Trail Tech Vector Has Arrived

The Trail Tech Vector that i ordered a couple of days ago arrived today!

As you can see from the time in the photo, i only managed to get to play with it late at night, so certainly not had chance to install it on the bike yet but i couldn't resist getting it out of the box and having a little play with it.

My initial impressions of the Trail Tech Vector Stealth are that its a pretty solid looking product. Well mate and a lot more glossy in colour than it looks on the TrailTech website.

I ordered the complete kit for my KTM 300 exc which includes the inline temperature sensor, the speedo sensor and mounting bracket.

I was pleased to discover that the temperature sensort housing is made from  black anodised metal, and not horrible plastic as i was expecting. Also the cable is very flexible, if possibly a bit  short, but i wont know until i try it on the KTM.

The Speedo sensor is the magnetic type. I need to attach the included magnet onto my front brake disc and the sensor on the brake caliper bracket.

The cable from the sensor the the main unit is cased in a protective sleeve to help keep it safe from rocks and branches.

On the back of the unit is the battery compartment and two captive nuts for mounting the unit. The battery in the TrailTech Vector is a CR2032.

Here you see th back of the box describing all if the Trail Tech Vector's functions and features.

One thing i have been disappointed to discover is that the "Hour Meter" is based on the wheel speed sensor, so it will record moving hours, and not actual engine hours. 

This is disappointing because since im fitting this to the KTM300 and the bike wont always be moving forward when the engine is running, so the "Hour Meter" working on wheel revolutions is going to record a very different figure to an proper engine hour meter fed from the ignition coil.

Besides the hour meter disappointment  im pretty impressed with the unit so far. Of course the real test comes when i come to install it on the bike..

Trail Tech Vector Stealth For KTM 300 exc

The OEM speedo on my KTM300 exc was looking a bit tired.
When i bought the KTM it wasn't even working, so i replaced the internal battery, and managed to get some info showing on the screen, but no mater how hard i pushed, the Function button just wouldn't work, so i decided i would scrap the OEM KTM digital dash and replace with a brand new Trail Tech Vector Stealth.

Trail Tech do a range of digital dashboards for bikes (Vector, Vapor, Striker and Enduro II) but i settled on the Vector Stealth because it has the option of the Remote Switch which allows you to operate the unit without taking your hands off the handlebars.

I placed the order last night, so its not arrived yet, but as soon as it arrived i'll post my thoughts on my new little gizmo!

KTM 300 exc Digital Dash

When i bought my KTM300exc the digital dash wasn't working. Since i'll will be riding on the road, its always useful to have a working speedo, so i set about trying to get it to work.
First thing i fund out was that the KTM OEM speedo have an internal battery, so i popped to Maplins, bought a battery and replaced the dead one.
To access the battery there is a screw off panel on the back of the unit. Its easier to remove the unit from the bike to change the battery.

With the unit removed from the bike I inserted a large coin (i used a British 50p coin) and twisted off the battery cover.
Once the battery was replaced i managed to get some life out of the speedo, however the big function button on the right hand side didnt seem to work. All i could get on the screen was the speed and the time. no way to adjust the time as the buttons didnt work :(

So it seems my speedo might be broken. When i get some spare time i'll strip it down and see whats inside... Or i might just buy a new Trail Tech digital speedo.

GSXR Has Gone Mouldy!

Yes thats right, my GSX-R 600 K7 has started to go mouldy!!
I was in the garage at the weekend looking over my new KTM300 and noticed that my Gixxer that i havent ridden for a while has started to grow mould on the front fairing.

It looks like whatever flying creature i last splatted across the fairing its taking its revenge by decaying and breading mould.

Sure sign that we need to get some good weather so that i can take the Gixxer out for a well deserved thrashing to blow away the cobwebs and clean off the mould!!

New UFO Biking Gear

Here's a quick photo of my new UFO enduro jacket and UFO helmet.

Both helmet and jacket in  KTM orage to match my new KTM300.

The helmet, jacket and googles all came from MD Racing and i got a great deal too - over 100quid off the list price for the helmet!

The helmet is the "UFO Warrior Shock" which carries the GOLD ACU approval sticker on the back, despite never showing the sticker in any official photos.

New KTM 300 exc

Today i took delivery of a 2006 model KTM 300 exc.
Considering its age, its not in bad condition. Im going to spend some time checking it over to make sure its as good as it looks, but so far, im very pleased with the new addition to my garage.

The reason for buying the KTM 300 is because im intending to start Greenlaning and Enduro riding. Never done any greenlaning or enduro riding before, the closest i've ever got was when i was a young lad racing around farmers fields on old Yamaha DT road bikes. Its going to be very different to riding my GSXR!

New Tyres for the GSXR - Battlax 023R

The tyres on my new bike were looking a bit squared off, and the tread was very low, so i ordered some new tyres.

After reading some review i decided to give the Bridgeston Battlax 023R's a try. These are supposed to be Sports Touring tyres with a harder compound rubber in the center for high mileage and softer more sticky compund rubber on the shoulders for going round corners quickly.

Now they've been delivered, the next step is finding someone to fit them for me!! - thats a job for the weekend :)

My New Summer Toy - GSX-R 600 K7

So, after many year out of the saddle I decided to get back into motorcycling.

My first ever motorbike was a very old Yamaha DT50 (with twin rear shocks!) which my Grandad bought for me as a present when i was 10 years old. We spent many happy hours stripping it down and putting it back together, and i've loved bikes ever since.



I passed my bike test when i was 17 years old (many years ago!) but because of living in London, its always been difficult to own a bike. Without secure parking, bikes are too easy a target for thieves and vandals, so apart from a short stint with a Gilera Runner SP180 (that people kept trying to steal!) i've not ridden on the roads for about 6 years.

Now that ive moved out into 'the sticks' (Sevenoaks Kent), and i have a secure double garage, i decided i no longer had any reason not to get a bike, so i started looking and found this very clean, '57 plate Suzuki GSX-R600 K7.  The GSX-R (or GIXXER) was always one of my dream bikes as a lad, so the possibility of owning one was pretty exciting.



The bike was being sold by a dealer down in Southampton, so i popped in to take a look. I liked what i saw, but i didn't show too much interest. When i got home i found the same bike for sale on eBay with an "Offers" button, so i clicked the button, put in a cheeky offer (£250 less than the asking price) fully expecting the offer to be rejected. The next morning i woke to see an email saying my offer had been accepted - I was soon to be the proud owner of GIXXER!



So i HPI checked the bike, transferred the cash and arranged for it to be delivered to my mum's house in the New Forest saving myself an expensive delivery charge from Southampton to Sevenoaks.

The plan was that i would go visit my mum, check the bike over, take it for a short ride around local roads to get back into "Biking Mode", then ride the bike the 110miles home. Of course this meant that my first ride on a bike for over 6 years would be a 110mile ride on motorways on a powerful sports bike, that i'd never ridden before - Needless to say, many people thought i was crazy!!

The day of the ride came, and i was so excited - not at all nervous (i don't really do nerves). I got on the bike, fired it up, and immediately got back into "Biker Mode". Having learnt to ride as a kid, the controls were all very instinctive, and I had no problems remembering how to ride. In fact it was just like being a teenager again on my Aprilia AF1-125 that i had when i was 17.

After a local ride round my old neighbourhood, and stopping off to show a few old mates my new toy, i set off for the epic first ride home...

130miles later  -yes i took a few detours ;) i got home. I had a sore bum, but apart from that it was a very enjoyable ride.....  Feels good to be "A Biker" again....