New Year. Happy or Otherwise.
Week 1
Happy New Year. 2011 is upon us.
YamYamBiker.com seems a bit weird when there is no bike involved. I don’t really know what I am going to do about that. I will return to biking I am sure, but I don’t know what to do in the meantime. Change the title to reflect the content? Or just leave it as is….?
2010 was the fastest year of my life so far, it was but a blip on the calendar of life. I don’t know why it went so fast but I know for sure I don’t like the way it did. I am going to have a quick whip around the year’s postage and see what I got up to….
…
Well the first post of 2010 was regarding the GSR and it’s failings as a bike. I had left it in the work’s garage over Christmas due to the crap weather and it seized up in to a block of rust. Awesome. I also posted about my new Uncle-Hood and my lovely new Niece. That was a year ago…holy shit.
Second post was along the same lines. Brakes seized, £80 before it’s even moved, whacked my head, angry, went inside to look at BMW 1200GS bikes. I justified it to myself that I need a bike that is designed to sit in -2°C with road salt on it and not rust. What an idiot. There isn’t a motorcycle known to man that would withstand that punishment.
I posted a video of a guy on a BMW trying to do doughnuts in the snow. Idiot.
KTM 125cc concepts brought to life in the new 125cc naked bike. Smart. I also found a motorcycle air conditioning system which I thought was hilarious…
Big post on the VFR1200F. I made the point that a bike that is designed for touring/bad weather riding shouldn’t have 170bhp. Comments were generally that I should get a moped if I can’t handle that amount of power. I got annoyed because the folk who said that probably have never been on a cobbled icy downhill slope….I’m getting annoyed again.
January done.
Only a handful of posts, some videos and my artwork. Also a guy with a radiator strapped to his back on his bike, in the middle of Glasgow.
1 post. 1 measly post. But a good one. Ben Spies artwork was completed and looks amazing.
2 posts this month!!….One post talking about Limited Edition Ben Spies artworks (please buy them if you are interested………….) and one post that started one of the best moments in my motorcycling life. I started thinking about buying a Yamaha MT-01….the original beefcake.
The big month. I buy a used but great condition Yamaha MT-01. It’s a dream come true for me, I wanted one since I first thought about getting in to motorcycles. Even before my test and before YamYam started. I still remember listening to a sound clip of an MT-01 from start to 100mph, and I still remember to this day thinking about how smart this thing was. Well I had the opportunity to buy one and I did.
I then had various issues with it. Head bearings broke, the rear rim was seriously dented which I had a bit of a hoo-ha with the garage about. Got it fixed and it all seemed to be fine.
Fitted an alpha-dot.
Got the rim fixed on the MT-01, handed the GSR in to the same garage to get the head bearings replaced. Ended up being £185 after being quoted £100. Had a big argument with the dealer and ended up just paying it. But I swore never to go back there ever again..and didn’t.
2 posts discussing my love for the MT. Decide it’s the best bike in the whole wide world.
I get the bus because my MT got a flat whilst riding in to my hometown. My new back tire reminds me of when I got a new back tire on the GSR and ended up redlining away from Stuart’s garage. We ride up to the west coast to see my Uncle Michael and the MT performs brilliantly. I ran over a frog.
I go to Knockhill with Rossy Boy and almost see a man die.
I sell my GSR on grounds of not being able to afford running it in to the ground. I am glad and buy new golf clubs with the proceeds.
I write one post on the Pope visiting Edinburgh. I also have an altercation with a man in a Subaru that almost costs me my dignity.
I have a bit of a moany month. I get frustrated by the complete lack of ability of some folk to drive their cars. I get my MOT done on the MT at a garage that employs a bunch of greasy know-it-all salesmen who think that rubbing your whole bike lovingly is good service. I also put the MT to bed for the winter, the first time in my 4 year biking career.
I write about getting the train and how it’s easier than I first thought. I actually read a whole book in a week…I also design some loudspeakers but naebody is bothered.
Two posts, one to say that I have sold my MT-01 and another to say Merry Christmas. A sad month but a good month, we get a new car and I feel optimistic about the future. The weather hits Scotland in a way it never has before and I find it baffling to see the world as I see it disintegrate in to a pile of shite because the councils can’t grit a road properly.
And that’s it. The year in 12 paragraphs. It seems like I didn’t do very much..but there’s tonnes of other non-biking stuff I did. I had an exhibition of my work in Perth, went well. I went to see 3 gigs. Went well. I was extremely busy with work…went….not so well.
And so it is, another year done, another 12 months of stories and experiences. 2011 is going to be such a different year for me. I won’t have my bike. But I will have munros and golf. I will hopefully get a new house and I will hopefully start my new project of home studios. I will be updating YamYamBiker.com with 100% non-biking content, but there you go.
I hope everyone had a great 2010, a great Christmas and a great New Year celebration. I am secretly optimistic about what 2011 will bring to us. I hope the optimism is fulfilled.
2 days ago I, along with Blair, Dad and Alan, went up Ben Chonzie. We went up a munro 2 years ago (to the day I found out last night) and it’s a great way to welcome in the new year. But this year we are all going to be doing a lot of walking and golfing. It was great to get up Ben Chonzie and despite my legs being knackered, I was ok everywhere else.
I went and bought some boots yesterday which are a bit more robust than my £15 Tresspass specials. Can’t wait to get out on the hills, tomorrow will be the 1st Munro of 2011, the start of many more to come.
Thanks all for your continued support. I hope you stick around for the non-bike related stuff. All the best for 2011.
Come Visit Scotland. We’ll make sure you can’t leave.
Weekly Update………11…………..It’s December.
Hello all.
It’s been a busy old life as of late. It’s going to be a big update, so if you are looking for a quick read, scroll down to the next post. Grab a coffee/tea, get yourself comfortable and I shall begin.
The last update was November 9th, well the last real update anyway. I was talking about how the train is better than I thought and may be able to stick it out more easily than first anticipated. Well I’ve done the train thing for over a month now and yes, I still agree with that sentiment. So that’s good.
Shortly after putting the bike away for the winter, and realising that I was now bike-less for the next 6 months, I subconsciously must have decided that now would be the good time for a drastic change. What follows doesn’t make for good reading. I’ve sold my MT-01 and YamYam for the first time in 4 years, is Motorcycle-less. Yes. YamYamBiker at present is YamYamNonBiker. It all happened so fast…
Em and I decided to go up to Perth to do some shopping, Em had broke one of the cat’s bowls and wanted to get another one instead of just doing what I said and use one of ours. Whilst she was away getting that I nipped in to halfords for some Zymol. We then met back up and I suggested out of the blue that we go to the MINI garage along the road and check out the MINI Clubmans. I’ve seen relatively little of the Clubmans and wanted to have a closer look, plus I’ve never been in a MINI despite seeing 1,000,000′s of them everyday. You see for ages we had talked about getting a new car. Our Yaris was getting near 100,000 miles and was starting to loose it’s grip on the world a wee bit, and we had spoke about getting a 2 seater sports car because you know, we’re young and have no kids etc etc.
Emma hadn’t really had an opinion on MINI’s or indeed the Clubman’s, so was a bit surprised that the reply to my surprising MINI adventure suggestion was “Ok.”
To cut a very long and probably boring story short (one that I had already written and saved in the drafts but decided against it because it was frankly geeky bullshite) we headed to Grassicks MINI in Perth and luckily enough a Clubman was in the forecourt, and even more lucky was that it was in Black (the colour I had mentioned I would want whilst driving to the MINI garage.)
Emma was unsure upon first visual inspection, a “meh” type reaction. I on the other hand was a bit more enthusiastic. Of course 2 minutes after turning off our car and getting to the MINI’s, one of the chaps came over for the banter. “We only want to know figures to see what we were looking at should we decide that we can afford it.”
And the cut of the story goes here.
We walked out of there with a deal that was pretty amazing, and in the time it took for Steven (the MINI bloke we dealt with) to do all the pitches and figures, I had decided in my mind that if these figures were decent, I would sell the bike, reasons to follow. The MINI gets an average of 60mpg. It’s £20 a YEAR road tax. It’s cheap insurance. It’s the demonstrator so has tonnes of spec. It’s in black. It’s a diesel…etc. It came with 4.5 years of TLC, a service package that covers servicing for that duration. It also came with 2.5 years of warranty left. Because it was a Demo car, the condition of the car was nothing short of mint, brand new.
Having got the figures we headed home to get ready for the Tommy Emmanuel gig that I spoke about in the last post. Whilst Em was making tea, I went over the financial situation we were at, what the bike was costing to run including loan, petrol, insurance, tax, wear and tear etc, same for the Yaris. I then took that figure and subtracted the cost of owning this MINI from it. The saving was around £300 a month! And this was including my train fares. And so from that point it seemed that the decision was a no-brainer. I had decided in my mind at the garage if the figures were good, I would sell the bike and the reasons for that are thus: my MT would sit in the garage 6 months of the year and I would still be paying the loan on it, as well as servicing parts and tyres etc over the 6 months it was garage bound. I had also done the train thing so I knew the cost of getting the train. The £300 saving was just too big an amount to forget about it.
We watched Tommy play his music that night and I was transported away from this situation for a couple of hours, and what a glorious time it was. But come the finish my mind was straight back to the situation at hand. I tried speaking to Em on the way home in the car about it but she was tired so we left it.
I was playing golf the next day so we wouldn’t really have a chance to talk about it, so when we got home I said to Em that she needs to phone Steven and ask what we need to do, should we decide to go for it. And I went away to play golf, all the while knowing that I would probably be going to buy this car in the afternoon. I spoke with Dad on the course and he injected his fatherly concern in to the mix, making me doubt my figure calculations and rational for doing this, but I took it on board and knew that what I had calculated was true and made complete sense. I spoke to Blair on the way home and he balanced Dad’s concern with his own thoughts.
So anyway, this was meant to be a shorter version! That afternoon we went up to the garage and we bought the car. In doing that, I needed to sell the MT. I made the decision fast without really taking the time to think about it. I usually spend weeks agonising over every single decision that has a major impact on our lives, but I also knew that if I took that usual week or so to think about it, I would back out of it. I needed to make the decision quickly so that I didn’t have a choice.
A week later we picked up the MINI and I have to say right now, Steven and the Grassicks folks were top. We’ve done a lot of dealings with garages of Bikes and Cars, and I know it’s a bit clichéd but it really does make a difference when the folks that are selling you something care about what happens after the deal is signed. Anyway.
A week after that I sold the MT to a guy from England. I went up to Mum’s a few hours before hand, got it all sorted, turned it on and listened to the deep twin tick over. I didn’t feel anything, no regret or loss, no sadness. This was a good sign. The deal went well, the bloke gave me a lot of cash, about 4 inches worth and off he went. I got in my new MINI and went to the bank. I went home and made a cup of tea.
I love our new car. It’s brilliant. The saving on fuel is tremendous. The efficiency features like stop/start are just face slappingly obvious. It’s amazing how quickly you realise how much fuel everyone else is wasting whilst sitting in queues. Why doesn’t every car have this? I’ve read somewhere that the MINI Diesel is as close to the Honda Hybrid cars you can get without being a hybrid. And it’s a 1.6 turbo so it shifts!
So there you have it, for the near future I am without possession of a bike. I wasn’t going to be riding the MT for the next 6 months anyway, but it feels weirdly uplifting to have no bike sitting depreciating in the garage. It also feels a bit refreshing to have something new to look forward to.
To be honest the bike was just another means to get from A-B for me, after 4 years and 60,000 + miles of riding it certainly tested my enthusiasm for it. I’ve been there, I’ve done every single weather imaginable. I’ve done the tours, I’ve done the abroads. I’ve done the knee downs and slow downs and you know it seemed like a good time to sever the ties for the time being. I wouldn’t be riding anyway so why not have a complete break, rather than a short breather.
I also gave away 90% of my gear with the sale except my AGV GP-Tech (too many memories to get rid of it), my Wolf gear (too good) and my daily leather gloves and boots. The rest of the gear; winter gloves, other summer gloves, kevlar jeans, older gear/leather jackets etc all went. My old Shark S800 and Em’s old AGV went too. Emma kept her Shark helmet and her Halvarssons jacket for the same reasons I kept mine. That in itself felt good. A cleanse of motorcycle gear, an act that when it comes to starting again, I can start totally afresh!
Everyone I have told has said the same thing, it’s usually pre and postly punctuated with sweary words but it’s usually “you did what!?…” Everyone that knows me or knew of me knew that I was Mr. Motorcycle. So it must be a bit of a shock to learn that I am now Mr. Walkie. But I am still happily unaware of the impact that it has had. I am absolutely certain that I will be on 2 wheels again, but for the time being I am happy not being on 2 wheels. Blair has sold his bike so there really was no reason to hang on to it. I know one thing though, when I do get another bike, I won’t be riding it as much. It just kills the enjoyment and feeling of something special, when you ride it day in-day out.
In other news, the weather over the past 2 weeks has been positively ABSURD. The snow has fallen so quickly, and so “unexpectedly” that within a day the roads were impassable. Within a few days borderline life-threatening. Folk were trapped in cars on motorways with 9 month old babies and no food. Oldies were caught walking down the motorway for some warmth and food. Police were having a hard time and throughout it all, not a gritter or plough to be seen.
We are lucky enough to have a neighbour with access to a tractor and he did the best job imaginable with the circumstances presented. But for everyone else it was just a shitmare of epic proportions. The weather has started to calm down the past 2 days and the snow has started to melt, but a lot has turned to ice…something I found out this morning when I faceplanted after bouncing off two cars with a kettle in my hand. It was sore but I wasn’t hurt. I had also been asleep in bed 4 minutes prior to this tumble, but because Emma is a total grump in the morning, I had to help her fill the washers up before she went to work. I did that, then decided to use the rest of the water in the kettle to pour over the frosty windows. I got in between our car and the one beside it but lost my footing on the stack of ice on the ground and went bouncing around whilst trying to find traction, only to finally lose and slide face first down the path. Emma was out like shot, thinking I had snapped my neck but I was ok. It was like an ice rink. Totally insane.
So anyway. Now I have to find a new hobby as I have nothing to do with myself. Blair and I have decided to start climbing Munro’s next year, and I am going to start drinking….hurrah!
Some photos of the weather over the past few weeks. Enjoy!
Cheers
Gordon
In 5..4..3..2..1…..twiddle thumbs.
Weekly Update 9 – 11/10 – 31/10
Well people. For the first time in 4 years of motorcycling, for the first time since I started, I will be putting my beloved motorcycle to bed for the winter. It’s been a short time coming around and I feel slightly bummed about it, but then I immediately remember the GSR and how much it cost me to run it throughout winter. And not forgetting the volatile riding conditions that once made me feel elite, now make me feel cold. I always said from the beginning, as soon as I start to not enjoy riding my bike I will pack it in. I have held that view throughout and now, despite my perceived “elite” status being relegated, I am giving it a rest over winter.
Last winter was particularly harsh if you lived in Scotland, certainly one of the worst in recent times. This led to my GSR needing yet another £500 worth of replacement parts and another large dent in our already beat up wallet. So after the GSR was sold earlier this year, I made sure that the MT wouldn’t be tempting to ride during the colder season, mainly by only getting 6 months of road tax, but also by running the front tyre in to almost oblivion. I have a story for you.
Last night I was heading home in the dark, as now it’s dark when I leave the office, which is just unbelievable. Anyway, I went for some petrol and then on to the bridge (after nearly being side-swiped by a Renault Clio) and off we went. The usual braking/accelerating tactics continued over the bridge and we got to the other side. I switched to the inside (overtaking) lane as a lot of the cars come off at the first junction after the bridge, causing a bit of braking action.
Once in the outside lane, I was following a white transit van, older generation model and as we came off the bridge they all started to speed up. It had been raining a lot so the surface was damp, bit of surface water here and there but generally ok. Then out of no-where the transit van did an emergency stop. We were travelling roughly 60mph by this point and unlike all other cases of slowing down after the bridge, this was a complete halt manoeuvre.
Instinct took over as I saw a wee puff of either smoke or water from the Transit van in front. The van was closing in quick and I was increasing the front brake pressure subsequently but then the rear wheel locked up (damn right foot instincts are slightly more meat fisted than they should be) so the back end started weaving about in a slow smooth side to side action, and as a result the engine stalled. It felt silky that’s for sure, totally controllable, yet completely out of control……..doesn’t make sense. Anyway I kept increasing the front brake, but the van was braking more and for every second that passed I got closer and closer to hitting him.
As a gauge to the amount of time I was in full braking/weaving mode, I was able to audibly say to myself, “Come-on Gordon, let’s get some stopping action here, come on… come on…come on…”
I would say it was a good 6-10 seconds duration from the moment of brake introduction, to the point at which I was absolutely sure I was hitting the van.
Add on to this scenario of silky weave, hard braking and me talking to myself, was the knowledge that my front tyre only has about 1.5mm of tread on it, so any surface water that would be dealt with, wouldn’t really be that efficiently dealt with in my current condition. As luck would have it, at the point at which I had submitted myself to be picking my bike up from underneath this Transit van, the van released his brakes and accelerated a touch. This gave me the life saving break as our wheel/bumper nearly kissed.
After starting the bike again I quickly down-shifted a few and shoulder checked to the left, shot off up the inside lane and had a wee glance back at the van driver, who then flashed his lights in a weird moment of complete understanding.
I let out a rather embarassing “WHEEEEEOEOOOOOOOOEOOOOOOOOEOOO WHEE WHEE WHEE, BLIMEY CHARLIE!” in order to release the insane amount of adrenaline that was being readied for a complete muscle melt-down, and got on my way. I find screaming or shouting stupid words after a life-threatening moment diffuses the adrenaline’s impact on the muscles (you know, that debilitating slunk that you get in your legs and arms, as if you are about to faint). That and sheer bloody determination to get on with the journey home. If you had a mic in my helmet and listened back to it, I’m sure it would be a good amuser, but for me it seems to be a good way to deal with the adrenaline.
I got in and told Emma who did her usual “…….I hate it when you ride your bike in the rain”.
It would have been a bit of a downer had I hit the van as it might have caused some damage to the head bearing area which could result in a write-off if the frame is damaged, but hey ho. So on Saturday 30th October 2010, the MT-01 will be in the garage, washed and dried, prepared for its storage for the next 4-6 months. In that time I will change the now bald front tyre, change the oil/filter, perhaps install a new chain and sprocket set and generally get it nice again.
The question now is, what will I write about in the meantime? Well I am now going to be getting the train every day, so I have no doubt that I will descend in to some mindless rant about fellow commuters and their idiocy, perhaps write about the failings of the public transport system in Scotland, or just shoot the breeze, with intermediate updates about the MT. Who knows. Perhaps YamYam will turn itself in to a Golfing blog over the winter periods!? Write in if you have a suggestion.
It will be sad not being the select few still on their bikes in Nov/Dec/Jan but then again, I might enjoy not having purple toes and some frostbite to the forehead.
Till then, for now,
Gordon
It’s up and down really. Mostly down.
Weekly Update 7 – 17/09-02/10
I am not feeling overly positive at the minute, and it’s something that I can’t shake off despite some good things going on.
The MT is going well and has comfortably taken it’s place as the best workhorse for my journeys to work and back. I’ve been getting more and more used to it’s characteristics and am now able to throw it around town easier. It’s a damn heavy bike but if you know how to handle it, the weight soon disappears and you feel no different than if you were on a 125.
Jed Heath got in touch about the recent article I wrote regarding his utterly terrifying crash at Knockhill. You can read that here if you like. He’s a-ok and it was great to hear from him after his daughter initially got in touch! Anyway, enough of the positivities…I’m winding up for a bit of a rant.
I am growing increasingly intolerant of the people who have accidents during rush hour. It’s just the complete lack of ability to concentrate for an hour without hitting something that gets to me. This evening, like a few others over the past few weeks, was an accident on the rightside lane leading up to the bridge. Now anyone who drives this route daily will know that the lanes leading up to the bridge all race on to the bridge only to brake wildly as the cars all slow down in front, leading always to a last minute concertina of cars braking like mad. The sensible thing to do is to keep back and allow all the nobs to race on to the bridge and by the time you get to them, they’ve all got the late braking out their system and you can all proceed as per normal folk.
Tonight however was a 3 car/van fender bender at the very entrance to the bridge, causing much annoyance. But it was short lived as luckily it had just happened, so the queue hadn’t managed to form yet and once I got past it, there was no traffic. I got home 15 minutes earlier than usual which was great. Anyway.
The lack of ability of car drivers to concentrate irks me. The lack of awareness of their surroundings has reared it’s ugly head several times in the past few days, when twice some stupid woman has pulled out in front of me, or indeed never seen me at all until I am either horizontal with their window or suddenly appearing in their rear-view mirror. Then it’s the baffled look of “oh….where did you come from?” with my response being, “I was here all the time you stupid woman, you just never took the time to glance to your right, otherwise you would have seen me sitting in this lane for the past 40 seconds. Instead you relied on your mirrors to give you the full picture”, usually abbreviated to a peep of my horn and a shake of my fist, usually in the direction of my head to signal my disbelief of their stupidity.
This irk is one of the main points I make when people say that motorcycles are dangerous. Cars and their drivers have so many distractions that it’s almost a certainty that they will lose concentration. Whether it be heated seats or their radios, the chunky pillars either side of the windscreen or cruise control, cars are designed to be comfortable and to keep occupants safe.
The solution to this problem is to make cars like bikes. Dont have plush leather in any car. Don’t offer heated seats. Don’t give drivers the option of cruise control or radios. In fact, make the seats in cars out of bare metal and have air coolers not heaters, and make the steering wheel out of glue. This way the drivers are not comfortable and thus all their attention is on the road ahead and what’s going on around them.
Its never going to happen, so the only realistic solution is to shoot anyone who has a fender bender at rush hour…Maybe the threat of absolute death will get them to concentrate, because when you think about it, the threat of having an accident is so small these days due to all these implied safety gizmos, that people really think they can get away with not giving a shit. And what’s worse is, they usually do. It’s the poor suckers on bikes, pedestrians and cyclists that get the raw deal. Make driving cars “dangerous” and maybe then people will not have accidents. Ken?
My. What a rant.
I’ve been playing a lot of golf lately. I love it. The sale of my GSR has allowed me to get out in the fresh air nearly every weekend since and I am so happy that I made that decision. My game is coming along nicely and I am especially excited to be playing Gleneagles this weekend…that’s right. The big time. Forget Celtic Manor, the 3-ball Fraser clan will be tearing up the hallowed ground with some plunks of metal on sticks.
I’ve also been enjoying the feeling of progression in something. I used to get this feeling from riding, but I’ve kind of flattened out with regards to learning on the bike. It’s nice to get something fresh to concentrate on improving.
The weather is shocking at the minute and pretty soon the MT will be cosied up in Dad’s garage for the first ever non-biking winter since I started riding in 2007. I’m a bit down about it, but in a strange way I am relieved. No longer will I be forking out £800 in January to replace the parts destroyed by salt, and no more will I have to deal with Emma worrying about me wobbling about on sheets of ice and snow.
I’ve finished watching the Ryder Cup highlights after a bum clenching day at work listening to the radio coverage, so now that I have enjoyed that, I am going to listen to some music and then head to bed.
I thank you for enduring my silly rants, and I look forward to updating YamYam soon with my very first DIY bike service, with a blow-by-blow account.
All the best for the coming week y’all.
YY
The Pope is in town, and it’s the easiest commute to work I’ve ever had.
Weekly Update 6 – 30/08 – 16/09
Hi all,
I have a few good stories to tell you but I want to say firstly how quickly this year is going! Blimey guv, it’s whipping past at an incredible rate and boy I’m losing touch. The air is distinctly colder this past week, so much so that my face has been chilled by the time I get to work. If only I could fit my lunch inside my helmet, it would be an ideal fridge.
Yes, the Pope is in Edinburgh today for his runaround in the PopeMobile™. We have been warned the past week through email to “AVOID EDINBURGH” because it’s set to be so busy, you can hardly move your eyelids. Get the train, get the bus, get a plane or walk because what you don’t want to do is get stuck in the 50 mile long tailback and never actually reach work in time.
We’ll as always, I throw caution in to the wind and didn’t listen. And I am really glad I did. Not a queue in sight, not a panicked motorist or wailing horn. No pumping fists or swerving abusers, revving engines or flashing lights. It was by far the most uneventful and delightful ride in to work I’ve had in the 4 years of doing it. It was like coming to work at 4am in the morning. Except it was light.
So my suggestion is that the Pope comes to Edinburgh every day for a year…I don’t think that will fly somehow.
The MT is running well despite a funny knocking sound from the front of the engine. I am of the opinion that a suspension tune would benefit both myself and the bike immensely, so I’ll have to have a word with someone as its not just a case of spanner turns in the MT, it’s an unlock this bolt first, turn this one and then measure….complimicated.
So.
In commuting life you have two kinds of car commuter and they can be broken down in to folk who accept bikes, and folk who don’t.
Folk who accept bikes move over in traffic, they flash you back in to lane on the motorway, they turn and wave, often thumbs up or generally don’t mind you going past them. I love these kinds of commuters.
Folk who don’t accept move over in traffic, but the wrong way. They flash at you, but not to let you back in. They turn and wave, but it’s more of a gesture. It certainly is not a thumbs up and is almost always accompanied with a red face. They will do absolutely anything, until the point of metal to metal, to make your life a living misery. I do not love these kinds of commuters.
Which is why this next story is so funny.
I was coming in to work in really good time actually. I was early! I know!
Travelling up to the Barnton junction mess, I was filtering between the stationary cars, as I do every single day of my commuting life. I got so far up and the cars were too close together, so I came to a halt flicking the MT to neutral and sat waiting for the lights to change. I watched the usual lighting sequence play out and prepared myself to continue by flicking the MT to first, looking over my shoulder to make the guys in cars know I’m thinking about something. (This is a great tip subsequently for any keen biker. If you are moving your head, people will expect you to do something. So if you are planning a manoeuvre it pays to move your head (shoulder check works) and people know you are about to do something) Anyway, the cars in front move off and I wedge myself in to the right between 2 cars. I check my mirrors to see how far the guy is behind and he’s right up my arse.
I always keep tabs on guys like this, because at one point in the very near future I will be in a position to move forwards when he can’t. And I like to let them know this by either waving or turning my head to look at their burning faces. Anyway, there he was behind me quite close, and I saw an opportunity to dart in to the left hand lane, which I did and got about 50 yards forward from the man who was in front of me. The key to successful commuting progress is taking your chances. However this opportunity turned quickly in to a dead-end and as I turned my head to see if the gap was still available for me to quickly move back to the right, I checked my mirrors to see this bloke winding up to close the big gap I was about to fill. Seeing this happen I quickly whipped across to the right hand side and the bloke let rip on his horn as he travelled the remaining 40 yards to my rear tyre.
Nothing on the face of the earth irks me more than un-necessary use of a car horn. It could be peeping to say goodbye, hello or using it to release aggression, it’s all enough to get me going absolutely berserk. I slammed my brakes on with the biggest fist full I could manage, enough that the guy behind me had to move to the right in order to stop himself rear-ending me (this is how close he was) and his bonnet ended up parallel to my footpegs. He peeped his horn in one, very very long drawn out release of anger and I kept myself facing forward. I had my dark visor on so he couldn’t have seen my eyes firmly affixed on his but I was watching as the following scenes unfolded. Much to my absolute delight.
Once he had managed to prise his fist off of the horn area of his steering wheel, he then started talking to himself, albeit with a very aggressive jaw movement and a sharp shaking of his head. His right hand was whizzing about at his side as his window started to wind down. His seatbelt came off with the other hand and flew across his body whilst his face went absolute red. There is no redder shade of red in the world.
All the while my head hasn’t moved but my eyes have went from the right hand mirror with this berk filling it, to my left hand mirror where I make a note that traffic has ceased from the left and it’s clear.
I come back to the right hand mirror where by this point the berk has managed to lever himself out of his bucket seat (this was a Subaru Impreza) and he get’s his head out of the window but doesn’t stop until his whole upper torso is clear of the window threshold. His mouth seems to be winding itself up now as his words start forming in his mind.
And at the point of his release, (the very point that he is about to unleash all the pent-up aggression, the frustrations of life, the universe and everything, the point that his throat, lungs and tongue align with the stars to vibrate the air around him with such force that birds start dropping out the sky, the absolute moment of glory) I perform a flawless (thank you) MotoGP race start in to the now clear left hand lane. As the revs rise I hear the falsetto scream of a demented man shouting some garbled profanity faster than his mouth can form, but slower than his brain can generate.
Now amidst my anger about the whole situation, and the slight weakening of my muscles due to the “all too close” braking moment adrenaline which I must agree was totally stupid and I was lucky I got away with this one, I couldn’t help but find the scene I just left extremely amusing.
In my mirror I could see a car at a 45° angle across the right hand lane, with a driver hanging mostly out his car window shouting something at the top of his voice and shaking his free arm wildly, to a motorcycle now 200 yards away. What’s funnier is he would have then had to get back through his car window, in to his car, put his seatbelt on and then stop at the now red light in front of him, all the while fuming about not getting his release that he deserved thus making him even more angry. I only hope no-one at work looked him in the eye when he arrived because the force of his now doubled aggression would have instantly evaporated anyone in the vicinity.
It was spectacularly funny, but also very sad that someone can get that wound up about driving his car.
Anyway, these are some of the fabulous things that motorcycling can offer!
Winter is soon to arrive, and that means the MT is garage bound for its first big service (by me!) and a good once over.
Thank you all for reading and commenting. Please keep it up!
Gordon
Some deep contemplation went in to this…
Weekly Update 5 – 15/08 – 29/08
Hello.
Yet again I have been very busy this past week with work, meaning that for the first 3 days of the week I was not on my MT. Instead I was in a white van for 2, and on the train for 1, and whilst I was away from the MT I had a chance to think about this coming winter and what winter entails for YamYam and his bikes.
Now the reason I got my MT was on the basis that 2 bikes means that one can go away for the winter and stay nice, and the other can be run in to the ground thus saving money in the long run. I believe differently now and the reasons are to follow. But I think that this decision is a good one because the main motivation is that we wont need to be replacing £600 worth of bike parts every January.
As of Thursday 26th August 2010, YamYam is minus a Suzuki GSR600S K7. I sold it. On eBay…
When I was looking at getting a MT I had asked the question “what would I get as a part exchange price for my 30,000 mile Suzuki GSR600s K7?” The answer was “Nothing.” The bike dealers obviously have to have some scope to mark up the bikes once they have bought them from customers at ridiculously low prices…so what can you mark up from a purchase price of £0? £500? Whatever it was, the dealer didn’t see any benefit in taking in my faithful steed.
So I decided that instead of keeping it and running it in to the ground completely, where I would eventually have to either scrape it, or myself, off the tarmac….I would sell it, and whatever I got for it would therefore be a bonus!
So to cut a long story short, I sold it for £1200! I was pretty chuffed with that, and the guy that turned up to collect it was equally chuffed, mainly because he thought it was in a lot better nick than he expected, even though I had clearly detailed in the listing that it was pretty rusty.
I am quite relieved actually. Not for getting shot of my then winter hack, but for the money that we will save not having to service (or not) two bikes, replace 4 tyres a year, petrol, wear and tear etc etc. It equates to around £100 a month saved if you compensate for wear and tear, replacing corroded and worn down parts. So what then shall I do during the winter, when I would usually be shivering in to work or sliding about on ice?
The Scotrail Fife Circle Train is what.
During my 3 days of non-biking I drove a white van around which in itself was quite fun, if only to listen to the radio on the way. The third day I didn’t have my van, but I got the train. It was at this point that I thought actually, it’s not that bad? I usually, when it’s really bad weather, get the bus. Its a smelly, stuffy, cramped, disease ridden journey at the end of which you get off and are genuinely relieved to get the hell out of that place. Bus drivers think it’s good to turn the heating up full blast in winter, but when you have 40 folk all cramped in, probably wet from the Scottish winter rain, then it all turns to condensation which makes it like a greenhouse. Because it’s winter, we all have our winter jackets on. So you can already see how torturous it is. Couple that with the tiny, OAP geared seats (knees around ears stuff), the sneezing, coughing, paper reading, light flicking passengers and the picture becomes complete…oh that and the complete inability of the bus driver to drive smoothly resulting in some serious frustration as your head goes bashing forwards and backwards, even quicker when sitting in traffic jams.
OH DEAR, I am getting annoyed just thinking about it. Well the train is different in that firstly, you’re on rails. So there’s no bumpy bits. The seats are a bit more spacious. There’s no queues. Yeah the passengers may still have colds and read papers, but the journey is a flat 25 minutes regardless of what the weather is doing. So you’ve not got to sit in a 2 hour long traffic jam because of the complete inability of the rest of the driving population to pay attention when its dark and raining.
It’s a bit more expensive, around about £40 more a month, but when you see how much different the experience is with the train, it’s worth it and I’ll still be saving money than if I was on my bike.
So yes folks, YamYam is turning in to a Spring/Summer/Autumn rider, and is dumping Winter from his repertoire. It makes both logistical and financial sense. I just need to let go of the slightly immature “I’m better than you because I can hack Winter” attitude that’s unfortunately consumed me for the past 3 years.
In other news then, Blair is selling his GSR too! Hahaha. It’s a Fraser exodus.
Blair, as you know, had his first child in December 2009 and as always is with bringing small humans in to this world, there are sacrifices. He fought it for longer than we all expected but he’s given in to the inevitable, even if it’s for the greater picture. So his bike is on eBay right now too.
It will be sad not having Blair to go out riding with every so often…yes we’ve not been getting out so much lately due to me working and Blair daddy-ing. But then again, I’ve invested a lot of my GSR’s money in taking up a new hobby, one that will allow me, Blair and Dad to get out more often together. Golf.
It’s a traditional Scottish sport that I’ve watched Blair and Dad play for years, whilst I walked along beside taking photographs. But now it’s time to get myself behind a club and start getting out in the fresh air in my spare time. I am so excited about it that it’s borderline obsessive already, for I have spent the past 5 days relentlessly scouring the web for the best deals, going up the driving range to test clubs and generally being really sad about it. But it’s a Fraser trait so I can’t feel to sad about it.
I have a funny story regarding a man in a car that is so angry that he felt compelled to hang out his window and shout abuse at me. Next week for that.
Cheers all, and sorry for the 90% non-biking post.
Gordon
What winter does to your motorcycle…
What does riding your motorcycle in winter do? Well if like me you don’t have a garage or a hose, this:
(click the image for a full whacker)
Unless you are intimate with a GSR’s engine casing, the black shiny bit should sit up against the lip of that bolt you see there. But the road salt has eaten away at it so much, that you can actually see the shaft of the bolt. Now bear in mind, this is about 2 weeks worth of salt sitting on the bolt areas, and this is the damage.
Its pretty crazy to think that 2 weeks worth of shit they put on the road can do this sort of damage but there you go. This is the second casing on this side of the bike, I’ve had 2 on the other as well.
I guess I should have known it would happen but, not this quickly.
Anyway, I thought I would share what the consequences are of leaving salt on your bike. I think I will have to replace these casings and get busy with the FS365 from Scottoiler.
Bums.
Just goes to show how crappy the materials are that Suzuki use on their lower end bikes.
Yamaha MT-01 Review – YamYam is BACK!
The last post on YamYam finished like this:
I am going to have a wee test ride on one to see if all the reviews are correct. From there it’s either buying one, or looking elsewhere, but something tells me I will be rumbling home once more.
Well I did go for a test ride, and here’s what happened.
Friday (23rd April) I decided to head up to Sandy Bloy Motorcycles, Perth, after emailing Gary regarding the MT-01 they had in their shop. Gary said come up Friday.
Arriving on the GSR with the rain in full swing, I wondered what it would feel like to sit on an MT-01 after all these years of wanting one. Well it seems like I wouldn’t get the chance, because when I entered the shop the MT was sitting there, looking amazing…with “SOLD” suckered on the light.
Gary emerged after a lengthy wait and I introduced myself and said “well, it seems like I won’t get to test ride it” and pointed to the beast sitting unavailable.
“We’ll…” Gary started, “It is…and it isn’t.”
Oh? I said, feeling a small glimmer of light appear at the very end of a long tunnel.
“Yeah, the guy who was in has since said he can’t get finance, and I have told him that if someone else comes along, then I won’t be waiting for him to get his act together. So as far as I am concerned, the bike is still for sale.”
Well then, lets get a test ride! I filled in the standard “if you deck the bike you’ll pay for it” form and round the bike came, sounding amazing as it did so. This was the first time I had seen or heard one up close, so everything was a new sensation.
By now the rain was getting quite heavy, so Gary said take it easy, handed me a £5 note and said put some gas in it. Off I went, and immediately I could feel the power that this thing had in store. Burbling up the first junction I had a bit of a time getting the old clutch-in action smooth, and indeed the fantastic twin engine braking was quite harsh on the MT.
Anyway I toodled about and after a whizz around Perth I got back to SB’s and in I went. Gary was there to greet me and I said how I loved twins and to cut a long story short, he was chuffed to have someone ride it who knew what it was about and I wanted it. I said that I had the finances ready (The loan form was sent and I was waiting back for the approval) so took a gamble on them being successful and put a deposit of £100 down, after haggling a bit with the price.
He showed me a dent in the exhaust headers from where someone has laid the bike down at rest, and a chip on the tank.
So I left it at that, said I would be back up the next day with Emma and w0uld keep him updated as far as the finances go.
Parting test ride thoughts: Well the MT looks absolutely gorgeous. It sounds absolutely gorgeous. It feels absolutely gorgeous. It’s just a shame I didn’t get to test the instant thundering torque and fantastic brakes that everyone raves about. Fingers crossed the finances come through because it’s rare to have an MT come up for sale in Scotland, and I would be pretty sad if I didn’t manage to realise my 4 year want.
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Well. The finances did come through. And I went up on Saturday 1st of May to pick her up.
What. A. Beast.
Of course, Saturday was raining as well, which was great. I was hoping to get some full throttle’s going but anyway, we headed up sharp as I wanted to get a good day of riding on it before we headed out to see the Doves in Glasgow at night.
Got all the paper work sorted, paid the remaining balance (£5400) and that was that! Emma had never heard an MT-01 so when I fired it up and the bike sat and shook, Emma just burst out laughing. She was even more excited than me.
On the way home I gave it some licks and it sounded so good I burst out laughing, shouting “THIS IS AMAZING”.
But. Twice on the way, in 2nd gear and giving licks, the rear spun up in a controlled wheelspin. The rev’s rose to a constant hum and the rear stepped out. Giving it a bit more throttle the rev’s rose more and the rear straightened up, leaving me feeling even better. It did make it perfectly clear however, that there’s enough power being transmitted to the rear tyre to make it dangerous, should one forget and open the taps whilst leaning over.
I took it out on Saturday for a while, fitted the new tax disc on (with the ridiculously complicate 8 bolt tax disc holder) and then rode home to pick Em up to let her experience the MT first hand. She was slightly worried that the pegs would be too high or she wouldn’t feel comfortable, but after getting on it and riding down to Blairs (to surprise him) she felt fine.
I explain the surprise for Blair in the video at the end, but basically I said that after I got to Sandy Bloys and saw it was sold, it was actually sold and that was it.
We got to Blair’s street but went round the back street and I revved the MT up knowing that he would hear it, and he did. By the time we got round to the front window he was standing there waiting to see what it was. You could see the cogs turning as he stood there open mouthed in amazement!
Well as I thought, he absolutely loved it and I took him out for a spin during which he felt the full beast unleashed and although there was 2 fatties on it, it still shifted like nothing else I have ever felt. He was astounded at the instant power, the gorgeous v-twin sound and the gobsmacking strength of the brakes.
What a beast.
The bike is in fantastic condition, with the above mentioned scuffs on the exhaust, the bike is pretty much mint. After cleaning it today I did notice that there’s a few more scuffs, on on the front rim and a few other wee bits, but nothing that is noticeable.
So there you go. I finally have an MT-01, after 4 years of wanting it. The good thing about this is though, that the MT will be a Summer/nice weather bike, a bike I can keep looking gorgeous and get the enjoyment of it, but then put it away in the Winter.
I can then use the GSR as a Winter hack and a learning tool for changing the oil and other servicey things.
YamYam is now a 2 bike outfit, and I am so very excited about it. I will be posting up my experiences with the MT regularly and I am suddenly really excited about being on 2 wheels again. Staying on 1 bike for so many miles really does take the fun and enjoyment out of it, but now I have the beast to go to when I am feeling down, I can see things being different.
More pictures and the video review, including some derogatory comments and some funny voices. Oh dear. Thanks for visiting and look for the MT related posts, of which there will be many. I’ll be doing a bit of maintenance on the site, weeding out the lesser viewed stuff and re-arranging some bits and bobs to make posting a bit swifter.
As a wee testament to the quality poured in the MT-01, the dials as seen above are adjustable for light intensity. But not just as a whole, you can adjust the tach, the main bit at the bottom AND the needle for brightness! The needle! Makes my day, that does.
What a ripper. I just LOVE the MT styling. Always have, always will.
Video below.
(Will add here once it’s finished uploading.)
Yamaha MT-01. I beg your pardon?
Artworks are consuming my every moment of living…that and putting up blinds in the house. When I am not painting or drilling, I am either eating, sleeping or riding my bike. Anyway, just so you know, I feel guilty. But thinking about it this instant, guilty for what?
My GSR is running it’s bland life fine at the minute. My back tyre is squaring and the head bearings are clicking. My headlight was turning off whenever I turned the steering to full lock left, but I soon found out that the connector had worked itself loose after me prodding it every time. A quick click back on sorted that out.
I’ve had the GSR for over 2 years now, and after a fatal mistake by Em of looking at other bikes, we have been thrown in to discussion.
Discussion about the future of my biking life. Don’t worry, I am not giving up. The issue revolves around the GSR and winter. You see, Winter in Scotland is a very unwelcoming place to be. It’s usually cold, usually wet and always miserable. This is true for everyone, pedestrians, car drivers, hillwalkers. For motorcyclists it’s a freakin nightmare.
I spoke a while back regarding the new VFR1200F as my main motorcycle and the response was mixed. Some agreed with my points regarding the output of the bike/lack of fairing protection. Other’s took their chance to call me a sissy and offer me a moped. The question in point was getting a bike that would give me year round satisfaction, with the benefit of not falling to bits.
It seems that my thinking was going down the wrong path. You see, I was going down the path of a one bike outfit, something bullet proof that would ease my woes. But after big discussion with Blair, Em and anyone else who would listen, having a second bike seems like the way to go. The reasons are thus:
One bike = High price, high mileage, high wear & tear, quick boredom. A one bike house would mean running a bike throughout the year including winter and thus exposing it to the same bike rotting salt.
Two bikes = Lower price, low mileage, low wear & tear, less quick boredom. A two bike house allows use of one bike for summer/dry days, another for winter/salty days.
It may seem excessive to many, but the argument is sound. Why sell the GSR and buy a new bike, only to inflict the same torture to it, road salt, sitting outside in the rain rotting. It would be the same situation all over again and it seems totally pointless to continue buying new bikes only for them to fall apart because I ride them at a time that these bikes aren’t designed to be ridden.
If I have a bike for summer/dry riding, I have the excitement of a fresh bike. I have the reduced mileage on both the new bike and the GSR. Once it gets wetter/colder, I switch to the GSR. I would be able to look forward to summer again, because at the minute, I am still riding the same bike in summer, winter and every other time.
I’ve paid off the GSR now, so it’s mine. It wouldn’t matter if I wanted to sell it anyway, because after speaking to a few garages, no-one would even entertain the thought of trying to resell a 2-year-old GSR with 30,000 miles on the clock, a bit rusty here and there and generally a hack. So no-one wants it. And I aint giving it away.
The added bonus to strengthen the argument is insurance. Insurance companies seem to go on the assumption that more miles = more chance of crashing. This means that the premium goes up massively. Take my old Buell for example. I put 18,000 miles annually on the insurance form and it returned a premium of £1,600. Put in a mileage of 5,000 and it’s £300. I couldn’t afford to run it based on that kind of money, so I sold it.
SOOOOOOO
What am I saying then? Well I will be looking for a Used bike to ride during summer/dry days, and I will be keeping the GSR for a winter hack. It makes complete sense.
Now those of you who have been here from the start (Thanks Rossy Boy) will know I had a Yamaha MT-03 as my first bike. The seat melted due to faulty exhausts, Yamaha didn’t give a shit. I got a Buell and so the nightmare unfolded.
I swore I would never return to Yamaha. I lied.
Now that I have the opportunity to basically get any bike I like (within a £5k budget), and having spent the past 4 years knowing that someday I would own a Yamaha MT-01 I thought, this is my chance.
And so it is.
Now a lot of people in reviews and in person lament the MT due to the lack of jail baiting top speed. They see 1700cc and get disappointed that they don’t fly at the speed of sound. They get upset that the bike has R1 derived brakes and chassis, but when you try to get your knee down the headers threaten grounding.
I think that they don’t understand it. Whereas I do.
The MT is a bike that gives you the unbelievable thrill of torque, without getting you in to trouble before you know it. It’s a bike to fart along the back roads on knowing that at the twist of a throttle you will instantly be rocketed forward. None of this IL4 surging at 9ooorpm (a-la GSR).
A lot of reviewers say it’s bland because the power is so linear (in other words when you open the taps, the power doesn’t waiver or surge in, it’s just “flat” all the way to peak RPM).
I think the MT is perfect. I would have a V-twin over any other engine until the day I die. I love them. I want a bike I can get on and just enjoy. I don’t want to look down and see I’m cruising at 100mph and not realising it. I want to go down the street and small children fall to the ground from the vibrations…maybe not.
I think what I keep remembering is when I went to France on the Buell. I was going down the street and a gang of youngsters on mopeds/125′s were all gathered down the road. I saw them, and they heard me. As I drifted past them with the beat of the 1200cc V-twin beneath me, I knew that I was on something special as they all stood open mouthed. Then I noticed the collection of skinheads standing up from a cafe, perhaps expecting some kind of chopper or harley, to see this small bug eyed gold wheeled machine. It made my year. It made me love biking.
It won’t quite be the same with the MT, for a start its huge. But its also deeper, louder comfier.
So.
I am going to have a wee test ride on one to see if all the reviews are correct. From there it’s either buying one, or looking elsewhere, but something tells me I will be rumbling home once more.
Updates (hopefully) as things start to unfold.
#002 Ben Spies – Yamaha Italia (Artwork)
Hi all,
I am still alive, just tied up…
I have had a post titled “GSR Fixed (again)” in my post editor for the past month and have never got round to writing it.
The reason for this is my artworks and the fact that they consume every last spare minute that I have. I’ve been painting away for the past month and finally, after hours and hours and hours (around 500 hours), my #002 artwork is finished and ready for all to see.
I am finished this artwork after 1 1/2 months of work and I think it’s the bomb.
Go to my website to see the details.
Yamyambiker.com will be up and running shortly with fresh posts and lots more opportunity for summer bikers to tell me to get a scooter because obviously I can’t handle it…
Thanks all for visiting,
Gordon
How to keep warm on a motorcycle…
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Hello y’all,
Things have been quiet on the yamyam front for the past week or so due to me starting another artwork. However this one is zipping along nicely so I should be able to get some posts up soon. Anyway, as I was trawling through backlogs of stuff I found this and thought you should see it!
Well…it’s certainly one way of keeping warm. I saw this in Glasgow last year around November.
Brilliant.
Check out www.gordonfraserartwork.co.uk to keep up to date on my artworks.
All the best
Gordon
EntroSys Motorcycle Air-Con…?!
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What do you do if you live in a hot country, want to go for a ride and feel a bit warm?
You certainly don’t put on your Rev’it Airflow jacket. You instead opt for the unique EntroSys Motorcycle Air Conditioning…
EntroSys (www.entrosys.com) have created this unique, yet slightly baffling contraption that attaches to your bike using a “universal” connection (let’s see if that fits on the back of an Aprilia RSVR). You then plug a hose, not dis-similar to a tumble dryer hose, in to a custom made air-conditioned waistcoat, that you then control via a wireless remote, conveniently placed on the handlebars.
The only thing that I can see as a “negative” is when you come off your bike. Will you have an airconditioner flying behind you, still attached with the hose? Or will the hose keep you locked to the bike, forcing you wherever the bike goes?
The likely answer is the elephants trunk will snap and you’ll be bungeed in whatever direction you were pointing before it snapped.
It’s almost certainly a unique way of going about it, but as of yet no price has been announced. I am pretty sure however that it won’t be as easy or indeed as cool as just zipping up an Airflow and getting on with your life…
“What’s that (Insert kitchen appliance here) doing attached to your bike? You making eggs?”
Muhahaha
Video: Pillock on R1200GS
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What do you get when you try to do doughnuts in the snow, on an extremely heavy BMW R1200GS, with panniers on? This is what:
What a tube. I wonder how many times he can hit the engine off the road before it packs in?
“nailed it.”
Nah mate.
Let’s Rock…Let’s Not Shall We.
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The snow has gone in what seems like an evening, vaporising in to the air and leaving the dirty mess all over the place. The grit lorries have finally arrived, depositing the corrosive acid just after the snow had gone. Well done Fife Council, you’ve done yourself proud. There still remains the odd patch of lethal ice but on the whole, the snow has disappeared from our lives after 4 weeks of carnage.
Hang on…it’s snowing again.
Anyway.
Tuesday afternoon I gave Stuart a call (Jacksons Bikes) and got him to come get my bike from the work’s garage. Yesterday Gordon (one of his mechanics) arrived in the van and he came in to the garage to see what’s going on. After a prod here and a strained back there he said that in fact all my brakes have seized, and he’s off to get the mallet.
The mallet. Sure enough he returned with a block of wood, shaped ergonomically like a block of wood, which he then whacked off each of the calipers, 1x rear and 2x front, in a bid to free the rust that had seized the brake pads on to the disks. After a few attempts and a worried look on my face as he took a full swing at my calipers, the brake pads seemed to release enough that he could get some motion back and forward and then they were free. With a hurrah from me we began chatting about what the matter was. Counting the calipers he said something like “you’ll need around 20 new seals for your caliper pistons as they will all be messed up from the corrosion. ” He then, upon me asking, calculated it out to be roughly £4 a seal, thus I was facing £80 before my bike had even made it 2 yards. I guffawed and went about pushing the bike out to the van, which was now prepared with the ramp down.
Because the brakes were still pretty gunked up, we had to push quite hard to get the bike up the hill and then up the ramp in to the van, but in doing so, and because of my lack of height judgement, I whacked the top of my head square off the top of the door. I mean whacked. The van shook.
Gordon said “It’s alright, I’ve got the bike” indicating to let go of the grab handle at the back, but I was holding on to it so I didn’t collapse. Anyway, I made like a man and whimpered out the back of the van and he said I’ll get a call when there’s anything to report.
So heading back in to work, head thumping and dizzy, I was furious with the GSR. It’s a shame because it isn’t the GSR’s fault that the brakes got seized. It was me. I didn’t fight my way through the winter carnage of -11°C with a bucket, sponge and water to get the GSR’s brakes cleaned, in my works garage with no hose. And because of this, I will now have to pay at least £80.
But I am furious about the ignition barrel seizing. That bit I wasn’t at fault for. And after all these years of riding every day, I still am amazed when I get the answer to why these things happen:
“Because you ride your bike.”
Because. I. ride. my. bike. It’s not, “Because you ride your bike like a fool.” or “You don’t ride your bike” even. People often say to me, “but you see 10 year old bikes that are in great condition!?”
Well let me tell you folks, I do indeed ride me bike a lot more than say most other people who own a bike in Scotland. But I, contrary to popular belief, do actually take care of my bike. I wash it nearly every weekend unless it’s chucking it down or snowing. It’s the weekday stuff that really takes it’s toll, coming home after a wet ride and leaving the bike overnight outside, under a cover albeit but still outside.
The bloke at the Suzuki garage said explicitly that this is why my bike is in such poor condition, it’s because the bike comes home and sits with all the road salt/crap and festers. I then do this for 5 days before it gets fresh water/Zymol on it. So unless you have a garage and hose nearby, you’ve got no chance…and I don’t have a garage. Or a hose. And it’s false logic to go all the way up to my Ma’s, only to wash my bike, get back on it and ride for 20 minutes in the rain and crap again. So what do you do? You can’t wash your bike during the week, but you need to wash it in order for it to not fall apart whilst going along the motorway.
Answer A: You buy a house with a garage. And a hose.
Answer B: You go to a nearby garage that has a car wash and go for it. You’ll still get crap on it before you get home but it’s a lot less crap than it would be going to Mum’s.
Answer C (My favourite): You get a bike that is actually fit for purpose, and not one that’s built to last 8,000 miles of sunny riding…
I could have used KTM or indeed Ducati, or indeed Husqvarna. But in the broad terms of “Enduro Bike” you almost always think “Ewan and Charlie”…don’t you?
So after heading back in to work with a sore head, I was furious with the GSR enough to bash BMW in to google and have a wee browse in my stupour.
I’ve almost always steered away from the Beemers because I love the look of naked sports bikes. I love the fact that it’s the “raw” version of the faired go-fast bikes. More recently I have taken a shining to the KTM RC8, because in a word, it’s Gorgeous. But the other day there, in a moment of quiet contemplation, I stripped back the lust and want, I removed the gawking and stroking and I asked myself just what exactly am I doing with this banana…
I mean what kind of bike would suit what I use it for? The faired superbikes that I lust after just wouldn’t cut it. Aye their engines are kind of protected with the fairing, and aye they would be good to ride. But I doubt they would be year round comfy. What about touring? I know Emma doesn’t go on the bike that much but I still factor it in to my decision making. And I know for a fact she wouldn’t enjoy a superbike pillion seat.
So what does that leave? Well naked bikes aye, but they just don’t cut it with the riding I do. Well what about something like the KTM Superduke? It’s from a manufacturer that’s based around Enduro bikes, but it’s got the looks you want and indeed the performance and a back seat to boot.
I think the KTM SD is to many a track bike, an edge of the seat ride that takes no prisoners and is a “baw-hair” from being rubber side down to rubber side up.
That leaves only one real choice.
I need a REAL bike. I need a bike that won’t fall apart after 2 months of use. I need a bike from a manufacturer who isn’t targeting the “weekend warrior”, the 2000 miles a year kind of rider. I want a bike from a manufacturer who knows what someone like me needs, and what I don’t. I don’t need to wheelie. I don’t need to have my knee down. I need a bike that has shaft drive and heated grips.
Enter then please, the BMW R1200GS (that’s the one below the Ewan and Charlie model. That’s known as the R1200GS Adventure. OOOOOO)
(Taken from BMW Motorrad Website)
So lets see. Does it have shaft drive? Aye. Does it have heated grips? Aye (A massive £210 optional extra by the way!) Does it have endurance background? Aye.
It has a big screen for the rain. It has an engine in front of your feet, so no more cold wet feet. It has a single sided swing arm. it has a luxurious looking seat (for both) it has a massive tank (20l, with 4l reserve) and although it has a 150 section rear, it’s built for mileage. It’s also 100bhp, so 4 more than the GSR meaning insurance shouldn’t be too much more, although it is a good deal more expensive…
£9925 on the road, as compared to the £4295 otr for my GSR back in 2008. So the weigh in begins.
I guess we’ll just have to wait, because there’s no way I can get a new motorcycle at the minute. This also means repairing the GSR yet again, and who knows, that may be anything from a clean service and new caliper seals, to a new ignition block if they can’t unseize it. And who knows how much that’ll cost? By my experience, £100 won’t cover it.
Welcome to 2010!
Well welcome one and all, for it’s two-thousand-and-ten A L R E A D Y.
The weather here is atrocious at best, so because of this my bike has been constrained to the work garage, as I couldn’t get it home. Because of this, my bike has sat for a week and now that I have returned to see it, the ignition is seized stopping the key from turning (you can still get the key in though…) and thus I can’t start it, thus I can’t unseize the rear brake that’s now jammed on.
Ace.
It’s going to be a few weeks I would imagine, before this snow and ice clears up. This isn’t good because my bike needs to be in active service asap. I think what I might do is get Stuart to come and get it and do a service. Then I can just wait until the weather is a bit kinder to 2 wheels.
Anyway. I hope Santa was good to y’all and you had a great and happy new year’s celebration. We had a great time, with a new Fraser in the family (Lily, both mother and daughter are well!) and some nice relaxing fatty-eating-chocolate-and-other-leftovers joy.
2010 has to be a good year, because 2009 wasn’t. And for this reason, I have made a promise to update YamYam at least twice a week. Let’s see how I do.
Oh and the 25th of January will celebrate my 3rd year of YamYam and 2 wheeled joy. Insurance AHOY!
Cheerio for now!
Gordon
Thoughts: Rev-It Apache Boot & Dainese Virlunga D-Dry
After my Desmo’s packed in, the Airtech GTXs disappointed and the Sidi Rain Evo’s got sold on eBay (times are tight) I had nothing left but to get the Alpinestars Effex GTX back out of retirement, complete with mud and cobwebs from working in the garden with them on.
The only issue however is now the Effex boots are wasted. There are still two holes in the shift patch and the sole (the reason for the retirement) and the sole is compacted to a wafer, so comfort isn’t really what you would call comfortable. Not only that, they are cold and leak like a pair of boots with two holes in them.
So I got thinking about what was out there now that could possibly fill the void left when my Desmo’s packed in. What kind of boot could be worn day in day out, in Scottish winter weather, as well as walking about in them, washing my bike in them and generally living in them. What boots are there in the market RIGHT NOW, that could possibly fit the bill?
What do you think of these then?
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT!! Wow.
I stumbled across these boots when searching for another boot that I liked the look of. I’ll come to those in a minute.
These Rev-It Apache boots are precisely what I would imagine a boot to look like, should it fit the requested spec I mentioned before. It looks rugged. But it also looks comfortable. It looks solid. Most of all, it looks really quite smart.
These retail for around £160 in the UK. There’s a variety of tech going on in here, including a sole that was derived from hiking boots. WebBikeWorld calls them a “Mashup” in that they merge off-road boots with hiking boots with touring boots and racing boots. It’s a best of all worlds type boot.
I am really intrigued by these. Could they be the answer to my Scottish boot nightmare?
The other boot I mentioned was the Dainese Virunga D-Dry boot. It looks like this:
These boots look like comfy bams I have to say. I also like the combination of soft materials combined with ratchet style closure as an extra security feature.
They don’t look as solid as the Apaches but I prefer the softer look.
I’m going to try and get my hands on either or both of these boots and give them the YamYam review treatment. Fingers crossed because I am really starting to tire of having cold wet feet.
Stay tuned!
Winter Hack
What what what.
My last post to have the blue banner of information said that I was in a so-so mood, had done 24486.3 miles on my GSR and…go to yamyambiker.com.
Since then, as you can see with my new blue banner of information, I have increased in mood by 3 bars, I have covered 2619 more miles on my GSR and you’ve still to go to yamyambiker.com.
So what’s the chat? What have I been doing that’s so damn interesting to keep me from my YamYam duties. Well as you know, I sometimes go for ages and then end up writing a long assed post, so perhaps this might be one of those moments. I’ll start from where I left it…that is I had just reviewed my current jacket (Wolf Titanium if you ask), I had been told I would be better suited to a scooter because I couldn’t handle my Kwak ER-6n and I was off to Tenerife. Not before emailing West Coast Harley about their current Buell stock, a small yamyam probe to see what the deal was (deal…get it?)
Well I got back from a spectacular 2 weeks of sunshine, sleeping, eating (a lot) and bobbing in an extremely cold pool. Like a true Scotsman, I sucked it up and I was in there pretty much every day, floating like a fleshy coloured iceberg, whilst others sat shivering on their sunbeds. I didn’t care. I wasn’t thinking about work, I wasn’t thinking about the thousands of troubled thoughts that plagued my mind on a daily basis. For 2 weeks (well, 1.3 really) I was awol from my mind, from my life back in Scotland and all that was really to do was decide what to eat (crisps or bread), what to wear (usually just shorts…easy ladies, and a t-shirt) and what to do; float or read…or watch a film…or go for a walk.
We arrived back in Scotland to an extremely cold, windy, wet Saturday morning, having had our plane delayed a wee bit. I sat on my couch at 6am deliberating whether or not to go to bed or just ride it out and see how far I made it. I went to bed.
It was great being back really. I love Scotland and no matter how many Hunters Chicken I ate (a delicious meal prepared by someone other than me in a restaurant filled with alcohol and sunshine), it’s still no match for the stiff, crisp Scottish air. Refreshing some might say.
Before heading away on holiday I had realigned my broadband duties from Virgin to O2, because I found Virgin’s internet to be slow in the evenings, slow enough that I had to buffer some films from Sky Player a few times.
What a mistake that was. From the get-go O2 were dismal, utterly dismal. Think along the lines of trying to open a YouTube video, only to have someone actually come out of your screen and scream “Who do you think you are!?” at you for even trying. I couldn’t load any videos, surfing was a task and I was totally fed up. However I had a 30 day “Happiness Guaranteed” period where I could opt out and nothing would be said of it. I gave it a little while as I was promised that the service would start to pick up shortly because of some maintenance they were doing to the lines or something.
Well guess who got their math wrong? ME. I got back from Tenerife thinking I had a good week left of my 30 days, only to find that I was actually, from Saturday of my arrival onward, 1 day in to my contract. The service was no better by the way, still as crap as always. I should have been getting 8mg. I was getting 0.3mg.
So with no time to lose, I called them up and got my MAC code, then requested my account be cancelled to be told that I am now “within contract period and it’ll cost £160 to get out of it.” After much argumenting and deliberating from O2 I got out of my shockingly bad contract and luckily I was able to go to a more safe bet, BT. Now that I have, my internet is ace, I can watch films, watch YouTube and I’ve even updated www.gordon-fraser.com to celebrate.
But all this has taken it’s toll on my time available to post here, that and just getting on with riding my bike every day with pretty much no incident.
Since getting back the weather has steadily decreased to the point of no-feely-handies. So I decided that it was time to forget looking swish, and buy some hand guards for my Gisser. I did buy them (£38) and fitted them with Dad with a little trademark Fraser persuasion.
What a difference, my hands are now wind free and really a lot warmer. Then the weather got to the point that in the morning my bars would be iced up, so really even though my hand guards were preventing wind and rain from chilling my fingers, I was still holding on to a frozen piece of metal, so my hands still got numb. The ride home however is a different story and I am ever so thankful I took the plunge and fitted them. I also re-fitted my screen unit and it’s keeping a lot of the rain and draught off me so that’s ace. The only problem is the increase in ease of speeding. I am always so used to having the drag on my body that the position I sit at naturally on the throttle is causing me to cruise faster with the aerodynamic advantage of the fairing. It has been a few times I have glanced down to see that I am not sticking to the speed limit without knowing it. ANYWAY.
Hand guards were from a V-Strom 650, for all you like minded GSR riders, and can be picked up from your local Suzuki dealership.
I mentioned the email to Buell Glasgow.
Well I sent a wee informal “Now that Buell is going south, what deals you got?” email to them and I’m not exaggerating here, 8-9 calls later they are still trying to get me in to have a chat. I’ve decided to forget going for a new Buell because I spoke to Stuart @ Jacksons Bikes about it and he said that because of the miles I do, I could quickly find myself in a position that I need a part and they can’t supply it. Say if the engine management computer packed in, and I couldn’t get a replacement, that’s my bike written off, even if the rest is in mint condition. So aye, even though I LOVE LOVE LOVE Buells, I just can’t justify it really. I’ll stick with the pain in the arse and rusty boy until it packs in (it’s been a while so touch wood nothing will happen…)
So that’s really where we are at. It’s a week until christmas, Blair is soon to be a Daddy (it could hit off anytime now) and work is busy as feck.
In a week there could be a small, brand new Fraser in this world. After a year of utter SHITE, I am desperately holding on to the hope that it’ll end well. I am hoping.
2010 is a new year. It’s a fresh start. One things for sure, it really couldn’t get any worse than what 2009 was. If it does, there’ll be bigger problems than my hands getting cold, or BT internet. 2010 could be the greatest year of everyones lives, purely for the fact that we had one of the worst years just before it. I hope for all our sakes it will be.
AHHHHHHHHH
It’s definitely time to draw a line under this post. Word count is 1308 as of this word HERE.
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Go check out my home website WWW.GORDON-FRASER.COM and feedback me.
All the best for the remaining 2009. I will speak before the bells.
Thanks for visiting all,
GORDON!
Review: Bridgestone BT021 – Sports Touring Tyre
I have run BT014′s and BT016′s on my GSR since new. Up until recently I was just replacing them every time they either got bald or I was guilted in to it by my lass. Anyway, whilst in Jacksons the other month there, Stuart said “why have you got these on?” and I said “cause that’s what I was given.”
After yet another dumbfounded look, Stuart then said that what I need was the Bt021′s because for the riding I do, the 14′s and 16′s are totally wrong. He puts 14′s on his trackday bike. Anyway, I got a 21 on the rear first and last weekend I got a 21 on the front, after my 2nd ever front tyre was totally done (a BT014).
Well I have to say, the BT021′s last I would guestimate around 3-4 times longer than the BT016′s. The rear, although starting to square, has been on since the beginning of 2009 and is still going strong. The front is 6 days old, but I have to say the wet weather grip is good and it seems like having matching front and back makes leaning easier. The deep tread on the BT021′s will shift a lot of water away from the suface and give you a longer tyre life.
The BT021′s aren’t any dearer than the 16′s so I have to wonder why my garage didn’t suggest these to me earlier considering that they knew how many miles I do and also the fact that I was in there every other month for problems…they had ample time to mention that there was a more suitable tyre for my riding.
ANYWAY
If you do a lot of miles but still want a really good grippy leany tyre, then look no further than the BT021. I love Bridgestones, and after having Pirellis, Dunlops and Michelins, I know how essential it is to find a tyre that you are comfortable riding with. I am just glad I suit the Bridgestones.
Go buy some.
Cheers
Gordon
Update: Puma Desmo 800 GTX. Done. Gone.
Well now…
Firstly, thanks to Alex @ J&S Accessories for her help. I appreciate it.
My favourite pair of boots, my Desmo 800 Gore-Tex boots, my babys…gone. Forever.
I had sent them back well over 5 weeks ago to J&S Accessories due to the zip busting and the unbreakable Gore-Tex liner leaking. I sent them back and waited. And waited. And waited. Until it was too much and I called them up.
“Ok…hmmm. I’ll have a look and get back to you.”
That was Friday, and hadn’t received a call back. So today (Wednesday) I called up again.
“Yeah, we sent them back to the supplier and I’m waiting back on them calling me about the status. Hold on, I’ll call you back and I’ll find out.”
Sure enough 30 minutes later a call.
“The suppliers say that they have given us a credit for the boots so you can get anything you want from our store.”
“What, you can’t get them anymore?”
“No, they have stopped making them. But have a look in our store. You can get the Sidi Evo’s? They are our best selling boot?!”
“Hmm Bums… I’ll call you back once I’ve had a look at them.”
So I had a quick look at their store and no boots were Gore-Tex apart from some TCX Competizione boots at £200…doubtfull she’ll allow that to fly.
I called back and suggested it and although she had said that I could have whatever boots I wanted, there was obvioulsy a bit of no-way-jose before I was told that the boots on the web were only the most popular and that she’ll check to see if they do any other GTX ones.
No call back, but again she was quick to get a hold of. She apoligised with the reason that she was doing two jobs at once due to someone being ill. No problem.
“There’s some Daytona ones.”
No. They were pretty basic and not very nice looking.
Whilst I had been waiting for the call I had checked online at various brands again, thinking various things like, perhaps the Alpinstars Effex would be good again? They were bullet proof and comfy as feck as well. Hmm. Nah. What about any other Puma versions? No. Puma seem to have pulled out of the motorcycle boot industry altogether!!
Well what about TCX then? Hmm.
I had a wee swatch on their website and immediately drew myself to these:
Now. I know what you are thinking. And it probably isn’t “They are smarter than X”
I like the look of them definitely. But my rational was this: Winter.
I have the smartest boots around. The Desmo non GTX variety remember. I had 2 sets. Now I still have the normal Desmos, so getting winter boots smarter than the Desmos isn’t possible. Add to that the fact that during winter, my mind isn’t on how good I look, it’s on getting to work with the most number of body parts still attached to my body. These boots look like they will be comfy (going by the pretty sparse reviews of them) and warm. They also crucially have Gore-Tex.
Aye they may not be made of hard plastic to protect from crushing, but apparently they last ages, are instantly comfy (no break in) and are warm.
So I suggested to her if it would be possible to get these? She said that she would call the supplier and see.
10 minutes later a call to say that aye, that’s no problem, but there is a problem with price as these are £150 and I had paid £126 for the Desmo GTX. Of course I had paid £140 for them back then. She realised the mistake and said, no worries, she’ll get them ordered and sent out asap.
So there you go. I am really looking forward to trying this new boot out, but at the same time I am gutted about my Desmo’s. The fact that Puma don’t make them any more is also disappointing. But more than gutted or disappointment, I am really beat up about the fact that they only lasted 9 months. I was sure they would last at least as long as my AStars Effex, but I was wrong. Such a shame. I guess I’ll just have to take ultra good care of my normal Desmos if I want to keep them for longer.
Updates on the TCX Airtech Gore-Tex when they arrive!
Thanks for checking out YamYam folks. I am always reading and enjoy your comments.
Check out my Flickr for a constantly updated photo stream.
All the best
Gordon
I’m still alive!
Hello!
Happy New Year!! HA! 22 days late but hey, what can you do.
I am extremely sorry for all my fellow bikers for the complete neglect that I have shown for the past month. There really is no excuse and I apologise sincerely.
So what have I been up to for the past month then?
Well Christmas was a good relaxing time off. I didn’t use my bike at all! Along with the usual lazing about I also went walking up a Munro with my Dad, Brother and his girlfriends Dad. It was phenomenal being above the clouds in unspoilt air.
Back to work on the 2nd which was crap.
The GSR has has lots of problems over the past month. The first of which was the chain which was sorted before Christmas. That’s been great and there’s no problems now.
However there was still the issue with the sticky throttle. Basically when I rolled off the throttle the rev’s would either climb to 6-7k or just die to below idle. When I started my bike the engine would just rev up and sit at 7ooorpm. It was like the throttle cable was stuck. There was an “edge” where you would twist the throttle and nothing would happen, but then you would force it over this edge and it would rev like mad without you touching it.
Very annoying and extremely dangerous, especially as it was essentially an uncontrollable cruise control. I had to constantly force the throttle back, i.e. in to negative throttle to keep the revs down or to slow down.
Anyway,
I dropped it in to the garage and the morning of the garage drop off I noticed that my front brake wasn’t illuminating the brake lights. The back brake was but the front wasn’t. So I got to the garage on the Saturday and dropped the bike off, picking up a Suzuki SV650 in bright Yellow.
I was told the bike would be ready later on that day and off I went. Usually when I get a SV I can’t wait to give it back but this one was somehow different. The bars were lower for a start and the tyres seemed to offer a more progressive lean, instead of the usual turn in turn in flop style of 160 rears.
I love the sound as always with a twin and the instant power was good, although overtaking was a struggle.
Saturday evening came and I had a call from Suzuki saying that they couldn’t find out what was wrong with it, having checked the throttle cable and throttle tube etc so were having to look deeper in to the engine. Should be ready Monday or Tuesday.
Oh dear.
Monday came and the bike was ready to go, with seized throttle bodies the cause. Basically the things that control the butterfly valves was sticking and this is the reason I had to force the throttle back to close them. This also explains the funny lip that I had to get over in order to accellerate.
So that was that, and then I asked if it was covered under warranty, which I assumed it would be. They didn’t know and had to go off and email Suzuki.
3 days later I called the garage and it was covered by the warranty which was great! So I went in on the following Saturday to pick my bike up.
Sitting on my bike again was weird. I had become used to the lower bars on the SV along with the pretty good brakes. I now realised just how bad my brakes had faded, I desperately need new brake pads. I also noticed how high my bars are and how upright I sit. I feel less comfortable now for some reason.
I do however, love having the extra power back, along with the marginally more comfortable seat than the SV’s wafer.
When I started to ride off from the garage I put my right foot down on the brake only to have no movement at all from the brake lever. I stopped and tried to loosen it but it didn’t move. It wasn’t enageged but it wasnt moving either so I dont know what the deal is. I remember Stuart (Jackson) mentioning to me that my back brake pad was almost spent, so to think about replacing it soon. I might call him up and get him to fit some new ones for me.
So really that’s about it as far as my bike goes. The GSR is still going strong and after nearly a year of ownership I have crested the 15,000 mile hill. Next service is at 16,000 which will be mid February.
The weather in Scotland has been SHIT. Icy, rainy, windy…it’s all happening in January. It was over a year ago now that I had my accident on the Kawasaki and it was around this time that I did it. Hopefully I can remain crash free on my GSR!
I am looking forward to the warmth of Spring arriving so I can stop wearing 4 layers.
My AGV is starting to fall apart, so I will update that soon.
Thanks for the comments all and please do keep visiting. I am still getting back in to things after Christmas and New Year so posting will increase.
Hope you are all well,
Gordon
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Please visit www.gordonfraserphotography.com to check out what I do when I am not riding my motorcycle.
December 2008
“It’s Christmas don’t you know!” said one of my friends today.
Christmas. 2008. It’s over AL-FREAKIN-READY!
I guess as you get older the years get shorter. I need something to slow me down or I’ll just speed up till it’s over. I am looking forward to the week and a bit I’m off over the Xmas holidays. Looking forward to eating so much that I’ll burst. Looking forward to chilling with Blair.
Got my new chain and sprocket kit on last Thursday. I went to Jacksons bikes to see Stuart and have him fit my kit for me. I was hoping I could watch him do it and I did, so that was ace. I asked him what would have been pretty idiotic questions but for me they were important.
One such question was about adjusting the chain. “I haven’t really thought about it because I need a torque wrench.”
Stuart laughed and said “Eh…no you don’t. Tighten that thing till you can’t turn it anymore, then give it a few kicks as well and that’ll be more than enough. I can get the manual out the now to check what torque setting it ‘should be’ but I bet you it’ll be a bawhair* more than what you can physically do.” Excellent.
So he began by getting the back wheel off and then the rear sprocket. By the time I had made it to Jacksons, my chain was practically hanging off, something which Stuart found pretty funny. I said that there was some clicking going on and he burst out laughing, “I’m pretty sure it has something to do with your chain.”
So upon inspecting the rear sprocket there were a few missing teeth, something which would have contributed to the clicking I felt through my pegs.
The chain was wasted, and some links were seized, again contributing to the noises.
The front sprocket was pretty good, but the new Renthal one went on anyway.
I learnt about a “Cush Drive” which was new to me. I noticed that when Stuart was removing the old sprocket, the whole hub came out of the wheel! I said, “Bloody hell, is that not attached?” and he said, “no….it’s the cush drive.”
“What the feck is a cush drive?”
And it turns out that the sprocket is sat in to a bed of rubber blocks, with opposing rubber blocks on the sprocket side and this “cushions” the drive train, removing any unwanted stresses or vibrations etc from the throttle/gears. This is all held in place by the axle/swing arm. Every day is a school day. Never forget it.
So he assembled the wheel back on, with the new chain fed through which looked amazing. Whilst he was fitting that I had a look around his workshop at his race bike. Stuart sponsors a race team and there was the racing R1 bike. He said that it’s got about £25,000 worth of stuff done to it. It looked amazing and it had a similar chain to mine.
Once Stuart had finished I made my payment of £15 and off I went. Immediately the bike felt smooth again, but it highlighted the throttle issue that I’m having just now. It’s not the usual jerky throttle issue, but it’s the idle speed. When I close the throttle the bike revs to 2,500rpm. If I roll the throttle forward i.e. negative throttle, the revs die to where they should be sitting. It’s weird but I haven’t been able to fix it yet. It’s not the idle or the throttle grip, I think the cables need re-setting.
Anyway,
Today is Christmas eve and I had the worst ride in. I have a cold. Cold + Bike = Eating your own snot. It was pretty bad and the only positive thing was that I managed not to sneeze. It was crap.
I am sitting in work, its quiet and I feel shit. I want to go home, but talk of the management releasing us at lunchtime is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyway, I’m signing out.
I will post before 2009, so have a wonderful Christmas and Santa is good to you…
thanks for reading all,
Gordon
Where did the last month go?
My word! my word…
November has been by far the quickest month I have ever experienced. What a ridiculously quick month! I can’t believe it.
There wasn’t anything really worthwhile this month with the exception of my 5 day business trip to Russia, but the rest was just working! I dont understand it.
Well it has been snowing here which confirms winter. This will be my 3rd winter on two wheels and I have to say, I am not that bothered about it. I got my heated gloves all wired up again after getting my replacement battery cable from Giali. They were excellent, if a little bulky under my gloves, but for some reason they stopped working. They would come on for 5 minutes and then go off again, leaving my hands bitterly cold. I dont know what the issue is but I thought, what’s the point!? So I now just grin and bear it.
The bike is running ok, although there is a weird problem with the bike cutting out in the morning. I will start the engine, run it till it’s warmed up, then head off to work. And every morning when I come up to the first junction, I will pull the clutch in before I stop and the engine will cut out. I start it up again and then the next junction it will happen again. After that I am on the motorway but my word its annoying. It may just be the cold but if it continues or gets worse, I will speak to the garage about it.
The BT016 is still daisy fresh, with no signs of squaring whatsoever. I am really impressed with this tyre, although I think the 16′s and the front 14 have slightly different profiles as the bike tends to fall over in to a corner instead of a progressive lean. Once spring comes around I can give them a real go and see what they are like in dry/warm weather.
Blair hasn’t been out on his bike for weeks, if not months. I keep telling him to get out on it, but he’s a dry weather guy.
It’s December next week, which is scary and then it’s Christmas. I really need to start getting back in to YamYam, but with so much on at work, the credit crunch, the winter nights…there’s no excuse really.
My AGV GP-Tech is going ok still. The visor is the biggest pile of pash I have ever used. The “Anti-fog” layer which AGV seem to think actually works is crap. My first helmet, the Shark S800 had a better visor than the AGV. And that visor was shit…
Puma Desmos are brilliant. I fecking love them. The Gore-Tex keeps me totally bone dry, but I have noticed that the Desmos are slightly cooler than my Alpinestars. It’s not an issue but it would be nice to have a bit of extra warmth.
So yeah,
Crap update yet again, but I will endeavour to get out and take some photos of my dirty ass bike, which I haven’t washed since 2 weeks ago. I have kept the chain maintained but the rest of it looks like a high speed mud ball.
My mate Neal got back from Australia, where he was working for Ducati… the cock, but I still like him. 
hahaha
Thanks for stopping by all,
Gordon
Review: Bridgestone BT016 “Hypersport”
Hello everyone.
I feel guilty. It’s over 14 days since my last post. So sorry about that.
First things first, an update on the black stuff. This tyre is amazing. From the off I commented that it felt planted, well it still rings true after 400 miles of use. Its not even looking like it’s thinking about squaring off yet, and I guess that’s all down to this “5 layer” deal.
So that’s good.
I have been harping on about winter the past few posts, and today it was official. There was not a bit of frost spared this morning, as the whole scene out my window was white. The bike had it’s cover on so the only real frost was on the bike cover but the bike was cold, and a small layer of ice rested on my seat.
It has been getting progressively colder over the past 2 weeks, and a few times I’ve had to go via Kincardine bridge due to high winds on the Forth Road Bridge.
I found the loom for my heated gloves the other day, so set about getting a replacement battery connector (sadly left on my Yamaha MT-03 when I sold it for the Buell.) I went on to the website (www.giali.com) and added the battery connector to my basket, then tried to pay for it…not working.
So I gave them a call (being a f*cking idiot, I actually called the fax number) and the guy was like “I’m talking to my fax machine.” He said that I had the old style and they were in the process of updating the website.
Anyway, he took my card details and in 2 days it was delivered! I haven’t had a chance to fit them yet, but after this morning, I will definitely have to do it tonight. It was an excellent service from Giali again, very pleased with their help and their products.
In other news, I nearly got t-boned by an edinburgh taxi the other night on the way home. He came shooting out of a give way without looking right and I had to swerve in to the other side of the road to avoid him. A quick “peep-peeeeep” of the horn and he slammed on his brakes. It was pretty close and after I got around him, I checked my mirrors and he was stopped for a good 10 or so seconds, so obvioulsy got a fright. No wonder, he didn’t bloody check both ways only to find, oh wait, there’s something there…
Black cabbies are dangerous in cities.
Anyway,
That’s all for now. I haven’t cleaned my bike for 3 weeks, the chain is on it’s way out and I need some new sprockets…
I said it was going to be an expensive month and oh boy, it has been.
Feeling flat.
Well October has arrived and further to my previous post, winter is even closer.
I got my 11k service on Saturday last, and I also got my first ever replacement front tyre for the GSR. That’s 11600 miles on 1 tyre. It was feeling slightly iffy (a bit) but it was still trucking!
So you can imagine my dismay when, Tuesday night, I can’t ride my bike home from work because the rear tyre is flat. I immediately knew something was up when I tried to roll it back. It brought back memories of my MT-03 flat, the day after I passed my test!
I rolled the bike back until it was in full show, a nail head. Damn. So I then had to get the bus home. 
Wednesday I called the AA at 9:30am. The woman on the phone asked what my reg was, where I was situated and then said, “it’s 9:30 now….so…..a guy will be with you between now and 10:30.”
WOW. And he was. It was excellent to have that service, something which I got free with my bike for the first year. The guy arrived, we chatted for a bit and then he plugged the hole with a temp mushroom thing. We then chatted a bit more, watched a fire warden training session in progress and then he shot off to the next call out.
So I had to go and get a new back tyre now! I called the garage and they said the BT014′s were now superceded with the BT016…but I had just had a BT014 front put on Saturday there? Oh well. It’ll also be dearer they said. Great.
The BT016 is a 5 layer jobbie, with 3 compounds of rubber. It’s a MotoGP esk thingy with harder compound middle, softer shoulder and really soft edge. It’ll be interesting to see how the tyre wears down, and if it’ll beat the 4,000ish miles a BT014 single compound managed.
Instantly however, the bike feels planted in the extreme wet. It’s confidence inspiring stuff you know. And it’s not a placebo effect as my rear tyre wasn’t that old.
So yeah, I’m chuffed with my new tyre.
It’s been an expensive 2 weeks though, with the service and front tyre costing £300 and then a rear at £130…that’s a lot of doh. Hopefully there’ll be no more problems with my bike for the remaining months of 2008. I can’t say the same for my lovely girlfriends VW Lupo, which is now flashing warning lights up…could be a bad financial month for us!
I have been vacant the past few weeks due to some bad news in my extended family, lifting railway sleepers and playing around with my new camera. So I should be back again for a while with feedback on my rear “Hypersport” rubber and general faffings of a commuter.
Thanks for reading all, I truly appreciate it.
All the best
Gordon
