Wayno’s 2019 Santa list
So I’ve been holed up with some busted bits for a few weeks after a bit of a cockup on a mtb. Six plus weeks with no riding normally makes Wayne a bit stabby, but I’m actually ok with it this time around. Myself and a mate were hitting the trails up at Bright and had just finished a section of Hero when I turned to him and said ‘’that’s seriously the best run I’ve ever done’.
Fully committing to and cleanly landing probably my biggest air was something I won’t forget for a while. So we did the infamous ‘just one more’. And it went tits up. Fatigue and inattention were mainly to blame as I came up a little short on a triple that I thought was a tabletop – skipped/bounced off the lip and came down on my shoulder . A broken arm and two ribs, some soft tissue damage and plenty of bark off all of my sticky outty parts was the result. So I’ve been ‘paying fun tax’ since.
The upside is that its given me plenty of time to think about what I’ll be doing when I get back on. Figured I should wear some body armour this time around so I’ll be testing some options out in the next couple of weeks. It seems having lots of time on your hands is not great for your online shopping habits.
Anyway – this got me thinking about what else I might like under the tree this year.. My imaginary Garage if you will. And because I have time… here’s my list of favourite bikes for 2019.
Every day sports bike: KTM 1290 SuperDuke
Unpossibly good. A motor that is simply sublime, wrapped in a chassis and suspension package that’s as close to perfect for a road going sports bike as you can get. Finish it off with some kick arse styling and a surprisingly comfortable riding position and you have an every day winner. One of these in your shed would negate the need for ongoing anti depressents I’m sure. Fifth gear wheelies are pretty effective like that.
Special: Triumph Thruxton R
They’re just so damn purdy. Exceptionally well executed classical styling, but with modern tech. It goes, turns and stops better than most of us will ever need. I’d save it for special occasions.
Track Bike: Yamaha YZF-R1 M
I’m not deluded enough to think that I can get the last bit of performance out of any of the modern sportsbike crop. They’ve all got great gobs of power, and traction control way better than you. The reality is you’ll go the quickest on the one you feel the most comfortable and confident on. And while I haven’t ridden all of this years options, the Yammie crossplane donk does funny things to my nether regions. If the ‘regular’ R1 was ace when I last rode it, then the new YZF-R1 M must be otherworldy on the charge.
Special mention to Triumph’s Daytona 765 here. That was a tough call.
Dirt squirter: KTM 690 Enduro R
Because.. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for the 690 and the new one is mint. You could throw roadies on it and get your motard on. I must give that a shot one day. And besides.. when I grow up I wanna be like Toby. Don’t forget the red bull stickers. And rally fairing.
Adventure/Tourer: BMW R1250 GSA
If I already have the KTM 690 in the shed, then I probably don’t need a mid weight Adventure bike that I’d otherwise choose, so I’ll go for the mac daddy. With all the fruit please Santa. Because they really are still the benchmark go anywhere bike. Surprisingly swift on road too.
And some new gear?
Turns out I already have some new gear to try out over the Christmas break. Santa came early. Right about the time I threw myself at the ground on the MTB so I haven’t had a chance to give them a run yet!
Helmet: Airoh Commander Duo
Looking forward to putting this through its paces. Removable peak (hence the duo moniker) so it’ll perform both adventure bike and road bike duties. Fits like a glove and build quality is top shelf. I can see why a couple of my mates rate Airoh so highly.
Boots: XPS XP3-S
Reaaally nice XPD boots from Spidi. Road-Sports-Touring boot. Removable/replacable sliders. Another very nice piece of kit dripping with quality that’ll be getting worn in over the next week or so.
Jacket and Pants: Motodry Advent-Tour Trekker
These will be my ‘do everything’ gear for a while as I throw everything at them and see how they handle it. Removable armour (jacket has shoulder, elbow and back protection – pants have knee and hip protection), water bladder pocket, 2 removable layers (waterproof and thermal) for flexibility. Lots of well thought out details. Good fit and materials too. Looks to have good summer venting too.
Gloves: Five GT3 WR
Nice light adventure gloves. Knuckle protection, good fit (quite comfy and stretchy actually) not sure how they’ll go in extended rain as I don’t think they’re really made for that – but will try that out too!
I’ll give you a proper review of all of this gear in a month or more once I’ve put 5 thousand kays into them.
Anyway – that’s my list! I didn’t go too nuts with exotics or short runs (other than the 765..), there’s not a bike on the list that I wouldn’t actually shell out my own coin for. And I reckon if I had to pick just two, one for road and one for dirt.. They’d probably both be orange. But there’s so many good bikes out there we are really blessed for choice.
So I’m interested – pick my list apart – what would you choose instead? And why?
Have a safe break everyone.
Cheers.
