Friday 25 November 2016

Honda CB500 - post crash photographs

Honda CB500 - post crash photographs
The BirotarUK CB500 
August 13th 2016, Snetterton 300 Circuit. The sun is shining, motorcycles are screaming past, and banter in the pit lane fills the air. The exact recipe for the start of an awesome track day. Little did we know, it wasn't going to be that awesome.

We believe that there are few things in life that match the emotion a rider experiences on track. And even fewer match the emotion of reaching the limit on a motorcycle.

Here's a short video filmed by @Tom_Rides on his R6 following @Birotar_Max  on the CB500!



Birotar Max and the CB500 at Bedford Autodrome
Four laps into session three at Snetterton, on the entry to Oggies, Birotar Max was just about take Birotar Jonjo on the outside.

The CB500 had enough of being spanked around a circuit though, so it decided to let go of all the grip on the rear and catapult Birotar Max into a collar bone braking high side (it had nothing to do with Max running out of talent!). The limit was reached.

Here are the post crash photographs that show some of the damage on the CB500. Our plan is to strip the bike, assess the damage and start making repairs. 
















The good news is the bike starts and runs. Let the fun begin!

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed it.
BirotarUK 
#BirotarUK


 

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Dainese D-Cyclone Gore-Tex Jacket

Dainese D-Cyclone Gore-Tex Jacket

This is the latest Gore-Tex jacket from Dainese, and it has been designed to keep you comfortable in any climate. The D-Cyclone comes with a new laminated Gore-Tex shell, guaranteed to keep the water out whilst allowing moisture to evaporate through the jacket. A removable thermal liner and collar means you can wear this jacket all year round, in any weather condition.


The front of the Dainese D-Cyclone

What’s special about laminate Gore-Tex? Well, it won’t retain water in the fabric like other non-laminate Gore-Tex textile jackets. Meaning that when you're exposed to the worst conditions, the water will just run off, like water off a ducks back as they say. For the rider this means after a long (or short) ride in the rain, a quick shake of the jacket and it will be dry again ready for the next ride. No need to hang it up to dry over night, and no damp smell the next day! For those using this jacket on tour, it means you’re less fatigued at the end of the day, since the jacket isn’t absorbing water, it will remain light, whatever the weather.


The inner lining of the Dainese D-Cyclone

The jacket comes with the usual comfort features you can expect from the latest Dainese range, these include;
  • Removable inner collar
  • Removable thermal liner
  • Air vents on the chest and back
  • Waist adjustment
  • Neck adjustment
  • Wrists adjustment

The jacket comes with CE approved arm, shoulder and back protection. The Wave G2 back protector is included with the jacket, however we feel it’s a bit short to offer full lower back protection. The external material of the jacket is quite thick and remains stiff, offering high levels of abrasion resistance.


The external shoulder detail of the Dainese D-Cyclone

What we like about the jacket is the four fully waterproof pockets; two external and two internal with plenty space for phone, wallet, passport and any other small objects you may want to carry. It offers a comfortable fit with lots of adjustment - we didn’t feel the need to go up or down a size here (our usual size 52 fit very well). The thermal layer certainly keeps you warm without inducing a sweat thanks to Gore-Tex technology. The jacket-to-trouser fastening system has a good amount of stretch to it making for easy fastening to any of the trousers in the Dainese range.


Internal pocket demo of the Dainese D-Cyclone


We found the jacket quite stiff! With the strategically positioned elasticated areas it isn't tight on the body, it just seems to be the laminate material that may need some time relax. This is fine when you're roaming around off the bike but when riding a sports bike we found this stiffness quite restrictive in the shoulder area. On the flip side, when riding an adventure style bike, the jacket felt slightly more relaxed and it was something we could live with it until it softened up. That could take a week or a month depending on how often you ride.


A demo of the stiffness on the back of the Dainese D-Cyclone

The jacket does come with a big price tag, £679.99 to be exact. Still breathing? Good. It does sound expensive, but it really is an investment guaranteed to keep you warm and dry whatever weather you choose to ride in. For the price we'd have liked to see a removable thermal Dainese fleece or soft-shell like the one that can be found in the Sandstorm jacket. 


Compared to a similar spec jacket like Rukka for example, Dainese comes out on top in terms of style.
IG: @Birotar_Jonjo posing in the Dainese D-Cyclone

For those looking to invest in a textile jacket for use 365 days a year, and for many years to come this jacked would not disappoint. 

To purchase you can visit Bike Stop online or in store.
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed it.
BirotarUK 
#BirotarUK

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Ducati 749S

We're back with another installment of our #teaBreakreview - approx read time under 5mins 

There’s always been something special about a Ducati, the iconic red colour and that unmistakable dry clutch rattle. We decided to take the plunge into Ducati ownership and see what all the fuss was about. 

Ducati sitting pretty at Bedford Autodrome
Official Specs

Max power: 116 bhp
Max torque: 60 ft-lb
Top speed: 150 mph
Tank range: 148 miles (Big lies here!)
Weight: 186kg

Seat height: 780mm

Our Ducati was the Ducati 749S Monoposto, a single seat version of the Ducati 749S. As with buying any Ducati, full service history is a must have. But then again, the cost of the services may make you think twice. Ours has a full Ducati, and Ducati specialist service history with some services amounting to well over £700! It’ll be worth it – right? 

The 749S has one of the most aggressive riding positions we’ve experienced. Low bars, stiff suspension and a poor excuse for a seat makes for a very uncomfortable ride on our lovely British roads. Initially we had real trouble with the handling of the bike. After reading much about the wonderful chassis, it just wasn’t living up to what we had hoped so we took a trip over to Race Engineering and after they adjusted the setup it was like riding a new bike. Confidence inspiring, stable and incredible handling around corners. The only 'problem' now was the fuel consumption - at about 100 miles to a tank it was quite thirsty considering the official specs suggest we could achieve 150 miles!

Always getting attention
You can always hear a Ducati in the distance and the 749S is no different. With a full Termignoni exhaust system, the bike really did command a presence attacking all senses. If you own a Ducati with a dry clutch, you know it's not long before someone tells you it sounds like a ‘bag ‘o nails’. We laugh and say we think it just adds character.

Many people have reported the clutch as very snatchy on the 749S, but we didn’t find it much different to any other bike we’ve ridden. Although we were running a freshly uprated clutch.

Enough torque to catapult you out of corners
The 749s packs a real punch low down but really lacks at the top end of the rev range. It takes quite a while to get used to when coming from a screaming Japanese inline four. One of the nice additions you get with the S version is full Brembo brakes and these are still the best we’ve felt in a long time, great feel and loads of confidence when you’re late braking on track.

As mentioned earlier, the 749S was a real struggle on the road, uncomfortable and bone shattering so we thought we would take it on track to see what this race pedigree was really made about. With the full Termignoni system booming we’re still amazed it past the noise test, the sound tester did have a smirk though…

Coffee runs made special on the Ducati
The 749S really comes to life on track, with loads of torque to throw you out the corners and amazing brakes begging you to brake later. The handling is made sublime after a suspension set up, it’s a bike designed for the race track. Being a V twin, the back end could get quite lively when hastily shifting down before entering a corner but there was so much feedback from the chassis it felt natural and very controllable.
The Ducati at home on the race track
Overall the Ducati was a great bike for the track, but it was just too much for the road and certainly too expensive to keep just for the track. Where ever we went the 749S got attention – maybe we should have kept it as an ornament!?

Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed it.
BirotarUK 
#BirotarUK