This May Come as a Shock!!

Hooley said:
Gratuitous bike porn
My steed
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Ducati 916 - IMHO the most complete, beautiful, minimal motorbike design of all time, by Massimo Tamburini. That's very nice Hooley.
Not convinced that it's at it's best displayed as art though!
ducati916wallhung.jpg

(from a Grand Designs in Brighton)

Here's my gratuitous (105mpg...) scooter porn:
FinishedMojito1low.jpg


Skipton01 said:
...a 'Polite' jacket is not on my to-do list
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:) Can i just be clear that it wasn't a serious suggestion!!! :)
Russ
 
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No offence was - or ever is - intended by my poorly worded ramblings
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As a non rider, I can only appreciate bikes as engineering art, but I'm not sure about having one stuck to a wall.
 

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Ahh, but Dan, the 916 comes from a time when Ducati were a true Italian owned and run company. Having experienced the modern 'Ducati experience' first hand (I was also looking at the Multistrada as well as the Honda), it does seem that since Audi have taken over, they're pushing the Ducati brand as being more about lifestyle and fashion.

Nope, I'll stick with the Japanese option, offering practicality, reliability and a sprinkling of style, rather than the empty dreams of Ducati (and no, I've ot got a downer on Italian bikes - my other ride is a Brutale, which was owned by Harley Davidson until 2010 and is now wholly owned by the Castiglioni family again).
 
Correct - the jishu-kisei180km/h agreement was from the 1970s, then they came up with a 280BHP limit in the late 80s. Which is how you ended up with the situation of the Nissan Skylines that came out of Japan with 280BHP that could some how amazingly and very reliably be instantly re-tuned for 350BHP+ without any stress, or why the Honda NS-X was seemingly so "low" powered for such a technically sophisticated, and fast, car.

shreddedmeat said:
The Japanese gentlemen's agreement on cars is or was 180kph, if I'm not mistaken!
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If we're talking Dukes I can easily forget the belt drive jobbies as the old bevel drive, Dell'orto & straight thru contis do it for me. How about the 750 SS sir? that's what you call minimal.

ducati-750ss.jpg

And in yellow as seen in some perfume advert with some fragrant young thing riding it

fitted-life-ducati-1972-750-ss(2).jpg
 
Do all riders have there headlamps angled dangerously high so we all get blinded by them?

The above is an honest genuine question NOT a dig or the start of an argument. I think anyone or any vehicle should be fined for having wrongly adjusted headlights. I know cars are a big culprit but I have never seen a motorcycle which had correctly aligned lights. I understand that some drivers really do not pay attention so having your lights on makes you more visible but do they have to be aligned so high?

Am i completely missing the point or reason. again nothing personal, i would never get to ask the question elsewhere.
 
Hi

As an ex biker (R1) I can be unbiased because I see the argument from both sides.

Headlights on is vital because many drivers (car, van, lorry, bus etc) simply don't look for bikes.
As a bike rider I wanted to live and so I needed to be seen. So my headlight was always on.

But here is the important bit.
As a car driver I have often been dazzled by bikes with their headlights on main beam.
I always used dipped beam in traffic.
I have spoken to many bikers about this and their response has been "I want to live so I want to be seen, if I dazzle a few car drivers in the process then so what. So many drivers just don't look properly so I don't take chances"

I kinda see what they are saying but I still wish that bikers would use dipped beam.
So I don't think it is adjustment. I think it is by choice.
Steve B
 
Also as an ex biker (TL1000S) I can honestly say I always drove with dipped beam, and never saw any bikers riding on full beam, surely thats a nick isn't it..
 
Audiobull said:
Do all riders have there headlamps angled dangerously high so we all get blinded by them?

Am i completely missing the point or reason. again nothing personal
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Yes you are missing the point - and although you say it's nothing personal, you paint an 'us and them' scenario (there [sic] headlamps. . . . . .we get blinded).

Don't forget that the vast majority of bike riders are also car drivers, so the divide isn't as black and white as you make out.

As to headlamp aim, all bikes must pass through type approval and then they must all pass an MOT after 3 years, which tests headlamp aim, just as the car test does. However, as the test is normally done with just the rider sat on the bike, when pillions or luggage is added, the lights will automatically rise as the back end goes lower.

Then there's the terrible roads - all the lumps and bumps mean that bikes with their very short wheelbases are naturally far more susceptible to pitching up and down, therefore 'blinding' oncoming road users. Don't forget too, pretty much all bikes have their headlamps set vertically higher than most cars too.

However, as bikes mainly have a single headlamp of around 55W, then the dazzle from a bike will be half that you'd get from a car which is misaligned (or more probably these days, has a dodgy blue HID kit fitted) and then finally, as you rightly say, having this increased visibility means that riders are more conspicuous to other road users. As someone who rides all year round, even when it's freezing, pouring down and so on (I draw the line at snow), I'd far rather cause someone to be momentarily surprised at my bright headlights and so mentally log that I'm there on the road, than risk them not seeing me and pulling out on me.

However, having a large white bike with hi-viz chequerboard markings and a dayglow yellow helmet (when the clocks go back) means that I'm very visible and my bright lights and aux LED units are only part of the solution to keep me seen and safe on the road.

If bright lights bother you, divert your gaze (whilst still looking at where you're going - the motorcycle isn't in your lane coming towards you are they?).

Simples!
 
There are also a surprising number of car drivers who have no idea what the headlight adjustment controls do... In Norway always on headlights have been mandatory for a very long time yet you experience far more misaligned lights causing dazzle than in the UK. I have not experienced dazzling from motorcycles to the same extent as that caused by cars.

On a different track... Has anyone ever seen a bike made with the 1.2tdi ANY engine? Isn't it a bit big?
http://www.vag-tuning.com/shop2/index.php?cat=c69_1-2l-TDI-motorcycle-1-2l-TDI-motorcycle.html


John
 
They look fun!
Bikes are not really my thing. The weight of the ANY engine and the aluminium construction lead me to suspect that it could make for quite a good boat engine. A light fiberglass boat 32ft or so with a pair of ANY motors should move! Also when not coupled to the car gearbox could also be remapped for 75hp. Coupled either to z-drive or electric motor propulsion could be reasonably fuel efficient too.

A 30hp Yamaha on a 350kg planing hull drinks petrol like it is going out of fashion. I suspect a pair of ANY motors would be more efficient and considerably quieter!
 
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