Hellooooo!

[tankslappa]

Hi,

Really should have signed up here years ago, but somehow I didn't.

But I'm here now!

I'm the happy owner of an '02 plate 'storm FY (yes, I know, very old stock!). No idea why it sat about unsold so long, the bright yellow isn't that scary really... The insects certainly seem to love it when I wash it!

I haven't had it on the road for a few years, we had a disagreement over riding styles and parted company at about 50mph, the bike came off incredibly well, those original stainless cans are like armour plating! I bounced a bit, a few fractures, but was able to walk away and utter the various words required in those situations ("Hello? Brov? Bring the trailer!").

Anyway, the bike is now fixed (with a couple of character adding scuffs) and I'm as back to normal as I ever get!

Time to get her rolling again

So, a couple of questions:
Since I've been off of two wheels, all the tyres I knew have vanished! What's a good recommendation for the old v-twin tyre muncher? I'm planning on using her to whizz to work with a grin on my face, but also go play on the lanes (yes, my 20 minute route to work is all lanes with one big 60 zone straight at the very end - aren't you jealous!). The Michelin Pilot Road 2 look good from what I have read, wadda you think?

Also, alarms. She doesn't currently have one, and that wasn't an issue as she's bolted to the ground in the garage (when not in bits) and back when I was pleasure riding I was never more than a few feet away from her (apart from when she threw me into the scenery of course!). Now she's going to have to sit outside work I think I'd better add an alarm to the physical lock. How does the Datatool S4 Red sound? I've seen it for £150 as a fit yourself, and after much digging even found the fitting instructions. I'm quite capable of fitting it, I'm an electronics/IT geek, I just want to hear what people think of it.

Wow, talk about an introduction and then milk the communal knowledge in one hit

Cheers,

Steve

[Kev L]

Welcome to the forum mate. I had Avon Storms on mine when I got it and just replaced them with Dunlop qualifiers. Both very good allrounders however I haven't ridden the qualifiers in the wet yet.
No alarm fitted to mine so can't help there.

[agentpineapple]

welcome aboard buddy
after watching a tv show the other week, and seeing 2 scumbags lift a 10k bike into the back of a van in 5 seconds flat, i doubt an alarm will make a difference, i just use a good disc lock and a padlock thru the rear sprocket, one day i'll forget there on the bike.....doh!!!

[Furrybiker]

Chain it down, some people recommend Almax chains, very costly weigh a ton BUT apparently cant be cut with hand tools.........

To stop me riding off with the disc lock on i have a clothes peg that gets clipped to the screen or clutch lever when I put it on.. The number of people who ask why I have a clothes peg on the bike, obvious innit

Oh and welcome aboard.

[lumpyv]

hello mate.
i got dunlop sportsmax or sports i think they seem good

on the subject of alarms i can only say that they made my battery flat on my last bike and im in no hurry to get one for this . however leaving it unattended for a long while might make me change my mind? like bsm says if the ba&£%rds want to nick it they will!

[turbo_billy]

Welcome to the forum mate.
My recommendation for tyres are Maxxis Sportsmaxx. Good price but stick like s**t to a blanket.

[tankslappa]

Hi guys (and maybe girls?),

Thanks for the great welcome... Should have known better than to ask about tyres, all I'll end up with is even more options!

Re security, I know what you mean about scum with a van, don't worry, it'll be physically locked down to. There are some nice metal arches at work which are concreted into the ground already. I think they are supposed to be for push bikes, but given that they are the diameter of scaffold bars I think they will be solid enough. I've tried to move them to see how firmly they are attached to the ground and they don't even move a fraction of an inch when I try. Thanks for the recommendation on the chain, I'll have a look. I don't mind about the weight, I'll just take the chain into work with the car and then leave it under my desk for when I take the bike in.

Now who do I need to talk to about this damn weather!!! Knew I should have thought about the bike in February!

[VTRDark]

Welcome, I enjoyed reading your first post tankslapper (good name ), nice intro.

I too have the Maxxis Sportsmaxx. A lot of people highly rate them, I'm afraid I can not comment on them as I've not had any others on the bike to compare them too. I must say though I have had a couple of big slides in the wet but they kept me on the bike.

As far as alarms go there's mixed feelings about them. I have an old shity Meta on mine that came with the bike. I just know it's gonna fail/break on me one day, immobilize the bike and leave me stranded. I expect you got HISS ignition, so take that into consideration with whichever alarm you purchase as there's no need to get one with an immobilizer.

BSM is right, you will never stop a professional, they just lift the bike and off they go and if the alarm goes off it don't matter. Alarms are just a deterrent!
I personally like having an alarm just to keep the young hoons on my estate at bay.

While you are here, checkout the workshop section stickies. As an electronics geek you should check your regulator rectifier, make sure that is OK, as well as a few other things.

Anyways, good bunch on here, so have fun and ride safe

(:-})

[tankslappa]

Hi Carl,

The "leave me stranded" situation is one of the things about fitting the alarm myself I like... I fit it, I know how it's connected and where the wires run, so I will know how to by-pass it. To anyone else it'll be a mysterious collection of black wires, but I'll know

My car alarm recently immobilised me in the middle of nowhere, I hadn't fitted that one, so by the time I found the bugger and bypassed it (I have a rather comprehensive tool kit, including multimeter, in the car) I had most of the dash on the back seat!

I believe the consensus on alarms is that if anyone wants your bike they will take it, but generally they don't want "yours", they just want that model (if that specific at all!). So you just want to make yours harder or less attractive than someone else's. That's another reason I didn't replace the slightly scratched rear end plastic when I had my disagreement with physics. They won't want my VTR, they'll steal someone elses (sorry to everyone else on here!)... Then again, mine is the yellow one, so they need to be a bit weird to want it in the first place

HISS - Unfortunately whilst my bike is an '02 plate, it's old stock, an FY model, so little tank and no HISS (that I know of!) - Less to go wrong I guess!

I have actually had a little look in the workshop section, I've made a contribution on 3 spoke wheels that fit too. One from a Blackbird goes straight in... Now you know why my flying banana has a gloss black front wheel ;-)

Thanks for the warning about the regulator. I do actually have a spare. When I had my off I found someone who had a rear wheel, but he wanted to clear out the garage and sell all the VTR parts he had, so I had the whole lot. I've got swing arm, starter motor, carbs, regulator, clip ons and god knows what else in a big box, so I'll compare the regs and, if both good, stick the spare one under the seat.

[agentpineapple]

we are having a workshop day in essex this saturday, come along at meet some knoelrdgable people, who will guide you thru certain mechanical proceedures. and then we are going for a ride hopefully weather permitting, colchester, but some of us are meeting at the brentwood services a12/m25 at 8ish in the morning.
more details in the rideout section

[tankslappa]

OOOOOH!

Not fair!

I'd love to come and join in, but alas Banana isn't going to be ready by then, need tyres before I can even think of visiting an MOT station.

I'll have a look in the ride-out section though, I might still pop into the workshop via the 4 wheel box transport if that's permitted

[VTRDark]

Here you go workshop day http://www.haymouth.co.uk/phpBB3/viewto ... 67#p181555

The "leave me stranded" situation is one of the things about fitting the alarm myself I like... I fit it, I know how it's connected and where the wires run, so I will know how to by-pass it. To anyone else it'll be a mysterious collection of black wires, but I'll know

That's one of the gripes I got with mine. I never fitted it! And I have searched high and low for a wiring diagram with no luck If I had it would have been a neater job and I would know where it all went. I used to fit car audio/alarm systems many years ago.

no HISS (that I know of!) - Less to go wrong I guess!

Your right there and the wombles Honda wiring would be a nightmare to sort out. That thing goes through all sorts of electronic gadgets. The thieves are the best people at bypassing them

It's all fun and games.

(:-})

[tankslappa]

I'm half tempted to stick the crazy yellow thing on a trailer and bring it up and have you lot service, set it all up and clean it for me

The cleaning will take a while, she's been laid up for an embarrassingly long time, and rather dusty. On the plus side, I think I might have the lowest mileage VTR here. Anyone else under 6K?

Unfortunately the boss (her that must be obeyed) already has plans for us this weekend which doesn't involve me hanging out with a load of bikers...

She'll come round once she can come out on the back, well she might not, but can't hear her when she's there

[agentpineapple]

shame, i was gonna bring some t-cut and polish

[seb421]

I have a Data Tool System 3 fitted professionally. its sh1t hot mate, touch the bike or fart near it and it will bleep and warn you off.

knock it a bit more it will bleep some more and let you know its pissed off,

knock it again or knock it hard in the first place and it will wake the neighbourhood up