Enjoy the bike sharkattack, keep us updated on your adventures
Oh I will, I don't know anyone else who's interested!
Nothing to do now but wait. I hate waiting.
Local
Perfect pics as ever 🤩
I rode to the beach yesterday. I love the new gearing. It makes it a much more viable all rounder.
Then today, I rode across the Cotswolds on some stunning B roads near Nailsworth. I went to an MX session at Lee Dunham Racing.
He was a nice bloke and we got on well. I was upgraded to the KX250 (?) in his van when he saw I could ride rather than the 125 he had ready.
First up we did laps on a grass circuit. I just instinctively tried to ride it however I liked so he forced me to slow down and do the drills properly. First seated laps, then standing laps, then purposefully braking with both brakes before each corner (even though I wasn’t going fast enough to brake 🤣) then braking whilst standing and finally standing on the straights, braking whilst standing, then transitioning to sitting with a leg out through the corner.
After a chat, we moved to a smaller, more technical circuit for the same drills. And whilst he still picked me up on a few things, it was becoming less like I was badly rubbing my head whilst patting my tummy 🤣
There was one small straight with whoops and I started picking the front wheel up off of the first one and trying to land it on the second.
A few laps later, I was slow to stand up out of the corner so lifted the front off of the second whoop and landed it on the third.
Now going too quickly for the corner, I remembered he wanted me to brake 50/50 front/rear but the big motocross boots made feeling the pressure hard so I locked up on the loose dirt-marbles and low sided it 🤣🤣🤣
I bent the gear lever but once he saw I was okay, we straightened it out and carried on.
After more chatting (I think a lot of his clients must struggle with how physical it is as he was amazed few breaks I wanted 🤣), we moved to the big, 1 mile circuit. It was really rutted and what wasn’t rutted was loose marbles. And what a time I had 🤩
I really loved it. He probably only said ten things all through that session but each one was exactly what I needed to hear to progress from where I was now riding comfortably to where I could push myself again.
The biggest breakthrough for me was in the loose turns. When the front is getting loose, I always feel like I want to lean back, straighten my arms and lever the bars round. All three are of course recipes for disaster. He got me sat right forward, with bent arms and if I felt the front sliding, I was soon moving even further forwards with even looser arms, to weight the contact patch which made a massive difference.
The last lesson was the difference between corners with berms and ruts, where you can lean with the bike, and flat turns where you need to get your body weight forwards and to the outside of the turn. He straight away knocked about 30s off my lap times with that tip.
Lee is almost exactly how you’d imagine a (late 30’s?) retired ex MX champ to be but he’s also a really good teacher. His lessons were pitched perfectly at my ability (gauged from basically nothing to go on), he ramped things up in a really satisfying and rewarding way and he never made me feel stupid (even when he had every right to 🤣).
I only got a few accidental bits of air off the jumps on the big track but loads of satisfying power wheelies.
My bike felt so alien when I got on it 🤣 I get why the MX/enduro boys gave our ADV bikes a funny look the other day now 🤣🤣
Highly recommended.
That sounds mint. 😊👌
I did a KTM enduro day a couple of years back but it sounds like you got some really good one to one tuition 👍
I did a motocross experience day last year at Doncaster motopark and it was the hardest thing I've ever done on a bike. I thought I was going to boss it after my trials experience where I was actually pretty good.
Firstly, riding in deep, soft sand is bloody horrible! You have little to no say in where the bike goes you just have to stay loose while the front wheel skates around all over the place so turning the throttle is terrifying.
Alternating torrential rain and blazing sunshine meant every part of the track felt entirely different on every lap so it was impossible to learn the track conditions.
Riding in big, stiff boots. I couldn't feel a thing, I spent all my time unable to change gear.
To top it off my whole body was aching for days afterwards. No wonder good riders are absolutely ripped.
So yeah, after a lifetime of being motocross curious I was left bruised and humbled. I'd love to try it again but definitely on a different track. The conditions really dominated the experience and I couldn't even think about learning to ride the bike properly.
p.s. There was a service cancellation in the workshop today so they got my Himmy ready to go. When I got the call I was miles away in IKEA. Gutted. Should be on the road tomorrow.
Yeah I’m glad this wasn’t sand, that sounds terrifying 🤣
Good luck tomorrow, can’t wait to hear all about it 👍🏻
My mum and dad got me a 4x4 experience day at Thruxton through Red Letter Days for my birthday but that sounded 😴 (and basically what I do at work) so I swapped it for this and am really chuffed I did!
I’ve got a pair of Michelin Trackers to go on the Voge now but everything is drying out so I may hold off fitting them until I’ve finished the Dover section 🤣
I was going to wait but I figured fronts last a long time so this Tracker should outlast the original rear and the new rear Tracker.
It’s not a million miles away from a Rocket Ron 🤣
Just collected the bike an hour ago. It was pretty scary riding it off the forecourt straight into mental traffic after 18 months off the bike. Had a few wobbly moments, stalled it a couple of times. If I had to do my Mod 1 today I'd fail instantly.
No pictures yet, I've just been cruising around the streets close to home but we have similar topology to San Francisco so it's still hard work.
I'm just chilling out until the traffic calms down and I might go out tonight. Weather forecast for tomorrow is pouring rain and thunderstorms.
I gave it full throttle a few times on the way home while I was being followed and the Mrs said she didn't notice!
Go on then, just one picture. I'm just as excited about the brand new garage door
Ripe for some modding 🤩
Ripe for some modding
The door yeah?
🤣 No- that lovely blank canvas of a bike 🤩
I found an awesome set of special forces pouches in the porch earlier but I can’t find any more homes for them on my bike 😞
(Although I might put a grenade pouch on the gps bar for loose change 🤣)
Or grenades 👍
I deliberately bought a clean, standard bike so I could start from scratch with it. The only mod it has is heated grips which were awesome tonight.
I couldn't resist going out but I was a bit alarmed by how sketchy I felt earlier. I said I'd just go to a nearby car park and do some manouvres. Which I did. Nailed lots of U turns, figures of 8, got myself reacquainted with clutch control.
Then I blinked and I was at Stanage Edge.
What a night. I realised it's over 20 years since my first bike lesson so I've been waiting a while for this.
Then I remembered why I never pedal out from home anymore. There's basically no nice way to get back other than traffic chaos. So I threw myself into it and mingled with the boy racers and Uber drivers all the way home.
Things I need...
1) A method of fixing punctures before I get stuck with a flat somewhere.
2) Breakdown cover. So I can get home if the whole thing blows up.
3) Some kind of luggage. Probably Lomo bags for the front rack. I really want to carry a camera and a packed lunch at least.
4) A disc lock or similar for securing it outside work. If I can find a regular spot I'll leave a chain and padlock in place.
5) A mount for my phone that will also work with the Garmin I plan to buy. The Royal Enfield one looks good for £50.
I was planning to ride it to Bolehills tomorrow to spectate at the 40th birthday jam but the forecast says thunderstorms. We'll have to wait and see.
I’m full on with puncture gear at the minute. My kit consists of:
*Enough tools to remove both wheels. (The RE toolkit was excellent! The Voge needed a few additions).
*Tyre levers
*Two tubes
*Old fashioned patches and glue
*Holts Tyre Weld
*2x big Co2 cartridges
*Hand pump
And weighs a good few kg. It doesn’t even all fit in the big tool tube.
I added breakdown cover to the insurance for £60. No off road cover as such but will retrieve from anywhere a standard truck can reach.
I really like top-boxes for ‘luggage’. My 30l one will take my jacket, gloves, trousers, dealer boots, extra waterproof coat, extra water proof trousers and lock fairly securely when I go out on the paddle board. (Helmet locked to the front wheel).
Or will take helmet and gloves, jacket and trousers if I’m doing something else.
The RE panniers were also amazing. Narrow enough to fit inside the width of the bars but pretty big.
I actually miss those.
Then I had the ammo pouches as day to day storage on the front racks. On the Voge, I unbolted the rear rack so I could actually slide the fixed belt loops over the metal bar.
I need a disc lock too for my insurance (crazy dear on this V the Himmy as it’s new new I guess). I’m taking a huge padlock and chain from work at the minute but it’s a pain.
I had a quadlock on the bars and one of the bolt on Indian GPS rails on the Himmy. (Basically replicated on the Voge).
(More awesome pics- you two must be related 🤣) 📸 🤩
Looks beautiful Sharkattack. Once you get used to it, maybe we can have a Peak STW Himalayan meet! 😊👍
I have this Alarm Disc Lock https://amzn.eu/d/0fuw1ih
Very loud when set off, which i often do when putting the cover on and forgetting!
A few good bits for the Himalayan at Enfield Accessories.
Great pictures.
Huuuge day today. 140 miles of motorway to Dover.
Then 142 miles of TET to finish off the Southern GPX.
Then 110 miles of motorway home again 😮💨
Over 12 hours altogether. There was a lot of road work on the TET but some fun bits too. The rain meant the chalk near Dover was lethal. One bit near an airfield at Chalksole felt like if I dropped the bike, I’d need to slide down on my bum for ten minutes after it to retrieve it 🤣
That bit I was nervous as heck so I switched her off, stuck out both legs, parked it in the rain rut and slid down on the levers. My feet never gripped until the bottom!!
Another special bit was some weird marshes full of sheep and grass cut for hay between the dykes and rushes. That was fun until I had to wade through slurry back at the farmers cow yard to reach the main road 🤣
I managed to drop the bike on that bit too. I went to do a cowboy dismount and the side stand sunk out of sight 🤣
The finale was about 5-6 miles of Salisbury Plain type gravel in the SDNP. THAT was super fun. 3rd, 4th and 5th gear and trying to pop the front over pothole-puddles.
Need to decide which bit to tackle next. I reckon it will be some of the Great Western Trail 🤔
That looks like a mega day out. Not sure my backside could handle 12 hours in the saddle yet.
I didn't get out yesterday because it kept peeing down on and off all day long. Also before I go too far I want breakdown cover and there's a half price sale on the AA so I'll be sorting that out later.
I've got some Lomo frame bags on the way. That will be all I need for days out in the short term.
Then 142 miles of TET to finish off the Southern GPX.
Sounds great that. You're certainly getting sections ticked off.
I was actually going to go out on the mountainbike yesterday, but last week when I first started that section of the TET we did, I smashed my left foot into a big branch on the side of a muddy rut.
Hurt like hell at the time but I kept riding and have been on my feet all week with mild hobbling.
Hurt a lot overnight Friday, enough for me to cancel mountainbiking with the thought of foot on pedals so I went out on the Himalayan again, which is easier as I can stand more in the arch of my foot. Makes sense to me anyway 😂
I've put together most of my rides just by looking at the Trail Riders Fellowship Green Road Map and plotting a route on OS maps.
This time I headed out towards Worcester and around Bredon Hill, an area I love from paddling on the Avon and mountainbike.
Nothing too taxing here but some beautiful sunken lanes and several water crossings. Couple of fairly deep bits too.
Had a great ride and mostly managed not to whack my foot off anything else.
Think it needs an x-ray to check I've not fractured owt.
Lovely sunken lane near Morton under Hill.
Just before the first water crossing. I had a quick scout and went for it. I reckon it got near the top of my wheels but not too bad.
Another ford. Shallower this time.
The section of lane previous to this has been absolutely destroyed by 4x4s. Unbelievable how much damage they cause.
I always feel a little bit 'people in glass houses' criticizing them, but the damage they do is off the charts compared to a motorcycle or mountainbike, horses or walkers. You can see why nobody particularly warms to off-roaders and motorcycles tend to get lumped in with 4x4s 😔
Schmokin!
The ONLY place I go for my tile and bath needs!
Nice bit of Nordic skiing.
Ha mint! That looks great 🤩
I have to say, when I tried to get into it with the XT660Z ten years ago, I found these Ebay MX boots so clumsy and unwieldily that I really didn't get the point of them. But this time around, I kind of 'get it' a bit more and realise that your feet are literally part of the machine!
I won't say I'm used to them but I was able to ride all day in them without too many mis-shifts and no low sides from excess back brake this time 🤣
Hope yours isn't damage too badly 🤞🏻
I was trying to figure out how to implement the stuff Lee taught me but the bike is so different, it's hard to ride up on the fuel tank in the same way.
The engine bars, whilst a cool stock feature, actually stop me putting my feet where he taught me. I'm not mega convinced they are doing a lot other than holding my spot lights so I may remove them 🤔
I was definitely trying to be less lazy on the brakes and force myself to use some proportion of each rather than just the front. It requires a whole leg movement to find the rear lever so it is more tiring but you can definitely feel how it pushes the whole bike down and helps you find grip.
I kept reminding myself how, by the end of the lesson, I was actually accelerating down the hill towards a loose, off camber turn because I 'knew' how to stop the bike in time to turn it in but on 'blind' trails that you haven't ridden before, I still find it really hard to commit!
I'm definitely trying to force myself to stand up for anything that scares me which is counter to what I want to do which is sit down and stick out the out-riggers 🤣
This is the limit of my tinkering today. We were in Hathersage this morning and there's a big sale on at Alpkit.
I liked the look of this Hiplok D lock and its ability to clip onto stuff.
Hopefully it can do 2 things. Not vibrate itself loose and disappear down the road and also prevent my bike from being nicked from work.
And for less than 20 quid I thought I'd try out this dry bag. I can stuff a lot of warm clothing into it. Or a sleeping bag. Also it's hopefully bright enough to wake up a sleepy Range Rover driver before they rear end me.
Not sure how I'm going to strap it down yet. I might buy the passenger seat blanking plate. I never intend to carry a passenger and it gives a nice flat surface for strapping stuff like this to, lower down than the rear rack.
I've noticed how pricey all the pannier options are so I'm not keen to go 'full send' just yet, I've spent too much money this month. I'll be looking out for used ones but there's no hurry.
I've just got a decent length of bungee shock cord. I've tied a loop in each end.
Under the rack you've got those peg things which you can hook an end to, wrap it around your bag criss-crossing and onto another peg.
You can see it in this picture, there's 4 black loops welded onto the bag which you can thread a strap through. So it can't just slither out and vanish.
I'll have a closer look at my rack in a bit. I've got loads of bungees lying around.
Cash haemorrhaging away here as well 🤣
Just bought a Knox Urbane mesh jacket thing. It's probably not as slim as the Adventure Spec super shirt but the more I looked at pics and vids of the SS- the more I didn't like it.
This one is still amazingly heavy with all the armour but I guess I can pick and choose what to include for local riding. Maybe just leave the elbows in if I'm only really worried about abrasion.
Then I had to replace my gloves as I noticed a large hole in mine yesterday. Which to be fair, are nearly 20 years old and will still do as spares.
Whilst I was in there, I also picked up a pair of Rock Straps after a rave review from the 'Lightweight Adventures' on YouTube. They're just really thin, small friction straps but with a clip in the middle and loops at each end. So you unclip them, loop each end round any kind of frame, handle or hole and back through themselves, clip them back together and then pull tight. You can apply 15kg of pressure to some ridiculously tiny piece of material so it is really neat and tidy.
Yesterday, my dry bag kept annoying me by slipping forward with a bungee (it couldn't fall off altogether as had clipped it round a frame), and of course, a bungee strap did for my rear swing arm on the Himmy too 🤣
Damn I forgot about Rokstraps, they look great. I just bought some generic luggage straps in Aldi for £2.99!
50mm wide nylon webbing straps with massive plastic buckles. They look alright I'm sure they'll come in handy.
As others have gone a bit off-piste- my son has just done 7000km around Europe on a Honda CG125.
Seemingly only GS riders don’t wave back.
Wow, that's awesome Dogbone.
Passed my test on one of them 😊
That’s awesome 😎 👏🏻 🗺️ 🏍️
He’s 18 and passed his test 3 months ago.
Back in the day his grandad rode a BSA bantam to Greece and I rode a MZ251 to Oporto. He’s just finished his A levels and wanted to do something similar.
Amazing. Must have been a bit of a worry mind.
Go on then, I had time for a quicky. Just went from town up to Fox House pub and back. This is my first tiny taste of bouncing around away from the tarmac. Beyond the gate is Houndkirk Moor but I'm saving that for another day when I'm up for a challenge.
Much happier today. Fewer dumb mistakes and silly wobbles. Actually enjoyed it a bit.
Used the Tripper on the way home. Seemed to work alright and do exactly what it's supposed to do. Not sure what it would be like trying to follow it in a strange area due to the minimal information.
The good news is my posh new lock didn't vibrate itself off the rack and disappear even though I absolutely 100% forgot to keep an eye on it as intended to.
Lovely 👍🏻 🤩
There’s something special about the freedom of a motorcycle (that needs special gear, a special license, can’t stand up on it’s own and exposes you to the elements ☔️ 🤷🏻♂️ 🤣) that doesn’t really translate into words.
I think it’s just downright FUN sitting on an engine and going VROOM VRoooOM! 🤣
The tripper was ace. Totally superfluous if you have your phone on display but I guess you can run a different app whilst the tripper still shows your turns. It was also FUN to follow in a way google maps isn’t.
Looks lovely Sharkattack. There's some mint trails up that way for sure.
Picked the nearest bit of the Great Western Trail today and set off! Partly because it was drier on the trails, partly because I was always roughly aware of where I was and partly because I love my new gloves and Urbane shirt- I had an absolute blast! I really really enjoyed it.
There was more off road than Saturday but it was quicker type stuff so average speed was still 21mph.
Apart from having to stop, mentally reset and then start again on a set of ruts- I felt nice and confident today. Really gelled with the bike. It is definitely harder to get the front in the air than the Himmy thanks to less torque low down and longer suspenders but when it did it was great fun.
The roads from Dorset back home were chocker with tractors and their tail backs so I had a crazy two hours of overtakes and filtering to get home. Pretty 😴 now, be glad to get back to work 🤣
Just a few pics today, I didn't go anywhere scenic. Headed towards the Peak but it was predictably rammed so went north and ended up at Deepcar then headed home. Did a few nice, swoopy B roads followed by lots of heavy traffic.
I'm home alone this week so I was out for ages as I didn't have to rush back for anything. Finally just cruised around casually without feeling like a noob.
Spotted my first Himalayan rider and exchanged waves. Exciting stuff.
Abused the credit card a bit when I got home. That's the last of it for now though, just wanted some useful bits to start off with. Pics to follow obviously.
Oh, and couldn't resist trying this for size...
This is just a couple of custom components away from being an actual thing.
I was out for about 4 hours today. I was glad to get home, my backside and my hips were finished. I bought a full tank of petrol for about £12 and I've used about a quarter of it. That feels like good value for money.
I went the long way to Matlock then got lost going along every interesting looking road I could find. Went up and down some of the steepest and tightest roads I've ever come across. Some of the downhill switchbacks had me sweating a bit and fumbling on the controls. The worst thing is that no matter how tight the road is and how bad the visibility, delivery drivers in big vans still go full speed everywhere.
Found an abandoned petrol station. Obviously you're going to stop for a pic.
The sky was pretty menacing but somehow I stayed dry all day.
The only annoying thing about being a bit lost was I had to keep stopping to check the map. I need some kind of mounted navigation solution. The Tripper is crap, it's never worked since that first test ride.
Back to reality tomorrow but it's been a nice break from work. Undecided about whether I'll ride there in the morning.
Awesome! Looks fun. The old petrol station is cool 😎
It's funny how, as I get older, I keep discovering that stuff isn't what you think it is (hopefully that makes sense in a minute).
So, I always thought green-laning on motorbikes was about braaaping about, lots of balls, very little skill and risking life and limb with very little thought going on.
But this time around, (ie actually taking the time to try it rather than have a go and give up!) I've realised it's an insane amount of motor-skill and coordination! It's actually far closer to Trails than Enduro I'd say.
Getting out and riding technical roads and lanes that you never would on a big bike / road bike is I think why these little ADV bikes are so addictive. By encouraging you into tricky spots, you can't help but enhance your general riding skills.
You're right there. It requires full concentration at all times or they'll throw you off like a rag doll.
I'm avoiding situations like that for now I don't need anything more to think about. Every day is a school day for me at the minute.
Still itching to get back on a trials bike but that will be a while away now.
You might have noticed I've removed the screen. I was wondering why everywhere I want was incredibly windy even though I was looking up at the trees and nothing was moving. For some reason the standard screen throws the wind right in your face. I kind of prefer having it on, maybe it needs to be a slightly different shape or be sawed in half. It was much nicer today with far less noise.
Even the little narrow road lanes the TET took Kayak23 and I on in the Forest of Dean were challenging 🤣
Yeah, screens on upright bikes are a nightmare. The only two I’ve ever gotten right were a VStrom with a big Givi touring screen and this Voge (but only with the add-on).
My 1150gs was AWFUL!! Such a crushing disappointment anyway but the bad screen was the icing on the cake.
On the Tenere it used to come up through the bars (tried fitting some chequer plating deflectors to the bar and all sorts!).
Himmy was okay (with the extender) until you hit a cross wind.
I think you just have to resign yourself to a lot of fiddling to get the right air at the right height.
The Voge has a gap under the screen which lets a stream hit your chest. Then the deflector pushes the rest over the top (I have to duck slightly. 5’10 would be perfect 🤣).
Without that lower stream- you get awful turbulence.
I think you just have to resign yourself to a lot of fiddling to get the right air at the right height.
This is currently my focus on the Himalayan.
Like Sharkattack says up there, I'd been going everywhere thinking that the wind noise was just what it was until i tried standing up on the bike at 50-60mph and had almost blissful silence.
I have actually become much more aware of the tinnitus that I've always had, but that i think I've maybe already made worse with the Himalayan with its screen.
I always wore ear plugs for long journeys but never felt the need on my GSX750 for blasts about as my helmet seemed fairly quiet.
I've never had a bike with any kind of screen in all my years of riding and so I didn't really twig that it was the source of the issue at first on the Himalayan.
The bike i bought used came with a short screen, maybe 50mm lower than the standard which the bloke i bought it from had fitted. He was over 6 foot and said the standard screen had been bad for buffeting for him, hence the change.
I'm shorter at 5'7 and so actually, the shorter screen probably does to me what the standard screen did for him and although i don't get buffeting as such, i do get really, really high wind noise, particularly now I've changed helmets to one with a peak.
I ordered a standard sized screen from 'slipscreens' on eBay which arrived yesterday as i thought maybe the standard one might work for me.
I popped out last night with a bag and tools to change the screens over and do some testing.
I tried with the cut down screen already fitted at around 60mph as a base, then i stopped and removed the screen completely and tried again. As i set it off, a biblical downpour started, and i wasn't wearing my 'proper' bike clothes, so was instantly drenched.
I can't say as in that short section i particularly noticed that things were quieter but i think the deluge of rain might have been distracting.
I stopped under some trees and put the new, standard screen on. It's taller but actually seems fairly narrow. Anyway, it was still wanging it down so not a great test but i don't think it improved things, although i did notice that i could duck down low and things went quieter plus i wasn't getting battered with rain.
Anyway, no pictures as I had to help Noah with his Ark!
Test was inconclusive and so I'll wait until it's dry and maybe go to a dual carriageway and try it again.
I'm pretty disappointed at the moment as i really don't want to make my tinnitus worse obviously.
It's interesting what you're saying Crosshair about having the blast of air beneath the screen helping to remove the negative or low pressure behind the screen. That's also an approach i might need to try.
I saw a guy on the Facebook owners group who had made some screen brackets that essentially lifted the screen up about 20mm from it's mountings, giving him a decent gap under the screen.
His images are below. That extra hole on the original mounting point he has is apparently something you got on the E4 Himalayan to adjust the angle of the screen. You don't get that on my E5 which is a shame.
I think because bikes like these are much more upright, that perhaps just the headlight etc itself is effectively higher up and so you get more pronounced wind noise, screen or no screen.
But yeah, more experimenting needed, before I'm deaf 😐
Yeah, thinking about it more, the VStrom and the Voge are both very similar at the front with the way the screen mounts.
The GS by contrast had a gap at the bottom and a weird gap between the stock screen and the added on one. There was zero buffeting but you just couldn't find the pocket of still air.
And here's the bar deflector I tried on the XTZ as you could stop the noise by leaning your arm across the bars 🤣
I know people also try removing the mirrors on their Himmy...
I'm just trying to work out if Strata Florida is doable as a day trip. I reckon 2.5h there and perhaps 3.5h back again. That leaves around 3h plus lunch for 'Laning 🤔
Probably better attempted before the days get too short. (I've taken off the crash bars and spot lights at the minute to see if I prefer being able to put my legs forward for balance (as per the MX session) and so far I think I like it.)
I know a few guys had big probs in the puddles the other week after all the rain we've had but I presume it's fining down nicely now.
Yeah, doable in a day providing zero issues i guess.
I'm stuck at work and all I want to do is go home and start drilling holes in my screen. Mine already has a small crack in it so I don't mind sacrificing it in the name of experimentation. I don't want to cut it down too much until I decide on a navigation setup and see where all the hardware sits.
Strata Florida looks amazing. However, I'm still building up to Houndkirk Moor so it's a bit beyond me right now. I'll get down there one day.
I think a lot of that bit is fear by reputation and line choice. I reckon Devon and the Peaks look way more technical.
Assuming you don’t get washed away that is 🤣🤣 🌊
I've been busy tonight.
Accesory bar is on.
Now I need to decide what I'm going to put on it. Some kind of cheapy phone holder, a posh Quadlock phone holder or wait a while and go full send on a Garmin Zumo (fingers crossed for Black Friday discounts). I'll need a power supply but I'll wait until I know what I'll be using.
Headlight grill is on.
Just because. I've always wanted bike with a mean looking, scrambler headlight grill and now here it is.
Lomo bags are on.
These things are a no brainer for £40.
Also, they're the perfect size for these 5 litre bottles so snip snip...
A bit of old U-trim from a van job just because I can. Might stop me catching my fingers on the edges.
And now I have a perfectly lined pouch that will keep its shape instead of flapping in the wind.
I was contemplating turning this old camera box into a top box with a metal plate and some nuts and bolts but really it's too big and ugly. I wish it was the next size down. I do have a smaller one but it's neon orange so I think I'll leave it alone.
Starting to look the part now, I'm really happy with it.
The only bummer was that I'd also ordered a passenger seat blanking plate to create space for a bag but it arrived broken. Hopeully Hitchcock's replace it with no drama.
For now I'm calling it finished. Short term, this is everything I need. I just want more miles under my belt before winter fully arrives. It's already cold and getting dark early. I must have blinked and missed summer.
I'm going to ride it as is and start experimenting with the screen. I would like to reduce the buffeting issue without spending any money.
Nice. Looks great with what you've added. 👏
I went out again for a test with the various screens.
It's really horrible and loud with no screen, short screen, standard screen 😭
Don't know what to do. It's not nice at all.
Going to try it with mirrors removed to see if that does owt, and also with an extra section on top of the standard screen.
That looks really nice @sharkattack 😎 They really are pretty bikes.
I don’t get the same petrol station admiration conversations with my China-bug faced robot 🤣
@kayak23 could you experiment with tape and cardboard first? Get the size, shape, angle and any wind holes sorted and then work out what combo of screens and extenders etc might get you there?
I went for a lunchtime blast and made a video as I think there’s a niche for one whilst they’re new 🤣
Great review. Interesting comparisons to the Himalayan.
Liked and subscribed 😉👍
kayak23 could you experiment with tape and cardboard first?
I've ordered a little clip on extension to try, like the one you have.
Bit worried that will be quite high and start getting into my line of vision and cause vibration and flex in the screen.
Also not keen on a tall screen off road in case it gets smashed.
But yeah, experimenting needed.
Nice video, your local trails look amazing. I don't know of anything like that near here.
Did I spot a Garmin behind your screen? What are the cycling models like for road navigation? Or do you not use it for that.
I've wanted a Garmin for ages now on the MTB. If I could make it useful for both bikes it would be easier to justify the spend.
Yeah, a lot of it is technically at work too 🤣
Garmin navigation is great. I used to use my original 800 in the car all the time. I usually have the TET gpx loaded on to the 830 although lately, I've been using Guru Maps on my iPhone and having the Garmin show garminy stuff like average speed, lap time, heading etc etc
I haven't fiddled with the settings to see if there is a car mode because you will get recommended to head down cycle paths sometimes. But most of the time I have created the route in another program anyway.
Between the Garmin and the phone, I certainly don't feel the need for a MC specific head unit and I wonder if a waterproof android tablet would be better anyway. (the bigger screens do look smart)
You've got me thinking now...
I could continue to use my phone with Google maps (because I already own it and it's awesome) for road stuff, plus regular phone stuff and photos. Then a cycling specific Garmin for off-road, pre loaded routes, GPX's, TET stuff, recording stats etc. Plus I'd have it for exploring MTB trails on trips to strange places which is what I really wanted one for anyway.
Then I won't have to buy the big, ugly Zumi and I'll have 2 screens to look at as if I'm some kind of desert racer.
I'm into it. It might be time to splurge on a Quadlock for the Pixel but I'll have to wait until my credit card stops smoking. Then I might put a Garmin 1040 on my Xmas list and hope it shows up.
Still having screen issues.
My little screen extension thing arrived which i fitted to the standard screen.
Extender not in this pic but 'standard' screen from Slipscreens shown. It seems very narrow at the top. Is the OEM screen that narrow?
Versus cut down screen
With the standard screen on and the extender fitted, the wind noise is greatly improved. I think the bulk of the wind is finally going over my head. However, it's so high! I really don't think i want all of that screen up near my face when I'm riding off road, shredding the moto-gnar. It's dangerous and it'll probably get snapped off in ten minutes.
I'm going to try my cut down screen and the extender just to see if the angle of the extender can make any difference.
It could be my new helmet too i suppose. I had a regular road type helmet until a few weeks ago and have swapped to an adventure style one with a peak (Cheap LS2 one)
But yeah, the wind noise and the resultant headaches are really getting to me just now 😐
Need a solution.
I thought that removing the screen entirely might help but it doesn't seem to.
Bugger. My extender comes with a little pouch and has a QR on it so you could remove it and stow it for off roading. In practice, I don’t 🤣
Some of the TET I’ve done it’s been a godsend pushing brambles out of the way.
Yeah, the newer model Himmy has a narrower screen than the original.
There are wider and taller tourer ones I believe.
Helmets do make a difference. My flip up and sun visor equipped Caberg is deafening so I’ve given up wearing it even though it’s cooler (in both senses 🤣).
Different problem here- just sold my Diverge so desperately trying not to waste the money on hasty kit choices 🤣🤣🤣
Couldn’t hold off on the rear tyre any longer 🤩 🤣
The last piece of my spending spree just arrived. To be fair to Hitchcock's they dispatched it as soon as I let them know the first one was broken.
I like it. I didn't take out insurance for carrying a passenger and my Mrs would never get on the back so the seat is completely redundant. At least now I can strap a bag onto the platform and I think it looks cool. I have nothing else on my shopping list, for this month anyway. Nothing planned but riding.
I like that short screen you have, it looks good and you're right it's probably safer than having the tall one right in your face while riding off road. I didn't even consider the chance of taking one of those to the face. That would bloody hurt!
Interesting point about the style of helmet. I bought a cheap Bell road helmet to get through my test and was planning to upgrade to a peaked 'adventure' style lid. Luckily I have an MX helmet I can try out first to see how horrible the peak is in the wind. But, I do have 100% goggles with red chrome lenses in so I'll look awesome while slowly going deaf.
I like that pillion rack 👍🏻
This was not the sunrise ride that I was hoping for! As soon as I got out of town the fog was so thick. It actually looks much better in the pictures than it was especially when trying to ride at 40 or 50.
I've never ridden in fog before. The visibility was so bad and it also coats your visor making it impossible to see out. Plus there was a scary amount of silver and gray cars emerging from the mist with no lights on.
I turned back, I'll try again later.
Wow that looks awful!! It’s so disorientating isn’t it.
Cracking day on the TET today with @kayak23
92 miles of mind bogglingly varied terrain from terrifying boulder strewn gorges to 40mph gravel and the horizon no further than 4’ away one minute down a bramble filled lane before the next, we can see four or five counties.
Also joined by another nice chap on a Voge who knew the lanes AND how to ride them 😎
I can’t quite get my head around how much fun these little bikes are.
Rad day out today with @crosshair and another Vogeist.
The very first lane was the gnarliest. Basically riding a bobsleigh run uphill full of builders rubble 😂
Loads of really fantastic sections and we had a really good pace the 3 of us with lots of flow.
Long day mind. Well over 200 miles and a grueling motorway slog back to Warwickshire from Salisbury plain for me.
Climbing up on Salisbury plain, I can see the city lights...
Kickstand cut out switch issues
Salisbury Plain
Great pics 🤩
I’m wading through the mud stains, wrong angles and poorly timed on/offs to find some usable footage 🎥
Made this for now 🤣
That was cool. 😊👏
Grand day out 👌
Whipped back today to do the missing link of GWT. On the way there, my clutch pivot bolt came out 🤣
I had been adjusting the clutch lever earlier so I’m surprised I didn’t notice it was loose. (or not surprised that I broke it 🤣).
Luckily I could still work the clutch just enough, and do clutchless shifts most of the time.
I hoped the garage at Tidworth would have little packs of bolts as the ones I carry were too big.
Sadly no joy.
Luckily though, a GoPro mount bolt is the same thread as the lever 🤣 And the black knobbly handle end snugs up tight underneath 😎 So that’s fixed for a bit.
It was only about 21 miles in the end but did take an hour so I couldn’t have done it last night.
Just totted up on Garmin BaseCamp and that’s 192 miles done of the 860 mile GWT 😮💨🤣
I have to say- I’m regretting my tyres. They are much cheaper but not a patch on TKC’s. They make me feel sea sick on rough tarmac and they literally wobble from side to side as the knobbles follow each and every stone.
I think I’ll wear them out and then either refit the originals or cough up for the better option (these bikes need to be good on road too IMO to make sense).
The TKC80s freaked me out when i first fitted them.
They seemed to make the bike fall into corners on road, but it was probably just a different feel to the Ceats.
I'm used to them now though and really like them.
Not expecting them to last that long though.
I wonder how many days the GWT might take in a one-er?
Could be a good camping trip. 🤔
Yeah there’s a few good vids on YouTube about it.
I seem to average about 20mph each time so I guess it depends on the time of year and how many hours you can do on consecutive days.
We’re doing big commutes AND big off road miles at the minute aren’t we, so I reckon 175 a day is easily achievable if all you had to do was TET?
That would make it a nice 5 dayer. Less if we cut off what we did already (but I’d like to ride that again).
Good pictures and videos. These kinds of big days out are exactly what I'm looking forward to. I definitely couldn't handle that tech off road stuff yet, it looks like really hard work.
There was only a couple of pretty tricky bits. One being the very first lane we dropped in to!
Totally doable by most people at their own pace I'd have thought.
Having one or two people riding with you means that you can pick your way up things and have people help you lift over things if need be if you're stalled out or drop the bike.
There were a couple of fairly spicy downhill bits too on damp pebbley sections with the main lines obscured a bit by overgrown foliage actually where I was something of a passenger at times I have to say.
I can't help noticing that it's harder to stop a 200kg motorcycle than a 15kg mountainbike! 😊
For me, it's like my relationship with MTBing to be honest 🤣
Occasionally I will hit the "flow state" and feel like a riding god but once I get in my own head about losing the front- I tense up and then of course, that makes everything 10x worse. It usually takes me 30-60 mins after road riding to get used to the bike moving around.
What's clearly obvious is that the Himmy isn't a limiter and a taller bike not an easy option 🤣
It hindsight, you see the obvious lines and piece together how you should have tackled it but in the moment, it's all about momentum and the Himmy with it's low slung weight and tractor-torque is great at helping you out.
Reading the website, I also had about 10psi too much in the trackers- they recommend 17.
There's something quite Zen about it- in order not to drop the bike, you have to be willing to ride like you don't care about dropping the bike, and that's really tricky!
Side stand problem solved 🤣 ✂️
Good solution 😂👍
Washed it yesterday and found a bolt missing out of the fork guard. Good job fitting the bash plate free’d up about twenty spare Allen bolts 🤣
Luckily all the important fasteners have been paint marked so are easy to check.
Vibey single off road is always gonna loosen a few up I’d say.
Washed it yesterday
Sorry, what? 😉
To be fair, I think it's about time that I washed mine and had a good bolt check.
It's developed an annoying buzz just before 5k revs that I'm struggling to isolate.
I thought it was the headlight rim as I've heard a few people put it to that in the owners groups but it looks like the first owner remedied that with some foam and tape.
I'm on the hunt to haemorrhage some more money at the moment, as after injuring my foot the other week, I've become more than a little paranoid that my boots aren't up to the sort of off road riding that I'm doing.
I just bought boots that said 'Adventure' on them, but having become a bit more aware now, I'm seeing that they are really nothing more then touring boots and don't offer enough protection.
Everything is so expensive! 😭😭😭
The boots I would like to be good enough are the Sidi Adventure 2
Great boot, waterproof, but deep down I think that they are probably closer to a touring boot, albeit with better protection than usual.
The other boots in the running potentially are Sidi X-Power. Not waterproof but closer to an mx boot.
And the Gaerne Fastback Enduro boots. Also not waterproof, but would have to pair them with some Sealskinz socks.
The prices of these above goes lowest to highest.
Makes a pair of FiveTens seem positively reasonable! 😂
I went to Sweet Lamb last week, highly recommended if only to find out I have a lot to learn. Anyway I noticed a few of the instructors were wearing the Sidi Adventure 2.
I went to Sweet Lamb last week, highly recommended if only to find out I have a lot to learn. Anyway I noticed a few of the instructors were wearing the Sidi Adventure 2.
Thats cool. What was the training you did? Just a general sort of off-road type training?
Interesting about the boots. I'm supposed to be trying some on in a shop soon so will give them a good twist about and see how supportive and protective they are.
Yes, I went there for some training, it’s a great place. We discussed kit and they said it’s a trade off with boots, you can go for the motocross style for more protection, but then they are not easy to walk in. The Sidi boots above are the middle ground. They also recommended one from Alpinestars, Tech 7?, my memory is not too good as I was falling asleep at that point with exhaustion after all the concentration.
