unclefester

Sold the X Spirit 3 and bought myself a Neotec 2 with the built in comms. The whistling in the wind from the external SENA unit on the X Spirit 3 was driving me mad. I'm sure as a race lid behind a fairing the X Spirit is a great lid - i've just never quite got on with it. Found the Neotec 2 in plain white brand new for £360 and picked up the internal comms for a shade under £150 second hand. I might get some decals to break up the Stormtrooper look or i probably won't care that much.

The Neotec 2 fits like a glove and it doesn't fcuk up my titanium frame glasses when taking it off or putting it on.

It's the lid i should have bought in the first place, The built in Bluetooth stuff is leagues better in terms of fit, cable routing AND sound quality.

https://www.megamotorcyclestore.co.u...eid=30dc245049 got it from here - 10% discount ( WELCOME10 ) for new shoppers.

Kept the Z1000 for now - commute to work is OK and there's a bike parking space at the back of the building with a handy lamp post to run a chain around.

Nottm_S2

What do you use Bluetooth for?

Not used the bike much this summer, no commute, been busy with some projects on the house but finishes today so might shoot up to CMC clay cross tomorrow for a ride, some corking roads and scenery up there

I hanker after the CB1000R naked.. a few mods and I love the look and motor on that but I am doing feck all miles so hard to justify really

unclefester

Muzak:-) I like a little drum n bass to accompany a ride. Never made a call on one but do have home / wife / 999 programmed just in case

I nearly bought a CB1000R instead of the Z and almost swapped that for a GSX-S1000 but the Z was a better fit and I like the removable panniers that don't leave ugly hardware mounts visible.

arsie

I can't really believe you'd have music* on all the time.

Riding a (push) bike around London in the late '60s I found hearing a useful alarm sense.



*for want of a better word!

unclefester

Bike is noisy. You learn to pay proper attention to your mirrors. I've already got ear plugs in and the music is just loud enough to take away some of the wind noise.

Horns and sirens i'd hear but youll just have to trust me when i say I'd see a hazard before I heard it, music or not

Nottm_S2

Wind and engine noise is big above 30-40 mph

At NSL you don't hear much outside the bike, this makes you much more aware, visually. It's hard to describe but on a bike I like the peace, no tunes, just mutter to myself.

Was planning on going out today with kiddo at a party, it pissed it down and we painted a room. Jeesh

unclefester

Same problem to a certain extent - i'd like a RE 650 but it'd be shite to commute on and I only use a bike for commuting. It's not a leisure thing so if i'm not taking it to work, i'm just not using it. That needs decent waterproof panniers and a good fairing which = Z1000SX. I think i can count on one hand the number of times i've ridden it without the panniers on. Anything else is just not fun / practical for that use. Weird because for that use, I have a complete love for biking - just not for any other use it seems.

The other challenge with a change is that almost everything else is just SLOW by comparison, opening the taps up on this literally bends time, especially in 2nd or 3rd. Overtakes on some of the back roads to work are a breeze and yet it still returns about 50mpg / 190ish to a tank which is frankly rude given the performance on tap.

As much as i fancy trying something else ( Diavel / Honda Bagger / RE650) i suspect i'll keep this until my specific use for it evaporates and only then will a replacement be even close to on the cards.

Nottm_S2

Yeah, my mileage on the XSR stuck at c7k when I stopped commuting in 2020 just before covid, 2 and a bit years in (on that bike)

I don't leisure ride really and have a shadow of a covid dog stalking my every move so a few hundred miles a year popping around when she is distracted/asleep

plan to keep it for now, also got the dirt bike which I need to recommission and then probably dispose of. It's running like a pig ATM so need to sort that and some wiring.. bah. Its not high on the list

arsie

Now you two explain, I 'get' the concentration on visuals versus the ambient noise level whether from 2-stroke or 4 (I guess most are the latter?)

It's a bit like that driving in the silent Honda 'e' watching out for pedestrians with innate secret death wish tendencies.

unclefester

The thing that a bike does over and above a car is it gives you complete and total focus on riding. It's a much more involved thing, if you don't concentrate then you potato. Personally I find music better for that than wind noise but it's that sole focus on one thing that makes it relaxing / calming.