Those are very potent bikes in the twisties. A genuine do-it-all bike.Originally Posted by Enoch
My mate collected this today… part ex’d a Fireblade.
I spent a couple of hours fitting a new end can and Givi pannier set.
Good to hear Tony
Bar risers make a surprising difference. Glad I’ve got mine.
Finished tinkering with this , wasted some pocked money, comfy seat, bar risers and adjustable rear sets all make it fit perfectly, originally after an hour or so, the seat would cut off the blood supply to my legs and my hands started to go numb, the gear lever didn’t sit quite right, now it fits like a glove and could ride all day and all night without any discomfort.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
That didn't go quite according to plan...
Having had "the discussion" and paid the deposit, Mrs Gyp's plans for decorating and carpeting 2 rooms turned into a significantly more thorough and immediate refurbishment of the house, which was clearly affordable because I was buying a bike. The idea that it wasn't affordable because I was buying a bike meant that the plans to buy a bike were revised.
The dealership were most understanding.
It was going to be a mint 2021 BMW Rninet Pure with 1,300 miles on the clock. Initially up at £9.5k and slowly reduced over time to £8k.
To be honest, adding a third, or is it fourth bike to the stable to make it slightly easier for me and the lad to get out for two, maybe three rides this year isn't a strong argument. Especially when we have some holes in the hall carpet...
Some holes? You need to be more specific to drop a potential bike from the garage!! ;)
We’ve never had a carpet down long enough to get holes. Sometimes not even long enough to warrant a run over with the vac!
Thought so, they were a great improvement over the Avon SM Mk11 and hard plastic Bridgestone's back in the day!YepStill think they look the dogs.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I agree, the perfect tyre for this bike IMHO.Thought so, they were a great improvement over the Avon SM Mk11 and hard plastic Bridgestone's back in the day!
Well, that took some digging out!
Splendid!went for a spin around the villages on this old girl yesterday.its a 1961 AJS M31 650 twin.i have owned this since 1987 ,bought from a friend in the motor trade as it was very cheap because he was sick of the sight of it.it had had lots of money spent on it but had been thrown together.i had little interest in it then as i was building up my garage business.it was then covered in waxoil and put in the storage shed until 2021 when since semi retiring i had much more time for hobbies.i dragged her out screaming into the daylight.i gave her a full cosmetic restoration and recommissioned the mechanics including having the magneto reconditioned.shes a lovely torquey old beast to ride.i think they were good for a ton in their day but were known for breaking crankshafts.i have raised the gearing by going up 3 teeth on the gearbox sprocket and ride her with respect for her 62year old mechanicals.shes 5 years younger than me..
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That seems to have come about more rapidly than originally expected, fingers crossed for you & not losing the entire season.
I imagine seeing the old bike was rather unsettling for you.
Somehow all of my bikes have become or are very near to needing new tyres, at around the same time..
An expensive week..
Ducati, not much choice in this size but the Diablo III’s seem to be a big improvement over the previous incarnation.
Bobber (will be getting Thruxton wheels when they come back from refurbishment. They’re going to look awesome, ceramic coated in bronze with black stainless steel spokes, and converted to tubeless)
Yamaha T max. This is fitted with Bridgestones which believe it or not cost more than the Diavel tyres, so I’ve gone for Pirelli
Speedmaster. I’ve not got much confidence with the stock Avons in the wet… so I’m going to try the Metzelers
The exact opposite for me.. went out at 10am got back at 3pm never stopped raining☹️.
Went to check the progress on my Ducati. I’ve never been happy with the front suspension since I’ve owned it, lots of stiction in the forks and vibration under braking (it had new discs fitted at 600 miles). My last 2 XDiavels never felt like this one.
At the annual service, (bike has now done 7k miles) my dealer had one of their experienced techs ride the bike and he agreed something was very amiss.
On inspection it was discovered that the front wheel hadn’t been machined correctly and was pulling the discs out of shape when they were bolted down. The forks were stripped and reassembled but were exactly the same on refitting.
The result is that Ducati have agreed to a warranty fix of 2 complete new forks, a new front wheel, discs and pads. £4.5k just for parts.
It’s taken a month to get to this point, but with a bit of luck I should have it back next week. The dealer has been excellent and fought my case tooth and nail to get the forks, so credit to them for that👍👍
Poor show but good result -
I rode about 500 km today in varying weather. It was nice to meet some other Honda CB 1100 owners, several of whom have customised their modern bikes to look the classic CB from the sixties.
Now I just wish I had taken better pics of the customised CB’s. They looked really good, I think Honda should’ve made it more like that in the first place. The modern stock CB looks mediocre at best.
Had a ride down to one of the regular tea stops for a brew and a bacon sarnie:
I made a few adjustments to the suspension this morning, so I had to go for a ride to test them out, to another regular watering hole for a very nice "healthy option" (poached egg and home produced ham on wholemeal toast) and proper coffee.
The bike felt better for it...and so did I
Rail strike gave me an excuse to ride to Waterloo from Hampshire, not the most interesting ride but good to be out!
Had a ride down to one of the regular tea stops for a brew and a bacon sarnie:
You’ll find me and my brother in law there at 8.00 on most Sunday mornings.
Not likely to be here though, it’s gone downhill a lot from when it was Sherry’s!I made a few adjustments to the suspension this morning, so I had to go for a ride to test them out, to another regular watering hole for a very nice "healthy option" (poached egg and home produced ham on wholemeal toast) and proper coffee.
The bike felt better for it...and so did I
We’ll often ride past on the way home (westbound) though as it’s not a good road to go east first thing as the sun is constantly in your eyes.
Whilst you’re having a ride out to cafes around here, try out the Custom Cafe on the A259 between Pevensey and Bexhill. That’s not a bad stop.
New one's in!
The old R80's back together so I now have room in the garage to fit another bike in.
I'll keep an eye out next time I'm at the 1066
I didn't know the Butcher's Hook had an earlier incarnation - to be honest I rate the food (and coffee) much more highly than the 1066, although service (ordering) can be slow when it's busy.
I have been to the Custom Cafe, but not for a good while.
I’ve not been to Butchers Hook for a long time to be fair and the Custom Cafe can be a bit hit and miss.
We only have a bacon baguette and coffee at the 1066 so again, can’t really comment
Those gold and blue Hondas look just like the early K1’s and K2’s. Ive never seen a custom like that over here :)I rode about 500 km today in varying weather. It was nice to meet some other Honda CB 1100 owners, several of whom have customised their modern bikes to look the classic CB from the sixties.
Now I just wish I had taken better pics of the customised CB’s. They looked really good, I think Honda should’ve made it more like that in the first place. The modern stock CB looks mediocre at best.
Well, I signed off the insurers' order for the replacement bike a couple of days ago and - true to their word - they're supplying me with a like for like bike including all options and extras included in my original purchase. The bike is presently with North London Triumph awaiting parts fitting and completion of the PDI, so it shouldn't be much more than a week now before it's ready for collection (I'm just waiting for confirmation of the date).
Ironically I received my renewal terms yesterday - luckily I was sitting down as it's doubled in cost. I suspect that it's the consequence of both the ridiculous uplifts being applied this year, together with the accident.
PS As the date gets closer, I'm increasingly aware that my confidence has taken a bit of a knock. I'm a pretty defensive rider anyway, but I suspect I'll need to get some mileage under my belt prior to feeling "normal" again.
Excellent news!
I guess one of the positives about accessories/options being dealer fit rather than factory order is that there's not a long wait - just find a bike and start bolting on.
Not quite so excellent news :-(
Fingers crossed...
No, not at all. However, a couple of historic (car-related) events will fall away in very early September, and my intention is to get some fresh quotes for the bike nearer the time as they should come in a lot cheaper.
Just a little heads up. It’s around 16 months since my accident, I’ve completed over 20k miles in that time, and I still don’t feel “normal”.
I’m still very nervous in traffic, and my overtaking manoeuvres are very very much reduced.. it’s getting better, but I suspect I’ll never ride with the confidence I used to.
Thanks for sharing that, which is quite enlightening. I suspect that my attitude towards risk will certainly change for the long term (I'm thinking filtering and overtaking more than traffic awareness in general, as city riding is the norm for me). I'm not a particularly fast rider anyway - nor do I have any desire to be - and suspect that I'll be even more conscious of riding defensively for a good while.
Shouldn't be too long now then Tony!
As for the confidence side of things it will return the more miles you get under your belt, although the heightened sense of awareness is probably changed forever which is probably not altogether a bad thing.
Probably not, Duncan.Shouldn't be too long now then Tony!
As for the confidence side of things it will return the more miles you get under your belt, although the heightened sense of awareness is probably changed forever which is probably not altogether a bad thing.
Good news with the bike relatively speaking thats quite quick.
Confidence is something thats hard to control when you get back on but it does come.
I am more worried/scared on my E bike than I am on my motorbike,but then I am still recovering from an accident on it 7 months later.
That’s great news Tony, I just did my insurance through Bikesure, much lower cost, in some cases over 50% and excellent cover.
Thought it was much nicer as an RT!Thanks, and noted re Bikesure.
Changing the subject, I thought this was a nice build... maybe something for Ian to think about
Im sure we have discussed Bikesafe before on this forum. I attended one a few years back, best £50 I have ever spent on a bike. The Police start from a position of defensive driving, so it will dovetail perfectly into your reacquainting with two wheels.
Went to the Raven last night… police were promoting their bike safe program with guess who?
ONLY SYLVAIN GUINTOLI..😎😎
Drove past the Raven two weeks ago. Earlier on the A41 we were passed by an M4 and M2 both into three figure speeds and overtaking on blind bends. At the roundabout about 1/2 mile from the Raven an UNMARKED police bike and a marked bike had stopped them. I recon it was a throw the keys away moment as I bet they thought the unmarked bike was another opportunity to race.
We also recon they were there to catch bikers who were making “ too much “ progress
I took the Bike Safe course about a year or so ago and was told that I did very well. Really enjoyed it and only recently enrolled for some video courses too, but I’m not sure that doing it again will add a great deal of value.
i think I’ll look into IAM and ROSPA, though.
Sylvain is my favourite Frenchman.
Love his Moto GP punditry. Great rider too. Cool guy.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Great ride with Spareparts (Ade) today. We started with an excellent breakfast at The Waterfront Cafe at Benson. Then rode to Premier Bikes. I’ve never seen a bike dealership with more stock. They had 8 Rocket 3 GTs ffs. Then we rode to Oxford BMW where a few items of apparel just may have been procured and then on to Diddly Squat Farm Shop. The queue for the shop was mental so we just went to the rather nice cafe for ice cream and a cuppa.
Next stop was the Cotswold Distillery. Tried some of the wonderful whiskies before buying a bottle and a gin for my good lady.
We then headed back through the Cotswolds via some fantastic roads.
Happy days.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Really enjoyed it, Andy. Thanks for the invite. It was the most enjoyable day's riding I've had since we were returning from Germany! Spent an hour cleaning the bike when I got home - always a sign in my book of a good day's riding. Hope we get to do more of these.
That’s a result Tony! The insurance company have really come through for you, who are you with? I’m sure it will be a little daunting but good luck with the collection and your first ride, it’s great to know you will be back in the saddle so quickly.Just spoke to the sales manager at NLT (yes, he actually called me at 8.20), and I should have the bike by next Friday/Saturday. Very, very happy with that outcome, to be honest.
Yes, touch wood it'll continue to be as smooth over the course of next week.
I'm insured with Carole Nash, although the policy is underwritten by Aviva (who've been dealing with/managing the claim). Aviva outsource new vehicle replacements to a company called (appropriately) Vehicle Replacements. The latter have been very professional/structured in their dealings both with me and with NLT, which has helped immensely.
Thanks re my first experience back on the new bike. I'm sure my heart will be beating a little harder than normal for a while.
<Dad mode>
Don't get riding until your body *and* mind are up to it
</Dad mode>
Ok, I am going to say something that is perhaps unpopular here. But I agree with Gyp.
With all due respect Tony, this is effectively what you suggested the last time before heading out on your new [lighter weight] bike. You immediately ended up in an RTA. Thankfully you are still here to tell us, but it isn't really the point. If you are at the point of physically being unable to manage a larger bike due to poor health (and resulting weakness), then I think you owe it to yourself, friends and family, and other road users to get fully fit before heading out again.
Your health is of critical priority here. And you have reported that you are still on both meds and having to see doctors on a reasonably regular basis. Whilst the full details are none of our business, you have reported here that the symptoms of poor health are significantly physically affecting you. I wish you get well 100%. Not 30%, 50%, or even 90%. But 100%.
Whilst you walked away from this latest crash with no more than bruises, I am thankful that neither you nor the other driver/rider/pedestrians/people (delete as appropriate) were injured.
It does not take much for something to go wrong on a bike or in an emergency situation, and it demands our full physical abilities and mental acuities to avert the dangers of riding.
Reading through this, it is evident that you are resolutely determined to be on the road with your ideal motorbike. But given the trail of events and accidents, I think you need to be less stubborn and consider things more carefully.
I have hesitated saying something until now, but feel something needs to be said and we all don't just get excited for you getting yet another bike without caring more for your well-being.
Regards,
Adrien
Well, firstly thanks for sharing your view. I may not agree with it, but my assumption is that you mean well.
I'm perfectly capable of handling the T120, despite my illness. It's 200lbs lighter than the Harley was, and that's a very significant difference indeed, and very noticeable IRL.
Given that I may never regain the strength I had before my illness, I've made what I regard as a very considered decision concerning riding (and one that I took many months thinking through, I might add - I've been ill since January). The few hundred miles I managed on the T120 before my accident fully vindicated that decision, as there wasn't a moment in which I wasn't in full control of the bike. The fact that some dipstick then caused what was (for me) an unavoidable impact has nothing to do with my health; more the fact that I drive in city traffic continuously; have always regarded filtering as a necessary risk; and - due to the vagaries of timing - found myself the victim of someone else's stupidity.
I'll admit that the experience has caused to me to reconsider my attitude to risk when it comes to filtering. However, to suggest that i shouldn't be on a bike again is a view based on ignorance of the circumstances of my accident, my riding style, the consideration that's gone into my decision-making and my physical capabilities arising from my illness. I also find the suggestion that I'm being in any way irresponsible quite offensive, if I'm being entirely honest.
You know what Andy, for me it was a toss up between Raven and The Windmill at Tabley for me. Tabley won. Its a small meet every other Thursday for Cheshire Bikers group.
I did the Raven a few weeks back and it was absolutely jammed. The usual HGV drivers pulling in hooting as there was no space for them. Down the A49 it was police central, marked and unmarked cars and bikes. I think that aspect made my mind up to go the Windmill actually.
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Just catching up on the thread.
Brill news Tony on the bike. Alls I would say is ride when you want. Read that again. WHEN YOU WANT. Of course maybe a bit of extra caution could be exercised and you may take your time a bit more. Just go at a pace and style you are comfy with, and if you’re out with a group maybe, remember its not a race. Ride your way, when you’re happy to.
Stuart
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