Specs

Perhaps a slightly longer stroke engine for better low revs torque? Third gear will pull from about 10mph to about 90mph, but it doesn’t pull very hard until about 4k rpm. Keep it above 4k and there’s plenty of torque and power.

The bike saga goes on. I received the parts from SW-Motech so it has now been fitted with the sump guard, top crash bar, soft panniers and rails and a GPS mount. I still need to hard wire the mount but have been using the lighter socket for now. Last Monday I rode up to North Wales to visit my aunt for her 92nd birthday and to try and get a video of the Llanberis Pass. Some of you might have seen the results on FB. Anyway here they are again. "Yesterday I rode up to Porthmadog to wish my aunt a happy 93rd birthday, and then to ride the Llanberis Pass once again. Note to self - learn how to use the camera before you use it! Long story short, I had to ride the pass three times as the first time I'd forgotten to start recording, I think! So it was back to the campsites, turn around and try again. Success! Or so I thought until I got home. It seems that for most of the time I'd only used the front camera so didn't get the 360 experience. Anyway here's the result. A very sedate run up the pass catching up with a load of cars, that seemed to have been held up by cyclists." Someone asked me what I thought about the bike so far. "Hmmm. Fuel consumption seems to be about 63mpg so far but should improve. The seat is a work in progress. I hope that my arse wins else it’ll be another seat. Engine needs to be worked, so seems noisier than the GS. Quickshifter and gearbox no better than the GS - had expected better, but maybe I need more time to get used to it. Suspension ok, but obviously not GS standard. No cruise control, a shame. No fuel range indicator - surely easy to incorporate in a software update. No external temperature gauge. I’ll find a stick on one online. I’m sort of happy with it, but time and a long trip will tell. Would I recommend it? Not sure yet." I did try and post this a couple of times before but didn't get much joy with it and gave up! Not sure what I'm going to do about a top box. I have an almost new Touratech one, but they haven't produced a mount for the Transalp yet. I'll just wait I suppose.

I need to do a proper long trip, outside Wales, loaded up, to get a better feel for it. No bonding yet.

Thanks!

Only about 850 or so I’d guess. Popped over to see Ralph yesterday so that was about forty miles. Might have another run up to Pwllheli in a couple of weeks.

I finished putting most of the bits on this morning. Have been up in Scotland in the caravan. Next time I’m out I’ll take a few snaps. Must admit that it’s a bit of a learning curve after having GSs for the last nine years I think! I keep forgetting that I need to work the engine! The bloody 20mph nonsense here makes any built up area pretty intolerable.

Has to be Sofia’s IoM photo as I climbed that mountain in my bike gear one year. Extremely Betty Swollocks!

I got fed up waiting for him to get to the point.

Some fantastic photos there Fred!

Yes. I think it’s about 12 kg heavier. Can’t ride it now though because service due a week next Saturday and by my reckoning I’ll have about 800 miles on it by then, 400 now. The service guy said it was ok and to not worry about it!

By the time a few extras like the quickshifter are added it comes in at about the same price as the Suzuki. Anyway I thought the Suzuki fugly and no screen worth talking about. Far better torque characteristics though, and it has fully adjustable suspension. I swore that I’d never get another Suzuki after I watched the Bandit rust in front of my eyes.

Yes. Cwmbran.

As you might have noticed, the GS has been traded for a new Transalp. I wanted something smaller and lighter for my advancing years. Well, I managed the lighter bit, but the seat height is the same and I still struggle with the leg over. It had to be the black stealth one for me; red, white and blue not exactly my favourite colours! Extras fitted are a quickshifter, hand guards, some wind deflectors, centre stand and heated grips, and have taken gap insurance and the prepaid first three services deal. Bike has a Datatag tracker fitted. As Fred knows, new Honda seats are hard and I live in hope that it will break in before the bones of my arse give up. I did four and a half hours going up to North Wales and I felt like a rent boy who’d pulled a train - not good. I did it in three and a half coming home, and it did seem a bit better. Maybe my arse was getting used to it! Reminds me a lot of the KTM’s I had, probably a lot to do with the engine characteristics, and the longish suspension. A bit of a pain to keep a steady throttle in town at 20 or 30 mph but fine on the open road. It’s quite happy to chug along at 30mph in 4th. Power comes in from around 5k rpm up to about 9.5k rpm; the red line is at 10k. The torque is developed as the revs build up rather than low down although 3rd will take it from almost a standstill up to about 100mph ish I’d imagine. Still running in but Honda say after 300 miles okay to wind it up. Twisty B roads are fine using 3rd and 4th. I like the handling, but the suspension isn’t that great compared with the GS. A combination of a hard seat and budget suspension with only preload adjustment doesn’t give much scope for adjustment. I haven’t tried tweaking anything yet but intend to try some small changes. It’s averaged 65.4 mpg over 400 miles and I reckon that’ll get better. I was using as much power as allowed (keeping below 6k rpm and no full power acceleration) for the first 300 miles and then I kept the revs up a bit more for the next 400. That’s pretty much my initial impressions. Hopefully maybe some more to follow. I have a black SW-Motech crash bar and sump guard on order. I’ll fit the crash bar when it arrives I suppose but will leave the sump guard until after the first service which is a week next Saturday. I need a GPS support and will probably get their soft panniers. I prefer the Garmin XT to the rather simple Honda Bluetooth offering. Their video show the bits fitted to their bike. I’m off to a the overland Event near Oxford next weekend so will try and get a few photos then and then some more after the service has been carried out.

I have some bits to stick on and a rally next weekend so will get something done.

Yes. Had to be done. No way perfect, and probably a bit gay, but a lot lighter.

Went up to North Wales on the bike on Monday and came back yesterday. It rained.

That's two older than me then. Four of us went out for a drink last week and I was the youngest! Unusual.

This came up on YouTube this morning. Interesting and better than housework.

Who was that guy I spoke to at the Moon Rally? Your grandfather?

Probably true!

I thought exactly the same.

Something told me that you might say that!

Toilet for swimmers.

Nice part of the world, but isn't that Aberdaron?