Hi , reference the guy riding left handed . Back in 1980 I had a bike accident over in Sweden which resulted in the loss of my right arm . Despite my experience I never lost the urge to get back on a bike . Ten years ago I started building a trike and joined NABD ( National Association for Bikers with a Dissability ) I picked up a bike magazine and read an article about a bike with an automatic clutch , one lever less to worry about !! . All that was needed was flipping the front brake and throttle to the left bar . I found and bought that model of bike FJR1300 AS , and a few phone calls later unbelievably NABD footed the bill for Appleyards to do the work and that was it , back on a bike , back on the road and a huge smile on my face . That was 10 years ago and the bike is still going strong .
Was nice to hear my comment featured at the end there Fred. Yes the XR400's were all kickstart only .. though a lot of people converted them to electric start as the TRX400 quad bike Honda made shared the same engine as the XR ... except it was electric start .. so it's easy to obtain the bits needed to convert the XR over to have the magic button.
There is a lot of talent at maveing and proud that it was the last bike I developed as a professional test rider , keep up the cracking vids love these 🙏
Hi Freddie. A couple of years ago I had a low speed crash on my 07 Triumph 1050st. Rode it home with a smashed fairing and cockpit subframe and n/s mirror. I collected as much as I could of the plastic bits. Glued fairing back together and painted it myself. Needed a new cockpit subframe for around £350 . Headlight needed fettling to. Probably 800 all in. But she's not perfect. But still enjoyable to ride. If I wasn't mechanically minded she'd have been scrap
Dobbs is getting motorcycle mileage and riding cred's , Steve McQueen smiles on you...Hi from the USA you deserve membership to the old time Fast House...
Belt conversion kits? At those prices, that would buy a lot of chain lube! Still, a couple overlooked advantages are the almost total elimination of drive-line lash and belt drive is much quieter. I guess if one waited until their existing chain and sprockets were shot, the price of conversion would be easier to swallow.
Hi Freddie, The biggest killer of the older used bike market are the PCP deals, they allow anyone to own( rent) a new bike for a lot less! a month ! the dealers love PCP's because they offer little or NO discount off the new price because buyers just want to know how much it is a month!! and don't forget their commission!!
You could often get a brand new bike or car for £100 deposit and £100. A month often the bank won't even give you the loan anyway. Also can be 0% APR on brand new stuff.
Hi Freddie. Regarding the "dropped bike" costs. MY story - In July last year I was stationary on my brand new Honda CRF 300 Rally with 100 miles on the clock. A truck decided to reverse without checking and knocked me over. Result - a total loss - requiring £6100 to get the bike back to the same "as new" condition, so it was written off. Also, I was offered by the insurers, an equivalent bike to use whilst mine was being assessed. The third party insurers were charged at £125 per day, it sat in my garage unused. It went back 4 months later, without me having done a single mile. That cost alone would buy TWO new CRF 300 Rally's and some. On top of that however were other costs, such as personal injury and various expenses. I worked out that my stationary fall cost the third party insurance company around 30 thousand pounds to settle. No wonder all our premiums are sky high. Cheers Mark
It’s the personal injury which is much higher than cars from bike accidents that is driving up costs plus thefts undisclosed profits from insurance companies
Belt drive on my Sportster last 100,000 mi or more. No chain oiling no adjustments no maintenance no cleaning animation driveline smoother. Much cheaper in the long run then a chain drive. All motorcycles that are not sharp driven should have a belt drive. I said shaft drive. Stupid phone
I got knocked off my bike and got offered a replacement bike but turned it down. Did talk them into a five day hire of a bike for a pre planned excursion. Took nearly 3 months to sort the bike so I saved them a fortune.
@frankmarkovcijr5459 Absolutely, strangely enough I was thinking exactly the same, why don't they do it. I remember when Harley brought out the Sturgis model with belt drive many years ago, I think that's correct name. I saw some people said the belt needs to be properly aligned to avoid premature wear, but I'm sure the manufacturers could sort that out, make it easy to do if they wanted to.
Totally agree. I live in Essex and was selling my 2000 Hornet 600 earlier this year ( non ulez compliant). The first four enquiries I got asked if it ulez compliant, when I said no I never heard from them again.
Hi, Triumph moved from carbs on the 885 engine in 96 onwards. All speed triples and daytonas after 96 are injection. Sure is a lot of bargains out there. Very informative video. Cheers.
Hi Freddie, I own a Triumph Sprint RS 955i from 2001 and they are fuel injected. I will send you some information about my 6 month update on my £2000 big bike purchase as a follow up to your podacst in April!
Apparently a lot of Riders did not like the Name Gladius! & thought the Bright colours a bit "Camp" Ryan Fortnine did a U Tube video About how Great the Suzuki is
Freddie thanks for including my European trip on your podcast The full tour is on my RUclips channel. 110adventures. All out points of interest, Dachau, Eagles nest, Javier airbase, Mostar and tge Grossknocker. Loved the Scottish trip.
hi freddie keep the great vids flowing 👍 my bikes belt drive had it 20 years and 27,000 miles yes its been a bit of a garage queen but never adjusted the belt and never lubed belt as you dont so fantastic system however after watching your transalp video ive bought one snd looking at touring the swiss alps 😁👍👍
Belt drive is a great idea for regular bikes. It’s clean, very direct feeling, minimal adjustment, and when designed and constructed properly you can over 50,000 miles out of one. Many cruisers have a belt drive so it obviously works. It’s not used on high powered bikes because it’s not suited for extreme rpm/power output and also loses a bit more efficiency compared to a chain. I had a BMW F800ST and an F800GT and loved them, although the belt had a habit of wandering to the edge of the rear hub, even with the wheel and belt assembly set correctly, the earlier models had a problem with rear hub bearing failure, and in typical BMW fashion they recommended changing it every 25,000 miles, and would supply the belt at over twice the price of the manufacturer version (Continental), whilst at the time preventing Continental from selling it separately. They discontinued it for the completely different F900XR, as I assume the market for light touring bikes with a fairing has pretty much vanished.
Hi Fred. Love the channel. Almost convincing me to get a road bike. We ride enduro bikes around county durham and Northumberland would love to ride with you if you can get an enduro bike hired or something and take you out on the green lanes nothing to serious. Just to show the world the offroad sections we ride. You make me want to travel and it's very informative of the prices etc it costs to travel abroad Hope you mention this the next video would love to meet you
i simply use old engine oil after each wash, costs me no extra and my chain gets amazing lubrication - takes about 2mins to oil the chain, hardly a chore but i suppose we are all different - AND TO CALLUM, fair play fella - fair play 🙂
The 1970s universal japanese motorcycles were amazing and simple especially the 1970s Suzuki GS850G and GS1000 G shaft drive bikes and suzuki GS550 and GS750 and GS1000 chain drive. I bought the Suzuki GS750 with 50000 miles on it and the GS 850G with 85000 milges on it and the GS1000 went round my mates ending up with over 100000 on it. The gs750 was ridden round Adelaide, Sydney and i rode it from Adelaide to Melbourne 600 miles, Melbourne to Coolah over 300 more miles then 40 miles a day to work for 3 months to get to wojrk welding. The only problem was the points gap closing which was easy to sort out with a cigarette paper. Truely a vintage gem of a japanese inline 4. The Triumph trophy, speed triple early ones are great looking but running costs yamaha diversion, 900 shaft drive arre great as is Honda NTV 650 shaft drive are economical. The deauville 650 has shaft drive, panniers and is very reliable but very ugly boring but the suzuki DR 650 from 1996 are great bikes. An unkillable bike i bought for £12 was the cheapest, unbelievable bike was a honda CD175 from 1975. Steel mudguars too. The honda C90 of motorbikes even does 80mph!. Mine xwas a rat bike with a hammer put into the tank. Thank you Howie. He always got me cheap bangers that run including a BSA A10 1955, FOR £250. A YAMAHA XT500 FOR £170. IT WENT TOO BUT BRAKES WERE NON EXISTENT I FOUND OUT ON TIGHT BEND. THANKS MATE😮
25:18 Well spotted, Edward! 👀 The twin headers are a giveaway. Although it could also be the XR250, as the Army bought a small number of those and XR400s from C J Ball in Norwich. That dealer is still going strong today despite that photo being taken during Operation Telic in Iraq in 2004.
Only convert to Belt drive if you want a smoother ride, better performance, longer maintenance intervals, less noise from the drive train, and free yourself from adjustment and oiling work 🙂
Congratulations to Callum on passing his CBT. And well done on the DIY adaptation of the C90. While it might feel odd to an existing rider to use a left-hand throttle, as Callum has only known this system, it shouldn't cause him any problems. After all, there's no good engineering reason why the throttle on the right, it's just an established convention. Indian motorcycles had a left-hand throttle on their machines right up until about 1950. I believe the bikes were popular with the US police departments because it meant they could still shoot at the bad guys with their right hand without having to slow down.
Thank you mate! I wished a LHD Indian was in my budget! that would have been a time saver. Apparently there were a few Left handed C90 cubs from factory, aimed at folks who had been maimed in the war. Ive never seen pictures or anything however.
Hey Freddie, just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos. They are super calm and easy to watch while still being engaging. Always look forward to them. A side note, were did you get the jacket in the opening b roll? That thing is beautiful, love the patterns. Keep up the great work.
A non o ring chain is best for not loosing any power that's why motocross bikes use them. Only £15 vs £100+ for a good o ring or even X ring. But maintenance is crazy on them. I think they must be comparing with a shaft drive.
Belt drive is not as efficient as chain; there are a lot of friction losses over a properly lubricated chain. If Belt had lower losses, racing bikes would use Belt drive . They're smoother, less noise and maintenance free though.
Off-topic, not related to particular video, but since Freddy approves gonna post it here. Guys, I failed MOT. To this day I thought that motorcycles are the same in all regions, turns out that not all motorcycle headlight units are symmetrical. My bike (Transalp 700) is from UK and to my surprise, headlight unit is designed with left-side drive in mind, the lens of headlight differs from right-side drive. Now, since I live in right side drive country, I need new headlight unit, that will cost me around ~220eur. Which is not horrible, just something for consideration if someone plans to import bike from UK.
If it was an option, I would definitely convert to belt drive on my Honda NC750X. The chain is the most maintenance intensive part on any chain drive bike, and it rewards your efforts by making a dirty mess all over the rear end of the bike. Chains should have been history 40 years ago, when Harley-Davidson demonstrated that modern belt drive works brilliantly.
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne the F700gs f800gs f800gt f800s f800r. Are all great bikes I feel suzuki think they invented something new with the gsx8s 800de 800re gsx8r when bmw did it years ago
Belt drive: your comments on belt drive conversation reminded me of a bike I aspired to get when I was still on my 125 and learning. Kawasaki had a small capacity belt drive bike, I think it was 305cc but that sounds like a strange number so I could be remembering that wrongly.
I think one of the factors putting pressure on prices are the options for new bikes provided by companies like Royal Enfield, CF Moto, Voge, etc. For me, I would love to own a KTM 990 Adventure, I was in the market for one about a year ago, but got disappointed by the prices compared to the age and condition of the bikes I saw. For example, one from 2008, that needed some love and care visually but was running great, had an asking price of 7800 euros. There were cheaper ones, that needed mechanical fixed, but nothing under 6000 euros. Today, you can go to a dealer and buy a brand new CF Moto 450MT for 5990 euros. Half the engine, less than half horsepower, half the fuel consumption, less than half the costs in maintenance. Can't really compare these two bikes, but at least for me, with my point of view, my needs, my wallet etc, if the KTM doesn't go down to half the price of a new 450MT, a new Himalayan, I can't seriously consider it. And I've already seen an impact on used KTMs and GSs because of those available options.
No Freddie, it does not make sense to change from chain to belt. Look at cost and you understand why and think of what happens if it snaps during a trip.
There's a huge discrepancy between what is considered high mileage with bikers and traders - you, Freddie, understand that looking after a bike properly is more important than mileage BUT traders consider any bike high mileage if it's, say, over 15k miles. They then use that to rationalise giving a low price on your bike or, worse, not buying it at all. I had a pristine 2003 Daytona 955i with 23k miles on the clock, which is actually low mileage IMO - after all it was over 21 years old!! - and most motorcycle shops just lowballed me, massively undervaluing it. Very frustrating.
My brother is pretty adept with a spanner and a lifelong biker. He only buys older high mileage bikes. I cannot recall the last bike he lost money on when he came to selling it. His current bike is a triumph Speedmaster that has 30,000+ on the clock that he got for literally a few hundred pounds.
As far as it goes, I do understand the less worky deal, but I have also heard many times that belts lacks throttle response vs. chains .. So, it does not matter in a HD Custom Bike, but if you have a performance bike, it would not be the way to go ...... I had a HD before so I do understand the belt , but having owned many bikes afterwards with chains, it´s not really a big deal to clean and lubricate chains ... actually, I do like the process .. kkkkk
Belt drive is great until one suddenly snaps on you. A chain will show the signs of wear and tear well in advance of you needing to replace it. With a belt, it'll just go on you without warning. Still reckon they're better overall though.
I have an immaculate Xr650r which is only kickstart…rare bike now in good condition. They made an Xr650l which was air cooled and electric start…though a completely different and inferior machine to the race bred R model.
@@chrishart8548yeah they drink fuel! Great bike though…they were developed for the baja1000 rally to go 100mph plus for hours at a time and I believe have 16x baja wins being called the king of the dessert. Bullet proof reliability! Mine is supermoto so it’s never seen sand or dirt…don’t think it’s ever even been ridden in the rain!
@@AdamBrowne-eg1eb my friend was thinking of turning his into a supermoto. He had a set of cbr600 wheels and got some spacers made up but it never happened.
I have no idea why any manufacturer would op for chain now. A belt will last 4 times longer than a chain, Require no oil or cleaning whatsoever is quieter, safer, And requires tightening every 12000 miles or so. It's just a better way all round. at a grand to buy it i'd say it was worth it but how much cheaper it would be if it just came like that from the factory. I'd happily pay an extra 500 to get my speedmaster 1200 with a belt drive from the factory.
Hi, in Australia a 30yr old bike can be put on "Club Rego" for a 600cc+ in my State this goes from $AU 960 down to $AU 85 a year rego. There are some requirements like need to be a member of a club and can't ride more than 30x a year. Because it's not monitored this 30x a year could easily be stretched to good weather days. So as a 2nd bike or people like myself that ride for fun and need the 4WD 3-5x week it's very cheap considering 30yr old, 1994, Triumphs are very cheap and quiet reliable such as Thunderbird or Daytona. I don't see the point in getting a cheap 2000's bike if the rego is more than the bike after 3-4years. That just hurts. I currently pay nearly $2000 yr to keep 2x bikes registered and I can use them most of the week as I need the cargo space. Government seem to hate motorcycles, high rego, high insurance, poor emissions requirements, etc. And yet they don't have this issue with 50cc suicide machines.
I did a belt drive conversion on a Triumph Bobber with a kit from ARH. It wasn't cheap, but the consistent belt tension means the gear changes are smoother and the drop in noise without the clanking chain is substantial. You also dont have the mess and gunk from chain lube. There is the potential drawback of getting stone in the belt which could wreck it. That's one thing the kit could improve on. In the case of the Triumph kit the other thing which is pretty naff is the way they chose to modify the sprocket cover. The belt sprocket is much wider than the chain sprocket so the cover has to be moved out by maybe 5mm they supply four washer style spacers so you end up with a 5mm gap all around which looks crap. How hard would it be to 3d print a plastic one piece spacer? Given the price I found this disappointing. As for the installation. It is a bit of a faff as you have to remove the rear swing arm and on the Bobber that is quite a lump and as it doesn't have a centre stand its even more of a faff. You also have to use an angle grinder to cut out part of the frame to insert the one piece belt. Overall its not hard but it took me half a day. In the event it was money wasted as the lack of ground clearance on the Bobber pissed me off so much I ended up selling it. So some lucky bugger is now the owner of the belt kit along with upgraded suspension. Hopefully they appreciate it.
If you are green laning, Freddie, you would probably need an MoT as green lanes are often Roads Used as Public Paths so you need a properly road legal bikes (could have a daytime only MoT if you’ve taken the lights off). Obviously if you’re riding entirely on private land you’re fine. Cheers hope you recover from the Scottish ride soon!!!
I only by used bikes. The kit is 1/5 the price of the bike. Not worth it. Plus, always keep a spare on you as there will be some piece of trash out there that will cut the belt.
Just checked into hotel south of Edinburgh. Tomorrow head for NC 500. Anyhow onto the important info’-I’ve a pot noodle in hand (original) and watching Mr Dobbs. Any other healthy dining going on viewers?
I hate the way the number plate is mounted on that XR400 its completely illegal. Has no number plate lamp and is not visible from behind at that angle. Doesn't look like it has a reflector either
Difficult to go d a 125cc in good nick for £1k yet you can get performance machines in really nice condition for a few hundred pounds more. Very confusing.
Main dealers in my view rip people off And this is a big problem because it’s not so much that the dealers make money from selling the bikes it’s the guarantee of say 3 years from new you are scared to take the bike for a service somewhere else cheaper or even do the service yourself because the guarantee is null and void
Greenlaning is not offroading. I remember when you took the Transalp on the gravel road and I thought it quaint and cutely urban that you called it offroading. I thought you'd learned your lesson from your recent baptism of fire. Riding on an unsealed road is not offroading.
“Selling on behalf of” means the V5 doesn’t match the seller’s details. Maybe his mate isn’t capable of posting an advert or perhaps there is another reason. If it’s cheap enough and you don’t mind a stolen bike……
you mad i would not put the batterys of any ev bike in the house iit could bursts in to flames by by house ,ill stick to classic bikes i can fix carburetor bikes i grew up with them,,us army had kawasaki 400 diesel bikes
Suzuki Gladius, stupid name and looks shite. Those used bikes are overpriced by at least 50%, dreamers, you're potentially buying 20+ years of other people's bodge ups.
Maidstone Straitline?? I can't find that name anywhere, is that how the place is called?
I think this is it:
motoliner.com/frame-straightening/
I'm guessing he means Maidstone Motoliner
Dude with left hand bike, right on man you’re an absolute stud.
Thanks mate! Having great fun on the little Cub👍
Hi , reference the guy riding left handed . Back in 1980 I had a bike accident over in Sweden which resulted in the loss of my right arm . Despite my experience I never lost the urge to get back on a bike . Ten years ago I started building a trike and joined NABD ( National Association for Bikers with a Dissability ) I picked up a bike magazine and read an article about a bike with an automatic clutch , one lever less to worry about !! . All that was needed was flipping the front brake and throttle to the left bar . I found and bought that model of bike FJR1300 AS , and a few phone calls later unbelievably NABD footed the bill for Appleyards to do the work and that was it , back on a bike , back on the road and a huge smile on my face . That was 10 years ago and the bike is still going strong .
We were very lucky to meet Jennifer on her trip in Port Alberni, Vancouver island. She was looking super cool on her bike!
Was nice to hear my comment featured at the end there Fred.
Yes the XR400's were all kickstart only .. though a lot of people converted them to electric start as the TRX400 quad bike Honda made shared the same engine as the XR ... except it was electric start .. so it's easy to obtain the bits needed to convert the XR over to have the magic button.
There is a lot of talent at maveing and proud that it was the last bike I developed as a professional test rider , keep up the cracking vids love these 🙏
Mate. I love your vlog. Every week I'm waiting for the new one. Thank you so much
Belt drive conversion on Interceptor 650 around £400 absolutely love it.
But it got you there and back???? Sorry I didn't manage to catch up with you pal... see you very soon!
Without a hiccup!😃 Next one Joe, we must catch up on the next road trip🤘🏼
Hi Freddie. A couple of years ago I had a low speed crash on my 07 Triumph 1050st. Rode it home with a smashed fairing and cockpit subframe and n/s mirror.
I collected as much as I could of the plastic bits.
Glued fairing back together and painted it myself. Needed a new cockpit subframe for around £350 . Headlight needed fettling to. Probably 800 all in. But she's not perfect. But still enjoyable to ride. If I wasn't mechanically minded she'd have been scrap
Dobbs is getting motorcycle mileage and riding cred's , Steve McQueen smiles on you...Hi from the USA you deserve membership to the old time Fast House...
Hi Freddie , that 955 speed triple is fuel injected btw ,I ride the Daytona with the same engine , great channel btw
The 955i engine in a speedtriple is the sprint version only revs to 9500 rpm
Belt conversion kits? At those prices, that would buy a lot of chain lube! Still, a couple overlooked advantages are the almost total elimination of drive-line lash and belt drive is much quieter. I guess if one waited until their existing chain and sprockets were shot, the price of conversion would be easier to swallow.
Hi Freddie, The biggest killer of the older used bike market are the PCP deals, they allow anyone to own( rent) a new bike for a lot less! a month ! the dealers love PCP's because they offer little or NO discount off the new price because buyers just want to know how much it is a month!! and don't forget their commission!!
You could often get a brand new bike or car for £100 deposit and £100. A month often the bank won't even give you the loan anyway. Also can be 0% APR on brand new stuff.
Ah, time for a brew and Freddie's weekly update...
I hope you enjoy it!
@@tuesdayatdobbswe always do Freddie.
Hi Freddie. Regarding the "dropped bike" costs. MY story - In July last year I was stationary on my brand new Honda CRF 300 Rally with 100 miles on the clock. A truck decided to reverse without checking and knocked me over. Result - a total loss - requiring £6100 to get the bike back to the same "as new" condition, so it was written off. Also, I was offered by the insurers, an equivalent bike to use whilst mine was being assessed. The third party insurers were charged at £125 per day, it sat in my garage unused. It went back 4 months later, without me having done a single mile. That cost alone would buy TWO new CRF 300 Rally's and some. On top of that however were other costs, such as personal injury and various expenses. I worked out that my stationary fall cost the third party insurance company around 30 thousand pounds to settle. No wonder all our premiums are sky high. Cheers Mark
It’s the personal injury which is much higher than cars from bike accidents that is driving up costs plus thefts undisclosed profits from insurance companies
Belt drive on my Sportster last 100,000 mi or more. No chain oiling no adjustments no maintenance no cleaning animation driveline smoother. Much cheaper in the long run then a chain drive. All motorcycles that are not sharp driven should have a belt drive. I said shaft drive. Stupid phone
I got knocked off my bike and got offered a replacement bike but turned it down. Did talk them into a five day hire of a bike for a pre planned excursion. Took nearly 3 months to sort the bike so I saved them a fortune.
Damn.
That's all I've got.
@frankmarkovcijr5459 Absolutely, strangely enough I was thinking exactly the same, why don't they do it. I remember when Harley brought out the Sturgis model with belt drive many years ago, I think that's correct name. I saw some people said the belt needs to be properly aligned to avoid premature wear, but I'm sure the manufacturers could sort that out, make it easy to do if they wanted to.
Great interesting viewing as always, cant wait now for Thursdays Scotland episode 👍🏻
The Gladius was a remodelled SV650... Same everything.. My wife had one.. Great bike.. Because it's a SV650..
The engine was better on the gladius as the engine bores were nikasil lined. Not a fan of the styling though.
400 miles a day…that’s some stamina👍😃
Hi Freddie, it's interesting to see that second hand bikes are coming down in price back to what they should be.
XR 400 a great bike. Ridden one thousands of miles over the years in Cambodia . A proper off roader and simple to fix . Fab things
The Mayor of London also does not think big pre ULEZ qualifying bikes can be used now inside the M25. Got to hurt sales.
Totally agree. I live in Essex and was selling my 2000 Hornet 600 earlier this year ( non ulez compliant). The first four enquiries I got asked if it ulez compliant, when I said no I never heard from them again.
Hi, Triumph moved from carbs on the 885 engine in 96 onwards. All speed triples and daytonas after 96 are injection. Sure is a lot of bargains out there. Very informative video.
Cheers.
Hi Freddie, I own a Triumph Sprint RS 955i from 2001 and they are fuel injected. I will send you some information about my 6 month update on my £2000 big bike purchase as a follow up to your podacst in April!
I get the sneaking suspicion you maybe contemplating an XR400 for that new career of yours!!
Well done Jennifer epic journey👍
Apparently a lot of Riders did not like the Name Gladius! & thought the
Bright colours a bit "Camp"
Ryan Fortnine did a U Tube video
About how Great the Suzuki is
Modern classics sales all down to Triumph Speed 400 and 400X......I have a Speed and its a great bike
Hi Freddie. Today I bought a Honda VT1300 Fury. Is there a better looking used bike? It's like a two-wheeled Canaletto...
Whoot whoot!!! Been waiting!!
Honeatly, get on a Victory...it'll change your life.... I also own a Bonnie and ride both much differently. And both make me sooo happy
Freddie thanks for including my European trip on your podcast The full tour is on my RUclips channel.
110adventures.
All out points of interest, Dachau, Eagles nest, Javier airbase, Mostar and tge Grossknocker.
Loved the Scottish trip.
hi freddie keep the great vids flowing 👍 my bikes belt drive had it 20 years and 27,000 miles yes its been a bit of a garage queen but never adjusted the belt and never lubed belt as you dont so fantastic system however after watching your transalp video ive bought one snd looking at touring the swiss alps 😁👍👍
Hello there, I got a belt drive fitted to my Meteor 650 and its great. highly recommend 😊
Brilliant to hear from someone who’s done it! Thank you🙌🏻
Belt drive is a great idea for regular bikes. It’s clean, very direct feeling, minimal adjustment, and when designed and constructed properly you can over 50,000 miles out of one. Many cruisers have a belt drive so it obviously works. It’s not used on high powered bikes because it’s not suited for extreme rpm/power output and also loses a bit more efficiency compared to a chain. I had a BMW F800ST and an F800GT and loved them, although the belt had a habit of wandering to the edge of the rear hub, even with the wheel and belt assembly set correctly, the earlier models had a problem with rear hub bearing failure, and in typical BMW fashion they recommended changing it every 25,000 miles, and would supply the belt at over twice the price of the manufacturer version (Continental), whilst at the time preventing Continental from selling it separately. They discontinued it for the completely different F900XR, as I assume the market for light touring bikes with a fairing has pretty much vanished.
Hi Fred. Love the channel. Almost convincing me to get a road bike.
We ride enduro bikes around county durham and Northumberland would love to ride with you if you can get an enduro bike hired or something and take you out on the green lanes nothing to serious. Just to show the world the offroad sections we ride. You make me want to travel and it's very informative of the prices etc it costs to travel abroad
Hope you mention this the next video would love to meet you
Thanks Jason! Please do ping me an email and I’ll save your details🙌🏻 (dob.bs@outlook.com)
Thanks for the video Freddie.
i simply use old engine oil after each wash, costs me no extra and my chain gets amazing lubrication - takes about 2mins to oil the chain, hardly a chore but i suppose we are all different - AND TO CALLUM, fair play fella - fair play 🙂
I agree, I find it relaxing and peaceful to do, and I'm not spending that much $$$ on chain cleaner & lube, it'll last me months
haha thanks mate!👍
The 1970s universal japanese motorcycles were amazing and simple especially the 1970s Suzuki GS850G and GS1000 G shaft drive bikes and suzuki GS550 and GS750 and GS1000 chain drive. I bought the Suzuki GS750 with 50000 miles on it and the GS 850G with 85000 milges on it and the GS1000 went round my mates ending up with over 100000 on it. The gs750 was ridden round Adelaide, Sydney and i rode it from Adelaide to Melbourne 600 miles, Melbourne to Coolah over 300 more miles then 40 miles a day to work for 3 months to get to wojrk welding. The only problem was the points gap closing which was easy to sort out with a cigarette paper. Truely a vintage gem of a japanese inline 4. The Triumph trophy, speed triple early ones are great looking but running costs yamaha diversion, 900 shaft drive arre great as is Honda NTV 650 shaft drive are economical. The deauville 650 has shaft drive, panniers and is very reliable but very ugly boring but the suzuki DR 650 from 1996 are great bikes. An unkillable bike i bought for £12 was the cheapest, unbelievable bike was a honda CD175 from 1975. Steel mudguars too. The honda C90 of motorbikes even does 80mph!. Mine xwas a rat bike with a hammer put into the tank. Thank you Howie. He always got me cheap bangers that run including a BSA A10 1955, FOR £250. A YAMAHA XT500 FOR £170. IT WENT TOO BUT BRAKES WERE NON EXISTENT I FOUND OUT ON TIGHT BEND. THANKS MATE😮
25:18 Well spotted, Edward! 👀 The twin headers are a giveaway. Although it could also be the XR250, as the Army bought a small number of those and XR400s from C J Ball in Norwich. That dealer is still going strong today despite that photo being taken during Operation Telic in Iraq in 2004.
Only convert to Belt drive if you want a smoother ride, better performance, longer maintenance intervals, less noise from the drive train, and free yourself from adjustment and oiling work 🙂
Congratulations to Callum on passing his CBT. And well done on the DIY adaptation of the C90. While it might feel odd to an existing rider to use a left-hand throttle, as Callum has only known this system, it shouldn't cause him any problems. After all, there's no good engineering reason why the throttle on the right, it's just an established convention. Indian motorcycles had a left-hand throttle on their machines right up until about 1950. I believe the bikes were popular with the US police departments because it meant they could still shoot at the bad guys with their right hand without having to slow down.
Thank you mate! I wished a LHD Indian was in my budget! that would have been a time saver. Apparently there were a few Left handed C90 cubs from factory, aimed at folks who had been maimed in the war. Ive never seen pictures or anything however.
Hey Freddie, just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos. They are super calm and easy to watch while still being engaging. Always look forward to them. A side note, were did you get the jacket in the opening b roll? That thing is beautiful, love the patterns. Keep up the great work.
Thanks very much! It’s the Bzen Santana (available at Bolt London- they have an online shop:) )
400 miles a day. I bet Danny’s Harley ate those miles for breakfast. I bet his butt wasn’t hurtin as bad as yours too. Lol
I recently did the police’s BIKESAFE course. Only ONE of the riders didn’t have grey hair, and he was pretty close!
Belt drive does not improve loss of power. Chain loss is 1 to 4 percent, belt is 9 to 15 percent loss.
A non o ring chain is best for not loosing any power that's why motocross bikes use them. Only £15 vs £100+ for a good o ring or even X ring. But maintenance is crazy on them. I think they must be comparing with a shaft drive.
Belt drive is not as efficient as chain; there are a lot of friction losses over a properly lubricated chain. If Belt had lower losses, racing bikes would use Belt drive .
They're smoother, less noise and maintenance free though.
Off-topic, not related to particular video, but since Freddy approves gonna post it here. Guys, I failed MOT. To this day I thought that motorcycles are the same in all regions, turns out that not all motorcycle headlight units are symmetrical. My bike (Transalp 700) is from UK and to my surprise, headlight unit is designed with left-side drive in mind, the lens of headlight differs from right-side drive. Now, since I live in right side drive country, I need new headlight unit, that will cost me around ~220eur. Which is not horrible, just something for consideration if someone plans to import bike from UK.
In the USA prices do not reflect the sales taxes.Many HD dealers sell them above list.
If it was an option, I would definitely convert to belt drive on my Honda NC750X. The chain is the most maintenance intensive part on any chain drive bike, and it rewards your efforts by making a dirty mess all over the rear end of the bike. Chains should have been history 40 years ago, when Harley-Davidson demonstrated that modern belt drive works brilliantly.
My BMW F800GT came from BMW with a belt drive. They typically outlast 4-5 chains and are trouble free.
My brother lent me his F800GT for a 400 mile return trip to Dorset from the midlands. I have to say I was very impressed with it...
I believe it's £500 for a new belt and the after market ones don't last. I think it's still good though. I have a F800GS and really love the bike.
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne the F700gs f800gs f800gt f800s f800r. Are all great bikes I feel suzuki think they invented something new with the gsx8s 800de 800re gsx8r when bmw did it years ago
I have one of these the handling is probably the best thing about it , the engine belongs in a rotorvator😂
@@chrishart8548 not true, sounds like the rumour that people with chains put out. Ask your main dealer - Bahnstormer in Alton have never changed one.
Belt drive: your comments on belt drive conversation reminded me of a bike I aspired to get when I was still on my 125 and learning. Kawasaki had a small capacity belt drive bike, I think it was 305cc but that sounds like a strange number so I could be remembering that wrongly.
GPZ305
@@Howard1776 , yes I think it was a GPZ, apologies for the bad typing, I've edited it to tidy it up now, thanks.
I think one of the factors putting pressure on prices are the options for new bikes provided by companies like Royal Enfield, CF Moto, Voge, etc. For me, I would love to own a KTM 990 Adventure, I was in the market for one about a year ago, but got disappointed by the prices compared to the age and condition of the bikes I saw. For example, one from 2008, that needed some love and care visually but was running great, had an asking price of 7800 euros. There were cheaper ones, that needed mechanical fixed, but nothing under 6000 euros. Today, you can go to a dealer and buy a brand new CF Moto 450MT for 5990 euros. Half the engine, less than half horsepower, half the fuel consumption, less than half the costs in maintenance. Can't really compare these two bikes, but at least for me, with my point of view, my needs, my wallet etc, if the KTM doesn't go down to half the price of a new 450MT, a new Himalayan, I can't seriously consider it. And I've already seen an impact on used KTMs and GSs because of those available options.
No Freddie, it does not make sense to change from chain to belt. Look at cost and you understand why and think of what happens if it snaps during a trip.
He hasn't a clue about bikes
You can't just bring a spare belt and pop it on?
@@jogaplayer640 As you saw the belt and pulley can be a bit pricy and you can not an all bikes changed a side of the road.
@@jogaplayer640Once you have removed the swing arm........
There's a huge discrepancy between what is considered high mileage with bikers and traders - you, Freddie, understand that looking after a bike properly is more important than mileage BUT traders consider any bike high mileage if it's, say, over 15k miles. They then use that to rationalise giving a low price on your bike or, worse, not buying it at all. I had a pristine 2003 Daytona 955i with 23k miles on the clock, which is actually low mileage IMO - after all it was over 21 years old!! - and most motorcycle shops just lowballed me, massively undervaluing it. Very frustrating.
My brother is pretty adept with a spanner and a lifelong biker. He only buys older high mileage bikes. I cannot recall the last bike he lost money on when he came to selling it. His current bike is a triumph Speedmaster that has 30,000+ on the clock that he got for literally a few hundred pounds.
As far as it goes, I do understand the less worky deal, but I have also heard many times that belts lacks throttle response vs. chains .. So, it does not matter in a HD Custom Bike, but if you have a performance bike, it would not be the way to go ...... I had a HD before so I do understand the belt , but having owned many bikes afterwards with chains, it´s not really a big deal to clean and lubricate chains ... actually, I do like the process .. kkkkk
Belt drive is great until one suddenly snaps on you. A chain will show the signs of wear and tear well in advance of you needing to replace it. With a belt, it'll just go on you without warning. Still reckon they're better overall though.
I have an immaculate Xr650r which is only kickstart…rare bike now in good condition. They made an Xr650l which was air cooled and electric start…though a completely different and inferior machine to the race bred R model.
My friend had the 650r it used a lot of fuel and had tiny fuel tank. Was va
Very fast though scary really..
@@chrishart8548yeah they drink fuel! Great bike though…they were developed for the baja1000 rally to go 100mph plus for hours at a time and I believe have 16x baja wins being called the king of the dessert. Bullet proof reliability! Mine is supermoto so it’s never seen sand or dirt…don’t think it’s ever even been ridden in the rain!
@@AdamBrowne-eg1eb my friend was thinking of turning his into a supermoto. He had a set of cbr600 wheels and got some spacers made up but it never happened.
I have no idea why any manufacturer would op for chain now. A belt will last 4 times longer than a chain, Require no oil or cleaning whatsoever is quieter, safer, And requires tightening every 12000 miles or so. It's just a better way all round. at a grand to buy it i'd say it was worth it but how much cheaper it would be if it just came like that from the factory. I'd happily pay an extra 500 to get my speedmaster 1200 with a belt drive from the factory.
Hi,
in Australia a 30yr old bike can be put on "Club Rego" for a 600cc+ in my State this goes from $AU 960 down to $AU 85 a year rego. There are some requirements like need to be a member of a club and can't ride more than 30x a year. Because it's not monitored this 30x a year could easily be stretched to good weather days. So as a 2nd bike or people like myself that ride for fun and need the 4WD 3-5x week it's very cheap considering 30yr old, 1994, Triumphs are very cheap and quiet reliable such as Thunderbird or Daytona. I don't see the point in getting a cheap 2000's bike if the rego is more than the bike after 3-4years. That just hurts. I currently pay nearly $2000 yr to keep 2x bikes registered and I can use them most of the week as I need the cargo space. Government seem to hate motorcycles, high rego, high insurance, poor emissions requirements, etc. And yet they don't have this issue with 50cc suicide machines.
I did a belt drive conversion on a Triumph Bobber with a kit from ARH. It wasn't cheap, but the consistent belt tension means the gear changes are smoother and the drop in noise without the clanking chain is substantial. You also dont have the mess and gunk from chain lube. There is the potential drawback of getting stone in the belt which could wreck it. That's one thing the kit could improve on.
In the case of the Triumph kit the other thing which is pretty naff is the way they chose to modify the sprocket cover. The belt sprocket is much wider than the chain sprocket so the cover has to be moved out by maybe 5mm they supply four washer style spacers so you end up with a 5mm gap all around which looks crap. How hard would it be to 3d print a plastic one piece spacer? Given the price I found this disappointing.
As for the installation. It is a bit of a faff as you have to remove the rear swing arm and on the Bobber that is quite a lump and as it doesn't have a centre stand its even more of a faff. You also have to use an angle grinder to cut out part of the frame to insert the one piece belt. Overall its not hard but it took me half a day.
In the event it was money wasted as the lack of ground clearance on the Bobber pissed me off so much I ended up selling it. So some lucky bugger is now the owner of the belt kit along with upgraded suspension. Hopefully they appreciate it.
If you are green laning, Freddie, you would probably need an MoT as green lanes are often Roads Used as Public Paths so you need a properly road legal bikes (could have a daytime only MoT if you’ve taken the lights off). Obviously if you’re riding entirely on private land you’re fine. Cheers hope you recover from the Scottish ride soon!!!
Ah interesting, thanks for this Chris!
Ah interesting, thanks for this Chris!
900 pounds is essentially the mech saying its not worth our time.
I only by used bikes. The kit is 1/5 the price of the bike. Not worth it. Plus, always keep a spare on you as there will be some piece of trash out there that will cut the belt.
How much! You have to use a lot of oil on your chain to make a difference 😆
Maybe I was stretching things a bit much trying to justify the cost savings with oil😆
Back in the day I used two Scott oilers, fantastic mileage out of a chain.
Just checked into hotel south of Edinburgh. Tomorrow head for NC 500. Anyhow onto the important info’-I’ve a pot noodle in hand (original) and watching Mr Dobbs. Any other healthy dining going on viewers?
Have a brilliant trip! I’m of to Wagamamas, so kind of similar (noodles, anyway😆)
All 955cc engines were injected.
Good luck with your home insurance charging a bike battery indoors when it blows up🙄
Been looking for a Speed Triple for a while now. they are 6k+ here in the U.S
It’s so interesting hearing of price differences country to country😳
I hate the way the number plate is mounted on that XR400 its completely illegal. Has no number plate lamp and is not visible from behind at that angle. Doesn't look like it has a reflector either
1600 miles in 4 days in Scottish weather , I would be shattered as well. Looking forward to the videos. Feet up for a bit.
No Freddie you are wrong to the best of my knowledge you still have to adjust the belt
WTF! £963!
Difficult to go d a 125cc in good nick for £1k yet you can get performance machines in really nice condition for a few hundred pounds more. Very confusing.
Main dealers in my view rip people off
And this is a big problem because it’s not so much that the dealers make money from selling the bikes it’s the guarantee of say 3 years from new you are scared to take the bike for a service somewhere else cheaper or even do the service yourself because the guarantee is null and void
Bikes need to be road legal ie tax and MOT for green laning
The Suzuki 650 engine is one of the best all round engines ever made
no there' all fuel injection
Greenlaning is not offroading. I remember when you took the Transalp on the gravel road and I thought it quaint and cutely urban that you called it offroading. I thought you'd learned your lesson from your recent baptism of fire. Riding on an unsealed road is not offroading.
Mild offroading?
@@specialized500A gravel road is just that, a road. Off-roading….well, mild or not it’s sort of in the words.
Freddie, are you wearing lipstick? 💋
I can confirm… I am not😆 It must be some very flattering lighting😃
“Selling on behalf of” means the V5 doesn’t match the seller’s details. Maybe his mate isn’t capable of posting an advert or perhaps there is another reason. If it’s cheap enough and you don’t mind a stolen bike……
IAM having a 🍦
Enjoy🍦
Charge an electric motorbike battery in your apartment!! Rather you than me.....
you mad i would not put the batterys of any ev bike in the house iit could bursts in to flames by by house ,ill stick to classic bikes i can fix carburetor bikes i grew up with them,,us army had kawasaki 400 diesel bikes
Suzuki Gladius, stupid name and looks shite. Those used bikes are overpriced by at least 50%, dreamers, you're potentially buying 20+ years of other people's bodge ups.