OV9

That's a salty result for sure. I'm certainly not including Switzerland in any of my touring plans any time soon. I have a similarly lax attitude to speeds in the mountains so I'm not risking it frankly.

I had a similar experience in Austria. Caught doing 90mph in an 80kph zone in the mountains. They had no sense of humour and were threatening me with jail and confiscation of my car.

In the end they appeared very happy to liberate my wallet of every last euro and send me on my way. Cunts!

I caught up with one of those new Yamaha dual-front wheeled things in heavy traffic this morning. I was on the S1000R so making progress filtering through and was baulked by this thing - they're so wide! He couldn't get through gaps I probably would have got through on my RT.

Thankfully he realised this and moved aside and let me by.

Do not want.

I don’t really understand what question they’re trying to answer. Do they stand up on their own, so they’re good for those with disabilities?

By disability do you mean scared of riding in the wet? :p

I was thinking more labyrinthitis.

Yamaha dealers are getting demo bikes in I noticed yeah. I'm trying to be positive about their existence but I can't help but wish they'd just used that budget making the MT range not so budget instead. I know I keep moaning about it but the shock on my Tracer is barely fit for purpose, yet we have this pile of joints and brackets and extra wheels we don't need. Odd decision.

I've ridden a similarly setup scooter and it just felt like a heavier steering, sluggish version of a normal scooter. I expect this to feel the same.

We're going to an evening with Steve Parrish tonight. Should be a laugh if his book is anything to go by.

300 miles this weekend across both BMWs, it's been glorious biking weather. Hopefully it will last a bit longer.

Took my XJR1300 out yesterday. I've not ridden it the cooler conditions before and it seemed to give it an extra few horses. Lots of shit wheelies over crests and slippy back tyre type of stuff. Great fun.

As it hadn't been used in ages I decided to convert the CRF450 supermoto back to its original purpose as a MX bike. A new chain and sprockets were fitted, some new plastics, new grips, new tyres on the original wheels I had in the loft (what a bastard job that is) and the removal of the road going stuff like lights, battery and indicator resulted in quite a decent final product:



I finished it at 1am on Saturday night, then was up again at 7am to head to the track. Despite the late start and rush to get it finished, nothing fell off (except me) and there was no failure to proceed, which was a result. The biggest problem was the bit between the seat and the handlebars, I've never really ridden a proper 450 MX bike off road before, and to say it is a bit of a hand full is an understatement, it just hits hard from pretty much any engine speed in any gear, so I spent most of the time just trying to hang on. Also, even though it is a light bike in the grand scheme of things (~100kg ready to go) it feels quite heavy after the CR. The track was pretty slippery which didn't help, we're out again this weekend at another track I've been to before so we'll see if I fair any better.

In other bike news the MSX125 is now fitted with its exhaust, and as expected it is loud as fuck, even with a DB killer fitted, although it does look pretty good to the 17 year old me I may yet have to get a quieter one </old person>

The only MX bikes I've ridden are the KTM Freeride electric ones and I find them to be hard work. A 450 must be mental.

Aye I've ridden 125s and it's a pretty full on experience, my mate used to race 450s but he's much fitter than me .

The Suzuki RM80 I had when I was 11 was a handful enough round an MX track!

NotoriousREV wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:08 pm The only MX bikes I've ridden are the KTM Freeride electric ones and I find them to be hard work. A 450 must be mental.

Mate had the 450 Yamaha MX bike. Fucker would make 60 bhp, wheelie in 5th and a chain lasted a few hours, tops. Mental machines.

NotoriousREV wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:08 pm The only MX bikes I've ridden are the KTM Freeride electric ones and I find them to be hard work. A 450 must be mental.

I had a few goes round a MX track on on a 98/99MY CR250 and WOW! what an eye opening experience. Staggering acceleration and a bonkers mental headfuck to ride for a spaz like me. Fell off a few times but what a blast. MX bikes are the nuts!

Actually, I did once ride a CR500 on a dirt track. I was 17 and the fastest thing I’d ridden was a TZR125. I was terrified just kickstarting it. I rode it very gingerly and I was very, very scared of it. My mate’s cousin then demonstrated what it could do and that the gear selected was there just to select the height of the wheelie.

NotoriousREV wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:10 pm Actually, I did once ride a CR500 on a dirt track. I was 17 and the fastest thing I’d ridden was a TZR125. I was terrified just kickstarting it. I rode it very gingerly and I was very, very scared of it. My mate’s cousin then demonstrated what it could do and that the gear selected was there just to select the height of the wheelie.

Back in the 90's when my and my Pops used to go to Olivers Mount a bit there used to be a chap who due to crash injuries raced a CR500 on slicks against more traditional race bikes. Loony machines those CR500's

NotoriousREV wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:10 pm Actually, I did once ride a CR500 on a dirt track.

No fkn way 500cc two stroke ftw! That's like a 1000cc 4-stroke in an MX frame

Funnily enough the guy I bought my CRF from also had a CR500 supermoto, which he had tuned by either Bob Farnham or Stan Stevens, because obviously it was a bit mild in standard trim.

I think standard they were 55bhp and weighed around 100kg. But the way they made power was insane, they picked up 20bhp in 1000rpm as they came into the powerband at about 5000rpm. Tuned ones could put out up to 70bhp.