Category: Bikes
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The Zumo XT is much better than the 346
I’ve bought another Garmin :) In planning our trip to World Ducati Week it became clear I’d be navigating, and the weather would be unpredictable. I’ve found that whenever I have a problem with a phone navigation it’s my fault, but if the Garmin goes wrong then that’s expected, so I decided to at least…
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Fortnine videos
Fortnine has another video: And this is a great demonstration of the standard form of a Fortnine video. They are not a discussion of the various views and theories on a topic, they are his view, backed up by some points he’s found that support it. This one, too, skips a bunch of stuff to…
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Satnav Features
There’s a number of features of a satnav that seem really obvious, yet many or most don’t have them. This is another conversation I keep having, so here’s my list. If you’re building a satnav, please steal these ideas!
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Garmin Zumo 346 “Review”
I’ve spent a long time using various Android phones and apps to navigate on a motorbike, and mostly been unimpressed with dedicated satnavs. I’ve written a not-unbiased comparison of dedicated units with phones and generally while I’m not completely satisfied with the app offerings, they do seem better than using a dedicated unit. I did,…
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XT660R
Numbers Equivalent parts The brake pads are the same (both front and rear) as a Husky 701 Footpegs are compatible with the XT250 (08-18), YZ/WR 125/250/500 (91-96), YZ80 (91-04), XTZ750 Super Ten (89-18) and Husky TC85: https://pivotpegz.com/search?q=PP-16
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Toolroll
“What tools do you carry” is something that’s come up a few times on forums I’m on recently, and the raft of issues at the Taffy last week vindicated my tool selection :) On any ride that I think about, I take my tool roll. This is generally on the Tiger 800 or WR450, but…
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Tiger 800
Here’s a load of info about the Tiger 800. I’ve got a 2012 one, so this is mostly about that shape, but I’ve noted where I know things are irrelevant to the new ones. Expect this to change as I find things. :) I’ve a manual, data sheet and service schedule for the bike (pre-2015),…
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Scotland!
I’d booked a few days off work for a trip to Germany that Mian was planning, but then he crashed and couldn’t afford to go. I’ve made a few attempts at getting to Scotland in the past, each scuppered by other plans being made, and I’ve been hankering to have a go at a trip…
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Motorbike Satnavs
It’s often said that a standalone satnav is far superior than a smartphone app, often for a multitude of reasons that are demonstrably wrong. Here I’ve a list of some of the available options with my opinions of them, followed by an explanation of why I think phones are only mostly better than dedicated units.…
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All Year Riding Gear
I’ve had another discussion on Reddit that went on long enough that I thought I ought to put it somewhere more concisely. It began with the question “What should I buy, and how much should I spend, on all-year riding gear?”. For ‘all year’ or even ‘winter’ riding kit, I’d buy a decent set…
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Riding in Southern Ireland
France has some wonderful scenery but an awful lot of French people. Belgians are much happier to speak English, but have very straight roads and not many hills. Ireland, apparently, has some fantastic scenery and is full of people who speak a pretty recognisable form of English. And they use holiday money, too! So, I…
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Keeping a ride together – The Cornerman System
The cornerman system (or ‘corner marker system’) works pretty well for larger groups, and those with some slow and some fast riders; it encourages overtaking. If there’s only three or four riders, or everyone rides at about the same pace, follow the leader is normally a better match. Most forums try to explain the cornerman…
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Metal Mule pannier frames and a Fuel exhaust on a Tiger 800
The exhaust pipe on the Tiger is ginormous so almost all luggage options require assymetric panniers which look daft. Metal Mule, however, sell a set of their hard-bastard frames in a symmetrical form, for use with with a new narrower silencer (a rebranded Scorpion). That silencer costs £250 and, since the only reason for it…
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Keeping a ride together – follow the leader
Everyone loves the cornerman system, which is explained both in great depth and with much convolution on most motorbike forums. But I quite like playing follow the leader, and much as it’s probably how you ride anyway, sometimes people ask how a ride is going to work. Here’s what I call ‘follow the leader’ and…
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Blimey, that was chilly
So the original question is answered – it *is* possible to ride from Land’s End to Lowestoft overnight on the night of the solstice. It’s also a really stupid idea. And you can still give money to homeless people. I’ve stolen Joel’s pictures and stuck them online here. While in Penzance, we checked the weather…
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Sponsor Me!
I’ve had a silly idea, and figured I should get sponsorship for it: ride motorbikes from the most westerly point of the UK to the most easterly, during the night of the winter solstice. Basically, we’re to leave Land’s End at about dusk on the 21st December and arrive at Lowestoft by dawn on the…
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TCX Sport SS Boots
First Impressions Er, pretty good, really. Not expensive, not Gore Tex either. Fit really well, are light and comfy. Feel very thin. Zip looks a little weak. About a week later I bought these two days before riding to Newquay, which might’ve been a gamble, but actually turned out to be incrediby fortuitous. I bought…
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Schuberth C3
I’ve finally replaced my aging Airoh, and have got a shiny shiny white Schuberth C3, in preparation for a ride to Land’s End next weekend. First Impressions Really good. Really very good. It’s light, comfortable and airy, and the view is fantastic. The visor sits a lot lower than the other helmets I tried on,…