- Joined
- May 30, 2014
- Messages
- 167
At last, after 6 months of waiting, my silver 961 Sport was registered, taxed, insured and ready for me to collect from Krazy Horse in BSE today (Tues 2nd Sept). Its been there a week and was driving me nuts waiting for 1st Sept (New registration plate in UK).
I turned up at 9am, was given tea, keys, demo, receipt for purchase and pointed at my commando and told 'don't bend it'.... Very old school, fantastic...!
Then I first started it up. I thought it was broken, there was so much mechanical clatter and took ages to idle properly. I was warned about this as the bikes are set up so lean at first, but its not a nice noise to anyone with any mechanical sympathy.... The leanness of the engine is very noticeable, especially with only 5 miles on the clock, it feels very tight and lumpy at first.
As the day has worn on the bike has got smoother and quieter, tickover is now perfect after the first 10 seconds or so from cold start. The bike still 'chocks' as we used to call it when its in a slightly higher gear than it wants to be in but if you keep it between 2500 and 3500 revs its perfectly happy. In another 2 days I will be able to reach the heady heights of 4500 revs, at which I think things are going to get more interesting, whoopee... 3500 revs is an exercise in self control as its a bike that wants to rev.
The bike handles like its on rails and I cant wait to get it run in, remapped, open piped and on some decent roads as it feels like that's where it wants to be. after 1 whole day in the saddle it feels like its a bit of an old bruiser, not refined, but very raw and visceral. Think of a 50 year old bouncer in a modern nightclub. Hes got a shiny suit, health and safety training and a first aid badge, but underneath hes still a tattooed thug that just wants to fight... That's a Norton 961.
One thing I think will get boring is everywhere you stop, people come up to you and talk to you as if you've known them for years! Its always ' I had one of those....' and its been photographed at least 20 times today. I went to a bike meet on it tonight and it was literally the centre of a crowd all evening. When I left everyone was watching and youre constantly thinking 'don't stall it you twat...' but I think that's something Im going to have to get used to.
So so far, almost a 100% positive experience on my first day. Apart from: LH mirror wasn't tightened and the end vibrated off in the first 25 miles... Good job it was getting chucked anyway. 2nd minor problem was the headlight bolts were loose. I only found this out about an hour ago when after I went to my local bike night here in Cambridge and went to ride home in the dark, only to find the headlight pointing down at the front wheel! Thank god for Leathermans tools...
Its now 10pm, Ive put 144 miles on it today and it now has a small black number plate and a bar end mirror and looks stunning. Chucking the mirrors gives it a much more streamlined look IMO.
I intend to have it run in and back at KH next weekend for open pipes (long peashooter style) and remap if at all possible, happy days....
Further updates to follow.
Dozer
I turned up at 9am, was given tea, keys, demo, receipt for purchase and pointed at my commando and told 'don't bend it'.... Very old school, fantastic...!
Then I first started it up. I thought it was broken, there was so much mechanical clatter and took ages to idle properly. I was warned about this as the bikes are set up so lean at first, but its not a nice noise to anyone with any mechanical sympathy.... The leanness of the engine is very noticeable, especially with only 5 miles on the clock, it feels very tight and lumpy at first.
As the day has worn on the bike has got smoother and quieter, tickover is now perfect after the first 10 seconds or so from cold start. The bike still 'chocks' as we used to call it when its in a slightly higher gear than it wants to be in but if you keep it between 2500 and 3500 revs its perfectly happy. In another 2 days I will be able to reach the heady heights of 4500 revs, at which I think things are going to get more interesting, whoopee... 3500 revs is an exercise in self control as its a bike that wants to rev.
The bike handles like its on rails and I cant wait to get it run in, remapped, open piped and on some decent roads as it feels like that's where it wants to be. after 1 whole day in the saddle it feels like its a bit of an old bruiser, not refined, but very raw and visceral. Think of a 50 year old bouncer in a modern nightclub. Hes got a shiny suit, health and safety training and a first aid badge, but underneath hes still a tattooed thug that just wants to fight... That's a Norton 961.
One thing I think will get boring is everywhere you stop, people come up to you and talk to you as if you've known them for years! Its always ' I had one of those....' and its been photographed at least 20 times today. I went to a bike meet on it tonight and it was literally the centre of a crowd all evening. When I left everyone was watching and youre constantly thinking 'don't stall it you twat...' but I think that's something Im going to have to get used to.
So so far, almost a 100% positive experience on my first day. Apart from: LH mirror wasn't tightened and the end vibrated off in the first 25 miles... Good job it was getting chucked anyway. 2nd minor problem was the headlight bolts were loose. I only found this out about an hour ago when after I went to my local bike night here in Cambridge and went to ride home in the dark, only to find the headlight pointing down at the front wheel! Thank god for Leathermans tools...
Its now 10pm, Ive put 144 miles on it today and it now has a small black number plate and a bar end mirror and looks stunning. Chucking the mirrors gives it a much more streamlined look IMO.
I intend to have it run in and back at KH next weekend for open pipes (long peashooter style) and remap if at all possible, happy days....
Further updates to follow.
Dozer