The Bikeshite Thread

[myglaren]

[Snake Charmer]

Is that Rossi's Nan?

[Jerzy Woking]

On 17/12/2024 at 19:31, Rustybullethole said:

Happy days. Spains a cracking place for a road bike. Off roads great too. 

Indeed there are plenty of decent empty roads and tracks in my vicinity.

Part of the TET is fairly nearby in Jumilla, so will take a ride there in the New Year.

In the UK for a couple days-good grief  the traffic is absolutely horrendous in Essex.

 

[Cavcraft]

And...the new bike isn't happening. It was a 2023 Himalayan 411, the dealer's reckon they have a common faults of ECU and cylinder head issues, but this was too new for either of them so they've refunded my deposit. It's sort of thrown me a bit as hadn't known there were these problems, so might end up getting something else now. Part of me thinks they could have been bull shitting though, as they said a couple of things yesterday which didn't quite ring true. They haven't messed about getting the money back though and seemed genuinely remorseful.

[Stinkwheel]

5 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

And...the new bike isn't happening. It was a 2023 Himalayan 411, the dealer's reckon they have a common faults of ECU and cylinder head issues, but this was too new for either of them so they've refunded my deposit. It's sort of thrown me a bit as hadn't known there were these problems, so might end up getting something else now. Part of me thinks they could have been bull shitting though, as they said a couple of things yesterday which didn't quite ring true. They haven't messed about getting the money back though and seemed genuinely remorseful.

Thats a bit of a pain. Deflating after waiting for the new bike.  Probably for the best though, at least you can have a mooch around for what else is available as they sorted your money back so quickly

[Rustybullethole]

59 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

And...the new bike isn't happening. It was a 2023 Himalayan 411, the dealer's reckon they have a common faults of ECU and cylinder head issues, but this was too new for either of them so they've refunded my deposit. It's sort of thrown me a bit as hadn't known there were these problems, so might end up getting something else now. Part of me thinks they could have been bull shitting though, as they said a couple of things yesterday which didn't quite ring true. They haven't messed about getting the money back though and seemed genuinely remorseful.

Haven't heard that either and if someone confirms shall place my fingers in my lug holes as blissful ignorance is my preferred state.

For everything a reason though. Is the season for a bargain. 

[Barry Cade]

On 16/12/2024 at 14:07, Stinkwheel said:

Anyone got any F650 Experience off road?

Im talking early F650 'funduro' model.

I rode a lot of these between 94 and 01 when i was in a BMW dealers but exclusively on the road

Im thinking about one again now to turn into a dual purpose machine similar to @Rustybullethole enfield.

I know its too heavy, i know the 19" front wheel is too small etc but id still be interested to hear from anyone thats off road'ed one

I've had a "funduro" and an Aprilia Pegaso. Both pretty much the same bike, but preferred the Pegaso. Wee bit more oomph but otherwise very very similar. Had both off road a little bit, I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I have long legs, and when I stand up on a bike, I cant reach the handlebars without being hunched over. Never really been comfortable with it. I did do a bit of accidental 2 up off roading on a ZZR 1100 and it was probably just as capable in my hands!

[Barry Cade]

On 19/12/2024 at 12:26, Cavcraft said:

The new (year old) bike arrived today. It also went straight back again, as it won't tick-over

More on that when it comes back again, hopefully fully cured. 

Wasn't this one was it?

[Rustybullethole]

4 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

Wasn't this one was it?

Hmm. Did read something about them being prone to staling. People fit a booster plug gizmo that apparently sorts it. Mine has it fitted and doesn't stall. The fueling seems a bit shit to me off the bottom though fucking with these new fangled techno carbs is new to me so haven't delved i to it. 

Could be completely unconnected of course.

@Barry Cade Being a lanky streak of piss (as named by my mum) bar raisers go on all my dirt bikes as quick as hand guards. Have to watch changing the geometry on some stuff though theres adjustable ones out there too.

Took my kawasaki sports bike off road a few times. Inadvertently going in a bit hot and again when i decided to ride across a pebble beach. Neither ended well. 

[tom13]

20 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

And...the new bike isn't happening. It was a 2023 Himalayan 411, the dealer's reckon they have a common faults of ECU and cylinder head issues, but this was too new for either of them so they've refunded my deposit. It's sort of thrown me a bit as hadn't known there were these problems, so might end up getting something else now. Part of me thinks they could have been bull shitting though, as they said a couple of things yesterday which didn't quite ring true. They haven't messed about getting the money back though and seemed genuinely remorseful.

Never heard that issue mentioned anywhere before and I have been on the Himalayan groups for quite a while. There were the stalling issues where it would stall occasionally when you come to a stop, mainly when the bike was cold. Mine did this sometimes but I did the evap delete and it cured it.

Never seen idling issues and especially not cylinder head.

Get one they are really good cheap bikes. They off road really well as well. 

[Cavcraft]

On 20/12/2024 at 16:22, Barry Cade said:

Wasn't this one was it?

Christ, that was cheap. It wasn't that one, it was a 73 plate black one with low miles.  Obviously, the warranty on a new/nearly new one is a big help, but if they are unreliable it's throwing me right off them.

[andy18s]

5 hours ago, tom13 said:

Never heard that issue mentioned anywhere before and I have been on the Himalayan groups for quite a while. There were the stalling issues where it would stall occasionally when you come to a stop, mainly when the bike was cold. Mine did this sometimes but I did the evap delete and it cured it.

Never seen idling issues and especially not cylinder head.

Get one they are really good cheap bikes. They off road really well as well. 

Sounds like the infamous TL stumbles,where every now and then the bikes would stall just as you cracked open the throttle..like pulling out of a junction. 

Had it twice on my Tls.First time you realise just how heavy a bike can be when you try to stop it from going over unexpectedly..

The second it got a nice kicking as it lay there,bastard... 

Suzuki remapped them during services to dial it out, but the doubt was always there.

[Rustybullethole]

6 hours ago, andy18s said:

Sounds like the infamous TL stumbles,where every now and then the bikes would stall just as you cracked open the throttle..like pulling out of a junction. 

Had it twice on my Tls.First time you realise just how heavy a bike can be when you try to stop it from going over unexpectedly..

The second it got a nice kicking as it lay there,bastard... 

Suzuki remapped them during services to dial it out, but the doubt was always there.

Love the fact it got a kicking. Tickled me that.

Beast of an engine that. Really liked the instant stomp and enjoy them much more than the four cylinder sports bikes. 

Which is much of the reason I don't own one. Too fun. 

[andy18s]

I think the engine braking was the biggest suprise after years of 4 cylinder bikes with an SV650s as the immediate predecessor..

Loads of fun as you say,always light on the front wheel and I think my extra bulk kept the headshakes to a minimum. 

But my fav bike so far has to be the Cagiva Navigator,which used a retuned Tl1000 engine in a nice super moto stylish frame..

[Rustybullethole]

59 minutes ago, andy18s said:

I think the engine braking was the biggest suprise after years of 4 cylinder bikes with an SV650s as the immediate predecessor..

Loads of fun as you say,always light on the front wheel and I think my extra bulk kept the headshakes to a minimum. 

But my fav bike so far has to be the Cagiva Navigator,which used a retuned Tl1000 engine in a nice super moto stylish frame..

That immediately got me searching for one for sale. Not many about and can't afford one anyway. Had a Cagiva Raptor on loan for a while and loved that. I still have a calliper for it in the lock up which was saved after it got written off by my mate. 

[Mudster]

If it's the TL engine which appeals @Rustybullethole , the VStrom 1000 uses the same motor. Likely more choice out there than the Cagiva.

[Rustybullethole]

13 hours ago, Mudster said:

If it's the TL engine which appeals @Rustybullethole , the VStrom 1000 uses the same motor. Likely more choice out there than the Cagiva.

Thanks for that I did go and have a look. Despite the fact this is all pipe dreams for finance reasons the other big thing stopping me getting a strom is they are fuck ugly. The later ones tickle my fancy though need another ten years before i pretend i'll buy one of them. 

[twosmoke300]

Spent an hour or two working on my 250rx . As mentioned before the speedo and lights stopped working at the last race . 
Investigations eventually found a broken earth splice inside the loom near the headstock .

Repaired for now so I can go laning on Friday . Pics taken to show the dealer so hopefully I can get a new loom under warranty but I can see it being grief . It’s an aftermarket Redmoto ( Italian ) lighting kit but all the UK bikes are supplied with them fitted so in my mind should be covered under warranty but we shall see 

[Cavcraft]

After the debacle of the Himalayan, a BMW has arrived. In all it's 313cc of GS glory.

So far it seems really good, needs a bigger screen and brake pedal height block thing, both of which are on order. Need to try some green-laning, hopefully early in the new year.

[doug]

42 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

After the debacle of the Himalayan, a BMW has arrived. In all it's 313cc of GS glory.

So far it seems really good, needs a bigger screen and brake pedal height block thing, both of which are on order. Need to try some green-laning, hopefully early in the new year.

What!!?? No pics??

[Cavcraft]

36 minutes ago, doug said:

What!!?? No pics??

[Jerzy Woking]

On 20/12/2024 at 13:16, Cavcraft said:

And...the new bike isn't happening. It was a 2023 Himalayan 411, the dealer's reckon they have a common faults of ECU and cylinder head issues, but this was too new for either of them so they've refunded my deposit. It's sort of thrown me a bit as hadn't known there were these problems, so might end up getting something else now. Part of me thinks they could have been bull shitting though, as they said a couple of things yesterday which didn't quite ring true. They haven't messed about getting the money back though and seemed genuinely remorseful.

Sad that a dealer is quite prepared to rubbish a bike they are selling. Very odd.

I did roughly 30,000 miles (about 7000 of those on gravel tracks) on my 411 Himalayan in 5 years This included a few (flat out) rides up to Carcassonne in France and back. Never had an issue with the bike at all.

The later 411's suffered from too much grease packed into the relays (cheap to replace with German) which could cause stalling. Also, they did not have the cold start lever of the earlier bikes for some reason. 

A few of the early injected 411's (2018/2019 models) suffered with head issues, which MotoGB replaced under warranty. 

Very good bikes for novices to learn off road riding on. Mine was pretty much standard, apart from fitting the much better Continental TKC80 tyres. All I ever did to the bike was to change the oil and filter every 3000 kms, mainly because it was only a 10 minute job. Never had any issues with stalling, nor headrace bearings, nor cylinder heads.

I hope my 452 Himalayan is as reliable (it is certainly much faster and better handling on road) as my 411 was.

[Cavcraft]

The dealer thing was odd. It was also back up for sale straight away and despite them promising, the money hasn't been returned.  Have read the 452 is a much better bike to ride than the 411, but also not seen many tales of woe of the latter, which makes it harder to swallow what the dealers said.

Seems the low brake pedal on the GS is something a few people aren't keen on (it's weird at first as it feels like in an emergency you might not be able to stamp down quick or hard enough) but others say it's designed for when you're standing on the pegs, which I suppose makes sense.  Mine's got a BFO top box on the back, which will be handy for some things but is a pain in the arse as due to having long legs, I keep kicking the bloody thing getting on/off. Read somewhere they don't take much weight over the back end, so will possibly get some side pannier racks for the back and jib the box.

[Jerzy Woking]

The 411 and 452 are entirely different, but both good in their respective ways.

I'd like to try a CFMoto MT450, to see how it is against the 452, but no dealers anywhere near me. Not even seen one on the flesh.

Out of interest, what tyres do you have on the GS? Seen one locally that has oversized motocross tyres on it-looks like a weird VanVan!

[Cavcraft]

3 hours ago, Jerzy Woking said:

The 411 and 452 are entirely different, but both good in their respective ways.

I'd like to try a CFMoto MT450, to see how it is against the 452, but no dealers anywhere near me. Not even seen one on the flesh.

Out of interest, what tyres do you have on the GS? Seen one locally that has oversized motocross tyres on it-looks like a weird VanVan!

Metzeller Tourance

Mixed reviews on the net, the big test will be some gentle green-laning.

[Rustybullethole]

Had a nice ride out with some mates today. 11 bikes ranging from a 1200 tenere to 125 suzuki copy. Great fun if a little chilly. Steel toecaps are not the one at this time of year. 

Met up in Bexley 

And them wiggled around Kent. Back by dark and now thawing out by the fire. 

[hairnet]

the original videos are 6 feet to my left

fek

mold

[twosmoke300]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

the original videos are 6 feet to my left

fek

mold

Brilliant videos ! I also have the originals 😂

[Cavcraft]

Well happy with the little BMW.  Did 53 miles on it today, mostly small A roads and quite a few country lanes. Over the border to Moel Famau, via Broughton and the side of Mold

 

  

It was mega user friendly and although I'm by no means a sports bike (nor even a fast) rider, it felt just right on the twisty roads and had enough go to be perfectly comfortable without struggling. Any faster bike and/or rider would leave me in their wake, but it wasn't about that.

It's almost weird how easy it is to get used to: a mile or two into a narrow back lane and you feel confident on it and of it. Faster wider roads were a dream and it only seems to have sipped fuel. The brake pedal extension made a big difference, as I'm sure the big screen will do.

I have it some beans and it surged forward ok, even with my gigantic frame/fat arse. Did about 3 miles on some dual carriageway and tbh, it did seem like it wanted another couple of cogs at 60 and 70 in top, but I found 40-50 on the single carriage roads was most comfortable for me.

Too cold (I'd underestimated how much so) for a longer ride, and I'd only really planned on doing about 30 in total anyhow, but when the warmer finally gets here I'll try and do a longer trip.

[hairnet]

that happened for about 20 mins this morning then it clouded over

went shopping instead

was planning on stony on weds but rain radar says no @Six-cylinder can you fix that