My Kit
The Bike
I had some extra's on the bike when I made the purchase including the visor, tank pads, Heated grips & the quick shifter which only works for upshifts.
The heated grips have been so useful many times especially in colder conditions which has also meant I haven't had to wear some of those bulky winter gloves, I seem to be struggle with them, I feel really restricted. Maybe I just haven't bought the right ones but the ones I have got work fine for me so that's all that matters I guess!
The quickshifter is very slick and smooth worth paying the extra for although I am a little bit disappointed it doesn't do downshifts to. I test rode one of the new Ducati Monsters at the MCN festival which had up and down shifts and it was so much better. I am interested to try the new E-Clutch version from my local Honda centre when and if they get one in.
Extra's
Since purchasing the bike I have fitted a couple of things to it. To start I fitted the side tank pads as I didn't want to scratch that lovely Blue Matt Jean finish.
I also installed the Quadlock phone holder with vibration damper and also wired in the USB charger which all fits together nicely and charges my phone when I am out on a longer journey especially when using the Sat nav as that seems to eat my battery very quickly.
I also installed a radiator guard which I purchased from eBay and it has a nice CB650R logo at the bottom. It works well and looks a bit nicer than the bare radiator.
I also installed the connection for my Draper battery charger so I plug it in the winter to protect the battery and that did the job nicely to this winter. Being plug and play makes it so much easier especially if you have to move the bike around or fancy a bimble out.
I suppose the most recent thing I changed was the tyres, it only took me two years but was so worth the change! I wanted something that was good on road but also good if I did a little light off road (gravel roads etc). I couldn't use this bike off road its really not made for it. But in saying that I remember reading about someone who had took there sports bike round the world and put off road tyres on it and it seemed to manage, so who knows maybe I could! But I think I would have to be pretty skilled, which I am not!
The other reason I wanted new tyres so my bike looked bit more scrambler like to. In the end I opted for the Pirelli MT60RS and they are better than I expected. They are really grippy and seem smoother over the lumps and bumps. They have also given me more confidence on the road with my bike to. Best thing I did! It changed the bike completely! My only concern I heard is they wear very quickly so it will be interesting to see how long they last me but I will keep you updated!
Plans for the future?
Yes, I want some hand guards, some kind of engine guard and a bash plate only because if I do venture anywhere from the tarmac I don't want to drop it and ruin those lovely engine components. I would also love the insta 360 camera so I could do some better filming as currently I only have my Sena 10C Evo which is great but limiting for different angles and also the battery life is very poor once the camera is on.
Lastly I was thinking about going for the Powerbronze screen just to give me a little more protection from the wind when I am touring.
I will review it and post it on a blog when I get round to buying it!
Anything else?
Well yes actually, I have also had some custom made pannier holders for my Givi CRM102 bags. A friend of mine who is an engineer made them for me. Popped round one afternoon told him what I wanted. He took a few measurements and less than a week later he had them ready to put on and I like them, they are sleek and do the job of holding the bags nicely.
These Givi bags are great by the way! They clip on nicely to my bike using the saddle strap over the pillion seat, you can also get a seat pad to cover the saddle strap to!
These also have a waterproof inner bag which is removable, however I have always left them on, you cant trust the British weather!
They also pack away quite a lot of stuff, considering they are only 16 litres I got everything I needed into just one of them for a couple of days away!
For further details on these, click the link below: