As the title suggests a quick review of my courtesy bike, a Triumph Trident 660. Firstly, it's a bit of a culture shock after jumping off the 1200 Tiger as this is very compact. However, the engine is a marvel of engineering, so torquey for it's size, pulls willingly in just about any gear and revs out like a two stroke! Easily capable of sitting at 80mph all day (but no fairing, so that would get a bit of a strain quite quickly) and will surge forward in top gear with a twist of the throttle. Nice gearchange both up & down with a very smooth, positive action. No quickshifter, but this is a 'price point' bike. The suspension appears to be non-adjustable but seemed to be spot on over bumpy Northumbrian roads and dual carriageways. The brakes are perfectly adequate with a nice, easy feel but plenty of power available if needed with a bit more of a squeeze. The rear brake is particulary useful, with loads of feedback and a nice linear action. As you can imagine it changes direction faster than a house fly and will be an absolute hoot on a warm summers day on a winding road. It's also great around town too, easily leading the charge at the traffic light GP. The single round LED instruments are easy & clear to read and tell you all you need to know. The general fit & finish is of a high quality, not 'premium', but very good and easily on a par with anything from Japan or Italy at this price point.
All in all I was very impressed with the bike, and for the money (£7,895 otr) you're not getting robbed. If I was 5'2" not 6'2" I would definitely have one ! Pics of the little monster below -

I was struggling to think of something the Mrs could buy me for Christmas last year and came up with the idea of a bike camera system. After many hours a bit of research I picked the Innovv K3 sytem as a good compromise between size, price & performance. I finally got my finger out and fitted it today. The kit is quite comprehensive and has pretty much everything you need, appart from a number of cable ties & black insulating tape. It's easy enough to fit if you are OK with electrics, but if you take your time most people should be able to manage it.
The brackets are quite delicate, but the cameras are very light so it works OK. Mounting will be trial and error, but I've picked solid anchor points that are as ridgid as possible. Space under the seat may be an issue for some but the tiger has plenty of space to spare, there are a lot of cable 'loops' to tuck away. It all wired up OK but I'm struggling to get the app to connect to my phone. I'll get a good mooch around in the settings to see why they won't talk to each other. In the meantime here's a few pics -

Some of you fine folks on here may realise that I am retiring in December. To make the event even more memorable, we've booked a 30 day epic holiday to New Zealand (link below) -

https://www.distantjourneys.co.uk/new-zealand-tours/very-best-new-zealand-tour/

We're stopping over in Singapore for 2 nights on the way out and then adding 2 nights in Dubai on the way back. The itenery, hotels and just everything suit us perfectly. Really looking forward to it. Any advice from anyone that's been would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, folks, a happy new year to all of you. I hope 2024 is a cracking year - all the very best wishes & ride safe 

Yes, despite it bucketing down yesterday we had a new front door fitted. We previously had two standard sized doors side by side with one opening & one fixed. The new door is wider than standard and the side panels let loads of light into the hallway. It has a very high security lock and after a lot of hassle I managed to organise two extra keys at a rather salty £23 each...

Yes, my Tigger is three years old today. I know that's not a long time for some of you to own a bike, but it's the second longest I've owned one - and this is number 59... If it lasts until the end of February it will have surpassed my Moto Guzzi Stelvio as the longest I've owned a bike. Just under 12,000 miles, only one issue - it needed a new rear shock, all covered under warranty and a known issue due to a duff batch of seals at the WP factory. However, it's never left me at the roadside. Happy birthday tigger 

Today, I had the new BMW GS1300 out on a test ride to see if it could replace the tigger in my garage. I have listed some categories below and have based my opinions around my test ride. Buckle up - it's a bit to read -

Engine - what a peach, power everywhere (in 'dynamic' mode, a bit flat in 'road'), massive torque and and endless surge whatever the gear you are in. Very impressive and this will have more than enough 'go' for 99.99% of people. Quite smooth, although a few shake. rattle & rolls to be had, but definitely in the 'character' direction rather than in a bad way.

Gearbox - crikey, what an acheivement! The up and down quickshifter is smooth, the shift precise and acurate and the clutch action is very smooth and natural. A very esy to use, light clutch too. Well spaced ratios make the best of all that lovelly torque and it sits well at motorway speeds.

Brakes - Wow, I thought the Brembo set up on the tigger were good but this was a different level. Loads of feel, plenty of progreessive power and a nice easy lever feel. The rear was very powerful, but controlabale and offered loads of feedback. These are probably the best bike brakes I've used to be honest.

Suspension - the revised telelever front end is superb offering way more feel than before. The 'road' setting is fine, with sensible, comfortable damping & spring rate but well controlled. In the 'dynamic' mode the suspension stiffens up nicely and the bike is very agile. The handling is a revelation and it reminded me of a Multistrada the way it would dart for a corner but reman stable at the same time. Very, very impressive.

Electronics - lots of them and very complicated. Some are intuitive, but you will need to read the manual, probably three of four times to get the best out of the bike... The fuel cap took several minuets of faffing to get closed and did not fill me with confidence. No key option either, which is not ideal.

Comfort - This is where things are not so rosy in the garden. The screen is all but useless above 60 mph and there is very little leg room. I felt quite cramped after my hours test ride and to be honest ready to get off. It has a bit of a forward tilt to the quite low hnadlebars too which would not be all day comfy for me. If you are under 6' it would probably be OK?

Reliability - well, my bike went into 'limp mode' on the test, so far from ideal. It scrolled up a number of messages saying things like the 'cruise control' disabled, 'radar disabled', bling spot assist' disabled. I was approching a busy roundabout so switched it off and back on again and it seemed to reset. Not brilliant.

So it's a nippy, good handling bike that feels incredibly light, has a great engine & gearbox but is a bit cramped. I was impressed with the togetherness of the bike but it's not for me. Pic's of a Rally variant and the triple black one I had out at Penshaw Monument.