Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

The weather here yesterday was very benign for February in the UK. Sunny, blue skies and whilst not warm, the temp was into double digits, so as Sandi says: It's ride O'clock. I dusted out the STRS and went through to Seaways Cafe on the Yorkshire Wolds. Not suprisingly, many others had the same idea and it was quite busy there. I spied two other STRS parked up. A Red one like mine and a Yellow one, anyone here? It was mid afternoon around 2:30 pm. A leisurely 20 mile or so ride back home and then it was back to decorating the Lounge.

 

I similarly took advantage of a nice February day and took the Tiger out for a local run round. Went to Youles in Manchester as I’m contemplating a change
Still not made my mind up but we’ll see

 

Had a short 130 mile spin around the Dales calling at Johnny Baghdads for a full English. Great to out riding in decent weather.

 

What's on the wish list?

 

Thinking about a new Honda Hornet SP but not sure it’ll be a good move - I’ve got my Fireblade that’s a keeper. The Triumph was originally bought to do the NC500 which I did 18 months ago, kept hold of and used again for a Scotland trip last September.
I could do similar short (or longer) touring trips on the Hornet, with its upright seating position, and it’s an affordable thing at only £10k. I’ve never had a brand new bike but I need a test ride to see how I get on with a naked. I’m 6’3” tall and don’t have an issue on the Blade or Tiger but is the Hornet going to be a bit much buffeting wise/pulling on the arms?

 

The write ups for the Hornet are good. It does seem a lot of bike for the money and I'm sure someone will come up with an aftermarket screen soon.

 

Yeah, do it, one of the 'isms' used to be that you should have at least one new bike in your life ... closest I ever got was a '69 Trophy at 5 years old, ( the bike, not me !... smartarse ). Did a thousand miles around our island as a sorta honeymoon with the new wife .. she hopped in the bath and I went to the pub .. and had it stolen !!!
" let's be careful out there " .. eh ?

Anyway, GOOD LUCK .. whatever your decision !

 

Ride one first. I've had a few nakeds and none of them produced any buffeting or excessive strain on my arms. In my experience the air on nakeds is clean. It's adventure bikes that are more problematic if the screen isn't perfectly suited to the rider. On the two I've had it took a lot of experimenting to find a screen that was right for me and didn't give excessive noise and turbulence.
On nakeds I've found it's pressure on your head and neck more than arms. I favour a lightweight carbon helmet for this reason.

As for buying new, I'm never doing that again after my Harley. Took a hell of a hit when I sold it and Harleys have about the best residuals in the business. Hence when I decided to switch from the Harley to the Rocket 3 I bought a nearly new used still in warranty and saved a fortune.
If the Hornets are only 10K to start with, a low miles one owner minter, when they start to show up in dealers will be cheap as chips.

 

Yes, I will be booking a test ride to see how I get on with it and I also need to check my favourite pillion fits. However, whilst you make a valid point, I still think if it all stacks up I’ll push the button on a new one (I can afford it ).

 

Maybe because I've ridden so many rubbishy old bikes in my younger days, there is nothing like getting a sparkly new bike. If you then keep it for a sensible period of time depreciation is less of a problem because you've had all those years of reliable riding.

Well, that's the theory, although now that I think about it.... it didn't work out that way with my 400!!

 

First ride of the year .

So SWMBO was down nr Bristol looking after my mother who's getting increasingly frail. Leaving me with my day off coinciding with a pretty decent forecast for sun all day.

Perfect chance to unwind after a really stressful beginning to to the year that's included two return journeys from Northwich (Cheshire area) to Eastbourne (Sussex area) to help number 1 daughter who wrote her car off on the way home after work in the January white out that hit Sussex. And 3 return journeys to Bristol area taking it in turns with SWMBO to look after mum while my brother had a well earned 2.5 week break from caring for mum.

So given that it wasn't going to get above 9 deg. C (before wind chill) I dressed up in my best M&S merino wool long-johns and long-sleeve T-shirt (no photos you really don't want that!) under my leather trousers and thick shirt jumper and warmest jacket, with Ice breaker Merino wool glove liners and heated grips (so a little restrictive but comfortable).

My mate Colin joined me at 9:00am with his BSA and we set off for Flash Bar stores a great little café up in the peak district. I set the BeeLine to "fun" which took us from Northwich area via Smallwood to Tittesworth Reservoir (comfort break) and then up to Flash Bar.

This being the first ride in 4 months and being in my mid sixties with an overdeveloped sense of self preservation, speeds never exceeded 60 and were mostly speed limit minus 10%.

It was blissful to just be rolling along, sweeping through the curves, in beautiful sunshine and the gorgeous British countryside; the peak district and its surroundings are stunning.

Brakes and engine smooth and responsive, my newish Avon tyres perfect whatever the surface, and that wonderful Bonneville twin rumble, who could ask for more?

Well I could when I got to Flash Bar and saw what the still drying roads had done to my bike.



Also because the BeeLine "fun" setting generally takes you down small roads some of the Potholes were terrifying (size, depth & location), there were several places where if it had been raining I wouldn't have seen the pothole until I was in it and off the bike.

Fabulous brunch (as always there) washed down with a "luxury Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Orange".



Then return journey was a meandering route from Flash Bar round to Harpur Hill, then up over the Cat & Fiddle to Macclesfield and then the back lanes from Macc. past Jodrell Bank, through Lach Denis back to Northwich Area

Anyway I survived the roads and it was just the best way to start the biking year, so here's to good weather for 2025.



Tried to ignore the dirt after the ride, but after a coffee I had to wash the bike down; Muc-Off foam jet wash and rinse, quick dry with a soft towel and all done in about an hour.

Enjoy the ride.

 

Lovely write up @RevPaul. A good day out on the bike sounds like it was exactly what you needed.

 

Thanks @Mrs Visor. It really was a much needed ride, on the one hand disappointing that SWMBO was going to be away longer, but on the other great that it coincided with a day off and good weather.

I haven't gone from rusty-rider to multi-bike speed demon in the way that you have over a similar amount of time, but its still great to get out. Motorcycling really does clarify and focus the mind.

SWMBO would let me go out on more of my days off, but I only get one day per week and we have so little time together as just the two of us in the rest of the week, the bike has to come second.

Anyway, maybe this year the sun will shine on my days off, I'll get few more miles under my wheels and the "chicken strips" will get thinner.

 

I am pretty fortunate in that I work myself into the ground for six days of shifts at a time and then have four off (three if I actually sleep on the first one ), so do get quite a bit of time to ride, plus Helmut is away an awful lot too so it does afford me the luxury of being totally selfish .

I wish you plenty of sunshine for your days off to get those miles in; any amount of time at any speed to me on a bike does a huge amount to quiet a noisy, racing and cluttered mind in only the same way that, for me, running does. Invaluable in today's stressful climate I think.

 

Running? Not really in my vocabulary; which is probably why on my first visit for a damaged lower back, my Chiropractor politely told me that my muscle tone hadn't kept up with my weight. Let the bike take the strain.

 

Oil and filter change for the Tiger

 

I have been checking the valve clearances on my Speed Triple.

 

Silver foil

Does the wife know, or do you have your own "garage roll"?

 

Makes a neat splash guard to stop the draining oil going everywhere if the stream was to catch the centre stand.
It’s from the kitchen but I bought it so I’m okay there. However, that’s one of her roasting trays, and I use her stainless measuring jug that she knows nothing about

 

Today I have been on a blast of about 170 miles around the Beacons and beyond on my Street Triple…I rode to the newest Baffle Haus at The Old Post as I have been meaning to visit for a while, then headed back towards home via the Rhigos Mountain and Brecon which is a route with a few lovely roads. The road from Penderyn back to the A470 is always a treat, flowing and twisty and smooth like a track, lovely although there are rogue sheep and ponies to keep you on your toes!