M

Edited 21 May, 20179 yr by matt1chelski

Head north. Come and have a bimble around the peak district

Peak District is ace.

What about Chippenham, Stroud, Evesham. Nice roads.

Thank you for the suggestions, my brother was up for Peak District but I think it's an overnighter tbh, it's all about the roads when you get there, the ride to there isnt that great from here, even avoiding the motorways.

 

Instead we are heading to Loomies Moto Cafe in the South Downs, avoiding motorways taking this route

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/51.9543235,-0.7163297/Loomies+Moto+Cafe,+Alton+Road,+West+Meon,+Hampshire+GU32+1JX/@51.4351918,-0.9868057,9z/data=!4m12!4m11!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x48743936d147de8d:0x28718c2185e79551!2m2!1d-1.075853!2d51.030222!2m1!1b1!3e0!5i2?hl=en-US

 

Link to the cafe http://www.loomies.co.uk

 

Should be good, gotta firm up my forks before we go, just me and my brother by the looks of it. 

Thank you for the suggestions, my brother was up for Peak District but I think it's an overnighter tbh, it's all about the roads when you get there, the ride to there isnt that great from here, even avoiding the motorways.

Instead we are heading to Loomies Moto Cafe in the South Downs, avoiding motorways taking this route

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/51.9543235,-0.7163297/Loomies+Moto+Cafe,+Alton+Road,+West+Meon,+Hampshire+GU32+1JX/@51.4351918,-0.9868057,9z/data=!4m12!4m11!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x48743936d147de8d:0x28718c2185e79551!2m2!1d-1.075853!2d51.030222!2m1!1b1!3e0!5i2?hl=en-US

Link to the cafe http://www.loomies.co.uk

Should be good, gotta firm up my forks before we go, just me and my brother by the looks of it.

If you ever are up in the Peak District, let me know mate. Itd be nice to finally meet you

And see if the image of your brother for myself haha.

I wont tell him about the threads haha.

If you ever are up in the Peak District, let me know mate. Itd be nice to finally meet you

And see if the image of your brother for myself haha.

I wont tell him about the threads haha.

 

Hahahaha, deffo be up, more likely next year as my other mate has juts bought a house and his wallet is being smashed by his mrs buying curtains (he dropped out tomorrow because of 'stuff to sort'). Would be nice to put a face to a name   It might be a good chance to get a few of us together if arranged in enough time. 

 

Edit, my brother wont disappoint in his superdry hoody and trainers lol

Edited 24 July, 201510 yr by matt1chelski

Well thats all gone out the window. Up all night with the dog being ill, got up at 7, brother rings me at 830 when he was suppose to be here to help me adjust my forks, tells me A, he'd just woke up and B, he didnt know how to do the forks (after telling me he did). Just to put the icing on the cake he decided to invite a random bloke I've never met to come with us. It tipped me over the edge and I told him to go with his mate and I was staying at home. 

 

His mates are either good as gold or total *****, I dont wanna find out which this one is on a long bike ride, I cant be arse with ******* about. Maybe I'm being OTT because I'm grumpy but he doesnt even ask to invite someone else. So now the weather is lush, bike is full of fuel and I'm sat watching saturday ******* kitchen. 

Edited 25 July, 201510 yr by matt1chelski

Well thats all gone out the window. Up all night with the dog being ill, got up at 7, brother rings me at 830 when he was suppose to be here to help me adjust my forks, tells me A, he'd just woke up and B, he didnt know how to do the forks (after telling me he did). Just to put the icing on the cake he decided to invite a random bloke I've never met to come with us. It tipped me over the edge and I told him to go with his mate and I was staying at home.

His mates are either good as gold or total *****, I dont wanna find out which this one is on a long bike ride, I cant be arse with ******* about. Maybe I'm being OTT because I'm grumpy but he doesnt even ask to invite someone else. So now the weather is lush, bike is full of fuel and I'm sat watching saturday ******* kitchen.

Could always go for a bimble on your own.

I prefer riding on my own tbh. Speed up when you want, slow down when i want and go whichever way i want without people getting mardy at me haha.

Head down to the South Central meet in the New Forest ... Grrr666 did last year

I'm not in a great mood now, I might go for a ride over to the local bike cafe for a bit of lunch later. 

I'm not in a great mood now, I might go for a ride over to the local bike cafe for a bit of lunch later. 

 

Could go and veiw that bike for me ill mail you £20 fuel haha

Could go and veiw that bike for me ill mail you £20 fuel haha

 

Not a bad idea, at least the ride looks reasonably nice. I have no mechanical knowledge though, but can give it a once over and check it's as fresh as it looks in the pictures? 

Not a bad idea, at least the ride looks reasonably nice. I have no mechanical knowledge though, but can give it a once over and check it's as fresh as it looks in the pictures? 

 

 

Just checking for signs of repair if its been in an accident get him to fire it up check for any loud ticking or under-filled oil before you start it up etc etc they like to take pictures in good light 

brother rings me at 830 when he was suppose to be here to help me adjust my forks, tells me A, he'd just woke up and B, he didnt know how to do the forks (after telling me he did)

What adjustment is it you're wanting to make?

What adjustment is it you're wanting to make?

 

They were too soft, so me being me set it to stock then wacked another 4 turns to hard, good job I dont have fillings lol. Going to my mates tomorrow to set it up properly and change brake fluid/coolant. 

Four turns of what? Preloaded, or compression damping?

First step is to set damping adjusters to standard (settings will be in the handbook) and measure your static sag. Preload should be set to give around 20-25mm static sag. Then measure your dynamic sag (sag with rider on board and suspension settled). Dynamic sag should be using approx 1/3 of the full travel. If you can't get dynamic sag in the right region with static sag set correctly, then your springs are the wrong rate for your weight, and no amount of twiddling damping adjusters will get things working right.

Damping adjusters on oe suspension do very little anyway, manufacturers make them that way deliberately so that owners can't balls the settings up enough to make anything dangerous. Some adjusters are even just dummies - they turn, but don't actually do anything.

I guess new springs will be needed then, eh Matt

Had a go at setting it up better with my mate today, used the sag method posted above plus a cable tie round the fork to see how much travel was being used. Dunno how it rides now, was chucking it down so didnt push it much but felt better than yesterday lol. 

 

 

I guess new springs will be needed then, eh Matt

 

I need a new rear shock for sure, I think most bikes are designed for 12 stone Japanese motorcyclists, as you know, I am not 12 stone or Japanese.

 

 

 

I need a new rear shock for sure, I think most bikes are designed for 12 stone Japanese motorcyclists, as you know, I am not 12 stone or Japanese.

Your average Japanese rider weighs a fair bit less than 12 stone (I do too, lol), and JDM bikes are set up to suit their svelte weight, but those built for export have suspension more appropriate for an "average" weight European owner. You have to remember though that most oe suspension units are mass produced and poor quality, with cost being at the top of the priority list, and performance at the bottom. And they're not built to last - most oe shocks will be completely shagged within a few thousand miles. If you want any significant improvement (especially if you're lighter or heavier than "average") then you need to spank the wallet (or credit card) on an aftermarket unit, or rebuilding and revolving, on those shocks that are worth rebuilding (many aren't).

I need a new rear shock for sure, I think most bikes are designed for 12 stone Japanese motorcyclists, as you know, I am not 12 stone or Japanese.

Get one like mine, it's lurvely

Get one like mine, it's lurvely

 

I need this

 

 

I need this

 

 

You need one of these http://personal.natwest.com/personal/loans.html hahaha

 

i would never buy OHLINS unless it was on the bike as standard  

 

i would never buy OHLINS unless it was on the bike as standard

Ohlins are over rated and over priced. Yes, their best stuff (the stuff normal punters can't buy) is as good as anything out there, but if you buy an Ohlins shock you just get an off the shelf item, the only thing that differs is the choice of spring rate. There's various other options out there that are better, for the same sort of money. For example my Wilbers unit pictured there. Separate high and low speed compression damping (you don't get that on most Ohlins), built to order and fully bespoke for your weight and requirements - not just spring rate, but damping, shock length, and even spring colour (Ral 2002 vermilion orange on mine, to match the bike). Or Nitron - similar full bespoke service, and built in the UK.

There's one other thing that would always stop me buying online though - the colour. I have a pathological aversion to anything gold, lol.

The Ohlins units that some bikes have fitted as OE equipment are rarely real Ohlins (except on exotica like homologation specials - they're usually made under licence in the far east, not by Ohlins themselves. The worst example being the XJR1300SP, back when Yamaha owned 49% of Ohlins - cheap junk with Ohlins stickers on.

Ohlins are over rated and over priced. Yes, their best stuff (the stuff normal punters can't buy) is as good as anything out there, but if you buy an Ohlins shock you just get an off the shelf item, the only thing that differs is the choice of spring rate. There's various other options out there that are better, for the same sort of money. For example my Wilbers unit pictured there. Separate high and low speed compression damping (you don't get that on most Ohlins), built to order and fully bespoke for your weight and requirements - not just spring rate, but damping, shock length, and even spring colour (Ral 2002 vermilion orange on mine, to match the bike). Or Nitron - similar full bespoke service, and built in the UK.

There's one other thing that would always stop me buying online though - the colour. I have a pathological aversion to anything gold, lol.

The Ohlins units that some bikes have fitted as OE equipment are rarely real Ohlins (except on exotica like homologation specials - they're usually made under licence in the far east, not by Ohlins themselves. The worst example being the XJR1300SP, back when Yamaha owned 49% of Ohlins - cheap junk with Ohlins stickers on.

 

I know thats why i would never buy OHLINS but i meant like special edition bikes that have ohlins such as the zxr1400 i rode and that was equivalent to aftermarket but fitted for the special edition at a reduced price.

I know thats why i would never buy OHLINS but i meant like special edition bikes that have ohlins such as the zxr1400 i rode and that was equivalent to aftermarket but fitted for the special edition at a reduced price.

Did you mean ZZR1400, or ZRX1200? The ZZR1400 special edition didn't get an Ohlins shock from the factory. If it's had one fitted by a dealer as an extra then that would be an aftermarket proper Ohlins (as in a standard off the shelf ine from the UK importer). The ZRX1200 DAEG special edition has factory fit Ohlins twin shocks, but I'd be wiling to bet that they're the made under licence by third party type, not from the Ohlins factory.