MOD2,track days, & international motorcycles at mono motorcycles this week
It’s been a week of celebrations at the mono motorcycles workshop this week.
Last Friday, 12th July, Katy finally passed her MOD2 & now has a full bike licence. This is what she had to say about the experience:
“Well, this has been a very long time coming. I have been battling my way through my MOD1 for a month & a half, but on my 4th attempt, I got it in the bag!
Today (12.07.19), I passed my MOD2! I am over the moon, relieved & super excited to be able to get my SV on the road & really begin my biking journey. Thank you to the moon & back to Daniel for supporting me through this & to my family who quietly let me get on with it. Huge thanks to Mark Charles of M&C Motorcycle Training, who has the patience of a Saint & supported me through my MOD1 demons! Now my biking journey can really begin ?”
On Monday we took a day off as we had been asked to write a guest blog for one of our favourite eateries & riding destinations, Billy’s on the Road & Billy’s on the Beach.
In addition to the riding, we took the opportunity to ask our good friends at Bahnstormer BMW Alton if we could test ride one of the new touring bikes, as we are in the market for one. The Billy’s to Billy’s blog will appear on their website in August, but Daniel took some time to write a review of the bike we test rode, the very beautiful BMW R1250RS Sport.
““I have ridden most of the new BMW range now & every one has impressed me. Myself & Katy have been on the look out for an all round two’s up tour style motorcycle for longer journeys for a while now & I was previously impressed by the S1000XR, another BMW stunner.
The XR is the very powerful 200bhp S1000RR sports bike on stilts, with the power smoothed off for more torque & a comfy seat. As fun & quick as it is, I personally find the motor a bit too buzzy & low geared for what we want the bike for.
We also road tested an early R1200GS a few weeks ago & although it was very comfy, it didn’t give much rider feed back & felt a bit lacklustre. If only there was something to fill the gap?!
We were lucky enough for our good friends at Bahnstormer of Alton to lend us a Austin Yellow Metallic BMW R1250RS for our cafe run for the day so we could really get a feel for two up riding.
First thing we noticed was how good the controls were, low seat height, TFT screen active suspension & a very comfy riding position meant I felt right at home straight away.
Unlike the GS the front suspension uses standard forks so the front felt very ‘sports bike’ & gave good feedback. The new 1250 boxer engine is very strong and superbly linear.
I tried to find a negative but to be honest I struggled. The screen could have been a bit bigger (I am sure there’s one out there) & autoblip would be nice but I am picking holes. 180 miles of two up riding & I felt fresh, alert, no aches or pains, whereas 30 miles on my Triumph Street Triple two up & I am in agony.
I love the look of the BMW R1250RS sport, the stance & it’s quick enough to keep me entertained. Thus far it’s ticked all the boxes & it’s high on my list for my next bike.” Daniel Morris
Daniel was out of the workshop on Tuesday this week taking his Triumph RS & the Triumph Daytona 675 Track Bike we have been preparing for the track over the past month.
The Daytona has now been fitted with a quick action throttle & race gear lever, 1 up, 5 down! Only once did it catch Simon out, but for the rest of the day both bikes held their own.
When Daniel returned to the workshop on Wednesday, first up was a Suzuki Gladius which joined us for some new shoes in advance of a ride to Snetterton for BSB.
The Yamaha XJ900 Cafe Racer was then back on the ramp on Wednesday, for new shock fitting.
Daniel has replaced the Hagon shock with a YSS Suspension, which is fully adjustable, unlike the Hagon shock. This means we can set the ride height, whilst being able to retain some compression & rebound
Thursday continued our Japanese theme for the week, with a Suzuki GW250 which joined us for servicing.
Later in the day, we welcomed Black Honda CBR1000 Fireblade. The Fireblade joined us for a full service.
Thursday evening, Katy took her first ride on the road on a ‘big bike’ since passing her test.
The SV650, although having been insured, is not quite road ready. Therefore, Daniel’s Triumph Street Triple 765 RS was the bike of choice for a jaunt up around the Petersfield countryside & ultimately landing at Hayling Bike Night on Hayling Island for a Halloumi & Chips supper!
Our guest on Friday was a White BMW S1000XR.
The XR joined us on Friday for interim servicing, fitting of AKRAPOVIC headers & a Rapid Bike EVO module.
Our next Breakfast Club is on Sunday 28th July, 8.30am-11.30am at the mono motorcycles workshop. We have a Classic Bike theme for this Breakfast Club, although all motorcycles are very very welcome.
