Thinking about The Grand Challenge, what bike?

[LBD]

The looks on peoples faces ... when they ask where have you come from and where are you going to ... and the answer to both questions is the same ...

You need to throw a via or two in there...Chch to ...Chch....via Takaka and...um... Bluff....

"Oh that sounds like a nice holiday... how many days will you take?"

About.....1 1/2

As for lights...the more the better. Std lights plus 2 x 35W HID "Fog" lamps

The joys of solo night time rides...sigh....like 2.30 am riding out from Milford on a foggy night....not sure who got the biggest scare, me of the young stag that belted out of the bush in front of me.

Turning lights off, pfff...I hope no one else ever experiences riding a brand new and somewhat more powerful bike than the one you just traded in....at night for the first time....that has the kill switch where the dip switch was. In my mind I flicked the lights to high beam, but the motor died instead. Realizing my error, I flicked the kill switch back on....with a 1/2 open throttle....then every things got dark and exciting all at once when the front wheel went skyward, along with the light beam (It needs something to shineon and the road was not up there)....and my throttle hand let go of the grip because it was ill prepared for the other jerk while it flicked the kill switch back on.
With no throttle the power dropped off and the front came down quick and the lights came back on...but the other hand...the one still holding the left grip...had pulled the front wheel around...I still shiver when I recall the violence of the wobble....

[Gremlin]

You do realise you make things unnecessarily exciting huh?

[LBD]

You do realise you make things unnecessarily exciting huh?

I guess I would not have mentioned it if it sounded like this...."Riding my bike one night I accidently hit the kill switch instead of dipping the lights..."
....does not have the same omph.

[FJRider]

I guess I would not have mentioned it if it sounded like this...."Riding my bike one night I accidently hit the kill switch instead of dipping the lights..."
....does not have the same omph.

Like ... I just missed hitting a cow at 3am on the west coast near Harihari ...

(had I reached out ... I could have patted it)

[nzspokes]

So how do you guys get on when running extra lights when you go on to dip beam? I struggle with that a bit.

[nzspokes]

Guy with the XJ750 just got back to me. Hes said its all good apart from a little blue smoke under choke on first starting. That could be just valve seals leaking down or something worse. Think I will go have a look.

[Maha]

FJ 1100?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-411536927.htm

CBX 750?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-425813149.htm

[nzspokes]

FJ 1100?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-411536927.htm

CBX 750?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-425813149.htm

Had seen them, the FJ looks good. The Honda bothers me a bit with the oil in the frame system on them. Not sure on that.

But ive been offered some finance but due to intrest rates etc I cant really go over $1500.

If I could get to 2.5 I would be going to see that FJ or the GSX750.

[Maha]

With that sort of money at your disposal...become a legend and do it on GN250 with a sheepskin!

[nzspokes]

With that sort of money at your disposal...become a legend and do it on GN250 with a sheepskin!

Well I would rather do it on my bike then. At least it can just about do the speed limit! Just gotta rev the nuts off it.

But am going to Colmans today to have a little dream, taking the kids to Rocket park playground and Colmans is not far from that.

[LBD]

So how do you guys get on when running extra lights when you go on to dip beam? I struggle with that a bit.

There are a couple of grey areas regarding extra lighting...like a maximum of 2 forward facing head lights at one time. On some bikes with 2 head lights but 4 globes, (2 high 2 low) you can wire them so the low beam is on perminantly and only the high beam dips...I have also ridden a bike that had converted the low beam to HID units and left them on perminantly that worked fine and oncoming traffic did not seem concerned.

With regards to "extra" lighting like my 2 HID spots I have. They were on their own switch and the beam was directed low enough not to anoy on comming traffic. I have orange diffusers silicone covers so they pass warrant as fog lights whice are legal to have with dual head lights. When riding country at night I remove the difusers and lift the beam to shine into the distance...but I need to be fast switching them off. I have the wiring being altered as I write so they go through a relay wired in with the high beam so when I dip my high bean, the fog lights turn off.

[slofox]

All real good points. I back myself to do it.

Turning the lights off would be a fear of mine, kinda thing I would do.

Years ago I was riding the port hills road above Christchurch one dark and moonless night. The headlight bulb blew just as I was rounding a corner - with a vertical face rising up on my right and a fifty gazillion foot drop on my left. Unfenced in those days.

That was scary.

[FJRider]

Years ago I was riding the port hills road above Christchurch one dark and moonless night. The headlight bulb blew just as I was rounding a corner - with a vertical face rising up on my right and a fifty gazillion foot drop on my left. Unfenced in those days.

That was scary.

I think you exaggerate ... A 43 gazillion foot drop is the biggest you'll find up there ...

[FJRider]

Guy with the XJ750 just got back to me. Hes said its all good apart from a little blue smoke under choke on first starting. That could be just valve seals leaking down or something worse. Think I will go have a look.

That mileage ... it WILL use oil ....

Not that BIG an issue. The old XJ I had did a 1000 miler ... 11 litres of oil ...

The one you are looking at however ... should use a little less. It mat not leave a smoke trail ... but the oil level WILL need to be watched.

Offer $1000 CASH ... and tell him you are doing HIM a favour ...

[nzspokes]

That mileage ... it WILL use oil ....

Not that BIG an issue. The old XJ I had did a 1000 miler ... 11 litres of oil ...

The one you are looking at however ... should use a little less. It mat not leave a smoke trail ... but the oil level WILL need to be watched.

Offer $1000 CASH ... and tell him you are doing HIM a favour ...

Im used to checking the oil, do so every weekend on my CBX. So no biggie.

Going to see it tonight.