Last month I took the Kawasaki Z900RS to Ireland. The trip was a mooch around the west coast before riding up to Coleraine for the NW200.
The bike was perfect for this trip. We were blessed with mostly good weather – apart from the race day – and the roads were well suited for this machine. You could have a lot of fun at legal speeds and now that I have decent tyres on it (the OEM Dunlops were dreadful to the point of being dangerous), the handling was easy and the bike a joy to ride. I used SW Motech Legend panniers as I wanted something in keeping with the bike, yet would carry a reasonable amount of luggage necessary for a ten day trip. I was suitably impressed. The Givi tail bag, less so as it was fiddly to fasten onto the bike and tended to slip about, so I’ll probably get the SW Motech Legend tail bag for the trip to the Manx in August.
I did manage to chip the paint on the tank on the ferry, much to my annoyance. I got it repaired by a local bike paint specialist who did a fine job on it. As I had to remove the tank badges, I also took the opportunity to replace them with the optional vintage style ones. Okay, not cheap but more in keeping with the style of the bike. That little job cost me around £300 – note to self: Be more bloody careful when strapping the bike down next time.
In the meantime, 
my F800GT now has 10,000 miles on the clock, so I want to even out the mileage as I plan to keep it for at least another year. So I bought myself another training bike. I’ve always liked the Tracer, so thought that now would be an ideal time to do so as Yamaha have recently brought it out in a GT version complete with panniers. Now, there’s a sore point. When BMW sell a bike as a package with panniers, the bike arrives at the dealer complete with panniers. Not Yamaha. The dealer gets the bike and the panniers and fitting kit turn up at some point later. It seems Yamaha misjudged demand. Frankly, I don’t buy that one. They made the bikes, so should have planned the panniers accordingly. As it was, the dealer managed to get hold of one matching pannier and has lent me a plain black one in the meantime until mine arrives. Which was good of him, but shouldn’t have been necessary. I am disappointed with Yamaha here. Other manufacturers can get it right, so there is no excuse.
As for the bike – it’s sold as a sports tourer. As is the F800GT. Personally, I find that it feels more like an adventure bike. The riding position is upright with rider’s the feet slightly rearset. For low speed manoeuvring, it’s ideal. The machine carries its weight well and is very nimble. Tall, though. I have a 32 inch inseam, yet still needed the low seat option to get both feet almost flat on the ground. As for the ride, what a cracking bike. I’m going to enjoy this one…
I have Michelin Pilot Road 4s fitted to my old ZX7R. They’re excellent in the wet and I needed them in the IOM this year. If you’re camping, I thoroughly recommend the Khyam Biker Plus. Mine withstood 10 days of incessant battering from the wind and rain and, combined with the optional full-length groundsheet, stayed leak and condensation free. A bonus is that a six footer like me can stand in the back of the porch and in the sleeping area, very handy for getting kit on and off.
I fitted Street Pilots to the Kwaka. The Dunlops were truly, truly horrible. I don’t camp these days. I like a nice warm bed when the day’s riding is done.
Is the warm bed part “getting old” or is it just “sensible”?
Both.