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Haven't been on the site for a few months. Last visit it seemed to have been invaded by Russian bots so I thought it was going under. Glad to see it seems to have been cleaned up and still here. I sold my Blackbird during the summer (bought new 2001, sold 2006 bought same bike back 2013 and sold it again 2025). I still have my 2007 1400GTR with 29,000 miles now on it. Moved house 2024 so haven't been able to use it much but hope to have more time next summer. Bike likely parked for winter unless weather unfathomably nice at some point. I'll keep it taxed insured and MOT'd just in case. Not many GTR owners left on the site I think.

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I watched a documentary 'Road' from 2012 on BBC1 that I'd recorded last week. In short, it was about the Dunlop family motorcycle racers. It was similar to others I've seen. It started with Joey Dunlop, his friend and his brother in law racing small 2 strokes just for the fun of it. Carried on with Joey's career and how it got serious when his friend and brother in law were both killed.
It gave the circumstances of Joey and then his brother Robert also being killed and Robert's two sons William and Michael racing. The postscript was that William died in practice in 2018.

I love riding bikes but have never wanted to race. The sheer obsession and dedication the Dunlop family have put into racing is something I admire but don't really understand.

I also found it poignant that Joey was killed in a race he only entered to get away from the spotlight after his friend's suicide. Robert was killed when he was believed to be about to retire. Lastly, William had told family, I believe, that he wanted to stop racing but felt he owed it to his sponsors to finish the season first.

I've bought a silver cover for my Givi V46 topbox but would really like to colour match it to the bike, which is Neutron Silver. My local Kawasaki dealer (pre-lockdown) doesn't stock it and pointed me towards RS Paints. Their website says 400ml Neutron Silver plus 400ml Clear (aerosols) comes to just over £45 but shipping to Northern Ireland is extra.
They're closed so I don't know how much extra but the bill is going to be over £50.
I'm a bit tight and don't want to spend that much for all the paint I'll need. I think somebody local would paint the thing for £50 if I could get a decent match mixed up from a comparable paint code but the mix for Kawasaki 17N (Neutron Silver) doesn't seem to appear anywhere I've asked so far.
Any suggestions welcome from anyone who's done something similar are welcome.

I bought an 08 model from a dealer at the end of last year which still has used warranty on it. I've hardly ridden it and it's the first shaft drive bike I've owned. I notice there's a fair clunk putting it into first gear so put it on the centre stand (engine off ) and into first gear. There's free play moving the wheel forwards and backwards before I can feel the resistance as the wheel turns the gearbox cogs.  With shaft drive I expected none.

Can a couple of you please tell me if yours has similar free play?

If it's a fault I want to know before speaking to to the dealer to avoid any 'they all do that'

I've attached a video but am not sure if it's playable - this site won't accept mp4 files so I converted it to mpg which seems OK.

Having a problem which I'm hoping some of you have already solved. I've bought a Garmin Zumo 345LM and intend to only use it for longer (eg French) trips. Therefore,  rather than hardwire it,  I thought I'd put it in the cradle as needed and use a car 12v cigarette to mini USB cable to keep it charged whist riding. ( ie not use the hardwire cable at all). Means I can easily take off most of the Garmin and RAM mount stuff if leaving it parked. If I hardwire it then I have to leave the mount on the bike all the time inviting somebody to thieve it.I don't want to faff about with buying a locking kit. My RAM steering stem ball mount from my Blackbird fits the GTR1400 perfectly and I'm happy to leave it in place full time.
My problem is that Garmin have decided to put the USB socket in a place where it's mostly covered by the mount. This looks to be the same for all of the 3 series zumos.
I'm presuming my best approach is to buy a male cigarette plug and connect it to the Garmin cable but it's not going to be the most elegant looking thing with half a meter of cable,  voltage reducer and fuse holder all coiled up.
Any better ideas gratefully accepted.

Bike is 08 model. I've only had it for a short time and due to other commitments have only put about 300 miles on it.
I'd like to adjust the rear Preload to suit my weight (about 90 kg) so would appreciate any thoughts on what members of similar weight have found suitable. I know the manual says 12 clicks for 150lb rider but am wondering roughly how much more is needed for me solo with empty panniers.
Also,  although the adjuster turns freely I'm not hearing any audible clicks. How many clicks should I expect per 360 degree turn?
If there's a sticky here somewhere I've missed it and a search hasn't found what I need so I'm sorry if I'm asking something I should have found easily.

If you recently traded in your 2007 GTR1400 to Phillip McCallen motorcycles with a Remus hexacone pipe on it and still have the baffle for it   please contact me as I'd like to buy the baffle from you. I'm the bike 's new owner.

Alternatively, if you've a baffle to fit a Remus Hexacone pipe that you'd be willing to sell please get in touch.
Thanks
Mcfroyce44