Out of lockdown!

NZ has moved to level 2 and although there are still many restrictions, going for a ride isn't one of them any more!  The 11000 km service for my Duke 790 was originally scheduled for 2 days after lockdown started so that didn't happen.  Now, on the first day of level 2, I could get it done.  The dealer is a round trip of 350 km away so it was a good opportunity to bring my riding up to scratch again.

Awoke to wet roads and gusty winds which wasn't exactly ideal after a layoff but a good opportunity to take it super-easy.  The first 50 km of the journey is comprised of tight twisties along the coast and I felt surprisingly out of sorts.  The KTM 790 isn't nicknamed "The Scalpel" for nothing and my reactions seemed to lag behind its rapid response to steering inputs and throttle control.  I thought about this later and reckon that my situational awareness wasn't as sharp as it should be and as a consequence, my inputs to the bike were a bit slow and clumsy.  A quick stop in Thames to top up the tank actually paid dividends.  In the past when I haven't been riding particularly well, a short break to do a mental reset has paid dividends. I think that the gas stop was one of those occasions as the rest of the journey was a delight.  Drying roads helped too!

  Front of house at Boyds - now Yamaha agents too

Parked the bike outside service reception and for Covid-19 contact tracing purposes, all visitors were required sign in by log book or QR Code.  Strict 2 metre distancing was in play with sanitiser everywhere you looked. Really impressed that they were on their game, albeit low key.

790 waiting to be whisked away, along with an 1190 Adventure R

The team at Boyds know that it takes me a tad over 2 hours to get to their place from home so they started work on the bike within a few minutes of me arriving whilst I wandered around their showroom, keeping an appropriate distance of course.  Even had to do another contact trace in their separate parts, accessories and clothing department when I picked up another can of chain wax.  Thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few photos I took whilst wandering about.....

The  photo below is the dealer's beautifully restored Yamaha TT 500 .  A real classic manufactured from 1976 to 1981 and good ones fetch serious bucks.  I'd happily have one in the shed.

 Elegantly simple and bloody gorgeous!

Boyds picked up the Yamaha franchise late last year.  I was just wandering about looking at the various models and happened to notice the plumbing on the MT-09.  Thought it looked quite arty!

Sexy pipework

This is the first time I'd seen the adventure version of my 790 in the flesh.  Undoubtely a really competent machine but with all the plastic, it looked too bulky and unwieldy for my taste.  I'd sooner have the smaller 390. 

The 790 Adventure

Now the bike below is a beast of a machine - the 1290 SuperDuke.  Doesn't really need 2 wheels on the move as pointing at the sky on the back one in any gear is its normal modus operandi.  A seriously frightening machine.  If the 790 Duke is the Scalpel, this must be the Sledgehammer! Love it.

A real beast of a bike

I guess everyone on the planet must know how popular Royal Enfields have become through the world with both singles and twins being really popular in NZ.  The 650 below offers good performance at a very modest price.  Can't go wrong really.

Uncomplicated, attractive and well-priced

The last bike that attracted my attention was tucked away in the area which used to be for customers to chill and enjoy a coffee.  It's a Sur Ron electric bike powered by a 6 kw electric motor.  I reckon it would be huge fun in the gnarly back country.  In fact, anywhere near us, come to think if it.....

The Sur Ron electric motorcycle

Coming back to the KTM, the 11000 km service cost NZ$314 (US$189, AU$293, GBP 154).  Not only did it include all the items listed in the handbook for that distance, it also had a computer software update and new frame bolts replaced under warranty!  I have no idea what the latter replacement was all about as under the circumstances,  it wasn't possible to chat with the technician at any length.

And finally, yet more expenditure coming up.  My front Bridgestone T31 tyre is toast at 8500 km which is a lot less than sport touring tyres on other bikes I've owned.  I have some theories about this but will do a proper review of the T31 in due course.  Wear on the right hand side of the tyre is particularly noticeable as can be seen in the photo below.  There's a reasonable amount of life left in the rear T31 and could just replace the front but being ever inquisitive, there are a couple of other brands I'd like to experiment with so need to replace both hoops.  More on this in due course.

A well-knackered Bridgestone T31 front tyre (big flats on the outer faces)

What a difference a few days make....

Jennie has been in the UK to see her sister.  For obvious reasons, things turned to custard pretty rapidly and an announcement by NZ's Foreign Affairs government department for Kiwis to get back to NZ asap was the spur to get her home pronto.  Easier said than done and without going into detail, there were several sleepless nights trying to get it sorted.  Some pretty serious price-gouging by some airlines or their agents which was morally unacceptable, if legal.

Bless our travel agent, he burned the midnight oil for a couple of days and got her a flight home with Qatar Air.  London-Doha is a little over 8 hours and Doha-Auckland is about 16 1/2 hours.  Cattle class is not good on the body when you're in your 70's, not to mention close proximity to others.  He managed to get Jennie what's known as a business-class Q Suite, where you can actually close a door and isolate yourself.  A picture is worth 1000 words ..... We've been told that it was the last but one flight by Qatar to NZ and is now virtually impossible to get back to NZ by any means.  The reverse is also true - there are still a lot of tourists here who look to be stuck.

Qatar Q Suite business class (Qatar photo)

Anyway, her flight arrived in NZ this morning at 0500.  All the airport buildings had been closed to everyone but passengers so I met her in the big car park outside the terminals.  It was pitch black, hardly anyone about and seeing her in the headlights sitting on a suitcase waiting for me to turn up was surprisingly emotional.  Must be getting soft.

A 2 1/2 hour drive home and we're both in isolation for 14 days.  We can go for a walk and I think taking the boat out fishing is fine but no other close contact.  Today, it was announced by our Prime Minister that total lockdown of NZ is imminent, apart from essential services.  This is going to be tough on a lot of people but it needs to be done.  I'm just hoping that I don't irritate Jennie to the extent that I get stabbed or pushed overboard.   If the blog goes quiet for a substantial period, please contact the authorities and state your suspicions!

Onto bike stuff, I can't get my KTM officially serviced as part of its guarantee because of the closures but that's of no consequence as I won't be riding it far.  Whilst Jennie was in the UK,  I set to and did a wheel alignment on the KTM with an adaptation of the laser rig I built for the Blackbird in 2003.  This isn't a tutorial but the basic principles can be found HERE .  I've simplified it a little since then but the basics still apply.  

Laser light just kissing maximum rear tyre width

Measuring the offset at 2 points on the front tyre (and on both sides)

Cutting to the chase, the differential offset of 8mm was more than I was happy with and with a bit of judicious adjustment, I pulled it back to 3mm.  Trouble is, I don't really know what constitutes an acceptable dimension for road riding of the sort I do.  I know that top race teams normally spend a bit of time on this aspect though.  I suppose it's the anal engineer in me coming out, sigh.......  reliable data has been central to my whole working life.  I will add a comment though.  If you can't measure something, then there's no basis for objective discussion.  I do know from past experience that tyre dealers or bike shops can be pretty rough and ready.  I prefer to know for sure.  Interestingly, I took some measurements at the adjusters on the swingarm before re-adjustment and superficially, they "looked" ok.  However, with the tolerances between each component compounding the error, you can't tell without actually measuring at the tyres themselves.  Trust me on this.

Finally, some comments on my Bridgestone T31 sport/touring tyres.  These replaced the OEM pure sport tyres which I was unhappy with in cold, wet conditions.  I've now covered 8500km on the set  and both wet and dry weather performance is excellent in terms of grip.  Ummm...excepting the walking pace drop outlined in the previous post.  No tyre would have prevented that.  Speed of turn-in is probably not as good as the OEM tyres but it's still acceptable.  In terms of wear, the rear tyre still has an excellent profile and lots of tread.  End of life will be around 10000- 12000 km which I'll be perfectly happy about.

Bridgestone T31 rear tyre at 8500 km - good profile, plenty of tread

The front tyre also has a decent amount of tread in general.  However, it has badly lost shape with substantial flats on the side extending to within a few mm of the tyre edge.  Less than perfect front suspension is one contributor.  However, I've experienced the same thing on all my front tyres irrespective of brand, including bikes with high end suspension.  The most likely cause is where I live in terms of ultra-twisty biker paradise roads which require aggressive countersteering at a reasonable pace.  Something I'm going to have to live with unless I do a 2 front for 1 rear replacement strategy.  I like the T31's very much but haven't decided to replace the front yet as I might look at the Continental Road Attack 3's, just out of curiosity.

To inject a note of reality into the tyre discussion, most tyres from major manufactures have a performance envelope that exceeds the abilities of most of us riders provided we've identified and chosen the type properly in the first place (pure sport, sport touring, adventure etc).  It comes down to personal preference and "feel" after that.

Bridgestone T31 front tyre at 8500 km - big flats towards the side

Finally, every good wish to anyone reading this blog.  There are going to be challenging times ahead and keep safe. Equally importantly, keep a sense of humour and be kind to each other!