Finally replaced the aprilias with a new bimble bike. Fancied trying something lower powered to get that feeling of fun back. Watched every bloody YouTube video on the subject and bought a 2022 Royal Enfield 650gt Continental with 2000 miles on it and a couple of services in the book. I did about fifty miles this afternoon dodging the showers and really happy with it.
It has more acceleration and speed than I thought so very pleased with that. I can overtake and it never feels like it’s struggling. At the same time though you need to me in the right gear which is definitely very enjoyable. The sound from the exhaust is terrific and makes playing with the gearbox great fun.
I expected the handling to be wanting but it really isn’t. The tires don’t feel great in the wet so I may change them but in the dry it feels brilliant. It’s not as sure footed as some bikes I’ve had but it in no way feels sketchy.
I thought that it might be uncomfortable but I’m not finding it so. I’m 6’1” tall and it seems to fit really well. It’s still manages to feel pretty small but never unstable as a result. It doesn’t feel heavy in the slightest.
I also love the way it looks. Really pleased with it and it’s exceeded my expectations at this point.
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Last edited by dern on Sat Jun 15, 2024 6:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Loved mine, tyre wise I put a 110 front and 140 rear Dunlop roadsmarts on. I put longer Hagon rear shocks and linear 9.0 springs in the forks. Handled superbly then.
Got about 130 miles on it over the weekend and really like it but there are some things that need changing.
The levers feel horrible. They look like the shorties that Hitchcocks sell but they feel really cheap and the clutch clicks when operated which isn't good. I'm going to try the longer levers from Tec that I've been recommended. I want some BDS levers but they don't supply them for this bike.
The gearchange doesn't feel that positive. I'd heard that the gearbox was very smooth so I'm surprised by this. I'll take some time to adjust the levers and chain and then go from there.
Everything else is ok I think. The front wheel tramlines a little at slow speed over crappy road surfaces. It also flaps a little over cat's eyes when overtaking. At some point I'll change the tyres and then think about the forks but at the moment it's not bad enough to do anything about given all my tools are packed away for the house move.
What's there happy speed about ?? I do sometimes feel I'm working the 500 a little harder than I should. I'd say the 500s happy speed is around 55 ish.
Dodgy69 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 7:42 pm
What's there happy speed about ?? I do sometimes feel I'm working the 500 a little harder than I should. I'd say the 500s happy speed is around 55 ish.
Well that's the odd thing about this bike. I was expecting it to have a happy speed to cruise at and I'd be pottering around and having a play when it got really twisty. The reality of it is that it's so good, unless I'm sat behind a car waiting to overtake, I'm sitting between 6-7k rpm and having a whale of a time ragging its nuts off. You could easily sit anywhere between 50 and 70 going to 80 occasionally and it'll feel superb. Obviously it's a little windy but it definitely doesn't feel stressed even when bouncing off the rev limiter. It's yet to trigger my mechanical sympathy even once.
I even ran it straight in to the limiter on a couple of overtakes. It wasn't getting super breathless up there or anything. The limiter is bloody harsh though, I wouldn't want to do it often.
Yikes, nearly crashed it tonight. Came round a corner, not too fast fortunately, and got some gravel. Weirdly the back tyre started to slide and it carried on for what seemed like days. Then it gripped and the front starts flapping. Then it all stopped and I was still upright, yay. Went back to take a look and in the gravel is a long skid so yep, blame the gravel.
Rest of the ride was good but a lot of it was me telling myself not to spend all the time looking for gravel.
Only slightly spoiled by nearly being wiped out buy some dumb fuck not staying on their side of the road coming over a blind bridge at the edge of our village.
dern wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 8:47 pm
Obviously it's a little windy but it definitely doesn't feel stressed even when bouncing off the rev limiter. It's yet to trigger my mechanical sympathy even once.
I even ran it straight in to the limiter on a couple of overtakes. It wasn't getting super breathless up there or anything. The limiter is bloody harsh though, I wouldn't want to do it often.
Is it difficult/expensive to frig the rev limiter?
dern wrote: ↑Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:36 pm
Yikes, nearly crashed it tonight. Came round a corner, not too fast fortunately, and got some gravel. Weirdly the back tyre started to slide and it carried on for what seemed like days. Then it gripped and the front starts flapping. Then it all stopped and I was still upright, yay. Went back to take a look and in the gravel is a long skid so yep, blame the gravel.
Rest of the ride was good but a lot of it was me telling myself not to spend all the time looking for gravel.
Only slightly spoiled by nearly being wiped out buy some dumb fuck not staying on their side of the road coming over a blind bridge at the edge of our village.
Eventful ride.
Top skills. I've hit kitty litter on a bend on the Blackbird - that was really interesting!! VERY long skid, although it didn't shake it's head, so I think I got off lightly!!
Luckily it was only about 200m from my mates house so I could chill for a bit before riding home!!
Life is for living. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake. Ride the bikes. Just, ride the bikes!!
dern wrote: ↑Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:36 pm
Yikes, nearly crashed it tonight. Came round a corner, not too fast fortunately, and got some gravel. Weirdly the back tyre started to slide and it carried on for what seemed like days. Then it gripped and the front starts flapping. Then it all stopped and I was still upright, yay. Went back to take a look and in the gravel is a long skid so yep, blame the gravel.
Rest of the ride was good but a lot of it was me telling myself not to spend all the time looking for gravel.
Only slightly spoiled by nearly being wiped out buy some dumb fuck not staying on their side of the road coming over a blind bridge at the edge of our village.
Eventful ride.
Top skills. I've hit kitty litter on a bend on the Blackbird - that was really interesting!! VERY long skid, although it didn't shake it's head, so I think I got off lightly!!
On my ride over the weekend I found I was compromising my lines loads.
1. Due to worries over exactly what you found. I had a big front end slide the other year after I overtook a car a bit too close to a bend which meant that I wasn't as well sighted as I should have been, was going a bit faster and also meant that perversely I was on the best line for the corner but the absolute worst for where the gravel collects in the centre of the road. There was a big/wide pile of gravel covering the middle 3rd of the lane. Front went and felt like it slid for a long time. Enough to make me think I was a goner. Luckily it then gripped and I went on my way but not before I shat my pants.
2. I was worried about stone chips from the bike in front.
So effectively I was largely avoiding the middle section of the road on bends that I couldn't see fully and then further going whichever side the bike in front wasn't.
I bloody hate gravel on bends and it's definitely getting a worse problem.
dern wrote: ↑Wed Jun 19, 2024 10:36 pm
Yikes, nearly crashed it tonight. Came round a corner, not too fast fortunately, and got some gravel. Weirdly the back tyre started to slide and it carried on for what seemed like days. Then it gripped and the front starts flapping. Then it all stopped and I was still upright, yay. Went back to take a look and in the gravel is a long skid so yep, blame the gravel.
Rest of the ride was good but a lot of it was me telling myself not to spend all the time looking for gravel.
Only slightly spoiled by nearly being wiped out buy some dumb fuck not staying on their side of the road coming over a blind bridge at the edge of our village.
Eventful ride.
Top skills. I've hit kitty litter on a bend on the Blackbird - that was really interesting!! VERY long skid, although it didn't shake it's head, so I think I got off lightly!!
Thanks but I was just a passenger
Yes and no. In theory there's nothing we can do to make it better - however, doing something/anything will often make it a LOT worse. So just being a passenger is perfect but also takes some skills/balls to just sit and not have any effect on the bike whilst it sorts itself out!!
Life is for living. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake. Ride the bikes. Just, ride the bikes!!
Supermofo wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:24 am
On my ride over the weekend I found I was compromising my lines loads.
1. Due to worries over exactly what you found. I had a big front end slide the other year after I overtook a car a bit too close to a bend which meant that I wasn't as well sighted as I should have been, was going a bit faster and also meant that perversely I was on the best line for the corner but the absolute worst for where the gravel collects in the centre of the road. There was a big/wide pile of gravel covering the middle 3rd of the lane. Front went and felt like it slid for a long time. Enough to make me think I was a goner. Luckily it then gripped and I went on my way but not before I shat my pants.
2. I was worried about stone chips from the bike in front.
So effectively I was largely avoiding the middle section of the road on bends that I couldn't see fully and then further going whichever side the bike in front wasn't.
I bloody hate gravel on bends and it's definitely getting a worse problem.
Re 1, you've pretty much answered it yourself. Speed determined by vision. Line determined by safety, surface, stability , etc
Re 2, perhaps don't follow so close?
Sometimes location of gravel is predictable: thrown to the outside, cleared from wheel tracks, heaped between them.
