wessie

Am I wrong in thinking that when I opened "tech Specs" on the Shoei page - http://www.shoei-helmets.com/Helmet.aspx?Neotec&h=21&t=1 that I expected to see the weight? This is one of my main considerations for a helmet. http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/shoei-neotec says 1.61kg so 250g heavier than a fixed helmet like the NXR

At legal cruising speeds, or just above, so 70-85mph I often leave the bike in 5th gear as the transmission has a more pleasing note. At those speeds in 6th the transmission spins at a lower repm, obviously, and the note is not so nice. In Germany where speeds can be higher for long periods on the unrestricted autobahn then I use 6th as at 100mph cruising, the transmission note is more pleasing.

Good news. So far, after I pioneered using the Bagster seat, there are no bad reports to my knowledge. I find I get off the bike and then remember that I haven't been fretting about the seat on the journey. It's usually some other age related part of my body such as knees or finger joints that moan first. Or my bladder.

Your mother must be one of the oldest people in Australia. Enjoy the day

I don't get your rationalisation Reminds me of the sort of cap that used to get left on the top of a petrol pump with regular monotony. I prefer a cap that cannot be left behind at a gas station and cannot be opened by an opportunist to either nick the petrol, lob in some Pepsi or a match. Removing the keys from the ignition to open the cap means you are unlikely to wander into the shop to pay with the keys left in the bike (most places in the UK mean going to a counter to pay but you may be 100% pay at pump).

It's happened to me once, maybe twice. In my last life, as a tech in a Xerox factory in the UK I have some experience of this type of oddity. I put the casue down to a confused electron or two. As with your home PC, washing machine etc, the ECU on the Yamaha will not boot up correctly on occasion. Something interrupts the loading of the operating system from ROM to RAM, a sensor does not send the right reading, an alien dematerialised nearby etc etc. As with your home PC, turning it off and back on again fixes it. It's not something to get anxious about, all electronics do it, even military spec. stuff.

they have reduced it by £50 - bargain!

http://fj-09.org/thread/1646/fitted-any-alternative-hand-guards has pictures & sources - google the part no. 6030217910030 to find local sources - in the UK they are in stock at Fowlers in Bristol (also mail order)

Bagster has the same slope as the OE seat Yes, you slide forward but I don't find it too much of a problem, I just move back periodically, which is the sort of shuffling we all do to flex limbs on a longer journey. Yes the Bagster seat fits in high or low positions. I think all of these points have been covered in the Bagster specific thread.

Remember, the Bagster, Corbin and Sargent seats come with a new seat pan so you are not making a like for like comparison. If you have your seat modified that is a one off cost for which you benefit from for however long you own the bike. You are unlikely to recover any of that cost when you sell the bike. With the Bagster/Sargent/Corbin seat you have some choices. You can sell the OE seat(s) straight away to offset the cost of the new seat or you can keep both seats, then refit the OE seat when you change the bike and sell the Bagster/Sargent/Corbin one. I will take the 2nd option and I will probably recover £150 of the £261 outlay. The maths don't look so bad now, compared to paying £60 to £100 to have my seat modified by someone like Tony Archer. Especially as whilst the seat is away being modified, you cannot ride the bike.

http://www.sargentcycle.co.uk/acatalog/mt-09-tracer-2015-on-front-and-rear-motorcycle-seats.html Prices have been announced - standard 2 piece seat is £356 delivered to a UK address. This has Carbon effect fabric & black piping Coloured piping is an extra £19. Heat is extra £120 per seat (so £240 for rider & pillion) The backrest is an eye watering £365 so get a Givi topbox! The UK distributor has the rights for the whole of Europe so EU/EEA prices will be the same plus extra for shipping. Non EU/EEA countries may have to pay import tax. In the US, the seat is $470 plus $20 shipping so only about a £20 difference, which is remarkable based on past experience of UK/US price differentials. However, I paid £261 to get my Bagster seat, so the Sargent is still an expensive option.

With respect to telling which end has ABS activating, it is quite easy to tell as the back pressure is felt through the lever/pedal. I often feel the rear ABS modulate on a very steep downhill road with a 90 degree bend at the bottom. The front end is so loaded there is very little traction for the rear tyre so the ABS triggers even with light rear braking. If you can't feel the brake pedal modulate then you need to see your doctor quickly as you may have some neuropathic problem.

It won't be scientifically valid. I equate that term to something that would stand up to scrutiny to be published in an academic journal. The last sentence also suggests that if the study does not confirm your assumptions then you will change the parameters until the results do verify your assumptions. This is a model used by large corporations when they pay a university to undertake research on their behalf. They only publish the results that back up the marketing and suppress any data that contradicts their so called findings.

that would be anecdotal evidence, rather than scientific as you are not controlling the variables mentioned in the previous post

For UK readers, Scorpion helmets came out very well in a recent Ride magazine test. EXO 1200 Air are from £228 in older colours, plain black £250 in Helmet City. what seems a bargain are the earlier model EXO1000 Air for £120 http://www.helmetcity.co.uk/scorpion-exo-1000-air/ both 1200 & 1000 are ECE 22-05 Certified & Gold ACU Approved. The Air models in the UK have inflatable cheek pads which might be a good idea SHARP testing results not so good http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/scorpion-exo-1200-air - 3* from 5, due to poor side impact test Compare to Shoei Qwest: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/shoei-qwest which gets full 5 stars. In the UK the Qwest is the same price as the EXO1200. Ultimately, head shape will dictate a helmet purchase but I will certainly add Scorpion to the list of helmets to try and the old model at £120 seems a bargain if you can live with knowing it is not so good as a Shoei in extreme testing conditions.

It's all very well doing this on dry roads without the distraction of other road users and pedestrians. Now go and repeat your tests, simulating urban streets in winter where it's raining, you exit a roundabout to find a pedestrian has ignored the red man light, stepped into the road and a truck has just spilled diesel on the road. It's situations like this, that are relatively common for commuters in UK cities, that make ABS a lifesaver for the rider and maybe others. I would also rather the car following had ABS so the driver doesn't lock up and ram me up the arse after I stop.

I'm happy with the end of line Shoei XR1100 (RF1200 in US) for £250. Bought a 2nd one as I have invested in a dark visor and thinner cheek pads. Hopefully the X4 idea of the removable layer on the padding is passed down to the cheaper models in the range

The X4 was a bit of a gamble for me. I've always liked the looks of these types of helmets but was a little concerned about lift and drag from the peak. Has been faultless and very comfortable. The only downside is having to remove the peak to change visors.... and the price...

In the EU, ABS is mandatory for larger capacity bikes now. Older bikes with ABS have switches to disable it (e.g. my 2000 model R1150GS). More recent bikes do not have a switch and disabling the ABS on a bike designed to have it "always on" could affect an insurance claim, especially one where a collision or venture into the scenery was involved. Personally, I am very confident in my braking ability and rarely trigger the ABS in everyday riding - maybe the rear on a steep downhill where weight is transferred to the front, reducing rear grip, making a lock up easier. However, as a winter commuter, I would rather the bike had ABS just because I come across junctions with diesel spills, icy strips under hedgerows & trees, wet manhole covers etc. I see most hazards but in half light when I might be cold or half asleep I am happy for the computer to intervene.

Be careful with that. While the tread is exactly the same, the OEM tire is NOT a multi-compound tire, but the Roadsmart II is. So, if you still have an OEM tire on the bike, the Roadsmart II may cause stability issues, and this bike is already pretty sensitive to stability. If you're going with Roadsmart II on the front and you still have an OEM tire on the rear, I highly suggest replacing the rear as well even if its service life isn't finished.Read back, the OEM rear tyre was binned at 6k. Although not sure, I'm assuming he ran a new rear Roadsmart 2 with the OE D222 untilt he front wore out. This combination is fine as I and many others have done it. I'm assuming he now has a new front and part worn rear, both Roadsmart 2.

For 20 quid you can remove all worry about the clutch cable - buy a spare, stick it under the seat. Fit it or get someone else to fit it if the original breaks. I have done over 10,000 miles and @johan has done over 12,000 miles on a Tracer without a problem. When we go on a long trip we take our personal technician, who used to be a BMW tech for Park Lane in London. So far we haven't bothered him but I am confident he will get the job done in no time whilst I supervise with a Weissbier in hand.

Only source for UK owners seems to be Ebay from China & Hong Kong. I can't find any EU supplier which suggests they are not CE marked, even with a baffle added. Rarely a problem in the UK if you can find a friendly MOT test place once the bike is 3 years old, but German and especially Swiss police/customs are a bit fussy when it comes to such things. As a third of my annual mileage is in places foreign I will stick to legal offerings, although 120bhp is appealing.

I use a simple procedure that my sales guy showed me to get it on the center stand.1. Left hand on left handlebar. 2. Right hand on left passenger hand grip. 3. Right foot on center stand. 4. Shift all your weight onto your right foot, lifting the bike onto the center stand, while guiding with your arms. You don't need to lift much with your arms because your body weight lifts the bike, and your hands don't get cut by the hand-holds. exactly - the main stand on this bike has a good pivot action - just make sure both feet of the stand are on firm ground and then use your right foot to load the lever with your body weight.

Do you live in Belgium @zachd - I can understand needing those lights & horn in Belgium where most car drivers seem to have evolved to a point where their ears & eyes have limited function.

12v socket is unaffected by rain. It has been tested today in the Ardennes. There is a drain hole.