Nothing yet, but in about an hour I'll be throwing a leg over it for the start of my Scotland tour.

I always secure it until im happy then put 1 extra on incase one breaks.

I always find myself reaching back to see if its still there when i stop too.

I get abit paranoid sometimes with it :D

 

Hopefully I'll be using one bag as a backrest as it will be sitting on the pillion seat

Hopefully I'll be using one bag as a backrest as it will be sitting on the pillion seat

 

You've got to ride remember.. not chill n go to sleep  

You've got to ride remember.. not chill n go to sleep

What are you doing in here Plumbob you haven't got a bike! :p

I've been in the process of clearing and rearranging the garage so have not been able to get the bike out for the last couple of weeks but tonight it will be finished just in time for the forecasted heat wave . I need to make up for lost time and get some miles on the clock ready for Ride To The Wall next month. Hopefully my brother will be fit for it too as he got knocked off his bike last week by a young lady who didn't see him. He had been filtering and when a car stopped to allow another driver out of side road he did the sensible thing and stopped too. Unfortunately she didn't see him (or didn't bother to look) and drove straight into his front wheel knocking the bike and him over. Minor pannier and mirror damage to his bike but he has broken ribs. Luckily he has it all on camera including her admittance of guilt as she also already produced a witness stating he was racing down the road between the traffic when he hit her but the camera shows him to be going slowly before becoming stationary for a good 10 secs before she hits him.  He also has the drivers details too who stopped to allow her out of the side road.

I've been in the process of clearing and rearranging the garage so have not been able to get the bike out for the last couple of weeks but tonight it will be finished just in time for the forecasted heat wave . I need to make up for lost time and get some miles on the clock ready for Ride To The Wall next month. Hopefully my brother will be fit for it too as he got knocked off his bike last week by a young lady who didn't see him. He had been filtering and when a car stopped to allow another driver out of side road he did the sensible thing and stopped too. Unfortunately she didn't see him (or didn't bother to look) and drove straight into his front wheel knocking the bike and him over. Minor pannier and mirror damage to his bike but he has broken ribs. Luckily he has it all on camera including her admittance of guilt as she also already produced a witness stating he was racing down the road between the traffic when he hit her but the camera shows him to be going slowly before becoming stationary for a good 10 secs before she hits him. He also has the drivers details too who stopped to allow her out of the side road.

Sounds alot like what happened around here the other day. Wasnt in buxton was it?

No, it was Leeds on his way into work. 

No, it was Leeds on his way into work.

Ah okay. Sounds just like what happened here.

Bike comes down the outside and stops infront of the car which is pulling out.

If he'd stopped next to the car which let him out or just carried on over without stopping he wouldnt of got hit

Was a strange one!

This car was turning right out of the junction and I think she just applied enough lock to clear the car but not my brother on the bike who about a foot forward of the car. Either way he was clearly visible over the bonnet of the car had she look properly, he even wears a hi-viz jacket. When he comes to halt, he is looking directly at the car waiting to pull out and then realises that car is going to hit him starts shouting no before it becomes a noofucumph as the bike is knocked over. The final bit had me laughing as he sounded like an old man with asthma as he tried to get out from under the bike and then get it upright again (Deauville, ugly big thing but ideal for commuting)  

Test ride completed all looks and feels secure, I've got spare straps, bungees & cargo net just in case!

 

Alarm set for 04:30 anyone want an alarm call then?

 

 

Edited 5 September, 20169 yr by Prykey

Spot on mate. Enjoy!

I would say 'ride safe' but im sure you dont go out intending to ride unsafe

Spot on mate. Enjoy!

I would say 'ride safe' but im sure you dont go out intending to ride unsafe

 

Thank you and I intend on riding safely so I've got everything crossed!

Have a good one.

Test rode the MT09 Tracer today.. so copied what i thought from a PM to save me retyping it.. 

 

Jumped on it.. its light as anything. Much much lighter than the Tiger Sport even just lifting it off the stand. Off i went and i was immediately impressed. The seats the comfiest i've ever sat on.. the bars were just in the right place and everything was just where i wanted it. I found the pegs alot lower than what i'm used to but i soon got used to that. It only had 160 miles on the clock too! It was brand new yesterday. 

 

Being abit of a goon, i just put it in second and went straight on the throttle down the road and through the gears. The make or break moment really. It went bloody well! It feels quicker than the Tiger Sport 1050 and alot more urgent and 'on the ball' so to speak. I never found it lacking power through any of the ride and i was giving it some beans aswel, redline in second and up through the box. It was lifting the front wheel in second gear too. Traction control kicked in a little when i hit the cats-eye on a few overtakes, which felt weird as i'd never had that on a bike before! All mine have just spun up abit  . 

 

The engine didnt seem to mind what gear it was in so i thought id test that. Up a steep hill at 30mph, up into 6th gear, less than 2k rpm and gave it full throttle... it didnt bog, jerk or anything, it just pulled. 30-40-50, no problem. 

 

Power mode A was good when out of town but a tad snatchy coming off a closed throttle on a bend. I'd probably get used to that, its a mode for when you're really cracking on i thought. Power mode B is basically a wet mode, good in town, smooth and not snatchy at all, 95bhp. And then theres STD where you think you need to go to the clinic.. but actually its a middle house.. full 115bhp but the throttle respnse is crisp without being snatchy.. i found myself using that the most. 

 

It was good in the corners too, as the bars are wide and its so light, it dropped in no problem. A little like a sports bike really. Could really get moving on it tbh.. nothing about it made me want to go any slower than i would do on a sportier bike tbh. 

 

Well impressed! Especially with the engine.. its a peach. Better than the Tiger 1050 lump even! 

 

The bad bits:

 

- The screen isnt up to much. It directed the wind right at my eye level.. so that would need sorting. Although easily sorted. 

- It is pretty tall! i was on my tip toes alot more than on the Tiger Sport tbh. I'd leave it be for now and see how i go but i think i would be looking into the lowered seat (i dont really want to lose any padding?) or the lowered dogbones which i've never had and dont know how it effects the geometry or handling? 

 

So there you go. I was a little surprised at how much i liked it tbh. Proper all round bike and light + flickable too. 

 

Further more.. i've seen almost dismissed the height problem since (i forgot to look when i was with it) but the seat certainly seems to be set to the medium setting or high.. its certainly not the low setting like i'd of preferred. 

 

The LED lights also look alot more blue in the flesh than on the pictures, which i thought looked quite cool. I'd say they're probably a 4300k or 5000k temp rating. I've no idea how they actually perform at night though! 

 

 

 

 

Glad you didn't dismiss it without trying first. Sounds like you've had a blast it and it's certainly got you thinking. It's a nice looking bike if you ignore the screen and I'm sure plenty of aftermarket screens are available. Big question is what's the short list and how's it ranked?

Glad you didn't dismiss it without trying first. Sounds like you've had a blast it and it's certainly got you thinking. It's a nice looking bike if you ignore the screen and I'm sure plenty of aftermarket screens are available. Big question is what's the short list and how's it ranked?

 

Maybe.. just maybe.. i was a little ignorant to ignore it due to its mere 847cc capacity. 

 

It is actually equally as fast, if not a little faster than the 1050 Tiger Sport which i did originally want but did feel a little soft. 

 

The Tracer is sharper all round.. noticeably alot lighter and keen to be manhandled into the corners like a sports bike.. the Tiger Sport wasnt so much. 

 

Short list? I'm pretty sure i'm going to move some cash around and buy the Tracer MT09 tbh mate. 

 

I tried to sort of get a price together today but it was all 'finance this', 'GAP insurance' and even 'tyre insurance'. I did get him steadily onto the idea of a cash buy after saying about 15 million times and got a price off him. That's just given me something to work off. I've a few dealers to go around and get a best price. 

There is an enjoyment that you only get from light bikes that make them so flickable and easy to ride. Add a powerful engine and chassis that can handle it and you're onto a winner (cough..... KTM) As standard its not badly setup and they have plenty of aftermarket parts to tweet it later if you feel the need.

With dealers it's all about the commissions on every little extra they can flog you as there isn't a great deal in the bikes now that they're so competitively priced.

Happy hunting and enjoy the new bike.

Rode it the last 270 miles of my 1800 mile tour of sunny, not, Scotland.

8 days of fabulous roads and scenery, mixed in with sun cloud and torrential rain there and back.

Still bloody good fun though.

Had a little sit on my bike, not moved in 2 weeks now, been tucked up in the garage. Commuting on the scooter and a few rides with my dad on his Vespa mean the CB hasnt had much time on the road. It needs a new pair of tyres and a service really.

 

I've been half considering selling it and putting the money in the wedding fund but I'll see where we are in spring. 

I've been half considering selling it and putting the money in the wedding fund but I'll see where we are in spring.

Nooo. The wedding will only last a day n the bike will provide endless fun :D

Frday: 355 miles to Kinlochleven

Saturday: 160 mile 'bimble' with mates

Suday: 350 mies back.

Today - just listened to it ticking in the garage - would have been unfair to disturb it 

Nooo. The wedding will only last a day n the bike will provide endless fun :D

 

I know I know. If I can get away with keeping her I will. I've got a few little bits I'd like to do but only when I'm 100% sure it's staying. 

 

I'm going to smash out some more overtime, the mrs has just got promo so hopefully we'll save enough by spring that I can keep. Lucky the scooter is costing me pennies in fuel  

Had my first near miss last week while coming through wakefield,

 

Single lane splitting into two through a set of lights, I go for lane two and as i pass the 4wd i was behind he decided he also wants to be in lane two but im already there,

 

Lucky i was carrying enough speed to get passed before his front wheel clipped my rear fairing as he was moving lanes,

 

Felt far to close for comfort,

 

On a plus note had my first proper ride out to coast on sunday, 195miles out to scarbourgh and upto whitby and back with two friends,

 

Nice to go out with an experianced rider and get pulled along abit

A near miss now n again keeps you on your toes imo. It happens to us all, very glad it was a near miss and nothing more though!

Awesome news on the ride out. Whitby is nice isnt it?

Yeah whitbys is nice but it was really busy with it been warm, think half of yorkshire were at coast