This is probably the biggest update ever…

Right. Here we go. After 4 months of non-blogging, here we are. In this monster update, you shall find a lot. Some of the stuff I’ll talk about range from the funny, the really unfunny, the sights, sounds, feelings and a lot of nonsense. I’ll speak about the 3 bikes I will have after the MT-03 melted, and I shall talk about the biggest mistake of my life so far. But we’ll see. I don’t know how I’ll get it all out, but here goes…if you get bored, at least come back and read the rest and dont be rude. If you make it to the end, then send me an email and I’ll personally congratulate you.

April 2007. Current Bike – Yamaha MT-03.

The last time I wrote I was talking about doing mega overtime at work and partying in the middle of the Forth Road Bridge at 3 a.m. After that week something changed in me. The excitement I had working my dream job faded. My passion for my Yamaha was fading too. I loved the looks, I loved the sound, I loved the extreme agileness. But I hated the lack of real power. Yes it was quick off the mark, all motorcycles are. But before you knew it you were upon the redline, glancing the limiter and looking like a right nonse whilst all this was happening.

I kept it all in my head though as I had only had this bike for a wee while and I could wait….then it happened. Out of nowhere.

I spent a while chatting on the MTOC, The MT Owners Club and wrote about the “incident” and to save me time, I shall just steal bits of what I wrote.

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject: ONE MELTED PILLION

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Hello all,

I rode 40 miles this morning to Dundee on my beloved MT-03. Got off the bike and noticed that the pillion seat was burst at the seam. Oh dear, I thought. Then I pushed it down…a bit soft…

I put in the key, POP, remove the pillion seat to reveal a completely melted underside, with the tool kit now fused in to the molten plastic mess. The foam completely gone from the front section of the seat and scorched. Im not talking slightly scorched…Im talking nearly on fire scorched..the tool kit was too hot to touch, the metal brakets on the seat also too hot to touch. Holy shit, I thought. Then some of the heatshrink is melted as well, which is attached to the frame.

I thought it must have been because of my rucksack leaning on the pillion seat, however my girlfriend was on the seat just the other day for 3 hours and nothing happened.

So I had a wee moment to compose myself and then got my girlfriend to phone the local Yamaha Dealer (Alana Duffus) as I had just got a call from work to say that they needed to see me asap (It was supposed to be my day off)…so off I went, with the melted seat, crapping myself incase it set itself alight.

Got from Dundee to Edinburgh, about 80ish miles, via Perth, where I stay, and the seat was really really hot. So after the 5 minute chat, I headed home to swap the pillion seat with my pillion cover thing, and there it was…in all its glory:

A BIG MASSIVE HOLE IN THE RIGHT HAND SIDE EXHAUST. We’re not talking small here…although its only an inch across…..Its through the exhaust box and even through the black shield thingy, pointing straight up towards the front of the pillions seat. Bingo.

But then bingo turn to bugger as I think, well surely the pillion cover will melt as well? But what else can I do, I need to get back to Dundee right now to hang some pictures….oh dear.

So I put on the cover and set off, in the hope that it A: Doesn’t melt and B: Doesn’t catch fire and C: the exhaust stays on…

Come to think of it, the exaust did seem a lot louder recently. Also quite poppy.

SO I phone up AD and arranged for them to have a wee look on Monday to see what parts they need to order, and because its still under warranty, I should be able to get it fixed…but I am bewildered how there has suddenly appeard an inch long hole in the top of my right exhaust, just below the front of the pillion handle…..

Has anyone else got this problem!!!>>??>?dsadsakdsa

I am so disappointed.

Cheers

Gordon
AKA Hot arse

So that was the first post I made on the forum. A complete shock and a complete downer. But that was nothing on what was to come. I spent the next month writing to Yamaha to tell them what happened and how upset I was about the seat melting and the utter relief that my girlfriend wasnt on the back at the time of it happening. To cut a really long story short, basically they said “so what, that’s what a warranty is for, get over it.”

At that point I found myself looking at my bike and thinking “I really don’t want to ride this anymore.” I had convinced myself previously to stay with it and deal with the lack of power, but after this I just wanted it gone.

The good boys at Alan Duffus fixed it up good as new and whilst the bike was in for 3 weeks, AD kindly loaned me an old Suzuki Bandit 600. As much as I appreciate AD doing that, the bike was completely the wrong bike for me. I hated everything about it. The long stretch to the horribly close handlebars, with the dodgy gears, crap brakes and even crapped clutch. The steering was loose, I felt myself thinking “Oh crap, I’m going to lose it here” on many corners. But after the Suzuki days, I got the Yamaha back from the warranty fix. It looked great.

In all I had new exhausts, a new seat, a new wiring loom, a fixed frame and a new pillion seat. The stitching on the seat was bright, the exhausts were spanking and when I got on it I thought “holy crap, this is wierd.” The bars were so close to me, and wide! The steering was amazingly sharp and the brakes were the same. The point and shoot riding style of the mt was a complete and utter laugh! I never stopped smiling till I got home again! What a blast. But even though I loved it, almost immediately obvious to me was the lack of power. So lack of power, coupled with the overwhelming desire to get rid of the bike meant I was looking for a new one quick sticks.

So having looked at the MT-01 for ages and other bikes, I looked instead to across the waters. To the U.S of A. Buell was calling and I was answering.

In a moment of complete weakness I took a trip to Buell with my brother, who has wanted a bike for as long as me. I had never seen a Buell except in magazines and on the net. So when I came face to face with one, I was in love right off the bat. We ventured in to Edinburgh Harley and were greeted with an unnaturally nice guy called Kirk. He was talking with us about the Buells and we had a sit on one and both my brother and I left that day in love. They were expensive…oh boy they were expensive, but they looked so beautiful and sounded even better. They were tiny, great bars, great looks and a BELT DRIVE! I had never seen a belt drive either, but the whole concept of doing nothing to maintain your drive chain was a seller alone. I had spent at least an hour cleaning the rear wheel of my Yam after a few weeks of non cleaning in March. Plus no oiling, no muck, no worries!

We left that day, brochures and figures in hands, endless thoughts about the Buells and the most worrying of all, how I can get one.

I left it at that….for about a week….

I called them up and said “I want one.”

They said “Ok, we have this one, that one and that one….”

I said, “Ill be in saturday.”

That week I went in to the bank….And herein lies the biggest mistake of my life. No. Not the money. Or the complete and utter disregard for the piss take interest rates. Or the fact that I was only getting £2500 for my MT as a part exchange.

I didn’t think about what I was buying. I was raped by the sounds, sights and smells of the Buell. The american wool was pulled over my eyes, with flashes of gold wheels and v-twin vibrations. “The fuel is kept in the frame?! and the oil in the swingarm?!!?! And the tank is in fact an airbox!?! What? Two headlights?” With all of it’s neat quirks and stupendous marketing, I was flirted in to the Buells world and left with a sweet taste in my mouth and a grin on my face.

To be honest I was treated not too well by Buell, kind of taken for a fool. Let’s count out Kirk here, because he was a diamond from the start. When I went to show the boys my bike for an estimate, he immediately came up and shook my hand, asked how I was and what a cool bike I had.

The same can’t be said for others. Anyway, I went in and put my money down and the bike was secured as mine. The only catch was I was going to France on a biking holiday in a week. I was meant to be going on the Yam, but after the melting seat and bum achingly thin riders seat, I was coaxed even more in to a Buell, with its comfy padding and wider seat.

I was told the bike “would be ready for me going away.” Ok i said, and left with a great feeling that I was going to enjoy my new bike.

It got to a few days before the holiday and still no word on the bike. “Where’s my bike?”

“Oh it’ll be ready for you.”

“Ok…when?”

“Eh…it’ll be ready for you.”

“Ok, well let me know ok? Bye”

A day before I go away and still no word.

“Where the hell is my bike? When will i get it?”

“Oh it’ll be ready for you going away.”

“WHEN!!??”

“Well when do you go away?”

“In a day!!”

“Well come by tomorrow say lunchtime..”

“At last! Ok bye”

So off I went the next day and I dropped the Yam off, went in, paid money, got a few freebies, all documents, keys, bike….WOW.

The buell was a gorgeous looking machine. Mines was black with gold wheels. It was also the “Long” version as when my girlfriend tried to sit on the back of the standard one, she could fit. It’s not that she is fat, she is really slender. The seat is about 3 inches long on the back of the standard Buell. So I got the long so it was a bit more comfortable.

Off I rode and I was loving it. But immediately the pegs felt so so high! I pulled a muscle the first time I tried to put both feet up!!

The pegs were high and far back. I could actually spread my hand and touch both my heel and my bum at the same time when my foot was on the peg!

Anyway, a day to ride it and then it’s off to France!

The first thing that struck me was the sound! What a beautiful sound. What a beefy, mean sound. The second was the utter mindblowing speed compared to the Yam. The rev limit was roughly the same but the power between the gears was immense!!

The third was the handling. I thought the Yamaha was good a turning. WOW. However i soon discovered that the steering lock was tiny, so I had to do a lot more back and forth to turn around in tight spaces compared to the Yam.

So after a day of riding it around we set off to France. It felt great being on a machine that everyone stopped and stared at. People hear a Buell and expect a chopper. When they turn around and see a tiny wee gold wheeled smart bug eyed machine, they immediately go “what the f*ck is that!!?” I loved it.

On to the ferry with a mix of the usual touring bikes, BM’s, Tigers, the odd GSXR, R1 and a few classics. But every one of them stopped and looked at my bike. Oh what a feeling!

Riding in France was delightful. The roads are glorious. Smooth and great sweeping curves. The Buell ate up the 600miles to the holiday house with ease. The bigger tank was a godsend. The Yamaha managed 100 miles if you were lucky. The Buell easily did 150.

Once in France I spent a good part of it sitting about doing nothing. It rained most of the time, and when it didn’t it was generally too hot to go on the bike. But I did get out a good 4-5 times, with gf in tow a few as well. Superb! The Buell 2 up is still as fast and great handling. What a gem. But hold on a minute!! The suspension settings are still at factory. So I spent a day setting up the suspension and then my head blew off. What a difference setting the bike up to your weight does. It wasn’t bouncy anymore around corners or under braking. It flexed it’s muscles now and was tight, focused and sharp. There was hardly any dive under braking and heavy accelleration, the fully adjustable shocks were a joy.

So anyway, 2 weeks in France with rain and no pool passed quickly. The ride home was good. I started to get a sore big toe for some reason but apart from that it was uneventful.

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July 2007 – Current Bike – Buell XB12Ss Lightning Long

I have now had my Buell for 2 months. I have done 3000 miles already and it has just had it’s 5k service. I think it’s safe to say I have found a bike that I love completely. I still can’t get over it’s gorgeous looks. The stupid giddy feeling I get when I let rip on the throttle. It actually makes you go “ARRGGHHH I LOVE IT!!!” in your helmet. I love the gold wheels. I love the belt drive. I love the fuel range.

That was up until last week.

When I purchased the Buell and traded in my Yamaha, I got extra money in the loan for insurance. I called up the blokes at Motorcycle Direct and said “I’ve got a new bike, I want to pay for my insurance in one lump sum and not have any monthly payments any more.”

“No problem sir, that’ll be £1008 please.”

“Ok and thats it, no more payment?”

“Yes sir.”

Done. £1080 transferred to MCD. Then a month later the montly payment came out still. So I cancelled it and I got a letter from them saying what the hell are you doing!? I called them up and they then said that the payment of over a grand for insurance was just for “the upgrade of bike. You still have to pay the montly sum until october.”

ARE YOU JOKING ME.

Ok well the guy said blah blah, and this isn’t what he said….”well that’s not the case and there’s nothing we can do.”

Great. So how much will it be for my renewal in January? “£1800 sir…”

After picking my jaw off the ground I said my farewells and started crying. I then read the Buell forum and found out that some boys had been quoted £500 for their 5k services. I do 19,000 miles a year..thats 3-4 services a year…..£2000.

so £3800 to keep the Buell for a year.

I am absolutely gutted. I loved my Buell and I would do anything to keep it, but I will never pay that much to keep a bike, after buying it.

So the Buell has to go.

To cut to the chase, the Buell will be sold by hook or by crook, and will be used to pay off the stupid loan I got to buy it.

I will then do what I should have done: go japanese.

I have been thinking about Suzukis and Hondas, even Kawasakis. But not Yamaha….until a few days ago.

I saw the FZ6 S2 and thought, that’s a nice bike…but it’s a Yamaha. forget it. But why should I be like that?

If you read the link below to the forum, you’ll see that I wanted a new bike, or a refund…or something to compensate me. Why should I have wanted something like that? The bike was covered under warranty and it got fixed under warranty. yes it was crap what happened to me but I couldn’t really have expected for Yamaha to say “sure matey, here have a brand new bike for your troubles.”

So going on that basis, Yamaha is back in the fold. The Suzuki GSR 600 was a good choice for me up until I saw the reviews which said it had a really snatchy throttle. If I am using this bike day to day, I dont need a dodgy throttle. The Fz6 looks great, is fast and is cheap. £3500 cheaper than my Buell.

The best part is the insurance is £375 a year! DANCER!! So at the minute I am awaiting the Buell getting sold and taking deliver of a new bike. I will hopefully get a refund on some of my insurance, as well as some on the loan I had cause they were charging me too much, and then my silly spell will be over.

I would like to finish this incredibly long blog post with a nice hyndsightey sentence.

If you want a cheap, fast, reliable ride, don’t go anywhere other than Japan.

Forget America.

Forget Italy.

Forget Germany.

Forget Austrian.

If you want piece of mind, you have to buy a Japanese bike. There’s no other way to say it. And I wish I had though of that before I bought a snarling, big bore, muscle bike from America.

But at the end of the day, it’s just a bike. And when I can afford it, yeah, I may get another one. But at the minute it’s a massive no way.

To be honest, I am actually quite excited about my change back to Yamaha. When I got my yam I was just starting out and didn’t care about what I did with my bike as I had the mentality “This is just a bridgeing bike to a better one.” Now when I go back to Yamaha, I will have a years riding and 20,000 miles under my belt. I think it will be slightly different…don’t you?

Links:

My MTOC Thread about my melted Yamaha MT-03, which has great photos of all the damage:

One Melted Pillion

My MTOC Thread about my new bike, including a big wad:

End of an era…start of another

Thanks for reading!!!!

G