Happy new bike day.... WTF, what do you mean it's a Yamaha ???

[v8-powered]

Just noticed a full Ti Akra MT09 system on BikeBay for £650 if you are feeling flush?

[weeksy]

Just noticed a full Ti Akra MT09 system on BikeBay for £650 if you are feeling flush?

Nah mate, I'm all good and with a helmet this week along with a dropper post for my lad, that's exactly what I'm not feeling.

[Nidge]

Just noticed a full Ti Akra MT09 system on BikeBay for £650 if you are feeling flush?

Nah mate, I'm all good and with a helmet this week along with a dropper post for my lad, that's exactly what I'm not feeling.

I'll give it 10 mins...

[Rockburner]

I've always been OK with both. The Arai is shallower at the front so my nose can sometimes touch the breath guard thing if fitted, the Shoei seems to protrude more in that area giving more clearance.

It was hard to say 100% on the Arai above as i had to wear a Balaclava thing so i was allowed to try it on.... Which was a shame as i may have gone with the Arai, but i tried both on about 5-6 times each and swapped between, deciding each time the Shoei was the best fit, but really wanted the Arai... so kept going back to it

Have Shoei upped their game regarding the inner-liner materials? Last time I tried one it was like sandpaper compared to an Arai (admittedly that was several years ago)

[weeksy]

2020-07-31_09-09-45 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[KungFooBob]

Erm, thats an HJC lid?

[IOU0]

That exhaust is growing on me.
Does the baffle come out or is it proper legal?
Asking for a friend.

[weeksy]

That exhaust is growing on me.
Does the baffle come out or is it proper legal?
Asking for a friend.

full standard, no baffle. road quiet.

[weeksy]

Erm, thats an HJC lid?

Yes, that's my Track helmet....

I won't go into why, i'm not sure anyone can cope

[KungFooBob]

Erm, thats an HJC lid?

Yes, that's my Track helmet....

I won't go into why, i'm not sure anyone can cope

but that one matches the bike!

[weeksy]

Erm, thats an HJC lid?

Yes, that's my Track helmet....

I won't go into why, i'm not sure anyone can cope

but that one matches the bike!

Funnily enough, i was thinking that too

The reason i was wearing it is that i'm not convinced on the matt black... it shows every fingerprint, smudge, mark, so it's going back to be swapped today. I'm still staying with the Shoei NXR but my choices on schemes are fairly limited, most of them are matt and most of them i don't like.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... t_cat/1603

It's coming down to the Gloss Black and Gloss White, none of the others are doing it for me. I'm 99% sold on the white gloss for visibility reasons.

Why not just stick with the HJC i hear you asking there Bob... well, it's a good 4 years old now, it's been my trackday lid for all that times and i do hot and sweaty on track, so most of it's time it's spent soaked with sweat. It's got a fully removable liner which helps and is washed regularly.

So the NXR will be used as the day to day road lid and this HJC kept as the occasional trackday lid.

[KungFooBob]

I mentioned earlier, Arai's matt paint somehow doesn't show fingerprints. When I bought my Tour X4 the salesman was keen to point this out and had me compare it directly with a Shoei Hornet he had in.

[weeksy]

I mentioned earlier, Arai's matt paint somehow doesn't show fingerprints. When I bought my Tour X4 the salesman was keen to point this out and had me compare it directly with a Shoei Hornet he had in.

I know, that's why i checked LOL... Along with something Pygmy also said as he has a Neotec in matt black...

Hence the fact i've not worn the black outside yet.

[weeksy]

I'll keep todays post in here even though arguably it should be in the ' when was the last time you rode your bike' thread, but over on TRC i've often found myself reading through my old threads when working out why i've kept or sold a particular bike.

Today started badly as a shower came through just as i was leaving to meet G.P, but we'd planned to meet so i was doomed to going. The bike got a little messy, but not terrible and will take 20-30 mins tomorrow morning to clean between breakfast and work. With the road being slightly damp in the first 5-6 miles that wasn't very exciting, but it got better after that and i had a lovely little pootle to Swindon over the downs through Lambourne and Shrivenham etc.

After picking up some new gloves for Mrs Weeksy i jumped on the Ducati 1200 Monster. That was a VERY interesting ride to GPs place. The bite point on the clutch is that far out it's almost over the front wheel, which was weird !!! The suspension on it though, oh my word that's silky silky smooth !!! On the back roads it just glides over stuff, you're on a magic carpet ride. Apparently people change it for the S Ohlins stuff but i have no idea why. Usually when a bike is 'plush' it's often overly bouncy and unstable like the KTM690 was at times, but the 1200 Monster is stable as a rock. Power, it's a bit 'different' there's nothing nothing nothing WHAM... at 6500rpm the thing kicks like a mule !!!! THe downside is that below that it's a lumpy beast of a big piston Ducati, all that we hate and all we love in one package. The lack of a gear indicator makes that even more pronounced to me.

When heading out for the next leg i gave the keys to the XSR900 to IanB, which meant i was given the keys to the 696 Ducati Monster. This little thing i actually absolutely LOVED ! It was ace. It has the loudest Termis on the planet which i couldn't live with full-time, but the bike itself is great. It's fun, flickable, stable and has plenty of real-world power.

What i did do after riding these bikes and getting some feedback from GP is soften the rear on the XSR900. Back before Silverstone the race mechanic set up the rear which was essentially stiffening it up, so after Silverstone i went 3 clicks softer on the Nitron adjuster. Today i went another 5 clicks softer and it's made the rear a load better. Both IanB and GP said about the fork dive on the XSR which i think is what people often mention, but i'm not really feeling it, maybe i've just got used to it. But the plan over the winter has always been to get the K-tech SSK internals along with new springs and oil, so for now we just live with it as it is and go with it. But with the softer rear i really enjoyed my ride home.

I got a little lost leaving Pewsey and ended up on Salisbuy plains, but because the XSR is so simple and easy to ride i seem to have found a bit more love for riding than i have for a fair while, sometimes i felt obliged to ride the KTM690, but with this one i just find it a lovely place to be, so getting lost and taking the long way round was just more road to enjoy. I've now got over 1000 miles on the XSR which is kinda surprising, but i'm really enjoying owning it. This is the first time i've not been thinking "hmmmm what's next" in ownership after 1000 miles, i'm normally plotting and planning. But i can safely say, if i woke up tomorrow and the XSR900 was stolen from the garage, then replacement would be another XSR900. (But in Roberts Speedblock yellow)

All in all, an ace day out with cider, roads and fun.

[weeksy]

It's definitely a keeper then

Well, your version of a keeper and mine are very different. I can happily say it's not going anywhere for a while. But is it staying forever, no, of course not. I don't have the space or desire for multiple bikes to live here, or indeed the budget to have multiple bikes. As i say though, it's absolutely great and i really enjoy it, it's re-ignited a desire to ride more in me and 'just getting out' is a thing again.

the only negative, i'd still like to do something with the exhaust !

[Nidge]

Just noticed a full Ti Akra MT09 system on BikeBay for £650 if you are feeling flush?

Nah mate, I'm all good and with a helmet this week along with a dropper post for my lad, that's exactly what I'm not feeling.

I'll give it 10 mins...

It's definitely a keeper then

the only negative, i'd still like to do something with the exhaust !

Maybe my 10 mins was an exaggeration but.....

[v8-powered]

Nah mate, I'm all good and with a helmet this week along with a dropper post for my lad, that's exactly what I'm not feeling.

I'll give it 10 mins...

It's definitely a keeper then

the only negative, i'd still like to do something with the exhaust !

Maybe my 10 mins was an exaggeration but.....

I've just checked the ad and it's now shown as sold - what's the betting???????

[weeksy]

Nah mate, I'm all good and with a helmet this week along with a dropper post for my lad, that's exactly what I'm not feeling.

I'll give it 10 mins...

It's definitely a keeper then

the only negative, i'd still like to do something with the exhaust !

Maybe my 10 mins was an exaggeration but.....

LOL i'm still a no.... But i do have the XSR painted sytem installed today. We may as well find out if it's viable to paint each year or whether it will last an hour.

2020-08-04_08-40-38 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

[weeksy]

It's definitely a keeper then

Well, your version of a keeper and mine are very different. I can happily say it's not going anywhere for a while. But is it staying forever, no, of course not. I don't have the space or desire for multiple bikes to live here, or indeed the budget to have multiple bikes. As i say though, it's absolutely great and i really enjoy it, it's re-ignited a desire to ride more in me and 'just getting out' is a thing again.

the only negative, i'd still like to do something with the exhaust !

I'd probably be the same if I had access to a market as good as it is in the UK.
I doubt I'd sell the bikes I have, they're all classics, but I'd have at least one new bike that regularly got changed out as I got bored.

Don't get me wrong, i'd love to have 'keepers' like some of yours, although they wouldn't be them choices... but money and space mean that's simply not happening. Maybe one day.

[weeksy]

Well we got the answer to "how long will the paint last"

about 13s is the answer and it started bubbling like a crazy thing and is proper fucked.

2020-08-04_09-50-21 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr