Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - Ambling around by ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/11798-Ambling-around Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:42:02 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - Ambling around by ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/11798-Ambling-around Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/340-Ambling-around Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:16:33 GMT
Well this will be my last blog entry from Japan. I'm on the plane in a few hours, and as you can see from the pic some things have already begun the journey...
My stuff will arrive in mid February, and once it's certified and I have some wheels under me I will be making the most of the remaining summer. Hope to meet up with some of you sometime. ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/340-Ambling-around Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/335-Ambling-around Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:35:13 GMT
Well it's been a while since I blogged. The last few months have been getting colder, havent done much distance riding. The 'family' has grown by three more bikes in that time though, and in the process I did a few test rides.

TMAX - ok it's a scooter, but performs pretty well. I tried a new one from a dealer. I was a little disappointed, maybe because I had seen too many youtube vids where the acceleration from zero is very good, or maybe because the only place I had to ride was a completely blocked up traffic-jammed road. To use as everyday transport it would do everything just fine, and the underseat space would be great, but overall it just seemed a bit boring after riding bigger bikes - and after all, if we really want to be practical we have cars, right?

R1200RT - Excellent for wind protection, and the built in audio was nice. Pillion enjoyed it, but tells me the FJ is just as good. It vibrated a lot more than I expected, to the extent that I kinda thought maybe something was wrong with it, but this was also an almost new dealer demo bike so it should have been fine. Acceleration was acceptable but still had a bit of a heavy feel to it. Cold and rain would be no problem on this beastie, and long distances, well the longer the better I think. Overall I'm not sure if the price is right though. Personally if I was going this way I would probably get an older R1100RT.

HD ? - I rode two of these but cant remember what the models were. I mainly rode them just to have ridden a Harley, and was expecting to enjoy listening to the engine while riding - well let me say I can see why people change the mufflers, the standard sound is pants. These are definitely long-ride cruising machines, not for around town or twisties. One time I barely banked just a little to turn at an intersection and something was already scraping on the ground! Probably the biggest shock though was after the ride when I asked the shop guy what engine size the bike was. He said 1500cc, but from the performance I had been thinking it must be one of those 883cc bikes.

ZX-6R - Very zippy, nice and light and great sound from the aftermarket muffler. This one was an online auction bike that I was checking out, I ended up not getting it due to the evidence that it had been ridden very hard (melted rubber at the edge of the tires?) and it had also gone for a slide down the road at what looked like great speed, judging from the amount of metal which had been ground off the crankcase. For me, the bike just felt too small, like I was hunched way forward kinda sitting up on the tank or something. I guess I'm just not a RR rider. Maybe if I won lotto I would get one as a track day bike.

FJ1100 - umm... same as FJ1200? Solid capable engine, a little on the boring side perhaps but very comfortable. The FJ1200 wins slightly because of the better wind protection, and (on mine at least) the ABS.

ZX-12R - Big, strong, smooth - just be careful with that throttle! I didn't get much of a ride on it but it still impressed me quite a lot. The riding position was better than the 6R, and it also felt like a better ride for the pillion. If the tank was just a bit narrower it would be great. Hmm.. I find myself comparing everything to the FJ for comfort, but not much can beat it. Strangely I also found this bike harder to lean over quickly than the FJ as well, maybe I need some more time on it, or perhaps the tires needed more air or something.

Toyota Hiace - heheh.. just kidding. I got this for my upcoming move to NZ (only two weeks away now!!).

In other news, I put some sorely needed new tires on the 'wee VFR' and tried hi-octane fuel. Man, its really nice to ride now. The flat spot just before it really takes off at 9krpm is mostly gone. This one has cunningly weedled its way into my heart and I'm not sure if I can sell it after all.

I found out about 'Up Garage' yesterday which is a chain of shops dealing in second-hand parts and clothing. This is quite a find, because previously I either had to buy stuff new (expensive) or try to find it through online auctions (slow, and risky for buying clothing). But now I can get bike stuff the same way I get bits for my PC. ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/335-Ambling-around Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/334-Ambling-around Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:55:24 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/bousou2s.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/bousou1s.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/bousou3s.jpg I thought I was just about done documenting the various bike species of Japan - but how could I forget these?! The bikes in these pics are not the result of a freak...


I thought I was just about done documenting the various bike species of Japan - but how could I forget these?! The bikes in these pics are not the result of a freak accident involving a truck full of paint, they are actually the way the owners intended them to be. Usually the owner of these kind of machine rides around in a group with his buddies on similar bikes, making a general nuisance of themselves by revving the engine ridiculously loud all the time for no particular reason in the middle of the night, ignoring all road rules. The bikes above are a somewhat tamer variety, because sometimes the bikes dont even have a muffler at all. The majority of them are old GSX400s.

To fit in with one of these gangs, you also need a ridiculous fifties haircut, and you should ride around wearing workmans overalls, with some kind of kanji slogan on the back, and look tough and glare at everyone you see. Smoking is not optional. Usually sometime in their early twenties they will realise what a bunch of fools they are, and turn into a normal person, like this guy did.

As usual the police are totally useless when it comes to actually doing anything useful, and they generally dont do much about these guys. At best they will drive along behind them in a patrol car yelling at them to stop over the car's loudspeaker... yay... just making more noise to wake the neighborhood. ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/334-Ambling-around Dad does Tokyo https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/284-Dad-does-Tokyo Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:10:30 GMT
My dad was here for a week last week. It was great to see him because every time I go back to NZ I go to Auckland, but I don't always manage to get to Levin where he lives. I have told him a few times that he should come over but he never seemed that interested, until lately when I pointed out that I would only be here a few months more and he might not get another chance.
We spent a few days getting around by bike since I have so many now it would be silly not to make use of them... it was the first time he had ridden in 5-6 years but nothing went wrong - at least not for us. A taxi ran a red light and caused another dude on a bike to crash right in front of us. As luck would have it, I had my helmet-camera running. The first time I use it in over a month, and within 5 minutes there was something worth filming! Usually its the other way around aint it, as soon as you put the camera away a good shot comes along.
We mostly just did a bit of nosying around the city, and a couple of trips out further into the country. The top pic is a police bike from a little town at the bottom of the Miura peninsula, a fishing town for sure. We walked around the town trying to find some lunch, and all there was, I'm talking every shop here, was raw tuna... seems like when they have areas which are famed for a certain type of food here, they really get into it. We did however find a shop that had one option with fried tuna though :wacko:
Somehow I get the idea that the country police bike is not really intended for chasing down evildoers, as the city police bike is:
]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/284-Dad-does-Tokyo Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/274-Ambling-around Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:34:47 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/shocks.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/plates.jpg I was browsing around Ricoland again recently and felt compelled to take a pic of the prices for aftermarket parts so I could bitch about them on my blog. The three units in the first pic are around NZ$2100 each. I...

I was browsing around Ricoland again recently and felt compelled to take a pic of the prices for aftermarket parts so I could bitch about them on my blog. The three units in the first pic are around NZ$2100 each. I have bought whole bikes for less than that! And how about those 'fenderless kits' which are just an alternative mount for your number plate to allow you to take the rear fender off. They may be pretty carbon fiber, but who cares if you you're just gonna stick your number plate over the top and cover it up. There's no way I would NZ$300 for that. There are plenty of other similarly expensive parts too - $1400 for a set of brake discs anyone?
I realise that if I only had one bike to keep maintained I would have more to spend on fancy bits, and that other people are obviously on higher salaries than me, but still... isn't this outrageous? How is it in NZ? Do any of you spend two grand on aftermarket shocks? ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/274-Ambling-around Daytrip robbery https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/268-Daytrip-robbery Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:20:07 GMT
On Saturday I went for a ride with some friends of my wife's, the first time I've been riding with more than two others. It was quite neat to see a string of ten bikes in front of me all going around the corners one by one. Great weather too.
We went out to the east coast of Chiba which has a decent beach, which is not crowded, yay! Our friends were camping there but we decided to come back that evening since we needed to do a bit of shopping the next day (and I wanted to ogle my new bike).
The trip took us about 3 hours each way since we got lost a bit, and stopped often. We probably covered 300km overall I think, which doesn't sound like much in NZ maybe but with the heavy traffic and squillions of traffic lights here it makes for a very tiring day.
We took the highways and I had to pay for them all. I didn't really feel comfortable doing my 'ignore the toll booth' trick with all the others there since they had a habit of waiting on the other side of the toll booth for everyone to get through and regroup... ok yeah I wussed out. So like a typical road trip in Japan, I ended up paying more for road tolls than for gas. I think I spent $22 on gas, and $26 on road fees. Incidentally thats $8.20 in petrol tax. Why can't these fuckers use that money to build roads... ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/268-Daytrip-robbery New boots https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/263-New-boots Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:44:00 GMT
I finally got some waterproof boots today, and right in the middle of a typhoon too, so I used them straight away. I've been wanting to get a these for about a year now but whenever I go and check they never have my size. My feet aren't even huge or anything (a little over size 10) but finding shoes of my size in Japan is bloody hard. They offer to order them for me but I'd have to buy them and I didn't want to do that without trying them first.
There were a bunch of snazzier looking boots there of course, but I was drawn to their simple design and chunkier (ie. real) leather. I also wanted something that could pass for a normal shoe to wear at work rather than a huge booooot. I was hoping that the wrap around strap at the top sticks out enough to be a good anchor for the elastic around the ankle of my rain pants. That turned out to be not the case, but otherwise they are working fine.

I also splashed out on a nice cover for the Ducati, which will arrive tomorrow. It's been a slow two weeks, and now this is like the night before Christmas when I was 8 years old! The typhoon is peaking right now - it was originally forecast to peak tomorrow which would be right when said bike arrives and that pissed me off. However as it is, tomorrow morning will be shit, then it will clear up at midday for the delivery. And yes, I can be that confident because the weather is not as fickle as NZ's. The weather forecast is rarely wrong within 24 hours.
We will be going for a ride with some friends of my wife's in the weekend, still haven't decided whether we will camp overnight with them or not yet though. ]]> zxcvbnm https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/263-New-boots Moto-guzzi a pipe and slippers bike? https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/252-Moto-guzzi-a-pipe-and-slippers-bike Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:00:13 GMT
This gentleman certainly seems to think so, for the slippers anyway. Maybe he left his pipe at home. This is a great example of how people here are pretty carefree with what they wear while riding - this fellow's gear could almost pass for pajamas. Rather than ATGATT, it's more like NGATT. On the other hand though, they don't go around crashing bikes anywhere near as often as Kiwis do, at least from what I can tell reading the forums here!
Quite apart from the slippers, I couldn't believe how this guy could have his bare legs just inches away from the hot cylinder head... ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/252-Moto-guzzi-a-pipe-and-slippers-bike Another new bike https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/251-Another-new-bike Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:23:59 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/st4.jpg Now this is just getting silly. My mouse button finger slipped again and I bought another bike through an online auction. Only this time it was more costly and will probably cause me to sell most of the other bikes, if not all of them. At least now I can settle...
Now this is just getting silly. My mouse button finger slipped again and I bought another bike through an online auction. Only this time it was more costly and will probably cause me to sell most of the other bikes, if not all of them. At least now I can settle on one bike to take back to NZ. It's also nice to finally have a 'good' bike. Every other bike (or car for that matter) I have bought has been at least 14 years old, which makes them cheap to get but with pretty much zero resale value (at least in Japan). When my wife got the SV and she was pampering it I kinda wished I had something that I felt like pampering too... something modern, a post 2000 model at least, fuel injected, something people will actually look at for more than 1.5 seconds when I pull up at the bike shop etc.
Well here it is, a 2001 ST4. It will not arrive until next week so I can't say a lot more about it until then, but this time I did actually go and check it out before I bid on it. It's in reeaally good condition, at least from what I could tell without a test-ride. The clutch was noisier than I expected though, even for a Ducati - otherwise everything seems fine.
One thing that puzzles me is the headlight/screen arrangement. I searched all over teh google looking at ST4 photos, but I couldn't find any, of any year, where the screen comes down in a peak in the middle and covers the headlight like that... does anyone know if this is an aftermarket screen? Also, notice how the headlight and the small grille underneath it are not separated by the cowl. In every photo I saw online, the headlight was fully surrounded by the cowl, instead of the cowl breaking off in the middle. What's up with that? Is this really a 2001 model or did I get done for a '99 or something? ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/251-Another-new-bike Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/248-Ambling-around Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:00:35 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/klx0.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/klx1.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/klx2.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/klx3.jpg Image: http://66.199.249.18/klx4.jpg I shined up the VFR the other day to take some photos (http://66.199.249.18/vfr070819/) of it. After...




I shined up the VFR the other day to take some photos of it. After fussing around posing it and getting the sunlight direction right etc, lavishing all this attention on it, I noticed my other bike peeping into the corner of one of the photos. Well now, I thought, that's not fair is it... that bike serves me faithfully day in and day out and I never even clean it. The least I could do is give it a tributary blog entry.
So here it is - behold the KLX250. This is my commuter bike now, doing only about 16km a day going to work/gym/supermarket, but back when it was my only bike, we sure did some miles together. Since it's not really made for doing many miles on, usually after a couple hours riding I had to start shifting my butt around on the seat every few minutes, only to make it sore in a slightly different spot. In two and a half years, this machine has never let me down, the only problem I've ever had was a gummed up side-stand switch, which was solved by just disabling it.
Although it has a dirt-bike look to it, this is a great bike for the city. It's narrow enough to squeeze through the tightest gaps in traffic, rides up a 10 inch curb with ease, light enough so I can heave the back end around to park it better, economical to run and takes a passenger (in a bind). Since the pedals are so far off the ground I can ride along next to a high curb with my tires grazing it, and the left pedal actually above the curb - can't do that on most road bikes. It has great pickup over short distances to slip through gaps in traffic and put those nassssty taxis behind you, and cruises happily at 100 on the highway. I have to admit that the luggage box on the back is a big part of this bike's everyday usefulness - it used to be that when I wanted to carry something I would give up all the advantages mentioned here and ride another bike that had a box on it. But once I got a box for the KLX the package was complete. These days I can't imagine not having it anymore.
I found some photos from our travels which I put up here too - they are not very picturesque and most of them don't mean much to anyone but me but what the hell, it's a nice trip down memory lane. Probably the dumbest adventure was one I did with a friend to Niigata in the dead of winter, over mountains ranges with 10ft snowdrifts on each side of the road. Luckily the road itself was clear, and the weather was fine too, but I can't remember another time when I have been so cold for so long... The other photos are obviously from summer trips - it's interesting how most of my fondest memories have so much greenery in them eh... must be time to head home soon. ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/248-Ambling-around Anti-bike propaganda https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/240-Anti-bike-propaganda Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:10:54 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/autobais.jpg Yes, the VFR does 170kmh! And up a slight incline too. The photo here is of the back of a taxi. Almost every second taxi here has one of these stickers on the back, and they really piss me off. Roughly, it says: (Caution) Motorcycles! Two-wheeler...
Yes, the VFR does 170kmh! And up a slight incline too.

The photo here is of the back of a taxi. Almost every second taxi here has one of these stickers on the back, and they really piss me off. Roughly, it says:

(Caution) Motorcycles!
Two-wheeler accidents! Frequent/numerous

And that's it - no particular mention as to the purpose of the sticker or any basis to the claim it presents. It seems that bikes and taxis are mutual enemies here. I can see why bikes don't like taxis, since my only two bins were thanks to a taxi, and my other two extremely close calls were also courtesy of swerving taxis. But I can't see what taxis have against bikes!?
I can understand that they are trying to make a living, but that doesn't console me much every time they suddenly swerve across two lanes to make a pickup, or slam on the brakes when their passenger says "Stop here".
I've half a mind to run off a few thousand of my own sticker mimicking theirs and give them to bikers.
The bottom of the sticker says 'Police Dept / Tokyo passenger service automobile association'. Somehow I think it has much more to do with the latter... ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/240-Anti-bike-propaganda Ambling around https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/225-Ambling-around Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:14:39 GMT
[YOUTUBE]7pW07qc98D8[/YOUTUBE]
Just a little vid I made the other night on my NC24. The speed through the tunnel at the end is from 100 - 155kph in fifth gear so in sixth gear I think it might even be able to do 170 - but its hard to find out with the roads I have available...
a daytime vid would have been much better for viewing, but a weeknight is the only time there is that little traffic around. I still need to figure out a better setup for the sound too, to reduce wind noise more. ]]> xgnr https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/225-Ambling-around A dinky little bike park https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/213-A-dinky-little-bike-park Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:36:47 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/bikepark.jpg Check out this neat little bike park I found in the underground car park of the new Yodobashi shop in Akihabara. It has its own ticket machine and gate etc. This was quite a welcome find because it was pissing with rain so it was nice to be able to get...
Check out this neat little bike park I found in the underground car park of the new Yodobashi shop in Akihabara. It has its own ticket machine and gate etc. This was quite a welcome find because it was pissing with rain so it was nice to be able to get changed and go straight into the shop without getting soaked. I almost didn't get a photo because the nazi carpark attendant told me it was against copyright or some bullshit that he couldn't even explain properly, probably just repeating what someone had told him to say, in typical robotic fashion. He was serious about it though, holding his hand in front of my phone when I went to take a photo. So I just got one when we were leaving instead, and he was somewhere else.
At Yodobashi we got a Wii, for the long rainy weekend ahead. And that made me want a bigger TV. After realising the Wii had wireless capability I dug out my wireless router and set it up, finally figured out how to get everything working and now can use the wireless on my laptop too. We were back in Akihabara the next day too, to take back an SD card I bought that didn't work (well it didn't work after I tried to use it with my cam which didn't support it hehehe) and got another game for the Wii. It was quite a geek weekend. ]]> Kendog https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/213-A-dinky-little-bike-park Another wacky scooter https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/205-Another-wacky-scooter Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:47:30 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/wacky.jpg I came across this one parked near me in a supermarket bike-park. As well as having the typical outrageous muffler and various blingy bits, this one was another step above the rest. It had some kind of pneumatic system to raise and lower the whole swingarm....
I came across this one parked near me in a supermarket bike-park. As well as having the typical outrageous muffler and various blingy bits, this one was another step above the rest. It had some kind of pneumatic system to raise and lower the whole swingarm. To park it he doesn't use the side-stand, instead the whole bike lowers right down and rests on a couple of small runner wheels underneath the body. You cant see those little wheels too well in the photo, but you can see that the stand is not being used.

Well the 'wee VFR' now has a couple hundred more kms on it, I was surprised to find I still had gas with the tripmeter on 205km. I was planning to let it run dry so I could measure exactly how far a tank could take me, as a reference for the future, but didn't fancy pushing it around just in case the reserve system was not working and I was actually already using the reserve portion of the fuel. It seems to be doing 19.5km/L, around town which is better than I expected. Strangely every time I take it to a gas station the attendant asks if I want regular or 'high-octane', which is beginning to worry me a bit. I have only given it regular (unleaded in NZ) so far but maybe these guys have seen other bikes like this coming in and taking high-octane (regular in NZ). Anyone know if I should be giving it.. uh... this naming is getting confusing... more octane?

It takes a fair bit more warming up than my other bikes, kinda reminds me of my old 1970 Escort. I discovered a handy idle adjustment knob which is easily found with gloves on, and can be reached to be changed when stopped at lights, so this is replacing the choke-lever which doesn't seem to work. Once warm it never misses a beat, now that I know not to flick the throttle open too quickly from idle.

The 'go' mode I was talking about before is more like from 9krpm, not 7k. With the kind of roads I drive around, I don't really have much use for this mode - the 90km/h red warning light comes on partway through third gear...
On the one occasion I was on a decent stretch of road, I had it up to 150km/h without too much trouble, although it was beginning to fade. I ran out of road (and balls) at that point but I'd say it could have done 160. This is quite a bit better than my old XJR400 which would be busting its arse just to do 140.

One thing I don't like much is the extremely limited turn of the handlebars, but I suppose all bikes of this type are like that, and the SV is not much better. I guess I am too used to the KLX, on which I can u-turn in less than 4 metres. I am also used to having the box on the KLX which is the main reason I dont ride the VFR more. ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/205-Another-wacky-scooter Jenga bike? https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/186-Jenga-bike Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:30:13 GMT Image: http://66.199.249.18/jenga.jpg Actually this is a trike isnt it... spotted this guy on my way to pick up the VFR (yes its here!). I was intending to get a pic of the guy and his pile of stuff but when I pointed the camera all I got was a pile of stuff - I think his load is taller than he...
Actually this is a trike isnt it... spotted this guy on my way to pick up the VFR (yes its here!). I was intending to get a pic of the guy and his pile of stuff but when I pointed the camera all I got was a pile of stuff - I think his load is taller than he is himself.

Anyway enough about that, I have much more important things to discuss today. The VFR is finally here! So far I've only spent a grand total of 20km riding on it so I'll just say what I can for now.
It's old... 20 years old now in fact and it shows a lot more than in the online auction photo. But that's what I expected and considering 20 years I think it's in pretty good shape.
It started first time - and second time - and third time, since I had a bit of trouble keeping it going. The choke didn't really seem to do much so I kept the throttle on for a bit. It sounds really nice :) All seemed well so I went out onto the road, then a few hundred metres later I pulled over to adjust the clutch friction point. While I was doing that the engine just stopped and couldn't be started again, and what was worse the battery seemed to be failing so fast that it seemed like it would be gone in no time. My wife had taken me to the depot and was there on her bike, she suggested I push start it. This didn't make sense to me since the engine should have been turning enough to fire via the starter motor, it just didn't want to run. After only a couple hundred metres of riding, there I was thinking shit I have gone and bought a dud online... that will teach me.
So I gave up and pushed the bike up onto the footpath to look for somewhere to park it since I had skipped work to go pick it up and had to be getting back. While I was pushing, I thought I might as well give it a try so I gave it a half-hearted bump, at barely more than walking speed.... and it started. Now why would it make any difference whether the starter was turning the engine, or the chain was turning the engine? Hmm, unless the starter was not actually turning anything.
Anyway no problems since then. Strangely so far it seems to start better if it hasn't been run for a while. I took it for a ride again after work for a bit, to 'Ricoland' to order a regulator for it since they are infamous for failing, from what I've read on the net. However they said they can't even order them in (this is what I was saying about Ricoland not being a 'real' repair shop).

So the bike itself, well the brakes feel too stiff, and while still having lots of tread, the tire rubber feels a bit too hard for my liking. I think these will both need to be replaced pretty soon. Everything else seems ok so far.
The best thing about this bike is obviously the engine sound. I feel like I'm on a little V-Max. It's also a nice change to be high in the rpm range more of the time, almost like the hornet actually. The powerband is quite odd - I'm used to the no-surprises powerband of my other two bikes but this one has more character. The first 5k rpm is kinda 'taking it easy' mode, followed by a very flat spot at 6k where I kept thinking something was wrong. The last mode, from 7k onwards, is 'go' mode, where the bike wakes up and says "ohhh... you want to go fast now? ok!"
Until I noticed this mode (riding the FJ1200 I hardly get above 5k) I was wondering where the stated 59hp was, but now I would say it's all there. In 'go' mode 100kph comes up mighty fast... uhh yeah I really need to get the brakes sorted. One thing that is a bit annoying is, just when I'm having fun this little red light on the dash comes on, and I keep thinking something is kaput but it doesn't seem so. The label under the light says 'Speed', whatever that's supposed to mean :D
So, can you tell my original plan of trying to keep the km's low on this bike is not going to work out? ]]> ambler https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/186-Jenga-bike