Motorcycles
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The weather was lovely today, and so I had a choice.
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Stay at home and do something productive.
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Take the Thruxton out.
The bike has been neglected for the last few weeks, and so I went for the second option.
I've been wanting to take a look at Eltham and Warrandyte, which are suburbs on the Northeast edge of Melbourne. They're where the city meets the bush, so they're heavily wooded. It turns out it's a nice area, but a bit of a trek to get out there, so probably not for me.
However, Research-Warrandyte Road is properly twisty, and has plenty of elevation changes. Is it wrong to move somewhere so I can go for a ride easily?
I'm starting to get used to the Thruxton. It's more cramped than my old BMW R1200R, and the engine feels a bit less powerful. I'm limited to 4000 RPM during the running in period, so I need to explore the higher rev ranges. There's also a Sports mode…
Or I could fit the hot cam, high-flow air filter, and de-cat the exhaust. I suspect that might transform the Thruxton into more of a fire-breathing beast.
On the upside, it feels a lot more agile than the Beemer, and more communicative. The Telelever front-end doesn't give as much feedback as forks do.
I've got a Bell Bullitt, and it has great visibility, but after wearing it a couple of hours, it began to painfully dig into my forehead. I'll have to see if it breaks, otherwise I'll need another one for doing distance.
There were a few bikes out today, including another Thruxton R, though that one was red, and a lot of Harleys.
But I was severely outgunned on the coolness stakes: I saw a guy on an old machine, he was wearing a full textile suit, with a high-vis vest over it, so not someone you'd think had anything special. Then I noticed that the bike was black, with a gold scroll painted on the tank. The bugger had a Vincent. :o
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I bought a new bike last month! Here's my 2016 Triumph T120 Black. Rides like a dream. I love it.
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Nice bike @arbybaconator, but being a fellow owner of a black Triumph, I'm a bit biased.
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Love the Bell Moto 3, looks like a few other brands that have the same style. I have been going back and forth what I wanted to do with my next helmet, as I haven't ridden a DOT certified or full face in…years now. The Biltwell Novelty 3/4 is old now, as in my ears don't appreciate it and cold weather is just bad with it...bad ha. My ears are better with no dome or ear plugs in than wearing that 3/4!
So I been tossing what helmet to get, go cheap and save some money, but worry about fitment, noise, durability with some options. So I went with the one helmet that actually fits me PERFECTLY. Never had a comfier helmet...and won't obstruct my vision. Had to spend the extra cash on the best of the best, Arai XD-4. Always loved the ADV helmets since they came out. Be great for all 4 seasons for me and the vision is fantastic with it! Impossible to find a deal on one though, I did get it for under $500....which was next to impossible!
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3 Martini Lunch, a previous generation Triumph Thruxton modified by Icon.
There are more details at Return of the Café Racers, and the Icon 1000 website.
I find a lot of custom bikes draw from a fairly narrow palette, and this looks a bit different to the usual café racer inspired build. Sure, Icon have probably thrown a truck load of cash at it, but I like the end result.
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OK, so I complain that all customs look similar, and then I see this. I love it.
It's a Jawa two stroke that's been built by Urban Motor for the sprint at Glemseck 101. More at Bike EXIF.
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Triumph have decided to bolt superchargers to a couple of Thruxtons for the Glemseck 101 sprints. I can't argue with that logic.
The black bike uses a modified Speed Triple flyscreen, whilst the white one has the fairing and seat from a Daytona 675. Power output is up 60% to 140 bhp, with a similar bump in torque.
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Triumph have decided to bolt superchargers to a couple of Thruxtons for the Glemseck 101 sprints. I can't argue with that logic.
The builders skillfully integrated those chargers. Kawasaki proposed seven models with some form of forces induction after the release of the H2. While my Versys is a bit out of place in the Iron Heart world, I wouldn't mind a few PSI.
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The Versys is supposed to be a good, little bike. I haven't ridden one, but I recall seeing a review some years back where a journalist commented that he and his counterparts would choose it over other, more exotic machinery, as it just worked.
The H2 looks a beast, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Kawasaki bring out. Suzuki are also rumoured to be building a production version of the Recursion, which could be promising.
The reverse side of the supercharged Thruxton isn't as neat, which is probably why there aren't so many photos of it. I'm hoping, probably in vain, that they bring out a kit.
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(And I still haven't done the Great Ocean Road, which is near me, though it's currently blocked due to landslides.)
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BKS Leather recently put together a set of leathers for the owner of a Ducati Café Racer, so they got a vintage twist. There are more photos on their Facebook page.
I'm off to Exmouth in October to get fitted up for a suit, and am planning something similar, although I'm after a two piece, and the top half will be closer to a Lewis Leathers or Buco J100 jacket. Here's one they did earlier, which I've probably already posted.
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I participated in The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in Melbourne today. The idea is you dress up in your finery, and take your suitably hipster motorcycle out for a spin with a group of likeminded chaps.
I met up with a group at Pickings and Parry this morning, before heading off to Melbourne Museum for the ride. Here are some photos from the start of the event.
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When the Thruxton R was announced there was also talk of a collection of race parts. These included a quick shifter, high flow airfilter, hotter cam, and straight through race pipes.
It sounds like all of these have now been recalled.
If you've been following the news, the EPA hit Harley with a $12 million fine, plus a $3 million contribution to fund cleaner wood burning stoves. And this has caused other manufacturers concern.
There are a lot of sportbikes that run exhausts which aren't emissions compliant. In fact, a lot of riders view adding race pipes as a necessary step in getting a machine to run properly.
It'll be interesting to see how things shake out. I was chatting to someone who works in the industry last night, and he thought that the EPA's action might encourage other countries to pursue similar claims. There was a proposal in the EU for anti-tamper ECU systems a few years back.
In the long term it might not be a bad thing. If manufacturers have to get a bike running properly out of the box, rather than expecting owners to replace the exhaust and run a Power Commander, then that would be a win. We'll see.
