OUR BIKES
all the extra use (and the fact my iPhone 6S
was getting a bit old). The solution was easy, I
popped over to my local Supercheap Auto
store in Cambridge and grabbed a simple 12v
electrical charger system. The kit simply bolts
on to the battery terminals and clamps on to the
handlebar, plus with two different outlets (12v
and the old-style cigarette lighter style port)
there is plenty of scope to charge
different devices on the go.
In terms of function, the factory handguards
aren’t the best in terms of offering protection
from much more than the wind. They are flimsy
plastic and in the event of a drop are just as
likely to break as the levers are. Wanting
neither to break, I jumped online and hit
up local parts supplier bits4bikes.co.nz and
sourced a set of Barkbusters for the Rall
with the Jet style plastics.
Fitting the Barkbusters was pretty straightforward
and the only special tool I needed was
a hacksaw to chop off the end of the throttle
roller so that the right-hand-side Barkbuster
could be fitted.
While I like the look of the Jet plastics, I think
I might actually look at getting a different set
of plastics for the Barkbusters which offer a
larger profile against the oncoming elements, as
the Jet still lets a decent amount of weather
past them.
Thankfully, I haven’t yet put the durability of
the Barkbusters properly to the test other than
a couple of stationary falls, but I’m happy in the
knowledge that they’re going to go a lot further
than the factory units regardless.
Perhaps the biggest change to the bike’s
fit-out has been the move away from the
factory fitted IRC tyres. With the reality of my
riding currently being more on-road than off,
I was lucky enough to be put in touch with the
New Zealand distributor of Avon Tyres and given
a set of AV53/AV54 Trailrider tyres in the factory
46 KIWI RIDER