What did you do to your bike today ??

[Spudda]

Duke, I was searching ebay and I occasionally search under Valmoto - these cropped up. Not sure if you need them or if they're any good

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-916-Va ... 20e146aa9f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Blade]

Duke, I was searching ebay and I occasionally search under Valmoto - these cropped up. Not sure if you need them or if they're any good

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-916-Va ... 20e146aa9f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course he needs them

[Kwacky]

Left the bike at home today. I need to leave work early, which means I miss the traffic, so I thought I would bring in the car some more clothes to leave at work.

[kingfixer]

gave it a clean last night after the Cotswold run and put the carbon pads on.

[Bratty]

Just dropped mine of at Honda for a health check.

[Cavetroll87]

Just dropped mine of at Honda for a health check.

Heres hoping it comes back with a clean bill of health mate

[Bratty]

Just dropped mine of at Honda for a health check.

Heres hoping it comes back with a clean bill of health mate

I'm quite confident it will mate and I'm probably just being paranoid but best get it checked.

[Cavetroll87]

Yeah always better safe than sorry, I remeber someone once telling me if something doesnt feel right while riding it probably isnt so dont just ignore it and to be fair its always served me well so far

[Kwacky]

If you get something into your head it can be hard to shake it off. Like you I tend to back off. Doing something simple like checking the tyre pressures or bouncing the bike on its suspension is usually enough for me.

[Bratty]

Bikes had the all clear, got a new set of Renthal grips and a new R&G badge to put on the crash bung, just want my carbon to turn up now.

[Cavetroll87]

Bikes had the all clear, got a new set of Renthal grips and a new R&G badge to put on the crash bung, just want my carbon to turn up now.

Glad to hear it mate, at least you can ride with peace of mind that it is all straight and how it should be after your tactical dismount

[Kwacky]

Good news. You can crack on with the bling now.

[D6Nutz]

Good news. You can crack on with the bling now.

^^^ this

[Blade]

Bikes had the all clear, got a new set of Renthal grips and a new R&G badge to put on the crash bung, just want my carbon to turn up now.

Nice one mate. Great news.

[D6]

Tested the dunslip qualifiers in the rain for the first time. Were ok to be fair.

[Itchy]

Had the new tyres fitted today.

As mentioned before, I went for the Avon Storm Ultra 2 as they're supposed to get good mileage, and given my riding "talents" I don't need cutting edge rubber with ultimate grip.

Graham at Swaffham Motorcycles http://www.swaffhammotorcycles.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; did the work. He was busy and in a rush to get my tyres done before 5 o'clock as he had to be away. Despite this, he refused to cut any corners and did everything properly and professionally. Even took his time to get the rear balanced perfectly when it was being a pain in the tits with just over 5 minutes left to closing time! Friendly bloke too.

Anyhoo, the tyres. He put 42 psi in the rear and 36 in the front, which was a bit of a shock as I've been running with 38 and 34 repectively. Riding through town I noticed I had to put more effort into the steering. It's not as noticeable when you pick up a bit of speed, and it's not as if they're slow to turn, you just need to be positive with the steering input.

Out of town, after pottering around some 90 bends littered with stones and debris like a novice on skates tied to a fish blancmange the roads began to open up. Despite only having 15 miles on them they felt planted on the sweeping bends. No jittering, no skipping, despite the extra psi in there, just smooth, predictable grip.

Now those of you who know me or have paid attention to my previous posts will know it's not a false modesty when I say I'm a pussy in the corners. I got a bit better last year on the i2i Machine Control course, but after a winter of low usage my skill levels have dwindled and once again my confidence has dropped.
Not to worry, I'll get it back, and from first impressions these tyres may be just the ones i need to help me do that!

[Kwacky]

Tried to find a new way home and got lost.

[D6Nutz]

Tried to find a new way home and got lost.

It's great when that happens, providing the sun is shining and the roads are good..

[Kwacky]

It was dark and cold. The stupid thing is I knew roughly where I was and knew the village names, but I had lost my direction so I was riding around unused and unlit country lanes. It's amazing how rural it is just outside of Birmingham.

[Kwacky]

Anyway, I left the bike at home today. It's supposed to rain and I can't be bothered to get kitted up when I need to leave work quickly tonight.