Wrinklies Chasing the Sun 4, 4th - 6th June 2018

[richtea]

Surely that would be less knee bend 

Correct. More room.

[TomL]

with my limited-power version, below 8000 rpm, you are being pulled harder and harder by the steering wheel with the rpms increasing, just like with the full-power version. But above 8000 rpm, the limited-power version's steering wheel stops pulling ever harder, whereas the full-power version keeps pulling you harder and harder (until you have to upshift, or until you chicken out and release the throttle, whichever comes first). It's this phenomenon which makes me upshift (and downshift) more frequently than (I think) most of you do. At that same time, I also make better use of the (still massively available) torque of the engine.

Sorry but can't make sense of what you are saying.

[raesewell]

What's your Flemish like Tom? 

[richtea]

with my limited-power version, below 8000 rpm, you are being pulled harder and harder by the steering wheel with the rpms increasing, just like with the full-power version. But above 8000 rpm, the limited-power version's steering wheel stops pulling ever harder, whereas the full-power version keeps pulling you harder and harder (until you have to upshift, or until you chicken out and release the throttle, whichever comes first). It's this phenomenon which makes me upshift (and downshift) more frequently than (I think) most of you do. At that same time, I also make better use of the (still massively available) torque of the engine.

Sorry but can't make sense of what you are saying.

steering wheel = handlebars.

I think Philippe's point is that the power doesn't increase above 8000 on the power-limited Euro version, so there's no point hanging on for it - just change gear, and get back into the usable rev range.

Note that he had no trouble keeping up with us, though. Up to 8k is still pokey enough.

[sudolea]

What's your Flemish like Tom? 

I would already have trouble explaining this in Dutch, so I hope that explanation in English isn't more confusing than convincing...

[Phmode]

I think we full power riders get a much easier time of it and the shift assist is making us all big softies..

The K1300S is the biggest, baddest, virtually twist'n'go bike out there.

Heaven knows what the up and down shift assist is doing to its riders...I think I might stall at the lights when I forget to pull the clutch 

[TomL]

What's your Flemish like Tom? 

Should be good but isn't. I was born in Antwerp and my mother is Flemish.

[sudolea]

What's your Flemish like Tom? 

Should be good but isn't. I was born in Antwerp and my mother is Flemish.

Wel dan kan ik voor één keer een uitzondering maken, en het in 't Nederlands zeggen : "beneden de 8000 tpm gebruik ik het massaal aanwezige koppel, boven de 8000 tpm is het meeste vet van de soep"

[richtea]

What's your Flemish like Tom? 

Should be good but isn't. I was born in Antwerp and my mother is Flemish.

Wel dan kan ik voor één keer een uitzondering maken, en het in 't Nederlands zeggen : "beneden de 8000 tpm gebruik ik het massaal aanwezige koppel, boven de 8000 tpm is het meeste vet van de soep"

Excellent - putting the Euro into EuroKClub!

And for fun, the Google translation is amusing:
Well then I can make an exception for once, and say it in Dutch: "below 8000 rpm I use the flock of torque, above 8000 rpm is the most fat of the soup"

[sudolea]

I couldn't have said it better 

[Costas]

Until next year.
This trip is now officially the trade mark of this forum .

[fjtwelve]

Astounded at the lack of traffic

[raesewell]

I pick good roads 

[richtea]

Astounded at the lack of traffic

It's true - a good pick of roads by Rae.

It did get a little more crowded towards the end of the last day, but the vast majority of both days was pretty empty.

V enjoyable.

[Phmode]

The bane of all the traffic was the 'tractor'.

Now, 'tractor' used to mean something smaller than a Commer Cob that could, at a push, achieve on the road, ooo, let's see, 15mph.

Nowadays, 'tractor' means something slightly larger than Oxforshire doing something in the region of 50mph and bouncing, on its balloon tyres, from kerb to kerb.

Overtaking for the average car would be easy, but driven by the average driver, this becomes impossible. So, the Wrinklies caravan heaves to at the end of a mile long queue of Mrs and Mr Slow going, well, slow.

By the time that Rae was in the bar, showered and changed and well into his fourth Lager, I was still trying to pick tines out of my fairing and wondering how the hell we came to be this congested