Reply With QuoteWhoosh!Originally Posted by kildareman
....i`m still wearing the leather jacket that i bought from Lymington market, Hampshire in 1982....
(admittedly only the outer leather shell, and over my regular jacket. It`s seen some action and has plenty of patina..)
I do wish i`d kept the Diadora MX boots of similar vintage - i chucked `em a few years ago because they were getting a bit musty through storage and the soles needed fixing. Those boots had the thickest leather i have ever seen, it must have been about 4mm thick!
In use here;
Whoosh!
My Dainese shrunk for a few years but seems to have recovered now!
Now you're just showing off! That pic is the kind of thing you see in a Sales brochure.
Lovely day for a ride, although I do wish sometimes that I had some coastline within a reasonable distance instead if the usual urban environments!
oldoakknives
classic,you couldn't tell how old it is.
anyway the fashion is for vintage style nowadays.
I expect the reasoning is you have a new jacket then she gets a new sofa or kitchen.
Lost me a bit there?
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Today i ran out of petrol whilst out on the bike - in the worst possible place...
Whenever i go onto reserve i always reset the trip meter so that i know how far i`ve got before i start pushing.
Two of my bikes do 30 miles on reserve, another one does 40+.
I was on the CBR today and after 19 miles of going onto reserve i was on the roadworks section of the M27 with no hard shoulder when i got that familiar sinking feeling of the carburetor bowls gradually emptying and the four cylinder motor becoming a triple, then a twin, and then a very low-powered single which i just about managed to coax a few hundred yards further to the relative safety of a section of the roadworks where the armco diverted towards the junction slip road and i could park up in the drainage gutter..
Despite the large 5-gallon size of the CBR`s tank the reserve is a pitiful ~2 litres and it caught me by surprise. Actually, it just jogged my memory after it happened, as i recall doing the exact same thing a couple of years ago!
Long story short my daughter delivered a fuel can of unleaded and i re-fuelled the CBR and made a hasty getaway just as the recovery truck turned up, flashing lights ablaze and holding up the traffic in lane 1 - i must of been spotted by the cameras.
Come to think of it, this is the second time i`ve ran out of fuel on that exact stretch of motorway, the first time was `planned` though as i already had a can on board as i was testing how far i could go on reserve on that particular `bike.
I expect the concept of a `reserve` is lost on most folk in this thread, what with your fuel injection magic, fuel gauges/low warning lights and such..! (and having the common sense to refuel earlier, rather than always leaving it to the last minute)
I rode through a hedge and into a field whilst switching to reserve on the fly.
Couldn't find the tap, looked down and shifted my weight to find it...ended up in the field.
My mates had tears of laughter running down their cheeks.
Bike was well battered, but rode perfectly.
Oops!
Done loads, and loads worse over the years. Just took stuff like that for granted when we were kids. As a spotty teenager, an early attempt at off roading didn't go to plan, rode my best mates Bantam field bike into an old flooded clay pit. It sank without trace.
That was one occasion when he didn't laugh.
We did though.
Yes, most people won't know (or maybe remember) that back in the day you ran the bike till it started to splutter, then had to fumble for a fuel tap and switch it to reserve, then, if you were in the middle of nowhere, pray you managed to find a garage somewhere soon (obviously predating satnavs/apps that could help you).
Once you'd filled up you had to remember to move the fuel tap back to normal.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who forgot to do the last step on the odd occasion and paid the price...
While I'm here, this morning I went for a nice (push)bike ride with a friend to a cafe that happened to be open, this afternoon I repeated the same route on the Speed twin (plus a bit).
On the way back from the cafe, it really started to click, and I was just revelling in the intuitive feel of this bike, the way it corners so beautifully then you fire it out of the bend on the torque, it's really, really lovely, and I'm very happy with it. I even cleaned it after the ride it so it must be love
Did it this week on the KR, there you are bowling along with the engine purring, when the stuttering Begins, first thought “ I only filled it up 80 miles ago” fumble for the tap as the bike slows with no brakelights for tailing traffic, look down, nearly hit a parked car. Find the tap and a second later Splutter “ bang” normal service is resumed. Then its “ did I bring my wallet out today”
Excellent, glad you are gelling with the Triumph.While I'm here, this morning I went for a nice (push)bike ride with a friend to a cafe that happened to be open, this afternoon I repeated the same route on the Speed twin (plus a bit).
On the way back from the cafe, it really started to click, and I was just revelling in the intuitive feel of this bike, the way it corners so beautifully then you fire it out of the bend on the torque, it's really, really lovely, and I'm very happy with it. I even cleaned it after the ride it so it must be love
I had a lambretta tv175 when I was 16. Was determined to work out my mpg to prove a point to my dad.
Plan was to bungee two 1 gall cans to the back rack of the scooter. Then run it dry. Fill up using first can, noting milage...and run again until dry again. Make note of miles ridden. Then use second can to get home. Easy
Was going swimmingly well, bike ran out of fuel, miles from anywhere, for the second time, for me to discover bungees had broken, and I'd lost both fuel cans.
I had a Bantam as a field bike when I was about 14-15. I'm sure there were occasions when I would have happily thrown it in the pit myself. On the plus side, I learnt quite a lot through its unreliability! It broke a tooth in the gearbox which jammed the engine solid. Had to strip the whole thing down and rebuild it months later once the new gear had finally arrived, It was a proud moment when it started first time after the rebuild, a rare occurrence in itself!
Last edited by SimonH; 5th July 2020 at 23:19.
When i bought the DR800 a couple of years back i was out on one of my first trips on it when i switched the fuel tap to `reserve` after the main tank had emptied. The engine faltered further and showed no signs of recovering. I had an empty tank..
I found out later that a previous owner had removed the `on/ off/res` bezel from the fuel tap and then replaced it upside down, so when i had switched it to `on` it had in fact been on reserve all the time.
How i laughed...
Yes, I remember heading out of London with some mates after a weekend with friends, on my z650 with the then girlfriend on the back. Just following the pack I suddenly realised we’d turned onto the M11, they’d decided to call in on some mates in Bishops Stortford. Just then it hit reserve. Or it would have if I’d reset it. Oh sssshugar.
Halogen days!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Touring in France on my old Ducati 750 Sport we ran out of fuel as there was no warning light and I had not seen we'd done more than 170 miles since the last refill.
Luckily the trusty Coleman Sportster pressure stove we used for camp cooking used unleaded, so we emptied it back into the tank and it got us the extra 7 miles on to the next town.
The bike sputtered into silence as we rolled onto the forecourt of the garage.
D
Comedy gold I love those story’s,keep them coming.
Can I hijack this thread with noob questions or do I need to start my own?
It's all pretty random bike stuff... crack on!Can I hijack this thread with noob questions or do I need to start my own?
Can you do a CBT with no previous bike experience?
And are you likely to forget what you've learned on the CBT in the time it takes you to purchase a 125cc bike and hop back on?
Im v close to booking a CBT with a view to getting a 125 to pootle on as a way of relaxing.
CBT is fine. Stands for compulsory basic training (not test) so kind of impossible to fail.
How long between the CBT and purchase? CBT is only about 4 hours 50/50 between a local park/school playground and some local roads so I wouldn't put much faith in it. I did mine on a Groupon dial in Finsbury park.
Would probably be good to do CBT and get the bike within a week or two of one another. Get an insurance quote first as the cost might be insane in London. I pay £1.2k pa for my bike in London and even when I had a garage in Hertfordshire it was £1.1k.
It was a long time ago, but I did mine having never sat on a bike. I’d do it close to when you’re ready to buy though.
The CBT is designed specifically for those with no bike experience so you should be ok, though it might help if you've previously ridden a push bike (so you know to lean at a corner rather than steer the bars)
Unless you leave it months, you should be ok.
Do it!
I can ride a bike no bother and am thinking about booking in for CBT either this month or august. I can afford to buy the bike I want pretty much immediately after that. And then sell a watch at leisure to refuel the coffers (eyeroll) or I was debating PCP which apparently is 2 years 0 apr £80 a month. easy.
Bike would be split between Lancaster and Berwick so either are cheap as far as insurance costs go.
You may want to consider getting a cheapish second hand Japanese bike (YBR or similar) and see how you get on.
If you are expecting to ride between Berwick and Lancaster, you will likely find it a chore on a 125 so you'll either hate it and give up or want to do direct access and get something at least 250cc+ well within the 2 years.
Either way you might find that you don't want to be locked in to a 2 year deal or take the depreciation hit.
Good shout. I bought a YBR for some post-CBT practice but within a week found it wanting in terms of power (and that was without the additional pressure of needing to take regular long rides on it).
I'd assume that you might want to take your test fairly quickly in order to get something a little larger, Celia, and not sink too much money into a 125. Even if you don't want a big bike, a 250-350 would make your journeys a lot easier and more enjoyable.
No, im not planning on commuting between the two, they're just where im located now during the week. My intention is probably to leave it in Berwick and just take it out of an evening for some country roads in the borders.
Apparently I can trailer/rack the bike and a 2l golf gtd should have the muscle to transport it if I want to take it to Lancaster.
Im just going to be straight up and say I REALLY WANT A HONDA MONKEY.
I understand that more power would be ideal and I may tire of a 125, but im also quite conscious of being a bit of a speed demon in a car. Couple that with a high powered bike and I suspect id increase my likelihood of being jam by about 3000%
Im strictly staying low powered and 60mph limited.
In that case ignore everything I've said and buy a Honda Monkey.
I was going to say you'd struggle to rack a 125, but it might just be possible with a Monkey
You need some speed/power to get out of tricky situations.
Speed and agility is all we have on the bike when someone pulls out on you for example.
In forty years of riding, I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve used more speed to get out of a tricky situation on the road.
Off road however, the phrase “if in doubt, gas it!” works for most situations.
If you’re looking for a monkey bike Celia, there’s a bike shop down here who buys the Chinese models and then upgrades the motor to a reliable 15bhp. They’re a lot of fun I believe!
Last edited by Dave+63; 6th July 2020 at 19:04.
I have Honda Monkey 2019 125 version. It has a lovely low seat , but at 107 Kgs I wouldn’t fancy lifting it onto a rack.
Steve
Oh I dont know, if he can do it anyone can.
photo upload website
Hi Verv, I was in the same situation a few weeks back. No previous bike experience (but plenty in a car) and took my CBT, you'll learn the basics, but once you pass and get yourself a bike is when the real learning begins.
So long as you don't go leaving it years between passing your CBT and getting a bike, you should be fine.
Go do it, you wont regret it. :)
Fish
Look at some of the trail/trial type bikes. Much better to ride than a monkey bike and most handle pretty well on the road. If not then look for more of a cruiser style, low seat height and wider bars make for easier control when learning.
And leather trousers. :-)
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Ignore him verv, get the monkey bike.
Then the trail bike and the cruiser
Ha ha!
Had a Honda 250 k4 back in the day and the centre stand mounting bracket cracked. One of the crowd had a workshop on his fathers farm where he built racing sidecar outfits and did general service and repairs on bikes. No problem says he, pop it over Saturday morning and I’ll weld it for you.
So into the workshop it went and as he drags over a huge arc welder he says “Lay it over on it’s side it’ll be easier.”
“It’s got at least half a tank of petrol” says I.
“Don’t worry he says it’ll only take a minute”
“Geoff I think it’s leaking from the petrol filler cap........”
SPARK...SPARK....BZZZZZZZ......BOOF......
“kin hell put it out”....... “drag it out of the workshop”...... “no put it out”..... “just get it out of the workshop” .....“no put it out” (desperately trying to smother the flames with my Lewis Lightning jacket and beginning to panic, if you hadn’t noticed)
Suddenly his father rushed in with a fire extinguisher and put it out in seconds.
Thankfully it was only the petrol burning for a few seconds (seemed like hours at the time) and the only damage was a little smoky colouring on the handlebar fairing.
He never charged me for the welding though. :-)
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I’m thinking Sporty 48.
Last edited by oldoakknives; 7th July 2020 at 00:26.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
That might work, but I'm not quite convinced by Sportsters; I owned and modified one for a few years and found the joy was always in the tinkering and not in the riding. The riding position was cramped and the whole riding experience was frustrating, with the engine (when taken to 1200 with SE heads, cams, carb and ignition) being the one redeeming feature.I’m thinking Sporty 48.
Mine was one of the last carburettor versions, and when I tried the later injected bikes even the engine was disappointing.
I do like the current M8 bikes - the "lesser" ones being the highlights of the range, so I really can't see why anyone would buy a 1200 Sportster 48 when the far more modern, comfortable, capable, better handling 1750 Softail Standard is only £1,500 more
In the late 70's I had a half share in a Husquvarna 390 crosser. Mental bit of kit. My mate, the other half owner holed the crankcase, took the bike to his young brother to get the piece welded back in. Shortly after, a crankcase seal blew, and kept fouling the points with 2T mix. I drew the short straw to rebuild. 30 mins into the repair, I discoverd my mates brother actually had welded the 2 halves of the cases together. Bike was unsellabe, actually gave it away.
I do take everyones points on board.
I suspect that ill start with a wee monkey just for fat lass on a monkey hilarity's sake and then shortly upgrade to a bigger engine.
I quite like the look of the Kawasaki Vulcan but im trying NOT to look because I promised mrsV that I wouldn't get anything I could get dangerous on. (by dangerous she means above 25mph)
Yes, I think if I got into it id try and get the theory then the test done within the year. Would probably consider a direct access in one fell swoop.
You certainly seem to enjoy it T. Ive gone from idly thread following to quite slavishly thread following for the last few months. I think I might be having a post lockdown "bugger it and live a little" moment.
With a slightly serious head on (rare for me i know), it might be worth starting to talk Mrs V round to >25mph as slow is not always safe.
My commute to work is all 30 and 40 limits, where the traffic typically is either stopped or doing 35 or 45 respectively. When i commuted on a restricted 50cc that would just touch 30, it was terrifying as I was the slowest thing on the road everywhere, always getting passed too close by cars desperate to exceed the speed limit for a few seconds.
When I went to work on my BMW 800, I wore jeans, light jacket and an open face lid. When i took the Honda Melody Mini, I wore full leathers, armour and a full-face helmet as the risk was so much greater.
Right now I'm doing most of my riding on a 900cc Triumph, but because of the character of it, am typically riding it no faster than i would a Honda Monkey bike (cruising out of town at 50-60). Though it can do, large capacity does not have to mean high speed; the trick is to find a bike that's designed for low end torque rather than high end power and you could find yourself going further, more comfortably and at a relaxed pace.
In the same way a Rolls Royce has an engine twice the size of a Nissan GTR. The Rolls will get you to where you want to go in a relaxed, effortless manner whereas the smaller engined Nissan will help you lose your licence in a cloud of tyre smoke. It's all about character not capacity.
Ian's suggestion is actually quite good. HD are not fast by anyone's standards, seats are low, allowing both feet flat on the ground to the shortest arses. The weight to put it up when it's fallen is all in your head, as illustrated below:
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Yes, this is indeed very true and a principle I apply to cars as I tend to go for 2L+ (@gyp)
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