Author Topic: Then and Now (Read 7697 times)

Falcon 269 · « **on:** 06 January 2012, 04:26:38 pm »

Went on a lovely ride along the coast today (sorry, 25c and sunny - had to be done

) and reprised a photo shoot I did back in Jan 2006. There's been more than a few changes to the old girl over the years since we moved to Spain and since I first got her back in 2002.

From this:

To this:

Followed by this:

And this:

To arrive today at this:

Almost ten years old, 44k miles on the clock (yeah, must try harder

) and she runs and rides better now than ever before.

Which is nice.

locksmith · « **Reply #1 on:** 06 January 2012, 04:33:42 pm »

So wheres the one of you looking older

devilsyam · « **Reply #2 on:** 06 January 2012, 05:24:16 pm »

love the disc's mike looks good

BMCfaz · « **Reply #3 on:** 06 January 2012, 08:03:33 pm »

So unfair, I bet you didn't need heated gloves on your ride!
Looking good, Mike! I think I'll have to look into some USD forks for mine when the money's available, and some wavey discs, and some colour matching and some.....

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #4 on:** 06 January 2012, 08:53:03 pm »

Liking the R6 shock, too, Luke. First impressions are good. Supple and controlled. Not as firmly sprung as my Ohlins, which is over-sprung for my weight. I specified a stiffer spring thinking the Soup Dragon would be coming aboard as self-loading baggage, but that never happens. Probably as well - my kidneys couldn't cope with the constant thumping at 50 mph and above.

Heated gloves? Err, no ... vented leathers, in fact. But it was unusually warm today.

Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #5 on:** 06 January 2012, 09:02:08 pm »

Palm tree in front of the boat is a bit taller.

Are those LSL rearsets fitted? They look very similar to one I have fitted on my XJR1200.

devilsyam · « **Reply #6 on:** 06 January 2012, 09:41:34 pm »

Glad you like it mike been a very good mod it is now international as i have just sent two to singapore 85 quid shipping

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #7 on:** 07 January 2012, 08:52:58 am »

Quote from: Kosmic Kartman on 06 January 2012, 09:02:08 pm

Palm tree in front of the boat is a bit taller.

Are those LSL rearsets fitted? They look very similar to one I have fitted on my XJR1200.

Lucky the palm is still there. Thousands have been destroyed in the last few years by a red weevil.

Good spot on the LSLs.

Silverdream · « **Reply #8 on:** 07 January 2012, 04:59:50 pm »

Such a nice bike Mike...

Good series of photo's too...

Wishing for some sunshine here in chilly UK...

Mike... what style belly pan is that? as i am looking for one now for mine... and that one doesn't look to pointy toward the front wheel like other i have seen...

Colin

fazer6868 · « **Reply #9 on:** 07 January 2012, 05:15:15 pm »

lovely bike mike....wished mine looked that good.

131k now on mine and seems to be going better than ever...i am certainly enjoying just as much riding it now as day 1 maybe even more.

imho best bike i have ever owned and definitely the best all rounder as if you spend a few quid on the suspension it really is a SPORTS TOURER as it does both jobs so well.

pilgrim · « **Reply #10 on:** 07 January 2012, 05:18:36 pm »

But when are you going to paint the air box side covers?

Plastikote silver is a perfect match

Then it will be finished.........................probably, or maybe not

Looks good though, 1 year newer than mine, same colour ( fastest blue ) 15k miles more and mine
looks like I've ridden through a swamp!!

Must wash it tomorrow

oldmotherfoccer · « **Reply #11 on:** 07 January 2012, 06:08:00 pm »

You know i was expecting to see a massive hotel in the 2nd photo and the bike still the same, just goes to show what good bikes they are

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #12 on:** 07 January 2012, 09:58:17 pm »

The belly pan is from MBD in Germany. http://www.mbd-superbike.de Website was down when I checked just before posting but try again later. Also, check out German ebay as that's where I got mine in the first instance.

The airbox side covers are staying black. Or maybe carbon. Or then again, I might just get suckered into fitting pod filters for the hell of it.

It never really ends, does it?

nickodemon · « **Reply #13 on:** 07 January 2012, 11:25:04 pm »

I think carbon rad guards and air box covers would finish her off nicely

Lovely looking bike

Kosmic Kartman · « **Reply #14 on:** 07 January 2012, 11:45:58 pm »

Looks like a lovely sweeper of a corner aswell. Slightly off camber.

cable tie · « **Reply #15 on:** 08 January 2012, 11:21:52 pm »

Very nice mike and only the blue ones look the fastest.

Now i note from the last pic ! your using clear fluid pipe on the master cylinder so pressume your setup is without res container because like yourself i have the LSL sets and i note they sit slightly higher, so did you have probs with the stock res container and pipe!! when you fitted the lsl sets, i myself have moved the res as far up as possible but i do think it sits slightly low in conjunction with the position of the lsl sets and as ive put no miles on it id rather dress the problem if there is going to be one before i do use it.

Dave

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #16 on:** 09 January 2012, 07:58:18 am »

Good spot, Dave.

It's a genuine HRC brake fluid pipe, the sort used on race bikes. Simply a green tube but holds enough fluid to do the job. I fitted it because the mounting bracket on the TCP undertray for the original reservoir fractured.

Nothing to do with the LSL rearsets, just that the moulded-in bracket wasn't gutsy enough.

Ad, that nice curve is a full 360 degrees, mate. Most roundabouts - even Spanish ones - are like that.

GringoRojo · « **Reply #17 on:** 09 January 2012, 01:40:53 pm »

12 years old with only 44k miles? you need to get out more

locksmith · « **Reply #18 on:** 09 January 2012, 03:01:02 pm »

How fick am I?
I thought whats the chances of the same fishing boat being moored in the same place years apart

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #19 on:** 09 January 2012, 03:45:25 pm »

Quote from: GringoRojo on 09 January 2012, 01:40:53 pm

12 years old with only 44k miles? you need to get out more

'Bought back in 2002' ... someone needs to stay in more and work on their sums.

I am getting out more, though ... it's just sharing the miles with the R1 that's the problem now.

sirgalahad3 · « **Reply #20 on:** 09 January 2012, 04:38:32 pm »

Examples of nice everythings on those photos! Bike,area,weather etc,all better than Wolverhampton.....

GringoRojo · « **Reply #21 on:** 09 January 2012, 07:02:03 pm »

how many on the R1 then?

dekker555 · « **Reply #22 on:** 09 January 2012, 08:06:19 pm »

I think we in the UK are all envious of where Mike lives, especially this time of year!

Falcon 269 · « **Reply #23 on:** 09 January 2012, 08:58:46 pm »

Quote from: GringoRojo on 09 January 2012, 07:02:03 pm

how many on the R1 then?

Err, in total it has a mere 13,100 miles since it was first registered in Jan 1999. About 1,300 of those have been since I got it in June 2009. In my defence, feeble though it is, I had two R1s to ride in 2009/2010 and this one was the designated 'keeper', so I put more mileage on the other knowing it would be sold eventually.

Transferring UK-registered bikes onto Spanish plates is a bureaucratic chore and expensive so I put off doing it for a year once the UK tax and MOT had expired. I finally got around to re-registering the keeper last November. Cost nearly 600 euros and took 3 weeks of visits to the MOT centre, the tax offices and the Policia Trafico department in Alicante. It all has to be done in person and the sheaf of paperwork required has to be seen to be believed.

Worth it, though.

pitternator · « **Reply #24 on:** 10 January 2012, 07:48:43 am »

Hi Mike
The bike looks great. Have I missed the dropping of ur exup on the forum ? I like the look of the clean pipe all way to the can, really cleans it up, instead of the rusty iron collector box.

From the photos it does look like a lot of weight over the front wheel, almost a big attitude change to stock ?