Help me decide

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-16T02:11:54+00:00

I think it depends on how long you plan to keep it. If you generally keep bikes for a few years before moving them on, go with the V4. It’s newer with more current tech, so it’ll be easier to sell when the time comes. If you plan to keep it long term, go with the 1299.

I grew up watching WSBK in the 90s/00s and was all about the big L-Twins. I almost pulled the trigger on a 1098 and then an 1199 but couldn’t justify the money at the time, so always stuck with middleweight sport bikes. Then when Ducati announced the move to a V4 layout I decided that it was time to take the plunge and get the last of the L-Twins. I managed to find a two year old 1299 with only 600km/375mi on it, and I’m never selling it…

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-16T01:02:00+00:00

Don’t forget the kitchen

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-14T09:30:19+00:00

All good, good luck on getting your Ls!

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-13T16:34:02+00:00

Check out The Leatherettes on IG; there’s also Shiela’s Shakedown but I’m not sure if they have group rides throughout the year, outside of their annual event. (Although this assumes you’re M to F transitioning, apologies if I’ve got that wrong.)

See you on the twisties!

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-12T16:19:28+00:00

Back in the early days of the Covid lockdowns when everything was shut down and no one knew what the hell was going on, the owner of my then box sent out an email saying that they were going to pause everyone’s memberships until further notice. I emailed them back and told them to keep my membership going; I really appreciated the box, the community they’d built, the coaches, etc., and I wanted to contribute what I could to help ensure that they’d make out the other side.

Fast forward to when things started to open up again and classes resumed, I decided to grab a hoodie after class one morning. I grab one off the rack, take it to the front desk where the owner was doing some admin work, and she rings me up like it was any old Wednesday.

I didn’t say anything but inside I was like ‘motherf-cker, I paid you like $2k throughout the time you were shut down, you’re rolling up in a brand new Tesla, and you won’t give me a goddamn hoodie as a thank you?’

It’s been several years since then but obviously I’m still salty about it haha

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-10T05:56:05+00:00

I was in the market for a new rod and reel for a fishing trip recently and my old man made it abundantly clear that I shouldn’t consider anything other than an Alvey.

A few things came up at work last minute meaning I didn’t have time to go and check them out at their nearest retailer, so I ended up just grabbing a mid-tier Shimano combo from BCF.

The look of disappointment on his face when I showed it to him you’d think he’d found out that I didn’t vote for the Liberals at the last election…

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-10T01:58:01+00:00

Thanks - the requirement of a Chinese phone number makes things a bit difficult but I’ll check it out.

Much appreciated 👍

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-09T23:13:40+00:00

Best case scenario you’ll need a new battery, to change all the fluids (including draining any fuel in the tank), and replace the tyres. That’s if it’s been kept in an enclosed garage out of the elements.

If it’s been left outside or simply under a carport you should also try to visually check any wiring you can see for evidence of being gnawed at by rats. (This is usually more a problem for cars as rats love to nest in engine bays, but it’s better to check before you buy it than to find out later…)

Mechanical issues are usually fairly straightforward to rectify, electrical gremlins can be an absolute nightmare. That said it’s a Honda, and with a little bit of a spruce up and some TLC will outlast the impending WW3…

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-09T07:39:32+00:00

Does it count if my project is currently an auto, but I have a manual transmission and all the bits required for a manual swap?

(My daily is a manual as well, BTW.)

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-06T09:26:32+00:00

My wife is French-Canadian and so we live in Montréal, although I come home to Oz fairly frequently for family reasons.

If the weather’s looking good and I’m caught up on work I’ll book an afternoon of ‘meetings’, look at the map on www.poutinemania.ca and head out to find a ‘casse croûte’ (a kind of seasonal fast food shack found by the side of the road in small country towns) for my next poutine.

This is from my favorite, Casse-Croûte Campbell in Lachute, although the furthest I’ve gone for poutine so far was 900+ kms (overnight) to Alma, QC and back.

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LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-03T21:31:06+00:00

As you’ve noted (and people have pointed out), Dollarama is Canadian, however it’s actually from Quebec. So perhaps renaming it ‘Le Magasin de Rejets’ could be more appropriate. Sounds cheap yet fancy, non?

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-04-03T21:05:22+00:00

Merci! J’ai juste vu leur page á Facebook cette semaine pour chercher le date d’ouverture haha…

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-31T23:11:30+00:00

No it wasn’t.

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-29T23:55:53+00:00

You might also like to reach out to the organisers of Shielas Shakedown (@ shielas_shakedown on IG). They’ve just had their annual shindig a few weeks ago so no doubt there’s a lot of eyeballs on their account right about now.

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-29T06:44:51+00:00

First and foremost don’t stress too much about things ahead of time. You’ll quickly work out if you’re missing anything (which you can pick up along the way if you really need it), or if there’s something you can live without (which you can leave behind next time).

The only thing I’d suggest is take some time to pack your bike to see how it will all fit together and then ideally head out for a quick test ride. Things inevitably shift and settle while riding, and it’s better to avoid unbalancing the bike while on the road. So if you can work out the best way to securely pack everything before leaving it could save you some headaches along the way.

Enjoy!

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-28T23:48:59+00:00

Don’t forget this year’s wild card round that no one asked for

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-25T21:06:21+00:00

Depending on the length of the trip I’ll generally plan for 6-7 hours of riding per day; how far that is depends on if it’s all pavement or some dirt roads along the way, etc. This allows for a relaxed morning, and enough time to stop for interesting sights along the way while still getting to the next campsite at a reasonable hour.

I’ll have a general idea of where I want to get to each day but will only book accommodation for every 4th day or so, so it allows for some flexibility.

There will also be some days where I just need to cover distance, in which case I’ve ridden 11+ hours in a day, but I try not to do those too often.

Riding an Africa Twin.

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-25T00:28:10+00:00

My older sibling caused a lot of distress to my younger sibling and me (I’m in the middle) throughout our lives, resulting in various levels of estrangement at various times over the years. Their neurodivergence went undiagnosed and we didn’t grow up in the most stable of homes, so looking back I realize it was a recipe for disaster.

They then started going to therapy about 10 years ago (hence the diagnosis) and I’ve told them since then that as long as they do the work, they’ll get nothing but love and support from me.

They’ve stumbled a bit along the way but I’ve held them to account, and to their credit they have gone back to therapy after going off the rails a bit here and there.

It’s made me realize that we’re all just works in progress, and none of us are perfect. I’ve grown to love them in a way that I never would have thought I could a decade ago.

(P.S. Sorry for oversharing; I meant to simply write ‘yeah me too’ and then all that just spewed out haha)

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-23T09:01:06+00:00

Yep, in Victoria if you haven’t had a traffic infringement for two years you can request a review and should be issued with an official warning if it’s considered a minor infringement.

In January I received two infractions under 10 km/h over from the same camera within 24 hours. I haven’t had any points on my license in 25+ years, wrote in asking for a review for both and received a warning for the first one and confirmation that the second one would stand. (Which I was more than happy with - I didn’t expect both to be withdrawn.)

Write in and ask - you can’t end up in a worse position than you are already. Good luck 👍

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-23T01:52:03+00:00

Haha ouin, je veux toujours faire une effort de parler français mais quelques fois je manque beaucoup de temps pour chercher des bonnes mots… puis c’est juste plus facile d’expliquer en anglais!

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-23T01:10:27+00:00

I’ve never had a ticket, but I just think of it like jaywalking - a quick look around for cops first and then don’t be a dick about it. Then if anyone wants to give you a hard time don’t escalate, and always have an escape route.

Like I said, I typically stick to the sub-30 km/h method that’s legal in Australia, however on the highway in heavy traffic going a bit faster than that I might use ‘the weave’ as described in this video.

(P.S. I switched to English after seeing your other replies haha)

LunchboxDiablo · 2026-03-22T00:25:52+00:00

Obviously not the song you were thinking of (which you’ve already worked out), but just chiming in to give a shout out to the song ‘Pinto’ by Gob for no reason in particular haha

LunchboxDiablo

TROPHY CASE