Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. I was presented with the opportunity that I'd been waiting for for months. A 660 Aprillia Toerag with which to design our frame set for our panniers. However, It was only 10 days after I got the hardware out of my right ankle. The Bone Carpenter warned me off riding for six weeks reasoning that the bones will be a bit like postage stamps and at risk until the holes fill in. So, a trailer it had to be... Until I engaged the brain. I reckon I was at a higher risk person-handling the bike in and out of a trailer than if I put on my Terminator tough Motocross boots and resisted the temptation to do anything but ride it back to HQ. Hey, if it's good enough for Valentino... it's good enough for me!
I am gonna heed the advice before I kick start Mario in the guts though. It is a great starter but when it's feeling old and cranky it can kick like a mule.
Rather than wait for my mate to finish an original paint job I raided the parts bin I have laying about. The purist, 'put it in a glass case' lot will cry sacrilege' but hey, it's my bike and we've been on this journey since I was 21. Butt out! The paint job will get done and return it to the original Sport look but it's never gonna be a show winner. I've made it work better! And...Yes, that's the seat it came with. A rock'n 'orse manure rare, Sport dual seat.
Last month I ran off at the keyboard about tyre wear and the traction control logo being a $ sign. This is what Cam Donald can do to a tyre in an afternoon!
Paying the Ferryperson
I just love a ferry crossing with a motorbike, maybe it the romanticism of it, the pending adventure or the fresh air. I've crossed the Irish Sea, the English Channel, North to South Island in NZ, Tassie, Port Phillip Bay, Kangaroo Island and the Murray River in a few places. It's just so cool!
If there's an option to float the bike across a body of water, I'm in.
Aprillia 660 Luggage
Our luggage set for the new 660 Aprillia is ready. Not only have we come up with side supports, we’ve designed a rear rack to suit as well. We settled on our Traveller Pannier set as they fit neatly under the seat and needed to hang lower and further forward than Avduro bags would allow. As the COVID era saying goes – “It is what it is!” Having said that, Avduro bags will work fine but will have to run the cross straps over the seat.
Short Squirt Ride Impressions
I had a ‘sample’ go on the new Aprillia 660 Tuareg while snaggling it to design our pannier system. While I’ve only had a chance to ride it back and forth along some back roads, a short dirt squirt and a freeway, I came away impressed. As I was given a quick orientation, my first impression was that the electronics package is really well thought out, nicely laid out and easy to access. When I climbed aboard…low and behold… I was on an adventure bike with BOTH feet firmly connected to Mother Earth. Foot pegs and controls are proper off-road jiggers and there’s a general feel of quality as you’d expect from Aprillia. Punching it up a short, steep and sharp driveway out onto a narrow street, I immediately felt in control and relaxed. It’s so easy to ride and made the drama of suburban peak-hour traffic a breeze. Out on the freeway, it held good speed without feeling like a small buzzy sewing machine with plenty on tap to avoid the mobile phone-propelled chicanes. Stepping off a more powerful 890 I did want a bit more grunt off the line but when given the berries, the Toerag as it’s becoming known, gets up and wents admirably. The induction howl is glorious by the way and makes up for the lack of pure poke. I’m confident that there would be very few bikes that would challenge a well-ridden one in the mountains. It feels stable and agile. I have a couple of minor grumbles. I really don’t like coloured seats, they get very grubby and faded. I’d go for the Africa Twin-looking colour option. The screen is non-adjustable and a bugger to clean behind. If I was in the market for a new bike, it would be on my shortlist.
More Hat Chat
Here's the next instalment in our series on Marcus's (aka - Back Strapz) helmet collection. This month it's fitting we feature a Wayne Gardner helmet seeing his son followed in dad's footsteps creating chaos at the Superbikes last weekend. This helmet is iconic for the period. Doesn't it look odd to see ciggy sponsorship nowadays? It was used during the 1989 season aboard the viscous Honda NSR500 with Jeremy Burgess as crew chief.
Next, we'll flit across to the Isle of Man to another ballsy rider and strap on one of John McGuiness's MBE lairy hats. Winning no less than 23 IOM events.
It's an unused spare from the 2014 IOM event. What is notable is that all the decals have been applied and the helmet then clear-coated. Also notable is that he's survived.
Schuberth Clearance
The last of the Schuberth stock has to go. We have a very limited number of hats to clear at $700, that's $300 off. I grabbed the last gloss white E1 for my bonce. We have, E1 - Medium Radiant white (above) E1 - 2XL Crossfire Red E1 - 3XL Gloss White C4 Pro - Large Gloss Black C4 Pro - Large Gloss White C4 Pro - 2XL Gloss White
Phillip Island really laid on the weather on Sunday. A light breeze, 25 degrees and light cloud cover made for perfect conditions for a race day. I always think of that venue like the saying regarding the little girl.
“And when she was good she was very very good. But when she was bad she was horrid.”
―Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Phillup Ma Tank
You may not know we carry these 2.5 litre fuel cans. Homologated for fuel, oil or water they come with a pouring spout. A cheap and easy way to stash a little extra bang-water. Webpage here - CLICK
That's about all I got to write at yer. Copyalater Andy
