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April Showers ?
Posted by Nigel B on April 3, 2024, 5:35 pm
More like monsoon downpours today !
Pity the RE dealer keeps Yorkshire Easter holidays, so was closed yesterday - which was very pleasant.
Today - when the Interceptor was booked in for it's annual service and MoT - it bucketed down.
As my bike would not be finished until the afternoon, I elected to take out a new 350 Bullet demonstrator - new in this case being 5 miles on the odo and trade plate fitted. It was returned, in a rather more grubby condition than it set out, with 115 miles showing.
All in all a nicer bike than the 350 Meteors I have had previously, being more comfortable due to a more "normal" riding position but suffering from what would be a deal-breaker for me that I don't recall from the Meteors - a very heavy clutch that brought on tendonitis in my forearm. As it was a brand new bike it was treated gently, so performance was not investigated - mostly kept to roads where 40 mph was not an issue at which it was pretty obviously quite happy. I did let it run up briefly to 45-ish on a downhill stretch after it had covered 100 miles, at which it was getting to feel like it could use a change up into the non-existant 6th gear. The Meteors were feeling a bit buzzy at 50 & I guess this one would too - gearing seems pretty low, with 4th gear being comfortable for 30 limits. All controls (bar the clutch) & handling were light and easy. The clutch was purgatory for me in built-up areas after 70-80 miles & spoiled an otherwise pleasant ride. The Indian made Ceat brand tyres were fine in pretty dreadful conditions - no issues at all.
Another negative was the mudguarding - I was suprised how filthy both the bike and I were when I returned to the dealer. I took a Classic 500 demo out in similar conditions a few years ago & was suprised then by how clean we both were, so although the new Bullet looks to be styled along similar lines, the mudguards are not as deeply enveloping as before. I have not had road filth sprayed up the back of my helmet for a along time.
So my season got off to a wet 150 mile (over the 2 bikes) session. The riding gear I used was older stuff as I didn't want to get more recent kit clagged up in the forecast conditions. This was a mistake, as everything leaked (wet down to my underpinnings ! ). The jacket was a bit of a suprise (Moto Guzzi genuine apparel), but the PU coating on the outer material has failed & Nikwax Wash-in proofer can only do so much. After around 14 years service, this is for the recycle bin. The Aldi trousers were technically retired anyway due to the zip coming adrift (I bought a replacement pair form Louis in Germany last autumn), but they had not leaked before & are comfortable. Another candidate for the recycle bin. The Weise gloves were another unpleasant suprise - deceidedly squelchy after only 40 un-faired miles, these will soldier on for fair weather use if they dry out OK, as will the Alpine Stars Goretex boots - only a bit of leakage around the gearchange foot here. And I do (usually) wear overboots over these - just forgot them today.
Disappointing to find I only did 753 miles between MoTs on the Interceptor last year - the downside to being away for most of June (which I understand was UK summer last year) and July & August being "changeable".
Nigel B.
Re: April Showers ?
Posted by Andy C on April 3, 2024, 7:52 pm, in reply to "April Showers ?"
That made a nice little read bumped into a couple of RE 350 riders in local fuel stations, they always say how happy they are with the bikes.
Had some respite from the rain today - nice enough for me to be able to replace the failed starter motor on the other halfs Golf this evening.
Forecast is for a lot more rain overnight and showers all day tomorrow, forecast for the next week is rain.....
Weather is wreaking havoc with gardening this year, as well as trying to get the KH sorted. Who needs a signature anyway......