what have you done to your "bike" today

[Mav617]

Ha, very true Al

[Dickiebig]

grown up bikes ..... no such thing Mav........ you can be a big kid on any bike

I couldn't possibly comment but....

[fabiostar]

Chopped the XSR in, I had agreed to part-x for a new KTM 890 Duke but then decided I already have the 390 naked for commuting, I need a faired bike for longer trips, such as heading north to see the parents which involves a 6 hour motorway stint, so went with a 17 plate BMW F800GT. It's a bit of an old man's bike, but then, I'm getting that way meself:

health to ride, that is a nice looking yoke

[Mav617]

Cheers Fab, it goes well and likes to rev, still gives 64mpg.....

[sirch345]

Chopped the XSR in, I had agreed to part-x for a new KTM 890 Duke but then decided I already have the 390 naked for commuting, I need a faired bike for longer trips, such as heading north to see the parents which involves a 6 hour motorway stint, so went with a 17 plate BMW F800GT. It's a bit of an old man's bike, but then, I'm getting that way meself:

Enjoy your new bike Mav

A friend of mine has one, they are good on mpg you're right,

Chris.

[sirch345]

I renewed both front and rear cylinder HT leads on the Storm. The job was easier than I had anticipated

Chris.

[Jamoi]

I had a quality afternoon with my bestie, the front and rear boingy bits have been serviced and fitted along with a fresh lock of gloss black paint on the fork lowers. Linkages regreased. New chain and sprockets, new brake pads front and rear, new front tyre, new front brake reservoir, new front wheel bearings, new brake fluid.

I've had a 5 minute suspension tweaking session to get the front and rear in the right ball park, but no doubt I'll spend the next few rides adjusting things.

Ready for an MOT now, then I'll do the oil and filter after that.

One small set back though, I managed to crack the head of the pin on the DID connecting link with my chain riveter. I didn't feel like I had flared it much before it split, so that's a weird one. I'll be ringing around the local shops in the morning for a couple of spare connecting links.

Sorry, no bins

[neil]

Jamoi, is MoT place "friendly"? With rear seat available it should have rear footrests. Ok if cover is on rear seat,

[sirch345]

I had a quality afternoon with my bestie, the front and rear boingy bits have been serviced and fitted along with a fresh lock of gloss black paint on the fork lowers. Linkages regreased. New chain and sprockets, new brake pads front and rear, new front tyre, new front brake reservoir, new front wheel bearings, new brake fluid.

I've had a 5 minute suspension tweaking session to get the front and rear in the right ball park, but no doubt I'll spend the next few rides adjusting things.

Ready for an MOT now, then I'll do the oil and filter after that.

One small set back though, I managed to crack the head of the pin on the DID connecting link with my chain riveter. I didn't feel like I had flared it much before it split, so that's a weird one. I'll be ringing around the local shops in the morning for a couple of spare connecting links.

Sorry, no bins

Good to see the bike all back together again Jamie
Looking great

Chris.

[Jamoi]

Jamoi, is MoT place "friendly"? With rear seat available it should have rear footrests. Ok if cover is on rear seat,

You've got a keen pair of eyes! Thanks you're absolutely right, I just haven't got around to putting the cowl on that seat. (I was playing around with the foam and cover on another seat).

[Jamoi]

Thanks Chris, a happy day for me, especially given the shockgate drama

[lloydie]

Yesterday started the repairs on the replacement race fairing .
I had to reinforce the nose section as it looks like it had a bird strike . It’s solid now and just needs filler on the outside and no one will know .
Love the smell of resin

[Jamoi]

The old girl passed her MOT today

I haven't ridden the Storm since selling it to Grumpy frog, so that's going back a good few years.

This morning I picked up another DID chain link and replaced the one which cracked when I riveted it yesterday, set the chain tension and aligned the wheel.

I set off for the MOT station via Esso for a drop of premium. My first impressions while riding down the road was: my god the seat feels low! The RC8 is a good 40mm higher. So I'll need to sort that out.

The (SP2) brakes are waaay better than I remember, despite the new pads which haven't had a chance to bed in yet.

The power delivery is so buttery smooth and that sound... oh I've really missed that.

I have the rear shock set to 348mm and the yokes dropped 5mm, but it still feels like a bus compared to the RC8! But unlike the RC8, when you're in the corner it feels ridiculously stable.

My short ride home highlighted a few jobs which will need doing:

The clutch slips at anything over 6k rpm (I drained the oil as soon as I got home, so maybe that'll help - but I suspect a clutch pack is required).

The freshly serviced shock feels like it has little to no compression damping, despite trying all the settings on the remote adjuster - not sure what I can do about that. Rebound damping and sag are pretty close to ideal.

There's a lot of popping when it's idling and decelerating, so perhaps that's a carb sync job. But she doesn't stall and it pulls like a train.

Overall a really good day, it's great to ride it again and I'll be less sad when the RC8 goes to a new home in the Spring. The storm is just as much fun, it just does everything a little slower and with more calm - which is no bad thing on the road.

[Kev L]

Nice review

[lloydie]

As long as she can still put a smile on your face it’s worth it , bit like an old ex that you wished you never let go .