So, where did you ride your F800 today? :)

[Futterman]

[Will]

Originally Posted by mcnets
Last Thursday, 10, I went to EICMA in Milan and I'd like to show you some interesting news.

Far too much fairng for my liking.

[SteveT]

Tis the time after Christmas, and all around the house full bellies groaned . . . . . along with a few waistlines

Feck this, I'm orf out on my bike

The Cairngorm mountains as viewed from the Granton on Spey to Tomintoul road (A939) . . . . .


And the view back towards Grantown . . . . . .


Finally, some snow that I could park up in and take that festive photo


A little under 100 miles in very mild weather - saw no less than 5 degrees Celcius on the bikes temp gauge, on gritty, sh1tty roads, with the odd bit of run-off ice thrown in, just to keep me alert

Only saw one other bike and that was as I got back into town to top up the bikes tank.

Great little bimble mid festive season.

SteveT

[Rev Ken]

I got out on my GT yesterday - again no lower than 5C. I only intended to nip up the road to the North for around 35 miles to my nearest BMW franchise (Lloyds Carlisle), but it was closed. Sadly I got lost on the way back and ended up in Moffat another 40 miles further North - strange I so often lose my map reading skills when out on my bike Found my headlight dipped beam wasn't working so had to 'hurry' home before it got dark - well that's my story - and arrived back with my bike covered in filth, as well as my boots and lower legs of my trousers, but a wonderful 150 miles of riding on almost empty roads - avoiding motorways and keeping to the more interesting roads. I suppose I had better wash it down, ready for the next outing - once I've got to the bottom of why my HID dipped beam isn't working - so bike is almost stripped at this point!

[Carlos Fandango]

I'd have usually nipped out this time of year, but laid up waiting for a small op so bike is laid up as well.

[Futterman]

That's a nice cover on the Honda, Carlos. Hope all goes as planned with the op!

[Futterman]

Took an Awesome Food Ride.

[Futterman]

I rode through Alexandria, Kentucky:


Carntown, Kentucky (where I polished my hipster street cred with a selfie in front of a lime kiln ):



Grabbed a pork tenderloin sandwich at a neighborhood pub in Augusta, Kentucky:


And stopped in front of Northern Kentucky's version of "The Rock Store", the Farm Center in Willow (although there were no "Street Rossi's" hanging out there today!):

[nicko]

Nice to see some folks getting out. Been off the bike for a week now, but the freezing fog we've been plagued by has finally cleared and the temps are up a bit so I plan to take the Harley MT out for a spin today.

nicko

[Futterman]

New Year's Day, heavy fog throughout the morning, burning off after noon with high temperature around 43°F / 6°C. Joined up with some buddies for the first ride of the new year.







About 100 miles / 161 km on back roads:

[Daboo]

No pictures. Just good memories.

I missed a week or so of riding with the flu. Bad. My oldest daughter told someone that when she looked in my eyes, there "was no life". Then it snowed. Not much at all, and the main roads were dry after a few days, but the temps were so cold, the snow and ice on my long driveway to the road didn't melt enough to get out.

So today, I take the bike out to the fitness center. (Sorry, no food...) Temps still at freezing, but it felt so incredibly good to get out. Heated gear turned up, no problem. The bike purred and felt so good.

As I tell people, I have a perfectly good car (Subaru Outback turbo) that sits in the driveway. I don't ride because I have to, but because I like it so much.

Chris

[Esk]

Just a ride to see how the Bar risers went great, and stop at Tallegalla Cemetary as it is on a corner you are pass it before you get to stop not this time.

[Futterman]

I love the posts from Oz at this time of year! Keeps hope alive!

[Futterman]

Rode through Central Kentucky today, sticking to the tertiary roads just for something different. Weather was pleasant: high of 56 °F / 13 °C with clear skies and sunshine.

[SteveT]

Took a spin out to Ullapool with eldest son today, seeing as the weather is un-seasonably nice for February . . . . .







250 mile round trip (is there any othe type?) on dryish roads & tracks

SteveT

[Discflight]

This is one of the best threads and I've added bugger all to it so here's a day for me... (Also cos' probably no-one checks the videos )

Here's a few minutes of Australiana (though there's no kangaroos or wombats) for your entertainment

We both had Sena headsets but I hadn't worked out how to run both voices through the Gopro recording so it's just my half of our ramblings - it'll make enough sense.

'Cockspur' is this wicked super tough vine with toxic inch+ long hook/spines on it that hangs out of trees - strong enough to both catch your gear and rip you off a bike!!!

All the best folks, Donnie

oh its at 720p

[Will]

Thanks for sharing Donnie, it cheered me up on a morning when I'm missing riding my bikes.

[IanA]

Great, Donnie! Yer mate don't mess about on the chookchaser, does he!
Can't wait until October when us young(?)men Go West. Spoken to any other starters except Paul?
Keep up the good work Mr De Milne.

[Futterman]

Terrific ride video, DiscFlight! I really enjoyed the changing landscapes, scenery, elevation changes, and the variety of road types. Overall it looked like light traffic conditions as well.

Good production values, too! What action cam did you use? Was the audio a combination of the cam's mic and your Sena, or just the Sena? It sounded great without wind noise. The 800's growl came through nicely as well.

[Discflight]

G'day Futterman, glad you enjoyed it yep hardly any other vehicles!

Gear is a Gopro 4 with a spare housing with a hole drilled in the side to run an external mic for the Gopro to inside my helmet (with foam wind blocker) - video and audio recorded at the same time so no mucking around syncing the two, need to change housing for filming in the rain tho... Yeah I like the way it picks up the 800 engine sound (clunking gear downs included ) sometimes I put the camera on the side fairing below roundel and run the external mic to near dash - that sounds good! Next I'll try just putting the mic closer to the ear speaker and see if it records my voice and my mates... I know there's more complex ways but I like keeping it simple.

[Daboo]

Someday, I'd love to see a video of a GT with the camera mounted so you could see the action in the front forks and wheel as you're going down the road. I watched a friend on a BMW do that a few years ago with a different model bike. It was amazing to see how the front wheel was going up and down with the surface of the road while the bike itself stayed stable. And the feel it gave you of the ride was superb.

Chris

[Futterman]

Thanks for the details, Discflight! You've got a good setup there...one of the better I've heard on YouTube actually.

Daboo you should check out the videos with a gimbal-mounted cameras. Really lets you see the bike lean and seems more realistic because when riding you keep your gaze level with the horizon even while cornering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjueRW0L-kA&t=11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzyp8qCoaL4

[IanA]

Hank, I think Donnie was using his "Chin Cam" mount, which means his neck is the gimbal mechanism! Bloodywell done, eh? Held the vertical plane beautifully 90% of the time, over stock grates and all.

[Daboo]

Hank, thanks for remembering. I took a look at the links. You're right, the gimbal mounted cameras do give a nice impression of the ride.

I'm specifically looking for a video that shows the front wheel in the ride on an F800GT.

Chris

[SteveT]

Having given the F8GS it's post winter deep clean and a full service, and having given it a good shake down ride the weekend before last, I decided to put some miles under it's wheels, seeing as the sun was being very un-Scottish and displaying itself all day. Started off with a loose plan to ride west, then south and then east to home, which is what I did . . . . . . sort of.
Only took a few pictures, as the sun was shining and the roads were dry and free of salt and car drivers

This is a remote hair-pin bend overlooking Loch Ness


And this is just up the road from that - seemed like an ace place to stop for a brew




Route:- Dulsie Bridge, Drynachan Braes, the Loch Ness south road, then left at Inverfarigiag and then the road from Farr to Garbole and onto Tomatin. Carrbridge to Grantown on Spey via Dulnain Bridge, then to Archiestown and north to home near Elgin. Just under 160 miles, with hardly any other traffic encountered away from the main roads

Ride safe

SteveT

250317 Route.pdf

[Rev Ken]

First ride for weeks due to having it partially stripped to replace an HID bulb and reclamp its retaining spring. Oh and a long list of jobs dictated by SWMBO, including researching and buying a small caravan and getting a tow hook fitted to our VW 1.4 Golf. Noted that it was filthy, salt encrusted, and the side stand was almost siezed, but I still enjoyed my short ride of only 100 miles as I had to cut grass before earning enough brownie points. Popped into BMW/Honda in Carlisle and they had a 20% discount on a range of clothing and helmets. Tried a series 6 flip front BMW helmet and although very comfortable the visor aperture wasn't as good as on my Shark Evo 1, so managed to save my money as they also didn't have my size in their hi-viz jackets. The bike is going in for a service to-morrow and a thorough clean.

Oh I asked how much a replacement belt was. With the 4 dampers (rubber cush drives) it is £370, plus around one hours labour. I doubt I'll need the dampers and when my belt breaks I'll get my local garage to fit it. They are first class mechanics and rely on doing a good job to keep in business.

A lot of riding to come, in between caravanning of course!

[Futterman]

Hank, I think Donnie was using his "Chin Cam" mount, which means his neck is the gimbal mechanism! Bloodywell done, eh? Held the vertical plane beautifully 90% of the time, over stock grates and all.

Crackin' good job I'd say! Most ride videos are boring or irritating...this one was neither! Some of those scenes (not all) are similar to landscapes available in the piedmont of the Appalachians here in the south-central US. I felt quite at home.

[Futterman]

I'm specifically looking for a video that shows the front wheel in the ride on an F800GT.

Sounds like an opportunity to be the first! What's your YouTube handle?

[Futterman]

Great scenes as always, Steve...always enjoying your wanderings!

[Discflight]

Crackin' good job I'd say! Most ride videos are boring or irritating...this one was neither! Some of those scenes (not all) are similar to landscapes available in the piedmont of the Appalachians here in the south-central US. I felt quite at home.

I'm taking that as a compliment Futterman! Too right, there's so many way too long, boring or irritating bike vids out there! I've been watching and pondering for awhile what 'works' or not. I'd love to ride some of the North American landscapes...

Yes the gimbal bike footage is cool, gives a great feeling of riding the bike - they start at $300 though so I haven't ventured there I've got some low fairing mounted footage somewhere but it's an ST not a GT Daboo, I don't think the forks are in it much either... I'll have a look

[Discflight]

Okay I found this one, not much fork action Daboo, but a bit of f800 action Awesome bikes aren't they!

The wind noise is too much (no external mic as I was riding into rain) but for you fellow f800 riders keep the volume at 10% or something so you can hear the engine and gear changes a bit

I like the way this set up makes me feel like I'm on a bike...

[IanA]

Nailed it again, Donnie! Was that the suction cup mount or a fixed one? Remarkable lack of vibration.
Ain't the Oxley orsum!

[Futterman]

Nice riding, Donnie! Fab video.

[Daboo]

Sweet! I love the video. Made me feel like I was there. I'm envious.

I still have a week of work till I retire, plus our roads are still full of sand and grit from the winter. No way I could ride like you did in your video. And there's plenty of rain in the forecast. Lean angles become pretty conservative under those situations. But we get one day of "summer" each year in the Pacific North"wet" and I'll take my chances then.

Okay...by chance, I stumbled upon a video where the rider mounted their camera about where I'm talking about on the fairing. Your video had just finished and this was one of the suggested videos. Quality isn't as good as yours, but it'll show you what I mean. I find it fascinating and it seems like you're right there. You see the bike lean like you did in your video, but you also watch as the front suspension does its thing and you can see just how good it is. Does it soak up the bumps? Or does it transfer them all to the bike?



I'd do it, but my "camera" is a Sena 10C mounted on my helmet. If I'm leaning over that far...well, I'd be falling off. Don't want to show that in a video.

Chris

[Discflight]

Nailed it again, Donnie! Was that the suction cup mount or a fixed one? Remarkable lack of vibration.
Ain't the Oxley orsum!

Cheers matey, and its a fixed one, the F's vibrate a lot so after initial wavey videos, I rode around for a few days with a hand feeling the vibration at various points on the bike before mounting, handlebars I can't do without a vibe reducer (costly) whereas Paul from WA on his r1200gs can put on handlebars wherever he wants! Just behind/below the roundel on my bike has very little vibe.

Daboo, I reckon that'd be a suction mount onto the fairing, hence all the flappy vibration post fork compression and rebound, but great seeing suspension keeping the bike in contact with the road. And there's certainly a need for caution with the road conditions you described! This was after early rain and the second time I'd ever been up the run - and before I'd done the first California Superbike School training! But it's got great shaped corners, lines of sight and type of gravel used in the mix - I'd LOVE to ride that section (and the rest of it) in dry and warm tar...

[Norfolk UK]

Impromptu short ride out to meet-up with friend.

Got a text last night from riding buddy who lives at the other end of the county. Hadn't seen him for ages and he was coming down this morning to local bike dealer to get his bike (Honda Deauville) serviced - do I fancy a coffee !? Got there just moments after he had arrived and took him to a local cafe. Here we talked long enough that his bike was sitting back outside by the time we returned. Talked some more then went our seperate ways home. I rode a scenic route back but must confess to 'giving it some' just because I could.

I feel much better now today than I have over the few just gone by.
Ian

[Norfolk UK]

Ok, not today but yesterday. Met up with three friends for a ride out on a mixed bag of bikes; F8GT (obviously !), Yamaha Tenere 600, CB500R (with only 700 miles) and a long in the tooth VFR750.

Er....I think that makes mine the biggest of the bikes there !?

CB500R lives near me so we left together and met the other two at Dereham. After a chat we all agreed that our last couple of rides avoiding 'A' roads were better than any others we had done. Decision was; do more of the same, so a rough route was planned using a very big road atlas.

First we left our meeting point and went to a local supermarket so I could top up the bike. With the other guys parked out of the way and me standing by the pump, I discovered I had rushed out of the house (overslept) and left my wallet behind ! Friends to the rescue and bike was filled, but no doubt I will never live it down

The route we had talked up was a circular one and for me (and the CB500R) covered a total of about 140 miles. The VFR rider had travelled in from King's Lynn and had to return there so he probably had a few more by the end of the day. The weather held dry, but only 11C max. The 'B' roads proved good for our bikes with plenty of winding curves and tighter bends. CB500R struggled a little with the corners, lagged a bit as he was getting used to the bike so won the "Captain Slow" trophy on the day. By the way, those that believe Norfolk is flat should visit and will find that it actually undulates quite a bit.

The map below shows a fair representation of our route (thought not the exact track): -



Edit: I don't have a bikers Tomtom just a (large) car model. This only has two basic settings - "Quickest route" ('A' roads and motorways) or "Shortest route" which will take you down those little single track roads which are full of gravel in the middle of every corner ! I found a better way of using the Tomtom on this trip - put it into map mode and get an overview of where you are and where you are going. The map is a little difficult to scale up/down with winter MC gloves on, but can be moved easily to reveal the next area across which the roads go. Wish I had worked this out before now !

[nkaj]

Last weekend rode with a group down to Julian California. We met up in Buena Park and rode over the Ortega Highway. Beautiful day to ride and ate apple pie, which Julian is known for. The ride back was down to Poway and then west out to the 5 freeway. I took the I 15 home since my home destination was more inland. All in all it was a great day for a ride. I got to try out my new Air Hawk, and it performed well, however, my butt still started to get sore after about an hour and a half. The risers really make a difference in my neck and shoulders.
I am trying to get ready for my long trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and these "trial runs" are becoming great test experience.

[sweatmark]

Rode to southern Oregon, looped out to coast to enjoy rare sunny day and early season's low tourist count. 9 hours, 400 miles.

[Futterman]

I checked out some of the sights along your route on Google Street View, Norfolk UK. Some very nice country for riding.

That's a great scene from your ride, sweatmark!

[Daboo]

Went to prison for the past couple days. Food was nothing to write home about.


Note the guard tower. The concertina wire on the top of the walls doesn't show up. I could leave my wallet out on the front seat of my car without concern...where else can you park with an armed guard watching over your car or motorycle? I was standing in the smokeshack, getting dressed for the ride home in pouring rain.

Fantastic time there though. I was really blessed by being there.

Chris

[Rev Ken]

900 miles over a long weekend around England, last day high winds, and hailstones. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing - but mostly it is still great fun - oh and I got 70mpg with a fully loaded bike carrying an enormous top box almost too heavy to lift and full panniers. Now off to do the NC500 which will probably be around 1,000 miles by the time I get home, less than three weeks to go. However I've had to get new impressions fro my fitted ear[plugs as after 10 years my ears have changed and I got some ear-ache after three days riding.

[TheMeteor]

Catching up from last weekend. We rode to the annual Gathering of Nortons in Washington's Crossing, PA - followed by a jaunt through the backroads of PA and NJ. About 220 miles in what was a perfect day to ride. Last year, I posted many Norton pics. Many would be repeats and I spent more time talking than wandering, but here are some things which did catch my eye.

[Daboo]

I met up with Greggo last Tuesday for a nice local ride. We started off at Cafe Ladro in Lynnwood for a chance to meet each other for the first time. It's nice to find another GT (or even a F800) owner in the local area.


I like my white GT, but that blue looks beautiful!

After getting fueled up, we decided to head off to one of my favorite local rides. I call it High Bridge Road, but that's really only one of the streets we traveled.

Here's the route we took:


As you can see, the route skirts along some hills with farmland off to the other side. There's lots of twists and turns, hills and few straights of any length. There's also no shoulder to stop on, so the pictures below were taken with my Sena 10C.





We stopped over in Duvall for a bite to eat for lunch. It was a nice rustic building on the inside with several shops. Even the barber shop in the rear looked like it was from 50 years or more ago.


As for lunch...it was too good. Sorry, this was all that was left. But while it lasted, it was a great tomato soup with basil and other great things in it. Greg was nice enough to pay for my lunch. I couldn't find my wallet! I knew I had it and checked pocket after pocket in my jacket...finally finding it in my pants.



Greg hadn't had enough of me leading him around, so we headed north on Highway 203 towards Monroe and the Ben Howard Road. The Ben Howard Road is another favorite...and a favorite of lots of bikers during the weekends and the LEOs who offer selected riders, "performance awards". Being a Tuesday, there was hardly anyone on any of the roads we road on that day. A very pleasant surprise.

The Ben Howard Road is again nestled alongside some hills on one side, and farmland or the Skykomish River. As a result, there are few straights, but even more twists, turns and hills to make riding fun.









Chris

[Norfolk UK]

Not me and not today.

A couple of days ago I was walking through York (UK) with family when I saw an F8ST parked up. It was next to some scooters outside a Pizza shop and I said to myself - "No, can't be".

I tried to grab the camera but just then a bloke came out with pizza box on his back, jumped on F8ST and was gone. I thought - I bet all the scooter riders think he is cool !

Ian

[Futterman]

Looks like a nice ride with a friend, Daboo! The best kind of day on the bike.

[Futterman]

Demossville to Flemingsburg to Verona, Kentucky 26 May 2017. Counties: Pendleton, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, Bracken, Harrison, Grant, Boone.



Ready to go.



Hogg Ridge Road near Knoxville



CSX railroad tracks near Morgan



Two nicely painted John Deere tractors on display near Boyd



Sod (rolls of live grass & soil for immediate planting on a new site) farm



Stopped at a cemetery in the country to thank a veteran. No personal connection to this man who served in America's "Forgotten War."



Fresh pavement: set ESA to "Sport"



Huge barn roof to collect rainwater into an underground cistern (wells are not safe to drink from in sedimentary limestone areas like Kentucky...too easily contaminated by water flowing horizontally in crevices between layers underground).



Near Nepton



Flemingsburg, 1816. That's pretty old for Kentucky.



Abandoned farm. The loss of tobacco as a cash crop has hurt the viability of farming as an occupation here.



Byway near Mt. Olivet



Route

[Carlos Fandango]

Nice day here today, rode up to Silverstone to watch some club racing

[Futterman]

Looks like a great day for both riding and racing.

[TheMeteor]

Weather held out to be quite comfy yesterday and did around 240 miles through Sussex and Morris Counties - and a brief excursion into Orange County, N.Y. We wrapped the day with a group lunch in for BBQ in NJ. Very good beef brisket but forgot to get a pic for Hank. Mac and cheese on the side too.