What I've discovered over the last week - trip abroad.

[Vindaloo]

Recently took the SV around Europe. Top, top, top trip. Here's a few top tips:

When you're balancing the carbs and think you're being clever leaving a pipe trailing from the front carb - make sure you put something tight in there. Instead, fit a valve that you can open and close as you like ... then it sounds like you're running massively rich, causes the engine to pop like a Ducati and backfire at will through every tunnel for about 2,000 miles making you laugh like a schoolchild all the way ... my particular favourite being the copper in the tunnel in Monaco!

Fitting a scottoiler ... don't just put the t-piece straight into the carb intake ... cut the tube to fit the t-piece as it recommends as it WILL fall out and leave you in the middle of town taking the thing to pieces.

Spending a whole day riding at between 7k and 9k revs will burn about half a litre of oil. It's well worth it.

Your the fluid in your front brake reservoir shouldn't have a head on it like a badly pulled pint.

Avon Storm Ultras are ace.

Don't think of doing Alps or Pyrenees without to 20,000:1 scale maps with all the super-twisties on.

The Swiss really know how to ride a bike. Seeing the guy on a BMW GS 1200 come an inch from touching his metal Panniers down was quite amazing.

But not as amazing as how the truck drivers can fly up and down those mountains! Seriously ... who teaches these guys!

Braking is cheating. Just lean more!

How to ride. I'm no novice, but have learned more about cornering in the last 10 days than in the last (nearly) 10 years and 30k+ of riding an SV.

Pictures to follow if I ever get around to sorting through all 500+ of them.

Adrian

Originally Posted by Vindaloo

Braking is cheating. Just lean more!

Adrian

This is exactly how i fell off my bike yesterday

Did your bike use oil before your trip? Half a litre in a day seems a lot to me.

Ah...this thread is really getting me in the mood for my imminent trip on my SV! This time next Saturday I'll be enjoying a pint up in the pyranees!

I REALLY need to go abroad on Shiny Shiny!

Haha classic comment... Braking is cheating, I like it!!

I'd say thats not right in the fact that your bike burnt half a litre in a day, I went to Barcelona on my bike this summer sounding a lot of days at 80mph for 300+ miles, and when I got home the oil level was still above the minimum level

Glad you had an awesome trip, and looking forward to the pictures

[Vindaloo]

Yeah it was burning/weeping a bit of oil already but I'm pretty sure many SVs will burn a fair bit with that kind of hammer. In the end it only took in a litre in 10 days total ... a half litre on two occasions and each after giving some serious hammer and not a drop at any other time.

Yeah, only kinda joking about braking being cheating ... when you've got the long sweeping corners like that, it can be as much fun to ride smoothly just rolling on and off the throttle maintaining a reasonably speed. You'll still go quicker than most people ... follow the locals. That's how they ride (so quick). Not so sure how it'll work over here though.

I love riding over here but we've nothing to touch those mountain passes for enjoyment (the closest I've seen is probably North Wales). Do yourself a favour though and find a way of avoiding the boring bit of having two days riding up and down France each way. Wish I was back still now.

Adrian

[dyzio]

Originally Posted by dill89

I'd say thats not right in the fact that your bike burnt half a litre in a day, I went to Barcelona on my bike this summer sounding a lot of days at 80mph for 300+ miles, and when I got home the oil level was still above the minimum level

80mph (no offence) isn't much. I used to travel between Aberdeen and Glasgow often and the k2 never used any oil.
But on ze autobhan at 100-120mph I had to top up after 600 miles.

Depends on the bike as well, on this years euro trip, the Ape drank oil as usual, whereas my mate on a 600RR didn't have to top up at all. And he was faster than me through the Alps.

get the pics up

yeah i was quite concerned when my bike had used a bit of oil on the tour i did, but glad to here its sorta normal as it was the first time its drank oil since i got it!

Originally Posted by dyzio

80mph (no offence) isn't much. I used to travel between Aberdeen and Glasgow often and the k2 never used any oil.
But on ze autobhan at 100-120mph I had to top up after 600 miles.

Depends on the bike as well, on this years euro trip, the Ape drank oil as usual, whereas my mate on a 600RR didn't have to top up at all. And he was faster than me through the Alps.

This is true, it's not that much of a speed, but I suppose i was just going by experience as mine has never drank any oil, but then again i've never needed/wanted to push the engine more than normal for any prolonged period of time.

Now i know though that it's kinda normal, and if mine ever does it, not to be alarmed