ROADTOAD's new ride

[ROADTOAD1340]

Over here we got compulsory insurance for personal injury to others only included in vehicle registration . For personal , you buy that for your vehicle , work out a deal with insurance company . The KTM and the H2 are the first bikes I have fully insured since my first 1986 GSXR1100 , back in late 80's . The KTM has new replacement , with none of my extras the dealership re fitted for me . But , because the dealership fitted them , they are okay on the bike under factory warranty . I could get the updates put on the value of bike , but decided not to . The H2 is also new replacement if written off , but that new price value has gone up AU $6K for 2024 , so that is what it is insured for . Some of my bits will be fitted by the dealership , to be okay for the factory warranty , but truthfully , I get the impression the mechanic / tech there ain't the best . So I will get it done , either by myself , or the tuner shop .

 

[Bumblebee]

Over here we got compulsory insurance for personal injury to others only included in vehicle registration . For personal , you buy that for your vehicle , work out a deal with insurance company . The KTM and the H2 are the first bikes I have fully insured since my first 1986 GSXR1100 , back in late 80's . The KTM has new replacement , with none of my extras the dealership re fitted for me . But , because the dealership fitted them , they are okay on the bike under factory warranty . I could get the updates put on the value of bike , but decided not to . The H2 is also new replacement if written off , but that new price value has gone up AU $6K for 2024 , so that is what it is insured for . Some of my bits will be fitted by the dealership , to be okay for the factory warranty , but truthfully , I get the impression the mechanic / tech there ain't the best . So I will get it done , either by myself , or the tuner shop .

The insurance companies here rule with an iron fist...

If they find out your vehicle is modified from factory, they can cancel your insurance or not insure you in the event of an incident.

 

[michael parris heuberger]

The insurance companies here rule with an iron fist...

If they find out your vehicle is modified from factory, they can cancel your insurance or not insure you in the event of an incident.

Hi. In MA. We had or may still have a stated value, if you said the bike is worth $29,000.00 you paided a little more money and had the slips for the parts and had it apraised you were all set.

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

The 'Toad' definitely has a fun time with his bikes....which is very good news for when he sells them to some lucky SOB....

I got a call today from my mate , he has pulled back from the deal , so my Zed14 is safe from sale . I did regret giving him the option to purchase it , there was still 10 days to go , man I just feel glad that is over with . I will just sit back and see what pans out now with the two new rides , when they get run in and or , worked on . I did get a ride on the H2 on Sunday , rode with my mate who bought the Busa , and we checked out the Ducati show down the seaside suburb of Glenelg . A friend of my brother has his early 900 ss Bevel drive on show , it was the only one there of that year , and he got a couple of trophy's . Our Japanese bikes got a lot of attention parked up , so it was good to talk to people there . Pics of a couple of Ducatis , the 900ss of my bro's mate , and a V4SP2 beutiful with the same brake upgrade my H2 has , + a beautiful Akrapovic AU$ 13K exhaust , I also had this bike option to choose , but went H2 instead .

 

[Bumblebee]

I got a call today from my mate , he has pulled back from the deal , so my Zed14 is safe from sale . I did regret giving him the option to purchase it , there was still 10 days to go , man I just feel glad that is over with . I will just sit back and see what pans out now with the two new rides , when they get run in and or , worked on . I did get a ride on the H2 on Sunday , rode with my mate who bought the Busa , and we checked out the Ducati show down the seaside suburb of Glenelg . A friend of my brother has his early 900 ss Bevel drive on show , it was the only one there of that year , and he got a couple of trophy's . Our Japanese bikes got a lot of attention parked up , so it was good to talk to people there . Pics of a couple of Ducatis , the 900ss of my bro's mate , and a V4SP2 beutiful with the same brake upgrade my H2 has , + a beautiful Akrapovic AU$ 13K exhaust , I also had this bike option to choose , but went H2 instead .
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I knew an older guy growing up that had the same silver Duck....he had a set of pipes on it (can't remember what brand) and it sounded beautiful....

From what I've read about servicing and reliability, you made the right choice steering away from that Duck....one of my former colleagues had one and it was nothing but trouble....when it was running it was more than awesome but when it was broken (and it often was) it was expensive to fix.

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

I knew an older guy growing up that had the same silver Duck....he had a set of pipes on it (can't remember what brand) and it sounded beautiful....

From what I've read about servicing and reliability, you made the right choice steering away from that Duck....one of my former colleagues had one and it was nothing but trouble....when it was running it was more than awesome but when it was broken (and it often was) it was expensive to fix.

Contis exhaust were the pipes for 900ss back in the day , not sure if that was the full name for that exhaust . My eldest bro had a new 1982 900ss , last model , in silver blue . The Ducati Austalia fella who ordered them in for that last year made a mistake , put a 0 on the end of the original 75 number , so a shipload rolled up and they had to reduce new price from 6k AU TO 4K AU to quit the load . A lot of Aussies riding Ducati that last year of model run .

 

[Bumblebee]

I was also going to mention my former colleague paid some crazy price for his SP2 Duck in the neighborhood of $50K...

He spent a lot of time deployed and wasn't riding it much.....he decided to sell it but the offers were laughable so he put it back into storage....

He said it spent a lot of time in the service dept chasing gremlins....and stupid gremlins like the TFT screen flickering-stupid things like that which you won't expect on a very expensive bike.

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

I was also going to mention my former colleague paid some crazy price for his SP2 Duck in the neighborhood of $50K...

He spent a lot of time deployed and wasn't riding it much.....he decided to sell it but the offers were laughable so he put it back into storage....

He said it spent a lot of time in the service dept chasing gremlins....and stupid gremlins like the TFT screen flickering-stupid things like that which you won't expect on a very expensive bike.

Yes , exotic , lovely and temperamental , I can kind of get along without I guess , the stories are real and a worry about the V4 reliability as a whole package . The Ducati are now amazing in power and performance , but that same bike will be superseded in a short time , and then become a very nice piece , but there are newer models stacking up ahead of your pride and joy , and that special is diminished or even lost for good . A lot like Japanese bikes were in the old days , they were producing new models every year and your once spanking new rocket is now out dated compared to the next years one and so on .

 

[Bumblebee]

Yes , exotic , lovely and temperamental , I can kind of get along without I guess , the stories are real and a worry about the V4 reliability as a whole package . The Ducati are now amazing in power and performance , but that same bike will be superseded in a short time , and then become a very nice piece , but there are newer models stacking up ahead of your pride and joy , and that special is diminished or even lost for good . A lot like Japanese bikes were in the old days , they were producing new models every year and your once spanking new rocket is now out dated compared to the next years one and so on .

I noticed that when racing for Suzuki, bikes that were competitive one season were left behind the next, it was a constant battle trying to keep ahead of the curve.

Kind of like buying a phone or computer I guess...

I'll keep my old Bumblebee around, it may not be the cutting edge in tech and performance but I can still enjoy what it offers.

You were wise getting the H2, it has a good aftermarket base much like the Hayabusa....

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

I noticed that when racing for Suzuki, bikes that were competitive one season were left behind the next, it was a constant battle trying to keep ahead of the curve.

Kind of like buying a phone or computer I guess...

I'll keep my old Bumblebee around, it may not be the cutting edge in tech and performance but I can still enjoy what it offers.

You were wise getting the H2, it has a good aftermarket base much like the Hayabusa....

A lot to be said about the Gen 2 , piped , tuned and setup suspension ( stock suspension ) , it does everything asked of it well , the enjoyment of the ride that it brings is why it is much loved . It is good to be happy with what you got , your trusted bike that rewards you with well known predictable behavior , consistently . Just not to be caught up in that latest and greatest endless ownership game , and content with what you got is a good place to be .

 

[Bumblebee]

A lot to be said about the Gen 2 , piped , tuned and setup suspension ( stock suspension ) , it does everything asked of it well , the enjoyment of the ride that it brings is why it is much loved . It is good to be happy with what you got , your trusted bike that rewards you with well known predictable behavior , consistently . Just not to be caught up in that latest and greatest endless ownership game , and content with what you got is a good place to be .

At one time I tried to stay ahead of the curve but found it to be overwhelming......I'd spend a few grand on upgrades to a bike to keep it in the running then slowly watch it being outmatched by something newer and more advanced...

So eventually I gave up and settled for what I liked and enjoyed....honestly there are times when I'd probably be really happy on a small displacement bike where I could go out and wring it's little neck and not be into supersonic speeds....my little 2 strokes were fun for that and I kind of miss those days..

My Bumblebee is great but you don't go out and wring it's neck unless you are prepared because it bites....not to mention the roads around here are full of little old people scared of driving, farm machinery, pot holes and surrounded by animals...riding is a cautionary tale but still enjoyable if you know the roads

 

[fallenarch]

At one time I tried to stay ahead of the curve but found it to be overwhelming......I'd spend a few grand on upgrades to a bike to keep it in the running then slowly watch it being outmatched by something newer and more advanced...

So eventually I gave up and settled for what I liked and enjoyed....honestly there are times when I'd probably be really happy on a small displacement bike where I could go out and wring it's little neck and not be into supersonic speeds....my little 2 strokes were fun for that and I kind of miss those days..

My Bumblebee is great but you don't go out and wring it's neck unless you are prepared because it bites....not to mention the roads around here are full of little old people scared of driving, farm machinery, pot holes and surrounded by animals...riding is a cautionary tale but still enjoyable if you know the roads

Sounds like you need an SV650! The dumbest thing I ever did was sell that bike. It was fun to ride, reasonably fast even with my fat arse on it, and you can build it to your heart's desire for cheap. I asked a guy at a track day why he was running a little 650, he said because I can crash it. So much truth in that, and I had to struggle to follow him in the cures so I could slip past on the straight...

 

[Bumblebee]

Sounds like you need an SV650! The dumbest thing I ever did was sell that bike. It was fun to ride, reasonably fast even with my fat arse on it, and you can build it to your heart's desire for cheap. I asked a guy at a track day why he was running a little 650, he said because I can crash it. So much truth in that, and I had to struggle to follow him in the cures so I could slip past on the straight...

When I get rid of the Bumblebee, I will be done with motorcycles...the season is just too short and the roads are starting to suck.

If I was to get a small bike it would be one of the little ones, 300, 400...I like that little ZX400RR...it looks fun.

 

[sixpack577]

I have went back and forth on the new bike thing too.
It was to be a Gen3, but I'll pass for now.
Maybe an Aprilla Tuono, maybe a GsxS1k, or who knows.
Then I stop and think about my '03 Gsxr1k project.
I'm putting it together how I want it to be.
They all cost, especially throwing parts at them, but this bike is 20 years old, has cheap insurance, handles well stock, and has 160+whp with 80 pound feet of torque.
Nope, not the fastest anymore by far, but enough power to be fun, and alot more than most any sport tourer out there.
With brand new upgraded brakes, new bearings, and a little bit of everything, it's getting there.
Once I get aftermarket suspension, that will be all this one really needs.
I'm not into fancy electronics, so dialing in an old tried and true platform, is much cheaper, and will go as fast through the twisties as anything new, at least with me riding it.
This will also make it affordable for another older bike, as I still have my Drz400, but want a Goldwing so my girlfriend and I can cruise...and I'm trying not to have 3 bikes of my own at once again, lol

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

I was in the chase game to a fair extent in the early 90's , with the GSXR's I put together . Those days we were up against Kawasaki ZZR1100 / ZX11R , Yamaha EXUP 1000 , Honda Fireblades . The Gixxer my mate rode , '90 GSXR1100L ran 10.36/136mph out the box , then , when we got on to it , it run 9.64 @146ph , all day , daily ridden short wheelbase hills bike .
Some of the best ride memories tho , are the 350cc RZ 2 stroke days , that was a hills carver , and truly was no other bike come close in those mid / late eighties days , when that bike was on song on favorite roads .
I like hearing about what bikes you guys have owned / and like , we got some interesting history pooled up here , reckon some of us might be ride mates if we was in the same area .

 

[Bumblebee]

I was in the chase game to a fair extent in the early 90's , with the GSXR's I put together . Those days we were up against Kawasaki ZZR1100 / ZX11R , Yamaha EXUP 1000 , Honda Fireblades . The Gixxer my mate rode , '90 GSXR1100L ran 10.36/136mph out the box , then , when we got on to it , it run 9.64 @146ph , all day , daily ridden short wheelbase hills bike .
Some of the best ride memories tho , are the 350cc RZ 2 stroke days , that was a hills carver , and truly was no other bike come close in those mid / late eighties days , when that bike was on song on favorite roads .
I like hearing about what bikes you guys have owned / and like , we got some interesting history pooled up here , reckon some of us might be ride mates if we was in the same area .

We'd definitely be riding together if we were in the same area....

I owned few bikes other than Suzuki...I had a Kawasaki 250 triple, a Yamaha RD400F and RZ350, a CR250 R and Yamaha FZR1000....all my other bikes were Suzukis from Katanas, GSXRs, Bandits and the like...

My favorite was also my RD and RZ....I spent a lot of time on the RD and it was a real monster for a little bike....I used to cause fits to my friends on that bike when they chased me on their larger 4 strokes.....when I completed race school, I was even crazier on my 2 strokes....and harder to catch...

Nothing like getting on the pipe on them....the sound (as you know) is intoxicating....

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

The inter cooler I ordered from Aussie machine shop Extreme Creations arrived today . Pretty happy with the quality , Some pics for u .

 

[Bumblebee]

The inter cooler I ordered from Aussie machine shop Extreme Creations arrived today . Pretty happy with the quality , Some pics for u .

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Other than looking very exotic and cool, what kind of performance gains does this give?

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

Other than looking very exotic and cool, what kind of performance gains does this give?

No actual added gain to motors power , until everything gets hot . It cools the intakes fuel and air that the supercharger heats up , and so allows more consistent power for longer and keeps the temperature out of the danger heat zone . With this cooling , we can increase boost with overdriving the supercharger with changing the gear ratio . We can also look at H2R camshafts .

 

[Bumblebee]

No actual added gain to motors power , until everything gets hot . It cools the intakes fuel and air that the supercharger heats up , and so allows more consistent power for longer and keeps the temperature out of the danger heat zone . With this cooling , we can increase boost with overdiving the supercharger with changing the gear ratio . We can also look at H2R camshafts .

Always smart to prepare.....

I've watched a few videos on H2s which have been converted to basically H2Rs and they are formidable.....