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What did you guys do on your bikes today?

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  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Quoting paulybronco on 12 Mar 2023 10:20 AMedited: 12 Mar 2023 10:24 AM

    Ha Ha FC trying for winter/July desert crossing to Steep Point from the Sunshine Coast. We would love to straight line it but reality is i dont have the right bike and more importantly the skill to do that so a slightly easier road and dirt /desert trip is being rejigged constantly. These week/weekend trips are just lead up to getting saddle time and getting to brush up on off-road skills.

    We did what we wanted to this weekend other than a few forest sections that had water crossings and had plan b sorted before we left that allowed us to hit the tar and bypass certain areas. 

    Quoting evo94 on 12 Mar 2023 11:11 PM

    tnx for writeup of your trip...so what would you then consider the "right bike" for you on such an adventure??

    Cheers evo....gee there's a few that would fit the bill but like all things each bike is a compromise. A KTM 450 rally for the actual desert crossing, but a total misery for the "getting there bits" My GS 1200 for the "getting there bits" but a heavyweight (225 dry v 139 dry for KTM ) in the sand. A KTM 890 is possibly the best compromise but again weight is the factor (200kg dry) but certainly far better than a single for the endless klm on the tar.
    Bmw, Triumph also bring out comparable models but again benchmark themselves off each other. 
    Low tech Dr 400/Dr 600 have proven they are worthy of consideration but for the reasons stated i wont be on one.
       
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    XL 750 transalp is 208kgs wet, might be a good thing.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Quoting Grease Monkey on 13 Mar 2023 08:57 AM

    XL 750 transalp is 208kgs wet, might be a good thing.

    Cheers Hilly the reason i never mentioned it was two fold...Honda cant give me a timeframe for arrival or delivery in Australia or even a price. Lastly there is not much after market stuff available yet,  panniers, sump guards, bark busters etc. 
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    New dancing shoes.
    The 21 for the front of the Sportster, I am having strange thoughts about a trip where it will get dirty.
    The 16 for the front of one of the Vic's.


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  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Quoting obisteve on 16 Mar 2023 11:17 AMedited: 16 Mar 2023 11:19 AM

    New dancing shoes.

    The 21 for the front of the Sportster, I am having strange thoughts about a trip where it will get dirty.
    The 16 for the front of one of the Vic's.


    20230316_123628.jpg
    20230316_123057.jpg
    What you thinking Steve....hopefully its not to the brothel at kunda park to get dirty...
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Not Kunda Park, I'm a happily married man who adores his wife. Thinking of a couple of beers at Noccundra, then down to Broken Hill, then Willcania, then up the river through Tilpa and Louth to Bourke, then zig zag east, maybe see if anything has happened at Come by Chance since I last went through in 2010.
    Need to let some more water flow downstream first, probably best to drop a new set of S&S lifters in too, finally finish mounting the StreetBob tail light too.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Quoting obisteve on 17 Mar 2023 01:58 PM

    Not Kunda Park, I'm a happily married man who adores his wife. Thinking of a couple of beers at Noccundra, then down to Broken Hill, then Willcania, then up the river through Tilpa and Louth to Bourke, then zig zag east, maybe see if anything has happened at Come by Chance since I last went through in 2010.

    Need to let some more water flow downstream first, probably best to drop a new set of S&S lifters in too, finally finish mounting the StreetBob tail light too.

    Just stirring mate. Sounds a good run....very good point about the water, caught us out a week or so ago as well.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    If it's wet around Tilpa and Louth ya stop moving forward, Tilpa still got a pub? Louth races a thing anymore? Been awhile since I been out there, mid to late 80's, was a lot of fun back then, FJ1200 handled the dirt ok, had to, didn't have a car 😁
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Know you're just stirring PB, but I did have a couple of practice wives first, so am very aware of how good I have it now, and for the last 25 years in this wifetime.
    I know the Louth races are running this year, one of the funny things about living in the sticks and getting free to air satellite TV is all the ads from strange places, seen ads for the Louth races in August already.
    Dunno if the Tilpa pub is still there, I last went through in 91? on the Sportster, that will be a thirsty leg of the trip if it's not. Can I be bothered to do a search for it yet? Nah.
    A few things have to fall into place  before I do it, and if it doesn't happen this year I'll enjoy wearing out the new Avon Trekrider within a few hundred kms of home. I'm probably going to be very busy late winter through spring, giving all indications so far of being a bad year for fires . And just for a complete change, we spent 6 hours last Saturday night in pissing down rain trying to get a crew from their bogged ambulance up a mountain goat track to where someone had made a poor decision and rolled 50 metres off the side. All crews pulled back off the mountain at 2am abandoning the ambulance, and a technical rescue truck that couldn't be safely extracted in those conditions. Last bad decision that bloke will make.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Quoting Grease Monkey on 18 Mar 2023 02:30 AM

    If it's wet around Tilpa and Louth ya stop moving forward, Tilpa still got a pub? Louth races a thing anymore? Been awhile since I been out there, mid to late 80's, was a lot of fun back then, FJ1200 handled the dirt ok, had to, didn't have a car 😁

    There's 2 different opinions on what works best in soft loose country like that, a 21 skinny front, or a fat smaller diameter front like old Yank desert sleds, that can be run at lower pressure to resist sinking in. Your FJ have the 16" front?
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    Yeah it did, the next year it went to 17, the mud just builds so fast, dry it's no drama at all but you probably know that already.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Your on the money Hilly, on a road bike its usually the mud that builds to such a state that the mudguard and the tire become one and then you become one with the mud!...Ha Ha. Ahh the fun of it all.. 
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Quoting obisteve on 18 Mar 2023 10:52 AM

    Know you're just stirring PB, but I did have a couple of practice wives first, so am very aware of how good I have it now, and for the last 25 years in this wifetime.

    I know the Louth races are running this year, one of the funny things about living in the sticks and getting free to air satellite TV is all the ads from strange places, seen ads for the Louth races in August already.
    Dunno if the Tilpa pub is still there, I last went through in 91? on the Sportster, that will be a thirsty leg of the trip if it's not. Can I be bothered to do a search for it yet? Nah.
    A few things have to fall into place  before I do it, and if it doesn't happen this year I'll enjoy wearing out the new Avon Trekrider within a few hundred kms of home. I'm probably going to be very busy late winter through spring, giving all indications so far of being a bad year for fires . And just for a complete change, we spent 6 hours last Saturday night in pissing down rain trying to get a crew from their bogged ambulance up a mountain goat track to where someone had made a poor decision and rolled 50 metres off the side. All crews pulled back off the mountain at 2am abandoning the ambulance, and a technical rescue truck that couldn't be safely extracted in those conditions. Last bad decision that bloke will make.

    Hey Steve where did you get those Avon Trek riders from....i couldn't get them at all.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Did it the old fashioned way, went to my local bike shop, Reparren Motorcycles in Yarraman. Said I wanted a Trekrider 21" for the front of the Sporty, Cobra Chrome whitewall 16" for the front of the Vic High Ball. They couldn't source a Cobra whitewall, had to settle for a Metzler ME888, but the Trekrider wasn't a problem. Took 6 days to arrive. They're a great shop, good people, I'm glad that they're doing OK, and happy to support them. 
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    Far out! I did a bit of homework and couldn't source them....keen to get your feedback. Settled on Motoz again for two reasons....long life and you can reverse the tire rotation and go from 50:50 to a 80:20. I had them reversed in Cairns for the Cape trip and they where okay. The downside was how noisy they are on the tar that way.
  • Benno
    Benno
    1 year ago
    Getting ready for a ride out to Broken Hill, so I put a new Avon Cobra Chrome tyre on my bike today, one of my many OCD's includes keeping records of the life I get out of the tyres, this one is the third Avon Cobra I have put on the wide glide. As I was adding the details to my notes I noticed that the first one I put on was not the "Chrome" model it was the older original Avon Cobra and I got just over 11k out of it, the second one (Chrome), I got 20.5k out of it. I put Race Tech Gold Valves and Springs in the front end just before I put the second Avon Chrome tyre on, what do you think, could that have made that much difference to the wear rate.  
    Front Tyre.jpg
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    Hey Benno, I doubt it mate, while the mods help the suspension heaps I be thinking the main difference would be rubber compound/case.
  • Ultramick
    Ultramick
    1 year ago
    Quoting Benno on 21 Mar 2023 05:50 AMedited: 21 Mar 2023 05:51 AM

    Getting ready for a ride out to Broken Hill, so I put a new Avon Cobra Chrome tyre on my bike today, one of my many OCD's includes keeping records of the life I get out of the tyres, this one is the third Avon Cobra I have put on the wide glide. As I was adding the details to my notes I noticed that the first one I put on was not the "Chrome" model it was the older original Avon Cobra and I got just over 11k out of it, the second one (Chrome), I got 20.5k out of it. I put Race Tech Gold Valves and Springs in the front end just before I put the second Avon Chrome tyre on, what do you think, could that have made that much difference to the wear rate.  

    Front Tyre.jpg
    Dunno why you would want chrome tyres. Chrome air cleaners are enough to look after !! (joke OK ?)
    While I am not disagreeing with GM, I have owned and ridden 4 Ultra Classics / Limited for lottza miles and they have all been different in the tyre  wear department. Not wanting to go into the specifics .............. my last Ultra (2012) got approx 12 to 15,000 kms from a back tyre. I now get 18 to 20,000 kms from the exact same tyre (2012) . I put this down to the suspension as it is pretty good compared to previous models and the weight and all other specs are the same.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    I know full well that my Street Glide is very sensitive to tyre pressure......cold 42 rear.....37/38 front. Any variance to these numbers chews the crap out of the tyre.  
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    Not denying either of you right in what you are saying my point was that they are two different tyres he is talking about, old Avon cobra and the new Avon cobra chrome.
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