It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Advisories on the tyres, and the front brake - which it gets every year, and every year the tester tells me it's barely perceptible and needs no attention, begs the question why it's an advisory but who am I to judge ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I guess at some point I'll need to change the discs but they're well within tolerance and it seems to stop very well so for now they stay put.
Over the weekend I checked the valve clearances - managed to sheer off a small bolt for the engine guard, bit annoyed at myself for that so looks like I'll have to get a drill suitable for drilling out stainless to get that out. My stud extractor won't even touch it, and even if it did it's welded itself into place!
I also replaced the front wheel bearings on Saturday. I had a bit of a whine coming from the front when banked into a corner so for £20 figured it was about time they were changed. Fun times trying to get those out of the wheel hub without a puller! Some ingenuity on my part (pair of old pliers, a Bessey clamp, a big chisel and a hammer!) along with a bit of brute force and ignorance and they came out, though. Saved myself £50 on a bearing puller, too! Result!
Noise is still there, so I'm guessing it's not bearing noise and is actually coming from the tyres as I thought it might be - they've cupped quite badly and it sounds a bit like a landrover in a corner - Michelin Road 6s in the shed ready to go on so no issue really. One of the bearings at least was overdue for replacement - dry, noisy and rough - so I'm not annoyed at going to the trouble of swapping them.
Going to take care of a few more service items in the coming weeks, just fluids and filter changes and then it ought to be ready for its Pyrenean adventure in June!
Cannot. Wait!
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
What are you guys using in the way of helmets? My Shark skwal is staring to let in water and a high pitched whine so thinking of replacing it with something a bit more upmarket (fit dependent). It seems the 'quiet' helmets I find don't fit my head well on the forehead and are Sena comms ready whereas I'm Cardo.
New windscreen ordered and hopefully that will help with the insane amount of noise I'm getting at the moment
Shoei - wrong head shape for me, tried a few on and none of them fit right.
HJC - in between sizes, I have a small noggin and the small in HJC is annoyingly that little bit too tight and the medium way too large.
AGV - decent fit, I have a K6, I find it fairly quiet and have a Cardo Packtalk Bold fitted to it, not a bad helmet at all, the visor opening/closure system is a bit of a faff to open sometimes but otherwise not bad at all, would recommend.
Arai - best fit of any helmet I've ever tried, supremely comfortable. I have the Quantic, looks good and is well made but has a couple of annoyances - the visor opening catch thing is a bit annoying and the visor needs an extra shove to seat it home properly. I modified the opener and it works much better now. Overall it's on par with the K6 for noise with the top vents closed - open them and it does get noisier - I don't use them much so not a massive issue for me.
I have the same Cardo system fitted to the Quantic as well.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Regarding noise, have you tried earplugs? I don’t ride without them now. I had a Tracer when they first came out, I remember it being incredibly noisy, wind wise. I think most adventure style bikes are doomed to be fairly buffety just because of the (lack of) aerodynamics.
Most cheaper brands were somewhere in between.
New windscreen coming today so hopefully that'll help or if not, I'll take it off and try a small sports or just naked at the front.
Can't wait for a proper tour on this thing
Previously an AGV K6. Liked that, too and the aperture was a little bigger (for those of us wearing glasses). Also very quiet. The lining/padding didn't last and replacements from AGV are expensive. When new, just as nice as the Shoei. But it felt old very quickly.
Prior to that, a Shoei GT-Air (not the 2). Also very good.
I too do not usually fit an Arai head. About 20 years ago, Arai made a helmet with a Shoei-style shell (roundheaded) rather than their normal one (long, front-to-back but narrow, ear-to-ear - or at least that's how they feel on my bonce). I liked that one, too, but they stopped doing them.
I think there's little to choose between Arai and Shoei that actually matters, apart from "does the shell fit your head?".
Last year was quite the hoot as around 1,000 bikes basically clogged the road to Christchurch.
If everyone else is in agreement then let's book it for 18th!
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
http://alrmusicblog.blogspot.com/ (updated Feb 2023)
I just wondered if any of the 'board members had anything.