EuroKClub
Welcome to the BMW K1200 K1300 K1600 Forum => I'll show you mine if you show me yours! => Who's Who? => fjtwelve's Bikes => Topic started by: fjtwelve on November 05, 2019, 03:19:29 pm
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Here we go again from 9802 miles. Wet from leaving the showroom...
(https://i.ibb.co/MsW9FZb/20191104-143540.jpg) (https://ibb.co/37Gkg4w)
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Are you going to stick with the high seat?
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Well, he does have a low seat to hand...
Lovely contrast there Martin and MUCH more conspicuous on the open road :D
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Matt black respray booked... ;)
Not sure if I want to be more conspicuous given my history of attracting attention, even in the dark at 545 am. The recent encounters my wife and I have had in our less than stealthy Q5 suggests to me people have stopped looking even if I had flashing neon signs.
The Enduroguard kit has reflective strips, as has my soft bag and Baglux tank bag. Enough for me, I ride assuming no one has seen me anyway.
Still, I am considering joining the local Blood Bike team, thus have to be IAM. Having internal debate as whether or not I want to do this. Pretty sure my riding style doesn't fit the requirement but the bikes are RTs yellow with orange stripes and blue flashing lights so should be reasonably conspicuous on that..
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Are you going to stick with the high seat?
Not sure yet. Will be getting out soon to see how comfortable I am. We also have fancy footrests to sort out, not to mention quick shifter settings
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...I am considering joining the local Blood Bike team, thus have to be IAM. Having internal debate as whether or not I want to do this. Pretty sure my riding style doesn't fit the requirement but the bikes are RTs yellow with orange stripes and blue flashing lights so should be reasonably conspicuous on that..
Which bit worries you? The speed limits, maybe?
Quoting from the book, travel at a speed that allows you to '...stop in the distance seen to be clear on your side of the road'.
Note there's no mention of a specific speed. It's the 'appropriate' speed. ;D
However, on the actual test itself, you will certainly have to obey most speed limits, but depending on the tester, there may be some leeway in 50MPH and national limits.
Obeying the limits is quite a good a measure of observation and restraint. A lot of folks can't do it - they just sail into 30s at {whatever speed}...
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...and being one of those who sail into speed limits at 'whatever speed', I am only responding to the buffer zone that most UK speed limits have at either end, pointless limit creep which annoys even me....
I love the Welsh system where they keep the limit zone to a minimum but stick a bloody great 'X0 Speed Limit Y00 meters Ahead' sign a few hundred yards before the limit, giving me time to slow to the limit before I blat into it.
But I understand and share Martin's internal debate.
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However, on the actual test itself, you will certainly have to obey most speed limits, but depending on the tester, there may be some leeway in 50MPH and national limits.
I don't think so. Breaking the speed limit is a traffic offence and there is no leeway. We had a meeting at our club earlier this week about what a examiner expects on an IAM test ride. Any traffic offence is a fail.
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All this speed limit stuff is open to interpretation of course.
When I was involved in a Bike Safe course a couple of years back, I was ticked off by my bike cop mentor for not making enough progress on a dual carriageway, but according to my speedo I was on the 70mph mark. One would suppose if were with another individual the comment may have been different.
Apologies Martin for sabotaging your 1300S subject matter.
Jon
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As Tom says, if you commit a traffic offence on your test, you fail. Making progress doesn't necessarily mean speeding, it does however mean using the advantages of the bike, for example acceleration and size advantages (filtering).
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However, on the actual test itself, you will certainly have to obey most speed limits, but depending on the tester, there may be some leeway in 50MPH and national limits.
I don't think so. Breaking the speed limit is a traffic offence and there is no leeway. We had a meeting at our club earlier this week about what a examiner expects on an IAM test ride. Any traffic offence is a fail.
You're right.
I'll say nothing else!
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Jon, I too was 'chastised' on a Wiltshire Bike Safe course a few years ago.
Plod are no longer allowed to do 'demonstration rides', where they show all the candidates behind them what they can do...now, they always have to have a student in front of them at all times.
When I did my last one, there was just me and the cop left as a group and if he always had me in front then I wouldn't be able to watch him. So, he spoke with his boss and was given the go ahead for a demo ride.
We left Devizes with him in front and me struggling to keep up even at 30...
As soon as we hit the 50 sign he was on one and when it was NSL he was almost in full pursuit mode.
When it was my turn to lead I really didn't have the bottle to ride 'at my normal speed' as he asked me to and when he pulled me over he said he could tell I was holding back.
We had about 20 miles out in the country after that and he overtook me a couple of times into tight bends to show me where I could improve but the rest of the time it was guilty heaven.
He changed an awful lot of my riding that afternoon and even helped me pick the GS up when I dropped on oil at a T junction after one debrief in a truck stop. He didn't laugh too much which was nice of him 8)
Maybe things are different out in the sticks 8)
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I'm going out for a ride before I'm not allowed to anymore.
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Went to Bude and back for a 150 mile bimble yesterday. There's too much traffic down here to get much of a free run. Bike feels much stiffer and harder than the K12, confirming to me that the K12 needs new shocks even though it just passed its MOT with no more than a note about worn rear brake pads. Having the higher seat was OK but I can feel more weight on my wrists and will be swapping it around with the low seat later to see if its noticeably different. The rearsets were comfortable enough but I did catch the back of my leg pulling away from a standstill at one point. The sidestand is hidden further underneath too, more difficult to get at. The clocks are all reversed for the sake of reversing them as far as I can see. I mean, why move the temp gauge and fuel gauge from one side of the display to the other? The exhaust note is strangled compared to my K12 Akra which despite passing its MOT yesterday without a murmur, I am sure has a hole in the down pipe. So, buy the new system, stick the pipes on the 12 and the can on the 13 and pop over to BSD for a remap.
Off we go bounce bounce on the harder suspension.
First roundabout there's a squirm on the wet road, not sure if I like these Metzelers and we are being a bit cautious to scrub in the new front, which tips in very suddenly as if its squared off , but this improves as we go along. Out of town, bit of gas and not slow but somehow maybe not as rev happy as the 12? Maybe I'm being cautious.
Bit of a buzz from the engine, certainly not creamy smooth.
Found it easy to accidentally nudge the quickshift up without intending to as I get used to the position, and also it definitely doesn't like you accidently knocking it down the box without the clutch. By the end of the run I'm getting the hang of it.
As I am the indicators which, having spent 4 years learning the old BMW way after 35 years of Japanese indicators, I am now having to go back to the left thumb only routine. Bit of a sharp pointy switch there BMW, my Yamaha one was bigger and rounder.
Fortunately having had a few new courtesy bikes I knew the headlight switch is out of sight around the front of the handgrip.
Bude was cold and grey, and the roads were wet, I did miss the hail though
(https://i.ibb.co/ThKhw81/20191107-151025.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vzszcPh)
I filled up with fuel and the computer said 48.7mpg but as it was only a part tank I have not done any real numbers yet. I will be doing the filler cap mod shortly though, had forgotten how annoying that was. The range display is odd, the K12 immediately kicks to a new figure as soon as it realise you have a full tank, but this one counts up slowly as you drive along which worried me for a minute.
As it was 6C on the way back I used the heated grips and found instead of the 2 click switch there's now a 2 push button and you have to look at the dash to see what setting you are on. If there's one thing I do not like about the new displays in cars and bikes its the need to have to look at the screen to see what's happening instead of being able to do things by feel/touch without taking you eyes off the road.
The screen had initially seemed to be doing a much better job of protecting me than the K12 screen until I looked at the windmills and realised the wind was behind me. Coming back from Bude along the A30 into the wind at higher speeds it is pretty good, but I am also wearing my new Enduroguard suit and its giving less wind noise off the shoulders than the leathers (think 1980 padded shoulders) . Time will tell. Having been used to the speedo needle telling my peripheral vision that left of 12 o clock is fine only and right of it is ban territory, I now have to get used to getting into serious trouble at 9 o clock.
Filtering through the commuters on my way back I found it harder to hold the front end straight, not sure why, maybe the different riding position with more weight on the wrists. Also the clutch bite position is very different. Sure I'll get used to it. The brakes are obviously sharper too, but I never had chance to use them hard at any point
Got home and as I was riding the bike up the ramp into the shed I did something , not sure what, and fell over in a heap against the side of the shed. Fortunately no damage done and when I put the 12 in 2 minutes later could not work out what I'd done. Anyway hopefully that's christened it
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> I did catch the back of my leg pulling away from a standstill at one point
Yup. Annoying, and not an improvement. But you'll eventually remember to pick your feet up a bit quicker!
> Off we go bounce bounce on the harder suspension.
It will soften/you'll adjust your opinion - not quite sure when, but before 20k. Well, mine did, but it's probably under considerably more stress than yours.
> Bit of a buzz from the engine, certainly not creamy smooth.
Again, it will smooth out with mileage. I found the same at 7.5k miles. I stopped noticing it around 14k or so.
> The brakes are obviously sharper too
Very much so, I found. I also had less dive on the newer bike.
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Also, you'll get used to one touch of the heated grips means low, two touches means high. It's like adjusting the suspension for me, I know what i'm in and how many taps to go to each... then I forget and check with a glance anyway :D.
Also, I do love seeing our bikes - more so with the same colour scheme - in nice photos!
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And so it begins. Last night out on the B3306 we wandered past 10,000 miles on the clock near Zennor. 20 minutes earlier you would have got a dramatic sunset but hey ho
(https://i.ibb.co/rpMFGS2/20191115-171825.jpg) (https://ibb.co/c8tkcHh)
Had the low seat on. Not an enormous difference but it was very difficult to get above 4th very often on my way around the loop to Lands End and back so not a fair test. I am also not confident with those Metzelers yet especially the new front, it falls into corners not rolls and I'm not yet used to it.
BTW I will be at the NEC show next Tuesday. Anyone else going?
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I am also not confident with those Metzelers yet especially the new front, it falls into corners not rolls and I'm not yet used to it.
I recommend losing the Metzelers - but not in a rush. They just plain OK, but the Angels & Mich PRx seem better to me. Just saying. ;)
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Thought it was about time I took the K13 out and got it dirty and got the battery charged up. So yesterday set off with the intention of doing a run from Exeter up to Dunster avoiding dual carriageways and the like. However a later start than planned put paid to that, but I did get along to the Chequered Flag cafe on the A38 near Liskeard. It was shut so I went in search of the large unhealthy brunch I had promised myself. Liskeard, Callington, Tavistock, Dartmoor
(https://i.ibb.co/JHXGQfW/20191216-134154.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1THP6DY)
(I went right past - well you wouldn't want to go in would you (the sharper eyed amongst you may have noticed HMP Dartmoor in the background))
all passed by without a cafe appearing, but there was a veritable glut of them in Moretonhampstead. Refuelled and warmed up I then went across the moor to Exeter , up to Bridport (nice Christmas lights by the way), and back along to Bude. By now it was dark and getting colder so another brew in Bude Morrisons and home again. Astonishingly I got away in the dry except a brief shower near Newquay which for 225 miles in mid December I thought was pretty good. I can recommend the B3212 across Dartmoor if you get a clear run without sheep snoozing in the road, some big views.
I filled up twice during the day, and the fuel gauge is definitely pessimistic. The first time it said range 4, and I only squeezed 18.2 litres in, the second time I went 3 miles past range 0 and managed 18.82 litres. So there's 2 litres left at range 0 then if the tank is the same as the K12. Must go out with a 5litre tank strapped on the back and wait til I run out. The fuel computer is better, showing about 3-4% optimistic compared to the 12 6-7%.
Still noticeably stiffer than the K12, and I'm still nervous of the tyres. However after a few squirmy moments, and little slides step outs etc by the end of the day the new front was scrubbed in a bit, and I was following some briskly driven traffic down the A39 in the dark and damp occasionally wet road without a worry. Still finding it a bit tippy into corners but getting used to it. Not sure if its the tyres, the K13 v K12 geometry and tyre sizes or what. Not tried to travel at any great speed around corners yet as the weather hasn't allowed it. Still getting used to the quickshifter, jumping off the 12 onto the 13 leads to some jerky changes as I tend to hold my boot under the 12 gear lever before a change, the 13 says "hallo lets change gear then" before I want to. The 12 gearbox is so slick now (read: worn) that clutchless changes up and down are pretty easy and smooth, not on the 13.
Talking of being in the dark, less than impressed with the headlight. I have brighter bulbs in the K12 now, but even so its not great. Saw a LED mod on the net today, plug and play variety but not shipped to the UK. There are lots that are available on the web, any recommendations for those that actually fit and are better than others?
Oh and finally, went looking for a Bagster tank harness. Feck they are expensive. Lets hope I get some money for Christmas. Right better go and clean the 13, its covered in crap
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Nice one Martin, a braver soul than I in this weather.
I haven't ridden behind an LED headlight but I can highly recommend an HID kit. A cheap car kit and stick one in the dip and one in one of the mains with an Osram/Phillips Nightbreaker (whatever) 130 +. This gives you instant light when you go from dip to main and the HID gives amazing spread and length when it comes in about 5 milliseconds later...
Cheap, cheerful and no worries about fitting it.
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Just trying to find mine. Been in since 2016.
Cyclops H7 3200 lumen LED Headlight bulb BMW R1200RT & GS all versions...
https://www.sportouring.co.uk/
Is in my dipped beam.
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Doesn't look like you have the rear additional mudguard fitted (part number 46627675424). Cuts down the crap thrown off the rear wheel onto your back and panniers.
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Nice update and you were lucky with the weather. I would love to take mine out for a day but they've been beet harvesting and the roads are slippery mud tracks at the moment that make it hard enough to keep a car pointing in the right direction, let alone a bike.
As regards headlights, this man speaks very wise words. (I know because he copied my set up having followed me across Provence on a return to Italy after being delayed by another K1300S switch gear failure.) :D
Nice one Martin, a braver soul than I in this weather.
I haven't ridden behind an LED headlight but I can highly recommend an HID kit. A cheap car kit and stick one in the dip and one in one of the mains with an Osram/Phillips Nightbreaker (whatever) 130 +. This gives you instant light when you go from dip to main and the HID gives amazing spread and length when it comes in about 5 milliseconds later...
Cheap, cheerful and no worries about fitting it.
Cheap eBay slim ballast car kit and all the bits will JUST fit inside the headlight shell. (along with the skin from a couple of knuckles! - it really is a tight fit.)
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...and one more point, on both my 12 and 13 with the cheap kits fitted (new kit fitted for the 13) the cut-off on dip was identical with the stock bulbs, no scatter, no dazzle and no flashing from opposing traffic, just a VERY bright road ahead.
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Just to annoy everyone, I also went HID with Brian's one first time...
After some months it started flashing as I was riding.
I mean I don't blame Brian personally, I'm pretty sure it's a Chinese conspiracy to get rid of the UK's best and brightest... who as everyone knows all ride motorcycles with H7 headlamps!
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It was all my fault. I gave you the link to a duff website because you didn't buy the beers the last time we had lunch...
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Did the fuel filler mod today. Decided on a single 8mm hole on the opposite side to the side stand, drilled as high as I could under the seal
(https://i.ibb.co/TTcNRQ5/20191221-170322.jpg) (https://ibb.co/26qpPzB)
(https://i.ibb.co/c6YsHjR/20191221-170256.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pfhk8SN)
The bloke who details fasteners obviously got a bung from the screw factory when he did the k13. I think I counted 30 screws and bolts off and on. Sure it's more than the k12. Or maybe it's because I was cramped in the shed instead of being outside in the sunshine. Tip: dont do this with a nearly full tank, any cloth you stuff the tank neck with soaks up the fuel nicely. I thought I'd burnt enough off but I hadn't . Also I had loosely refitted every screw in the fairing before tightening anything but then found that the fuel cap bolts were just far enough out of alignment to not fit. Fortunately loosening a few fairing screws did the trick
Back to the decorating now. I bought a Biker Tidy but SWMBO said I had to paint the room before I could bolt it to the wall. Its bolted to the first wall I painted now. Does what it says on the tin, but be aware the holes in the frame for the wall fixings have zero tolerance. I now know the wall is cinder block and is not plastered flat and had to buy some suitable rawlplugs as the ones in the pack weren't suitable. It's got 3 sets of leathers and the textiles, plus 4 helmets and the soft and tank bag on it plus gloves waterproofs base layers. I am watching the fixings closely to see if they are pulling out....
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This modification can be carried out very effectively with a longish 5mm diameter screwdriver by opening the filler cap and pushing the screwdriver at an angle into the filler tube wall. It is plastic and the hole can be made without too much effort. If you are fussy. you can stuff a rag in the filler tube below where you intend to make the hole to catch any swarf.
A five minute job and makes brimming the tank that much easier.
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You must have a very sharp screwdriver or an exceptional push. Make sure you go low enough too
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If you are fussy. you can stuff a rag in the filler tube below where you intend to make the hole to catch any swarf.
Had the wife with the vacuum on the go with the pipe close to where I drilled the hole just make sure their were no hiccups dropping into the tank.
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Yep I used the vacuum cleaner too
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If you are fussy. you can stuff a rag in the filler tube below where you intend to make the hole to catch any swarf.
Had the wife with the vacuum on the go with the pipe close to where I drilled the hole just make sure their were no hiccups dropping into the tank.
Just like going to the dentist. :-X
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You must have a very sharp screwdriver or an exceptional push. Make sure you go low enough too
Just a standard flat blade screwdriver. Use it like a bradle. It is only plastic.
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;D see, they serve a purpose. And they are experts with the vacumm cleaner not like us .
After so many years now still hesitate to do that mode.
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If you are fussy. you can stuff a rag in the filler tube below where you intend to make the hole to catch any swarf.
Had the wife with the vacuum on the go with the pipe close to where I drilled the hole just make sure their were no hiccups dropping into the tank.
Chris the last time i saw that done must be 20 years ago and after the vacuum
cleaner was full of petrol vapour it exploded, there were pieces of the cleaner landing over 50 Mts away ??? ;D ;D
Mind you, I see you did the wise thing and got the wife to hold the cleaner ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Tom
Have to say the thought of just bodging a hole through the plastic has more to do with a dark side of your subconscious :)
Re fumes oh yes i’ve Been round the block more than once hence the rag jammed in the hole as well ;)
I’ve done 3 bikes now but the first was my 1100s and you sure as hell won’t bodging a hole in such as it’s metal so the drill option is just a carry on from that.
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And thanks to daveg208 recommendation, I now have led dip and nearside main, with a halfords 50% brighter in the outer main, as fitted to all of the k12 lights. See how we get on.
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Apart from the horrendous vibration on your K12, the one big thing I remember from my test ride to the pub and back was how VERY low you had your headlight set.
I know that that was many years and 70,000 miles ago but I certainly couldn't see where I was going on it in the dark. One assumes you have raised it considerably since then 8)
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Eat more carrots....
It's just been MOT'd and I think they fiddled with it again. Tbh I rarely get the chance to need the lights, I'm normally fighting the traffic in both directions so following a line of red lights or looking for my sunglasses for the oncoming dazzles. Mind you if the set of LEDs I put in the k13 works out I'll probably go and buy another 2 sets so all 6 lamps are LED. I fell off once at the top of Fish Hill because I got blinded by oncoming headlights and hit the gravel. Revenge is a dish best served cold they say....
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Thanks to a tip off from richtea I entered and just won the Ebay auction for a Bagster tank harness in motorsport colours for about a third of new price. Good start to the year then😁
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Woo hoo - result! Well done Martin.
When you fit it, please can you take a pic so we can see if it's a decent fit & colour match.
I'm down to my last BMW tank bag (sourced from the US because German prices are kerr-a-zee), so I may need a Baglux in 2/3 years .
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And after a lot of searching I have finally found the Datatag number. I'd discovered a partially worn Datatag sticker under the seat, but not the one with the register number on it. After a few emails and calls Datatag said they were happy I was the new owner and the bike was on their system, but needed me to give them the number off the bike and at the second attempt sent me a little UV light to search for it. After pratting about in the dark this evening in the shed I finally found it. Just too late for me to see if I'd get a discount on my insurance renewal (yesterday morning). I suppose Bennetts will charge me as much for amending my policy as I will get as a discount anyway. This years premium for 2 bikes and the full package of helmet leathers recovery ambulance chasers etc was £338. Given that I'd added 10k worth of bike and 2k of helmet clothing new boots and panties to last years alleged 3k of bike, a 25 quid increase was reasonable I thought.
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A pic?? Fill yer boots
(https://i.ibb.co/6DtJKFv/20200117-142106.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TP0qQtK)
So here, dodging the (hail) showers is the K13 with the ebay won tankbag harness. Its Bagster model 1498S
(https://i.ibb.co/m0rPGVn/20200117-142118.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HCL9Vfc)
It didn't fit as nicely as the K12 on which was new when fitted, but the K12 one has been on 4 or 5 years now and is moulded to me and the tank I suppose
(https://i.ibb.co/25gGWz0/20200117-142137.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fQ4jq3V)
Struggled getting the straps into a sensible position around the steering head, bit of fishing with hooky bits of wire where my boilermakers fingers won't go, but they are pretty much where the K12 ones are now
(https://i.ibb.co/SRrTQGw/20200117-142321.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3BzXfQm)
(https://i.ibb.co/MC6BbqX/20200117-142313.jpg) (https://ibb.co/z4J61Kk)
(https://i.ibb.co/6s7JBBx/20200117-142148.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yscBSS1)
The colour match seems better in stronger light but we've been a bit short of that recently, otherwise it seems a little yellow. See what UV does to it, and I am little apprehensive about how its going to stay white, not covered in sh1te
(https://i.ibb.co/k1yWj9Y/20200117-142159.jpg) (https://ibb.co/NS3H5mw)
The side panels seem to lack the ability to mould under the shape of the tank like the K12 one, not sure if the K12 has a bit of metal inside to hold the shape, but we'll see what happens when we get a few miles in
(https://i.ibb.co/Vgn3CLb/20200117-142214.jpg) (https://ibb.co/48vJSFC)
Looks alright from here anyway
(https://i.ibb.co/P9C7jBg/20200117-142233.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LJpLR41)
Neither the K13 nor the K12 cover fits very well to the side panel where it runs below the seat. There is a little more material on the K13 to tuck into the gaps, but they are both a little short to tuck in at the rear end of the panel. Again I think a bit of use may help
(https://i.ibb.co/zrTHkYH/20200117-142251.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SP47L87)
The K12 was still carrying the debris from last weeks run up to the midlands, taking these photos in the first bit of non gale force wind for 4 or 5 days made me go and clean it. Lost a bit more paint off the front forks, I think they may need to be dismantled and painted this summer
I then tried to take some pics to show the difference between LED and Halogen+50% but failed. It'll have to wait until I go out in the dark
(https://i.ibb.co/X4PvZgM/20200117-142624.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7zD6J5L)
(https://i.ibb.co/5MpcSd2/20200117-142635.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BzWsQmw)
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Nice Martin. Looks a treat.
By the way, how many miles on the 12 now?
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Approaching 97k now, hopefully turn the 100k this year. Maybe I can time it for the wrinklies run
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Went for a ride today which proved so frustrating due to cornwall traffic at its best that I turned around and came home. Covered the bike in muddy spray so had to wash it down.
Whinging apart, I now have the "LAMPF" message on the dash, although all lamps are working. I am guessing this is a result of the LED install unless anyone else has any ideas?
When you say you checked all lamps - did you check the ridiculous 1960s torch-like pilot light?
That caught me out.
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You editing my posts now?
The little pilot / sidelight is still working.
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Methinks Richard hit the Modify button rather than the Quote button ::)
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Doh!
Apologies. Tired and emotional after a long squawk.
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Ha not heard that one for a while
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I love K bikes
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Went out for a bimble last night, lights much improved and the LAMPF has gone. I'm wondering if it was because I have been swivelling the mirrors in and out to getting in the shed, the K12 gives a similar intermittent message when I do the same. Anyway, all good now.
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Was it a long ride when you got the LampF warning?
I had a few instances on the K12 when I had a spurious LampF warning which always went away after the ignition was cycled and it never did it on short rides.
Eventually (like many months later) one of the front indicator bulbs went AWOL! Never had it again after that.
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60 miles or so
The k12 occasionally does it but I've given up worrying about it
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The position small bulb has the tendency to get loose on its remarkable stupid finger type base.
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Dangerous thing having time on your hands to browse the internet and finding things that fit on K's. Cost me all my chrissy prezzy money tonight.
Spent a while pondering about getting a Ram bar end mount but decided whatever was fixed on the end would get in the way or catch on something as it swung around as I turned corners. Thus somewhere in delivery van land there is a Nippy Norman mount to fit in the steering head, a Ram short extension piece, a universal Ram phone holder and tether, and a Wunderlich front end lifter.
I was trying to find a case for my Samsung A8 phone until I discovered it was IP68 rated, at which point i just bought the holder. We'll see how we get on.
A lot of digging through my Dutch baggage resulted in me finding my extension lead that plugs into the bikes socket, although it need resoldering as the plug has pulled off during me using the Bagster as a flight case
The lifter isn't pretty, why Gubellini cant make one that's as nicely designed as their rear wheel stand I dont know, but I know it'll fit and it's more or less the cheapest out of several similar stands.
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Not mine but popped up on Facebook today
(https://i.ibb.co/vvq4rJM/FB-IMG-1580314092929.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PzjGb5V)
"Does anyone know anything about this bike parked at the Isle of Man Airport for many, many months? Discs have rusted and it looks like its fallen over a couple of times. It seems to have been left with jacket and other gear strapped to the back.
Its been bugging me and I’d like to know what the story is. Please share on any groups that may know."
If anyone knows but isn't on Facebook I'll pass info on
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MOT ran out last July :o i’ll ask Martin i’ve A mate phoning me tonight(no not that one)another i’ll See what he says,but leaving bike/cars at the airport for a long time is not uncommon.
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I'm surprised it's still there. As in, not stolen... 8)
And I've never seen a bike left with all it's luggage just held on with bungees.
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Who was it that needed a fairing panel again?
Was it a blue one they were after? :o ;D
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And on another recurring theme, the AA just offered to renew my European Breakdown Cover for £225.Last year was £152. Went on line this afternoon and was offered £131. I wonder how much time and money this country wastes on sorting this kind of shit out. If they'd offered the £131 I would probably have renewed it. As it is I'm pissed off and won't renew until I have a planned trip.
While I was at it I did a bit of zarking and if anyone is looking for a bit of bike finance, I found Virgin are offering a 0% credit card for balance transfers at 1.45% fee over 27 months, or about 0.64% pa interest. I've been paying off a bit of building work for the last 5 years or so and have probably never exceeded 1.5% pa interest. Bought the K12 the same way ( i.e. bought it on one credit card then transferred it to a 0% card for a tiny fee), beats a bank loan, PCP or HP by miles
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The mate I was talking too last night lives in Onchan was highly amused when I told him about the bike probably find the keys on it somewhere because that’s the norm it’s not as though anyone is going to get it off the island.
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And on another recurring theme, the AA just offered to renew my European Breakdown Cover for £225.Last year was £152. Went on line this afternoon and was offered £131. I wonder how much time and money this country wastes on sorting this kind of shit out. If they'd offered the £131 I would probably have renewed it. As it is I'm pissed off and won't renew until I have a planned trip.
Is this a quote just for the bike? If so, that makes the standard BMW warranty+breakdown makes look very good value. It includes Euro breakdown.
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And on another recurring theme, the AA just offered to renew my European Breakdown Cover for £225.Last year was £152. Went on line this afternoon and was offered £131. I wonder how much time and money this country wastes on sorting this kind of shit out. If they'd offered the £131 I would probably have renewed it. As it is I'm pissed off and won't renew until I have a planned trip.
Is this a quote just for the bike? If so, that makes the standard BMW warranty+breakdown makes look very good value. It includes Euro breakdown.
I assume its just for the bike as I had to enter the details
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I now I have my sparkly new Nippy Normans ball mount for the steering head. Seeing as the BMW badge has been missing from the K12 since I had it I have no idea how to take the badge off. Does it just get prised off with a screwdriver or does it unscrew?
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Pretty sure that's what I did with my old old one. But someone with more recent than 6 years ago experience will be more reliable!
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Prise out with a screwdriver!
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Oops I failed to read the end of your sentence and confirmed nothing with my post! Yes, screwdriver prize screwdriver sorry.
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Oops I failed to read the end of your sentence and confirmed nothing with my post! Yes, screwdriver prize screwdriver sorry.
Any screwdriver will do - not just your prize one.
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So I got the badge off. It was a bit stiff and there was rust inside. After a bit of work I cleaned it up and inserted Nippy's best widget with a lot of the supplied anti seize compound. Then we had half an hour of fun fiddling with the RAM arm and phone holder with 2 Samsung phones, and the tank bag. I had reconnected the flying lead from the power socket into my tankbag and got a charger lead out of the bag to the phone.
(https://i.ibb.co/x5J6yL2/20200204-171055.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WKgfQ5H)
(https://i.ibb.co/NKbpL50/20200204-171039.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tDFcbg0)
(https://i.ibb.co/hmm5jQW/20200204-170844.jpg) (https://ibb.co/x77v09j)
Long story short I'm going to buy a longer RAM extension piece and possibly a double ball piece to get the articulation I need. I can't quite get the phone and power lead clear of the tank bag without fouling the ignition keys and vice versa. I tried landscape and portrait orientation but no go. Its easier if the power lead is disconnected but that kind of defeats the object. There is also some fiddling to be done as the RAM mount arms grab the phone by the on off and or volume buttons if you're not careful. I'm not using a case as they are IP rated anyway, I cant find one specific to an A8 or A20 phone, and haven't the space for a large universal one.This means the phone has to be fitted eccentrically in the mount and the rubber tether won't fit.
The sharper eyes amongst you will have detected a new front stand. This is the Wunderlich toy which arrived at the weekend.
(https://i.ibb.co/mbbrh7m/20200204-165227.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5GGXsVd)
One of the wheels was broken, I am going to try and get a replacement but the break does not affect the function
(https://i.ibb.co/SQwKdg0/20200204-165035.jpg) (https://ibb.co/283jsrP)
(https://i.ibb.co/PxNyGqt/20200204-170901.jpg) (https://ibb.co/y0XCFHV)
I put the rear stand in first as it felt a bit more stable that way round
(https://i.ibb.co/Sfq1Sw8/20200204-170921.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dmn3Z4q)
(https://i.ibb.co/5MzP6GY/20200204-170933.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1vpkL7s)
Its a fairly sturdy piece of kit. You slide the sides towards each other along the crossbar until the nylon lifting lugs fit into the brake supports on the forks, and then tighten up the lock screws.
(https://i.ibb.co/Qd8t5Fm/20200204-170945.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dgbxh0K)
(https://i.ibb.co/yBKcCfG/20200204-171002.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Qjh3Vbz)
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That RAM setup you've got there is identical to mine.
It works well. I advise using the weird stretchy rubbery thing - pull it over each corner of the phone - otherwise the phone can occasionally rotate a little.
The only downside, as you've intimated is that with a fully loaded tall tank bag you can't necessarily see the screen - depends on the tank bag, obvs.
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Hi Martin
Same front paddock stand just a few more holes so can alter the height for use on other bikes,would have thought the wheels are pretty generic just a case of tracking some down.
As for Ram... late 80’s early 90’s we used to take video camera with us was watching one the other night on the Czech/Polish boarder no GPS or mobile phone just a sense of adventure and decent sense of direction and still don’t use one to this day,when a car.... oh blimey that’s another game all together ;D
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Widget fixed and doesnt hit anything now. Not that i've been out on it yet
(https://i.ibb.co/c8gG11k/20200212-164754.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fN1h22q)
(https://i.ibb.co/fdHkxvk/20200212-164822.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wh4SzsS)
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Wunderlich sent me a new wheel to replace the broken one FOC
And sod the weather I'm off to Shropshire
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Well, I hope you managed to avoid all the flooding on the Wye mate...
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Ah well you see I stuck to the motorwye so it was ok....
Got stopped with a rolling block somewhere on M5 while they patched a pothole. When they let us off I had 3 empty lanes in front of me to the next junction. Well it would be rude not to give it a handful. Its noticeable how much more you have to get your head down with the standard screen than with the extended screen on the k12, although it seems smoother at lower speeds. Rolled it off as I got to the junction and sure enough unmarked bmw sitting there.
And it'll be no news to anyone that the fuel economy is noticeably better than the k12, no numbers yet but I'm just going further between fill ups. The fuel gauge is giving up at least 15 miles before empty, still need to work out exactly what I have left when it says empty. And the single larger hole in the filler cap neck seems to work better than the multiple small holes I drilled in the k12.
The RAM works fine with the Samsung A8 except at a standstill when the rain hits it which seems to make it think there are fingers on the screen. Going to fiddle with the settings. Has also occurred to me I could shelter it more if I obscure the speedo with the phone as the sat nav gives speed anyway. Turns out the speedo is about 3 or 4 mph optimistic.
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All good news, especially the BMW ...
Hereford got a pasting in the storm on Saturday and transport across the Wye is virtually non-existent in the county.
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Going out to start chiselling the mud off. Have sent the boy for more cleaning materials
(https://i.ibb.co/gWtT0ZJ/20200220-191008.jpg) (https://ibb.co/T0P8QMt)
Think all the information is visible there
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How many phones doyou have Martin? Of is that a 'real' camera you do the shots with?
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2 phones of course. I managed to keep my old work phone and the number when I left.
So this week managed to get the annual mileage up to a whole 925 miles before the shutters came down. At least its was dry and sunny this week. This tempted me to be going a little quicker than when I was out earlier in the year when it was wet and slippery, so I discovered how bad our road surfaces are, and how much of the fields the farmers have spread over the roads now they have been able to get back into the fields. The front tyre is still not scrubbed in properly and tried to tuck on me in one corner. Could have been the surface but whatever, I didn't even have time to clench the sphincter before the bars twitched back and it picked up again so I don't think there would have been any #93 gymnastics if it hadn't. It has not orange peeled yet which surprised me, the shoulders of the tyre are still like one of those old Japanese tyres we had back in the 80s. The rear squared off on the 600 mile trip up to Shropshire in February and will take more than 150 miles around the Cornish lanes to round up again.
Riding back to back with the K12 , it seems a bit quicker, hard to tell if I'm imagining it, but maybe picks up a little bit quicker. Still harsher engine and stiffer suspension. Averaging 5 or 6 mpg more than the K12, although the K12 economy seems to have dropped off recently, not sure why.
So now have 2 very clean and for the first time in a very long time polished cars in the drive, I am now trying to work out how I can spin out cleaning the bikes for at least another 2 weeks without being given jobs to do. While I was out on the bikes, SWMBO was at the Dulux store buying lots of paint, can't imagine what she needs it for....
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So finally got out to do some fly swatting today, 195mile loop along the North coast and back down to Okehampton then home again. Had to stop after 50 miles to rest the dinosorearse. Feeling a bit knackered, very un-bike fit even though I was relatively pootling along. A39 is always good but discovered the A386 from Bideford to Okehampton to be very enjoyable. Traffic light, weather sunny dry and no wind to speak of. Traffic well behaved until I was 200m from home and some dick in a Golf drove up the wrong of the road straight at me.
(https://i.ibb.co/MsBwTLD/20200526-210639.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Vtwny8W)
Bike is very harsh, buzzy with vibration. It seemed to get less as I went unless my bits were going numb. The temp gauge showed it was running hot for the first 25 miles but then it backed off. The quickshift wouldn't work until I'd done 10 miles. As I have said before elsewhere the best thing for these bikes is just ride them every day, 8-9 weeks standing does them no good.
The BMW Enduroguard suit is very comfortably cool in the 20 odd degrees of heat, much better than the leathers. Haven't used all the vents yet though
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Bike is very harsh, buzzy with vibration.
Low mileage bike?
Both my bikes smoothed out around 18k (+/-2k, since you don't really quite know when something slowly disappears!).
The difference between an 8k and a 38k bike was quite marked, the few times I rode both back to back.
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Perhaps dearly beloved is buying paint for your forks project Martin. How sweet she must be 8)
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Nope. Since I wrote that 2 months ago I have painted the outside of the house til that colour ran out, painted the shed and garden furniture with preserver, painted the outside steps and walls in the garden, painted the windows and doors to the porch, painted inside the porch, and stripped a lot of internal woodwork ready for painting. The k12 forks were by way of light relief...
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When you've finished your gaff, you know where I live :D
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Managed about 400 miles in the last few days. Pleasantly emptier roads, discovered a few new roads, dry, sunny. Warm enough to start experimenting with opening vents in the Enduroguard. All very comfortable so far
(https://i.ibb.co/hRZ3Hxg/20200602-102614.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TBb9RDw)
Maybe I will get a few more miles in this year to make up for this week when we should have been running up and down the length of the country, but you can only ride in circles for so long. All my mates in Holland on the piss yesterday as the bars have reopened, telling me to get on my bike and get over there. Ho hum be a while yet
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Interesting pattern - they've almost collected in the middle.
Mine are always evenly spread - and I do mean spread, like strawberry jam - or worse, lemon curd splats.
Spectacles cleaner (little squirty bottle from Home Bargains - £1.25), a pack of pocket tissues, and you're sorted.
The second best investment after Muc-Off Anti-fog for seeing where you're going, if you're out for more than a couple of hours.
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I can't recommend the TurboVisorTM highly enough...
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Managed about 400 miles in the last few days. Pleasantly emptier roads, discovered a few new roads, dry, sunny. Warm enough to start experimenting with opening vents in the Enduroguard. All very comfortable so far
(https://i.ibb.co/hRZ3Hxg/20200602-102614.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TBb9RDw)
Maybe I will get a few more miles in this year to make up for this week when we should have been running up and down the length of the country, but you can only ride in circles for so long. All my mates in Holland on the piss yesterday as the bars have reopened, telling me to get on my bike and get over there. Ho hum be a while yet
Never a truer word Martin about riding around in circles,sadly I think the future is bleak and if bookies run odds on another lock down by September i’ll Be more than happy to put 20 quid on it,hence why my new new bike turns up thursday(hopefully) and it ain’t a motorbike....
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Asfalt killers with K machines.
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About time. A39 all along the coast followed by a bit of a motorway thrash. 325 miles the day. Fastest thing seen was a BMW i8, at 150 and that for a while wasnt catching him up very quickly and decided my licence wasnt worth it. Hope he had a spare pack of AAAs. I didn't know the battery lasted that long
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Is it the bit of the A39 that then joins the equally well flowing A4 going all the way to my neck of the woods? I see way too many hiding places for badgers and police along my stretch of the A4!
Oh well, back to roadmaps. The bad kind.
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In all my decades of trawling the A4 I have never, not once, seen a police car hiding anywhere.
Plodding along perhaps. Making progress even, but hiding, never. Methinks you are being over cautious young sir.
Of course, from Newbury that was west to Calne and beyond but east was only to Theale.
East of Reading? There be dragons... ;D
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In all my decades of trawling the A4 I have never, not once, seen a police car hiding anywhere.
Plodding along perhaps. Making progress even, but hiding, never. Methinks you are being over cautious young sir.
Of course, from Newbury that was west to Calne and beyond but east was only to Theale.
East of Reading? There be dragons... ;D
Nobody in their right mind would go east of Reading!
And yes you make a good point, I do often err on the side of caution with... everything. Saying that I'm still making progress, just not 150 progress (assuming that isn't kph).
I came upon a moving marked police car the other day on my way East towards idiot Thatcham, and several cars behind were dropping back even further and being sausages, so I was overtaking in a 30 gradually making my way up. Then on the way out I realised the car behind the marked car (some old Polo) also had a police officer in it. Don't know what they were doing but they eventually stopped and I went past. Maybe the Polo driver they arrested was dying in the marked car.
Anyway there's a story to tell the grand kids. The ones I hate anyway.
After being followed in Snowdonia by a police helicopter about 12 years ago I also sometimes remember that on a sunny day and start glancing into the sky if my brain determines i'm out on a likely busy day! Anybody else? No? Just me then!
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Ah no! I'm right with you on the chopper front Matt.
In the bad old days the Hampshire plod had a small, very slow moving fixed wing aircraft which used to swan up and down the M27 knicking folks for doing 74. My solution was to go much faster than it was doing so that I came up behind it...then you just had to wait till it turned round or you left the m'way.
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Ahaha! Never knew they used fixed wing!
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A number of UK police forces have used fixed wing aircraft over the years, mainly I suppose to reduce operating costs to a level that allows their deployment to be effective.
It might also be worth noting that quite a number of European agencies have used (and might still use) a twin - engined aircraft (Partenavia P68 Observer) that was built specifically to offer twin - engined safety when operating over built - up - areas, with ample performance on hand to pursue targets when necessary. This derivative of the standard P68 was equipped with a completely clear nose section to aid visibility and offered relatively low maintenance costs through employing a fixed undercarriage and, in the early versions at least I believe, fixed - pitch propellors.
Long ago, I moved an Observer that was on trial in the UK between locations for the operator and, in poor weather, needed to pick my way through fairly extensive cloud. Not unusual and no problem in itself, however I found that the clear nose section did, at least for me, induce vertigo! Not pleasant.
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Wow, that's got to be quite some experience! Glass bottom boat is one thing, that's quite another!
I have never thought much about the technology involved in cameras on aircraft for policing. I suppose for support purposes then the technology is not so demanding, as in gimbals, zoom lenses and so forth to create a workable solution.
For actually catching speeding sausages we have to add whatever can do the measurement of the Speed = Distance/Time components. Though if my robot vacuum cleaner can use its LIDAR and do it, then I suppose it's understandable someone has put that all together for more money making.
The helicopter in my Wales trip though got very close, maybe 100m above, and when I pulled over on the road south east of Snowdon, actually came level with me in the valley and just hovered whilst I got off bike and stared at it. Not sure what they were hoping to achieve as i'd been a pretty slow sausage already. Probably only a minute or so and then he buggered off though. Maybe he determined my SV650 didn't pose much risk of speeding!
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I expect that catching speeders from an aircraft is reserved for those who are substantially over the limit rather than those doing 80 - 85mph. As such, all that's needed is a camera to film the event with sufficient capacity to make a number plate legible, and a stopwatch. The very old fashioned approach of timing between two fixed points (eg paint square and bridge) a known distance apart, is still admissible as supporting evidence.
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I expect that catching speeders from an aircraft is reserved for those who are substantially over the limit rather than those doing 80 - 85mph. As such, all that's needed is a camera to film the event with sufficient capacity to make a number plate legible, and a stopwatch. The very old fashioned approach of timing between two fixed points (eg paint square and bridge) a known distance apart, is still admissible as supporting evidence.
Good point, you'd know the frame rate etc so easy enough to prove. I was thinking some automatic 100x zoom with a SIM card stuck up its bum to bing off your fine in real-time :D.
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There was an outcry around the Eastleigh, Portsmouth, Southampton and Fareham areas at the time about the plane. It really was knicking folks for the speeds you quote.
It was like fishing with hand grenades.
From memory, it was in operation for about 2 years before it disappeared.
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Maybe it flew into the Hayling Island Triangle.
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(https://i.ibb.co/TmKdGhB/20200702-165418.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SRQGgvX)
12000 miles in Church Stretton yesterday. Had an excellent ride down the almost empty A49 and then the A417. I was just preparing to take a loop around the West side of Bristol to continue avoiding the motorway as much as possible in the very light traffic and sunshine, when i got a rear puncture. Slow puncture enough for me lose an hour cursing and stressing until at the 3rd attempt to find a garage with a can of sealant and an air pump with contactless payment (well done Shell Downend in Bristol - and a new airline too). Nothing stuck in the tyre, just a small hole that announced itself when the gunge started bubbling out of it. However the tyre wouldn't hold over 2.2bar so it was a slow trundle home with several stops to try to top up the air. This morning it was still inflated, unlike my opinion of myself when i found that i had after all squeezed a can of sealant and a repair kit in my tankbag and completely forgotten it (it normally sits in the 50 litre tail pack that I wasn't using for an overnight sprint up to Shropshire). What a tit.
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Clearly you should have had a puncture a 100 miles earlier :D I can actually squeeze a K in my VW Transporter..
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Or even 50 miles earlier and my garage, compressor and tyre fixing station would have been at your disposal. As would my tea pot and biccie barrel. 8)
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(https://i.ibb.co/tqxc7vY/20200705-180052.jpg) (https://ibb.co/n7nfHYQ)
Seems to be harder to clean and polish than the k12
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Seems to be harder to clean and polish than the k12
Too many colours.
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As the punctured rear tyre is well worn out after only 2000 miles I am going to replace the Metzeler Sportecs with trusty PR5s. The Metz were OK in the dry but not even close to the Michelins in the wet, and I can't stand 2k miles a tyre.
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That's what you get for not sticking to the true and tested... ::)
2,000 miles. Jeez!
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That's what it came with. New tyres were part of the deal but Metz were not something I asked for
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So when Ocean had their clothing sale last week I went after a set of Enduroguard gloves and managed to avoid buying another bike this year. The ones they had were too small but today I got a set the right size and had a 280 mile bimble around the moors (Bodmin Dart and Ex) to try them out. These gloves have the double liner ie you can put your hand in one hole and there's a very thin palm for warm weather, in the other hole there's a thick liner for colder weather. Worked well today in both cases. Also the glove cuff fits neatly with the Enduroguard jacket, which was the point of getting them as i have struggled to find any other glove that does. We shall see how I get on as the weather cools.
A rather longer bimble than i expected, SWMBO got a call around 430 explaining that i was still the wrong side of Barnstaple and wouldn't be in a 6 for my tea. I thought i was being a good boy until i found out that my clock was still on GMT not BST and thus it was actually 530...no photo opportunity stops then and fortunately the A39 is a fast road home
The weather was grand, the traffic was very light and I found some excellent new roads, so I wasn't going to cut it short. Probably the first real ride of the K13 as I only did about 11 miles on a dual carriageway. Starting to feel the handling differences now.
Either the K13 riding position is slightly different, or not having the low seat definitely puts more weight on my hands and wrists. My shoulders are aching now, after a similar rune on the K12 its my upper arms. I think I'm going to put the low seat on and re-run the route and see.
Having properly functioning front shock helps (the K12 front damping has gone to a better place now...) but I found it very easy to run wide on corner exit. Maybe the shoulders of the PR5s are getting scrubbed in. Not sure if its the new gloves but also found the throttle was either not closing fully or running on in corner entry a few times too. I'll blame rider error for the time being.
I also noticed the TPS showing pressure dropping 0.1 or 0.2 bar then back up which the K12 has never done unless the tyre is leaking.
This fuel gauge goes to zero range after 18.5 litres pretty consistently now so I am delicately experimenting to see if its a 20.8 litre tank like the K12. I've managed 19.66 litres so far, and have run up to 7 miles past zero miles range.
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Re: running wide. What suspension setting are you running it with? I always found it much harder to hold a line if it was in comfort (it also felt like it wallowed a bit) but sport made it pin sharp.
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Yeah I'll second the note in comfort.
You weren't by any chance near Pulborough were you? I passed a Motorsport there in Sunday!
I think I recall my pressure figure varying occasionally in line with the degree of mental riding I was doing, i.e when bimbling it would drop slightly. I assume the temp offset variable gets updated less frequently than the refresh rate to the screen.
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Dont think I've ever used comfort on either bike other than to check it was there.
I'm roving around a bit but as yet Pulborough is outside an afternoon out. Mind now you come to mention it...
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Use comfort all the time. Sport beats you up too much and I only ever used it on a track.
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Use comfort all the time. Sport beats you up too much and I only ever used it on a track.
Ditto. Except for very very occasional Sport use when going proper naughty fast - sacrificing comfort for tighter handling.
I think I'm mellowing. 8)
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I've been using the Comfort setting, Sports is quite firm to be honest and probably for track day use if I get that opportunity. I have to fit into the leathers first.
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Don't ye have a "normal" setting?
I've Comfort, Normal, and Sport on the 1200GT
I have it on Normal, unless going over rough narrow roads when I use Comfort. Or when I'm two up and bimbling along, for when the wife's comfort is paramount.
My mate uses comfort all the time, then he's almost twice my weight ;D
Never used sport.
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I used all settings on pretty much every trip. Comfort was used for the couple of bumpy country lane miles from my house to the main road. Once on the main road I'd switch to normal. As soon as some fun bits of road arrived I'd switch to sport. Likewise, if there was a particularly rough bit of road I'd switch back to comfort.
The "impact" (good word to use here!!) of using anything other than comfort on rough roads was obvious. It quickly became really quite uncomfortable/painful and like managing a bucking-bronco if I happened to have left it in sport.
Likewise, having real fun in the twisties would immediately highlight if I was still in comfort as I wobbled and wallowed my way around the first decent bend but even normal mode would result in a greater challenge to hold a line, especially on the longer, faster sweepers with a slightly undulating surface.
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Interesting comments. Having played around with mine for the first few weeks of ownership it is now just left in Sport all the time. Like others have said I find the bike is much sharper through the twisty bits when in Sport than either Normal or Comfort. I did feel that it was just to wallowy and vague in either of the softer settings, and I also felt that over some of the rougher roads, that the suspension was also bottoming out completely, and trying to launch me over the bars. Regardless of the settings, I also feel that the ride is markedly inferior to my old VFR800, but overall very much like to way the BMW rides.
I have not yet done much distance work, and might take a different view if I do.
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It's worth noting that the suspension may well change depending on mileage / use.
I found that 8k mile v 38k mile suspension was quite different. Ridden back to back the 38k bike in Sport mode was equivalent to the 8k Comfort mode, i.e. smooth, but a little loose and slightly wallowy if pushed. The 8k mile bike in Sport mode was quite harsh.
The 8k bike is now at 25k and I no longer have a second bike to compare with, but I'm pretty sure it's now softer.
It would be interesting to know if Martin's 100k K1200S and his K1300S feel different.
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I’m in the same boat with this KTM that I bought last year, first time ever with leccy suspension which I have avoided over the years, and always messing about chasing the Holy Grail, the irony.. with other bikes with either Ohlins or Wilbers :)just set them up and they do the lot with one setting.
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I have previously remarked how harsh the k13 feels compared to the k12. The k12 engine and gearbox is oily smooth, the k13 is still pretty hard and vibey. The suspension feels slightly harder but damped, while the k12 feels supple, or did till the front damping evaporated. Still debating whether to replace the k12 shocks with new OE or Wilbers or Ohlins.
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Martin
Next time you are up too see your dad, I’d drop into Revs Racing and have a word with John Gaskell and see if that is where you want to go.
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So yesterday i wrote about reversing the route as promised using the low seat. However my no2 laptop has decided that it will connect to my wifi as and when it feels like it, and when I hit "post" it was obviously having a tea break, and nothing was uploaded. Laptop no3 has now been inserted in the dock and we'll have another go. BTW lap top no2 has been around the house today and worked faultlessly streaming films from wifi, and when it was docked this evening promptly went on strike. Bloody IT. And don't ask about USB and USB-C cables either
Right, this was the first route around the Moors in an anti clockwise direction. The A396 from Exeter up the river valley is a great road
(https://i.ibb.co/LdtRsL4/Screenshot-20200930-102012-Maps-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/m5qTPLQ)
So I went around in the other direction and tried it down the valley, and this time packed the low seat. I also went and topped up the tyres, 37/43. The TPS said 2.5/2.9 so fine. Three miles later the front went to 2.6, but then settled on 2.5 and stayed there. It was fairly quickly apparent that the low seat means less weight on the wrists for me, and the 100k polishing makes it a lot easier to move around on and I prefer it for this sort of scratching. As I think I said before, the standard seat is more comfortable for sitting like a sack of potatoes on the motorway, and I think makes the airflow around my head a little quieter.
(https://i.ibb.co/FDBwZ7P/Screenshot-20201009-214858-Maps-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tJbsjCd)
I'd got to Lynmouth (the gorge is still as bumpy and potholed) for a cuppa and lunch, and 13000 came up just as we got to the edge of town.
(https://i.ibb.co/fHKN83b/20201007-135530.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SB1mQk2)
(https://i.ibb.co/GQfNrwS/20201007-134412.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JjWgSLJ)
I'd been dodging and following showers and it tried to rain on me as I legged it over Exmoor to Minehead. Autumn is definitely here as the smaller roads are degenerating to wheel tracks with mud and wet leaves between. The K13 seems to pick up quicker from a closed throttle than the K12, and after a few squirms kicked properly sideways over a cattle grid. It straightened out fortunately but not sure who had the browner pants, me or the adjacent Volvo driver. Dropping down the A396 I found it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm as the surface was so variably wet dry and muddy, but definitely one to try. I still feel the K13 drops into corners more suddenly than the K12, not sure if this is the taller rear tyre profile, some change in the geometry, or me just having an off day.
Leaving Moreton Hampstead it started raining properly and as I got on to the top of the moor by the prison I found they had closed the road. Signs? Why bother tell anyone? So a bit of a detour to Plymouth instead of Tavistock, and 10 miles past zero range on the fuel gauge and still only got 19.77 litres in. Back up to the A30 in the pouring rain. I began to wonder if my left hand was getting wet in these super duper EnduroGuard gloves. It was OK until I started to regularly use the lefthand visor wipe strip to clear my visor. When I got home it was a bit clammy but not really wet. Jury is still out. They took all day yesterday to dry out in the house, I avoided the radiator but the leather palm seems to hold water.
As I was trundling along the A30 the motor began to fluff so I turned off and did a couple of turns around a junction roundabout. Seemed OK so I apprehensively re-joined the A30. No further problem. I had noticed similar coming off Dartmoor but had thought it was just due to being on a virtually closed throttle in the queue of 40mph traffic and tractors doing less than the moor-wide 40mph limit. Maybe the bike does not like the rain.
After a shitty day yesterday this morning SWMBO said "are you going out on the bike?" No second offer required. Sitting at traffic lights in Falmouth the engine seems to have adopted the giggity giggity idle of the K12, the idle speed seemed a little low. Decided to explore the roads between the A30 and A38/A390. Whilst up in the Clay Country (china clay mines) at the back of St Austell I found myself up a dead end road. As I turned in the road I fell off, not sure why, pulled the clutch in, braked, not enough throttle, just that "oh shit" moment as it starts to topple not turn and you realise you aren't going to stop it. The road was sloping up slightly and I fell downhill, so the bike was now lying on its side , top down the hill. How I picked it up I'm not sure , there was a moment when I got it half way I thought well if i let it go now it'll drop again, so just pushed harder and up it came. Back felt a bit sore for few miles. No drips nasty noises or other concerns so after a few minutes checking and getting my breath back I set off again. Obviously imagining all kind of vibrations noises etc but nothing materialised.
The right hand fairing took most of the damage, and has cracked as well as getting properly scratched.
(https://i.ibb.co/2KfCBz6/20201009-150607.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WKYM1r3)
(https://i.ibb.co/ynNQghj/20201009-150809.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3yTCSfZ)
The RHS rear-set peg has a bit of a scratch, and it now rotates which it didn't do before, although I cant make it move with my boot when riding. And yes the bike is properly dirty now but I've done about 6-700 miles in the last week
(https://i.ibb.co/w0gLMmN/20201009-150629.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Tv2Tm3B)
The mirror and the brake lever got some scratches to but nothing broke
(https://i.ibb.co/dMyGxpq/20201009-150704.jpg) (https://ibb.co/g9CzhWp)
(https://i.ibb.co/GFH7Gnq/20201009-150727.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mSNJdb3)
Not happy but shit happens.
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Bugger...come too think of it triple bugger :'(
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I wish I hadn't read that last bit. It was all going so well up to then.
I think the 'damage' done when fitting R&G bungs is well worth the grimace and the sweaty palms. My 12 toppled over at the top of a ramp on the ferry a few years ago and disgraced itself all over the steel deck and the only marks were on the end of the bung and the buffer on the Sport Case, both of which were replaceable so there were no lingering niggles.
In a high speed off, bungs can do more damage than anything else but low speed tumbles is where they earn their keep and my cases never come off as they stop a lot of the bike from touching down.
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Ack double bugger. Did similar with my first K out in Italy. Also was paranoid for the next few hundred miles that something would go wrong.
When my Motorsport got tipped over I also got the rotating peg. BMW replaced the whole thing and I now have the rotating one in the utility room, waiting for me to find a deep enough attachment thing to unscrew it and work out what's going on. Full stop.
Ah, no panniers on. Check the rear nacelle thing. BMW quoted and replaced mine, I even rode back to them to check as I was sure it was fine, but sure enough scuff scuff. Agh your main headlight cowl thing also has a scuff :(. I hope there's a more cost effective fix than mine (yeah BMW).
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Very bad luck Martin, but haven't we all done exactly the same thing at some time.
In your post you said " As I was trundling along the A30 the motor began to fluff so I turned off and did a couple of turns around a junction roundabout. Seemed OK so I apprehensively re-joined the A30. No further problem. I had noticed similar coming off Dartmoor but had thought it was just due to being on a virtually closed throttle in the queue of 40mph traffic and tractors doing less than the moor-wide 40mph limit. Maybe the bike does not like the rain."
This is how mine felt when the exhaust flap was sticking.
You'd go to pull away & the engine would just fluff then pickup, but could easily result in a stall.
On the road it would feel as though it was being held back, then would clear ( when the flap unstuck itself ).
It might have been responsible for your topple over if the engine didn't respond when expected.
Would suggest you check it is free to rotate, or even wire it permanently open which mine is now, with no adverse affects.
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Ah, shame, and easily done.
Panniers definitely protect. With a pannier fitted the low speed topple touch points are pannier, mirror, riders peg.
None of which break, but they do scuff a bit. So my er friend says.
Ugly but possibly cheaper than a fairing.
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Been there, done that! :( All too easy to do. For me it was the result of a foot in a hole while doing a U turn on a French road on an Old Gits trip.
There is nothing anyone can say that will make this better but you have my sympathies.
The only good thing (although, less bad would be a better description) is that from my time watching fairing parts on eBay. the right side seemed marginally easier to get than the left (stand) side.
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Unfortunately the Motorsport panels are silly money.
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Yep. It's quite upsetting considering it's a panel they get, paint white, stick on stickers, lacquer.
I'm sure one could have a tank hand painted for less!
Whoever BMW used for my equally rubbish Motorsport scheme on the S1000RR messed up at least one panel and had to do it again after I moaned.
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Whilst cleaning the bike today I noticed the chicken strip on the front tyre is almost gone, but theres a healthy strip at the rear. On the k12 I seem to get to the edge of both , in fact have ridden off the edge of the rear
(https://i.ibb.co/kyk1n7d/20201010-142514.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CtN2dcr)
(https://i.ibb.co/Mh1KM8s/20201010-142503.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0X91hBc)
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Hmmm! On all of mine (K1200S, 13 Sport and MotorSport) I could clear the rear chicken strips, but always had 1/2" on the front.
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I'll try harder
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Not a suggestion to try harder, just an observation of an interesting difference.
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Did you ever ride on the PR5 (or whatever Martin is on) David?
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Yes, had PR5s on my MotorSport.
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Sorry to hear if your mishap! You know I do not like the cut on the tyres the way they are shy of the edge.
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When I turn the ignition on I can hear the flap valve doing a test cycle so it sounds as if its moving. Should it be cleaned? If it's getting coked up I found that oven cleaner worked a treat on my diesel car turbos and manifolds. I suppose more and regular frequent use should also help.
And after reassembling all the bodywork today after a thorough clean yesterday, I'd just like to ask why bmw made it so much more difficult and fiddly than the k12. And I didnt have the cockpit or tank cover off, just all the sides and lowers. 30 bolts fer crissakes 🤬
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Really? I ran both of mine together for a while and can't say I noticed any difference between the 12 and the 13.
When we did the bulk buy on replacement bolts, the kits had the same number of screws in them and no-one ever complained...
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When mine was playing up there was no engine warning light displayed at any time.
As soon as it was connected to a GS911 it showed up " exhaust flap sticking ".
So the ECU knew there was a problem but didn't display any warning on the dash ( brilliant software not ).
As there is no warning other than the GS911 I decided to wire it permanently open, I then know exactly what it was doing & that it was not going to cause a problem.
Apparently it was added to reduce the " drive by noise level " for the homologation tests.
In practice it gives the exhaust note a flat sound at tick over, but no audible difference ( to me ) when riding & no change to MPG.
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Oh for flap sake :😀 that’s a really good piece of information Philip.
Thanks
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Visited the phmode estate this week and am pleased to report that Brian's wrists are feeling better. Rae will be marketing the Wrinklies Physio Treatment. Will the K13 get a stay of execution..? And very grateful for the fairing screw pack that accidentally fell off his shelf into my bag as I discovered I was missing a screw
So trying to be a good boy yesterday saw a new record of 52.3mpg and 20.11 litres in the tank after 16 mile past zero range. Out of the whole day chugging at less than 79 on motorways am worried that after popping to Revs Racing I got caught by a camera in Halesowen where there's a camera on the A456 Manor Way dual carriageway that's a 40 limit, in traffic heard a TomTom ping, saw the marks at 50 passed the marks at 43, dodgy. After spending nearly all of the 6k miles I have done this year off motorways yesterday was a "continue on the M5 for 153 miles" kinda day. God its boring. Oh yeah and so that's what 6C at 75mph feels like, I had forgotten. Pass the heated grips. No flapping fluffing was noticed in the 610 mile round trip to Shropshire either which was good. The freshly washed bike and I were covered in dirty water draining from a truck full of freshly washed stone after 30 miles which did piss me off though. As for the mud up the last mile of road (I use the word loosely, farm track is closer) to my dads...
Today have failed to find a fairing panel on the interweb. A new primed panel is £134, the logo sticker is £54 and the red and blue strip is £54 (now unavailable but a complete factory painted stickered panel would have been £605..). Given my excess is £350 Ocean are going to ask their approved body shop if they can paint and sticker the primed panel. We'll see
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Most dealers have a tame plastic welder who should be able to glue your width restrictor back together again followed by a subtle blend-in of the black bits with an air-brush. Or, seeing as I have witnessed the gravel rash, a bass broom :(
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BMW quoted £600 to spray the panel and fix the stickers, in addition to the cost of buying the panel and stickers
So if anyone wants to recommend a tip top paint shop that might be able to quote a sensible price I'm all ears.
I'm looking for the post on paint colours, other than pearl white and gloss black I haven't got a better description yet. Can anyone point me to it?
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Any decent body shop should be able to do it Martin, just get some local recommendations.
I had a local guy do the whole of my GT for 300 quid. I removed the panels and delivered them to him and picked them up about 5 days later.
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Found a place not too far away recommended by the guy that's looked after our cars for ages and was briefly a manager at Ocean. They have quoted £300 to spray the new panel and the cockpit panel that was also scratched. Was going to take all the parts over this morning but phoned them re lockdown and they don't know if they are opening or not, so sitting on my hands til Wednesday now.
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Bugger! Almost a result there Martin.
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After being pretty much stuck inside for a month I finally got out this week, broken fairing notwithstanding. I gave up with the local body shop as they dithered so much over lockdown, but will try again next week
(https://i.ibb.co/MDkycPL/20201125-145830.jpg) (https://ibb.co/sv9pKsr)
(https://i.ibb.co/QbqHr1h/20201125-145845.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Tvn0mFJ)
14000 miles came up on the way. There was more grip than it looks but it was a bit parky.
(https://i.ibb.co/4WLJP5v/20201125-145901.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PxytwfX)
(https://i.ibb.co/P6DVp6t/20201125-154225.jpg) (https://ibb.co/x7Frv73)
Eventually fetched up at Bude but all the cafes were shut so no hot teas going. I had gone out in my leathers for the first time this year and whilst warmer than the textiles they are ventilated and as the temperature dropped I had to put the oversuit on to keep the wind out. The combination is definitely warmer than the BMW Enduro suit. Gratifyingly loose fit too thanks to the weight I have lost, last year i basically burst the zips and now they're almost oversize
(https://i.ibb.co/0MWYQMv/20201125-154256.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XsdFVsM)
Yesterday I got out again and went along the South coast this time and up over Dartmoor. Everything was shut again and it was down to 3.5C , but nice and dry, mostly. Leaving the moor via Moretonhampstead, I went North up to the A3072 and turned towards Bude, West and into the low setting sun . This road in lockdown was very quiet and a pleasant ride in the summer. Now I discover its a favourite with HGVs running East West, and I was stuck behind a tractor unit for a while. Admirably accurately driven with only inches to spare to the verge and white line, and some very narrow squeaks with oncoming trucks. The downside being that every bit of shite in the verge was being sprayed all over me and my visor, combining with the low sun to reduce visibility to very little. Anyway, better out on the road in the sun than stuck inside
(https://i.ibb.co/QXsDGpc/127564366-3929745127070530-7298340453261559493-o.jpg) (https://ibb.co/N7wTzt3)
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With the roads here in the Marches covered in the red shite that passes for soil when it is in the fields, staying indoors chucking logs on the fire and listening to the fieldfares in the orchards seems like a much better idea.
The birds are only 30 metres away but totally invisible through the fog which hasn't lifted for two days. Brrrrrian
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Got the bike out of the shed for the first time this year, still covered in shite from the last run and missing the side panel. First off the battery was flat so had to jump start from the TT . New battery or not, that thought twice about starting, Cornish frost is obviously harder than it looks. Then had to use the air pump plugged into the TT fag lighter to blow up the K rear tyre which was almost flat.
Having wheeled it out of the shed and round the side of the house I replaced the side panel. I am NOT happy with the paint job but shit happens and maybe I should have shelled out £600 for the BMW painter instead of £300 to the locally recommended bloke. Anyway having rendered the bike rideable I went out for a 40 mile run around and found myself following the council gritter after 2 miles. Turned off and proceeded to ride into the low winter sun for half an hour which rendered most things invisible. The TPMS was showing the rear tyre was greatly over inflated so stopped to reduce the pressure and fill up with fuel. Got home and spent 90 minutes washing the salt off before the temperature dropped to freezing
And Trump thinks he's got problems
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Hi Martin
Happy New Year....not even sure what you are doing is even currently legal in lockdown, but when it is and we ever get a dry day(currently) snowing and clean roads i’m Looking forward to riding my KTM that was on the dyno before Christmas and until then cleaning bikes :)
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He was buying lemons (https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=4435.msg53820#msg53820).
Everyone needs lemons.
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He was buying lemons (https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=4435.msg53820#msg53820).
Everyone needs lemons.
Seems like Martin already has enough lemons; flat battery, amateur paintjob...
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If we are talking lemons...was thinking more along the lines of bikes keep’t in garden shed :o :o :o :o
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I was going to buy petrol, officer, so that the tank is full and I dont get condensation causing water in the fuel. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Next week I will mostly be using the large 50 litre soft bag to collect my click and collect shopping. I have yet to select which supermarket to collect from so will need to visit several to determine the one with the most covid secure set up.
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I know we makes jokes about this but it's really not funny, over 1300 dead in the last 24 hours, and I bet none of them went out to get Coved 19 on purpose.
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I know we makes jokes about this but it's really not funny, over 1300 dead in the last 24 hours, and I bet none of them went out to get Coved 19 on purpose.
Quite right.
However, black humour gets some of us through it, as a release.
I've not been off a motorbike as long as this for 26 years, and forums such as this are a good way to let off a little steam. No offence is meant.
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I agree Rich we have for many years got through difficult times with humour. I don't have a problem with people making jokes about going the long way round to the supermarket, it's actually doing it I have a problem with.
Edit: Maybe that was a poor example but you get my point.
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I do, and agreed - hence I'm sitting tight, bored bat-sh*t crazy.
Luckily I have some work, a push bike, and a nice 4 mile walking circuit. But right now it's too cold for cycling - the windchill is too great, so it's walk walk walk.
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I did get out on the bike on Wednesday as the FJR was booked in for a safety recall to have a brake switch fitted. It was bloody cold sitting in an empty showroom waiting for the work to be done. I was glad to get on the bike for the journey home to warm up a bit.
I went straight there and back, not the long way round ???
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Ok. Since lockdown #1 I have been to town to get my haircut twice and Ocean for the bikes 3 times. I have only been into places on the Wrinklies, to see my isolated dad, or to get the click and collect but that's in a car park, and garages. My grandson has been for a few hugs but none of the rest of the family. SWMBO made me sleep in a separate room for 10 days after the wrinklies. I am getting to the point where my minimal social skills have disappeared, being limited to saying "Please stay 2m away" or the Anglo Saxon equivalent. I am totally fecked off with the whole thing. Not the first year of retirement that I had been led to believe I would have.
Oh and I read somewhere today theres a FJR recall for dodgy second gears but limited to a certain date range, not sure if you'rve seen it Rae.
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The FJR gear problem is only with the six speed version, I told you the FJR didn't need six gears ;D
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For me this covid thing is about what i’m Going to do.... in the last 9 months the only people that have been in our house is my me/wife/ mother who lives just around the corner, the deal with her was very simple we’ll do the shopping click and collect, you want to do your own shopping... then you ain’t coming round the house to see us and I said that as an only one.
Bikes...I have 6 all ready to go...last time I rode a bike?? God knows 3 months ago might even be longer than that, don’t ask me to like it, i’m Just doing my/our bit.
This is our second year of retirement, I never had a job with a pension..I started my own private one with the Pru and bust my ass financially over 35 years to accru what I have, and here we all are with our thumbs up our ass’s asking what next, but it is what it is suck it up till the good days come back although god knows how far away they are,....until then i’m Dog walking and riding my mountain bike.
Don’t ask me to like it because I’m not >:(
Oh hair cuts!... next door went to the hair dressers they’ve got covid, I use a comb with a razor in it.
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Good lad Chris, I'm with you on this. As for the haircut I have clippers and doing my own haircuts in lockdown.
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I got to the hippy stage with my hair but it was a bit too annoying, and actually gave me a headache when riding (summer), so I bought a chopping machine and went back to short. Will have to wait until I buy a bigger lid!
Also all this talk of the last ride reminded me it must have been... Early November I think.
Chris, I like your saving approach! I've just moved to SIPP for various reasons. But moreover it reminded me, no need to buy a bike now as I can't use it!
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2021 started .
The narration was going so well until the dead end road. Then......
The evil eye got another beautifully looking bike.
Shorting the rear beg after treating it with high temp will save you at list 70.
Repairing the panel and replacing the decalls will present you an unexpected very costly repair .
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Yup!
I think we all know/recognise going in, when we get our first faired bike, that it's going to be more expensive when we drop it.
Then we drop it, and it hurts just as much as we knew it would!
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Dropped the K12S onto a studded steel deck on a X Channel ferry. Small scuffs to the Sport Case replaceable fender on the right and the replaceable plastic head of the right (obviously) R&G crash bung. Nothing else touched down, not even the bar end weight. Simples!
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I too can vouch for the RG bung-like features of sports panniers.
RG bungs don't carry much kit either.
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My first K made use of the pannier bung-like properties in Italy. Unfortunately as it was on a steep hill it also then slid a bit and made contact with... everything :D
Panniers were fine though... building on Rich's post, maybe we should have front/mid panniers too! But always the BMW Sport style obviously. I do love those.
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I do love those.
I didn't initially - until I realised they expanded. Like my mind on drugs.*
*paracetmol, ibuprofen. Wow.
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I do love those.
I didn't initially - until I realised they expanded. Like my mind on drugs.*
*paracetmol, ibuprofen. Wow.
Ha, when I got my first K my friend insisted it looked much better with panniers on than off. I came round to that too, and a drop later I always had at least one on.
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Well that gives you a 50% chance of catching a drop ::)
I doubt I have ridden more than 2 miles to and from the ex-local MoT place without the Sport Cases on on both the K12 and K13. Initially, not having a garage, it was a case( :) ) of having nowhere to store them apart from in bed with me and even I don't love my bike that much.
When Costas showed how much damage was saved by his cases when he threw it down a long hill, that convinced me and they are now a permanent attachment.
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Well that gives you a 50% chance of catching a drop ::)
...
Yeah and that did not pay off either!
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Chris, I like your saving approach! I've just moved to SIPP for various reasons. But moreover it reminded me, no need to buy a bike now as I can't use it!
Maybe we need a pension thread :), best tip I ever had was when I thought it was all
going pear shaped and the old boy :) I was working with at the time.... said ‘It’ll do nothing till your 60’ it was meet with hoots of derision from me as I exclaimed ‘too effing late then’ but he was bang on and like the turbo switch was on...probably why I can afford two Dymags to Rae’s One ;D
Oh and keep an eye on the Footsie...it’s all in the timing.
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I've apparently got more invested in America than the footsie, investments are made proportional to the size of the market says the bloke I pay to know about this, so Trump leaving has put a turbo into the start of this year and we have now reclaimed the cost of the high speed highside that was Covid.
So appropriately there is a sale on at Ocean https://www.theoceangroup.co.uk/bmw-motorrad/clothing-sale/?fbclid=IwAR0Ie7auQoTDyqpor5Jo5HGDOx8E_qF2t7iUCDjjZT26eE3f531a_hqcIKg (https://www.theoceangroup.co.uk/bmw-motorrad/clothing-sale/?fbclid=IwAR0Ie7auQoTDyqpor5Jo5HGDOx8E_qF2t7iUCDjjZT26eE3f531a_hqcIKg)
And just to make sure i don't spend any money there, it was insurance renewal this week. I'd had a reminder so went shopping around and not come up with any dramatic saving. Plus there was that SP30 from August to add.. add £60 to the premium. FFS. Anyway paid up through gritted teeth. Next day am reading the paperwork and notice that the SP30 has not been recorded on the paperwork, and the NCD is not protected. Re-gritted the teeth, got a large coffee, and phoned up. After 20 minutes we get a revised quote that is not £60 more but £25 less. As the lady read out all the necessary conditions like a racehorse commentator I say "excuse me but I didnt hear the NCD protection". So we go again. Now we have the SP30 included check, the NCD protection included check, and we are not £25 less but £39 more. Ok lets pay for it, well what I mean is you can credit me from yesterdays payment.
Computer says no.
The astonishingly patient and cool lady at the other end than describes some astoundingly complex way in which this can get sorted , or we can start again. Fearing astonishingly complicated involving lots of people who weren't involved trying to make head or tail of 3 different quotes, overpayment and credit, I say lets just start again. 5 minutes later she says its not £39 more but £26 more. Still with me? We joke (I think) about repeatedly entering the details to get the price down further. Ok, lets have that, so credit me against yesterdays payment.
Computer says no
After further discussion to confirm that I am insured and whatever the finance department do that at no point I will not be insured, in the end we agree that she will write to finance department and sort it out with them this week.
At some point during all this I had asked her if the documents I had were the equivalent of a green card. She said no but i could get one from a post office. I googled this as she worked and that was rubbish. So she said she would find out. The following day she called back and said sorry, never closed that off, I have found out that you need to give precise dates of travel in which countries you are going to and give them 4 weeks notice so the insurers can get it sorted. I will wait until i get my policy docs through and then contact my insurer. I hope to god this is not the case
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Green Card? Welcome to life outside the common market...
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Yep sounds just like it used to be :), with all the dickheads who voted leave...the joys of not being a club member.
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I think Scotland will be on their own soon.
Then Cornwall will want to be a democratic republic, Norfolk will want to bring back mandatory in-breeding and close the borders to anyone with only 10 fingers and toes.
I've put my name down for the civil war but I'm not saying which side I'll be on...yet ::)
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The pensions sub-thread that sprouted has been moved here:
https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=4481.0
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Cripes! I never knew we had a specialist Thread-Hijack Division...
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Ah thanks Rich :).
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New cluch at 76000 km. Cost of all parts and labour 800€.
The issue arose back in October when I did a 13 hour on the bike tour around the mountains of central Greece.
It started as a cluch lever issue , upon arriving to tolls the lever did not operate propertly. Days later I discovered some drops of fluid on top of lever. Well let's change it for peace of mind (350€), not sure about the problem as it was an issue only after riding for more than an hour, with hot engine only. Well new lever installed and the issue came right back after a couple of days , costas my ,same name close friend above all, mechanic was reluctant to change the cluch pump and want it to investigate deeper bad I insisted on the issue and a new OBERON was installed (100€). The old OEM one now seats in a self at the parts cabinet on the house basement. Problem return after a few days.
Damn it the mechanic was right again . He now opened the clutch assemply only to discover as he predicted, the discs wore in terrible condition; no1 practically non existing, no2 the same , no3 destroyed, the rest in relatively good condition, for the first 3 no friction materials were found at all, down to the metal. Note there was no slippage noticed starting hard on 1st or 2nd or any other gear. It seems the new oil prevents slippage and mascarretes the issue. When noticed then its too late and time for new disc set. Bike was at Serres track day just a few days before all this happened . Apparently 300 maybe more track days are not loved by a 1300S clutch.
Very happy with engine and clutch performance with new parts. Smile is back present. Wife was not informed.........
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Just to get back on thread for a moment , I am insured and I have had a refund to sort the premium payment out. Went to the shed this afternoon to see the object of all this expense and hassle sitting there while I can't use it. Have also decided to go shopping at R&G with some christmas money and buy some crash bungs
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That will money well spent Martin. ;)
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I hope you have a steady hand with an electric drill and a hole cutter Martin. Quite terrifying the first time you do it...
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So yesterday I put the sparkly new pannier carrier on the K13. No issue with rubber inserts or wobbly bolts, just had to clean out the unplugged holes in the rear sub frame
(https://i.ibb.co/PmMbkPg/20210226-143350-Copy.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cgwpqZQ)
Today I had a bit of a play around putting the large soft bag on as well. It'll fit but I think a test ride will be necessary before I trust it. If it works there's plenty of room for the duty free
(https://i.ibb.co/1TqPdNX/20210227-152529.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qpscW8g)
(https://i.ibb.co/yVyMstZ/20210227-152551.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KmqQydf)
Tried it sideways as well but it would need a restraining bungee to stop it sliding forward
(https://i.ibb.co/D8GjdQy/20210227-152941.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fn8TJH5)
The bike is starting fine although the battery isn't as good as the new one on the K12 . The rear tyre has gone flat and the fag lighter powered Michelin pump has been dropped once too often and won't work so off to spend some more money on t'internet
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I guess you'll need a new plate or sticker when you head off for your duty free?
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Good question. Haven't checked
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Caused much amusement in our house hold, my darling wife assumed your packing for a 2 month trip ;D,
We manage a two week trip with the 50l rear soft bag on both the K or the X/R and a tank bag on either, but in fairness she does the packing not me :D
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I have never carried more than the soft bag and tank bag either, remember discussing luggage quantities with you, was just bored and wanted to see if it would fit.
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I almost need a dedicated pannier just for my size 13s...
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I have never carried more than the soft bag and tank bag either, remember discussing luggage quantities with you, was just bored and wanted to see if it would fit.
Fair enough :) :) :) we spend our time riding electric mountain bikes one has to do something 8)
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You learn to travel light when you tour on a push bike especially in the mountains.
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I almost need a dedicated pannier just for my size 13s...
Size 14's here.... I know the packing pain.
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only tiddley 11's here but that takes up about half my top box... no panniers, i'm currently looking for a pair of short boots which would double up as "good" boots for weekends away when it's nice and warm. no hurry then.
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The answer is not to pack 'shoes' as such. I have a couple of pairs of thin, suede, slipper-like Australian shoes with no real soles, just blobs of rubber on the bottom like some up-market 'driving shoes'. Dirt cheap from a French supermarket. One pair packs into less space than one normal 'hard' shoe, way less room than trainers and these are really flexible so take up little room.
Not the sort of thing you would want to climb Helvellyn in but I've done about five miles of pavement in one pair in a thunderstorm and they are still going strong.
Of course, 'normal' shoes make a great alternative to a 'wet pack'. Just remember to take the toothpaste out before you don them...
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to compound things i like to take my "sunday" boots with me, they would do on the bike but i don't want the shifter marking them.
i thought of slipper type shoes but i'm to thran/vain to leave the good stuff at home, that said i do cram some gear into them while travelling.
pants,socks and tee shirts in them. toothpaste in the towel.
we like to stay in hotels when we travel and i'm a big fan of gerry rigging washing and drying facilities in the room if none are available.
i've managed some architectural marvels with hairdriers and stools to get gear dried after getting caught out.
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The answer is not to pack 'shoes' as such. I have a couple of pairs of thin, suede, slipper-like Australian shoes with no real soles, just blobs of rubber on the bottom like some up-market 'driving shoes'. Dirt cheap from a French supermarket.
I can recommend vivobarefoot as a halfway house between a shoe and a slipper thing. The other attraction, to me at least, is they come in size 13s.
Nice 13s are rare enough that I accept their London prices, and with some canny surfing you can usually get them cheaper than the direct prices.
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Aah I recall reading about those a few years ago!
We talking indoor and light outdoor or full on running up a mountain in them?
Edit: ah they do all sorts now. Brill.
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Their Tracker walking boots are fab - perfect halfway house between trainers and rock solid trad walking boots.
Bonus: they're waterproof. Sub-bonus: they're waterproof from the inside out too, i.e. they don't breath that well, so you can get sweaty feet in mid-summer. But I like them so much I live with it:
https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/tracker-ii-fg-mens?colour=Obsidian
They have a 100 day trial.
And sorry for hijacking one of the actual bike threads, Martin. I blame lockdown. And Icke's Lizard overlords.
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Got some XPD X-Nashville boods that double as bike & everyday boots. CE marked with toe box and ankle protection. Similar shape to Iron Rangers with laces and side zip for easy pull-on, commando soles for grip. More water resistant than waterproof but a liberal application of mink oil has helped weatherproofing tremendously.
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oh yes, i like those xpd x-nashville boots, was looking at harley davidson clancy boots and held nashville boots, very similar.
how do they do for sightseeing and general evening wear?
i'm thinking it would be something less to carry.
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Comfortable for everyday walking but like everything Italian, sizes are a bit weird. They tend on the narrow side, closer to a C than a D in width. If your feet can handle that, they are made from calf's leather so its soft and beds in quickly, concertina section at the heel helps with walking. Only gripe and it's common for all waterproof & waxy leather is that they pick up road dirt quickly. Mine are black, brown may be better, especially if you favour the hipster look ;)
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i've never been a hipster before, don't knock it til you've tried it an' all that.
where'd i put my pipe....
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All this shoe stuff, well i suppose I've walked more than ridden this year, well up to a couple of weeks ago anyway, having left the first wave of drivers to career about after they got let out before I started.
Went to the shed and , oh look, flat rear tyre. hmm. Reinflated and went out and about. Slow puncture. Went out for a longer run and after topping up it stayed up pretty well. This week flat again. So Had a bottle of Goop and poured that in. Spun up the wheel on the stand and just as i was about to go out to ride around to heat it up and spread it around, as luck would have it the offending Nerg Nail appeared right in front of me as the wheel came to a stop. Got the pliers and pulled it out. Whoosh out comes all the air and a big enough hole not to be sealable with the Goop for some reason. So out with the Nippy Normans Slime Moto repair kit with those little arrow headed strings of rubber that you push into the tyre.
Well I nearly pushed the bike off the axle stand unsuccessfully trying to push in 2 of the things and both times the head and the string parted company. So I gave up with that and put the Slime in and rode up the rode as prescribed. Promptly lost half the pressure in half a mile so came home again. Blew it up AGAIN and went for another ride around. This time it only lost about 5 psi so rode a bit further so the tyre properly warmed up. Came home and reinflated and checked this morning and it was still OK. Pic below is the failed strings, and the nail with a pound coin for scale. The best thing about this kit is the pump....
(https://i.ibb.co/gWgZ3H8/20210516-205328.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2MK3ymr)
So today I bought a can of tyre repair seal from Shell as I was passing, and as I was in Ocean later I got a BMW repair kit for £19, the joys of being a regular customer. (And if you toddle over to the K1200S you'll see an illustration of using a sprat to catch a mackerel). So that's one sports pannier filled up for the trip North tomorrow
(https://i.ibb.co/9p3MgqR/20210517-173551.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mRFxTHQ)
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Well I nearly pushed the bike off the axle stand unsuccessfully trying to push in 2 of the things and both times the head and the string parted company.
We've used these successfully on various Wrinklies trips, but with multiple people in attendance to steady the bike, give copious advice, and take turns to be brutal. Not quite so easy on your own, as you say, you're in danger of shoving the bike off it's stand. I'm only half a fan for that reason. I too stuck gunge in my puncture last week, to no avail - it squirted straight back out onto my knee. Hmmm.
My other discovery was that my CO2 canister kit can't actually reach the valve head due to it's design. Better to learn that last week in than the pouring scorching Welsh sun.
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Blimey Martin when you have the tyre changed just tell e’m you’ve put that stuff in...they’ll hate you with a passion, it’s awful stuff to clean up,re the string repair...used such on a car tyre recently, took some force to get it all the way in but blimey do they work well.
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Hah yeah it did take a lot of people & effort to plug on the trips!
Though I've also done it on my own, but got to the stage of widening the flipping hole in order to make my job easier. Worked in the end.
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i'm not a huge fan of the string repair.. good to get you off the road but there is a high failure rate with them. some of them last permanently but a lot just change a puncture into a slow puncture, they do seem to last better on a high pressure tyre such as a lorry wheel but thats not a scientific result, just my memory. there is a similar system using button mushroom plugs which i've heard good reports of but never used. i like the look of the setup and must get a set to try, anyone here got it?
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Hi Farmer, I have the stop and go kit which consists of rubber mushrooms which are then located in a tube. The end of the tube is inserted into the hole in the tyre an then, by screwing on an allen bolt, the mushroom is forced into the tyre where it expands and plugs the puncture. I have had great success with this type of repair and they last with no leakage throughout the remaining tyre life- Highly recommended and no glue required :thumbsup:
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FWIW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6fTWaj3QE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm6fTWaj3QE)
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way to rain on my parade sudolea.... gonna have to check shock loads from stones etc now.
thanks commando, at least they work in principal .
it's well worth checking out that push through problem through.
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The wriggly, sticky, stringy thingies are awesome, always work and never leak. I have never had a failure. The one that Richard and Matt managed to get into my rear tyre on the way to Cleethorpes for the start of the Wrinklies 4 years ago is still in there.
The brass-headed things have so far failed to go into a bicycle tyre, my car tyre and a strange girl's bike tyre on the hard shoulder of the M50. Total rubbish! Glad I only bought two of the damn things.
I'm sticking with the sticky string and the huge crochet hook...
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I look forward to being reminded of that kit when we have the inevitable trip puncture! I've forgotten all others but the brass spikey one for some reason.
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I don't get punctures (I've probably jinxed it now).
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And this morning I got as far as Truro before I had to put the Shell stuff in. That got the pressure up to 0.9 bar so a ride around the car park got it to 1.1 and then slowly up the road got it to 1.3bar by the time I got to the garage where I reinflated it to 3 bar. After that it yo yo'd between 2.7 bar and 3.1 bar for the next 280 miles of cold showers and warm sun respectively. Currently its sitting in my dads drive at who knows what pressure while I drink his Laphroaig to reduce mine.
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Nice choice!
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Home again home again jiggity jig. Well, more like I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down. Needless to say the wind was against me all the way home, and threw in some rain as well just for the craic. I will not need to go to the gym this week after 200+ miles of motorway into the full on gale. The standard screen which is fine in normal conditions is too small to hide behind if the wind is trying to tear your head off especially with a tank bag, and it made me realise why I put the Vario Screen on the K12. The tyre stayed up and did it normal yoyo-ing in pressure until I got bored watching and turned the computer to more interesting info like average speed and todays fairy story about how far can I go til I run out of fuel. The K12 has never shown this variation in pressure during a run. Shortly before visiting the Marvellous Martindale Olde Tea Shoppe (Trip Advisor rating 17 stars or he'll ban me) I clocked 15000 miles and splashed about getting a picture
(https://i.ibb.co/CnLdMbL/20210520-112116.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JzZLyvZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/q7nKKz0/20210520-112152.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7jzPPHg)
Quite a novelty to go and see someone, share a cuppa, and have a chat.
So what did I learn this week (apart from how not fix a puncture)? Well there's definitely an art to packing the panniers, which I am currently at an "F - please see me after class" level just now. Basically if you've just got soft squishy clothes you can do the classic sit on the case until the ratchet strap fully closes. But if you have a tool roll, bottle of oil, tin of tyre sealant (did I mention i carry tyre sealant) and other rather harder and or brittle items then you are in for a few minutes of jiggery pokery. Also if you travel down a muddy lane just before arriving at your destination, the panniers will be covered in shite which easily transfers to the bedroom of choice when entering your destination. The large soft bag sitting up on the seat does not really suffer from this. I suppose I could just lift out the inner bags and take them in but then you still have to bring the panniers in at some point for the aforesaid packing malarkey.
Oh. and by the way Michael Wood Services sell the most expensive fuel I have ever bought in the UK - £1.62 a litre. Even eco friendly community serving touchy feely Gloucester Services was cheaper than that. Maybe I should convert the panniers to saddle tanks to fill up locally and strap the soft bag on top for luggage so I don't have to stop on the motorway. That price is fecking ridiculous
Now summer is here :o I'll have to to start getting some mileage in to get my eye in for the Wrinklies....
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Also if you travel down a muddy lane just before arriving at your destination, the panniers will be covered in shite which easily transfers to the bedroom of choice when entering your destination. The large soft bag sitting up on the seat does not really suffer from this. I suppose I could just lift out the inner bags and take them in but then you still have to bring the panniers in at some point for the aforesaid packing malarkey.
I tend to take the tank bag in and leave the rest on the bike. The stuff that stays on the bike is tools, spares, waterproofs other day's clothes, etc.
Needs an expandable tank bag though.
And you could try these inner bags with handles:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PANNIER-LINERS-BAGS-INNER-BAGS-TO-FIT-BMW-F800R-S-T-1300R-S-1200S-K1200S-EXPAND/182668144500
Or these super posh ones from the US of A:
https://kathysmotorcyclebags.com/product/side-case-liners-pair-bmw-sports-panniers-multiple-models-expandable/
Costly, but how the BMW inners should have made. I have a pair, courtesy of Bruno a couple of years back.
The extra zip brings the size down (or up) to match the expansion.
They're water repellent, not waterproof, but I've yet to see water inside.
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Done way too much filtering in traffic to contemplate panniers, Bagster tankbag and 50L BM soft bag has always been good enough for two of us 2 weeks on the road, but blimey Martin how do you sit on that god awful stock park bench of a seat.
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I admire your pluck in doing such a run in the current weather. :winkthumbs:
I found the standard seat immensely comfortable and covered the best part of 160,000 miles on them without any issues at all. That included 12 hour, 600+ mile consecutive days. I thought it was one of best seats I'd ever ridden on. Brian's Sargent seat had me in agony in about 160 miles and I don't think I've ever been so glad to get off a motorcycle seat as I was that one.
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Done way too much filtering in traffic to contemplate panniers, Bagster tankbag and 50L BM soft bag has always been good enough for two of us 2 weeks on the road, but blimey Martin how do you sit on that god awful stock park bench of a seat.
The panniers are no wider than the mirrors, Chris, even when expanded. [Edit: the mirrors on a K1300S, of course which are wider than yours I guess.]
The only risk is the mirrors are high up, and car bumpers, traffic cones, temporary road signs, and panniers are low down.
As for seats, having mixed the Sargent and Kahedo seats for the past few months, I can see how different seats suit different people.
The Sargent has a pronounced curved seat area + therefore also a subtle lip, and is pretty firm. Shorter legged people may find the lip annoying on the underside of the thigh with that firmness.
The Kahedo is a much smoother design, but it's got a tiny bit less room lengthways - well for me, anyway, but I'm silly tall.
I can bring the Kahedo if you want to try it, Martin.
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Handlebars turn panniers do not, you philosophy works great in a straight line but a change in direction means an exchange of plastic and paint at some time.
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That's what the strake bars are for. M25 filtering I think.
(https://i.imgur.com/DqdjE4T.jpg?1)
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The amount of filtering I have done over the years has put me off panniers, all but a set of soft Held throwovers, which truth be known did not get enormous use (and wont fit the K). This is why I initially went for the large soft bag. Now my filtering is less and I foresee more shorter trips with less luggage I thought I'd try the smaller sports panniers. I haven't checked yet if the panniers are wider than my knees which are at the same level. As for the mirrors I regularly fold them in when filtering the narrower gaps, van and 4x4 mirrors having become a more common obstacle then when I was a yoof learning London filtering on a trail bike / SR500. I noticed this week that the white K12 causes drivers to pull over a bit to make some room, far more so than when on the noisier but black K12.
My Baglux tankbag which is very well designed in itself and expandable becomes a little obstructive if fully loaded, and I would like to try altering the mountings a bit. The idea would be to move it towards me a bit, away from the bars so it does not intrude on the view of the clocks and clash with the phone mount. Also I'd switch the clip arrangement around so it could easily be flipped back on to the seat for refuelling. Currently I take the bag off to refuel.
Not sure grey goes with the Motorsports colours. Anyone ever tried painting/wrapping them? Not sure what colour to go for. One black bike, one white bike, but the first person to suggest one with a bit of sh1te on will be off the christmas card list
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I think there is a huge difference between panniers on when commuting (a big no no for me) and panniers on for a trip. If your trips involve a lot of filtering you're going to the wrong places.
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Yeah, work.
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I think there is a huge difference between panniers on when commuting (a big no no for me) and panniers on for a trip. If your trips involve a lot of filtering you're going to the wrong places.
Beat me to it! Although I mostly braved one or two panniers when doing the M4 commute. The GS I've no panniers but the flipping bars are so high it can clip everything. Now I'm not commuting, as you say, I'm avoiding traffic!
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I've never needed panniers for work - what are you taking?!
Even a laptop fits in a tank bag if you do it right (as in right tank bag, right laptop).
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I was going for a week at a time so had the odd item of stuff with me
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I've never needed panniers for work - what are you taking?!
Even a laptop fits in a tank bag if you do it right (as in right tank bag, right laptop).
For some reason I've never had a tank bag since my first bike, the SV650S, and it got given away when I sold the bike. So my laptop always went in one pannier!
The pannier was also useful for leaving the lid in, for the periods when there's one of "those" people in the office, who like to pick up and examine the motorcycle hat, because.
Maybe a tank bag should be my spurious purchase before the Wrinklies this year!
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I've never needed panniers for a daily commute. A tank bag and a pack on the pillion seat was the most I needed. Even when working away for a week at a time I only used panniers twice, once at the start of the engagement and once at the end of the engagement. I left enough at work to not need to transport much on a weekly basis.
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topbox or tankbag for commuting. The SWMotech clipon tank bag was lovely. Topbox if I had to store helmet/gloves and carry laptop. However topbox was also a risk of clipping mirrors whilst manoeuvring in the great London smoke of filtering. I'm looking for a topbox plate for my K as It is lower down and hopefully wont create the speed wobble. Means I can put my robes in there and use bike for services at other Churches etc...
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Yup panniers get in the way with filtering but they are narrower than the mirrors. However, previous owner of mine (1300s) had a get off with the factory panniers and they act as superb fairing protectors. Only a slight nibble at the hand guard blisters instead of major fairing write off.
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16,000 miles came and went this week on the Wrinklies tour, no time to stop for a picture this time.
First proper ride out with the bike so still getting to know it really. The chicken strips are smaller now though, and the tyres are not squared off anymore. Its still a bit stiffer and harsher than the K12 but I think it is easing.
Brian's sticky string properly fixed the puncture problem after the others continued to leak.
After 3 days flying around without them, this morning I could feel the difference when the Sport Panniers are on, the back end feels wobbly in comparison with no panniers. I weighed them when I got back today, total of about 16kg packed. The feeling did go away after a while, I assume I just got used to it. If its windy as it was this afternoon, i can feel it tugging at the panniered back of the bike. Have never noticed that putting the large soft bag on the K12 which is higher and from time to time probably heavier. More research required.
I've finally managed to do 6000 miles since I bought it so service now due. No rest for the credit card...
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Everyday's a school day. So what did we did we learn from this weeks' 706 mile blip? Well we reaffirmed "coincidences and the weather" in that if I clean my bike the next day as soon as I go out it will piss down. I think I managed 1.5 miles out of 300 ish on day one before it rained. During the course of the "turn left on to the M5 and continue for 160 miles" journey it rained so hard it was stinging my arms through my BMW Enduroguard jacket, the M5 was flooded to the extent the police were operating rolling blocks. The phmode puncture repair was still in, the tyre had dropped about 0.5 bar in a couple of weeks stood in the garage but after topping up stayed up all day.
I wandered into the Canning Motorcycle Emporium to see what magic was being conducted in the gearbox department but the magicians had taken it away to their shed to work on so I was again fed copious quantities of cake and tea, and stories of all things including motorcycles. I could tell you but i'd have to shoot you. Even though a motorcycle has been temporarily removed from the garage to make space I still managed to trip over several electric bicycles. Must take some cake next time. Meanwhile I will be searching to buy tyres as rumour has it having a stack in the corner of the garage might be useful.
A day mostly spent getting wet and squaring off the tyres that had been rounded off nicely on the wrinklies. I also found that the panniers are not waterproof. Water makes its way up through the hinges at the bottom. Fortunately anything susceptible to water was in waterproof bags. I'm not using the BMW liners at present but need to think about doing so, or investing in the horribly expensive but nicely made USA made ones I was pointed at earlier. Its also noticeable that there is a lot less room behind the standard screen than the MRA Vario screen on the K12 for the RAM mounted phone used as a sat nav. In the rain the phone case was getting wet at lower speeds which was causing the phone to think I was touching the screen and doing all sorts of things.
On the return trip I determined to avoid motorways as much as possible. This worked fine as I rattled down the Welsh borders to the Olde English Martindale's Bring Your Own Biscuits Cafe. On this day the rear tyre and its tyre pressure sensor decided to tease me again. I have never had the yo yo ing of pressures like this with the K12 but during the course of the day I topped up the pressure 3 times. Sometimes I would ride off and have excessive pressure, other times i would scroll through the information menu to find it was low pressure. The only consistent thing seems to be is if I let the bike stand for a while it will lose pressure, if you don't stop for longer than a fuel stop its fine. Anyway, soon I will need a new tyre so that'll fix it, he said knowledgeably. :o Anyway we discussed the pros and cons of a South West Wrinklies and having a few days back in Wales again whilst consuming too many chocolate biscuits, and I impolitely stuffed myself with a garage special sandwich lunch.
The next exercise was phase 2 of the "find a way around Bristol avoiding motorways". Brian has probably been wondering why I disappeared off Northwards from his place . The last attempt after the Wrinklies was too close to Bristol and very hard work, slow, unenjoyable etc. This time I went too far North and too far East, but astonishingly the all up mileage from Chateau Sanders in North Shropshire was only 10 miles further then the inglorious M5. Mrs FJ was not impressed when she called me to find I was on the A303 and far from home at a time she was expecting me for dinner, although not half as surprised as my grandson when the bath time Whatsapp call revealed a black helmet with trees whizzing past in the background. At some point 17000 miles arrived on the A350 North of Westbury
(https://i.ibb.co/34mWWv1/20210729-174804.jpg) (https://ibb.co/sb9QQCj)
I have to say that LED headlights and a white fairing works very well as a traffic splitter, far more cars move over for the K13 than the K12. As we progressed into the evening all the comms died as first my phone died and then the Sena. The phone turned out to be as a result of the 3 year old connecting cable having flexed beyond its life and the wire casing had spilt to revel bare wires. I need to buy a new one and to give some thought to a more permanent power supply solution. (Did I get the jargon right?). The Sena had done 2 days without recharge and had simply run flat. Anyway I have been up and down the A303 once or twice (irony - for our foreign friends, I think if you have followed the K12 thread you'll know this is closer to one thousand or 2 thousand times) so knew where i was going. Having been schooled by the Eurokclub webmaster in the rules about filling panniers with all things other than kitchen sink (although my dad thought i was collecting an unwanted 8 place setting crockery set for my son...without the large softbag I had to disappoint him) I was carrying another cable so the phone soon came back to life. Why bother you may ask? Well at this time of a long 400 mile day there's a lot of motivational satisfaction to be had out of kicking the sh1t out of the satnav arrival time. Especially when Storm Evert delivers stroppy sidewinds and gusty headwinds and torrential showers for the last 60 miles. Average speed for the last tankful begins with a 7...
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I also found that the panniers are not waterproof. Water makes its way up through the hinges at the bottom. Fortunately anything susceptible to water was in waterproof bags. I'm not using the BMW liners at present but need to think about doing so, or investing in the horribly expensive but nicely made USA made ones I was pointed at earlier.
Do you mean these?
https://kjdlifetime.com/products/Kathy%27s-EXPANDABLE-inner-saddlebag-liners-for-BMW-Expandable-Sport-Cases%7C522
Then they aren't waterproof either. They're water-repellent so a bit of rain isn't going to get through both the pannier and bag, but if you're doing serious touring through a named storm(!) then you'll want to pack a couple of emergency black bin liners to wrap them in (or 'Faithful Border Bin Liners' if you're a Viz reader).
Other than that, they're really convenient (especially compared to the rubbish BMW liners), and extremely well made, and they expand like the panniers - oooo!
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I'm with Rich on this, even if using the liner bags I'd still put anything I didn't want to get wet in a bin liner. While lots of luggage items, including the BMW panniers are pretty waterproof most of the time, but it only takes some extra heavy rain or lots of standing water or even just something caught in a seal and your pannier contents are soaked.
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Interestingly, or not, I meant to take a peek at your panniers but you rode off before I remembered.
There is a knack to closing them and I see many which are agape at the bottom by the hinge but are fully closed the rest of the way round. I've found that lifting the lid and easing it inside the case at the bottom front corner as you close it helps to get the seal working properly. The ones on my K12 never did this and were always watertight whereas the right hand one on my K13 does it every time, loaded or not.
If you look at the 'seal' from the front you can see if yours is closing correctly toward the bottom or not and I 'thought' it wasn't when you arrived...
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Ah yes I noticed that a few times with mine. Assumed it was age/abuse related!
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Noted. Will have a play around with mine and see what happens
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When I close mine, even with nothing in it, if I don't lift the front bottom edge before and as I lift the lid to the close position, then it never seats correctly.
It's strange because my K12 had three previous owners, one of whom managed to fit the right case without having the square cut out on the 'hook' aligned with the square peg on the rail and this broke the hook. So I'm surprised someone so cack-handed managed to keep the hinges in one piece. They never leaked and I never saw the misalignment.
By comparison, the ones on my K13 were brand new, fitted by me and have never been abused and the right hand one always misaligns without a helping hand.
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So it was karma eavesdropping when I said the other day that the phmode plug from the wrinklies was still in place. Well after 2 weeks in my dad's garage while I took my dad to Cornwall for a break I returned to find a flat tyre. Pumped it up ready for the journey home but it was flat again in the morning. So I decided to use my new sticky string plugging set that I had used to successfully repair a puncture on Mrs fj's Q5. Pushing the t bar in the side of the old plug where I could see air bubbling out, I suddenly pushed the old plug into the tyre with no effort. Hmm, odd I thought. Roughened the hole and glued a new sticky string in. Inflated the tyre. Or tried to. Couldn't get above 2bar. Fruitless searching for another puncture (well tis the time of year farmers cut their hedges and leave the traffic tyres to sweep up the debris) and repeated checking of the plug was to no avail. Eventually my dad came out and offered me the little pump that mercedes supplied in their handy tool kit in his car. Same make as mine ie Slime but with a pressure gauge. And immediately 2.9 bar no issue. Consigning my pump to the take it apart when I get home bag, I loaded up and set off 2 hours late. 8 miles later I was in a car park putting another plug in as there was no sign of the one I had glued in. Fortunately I had been only doing about 40 into a speed limit when it made its bid for freedom. Pumped the tyre to 2 bar with my crappy pump , wobbled slowly to a garage with FREE AIR!! a mile up the road and put 3 bar in. 9 miles later I was at a garage buying a tin of sealant and reinflating the tyre. 2 mile later I was wobbling into a lay-by with a totally flat tyre and looking for my AA number.
During the conversation with the AA operator I was asked if I was in a safe place so i said yes I'm in a lay-by. Later I was asked how many wheels my motorbike had. Then I was told because I was in a dangerous place my case would be prioritised, 40 mins max.
(https://i.ibb.co/4S13BzP/20211124-135307.jpg) (https://ibb.co/09svPTh)
2 hours ish later after many texts advising me of various delays and arrival times MR AA man arrived. He produced a tool somewhat like a hand pop rivet gun with various plunger attachments and a bag of several sizes of plugs shaped like carpentry countersink. Super quick install and a very compact kit. Intrigued and wanting one myself, I asked what make it was. "Dunno". Anyway he banged 40psi in and we sat and watched it for a minute or two looking for leaks. He was a bit concerned over the size of the hole in the tyre. Seemed to be holding so I rode off to the next garage and topped up the pressure. After that we had a steady trip home and it dropped 0.1bar initially but then stayed there. By the time I got home it was dark and cold and trying to rain over Bodmin. So much for a nice sunny ride out
I think I will buy some various sizes of sticky string as I think the larger sized plug definitely helped seal the hole
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Wowza!
As to the size of string, I've only seen the one 'thickness' which is about 5mm or so but they come in amazing lengths.
Intrigued at the 'rivet' gun description I found this...
https://twistedtrails.co.za/product/stop-n-go-pocket-rivet-tyre-plugger-kit/
...in Seth Efrica and out of stock but it looks like you weren't dreaming Martin.
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That is the tool he used
Also here
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372825056156?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=372825056156&targetid=4584826055637459&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354546&mkgroupid=1299623041023876&rlsatarget=pla-4584826055637459&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=f0fe7d709c3d171245ca1cef4bcf38ac
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You'll find them here https://gb-stopngo.glopalstore.com/standard-model-tire-plugger/
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at the risk of starting a scare story, isn't that the one, discussed on here somewhere recently, that a stone in the road can push "on in", thus leaving you with your original hole all over again....
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Yes, if you go at it with a tool. I doubt in real conditions it would go in far enough against the pressure. I have the same type plugs in the more compact wind-in tool, I'm not going to change it for sticky string now.
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Yes, if you go at it with a tool. I doubt in real conditions it would go in far enough against the pressure. I have the same type plugs in the more compact wind-in tool, I'm not going to change it for sticky string now.
I dunno, there are a lot of tools on the roads :P.
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(https://i.ibb.co/xXGV95b/20211204-111706.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bQLpwdV)
This better fix it
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Just taken aback about penalising the 1200 with a Stone Age 50 😳😳😳 unless it was free 😜
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It's the recommended size. Maybe I'll try a 55 next time if you feel it will make such a difference
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Don't be bullied into changing what you do Martin, Chris has a habit of using derogatory terms to get people to agree with him.
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It's the recommended size. Maybe I'll try a 55 next time if you feel it will make such a difference
Martin I used to run my K1200RS on standard tyres the rear was a (170/60 R17) for about four years, then I put a 170/65 R17 on hoping it would make it better in the corners but I was wrong, on fast twisting roads the front end of the bike seemed to get pushed out on the corner, after speaking to a tyre specialist he explained why and it made sense, its to do with the point of contact on your front tyre along with the point of contact on your rear tyre at a set angle of the bike when cornering, you can sometimes get a similar feeling if you put a new tyre on the rear when the fornt tyre is low on tread and it has lost its profile.
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Having had several hours wandering around the NEC bike show today modern technology is alive and well just a fact not an opinion.
Development of both K’s stopped years ago but tyre development most certainly hasn’t, the 50 was the pinnacle for the 1200, that changed to 55 the 1300 was just one of many bikes that benefited from such, mine came with a 50 12 odd years ago and has been on a 55 ever since.
Where it gets complicated Tom has taken the conversation a lot further down the line, 60’s are becoming more common but by no means taken over yet, I have never seen a 65 never mind know anyone personally who has tried one.
Of course the conversation could also include dog bones...cannot remember how many different sets I tried before being happy and dragging the old K into the 21st century.
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Chris the 170 on 17" with Aspect ratio of 60 is over 20 years old, not becoming more common or new technology, its just old rubber. ;D
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Blimey...not another one stuck in a time warp..the game has moved on and still is.
When I rolled up all those years ago with a new CB750 and every man and his dog was telling me I needed a 69 unit construction Triumph Boni vowed then after seeing all those old duffers vowed I wouldn’t go the same way....yes I am now one of those old duffers....but that’s no excuse with trying to keep up with modern tech.
Blimey...dare not even mention the Energica electric bike at the show today might cause coronary 😜😂
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Tyres aside, was the Show good ?.
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The plan was a good on.......miss Saturday and Sunday and go Monday when everyone is at work....in short it was manic 😩 and by 12.30 we just couldn’t handle that many people 70% at least we’re not wearing a mask and we left, no big deal because we are not 30 minutes away on a bad day.
The show itself wasn’t bad, more than enough too look at from clothing stalls to the Energica Riva to Ducati’s Pike Peak and everything in between, on the Suzuki stand they had an outboard boat motor the like I have never seen.
Knew plenty of folk working on some of the stands and the coffee and cake were good.
If we were to go back....early afternoon at the earliest in an attempt to miss the crowd.....would we travel a distance if we had to? No.
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Thanks Chris I think I will hang on till the Manchester show in January. Tom
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Also went to the bike show yesterday, traveled 3 hours from Somerset, as I believed it might be a little less busy.
We got there at about 11:30 and it was very busy. As previously mentioned the vast majority were not wearing masks and behaving as if Covid didn't even exist, coughing and spluttering all over the place. We only stayed for 2 hours as it was just an unacceptable situation for us. Why they cant make wearing a mask mandatory at events like this........
The show was ok. I have seen so many images from the Milan bike show that there wasn't really a new bike wow factor for me. Also Aprilia wasn't there which was also a disappointment for me personally.
Bike of the show .....the new Norton V4CR. Not only gorgeous but an NEC reveal in carbon. Stunning.
My wife looks as though she might buy an Indian FTR ....Good Grief.
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An Indian on West Country lanes. Brave girl indeed...
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Nice Pun. :)
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...and even I didn't spot it ::)
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New tyres on, advisory from the health check says the front wheel bearing is rough and needs replacement. Oh and needs new rear brake pads. Joy
Went for a ride around to scrub the shine off the tyres. The curious sudden drop in of the front wheel into a roundabout that I experienced when i first had the bike recurred. The bike had new tyres on it when i got it so maybe its just that newness / slipperyness. Hadn't noticed it for ages. Anyway just good to be riding without obsessing about the rear tyre pressure
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As you probably know those front wheel bearings should be replaced sooner rather than later. Not a difficult or expensive job to do yourself.
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I bought the extended warranty and think i'm covered by that for the wheel bearings
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Ram mount Chrissy present installed. Can now use phone mount on both bikes
(https://i.ibb.co/6R6jtcS/20220106-145351.jpg)
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That's a load of balls... ;D
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And a spare for Sunday/special occasions!
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Following the debate on the K12 thread, here are some stats for the K13
7973 miles to date since purchase on 3/11/19
42 tankfuls average fuel price 1.41 a litre
Average fill up range 189.8, best 231.4, biggest fill up 20.69 litres
47.96mpg average best 52.4 worst 36.5 (after 4 month lockdown standing, fairer would be 44). Computer is 5% optimistic. as far as the fuel gauge is concerned I've got approx 2 litres left when the range is zero. Generally I reckon I have a safe 20 miles after R=0, maybe 25 to 30 if I have been pottering (as if) or cruising at a steady speed.
Average speed 51mph
Including all accessories (no speeding fines yet) fuel insurance tax and servicing but excluding purchase price, cost 40.9p per mile or which fuel 9.6p a mile
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Last weekend saw the first significant trip out on the K13 this year. Frightening how 4 months zipped by with the K13 stood in the shed while the K12 knocked off another nearly 3000 miles. Anyway summer is here so time for a switch over.
Last Friday was a trip to Shropshire. I was cruising and taking breaks in the sunshine. Although another milestone popped up, that's 18000 excuse the poor picture
(https://i.ibb.co/5W46Swn/20220429-120823.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QFQfTtC)
(https://i.ibb.co/h7SyKnK/20220429-120841.jpg) (https://ibb.co/f1s2CKC)
Always liked the sound of Broadwoodwidger, (see the signpost), always reminds me of Edward Woodward.
There's a decent corner off the A30 onto the M5 where you can get well leaned over at a half decent speed that I look forward after the 80 miles of brain death on the A30. Gave it the beans, and nearly ran up the backside of 2 of Satan's Slaves filtering in standing traffic. They were using the rev open pipes very loudly technique of filtering, but it wasn't working plus one of them had the biggest set of ape hangars I've seen since 1970 something which clashed with every mirror possible. I soon got past them and all the accident rubberneckers until I had lunch at Bridgewater. I then found they'd shut the M5 so after 8 miles filtering through standing traffic and wandering pedestrians, and a diversion through Weston Super Mare I rejoined the M5. After a couple of miles I found an adventure bike about 6ft from my nearside indicator where he remained at speeds through three figures and beyond except when my roll on left him behind. Eventually he turned off at Evesham, pulling alongside (it was a Varadero) giving me a cheery wave with his ungloved hand. Apparently the Varadero is well rated for this kind of mile gobbling, not a bike I have ever really looked at. Could be a cut price bargain. Could have done with him riding a bit further away mind.
Next day was up to Linlithgow and temporary renewing my membership of the M6 Club. Wasn't that bad really and once North of Preston was a fairly easy run. I stopped at Tebay fancying a bit of a brunch fry up. Soon came out after finding it was absolutely packed, had a revolting sausage roll and carried on up to Moffat. I refuelled at Carlisle where I did a literal double take at the credit card machine as I thought the cashier had rung up the wrong pump. £1.929 per litre aargh, but worse was to come. The only upside on the fuel front was that I managed to cash in £9 of Shell rewards over the weekend. I digress. Turning off at Moffat I renewed my love of the A701 to Edinburgh. I travelled this road over a thousand times when I lived in Moffat and worked near Edinburgh. Bliss. It finally rained for the last 20 miles to Linlithgow, not bad over 2 days riding.
Not feeling spectacular after my first pub crawl for 3 years, the Linlithgow Ale Trail, even though I got a tshirt, I had a slow start the following morning. Popped up to Kinross, managed a brunch fry up at Loch Leven Lodges that I can recommend. I know the owners and can recommend the lodges too if you fancy a stay up there (insert idea about Wrinklies Run here). Gave a friend a pillion ride around the loch as she has only ridden small scooters (albeit in Vietnam and Portugal so , erm, challenging) and the like and wanted a go on a big bike, then cruised over to Giffnock in Glasgow for a couple of days of food drink cigars port more food more drink.
Could have done with a fresh dry day to head South but it was 7C and raining when I emerged, and didn't improve much. Heated grips on nearly all day as I splashed down the A74M M6 to Penrith before I zigged over the A66 M1 to North Yorkshire to pick up the K12 mudguard from Bill, and zagged back to Shropshire. Scotch Corner set an all time record petrol price record at £2.02 per litre. Shortly before getting to my Dads in Shropshire the next mileage milestone came up
(https://i.ibb.co/3znBnXZ/20220503-173157.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GTqcqwS)
(https://i.ibb.co/Nj1x2V6/20220503-173244.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bBH15Wg)
Its been a while since I knocked off over a thousand miles in less than a week.
On the last day I wandered down the A49 via Brian's Tea Room with its freshly decorated interior and newly landscaped garden. Spent longer chatting than I planned so rather than a big Bristol detour resigned myself to the M50 M5 etc. The M50 is open empty and quite quick. Spotted a set of headlights approaching fast behind me and slowed to 79mph, to be passed by a white Volvo saloon just as we reached the M5. He made a complete arse of the exit onto the M5 nearly sideswiping me as he made a less than last second swerve to take the slip road I was already committed to. Annoyed I disappeared up the slip road rattling the rev limiter and quick shifter. 30 secs later there's a whole load of blue light behind me and he's approaching very fast. I pulled over expecting the worst but he just rocketed past up L3, blue lights flickering from inside the windscreen front and rear and disappeared. SAS? Embarrassed trainee police driver? Answers on a post card. They weren't waiting for me when I got home anyway...The last 150 miles was a bit of a grind as by coincidence the wind was against me, you can always tell you're going to get a stiff neck by looking at the windmills.
1400miles the trip, 48mpg and 58mph averages.
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Lovely update and a long ride! I've added the lodges to my list of places to stay, thanks Martin.
I really want my bike back now!
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Should have called in Martin ;)
As for swapping a GT for a K, have done a bit recently on the KTM getting back on a BM even with all the mods...jeez it’s a bike old bus.
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Oh yeah I mean I want my ktm back :D.
It's in for an oil leak which they solved and now awaiting a torque limiter shaft or something due to finding it seized. Apparently ktm Austria where such things await picking are low on picking personnel.
Had a 790 - rubbish - and now an 890 - solved the main rubbish points (throttle and suspension)
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So what did I get in Scotland? Not just that Linlithgow T shirt but a stonking viral infection. Not Covid according to the LFTs, nor the doctor who I attended for the first time in about a decade. He just said its viral, go home and ride it out with paracetamol. That's what I used to pay my taxes for, all that care. Anyway today was about the first day for 2 weeks i haven't spent sleeplessly coughing 24 hours, blowing 2 pints of snot 🤧out of my nose, sweating so much I had to change the sheets on several occasions, shivering so much I couldn't hold a glass of water, a temperature that the doctor said "umm, that's technically a fever"🥵, and rattling with paracetamol /ibuprofen like a smartie tube. Just to boost the brownie point account in time for the "about that few days away riding around Wales" questions, I passed on the virus to Mrs FJ who as you can imagine was delighted. On the positive side I'm sure my abs must be stronger after coughing/retching like a 60 Capstan a day man continuously for a fortnight, and I'm trying to imagine I've improved the power to weight ratio by losing a few pounds.
By way of celebrating my hopefully imminent recovery today, the Council declared the wall at the front of my garden a "dangerous structure", coned off the pavement, and said btw you're paying all our costs until this is fixed. That'll just put the icing on the pension fund cake after Vlad the Arse finishes flattening the global markets. Don't think I'm going to be buying many Akrapovic systems this year. :(
If I was strong enough I'd go out for a ride to chill out but as it happens I'm still so wobbly I don't trust myself to hold even a steering wheel. So the K13 has been stuck under a cover for 2 weeks and still needs cleaning. As do the cars the garden the house and everything else. Joy
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I now feel very lucky I didn't kiss you goodbye like I normally do...
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;D ;D ;D
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That sounds like a horrid time Martin! I hope you're recovering nicely. Remember to eat plenty of chicken skeletons or whatever it is.
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That's what the strake bars are for. M25 filtering I think.
(https://i.imgur.com/DqdjE4T.jpg?1)
They are actually there to secure bike from spinning in case of a fall after both low or high sliding.
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Took a bimble to meet Slim (the rider formerly known as Richtea) near Swindon yesterday afternoon, in the swanky surroundings of what turned out to be 90% truckstop not the farm shop as Googled. This was after some Ebay action where I saw off several other bidders to claim his Kahedo seat as a replacement for the K12's now splitting original low seat. Why Slim is selling this spare seat as he currently has 2 Motorsports sitting in his shed (must be unique in the UK I suspect), and surely a man needs a seat selection to suit where he's riding? Anyway he's decided he prefers Sergeants offerings (insert smut here) and his loss is my arses gain. After getting a EuroKclub discount in the form of a free large tea with ham and cheese ciabatta I put the Kahedo on the K13 for a test run on the way home, and strapped the original standard seat on the back.
As some of you may have noticed yesterday was a tadge warm, the thermometer flirting with 30C for a lot of the ride, and the temp gauge flirting with the top of the scale fairly often in slow traffic. Despite opening all the vents in the Enduroguard suit I still had a bad case of Betty Swallocks which caused more discomfort than either seat. First impressions were that my backside was perched a bit higher in the air. I can still flat foot each side but it feels a little higher. I can feel the extra padding and for plugging along motorways and dual carriageways I'd say it was more comfortable than the original. I think it might be putting a little more weight on my wrists but not sure. There was a fair bit of bum shuffling going on after 100 miles but that was 300 miles into the afternoons total (403) and was more to do with the aforesaid Bettys than the seat. There's a lot more friction in the seat cover so moving around isn't as easy but you don't slide forward into the tank. So that said, I think that if I was going out scratching I would probably put the original seat back on. The original K12 seat is polished by several thousand hours of riding and thus very easy to climb around.
Question now is how many seats do I take to Wales, 1 for the motorway up and 1 for the scratching.....mind you if Slim loses another stone he'll be able to slip my spare seat into his leathers to carry around for me 8)
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Hahah good trip! And I do want to see you carrying two seats!
Perhaps we could use the air bolsters from this future BMW I'm going to tear apart and build a seat one can alter on the fly with airbags!
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Good to see you, Martin. What a beautiful
farm shop truck stop I selected. A rare treat.
Sounds like the seat is 50% OK for you. I hope it grows on you a little more. I never noticed that the surface was grippier - interesting point.
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Well for the first time in a long time I missed taking a 1000 mile photo. 20,000 miles came and went by at speed on my way up to the start of the Welsh Wramble and I was well past it when I realised. The only point worthy of note is that I think that's the fastest I've ever got to phmode towers from Falmouth although I managed to thrash the mpg to 41 compared to the 51 I got on the rest of the Wramble, but I did get there on time. Then on the way back from said Wramble, 21,000 came up as I was filtering 4 lanes of traffic up the hill out of Avonmouth on the M5 and stopping wasn't really an option, so I missed that one as well. Still the view would only have been of motorway so not much missed really.
During the Wramble the oil level check on the computer would not work a few times. It did eventually and said it was OK. Then I saw the oil level warning symbol and the next time I checked it said CHECK OIL. Then it all reverted to OK and the warning symbol went off. Hmm. Richtea told me his K13's have used oil between services, much to my surprise. Now the K12 has only ever needed topping up once. I bought a litre bottle of the fabulously expensive BMW oil after that happened, and it has travelled tens of thousands of miles in my tail pack, never being used, just taking up valuable space. So I have eventually stopped carrying it. Looks like I might be starting again then
Whilst pressing buttons on the left hand switchgear I noticed the Info button had started to stick. This caused me to erase the mpg figure on what was looking like a record high figure just before refuelling, which is annoying. Anyway I started fiddling with it on Friday morning and realised that the ESA switch wasn't working either. I can get the existing setting to show, but I can't adjust it. Looks like BMW will be getting a call on Monday. I've had 3 LH switchgear assemblies on the K12. The original lasted 53k miles / almost 10 years so this one failing at 21k miles/6 years isn't good. The second K12 switch failed after about 3500 miles and was replaced. The third one has lasted 41k miles so far.
Anyway to make up for the lack of bike photos here's some pictures of shed foundations c/w drain I'm building to put the bikes in, just to keep you going. That's fecking 'ard clay by the way, the head is coming lose on the pick and the spade too, and it all has to be barrowed down the drive to be shovelled into bulk bags as I can't get a skip lorry through the gate. And no surprise all the building materials have to be barrowed up the drive. Gym? Never heard of her
(https://i.ibb.co/5FMMz2f/20220814-164912.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6BnnpNf)
(https://i.ibb.co/xDkjM0h/20220827-195757.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Czc7nZB)
(https://i.ibb.co/xDkjM0h/20220827-195757.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Czc7nZB)
(https://i.ibb.co/tLrmmYm/20220906-093539.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TW3vvPv)
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That's far too
professional proper a job matey; the sides of the trenches are straight and clean cut, the pipe is neatly and straightly laid. Nice. My only comment is that you seem to have constructed a very long, narrow grave with a readily placed cross. One hopes you survive the mammoth construction.
I'm surprised you don't have a mini tracked Bobcat dump truck thingummy acquired from one of your many professional projects.
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My K1300GT has had one replacement right side switch gear and two left side in the (almost) four years that I have owned it. However, all of these have actually been fitted within the last two years.
I'm pleased to say that the extended warranty paid for them all!
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So today came the payback time after all the larking about last week . On occasion the engine temp had been climbing to 1 block short of max so it was clean the radiator day today. Even though I have no shed, this week looks like being dry so I was happy to work outside to take everything to pieces. Always seems to take longer with the K13 than the K12 somehow. Anyway took the front wheel out (sorry BMW but the ABS sensor was seized in its bore even though the retaining screw came out the sensor didn't so couldn't remove that like the book says), stripped all the fairing off, and the fan.
(https://i.ibb.co/HF2d9Xd/20220918-135916.jpg) (https://ibb.co/NV3SG7S)
Lots of brake cleaner and Mucoff and flushing with the hose front and back later, lots and lots of horrible black stuff came off it. The radiator is showing signs of disintegration at the bottom on the rear but is passing water from the hose pretty much everywhere. Obviously wont know if I've improved things til I go out for a run though.
(https://i.ibb.co/10QG0Gt/20220918-135946.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Bf32f25)
(https://i.ibb.co/GpQDsTF/20220918-140101.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C8KyJ2W)
The engine wasn't sparkling so did the same for that and eventually the whole of the rolling chassis too.
(https://i.ibb.co/m9rMXg8/20220918-140005.jpg) (https://ibb.co/c6K7CVL)
(https://i.ibb.co/WxSxftD/20220918-140022.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FxGxzVs)
While that was drying I cleaned all the fairings and lots of nasty black shite came off that too. Lots from the inside so maybe its never been cleaned before. Once everything dried off had a good look around. There's corrosion starting on the front wheel carriers and in one place on the front wheel, which is still a bitch to clean even when its off the bike. The engine paint is still in good nick though.
(https://i.ibb.co/q1fMK4m/20220918-140140.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DKyDh6w)
(https://i.ibb.co/MCDRwFH/20220918-140210.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4VZjvhL)
(https://i.ibb.co/DbygVz8/20220918-140226.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vBGvwVQ)
Gave everything a good coat of ACF50 with a brush. Looked at the front brake pads before putting the callipers back on and realised they needed replacing. Fortunately I had bought some OE pads at the beginning of the year so they went straight in. Put the front wheel back in and checked it to find the bearing needs replacing. To be fair the tech said at the last service he thought it was on its way, well its gone now. By the time I got all the fairings back on it was going dark so need to give it a wash a and polish tomorrow. And thinking about it better check the rear pads too.
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Nice update!
Tell me please, as a beginner to taking my wheels off, is there any reason not to remove the discs off the front wheel, making it easier to clean?
K-related, I never had a switchgear failure on either of mine (roughly 40k and 30k), but they both used oil at a non-horrific but noticeable rate during regular commuter use. I think the Motorsport used more than the preceding tricolour.
[some hours later edit]: ok one reason is I can't find my 2701 thread locker that the manual demands. I bought it in Feb and surely it's in a safe place!
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On the k the discs are floating and there is a spring washer under the bolt head. Not sure how many times you can undo and redo the bolt before the washer becomes un-springy. When I replaced the discs on the k12 it got new bobbins and washers, and I have subsequently replaced the washers as they have broken and or fallen out. If I had the money I might go to one of these professional detailers that will clean the wheel to death and then coat it with something that can then just be washed with one of the various magic solutions without having to ferret around in all the crevices. Alternatively just buy some wheels with a user friendly design that you can clean easily like on the k12.
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So I checked the service record to sort out what needed doing when, when the MOT was due etc. Noted the last service notes said both front and rear pads were worn, and after finding the state of the front pads yesterday went outside and pulled the rear calliper.
(https://i.ibb.co/mh2WTBV/20220920-154607.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GC8SpJ4)
Not good to put it mildly. The remains of the pads look like this. I don't use the rear brake much other than through the linkage to the front brakes. Thus I'm guessing these are the original pads as I have not replaced them in the last 11k miles.
(https://i.ibb.co/hFVBH0s/20220920-154337.jpg) (https://ibb.co/9HWb2Pn)
(https://i.ibb.co/Fx93YTK/20220920-154303.jpg) (https://ibb.co/8KJsxZ0)
The handbook does say make sure you cannot see the disc through the calliper and pad but never thought that was actually possible til now. I have never had this happen with the K12 which was in use every day and serviced 2 or 3 times a year. This is a direct consequence of me not riding the bike frequently, cleaning and checking it accordingly, a salutary lesson. So a new pair of pads dropped in from the ones I bought earlier this year.
Also noted this corrosion on the torque arm. K12 is the same but not this early
(https://i.ibb.co/jfxN6h7/20220920-160322.jpg) (https://ibb.co/54z0MTq)
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Tarty Unobtainium:
http://pirateslair.net/TorquePL.htm
Or get sensible:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184594164222
Or really sensible:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hammerite-5084894-HAM6700043-250ml-Metal/dp/B001GU4DEC
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Tarty Unobtainium:
http://pirateslair.net/TorquePL.htm
...
I can 3d print you one and as a bonus it'll be metric. Like the frigging bike it would be attached to.
Obviously it won't work though, it'd be plastic! I just wanted to have a moan after I saw imperial fractions on that first link.
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Rear differential torque arm strut… One of my pet hates is calling the final drive a differential. It’s only got one wheel attached to it, so if the thing at the end of the shaft is a differential you would have no drive.
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Don's start me off or I'll be lambasting the eejits (including the manufacturers and the entire motorcycle press gang) who call the upsy-downsy hydraulic wotsit at either end of the bike 'shock absorbers' when we all know they are really dampers. The things what absorb the shock are the springs as anyone who has ever driven any mileage with a broken one will know :)
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Anyone who has bounced along with a spring that has no damping may disagree Brian. I'd say you need a spring and a damper to make a shock absorber!
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Wrong!
The spring is the thing that absorbs the shocks. Simples!
Take the damper off and you still don't get any shocks through the chassis because the spring is absorbing them. What you do get is endless boinging up and down from the shock-absorbing spring which will oscillate till the end of time on even a smooth'ish road. It is the (normally) hydraulic damper which dampens the oscillations of the spring and makes for a smooth ride.
If you could take the spring off and just have the damper working in its normal range (which you can't because the whole thing will just collapse till the damper bottoms out) you would get a very jittery and jarring ride because the damper can't absorb the shocks.
I remember well the friction damper on some old leaf-sprung car my mate was restoring, merely a pile of plates which could be tensioned against one another to slow down the boinging. When we wound it right off the ride was smooth as a baby's bottom but one got car-sick before leaving the car park.
Coil-over shocks are really coil-over dampers. Simply separate the two functions and you will see what each part does.
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The damper is what disipates the energy of the movement. The spring simply stores it. They need each other!
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" If you could take the spring off and just have the damper working in its normal range (which you can't because the whole thing will just collapse till the damper bottoms out) you would get a very jittery and jarring ride because the damper can't absorb the shocks. "
Citroen have been using this system for years on some of their better models.
Their hydro-pneumatic suspension has been in use since their DS model in the 50's.
It continued with their GS, CX, C5 & C6, not sure which model has it now.
I had 3 of these models & have to say they were the most comfortably suspended cars I have owned.
It's also a self-levelling system & can be used to raise the car to change wheels etc.
Probably a bit more expensive to manufacture.
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The damper is what disipates the energy of the movement. The spring simply stores it. They need each other!
Correct. Because you didn't include the words shock absorber.
If the words shock absorber are used, it is the spring doing it, with or without a damper (which even the industry insists on labelling as shock absorbers!
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" If you could take the spring off and just have the damper working in its normal range (which you can't because the whole thing will just collapse till the damper bottoms out) you would get a very jittery and jarring ride because the damper can't absorb the shocks. "
Citroen have been using this system for years on some of their better models.
Probably a bit more expensive to manufacture.
And hideously expensive to repair when it all went base over apex, which most of them used to do fairly regularly, my dad had a couple of DSs and eventually gave up on them as it needed specialised surgery to fix as opposed to just popping on a new 'shock absorber'...
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The damper is what dissipates the energy of the movement. The spring simply stores it. They need each other!
Correct. Because you didn't include the words shock absorber.
If the words shock absorber are used, it is the spring doing it, with or without a damper (which even the industry insists on labelling as shock absorbers!
I agree that the industry labels the damper as the shock absorber and that on it's own, that's a job it can't do but, we'll need to agree to disagree that the spring alone is the shock absorber.
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So it's a full service this time so the radiator is off so I'm treating it to a dirty weekend
(https://i.ibb.co/T465T63/20221014-103845.jpg) (https://ibb.co/48zxfzr)
(https://i.ibb.co/SBfN63d/20221014-100138.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cQYJyrC)
And this is only the first couple of rinses. Don't think it's ever been cleaned, it's really solid blocked in a significant area. Using everything I can lay my hands on. We'll see what it looks like by Sunday evening
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Someone on here mentioned putting it in the dishwasher which sounded like a really good idea.
All that hot high pressure spray & strong detergent.
Can't you get Mrs fjtwelve out of the house for a few hours & put the dishwasher to good use.
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Erm funny you should mention that :winkthumbs:
After yesterdays efforts with muc off, foam cleaner, brake cleaner, ecover all purpose cleaner and a lot of work with a toothbrush, Soaked it all night in a foam wash, scrubbed it, muc off twice with lots of scrubbing and then as mrs fj was out, 2 one hour sessions in the dish washer without any kind of detergent, turned it over after the first session to do both sides. T was a bit foamy inside after the first run. The rad is a hell of a lot cleaner, but the runners in the dish washer are a bit gritty and I cleaned the muck and bullets out of the filter too.
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And hideously expensive to repair when it all went base over apex, which most of them used to do fairly regularly, my dad had a couple of DSs and eventually gave up on them as it needed specialised surgery to fix as opposed to just popping on a new 'shock absorber'...
[/quote]
I never owned a DS unfortunately, still think it is a great looking car.
Had umpteen CX's. The only thing that used to go wrong with the suspension was the height corrector linkages located under the car used to seize up occasionally due to exposure to all the spray & crud thrown up underneath, just needed a spray of grease & they were fine again for another couple of years.
The suspension spheres that provide the damping on each strut needed re-pressurizing with nitrogen every 3/4 years, that was a 15 minute job by a specialist @ £15 a strut back in the 80's.
Have to say I don't think they really cost me any more than a conventionally suspended car.
Rolls Royce used to use the Citroen system in their cars, need to say no more.
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When I picked up the bike after the major service, the (new) service guy was running through bill said "Air filter" I interrupted said " 2 Air filters" . He looked at me and then at the bill and said " oh yeah sorry 2 filters" and then continued with the rest of the hideously expensive bill. He also told me the front wheel bearing wasn't covered by warranty. Anyway settled up took the paperwork and rode home. Got home changed started filing the paper and thought wheres the MOT? Got changed again back to the shop complained Got a free MOT and free coffee while I waited. Back home did some other chores didn't file the paper til today. Lacking confidence I went through each line. Sure enough charged for one air filter. Outside with the torx keys, off with the 763 bloody fairing fixings and out with the filters. One is dated 2015, one dated 2019. So at 21000 miles I reckon this is the first major service. Both the filters are very clean but I'm guessing one is original, at some point one got changed for some reason, and now I'm pretty sure nothing got changed this time. So I've now lost confidence in what they are doing and what they are charging for. I can't prove anything but it's spoilt what I thought was a pretty good relationship. They also tried to charge me for changing 2 tyres on the K12 when I only gave them one but that got sorted. Both bikes came out of the shop showing the wrong tyre pressure on the computer. There is an apprentice in the workshop so could be him, but who is checking?
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You can check out the condition of the air filters by peering own the air intake with a torch.
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Ahh I know the feeling. It backs up my thinking at my local after they had a few personnel changes. There seems to be a gap in succession planning of any kind. This goes at the front of house stuff and the techs in my experience. One would think the mothership would provide some "guidance" on how to run a business long term.
My pragmatic brain says they've done the calcs and determined it to be a net revenue subtractor and so don't bother.
Perhaps an approach to main dealer servicing should be more akin to an arguably wise approach to when a new model car/bike comes out. Give it a year to sort out the teething issues. Of course that means checking who's working there all the time and is unrealistic :D.
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Had our KTMGT? Must 3 years at least, local KTM dealer is 5 miles away, the bike gets serviced in Loughborough at Redline Motorcycles.
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What we need is what Rae has with his FJ - a club mechanic - or rather an independent who we trust to service the club's Ks.
I don't know of any K specialists, but there are plenty of boxer ones. Maybe there's one that might convert over if enough of us give them business.
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Well it's either they convert... or you do :D
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My front wheel bearings were changed in March of this year at 50,859 miles under the BMW Extended Warranty.
I had taken the bike in for a front tyre change, they were noted as "feeling rough" by the technician and replaced on the spot.
The bike is a 2010 registration with a full main dealer service history.
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Well it's either they convert... or you do :D
A 1300 twin pot RS may become attractive in another 3-4 years. If they don't spoil it by adding cornering lights, radar, and other esoteric gubbins.
But right now, I have a barely used K to wear out.
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My front wheel bearings were changed in March of this year at 50,859 miles under the BMW Extended Warranty.
Wheel bearings listed under the BMW Extended Warranty?
I was told by BMW Extended Warranty these are not covered?
My bike also failed its mot on the swing arm bearing - Again, told by the dealer that these are not covered. Have I been told lies? Do you trust the dealer?
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Well, I can only relate my own experiences.
The dealer has always been very good, and I travel more miles than need be and use them in preference over others that are closer to home. (They did also supply the bike to me).
In respect of the wheel bearings, I was simply not asked to pay anything (I have the "No Excess" package). The work was just carried out without question, my only involvement was to have an extra coffee whilst they were replaced (the wheel was already removed for the tyre change).
Likewise last week, a slightly leaking final drive outer case oil seal that I had mentioned at service a week earlier was replaced free of charge.
The only other thing that I could perhaps add is that the bike has never been outside of the dealer network for maintenance. I have invoices as far back as the new owner's handover checklist showing that everything, even tyre fitment, has always been carried out within the network. Perhaps this has helped in some way?
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When did you buy it? :)
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October 2018, Matt with two years BMW Approved Used Warranty included that I've since kept up at my expense without any breaks in cover.
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And the lovely dealer is .... ?
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And the lovely dealer is .... ?
An example to all! :D
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I use Sycamore Motorrad, although on odd occasions, to take advantage of special offers, I've used others (i.e. new BMW brake pads to all wheels, caliper clean and brake fluid flush for £229.00).
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Blimey, I thought brake pads alone were £80 a set.
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I did actually price the job as "DIY" against the dealer charge and came to the conclusion that the dealer price was less!
I'm not sure of the current situation around Ledbury (although for many years I lived in the area, as did my brother) however around here there are four dealers within an hour's ride or so and they often seem to run "loss leaders", presumably to attract new business. It's also common for there to be an "off - peak" rate for work in the colder months, usually with free collection and delivery included.
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And that's the second Eurotunnel crossing booked for this year for the K13. Been a while....
And on another subject, anyone else noticed the more members we get on this site the fewer posts there are? Must be a PhD for a statistician/social economist in there somewhere.
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And that's the second Eurotunnel crossing booked for this year for the K13. Been a while....
And on another subject, anyone else noticed the more members we get on this site the fewer posts there are? Must be a PhD for a statistician/social economist in there somewhere.
EVERYBODY'S STARING AT ME
also hurrah for tickets! My first time in several years too.
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This year.. Portsmouth/Caen both ways in April for the 24 hour at Le-Mans, including the mortgage for the Ibiis hotel bill that has nigh on doubled for this year,Holyhead/Dublin in may for the NW200 in may assuming someone coughs up the extra that the insurers want this year.
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Just been watching a pre lim program for tomorrows WSB done by Jamie Witham the custom swing arms for the bikes cost £10k 😳
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Just bought another pair of LEDs and popped them in the k13 dip and offside main ready for Holland at the weekend. Also a new UK sticker for the numberplate
(https://i.ibb.co/s6vxQ7w/20230322-174539-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QCFSn0N)
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Just back from my 1205 mile blip to Holland at the weekend. What I thought was alcoholically induced fatigue turned out to be a positive covid test this morning. Nothing like cosseting yourself with self care consisting of 24 hours riding in less than delightful conditions interspersed with 3 consecutive sessions eh?
Apart from being covered in shite and squared off tyres the K13 shrugged off the trip. 48mpg at 61mph average. I had forgotten how many 100kmh limits there are on Dutch motorways, and they have introduced a fair few average speed cameras since i was last there. A neat feature of my TomTom phone app is that in most of these known zones it calculates your average speed and shows it separately which helps a lot especially on the longer sections if you forget yourself and speeds starts to creep up. Generally it was mostly dry but there were a few nasty rain squalls about, including trying to snow as i started the trip back, and bloody windy the whole time.
Left at 6, at the tunnel at 1130 including a couple of stops. Eurotunnel check in very easy, just keep your booking number handy so you can punch it into the machine without grovelling in your bag for it. Ignore the ticket they give you, drive straight to the train queue, got straight on to the first train even though I was 2 hours early, no one even looked at it. Passport control a pain in the arse but fortunately fairly short queues and for the first time in decades I got a stamp in my passport. Manual stamp, proper old post office style. I wondered why they haven't just got a strip reader or chip like bank cards to do this on a printer, well maybe they have somewhere, but you still have to get stamped. There were 5 or 6 other guys on the train, in a group mostly on GSs an RT and a Suzuki something or other. They all huddled up and didn't want to talk. Nothing new there, must be my welcoming smile...
(https://i.ibb.co/cXPBCQT/20230324-122251.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mFmjX4z)
Kicked myself hard on the way over as I took the wrong turning at Antwerp and went through the Kennedy tunnel on a Friday afternoon. DO NOT go this way ever, it is always busy and there's currently loads of roadworks to the South side which make it worse. Take the other tunnel through the docks to the West, the Liefkenshoektunnel. There a toll of a few euro, but a fraction of the traffic. On the plus side the Dutch are very good at letting you filter, having a white bike and LEDs probably helps, although Dutch bike coppers wear full hi viz yellow jacket and helmet as opposed to my full black outfit.
The bloody non folding foot peg snagged my oversuit and ripped a hole, but that's why you carry gaffa tape and waterproof electrical tape isn't it. I've also noticed that as you unpack and repack the panniers each day the size of what you are carrying increases and the panniers expand and expand. Think I may need to adopt the Reacher technique of binning my clothes every few days and just buying some new ones instead of trying to pack dirty laundry. I am going to spend a bit of time sorting out a tail pack for the pillion seat, or suss out how how hook some straps or bungees to be able to tie down one of my existing bags. I seem to be able to stuff everything easily in except shoes, the panniers are just the wrong shape and size. I think for the OldGits we should share round the tools and spares to avoid duplicating stuff
On the way back we clocked up 22000 somewhere along the E34, where exactly I don't know. I was on the E34 having chosen not to continue around the Antwerp ring road back on to the E17. I mean, its hardly the B500 is it?
(https://i.ibb.co/XkbSpv7/20230327-103358.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TqkmRF4)
(https://i.ibb.co/nnPD3pv/20230327-103409.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dLmQbZq)
Still just as boring and another petrol station desert along there, I had to divert off to find fuel. This turned out to be a car showroom at Evergem in Belgium with one of those card machines you put your card in before filling up. Not that I found the pillar until I'd been into the showroom and asked how it all worked. I put up with the faffery as I was running on fumes. Needless to say there were 2 proper filling stations half a mile up the road
(https://i.ibb.co/6sLVRm2/20230327-115457.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gghHM3G)
(https://i.ibb.co/SmgHbZz/20230327-121850.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Zgrv5b0)
On the way back Eurotunnel gave me my own carriage. In fact there were about 6 empty carriages, it was very quiet. And then home steady as I wasn't feeling 100% and the wind hadn't backed off all day and I was getting a bit tired of it.
(https://i.ibb.co/q564tx0/20230327-181353.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jRtxcHV)
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I am going to spend a bit of time sorting out a tail pack for the pillion seat, or suss out how how hook some straps or bungees to be able to tie down one of my existing bags. I seem to be able to stuff everything easily in except shoes, the panniers are just the wrong shape and size. I think for the OldGits we should share round the tools and spares to avoid duplicating stuff
I'm just trying this small one (https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/313404) out. It's something like 6 litres.
(http://www.poqit.com/qbag.jpg)
With the emphasis on 'small' so when I swing a leg over, I don't kick it, lose my balance and convert a £20 tailpack into a £1000 knock-over. It's enough to put tools etc into and release some tank bag space. It also fits quite tidily onto the rear rack.
I've only had it fitted for 2 or 3 rides so far, so not feedback yet, but it seems to be stable. I worry about things I can't see.
They have what might be a prettier one (https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/279236) too:
(https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/product_images/qbag_tail-bag-6_black.jpg)
That one has a waterproof rain cover included for the extra pounds.
And shoes? They go in the tank bag, if you buy a BMW tankbag (https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=5128.0), that is.
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The answer for packing shoes is to wear soft suede moccasins with rubber blobs for soles. They take up no more room than a T shirt and as long as you are not planning on a walking holiday at your destination then you are all set. I usually pack two pairs and they still take up less room than a pair of normal hard-soled leather shoes or trainers.
Also, they squidge in to the funny parts of the Sport Cases. Simples!
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Yeah my well used expandable Bagster tankbag/rucksack will take shoes, as well as flasks, sandwiches documents multitools headtorches wallet phones blah blah, even a laptop should I feel the need. But I am trying to train myself to put less in it as when full it starts getting in the way and is more of a pain when refuelling. Or when you want something its inevitably under everything else. My Abus D lock slides nicely under it and stays out of the way until refuelling, and it would be nice to tie that away somewhere too. That certainly is not going to squidge in a corner. But good point about finding soft shoes, might look at that also. My large soft bag is very practical, larger than the panniers, more regular shape, and you can tie stuff on or to it. I may use that for the longer oldgits trip rather than panniers, keeping the panniers for short trips.
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Regarding these shoes. I take whatever shoes and pack them full of socks and unmentionables. In this way I make the best use of the space they take up. I would say this is second best to Brian's approach, but I'm not at the soft suede moccasins stage yet :P. I also always do a lot of walking so there'll be at least approach shoes or whatever they are actually called.
Richard, is QBag a long established bunch? I've not heard of them before.
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Remember David's excellent approach to 'disposable base layers' (ie T shirts and knickers).
He stashes all his old, about to be binned items throughout the year until the trip, then chucks them out each day so he comes back with way less than he goes with.
He really does get faster the more he rides... :)
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Still smiling about the thought of a laptop…..as opposed to a modern day IPad 😜
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Remember David's excellent approach to 'disposable base layers' (ie T shirts and knickers).
He stashes all his old, about to be binned items throughout the year until the trip, then chucks them out each day so he comes back with way less than he goes with.
He really does get faster the more he rides... :)
It's an approach that's served me well though I d say it doesn't make me faster!
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But good point about finding soft shoes, might look at that also.
https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/primus-lite-iii-mens-ss22
If you really want, they will roll up, but like Matt I usually end up stuffing them with x, y, & z.
They have a 100 day return policy if you don't like them. (If you need arch support you won't like them, for example.)
They also sell secondhand/seconds, probably from the 100-day returns pile: ;D
https://www.revivo.com/mens/primus-trail-ii-fg-mens
I have a pair of those too - they look near-identical to the new ones I have, but the 100-day return doesn't apply to the secondhand ones.
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I was with it all the way to the price tag. Blimey.
My suede things cost €15 a pair in Leclerc's supermarket in France about 12 years ago. Still going strong and from some Australian outfit called Roadsign, so not as wimpy as they first seem. Although I was surprised to find the word 'lifestyle' on an Ozzie brand :)
Light, sturdy, washable'ish and casual. Great for holidays and trips away. Not good for walking, climbing, riding a motorcycle or kicking the dog.
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...or kicking the dog.
I asked the dog, and he said they were just fine.
Hush puppy.
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Hahaha
Award yourself one roflcopter.
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So when you go off for a jaunt around the Alps a lot of mileage markers come up.
Before I went I had an oil and filter change done, and for the first time ever took off a set of part worn tyres,PR6s, to replace with a new set of PR6s. I've kept the old tyres as there's a good couple of thousand miles left on them yet.
The new visor and pinlock I ordered in November finally turned up. The container must have been on the high seas for a while i suppose. They don't get any cheaper do they? On the way home from the Old Gits trip I dropped in at Motolegends and replaced the cheek pads on the Shoei Neotec 2 which is now 5 years old. There's another thing that doesn't get any cheaper either. Mind you they did give me a free replacement chinguard
I also bought a BMW small sized trailing socket which after much fiddling , and trying it in about half a dozen different places i fitted into the nearside of the cockpit fairing. This enabled me to plug in a 2 way USB adapter to power my phone which I use a sat nav. This meant during refuelling I didn't have to fiddle about disconnecting the leads from the tank bag when uncovering the filler cap. This has worked pretty well but the plug in adapter can get shaken loose on bumpy roads (read half of Italy)and needed a waggle now and again to re-seat it. Might be better off finding a USB socket I think, as featured on richtea's handlebars.
(https://i.ibb.co/4F7qzqt/20230615-215217-trailing-socket.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Rg9FfFb)
The very bright sunshine was a problem for the phone display/ phone case as it just reflected everything, especially any bit of white paper in the top of the tank bag. Even if I removed that it reflected the shiny clear top of the tank bag. Constant adjustment of its position helped a bit but never solved it.
After some experimenting I went with the panniers and a waterproof roll top bag we found in the airing cupboard. I put all the squashy clothing in one pannier and the no squashy stuff in the roll top bag. Tools etc went in the other pannier. I found some Zuru straps on ebay to tie down the roll top bag. I originally was going to use bungees but planned to move stuff around as i travelled eg stinky laundry into the roll top bag, and thought the Zuru straps would offer better adjustability. They are also flat so they can go under the seat without need to be hooked on. The Ks are very short of suitable bungee hook points. And they have a rubbery finish which means they grip the luggage well so it doesn't slide about. Worked fine, although they did stretch a bit in the 34C sunshine so I tightened them up during the day sometimes. The colour wasn't great but at least people could see where I was in a gaggle of bikes going up the passes
(https://i.ibb.co/F494JRC/20230615-215217-luggage-arrangement.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QvZvnyt)
First one at 23000, ok 22999.8 if you must be picky, where the K is seen in its natural environment (well this month so far 21 times): a petrol station. Luggage on as I experiment with the best way of strapping everything down before heading off to the continent
(https://i.ibb.co/gzmzkxN/20230607-180712.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Qrpry4L)
(https://i.ibb.co/M2B6GQy/20230607-180738.jpg) (https://ibb.co/p0hyR56)
The 24000 marker was a slightly more scenic location, albeit a dual carriageway, but halfway up the side of a mountain in the French Alps
(https://i.ibb.co/2jYR3bw/20230618-093923.jpg) (https://ibb.co/55xCh7d)
(https://i.ibb.co/Fx6VMQm/20230618-093926.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VjVmZFJ)
(https://i.ibb.co/8PBFS3S/20230618-093938.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zP5K0c0)
(https://i.ibb.co/SwxjdRk/20230618-093947.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fdSgn43)
Only 4 days later 25000 came up somewhere near the Gardena Pass in Italy, much more scenic but a grey day after the only rain of the Old Gits Trip and the first time I'd been in the rain for months
(https://i.ibb.co/wJcx6Y0/20230622-142337.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0BsdJQD)
(https://i.ibb.co/NrrYYfG/20230622-142346.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pQQXXNk)
And 4 days after that 26000 came up as we were heading West from Ashford along the back roads
(https://i.ibb.co/Wf0TSQS/20230626-104327.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HqCJm0m)
(https://i.ibb.co/7rsTyc4/20230626-104336.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bNcydhJ)
The bike ran faultlessly for the whole trip. The only thing I noticed was a high idle speed at the top of some of the high passes. I had a pannier full of puncture repair kit, tool roll, oil, bulbs, gaffa tape etc, and the only time I opened it was on the Eurotunnel shuttle on the way back to get the pump and add a couple of psi to the tyres. The alpine roads gave the tyres quite a battering so I'm not surprised. What did surprise me was the 51.67 average mpg for the trip, with a new record of 56.03 on one tankful (this was going around the M25/M20 under the speed restrictions). I gave it a good thrash over the passes, full throttle against the stop more than few times in 1st second and 3rd, maybe the painful tootling through the valleys at 20 to 50 evened it out. Coming back up the French motorways with no HGVs and light traffic meant sitting at 80 to 85 for hours on end, so a record 80.5mph for one tankful. We did see unmarked cars but no speed traps and cameras are on the TomTom so kept it sensible.
Currently girding my loins for dismantling it all for a big clean up and see if i have any brakes left...
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Nice locations... :laugh:
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It was stunning scenery and brilliant roads. It's just a shame that. like all good things, it had to come to an end. The only thing outstanding, other than the money we owe Martin for picking up the beer bill for Germany, is - where to next year?
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So the big clean begins. After a trip to halfords to get more cleaning materials...
Taking the front wheel off I've found the abs sensor is seized in its bore, so the wheel came out without removing it
Tried taking the rear wheel out but found the hub design on the motosport wheels means the wheel bolts are more deeply recessed than the K12 and my star drive socket won't reach. The long end of my star drive key will reach but even with a tube over the short end I can't get enough torque to undo the wheel bolts. What does everybody else use?
(https://i.ibb.co/Twxhs8z/20230702-112709.jpg) (https://ibb.co/j8P4SM7)
(https://i.ibb.co/8Y1hfBG/20230702-112656.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kmNdwyz)
(https://i.ibb.co/yPd39W6/20230702-112620.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3d4J3Bp)
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Ah that's a good point, I suspect I never took the rear off of my Motorsport. Did with the old one and just used whatever is in my Halford Professional 200 odd piece set. That's going to be a faff unless someone has specifics!
Mine is sat underneath me at the moment in a little log cabin'ee type place in Montenegro. It is filthy after the storm ride yesterday especially.
Oh I just noticed your fairings are off too! I shall have to remember to do the same!
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You need a set of long series torx bits. Or you could cut the long leg off your star key and use it with a socket and wrench.
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Will need to increase the preload for the next trip. The belly pan was all scratched and the top of the radiator guard and tip of the mudguard was worn where the front wheel got forced up under heavy braking. Never noticed at the time.
Everything went back together OK despite the standard dropping a fairing screw down the inside at 75% reassembled and having to tear it off again 😠
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Will need to increase the preload for the next trip. The belly pan was all scratched and the top of the radiator guard and tip of the mudguard was worn where the front wheel got forced up under heavy braking. Never noticed at the time.
Everything went back together OK despite the standard dropping a fairing screw down the inside at 75% reassembled and having to tear it off again
https://www.speedyfasteners.com/collections/dzus-fasteners ?
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Yep the thought has crossed my mind a few times
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So 27000 arrived back in mid August. I was on my way back from Shropshire so a few of us had a bit of a fling around mid wales, and this picture is on the A30 just East of Bodmin Moor. After the normal sat naggery discussions for the days route, my hooky version of TomTom finally packed up. It had stopped giving me camera alerts a few weeks back, then on the routes for the day it would download from MRA to TomTom Mydrive OK, but then the route wouldn't sync with my phone. Then when I opened the route it immediately changed it into a fastest route and sync'd that. Much frustration ensued, added to which my old work phone from 2018 finally went phut. Cutting a long story short I now have a new second-hand phone (ANOTHER new second-hand phone as my cheapy one bought in 2019 also went phut about a month earlier), Gold membership of MRA route planning and a legit subscription to TomTom Go navigation. Thus I am now able to open routes in MRA with full functionality, save to TomTom, syncs with both my phones, and use the Go app on my phone which includes all speed limits, cameras and so on.
Its also become obvious that the USB plug in adapter I bought is not the right solution. Bumpy roads knock it out of place. If it reconnects the phone shows a "charging " notification which is fine, but if it doesn't reconnect the first thing you know is the phone says "low battery". And using full brightness and volume sure chews through battery life. On the plus side, the Samsung Galaxy S20FE I bought has a way better display than either the A20E or the A8 or the S9 i bought to replace the A8. It is far more visible in bright sunshine.
(https://i.ibb.co/ykSSk6v/Screenshot-2023-09-03-155942.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GMTTMWY)
(https://i.ibb.co/RDShfJT/20230817-181434.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5R9YmJh)
(https://i.ibb.co/SQdrN90/20230817-181513.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4sYdW5M)
(https://i.ibb.co/yQqtQzG/20230817-181529.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DRQhRBs)
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I decided to see if the MRA flip up screen would fit on the K13 as the extensive motorway bashing of the last couple of months was getting a bit tiring and noisy despite the Neotec 2 flip up and earplugs. It proved a very easy switchover and recent rides have been smoother and quieter. Another screen is on the wish list now, along with a spare radiator. Oh and the ultrasonic bath. Ah, and getting the wheels refurbished.
(https://i.ibb.co/qRgWqpL/20230820-153739.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4jSYvpw)
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So we liked Wales so much we went back. A couple of days romping around some of the best roads. Good food at the Bryncelyn Guesthouse again and a few beers in the Neuadd Arms. Day 2 was a bit damp for a while but otherwise excellent conditions. A bit under 800 miles but the motorway trail was worth it. Can recommend that route from the Cattle Shed stop down to Chepstow
(https://i.ibb.co/fx49PZF/Screenshot-2023-09-03-164159.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/DRCTDnC/20230823-112659.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/BtvF39N/20230823-112839.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/xsbfQHR/Screenshot-2023-09-03-164310.jpg)
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This is almost like being back at work. Last week I took a trip to London where I visited the very first site that I worked on back in 1980. Known then as IBM Southbank, its now being redeveloped in a pretty massive cut and carve job. They were going to demolish it but the building got listed during the design and planning application process so they have to keep a lot of the building, in particular the external structure. Had a great discussion on site about the original construction, I'd dug out about 50 photos, and my old training reports describing what I did . We had a walk around site (where I found a problem with the basement waterproofing but left my hosts to tell the project manager while I ran away to Cornwall). Its amazing how clearly I could recollect the details and construction 40 years on. There is a massive resource of information amongst older and retired people that is of great use to projects where they are refurbishing old buildings. This is more fashionable now that the buzz words are all about saving carbon. Make sure you have got all your jobs listed on Linked In as there might be be people out there hunting for information. I got a free lunch out of it...
(https://i.ibb.co/YX6PdRq/20230829-120015.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/qWQxn7n/20230829-120059.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/KKQm5RS/20230829-120117.jpg)
On the way 28000 came up on the A303. I had to wait to pull over as the traffic was pretty dense and I had been working hard to get past it on the single track sections hence the 28002 photo. Must do better
(https://i.ibb.co/BtbghLR/Screenshot-2023-09-03-160305.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/Z146gwv/20230828-165252.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/6Zsp2Wx/20230828-165150.jpg)
This trip took me a bit past the service interval so this week the bike went in for a brake fluid, oil and filter change. The old "flog the customer some more spares" resulted in the rubber seal on top of the brake fluid reservoir being replaced, but I turned down replacing the sidestand bearings. I found that yet another Motorrad manager has left, Jules is off to the Home Counties somewhere, so there's a new man to meet. I also found out that the price of BMW radiators has dropped massively , even less than I paid last month, so if you want to do some early doors spares buying get in quick.
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Great update! And if you have a scanner, I'm the guy who wants to see more of that construction :D. The photos above, is that a mix of old and new structures or all new/old?
EDIT: Ok so this is the original (rings a bell):
(https://i.ibb.co/CvP9tD2/ibm-south-bank-original.jpg)
And this is the proposed/new one.
(https://i.ibb.co/2yfkmbL/imb-southbank-proposed.jpg)
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No crumbly RAAC in there, then Martin?
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At the bottom of the picture is the new core of the building coming out of the basement. The superstructure is almost all original that has been stripped out and cut away to make room for the new structure. And no there is no RAAC in there, this was a traditionally overdesigned reinforced concrete structure from Ove Arup who are generally very conservative in their approach. Also in those days most concrete was 100% OPC without the cheaper replacements of GGBS or PFA, designed to achieve its characteristics strength in 7 days or less so in the long term very high strength. I can bore you for hours on our next meet with all the details
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I for one fully support that boring conversation :D.
I've yet to read much about the RAAC debacle as it appears to be standard cost cutting geese coming home to roost. But in my ten seconds glancing now: aerated somewhat porous concrete (does it really only have a 30 year lifetime, and this was a known product attribute back then?) with metal inside surely is a hilarious approach to ensure you trap some of that pesky oxygen in the form of rust? Because yeah waterproof layers never fail right.
Sorry, I know I risk turning your K1300S thread into a "Barely Concrete Concrete Thread" but we're motorcyclists, danger is our collective middle name. As well as "god damn this fricking Sena"
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Like with motorcycles, maintenance is key. Inside a dry envelope RAAC offered a cheaper lightweight option to design and build contractors who signed up for all the government PFI design finance build operate, and building projects back in the 90s. They only needd to make it last for the 25 year contract length then they were offski. Often they sold their contracts to operating companies even earlier. So nobody spent any money on maintenance. Add in the bonfire of local government planning and building control resources in local government around the same time (because we had quality assurance so everything was self certified ???) that did bugger all for quality control and regulatory enforcement.
So we have not particularly well built buildings that have had little or no maintenance handed over to an education system controlled by people who know little or nothing about buildings and with even less interest in them because there's no votes in maintenance and it's not sexy on your political cv. Another10 to 15 years pass by, the water gets in , rusts the rebar and politicians are surprised when building start falling down. To be fair to the head teachers and hospital trusts, they've been on the case for years but the government wasn't listening. Politicians do not make any news out of preventing something, but wait until there's a crisis and try to look clever during its solution without taking responsibility for anything. Cynical? Moi? Anyway what was that about K1300s again?
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Excellent answers thanks!
Back to the K1300S - not the RAAC of the BMW world.
Although some of the stuff I see on my radiator could be a worthy substitute.
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So 29000 passed in a blur on the a30 as I approached the roadworks for the new section of dual carriageway that will bypass Truro so no picture. Nearly 9k miles so far this year. Bike is flying after the last minor service. Fuel prices are definitely rising again, having overshot Cullompton services i was forced into Exeter services who charged £1.98 a litre for 97 octane E5.
I discovered at the weekend that my freshly Techwash'ed Enduroguard suit had ceased to be waterproof. So after fixing the washing machine this morning it's having a rinse in reproofing and we'll see if it rejuvenates. My enduroguard gloves are also suspect but not sure. Bit disappointing.
Tuesday is obviously the new Monday. As well as the washing machine, the TT died, new alternator required. All my shed timber turned up as the wind speed increased to the point the hiab lorry driver nearly didn't unload it. Oh and it also starting raining hard. Having got up for a 7am delivery they arrived at 830.
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At that price, one can see the attraction of bilking...
As to deliveries, Evri sent a text at 8:19 saying they would deliver today between 15:30 and 17:30. :thumbsup:
The next text at 9:03 said they failed to deliver because the business was closed. :adolf:
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Techwash is heat activated, so you need to tumble dry or iron at a push. I didn't know that (didn't read the instructions) the first time I used it, but it was pointed out to me when I complained. Maybe some chemist will be along to explain why, but it does indeed make a difference.
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Hmm better go and read the instructions again, but none of my rohan or enduroguard stuff can be tumble dried.
Oh and yesterday the boiler timer clock and the BT TV box both failed. Normally these things come in three's so obviously going for it just now. And I have to get a new runner for the veg/salad box in the fridge as that broke at the weekend.
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So I washed it in the techwash reproofing and it has recovered some of its original cardboard like stiffness. Have not yet tried it out due to Storm Agnes and working for granny's taxi (615am alarm to get up and take grandson to school 5 days a week) and otherwise employed on Bodgit and Creepaway at Project Shed
(https://i.ibb.co/kckKK6y/IMG-20230930-WA0001.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DKs44gb)
(https://i.ibb.co/zS7mzfR/20230930-183603.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZhYf0T8)
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After storm Kathleen or Pierrick or whatever bloody letter of the alphabet we are up to now battered the bejasus out of us yesterday, today turned out sunny, not so windy, and , amazingly, dry. So as Mole said, "Hang spring-cleaning"( or shed building/ K1200 tarting up etc) and we went for a bimble for the first time this year. Up to Bude down to Liskeard and home again. No 360 camera video I'm afraid, I was too busy remembering how to ride. Jeez I'm rusty, and there are aches in places that havent ached for a while. Just steady away, and mercifully seemed to have a quiet day for traffic. Put it this way I averaged 46mph for about 160 miles which normally you'd have to work very hard for down here, or ride up and down the A30. Moral of the story- go out and repeat as often as possible until end of May so I don't get left in the pyreneean weeds by the old gits
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If you had it worse than me, and according to the bureau that makes the weather, you most certainly did, then I am surprised you still have a shed standing.
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Currently out in the pissing rain wind and fog today to see if my waterproofs are still waterproof. Spoiler alert: they aren't. Hiding (dripping) in ocean plymouth, where they do not have any gloves big enough for me and very little in the way of textiles. Fortunately they don't have any used bikes I'm desperate for either. I guess I'm going to be spending some time at Motolegends soon. As it happens I may have some work and go to a meeting in Godalming at the end of the month which is coincidentally just down the road. Yes , work. Those of you who entered the how long will he last without work sweepstake and guessed 4 years 4 months and 25 days may collect their winnings. I haven't agreed a rate yet mind, suggestions on a postcard to the usual address
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If you had it worse than me, and according to the bureau that makes the weather, you most certainly did, then I am surprised you still have a shed standing.
I live a few hundred metres along from the beach huts
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4zy9vddk9o
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Just as well you chose to not build your shed in the front garden... ;D
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Gosh! My friend on Hayling Island has a foot or so of water in their drive and garage. Thankfully their house is a couple feet above ground level and so far ok.
Also, good news on a bit of work, and a decent day rate including expenses thank you very much! If you need any integration architecture let me know :P.
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I haven't agreed a rate yet mind, suggestions on a postcard to the usual address
One K1300S every 10 days. Plus expenses, obvs.
Does give you enough flex in price?
I mean, there's a K1300S in Autotrader (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/202403247925164) for under £3k at the moment. I was seriously tempted. That's like the price of tinned luggage for a GS.
We must have hit the nadir for K pricing, I reckon.
But aim for a Motorsport every 10 days.
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I dropped into ocean falmouth to enquire about where I could get my broken bolt drilled out of my wheel. Before I could start on that I was blamed for the after sales service man Andy buying a 30th anniversary k13. Its all my fault apparently
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He, of all people, should have known better.
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I haven't agreed a rate yet mind, suggestions on a postcard to the usual address
One K1300S every 10 days. Plus expenses, obvs.
Does give you enough flex in price?
I mean, there's a K1300S in Autotrader (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/202403247925164) for under £3k at the moment. I was seriously tempted. That's like the price of tinned luggage for a GS.
We must have hit the nadir for K pricing, I reckon.
But aim for a Motorsport every 10 days.
Meh
12 days
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Meh
12 days
To quote Mulan: 'That's close enough':
Ref: https://youtu.be/grbLjl1AjAs?t=27
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Well I've got one motorsport, maybe a 30th anniversary. Thats 10 days. Mind you the taxman will own one of the wheels
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You've got a couple of spare wheels, give him one of those...
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Well I've got one motorsport, maybe a 30th anniversary. Thats 10 days. Mind you the taxman will own one of the wheels
Did you bid on the cheap one on eBay this evening, that I really shouldn't have been looking at?
Well whoever won it got a bargain, with only a few bits of hassle.
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No just looked at Autotrader. K13 are going cheap now, very low mileages, lots under £5k, it is very tempting. Still, I haven't earned a penny yet, must stop counting my chickens
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So last week a trip to Shropshire with a couple of diversions into Wales. On day 2 the bike developed a misfire below 4000rpm which meant riding through Welsh villages at 20 was a noisy first gear affair. Bit like riding a 2 stroke. Examining the bike I thought this frayed wire from an old optimate flying lead was the problem, but removed it with no effect. Anyway managed a 1000.6 miles for the week.
(https://i.ibb.co/pwrf3Ch/20240423-174949.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4tg8jB1)
After the Welsh wander I had to go to Manchester to prove I am a real person and can work in the UK, and 30,000 came up
(https://i.ibb.co/3fCmw0h/20240424-090812.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LQZdMCp)
(https://i.ibb.co/9cYGZXw/20240424-090800.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZGTN2sH)
Off to Godalming tomorrow, 500 miles for the day. Bike booked in for a service in a week or so, probably need new tyres too
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Blimey you're catching me up fast. 35k yesterday.
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500 miles yesterday, 400 dry. Stuttering like hell below 4k, so just ride at speeds over 4k natch, tyres lunched. On the upside the double USB socket I replaced the din socket with (that the plug in double USB socket kept falling out of) kept the phone sat nav fully charged all day. The last 100 wet mile showed the Enduroguard jacket is not waterproof. If anyone knows the correct waterproofing to use please tell, as Techwash ain't it. And the enduroguard glove felt wetted out but my hands were dry, but I think I'm going to get some new gloves. Why else would I go back to work?
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Credit card took some pain yesterday. New BMW Paceguard gloves, which appear to be identical to my Enduroguard but we'll have to see when they arrive. A new PR5 for the rear to match the front I had in the shed. Why not a PR6? Well I only had to buy one to make up a pair, and as I recall the wasn't a huge difference in performance just the 6 lasts a bit longer than the 5. The rear 6 has just gone flat in protest, I must have picked up a nail somewhere. Today's job. And finally some sDoc spray on proofing for the Enduroguard jacket. Was all under control until Mrs fj walked in with a bill for the q5 that nearly broke 4 figures. Why do I go back to work you ask?
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Well hats off to Two Tyres and DHL. Ordered a tyre at 1540 yesterday , in my house at 1420 today.
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I have used Two Tyres and they give excellent service.
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Just been crunching some mileage records. Although I perceive my Enduroguard kit as "new", in fact it isn't. I bought the suit 31/10/19 with the K13 so its 4.5 years old and I have worn it for almost all of the 35,000 miles I've ridden since on both bikes. The gloves were bought on 28/9/20 and have covered almost all of the 26,500 miles since. I blame Covid for fogging my memory, and I have revised my opinion of "humph that waterproofing didn't last long" to "oh, not so bad".
Offhand I'd say the gloves are the most durable I've ever had. My Hein Gericke touring leathers have lasted much longer than 4.5 years, my trousers are at least 17 years old as I bought them before moving here from Scotland, and my jacket is about 10 years old, but I have hardly worn them since buying the Enduroguard suit and they aren't waterproof. Most of the zips have been replaced but that's it. My claim to fame is that the 17 year old trousers still fit... 8)
Not sure what durability other people are getting but maybe there's a thread worth starting on this?
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Yes, start one, and I'll join in!
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Started cleaning the k13 radiator and everything else. Here's the pile of muck from the first dry brush. The air filters are nasty, with leaves and feathers lying in the intake tubes
(https://i.ibb.co/ZXhF7Mv/20240507-153050.jpg) (https://ibb.co/h9K4wmr)
(https://i.ibb.co/vXStw87/20240507-153140.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PDdSm87)
(https://i.ibb.co/5R3ptKV/20240507-153226.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BCJWdnR)
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And here's the pile of crud after I applied a 1 to 1 mix of simple green/water to a dry radiator, left it to soak and washed it out
(https://i.ibb.co/S6C5JWc/20240507-171632.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qDQ7xXC)
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I sprayed my Enduroguard jacket with 2 coats of Sdoc today. Tip - do it outside and hang your clothing in the shed as it has a super strong chemical smell. I'm sure it's made by a completely reputable company
(https://i.ibb.co/LCw1nS8/IMG-20240507-WA0006.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cN5QDJ1)
We will have to wait to see how effective it is. Instructions say expose it to heat after its dried so looking at the weather that, unbelievably might be the next couple of days, and then I need it to rain
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Just allow your nearest and dearest to hose you down as a test. It can be amusing weaponising someone with a hose.
"You can stop squirting me now."
"Please stop."
"Just stop."
"I SAID STOP!"
[Gentle scuffle for hose control]
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The answer is that YOU stand by the tap so YOU can turn off the water when YOU want.
It's not as much fun but it depends on the state of the relationship whether that matters.
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No diagnostic reason for the misfire so we're back to the old strip it down pull the plugs/coils/ whatever. Still, that means radiator off and some more cleaning
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While playing with my oscilloscope I did manage to get an ignition waveform from my K13 using the COP probe. I just took the side panels off and there was enough space to get the probe onto the top of the coils. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XE8LuQUXhw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XE8LuQUXhw)
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...and with scopes costing peanuts these days I wonder why we don't all have one.
What were your results or were you just playing?
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Just playing of course. But the idea was to get a waveform while it was working so I'd have something to compare with at a later date.
(https://i.ibb.co/xXhC6sF/image.png) (https://ibb.co/7jvYKzk)
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Excellent idea. Glad I thought of it...
So, what is your 'scope? Is it a dedicated one or some sort of app-based thingummy? We should all have one anyway.
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I've had it for a few years, so not the current version, but it's a 4 channel PicoScope automotive oscilloscope. It's a Box that you connect to a laptop PC with a USB cable, then there's a PicoScope Windows application.
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As expected, the fault causing the misfire refused to perform for the audience in the workshop so waiting for the mech Richard to go for a ride to experience it. This was always going to happen as I'd cleaned the bike fairly thoroughly and taken the bike to the shop without any fairings on while I cleaned them at home. So if you see a stripped down k13 near Falmouth today getting filthy seeing as its been raining again - that'll be mine.
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The BMW Paceguard gloves from BMW Europe-moto finally turned up. When I ordered I didn't realise where they were coming from until I got the order confirmation. Turned out to be Motosud 34 in Montpelier. So that's taken 15 days to deliver from order, got to love a Brexit bonus. According to the tracker, first they went to Girona (Spain) then the Netherlands where they spent 5 days, then finally trundled through the UK for 2 days via Royal Mail.
And they are exactly the same as my old Enduroguard gloves. As the gloves are Gore-Tex lined I am wondering if I should get in touch with Gore-Tex about the old pair. Anyway old gloves are still intact if not waterproof, so I'll continue wearing them as dry gloves and keep the new ones as a spare pair in the bag if it turns torrential.
In other news the misfire remains undiagnosed. The bike won't show a diagnostic fault in the workshop, only when out on the road and there's a bit of load on the motor. I feel a complete set of coils and or plugs being suggested in a minute as they can't sensibly replace one at a time as the radiator needs to come off and go back on again each time.
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Did you ever have a problem with coils on the 12?
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If it turns out to be the flap you have to buy all my wine.
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If it turns out to be the flap you have to buy all my wine.
Just set Philip on it.
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Sent you a PM regarding the coils Martin.