Anything to do with motorcycles, scooter, etc...

[Dutch_Tooler]

Nice pics as always Pete and good you got the bike and yourself home in one piece earlier, I prob wouldn't have dared with oil spilled all over the rear tyre.

Biking in January is something "southern hemisphere only" 😉. On this currently colder hemisphere I may start my biking season today as it's looking nice and temps may reach 14 °C - yay!

[Aloha]

As always nice commentary and pictures.  Congrats to your son.  He'll be keeping up with dad in no time. 

[Dutch_Tooler]

  they learn fast, they do

Pics for today (or it didn't happen 😉)

 

[pietervn]

Thanks for the comments Guys.

Aloha: I think it is only a matter of time. I made a deal with him that I will match each dollar he invests in training, and I'll do it with him. So far we have done an intro course which covers slow speed manoeuvring, counter steering and basic cornering skills. He has been practicing the cornering and is getting smoother as time goes on. He has a natural talent for riding and is pretty smooth already. We do a lot of parking lot riding/training when they are empty, I like doing the slow stuff, and getting it right on the big GSA is quite satisfying. The boy gets a turn on the big bikes there too.

DT: Love your bike!!! And 14C is a good temp to ride. I prefer the colder temps, dress nicely and enjoy the winter sunshine. It is far better than some of the 40C days we had. The trip we are planning in July will be around those temps and possibly a little colder early in the morning. Heated grips will be working over-time 

Cheers, Pete

[Dutch_Tooler]

Thanks Pete! It was a nice season opener, not too much traffic yet. I like the GSA too - pity it's too big for me with my shortish legs. The Guzzi agrees with my build and is proving to be more fun than the Beemer I had earlier (R850R - a bit ponderous compared to the Guzzi).

Good for your son he's taking to riding, and kudos to you for investing in teaching him to ride safely

[pietervn]

I like the GSA too - pity it's too big for me with my shortish legs.

You get used to it. The GSA is another 20mm higher than the standard GS, that stretches me too. When I put the Wilburs suspension on, I realised how much the old ones sagged, I had to be careful in the beginning and checked where I stopped. They are heavy beasts to pick up.

Good for your son he's taking to riding, and kudos to you for investing in teaching him to ride safely

I must admit, I enjoy the training too. It is amazing how we accumulate bad habits over time. I did not want the son to pic them up, getting the correct training from early, I'm hoping, will establish him as a safe rider. For me it is more about when the unexpected happens. We cannot train for a specific situation, but if one trusts your bike and ability I hope that will be enough to survive. He also gets to see a different angles of approach and can practice it on a daily basis. We often practice the basics together. And it is father and son quality time, who would not want that!?!

Cheers, Pete

[pietervn]

Some fun on the Old Pacific Highway in Sydney.

GSA pic was Sunday a week ago, RNineT pic was yesterday

Pete

[Altis]

I do love this bike (CBR500R)... but I'm thinking of changing it for the 2022 CB500X, which has the same powertrain and many parts, but a little more comfortable and light-off-road friendly.

15,000 km in two seasons. Averaged about 3.3 L/100 km (71 US MPG) -- (best tank 2.7, worst 3.5).

[pietervn]

I do love this bike (CBR500R)... but I'm thinking of changing it for the 2022 CB500X, which has the same powertrain and many parts, but a little more comfortable and light-off-road friendly.

15,000 km in two seasons. Averaged about 3.3 L/100 km (71 US MPG) -- (best tank 2.7, worst 3.5).

Love the pic.

I bought a 2017 CB500X for my son a month ago to continue his learning on. The 2022 version is way better suited for off-road with a 19" and 17" front and rear wheel combination. My one has the 17" front and rear and off-road tires are limited to Michelin Anakee Adventures (80/20) with the odd sizing. Having the 19" and 17" there are way more tire choices for light off-roading.
It is a very comfortable bike with good power delivery, but you should know that from your current bike!!!  There are also quite a bit of kit now available for the different variants. I have not come across many complaints.

I include a pic of the boy-child on the same day my pics in the previous post were taken.

Cheers, Pete

[pietervn]

G'Day

... From a very wet Sydney. I had a fantastic day on the bike today. It rained for most of the day which is what I wanted. I got some new riding gear and wanted to test its waterproofness. It passed with flying colours, boots, jacket and pants. I stopped at a local apple farm for a homemade pie and a hot chocolate. This is quite high up in the hills in Ozzie standards and temps dropped to a chilly 13C. Bear in mind we are just entering autumn. We have rain forecast for the next week, with tomorrow quite severe. 100mm of rain around greater Sydney area. I'm hoping to get out again!!! I really enjoy riding in the rain, it puts one out of the usual dry comfort zone, and teaches smoothness with the throttle and cornering.

From next week the boy-child is on school holidays and I'm hoping for a few rides together. I'll post some pics.

Cheers, Pete

[gregozedobe]

Have fun, but please watch out for flooded roads where the water is deeper than you think. There's been so much rain that many roads are flooded in unexpected places so there are no depth indicators to help you decide whether it is safe to cross or not.

[Altis]

Have fun, but please watch out for flooded roads where the water is deeper than you think. There's been so much rain that many roads are flooded in unexpected places so there are no depth indicators to help you decide whether it is safe to cross or not.

The best depth indicator is the rider ahead of you 

[pietervn]

Have fun, but please watch out for flooded roads where the water is deeper than you think. There's been so much rain that many roads are flooded in unexpected places so there are no depth indicators to help you decide whether it is safe to cross or not.

Thanks Mate, I stay well away from flooded areas, other to have a look. There are far to many of our country men who try the flood waters only to find out to late that they could not make it. After all these wet months, I fail to understand why anyone think they can take the water on.

Altis, that is so true!!!

Well another rainy day to ride. Today I went up into the mountains passed where I was yesterday. A mid morning stop in Lithgow for a coffee and a muffin, then on to Oberon. Lots of rain on the way to Lithgow, but sunny when I left after the coffee. I took a new road to Oberon and found a patch of gravel, that was unexpected. The road was very good and lots of fun once the traction control was turned of... It was just bitterly cold. 7C on the bike. I took a jersey after yesterday but was still a little chilly with just a short t-shirt and thin jersey. Thank goodness for heated grips... Lots of rain on the way back and fog and wind. I had huge amounts of fun today. I love the wild weather and putting my skills against Mother Nature. All up 305km for the day, most of that was rainy kms.

Some pics of the weather and the dirt. Bike is absolutely filthy!!!

Pete

[pietervn]

G'Day,

Another excellent weekend on the bikes. The boy-child is on holidays and we had some very good riding weather over the weekend. Saturday was still patchy rain, which was something we wanted to find. The boy's riding suit needed a good wash and waterproof. That was done on Friday, so Saturday's rain was a perfect test. No wet spots for him which was good. I will still add another spry proofer before we go away in July.

Sunday was just a beautiful autumn day in Sydney. A foggy cool start which cleared by the time we fill the bikes before the ride. Sydney and NSW for that matter had lots of rain in the last few days and most of our good roads were not accessible due to flooding and bridges closed. We decided to go up north to see some of the devastation and also to see how his new tyres are doing on the dirt. I had to tip toe on the dirt as I still have road tires on and my new suspension has not arrived yet. 18K on the road tires made for a LOT of FUN on the dirt. The damp muddy patches was a little sketchy, but slow going made all the patches passable. No drops for either of us. We did 34km of dirt and had to turn back when we got to a section that was 1m under. That is higher than my air intake and I did not want to risk it. If I had the GSA, that would have been passable, it is much higher the R9T.

We finished off with a quick blast on the Pacific highway when once again we got our pics taken. Famous we are!!!  Tomorrow is cleaning day, bike, luggage and clothing.

Enjoy the pics, Pete

[pietervn]

Last pics of today

[Dutch_Tooler]

  Nice pics Pete, lucky the time stamped ones were not from NSW Police ;-)

[pietervn]

Nice pics Pete, lucky the time stamped ones were not from NSW Police ;-)

Cheers,

Nope I stay well under the limit on that piece of road especially over weekends. It is a hotspot for cops and weekend warriors who have way more enthusiasm than talent. Not a weekend goes by without an accident there. And when I ride with the boy-child I stay under the limit too, I don't want him to get into a speeding habit. The Learners and Provisional License holders are targets for the cops and he only has 4 points where a full license holder has 12. And as I keep telling him, be smooth, then the pace / speed will come. Racing is ONLY for a racetrack.

How is your MG going?

Cheers, Pete

[Dutch_Tooler]

Hi Pete,

Good for you  and yup, don't want to drag your son into speeding just now.

The MG is doing well. Did two shorter afternoon trips over two weekends before we got hit by a bit of snow on the weekend before last. Flying over to Florida later with Mrs Dutch_Tooler for what will be the first longer vacation since Covid. See if I can get some riding done there 

[Altis]

So the CB500X that I had put an order in for in the fall came in very early... wasn't supposed to be built until later this month and arrive in Canada around June.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to trade for it as I really like my 500R a lot... it's very nearly perfect. I'm hoping the 500X improves the few things I'd like improved while leaving the rest the same.

Put my CBR500R up for sale and have a pending sale on it already. I probably undervalued it, in hindsight... 

Should have it later next week if all goes to plan. 

[pietervn]

So the CB500X that I had put an order in for in the fall came in very early... wasn't supposed to be built until later this month and arrive in Canada around June.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to trade for it as I really like my 500R a lot... it's very nearly perfect. I'm hoping the 500X improves the few things I'd like improved while leaving the rest the same.

Put my CBR500R up for sale and have a pending sale on it already. I probably undervalued it, in hindsight... 

Should have it later next week if all goes to plan. 

That is excellent news, new bike is always great!!!

The 500X is a lovely bike. I have not ridden the updated version with the 19/17 wheel size, but the one I have did the dirt very well over the weekend. The son enjoyed himself tremendously on it. He did complain about the narrow footpegs and how uncomfortable they are for standing. I am going to look for a set of Pivot Pegs for him. The Michelins work very well on the dirt too. The road we took was very muddy and wet, and he had no "oh bugger" moments.

What improvement are you hoping for?

Pete

[pietervn]

Flying over to Florida later with Mrs Dutch_Tooler for what will be the first longer vacation since Covid. See if I can get some riding done there 

Enjoy the holiday, post some pics of you on the bike!!!

We are off for another ride tomorrow if the weather holds. All the bikes have been washed and I really don't want to do the again so soon...

Cheers, Pete

[Altis]

That is excellent news, new bike is always great!!!

The 500X is a lovely bike. I have not ridden the updated version with the 19/17 wheel size, but the one I have did the dirt very well over the weekend. The son enjoyed himself tremendously on it. He did complain about the narrow footpegs and how uncomfortable they are for standing. I am going to look for a set of Pivot Pegs for him. The Michelins work very well on the dirt too. The road we took was very muddy and wet, and he had no "oh bugger" moments.

What improvement are you hoping for?

Pete

Mostly looking for improved comfort for me and the passenger, more upright with a better seat and wind protection options. I'm looking to explore more backroads, cottage roads, fireroads, and light trails as well. Additional luggage options are also nice (side cases + top box).

I adore the powertrain of the 500 twins. My commute averages between 2.5-2.8 L/100km with regular fuel if I ride normally.

Guess we'll see but I'm excited. Of course, it will need quite a few accessories to get it dialed in: engine guards, top box, side cases, auxiliary lights, hand guards, heated grips, possibly new windscreen or deflector, phone mount, USB power... 

[pietervn]

G'Day Altis,

I think most of your improvements will be catered for. The seat is super comfortable and I find the screen in the low position better for my height. My son is 6'3 and prefer the low screen position too. So far we have fitted a GPS cradle with usb port under the seat, heated grips, centre stand (tomorrow), and Barkbusters are on order. A radiator guard has also been ordered. For luggage Kriega soft-bags are working very well for daily outrides. My son rides it to school and uses my 55L BMW soft-bag on the rear seat. We are looking at a rear rack to fit the Givi top-box we already have.

If you need any pics of what we have already, let me know and I'm happy to post them here. We are fitting the centre stand tomorrow morning. I don't understand why it does not have one as standard.

Cheers, Pete

[Altis]

G'Day Altis,

I think most of your improvements will be catered for. The seat is super comfortable and I find the screen in the low position better for my height. My son is 6'3 and prefer the low screen position too. So far we have fitted a GPS cradle with usb port under the seat, heated grips, centre stand (tomorrow), and Barkbusters are on order. A radiator guard has also been ordered. For luggage Kriega soft-bags are working very well for daily outrides. My son rides it to school and uses my 55L BMW soft-bag on the rear seat. We are looking at a rear rack to fit the Givi top-box we already have.

If you need any pics of what we have already, let me know and I'm happy to post them here. We are fitting the centre stand tomorrow morning. I don't understand why it does not have one as standard.

Cheers, Pete

Thanks for that handy info. I'll see how I get on with the wind as that's always the biggest struggle. I think for this year, I'm going to start with white Barkbusters, the upper body bars (possibly with some additional lights on them), and the rack for my top case. I already have a Shad SH46 that I used with the CBR500R (looks aside, it was handy!) so I'll probably just buy the Shad mount for that box. Not sure what to do about side cases as I'd like to get some eventually but I really dislike the usual side case mounts when not in use. Will also get the radiator guard as well.

Which heated grips did you get? I love the look of the OEM ones with the integrated switch but I can't help but wonder if the switch location on the grip interferes with anything. I'll also probably get some kind of USB charger and phone mount for up under the windscreen.

It gets expensive real quick doesn't it 

The plan this year is to see how it goes. I still want it to be a road-focused bike while it's my only bike, but the plan is perhaps to make it a bit more off-road oriented when I can have a second bike for the road. I'll post some photos of it when I get the new one hopefully Friday this week. For now, here's my 500R  I know I'm going to miss this bike dearly...

[pietervn]

G'Day Altis,

I love that last picture!!!

It does get expensive quite quickly. Radiator guard was the cheapest of everything so far. The centre stand was pre-loved and gps cradle was already on the bike, but directly bolted to the battery. I got that changed to add a relay that powers it only when the key is turned on. The cradle already had a usb attachment and an audio attachment for the gps. Those two plugs are under the seat as the boy-child does not use either.

The heated grips are White Power. I chose them because it looks the best with integrated switches and slightly thicker grips. I did not look at the Honda alternative and Oxfords have a horrible looking control mechanism. These have 5 heat settings and coupled with bark-busters hands are very cosy. I include some pics with them on. The boy said that the switches are slightly closer to the indicators and he had to "re-learn" the space between.

The centre stand went on this morning. Quick and easy fit. The biggest challenge was fitting the spring without a spring tool, but we got that sorted with two long screwdrivers.

Pics of the gps cradle and the heated grips.

Cheers, Pete

[Altis]

G'Day Altis,

I love that last picture!!!

It does get expensive quite quickly. Radiator guard was the cheapest of everything so far. The centre stand was pre-loved and gps cradle was already on the bike, but directly bolted to the battery. I got that changed to add a relay that powers it only when the key is turned on. The cradle already had a usb attachment and an audio attachment for the gps. Those two plugs are under the seat as the boy-child does not use either.

The heated grips are White Power. I chose them because it looks the best with integrated switches and slightly thicker grips. I did not look at the Honda alternative and Oxfords have a horrible looking control mechanism. These have 5 heat settings and coupled with bark-busters hands are very cosy. I include some pics with them on. The boy said that the switches are slightly closer to the indicators and he had to "re-learn" the space between.

The centre stand went on this morning. Quick and easy fit. The biggest challenge was fitting the spring without a spring tool, but we got that sorted with two long screwdrivers.

Pics of the gps cradle and the heated grips.

Cheers, Pete

Thanks Pete for the thoughts and photos. Agreed that the Oxford controller really looks bad. The integrated look of the Honda OEM ones and those you have (I've seen them as Koso Apollo heated grips), but since it's not something I would use for most of the season, and even when I would, you kind of just set it and leave it, I'm not sure I want it to interfere with my grip symmetry or primary controls.

Can't wait to get the bike 

[Dutch_Tooler]

Just rented this one, an Indian Challenger, for a couple of days. Let's see how it handles. Reminds a lot of Harley Davidsons.

[pietervn]

Just rented this one, an Indian Challenger, for a couple of days. Let's see how it handles. Reminds a lot of Harley Davidsons.

Wow, that is a biiiiig bike. It looks stunning in the matt colour scheme.

Where are you planning to ride too? Did you take your own riding gear?

Pete

[Dutch_Tooler]

Hey Pete,

Thanks! The fairing looks a bit bigger in the pic due to the distortion caused by the phone camera lens but the bike is not small 😉. The seat is low enough though and it handles OK at some speed. I borrowed a helmet and bought gloves at the store, and as to remaining gear by way of exception I'm making do with a jacket and a pair of jeans and higher sneakers (against usual habit, I prefer full gear) due to luggage space limits. I'll be heading inland away from the Florida Gulf coast (Fort Myers towards the Arcadia/Sebring areas) so I'm speculating traffic will be light.

D_T

[Aloha]

That bike looks great.  No need for me to say have a great time but I will anyway, Enjoy.