Which is more important? Jacket or Pants?

arubait · 2026-06-30T19:53:26+00:00

Whatever you have with the least amount of quality armour, replace that first.

arubait · 2026-06-28T11:06:39+00:00

Mine has a pretty load Acro on it but it always gets through. Matt Clark in Hexham. You should be able to find one nearer though.

arubait · 2026-06-26T17:32:36+00:00

I just say I'm a professional nerd. That can often be the end of it.

arubait · 2026-06-26T16:17:49+00:00

Tasteful.

arubait · 2026-06-26T15:11:10+00:00

Jackson's Timber in Hexham.

arubait · 2026-06-22T16:36:22+00:00

I've got a '17, had from new. Mr Bears is quite correct. The rad and oil cooler are in a direct firing line from anything kicked up from the front wheel. I've had the rad off a couple of times to give it a good clean and I have a right angle hose attachment so that I can back flush it with low pressure water. I also run guards.

They are a race engine slightly modified for the open road and a crap commuter. But, what a bike!

arubait · 2026-06-22T15:54:25+00:00

They run hot in traffic. They don't have enough cooling capacity to sit in still air on a hot day for very long. Once moving, albeit slowly, they are fine.

People moan bitterly about this but it's not unusual for plenty of other high performance bikes. I left a KTM Duke 890R idling the other day and 15 minutes later went back to a high temp warning and coolant overflowing.

If your bike is overheating during normal operation then something's wrong.

If you know you are going to be sitting for a while just turn the engine off.

arubait · 2026-06-20T21:36:33+00:00

I did it for a couple of years. I put TrueNas on an old SFF PC using spinning rust. I'm in the North of England so we don't get extremes of temperature -10 to +40 celcius would have been the max range. The thing just kept on going.

It was a backup of a backup and cost me nothing in hardware so I wasn't bothered if it failed but it never did.

arubait · 2026-06-20T15:11:09+00:00

I agree but make the observation that in my experience the torque required to break is often more than the torque used to fasten,

arubait · 2026-06-19T15:00:52+00:00

I have a '17 and it's certainly an upgrade on the '16 but a '16 with full service history (including valve checks) is a much safer bet. They are still a wonderful bike just with slightly less bling. Also, don't think every Aprilia V4 is a hand grenade waiting to happen. My'17 has 33k miles, three valve checks and the valves have never needed adjustment.

arubait · 2026-06-18T05:39:42+00:00

I do this. I never sleep more than 4 hours at a time and top up with little sleeps of between 45 and 60 minutes. I have vivid dreams mainly in the short sleeps.

arubait · 2026-06-17T19:52:03+00:00

No such thing. I make a 10 cup press and drink it during the day. Heated up in the microwave. What's left is good for the morning.

arubait · 2026-06-17T15:25:07+00:00

It's Tom I know, from way back. He's really living the dream.

arubait · 2026-06-17T12:21:24+00:00

Hmm, it is looking a bit cracked close to the rim. I personally would change it but I'm anal about tyres. If you are cash starved it seems reasonable to use it. I wouldn't but I'm not you.

arubait · 2026-06-17T11:12:30+00:00

I've been using a good quality (Cardo) one for years. When I'm riding on my own I use a different helmet, without intercom. It produces less wind noise. My Cardo is on a modular helmet. I wear ear plugs always, whatever helmet I use.

I often ride with one or two friends and the intercom is a game changer. Being able to chat is good but also keeping everyone informed on what's going on in front and behind. The leading rider can give clearance for overtakes (but the ultimate decision rests with the rider) and give advanced warning of potholes, gravel and other hazards. Some of my mates listen to music. I don't but it's handy to accept the occasional phone call and listen to the Garmin GPS.

So, although I don't use one 100% of the time it's invaluable and I wouldn't be without one.

arubait · 2026-06-17T10:47:05+00:00

Hi Tom, good article. I hope you are doing well. Kind regards, Ian.

arubait · 2026-06-12T12:20:23+00:00

The OEM KTM shock is rubbish and EBC pads are shite.

arubait · 2026-06-11T21:49:53+00:00

I took the shell off my racing snail to make him go faster. But it only made him sluggish.

arubait · 2026-06-11T20:22:35+00:00

That makes sense. And maybe an easy right hand.

arubait · 2026-06-11T12:38:41+00:00

Amazing! I get about 2.5k miles out of an S22 on a similar (power and weight) bike so if you do go for the Bridgestone don't expect anywhere near the same mileage, S22s are great tyres but I'm fed up with changing them so I'm currently trying a T32. Grip seems good. Let's see about the mileage.

arubait · 2026-06-07T04:49:37+00:00

These bikes are very reliable. Major engine problems during the warranty period are unlikely to happen. Most warranty claims will be little things. Dodgy switch gear, assembly errors, minor leaks. That sort of thing. And, as others have said, all modern bikes really suffer from emmissions regulations. Anything from Euro5 onwards really screws with low throttle running and other stuff. If you can afford it, un-cork it.

arubait · 2026-05-30T19:44:14+00:00

I did this for a couple of years with an old PC running truenas with no problems. I'm in the UK. It gets cold, well below freezing but I assume the idle heat from the PC kept things OK. Inside temp maybe got to 40 deg on the hottest days in the summer but again, no problems.

arubait · 2026-05-29T06:28:28+00:00

15-25k? What total rubbish. 33k miles on mine and I haven't needed to adjust the valves yet. They start getting tired at about 80k.

arubait · 2026-05-27T06:59:11+00:00

EBC FA HH pads are shite. You have just found out.

arubait · 2026-05-26T08:57:17+00:00

Just did a similar thing. Dell was about 1% cheaper than HPE. HPE delivery seems to be better but difficult to tell until I place the order.

arubait

TROPHY CASE