Bike recommendations, please

Multistrada?

 

Welcome to the new german italian alliance,

 

I think it's known as an axis...

 

Bummer. But since you've already broached the subject...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1977-Triumph-...ryZ36093QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRIUMPH-BONNE...ryZ36093QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Triumph-Bonne...ryZ36093QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Of doom, eh?

 

I meant the modern one, actually.

 

Ti.. Oh. Ah. Maybe not. Narrow the Tiger ain't.

Phil.

 

OK I'll say it. Harley Sportster with a bigger tank. [1]

[1]They are quite awful.

 

I know I know, my record is getting stuck. Ducati ST4S. It meets all your
criteria and looks/goes/stops/handles better than any of the above.
The 6th gear overdrive is a boon on M-way work.
www.photobox.co.uk/album/5274048

 

In a "really short Italian with really long arms" way?

 

Look closely? it has quite high raised bars, a large seat and nice low pegs
set well back. The bars rise ~4 inches from the top yoke.
www.motorcyclistonline.com/escape/motorcycles/112_0112_07s+Ducati_ST4s+Instrument_Panel_View.jpg

 

A closer look does reveal high bars, which then get in the way of my
Italian sterotype.

 

The S does have a reasonably sporty riding position, not so sure about
the naked version. On the plus side, if ridden enthusiastically, it's
about as fast as a blade, an R1, a 10R or whatever else Cane happens to
be riding at the time.

 

http://www.wisebuyers.co.uk/motorcycles/bike-reviews/Yamaha/TDM900/298/

1000s of Frogs and Boxheads can't all be wrong...

 

Worst of all, it lacks the power of fire of similarly concepted vehicles.

Parental advisory: Explicit froggy lyrics below (shamelessly stolen from
fr.rec.moto)

Diversion 900 - Porte avion Clemenceau

Le poids a sec est à peu prêt le même, mais c'est vrais qu'une fois tous
les
pleins faits, la div est avantagée car elle ne transporte ni eau douce ni
carburant aviation .
Les moteurs sont tous deux des water colled
Au démarage la div se montre plus vive avec son cardant alors que les deux
hélices du PA l'emporte tranquilement jusqu'a ses 32 noeud de vitesse maxi,
ce qui est peu prêt celle de la div .
En revanche le PA vire beaucoup mieux que la div, sur place en fait, pour
peu qu'il ai un remorqueur de 2500 cv à l'AV et à l'AR .
En virage donc la prise d'angle est plus iumportante sur la div, même avec
30° d'angle de barre j'ai jamais réussi a faire toucher les genoux (par
contre j'en ai fait gerber plus d'un).
Pour ce qui est des colories celles de la div sont un peux plus jolie mais
au moins le "gris Marine Nationale" cache astucieusement les chiures de
mouettes et les moucherons, mais dans les deux cas la devise est la même :
"peinture sur merde
= propreté" ;o)
l'accessibilité mécanique est meilleur pour le "géant des mer" (je l'aurai
bien appelé "grosse vache" mais il pourrait y avoir confusion) : pour
changer une pièce du moteur de la div il faut tomber les flancs de carénage
long et fastidieux) alors que sur le PA il suffit simplement de découper
deux trous de 5m x 5 m dans le pont d'envol et celui du hangar pour sortir
la pièce (véridique)
et en plus le PA il flotte, lui
Sans oublier que l'antivol du PA est bien plus efficace que les U starndard,
il
se compose d'au moins six cables aciers de 5 cm de diamètre, et il ne faut
guère que 2 heures et une bonne trentaine de boscos pour le mettre en place

alors quel est donc l'intéret du porte-avion par rapport à la div ? il est
lent, il angle pas en virage, il se traine partout ailleur,pour se faufiller
dans les embouteillages c'est la galère je parle même pas du stationnement)
; c'est vrais, mais en revanche le premier couillon qui te déboite dessus
sans cligno ou rétro, tu as le choix
pour l'allumer : canon de 100 mm, missiles "crotal", super étendart ou
encore plus vicieux : la chasse d'eau (ben ouai sur un PA c'est le "tout à
la mer")

;o))


tien puisqu'on accepte les gold et les div pour le calcul du coef, pourquoi
pas les porte-avions : ça me ferait un coef de 360 546,29 !!! indétrônable
avec mon Clemenceau

voici les chiffres : poids a sec : 22 000 T
réservoir : mazout 3600 T
: gazoil 207 T
: carburant avion 2000
T
: eau douce 2100 T
soit un poids de 29907 T pour une hauteur de selle de 40m

 

Does it?

It's no fireball, but it's perfectly adequate - and was pretty much in a
class of one. Closest thing I can think of to a Divvy 9 is a K1100RS -
which is also not all that powerful.

 

Er, the text in French that I quoted compares it to the Clemenceau, which
is... er... this:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FS_Clem1.jpg
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemenceau_(porte-avions)

Seriously:

- I could never drag my knees on a Diversion 600... similarly fun the 900
must be.

- But looks like the sort of bike I'd choose for thravelling a gazillion
miles in confort.

 

Well since I'm bored..

Diversion 900 - Clemenceau aircraft carrier

The 'dry' weight is almost the same, but it's true that once she's filled
up, the Div is at an advantage, because it transports neither water nor
aviation fuel.

Both engines are water-cooled.

On start-up, the Div is a bit livelier with its shaft whilst the two
propellers of the aircraft carrier asily carry it up its top speed of 32
knots, which is roughly on a par with that of the Div.

On the other hand, the aircraft carrier corners a lot better than the Div,
almost on a sixpence in fact, on condition that there's a 2,500-BHP tug at
either end.

In corners, the angle of 'attack' is thus greater than on the Div, even 30?
over, I never managed to get the knee down (having said that, more than
passenger has become seasick).

Insofar as colour schemes are concerned, the Div's is a bit prettier, but
at least the 'Navy Grey' hides the fly and seagull smears, but in both
cases, the criteria come down to the same thing: 'no shit on the paint' ==
'clean'.

Maintenance access is a bit better on the 'giant of the seas' (I'd have
called it 'fat cow' but this might have led to some confusion): to change
an engine component on the Div you have to take the fairing panels off -
a long and difficult job) whilst on the aircraft carrier you just have to
cut two 5m by 5m holes in the launcher pad and in the hanger to get the
component out (this is true).

Aside from that, the aircraft carrier _floats_, and let's not forget that
the antitheft device on the aircraft carrier does a better job than a
standard 'U' lock; it's made up of six steel cables, each 5cm in diameter,
and it takes a tad over two hours and thirty or so seamen to move it into
position.

So to sum up, just how good _is_ the aircraft carrier compared to the Div
It's slow, it wallows in corner and it's a slug just about everywhere.
It's a disaster if you want to filter and don't even get me _started_ on
parking the thing! Having said that, the first time some twat pulls out in
front of you with neither mirror nor indicator to warn you, you've got the
choice between wiping him out with a 100mm cannon, 'crotal' missiles, a
Super-Etendard [1], ou even more sadistic: water cannon (yep, on an
aircraft carrier, the sea's _everywhere_).

D.

[1] look, get off my fucking back, I'm just _translating_ the thing..

 

They are? News to me. But then, you can't expect the Frogs to get it
right.