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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 18:22 - 06 Oct 2018 Post subject: Old man MarJay, that Old Man MarJay... |
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As some of you know I've got a job in the old London Town, and being a Basingstoke resident I realised I needed a way to commute that wouldn't result in me going insane. I do occasionally take the train, but I've found that bike commuting works well.
Only downside is my Street Triple is a little too nice and a little too desirable to thieves for my commuting needs, so I thought about what kind of bike I should buy. I came up with this:
https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/vfr_small.jpg
Cost £1600 with panniers and top box. Needs a bit of TLC, the head bearings clunk like a clunky thing but it rides well and is comfortable for distance. I got very wet collecting it from Peterborough today, so I know it will handle the commute OK. Whether I will on the other hand remains to be seen!
It's not really an exciting bike, the power delivery is flat, the handling is neutral but it does keep the weather off, and it's comfy. I'm pretty happy with it! ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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BenR |
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BenR World Chat Champion
Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Karma :
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Kawasaki Jimbo |
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Kawasaki Jimbo World Chat Champion
Joined: 09 Oct 2015 Karma :
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Posted: 19:50 - 06 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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I've never been a fan of the tank bra but apart from that, rated a cool bargain. |
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
Joined: 07 Aug 2016 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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TaffyTDM |
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TaffyTDM Spanner Monkey
Joined: 15 Jul 2015 Karma :
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recman |
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recman World Chat Champion
Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Karma :
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :
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Posted: 22:14 - 06 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Good choice
Those front indicators are pretty horrific though ____________________ Triumph Trophy Launch Edition |
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dydey90 |
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dydey90 World Chat Champion
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kramdra |
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kramdra World Chat Champion
Joined: 28 Oct 2010 Karma :
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
Joined: 07 Aug 2016 Karma :
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Posted: 15:23 - 07 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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kramdra wrote: | Low miles? |
It's a VFR - It's largely unimportant. They'll do well over 100K without issue. Mine is on 113K - They're strong, over-engineered motors. Pre-VTEC/gear driven cams are especially bombproof.
kramdra wrote: | Vfr's would be good commuters |
Depends. If you can't keep them between 4K-7K, they drink. They're heavy beasts, 240KG wet or thereabouts. If it's mainly motorways, they're lovely.
kramdra wrote: | maintence takes a lot more effort, and reduced access inside the frame. |
No, it doesn't. Lube the chain, maybe move the eccentric, but the latter is more because it locks if you leave it in the same position for the average life of a 530 chain. De-gunk brakes sometimes. Access into the frame is a bit more constricted, than a naked, but any faired bike will be, and it's really nothing awful. I'd rather work on one than some of the tiny sports bikes out there. Fairings use Dzus 1/4 turn fastners, so they're off sharpish.
kramdra wrote: | Does the can need to come off to get the rear wheel out |
It does on the older 750's with low-level (stock position) cans, but it's easy enough. Couldn't tell you about the 800's. ____________________ '98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine) |
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woo |
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woo World Chat Champion
Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Karma :
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Posted: 17:08 - 07 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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MarJay if your coming into London where the congestion charge starts your going to be hit with the stupid charge daily cos any bikes from 2006 and older get hit with the charge.....meh.
it seems all bikes from 2007 are exempt
the charge starts from 8th April 2019 which is kinda just round the corner
plus they want to expand this charge
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ulez-where-and-when
Some bikes are exempt but i dont think yours is
This stupid charge has prevented me from getting my dream bike again (GSXR 1000 k5/k6) but ah
Khan's groups policy...........meh!!!!!!!!! ____________________ Elen sila lummen omentielvo! |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
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ADSrox0r |
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ADSrox0r World Chat Champion
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha |
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha World Chat Champion
Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :
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Posted: 19:07 - 07 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Yeah I prefer old fashioned stalks. ____________________ "Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."
Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125 |
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kramdra |
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kramdra World Chat Champion
Joined: 28 Oct 2010 Karma :
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dydey90 |
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dydey90 World Chat Champion
Joined: 01 Oct 2013 Karma :
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ADSrox0r |
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ADSrox0r World Chat Champion
Joined: 23 Oct 2012 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 20:53 - 08 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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First commute today.
Thoughts:
The head bearings really are f*cked. I also noticed the bars weren't inline with the front wheel. A slackening of the bottom yoke and then pushing the front of the bike into a wall seems to have done the trick. Suspension seems to damp OK and be soft enough for little 'ol me without adjustment, which is rare. The forks are smooth and not pitted, and not leaking.
I didn't even notice the comfort. That's how comfortable it is. I was pretty much in agony on the ST3 with a rucksack after an hour. obviously the top box helps.
Even though the head bearings are shot, the handling is still neutral and it does what I ask of it. With the top box loaded it has a shimmy between 35 and 40mph, especially when cutting the throttle. Nothing scary, just a bit of a warning.
I wound on the throttle a bit this afternoon. It can go, but it's not eye popping acceleration. It sits nicely on the motorway at 70mph and doesn't even break a sweat. At 90mph it starts to tell you it's going quick which is good. It's not as dull at that speed as my TT600 was. It could probably do with a quarter turn throttle to make it more fun, but as it's a commuter I shan't bother. The gearbox doesn't seem to make a huge amount of difference to acceleration. The change itself is always positive and easy to do clutchlessly up the box.
Wind protection is good. I thought it wasn't great at first but then I remember how much buffet I get on the naked Street Triple.
It turns tighter than the ST3 at low speeds, enabling more gap potential in heavy traffic.
The fuel gauge was on two bars, then suddenly on the final bar flashing. This scared me enough to leave the motorway to get fuel this afternoon. Anybody know how long it should go on reserve? Does it have one further warning before dying?
Discovered the engine temperature mode. The bike warms up VERY quickly but stays at a stable 79 degrees centigrade, even in stop start traffic. ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 21:07 - 08 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Have you tried wringing its neck yet? Can be rewarding. More is more.
I bet that exhaust can weighs more than the rest of the bike.
They can and will get really hot in traffic but the radiators are large enough to cope. The right hand side of the frame just below your knee gets really hot in summer riding. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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FretGrinder |
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FretGrinder World Chat Champion
Joined: 29 Jul 2010 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 199 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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