And today's commuting highlight is...

[xeny]

CHLEMCBH said:

On a similar note I overtook 4 bikes on a 10 mile stretch yesterday evening when everything was doing about 40 in congestion. I'll never understand whey people are happy to sit in traffic on bikes.

Ouch factor of accidents goes very roughly with square of speed. It hurts enough at 20.

To make useful progress relative to traffic doing 40 you're going to be doing at least 50 . 400 vs 2500, or 6 times more pain.

[KTMsm]

CHLEMCBH said:

I I overtook 4 bikes on a 10 mile stretch yesterday evening when everything was doing about 40 in congestion

I'll never understand whey people are happy to sit in traffic on bikes.

I'm far from the most aggressive filterer, having never commuted but leaving the motorcycle show at the NEC. I was shocked that all the motorcycles I saw were sitting in gridlocked traffic

I waited a minute in case there was some weird situation I hadn't seen and then I proceeded to make my way past all the stationary bikes and cars

I suspect some were stuck there for literally hours

[SteelerSE]

KTMsm said:

I'm far from the most aggressive filterer, having never commuted but leaving the motorcycle show at the NEC. I was shocked that all the motorcycles I saw were sitting in gridlocked traffic

I waited a minute in case there was some weird situation I hadn't seen and then I proceeded to make my way past all the stationary bikes and cars

I suspect some were stuck there for literally hours

Agreed - I don't think of myself as an aggressive filterer but maybe that's just compared to the hardcore London lot. In most other situations I think I'm probably more impatient than most.

[HairyMaclary]

Needed to be at work early for a very busy and stressful day...

Life comes at you fast 2nd time I use it and end up with a stone in the radiator. Wait for the AA who turned up within the hour but a potential £732 bill from Honda. Ffs. They are delivering the bike back to me and I'll see if I can find an new rad off Ebay or someone who can fix it.

Gutted.

[Discendo Discimus]

Left the house (Worcestershire) in glorious sunshine, got to work (Solihull) in a downpour with really strong winds.
KTM Superduke GT is happier in strong winds if you're pushing on a bit, 80mph plus is far more settled (even though I wouldn't know, Mr Officer).

Still better than taking the Mondeo, I know I'll get wet on the way home but it's part of the fun.
Also testing how waterproof the side cases are in this weather, I'm not holding my breath.

[SteveKTMer]

HairyMaclary said:

Needed to be at work early for a very busy and stressful day...

Life comes at you fast 2nd time I use it and end up with a stone in the radiator. Wait for the AA who turned up within the hour but a potential £732 bill from Honda. Ffs. They are delivering the bike back to me and I'll see if I can find an new rad off Ebay or someone who can fix it.

Gutted.

I had the same issue, mine was a tiny hole in my KTM radiator. KTM wanted about £500 for a new one but Kempston radiators https://kempstonradiators.co.uk/cooling-services/ were able to repair it and it's been fine for a couple of years. Cost about £120 all in but you have to take it to them, they won't remove it from the bike or refit it.

[SteveKTMer]

Discendo Discimus said:

Left the house (Worcestershire) in glorious sunshine, got to work (Solihull) in a downpour with really strong winds.
KTM Superduke GT is happier in strong winds if you're pushing on a bit, 80mph plus is far more settled (even though I wouldn't know, Mr Officer).

Still better than taking the Mondeo, I know I'll get wet on the way home but it's part of the fun.
Also testing how waterproof the side cases are in this weather, I'm not holding my breath.

My KTM GT side cases have done a few miles in France and UK in heavy rain, one terrible ride from Lyon to Calais in very heavy rain, and they didn't leak, fortunately. They look like they might sometimes, the gap between the two halves seems wider than necessary, but they don't leak, even at speed.

[Discendo Discimus]

SteveKTMer said:

Discendo Discimus said:

Left the house (Worcestershire) in glorious sunshine, got to work (Solihull) in a downpour with really strong winds.
KTM Superduke GT is happier in strong winds if you're pushing on a bit, 80mph plus is far more settled (even though I wouldn't know, Mr Officer).

Still better than taking the Mondeo, I know I'll get wet on the way home but it's part of the fun.
Also testing how waterproof the side cases are in this weather, I'm not holding my breath.

My KTM GT side cases have done a few miles in France and UK in heavy rain, one terrible ride from Lyon to Calais in very heavy rain, and they didn't leak, fortunately. They look like they might sometimes, the gap between the two halves seems wider than necessary, but they don't leak, even at speed.

Good to know, thanks Steve. I was tempted by the KTM branded waterproof inner bags they do if I ever went for a weekend away somewhere.
Out of interest, do you keep yours in Comfort or Street mode (suspension) mainly? Mine is set to street mainly, I find comfort mode quite wallowy.

[SteveKTMer]

Discendo Discimus said:

Good to know, thanks Steve. I was tempted by the KTM branded waterproof inner bags they do if I ever went for a weekend away somewhere.
Out of interest, do you keep yours in Comfort or Street mode (suspension) mainly? Mine is set to street mainly, I find comfort mode quite wallowy.

Mine is a 2018 bike and I had the suspension software upgraded to the 2019/2020 spec at the 18k mile service in 2022 and comfort went from too soft and wallowy to just about right for me. It's now much more controlled without being too hard for motorways and our terrible potholed roads.

When I go to France I use street which is a bit firmer for alpine roads but generally in the UK the new comfort setting is great. It's a free upgrade I think if you have the bike services by KTM.

[HairyMaclary]

SteveKTMer said:

HairyMaclary said:

Needed to be at work early for a very busy and stressful day...

Life comes at you fast 2nd time I use it and end up with a stone in the radiator. Wait for the AA who turned up within the hour but a potential £732 bill from Honda. Ffs. They are delivering the bike back to me and I'll see if I can find an new rad off Ebay or someone who can fix it.

Gutted.

I had the same issue, mine was a tiny hole in my KTM radiator. KTM wanted about £500 for a new one but Kempston radiators https://kempstonradiators.co.uk/cooling-services/ were able to repair it and it's been fine for a couple of years. Cost about £120 all in but you have to take it to them, they won't remove it from the bike or refit it.

Thanks. I picked up a replacement rad from a breakers for a grand total of £85. This plus the oem coolant and new rad guard took the bill to £140 which is much more what I was expecting. Will fit it over the weekend along with fork guards, heated grips and a e-scottoiler.

I can finally say I've also dropped a bike now too. Turning it around in the garage and the side stand went up as I leant it over. Doh. Fortunately no damage but Ffs.

[GriffoDP]

SteveKTMer said:

Mine is a 2018 bike and I had the suspension software upgraded to the 2019/2020 spec at the 18k mile service in 2022 and comfort went from too soft and wallowy to just about right for me. It's now much more controlled without being too hard for motorways and our terrible potholed roads.

When I go to France I use street which is a bit firmer for alpine roads but generally in the UK the new comfort setting is great. It's a free upgrade I think if you have the bike services by KTM.

I have one too, and it's a 2020, or early 2021, I forget. My cases have also been waterproof in some horrid weather. I've got the inner bags now, though didn't/don't think they're supposed to be waterproof. Double win if so!

When I got mine I found comfort mode much firmer than the GS I came from, so was quite happy. These days I tend to start off in Street suspension and throttle if i'm not in a rush or it's been a while. Then end up in Sport and Sport pretty quick! I've now stumped up for the Track Pack and can confirm Track mode is hilarious! I've only had the pack since September so no warm weather riding with it yet though. I can't wait to try it properly in Spain in a few months.

[DirtyHarley]

Bit of a thread resurrection, but given it is time that others start to emerge from the woodwork it makes sense.

Not a highlight, but not a dark shadow either - I got pulled over on my way home tonight on the A2 by a pair of gents in blue. I thought I was in for a proper telling off as I had merged from the sliproad off the 'sun in the sands roundabout' quite energetically to fit into a gap and commence filtering as they popped out from behind a van. But nope, once the blues went on and I pulled over; they very kindly informed me that my number plate was rather filthy and in need of a scrub as it was basically a black square. After a quick clean they were wishing me a pleasant ride home and safe filtering - thoroughly good chaps - if either of them end up reading this; I still have no idea how you weren't sweating your nuts off in the stab-vests and then the massive fluro pufferjackets!

[GSA_fattie]

been riding every day not had many if any highlights
apart from the large taylor swift advert next to the M5 (a pleasant distraction for a few seconds) its fairly mundane really
there was the GS on blue lights M27 in Portsmouth but other than that….

[ec1 eex]

I went through the Euston underpass eastbound last week. How on earth have those trenches inbetween the two lanes not been fixed yet? Bloody deathtrap for anyone trying to filter through the near stationary cars.

[Discendo Discimus]

I was following another bike filtering through traffic on the M40 / M42 towards Solihull this morning.
Not sure what he was riding, I was too distracted by him gesturing angrily towards any car that didn't move over for him.

My bike is far wider than his, there's plenty of room for us both to filter through at a decent pace, but I had to keep slowing down for him because he was mouthing off at car drivers lol. At one point I was convinced he was about to go into the back of a car because he wasn't looking where he was going.

[NNH]

Discendo Discimus said:

I was following another bike filtering through traffic on the M40 / M42 towards Solihull this morning.
Not sure what he was riding, I was too distracted by him gesturing angrily towards any car that didn't move over for him.

My bike is far wider than his, there's plenty of room for us both to filter through at a decent pace, but I had to keep slowing down for him because he was mouthing off at car drivers lol. At one point I was convinced he was about to go into the back of a car because he wasn't looking where he was going.

He's probably already posted it to his YouTube channel.

[CHLEMCBC]

Discendo Discimus said:

I was following another bike filtering through traffic on the M40 / M42 towards Solihull this morning.
Not sure what he was riding, I was too distracted by him gesturing angrily towards any car that didn't move over for him.

My bike is far wider than his, there's plenty of room for us both to filter through at a decent pace, but I had to keep slowing down for him because he was mouthing off at car drivers lol. At one point I was convinced he was about to go into the back of a car because he wasn't looking where he was going.

I think I'd have beeped at him until he moved over and made him follow me to see it done properly!

[HairyMaclary]

Well that was a wet one.

Managed to doge weather like that for ages but there was no escaping it today. Didn't check the forecast so was in my summer gear.

Headed grips on, freezing and by the time I got home the only dry part of me was my toes. Haha.

Still skin is waterproof.

[nismocat]

KTMsm said:

CHLEMCBH said:

I I overtook 4 bikes on a 10 mile stretch yesterday evening when everything was doing about 40 in congestion

I'll never understand whey people are happy to sit in traffic on bikes.

I'm far from the most aggressive filterer, having never commuted but leaving the motorcycle show at the NEC. I was shocked that all the motorcycles I saw were sitting in gridlocked traffic

I waited a minute in case there was some weird situation I hadn't seen and then I proceeded to make my way past all the stationary bikes and cars

I suspect some were stuck there for literally hours

Unfortunately there are a lot of bikers out there with very little experience and even less experience filtering. I had the misfortune to go on a ride with a load of bikers (new one of them) and it took us into London. Oh my god!

Me and my mate ended up leaving them.

[Discendo Discimus]

HairyMaclary said:

Well that was a wet one.

Managed to doge weather like that for ages but there was no escaping it today. Didn't check the forecast so was in my summer gear.

Headed grips on, freezing and by the time I got home the only dry part of me was my toes. Haha.

Still skin is waterproof.

I did the same, I even chuckled when I saw my waterproofs in my bag "won't need those" I said to myself. Wetter than an otter's pocket but all good fun.