Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 DISCLAIMER: long story with bits of rant thrown in! My bike ownership involves dropping them, I have done it to all the bikes and normally in front of a crowd to keep everyone amused! There was the Hornet 250 I dropped at the fantastic Cat and Fiddle pub at the top of the Peak District and had many applauding patrons to whom I bowed in appreciation for their contentment!! There was the Speed Triple 1050 #2 in the Ferry from Santander, surrounded by dozens of Hell Angels returning from their annual gathering in Algarve, that in the highest gesture of chivalry run to help me pick up the poor green machine off the floor. There was the Speed Triple #1 at the Ace Cafe that I dropped on a warm Summer's night to the huge cheers of the local stunt riders and Rockabillys that won me a cracking sausage butty!! Many times have I dropped the bikes and as such I don't get too upset about it, I accept it as part of who I am, my clumsiness and hastiness, so always invested in good crash bars!! Dropping bikes is not something that hurts my pride as such, but with the current bike I have always been afraid and dreading the day it would happen because I had no crash bars, unlike in all the others, and I knew it was going to be a very expensive affair... And I was not wrong. The things we most fear are the ones that will happen if we can't shake off the fear and so it was that on the 26th of December 2020 I dropped it. Low Sun, lack of concentration, tiredness and momentary blindness led to to much front brake, slide and not enough control to miss @Pedro passenger foot peg that hooked my radiator. It was literally a 1 cm thing that didnt become a near miss, unfortunately! He has told me so many times to not ride so close, being the caring person he is, worried about my wellbeing, but I am not good at listening! 10 kms\h max meant engine covers, mirror, wheel, foot peg, radiator and a few little things that needed to be replaced for sure. I got on the phone immediately to Jack Lilleys Triumph in London, the place I bought all my Triumphs, to order everything because in Portugal Triumph is hopeless and they had no parts or any idea when the parts would come. What they did tell me is a radiator costs here 750 euros plus VAT as opposed to 389 pounds plus VAT in the UK... First rant: how can a brand like Triumph allow an entire country to be out of parts or decent support? The importer is in Spain and that is good enough for them. Not great having a Triumph Motorcycle here. Fortunately I have this great connection with Triumph in the UK and 2 days latter all the parts were ready to ship, apart from the wheel, that I chose to get on Ebay from a triumph parts supplier that is normally good, but we will get to that in a bit. The parts were ready but due to Covid they could only be shipped after the 1st of January, so they got caught by Brexit. Again, due to the amazing Kathy, the parts department responsible at Jack Lilleys, repackaging everything in the smallest way possible and choosing the right carrier ( UPS you rock!) I got everything in 10 days and after 250 euros paid to customs the parts were at the mechanic here. Second Rant: bloody Brexit!!! Could write a book of rants about it, but lets leave it. Now, the wheel... It looked good, had a new tyre as well, 200 quid less then a new one, seemed a good deal. As you can tell, it wasn't. The guy filled in the papers wrong and chose to use Parcel Force as a carrier, a black hole was born... Customs stopped the wheel for wrong documentation and Parcel Force's equivalent in Portugal is the local Post Office, a force for evil when it comes to parcel delivery!! 7 weeks later, the wheel was still stuck. Many phone calls, many emails, a lot of time wasted chasing people, eventually I just accepted the situation, chose the way of the Zen and at week 8 the wheel was delivered after 108 euros of fees to customs. Third Rant: it is unacceptable that we have to be hostages of the inefficiency and incompetence of services that work poorly and don't have any accountability. Me and @Pedro inspected the wheel and concluded it is in good nick and good to go to the mechanic that will hopefully get the bike finished in 2 weeks. The tyre, although new, is very old and glazed over, so will make a good dog bed after I am finished repurprusing it and will decorate the vet Practice in style! Its not all vets that have a race Metzler for the doggy patients!! In the mean time @Pedro got himself busy online looking for some crash bars for me to add to the bike and found something spectacular!! A Russian manufacturer called Crazy Iron makes some serious crash bars for those that don't mind looking like a Russian tank on parade!! Or stunt riders. They weight as much as a tank as well, proper Russian! The bike will be smashed to bits before the bars have a little dent!! Because the mechanic is an expert on suspension and is a Ohlins wizard, took the opportunity to service the gold stuff on my bike and it now has new oil and new acquired sportiness!! I miss my bike a lot, I miss ridding a lot and have to thank @Pedro for his help and support to cope with all the stress the wheel situation generated. Plus by finding the bars, has given me something that will remove the worry of dropping the bike and I can be a hooligan again!! He has also helped me rationalizing the cost of over 2000 euros for all this and found me a new helmet on sale that has made me very happy!!! So many new things to start again the new season! Bring it on!! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckster Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Pfffft, women riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 14 minutes ago, Sofia said: DISCLAIMER: long story with bits of rant thrown in! My bike ownership involves dropping them, I have done it to all the bikes and normally in front of a crowd to keep everyone amused! There was the Hornet 250 I dropped at the fantastic Cat and Fiddle pub at the top of the Peak District and had many applauding patrons to whom I bowed in appreciation for their contentment!! There was the Speed Triple 1050 #2 in the Ferry from Santander, surrounded by dozens of Hell Angels returning from their annual gathering in Algarve, that in the highest gesture of chivalry run to help me pick up the poor green machine off the floor. There was the Speed Triple #1 at the Ace Cafe that I dropped on a warm Summer's night to the huge cheers of the local stunt riders and Rockabillys that won me a cracking sausage butty!! Many times have I dropped the bikes and as such I don't get too upset about it, I accept it as part of who I am, my clumsiness and hastiness, so always invested in good crash bars!! Dropping bikes is not something that hurts my pride as such, but with the current bike I have always been afraid and dreading the day it would happen because I had no crash bars, unlike in all the others, and I knew it was going to be a very expensive affair... And I was not wrong. The things we most fear are the ones that will happen if we can't shake off the fear and so it was that on the 26th of December 2020 I dropped it. Low Sun, lack of concentration, tiredness and momentary blindness led to to much front brake, slide and not enough control to miss @Pedro passenger foot peg that hooked my radiator. It was literally a 1 cm thing that didnt become a near miss, unfortunately! He has told me so many times to not ride so close, being the caring person he is, worried about my wellbeing, but I am not good at listening! 10 kms\h max meant engine covers, mirror, wheel, foot peg, radiator and a few little things that needed to be replaced for sure. I got on the phone immediately to Jack Lilleys Triumph in London, the place I bought all my Triumphs, to order everything because in Portugal Triumph is hopeless and they had no parts or any idea when the parts would come. What they did tell me is a radiator costs here 750 euros plus VAT as opposed to 389 pounds plus VAT in the UK... First rant: how can a brand like Triumph allow an entire country to be out of parts or decent support? The importer is in Spain and that is good enough for them. Not great having a Triumph Motorcycle here. Fortunately I have this great connection with Triumph in the UK and 2 days latter all the parts were ready to ship, apart from the wheel, that I chose to get on Ebay from a triumph parts supplier that is normally good, but we will get to that in a bit. The parts were ready but due to Covid they could only be shipped after the 1st of January, so they got caught by Brexit. Again, due to the amazing Kathy, the parts department responsible at Jack Lilleys, repackaging everything in the smallest way possible and choosing the right carrier ( UPS you rock!) I got everything in 10 days and after 250 euros paid to customs the parts were at the mechanic here. Second Rant: bloody Brexit!!! Could write a book of rants about it, but lets leave it. Now, the wheel... It looked good, had a new tyre as well, 200 quid less then a new one, seemed a good deal. As you can tell, it wasn't. The guy filled in the papers wrong and chose to use Parcel Force as a carrier, a black hole was born... Customs stopped the wheel for wrong documentation and Parcel Force's equivalent in Portugal is the local Post Office, a force for evil when it comes to parcel delivery!! 7 weeks later, the wheel was still stuck. Many phone calls, many emails, a lot of time wasted chasing people, eventually I just accepted the situation, chose the way of the Zen and at week 8 the wheel was delivered after 108 euros of fees to customs. Third Rant: it is unacceptable that we have to be hostages of the inefficiency and incompetence of services that work poorly and don't have any accountability. Me and @Pedro inspected the wheel and concluded it is in good nick and good to go to the mechanic that will hopefully get the bike finished in 2 weeks. The tyre, although new, is very old and glazed over, so will make a good dog bed after I am finished repurprusing it and will decorate the vet Practice in style! Its not all vets that have a race Metzler for the doggy patients!! In the mean time @Pedro got himself busy online looking for some crash bars for me to add to the bike and found something spectacular!! A Russian manufacturer called Crazy Iron makes some serious crash bars for those that don't mind looking like a Russian tank on parade!! Or stunt riders. They weight as much as a tank as well, proper Russian! The bike will be smashed to bits before the bars have a little dent!! Because the mechanic is an expert on suspension and is a Ohlins wizard, took the opportunity to service the gold stuff on my bike and it now has new oil and new acquired sportiness!! I miss my bike a lot, I miss ridding a lot and have to thank @Pedro for his help and support to cope with all the stress the wheel situation generated. Plus by finding the bars, has given me something that will remove the worry of dropping the bike and I can be a hooligan again!! He has also helped me rationalizing the cost of over 2000 euros for all this and found me a new helmet on sale that has made me very happy!!! So many new things to start again the new season! Bring it on!! That's some bad luck you've had @Sofia......but at least you weren't injured. Wouldn't it have been cheaper to get the parts from Spain though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 My bike has a scratch on the silencer! The triumph will return, with bright red engine steel cages! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I am glad you were ok, you seem to manage well through the drops. I particularly enjoyed your "Third Rant: it is unacceptable that we have to be hostages of the inefficiency and incompetence of services that work poorly and don't have any accountability." So well said. Enjoy the season and be safe. Be sure to share some pics when you get out there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 10 minutes ago, Buckster said: Pfffft, women riders. then you won't make those sounds.... lol 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tym Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 My KLR's brake lever has a nice "hook" bent into from hitting the ground so often, i actually like it for the ergos of it..lol Pete must remember the time when i shunted Tammy in the rear in New Jersey...after that i got my first set of scription glasses! Now i know how close to rears i am. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 24 minutes ago, XTreme said: That's some bad luck you've had @Sofia......but at least you weren't injured. Wouldn't it have been cheaper to get the parts from Spain though? No. And impossible as well because they dont have them either. Its all very badfor Triumph in the Peninsula!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 24 minutes ago, Pedro said: My bike has a scratch on the silencer! The triumph will return, with bright red engine steel cages! True!! Cant wait to see how it looks!! Like a pair of Louboutains but fatter!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 25 minutes ago, Grasshopper's Ride said: I am glad you were ok, you seem to manage well through the drops. I particularly enjoyed your "Third Rant: it is unacceptable that we have to be hostages of the inefficiency and incompetence of services that work poorly and don't have any accountability." So well said. Enjoy the season and be safe. Be sure to share some pics when you get out there. Thanks! I ll do my best, but Im really hopeless at choosing the right spot to photograph anything!! My only hope is @Pedroand his talent!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 37 minutes ago, Buckster said: Pfffft, women riders. As opposed to Harley riders...? 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Sofia said: No. And impossible as well because they dont have them either. Its all very badfor Triumph in the Peninsula!! Though I guess the dealers there will have to pay the import tax on the parts as well. So one way or another it's going to cost. Will new Triumph bikes go up in price as well? Cos that could kill them off everywhere in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 9 minutes ago, XTreme said: Though I guess the dealers there will have to pay the import tax on the parts as well. So one way or another it's going to cost. Will new Triumph bikes go up in price as well? Cos that could kill them off everywhere in Europe. No, same price on new bikes on the Continent.. Triumph got in 2019 a huge warehouse in France and the new bikes go there and are registered in the EU and sold as normal. At the moment its the ones going to the uk that have to pay the tax and will be more expensive. But they have created a uk company and will import bikes to that company and sell them seperate from the others. The part situation was always like this, as was the bad service. The cost of anything triumph in Portugal and Spain is crazy!! From a t-shrit to a chain, 30 to 40% more expensive even if you factor exchange rates. Im not really sure its clever for me to have a Triumph here, but ill try to follow my heart and not my head once again!!! Im just too romantic! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 28 minutes ago, Sofia said: As opposed to Harley riders...? You should know Buckster used to have a proper KTM before the Harley, there must be some reasoning behind the trade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckster Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 49 minutes ago, Pedro said: You should know Buckster used to have a proper KTM before the Harley, there must be some reasoning behind the trade Pedro, it’s a slippery slope, you let them ride motorcycles and before you know it they are asking for all sorts of foolish things like equal pay and the right to vote. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Fallsalot Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 It always hurts when you damage stuff it does for me even though i know its going to happen and it happens to the best of us, i'm still pissed off with myself for scratching the tank on my bike with my belt buckle pulling it out the garage, being matt black there is nothing i can do with it so annoying and such a small scratch, protection is the way to go 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Fallsalot Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 12 hours ago, Grasshopper's Ride said: then you won't make those sounds.... lol That is the noise he makes when he pulls his fingers out his ass 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 13 hours ago, Buckster said: Pedro, it’s a slippery slope, you let them ride motorcycles and before you know it they are asking for all sorts of foolish things like equal pay and the right to vote. Im just focused on the bikes here cause going from a KTM to a Harley seems very Trans to me.... Just saying...!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 3 hours ago, Sir Fallsalot said: It always hurts when you damage stuff it does for me even though i know its going to happen and it happens to the best of us, i'm still pissed off with myself for scratching the tank on my bike with my belt buckle pulling it out the garage, being matt black there is nothing i can do with it so annoying and such a small scratch, protection is the way to go To be fair I dont get upset with it. I have never been upset with my scars, and I have many, or my white hair. They are proof of living and like someone said once "whats the point in living if we dont feel alive?!" What pisses me of is the bill!! That and waiting, I get bored so very easily 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 22 minutes ago, Sofia said: Im just focused on the bikes here cause going from a KTM to a Harley seems very Trans to me.... Just saying...!! Sofia.....I think Buck was very influenced by the biker guy in the Village People! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Mawsley said: The fourth drop was dull, I just mistook the camber on the road and the Tiger went down like a Harley rider eager to please his cell mate. Tall bikes.....lot of weight......and adverse cambers! Never going to end well. Wouldn't have happened on the XT Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 I'm glad you got the parts sorted eventually Sofia but yes, you're completely right about Brexit . Sending anything to Europe (and even N. Ireland) at the moment is a PITA. Our lovely government lied to us, pure and simple. It has made my job a complete ballache and the courier companies are just as lost or are cashing in on it. Anyway, I hope you can ride your Triumph soon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 14 hours ago, boboneleg said: I'm glad you got the parts sorted eventually Sofia but yes, you're completely right about Brexit . Sending anything to Europe (and even N. Ireland) at the moment is a PITA. Our lovely government lied to us, pure and simple. It has made my job a complete ballache and the courier companies are just as lost or are cashing in on it. Anyway, I hope you can ride your Triumph soon Well, technically the Cameron Government did not lie. They were just very arrogant and assumed people would do what they thought was ok and never really explained properly and, worst, they didnt bother listening to the unease and discomfort people were feeling after the 2008 economic crisis. In a funny way, I always felt the whole Brexit thing like a divorce. Things are not going well with the relationship, the parties involved don´t communicate their unhappiness or are not listened to, suddenly something outside appears and it seems better, gives a feeling of hope, and so it starts the pursuit of something new that then turns out not to be better, sometimes is a lot worst, but by then its too late, the whole family is broken and years of building a good relationship goes down the drain!! Then, when the excitement is over, its "making the best of it" time. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but its a good lesson to everyone in the World that first, we all need to listen to each other, second we need to work at resolving the issues instead of breaking long term connections and third the World will be a better place if we work together!! It will be ok in a few years, today has been announced the UK will have free ports, little off-shores for the mega rich to flock there. Off shores are good things, mainly to the powerful and not the rest of society, but that is the way its going now. When the referendum result came out I cried for 3 days. I had stopped crying until this spill with my bike, but seeing all those Euros leaving me because of this Brexit thing can only make one cry!!! Lots... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tym Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Cant blame the Irish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Just a reminder @boboneleg, @Sofia, and @Clive that Politics is a no go area here......otherwise the place will turn into the seething inferno of hate that Social Media has become! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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