I went home and dropped off my laptop and kept on riding because the day was so nice. I had one thing in mind to do which was to get a shave and shave my head. I look like the guy from Caveman and I needed to get cleaned up. So I was riding until my apppointment, but it was fun as hell riding in this beautiful weather. The only thing annoying about this day is because of the weather and it was pushing me a round sometimes so I did what I could to compensate but it was a damn nice feeling. Good music and nice roads, I was really pushing it a bit sometimes.
The best feeling I had was when I was getting the shave! That felt damn good, and then putting the helmet on I felt so damn clean.
It felt fantastic getting up in the morning because I could see from my window that it was sunny. So I jumped right in the shower looking forward to riding my bike since it has been a while. I was literally flying through my usual routines and I started my bike when I got down stairs and I loved that rumble when it starts. I got on the bike with my back pack carrying my laptop and zoomed to work. I had to pump the clutch a lot since it was really cold and I had to get it warmed up and the fluids flowing.
I was flying to work for no reason except enjoyment and the roads were empty and I wanted to enjoy it! The only thing was that it was a bit windy and I could feel it pushing me but I did a lot to counter it. You just have to be ready and loose so that your ready to react to the wind changes, the worse thing is being forceful or stiff when riding, being nimble and loose is key.
Its just great that no one seemed to be going to work on Thursday.
This is the revamped Tuono for 2007 from Aprillia. This is the factory edition which is packed with performance and style, with many light weight components added to this machine to make it very different then the average naked bike or Tuono. It gives supersport bikes a run for their money on the track, and handle the road just as well. A very responsive V-Twin better then the previous version. Carbon fiber panels to make it larger, with a better tweakable suspension by the addition of the Ohlin shocks and overall improvement of the engine and exhaust system. I really like what they have done with this motorcycle and I would like to test ride this motorcycle if I get the chance. They have even extended the warranty of this bike from 2 years to 4 years which is nothing short of amazing, Aprillia is stranding behind this bike.
I currently have two versions of this helmet, the Matt Black and Rivet Red. I have used my Matt Black Helmet for almost 9 months now and I wouldn’t have bought the same model again if I wasn’t happy with this helmet
Positives:
- Comfortable
- Good fit
- Removable Lining
- Very reasonable price
- Never Fogs up
- Good Airflow
- Very Good Matte Finish
Negatives:
- A bit on the noisy side
Overall:
This is a company which is relatively new to the US market but they are expanding. They have a lot of expertise under their belt with good people working on these helmets. The Scorpion EX-700 helmet is a great helmet to have if you can’t afford the expensive Arai’s and Shoeis. There is nothing missing from this helmet in terms of quality and features. It fits very well with a comfortable and removable liner. What I love about the helmet and I take for granted sometimes is that the screen never fogs up, when I wear my Arai helmet I forget that it fogs up until it happens. This is a great quality helmet with lots of features for its price, there is a bit of problem with a bit of noise at high speed but there will be improvements in time. I wouldn’t get any helmet other then Scorpion in this price range, and I really like the designs they come up with. I just hope for a larger selection soon.
Link: Scorpion USA
Price: $180/$200
Rating:
So I was on the phone with my friend for a while after filing the police report around 4 am his time which is 3pm our time. It turns out they took a screwdriver to the ignition and broke the lock with a hammer, so they knocked the screwdriver with the hammer to break the steering lock and roll the bike away. The ignition piece was found on the ground by the police officer.
The police officer said the insurance company has 30 days to find the bike in any condition it may be in. And then they will make an offer on the motorcycle based on market value. The police officer also said to post the VIN number and pictures of the motorcycle on craigs list and say that it was stolen so that no one buys the stolen bike.
Now my friend and I are looking at Lo Jack for motorcycles as option for the two motorcycles (Triumph Daytona 675 & Yamaha FZ6) that weren’t stolen. She also told my friend to call the insurance company the next morning to give them police report number.
My friend just called me from the US around 1:30 am their time. I thought he was out doing something and decided to call me.
When I called him back he seemed to be in a quiet area so I asked him what was up and how he was doing. He told me that he just got off work an hour ago and when he came to my friend’s apartment the bike wasn’t there. After checking it seemed that my 05 Yamaha R1 was stolen from the parking spot inside the apartment complex. He was pissed and I was pissed! It happened inside a gated apartment complex in a relatively safe area! It pissed me off and the guy or guys who did this must have been planning this for a while!
I want to rip the guys throat out who did this! I am happy that bike is fully insured but I know how the insurance company is and they will make it difficult to pay the amount. They will go for the market value of the motorcycle, it is worth $10’500 when first bought they will try to offer $5000 for it, but it is easily worth $8000 to $9000 since had only 4700 miles = 7200 Kms for a 2005 Yamaha R1 that is nothing! And it was dealer serviced at all the right intervals, even all modifications were made by the dealer.
This is really disturbing news! And it got on my nerves, my friend is really pissed because it happened inside the apartment complex and there isn’t a video surveilance for entry and exit from the complex, but there is a security code. This is going to be hell dealing with insurance, and they will take one to two months to search for the bike and two more months to pay up. And my friend loves bikes as much as me, and to us this is something personal! Damn it!
I woke up around 7:20am this morning and painfully dragged myself out of my bed to go to riding with Nat since it was the only time she could go riding and I wanted to take her out riding for a bit and get some experience under her belt. So we met up in the morning at Marina Cresent parking and I was flying to get there on time, but since it was so early I was late! Only 10 minutes though! So we went riding down the Gulf Road and then to the Mansooriya Gas station through the Second Ring Road and then we went back and got on the Fahaheel Express to come back the other way down the Gulf Road starting at Miseela. I have to say that she took some bumpy roads pretty well and she is pretty good around the turns. I had one eye on the road and the other on the side view mirror! She was doing great and with a few more rides she will easily be overtaking me and making me look like a wuss! After an hour and a bit of riding she had to go so I rode with her until she got home and then I took off to Marina Cresent Starbucks to get something to drink and eat!
I got a hot chocolate this time but the same Dark Chocolate cake as from the previous day. I was just reading through a newspaper while I finish up my cake and hot chocolate, after I was satisified I decided to head out and as I was approaching the parking lot I caught Mark just parking his bike! I thought this couldn’t have been timed better, so we headed out together and caught the TriStar meetup at Green Island it was great there were a lot of bikes and families! I love seeing get togethers like these and TriStar does a good job getting people together.
There was a Ducati 1098s which was parked on its own and it really had to be since it was a thing of beauty. I was thinking for a while to pickup a 999S to fix up but after seeing the 1098s that idea went to the scrapper! It is beautiful and the redesign is on spot. I can’t get the bike out of my head and this isn’t good for me! I can’t stop thinking about it! Damn it! What a bike! Just when I wanted to take pictures I pulled out my camera, switched it on, and the screen said no memory stick… suddenly I had the urge to break it but I held myself back and realized I was an idiot for not putting in the chip before leaving!
Then me and Mark kept on riding since we had other things planned and couldn’t participate in this event. And we kept enjoying ourselves on the road! Mark has improved a lot and he is getting into the groove of things! There is a flow to his riding which is very good, hopefully he will keep going at this pace!
First off I haven’t riden my bike in over a month because of travel, work, and other things getting in the way. Even days where I just wanted to start Robo up I just didn’t get a chance. So today after work I decided that I would be getting my leg over the bike for sure.
Important Tips for a cold start:
- Warm up bike for 5-10 mins since it hasn’t been switched for over a month.
- Ride for at least 20 minutes to warm up the tires.
- Ride for at least 30 to 45 minutes to warm up your transmission and clutch, my clutch as bit stiff so it was very clunky while shifting but after riding for a little while it went back to normal.
- Avoid any and all drastic moves on the bike for the first 30 minutes of riding to make sure the bike is all warmed up and handles correctly without being stiff.
After breaking in the bike I felt like I regained my freedom and little devil inside of me had a window into reality. With the music and fantastic weather I felt like something took over me and I wanted to ride hard and enjoy myself, and I did enjoy myself.
Then the incident at starbucks took place which I am happy I was able to help, and then I continued to finish my chocolate cake and mocafrappacino before riding. The staff at the Marina Cresent Starbucks were nothing short of helpful with this young man. Two thumbs up to starbucks for having a good staff! And the chocolate cake to my luck was fantastic!
Then I continued my riding down the Gulf Road! It was great the waether was perfect and I was wearing my Polar Buff so I felt really good and the bike was handling itself just like it used to. I felt a freedom I haven’t felt in a long time and the weather was perfect! There were other bikes out on the road, but I was too preoccupied with my riding and music. I hope to be riding more again!
I made a quick stop at Marina Cresent Starbucks to get something to eat and drink . I was hugnry and I knew I was going to have a late lunch. While I was ordering and getting ready to pay there was a young man on my left and a woman who were ordering. I thought they were together but it turned out later that they weren’t. As I was paying I felt someone bump me so I was moving out of the way then it was the kid from earlier who just fell and hit his head against the wood panel and floor. So both myself and the starbucks manager picked up the young man who was out cold and put him on a seat. We had no clue as to why he was unconcious, we got him water and he was coming to, so I took his phone and asked him who to call so I called his brother.
I have to say that the Starbucks staff were great and very nice. We were talking to the kid who seemed to be around 14 years old, and who was extremely thin. I noticed he had a pack of cigirates in his pocket and I asked him if he had a speecific illness, low blood pressure, or diabetes and he said no to all but it seemed like he was hiding something. I asked him if this has happened before he said a few times just recently. He seemed too young for this to be happening to him. I spoke to his brother about three times and I kept talking to the kid for a bit just to make sure he was having another attack or something, but I was with him and three other gentlemen who were starbucks staff, one was in uniform and two werent. We were tending to the kid, we lifted his legs we gave him cold water, and we offered him food but he refused. I just dont know what exactly was wrong with him. It took about 20 minutes for his brother to get there, I was outside on his phone with the other gentlemen waving his brother down and I told him to stop just on the side right next to starbucks and we would bring his brother. By that point his brother could walk, but we still didn’t like the shape he was in. I told his brother that he should take his brother directly to the hospital, he can’t be left in this condition, and his brother said he was taking him there and that was it. I at my chocolate cake and continued my riding.
This is one of my favorite stops in London! I can’t go to London without making a stop at Great Portland Street, London to see if there is anything I need or should have from new gear! The guy that works there is James and a few other people, and even if I’m not buying anything that time its great talking to them! And its a great feeling to talking to people who love motorcycling as much you do! They even have recommendations or can help you out because they use this stuff too! I got recommended the boots from them and I’m happy that I have my Daytona Boots and I wont ride without them!
For such a small store they car a large amount of gear and accessories from Arai, Shoei, Shark, Alpinestar, Daytona, Kriega, Spidi, Hein Gericke, Data Tool, Disc Locks, Chains, maintanence tools, and cleaning products! You can spend a while there and get all you need, and the people there are nothing short of helpful. I wish they had this much gear and items in Kuwait! You can find gear cheaper online, but you have to try things on, and since the people are really cool I dont mind buying for a slightly higher price. The gear never goes old and some peoeple will buy if they are provided the option! For now I always stop by there when going through London.
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