Jump to content

wessie

Premium Member
  • Posts

    2,473
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by wessie

  1. I did, in 2015. As I ordered a Diva with some bespoke choices there was a delay but that was down to the factory not the retailer. I have not ordered anything from them since but would certainly use them again.
  2. I used the Kappa RA307 on my Tracer and continue to use it on other bikes - it is the same size and a similar design to the Givi XS308 shown above. Kappa & Givi have the same parent company.
  3. I had a Givi Monokey set-up on my Tracer. I do not have the bike now. I have installed their kits to multiple bikes. Note, a number of the original Monokey kits for the Tracer had the wrong part in the box for the rear cross brace. My dealer (an Italian mail order company) was on the ball and shipped the correct part to me within a few days. That boggled my mind as I thought I had done something wrong I am not familiar with the Outtrekker side cases. Do you mean Trekker Monokey cases or, as I suspect, the Trekker Outback cases? What I have found with Givi is to assemble everything very loosely to begin with, then tighten up once happy it is assembled correctly. IIRC, and I looked at the online PDF, the rear rack only attaches to the rear mount for the side case bracketry. Therefore, you will need a spacer only on the front mount to keep everything parallel. Without the rear rack you need 2 spacers but maybe the diagrams do not make this clear. Take car with removing the bolts on the footrests. Mine were done up with blue Loctite and this was stronger than the nasty alloy Yamaha used on the bolt. I had to get quite brutal with one of them after rounding off the allen head, drilling the hole deeper and then hammering in a Torx socket.
  4. No. Yamaha has a 2A fuse on that socket with very thin wiring. It's for charging a phone or satnav. As the battery is easily accessible, just use the crocodile clips.
  5. I have the similar Stop n Go one - this is 4" x 2" x 6" (10cm x 5cm x 7.5cm) - it is an assumption the RAC one is the same dimensions
  6. I put a Tutoro oiler on my Tracer as I was, at that time, commuting a lot on the bike in all weathers. Changed jobs now and mostly use my car. The XR is only used for leisure and so far, in 5000 miles has not needed the chain adjusted, although it has had a service and a tyre change so may have had adjustment then. I use an aerosol lube occasionally and wash in paraffin once in a blue moon. On the trip to France, it got lubed once in 2000 very dry miles. Modern chains are fantastic and just don't wear like chains of old. I do prefer shaft drive and I have owned 4 shaft driven bikes (R1150GS, Super Tenere 1200, Explorer 1200 and R1200RS) but they do add weight and cost to a bike. I think if I was commuting a lot on a bike I would have the R1200RS. The low centre of gravity from the boxer engine and shaft drive are big plus points. If you do DIY servicing then boxer engines are easy to work on and relatively cheap even if you pay a BMW dealer. If I had to sell a bike, I think it would be the RS, though. The XR is just more fun - I have just got back from a ride on it in between this post and my last one. I deliberately ignored it for July and just rode the RS that month. I prefer the more upright riding position with the wider bars and the rate of acceleration is something else, making overtakes effortless. Part of that is having minimal power loss in the final drive due to the chain.
  7. RS with the new 1250 engine has just hit the showrooms - shame the colours are a bit naff. My lupin blue bike is very pretty
  8. I owned an MT09 Tracer form 2015 to 2017. I tried the XR a few years ago and did not gel with it. Also tried the MT10 and had the same thought about that. I bought a BMW R1200RS as I fell in love with that bike when I rode it in 2016. The Tracer was largely unridden except for commuting so I changed it for a Triumph Explorer 1200. Big mistake and last year I swapped the Explorer for a 2016 S1000XR with factory lowered suspension. This modification transformed the bike in terms of how I perceived the ride. The ergonomics were really nice and the bike also came with the BMW HP seat upgrade. I took the XR on a nearly 2000 mile tour of France, Germany & Luxembourg in late June. I love the bike. With 160bhp it is quick obviously. The quickshifter is the best I have used (very clunky on the R1200RS) and the semi-automatic Sachs suspension is superb. I love this bike, possibly more than the RS, which was a surprise to me. BMW must have a replacement XR in the pipeline as they are offering a £1500 finance contribution for 2019 models. I'm not tempted by a newer model of the same bike but I will have a dilemma next year: keep 2x 2016 bikes which are both fun to ride or chop them both in for a brand new S1000XR which might have 200bhp The XR in the Vosges in June:
  9. I bought my Bagster seat from Silverstone in France. The Diva version can be customised with or without logos in a variety of colours. I recommend the Bultex foam option. Selle Yamaha - Silverstone Motor
  10. reviving an old thread - this is available in the UK and looks very similar to the Stop n Go device, minus the pouch RAC Compact Air Compressor 12V | Tyre Inflators | Screwfix.com Order online at Screwfix.com. High pressure inflator with an analogue...
  11. I am pretty sure the vast majority have whatever the Yamaha dealer supplies. IIRC, that was their own synthetic Yamalube. ShopYamaha.com - Yamaha Apparel & Accessories SHOPYAMAHA.COM Shop online with Yamaha apparel and riding gear and purchase Genuine Yamaha accessories including Star Custom accessories and GYTR performance products. Look up Genuine Yamaha Parts and find your local... Follow what it says in your manual, not mythology from days when making engines was a craft rather than a precision industrial process where tolerances are incredibly tight and lubricants are made in laboratories not buckets on a castor bean farm.
  12. try http://hilltopmotorcycles.co.uk/ - Geoff has a very good reputation but I have not used his services
  13. I connected my Keis jacket & insoles directly to the battery via a fused lead supplied with the jacket. I had a pigtail sticking out from under the seat. The wiring in the accessory socket is designed to supply phones & satnavs. The wiring might get hot if you stuff 50W through it.
  14. I took one for a spin today and posted this elsewhere: By popular request, a review of my test ride on the Moto Guzzi V85TT. Bike from Blade in Swindon who charge £10 for insurance which has a £250 excess. The bike is the premium model with multi-colour "Ronald McDonald" with Michelin Anakee tyres. It looks really nice with good quality materials and the yellow paint scheme is not too offensive. It is the only bike in stock so far so can't compare with other colours. Switch gear is easy to use but different to every other make I have ridden so takes a bit of getting used to. Clutch is very light. Gear changes are precise but you need to be gentle with the clutch or it will snatch - a characteristic of the Guzzi I believe due to the way it is engineered. The LED lights are very bright - the bike was brought around from the back and I looked straight at the eagle logo and felt my retinas evaporating just from the DRLs. Screen is colour LED and you can pair it with a phone. Supposedly adjusts the brightness depending on weather. There were times I looked at the speedo and just had a reflection. Mirrors are very good. They only vibrate when stationary with the engine running. Vibes are well balance when on the move. You need to give it plenty of revs when pulling away. You can short shift but the motor seems to like being revved. Using the gears to slow down, approaching a roundabout or tight corner, is undramatic as long as you remember to use the clutch. I am too spoilt by autoblipping, down the box quickshifters. The engine noise is disappointing but the performance is sprightly considering only 80bhp. I was probably doing 60-70 from Cirencester to Bibury where I would be doing over 80 on the XR. The worst thing is the screen. 60-70 felt fast enough on A roads due to the racket. 80+ even for the short distance from Ciren to Swindon on the A419 was tiresome. I would add a Puig spoiler or similar. The best thing is the handling. This was a huge surprise, especially on the Anakee tyres. The speed of the steering is just lovely. It takes so little effort to initiate a turn. On the A435 from Seven Springs to Ciren there are some fast sweepers and it tracks a line really well. Most ADV bikes need plenty of countersteering to stop them drifting wide. As you would expect, on single track, bumpy roads the bike comes into its own. The road from Bibury through Ablington back to the A429 has steep hills, gravel and bumpy straights. No dramas and 60-70 across the bumpy straights was easy going. I reset the fastest speed trip on the way back. It read 113mph. You get disco LEDs around the display when you go over the recommended revs for running in. Orange then red. I saw them quite a bit. The bike only had 180 miles on the clock at the start and 250 afterwards. It took quite a while to get to that speed on the private road. A R1200GS appeared in my mirror in Barnsley as I was behind traffic. As we left the 30 limit he had no trouble disappearing with his 50% more bhp. Cruise control works well. Switch is thumb operated. I prefer the index finger tab on the BMWs. At least it is on the left unlike my Explorer. Seat was okay on the 60 odd miles. Firm support. I could just get both feet on the floor with my 31" inseam. Peg position okay, didn't scrape. My right hip did complain a bit. A slightly canted forward position seems to suit it better. Very well balanced a low speed and I was confidently filtering through traffic on my way back into Swindon. It's a very nice bike and looks so much nicer than the KTM 790 (I sat on one, they have a demo) but ultimately, it's not nice enough to make me change either of the BMWs.
  15. Clothing with a Goretex liner will have a DWR coating which will help prevent wet crap contaminating the outer layer. This does wear off but I find a wash once, maybe twice, a year with something like Nikwax Tech wash and then treatment with Nikwax TX Direct cleans and refreshes the DWR coating. I do this in a washing machine - Tech wash in the soap drawer and TX Direct where you put the fabric conditioner so it is added with the final rinse. My goto brand is Rukka. I try to buy their products on closeout. Not sure if you get them in the US but they have a reputation in Europe on the level with Klim.
  16. UK: Shoei Neotec in white only £300 https://www.mandp.co.uk/clearance/shoei-neotec-flip-front-helmet.html
  17. For UK riders, M&P have a batch of the original Shoei Neotec in white for £300 - modular flip helmet with drop down visor. Hurry before they go. https://www.mandp.co.uk/clearance/shoei-neotec-flip-front-helmet.html I bought an anthracite one when they had the last batch. Great helmet for the price.
  18. What you're quoting about the 'spec' tells me nothing I don't already know. Doesn't say what the hybrid anti-corrosion additives are or in what percentage they exist. Looking up the MSDS of Yamacool; however, tells me that it is at least a phosphate based inhibitor package. I've seen the effects of using "any old glycol based shet" on water pump impellers, clogged heater cores, and rubber seals, and I would never recommend it. I recently inspected the valves on a friend's 2005 FJR 1300, which required draining the coolant and removing the coolant pipe which runs into the cylinder head. Someone at some point had put that crappy coolant in it and as a result the rubber o-rings basically disintegrated when the coolant pipe was removed. Evidence of aluminum corrosion was abundant. Cleaned it up the best I could. So remind me not to buy a used bike from you. But its your bike so do as you please. My point is that you can buy a quality coolant and not spend a fortune. Thanks for the insult and I will return in kind. Your so called analysis of the FJR is based on huge assumptions and your own prejudice. That crappy coolant may have been pond water. You have no evidence to say what was used in the engine: tap water, ditch water, Walmart's finest coolant or a premium brand. You have no evidence about the frequency the coolant was changed, if ever. I follow the maintenance schedule for all of my vehicles. I use materials specified by the manufacturer and I suffer very few breakdowns. I'd rather follow the advice in the relevant service schedule than some sour faced bloke on the internet.
  19. in Europe, Yamalube is orange! https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/accessories/yamalube/careline/service-maintenance/yamalube-coolant/YMD-65049-00-82/details.acc The spec is given on the page "Contains reinforced hybrid anti-corrosion additives, based on mono-ethyleneglycol, suitable for light aluminium alloys used for engine design" Claims to be compatible with other fluids - my 2015 bike came with blue fluid which is still in there after 16900 miles. If it gets changed it will be any old glycol based shít from a local motor factor
  20. Grumpy wants links: https://www.fc-moto.de/en/Rukka-Chariklo-Gore-Tex - I bought a black one but it's only available in one size, Euro 58, and the pale grey colour now.
  21. Just bought a Rukka Chariklo - was on sale at FC Moto in Germany. This replaced another Rukka jacket that had mysteriously shrunk. Sold that for £100, bought new one for £330 including a top level back protector. It has a Goretex liner, zipped vents and a winter liner. Did a 2000 mile trip to South of France. Very good jacket, especially at that price. For commuting I have 2x top quality but very worn Hein Gericke Cruise Goretex jackets. One has the winter liner in, one has the liner out. I just pick the one appropriate for the temperature. I also have a barely used Sportex Apollo leather jacket that gets an occasional outing on sunny days. That jacket has done several trips around Europe back in the days when I wore only leather and good quality textiles were rare. There's also the Keis heated waistcoat and a mesh jacket for use on summer tours to Italy. Finally, last year I bought a Weise jacket, reduced from £150 to £60. This will probably take over as the commuter jacket once the Hein Gerickes finally fall apart. It's not comfortable enough for long trips.
  22. Shoei's current marketing campaign is to push their GT Air as a quiet helmet - some older designs are being heavily discounted in the UK with a third off making them an attractive prospect if your budget is around 300 quid. https://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/store/helmets/shoei-helmets/shoei-gt-air/,,548 is one retailer offering discounts.
  23. for the UK check http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/sale-clearance-1056 - they have a big shop in Bristol but also wholesale to others for many brands inc Weise. I scored a Weise Dolomite jacket last year for £60 and mid-season waterproof gloves for £19 Current good price on the Dynastar jacket for £149 http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/weise-dynastar-evo-jacket-11424
  24. Lithium ion batteries have a different charge requirements that a lead acid or gel. The charger must not desulfate the battery. My battery tender charger is over twenty years old and I am unsure if it is safe to use on this type of battery. So I bought one from Amazon just for the lithium ion batteries. I will be buying more of this type of battery in the future. Kurt Lithium Iron, LiFe or LiFePo are vehicle batteries Lithium ion batteries are those used in phones. They are two different technologies.
  25. My bike had its annual bath. The chain got its 6 monthly clean with paraffin.
×