FEEDBACK
Here is the next installment of Feedback. This is what you have said to me! One of the really great things, for me, to have come out of doing this web-site is the fantastic response it has brought from all you readers out there! I really appreciate your emails, and it's great to be able to share your comments with other readers through this page.
The page runs from the first comments at the top, to the most recent ones at the bottom. So, as the year progresses you'll have to do a bit of scrolling to get to the latest entries. Sorry, but it kind of needs to work that way. Oh well, doesn't take too much to get there!
For the previous feedback page, just click the button down the bottom of the page.
Over previous pages you probably noticed I’ve been experimenting with fonts; I tried to use a different font, and put it in bold, to make what you wrote stand out. Last year I (unintentionally!) changed the font half way through the year. (And in the process, made it worse!). This year I’ve decided to just use the normal font, and not put it in bold. I'll still put bits in bold to highlight them, but the rest of the comment will be in normal font. I think it’s easier to read like that. I’ve also decided to divide the page into months – it’s easier to find your way around the page that way.
Anyway let’s get to it!

JANUARY 2011
What a great start to the year this is! Aussie sent in this link to a guy in America demonstrating his 1913 Harley Davidson. He takes the viewer on a guided tour of the bike, starts it up, and even rides it! Thanks Aussie.
Aussie also wrote in response to my “Best And Worst” article. He wrote, “I couldn't agree with you more at your ‘Thumbs down’ to Suzuki for dropping the GSX 1400, one magnificent motorcycle. I rode a mate's some time back and pulled away in top, that’s sixth gear, from 10 kph and that sickle looked so retro good that I might  have even bought one. However I'd have to part with the old GS1000G which isn't in the equation.” Yes, it was a good bike, and the fact that it was still selling well makes the move to drop it even harder to fathom.
Aussie also commented on batteries; which I mentioned in the article. He said, “The original Yuasa in my sickle lasted nine years from 1981 to 1990. I replaced it with a cheaper brand which went to lunch after two years. They mightn't be made in Japan these days, but I've found they're still pretty good. My present one I bought in April 2007. One bike shop said they no longer sell them as they are priced out of the market. I almost believed him when another shop wanted $200. (2007 remember). Just on the off chance I saw my auto electrician who ordered one in for me and charged the grand total of $90! It's still going strong.” So the message seems to be that Yuasa is the best (local dealers and mechanics told me the same thing); and to shop around!
After the article on Unusual But Useful Things We Carry was published, a member of the forum I also posted the question on responded with this list of what he carries. “On a trip, I carry a mini-first aid kit including Imodium (to control diarrhoea), toilet paper (it can be a long way between toilets), an EPIRB, ear plugs, condoms (to get water in an emergency), torch, Leatherman, water, two pairs of gloves, spare socks and underwear, reuseable heat pack hand warmers, wet weather gear if I can find it, and a tubeless tyre repair kit, two mobile phones (I had one ruined after getting caught in the rain).” Ah yes, more medical supplies. I’m not alone! And two mobile phones, because just like me, he had one ruined by water! Er, the condom to get water in is, um, yes, probably unusual. And water for what? To drink? Drinking out of a condom – now there’s an image you don’t want to see!
Russ sent in this link to frame-sliders for the Kawasaki GTR1400; which was one of the bikes not catered for by Oggy Knobbs. Price from US$250. So if any readers have one of the big Kwakas, this would be a good site to check out.
Hybrid motorbikes are coming! Yes, you’ve probably seen the Zero all-electric bike, but really, who is going to buy that? But genuine hybrids, like hybrid cars, are a more realistic proposition. Rod sent in this link to a story on a proposed hybrid version of the Spyder – as if it isn’t unique enough already! It’s a serious move too, and has backing of the Canadian government. Take a look at the story.
Ivor wrote in response to the article on Unusual Things We Carry. “I note all these people saying they carry a plethora of tools and gaffa-tape and tie-wire and so on. What sort of bikes are these blokes riding? Sounds like they’re on Brit bikes from the 1950s! I have the standard tool kit that came with the bike, but no other tools. Okay, I do have a roll of insulation tape in there, but really, with today’s bikes if something goes wrong, what can you do? The days where the home-mechanic can fiddle around with a bike on the side of the road and get it going again are pretty much over. These days with computerised ignition and electronic fuel-injection, if something goes wrong what are you going to do with a box of spanners and some gaffa tape?” He has a point, doesn’t he. Although, while most new bikes are all electronic when it comes to fuel and ignition, there are plenty of bikes out there that still run carbies. The old points-ignition is probably getting pretty rare now, but carbies are still very common. And it can be necessary to clean them out if you pick up some bad fuel, or they get a blockage etc. But he’s right though, the days of road-side repairs are becoming a thing of the past. Today you need an engineering degree in electronics to do anything major with your bike! 
And still on the "Unusual Things" article, Don wrote, "I'm intrigued there is no mention of spare spark plugs and wondered if bikes were so reliable these days that carrying a spare is unnecessary." I was going to mention this Don. Having come from a background of trail-bikes, I used to always carry a spare plug. Even long after I got into road-bikes I always had a spare plug in the tool-bag. Eventually, (when my bike was a 4-cylinder), I was convinced that it was a bit useless. It is very unusual for one plug to suffer break-down, or other failure that would require it to be replaced. Not if you replace the plugs at recommended intervals anyway. And even if a plug did die, my friend argued, I had three other cylinders to get me home. Hmm, probably true. So I didn't bother carrying one any more. In the back of my mind though I sometimes think, "But you never know..."!
Barry, who told us a couple of  items he carried when he did his around Australia trip, in the Unusual Things article, wrote in to add some more to the list. On that particular trip he also carried, “4 months of pills (I take 9 per day), camera, 3 pair of gloves, wet weather gear, compressor, puncture repair kit, water, oranges, hair drier to dry clothes (if not in motel), Swiss Army knife, Dencorub, plus 5 changes of clothes.” That was in addition to the two toilet rolls and the “bloody great 13-inch hunting knife” he mentioned previously.
Aussie wrote in response to the mention of spark-plugs in the “Unusual Things” article. “In over 230,000ks of riding I only used my spare spark plug once, on what I would call a fluke happening. I took off at the lights under the railway bridge just over Queens Bridge Melbourne some years ago. Unbeknown to me trucks tended to slop fuel onto the road as they took the bend into Williams Street. I hit it and went down. I can't for the life of me remember how I fell, but the sickle finished up on its left side with a right handlebar bent at 45 degrees jamming the front brake lever into the fairing. With cars belting around the blind bend, I had to frantically tear away my new fairing to release the bloody brake. Having wheeled the sickle off the road, on checking for any further damage I found the left outer sparkie had snapped in two with the porcelain hanging out of a dangling plug lead! I can only assume that I kicked it as I fell away. Installing my spare plug I continued on my way.” Wow, that all sounds rather nasty! But good point about spark plugs, we probably don’t need to carry them – unless you’re riding a 2-stroke trail-bike!
Dave wrote in just before Christmas with this one, but it got missed somehow. He wrote to say he’d just bought a new bike. “Based partly on your review, I just picked up my new Honda VFR-800. Woo-hoo! Have had lots of BMWs but got burned by the latest one. It was a 2001 R-1150 RT. Nothing really wrong with the bike itself, but repairs and maintenance were a nightmare. After 155,000 ks I found myself going broke keeping it on the road. My beef is with the BMW attitude re parts. I was seriously considering buying a new BMW until I was asked to pay: $500 for a rhs blinker switch (plus labour to install), $450 for diff bearings, $3,500 to repair faulty ABS, $270 to reset the low brake-pad warning light, and up to $3000 for three new disc rotors. Haven't had a new bike for years and was always content with my '75 R-90/6. But the newer BM really put me off the brand. So, got a Honda and am loving it!” Wow, those prices!! But I’m glad you’re happy with the new bike. Maybe you could send us some pics and a story on how you’re going with it?
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Click here to go to the Feedback page for 2010. And you can follow it back further from there!
FEBRUARY 2011
Geoffrey wrote in with a request for a long-term report on my Yamaha XJR1300. “How about a ‘long term’ update on your XJR1300 experience. Owning one is so much better than a journo's assessment.” Part of his reason for asking is that he is considering buying one.Well, I had considered doing one when I'd clocked up a year’s ownership (and then thought about it again at two years) but I ended up not doing it. I had written a fair bit about it already, including one up-date I did a couple of months after buying it. (Click here for that). So I thought another article might be a bit too much. But, now that you've asked .... I will do a ‘long-term’ article on it.  (I replied in a separate email, but will still do the article as a follow-up to the previous one).
“CHIPS” comes to Australia! Remember the old TV show featuring highway patrol officers in California? This photo brought back memories of that. Rod sent in a link to a forum where someone had posted this. Apparently the NSW police are using Harleys now. So another make of white motorcycle to watch out for!
Steve sent in this link to a tour around the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham Alabama. The museum has an incredible collection of bikes! They claim to have over 1200 vintage and modern motorcycles, as well as racing cars, with around 600 of the 1200 motorcycles being on display at any given time. The bikes range from 1902 to current-year models. Common street bikes are represented, as well as rare one-off Grand Prix race machinery. And pretty much everything in between. Here is a link to the museum’s web-site.
Steve wrote in response to the article on the Ventura tank-bag. “I have a large rear mounted Ventura bag of about 40 litres I think, and as you say, it's not waterproof.  No problem, I have a large plastic garbage bag inside it, and all my stuff goes in the plastic bag. Any rain coming in will wet the bag but not my stuff. I'm sure a few smaller bags, maybe the zip-lock type, could be used with the tank bag.” Good tip, Steve. I used to have a Ventura bag on the back. It never leaked, even through the zippers, on the occasions I did get caught in the rain. Perhaps one reason was that I had it mounted the “wrong” way, with the opening facing the rear. I understand the theory of mounting it the other way, if the bag is fully laden, but with a minimum of stuff in it there was no aerodynamic benefit, and not really any significant weight distribution benefit, in mounting it with the opening side forwards. And it looked much better that way too, in my opinion. A side benefit was that the zippers weren't facing into the rain.

MARCH 2011
Aussie sent in some great photos of very unusual bikes. After a bit of searching I found the web-site they came from. Check these out! Thanks Aussie, they are fascinating!
Tony wrote in with an interesting link. “My cousin, Geordie, is riding a motorbike from the most eastern point of Australia to the most western point of Australia. There are 3 guys riding with no support vehicles, just the gear on their bikes, and they are riding in pretty much a straight line so they wont be travelling on good roads, 95% will be dirt, along with desert crossings and the like.” They leave on 15th May. It should be interesting to keep up with how they go. Wish them well for us, Tony. Click here to go to the site.
Ideal road for a Triumph Street Triple? Er, well, no, not really! It’s not terribly clear in this reduced size photo, but in the original that Andrew sent me the corrugations and loose gravel were clearly visible!
This is on a road that runs from Nowra on the NSW south coast, through to Braidwood. Many years ago I rode about 50km along there when the whole length of the road was dirt. Except the day I rode it was just after heavy rain and it was sloppy mud all the way! But I was on a trail-bike. Now there is about 15km apparently.
Andrew says it’s not bad if you stick to about 50kph. A while ago I spoke to a riding-friend who said he’d recently ridden it on a Vespa. Brave man!
Aussie forwarded this link. It demonstrates a product called “Rapid Fix”, and if the video is accurate, it looks like amazing stuff! I tried to find where (if) it is sold locally. Apparently it is, but I couldn’t find out where from my brief search. Click here for the clip.
It’s always great to hear from a reader overseas. Massimo, or Max, lives in Rome, Italy. He wrote, “I'm a motorcyclist a long time. Now I have a 2010 Yamaha XJR 'number one' (the one with the big yellow “1” on the tank – Elwyn), a Yamaha XJ550 '82 and a "Pompone" as we call it here in Italy (large pump) that is a Ducati SS900 '81. I came to your site and I was very impressed for how is structured in a simple manner and the fine quality of what you have written based on your experience. I noticed the traffic signal on your age, and mine is not far from yours, I was born in '59. Well, I was pleased to write ‘two’ lines to send you my greetings and my wishes for a ‘long drive’! I apologize if my English will not understand because I used the translator of google, mine is a bit rusty and I did so first.” Thanks Massimo, and thanks for the kind words. Good to hear from another XJR owner too! Some interesting other bikes you have in the shed there too! I hope you continue to enjoy the web-site.
I do get emails from people saying that they like the web-site, and mostly I leave those bits out when I post the comments on this page. (I don’t want to seem like I’m boasting!). But I’ll put this one here because it kind of validates what I started out trying to do with the site. Peter wrote, “Elwyn how great is your website!!! Mate I love it and it is great that someone has had the thought to do an old blokes’ site. What I liked so much was your write-up on bikes you have tested for us oldies etc.” Peter has a cruiser at present (a Yamaha Virago 1100), but is thinking of going to a different style of bike. He writes, “The bike I have chewed over a dozen times or so is the Suzuki GSX1400. Well you told me just what I wanted to hear about the comfort. I have asked a few people on the subject and, well, some say yes others say all kinds of things but basically you have done what I think so many of us want; and that is give a good write-up and to the point.” Thank you for your very kind words, Peter! As I said, that is what I tried to do with this site, write from the perspective of an older rider who has different priorities to the general run of bike journalists.
We’ve exchanged a couple of emails since, discussing different bikes, and he is getting pretty serious about the GSX. One reservation he had was that he has had shaft-drive bikes for many years, and didn’t want to go back to chain-drive. A common, and understandable, point that is often raised by owners of shaft-drive bikes. But, as I said to Peter, I really don’t spend much time maintaining the chain on my bike. These days I don’t think you have to. Yes, you do have to lube it occasionally, and adjust it (even less occasionally), and when you do lube it, it usually gets on the wheels and chain-guard etc, but they aren’t the hassle that they once were. 
A reader who, let’s just say has some knowledge of the police, wrote in with a comment about the police using Harleys. He writes, “A small number of HD's have been trialed and early indications are that the bikes supplied have not impressed some of the riders when compared to the Yamaha's currently in service.” Hmm, yes, I’d reckon that, as a pursuit bike, the Harley wouldn’t be up to the capabilities of the Yamaha FJR! I once heard a story about police in Western Australia being issued with Harleys. They were most unimpressed, insisting they be replaced. They were exchanged for Honda ST1300s, so the story went.
Geoffrey wrote in a while ago (see first entry under “February”), asking if I could do a long-term report on the XJR1300. The main reason, as mentioned above, was that he was considering buying one. We’ve exchanged a few emails since, and I’ve filled him in on my impressions of the big Yammie. It took a lot of looking around, but he finally got a test-ride on one and liked it. Then it came down to looking for a suitable one for sale. And one came up in Queensland – a fair distance from his home near Sydney. It was a 2007 model, and being offered at a good price, so he bought it. He flew up and rode the bike back. His verdict? “It’s excellent!” Looks like it’ll suit the type of riding he has in mind; and riding it back from Queensland was certainly a good test! (He has also promised me a story of the bike, so that will be coming soon!).

APRIL 2011.
Jens sent in this link to some bikers having fun in Russia. In winter. Yes, it gets pretty cold in Russia in winter, but that doesn’t stop the Russians from enjoying their Honda XR650s!
Dave wrote in with a response to the test of the Ducati Multistrada 1200. He wrote, “Hey Elwyn, thanks for your review of the Ducati. It’s great to get an opinion which is clearly objective. Most of the reviews I see leave me wondering what, or how much, the reviewer was getting from it. Love those Ducatis and came within a cheque-book signature of buying one.” Thanks for the kind words Dave. I do know what you mean about some tests; sometimes journos seem to try hard not to criticise. They list all the good points and leave out, or gloss over, the bad ones. The irony here is that I don’t claim to be totally objective; because I write these reports from the point of view of an old bloke who rides like a grandad (because I am one!). But I do tell ‘em as I find ‘em; which isn’t always the case in the mags. Anyway, Dave had much more to say, with regards to why he didn’t buy a Duke. He also questioned the long-term reliability of all this “electronic wizardy” I described. He made a couple of excellent points which I think deserve to go into the report itself; so I’ve added his comments to the bottom of the report.
Aussie sent in this link to a very unusual machine. Not a motorbike exactly, because it only has one wheel. It’s a …. just have a look; it’s amazing! Stupid, but amazing!
Gavin had been looking at different bikes to buy. He was deciding between the Honda VT750S and the Harley Super-Low. I offered my opinion on the Super-Low and it’s issues with suspension (or lack thereof!). Well, he wrote in to say that he has now bought a bike – and not either of these. “I enjoy the articles. Love your work. Just thought I'd let you know I did buy a new bike. I wound up getting a Suzuki M50. It ticked all of the boxes for me including shaft drive, alloy wheels, liquid cooled, low seat height and a decent size fuel tank. I've just done over 1600ks and absolutely love it. I am getting much more respect on the roads compared with the scooter.” Sounds like a good choice! Suzuki seem to do cruisers pretty well. Good to hear you are enjoying it. Thanks for the up-date, and the kind words.
Rod sent this photo in. Spectacular isn’t it! The amazing thing is that, at this point anyway, the bike is still upright!
But I wonder what happened next? I doubt it would remain upright for long!
Possum wrote in to say that the photo of the Goldwing on the cover of the current Australian Road Rider is actually not him. (See my mention of his article in my Blog). But the article it refers to is certainly his.
Rod sent in this link. If you’re interested in physical fitness, and how that relates to riding, this is a good article.
Navin is a new reader to the site, and wrote in response to my article on dropping my bike. He too, has had the mis-fortune to go down. He said that in Singapore, where he got his licence, it was a requirement for larger bikes that you had to be able to gently lay the bike down and lift it up again. He says, “Everyone needs to do this to pass, and I have seen 5'-nothing women who weigh all of 50kg wringing wet able to do it. The bike in question was a Honda CB750, about 210kg. It's all in the technique, and I made my wife do it to my Honda 250 scooter (about 135kg) before I would teach her how to ride.” He adds that there are several YouTube videos that show you how to do it. I'd seen a few videos on this before, but went looking again and picked out a couple. The first one shows a woman picking up a BMW. Okay, she looks a bit like a weight-lifter, but displays a good technique, the important thing being to do it with your legs, not your back. This one shows a more slightly-built woman lifting a Harley; and talking us through it as she does so. And one more, from a guy who describes the process quite well – and lifting it from both sides. One important thing you'll notice in all of these is that the lifter has their back to the bike, they're not facing it. That's a good place to start; and probably not the way you'd approach it if you didn't know how.
Thierry wrote in with details of some additions he’d made to his Yamaha TDM900. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, to the heading “Some Add-Ons”.
Patrick wrote in to say that he liked Geoffrey’s story of his ride back home with his new bike. He also had a suggestion for the Ventura rack; eBay. Patrick said he picked up a rack on eBay for just over $10! Well, that was the sale price, but when he picked it up, Patrick said he felt so embarrassed at paying so little he gave the seller a $20 note and told him to keep the change.
Rod sent in this link to what just might be the way of the future – if they can produce it in enough numbers to get the cost down to something affordable. Which is doubtful, given the expensive componentry that has gone into it. To add to the turn off of the expense, it also looks weird and ugly. Still, this might be the future staring right back at us, so maybe we should get used to it?

MAY 2011
Pete wrote in response to my description of the licence test when I got my licence. I said that when I did my test, it involved riding up and down the road while the inspector watched from the side of the road. If you could do that without falling off you were okay. Pete says, “It seems we did our bike test at the same time. Did mine in UK where events were exactly as you describe except for one aspect. The test centre was just up the road from my Gran’s who quickly spotted I was driving past the house a bit, and as was her habit, decided I must need a cup of tea and some cake. So she flagged me down halfway through and insisted on me having a cup! I have always thought that the only reason I passed was she went back and got the tester a cup too." That would've been funny to have seen! Perks of the job, perhaps?
I mentioned CTP prices in my Blog for May 2011, and concluded that engine size had more effect than age of the rider; prompting me to say that the insurance companies didn’t want to reward the experience of older and wiser riders, they wanted us to get smaller bikes! Rod, who has an FJR1300 said that, after changing a couple of the variables (like age of the rider and the bike) in the price-calculator, he then went through leaving all the details the same except for changing the engine size from 1298cc to 1498cc. And the price went down! Huh? Now that is weird!
Steve is on holidays in Europe, and at the moment he is in Paris. He wrote saying that there are "Heaps of scooters here, and only a few bigger bikes." Although he says that he has seen at least a dozen Yamaha V Maxs.
Steve's up-date from Belgium said that apparently quad-bikes can be registered there. He said he saw a few darting about town. Also lots of big touring bikes about.
What would be faster around a racing circuit in the wet, a car or a bike? Rod sent in this link that answers that question. Check it out!

JUNE 2011.
Chris wrote in with a report on the new Ducati Diavel. He only had a brief ride, but it was interesting to read his impressions on this very unusual Ducati.
Its looks tend to polarise opinion. A little bit too Flash Gordon for me and similar in some ways to the H-D V Rod, which I suppose is the intention, given the target market being the good ole USA.  But I have to say it's comfortable, low seat and easy reach bars with the foot controls well placed and not too far forward.
Starting it up the 1198cc sounds sharp and purposeful even with standard pipes, and pulling out onto the highway I was immediately aware the back tyre was of the “do I look tough on this” variety.  It's 240/45 rear section feels inherently stable but suggests vertical is the favourite lean angle. I didn't sample enough twisties to put this feeling aside.
It has to be said at the outset, this thing has blistering acceleration and brakes to match. I don't know what the performance figures are, although I understand 0 - 100 kph is in the sub 3 seconds and with 162 bhp on tap and weighing 210 kg that's hardly surprising. Right up there with Yamaha's new V-Max.
At low speeds, under 60kph, the engine felt a bit snatchy. I haven't ridden many Dukes, so don't know if this goes with the breed or just this particular model. (Not particularly snatchy, but fair to say most Dukes seem happiest when they’re out on the open road rather than around town. Elwyn). Out on the open road is clearly its preferred environment and here I would expect it to shine. As for that famous Ducati handling - I just don't know. I would need a run up a twisty mountain pass to really find out its true potential. But I suspect by going for that big fat tyre some sharpness may be lost. I remember thinking exactly the same the first time I rode a Rocket 3 some years ago. Bit like these body builders I suppose, they look very tough, but could they really handle themselves when push comes to shove?
Taking it back I was asked the inevitable question about would I buy one. Well no, I wouldn't. My own bike is a Yamaha MT-01 which has enormous grunt from its 1670 cc motor and fitted with 190/50 section rear tyre, handles very well for a bike weighing 250kg. But as we all know, bike choice is very subjective and I have no doubt the Diavel will sell very well. Expect to see one at a drag strip near you.
Thanks for the impressions, Chris. A most unusual Ducati, so it was interesting to get an opinion on what it’s like.
Thierry wrote to tell us how his trip on the Great Ocean Road went. (You might recall him asking about the trip on our Questions page). He wrote, "Great Ocean Road was magnificent as we had an almost perfect day on the sunday (cloudy with sunny periods). The good thing was that there was absolutely no wind. The GOR actually starts about 15 Kms before Port Campbell (coming from Warnambool) where you start having views of the mudstone cliffs. It requires a lot of concentration as there are many bends so you do get tired quicker." Glad you had a good trip, Thierry!
Steve is currently in Isle Of Man, watching the bike races. Lucky fellow! He hired a bike and got to do a few laps of the circuit too. His fastest lap was 1hr 8 minutes. Not bad for speed-limits and traffic and the fact he was riding a 250. Oh, and it was wet too. With the racers doing the circuit in about 18 minutes, he reckons he isn’t holding out any hopes for an offer from any of the team.
Peter wrote in response to my article an Age And Riding. He has some good points to make, from his own experience as a returnee to riding. “Now that I am riding again I do find that long rides I have had with Ulysses have been tiring, more to the fact of watching the other riders and making sure not to run into them. I also know that when a stop is made for a rest, I can't wait to get off the bike and stretch out and yes, run to the loo. Since moving out to the country I no longer have much in the way of rides with the Ulysses but stay in the club all the same and just ride on my own. This last year or so I have found that getting tired whilst riding maybe down to my health issues. I set off on each ride all ready for a great time then after some while of riding, maybe an hour, fatigue sets in and yes, aches and pains, mind you now with my TDM and an Airhawk a lot of the aches and pains are minimal. Fatigue seems to creep up on us at our age especially when one does have pain problems etc. On many occasions I have had to pull over as I just can't concentrate to well and react properly to save myself if in a nasty predicament. This I am glad to say does not happen every ride but it does happen, so I have learnt no matter what but pull up and rest.” Some wise words there! Always pull up if you are feeling fatigued and can’t concentrate fully. How many accidents have occurred through fatigue? Many! He says he did a riding course when he returned to riding, to get his skills up (another very wise move!), but adds, “A couple of years later and more aches and pains I have to think more about my time in the saddle and resting periods. I could ride around Australia still if need be but there would be no long stints of riding just nice and easy going for me.” Peter shows a very wise attitude – pace yourself according to how well you can handle the ride. As I said in that article, some oldies could ride all day and spring off the bike and do cartwheels. Others will be looking for a physio after a couple of hours. As Clint Eastwood said, “A man’s got to know his limitations!” Too often, riders don’t! Take a tip from Peter and listen to your body, and stop when you should. Thanks, Peter.
Rod sent in this link to a video-test of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S. I rode the standard version a little while ago (click here for the report) and was impressed. That was just a brief ride around the suburbs though; for this test they take it out in the bush, touring the highways, scratching (or trying to!) along twisty roads, and in general give the thing a good workout. No mention of the weird looks that I commented on (beauty obviously is in the eye of the beholder!), but they did criticise the gearbox and the wind buffeting, as did I. They reckon it's a great thing though. Check it out!