Not Another Motorcycle Blog

I used to 4x4 a bit

2012-01-27T15:07:00.001-08:00

I don't go to concerts

2012-01-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

one of my fave colour combos

2011-12-31T17:12:00.001-08:00

Matte black with white wheels

Source

One doin' the rounds

2011-12-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Kraus Motor Co. Achuma

I love the marchs, swing arm design and the bronze coated parts the most also the captive battery box is pretty cool too.

It's only a small pic but..................

2011-12-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

Dayem

Transformation

2011-12-15T17:14:00.001-08:00

BeforeAfter

Sweet SC Build

2011-12-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Spotted on SMJ

2011-12-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

Blue

2011-12-06T01:23:00.001-08:00

Source

When I get my license back......

2011-12-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

It'll be time for a new lid

I'm liking the Icon variant

Amazed

2011-11-26T23:50:00.001-08:00

I keyed the Duc for the first time in about 6 months Yesterday and with a little help (slight twist of the throttle) and she rumbled into life.

So today I ran it up the drive giving the kids dinks

With no license its all I got for 3 more months.

Datto

2011-11-25T23:08:00.000-08:00

The Mrs' first car was a Datsun 1600 or "510" as the imperial folks call them.

I almost bought one myself but it was a little rough so I opted for a 72 Rx2 instead (Awesome car)

Looking back that rough old datto had so much potential.

Exhibit A:

Motorcycle Memories

2011-11-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

I'm between a rock and a hard place with the hyper and have considered selling it of late. Its seen little use for the past 12 months & needs some attention, new front tyre/brake pads, 12k service is due, registration is due. Having my license suspended (another story) makes doing all this stuff impossible and even though I could get average dollars for it from a dealer its here to stay and as such I have started reflecting on what motorcycling means to me.

My first motorcycle memories are riding around in a sidecar with my younger brother. It was hand made by my father and attached to a Yamaha XT (500 from memory) there was no seat belt, just 2 cushions off my mothers old couch for comfort. For a family of 4 at the time it was essentially the second car, I remember going everywhere on weekends in that sidecar, I remember yelling to my old man at speed "tip us, tip us!!" where he would lean the bike over picking the sidecar wheel off the road and lifting us up in the air. I remember looking over the side at the spinning wheel now a few feet off the road. I remember the fights I had with my brother over who sat on the outside so they could be lifted the highest when the sidecar was tilted.

I remember my first helmet was red with two white racing stripes down the centre. My little brother had a matching blue helmet, to me mine represented my first piece of motorcycling that was truly MINE.

I remember getting my first motorbike, a Yamaha PW80, it was 1984. I paid for with 6 months lunch money in my first year of school. I remember the beating that bike took from both myself and brothers after me.

I remember my second helmet was a green flake open face that was a hand me down from my father. It belonged to his only brother who was killed in a truck crash years before I was even born. It was the first time I had ever seen metal flake & I remember feeling proud to wear something so cool that for my father also represented a memory of his best friend.

I remember drooling over a set of speedway leathers in my fathers wardrobe. For a time he had raced sidecar as a swinger. The matching boots where given to me in my early teens and had steel inserts in the toe and heel and did up with about 10 individual buckles.

I remember the pride as I graduated to bigger bikes, 80cc to a 200ccetc then on to riding my dads and uncles bigger bikes (as soon as I could touch the ground).

These memories are over 20 years old and I still remember them like yesterday, the scuff marks all over that green flaked paint, the smell of the leathers and how worn they were, the fact that the boots were 2 sizes too big but I wore them anyway.

For me motorcycling is an escape. There aren't too many activities that require such high concentration at times but also allow one to relax and feel free.

When I don my helmet I check out of life, the days spent in an office staring at a computer screen, or being stuck on a crowded express train fade away. I stayed in a really bad job working for a shit company because the highlight of the day was my motorcycle commute too and fro.

The chaos associated with a large family with its constant noise and attention from young ones can sometimes overwhelm a father. Checking out with that helmet is my release.

I hope I'm never without a motorcycle.

Got Patina?

2011-11-20T02:36:00.001-08:00

Suspension Cool

2011-11-19T00:43:00.000-08:00

I'd ride it

2011-10-31T22:54:00.001-07:00

Greeeen

2011-10-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

Back to our regular programing

2011-09-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Frame is a Flyrite?

Nice MOG

2011-07-03T06:03:00.001-07:00

Sweet

2011-07-03T00:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday Fix

2011-06-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

The alarm went off @ 6, then at 6:30. forced myself out of bed & into the living room to see if the fire was still going, it was albeit just a pile of smouldering glowing red coals. Not bad, I put a foot long chunk of railway sleeper on at about half past midnight. Back down to the master bedroom and you can feel the temperature drop with every step away from the fire. In and out of the shower and now the bedroom feels even colder. Half dressed i sitting on the bed, kiss the wife head back to the living room and don' kevlar jeans, lowbrow hoody and leather jacket. Go for older boots over my newer ones. They feel tight, everything feels tight, I need to get fit.

Head downstairs an wake up my eldest, he has the job of closing the garage door after I leave. He follows me to the top of the drive so I lowering him into the 7 foot deep ditch our bin is sitting in. He slowly walks off into the fog pulling the bin behind him. Gloves & helmet on and we're off.

The sky is blue and clear & its somewhere between first light and sunrise as I short shift to second. I grab a fist full of throttle and she steps straight out, oops cold tyres, cold road but the sound of the intakes as they switch from a deep breath to a snort and i'm already grinning. I love this bike.

The world is still pretty quiet, there aren't a lot of cars on the roads, the odd persons waiting for the bus the day is still starting. I take in the smells of the yarra valley, from the red gums bring in fireplaces blanketing the whole valley in pale smoke to the bakeries filling my helmet with the smell of fresh bread.

I decide not to fill locally and head off down the warby highway. By YJ The sting of the cold has penetrated my kevlars and I can feel just how fresh it is on my thighs. Almost @ Milly & the bikes half warm so I give her a few more squirts and hard brake downshifts into the turns along the river section to get everything closer to operating temps. I prepare to turn off on the "Short cut road" as we call it, I decent little detour that skips the nanny state speed limit changes of 80 down to 50 up to 70 down to 50 again before back up to 80 on the main road. Its a good little stretch with 3 or 4 straights, with a couple of first gear 90 degree turns between them. As I downshift and go to indicate to turn off the Warby highway a spot a CFA dude has the road blocked and urges me to turn back towards the main road. Over the next kilometer I pass two cop cars at speed with lights on, a divvi van followed by a sedan. Knowing something has gone down (i'm guessing a MVA on the short cut road) I play it pretty casul through the next three towns and spie to more marked cop cars at speed with lights on this time they appear to be highway patrol.

I hit lilydale and decide to duck across through warrandyte avoiding the marroondah highway, eastlink (I need to pay my bill and dont want another $100 fine) I grab fuel reset the trip meter & get some circulation back in my toes, its pretty fairly cold, though i'm only wearing my warm summer gloves so it aint "That cold". There is a bit of traffic as I head down towards warrandyte and as I near the yarra once more the temp drops and the fog picks up again. The traffic is starting to get busier as I head from warrandyte towards tempe then buleen, I split down the lanes at mosts sets of lights and any multi-lane roundabout I come across. Teh sun is now above the yarra ranegs and I can feel the warmth on my back and adjust my mirror to keep it out of my eyes. Bus stops are starting to fill with school children.

I filter down towards the on ramp to the M3 and a quick glimpse shows that its looking pretty light. I get pole meaning when I get a green arrow I can open her up, 1st is a short shift as its a hard right turning back on itself but as I straighten up go for WOT I feel the steering get light then the front pop up just a little no more than an inch or two from the ground as I slot third just as the pre-rev limiter light flickers. My favorite type of gear change where you know you got the most from that gear without hitting the limiter or getting big air under the front tyre. I cut the throttle and watch the speedo flash back down towards 100 then look for my merge opportunity. The eastern freeway is as I expected fairly light and I quickly merge the 4 lanes over to the transit lane, another joy of motorcycling. I keep one eye towars the coming blind corner (a popular cop hideout) and one on the traffic in the lane to my left (now gridlocked)

Within a few kms the freeway has divided and I make my way through the mess of semi trailers, taxis and all manner of cage towards smith street. I turn out of the slowing moving car park and enjoy a clear road allowing me to make up a little time as I switch a few blocks south and closer to work. The road is dry but my warm tyres struggle to grip the cold steel of the tram tracks so I play back and forward in and out of the steel filled rut. So many motorcyclists fear the tram tracks, I embrace them. I love this bike. I only cop a single red and split to the front just as it turns green so I go for a more spirited take off to clear the cages on either side, the sound of the stacks & filters combined with the exhaust echos off the buildings around me and I catch the eyes of some pedestrians waiting to cross. I'm sitting on 60 as a taxi comes to the white line of an approaching side street, I pick up the whites of his eyes as I see they are looking past me to the gap in the traffic i've created and opt to back of the throttle and cover my brakes. If you cant see them looking at you they haven't seen you. I hit the end & have make a reentry into grid lock its slow moving but I know I only have a block before I can turn off again. I pass parliament house and and by now all the foot pathes are packed with people heading to their daily grinds.

My final turn is a hook turn, i'd love to know the stats of melbourne drivers who dont like them but they have never worried me. I do a quick scan for po po on both entering sides and give it another squirt for the last few hundred meters before my building. Pedestrians everywhere and pleny of looks as I coast in and up onto the footpath and I sitch of the ignition and step off. I've walked no more than three steps before my helmet is in my hands and I hear a loud "Hi Steve - Cold enough for ya?" from a coworker walking past. "I've had colder I said as I put my key in my pocket and grab for my pass.

Different

2011-06-27T16:10:00.001-07:00

Source

This....

2011-06-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Reminded me of this

Posted Before but......

2011-06-23T02:55:00.001-07:00

I had to add another
Before

Mr Green

2011-06-22T02:49:00.000-07:00

I like the cut of your jib!!!

Green

Way Cool

2011-06-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Source

Spotted on ebay

2011-06-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

Brawnybuilt

2011-06-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Love this Sporty/Buell

Brawnybuilt

Sporty Street Tracker

2011-05-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

There are so many rad things about this bike

Kawasick

2011-05-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

Cool

2011-05-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Wonderful

2011-05-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

Sweet Vrod

VROD Chop

Iron head (loving the tour glide wheels)

Wonder Bikes

Got Shine?

2011-05-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Good time for a hiatus

2011-05-23T02:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to make the conscious decision to ride less this year because I am currently "Demerit Point Challenged".

In Victoria there is a demerit point system for licensing, you basically encur a certain number of points against your license whenever you are charged with an infringement. If you amasss 12 or more points in a 3 year period you lose your license.

I'm 32, I've had a checkered driving history, I receive my first fine (speeding) on the third day of having my license and my second fine (talking on mobile and driving) on the 10th day. I lost my license twice in the early years, the first time it was for one month because I was seen doing a burnout before speeding off, I was charged with reckless driving & excessive noise. I waited 10 months for my court summons (it was a country town) before pleading guilty and receiving a 1 month license suspension and a $320 fine. I got off lightly considering the max. penalty was 1 year license loss and $1200 fine.

The second time I lost my license was for receiving 12 demerit points in a 3 year period. When you receive 12 demerit points you are given what is called the "double or nothing" option. You can lose your license for 3 months and have your demerit points returned to 0 or you can have 1 point for 1 year, the catch is if you lose that point you do your ticket for 6 months instead of three.

After almost 10 years of relatively clean driving (lets say one speed camera fine a year) I hit a rough patch in late 2009. The culmination of this patch of fines was being clocked at 102 in the 80 on the reefton spur, the cops were hiding in the bushes and despite my explanation that I had been riding for 25 years, lived in the area, knew the roads & had not had a motorcycle crash for 12 years still copped a fine and watched my tally of points pass 12.

I delayed paying the fine for a few months, I had heard that if you paid over the amount they sent you a cheque for the difference and that if you didn't cash this cheque the matter wasn't finalised and you couldn't be allocated the neceassry points. This was not the case & in September 2010 7 months after I was booked I took the double or nothing option.

So almost 8 months in its been over a year since I received that fine but my attempts to delay the fine meant I delayed my one year on one point.

I have to say its been both hard and easy to behave myself, easy because I haven't ridden to work, or at all this summer, but harder because I have to be 100% with my driving at all times, its turned me into an old lady behind the wheel.

A few mates laughed at me taking the option saying i'd never go a year without a fine, when I get my points reset in September it will be closer to 18 months without one.

I hope I can keep it up, if I was to lose my license it would mean a bus and train to work as opposed to drive and train, I hate riding on buses.

Helmet

2011-05-22T03:30:00.001-07:00

T-Shirt Win

2011-05-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

Look Closely

2011-05-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

There are at least 18 different rad things about this photo

Distressed

2011-05-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

Dont Leave Shit Standard

2011-05-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

More Sporty Goodness

2011-05-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

Voxan

2011-05-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sportster Racer

2011-05-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

Guzzi

2011-05-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

I like Jelly Beans

2011-05-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

Good God

2011-05-14T03:13:00.000-07:00

source

Computer Says?

2011-05-07T01:04:00.000-07:00

Yes

Half Fairings

2011-05-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Touring

2011-05-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

My last post about the Motus sport tourer got me thinking.....

Sport tourers are far from cool. The only use I could see for one would be commuting (where panniers would come in handy for a change of clothes, phone, laptop, etc etc.) But having said that its always been my preference to ride light in terms of gear.

The first thing that springs to mind when I think of Sport touring is men in their 50's with grey hair wearing waterproof pants in the dry. More recently though sport tourers are starting to hit the market with almost acceptable weights and certainly no slouch in the power department. Here are some sport tourers that I'd almost ride.

Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT8V
K1200s/K1300s

VFR1200
Triumph Sprint GT
Ducati ST (2&4)

Interesting Concept

2011-05-05T03:32:00.001-07:00

Liking the solid rear/spoke front combo

Source

New

2011-05-03T03:25:00.001-07:00

I'd almost call myself a sport tourer rider after checking out the Motus.
161bhp 122lb-ft

It doesn't get much cooler than this

2011-05-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

Entry Level Bikes

2011-04-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

I was asked today what my thoughts were on bike options for someone on their learners permit (L plates)

When I first got my L's in the 90's you were restricted to a 250cc on your L's and P's. After kicking around on an old XR250 I went for a Yamaha FZR250rr mainly for 19,500rpm red line. I was 18 & it cost me about $8-9000 from memory.

A few years back Victoria introduced LAMS (learner assistance motorcycle scheme) which basically added an additional selection of bikes with engine sizes between 250cc & 650cc that could be legally ridden by someone on their L plates.

The scheme was flawed in Victoria because so many bikes that were on the NSW and QLD lists were not on the VIC list. I heard a rumour that this was due to a member on the selection panel owning some retail stors so competitors models were not included. EG the husky 610sm.

You can find the full list here, it outlines all the bikes permitted and as well as certain 250's that are not.

The problem nowadays is that modern 125's & 250's (i'm looking at you Yamaha & Honda) are more like bicycles or more to the point postie bikes with fairings. Complete with skinny tyres, poor brakes. Under powered and over priced but easy prey for those new to motorcyles that wanted something that looks like a sport bike.

An alternative would be older 250s like the CBR250rr which are all jap imports and mostly clapped out and have sat in a importer yard for months/years.

If I was forced to buy a 250 i'd probably go with the Honda VTR250 there are plenty around in good condition and the vtwin and tube frame remind me of another manufacturers style. An honorable mention goes to a certain gsf250 that with a small piper sounded awesome and certainly survived a few crashes, its now been replaced with s Trumpy.

The key is to buy something that is just beyond your ability in the power department but handles and stops well so you can easily get yourself in and out of trouble.

Of the current crop of learner legals with engine capacity abouve 250cc these would be my pick (in no particular order)

Suzuki Sv650SU
Its a v-twin, it looks good, half fairing crash ability, it has proper sized tyres, brakes & carries a decent load of fuel. BUT its probably a little on the pricey side.
Kawasaki Ninja 650RL
Sportier looks, proper sized tyres, brakes & carries a decent load of fuel. BUT its also pricey and has full fairings so isn't as crashable
Kawasaki ER-6NL
The Kawasaki naked version of the Ninja has all the pros without the cons of a full fairing. Older model ER5N would also be a cheaper option
Suzuki DRZ400SM
Probably a little shy on the power side from most motards but still very nice looking, well priced,
Honda CB400
This would be my pick of all the non-250 lams bikes, purely because its built like a big bike, big tank, proper width wheels and tyres, decent brakes, retro naked styling 53 HP from memory and clearly very crashable.

Some other honorable mentions go to:
Yamaha SR500
Yamaha WR450F (Converted to Motard of course)
XT660 Motard

All I want for christmas is an St2

2011-04-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

And.................

Mmmm (t01)

2011-04-27T03:14:00.001-07:00

MH900 Evoluzione

2011-04-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Saw one for sale on Shannons, range of $22,000 - $28,000 (passed in)

Launched initially as a concept bike by the newly formed Ducati Design, the MH900 Evoluzione combined modern technology with a retro racer look - the red and silver fairing was styled after Mike Hailwood's 1978 Isle of Man TT winner. Due to overwhelming public demand, the limited-edition MH900E was offered for public sale on the internet on New Year's Day in 2000 - within the first half hour 500 had been snapped up and the remaining 1,500 were all sold three weeks later, ensuring it's status as an instant classic. The legendary Desmo twin-cylinder SOHC engine was mated to a six-speed gearbox and suspended in a steel trellis frame. Developing 75 bhp at 8000 rpm, with a compression ratio of 9.2:1, the motor employed the latest computer-controlled engine management system. With classic styling and modern performance, the MH900E remains a thrilling riding experience and is certain to continue appreciating in years to come.
Aparently there were only 28 delivered to AU

Rear Ends

2011-04-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Random Duc Cool

2011-04-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

Yes

2011-04-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Jeep Rod

2011-04-19T05:58:00.001-07:00

A Little Carbon

2011-04-19T05:39:00.001-07:00

Interesting Hauler

2011-04-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.bremachusa.com/

More Guzzi Goodness

2011-04-15T03:40:00.001-07:00

Saw an MGS-01 for sale online

2011-04-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

They were only asking 50k - Bargain

996 Powered Monster

2011-04-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Liking the pipes

I'd Never Wear a HD Jacket

2011-03-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Cept maybe this one

Sweet Track Bike

2011-03-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

Spotted a little piggy this afternoon

2011-03-11T03:16:00.001-08:00

Can you see him?

Sweet Ape

2011-03-09T02:23:00.001-08:00

Sweet Blog

Slipper...........Clutch?

2011-03-04T02:33:00.000-08:00

Hypers

2011-02-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Seeing more and more modded hypers kicking around the interweb

Also some EVO SPs

Carbon + Spokes = ?

2011-02-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

Pretty freakin cool

Source

Sweet Bagger

2011-02-26T03:14:00.001-08:00

Blowing the Cobwebs Out + Small Review

2011-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 5 years my cage wouldn't start today. There was no power so I'm hoping its just one of my sons left the interior light on when they got something out of it.

The bonus was I was forced to take the hyper out for a run (something I've been wanting to do but have just been so flat out). Surprisingly after 2 months it started first try.

It was great to get on 2 wheels, I think I was slightly in denial about not needing a ride because I wasn't able to go for one.

Some things of note were that the hyper not only needs its 12,000km service now (spanner light came on) but also a front tyre and brake pads by the look and feel of it.

The bonus of riding to work was that as I now work in the city was that I had all my gear with me and had been wanting to go and check out an r1200gs adventure for ages so figured I'd jump at the chance.

BMW R1200GS Adventure

First impression before I even threw a leg over were sheer size. I looked at a new 2010 model on the the showroom floor first then progressed onto an 08 modified which had a host of mods features bar risers extenders, pivot pegs, screen extender and full panniers and top box. The second hander look humongous. Amongst the varied spec list (i'll post it all at the end) is a 31 litre fuel tank, almost triple the hyper.

On the second attempt I was able to get my leg over (negotiating between the top box, pannier and pillion seat). As soon as I sat on it it felt extremely softly sprung. I said mentioned this to the dealer who said "not a problem" before keying in on and cysling through the various suspension settings. After setting it on firm sports road I felt the suspension start to adjust underneath me. It was almost like sitting on a bike with 2 flat tyres while somebody pumped them up.

After playing with all the knobs and dials papers were signed and the bavarian beast was mine for the next hour.

I straddled it again in the carpark this time going for more of a "ministry of sily walks" approach to getting my leg over. After selecting first (surprisingly without the usual clunk of most bikes) I cruised out of the drive and out onto city road.

Taking off was strange, firstly it was smooth but power didn't come on quickly. Also because i was taking off and turning despite the bike steering lightly the weight took over and it dropped into the turn quite heavily. another left then 2 rights and I had the feel for corners and headed toward st kilda beach.

Cruising toward the ocean the bikes weight is not as apparent, although it was doing a fair amount of wallowing full panniers they were empty. The screen and tank protection made it almost windless except for a blast when taking off hitting me mid visor.

Engine - The power was quite reserved and only when you went for a healthy fistful of throttle would the front suspension extend and it'd get the "giddy up" feel. Despite being a twin I barely felt it, it was quite smooth. This would in part be coming from the hyper and also harleys and buells i've ridden in the past. Despite the power coming on in more of a reserved manner i'd still hazard a guess that it wouldn't be too hard to pick up the front on a regular basis (not that I condone that sort of thing)

Gear Box - I'm not sure if its common but the geag box seemed clunky, possibly the change in feel with being a shaft drive but I don't know.

Brakes - I have to say I was both surprised & impressed with the brakes. Sharp but not easy to lock-up

Chassis/Suspension - The suspension was on sport/road but too me it just felt too long travel and spongy, the bike rocked quite heavily backward under acceleration, under brakes it was not so bad but still not to my liking. I could also really feel the difference in wheelbase hoping off the hypermotard.

Ergos - This did my head in, I know BMW is BMW and have always had quirks like signals on eact bar with a cancel on the right but getting this right felt unnatural. That and the cancel button was awkward to push with my thumb while opening the throttle. Another issue were the cylinder heads, the right being more to the rear meant the first time I had to put my right foot down I smashed my shin, I also did this on the left cylinder too.

All in all I wasn't impressed at all, it probably didn't help that I hopped straight off the hyper and onto it but For me it was somewhat akin to riding a boat. I have no doubt it would excel on long hauls but I couldn't see myself on it (let alone it having much fun factor).

An adventure bike was also on my list of bikes i'd like to try. I'm happy to cross that one off the list.

Engine: Air/oil-cooled flat twin ('Boxer') 4-stroke, one camshaft and four valves per cylinder, central balancer shaft
Bore Stroke: 101 mm x 73 mm.
Capacity: 1,170 ccm
Rated Output: 81 kW (110 hp) at 7,750 /rpm
Maximum Torque: 120 Nm at 6,000 rpm
Compression Ratio: 12.0 : 1
Carburetion: Electronic intake pipe injection / BMS-K+ digital engine management with overrun fuel cut-off, twin spark ignition
Emission Control: Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter.
Electrical System R 1200 GS Adventure
Generator: 720 W, three-phase alternator
Battery: 12 V / 14 Ah, maintenance-free
Power Transmission R 1200 GS Adventure
Clutch: Single dry plate clutch, hydraulically operated
Gearbox: Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox with helical gear teeth
Drive: Shaft drive
Seat Height Unladen: 890 / 910 mm
Dry Weight: 223 kg
Permitted Total Weight: 475 kg
Payload With Standard Equipment:219 kg
Usable Tank Volume: 33 l
Reserve: Approx. 4.0 l
Length: 2,240 mm
Height Not Including Mirrors: 1,525 mm
Width Including Mirrors: 990 mm

Stolen Shovels

2011-02-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

(Pics that is)

2011 Erik Buell Racing 1190RS

2011-02-18T19:38:00.001-08:00

Could I be........

2011-02-18T00:25:00.000-08:00

A bike whore?

I've had the hyper for coming up on 18 months now. With almost 12,000km clocked up, the mods i've done to date coupled with finding myself on a little bit of a riding hiatus I found myself browsing the numerous bike shops in Melbourne CBD a few days back.

I sound like a broken record saying it but the hyper is the most fun i've had on 2 wheels and does so much more than my gixxer and zed combined but the one area it fails in is touring. Touring is a word I shudder at the sound of, it screams mature & sensible, it feels restrained.

But when I think about the sort of riding I feel like doing in the future sideways at 150kph on a v-twin motard is probably a little radical. I can see myself riding with my wife on the back, on something that has some of the luxuries the Duc lacks (like storage and a helmet lock)

I would have laughed at the thought of owning a harley tourer, a HD sure i've always liked them. As i've divulged in earlier posts i've ridden several models bar the tourglides which funnily enough are the ones appealing to me.

But here I was looking at a few used hd's hmmm

Sweat Wheels

2011-02-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

I grew up on 2 wheels, I bought my first motorbike when I was in prep. But motorsickles weren't always easy to ride, in the absence of motorised 2 wheeled fun I rode push bikes.

From an early age I used to line up wooden logs after a jump I'd made out the front of our house and see how many I could jump, this progressed to people eventually (as jumping your BMX does). I upgraded to a mountain bike and alternated between 20inch and 26inch fun for a few years ended up trying a few different XC bikes but unfortunately as life got busier bicycles took a back seat.

In 2006 I decided to build up a mountain bike again. I scoured the internet and bike mags for a frame that suited my needs, it had to be a hard tail as I wanted something that could be pedaled on flat but could also cop a fair amount of abuse doing downhill, this also necessitated a decent fork (150mm+) and hydro disk brakes.
I found a frame I liked in the form of the 24 Bicycles Porn King 3.

This bike in particular caught my eye. 24 Bicycles are a french outfit that back then were specialising in high end alloy hard tail frames. I sourced a local Melbourne dealer and when I was ordering my frame (I went with an L for my height). There was only one color for me, it had to be pink & by chance when I was ordering my frame another happy customer walked out with his Pink P king and I knew I'd made the right decision. I paid my $1100 and waited.

Unfortunately the Aussie distributor came back to me and advised that their latest shipment of frames there were no large pinks and that I could wait a few months for a pink or take delivery of a raw and he would cover the costs of powder coating it any color I wanted. This was a very reasonable compromise so I happily accepted and took delivery of a Large Porn King in Raw finish.

To my pleasant surprise the raw looked amazing in the flesh and I happily stuck with it that way. Over the next few months I spent time on ebay and several MTB forums sourcing the right parts for my build. The great thing about building a bike from scratch is you can choose every component to suit your priorities. Another benefit is with a frame as the base you can begin to tack components on bit by bit. I started with a lightly used set of shermin breakout forks and race face stem (The only second hand parts I bought based on the fact that I thought I may want to try a few types of forms so should pay full price.

I then picked up a set of Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic disk brakes with 203mm (Downhill) rotors new in the box from Canada I continues to add parks, a wheel set, seat and post, tyres, cranks and finally pieced together a single speed setup and had her rolling.

Completed

We were actually living in the Brisbane hills when I had the p king ridable as single speed (esentially making it a big BMX) I used any chance I got to hit up the vast trails local to our house. As it turned out I had return to Melbourne, the bike got boxed up and shipped home and unfortunately got little use for the next 2 years, in the end gearing up to sell our house I decided to put it on ebay. From memory it owed me about $2500 for the build but was worth close to double that so I certainly didn't lose out on the sale.

Fast forward to the present, i'm spending more time in the hills with my boys on their BMX's and I want to get in on the action, the Duc doesn't really appeal for downhill riding or dirt fire trails so here I am looking for a new pushy project.

The first port of call was obviously the distributor I originally dealt (well their website) to see if the P king was still sold. Surprisingly they still had it listed so I fired off an email query to see if there were any large frames still in stock. Unfortunately he came back and said that the remaining frames in stock were all smalls but he did have another frame the Toy4 (also made by 24 bicycles) in stock he had 1 large left. The Toy4 is an equally burly hard tail frame but there are some subtle differences, the head tube angle is steeper, negligient really - one degree. Here is some Toy4 goodness:

Of course pink looks the best

Another alternative to a high end alloy free ride frame like the Toy4 & Pornking 3 is steel, my first MTB was steel but every frame since has been alloy so part of me wants to try steel.There are numerous manufacturers that make quality steel frames but one I have taken note of over the years is NS Bikes. Nowadays NS, (a polish frame manufacturer) make street oriented frames and bikes (street use = smaller brakes and lower travel forks) Luckily the same distributor is also listing a superseded model the NS Bitch which is more freeride/downhill oriented on sale, here is some NS Bitch goodness:

At less than half the price of the Toy4 the Bitch certainly wins in terms of the cash outlay however there are a number of factors to consider when deciding on a frame the most important being geometry. The most important measurement I consider is Top tube length and there are differences between the two.

So..........(using my previous PK as a baseline) here is how they "measure up"
PK3 - 538mm
TOY4 - 575mm
NS Bitch - 563mm

Its also worth noting that the PK had a...........lets call it unorthodox seat tube, as you can see it runs at a much slacker angle and in comparison to the toy4 & is further forward. This makes it not the ideal frame to use as a baseline but hey its all I've got.

Where does this leave me? Well from this measurement what I can tell is that either frame can do what I need, the TOY4 more so (it has the longer top tube) however this then introduces the next issue - seat tube angle. The seat tube angle is slacker by a few degrees on the bitch meaning it places the seat further back the higher you lift it.

So really either is still an option and on paper the TOY4 is slightly ahead but.....
- The Bitch is considerably cheaper that the TOY4 Bitch Wins
- The Bitch runs an MTB bottom bracket (TOY4 runs a BMX BB) Bitch Wins
- The TOY4 is very similar to the PK3 (which I loved) TOY4 Wins
- The NSB is steel and something i've wanted to run Bitch Wins
- Distributor only has one Toy4 frame in stock for L - Fluro Yellow
- Distributor has the Bitch in White, Black and Aqua Blue (I really like Aqua Blue)

At this stage I'm going to give it a few more weeks and weigh up the options as well as scour the webs for other potentials, some alternatives are the NS Surge (cant run Single speed) & 24 Bicycles Moon (Steel but I cant find geometry specs for it)

Stay tuned on this one, I hope to make a decision in the next few weeks.

Peperoni Run

2010-12-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

I'm a little fussy when it comes to homemade pizzas, there is only one brand of peperoni I like and its not easily purchasable where I live. Supermarkets stock the same brand in soggy vacume sealed packs but I prefer the proper stuff.

It just so happens there is a deli about 80km away that stocks it and the riding roads between here and there are awesome.

A quick peak out across the valley for weather showed clear blue skies and sunshine (not)
I headed down stairs, geared up, fired up the hyper (which surprisingly started first go after a month of no action). I then open the roller door and had this little fellow jumped out between my feet scaring the shit out of me.

Quick speedo check, I have just over 400km to clock up before the 12,000km service.

And Off I went, I managed to get a great run through kurth kilne national park then things got dark & wet.

Quick pit stop to switch my phone and camera from jacket pockets into my backpack.

All in all it was about 2 hours, 180km, plenty of sideways slipsiding and here is the result.

Now to make the dough.....

Cheap Cab Ride Home Last Night

2010-12-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't ridden in a few weeks and it fucking sucks

2010-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

Mainly because the hyper has 500km to go before the major sercice (booked in for the 16/12) but mainly because I was job hunting and had to wear good clothes to work.

This sums up my bike withdrawal

Thinking of a new helmet

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Cant get white in 2xl though :(
So there is this:

This:

Or this:

Mile Munchers

2010-11-15T02:58:00.000-08:00

File this one under.......

2010-11-15T02:16:00.001-08:00

HELLS YEAH
I'm not a fan of extended swingarms but this is subtle

Hybrid turbo (T28/T4 with big 16G turbine wheel)
2 stage boost switch (converted hazard switch) currently setup at 8 psi low
and 12 psi high (pump gas) 15 and 18 psi with 100oct
RZ350 turbo kit
Custom dump pipe with widband O2 sensor
JE Forged 8.5:1pistons
APE double valve springs
APE studs
APE slotted cam sprockets
Cometic gaskets
Heavy Duty Barnett Clutch Springs
Dyna programmable ign. (controls timing with introduction of boost)
Dynojet wideband commander with datalogging and analog display gauge
Renthal front sprocket, Driven alluminum rear sprocket
EK 530 ZZZ chain
Trac Dynamics swingarm (+6")
Active rear brake brembo conversion
Bobbed tailight
Anodized black heel guards
Rear fender eliminated
Buel pegs (1" lower)
Active Billet Tripple clamp
Greg Couch Billet 2 piece sprocket cover
ZZR ign. rotor cover
Tealdo alum. radiator (modified)
Mr. Wog Custom seat
Carrozeria V-star forged alum. wheels 6.0rr 3.5ft
Auto meter liquid filled 2 5/8 boost gauge
Daytona temp gauge
PVM Radial pump clutch master cyl.
PVM 20mm billet brake master cyl
Galfer wave rotors front, rear
Brembo 4 piston, 4 pad radial calipers
Custom billet radial adaptors
powdercoated valve cover (used to be gold)
machined clutch side cover- removed fins and painted black (used to be gold)
clear hard anodized handlebars (used to be gold)
custom handlebar billet gauge brackets and master cyl reservoir brackets.
gs1150 headlight with ZR7 subframe
led turnsignals - custom wired to retain front running lights feature as
well as being turnsignals
Marchesini gas cap
2X Pingel "guzzler" petcocks
reinforced plenum with clamps to secure to carbs (prevents blowing off from
carbs under boost)
TurboSmart Blow Off valve
Malory boost compensating fuel regulator
Autometer 1" fuel pressure gauge
Fuel pump with return line added for turbo system. Pingel fuel return bung
welded into tank
modified oil pump and oil pan to scavenge oil from turbo
Bergman spin on oil filter conversion
Greg Couch Billet upper shock spools
Greg Couch Billet rear caliper arm
Billet fork brace
Billet grab rail hole plugs
Ohlins rear shocks
Giannis side cover decals
Removed tank emblems
Samco Silicone plenum hose
Samco Silicone charge tube hose
Ceramic coated exhaust manifold and dump pipe
Kwick cool fan bracket with GSXR fan

Simple Pipes

2010-11-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

All The Hype Aside

2010-11-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

How good does the Duc look in full carbon

Friday Night Ride

2010-11-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

Ran the spurs (black then Reefton) last night, not one cop sighted, little to no traffic to overtake.

Lake Mountain Turn Off

One of the many burnt valleys

It was great

BMW Fantastisch

2010-11-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

Sweet Jebus

2010-11-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Sweet Duc

Shape

2010-11-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Classic
Hmmmm

Lines

2010-11-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Timeless
Hmmm

My Favourite Ducati

2010-11-02T01:44:00.000-07:00

By Radical

Cleaning is always easier............

2010-10-30T15:33:00.001-07:00

When your mini-me is on the job

I cant wait til he can come ridng with me (Neither can he)

If Only.......

2010-10-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Victorian constabulary Rolled Like This

Stolen from Here

Monsters

2010-10-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

Thought these were pretty cool

Better Shot of the New Bits

2010-10-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

Titanium with Red Ano adjusters looks so much better than black/gold

Huzzah

2010-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Just got the call from Metro that the hyper is ready to pick up.

Radical

2010-10-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

They are just simply awesome

I could probably justify doing this to my hyper, maybe.

Radical Ducati

Radical Ducati Blog

Nice Lid

2010-10-26T02:39:00.001-07:00

More From Spain

2010-10-25T02:21:00.001-07:00

Pissed Off - A Ducatisti Poem

2010-10-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

Pissed off that in 60,000km ridden in the past 2 years on new bikes the newest of the three with the least amount of km on the clock has broken down.

Pissed off that despite being told by my wife that the bike was stuck in gear the stupid tow truck driver tried to knock it out of gear.

Pissed off that despite being told by my wife that he would need to clutch it and push it up the drive (I parked it close to the top) the stupid tow truck driver started it, rev’d it up and rode it up the drive

Pissed off that Ducati Rider Assist told me they would call ahead Metro and inform them of the bike being brought in but didn’t

Pissed off that when I called Metro they said it would be end of next week before I got the bike back.

Pissed off that it was a beautiful day today for riding to work but instead I had to cop every single red light and spend an hour and fifty five minutes in traffic.