Ssr Epic Ride I

[AnthonyR1]

bard, great vid! what camera are you using? the sound quality is outstanding. usually all i get is crappy wind noise

Have you seen how tall the Givi touring screens are on their FZ6's?

true! like a rooftop

[nakedAIR1300]

I think the screen addition is essential for touring, I took it off this week for the track and when I used it on the road without leathers it was noisy at even 110km/hr

Best thing since sliced bread I reckon

[Bard]

The camera is a cheap Panasonic SDR-S7, records to SD cards so it is not easily ruined by vibration as for other camera systems. The wind noise is amazingly low, even at Bira in the wind at the frame slider it still is cool. Very happy with it. I am off to work at the end of the month and if someone wants I'll bring back a few. In Singapore I think it was around 200 S$ including a 8GB SD Card. More cards is only 640 baht each so no worries.

Thanks for the comments, appreciated. Travelmate, will meet you on Sunday at Bira Trent and Tony will be there as well. We can RAM mount the cam on yer bike as well and get some more faster action. Is AnthonyR1 joining as well???

Cheers Bard

[BigBikeBKK]

I think the screen addition is essential for touring, I took it off this week for the track and when I used it on the road without leathers it was noisy at even 110km/hr

Best thing since sliced bread I reckon

Well, a screen is handy, but I think I proved on with the ER6n on the SSR Ride that it's hardly "essential".

[coolfusion]

I think the screen addition is essential for touring, I took it off this week for the track and when I used it on the road without leathers it was noisy at even 110km/hr

Best thing since sliced bread I reckon

Well, a screen is handy, but I think I proved on with the ER6n on the SSR Ride that it's hardly "essential".

Ill second that motion

[BigBikeBKK]

I think the screen addition is essential for touring, I took it off this week for the track and when I used it on the road without leathers it was noisy at even 110km/hr

Best thing since sliced bread I reckon

Well, a screen is handy, but I think I proved on with the ER6n on the SSR Ride that it's hardly "essential".

Ill second that motion

Hi there coolfusion, welcome to ThaiVisa!

[Bard]

Yes welcome to Thai Visa forum Coolfusion,

The screen is not essential, but extremely comfy, sitting upright in 240 km/h completely relaxed is nice I must say... And from my memory Peter was hammered when he came to Bangkok with his naked bike, only doing a 800 km ride, I did 1004 km then jumped on the bike to and from Bangkok (another 400 km) and then did a 1600 km weekend ride with a pillion when he licked his tired self.

For me it's like aircon in a car it's not essential for everyone but dude it really improves comfort a lot, so for me it's essential like aircon in a car is for me. Others are fine on naked using rear pegs and laying dead flat on the tank on naked bikes, but I enjoy more comfort...

Have fun, cheers Bard

[coolfusion]

Thanks for the warm welcome`s , i am really happy to be here ..

I spoke to Peter after he came back from doing Chiang Rai to BKK and he was recked ,i would have never blamed the lack of a big screen untill right this minute..i may have to test that theory .. screen or no screen the wind is not your friend at 240 +...lol.

Who is hitting Bira on sunday? Tony what time you leaving??

[BigBikeBKK]

Others are fine on naked using rear pegs and laying dead flat on the tank on naked bikes, but I enjoy more comfort...

Hey... I resemble that comment...

WOOT! I love being NAKED!!!

[Bard]

Oups, yes that was you Tony.

Like I say it is not essential but man it improves comfort on trips a lot.

Sunday meet up at Bira at 9 ish, be there or be square.

[BigBikeBKK]

Hey Dudes,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to Bira this weekend, though, by all accounts it was safer to stay at home! Three wrecks at Bira and Trenty got run over by a hit and run drunk... My cousin-in law's bf got hit by a car while riding his scooter on Sunday and is in the ICU with a broken arm and leg!

I received my beautiful new Two Bros pipe for the ER6n in the wee hours of Sunday morning and thought I could slap it on quick and still make it down for a few laps, only to discover that Two Bros didn't include a bung on the S-tube for the sensor!

So now I've got to find a shop that can weld a bung onto the S-tube before I can ride with the new pipe...

Ah well.

In other news, I'm happy that I copy/saved some of the Triangulator's pics before he was so rudely booted from Thai Visa.

Here they are in no particular order- Enjoy!

The SSR Gang!

The Bardster-

Busted Rack in Baton Rouge... or sumthin like dat...

Bard got his knee down... and then some!

Insult to injury!

Lovely

Trenty trying to abscond with a piece of jailbait...

(I'd say he was more like 13 or 14 though...)

Hilltribe adventures-

SSR WUZ HERE!

Edited March 23, 2009 by BigBikeBKK

[nakedAIR1300]

Well done to all for their awesome trip reports! Nice photos boys... Pete you need to learn when to use a camera and when not to but I suppose being suspended has taught you a lesson about this subject.

The first few days were seriously crazy and there were a few nights where things got outta control (well I did anyway). Let's just say I won't be calling tequila my best friend anymore. Once we left Chiang Mai and headed west again things settled down nicely and we got back to doing what we came to do, ride the roads this beautiful country has to offer and soak up the experiences it throws our way.

I would have to agree with Tony on one of the highlights on the trip was the road just before Mae Hon Son were Pete, Tony and I were riding some seriously twisty roads in tight formation. Well done boys, can't wait to get to the track and try our hand at racing there.

Another spectacular part of the trip was when we got lost and ended up in the middle of nowhere at a small tribal villages New Year's celebrations....awesome awesome experience! Was a little taken back when some dude was walking through the parade firing off a handgun but I suppose he was just drunk and happy and this was his way of showing it

I think alot of what I had to say has been said already so no need to repeat.

As you all know once we got back to Bangkok Bard and I left for KK to meet with John Gooding and we went riding again. From KK we went to Rayong for 3 days track riding with HST.

Day 1 at the track was awesome, just to be there amongst other riders and watching them corner like legends felt good. Bard and I the first day were just concentrating on getting the feel with the new bike on the track seeing that its alot higher than a race bike and to get our knee down was going to take extra special lean and balls.

After exhausting myself at the track I went back to Bards and layed down in his driveway as I was totally and utterly physically exhausted. I drank more than 10 litres over the course of the day at the track but this wasn't enough to replace the salts and other minerals my body had used. One could not imagine a day at the track could take so much out of your body, by the end of the day I had troubles with even putting one foot in front of the other. I could hardly feed myself that night. Went to bed at 7pm and slept until 6am the next day. 11 hours sleep was nice but my body was still wrecked from overdoing Day 1.

Not to worry, some protein, couple litres of water and off to the track we went. Day 2 we learnt more about body positioning and then went to try our hand at 'getting our knee down'. The very first session after the lesson Bard was very fortunate to get his knee down at Honda corner, it was just a touch and go... this was a nice smooth knee down all the way around the corner. I was positioned behind and I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. Immediately after his knee down we hit the main straight and I swear if Bard jumped any higher in the air he would have touched the clouds! He was sooooo happy. I drove down the main straight thinking "ok next lap, next lap it's me". I focused and throttled on but after 5 laps no joy. I was getting dehydrated so I hit the pits for a refresh before I headed back out to get my knee down. When I hit the pits the rain kicked in and the rest of the day was a washout.

Off to the pub for a knee down beer. Bard wouldn't shut up about it... good on him! Not everyone gets to achieve this feat and no one deserves it more than him.

Day 3. Early rise...full tank of fuel and off to the track we went. We were very very early and nobody was there yet so we prepared the bikes and as soon as the garage was open I kitted up and out we went before even the rest of guest arrived. I think it was 2 warm up laps and the third lap I finally got my knee down on Honda corner.....wooohoooo! Tick! Been there done that! What a feeling!

With good instruction from the 3 legends at the track: Graham, David and Jimmy (thanx guys... I owe you all!) I left BIRA feeling more competent and in control of my bike. I had a better understanding of cornering, braking and smooth acceleration. I can highly recommend anyone who is thinking about riding lessons at any level... Highside Tours can service you at any level of riding experience you may require.

Thought I would add some photos of Jimmy, he is like me ...camera shy!

(Notice the knee down action)

So we all went to TQ2 in Pattaya and celebrated for the evening. Great night had by all.

The next day I spent in Pattaya relaxing with a friend of mine and then planned to head for Chantaburi to visit my factory and spend the weekend there before finally returning to BIRA on Sunday for a final knee down experience and then back to Bangkok Sunday evening where I would finally end my SSR Epic Ride. It didn't quite work out like that.

Left Pattaya with perfect blue skies mid morning Friday and then the weather changed quickly, I found myself in the middle of a thunderstorm and had to pull over due to very poor visibility. A 120 km trip took me 3 hours due to the rain and I arrived safely and checked into my hotel.

Friday and Saturday I worked and enjoyed a night out with friends from the factory before being escorted back to my hotel by some of the staff. I was following them on their scooter quite slowly in the left lane of a 2 lane road when out of nowhere I was struck quite violently by a car from behind (obviously drunk and using multiple lanes) at some speed. I fell to the ground doing around 50-60km/hr and as I was on my way down the car's tires sped past my head. I noticed it was a white car and then I remember seeing my bike nearly taking out the scooter as they slowed down when they heard the crash. My bike skidded along the road on its right side and finally rested about 30 metres from where I landed on the road. The car by that point sped away and was never to be seen again although they left a number of souveniers from the front section of the car there for the police to investigate. My shoulder, wrist and butt were killing. I was wearing a helmet, boots and good thick jeans but no jacket that evening. The police and ambulance showed up within minutes and I was whisked away to hospital for X-Rays and some attention from the local nurses.

Nothing broken; only missing skin and a sore shoulder and black fingers. I went back to my hotel after some treatment and a pain killing jab from a lovely nurse. The next day I went to the police station and although I don't remember speaking with the police at any point in time they had already filled in a report and me giving accounts in the first person...go figure!

The bike looked ok initially but my shoulder was wrecked so I decided not to ride home and contacted Yamaha to come and pick the bike up which they did and took it back to Bangkok. Today I went to look at the bike and although it appears reasonably undamaged the car hit with great impact on the rear right side and hit the rear section, followed by the indicator and then took off the rear passenger peg completely. I believe if the peg hadn't been open it would have crushed my leg so I'm thankful I got away without permanent injury. After careful inspection by Yamaha and Bard there was more damaged than first believed, the whole frame and sub frame needs replacing, front forks and whole rear tire section is all out of whack. At this point the insurance bill is between 200-250k...thank goodness for insurance companies! It will take them around 2 months to process the insurance claim and order the parts from Japan so I will be twiddling my thumbs for some time to come.

So the SSR Epic Ride is over, not the way i would of liked it to end but atleast i went out with a bang.

Sit back and relax and enjoy some of the photos from the track days at BIRA.

See you all next time

[HAWKHILL]

Well done to all for their awesome trip reports! Nice photos boys... Pete you need to learn when to use a camera and when not to but I suppose being suspended has taught you a lesson about this subject.

The first few days were seriously crazy and there were a few nights where things got outta control (well I did anyway). Let's just say I won't be calling tequila my best friend anymore. Once we left Chiang Mai and headed west again things settled down nicely and we got back to doing what we came to do, ride the roads this beautiful country has to offer and soak up the experiences it throws our way.

I would have to agree with Tony on one of the highlights on the trip was the road just before Mae Hon Son were Pete, Tony and I were riding some seriously twisty roads in tight formation. Well done boys, can't wait to get to the track and try our hand at racing there.

Another spectacular part of the trip was when we got lost and ended up in the middle of nowhere at a small tribal villages New Year's celebrations....awesome awesome experience! Was a little taken back when some dude was walking through the parade firing off a handgun but I suppose he was just drunk and happy and this was his way of showing it

I think alot of what I had to say has been said already so no need to repeat.

As you all know once we got back to Bangkok Bard and I left for KK to meet with John Gooding and we went riding again. From KK we went to Rayong for 3 days track riding with HST.

Day 1 at the track was awesome, just to be there amongst other riders and watching them corner like legends felt good. Bard and I the first day were just concentrating on getting the feel with the new bike on the track seeing that its alot higher than a race bike and to get our knee down was going to take extra special lean and balls.

After exhausting myself at the track I went back to Bards and layed down in his driveway as I was totally and utterly physically exhausted. I drank more than 10 litres over the course of the day at the track but this wasn't enough to replace the salts and other minerals my body had used. One could not imagine a day at the track could take so much out of your body, by the end of the day I had troubles with even putting one foot in front of the other. I could hardly feed myself that night. Went to bed at 7pm and slept until 6am the next day. 11 hours sleep was nice but my body was still wrecked from overdoing Day 1.

Not to worry, some protein, couple litres of water and off to the track we went. Day 2 we learnt more about body positioning and then went to try our hand at 'getting our knee down'. The very first session after the lesson Bard was very fortunate to get his knee down at Honda corner, it was just a touch and go... this was a nice smooth knee down all the way around the corner. I was positioned behind and I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. Immediately after his knee down we hit the main straight and I swear if Bard jumped any higher in the air he would have touched the clouds! He was sooooo happy. I drove down the main straight thinking "ok next lap, next lap it's me". I focused and throttled on but after 5 laps no joy. I was getting dehydrated so I hit the pits for a refresh before I headed back out to get my knee down. When I hit the pits the rain kicked in and the rest of the day was a washout.

Off to the pub for a knee down beer. Bard wouldn't shut up about it... good on him! Not everyone gets to achieve this feat and no one deserves it more than him.

Day 3. Early rise...full tank of fuel and off to the track we went. We were very very early and nobody was there yet so we prepared the bikes and as soon as the garage was open I kitted up and out we went before even the rest of guest arrived. I think it was 2 warm up laps and the third lap I finally got my knee down on Honda corner.....wooohoooo! Tick! Been there done that! What a feeling!

With good instruction from the 3 legends at the track: Graham, David and Jimmy (thanx guys... I owe you all!) I left BIRA feeling more competent and in control of my bike. I had a better understanding of cornering, braking and smooth acceleration. I can highly recommend anyone who is thinking about riding lessons at any level... Highside Tours can service you at any level of riding experience you may require.

Thought I would add some photos of Jimmy, he is like me ...camera shy!

(Notice the knee down action)

So we all went to TQ2 in Pattaya and celebrated for the evening. Great night had by all.

The next day I spent in Pattaya relaxing with a friend of mine and then planned to head for Chantaburi to visit my factory and spend the weekend there before finally returning to BIRA on Sunday for a final knee down experience and then back to Bangkok Sunday evening where I would finally end my SSR Epic Ride. It didn't quite work out like that.

Left Pattaya with perfect blue skies mid morning Friday and then the weather changed quickly, I found myself in the middle of a thunderstorm and had to pull over due to very poor visibility. A 120 km trip took me 3 hours due to the rain and I arrived safely and checked into my hotel.

Friday and Saturday I worked and enjoyed a night out with friends from the factory before being escorted back to my hotel by some of the staff. I was following them on their scooter quite slowly in the left lane of a 2 lane road when out of nowhere I was struck quite violently by a car from behind (obviously drunk and using multiple lanes) at some speed. I fell to the ground doing around 50-60km/hr and as I was on my way down the car's tires sped past my head. I noticed it was a white car and then I remember seeing my bike nearly taking out the scooter as they slowed down when they heard the crash. My bike skidded along the road on its right side and finally rested about 30 metres from where I landed on the road. The car by that point sped away and was never to be seen again although they left a number of souveniers from the front section of the car there for the police to investigate. My shoulder, wrist and butt were killing. I was wearing a helmet, boots and good thick jeans but no jacket that evening. The police and ambulance showed up within minutes and I was whisked away to hospital for X-Rays and some attention from the local nurses.

Nothing broken; only missing skin and a sore shoulder and black fingers. I went back to my hotel after some treatment and a pain killing jab from a lovely nurse. The next day I went to the police station and although I don't remember speaking with the police at any point in time they had already filled in a report and me giving accounts in the first person...go figure!

The bike looked ok initially but my shoulder was wrecked so I decided not to ride home and contacted Yamaha to come and pick the bike up which they did and took it back to Bangkok. Today I went to look at the bike and although it appears reasonably undamaged the car hit with great impact on the rear right side and hit the rear section, followed by the indicator and then took off the rear passenger peg completely. I believe if the peg hadn't been open it would have crushed my leg so I'm thankful I got away without permanent injury. After careful inspection by Yamaha and Bard there was more damaged than first believed, the whole frame and sub frame needs replacing, front forks and whole rear tire section is all out of whack. At this point the insurance bill is between 200-250k...thank goodness for insurance companies! It will take them around 2 months to process the insurance claim and order the parts from Japan so I will be twiddling my thumbs for some time to come.

So the SSR Epic Ride is over, not the way i would of liked it to end but atleast i went out with a bang.

Sit back and relax and enjoy some of the photos from the track days at BIRA.

See you all next time

Hey

Glad your okay bikes can be fixed.

HH

[LivinLOS]

Bummer to hear the damage is more than you thought but like I said already.. Bikes are replaceable, especially insured ones !!

Take care.. heal up.. and see ya round.. Guess that rules you out for phuket ??

Also have to ask.. Does she do pit duty every time you go there ??

[JimsKnight]

Well trouble really does come in three's.

First Bards low-side, then the pannier box flyoff and finally a shunt for the chaos man!

Good to hear you've escaped serious injury.

Next time wear gloves and a jacket

On the missing skin, make sure you take antibiotics and the like.

I caught a crippling fever from when I skinned my knee, foot and knuckle.

Infections are a bstard out here.

Good pics of the babe and congrats on joining the knee-down club.

[Travelmate]

Get well soon.

It won't happen again. (hopefully)

Tell Yamaha to get their shit together and declare it a write off! Busted frame & sub frame, fok that. Take forever to repair and it will never be as good as the original. Get down to the showroom, create a stink, take advantage of the insurance company. Ride out the next day on a brand new spanker!

Quit twiddling thumbs and get on track. Cannae let Bard have all the fun and it won't be long before he becomes a track God!!

Even Rossi still rode his bike with a broken hand!

[LivinLOS]

Yeah I would be lobbying hard for a write off.. Even if it cost me some top up funds.. In for a penny in for a pound.

Also 2 months wait ?? isnt the whole thing about buying a new bike from a main dealer that they have everything you need right there !!!

[Bard]

I agree they should write off Trentys bike.

I looked at Trentys bike yesterday and the rear is fokked, the arm, and rear frame a bent mess, then a good whack on the engine mount and all pegs except 1 is fokked so that looks even worse for the frame there, but unable to verify. Moving on and the forks is bent as well, engine covers, fairing etc. So they basically need to replace 80% of the bike so it's a write off for sure. Back home they replace any bike with frame damage, which I thought was the going standard anywhere...

I was way more lucky with fairing screwed, a dent in the front rim and slightly bent fork, could still ride it for yet another 6000 km after, even on track so no worries. I handed in my mistress yesterday to Yamaha as I will go to work again, and they confirmed when I am back the bike will be 100% fixed, all new stuff. Plus install my Arrow full system, PC3 and Galfer brake lines, still not a track bike but should at least make it better until I get my dedicated track bike.

Decided to go literclass for the track, so when I get back home I hope to find something usable. Talked with khun Ekachai yesterday and he confirmed the 600cc class is basically only pro racers who compete, not fun to always be last, so he also recommended literbike. Hopefully by the end of the year I will manage to give travelmate a run for the money it will certainly be fun to compete on same class of bike.

Cheers Bard

[BigBikeBKK]

Even Rossi still rode his bike with a broken hand!

Remember Jorge Lorenzo racing with a broken ankle in the China GP?

Don't let the bastards get your down Trent- With that much damage you should definitely argue for a write off and new bike. <deleted> insurance companies... Happy to take your money, but when it comes time to paying a claim... Fixing a bike with a tweaked frame is near impossible. Give' em hel_l and hope you'll be riding again soon!

Tony

[LivinLOS]

I just thought of something.. Is Trents frame bent ?? Or only the rear subframe swingarm ??

Cos if it is the frame doesnt that throw up the ever confusing issue that the one item that its impossible to legally change on a book is the frame ??? So what Yammie restamp a new frame with the old stamp ?? Its OK for Yammie to do it but not the public ??

Personally I think the rule is crazy.. Pay the tax and you should be able to swap them out.. but it is one of those Thai brick walls no ??

Also if you factor in how much of the bike is rego tax.. And you have still got a damage bill at 200 - 250.. I cant see how they wont substitute a machine keeping the rego.. Unless maybe its the frame issue again ?? hmmm..