UKC

It seems a while since their has been much motorcycle crack on UKC. I am now into my tenth month of owning a new Africa Twin, I previously had a K1200s, so a radical change which is what I wanted.

Generally really happy with it, despite the reviews it not a slow bike, great handling and nice linear power delivery so you can get the power down very early which equates to FUN !!! Dunlops where terrible in the wet lots of movement, conti attack 2 are way better.

I am taking it out to the Alps and Pyrenees in the summer. 

What's everyone else riding these days ?

I commute on a Honda NC700D which is very boring, but offers brilliant fuel economy and decent weather protection. Have been toying with the idea of changing it possibly to a VFR1200 crosstourer. This would be quite extravagant as I would lose the economy advantage and it would be far worse at filtering with wider handle bars. Key advantage for me would be shaft drive, but I really do not need all this bike for 11k miles a year commuting, and with a young family I don't have the time to go off at weekends touring ,so will prob stick with what I have or change to an NC750X when the 700D has given up the ghost.

Mostly an R1. Last of the carb models before they tamed it down!

Also got a 1965 Triumph Tiger hardtail chop, proper 1970 psychedelic and a 1976 XT500 modified to street bobber(ish).

Bit of an eclectic mix...

Crosstourer is so bloody massive the bars ill go over most cars......i had a test ride on one a year or so back, and found it highly impressive, but not great fun. Engine is phenomenal, but tamed by so many electronics.......would be great for touring, but i found it too big in town (i'm 6'2" and could just put a foot down without shuffling to the side). I always felt very aware of its size, and its not as if I ride ickle things - currently a blackbird, but then was on a VFR750.

As an all rounder alternative, try a Triumph tiger sport. Had a ride on one the same day as the Crosstourer. Not as impressive as the crosstourer, but got on with it immediately, and much much cheaper and easier to ride.

I'm sticking with the blackbird for a while though; a big old bus, but seemingly powered by a small nuclear reactor rather than an engine........

I almost got an Africa Twin but I decided against just down to chain drive. My current toy is a BMW 1200GS Adventure. 300 miles between fill stops is excellent and no chain to adjust. On our last tour of about 2500 miles over 10 days the 2 chain drive bikes (triumph Street triple and a tiger sport both new that week) needed the chain adjusting a few times. I ride 10k a year and have zero faff. 

I do about 300-400 miles a week on a 98 GSX750. Just ticking over to 50k on the clock. Great bike, I am a huge fan of old oil cooled Suzuki’s. It’s unfortunately in full commuter spec right now, top box, fly screen, hand guards, reflective stripes - all the naff stuff. However as soon as I have finished my cafe racer project and bought another commuter I will be taking it off the road to stuff a 1200 engine in it, generally tart it up and make it obscenely fast with the NO2 etc. 

My cafe racer project is a Moto Guzzi V50 which is as old as me. Purists hate me. Not really done much with it so far but I will. 

On the lookout for a 400 Burgman or something cheap and economical to razz down the motorway over winter.

I don’t really ride for fun for the time being, just commuting.

When I actually get time to fire it up, I have a Suzuki SV650S.

Might as well have SORNed it for the last year for the amount I've actually ridden it - young family and other priorities meant it was hard enough to find time to fit a new chain and sprockets, let alone ride it.

Would like something a bit newer, but hard to justify it for the amount I'm riding - wife keeps asking when I'm going to get rid of it, but I like to have it as an option in the garage.

A moto guzzi V7 and a honda cb360 G5, one's busy leaking oil onto the garage floor while the other one's leaking petrol all over the drive.

The dilemma is whether to lose a couple of good weather days fixing them in order to use them to go climbing next week or leave them and go climbing using the car. Decisions, decisions!

Are there any decent electric sport bikes?

My oldish diesel A4 got sick after fitting a new DPF and the diagnostics are throwing up some issues that need fixing before I can even think about cleaning the new DPF. Got two months to try and fix it before its MOT is up. As its summer will do the work myself but it will take a while.

Was looking at getting a new small car and hired one for day to day use whilst I decided.

Have taken some test drives but can’t say I liked any of them. What is it with modern small cars? Why are they so awful? No I don’t want the engine to stop every time I stop moving and no I don’t want to be nagged to change gear.

A throwaway line talking to a friend got me thinking. So am now the owner of a new CB300R. OK, it’s a bit of a step down from the CBR1000 I last rode but as I don’t have to commute to London it’ll do for running around whilst my no claims builds back up. I did think about an electric bike but the only ones currently available are stupidly expensive.

Damn, it’s good to be back on a bike again.

Currently riding a 1200 Multistrada but not riding it anything like as much as I should.

Took it for an MOT today and was embarrased by the pitiful mileage since last year. I blame climbing, before I started climbing I used to be out on the bike all the time.

Got rid of a couple and bought a couple recently, currently in the garage are:

Ducati 916SP

Aprilia Tuono Factory

Aprilia RSV Nera

Honda CBR600F tarted up a bit and used as a track bike.

I swap rides for weeks at a time with a mate, I definitely get the better deal, he's got an RC30, A Fireblade EVO and a Yamaha R7 OW02 as well as a few V4 400's and 80's 2 strokes.

Nearly forgot I've got a Yamaha MT09 Tracer as well, that's how memorable it is, not a bad bike, just a bit dull but capable.

Honda have muffed up the new CRF450L - it's not the dual sport everyone thought, or wanted. But I'll be eyeing up the Yamaha T7 as my plan B.

My university supervisor's*  husband had one of those when they were new. I sat on it, my elbows were in my armpits.

*(the sadly late and very great Magdalena Midgley whom you've probably heard of)

DL650 V-Strom. Does everything I need. Eats up the miles in comfort, nice wide (well, wide for my skinny arse) comfy seat. Nips along nicely and has wonderful centre of gravity. Tall enough riding position to see far ahead (I'm <5'8"). And can get over a couple of hundred miles between fuel stops. Would carry a lot of climbing gear easily.

Exactly because of this I've got raised bars, my ageing bones couldn't cope with the standard ones for long. 

One of these?

youtube.com/watch?v=mXzVNFrLzk0&

I’ve been riding a Tracer 900 for the last 9 months. It’s a much lighter bike than the Tiger Explorer I had before, and seems equally quick and easier to move around. It’s great fun on the twisty roads too. I also got rid of the stock Dunlops which made a big improvement. 

Great clip, I can identify the mountains but not sure about the bike, seems to go well. I particularly like the aria helmet and protective clothing. 

I did not realise that the  Glencoe road ( A82) was that narrow back in the 70's.