Any Motörbike riders here?

Haych

@TheBigDipper yes I do have the BMW pannier cases for my bike. The standard GS cases I’ve seen are the Vario cases which can expand depending on what you need to fit inside. 

I was more having a dig at the people who fit the aluminium cases from SW Motech, Givi, Touratech or Lone Rider. They seem a bit ridiculous for the average Joe, and the fitting kit for some of them puts the side cases well wide, especially on the exhaust side. 

I did meet a German GS rider recently who absolutely did use his and his GS was truly road worn and beaten up, not your typical pristine bike that are the normal examples. This guy, Martin his name is, had been all over the world and his bike looked like it was still carrying most of the dust and dirt accumulated. 

I don’t like the lockable top boxes either, they are quite practical but hate the way they look and I just can’t help feeling like I’m delivering for Uber Eats!

Dominic

yes but to deliver for Uber Eats you have to gun a 100cc scooter within an inch of it's life , ride all over the road including going round traffic lights on the pavement etc. You have to try to knock down as many pedestrians as possible and make an extra effort to weave in and out of traffic as much as possible and try especially hard to knock motorcyclists off as you attempt to collide with them whenever possible.
It's also important to share a licence and insurance with at least 50 countrymen and all have the same name .
They are a complete fucking menace in London .......I would say that I have about 10 incidents a week when they nearly knock me off . They need banning or very strict policing . 
I see at least 2 a week come a cropper on the road ....entirely of their own making.

Kittyfrisk

Dominic said:

yes but to deliver for Uber Eats you have to gun a 100cc scooter within an inch of it's life , ride all over the road including going round traffic lights on the pavement etc. You have to try to knock down as many pedestrians as possible and make an extra effort to weave in and out of traffic as much as possible and try especially hard to knock motorcyclists off as you attempt to collide with them whenever possible.
It's also important to share a licence and insurance with at least 50 countrymen and all have the same name .
They are a complete fucking menace in London .......I would say that I have about 10 incidents a week when they nearly knock me off . They need banning or very strict policing . 
I see at least 2 a week come a cropper on the road ....entirely of their own making.

John Smith? David Jones ? David Smith?

Haych

I avoid driving in London and have done it only twice in my life. Last time I was there there were more fast food delivery scooters than rats, I’m sure. 

Every time I had to stop at a red light they would appear from all directions out of nowhere like wasps round marmalade in the height of summer. 

Then they’d all disappear in disparate directions with no regard to traffic law or safety of themselves and others. 

Like you say, a real menace. And almost all of them only having done a backstreet CBT at most!

Dominic

Kittyfrisk said:

Dominic said:

yes but to deliver for Uber Eats you have to gun a 100cc scooter within an inch of it's life , ride all over the road including going round traffic lights on the pavement etc. You have to try to knock down as many pedestrians as possible and make an extra effort to weave in and out of traffic as much as possible and try especially hard to knock motorcyclists off as you attempt to collide with them whenever possible.
It's also important to share a licence and insurance with at least 50 countrymen and all have the same name .
They are a complete fucking menace in London .......I would say that I have about 10 incidents a week when they nearly knock me off . They need banning or very strict policing . 
I see at least 2 a week come a cropper on the road ....entirely of their own making.

John Smith? David Jones ? David Smith?

Those names don't sound very Brazilian so probably not

p90fool

Haych said:

@TheBigDipper yes I do have the BMW pannier cases for my bike. The standard GS cases I’ve seen are the Vario cases which can expand depending on what you need to fit inside. 

I was more having a dig at the people who fit the aluminium cases from SW Motech, Givi, Touratech or Lone Rider. They seem a bit ridiculous for the average Joe, and the fitting kit for some of them puts the side cases well wide, especially on the exhaust side. 

I did meet a German GS rider recently who absolutely did use his and his GS was truly road worn and beaten up, not your typical pristine bike that are the normal examples. This guy, Martin his name is, had been all over the world and his bike looked like it was still carrying most of the dust and dirt accumulated. 

I don’t like the lockable top boxes either, they are quite practical but hate the way they look and I just can’t help feeling like I’m delivering for Uber Eats!

To be fair to BMW GS riders I'm a year-round all-weather rider and on shitty days in January the only other full-size motorcycles I see are usually BMWs. 

I'm the first to take the piss out of the "I'd go around the world if I wasn't due back in the office after lunch" look, but they do seem to use their bikes more than most. 

Dominic

if I had to choose a bike just for  winter I'd get that type of bike although Id prefer a Ducati Pikes Peak V4S the minute the road looked like it was drying out
I've had an R9T which is same engine and they ride really nicely 

Haych

Anybody else thinking about reattaching the thermal liners in their jackets/trousers?

Koa

It’s definitely getting colder, I’ll probably put my bike away soon for winter. Just came up due a service now, what’s are the thoughts on having it done now or waiting until next spring?

Kittyfrisk

Koa said:

It’s definitely getting colder, I’ll probably put my bike away soon for winter. Just came up due a service now, what’s are the thoughts on having it done now or waiting until next spring?

If you are going to mothball it until next year, I'd 'winterise' it, but hold off on an oil/fluids service.
Keep it running occasionally as needed & then give it a good clean/flush out when you intend to run it regularly.
Or, simply drain it off completely & recommission it as required.

jaytmon

Time to buy a winter hack is what I’m wondering?! Had an Africa Twin last year which I rode until early Dec and the road salting began. Sold it in spring and went back down to one bike - Multistrada PP which I don’t feel motivated to ride at this time of year. 

Haych

My mileage drops significantly around this time of year. I don’t mind riding it but I’m not enthused when it’s teeming down with rain and five above freezing!

I just wish I had somewhere dry to keep the bike. The shed it lives in is better than nothing but it leaks a bit and due to the material it’s made from, condensation is a bit of an issue

jaytmon

Mine is in a large but open shed, so I add ACF-50 and a winter cover. Have considered one of those plastic tent things that you can enclose a bike in but never actually bothered. 

As an aside, I did an off-road day at the Yamaha Off-road Experience centre this week, and it was raining quite a lot of the time, but it really didn’t matter - we still had a lot of fun riding round the Hafran Forest, yet I’d definitely take the car to work for normal riding!

Devil#20

I've just bought this actual bike. It's no longer attached to a side car though. It's a 1954 Ariel FH Huntmaster 650cc. I saw this video years ago and little knowing that one day I'd own the actual bike. Small world. It's immaculate and all original and probably better than the day it rolled out of the factory in Selly Oak Birmingham in March 1954.  

https://youtu.be/eMZD5lzoHkQ?feature=shared

robinbowes

I had a rare ride out last weekend. A group of friends booked to stay in a large farmhouse and associated barns near Kirkby Stephen for the weekend, and I rode over on my bike. I was supposed to be going with someone else, but they pulled out.

The ride over went well, except I rode into low cloud going over a MoD range and couldn't see far enough to do more than about 20 mph!

The ride out was fine but It was raining when I set off on the return journey. All went mostly OK, but I had a bit of a moment. I came up behind a car doing about 45mph on a fairly windy road. There were plenty of places to pass though, so when one came up I opened up and rode by, I wasn't going all that fast - certainly no more than 60mph. When I was well clear and as I pulled back to the left, I hit a patch of standing water and the backend stepped out. I instinctively corrected (I used to do motocross, so I guess I just felt it), and had a bit of a handlebar wobble, then continued riding. The old ticker was racing for a few minutes after that!

The rest of the journey was uneventful and I got home in one piece.

R.

Dominic

I had a great 100 mile ride today and about 80 miles yesterday
minimal clothing , jeans and a summer lightweight mesh jacket with a sweatshirt beneath
not at all cold .
It's certainly not like 2 weeks ago when I was still riding in shorts .
I noticed a slight wind chill on the back of my neck after a while today so Balaclava on soonjaytmon said:

Time to buy a winter hack is what I’m wondering?! Had an Africa Twin last year which I rode until early Dec and the road salting began. Sold it in spring and went back down to one bike - Multistrada PP which I don’t feel motivated to ride at this time of year. 

Perfect bike for Autumn Spring ........I rode my v4s all through last winter ......carefully thoughKoa said:

It’s definitely getting colder, I’ll probably put my bike away soon for winter. Just came up due a service now, what’s are the thoughts on having it done now or waiting until next spring?

Really ?...........bit soon,
I could understand if it was end Nov/December

jaytmon

Time to buy a winter hack is what I’m wondering?! Had an Africa Twin last year which I rode until early Dec and the road salting began. Sold it in spring and went back down to one bike - Multistrada PP which I don’t feel motivated to ride at this time of year. 

Perfect bike for Autumn Spring ........I rode my v4s all through last winter ......carefully though

I haven’t ridden the V4 Multi but from others’ experience it’s a different beast to the 1260, which has a 17” front wheel, and is essentially an upright sports bike. Fantastic on open roads and twisties and I absolutely love it, but still, the AT for me was a better (and friendlier) bike for cold weather; damp, bumpy county lanes and leafy B roads, with surprisingly better weather protection too. The cockpit/riding position of the V4 is more similar to the AT than the 1260 I’d say. 

Having said all that, I do know someone who used to ride a 675 Daytona all year round, so sometimes it’s just a question of commitment! 

Poboy

Burnin, lootin, rapin' and a-shootin'....

p90fool

Did a couple of hundred miles around Wales on Saturday and was pretty cold on the way home. I've already put the winter windscreens on the Interceptor and my wife's Bonneville yesterday as if the rest of this year is anything to go by it'll either be cold, pissing down or both from now on. 

Devil#20

Haych said:

Anybody else thinking about reattaching the thermal liners in their jackets/trousers?

Yes. However, when it gets to that point there's only a few rides left in the year. I don't need or want to ride in cold weather anymore. My street triple is coming up for MOT soon so might lay it up in the garage and get it sorted when the weather starts improving again.