Shiny new tires

The big S was still equipped with the Metzeler Roadtec Z6 it came with when bought as a damaged repairable motorcycle. Ok, so I bought it in December 2009, almost 4 years from now. It had apparently stayed still in for a year before the purchase and, although these tires had plenty of thread left, given the mileage they certainly started their life on the BMW a year before the crash. Which makes a total of  4 + 1 + 1 = 6 years ... No wonder I'm power sliding at each roundabout exit. It's funny, but utterly useless and a bit ostentatious.

Old Metzeler has had its time

I was decided to finish them and change both front and rear whatever could be their level of wear before winter comes. But then came the rain and what were acceptable tires on hot and dry tarmac proved to be dramatically dangerous on soaked roads. They had become hard and slow to warm up. I loosed the front twice on the road back from work one day and with the bike straight the rear was sliding under acceleration. Time for a change.

I had read nothing else but good reviews about Dunlop Spormax, so ordered a set and had them fitted. It's been a new honey moon since for me and the R1100S. The tires' profile makes the bike feel lighter while offering high level of grip. With these new rubbers and the front Bitubo now up to its best, I can say without being disrespectful to the others that I never had a bike that much precise when approaching a corner and inspiring that much trust while leaned on its ears.

Old tires and new ones are round

Bike is waiting new rubbers for the back ...

... and front as well

Rims with the new Dunlops

Shiny sticky new tires ready for action

Unmovable

I know this is supposed to hold the front tire tight, but to this point it's getting ridiculous ... It took several minutes to get the bike out of its trap, leaving two one meter long trails on the ground.

It's the first time in 2 years this Matthys bike grad gets locked this way. It was last week, been used in and out for the whole week and haven't been able to reproduce again.

Kriega R25

If like me you use your bike as a daily commuter and need a laptop as your main working tool, then you probably have asked yourself what's the best way to carry it from point A to B already. And also doing so without causing any damage to the computer and of course to yourself, while still trying to enjoy the ride to work.

Along the years, I've been mainly using a Bagster kit (tank cover + tank bag), just buying a new tank cover when switching from one bike to another, but in the past 2 years or so I've been changing strategy. The reasons are fairly simple : 

- a tank cover alone still costs to much for what it really is.

- many times you have to give free it with the bike you've just sold. Too few people want them second hand or pay for this extra when buying your bike.

- some recent projects needed paint work and a tank cover has to match your bike's paint scheme.

So with no tank cover matching any of the current projects, I was left with the Bagster backpack which is actually bad as a bag that you carry on your shoulders (what a backpack really is ...).

With a brand new laptop now 2 full kg heavier than the one before and more miles to commute to the new job, I thought it was time for a change. After a bit of reading, I bought a Kriega R25 (pictured above) a couple of weeks ago. It's been really good since with its way of dispatching the weight away from your shoulders down to your back. There's a place where to fit the heavy laptop and still some more to put a pair of shoes plus some extra items. It's much bigger than the Bagster while still having good ergonomics that makes it barely noticeable when riding. I cannot recommend that product more.

A Vyrus and a Kriega ... interesting package

Renthal flat bar

Would Renthal flat bars fit a 955i Speed Triple ? No, the hand commands would hit the tank both sides.

I guess it had to be tried before being a hundred percent sure. These bars were sitting on one side of the garage and the SP3 on the other. At some point they had to meet one day. It would have certainly changed the riding position to something sportier and more suitable to my 6"2 frame.

Too bad as it's a nice item and would have been a nice addition while reverting the SP3 to an upright naked configuration. Let's put back the standard bars then.

Every little detail count

Big sporty german bike gets new turn signals to match already white rears. It would also need a good wash as well, but it gets ridden a lot and hard these days.

Forteen years set these parts appart and given the price it's no real surprise BMW are still making them. Every little euro count ...