Tank Slap - Motorcycle Forum

So I finally got round to riding the bike. The roads are cold, damp and covered in crap so it wasn't that spirited a ride, plus I need to readjust my head to being on a sports bike.

Feck me is it small. The bars feel like they're just under your armpits. The pegs are well placed pushing your knees up under the tank. Full lock still gives you a turning circle of a fat lass who has been told that the salad bar is all you can eat and it's free of charge.

That said the bike is comfortable. Despite having been away from sports bikes for a couple of years there was no back or wrist pain. There's not much room on the seat. The bike pretty much determines how you sit on it.

It didn't want to fire up first time. Either because its been laid up for a while (last taxed in April) or there's a potential sprag clutch issue which these bikes are known for. It's started first time every time after that though so fingers crossed it's the former.

The sound is a bit agricultural on start up but that's not unusual for triples. Over 6,000 rpm it really sings.

Mapping can be changed on the move. I spent most of the time in normal mode which is plenty enough for the roads. TC was on about 1/3 of max. I didn't see the light or feel it kick in.

Brakes are really strong. The suspension is firm but that's to my liking. Handling is razor sharp. The whole package is pretty much spot on. There's shed loads of power, even with roll on tests the like soon hit triple figures from 50mph in 4th, 5th or 6th.

It's fecking fast. The power delivery is pretty linear. Coupled with real smooth fuelling it's responsive. I put the thing in sports mode and it really rasps at you.

I don't think the quickshifter has been used. It was switched off when I got it. It worked fine most of the time but I had a couple of false neutrals so I need to get it set up. It was working best when you're caning the shit out of it.

The bike is a proper weapon. I can't wait for dray warm roads. I think I need to get it on the track.

Looks and sounds good. Does it come with a warranty to cover the sprag? Worth making sure all that battery leads are clean and tight.

There's a 3 month warranty. I don't know if there was a recall for them, I need to look into it

I'm going to give the bike a good inspection and clean this afternoon.

There is also a new MV dealer in Stoke now. Powerslide Motorcycles next door to Ducati Stoke.

The sprag was a known issue on my old T595, from what I recall if you were unlucky and it self destructed at the wrong time it got expensive in the gearbox dept.
That minor issue aside it sounds like a pocket rocket that deserves a good thrashing round a warm dry track in the summer.

On the QS I find they always work best when canning it, when your high up in the rev range. From experience I aIso discovered they don't like you to be delicate with them, they like positive, quick shifts with your left foot.

Tbh I don't use mine unless I'm pressing on a bit as lowdown they can be a little snatchy in my experience.

Glad your enjoying It. Stunning bike

Hopefully the lazy start was just old fuel that had separated out a little.

Beautiful bike mate !! Fair play to you on many fronts... but mostly for having an italian beauty between your legs!

Sprags are a problem with many bikes with high compression. I am waiting for one of the parts so I can put my 853 back together.

Keep the battery charged and make sure all the leads are good and tight.

I did some research on these before I bought it and it seems that ownership includes expecting to replace the sprag at some point. The brand new bikes have an upgrade sprag so I might look at the cost of going down that route.

Loving the oics Kwacky. Great choice. Hopefully your bike is find, if its been starting with no issue then fingers crossed it was just due to being laid up for quite some time

Looking forward to hearing more about this bike

How many miles does it have in it from pick up?

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I had the sprag clutch go on my SV650S. I believe I could still ride it but I had to bump start it.

In hindsight, it's something you should probably add to your preventative maintenance but equally - if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Rossgo wrote: How many miles does it have in it from pick up?

How many mile have I done on it? About 70

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duke63 wrote:https://www.designcorse.com/pages/searc ... 3%20series

I had to close that link as the kids aren't in bed yet...... Filth.. pure filth..

I've seen that site before.

£450 for a paddock stand put me off

Kwacky wrote:

Rossgo wrote: How many miles does it have in it from pick up?

How many mile have I done on it? About 70

70 is pretty good going but I'll expect to see these numbers grow thriugh the summer then! Fingers crossed we all get to Wales which would be nice

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I've given the slip on another polish. It looks like I need a coarser grade of micro cloth. The can looks polished now but it's still got a mark on it.

I had a look on the GPR Site but I can't see any exhaust stickers for sale. I guess they might not sell them to stop people sticking them on other cans.

There's a service bulletin for the bike from September 2018 for updating the clutch housing. It upgrades the clutch housing and cush drive. I'm going to get the bike booked in at an MV Dealer so they can do the work and update the ECU. It might cost a bit but I reckon a few pounds spent now will save me a few quid later on down the line. Plus I want to make sure that the bike is alright before I start to spank the crap out of it. They can look at the sprag clutch as well.

I know it's a little different than a bike but I took my Audi to a garage I trust entirely for a suspension health check as I just knew something wasn't right and I wasn't getting great mileage out of my tyres. Best thing I did as the car felt miles better and allowed me to diagnose an extra control arm issue that was masked by the first issues.

Sounds expensive... but it's a lot cheaper than 4 tyres every 6 months.