Change of bike ???

[Alba]

I have had my TA (650) since Sep '07 and rode it throughout the winter. Really enjoy it, I have felt very confident on it through out the winter. Unfortunately it has been used 12 months of the year all its life and the bike condition reflects this.

I have just replaced the muffler and its needing 3 new discs plus pads plus the calipers re-built also a new rear tyre plus a new chain & sprocket soon.

The mechanic I use recommends going to a shaft driven bemmer, due to the 300 miles I do per week and the associated maintenance costs.

I know loads of you on this site ride 5 plus days a week & would be interested to know your view on changing to a shaft drive.

I would be interested in hearing where I can pick up discs and pads at a reasonable cost.

Cheers

[phil w]

Ill let you know later in the week. The TA is gone tomoz and I cant believe Im doing it. But I had an unmisable oportunity on a BMW and it took, ooooooooooooo 10 mins to go for it. Never thought I would be able to afford a decent model. I rekon I would have spent £500 on the TA on things I had to get, service , chain sprockets, centre stand, heated grips and then the things I need like Remus/ Arrow can.
The bmw has all this already so I suppose psychologically Ive saved £500 so this made it more affordable, bar the remus. But e bay is great and J just had a bargain remus. Its not often Ive seen guchi bits come up on e bay for the TA but lots on a BMW Extra power and shaft drive justmakes things even better.

[pale rider]

so does that mean your not in our ta magic circle no more phil, you'll be sadly missed mate

[alpslapper]

Oh I think we could extend n honourary membership to him - considering the trail by fire we all put our alps through last week

(course he will eventually see sense, realise the only good thing to come out of germany is the sexy accent on female blondes that say ''trauntz alpz'', that Vader is an evil mindbending megolomaniac and he will, with time and lots of unconditional love and patience, come back to the fold)

[pale rider]

yeah i must agree with you tom he did have a good-looking one and rode it like a fighter pilot by all accounts along, with the rest of your squadron keep him on the roll of honour good idea

[wheeliebin]

I have had my TA (650) since Sep '07 and rode it throughout the winter. Really enjoy it, I have felt very confident on it through out the winter. Unfortunately it has been used 12 months of the year all its life and the bike condition reflects this.

I have just replaced the muffler and its needing 3 new discs plus pads plus the calipers re-built also a new rear tyre plus a new chain & sprocket soon.

The mechanic I use recommends going to a shaft driven bemmer, due to the 300 miles I do per week and the associated maintenance costs.

I know loads of you on this site ride 5 plus days a week & would be interested to know your view on changing to a shaft drive.

I would be interested in hearing where I can pick up discs and pads at a reasonable cost.

Cheers

Sorry to hear of your problems, but it sounds like your bike hasn't been looked after too well.
Can't speak about my latest 'Alp, but a previous one I bought in 2003 was rode all year round (for 3 1/2 years) and didn't suffer like yours. The chain lasted 28,000miles WITHOUT a scotoiler, but regular cleaning and lubing kept it running sweet. The exhaust was taken off every Spring for a rub down and a re-paint, the capliers were removed, cleaned and all moving parts lubed twice a year (riding with partically seized calipers destoys discs).
When I sold it, it was still in VGC.

Sadly they don't make a motorcycle that requires zero maintanence, and they're not like cars where you can just get in and drive.

By all means go for a shaftie, it's one thing less to keep an eye on.

[Lord Vader]

come back to the fold)

Oh when did i leave
still got a @

[Alba]

Cheers guys.

Phil W looking forward to hearing what you think of the change.

Wheeliebin its a fair point you raise, I do need to improve my skill level to maintain the bike. Still need to decide whether to jump to a shaft drive or stay with the bike I have & put the effort in.

At 300 miles per week should I be looking at a bemmer

I'm still looking for a contact for reasonably priced brake discs, any suggestions?

[Sharribee]

Not sure about brake discs but I do in excess of 400 miles every week on my transalp and it doesn't miss a beat. I love the bike and wouldn't swap if for anything.

[The Pheasant]

I spent eight years despatching in London on various bikes including a couple of shafties and the best machine I found for the job was a Kawa GPZ500. Obviously shaft drive is clean, nearly maintenance free and cheap to run provided it does not go wrong, but the overall performance and economy of the bike is IMO more important than this one component.

Oilhead Beemers are not cheap to service unless you DIY, and they (or at least my 1100RT did) use petrol at approximately 10 fewer mpg than my 650 Alp.

If a new chain and sprocket kit costs £100 including fitment and does 20,000 miles it costs 0.5p per mile.

45mpg running costs roughly 12p per mile at current fuel prices; 55mpg is roughly 10p per mile. The fuel price per mile difference will only get bigger if fuel costs go up. Therefore the cost advantage of shaft drive on an 1100GS, for example, is only one quarter of the advantage to the Alp in fuel economy. If the overall performance of the bigger bike makes this worthwhile, fair enough. To swap the Alp for the Beemer to save money is probably misguided.

If you want a good price on Honda parts, try David Silver Spares. A new front disc cost me about £50. And if you really want a cheap to run but fast bike, try a BMW F800S or ST for fuel economy.