Mikeybikey57
Member
I collected my XT1200 from our local Yamaha dealer on Saturday afternoon, after months and months of trying out various bikes to replace my old Triumph Tiger 955i. I'd previously excluded even testing one out, as they were horrendously expensive new and used ones were few and far between. Then after trying out a nice used Tiger 1050 earlier in the week, I noticed that the dealer was selling off their XT12 demonstrator. Having offered me a test ride, I took it out for a couple of hours on the Thursday and came back absolutely smitten with it. It was much like I imagined it would be, very torquey but quite smooth for a big parallel twin with lots of character.
After negotiating a good part exchange deal for my Tiger and also negotiating (aka begging) with my wife, I did the deal and collected it on Saturday. I managed to get a fairly decent ride out on her yesterday and am now convinced that buying her was a really good move, despite the big dent in my pension fund.
Had a good look on this site since and after reading about their tendency to shed wheel spokes, I checked her over this morning. And guess what? Two spokes were so loose that I could turn the nipples with my fingers and a few others were also in need of a bit of a tweak. Happily they're now all tight and going ping at roughly the same pitch, when tapped with an allen key. Something to keep any eye on I think.
I've also been trawling the internet for engine bars and panniers and after much searching i've gone for Givi's all round. Out of all that I looked at, the Givi bars allow the battery/radiator panels to be removed whilst in situ and looked the neatest. The Givi Trekker cases look about the best for my needs and to my eyes, seem less cumbersome than the mahoosive aluminium boxes that seem to be fitted to adventure bikes nowadays. I'm also quietly pleased with myself at having found a pair of the 33 litre cases at £200 under what the dealer was planning to charge me. E-bay can be such a fabulous thing you know.
So, being a newbie here, any tips, hints and things to look out for would be very much appreciated whilst I find my way around the bike, which has now been named "Soupy Ten" by my youngest daughter. And if anyone here happens to be passing between Chesterfield and Matlock in Derbyshire, you'll be more than welcome to call in for a large cuppa and a slice of home made cake at mine.
After negotiating a good part exchange deal for my Tiger and also negotiating (aka begging) with my wife, I did the deal and collected it on Saturday. I managed to get a fairly decent ride out on her yesterday and am now convinced that buying her was a really good move, despite the big dent in my pension fund.
Had a good look on this site since and after reading about their tendency to shed wheel spokes, I checked her over this morning. And guess what? Two spokes were so loose that I could turn the nipples with my fingers and a few others were also in need of a bit of a tweak. Happily they're now all tight and going ping at roughly the same pitch, when tapped with an allen key. Something to keep any eye on I think.
I've also been trawling the internet for engine bars and panniers and after much searching i've gone for Givi's all round. Out of all that I looked at, the Givi bars allow the battery/radiator panels to be removed whilst in situ and looked the neatest. The Givi Trekker cases look about the best for my needs and to my eyes, seem less cumbersome than the mahoosive aluminium boxes that seem to be fitted to adventure bikes nowadays. I'm also quietly pleased with myself at having found a pair of the 33 litre cases at £200 under what the dealer was planning to charge me. E-bay can be such a fabulous thing you know.
So, being a newbie here, any tips, hints and things to look out for would be very much appreciated whilst I find my way around the bike, which has now been named "Soupy Ten" by my youngest daughter. And if anyone here happens to be passing between Chesterfield and Matlock in Derbyshire, you'll be more than welcome to call in for a large cuppa and a slice of home made cake at mine.
