Categories
Maintenance

MOT Passed – Phew!

That time of year again, MOT due. You know the bike should be fine, you know you’ve serviced it well and checked it over thoroughly yourself. But still, there’s that little niggle of doubt over whether it will fail the MOT on something. Thankfully my trusty Fazer passed without a hitch with no advisories at all. Sorted.

Checking out past MOT passes, it seems I’ve put on 7200 miles in the last 12 months. Not too shabby at all really. A little more than previous years, but I have been doing a lot more riding for my IAM course.

On a side note, a thumbs up to London Scooters for turning the MOT round super quick in my lunch break. They’re just around the corner from my workplace, so super handy for me.

Edit: I took my wife’s CBF500 to London Scooters in May 2016 and received less than satisfactory customer service. Please see this video here.

Categories
Riding

Commute Delays in London

Most of the time when on a motorcycle in London you are immune to commuting delays, as you can filter past pretty much anything. However, on this day, my commute was delayed by a cruise ship. Bummer.

Here we are at Tower Bridge, waiting for this large Cruise ship to undock from HMS Belfast and make its way down the Thames. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t quite filter past this one. Still, it was a nice day to take stock of the fact I ride past some great icons of British architecture every day.

What iconic landmarks do you commute past on your way to/from work?

Categories
Hardware

Ebay Fail – Givi Rack Wrap

I recently ordered this Givi rack off ebay for my Fazer (after bending the old one slightly in my last off). I thought the postage quote was a little high, but I wasn’t expecting a parcel like this…

EbayFail-GiviRackWrap
Ebay Fail – Givi Rack Wrap

Quite why the seller didn’t consider undoing the two bolts to separate the two arms from the plate, I will never know. Postman takes the mick every time I see him now!

Categories
Maintenance

New Metzeler Z8 Interact Back Tyre Fitted

A new rubber day. Back tyre was looking a little elderly and rapidly running out of legal tread (possibly a contributing factor to my last off). That said, I’ve had just shy of 2 years and around 13,000 miles out of it, so not too shabby. That was a Metzeler Z6. I’ve always been happy with the grip it has provided, so decided to try a newer Z8 Interact on the back. I already have a Z8 on the front which is just over a year old, so it certainly made sense to match it.

The top chaps down at FWR fitted the new Z8 in super quick time during my lunch break and offered a competitive price too. So, thumbs up there. Just going to take it a easy now until it’s nicely scrubbed in.

Metzeler are doing a deal to blag a £50 quid Dainese voucher if you buy a pair. But, my front still has plenty of tread and I don’t see myself buying (or affording) anything new from Dainese, voucher or not.

Categories
Gear Reviews

Renthal Bars – 758 Ultra Low Handlebar Review

Renthal Bars 758 Ultra Low

When I last threw my bike down the road I managed to bend my stock Yamaha handlebars slightly. To replace them I thought I’d try the Renthal 758 Ultra Low bars, which have been a popular choice for many on the Fazer. I was tempted by the Renthal’s due to the quality of the brand and the fact they’re cheaper than OEM Yamaha replacements, coming in at around £30.

Renthal Bars 758 Ultra Low - Fitted

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Categories
Maintenance

Mugshot in a Mag

On my last visit to Oval Motorcycle Centre, I ran into a photographer from Practical Sportsbikes magazine and ended up as an impromptu model for some shots. Well, they only put my ugly mug in print…

Practical SportsBikes OMC Article page2_closeupHere I am in a fetching red boiler suit (OMC supplied) being shown by onsite guru Matt how to sort out my forks.

Read the full article in the May edition of Practical Sportsbikes, or just pop down OMC and check your bike out.

Categories
Maintenance

Forks Aligned and Back in Action Baby

Correcting Fork AlignmentIn my last update your will have seen I made quite a mess of the Fazer in a little off in the wet. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had a steady stream of parcels from Fowlers and ebay, containing numerous parts to fix up the bike.

Pictured is one of the last fixes to be done, putting the forks back in alignment. There’s countless methods to do this, but here I’ve opted for the two sticks approach, where their length exaggerates any ill alignment, making it easy to correct by eye alone.  The basic  approach is to slacken off all the bolts South of the top fork clamp yoke, realign the forks, then tighten it all up again.

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Categories
Clothing/Protection Maintenance Riding

Whoops! I Did It Again…

CrashMay15_closeupSmashed her up pretty bad. Fairing number three trashed!

Continue reading “Whoops! I Did It Again…”
Categories
News

Essex Motorcycle Show 2015

It was a Bank Holiday weekend, so as per tradition it pissed down. Not that rain could stop the Essex Motorcycle show, over at North Weald airfield.

Being local and free I dragged the family over (albeit in the car), to see what the fuss was about having not visited in previous years. It was a small, local show setup outdoors with various aeronautical gubbins as a backdrop. Stands were mostly a mix of local dealers (promoting KTM, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati, Harley Davidson), local advanced riding groups, training schools and the emergency services. Not a huge amount, but still worth an hours mooch, especially as it was free. Oh yes, did I mention it was completely free to get in?!

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Categories
Riding

After Work Twisty Road Circuit

As the days grow longer and my IAM course progresses, I have been looking for decent routes to hit after work on my commute home to squeeze in some extra practice and take advantage of the lovely weather. I ride home Eastbound on the A13, so have been hunting down quiet, yet interesting roads in close proximity to the areas of Upminster, Bulphan, Tilbury, Horndon-on-the-Hill and Brentwood. This is my route:

Upminster-Buplhan-Tilbury-Brentwood-loopCheck out full route on Google Maps here.

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