Ambling around

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.