Anyone want to buy a Blackbird?

Fucking hell, Des and Bear in agreement.

.... but both suffereing from "somebody told me" syndrome. Blackbirds are
not made for racing. Horses for courses - the brakes work well.
Especially when loaded up for touring - and the 'Bird *is* a tourer.

--

Paul.
CBR1100XX SuperBlackbird
BOTAFOT #4
BOTAFOF #30
MRO #24

 

It'd be a good buy for one of you inhabitants of UK. Spanish plate -
fast as you like past the cameras.

--

Paul.
CBR1100XX SuperBlackbird
BOTAFOT #4
BOTAFOF #30
MRO #24

 

For info - there's no MOT on the Isle of Man. It's coming, tho.

 

Not sure what your argument is - there's no breathalyser [1], and the
learner laws are like ours were 30 years ago [1]. While the place is
no longer stuck in the 50s, it's very pleasingly detached from
mainland ways of thinking.

And anyway, it's not just bikes that are ridden fast. *Everyone*
there drives fast. It's the one place where I've seen a Scooby being
given all the beans, properly.

But a lot of folk, especially the older generation, drive around in
vehicles that are only one pothole away from collapse, so there's been
rumblings about bringing in an MOT for a few years now. When it
happens, there'll be a lot of cars scrapped overnight.

[1] tho I may be out of date now.

 

Paging platypus.

 

**** off. The tractor's so heavy, it's a gravitational singularity.
Nothing gets past the event horizon.

 

message

I'm no expert, the Blackbird being only my fourth bike, but I honestly don't
get this jihad against the linked brakes. As far as I can tell, they tend to
help you stop quicker and reduce the front dive. I don't think I've ever
been in a situation in 18k miles on it where I've even noticed it, let alone
let it bother me to the point of a rant.

Then again, I tend to actually use it for touring / commuting. Perhaps if I
rode it like more of a **** it would make a difference...

 

Well as far as CoG goes, I got the impression that rather than diving, it
sort of led the bike to "squat" instead, which surely would do as good a job
of lowering the CoG, no?

I suspect your style and riding technique would be somewhat "different" than
mine anyway!

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear
<> typed

(No MOT on the IoM)

Indeed. But a brick wall is. And *very* effective at getting an
unroadworthy vehicle off the road. Permanently.

I like it.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

<wakes up>

Eh? Whereabouts?

Yeah, mine too. It's very rare to see any real POS bikes - even the
'field' bikes kids[1] use are generally pretty well looked after.


[1] Of course, they can legally ride some level of restricted 'ped at
14, and I think it's up to 80cc from 16, but many of them have quite
obviously shoe-horned bigger, unrestricted motors into them.
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

Ace wrote:

Geneva area but across the border, Jura[1] side

[1]what I 'as just ridden up and down before tea.

Pete.

 

Ah, right you are. I'm in the flat bit between the Jura and the
Vosges.

Nice. I'll quite often go down that direction on an hour or two
ride-out. Have to hook up some time.

BTW you're eligible for a UKRMMA number, should Cab feel like diggin
out the list and working out the next number...

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`