Claude's bike collection

The charming Claude who I met up at Windy Corner at the Manx GP has a
stunning bike collection and has been sending me images. Here they are
in a Photobucket album.

http://s598.photobucket.com/albums/tt70/gryceslurp/Claudes%20bikes/

Nice coupla tweeks done today

The KLT blew a headlamp bulb a few hundred metres from home the other night. Took out the old bulb to see it had completely blown apart. Looking at it I noticed it was a 100W instead of the standard 65W main beam. It could be that this was the first full beam ride since the rebuild and is what happens to over rated bulbs. Anyway stuck in one of Lidls finest 65/55W bulbs , happily the correct combination, and so far so good. On the K75 I got rid of the nasty rusty hinge under one of the panniers and treated both boxes to a set of new slide on ferrule hinges. Aha ! For the first time the lids do not crash down upon opening but open smoothly as if on gas struts.
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Ethel at The National Motorcycle Museum the other day

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K1100LT v K75C

This week I had the first good run in one go on the KLT some 320 mostly motorway miles.Boy is she ever thirsty - 40 mpg if you are lucky. But then she has real grunt zapping chains of A road dawdlers and thrumming along motorways at 80,90,100 mph - whatever you want it is there, zap ! I've not ridden a bike with a full on touring fairing any distance before and was amazed at how good it is. In the dry you sit in a still bubble. I was pleased that it rained and astonished that the expected sodden gloves did not happen. The bike is so serene at motorway speeds that I had time to observe how rainwater turns into a fine mist as it leaves the edges of the fairing and screen to completely miss the rider. I rode through consistent rain and parked up dry ! The bike is however very sensitive to correct tyre pressures. I converted the incomprehensible Bar readings to PSI and had to add 4 lbs to the front. Result instant correction of vague feeling from front end. She is a very lardy bike with a small steering lock that catches you out in U turns in the road. All in keeping with the overall feel of the bike, big, ponderous, do it my way or else. It makes me think that the K75 with another 20 bhp and touring fairing would be the ideal compromise. Now where do I get a turbo kit...
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Ethel or Mavis - that is the question

Today took Ethel, K75C, for a chilly run to the National Motorcycle
Museum for a trade show. Not having ridden her for a while I had
forgotten what a joy she is to ride. Everything worked, toasty heated
grips + new Goretex suit ( e bay police 1 piece riot suit for £30 ! )
was brilliant.
By comparison to Mavis, K1100LT, Ethel is a real lightweight. Easy to
trundle about and none of the stubborn, ponderous oversteer that Mavis
has when pressing on in corners. Ethel is like riding a 250 by
comparison.She has plenty of grunt if not the whumph that Mavis has.
I suppose the biggest thing is that you feel involved in what is going
on with Ethel whilst Mavis is all silky getting the job done.
Let's face it. Ethel and i have shared 20000 enjoyable miles together
and all the bits and pieces I have done to her have made her my bike.
Mavis is a package in her own right - you gets what you sees. She is a
really nice bike but is just not growing on me as what she does is not
WOW like the K1300GT with its monster 164 bhp. Yup she will hum along
at 100 mph everywhere but just does everyrthing in a thorough BMW car
type of way.
Ethel is a quirky oddball
Anyway, decision time, Mavis is going to go and Ethel is the keeper of the two.
At least today..............

Modest Mavis 1997 K1100LT

Here is Ethel's big sister Mavis. Just put injector cleaner in a full tank and zipped out for a ride - she looks to be running clean when warm now. Also set mixture screw to correct base setting midweek and this was 1st chance to try her out. Runs very nicely. If the smoky running can be fixed then its just down to some electrical finishing, heated grips, hazards, radio ! and some cosmetics and she will be a fully sorted stunner.
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The little Bros 400 I had

Great little bike - chipped it and it revved to the moon
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