Pete

He is very sharp today....those Adult Literacy Classes are obviously paying off!

Is this Groundhog Day?

It shows how stupid the mags are when they say it's too heavy etc for offroad, when comparing it to pure offroaders. They were never designed for that purpose....they're basically a road bike which will handle rough trails easily.

You'd like it Mozzy.....I'd definitely think of one for the future. I think they're a pretty low insurance group too....about an 8 or 9 I think.

I was just checking out Predator's site. Apparently the stainless steel system on the XT costs £300, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. I just can't understand the logic in somebody paying £300 to replace a brand new exhaust system on a brand new bike....and then only do 1600 miles in 11 months on it. :roll:

My wife does most of the stuff on the bike for me....including oil and filter changes! I'm clumsy and hopeless! :oops:

It's on the wife's list for tomorrow Alex! The funny thing about the XT is that it looks much smaller in pictures than it actually is....maybe cos it's shaped like the smaller DT's. Cos in reality it's a fair sized bike....light as a feather compared to the Divvy though.

The XT is not an offroad bike though....it's an Adventure Tourer.

.....to my new Yam! 8) The Divvy is no more....it's been replaced by an XT 600. Here's the deails: 2003....11 months old, so 13 months Yamaha warranty remaining. 1,600 miles. Predator stainless steel road legal complete system. Excellent nick....just needs a real good polish. Cost? I had to pay £1K on top of the Divvy....but bearing in mind that the Divvy only stood me £1700, then the XT effectively cost £2700. Which isn't bad for what is basically a new bike. Rode it the 90 miles home from the dealers, and first impressions are that it's the easiest bike to ride that I've ever been on. Not a great deal of power, but on the country roads in Mid Wales it really comes into it's own. Tight corners, bumps, bad road surface etc has literally no effect on it. You can take corners as quick as you like....it just goes round them like it's on rails. And the weird thing is that you're not aware of any great angles of lean....basically it's wherever you point it....it goes. Higher gearing than I expected though. I anticipated something that would be wanting to lift off the throttle all the time. But it doesn't....it just goes thumping forward with no unexpected surprises. I was expecting the wife to be pretty unhappy with it, after the comfort of the Divvy. But she got off the bike all smiles and laughing. It was so different to all the others, and she reckoned it was a lot of fun to go on. Which is basically what bikes should be all about anyway. So here it is....what do you think?

I know all the specs etc, but I need to know how they are for pillions. The Divvy is going to have to go....going round corners on it is like wrestling with a crocodile!

Anybody had one? Ridden one? Any info for me?

Yeh it's a lot of fun Scott....years since I done this. And no cops, cameras, or cars to worry about. 8) We're gonna fire up the Videocam on the weekend....so I may have some entertaining mpeg's of me behaving like I'm 18 again! 8) Except I won't be posing outside the local girl's school now!

Had another go last night...ended up splitting the quick at the side of my thumbnail, with blood pissing down my hand! :oops: I decided to wheelie off a bit of a bank, which I did, went flying through the air.....and my hand twisted on the bars when the bike landed. TBH....I think it's all down to years of riding very safely and conservatively on the road. Cos when I get offroad, I just want to cut loose and be a nutter again. And my offroad skills and abilities leave a lot to be desired. :cry: Look out for the next injury update on Saturday!

I'm bloody aching today though Scott. :cry: It's been about 20 years since I did off-road...and I was a bit younger, slimmer, and fitter then!

Fell off a mountain bike Dai? :shock: You bloody Turks are hopeless!

I think we're all safe at the moment Alex...he seems to have finished his assfucking obsession!

The Divvy is a fantastic "mile-muncher"....but on motorway type trips. Put it on twisties like we have in Wales, and it's like a barge. It really is hard work compared to more recent bikes I've had like the Fazer, Cat, or ZR-7S. They'd go round corners like they were on rails...while the Divvy just wallows and has very heavy imprecise steering. They're ideal for some types of rider (the guy who had it before had 2 inch wide chicken strips), but it's not right for me. I don't belt about but I try to maintain a set pace (say 70mph) and stay at that whatever the bend etc. Try that on the Divvy and you'd be through a hedge. The other drawback is the weight of the thing, and I have damaged MCL's in both knees, consequently I'm starting to get joint pain because of it. So....have to consider another option.

The only skidmarks I managed were in my underpants! :oops:

Difficult one Alan! I'll only consider Yam/Kwak/Honda, I don't like sportsbikes (can't do the riding position anyway), got to have proper bars (the higher and wider the better)....and I want something that's relatively light. Mind you, anything after the Divvy 9 is relatively light. So, not really sure...TDM 900, XT600 would be the Yam options...I'll have to check out the Kwak and Honda options. It goes without saying that Shitzuki will not be considered.

Took the boy off-roading, but I did a 100 miler on the Divvy yesterday. Didn't enjoy it though....maybe a change of bike is due! 8)

.....on the DT175 today! 8) My 13 year old had his first bike ride....he actually popped an accidental wheelie on his first pulling away attempt. Not long after he parted company with it, but him and the bike were fine as he was on grass! Actually, I nearly binned it twice...once when I attempted a sort of "powerslide" that didn't quite work out...and then when I belted up a bank and wheelied at the top. Good wheelie in terms of height cos I was vertical....unfortunately it started veering to one side in mid air! Saved it though....just! :oops: The wife then told me to grow up, reminded me I was 50, and made me take the bike home in case I wrecked it! :cry: That's another avenue of pleasure that's closed to me then! :cry:

It'd be too powerful for you Mozzy!

.....are forming a strategic partnership in China to develop the Chinese market, which is the largest in the world. No doubt that some of the bikes will be exported into the European market at some time. Yamaha engined bikes at dirt cheap prices? http://www.china.org.cn/english/BAT/95384.htm

We don't get the Concours here though.