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This is a picture of an unscrubbed Avon STORM AV56, 160/60ZR17. This has only been on the UK market for around four weeks the guy at the tyre place remarked. I wanted to move away from Bridgestones, for a change.
I guess that makes me a Guinea Pig then eh?!?!
I had a little play on Sunday morning, and so far……nice!
In fact I got a little caught out, as my toe touched the floor around a right hander much sooner than I imagined it would, and it took my foot clean of the peg!
The Profile is nice, and it will be interesting to see if the wet weather performance is as good as it suggests by the comprehensive tread.
Bring on the bends, and lets find out!
Thanks all, I’m a happy little biker at the moment, still enjoying polishing out the years of wear & tear! Do you know, I enjoy the project almost as much as the ride!
Gix, I’ll attempt to get beyond Bassets Pole next time!,
and Digger…keep it quiet about my monster mate!cheers all!
Well, it all started with the very sad demise of my beloved TDR250 which needed to go to the great re-builder in the sky….. luckily I sold it to a fellow enthusiast, but how I miss that bike.
You know the score…empty garage, empty heart, full pocket…I really stood no chance.
I turned, in desperation, to the usual suspects. Used Bike Guide, Auto Trader, ebay etc. How they tease.
They are so cruel. I was watching over 24 bikes at one point, and then I realized I was in big trouble: Insatiable bike appetite, and no clue on a short list….I simply wanted them all, and NOW!ZRX’s, Firebolts, R6’s, CCM’s more TDR’s………I wanted the lot.
But as I swapped back and forth between sports bikes and supermotards, singles to multi’s and back, I did hark back to my old SRX400 & 600, which I found immensely surprising to ride. Not powerful, but light, flickable, and with handling that rewards good lines, and using preserved momentum theory becomes truly engaging.
That’s when I spotted the Monster for sale, and it seemed to make sense. The TDR handled well, the SRX too, and I love squeezing the performance out of the smaller bikes, and surprising a few riders with much better bikes on the bendy bits!
I read about the way the USD 42mm forks, married with the multi-link rear monoshock, and braided hoses to Brembo brakes…..if it does what it says on the tin…..I pondered.Well, I put a bid in, and was as often happens, out bid just before the close of the auction. Bugger.
As luck would have it, I did have a second chance, and agreed to buy it from a chap in Bristol. So spend all my brownie points with the wife and two young daughters (for this and next year), off we went to rainy and windy Avonmouth where the deal was to be done.
As you can see for the picys, the M600 is red, and with 11years & 35000km getting on a bit now, but has an (essential) full service history with belts and servicing bills a many.
Good, but this just highlighted the achilles of all Dukes – big service costs!
The bike also, despite the money being spent, really needed some TLC, as some paint is missing in different areas, making a slightly tatty overall impression – but I can fix most of these, and quite enjoy the satisfaction of cleaning up my bikes too.
So not a great introduction then….until it fired up.
Glorious deep v twin music. No point resisting then, where do I sign….etc. I did take it around the block, but it was pouring down by now, so not much to be learnt, except maybe that it went and stopped, all a bit academic really as I wanted the noise even if the wheels didn’t go around!It was 240km back to Sutton Coldfield where I really got to know the bambino of the range. The family were left behind as I filtered through the awful M5 traffic in the lashing rain, October temperatures, first drip down the neck………what the hell am I doing……
Then, the rain stopped. I was getting a 100kph blow dry, and it was even getting warmer. By the time I was dry, and the M50 came into view. Ross-on-Wye, the forest of Dean, winding riverside twisties, and B-road hillside undulations….umm. (0.21sec)… Time to get the phone out, and pop in on my sister for a cuppa!
As you would expect, the low weight, and low seat height of the M600 really came into its own, and I had a whale of a time. It does what it says on the tin, and now I knew this was a bike I could enjoy.
After the family social, I then set off for Kidderminster, well I had to show the “new arrival’ to Radar!
The A49 through Hereford, and Leominster was fab, and had some great overtaking fun.
This showed the limitations of the relatively feeble power of this Monster, only producing around 50bhp. But not really a big issue for me compared to the 38bhp of the SRX600, and the nice noise and torquey delivery.Radar giggled so much when he had a go, I could easily hear him chuckling over the sound of the booming desmo!
In summary, it is easy to ride, and gets around corners and brakes in a way that makes you yearn for more. The seat height is low, as is the weight. The looks are distinctive, and acquired I think – sure not every ones cup of tea, but very Italian.
Down sides…. not enough to put me off yet, but the clutch is heavy, and the 900 engine has to be to one to go for. As for servicing and reliability, I’m not too worried about the engine, but electrics…? We shall see!
I’ll let you know how I get on subsequently with my first Ducati.
It certainly puts a smile on my face anyhow!
Well count me in you know,…..I used to have a Sprint, as you know, and really have a great admiration for what Triumph have achieved.
It would be nice to see how they actually do achieve it.The paint work glistened, and the pipes sparkled in the morning light as the bike emerged from the garage of slumber.
The leathers & lid felt snug and reassuring. The route was unplanned, but the winding road was beckoning. Time to awake the beast.
Time for the off…I’ve been terrible the last few days, 17 bike being watched on a well known auction site, Used Bike Gide looking very dog eared, hell…even been lookind at DK!
But what I’m really struggling with is a short list…..I love’m all too much.
I must be “The Biker Tart” personified!I will publish the shortlist in a bit, but dont expect them to be similar!
I won’t have all this about Radar.
He bought me a sausage sandwich in March 1987.I kept the old paper bag….it’ll go classic next year, and it’s appreciating nicely.
You’ll have to wrap up this time of the year so you don’t get to be Chilli Billy!
Nice to see you back, and hope to see you out and about bud.
Well, superlatives escape me.
A steady start, building up speed and satisfaction as the roads became more open, and the traffic died away.Highlights for me were that revelation of a road between Newtown and Crossgates [A483].
The whizz home on the twisties was fun, and of course not forgetting meeting you all…..what a nice bunch you all are.
What can I say, we even met a nice copper, who let me off a speeding ticket!Top dollar ride guys, thank you
Also worthy of a special mention….Big Katz was a sooopa pillion, it was a pleasure taking you, and Karen, I thought you rode really well today. And thanks to Radar for leading 12+ bikes back from Crossgates to Bridgenorth, a good pace with proper gathering skills too. Thanks Gix for all you efforts.
I cant wait to see the photos, and hopefully, someone will be kind enough to match the names with the faces.In fact you all rode superbly today……… good one all!
I’ve only just put my bike away, and I want to get it back out again!
I fancy a change for Xmas & the new year……anyone got a Buell?…….any good?
BTW…I saw my first Decorated Xmas tree of this year on the 16th of Sept in a pub in Warmley!
I couldn’t believe it! [eh up….Victor’s back]
