Tuesday 2 April 2013

New bits for the bike

With the weather here still bitterly cold, I fitted a windscreen I’d had sitting in the back of the garage since last summer, in an effort to keep the cold at bay. I’d also bought a pair of wrap-on heated grips at the bike show, so thought I’d fit those as well. The fitting went well, once I’d realized that the six pages of instructions for the screen fitment were in fact one page repeated in six different languages (I know..but I never read the words, just look at the pictures).


So, all kitted up, I went for a ride. The screen sort of does its job of keeping the wind off my body, but is very noisy and creates a hell of a turbulence at the top of the screen, enough to move my head around and blur my vision at 60mph. So that’s coming off again. The heated grips worked well, although due to the design of being wrap-on, they inevitably make the grips much larger diameter; probably not suitable for Ladies with small hands. Still, I only envisaged them as a temporary measure, to be removed whenever the weather warms up a bit.

I still only managed 10 miles before the fingers stopped working though – let’s hope spring soon arrives with some warmer temperatures.


Clean screen

Big hands needed

12 comments:

  1. Heated gloves are the brass monkey's bollox!

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    1. They are on my shopping list, when I win the lottery.

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  2. N, you are correct - however, my bent arthritic fingers don't fit inside them, I have tried.

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  3. EL:

    I've heard good things about those "HOT GRIPS". My friend has a pair that he moves around to different bikes.

    I had heated gloves but the wires were a pain, and you seem to never remember to unhook before dismounting

    Your windshield is too vertical, can it be angled back a bit ? That would lessen the buffeting.

    I thought the TAX MAN, cometh and had taken all of your farkle funds

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Bob, these bits were bought a while ago, so, unlike the new washing machine that LF is intimating I should contribute to, were not affected by the lack of funds. Anyway, there's always money available for necessities, isn't there ;)

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    2. My heated gloves have built in battery packs and no trailing wires-absolutely wonderful to have warm thumbs!

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  4. Troubadour has Oxford Hot Grips on his Tiger but says the wrap on type on my bike actually get hotter. I have the cheaper - take off the grips and wrap the heating element on the bar and then put the stock grips back on type. They work well and have a high/low switch.

    Your experience with that windscreen is why I've never bothered with one. Most people I know can't seem to get one that doesn't buffet their heads around.

    At least you got out for a few miles though.

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    1. Trobairitz - funny thing is its bright blue skies and sunshine even though its bitterly cold, so squatting on the kerb in the sun beside the burger van drinking a cup of scalding hot tea for the first time this year felt great! Roll on Summer!

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  5. El: I've a much smaller "spitfire" windscreen on my Yamaha - and I wouldn't ride without it. The spitfire came with my first cruiser and as luck would have it, "nobody" knocked the bike over in the garage and in the pursuing collision with the garden tractor, the windscreen broke. I rode a day without and ordered a new one just the same (same day) which I have transferred bike to bike - (now on it's third bike.) Like Bob mentioned it is tilted back, and I am well above it, vision wise. The spitfire is not wide enough to block any wind from my hands so I have heated grips (which I did not install myself.) Around here the grips are often replaced with snowmobile grips, they're as small as the factory grips and have two heat settings. They are, another thing I wouldn't ride without (I find I even use them in the summer on cold, wet, rainy days.) It was suggested to me that one needs to adjust the height and tilt of the screen until it does its job effectively.

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    1. Lady V, thanks for that. If I keep the screen I'll look at altering the angle as you (and Bob) suggest. I'm still pondering the fitment of the sexy rear end, the looks of which won't go with this screen. Plus when I took her in for the MOT test today (road worthiness certificate) the tester said "Ooh, very CHIPs!" which brought to mind pictures that I don't really want to think about. Thanks anyway, El D

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    2. El - if it weren't for my windscreen I'd be blown on my rear end and there'd be no salvation. At my age, intact trumps sexy!
      Now, if you're talking chips - you gotta talk Canadian and that's poutine (chips smothered in cheese curd and gravy)rear ends everywhere look out ... whoops, what does that have to do with motorcycle farkles?

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  6. Riding is a good thing to do but when the weather is cold we only have limited time to ride. We must be extra careful when riding to avoid accidents.

    -Keith
    Continental Motorcycle Tires

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