What have you done for your T7 today?

[Burnsey]

1 hour ago, DonaNobisPacem said:

 

How are you liking the S4? It's in my list of aux light candidates along with the D4 and D2, and I'm having a hard time deciding.

 

Perfect in my opinion.

 

I have had Denali for some time, but always the D4 on GS. They are too big for the Tenere, but virtually the same as the S4 except for dimensions.

 

Opted for the Denali specific mount and sit well with headlight and indicators. I direct wired to battery, plus an ignition feed, then added a dual intensity switch, so 50% of 100% available.

 

And I splashed out and treated myself to a new helmet, which I think is a cracking match for the bike too!

Edited January 16, 2022 by Burnsey

[DonaNobisPacem]

59 minutes ago, Burnsey said:

 

Perfect in my opinion.

 

I have had Denali for some time, but always the D4 on GS. They are too big for the Tenere, but virtually the same as the S4 except for dimensions.

 

Opted for the Denali specific mount and sit well with headlight and indicators. I direct wired to battery, plus an ignition feed, then added a dual intensity switch, so 50% of 100% available.

 

And I splashed out and treated myself to a new helmet, which I think is a cracking match for the bike too!

 

Does the Denali specific mount move with the handlebars or are they fixed on the frame? I was wondering whether mounting aux lights on the frame like with the OEM Yamaha aux light mounting kit or mounting them on the forks would provide better visibility on dark, twisty roads.

[Burnsey]

19 minutes ago, DonaNobisPacem said:

 

Does the Denali specific mount move with the handlebars or are they fixed on the frame? I was wondering whether mounting aux lights on the frame like with the OEM Yamaha aux light mounting kit or mounting them on the forks would provide better visibility on dark, twisty roads.

 

No, they're stationary they fix to the mounting points also used for the style of crash bars to cross the front, so the main frame.

 

I do understand your point, but as soon as you turn/tip in, if you're bike isn't pointing where you are going, you are heading for the hedge 

 

The benefit of fork/handlebar mounting is a made up thing to be honest.

[DT675]

I just finished up some fork service. Dropped in .65 springs and new oil. The oil that came out was surprisingly very even between the 2 forks, from stories that I’ve heard that is not always the case. 

 

I put 5wt oil back in. That one is a conundrum for me because I find the forks to be a little harsh on the road but lacking in rebound off-road. When I backed the adjusters out before disassembling them I found that I had the compression already backed all the way out, and had nearly full rebound.  So a thicker oil could make the compression worse on-road but help the rebound off-road and visa versa. I suppose this all suggests I either need to change the shim stacks myself or consider new fork internals. Maybe next year. Ill see how it behaves and if I can get these dialed in this year 1st. I had also installed preload spacers with the OEM .60 springs, and with these new springs I’ve decided to start off without those spacers for now.

 

On a side note, having a mountain bike stand is so very handy for doing this service. It’s very adjustable for pouring out the oil, height adjustable for raising them to spend some time on a stool for things like cleaning/ greasing the fork seals etc. All while not scratching or distorting the tubes. 

 

 

Look at all the black swirls in that oil! (It looks worse in person)

 

 

I thought id edit this with the sticker I found that fell out of some papers I was about to throw out. A nice handy little spec sheet I need to figure out where to place on the bike.  Nice idea Stoltec Moto!

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by DT675

[kainic]

1 hour ago, DT675 said:

I just finished up some fork service. Dropped in .65 springs and new oil. The oil that came out was surprisingly very even between the 2 forks, from stories that I’ve heard that is not always the case. 

 

I put 5wt oil back in. That one is a conundrum for me because I find the forks to be a little harsh on the road but lacking in rebound off-road. When I backed the adjusters out before disassembling them I found that I had the compression already backed all the way out, and had nearly full rebound.  So a thicker oil could make the compression worse on-road but help the rebound off-road and visa versa. I suppose this all suggests I either need to change the shim stacks myself or consider new fork internals. Maybe next year. Ill see how it behaves and if I can get these dialed in this year 1st. I had also installed preload spacers with the OEM .60 springs, and with these new springs I’ve decided to start off without those spacers for now.

 

On a side note, having a mountain bike stand is so very handy for doing this service. It’s very adjustable for pouring out the oil, height adjustable for raising them to spend some time on a stool for things like cleaning/ greasing the fork seals etc. All while not scratching or distorting the tubes. 

 

 

Look at all the black swirls in that oil! (It looks worse in person)

 

I am looking to do the same. Where did you get the springs?

[DT675]

@kainicI got them from Stoltec Moto. The packaging was pretty unofficial (no fancy factory box), but the product seems good. They were a tiny bit longer than stock by like 1/8”(I didn't actually measure the difference, just eyeball).   They are the correct diameter. No stamping on them to "prove" they are .65 but they feel a little more resistant to push down than stock so no reason to think otherwise. 

[NeilW]

11 hours ago, DonaNobisPacem said:

 

How are you liking the S4? It's in my list of aux light candidates along with the D4 and D2, and I'm having a hard time deciding.

Have you looked at visionx? I have been running their 25 watt 10 degree spots for heats on my touring bike. I am being totally honest that I can ride at 70mph in pitch black - no moon on a deserted freeway and I can totally see far enough ahead to stop if I needed to. I have them mounted off my mirror perches up high. You could play tennis in the light they give off. 

[DonaNobisPacem]

1 hour ago, NeilW said:

Have you looked at visionx? I have been running their 25 watt 10 degree spots for heats on my touring bike. I am being totally honest that I can ride at 70mph in pitch black - no moon on a deserted freeway and I can totally see far enough ahead to stop if I needed to. I have them mounted off my mirror perches up high. You could play tennis in the light they give off. 

 

 I've looked at a number of offerings, like stuff from Denali, Clearwater, Baja Designs, VisionX, Cyclops, ADVMonster, and a lot of others. The main issue, aside from price, is that only Denali has a local distributor here. It's more convenient to get their products because I don't have to deal with shipping, and they're going to be easier to reach for warranty issues if any.

[sracer]

10 hours ago, DT675 said:

I just finished up some fork service. Dropped in .65 springs and new oil. The oil that came out was surprisingly very even between the 2 forks, from stories that I’ve heard that is not always the case. 

 

I put 5wt oil back in. That one is a conundrum for me because I find the forks to be a little harsh on the road but lacking in rebound off-road. When I backed the adjusters out before disassembling them I found that I had the compression already backed all the way out, and had nearly full rebound.  So a thicker oil could make the compression worse on-road but help the rebound off-road and visa versa. I suppose this all suggests I either need to change the shim stacks myself or consider new fork internals. Maybe next year. Ill see how it behaves and if I can get these dialed in this year 1st. I had also installed preload spacers with the OEM .60 springs, and with these new springs I’ve decided to start off without those spacers for now.

 

On a side note, having a mountain bike stand is so very handy for doing this service. It’s very adjustable for pouring out the oil, height adjustable for raising them to spend some time on a stool for things like cleaning/ greasing the fork seals etc. All while not scratching or distorting the tubes. 

 

 

Look at all the black swirls in that oil! (It looks worse in person)

 

The bike. stand solution is so obvious! Thanks for that. (I've done too many forks without  using mine!)

[DT675]

Yup, I did a set of Honda CRF250L a couple times (trying to get it right) while that stand hung in the corner of the garage…LOL. 

[DonaNobisPacem]

Today I managed to install scuff marks on the RHS hand guard protector that matches the ones on the LHS side quite nicely . Had a low speed fall on my way to a doctor's appointment of all things. The sun wasn't up yet and the road was so broken and tattered that it's more a dirt path littered with huge chunks of concrete than a proper paved road. I think the front wheel got caught in a rut that it couldn't quite climb out off and resulted in me getting thrown off the bike. Luckily, I got off with no scratches, and so did the bike aside from aforementioned scuffing on the RHS hand guard. I really do think that good pair of hand guards are essential on this bike, even without crash bars they'll catch the fall most of the time on more or less even surfaces. Now I just have to realign the front wheel/handlebars since I think they went a bit off alignment with that fall, but since I'm feeling extra lazy I might just leave it as is for now since it's scheduled for its first service in a couple of days anyway and I'll just have the mechanic do it for me.

[Landshark]

2 hours ago, DonaNobisPacem said:

Today I managed to install scuff marks on the RHS hand guard protector that matches the ones on the LHS side quite nicely . Had a low speed fall on my way to a doctor's appointment of all things. The sun wasn't up yet and the road was so broken and tattered that it's more a dirt path littered with huge chunks of concrete than a proper paved road. I think the front wheel got caught in a rut that it couldn't quite climb out off and resulted in me getting thrown off the bike. Luckily, I got off with no scratches, and so did the bike aside from aforementioned scuffing on the RHS hand guard. I really do think that good pair of hand guards are essential on this bike, even without crash bars they'll catch the fall most of the time on more or less even surfaces. Now I just have to realign the front wheel/handlebars since I think they went a bit off alignment with that fall, but since I'm feeling extra lazy I might just leave it as is for now since it's scheduled for its first service in a couple of days anyway and I'll just have the mechanic do it for me.

Ouch!  That's the kind of fall that usually injuries me.  I'm glad you're not hurt in any physical way especially while on the way to the doctor.  How do you explain that?  Now, if someone asks how both hand guards managed to get scuffed, tell em' just how tight the trees were on "that ride", but you still got through.

[Larson627]

Received my Seat Concepts Tall seat last week! Happy to report that the seat fit perfect without any washers needed, maybe they revised the contact points a bit. Can’t ride it but passes the garage sit test so far! 

[Rekiem]

Today I replaced the exhaust fiber foam, it became smel bad. I use a Leo Vince exhaust from my '15 xt660za that I owned.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Rekiem

[frivoloushobby]

Installed my heed basic bars tonight. Finally... I had to start a "missing mail search" with USPS after my package was lost in Texas. It was found thankfully so all is well just took a month for them to show up

[Larson627]

Barkbusters!

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Larson627

[RobBonting]

Wintertime in Europe, for me a good time to check the bike, greasing up the bearings, do some small maintenance, adjustments and so on...

Also nice to learn a bit more about the bike and how it's build up.

[Ray Ride4life]

1 minute ago, RobBonting said:

Wintertime in Europe

On the clock and some higher area's but i can't imagine the weather a couple hundred kilometre north of my place is very different and here is most definite no winter in sight.

[RobBonting]

2 minutes ago, Ray Ride4life said:

On the clock and some higher area's but i can't imagine the weather a couple hundred kilometre north of my place is very different and here is most definite no winter in sight.

No snow, ice, of low temperatures whatsoever. Thats right.

Still, for me a nice period of time just to get the bike in the shed and do some maintenance.

[Ray Ride4life]

2 minutes ago, DuncMan said:

 

Depends what you call "Winter", mate. I lived a lot of my life in Scandinavia in places where minus 40C was not unusual. However, my bones are older now and we've had nights in the minus 7-8C range which is cold enough for me nowadays. I'd call it Winter in the UK, for sure.

At this moment, 19:09 local time it is 5C and dry like all day was and i wish i didn't have something to do and could do some exploration.
I call it winter when it snows or below 0 for a longer period day and night but sadly that's not the case for a long time now.
Not that i like winter but this in between with lots of rainy days is the worst.
I'm 49 in about 2 weeks and no problems with bones yet. I don't mean to judge people for not riding this time of year but i just think it's a waste of beautiful riding day's even when it can be a bit chilly.

1 minute ago, RobBonting said:

No snow, ice, of low temperatures whatsoever. Thats right.

Still, for me a nice period of time just to get the bike in the shed and do some maintenance.

Indeed better now than in de midst of summer.
I'm still waiting for my handlebar and do some work myself but i have 3 bikes (going back to 2) to do maintenance and still can ride.
Don't have a car and do everything on the bike, also commuting all year round.

[TimeMachine]

On 1/17/2022 at 3:36 AM, DT675 said:

I just finished up some fork service. Dropped in .65 springs and new oil. The oil that came out was surprisingly very even between the 2 forks, from stories that I’ve heard that is not always the case. 

 

I put 5wt oil back in. That one is a conundrum for me because I find the forks to be a little harsh on the road but lacking in rebound off-road. When I backed the adjusters out before disassembling them I found that I had the compression already backed all the way out, and had nearly full rebound.  So a thicker oil could make the compression worse on-road but help the rebound off-road and visa versa. I suppose this all suggests I either need to change the shim stacks myself or consider new fork internals. Maybe next year. Ill see how it behaves and if I can get these dialed in this year 1st. I had also installed preload spacers with the OEM .60 springs, and with these new springs I’ve decided to start off without those spacers for now.

 

On a side note, having a mountain bike stand is so very handy for doing this service. It’s very adjustable for pouring out the oil, height adjustable for raising them to spend some time on a stool for things like cleaning/ greasing the fork seals etc. All while not scratching or distorting the tubes. 

 

 

Look at all the black swirls in that oil! (It looks worse in person)

 

You could put 5 weight on the compression side and say 10 or 15 weight on the rebound side to help solve that. Also check the centrestoke (Cst) rating from different brands because they vary a lot. Centerstoke rating is the measure of viscosity.

Another good mod is to replace the fork seals with low stiction SKF seals.

[Ray Ride4life]

I hooked the Mosko Motor hood tankbag on.
Had to take down the Osco because i mounted that to the only place i could strap the back harness clips to in order to have the best strap direction.
After that i could strap the Osco right back just a fraction lower and made a ring from Ty-straps to the plunger to make it easier to grab with the gloves on .
I got that idea from a video of Itchy Boots when she got her new bike, she also has an Osco and the dealer did that to hers and it seemed like a good idea but kept struggling a while before i took on that 1 minute job  

[Ray Ride4life]

1 hour ago, DuncMan said:

 

I struggle with tank bags. They almost make me feel claustrophobic but I like the look of that one.

I also dislike them very much but in July i go on a 3 week 8500km trip and i just needed something with quick access to papers, the GoPro gear and a place where i could load my phone and powerbank while i ride.
I'm also fan of Mosko gear and i didn't want to hassle with rain covers.

[Burnsey]

Tank bags are something you just need to get used to. I mean try them rather than being put off thinking about them.

 

The body position on the Tenere means the space they occupy is effectively a void, so they really don't get in the way, obscure vision, or create any discomfort.

 

I am a massive fan of Mosko gear and  have their Nomax, which is a fantastic piece of kit and has everything I 'need' ready access to is right there. Charging cables, multitool, gloves, sunglasses, change, credit cards, batteries, cloths, mobile phone, etc.

 

The pain is, it isn't waterproof, but the cover is quick and simple enough to pop over, albeit then you can't get in it 

 

 

[Ray Ride4life]

19 minutes ago, DuncMan said:

@Burnsey still struggles to identify his T700 as female

My bikes are ale male.
If you want to have fun and do crazy stuff you mostly tend to your male friends and not your wife or girlfriend and that's exactly what i do with the bikes... have fun and do crazy stuff