Been playing with my Go Pro again. 
Took a bit of footage yesterday while out on a run from Carlingford Lough up the coast to Newcastle.
Was able to attach the camera lower this time and it gives a better impression of speed. (Only an impression, officer. Honest.) 
Have another clip of Conor Pass to Dingle in Killarney that I took in August to upload sometime.
Stopped using Vimeo.
Try this instead.

Conor Pass to Dingle K1600GT

Sounds like a turbine. I'll bet that engine is unlike anything else you've ridden, eh?

That engine is what its really all about. Its awesome.
Its so torquey. It'll pull strongly from less than 30mph in sixth.
Strangely enough, it has the same feel as the older K's in lots of little ways. 
It even has the same transmission whine and I believe that the valve gear is almost the same as the K100/K1100 16v engines.
When the guys where up North the other weekend, we weren't going too quickly and according to the computer, it was averaging 65 mpg!
Riding sensibly, a tank range of 320 miles is possible. Holds 26 litres.

Very nice video and thanks for sharing.
Nice to see the scenery. The quality of the video is very good.
But what is that????
Is that an air bag on this farm tractor? Does it has ABS too?

Don't you have those, Bert?
They're to prevent sports bike riders from wiping themselves out when they run into the back of a tractor. 
Unfortunately, a fairly common occurrence in this part of the world during the summer months. 
Lots of Joey Dunlop wannabes and tractors isn't a good mix.
For the benefit of any townies, it's a straw bale really.
As I type this, I'm uploading a video that I took in August of the Conor Pass down into Dingle in Killarney.
I'll try and get it up and running tomorrow.

When i see some of the trucks or utility trailers in my part of the world, I am sometimes thinking that it should be mandatory for them to carry a straw bale on their back.
I know that in Europe the law imposes a bumper at a certain height. Here, some transport trucks have their bumper mounted at eye level. In case of an accident, the front of your car goes under the truck and you get the bumper right on your windshield (or your face).
These trucks pass the safety inspection every year. The mechanic has only to check if the truck has a bumper.

How would you feel if you were hitting this trailer? Depending of the speed that you are driving, the whole front of your car could be cut in 1/2

Remember those times. More than a few people lost their head, literally.
It's been law here for a long time to have a 'catcher' at the back of a lorry or trailer.
There's a campaign going on here from motorcycle groups to have the 
'Cheesewire' barriers at the side of motorways banned.
Do you have those?

Yes we do have the cheesewire barriers too, but nobody has ever campaigned to have them banned.

Crazy Frog wrote:
But what is that????
Is that an air bag on this farm tractor?

White plastic is used in Norway........and it's tractor eggs, the tractors lay them
everywhere in the open fields.

Comberjohn wrote:There's a campaign going on here from motorcycle groups to have the 
'Cheesewire' barriers at the side of motorways banned.

It's never going to happen. Okay, so now's the time to admit I worked in the traffic industry for eleven years...  It's one of those jobs you don't admit to in company!!! Anyway, the reason for the cheesewire barriers is simply that they absorb more kinetic energy in a prang than a solid barrier will, so there's less chance of the vehicle rebounding into the traffic flow and less chance of serious injury to the occupants. Overall, less cost to the state (health treatment, road repairs, etc.). To put it absolutely bluntly, the cost equation says that it's cheaper to accept the deaths of a few motorcyclists (or kill a few bikers, if you prefer) than it is to pick up the tab from cars hitting solid barriers.

Can anyone give me specific figures on the deaths and serious injuries caused by these barriers to motorcyclists because many years ago when they were introduced in Australia I as part of the ulysses club tried to get this info and found that the death and injury rate was virtually the same as for armco barriers. The safest barriers for bikes were concrete.

RicK G wrote:Can anyone give me specific figures on the deaths and serious injuries caused by these barriers to motorcyclists because many years ago when they were introduced in Australia I as part of the ulysses club tried to get this info and found that the death and injury rate was virtually the same as for armco barriers. The safest barriers for bikes were concrete.

THIS may be of iterest

Not at all sure about that recommendation that you have to get a car licence before you can get a bike licence. That does nothing for road hazard perception, whereas the other way round... and make it at least two years between bike and car.

Dream on...

That seems to say what I was saying and that the WRBs are not the big bad bogey man that they are made out to be.
It was 2009 when we were looking for info on the WRB and I think it was Germany had come to the conclusion that they were no more dangerous than armco.
My personal thoughts on them are that they aren't as bad as perceived and after examining them and talking with engineers who had a lot of input and study of them is that if I had a choice I would take on a WRB rather than a single rail Armco.
I shall read that cover to cover and make more comment.
That document probably was on the study that no one would comment to us about until it was completed.

The only accident I have real info was a member of the bike club I was a member of 20 yrs ago. He lost his arm going through a WRB. Fortunately nothing hit him on the oposite carriageway. But no one would know what injuries he could have sustained if he'd hit concrete or armaco.

Also time, studies and statistics move on. I left the traffic business over twenty years ago, so perceptions (and facts) may very well have changed since then. I (foolishly) quoted the DoT (Department of Transport) attitude at the time.

I saw a study when I was looking for info in 09 about how much better concrete barriers are and that you tend to bounce off and not get tangled up in posts etc but that doc says concrete at the bottom of the list and is worse.
Much of the opinion depends on what outcome is wanted.  I have been involved in writing 2 reports on road safety and if you don't use the up to date "buzzwords" then the bureaucraps just chuck it in the bin.

I saw a friend hit armco really hard once and my immediate thought was he is dead but much to alls suprise he got up and proceeded to try to get the bike out from under the barrier. Mind next day he was a bit ordinary to put it mildly, never seen bruises like it.
A difference of 10° in the angle of impact can make the difference of walking away or off to the glue factory.