MCN STAR LETTER
Inspirational women Further to Simon Greaves’ letter (MCN, February 10) about Elspeth Beard’s book, I heartily recommend Home by Seven by Steph Jeavons. What an inspirational read! After overcoming personal demons in her earlier life she followed her dreams and rode a 250 Honda solo around the world, on all seven continents. It’s a book you can hardly put down. Pat Sturman, Devon
Just a scare story?
I was interested to read that the elements and UV light will weaken a crash helmet over time. I own a carbon fibre lid and I would be very surprised if the shell would weaken as suggested. Aircraft have many external parts, such as the wings, made from carbon fibre and they are designed to last for 30 years or more. Could this just be a scare story to encourage us to buy new when perhaps it’s not necessary? Tony Rooke, email
Getting clean, going green I’d like to reduce the volume of plastic and non-recycleable material I use and ultimately throw away when I’m cleaning my bike. I’ve seen alternative sponges and brushes for household use, but I’m not sure whether the different materials would risk tiny scratches or an undesirable reaction with bike products. Do readers have any recommendations or tips as to what to look out for? Samantha Appleyard, email
That’s proper service Thought I should let you know about my recent experience with Kriega relating to the US5 tail pack and in particular, fitting it to my ZZR1400. The luggage comes with a fixing kit which attaches under the seat to the subframe and leaves small loops protruding, to which different size tail packs can be fitted. The problem with the ZZR1400 is that the seat is wide and
the straps are not long enough. After a few emails to Kriega customer support so they could fully understand the problem, they offered to make a set of custom straps for me. They fitted perfectly! All I need now is for the current lockdown to be eased so that I can get out and use it in anger. Andrew Storey, email
Ed: Great stuff. Don’t forget to send pictures of your travels to yourpics@ motorcyclenews.com
Regs are nothing new Contrary to the headlines, the regulations for getting stuff from Europe are not new. We have lived with them over many years as they have developed within the EU. The only difference is that we are now outside the EU, so the regs apply to us. Why do you think kit from Aerostich works out at over one pound sterling to one US dollar, and it’s not just shipping! If we ever thought that our (or any) government would be able to make the transition seamless, then we were living in cloud cuckoo land. Brian Windsor, email
Used deals of tomorrow
In response to the letter about ‘keeping it real’ (MCN, February 3), I agree there are plenty of articles about bikes well outside my price bracket. I see why some might skip past this content but personally I find it all hugely important. It keeps me informed about what bikes and what tech features are entering the market. I also make a point of noting the kind of bikes I might buy in a few years’ time. These machines aren’t going to be brand new and unaffordable forever. Matt Corner, Bath
How about pothole radar? Regarding the 2021 Versys, I have the 2013 model and it’s one of the best bikes I’ve owned in 50 years of riding. But never mind all this semi-active suspension, what I and thousands of other riders need is pothole avoidance radar, then I’d pay the 15 grand price tag. Malcolm Coppin, East Sussex
Just press the button
What planet are you on calling the Triumph 765 dash ugly (MCN, February 3) and saying the design of its rev counter is a letdown when compared to the Aprilia RS660? You can just set it to one of six screens available, a couple of which are almost identical to the Aprilia one. John Ellis, email
Kicked in the bollards
I am going to court with Westminster Council as I had an accident when a bollard flap flipped up as I rode over it. It lodged in my exhaust and literally catapulted me off. I wonder if any other riders have had a similar experience. David Hodson, email
Just can’t stop biking
In 2014 I had an accident on a Triumph Trophy 1200. I was airlifted and spent eight weeks in hospital. But however hard I tried, I could not shake my love of bikes (I tried to replace it with so many other hobbies). So, I recently bought an R1150GSA, ironically from a pal who was with me on the day that I crashed. I cannot tell you how it felt having a bike again. Should I know better? Yes. Do I care? No. Rob Stevenson, email