NBT: I've just bought my forever bike!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm such a pratt!

I think we all could have told you that

[Supermofo]

I do need to have a read up on the Zumo as I couldn’t work out how to turn the feature off

I'd imagine it should be fairly straight forward.

On the TomTom you have 2 route options which are pretty much separate and you'd have to exit one to use the other. The default is just the usual fastest route. The other is 'Plan a thrill'. Once in this mode you have 2 further options each with 3 levels. The first is twistiness with levels 1 to 3 (3 being most twisty). The other is elevation again with 3 levels. If you are in the plan a thrill option and want to change to direct route you need to go back to the main menu and then select the default routing and re-enter the destination. Or at least that's what I do. More often than not I stay in the plan a thrill and change the levels to get it more direct. In level 3 twisty/elevation it'll take you right round the houses.

Things like avoiding fords and unpaved roads are in the settings menu.

All of that is TomTom but I'd imagine Garmin will be similar.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I do need to have a read up on the Zumo as I couldn’t work out how to turn the feature off

I'd imagine it should be fairly straight forward.

On the TomTom you have 2 route options which are pretty much separate and you'd have to exit one to use the other. The default is just the usual fastest route. The other is 'Plan a thrill'. Once in this mode you have 2 further options each with 3 levels. The first is twistiness with levels 1 to 3 (3 being most twisty). The other is elevation again with 3 levels. If you are in the plan a thrill option and want to change to direct route you need to go back to the main menu and then select the default routing and re-enter the destination. Or at least that's what I do. More often than not I stay in the plan a thrill and change the levels to get it more direct. In level 3 twisty/elevation it'll take you right round the houses.

Things like avoiding fords and unpaved roads are in the settings menu.

All of that is TomTom but I'd imagine Garmin will be similar.

Doesn't your Tom Tom have a special setting which takes you down really muddy roads?

[Supermofo]

Doesn't your Tom Tom have a special setting which takes you down really muddy roads?

That's the bad bit. Even with avoid unpaved roads I'm guessing it thinks something 5 inches deep in mud with a vague bit of tarmac underneath is probably classed as a proper road. 99% of the time I'd use my spidey senses and back out and go another way, like I did this Sunday just gone. But when I met you I was thinking I was going to be late so ignored it and paid for it with some comedy offroading.

[Taipan]

Turns out I was right. In the pouring rain today, the screen collected water bubbles and was refracting brake lights etc. I'll remove the brackets, keep them for summer use, or sell them, and put the touring screen back on for my winter commute.

When out the other day I thought the Continental Trail Attacks were good and noted i'd lent over quite a bit (for me) with them. Today it was pissing down when riding in and I now know why other AT riders rave about them. Absolutely rock solid in the rain, no twitching over white lanes or anything. Very confidence inspiring and reassuring.

[Rockburner]

Turns out I was right. In the pouring rain today, the screen collected water bubbles and was refracting brake lights etc. I'll remove the brackets, keep them for summer use, or sell them, and put the touring screen back on for my winter commute.

When out the other day I thought the Continental Train Attack3s were good and noted i'd lent over quite a bit (for me) with them. Today it was pissing down when riding in and I now know why other AT riders rave about them. Absolutely rock solid in the rain, no twitching over white lanes or anything. Very confidence inspiring and reassuring.

Rain-X worth a try?

[Taipan]

Turns out I was right. In the pouring rain today, the screen collected water bubbles and was refracting brake lights etc. I'll remove the brackets, keep them for summer use, or sell them, and put the touring screen back on for my winter commute.

When out the other day I thought the Continental Train Attack3s were good and noted i'd lent over quite a bit (for me) with them. Today it was pissing down when riding in and I now know why other AT riders rave about them. Absolutely rock solid in the rain, no twitching over white lanes or anything. Very confidence inspiring and reassuring.

Rain-X worth a try?

Possibly, but I kinda knew i wouldn't like looking through a screen. Worth a try but its not for me. I could try the standard screen on the brackets to see how that works out I suppose? Thinking back, I had a Tmax with a big touring screen and swapped that out for a sports screen...

[Supermofo]

Continental Train Attack3s

Presumably trail attacks? Or is this a gorilla attack on the train wankers

My mate raves about these on his 136k mile KTM 1290.

[Taipan]

Continental Train Attack3s

Presumably trail attacks? Or is this a gorilla attack on the train wankers

My mate raves about these on his 136k mile KTM 1290.

lol! Duly edited...

[Taipan]

Nope. Each time I ride it, i like it a bit more. Its a keeper!

[Taipan]

Well for bike that had never seen rain before, it can tick that off its check list! The rain on the way home last night was fecking biblical! Looking through a visor and a screen made things, well, pretty dangerous tbh. So, the screen raising brackets were removed this morning. I got caught in some light rain on the way in and noted the draught from the touring screen actually forces the water downwards on my visor and sort of clears it. So it stays as it is for now.

I did see they do a Givi airflow for the AT, but I'm on the fence about that. They do work well as you adjust the screen up and down to suit, so you get the best of both low and high screens, but they look hideous. The bike has a job to do so maybe practicality will triumph over fashion, but I'll see how I fare in the coming rains first.

[Supermofo]

It was bloody wet yesterday, I'd have to run the 2 kids to/from different after school clubs and it was horrible driving in it!

[Taipan]

The DCT transmission is adaptive and sort of learns how you ride and adjusts the shift patterns accordingly. You can reset the transmission to factory settings. I've done this on my other DCTs in the past and it does make a little bit of difference. So as I find D mode a waste of time and usually ride in S1 mode, I thought I'd reset it and see if it made D mode actually useable and it certainly did. Also the changes are much smoother and less clunky too. So I like the bike even more now!

[Taipan]

Decided to make some winter noise and took the db killer out of the Remus last night. It's been in and out like a fiddlers elbow!

[Taipan]

Coming up to 3000 miles on the old girl now, and as it's a bit slow in here, it's time for a quick update.

TLDR version; I still like it and it aint for sale!

I'll try to be objective...

I've learnt to like, well, get used to the 21" front wheel but do wish it was a 19". I don't really know why as its not like I'm tearing up B roads on it, I just find it feels a bit odd and you need to be much more definite in your actions when turning compared to a 17 or 19 inch wheel. But that's more my problem than the bikes.

To be honest, I thought the size and weight of it would be its eventual undoing and I guess it probably will be, but that time isn't now. Backing it across my uneven lawn and onto a slightly raised path where my ground anchor is, becomes a bit hazardous as winter sets in to say the least, and I've had a few near drops. So there will be times when i'll have to leave it locked up but not to the ground anchor. Mind you, if bike thieves can carry the heavy great beast away, they've probably earned it! So getting on and off of it on uneven ground is a bit more awkward and even dangerous than I'd like, but I have got very used to the size of it when riding and find myself filtering on it much easier now.

The width, or wingspan of it, does give some unexpected, but welcome weather protection! I've settled on the Honda touring screen as this works well. Some claim there are better options, but I CBA to try them as this does what I need and looks wise is okay compared to say a Givi Air Flow.

It's returning 53mpg overall which is the right side of 50mpg for me. The chain hasn't needed adjusting yet but I do lube it every few weeks. Courtesy of teh loft-of-plenty, I have a choice of chain oilers to go on it when I can be bothered. Resetting the DCT recently was a good move. Grab a small handful of throttle as you leave the lights and it almost seamlessly changes up the box as you progress. I love the DCT for commuting and it's seen an end to my buying another SH300 as a winter hack for sure!

So it's been a very good purchase for me. As I previously said, I didn't expect to like it as much as I do, but it just continues to win me over each ride, and even this far in, and even in the rain, I sometimes take the longer route home down the back roads instead of going straight home! This is mainly cos I'm a child and I like playing with my bright (auxiliary) lights!

[Dodgy69]

Don't they do a smaller front wheel for tarmac users. ?

[Taipan]

Don't they do a smaller front wheel for tarmac users. ?

I think the new models have a 19" front wheel? There are conversions out there using a set of alloys off of something or other but i'd not bother with that as it's not a straight sswap as you have to have the wheels machined down. If it was a straight swap I'd maybe try it?

[David]

Have you sold it yet?

[Taipan]

Have you sold it yet?

Not yet, but I did consider it recently. Not because my opinion of it has changed, it's because i've nearly dropped it a few times on my uneven garden and by fook is it a heavy bike to try and hold! But there's nothing else to fit the bill, so it stays!

[Rockburner]

Have you sold it yet?

Not yet, but I did consider it recently. Not because my opinion of it has changed, it's because i've nearly dropped it a few times on my uneven garden and by fook is it a heavy bike to try and hold! But there's nothing else to fit the bill, so it stays!

I've lost track of which bike this is, but if it's still the Africa Twin, surely it's built to take a fall? It'd be safer for you to let it fall, then pick it back up properly, rather than straining something trying to hold it up.