Michelin Comp Rear Tyre:
Bought on the Isle of Man. so far so good. No complaints about the performance. Works well and seems to wear ok as well so a good all round tyre. 7/10

Dunlopad front pads:
Continued - I've now completed in another H&H race plus four hard days riding on the Isle of Man, and the pads are still doing great work. I replaced the fluid before going to the TT and found pumping the lever with the brake line pulled down below the height of the master cylinder worked wonders. The travel was greatly reduced and I've been able to back the span adjuster right off. Continued again: Well I've been on several more rideouts and taken part in another round of the CHEC and the pads are still going strong! Another big rideout this weekend and after that the Hafren so I've bought some new pads for that - could not get Dunlopad gain so I hope the new ones will be ok.

Dunlopad front pads:
I fitted these before going to Wales and four days riding there plus another day in Berkshire, followed by a H&H race and they still look fine. Great pads and good braking force with plenty of feel, yes even on a KTM! Tip: push back the pistons in the caliper to cure any excesive lever travel. 10/10

Bridgestone 668 Rear tyre: Fitted before we went to Wales and worked well over the four days we were there. Ground was very hard (it is Wales) but lasted well. About half worn now and did another rideout day with my club mid week, for a special 'printed' report to come later. Grip in the mud and on grass was very good but on wet rocks it suffered a bit. However I think that was just the conditions and not a shortcoming of the tyre. I've since took it off to fit a trials tyre for the Chiltern Hills Enduro H&H but I've kept it for summer use as it still has enough tread for dry rides. 8/10

Race Spec:
Chains did not arrive on time! I phoned up and was told there were none in stock (after being told they were). Went mad down phone and got them to send the X-ring chain that they had in stock. Not good but at least I got a better chain. They also included a t-shirt FOC which went some way to making up for poor service. 5/10

Sprocket Update:
After reviewing the JT sprockets and DID chain elseware on this page I need to update you about the lifespan of the replacement front Rental. It's very badly worn and to be honest I'm a bit disappointed. I replaced it in Sept06 just before the Salisbury Plain rideout. So including the Plain ride I make it six days (wet) riding, not excessive by any way but sprocket is dangerously worn. Ordered a new set from Race spec today so we’ll see if they have improved their service! I’ve always had good service from them myself. Ordered a DID O-ring and rental front with JT steel rear. While phoning around for prices I was told by two companies that they have been having trouble with DID chains of late. Strange as I’ve always regarded them as class leaders for quality chain, anyone else had problems?

Carbon Lorain Rear Brake Pads:
Being a main stream pad supplier I thought these pads would be a safe bet but to be brutally honest I found them very poor quality and not a good buy at all. I had to replace my rear pads for the tattydrz ride out and my normal supplier did not have in stock, so all I could find were the Carbon Lorain items. I used them for the rideout that in fairness was very wet and muddy. Followed by another wet ride when I went out on my own a few weeks later. Two rides and they were down to metal! And I’m not hard on the rear brake as the 450exc has plenty of engine braking and in the mud I don’t need it. Very disappointed about the life span. I’ve had the bike about a year now and only replace rear pads once before (middle of last year) with standard ebc pads. Worst off I bought some front pads at the same time for fitting at a later date, might just keep those for emergencies. 2/10.

If anyone else has any views, email then to me and I’ll include them – good or bad, just keep them constructive. This is not a witch hunt page! I reserve the right to edit as I see fit but will not change viewpoint.

Pirelli Scorpion Pro’s:
nice and cheep to buy from a supplier who advertises in TBM, £75 front and rear. I have found these a pretty good all round tyre. Easy to fit with good traction in most terrain when new, but life span only ‘fair’. Road work really kills the tread life and compared to the Bridgestone that has just been bought as a replacement the tyre compound feels noticeably softer. But for the price you can’t argue with the quality but time for a change so moving on to Bridgestone now. 6/10.

DID Chains and JT sprockets:
You just cannot go wrong when you buy a DID O or X ring chain. I’ve had a few other brands but I always come back to DID in the end. To be honest the O ring chain is not badly priced, if you shop around. As i ride most on the lanes (not racing) I opted for steel JT sprockets front and rear. That was last year and the chain is still going strong with no stretching that causes tight spots. While the rear sprocket is still fine I replaced the front one with a Rental front. Two reasons for that really, one I wanted to down gear the bike so dropped a tooth size on the front and secondly because the front sprocket had started to wear and ‘hook’ over. So next time I’ll stick to the steel JT rear but change to a rental front. I do rate JT sprockets and they are the only brand that I would recommend other than OE and rental. Twice I’ve had a sprocket milled off centre by cheaper brands so stick to quality items. 8/10

KTM Waterproof Enduro Pro Jacket: Really impressed with this jacket and it doesn’t cost the earth either. Well made and good spread of pockets. Nice removable fleece inside which I think had been discontinued for this 07 model year. 8 /10

Thor Ride Pants:
Good value for money pants that I would buy again and have been using mine for over two years and they are just starting of wear out now, will buy another. Early model (like mine) only had a popper at waist so fitted a Velcro strap myself. Ok someone else might not need the extra fastener but my fluctuating stomach sometimes overcomes standard popper buttons! Does let in after a while (like most) and as it's a over boot design water can splash up inside and run down into your boots. 7/10