I never really understood the front fairing on the Honda Stunner (CBF125). Undoubtedly it improves the looks of the bike, but functionally it added nothing and is just something else you need to remove during maintenance.
Then on a French website I saw the Ermax screens. Available in two heights they replace the mini standard screen on the fairing and claim to deflect some of the wind blast. I chose the higher of the the two screens and placed my order.
Delivery by international airmail took a few days. The service was good and the screen was well packed. Fitting took 10 minutes but it would have been less if the instructions had been better. I needed to loosen the handlebar fixings and tilt the bars back by 5 degrees, but otherwise the steering lock was unaffected. The quality of the screen is excellent (as it should be for 60 Euros) and I was immediately impressed with how it enhanced the looks of the bike.
Perhaps the real revelation was in riding the bike with the new screen. I had always suspected that the upright riding position impaired the top end performance and the screen confirmed this. With the air being lifted over the rider's chest I was using noticeably less throttle to hold a cruising speed and headwinds no longer chopped 10kmh off the top speed. A quick dash down the motorway showed I could hold a steady 72 mph (115kmh) without lying on the tank albeit using full throttle.
Doing my daily commute showed that a steady 60mph (96 kmh) was no problem and I definitely had the impression that I was using less throttle. The next time I filled the tank this was confirmed when I managed 110 miles per gallon instead of the usual 102.
So is it all good news? Nearly. On the downside, the bike is affected more by crosswinds. Gusty winds can make the bike move sideways more than before the screen was fitted. There is also an increase in wind noise as the air is deflected up to head height by the screen. However these are a small price to pay for the better performance and improved appearance.

It is a habit of mine to read the news online whilst I eat my lunch. This story put me off my sandwich.
h
ttp://www.anorak.co.uk/strange-
but-true/212922.html<
br>Perhaps I should stick to the business news if I am eating...!

At the weekend an England soccer fan was asked to stop singing in a bar in Kyrgyzstan before the England match against Kazakhstan. He refused so a local shot him in the leg with a pistol. Presumably this replaced the sound of bad English singing with the noise of a drunk Englishman screaming and swearing.
Anyway the most impressive aspect of this story is that the fan didn't bother complaining to the police. Instead he went to hospital to have the bullet removed, then checked himself out of the hospital and rejoined his friends so he could see the game. Mad, yes, but strangely wonderful too.
http://goal.c
om/en/news/9/england/2009/06/04
/1304437/reports-england-fan-sh
ot-in-leg-at-kyrgyzstan-bar

Dramatic clouds gather over The Oval cricket ground like an omen and the English spring rain is falling gently under the yellow floodlights. The sell out crowd doesn't mind. The excellent Pakistan fans make it a party atmosphere as Twenty20 cricket gives us the spectacle of an English Cricket Team on home turf fighting for its survival.
Three days before England had stumbled and fallen before a haphazard team from the Netherlands. Embarrassing for sure, but now a loss at the Oval would mean a humiliating departure for the host country. There is tension, apprehension even, in the minds of the England fans. By striking contrast the Pakistan fans are characteristically exuberant. They chant, they sing: the English spectators are virtually silent as England lose the toss and are put in. Twenty20 favours the team second to bat ... another omen perhaps to jangle the nerves of player and spectator alike.
The proverb says "cometh the hour cometh the man", and today he was Kevin Pietersen. Nerves needed to be settled, doubts cast aside and who better than Pietersen to rise above the stubborn achilles injury that left him in the stands as England faltered against the Netherlands. He is the embodiment of nonchalence as he leans against his seeming tiny bat surveying the outfield. He exudes confidence and swings his way to 58 off 38 balls. It is a well balanced scorecard and a solid if not exceptional batting performance by England.
Pakistan come into bat to chase 185 runs and within 10 overs we know it is beyond them. The run rate required rises inexorably as wickets fall. Only captain Younis Khan stands proud as others fail around him with an unbeaten 46. As Misbah (in at number 7 and already chasing a lost cause) hits a 6 we realise with a shock that it is the first of the Pakistani innings. England fielding, so often a source of criticism, is assured. Even the one dropped catch (by Bopara dazzled by the lights) only highlighted the gulf between the teams: Pakistan had dropped four. England are cruising, their fans are loud and proud and the empty seats show that many Pakistani fans have seen enough.
Victory by 58 runs gives England near certain qualification to the next round. Relief is the prevalent emotion but truthfully the Netherlands could have beaten Pakistan tonight. They have until Tuesday to regather themselves and push for qualification. Pakistan have quality which will shine through, but tonight belongs to England. They have done enough: we breathe again.

So the Devil Exhaust company in France finally delivered the racer exhaust for my CBF125 Stunner. Four weeks for delivery.... ridiculous... but once I had opened the box everything was forgiven.

The stainless steel is beautiful and the construction is very tidy with narrow welds and rivetting. I am very cynical of "easy to fit" replacement exhausts but the Devil bolted in place with minimal jiggling. It's a two man job though (or a one man job for a three armed man!) but only because there are three parts to the exhaust and you need to support it all as you tighten up the bolts. But it took 15 minutes and required no gasket material to seal it. Marvellous!

... and the result. Well I am thrilled with it. At the exit to the exhaust there is a baffle ( "a decibel killer") retained by one rivet. Drilling out the rivet and replacing it with a nut and bolt made it removable. With the baffle in place the noise is louder than standard but still within legal limits. The noise is richer though and belies the small capacity of the engine.

With the baffle removed the bike sounds remarkable. Even on idle it has the depth of sound you would expect from a bike of 4 times the capacity. Rev the engine and it sounds like armageddon...great then...but you better have a good relationship with your neighbours.

As for performance, the bike is faster than standard with the baffle in place and about the same with the baffle removed. I suspect the mixture is weak with the straight through pipe. I put the baffle back in. The neighbours love me again and the bike goes really well: revving more freely and feeling less restricted at full throttle.

A good investment? Yes, for sure. It looks so much better than the standard exhaust and the stainless steel might resist the British winter a bit better than the painted original.

The Triumph Thruxton went to the bike dealers for its annual service. An overnight stay while they waited for a throttle linkage meant a loan bike was offered.

The Triumph Street Triple is a bike I would never consider owning: modern and ugly with bug eye headlights and masses of matt black. It looked heavy, high and home made.

Of course, I was wrong. Once again I had foolishly judged by appearances. The Street Triple was a delight. Low and lighter than it looks it has 100 bhp from its 675cc engine and low gearing. The result is a bike that lifts its front wheel on the throttle in second gear and pulls it up again when you click into third. The huge lump of torque in the midrange produced startling acceleration on part throttle. Red traffic lights become something to relish just for the chance to fire the bike up the road on amber.

Handing the bike back I realised how much fun it had been. My Thruxton feels slow, heavy and sensible by comparison

The Street Triple is ugly though... I have attached a picture of it in its bug eyed glory. Honestly... it has a face that only its mother could love!

With that engine, I could live with the looks, even if my driving license couldn't live with the performance

Five years after moving to this house I have finally lifted the tarpaulin from my Enfield 350. I had parked it in the garage, sprayed it with grease, and left it. Now guilt and a need for the space have forced me to wipe off the cobwebs, hose away the mouse droppings and see what half a decade of neglect has done.

An hour of cleaning later a mint 350 emerged from the garage. Beneath the grimy oil lay my 350 as good as when I parked it. Now I just need to get it going. On a shelf in the garage is a box of spare parts last opened in Delhi. The dealer was asked to pack in everything that might be needed to keep the Enfield on the road.

Summer is here. It is time to break the seal on the box and get the 350 smoking again.