Just joined up, now I've chopped my MT-07 in for a more, ahem, grown-up machine - 2015 model with "free" Akra pipe.
Picked it up from On Yer Bike on Friday. That extra cylinder and a few more cc's certainly certainly makes a big difference over the smaller bike! The riding position suits my tallish frame better too. Handling is almost as effortless, and the suspension seems noticeably sportier, without being too harsh on the bumpy bits. There's a bend near where I live with a nasty dip in the middle that'll tie anything with budget suspension (including my Fazer8) up in knots, but it passed that test with flying colours.
My ears were almost bleeding by the time I got the bike home - the shop forgot to mention that they'd left the baffle out of the Akra when they swapped it over. It's now in, so progress is slightly more civilised - it did attract a bit of attention riding through a few sleepy Cotswolds villages a couple of days ago, though mostly from kids on BMX's who wanted to exchange waves - I do like to encourage potential future bikers! I wonder if maybe the side exit for the exhaust means the noise bounces off buildings more than if it came straight out the back? Whatever, it'll never get through a noise test at Castle Combe (105 Db @ 3/4 redline revs)!
Looking forward to taking it for a few more gallops on some of our brilliant, if rather bumpy, local roads. I have a screen on order - at my advanced age I do feel the chill, and the weather's not showing any signs of warming up yet. I've also fitted some bobbins from crashbobbins.com - I've always used R&G's in the past, but these seem just as well engineered - anyone else used them? And I'm wondering about a rad guard and/or fenda-extenda - that radiator looks very vulnerable - any advice?
Picked it up from On Yer Bike on Friday. That extra cylinder and a few more cc's certainly certainly makes a big difference over the smaller bike! The riding position suits my tallish frame better too. Handling is almost as effortless, and the suspension seems noticeably sportier, without being too harsh on the bumpy bits. There's a bend near where I live with a nasty dip in the middle that'll tie anything with budget suspension (including my Fazer8) up in knots, but it passed that test with flying colours.
My ears were almost bleeding by the time I got the bike home - the shop forgot to mention that they'd left the baffle out of the Akra when they swapped it over. It's now in, so progress is slightly more civilised - it did attract a bit of attention riding through a few sleepy Cotswolds villages a couple of days ago, though mostly from kids on BMX's who wanted to exchange waves - I do like to encourage potential future bikers! I wonder if maybe the side exit for the exhaust means the noise bounces off buildings more than if it came straight out the back? Whatever, it'll never get through a noise test at Castle Combe (105 Db @ 3/4 redline revs)!
Looking forward to taking it for a few more gallops on some of our brilliant, if rather bumpy, local roads. I have a screen on order - at my advanced age I do feel the chill, and the weather's not showing any signs of warming up yet. I've also fitted some bobbins from crashbobbins.com - I've always used R&G's in the past, but these seem just as well engineered - anyone else used them? And I'm wondering about a rad guard and/or fenda-extenda - that radiator looks very vulnerable - any advice?