Post by everydaybiker on Jun 10, 2008 7:33:11 GMT -5
Thread back on track.............
Well, one year and 27000 miles later, generally all is well. Fitted a Powerbronze Endurance fairing before winter set in, nice looking piece of kit if you need weather protection, and does it's job pretty well except in the worst of the elements. Talking of which, on wet days my Givi E370 box leaks through the opening seal, which is surprising as generally it's a nice bit of kit. Have to try a new seal I think.
As far as the bike goes:
* Reliability has been excellent, does 'what it says on the tin'. Starts, goes, stops just as it should, despite being assaulted with all the british weather can throw at it all year round.
* Tyres lasting around 16k rear, 20k+ front (still on the first replacement front so still waiting to see how far it goes). Using Avon RoadRiders at around £68 rear, £60 front (fitted).
* One or two electrical gremlins with front indicators, down to connections or internal wire breakage. Rev counter often needs a tap to spring into life after start up, but then OK.
* Fork stanctions wearing. Chrome plating rubbing away in vicinity of seal, resulting in leaky seals (don't bother changing seals without fixing the underlying problem as they won't seal for long!). Look for a yellowy tint to the chrome surface, only solutions are to re-chrome or replace.
* Front brake performance seems to deteriorate over the miles. Plenty of hydraulic pressure but pads not biting as they should. As most of my miles are on the motorway I think the pad surfaces are getting a bit glazed. I have to take them out regularly and give them a light sand to restore performance.
* Fuel consumption always at 60mpg (keep fresh filters and plugs installed or it will drop). Most of my daily commute is at 75-85 mph (indicated) so I'm happy with that.
* Cosmetics OK. No bike loves winter salt but it still looks reasonably good. The Motad chrome silencer stills looks OK provided it's cleaned regularly and a bit of metal polish used after it's dry.
I keep looking, just out of curiosity, at what alternatives there are to the NTV. There's very few with shaft drive, so it's really down to the K75 or GT550/750 by the look of it, and I can't see any good reason to take one of those in preference to the NTV. The K75 has a clutch shaft that (allegedly) needs removing and lubricating every 20k (gulp!). That's a full engine / box split every 10 months for me! The GTs are good but not very pretty and build quality is (allegedly again) poor.
So I guess the NTV and me will be companions for the long term. I expect it to have 200k on it before I see it go, if it all holds together. It's not a pampered summer bike but it does get all the regular servicing it needs. It wouldn't surprise me if the dreaded 2nd gear problem will lead to it's demise, but it's OK so far. Luckily my annual mileage doesn't include much 1st / 2nd gear work so I hope to avoid that problem for as long as possible.
If anyone has any comments, or any potential problems to warn me of, fire away!
Derek
Well, one year and 27000 miles later, generally all is well. Fitted a Powerbronze Endurance fairing before winter set in, nice looking piece of kit if you need weather protection, and does it's job pretty well except in the worst of the elements. Talking of which, on wet days my Givi E370 box leaks through the opening seal, which is surprising as generally it's a nice bit of kit. Have to try a new seal I think.
As far as the bike goes:
* Reliability has been excellent, does 'what it says on the tin'. Starts, goes, stops just as it should, despite being assaulted with all the british weather can throw at it all year round.
* Tyres lasting around 16k rear, 20k+ front (still on the first replacement front so still waiting to see how far it goes). Using Avon RoadRiders at around £68 rear, £60 front (fitted).
* One or two electrical gremlins with front indicators, down to connections or internal wire breakage. Rev counter often needs a tap to spring into life after start up, but then OK.
* Fork stanctions wearing. Chrome plating rubbing away in vicinity of seal, resulting in leaky seals (don't bother changing seals without fixing the underlying problem as they won't seal for long!). Look for a yellowy tint to the chrome surface, only solutions are to re-chrome or replace.
* Front brake performance seems to deteriorate over the miles. Plenty of hydraulic pressure but pads not biting as they should. As most of my miles are on the motorway I think the pad surfaces are getting a bit glazed. I have to take them out regularly and give them a light sand to restore performance.
* Fuel consumption always at 60mpg (keep fresh filters and plugs installed or it will drop). Most of my daily commute is at 75-85 mph (indicated) so I'm happy with that.
* Cosmetics OK. No bike loves winter salt but it still looks reasonably good. The Motad chrome silencer stills looks OK provided it's cleaned regularly and a bit of metal polish used after it's dry.
I keep looking, just out of curiosity, at what alternatives there are to the NTV. There's very few with shaft drive, so it's really down to the K75 or GT550/750 by the look of it, and I can't see any good reason to take one of those in preference to the NTV. The K75 has a clutch shaft that (allegedly) needs removing and lubricating every 20k (gulp!). That's a full engine / box split every 10 months for me! The GTs are good but not very pretty and build quality is (allegedly again) poor.
So I guess the NTV and me will be companions for the long term. I expect it to have 200k on it before I see it go, if it all holds together. It's not a pampered summer bike but it does get all the regular servicing it needs. It wouldn't surprise me if the dreaded 2nd gear problem will lead to it's demise, but it's OK so far. Luckily my annual mileage doesn't include much 1st / 2nd gear work so I hope to avoid that problem for as long as possible.
If anyone has any comments, or any potential problems to warn me of, fire away!
Derek