2006 July Blog

Advertisers contact for details

Done some action shots of the Bonnie now. I have written the article too for a tight deadline in Scandinavia. Working on the English version now as I had to write this one straight in Norwegian as that was most urgent. I have also been offered a ride on the Thruxton 900 with loud pipes. One of the things to complain about on the Bonnie is the lack of characteristic burbling from that big parallel twin engine. It goes very quiet and I have only ever ridden the Triumph Classics with original pipes. I am also moving house these days from Buxton in Derbyshire to Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands. So I will exchange the Cat & Fiddle pub for the Bassets Pole pub for now. TS

Returned the Street Bob down at Warr's Harley-Davidson in London today. Fucking hate the traffic, but the fact that I wore a half helmet, summer gloves and had turned the bass to max on my Sony Ericsson Walkman helped. I left Buxton around 10 O'clock and was close to the M25 around 12.00. Then hell starts around the London orbital and loads of holiday traffic in and out everywhere! What's wrong with getting a fucking plane somewhere? Or even better, motorcycle! Somehow the clock was 15.00 already when I had returned the Harley and picked up my own Cagiva. So called the gents at the Triumph factory and asked them to leave the keys with security as I would guaranteed be late even though it is only 100 miles from London to Hinckley. 10 miles in London is more than 100 on almost any motorway. But for some perverted reason I was still happy being out in the gorgeous sun. But it takes ages getting places even on a motorbike. Around 18:00 I was in Hinckley and picked up the keys for the 07 Bonnie and rode it home. Still happy, but knackered after 10 hours of filtering in the heat. That half faced helmet made sure my beard had changed colour by the time I arrived home too. It was a mixture of road fumes, dust and smashed up insects. Some of them hurt like hell when they collide, particularly around the mouth where the skin is thin. The visor on the Suomy Jetlight does cover my eyes and nose but those bugs seems to be more willing to die at more different places than a bleeding Jihad. Don't ride at night with full beam and your mouth open! Which lucky girl volunteers for the first kiss after a ride like that? Send me an E-mail if you are female as I get way too few of those. Tor

Busy day again as the real news demands my full attention these days and deadlines looming all over the place this time of the month. At least with the magazines that work all year round as some have just left their desks and gone on a collective holiday! Finished the 2007 Victory copy (to be published 02/08) today and also got confirmation that I will travel to Palm Springs, California in October for the world launch of the 2007 Victory range. Got the latest news from Triumph as well where they are launching the 2007 Bonneville with 865cc engine painted in black. Already on Friday I will pick up the 07 Bonneville at the Triumph factory for the first road test. That's the day that I will return the Street Bob as well. And finally today, I am in the process of making Tor's helmet video-guide. I am mainly focusing on how to change the visor. I have cursed one helmet, smashed up another one and all went smoothly on the third. It ranges from how to change visor on the Suomy Jetlight and Spec 1R helmets to how to change goggles on a offroad helmet. Very exciting stuff. TS

It was a fairly busy day today with news etc. I have written a news story about Kawasaki's new ER6 based Versys and will write the news story about the 2007 model-line up from Victory motorcycles tomorrow. It can't be published until 02/08/2006 though, but that's only next week. Compared to Harley-Davidson you have to remember that Victory has already got a 100ci engine in all its models. But there are a couple of items in the 2007 Victory press kit that are very exciting for touring fans. I shall say no more here. Went out and did some action shots of the Street Bob today. If you are not into the American cubic inches terminology I can tell you that Twin Cam 88 is a 1450cc engine. 96 is 1583 and 100 is 1634cc (if I remember it correctly). I have the formula to calculate somewhere too and will post if I can find it. The picture to the right shows me spreading my genes all over the petrol tank by the way. Of consideration to you and your children we chose this angle rather than up front. TS

Happy birthday Angelika!

We have really been spoilt for glorious sunshine here lately. Cruising around in the sun on the Street Bob has been a pleasure, but I have tried to stop as little as possible to avoid melting away. The Bob rumbles to life on first push on the start button each time. The new TC96 models are being launched in the US as we speak and I'll try to get my hands on one of them as soon as possible. I know that I can ride most of the new models already in August if I travel a bit, but I'll first see what H-D UK can come up with for me. I have the Night Rod and Buell Uly scheduled in. I have received some new kit from Alpinestars lately for testing. The Kanan leather jacket and Roam waterproof boots. I am talking to Scott as well for replacements for the crash damaged Gore-tex gear and a Suomy Jetlight half-faced helmet is on its way. This weekend I will write, write, ride and watch MotoGP from Laguna Seca. I will also start designing the Victory 2007 page so that it's ready to be published 02/08 with all the 2007 news. But before that the first Kawasaki official 2007 bike on this Tuesday. TS

From Fireblade to Street Bob, that's me. I am genuinely happy that I am not allowing myself to fall into any particular category of bikes. I don't ride enough Harleys to claim that I am an expert on the big air-cooled machines from Milwaukee, but I have ridden them enough to test it for what it is. In the last few years I have ridden everything from a Stage 2 Dyna Super Glide, V-rod, Street Rod, Softail Deluxe and Classic to today's Street Bob. So just as I am getting to know the Twin Cam 88 those fast moving engineers at Harley-Davidson change it all to the Twin Cam 96. The 2007 Street Bob will also get the 96 cubic inch engine. Street Bob is fabulously understated with its matt black denim paint and minimal chrome. It makes all the right noises if you tease up the revs a bit and vibrates like an air-cooled big Harley should. But 170 miles in a day is enough on the Bob as it is not the most comfortable bike to tour on. Perfect for short rides in and around town. TS

Action pictures done and dusted today, this time in the border areas between Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Great light and all good. Just a shame that all the video files turned out to be corrupted when I downloaded them from the camera. No Blade video in other words. Tomorrow I am returning the Fireblade to Honda UK in Slough and picking up Harley-Davidson Street Bob from Warr's in New Kings road London. TS

Absolutely gorgeous the weather today and as good a day as any to get some more static shots done of the Fireblade. The Cat & Fiddle pub has finally got the new sign up since the first new sign had a cat that looked like the devils own apparently. After a couple of days on the 06 Blade after riding the new GSX-Rs shows that the Fireblade is not as small and nimble as the GSX-R750 or 1000 for that matter. Ergonomics are slightly more relaxed and not as frantic or exciting at the top end. It's still much about the midrange on the Blade and it feels as if it takes longer to rev out the engine than the GSX-R1000. The Fireblade has got a very light throttle fly-wheel that is great for racing, but low speed control over bumps suffers a bit as a cause. Got the reason for that grinding noise on the GSX-R 750 today as well. On the front sprocket Suzuki run a smaller disc that acts as a pressure/speed sensor. That disc had vibrated loose and caused the noise, not the slipper clutch as I first thought. The disc works on a retaining clip and would not have come adrift is Suzuki's statement. It was caused by not applying the correct torque setting on the wrench when the bike was prepared for the test. The bike went and felt absolutely fine and when I turned the MP3 player on my mobile phone on full and revved the 750 high the noise was overpowered by nicer sounds anyway. But it did make me stay home from that Track night Mick Pick from Buxton invited me to at Donington last week. And not another appointment with a Bavarian barmaids apron as Mick suggested. Though I would have been tempted if the invite came... Suzuki will launch all its 2007 models in Paris the 21st of September by the way and I am invited. Harley-Davidson and Victory will both have launched their 2007 models by 02nd of August and Kawasaki will also let something exciting loose soon... You know where you get yer news by now I hope. TS

It was raining today so used the Scott Narvik jacket over my leathers when returning the GSX-R750 down to Suzuki HQ in Milton Keynes. Rode the Suzuki in a fairly fuel economic mode, but you still do need some revs at motorway speeds even in sixth. Not remotely close to the hectic 600, but as it showed more than the big Blade. It was 4 O'clock when I left Milton Keynes to head for the Honda Institute just off the M25 by Slough and Heathrow airport. What I had forgotten is that those chaps at the Honda workshop leave work at 4.30. So when I arrived just around 5 O'clock they had all abandoned me and gone home. Called Scott Grimsdall from the security at the Institute and he couldn't get anyone to come back to get the Fireblade out for me and due to health and safety he couldn't ask the security guard to help me either. So I was basically stuck in the shitty weather contemplating the useless ride 200 miles back North only to make the journey again the next morning. Just when I was about to leave (I am so glad I had that extra cup of coffee with the security guard before leaving) a guy in a red shirt (which apparently means he is authorised to move bikes around) appeared from out the back. He had seen my bike left outside the gates and wondered whether I was there to pick up a press bike. Yes I said with optimism coming back. And I was just going to head all the way back to Derbyshire with unfinished business. He then told me that he could help as he was allowed to move the bikes around. A sigh of relief and soon the Blade was mine. A million thanks goes to the guy that helped me out! It was soon evident that the CBR1000RR has got more oomph than two GSX-R600's put together and just that makes it much more comfortable to cruise the motorways at insane speeds. It's blistering fast but probably lacks that little extra from the GSX-R 1000. But not much. The throttle is so light in action and stability is at least on par with the GSX-R family. When I reached the B-roads the RR did start showing what it's made off by transmitting tiny headshakes on the gas even with Hondas electronic steering damper. That tells the tale of some serious power! I love it, how can I not? TS

Last day before I return the GSX-R 750 today. There's a sharp metallic noise noticeable on low revs in the first three gears. I am suspecting the slipper clutch, but later this week I'll know for sure. Tomorrow I'll swap the 750 for Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. That should be interesting as Honda prides itself with the strong midrange and usability on both road and track. Which should be strong points for the GSX-R 750 as well. Both the GSX-R750 and CBR1000RR Fireblade are legendary for both firms for the same reasons. They are also two of the very best sportsbikes you can buy for money. I have never ridden the two on the same day before, but that is exactly what I have planned to do tomorrow. TS

Woke up with a fucking bad headache after litres of that cloudy beer last night. Managed to crawl into the shower and pulled the tap towards the blue. Not that it helped much, but managed to get half a sandwich with scrambled eggs and bacon and litres of grapefruit juice before I had planned to head out on the bike again to explore Garmisch-Partenkirchen further. I can tell you that at least I saw the other side of the hotel and that was about as far as I was ready to ride this morning and at noon I had to grab a taxi for the airport again. At least I did not have to ride an old R80 banger all the way back to England as Kev Ash had planned to do. He bought it on eBay for nothing and I'll send him an E-mail on Monday to see whether he made it all the way back or not. I managed to rationalise my luggage properly this time with just a backpack and I just carried my leathers with me on the plane as hand luggage. I think it's the way forward as long as it's handy to ride to and from the airport. TS

Jetted over to Munich this morning to attend the press launch of the new BMW R1200R. Thanks to those super efficient (I can think of more flattery as well, but will leave it for now...) girls at the BMW Motorrad press office I was on the bike in no time. The initial plan was to fly over, ride the bike, get the pictures on disk and fly back to Manchester again the same evening. However, that Bikermeeting we rode to in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was too good to miss so I changed the return flight and got those nice BMW ladies to book me a nice room at the hotel we stayed in in Garmisch. Those Germans certainly knows how to throw a party and particularly the Bavarians! God bless them and their jumbo double pints and dancing on the table until dawn. TS

Today belongs to BMW and their new ASC traction control system. Already tomorrow I will ride the new R1200R in Munich. The ride will be between Munich and Garmisch in the Bavarian Alps where there is a huge BMW meeting. Whilst the other journos will stay and enjoy some Bavarian beer and watching the World Cup with the Germans I will head back home again tomorrow afternoon to finish the article. TS

Happy independence day to all you guys from the US.

You have got to love days when the coolant temperature show 24 degrees in the shade and 34 in the sun before starting the engine! It's been a heat wave around here this weekend. Been to Donington watching the qualifying sessions today and my face has now got the same colour as my Ducati Corse T-shirt! The Kawasaki RR sounds meaner now than it did the last time I attended a MotoGP race. Vermeulens GSV-R was spitting flames down the straight, but sounds awful compared to the big Ducati and Kawasaki.  Rode the GSX-R 750 down and it is a very fast bike indeed. However, it feels very different from the GSX-R 1000, more different than to the 600. The 750 is almost like a tuned 600 with more grunt. I'd say it's a better 600 than the 600 despite the fact it's a 750! I am not completely friendly with the standard suspension set up yet either for fast riding. I will ride more and investigate further. Pictures coming. TS