thought “f*ck it” and had a toasted sandwich in Starbucks instead
Just fitted some "Black Friday deal" adjustable pegs to my Street Cup. Need the rain to stop before testing out though!
Always take cash! If the powers out, card readers dont work which I've seen twice at petrol stations. A lot of small shops are turning to cash only due to fees on card transactions.
So glad to know you got a nice ride in yesterday, @learningtofly! Hope your weather was better than your payment "luck". Interestingly, we're finding it more and more common here to NOT be able to pay with cash and ONLY being able to pay with a credit or debit card/ Apple Pay/PayPal/etc. BTW, are any of the Starbucks employees in your neck of the woods on strike like lots of the Starbucks locations in the in the US?
Not that I’m aware of, Sandi. What are they striking over? Yes, I suspect cash will soon be a relic from a bygone age, which is exactly why I wasn’t carrying any
There was an incident in the centre of Oldham a few months ago when a JCB took out the internet for a large cluster of shops and the outage lasted several days. The retailers were not pleased as so many people do not carry cash these days. I tend to carry cash and cards. One of my local chippies only takes cards which is highly unusual but I believe that is because the owner has had issues with staff and cash going missing. On the other hand, all the local Chinese takeaways only take cash, I wonder why that is ? It wouldn't be anything to do with tax avoidance so I wonder why it is ???
I put something like one of these small "cash capsules" on my keychain in my jacket that also has the house key and earplug capsule etc. Put a 20 in it for emergency use, but have used it for situations like this too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/True-Utility-CashStash-Keyring-Holder/dp/B075T4L9VX?th=1
I took my Speed Triple RS out for a ride recently with my riding buddy, Russ, who was eager to get some miles on his new H-D Heritage Classic "Anniversary Edition". We agreed upon a route that" would have been" (foreshadowing) about a 100 mile ride. As we rode north out of Tucson the winds really kicked up and I was wishing I'd opted for one of my bikes with a big arse faring on it. Russ was leading and when we turned east onto Park Link Road, he pulled over and turned off his bike. I pulled up alongside him and asked why he had stopped. He wondered how I was doing back there in the wind on my Speed Triple and whether I wanted to turn back. I said I was good and happy to proceed with our original plan. But being the gentlemanly guy he is, he suggested that I lead so I could adjust my speed to my comfort level in the now wailing winds. I started off and made it around a slight curve and...he was nowhere to be seen. I turned back and saw him sitting in the same spot I'd left him with his bike still not running and looking rather puzzled and annoyed. His bike was dead as a doornail! He tried it multiple times and then it was on. We brainstormed what it could be and what we should do. L-o-n-g story short(er), Russ called his wife who drove the 20 miles or so from their house and took him back to get some tools and things to try to jump the bike. I followed them back to their turnoff and rode back on home. Russ was super nervous to leave his bike on the side of the road but all attempts to get his insurance company or a bike transport company, etc. didn't seem to be in the cards. When he went back to his bike, his insurance company finally showed up and jump started his bike. But he only got about half a mile down the road when it backfired and stopped again. So again he pulled off the road--this time he was able to park near a business--and rode home with his wife. My hubby spoke with Russ and then called another friend of ours who has a van that he has set up to be able to transport a bike. So off Roe and Steve went to Russell's house then headed north to retrieve the bike. The whole deal began around 1pm earlier in the day and by the time the bike was being loaded and transported to Russ' garage is was nearly 8pm! Any guesses what the problem was? I'll see who might come up with the correct answer before divulging the problem.
I have the same idea for a spare note. Even my first aid kit has a few pound coins in as 1st aid is more than plasters right? Once bought coffee and there was no sugar.... 1st aid kit to the rescue as I keep some in there for diabetics
Thanks for the guess, @Boothman. The problem was a bad voltage regulator. Weird on a brand new bike but once they could get the part (on a bit of backorder) it was an easy-peasy fix. But it was also a day with quite a bit of drama and crankiness!
