Friday, June 24, 2011

Recent Improvements

I promised recently to describe in tedious detail improvements made to my motorcycle over the winter lay-up. I thought that it be apt to hold fire until I had actually trialled these -  my recent  600 mile trip to the "continent" to eat waffles and visit war museums and monuments proved an adequate opportunity to provide valid test data, especially so as it rained at almost every opportunity.

The start of the Roaches walk .
This is the holder for the 2 litre reserve fuel cannister bolted to the badly shaped left hand side case - see below.
This is the Wunderlich leg shield that promises a "more than incredible effect.......even long tours become a pleasure......the GS is given the wind protection of a super-tourer...".  Bollocks - the slit between the base of the shield and the cylinder head served to channel filth directly at my lower legs.  Another ebay bargain.
The Wunderlich ergo screen "Marathon":  Provided that I ducked behind the screen it provided a reasonable relief from the turbulence and buffeting that a GS at speed normally treats its rider to.  This is the only aftermarket screen that has extra bracing struts that stop it wobbling around annoyingly.
HEL stainless steel braided brake lines - the old rubber jobbies were starting to perish and crack. The brakes seem less spongy now.
Cunning MV adjustable handlebar risers that allow a comfortable bent arms riding stance.
This is the holder with the 2 litre reserve fuel cannister in place - of note is the fact that the silencer sits just behind the side case into which this is mounted.  This cunning design feature ensures that the fuel is nice and toasty when required. May need to rethink this one as everything in that case now reeks of petrol.

14 comments:

  1. Nikos, this is why I like to buy used motorcycles... have other people worry about the farkles ;-)

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  2. Nikos me ol'mate!

    Nice farkles - did the leg shields also raise the temperature of your legs by 100 degrees by choking off the supply of fresh air? (Assuming that not every day was a rain day!)

    In the event of a crash, will the top box pop open, showering you with fuel droplets, demonstrating at close range how effective a fuel-air weapon is?

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  3. "Nikos - spending money on accessories so you don't have to." Serious point - it's great having someone give real-world reports on aftermartket stuff. I must have spend hundreds on (for example) screens that either did nothing or made the turbulence worse, and which you cannot evaluate without buying first. Sounds like a good trip, anyway. Cheers.

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  4. When we first bought the Guzzi a factory screen soon appeared. This lasted for about one month before being tossed aside for a cheap fly screen. This has been tested to over 100 mph, fully kitted up and has no ill effects on handling.

    A solution to your petrol storage problem could be to drill holes into the top of your pannier to let the vapours escape. They could also double for filling up with water to keep the fuel cool on hot days.

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  5. And you an engineer.....if the bike is capable of c.300miles between refills, and has a 4 litre reserve, why would you actually want another two litres in a pannier, dribbling over the undertrollies? You've been hooked by marketers!

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  6. Sonja

    Farkeling is half the fun and twice the expense

    N

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  7. Geoff

    The intention was not make a suicide molotov cocktail BMW - merely to avert the crisis that is finding a French petrol station open on a Sunday that accepts UK credit cards!
    Luckily we went to Ypres in Belgium and no such crisis just to may yummy waffles causing rear suspension stress!
    N

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  8. Richard

    The incessant droaning noise has now been traced to the new helmet....(helmet test report to come)

    BMW used to run an advert (back in the 80s?) showing the perfect aerodynamics of their machines- - what they did not show was Nikos's XL head sticking up into the turbulent airflow!

    N

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  9. Bikerted

    Did the factory screen catch fire or just detach itself before being tossed off?

    Thanks for the advice - venting is the way to go.

    N

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  10. Affer me ol' fruit

    Nikos has advised me that the range is 180 miles before reserve light comes on...you see all those fairings increase drag so much that fuel consumption rockets.

    Stavros Nikos stand in

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  11. Nikos, if only it was electrical then it would have saved us the problem of finding a friend (mug?) to buy it

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  12. Nikos:

    You should trade your Beemer for a V-strom. I can go over 300 miles (+480 kms) per tank. Farkles are cheaper too

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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  13. Bob me ol' farkeliser

    I am admiring the new recently announced V Strom with ABS and new cockpit instruments including ice warning and gear display.
    It's roomy too...

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  14. I really was wondering about the logic of placing the spare fuel cannister inside the pannier. Thanks for clearing that up. :)

    While I haven't seen the tank/wind deflectors for my R, I am appreciative of your review because I have been wondering about the effectiveness. Didn't sound positive. But good to hear the overall trip was decent.

    -Lori

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