Author: Arthur

Seasoned London commuter, doing my best to stay rubber side down and never stop moving forward.

Filtering Tips Video, Part 1

Post author By Arthur
Post date September 19, 2019
No Comments on Filtering Tips Video, Part 1

For a while, I’ve been planning a few videos of filtering tips using footage from my daily riding in and around London, and finally, I’ve finished this first short video in the sequence. In this episode I look at some of the legalities of filtering, outlining what you can and cannot do by law in the UK.

Much is common sense, but you may still learn something new. Nonetheless, I hope you find this video interesting and useful. Do comment with your thoughts and any other interesting filtering legalities I’ve not covered here.

Tags Filtering, Tips

Maintenance

FZ6 Mini Mod – Fixing The Heavy Clutch

Post author By Arthur
Post date September 15, 2019
14 Comments on FZ6 Mini Mod – Fixing The Heavy Clutch

My Yamaha FZ6 S2 has been a great weekday commuter workhorse, yet with enough beans for some weekend fun. However, it’s not without issue, in particular the clutch. Firstly, it’s very heavy on the hand, to the extent I was getting hand ache in the first few weeks of ownership and was convinced it needed a new clutch cable (which changed little!) Secondly, the clutch bite point is way out on the lever, with little distance before fully released, even when all correctly adjusted with free play to spec. This all adds up to clunky gear shifts that you can never quite smooth out, you just can’t get throttle blips timed nicely with the point of clutch engage.

Recently I stumbled across a simple mod that promised to improve the heavy FZ6 clutch, which entails swapping on the lower clutch push lever from an MT07. This is the lever at the lower end of the clutch cable protruding from the clutch case cover. The MT07 push lever is slightly longer and so affords greater leverage, and thus lightens the clutch action.

Clutch push levers — Push levers comparison – Top: original FZ6; Botton: MT07

Tags Clutch

Uncategorized

You’re not a proper biker until…

Post author By Arthur
Post date September 10, 2019
No Comments on You’re not a proper biker until…

Long Haul Biker Gear Think you’re a proper biker? Think you know your motorcycles inside and out? Reckon you’ve ridden everywhere there is to ride? Are you really a proper biker who has done all there is to do on a bike? Well, let’s see if you’ve done all of these!

You’re not a proper biker until you have:

“Why travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”

News

August Update 2019

It’s been a little while since my last update here, July and August have been a rather hectic with all kinds of biking antics on the go. Here’s a brief catchup of the highlights:

Mary in Scotland

The end of July saw Mary heading up to Scotland for a the Curvy Riders MC annual meet up. This year located just outside Glasgow, many women bikers from across the UK gathering for the club’s AGM, ride outs, spa sessions and of course much partying. A bit of a mission from London, made worse by the crazy heatwave hitting the country.

Tags Adventure, Track

Gear Reviews

Rev’it Cooling Vest Challenger Insert Review

Post author By Arthur
Post date July 13, 2019
No Comments on Rev’it Cooling Vest Challenger Insert Review

After some false starts, summer has finally hit us and boy has it now gone hot. As tempting as it is, I’m not fond of the idea of riding in shorts and t-shirt having seen too many photos of others with nasty gravel rash following a spill in such attire. So the issue is then how to stay protected and stay cool in this weather – often with no easy solution and fraught with compromises. If only there was some kind of motorcycle air conditioning or jacket refrigerator… cue the Rev’it Cooling Vest.

Rev'it Cooling Vest Insert Challenger — Rev’it Cooling Vest Insert Challenger

Tags Jacket

Gear Reviews

Rev’it Hi-Vis Connector Vest Mini Review

Post author By Arthur
Post date July 13, 2019
No Comments on Rev’it Hi-Vis Connector Vest Mini Review

Hi-vis always seems to polarise opinions in the motorcycle community; those that can’t stand them and don’t believe they make any difference; and those that wear them all the time to stand out. There are arguments and counter-arguments as to when hi-vis would or wouldn’t help get you seen, but nonetheless, we can probably agree there are certainly some times when hi-vis could help get you noticed, even if not in all scenarios. As a year-round, daily London commuter, I’m riding into the city in all conditions, day, dusk, night, rain or shine and dealing with far too many less than-attentive drivers. As such, I’ll take whatever I can that might help get me seen and save my bacon. It’s also worth noting that it’s now a legal requirement to have a hi-vis vest with you when travelling in France, and hefty fines for not wearing should you break down.

Tags Jacket

Gear Reviews

Clean your Lid with the Muc-Off Helmet Care Kit Review

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 17, 2019
No Comments on Clean your Lid with the Muc-Off Helmet Care Kit Review

So, when was the last time you gave the inside of your motorcycle helmet a clean? Sure, I bet you keep the visor clean of bugs, but what about all that padding on the inside that’s soaked up months or years of sweat and grime? It’s probably a bit stinky by now, but you still keep shoving your head in it without a second thought – yuck! Here’s where Muc-off comes to the rescue, well known for bike care products, they also have a number of solutions for your helmet too. I recently spotted this Helmet Care Kit box in one of the Halfords sale bins, half price at £15 – bargain! Even better, upon checking the receipt later the kit had rung through the till at £5 – super bargain! But how does the kit stack up in practice? Read on to see if it managed to de-skank my lid.

Edit: This kit is currently heavily discounted over at Demon-Tweeks

Tags Cleaning, Helmets

Gear Reviews

Alpinestars SP-2 V2 Gloves Review

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 16, 2019
1 Comment on Alpinestars SP-2 V2 Gloves Review

Apparently, summer is now upon us, biking season has begun (did it ever stop?!) and I find myself hanging up my textiles and digging out my leather summer gear. Well, on some days when it’s not pissing down with rain, got to love the great British summer. Nonetheless, I found my old Alpinestars GP-Plus gloves were looking a bit worse for wear and in dire need of replacement. Whereas the GP-Plus and GP-Pro ranges are very race orientated, this time I was after a more general summer glove that didn’t break the bank. I’ve always been a fan of the Alpinestars brand, having always found them good quality, robust and have protected me well in previous offs. Their SP-2 V2 gloves appeared to fit the bill well and actually graced my own credit card, no review freebies this time. Read on to hear my verdict.

Tags Gloves

Featured Riding

Adventures Down Under, Motorcycle Rental MT09 in Brisbane, Part 2

Post author By Arthur
Post date May 31, 2019
No Comments on Adventures Down Under, Motorcycle Rental MT09 in Brisbane, Part 2

Continuing my Brisbane motorcycle rental adventure on a Yamaha MT09, for my second day I followed a route loosely based on this Rent This Bike blog post, an epic loop heading North West of Brisbane around lake Wivenhoe, taking in Mount Glorious, then North West over to Kingaroy, through Bunya Mountain and then back via Cooyar, Crows Nest and Esk. A substantial ride to do in one day at around 535 km, which left me minimal time to stop and explore along the route, before riding back into Brisbane after dark due to the early autumn nights. Definitely get out on the road early or consider stopping the night halfway for a more leisurely cruise.

Tags Adventure, Bike Rental, Route