THE OLD BLOKE'S BLOG
Welcome to the next installment of what's been happening in my life - as well as things I've observed etc. I'll keep these blogs to a 6-monthly page, so you don't have to do too much scrolling!By the way, if you want to go to the preceeding page, or the following page (when there is one), just quickly scroll down to the bottom of this and you'll find all the relevant buttons to click down there.JULY 2008. My son-in-law, Damien (who had the Kawasaki motocrosser; and has added his comments to a couple of test-rides), has been wanting to get back into road-bikes. And recently (against my better judgement!) he swapped his Kwaka for an Aprilia RS125. Click here to see what I thought of it! But two days after he got it, the bike developed what I diagnosed as an electrical problem. Hmmm, who'd have thunk it; an 8-year old Italian bike with an electrical problem! Looks cool though!
JULY 2008. Still been looking for a new bike. Having missed out on the demo model (see last entry on previous page) I found a similar thing in Motorcycle Trader magazine. A private-sale, it is a 2007 XJR1300 with just over 1,000km on it. Good price too! Only problem is that it's in Victoria; and I live in NSW! I had to call though. It's owned by a middle-aged guy who is selling it because he (obviously!) isn't riding it much. He bought the XJR after his wife gave up riding as pillion following an accident they had on his previous bike, a BMW tourer. He'd previously owned an XJR1200, and liked it, so after selling the big BM he went back to the XJR again - the up-dated version of. And it's even in my preferred colour for that model, blue!
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The owner later called me to say he'd reduced the price a bit - making it an even better bargain! So I started thinking more seriously about it; and got him to email me some photos of it.I also checked out some bike-transport services. There are quite a few around these days (to cater for people who buy over the internet etc). Some also do secure hand-over (giving the owner the money and collecting the rego-papers etc). Hmmm, starting to sound possible! I also checked out inspection services but the closest one was in Melbourne and the traveling would put the price up to around $250. Then I called the local Yamaha dealer and they do inspections - at their workshop - for $50. So I arranged for the owner to take it in. The verdict was that it was "like a new bike!" Passed with flying colours! I suppose you'd expect it would, but as the service-manager said, some bikes can be a year old and still show signs of abuse and damage etc. I'd like to ride one again though, before I finally decide.JULY 2008. My "process-of-elimination" on the new bike thing has come down to a choice between XJR1300 ('07) and FZ1 (pre-'06 ). At the moment there are a couple of FZ1s that look possible (and they're at least in the same state!), plus the XJR in Victoria. But we've been hit by a couple of unexpected bills, and the finances are looking pretty tight. It's not so much the purchase of the bike, but the "extras", like transporting the bike (if I buy interstate), insurance, transfer of rego, and so on. On a spur-of-the-moment thing, I decided to try selling my bike; as there are the afore-mentioned possible replacement bikes available. So I listed it on "Bikesales". I don't really expect it to sell though, because the rego is up in September. (Although I've allowed for that in the price).
AUGUST 2008. I took my son-in-law's bike into a local repair shop. (He couldn't take it because he works long hours and isn't home when the shop is open). That was an interesting exercise! The battery was flat, so we had to push-start it. (My daughter did the pushing and I did the starting!). Then it cut out not far from the repair shop. It coasted, with a bit of assistance, to the driveway and then I pushed it into his yard. Good thing it's only light! The problem is electrical, and further diagnosis is being made.
AUGUST 2008. The "new-bike saga" continues! I've just ridden a 2006 XJR1300 and a 2004 FZ1. And, as I mentioned in my report on the XJR, I prefer the XJR to the FZ1. I've now ridden three of each (actually only two FZ1s, but one on two occasions), so I've got a pretty good idea of which will suit me best, for my preferences and the type of riding I do. So I'm thinking very seriously about the XJR in Victoria.
But everything has been kind of put on hold. Our finances are just too tight to do anything at the moment. The XJR is no longer listed in the magazine, and the owner is going overseas on holidays so won't be advertising it again until he gets back. I spoke to him and he's going to call me when he returns. Hopefully by then I'll be in a position to proceed. I'm pretty definite about buying it! (Provided the dollars come together a bit!).AUGUST 2008. Well, the Olympics are on TV. Have you been watching? I'd be a lot more interested if they had motor-sport! I'm not really a sports-type person. For me, sport has to involve wheels and a throttle! Then I'll watch! Inevitably you end up watching some of it though. Weight-lifting; there was a guy who lifted 258kg. That's about the same weight as a Harley Sportster! Imagine walking up to one of those, grabbing it by the front forks and rear sub-frame and lifting it over your head! The mind boggles!
AUGUST 2008. I am now bikeless! I've just sold my bike! It'd been listed on Bikesales for a couple of weeks, but I hadn't received any enquiries. And I didn't think I'd get any, not with rego being due in about 4 weeks. But last Sunday I got a phone call from a woman who was almost desperate to have a look at it. She'd been looking for a bike for a while and had picked out 5 within driving-distance (a fair amount of driving though!) to check out; but mine was one that really appealed to her.
By the time I'd answered the phone (it was to my mobile and I'd had it switched off) and she and a bike-advisor male friend got here, they'd already looked at the other 4. She had a look at mine and loved it; just what she wanted! The friend checked it over, took it for a ride, and pronounced it in excellent condition. They were also amazed to see the complete service-history I had for it, from the time it was just 7,000km old, right up until the last bit of maintenance I'd done. So she decided to buy it. She left a deposit and will pick it up in about a week's time. That will take some of the worry out of buying a new bike, although I was still sad to see it go; it's been a great bike! But I was happy to see it going to what I knew would be a good home where it would be loved and cared for. And would you believe that while I was waiting for them to arrive I had another phone call about it from a guy in the next suburb! And then a couple more enquiries a few days later.That happened the day before the owner of the XJR left for his overseas holiday! (My timing again!). So I am now bikeless!SEPTEMBER 2008. My bike has finally gone! The lady who bought it couldn't come back to get it for a couple of weeks; which was fine, I just held it for her. I wasn't riding it, of course, but I could still see it in the shed! Then, on the first weekend of the month she was back to pick it up. It was sad to see it ride off down the street; but, as I said above, I was glad to see it going to a good home.
I phoned her a few days later to see how she was going and how she liked it. She was loving it! The perfect bike for her! It was great to talk with her and see her so happy with it! What a nice way to sell a bike that has been such a good two-wheeled friend to me! And now I've got to wait for the owner of the XJR to get back from his hols. SEPTEMBER 2008. Well, things are finally happening on the new-bike scene. The owner of the XJR in Victoria returned from his overseas holiday and phoned me to see if I was still interested in the bike. I said I was, and told him I'd buy it. Decision finally made! So arrangements have been set in motion to have the bike picked up by a courier, with secure transfer of money and rego papers etc. And now I'm going through the process of arranging insurance and so on. That's a hassle in itself! And more involved than just transferring my old policy to the new bike. I'm changing companies. In the end, Shannons came up with a great price and good coverage. Now just a few days until it arrives!
JULY 2008. Winter has struck! There have been some cold weekends recently. I still try to get out on the bike though. But I'm now restricting my rides to warmer areas. I've been into the Southern Highlands region a couple of times recently, (a favourite area of mine!) and it has been cold and threatening rain. A shortened ride found me having lunch in a cosy cafe with a wood-heater. Nice! Then it was back out into the cold again. I still enjoyed the ride though!
SEPTEMBER 2008. My new bike arrives! Allwest Motorcycle Transport was the company that did the job. A big truck, carrying about 12 bikes, called at the seller's home and loaded the bike. The whole pick-up and transfer was a very professional job!
The bikes are taken to their main depot near Sydney and then delivered in smaller vans to each location.It was just as immaculate as described - not a mark on it anywhere! And just 1220km showing on the odo. As the driver said, "It's just like a new bike!" I only had time for a short ride before I started work, but of course I had to have a ride! I won't go into too much detail here; for a full story of my purchase of the new bike, click here. But initial impressions were that it felt slightly lighter than I remembered. The engine vibes; not a totally smooth engine, but you don't notice it when on the move, and it's never a problem. The ride was good; the handlebars, as expected, felt wrong. Brakes were excellant, better than I recalled on the others I rode. The wind was pretty ferocious at 160kph! (Well, you've got to give it a bit of a blast haven't you!).The next day I visited a local Yamaha dealer to ask a couple of questions on minor things, and while I was there they adjusted the bars; all at no charge! What a difference it made! (You'll see more detail in the story). Then I went for a more decent ride. A bit of highway, then up a very narrow winding mountain road, a stop for a coffee, then back down another mountain road, and along the highway home. Handling was great! I felt just as confident with it as on my old bike. Power was great too! Suspension needs adjusting (still a bit firm for my weight and preference). 
SEPTEMBER 2008. Getting the rego changed etc is a real hassle! Being an interstate registration, the rego has to be handed in and a new-vehicle type inspection done. The only place in town that does that wants the bike for 2 hours to do it! No, it doesn't take that long; although they say there is a lot of paper-work to be done. Then, I'd arranged the CTP insurance and received the policy in the mail, but noticed there was a typo in the VIN number! So now they have to issue another one! It would've been easier if I'd bought a bike in the same state! But it'll all be worthwhile eventually!
OCTOBER 2008. I've been busy getting the bike set up to suit me. Suspension adjustment was the first thing. I've been researching articles on the 'net to learn more about it. Yes, of course I know what the adjustments do (preload, compression damping and rebound damping), but I wanted to learn more about how to adjust them to achieve the result I want without upsetting the handling. An email to Yamaha's technical support wasn't much help. (They have been helpful in the past when I emailed them). I softened everything up from their standard setting (which it was on), then softened up the rear preload even further. You can read more about this in my story on how it's been to live with, (when I get that written), but a worrying thing is that I've found that it is upsetting my dodgy old back. Hmmm, not a good thing! And totally unexpected, because the bike actually rides quite well! But suspension adjustment has certainly helped. It was definitely too firm for my weight before. Next thing was to fit a Ventura rack. So I now have a bag-on-the-back (as I mentioned in that article).
OCTOBER 2008. Went for a ride to a favourite biker's meeting spot. The bike attracted quite a bit of attention! One guy used to have an XJR1200 but said he sold it because he reckoned he was going to kill himself or lose his licence! (Why not just ride slower?). He bought a cruiser. He likes the cruiser but still loves the XJRs; he reckoned seeing mine "really made his day!" It made my day having him say that! Another guy used to have a 2004 model and was telling me how good they are and how much better mine was than the earlier models (suspension and fuel-injection etc). He now has an FJR1300 and a couple of lovely old mid-80s XJ900s. He recalled seeing the add for mine and said he would've bought it himself if he'd had the spare cash! So I came home feeling pretty good about my new toy!
While we were talking a storm blew in. So we suited up and headed off. Well, now I can tick off "Ridden it in the rain!"OCTOBER 2008. Congratulations to Troy! And Troy! Troy Bayliss has wrapped up the World Superbike title. And Troy Corser (another Aussie) is currently in second place. I don't have pay-TV so I go down to my local club to watch it. They know me now and when I walk in at around 11pm to watch the second race they ask where I'd like to sit and what channel it's on. Then switch it over for me. Aren't they nice! But I want to publicly express my gripe with the media. An Aussie just won a world sporting championship, and was there any coverage of that? Maybe a paragraph on a back page somewhere. But there were pages and pages devoted to the latest round of football! I don't follow football at all, but I have nothing against those who do, and nothing against the newspapers and TV covering that. But come on, let's have a bit of balance! And give appropriate coverage to a well-deserved Aussie world champion!
OCTOBER 2008. The XJR is now run-in. Not that it'll make much difference. At the stage I got it (between 1,000km and 1,600km) the restriction was not to run it for prolonged periods above 5,700rpm, or at full throttle. I don't think I'll be doing either of those things anyway! It doesn't need to be held at high revs to go fast, and I won't be riding it at full-bore for extended periods!
OCTOBER 2008. I've just phoned and cancelled my accomodation for The Snowy Ride. (Grumble, grumble!!!). I went on my first Snowy Ride in 2005. In 2006 a family upset kept me at home, then in 2007 it just wasn't practical to go, for a couple of reasons. But this year I was definitely going!! But our finances are a bit tight, and there's a bathroom reno that's waiting to be done (new units sitting in the shed awaiting installation). So I've had to put it off again. Oh well, maybe next year!!
NOVEMBER 2008. My son-in-law has just sold his Aprilia (see item in July above). Probably a good move! At this stage he is working long hours and doesn't get a much riding time, so he isn't intending to buy another bike just yet.
NOVEMBER 2008. Weather continues to be a problem for riding! Weather and other commitments. So the new bike is spending a couple of weeks at a time in the shed, and then only coming out for short rides.
NOVEMBER 2008. I just found out that my brother-in-law, who I don't see that much as he lives some distance away, has recently bought a bike. (He isn't really a biker, an enthusiast, he just bought one for transport. A few years ago he had a 250 for a while). He decided on something a bit bigger this time and bought a "Yamaha 900." What model exactly? He didn't know; but a couple of further questions identified it as an XJ900. He bought it from a bike shop near where he lives. They had two of them. He took one for a ride. The salesman had told him to just park it on the road when he got back. So he did. But it was a hot day, and the sidestand sunk into the soft bitumen and the bike fell over! When the salesman went to get the bike he found it lying on it's side with a broken blinker and about $700 worth of fairing damage! I asked what happened next. "I said, 'I'll take the other one for a ride now!'" Well, at least he bought that one! Anyway, no sooner do I find he's got a bike than he's selling it. He's been given free use of a company car.
NOVEMBER 2008. I noticed a couple of interesting new models announced. One is from Yamaha and resurrects a popular Yammie name, “Diversion.” In this case it’s the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion. It appears to be a replacement for the FZ6 (and will be sold as the FZ6 in the U.S. I believe). Specifications seem very similar to the FZ6, although they claim the engine to be “newly-developed” and don’t say anything about it being based on the R6, as the FZ6 was.
From Suzuki comes a naked version of the popular Bandit. Ah, so now dropping the GSX1400 makes sense – well sort of. At least they will have a big-bore naked still in their range. It looks pretty much the same as the normal Bandit but without the small fairing, and with a round headlight. I’ve mentioned in articles how similar it is in specification (weight, engine-size etc) to the Yamaha XJR1300. The differences now will be in image and style. The Suzuki looks modern (and boasts "modern" features like a 6-speed box and water-cooling), while the XJR is old-style “retro-cool.” To me, the XJR has more character; (but then I suppose I would say that!). Price is the usual Suzuki bargain at $11,490. (That’s $2,500 less than the recommended retail of the XJR!). NOVEMBER 2008. I can now add "ridden it in gale-force winds" to the list of XJR experiences! The bad weather continues. Today was sunny (sometimes) but very windy! Feeling a bit frustrated at not having ridden much, I decided to go for a quick ride while the sun was out - even if the trees were almost blowing sideways! Perhaps not surprisingly, the wind didn't effect the bike much! I suppose a big naked bike would be about the least effected by wind. I might've been using a bit more throttle when it was a howling head-wind, but I didn't really notice. It certainly didn't seem to be slowing it up. Nor was it being blown around much. The trees were bending almost horizontal, but the XJR was straight and stable. There was only one occasion when I was coming up to a left-hander and a sudden gust blew me slightly to the right; resulting in me approaching the corner wide and already leaning. But even then it was no drama, I slowed a bit more and it went around easily.
Oh, and I can also add "got it sideways"! No, not a Valentino Rossi power-slide! Just a momentary lock-up from a sloppy down-shift! I was coming into a sharp right-angle turn on a very narrow back-road. I was only going slowly, and as I trundled up to the corner and just begun to turn in, I pulled in the clutch and clicked back a couple of gears. When I let the clutch out the back wheel momentarily locked and the back skipped sideways. Yep, I'd gone back too many gears - riding it like a 6-speed, not a 5-speed! All at very low speed, and lasted less than a second. (And it probably slid about two inches!). So, no, nothing very exciting or frightening at all! NOVEMBER 2008. The Sydney Motorcycle Expo was on again. And, of course, I went. It's always an enjoyable time. I found out that my assumption of the new XJ6 replacing the FZ6 was wrong; it's an additional model. Anyway, click here to read all about it.
NOVEMBER 2008. Went for an interesting ride today. Various members of "Ratbags" (the Triumph owners organisation) went for a ride, starting out from various locations, and ending up at a pub for lunch. And a couple of non-Triumph owners were invited too! The weather was a bit dicey, which put some people off, but a good group turned up at the pub for an enjoyable chat and a good lunch. Bikes included two Rockets, two Bonnevilles, plus a 1976 model Bonneville (first bike in the line-up on the right), a Honda Shadow (the owner has a deposit down on a new Triumph), a Yamaha FJR1300, and a Yamaha XJR1300.
DECEMBER 2008. I went on our local Toy Run today. I always like to join the Toy Runs. As usual, it was an enjoyable event, and all for a very good cause. But it was hot! The forecast temperature was 27, but it got well into the 30's. Especially early on the run, the pace was pretty slow, and we got caught at traffic-lights, which made the heat even more oppressive. I never usually feel any heat off the motor on the XJR, but today my legs felt like they were roasting! (I worry a bit about air-cooled engines in conditions like these, but it went fine). As the ride progressed we were able to pick up a bit more pace and get some air flowing over the bikes and riders. Thankfully, at the destination in the middle of town, there were some shaded areas to park the bikes and people under.
Riding-gear varied a lot. Some had full-racing-style leathers. As my daughter's Harley-riding father-in-law said, "They'd need drain-holes at the bottom to let the sweat out!" I reckon! Some were at the other extreme, like the young guy on a beautifully restored Honda 550 who was wearing light-weight jeans and a singlet. A couple on a scooter had brief shorts, joggers and skimpy T-shirts. Open-face helmets were the only concession to any sort of motorcycle-appropriate apparel. Police were in attendance (including on one of the new special-issue FJR1300s), but only in the centre of the city were they on duty at intersections to keep all the bikes together and moving. Bikes varied a lot too; as they usually do. The smallest I saw was a little Bug scooter that a lady was riding. At the assembly area she was just behind me and my riding-companions. Being surrounded by an XJR1300, FJR1300 and Triumph Rocket made it look even more tiny! The largest were the trikes - probably the VW-powered ones, although there were a couple of Goldwing-based units that looked pretty big! The oldest bike was undoubtedly this 1918 Triumph.
DECEMBER 2008. The weather hasn't been very kind. If it's not hot - as per the Toy Run above - it's been wet! On weekends anyway, which is the only time I can get out. Frustrating!
DECEMBER 2008. Well we got a fine weekend and I finally got to do a decent ride again. Went with a mate on his FJR. There was a section of road that I knew was a bit choppy, so I put the AirHawk on before we got to that. First time - apart from a brief run just to try it - I'd ridden it with the AirHawk. It did the job of isolating the choppy bits from the old backside!
DECEMBER 2008. Christmas is over, I'm on holidays for a couple of weeks, so should get to do a bit more riding. I went for a couple of rides, including through the famous Royal National Park. I actually don't like that road because it's choppy and rough. But the XJR was quite comfortable along there. Still not a good road though!
If the road wasn't the problem that it usually has been, the heat was a problem! Temperature on both rides was over 30 degrees. For some reason I get a lot of heat on the side of my legs. You might think that, sitting right behind that big donk, you'd get heat from that, but the heat-shields in front of your legs really do a good job. But somehow there is heat coming from the side; even the side-covers feel warm. And there's nothing hot behind them. I could relieve it by sticking my knees out and getting some air flowing over my legs; except I angled one leg out a bit too far once, while doing around 110kph, and it nearly ripped my leg off! I posted a question on an XJR Owners web-site about this. The site is based in the UK but has members all over the world. No replies from anyone who had experienced this particular phenomenon, but one guy did have a suggestion; "Move to the UK!" Hmmm, that'd probably do the trick, but I reckon the wife would think that solution a bit extreme! The other ride I did, by the way, was to the pub for lunch with the Triumph owners, (see item under November above). That was enjoyable. Saw a beautifully restored Kawasaki Z1300 there. (It left before I could take a pic). Rode home in company with my mate on the FJR, a Triumph Rocket, and a Suzuki M109R - with a newly fitted 250-section rear tyre! DECEMBER 2008. My last ride for the year was to one of those road-side service areas that have establishments (petrol and eateries) either side of major highways. But you get there via secondary roads, with just a short section of the major highway. About 160km round-trip. This particular ride was one I'd only done a few times, and hadn't done on the new bike. So I'd been intending to ride there. A couple of times when I was going to go things - usually the weather, or leaving it too late in the day - stopped me. But on December 30 I headed off, having still started out late in the day, and in weather that was less than ideal. Strong winds had been forecast, and it was hot, but I went anyway. And strong winds was what I got! A sit-up-straight naked is probably not the best thing to be riding into an almost gale-force head-wind! I often had trouble maintaining 100kph. Even 90kph felt more like 200kph! Oh the bike was fine, it just sat there and wasn't blown around at all by the wind; it was the rider that was having the problem! I consoled myself with the thought that on the return journey it'd be better, it'd be a tail-wind.
Well, I got there, and went inside for a welcome break from the wind and a cuppa. Then headed back. It was much better on the trip back. There was much less wind at 120kph than there had been at 90kph on the way there. But the heat of the day added to the general unpleasantness of the ride. Why didn't I turn back, early on the ride? I don't know - old and stubborn I guess! And I'm still glad I went. (Make that "old and stupid!").HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!