German Validation

So it's upgrade time for a buddy of mine - he's in test pilot mode and I've been along for the ride.

Initially the top of his list was the Street Triple R - sounds familiar - I was convinced after the Kwaka my next bike was going to be a StripleR.

Like me, my buddy decided the StripleR is a very nice motorcycle which handles and goes well, but it lacks soul. Too much pentium processor, not enough "Do it again.....I dare ya!"

So the StripleR was stripped from the list, in the interim he asked if he could take the Shiver for a blat, I said sure - no chance he'll buy anything else now. He loved the Shiv, her agile frame, natural ergos and the way the V-Twin pulls with satisfying torque, not to mention with the Akras she definitely barks! 

The next bike was something quite interesting - I had to ride it myself too, it was a 2013 BMW F800R

What an insipid bike. I didn't realise it was possible to make something which looks the goods go down the road like a bus.

Don't get me wrong - it has some good points: Factory heated handgrips, under tail fuel tank, ABS, touring pack etc - but meh - if the bike doesn't encourage you to ride what's the point?

The parallel Twin 798cc motor is very smooth and linear, but it lacks urgency and punch. There is no surge, no arm pulling power - unlike the Shiver can produce in Sport mode and a quick crack of the throttle - snapping the throttle on the Beemer just made the bike-bus move faster, all in a very agreeable way. Boring....

It did handle well, the brakes were good, instruments were easy to read and the switchgear felt great, but like the StripleR this thing has no character other than a polarising front end; very love/hate.

During the test ride, when I was astride the Beemer, my buddy was re-riding the Ape. We pulled over to swap back and I asked him which he preferred, the grin on his face was an answer enough. The Shiver!

Looks like there will be another Ape on the road soon......

Thanks for the German validation BMW. You make nice things.

But you can't inspire me to ride like an Italian can.....

\BitSar

Moments............Ape style

Since the GOR run all the riding I've been doing is daily commuting and errands etc...........

Inner city work........urban jungle bullshite.........yes - still fun with the right attitude - but not the natural environment for an Ape.....

At first this was getting me a little irksome.....feeling a little impetuous........I need release!

But then - just today.........I walked back to the Ape after picking up groceries. She's a little dirty, needs a good wash and detail.....but she's such a stunner......and - she's mine.......my bike......

I rode home like there was a wasp up my arse..........can't tame that Ape!

Even the mundane is magic..............with the right attitude.....

\Realises the ride is not where you go - but what you make it
................frame of mind.....the moment
-- BitSar

GOR!

Every Australian motorcyclist knows the term GOR - Great Ocean Road - one of the all-time must ride roads comprising of more than 350kms of Coastal road, Rainforest cuttings and spectacular views.

So it was on for the GOR this Saturday. Pumped.

We were not going to complete a full run - much less in fact - due to the ride being a single day trip and the  forecasted heat.........the forecast was right......

An early start was a must - get up, hit the road and get the first 1.5 hour slab to Torquay completed.


The sky was already looking scorched. It was 6:50am and I was about to throw a leg over the Ape and hit the black top: tail bag packed, full tank, empty bladder. Game on.





I swung past my buddies place for a pickup at ~7:15am - quick G'day - onto the next meeting point.....

The third rider joined us in Belmont on the outskirts of Geelong. 8:30am meet - done. We rolled into Torquay by 9am for a quick regroup and caffeine then onto the GOR!

Heading out of Torquay traffic was starting to build - the GOR is a key tourist location and of course I had forgotten this was a long weekend with a public Holiday on Monday, needless to say - traffic was shite!

Coming into Lorne is was evident that we were going to have to use some "special motorcycling technique" to find holes in the mindless procession of cages. The GOR is posted from 80kp/h to 100kp/h with the majority of the switchback corners somewhere between 30-40kp/h advisory speeds. Most of the vehicles we encountered were travelling in full-blown sightseeing mode - a mode with a max speed of 60kp/h and the unconventional practice of braking hard mid corner and refusing to use the "Slow vehicle" turnouts F#^King A$$hole B4stards....

Enough was enough. Time to get creative with some passing maneuvers.

Eventually we punched through and managed to string together a beautiful run into Apollo Bay

The black stuff was warm, sticky and twisty, encouraging the bike not to be upright for very long, flicking the nose in another direction and getting the butt-cheek off the seat......

Having made our way into Apollo bay and after seeing the horrendous traffic which was back building before continuing further down the GOR, the decision was made; back track - head inland into the Otways....

Not that the Otways are a bad thing. Oh no - quite the contrary!

We stitched our way through Skenes creek and the Otway National Park. A lovely road in the shade of the rainforest with very little traffic and a more moderate temperature, from here we continued out through Deans Marsh in the hunt for some rural fast sweepers.

Without the tree canopy the temperature starting rising. It was getting HOT - I mean really hot. Out here with zero breeze and no shade we started to feel the couple of hundred kilometres already travelled.

We had another break. Fill up with water, empty the bladder, you know, do your bit for the environment - water a tree eh?

<-- look in the backgroud of this pic....what an environmentalist!




From here we changed pace. We all engaged "Cracking on Mode" - this is a mode well-known to any seasoned rider - it means "over it for now.......crack on!" Through the fast rural sweepers and back roads of inland Western Victoria I think is fair enough to keep the average tempo to a moderate $1.50.......

As we stumbled across Ballan - heading for different location - we decided another short hiatus from the saddle was in order, quick bakery refuel for the humans; the bikes would have to wait for the final refuel point in Bacchus Marsh no more than 25kms away.

Making the final stop we refuel, shake hands - "safe home fellas.....see ya next time!"

The last slab homeward bound is when the aches of the day start to come on. You've been on a bike for 8 hours, ridden near as makes no difference ~500kms in 37 C heat - BUT!

You have the biggest shite eating grin on your face for the effort....


Riding really does enrich your life - it takes you to places which are not accessible in a cage. Not because you can't drive the route we took, you can. But I'll damn well guarantee you if you'd spent 8 hours driving it you'd be wanting to forget it, not savour it.

You can't get to where we were with 4 wheels - simple as that!

I did make it home, but by then I was slightly broken


Thank you gentleman for the ride, as always - a pleasure.....
Where next?


\BitSar

Pilot Road 3

So I've been meaning to post on the Michelin PR3's.....................here it is.

I've had these boots on both ends for well over 5,000kms now...

At first they felt a little strange - not bad, just a bit odd......this soon passed...

When they were fitted I originally ran them at "normal" cold pressure of about 32/34 F/R......this was a huge part of my problem......Sport Touring tyres - as these are - have a heavy carcass and require higher cold pressures......once this was rectified, the PR3's validated themselves and lived up to hype.....I now run 40/42 F/R cold pressures.....

The past 5,000kms have seen lots of commuting, a fair bit of wet stuff, a multi-day ride and lots of weekend scratching in the twisties.....

The harder compound centre band means the commuting miles aren't killing the tyre and squaring them off......the deep sipes in the tread of both the front and rear make wet weather performance simply astounding! I have never felt so comfortable and confident with a tyre in the wet........seriously.......

For the faster stuff on more technical roads......yes....they are not a super-sticky, super-sport tyre......the shoulders do have a softer compound which heats up quickly......but yeah.....these are no Pirelli Rosso Corsa's........they make you work a little bit harder to keep the bike compliant when pitched over.....but hell - you can still get rid of the chicken strips.........

For longer rides and touring they are brilliant.....very solid on the road - comfortable and long wearing......

After the distance travelled I really struggle to find any appreciable wear....for anyone looking at a great "all-rounder" which is focused slightly towards longevity, all weather riding rather than balls out blats......take a look at the PR3's

\BitSar

Wet

So today I woke up to this.......

I was scheduled to have a morning push-bike ride before heading into work but as any avid cyclist knows - two things are common on pushies in the rain......punctures and crashes.....usually in that order........

I was already up so I turned the pedals over on the trainer while watching the morning news.......Damn - I hate static/wind trainers....... boring as hell.

So the rain had already peeved me off once this morning......no pushy ride......

It was going to peeve me off at least a couple of times more......

I've had my RST Touring gear through three Winters now - it has always been rock-solid, dry and warm.........after this morning I think it may need to be retired......

About half way through the commute I could feel water getting in.........DAMN!.......I usually leave a spare pair of boxer shorts and socks at the office - for some reason I had taken them home recently and not replaced them...........I remembered this as my crotch was becoming increasingly cold and wet.....D'oh!

Oh well.......nothing for it.......get in nice and early and use the spare chairs as makeshift clothes airers.....then......do the trick with the hand dryer to get the boxers back to a wearable state.....

I've just recently had the jacket re-zipped and of course......the new zip is where it failed.......great!

But that's not the worst part.......the trousers are done......It was not long after I set off that my butt started to feel a little damp......a little further into the journey and it I felt a "zing" of cold water get in...........arrrhhhhg......

At this point it was game over......the boxer shorts were gone....my socks were soaked and the boots were filling up.....a noticeable squelch every time I put a foot down at a set of lights....Yippee!


Definitely time for some new gear......

Although the Trekker helmet is great in the Sunshine.....it really is NOT great in the wet.....I've never had a helmet which fogs quite this badly.....


<-- Just giving the gloves a chance to "hang out" and dry.....





I ride an Ape but this morning.....once again.....I felt like a Duck....

Quack quack....

\BitSar

Cracked it!

Both literally and figuratively........................

Why literally?
Because now the left-hand rear indicator has cracked along the rubber joint.......in exactly the same way the (now replaced) right-hand indicator had failed.

Why figuratively?
Because I've cracked it with the OEM Aprilia indicators, the time it took me to get one delivered under warranty and the obvious flaw in the design.....

Instead - I think I'm going to go for a set of these:

Whatch this space for another indicator install post..........

\BitSar

Back and Blinking

After waiting ~6 weeks for the warranty claim to go through and for the part to arrive - finally - the postman brings me this!

An Aprilia OEM right-hand rear indicator.........can't see how this can be so much trouble to claim, order and post......but hell - it's here now.....time to install

I do a quick disassemble on the kitchen table to inspect how it all goes together - pretty simple.....there is no loom on the indicator itself - rather just two clips on the bottom of the lamp surround:

Get rid of the screw

Take the lamp housing and reflector apart - no problem

Now - onto the bike side.......as the wiring loom is on this end I had to disconnect the wiring at the clips while still on the bike......again, no problem - just a bit fiddly....

Then just unbolt the indicator housing and it's free!

Clip the new one into the wires, remount the reflector in the housing......replace lens and the screw......bolt back on and the blinkers are back

Done!

\BitSar