A Picture a Day

[austin]

Took this out again, first time in a year or so.

It nearly broke me.

I always say I'll fit on whatever I want to fit on, and I do like this thing, but after 2 hours my back and wrists are killing me.

Every time I get on it I have to grin, it's such a giggle. The first 7000 rpm it's a nice kind bike that's surprisingly luggable (Pottering around town, 30 mph in top gear, 2500 rpm, perfectly feasible!) but it's got that second 7000 rpm...

Perfect little sportsbike, where a modern liter bike with hundreds of horsepower, you give one half-hearted tug on the throttle in first gear and you're doing speeds that are a hazard to continued possession of a licence. This you can take to 5-digit rpms in all gears and not fracture the speed limits too badly. So it's not fast, but it sure feels like it is.

But I never really get on it. Because it kills my back, and because my internal satnav is hardwired to the GS and the kind of bumpy shite roads with grass in the middle are not compatible with a sporty little pocket rocket with clip ons. Oh well. But it sure is a giggle to wind one of these up to 14000 rpm.

My youngest son had one of those as his first big bike. I bought of Alan??? In Bristol who used to post a lot on Xrv.org. Brilliant bike. I shoved some washers in the inlet manifold to restrict it for his licence but never really knew if they worked or not and also strongly suspect they were removed very soon afterwards anyway. Used and abused in the way only a 17 year old can yet it continued to purr and scrub up the way only 1980s Hondas can. They don’t make them like that anymore.

Eldest son had a CB250 hornet at the same time. If you think that CB1 was is fun, the hornet was even better. Similar power to the CB1 but Redlined at 17000 rpm it felt like you were thrashing it even when you weren’t, gear valves etc etc. Fantastic handling, son could ride rings round me on the Varadero I had at the time. He rode from here to Cornwall and back in a weekend once. He said he ran it in 5th on the motorway at 14,000 rpm+ the whole whole time. Never missed a beat.

 

[Rubberchicken]

I have a baggie with a set of those washers, should any buyer want them. And a spare shortened WP shock for the really short of arse plus half a bike in spare parts...

I got this one for free, sort of a rescue. The owner wanted to bring it to a wrecker because it had been sitting under a tarp outside for a few years so surely it was knackered after all that time... But I knew it had been maintained before that, so in went a new Varta and a $6 fuel pump off Ali, drain the carbs, bit of cranking, job's a good un. So they gave the whole lot to me instead.

But yeah, absolute peach of an engine, seems indestructible and the revs just keep on coming. Bit rusty in places due to age and storage and definitely in need of a service, but it's not even done 15k miles so it's practically brand new really.

I am going to miss that thing when it goes.

 

[PHILinFRANCE]

No elbow grease and this pruning saw inthe scabbard, green handle above the back wheel

 

[Steve T]

A Spring like picture . . . seeing as it's allegedly Springtime . . .

1st time out for the NC since October last year. Taxed it on the 1st April but due to persistent precipitation for the past 3 days, today presented the 1st dryish afternoon, so orf out I popped.

Snow tomorrow
, so back into the garage goes the bike & me

Steve T

 

[PHILinFRANCE]

Never seen one of those Steve , looks very long

 

[Lowflyer]

A Spring like picture . . . seeing as it's allegedly Springtime . . .

1st time out for the NC since October last year. Taxed it on the 1st April but due to persistent precipitation for the past 3 days, today presented the 1st dryish afternoon, so orf out I popped.

Snow tomorrow
, so back into the garage goes the bike & me

Steve T

Not looking good for the next few days Steve, getting sick of it now. Think we've had rain for the past four days now, with more stuff heading in.

 

[Steve T]

Pish weather John. Woke this morning to sleat (not high enough up for snow). And the rain has come back after a couple of hours break in the showers.

Getting reet fed up of having to towel the hounds off after every walk, plus my fingers go numb after just half an hour in the garage (cleaning the BM after its winter use)

Steve T

 

[Steve T]

Little black beasty on the road again after a 5 month hibernation whilst the F800GS got all salty . . .

Not a great amount of miles, but enough to near enough empty the tank

Steve T

 

[Lowflyer]

I was tempted this morning, but decided to leave until later. Tomorrow looks good
Was there much wind Steve ?

 

[Steve T]

Breezy John, but I'd say its got stronger this afternoon with us.

Tomorrow does indeed look to be a better weather day.

 

[Steve T]

Managed to grab an hour and a bit of "on bike" time this afternoon. A few pictures from a favourite brew stop site at Grantown . . .

As I took the 1st picture, this little critter crawled out of a crevice in the bridges block work . . .

I think it's a Pipistrel. As I opened my oat snack bar, the rustling of the wrapper was enough for the little beasty to crawl back into its hidy-hole. Very un-expected treat on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Grantown.

Thanks for the call yesterday evening John and sorry for missing your call this morning. I took it as read that you'd realise that a full day out riding wasn't on the cards

Steve T

 

[Lowflyer]

No worries Steve, some other time
Left at 0900 in very wet conditions, got to Garve, and nice sunny weather Met Rick at Kyleakin, had blether and went for a scoot.
Great ride on relatively quiet and, more importantly, dry roads

 

[PHILinFRANCE]

 

[PHILinFRANCE]

 

[PHILinFRANCE]

Just picked up a drop of wine

 

[Rubberchicken]

Doesn't look like a big dip in the picture but if you hit it with some speed it's enough to bottom out the suspension on either end, even with the DRZ fork. Whoops.

Making tracks. The rear got some air time on the rebound, bit of skidding, wiggle, onwards. The PD is quite stable.

Nice moody mirror shot from the ferry: