Reply With QuoteNice!Originally Posted by Saint-Just
Daughter had her first «*taster*» session on a 125cc yesterday. She loved it.
Hopefully CBT by the end of month. Then I’ll have to turn to the hive as to where we need to go for helmet, gloves and jacket please.
Then she can ride this little thing :
Last edited by Saint-Just; 8th July 2023 at 10:59. Reason: Location is Ashford, Kent but we can go to London if that’s what required for a B&M shop for the helmet.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Nice!
Just had a tidy out of my top box.
Amongst other things, 6 old MOT certificates and entry tickets to the 1997 BMF rally.
I think the tidy out was a little overdue.
We used to go every year, when it turned into us paying to see loads of people flogging tat we stopped.
Thats a nice looking bike.Daughter had her first «*taster*» session on a 125cc yesterday. She loved it.
Hopefully CBT by the end of month. Then I’ll have to turn to the hive as to where we need to go for helmet, gloves and jacket please.
Then she can ride this little thing :
Sportsbike shop is a very good online shop (easy to try at home and return if not wanted gloves and the like) and has some stores Reading is very good.
For a helmet though Its best to go into a store with someone who is trained to fit them,a good fitting helmet is far better/safer than an expensive ill fitting helmet.
If you tell us your location someone may be able to recommend a local store for the helmet at least.
Ditto - when it was on the full-sized East Of England showground it was great, but then it got shuffled about as they sold some of it off for housing and it all went down hill.
Loved participating in the games, and wincing as people hurt themselves in the tents in the evenings. Apart from the typical climbing the poles semi-naked incidents, the one that sticks in my mind was a chap drunkenly climbing to the top (outside) of one of the huge canvas band/beer tents, dropping his trousers and sliding down at speed on his bare arse.
high speed arse & canvas sliding did not end well.
Has anyone on here had any real world experience of the Honda CB650R or the KTM 790 Duke? Any information would be appreciated.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I recently traded my 2020 CB650R, & given it's price new when I bought it I'd say it was excellent value for the money.
Very nicely put together, but I'd expect nothing less being a Honda.
As fast as a fast thing when needed, the major downside for me was the riding position.
I found the seat very uncompromising after an hour or so but worse than that was issues my wrists, my position on the bike was inclined forward so my wrists took my weight and I suffered quite painfully after quite a short time riding.
Probably not an issue for most but at 72 years old something I can do without.
The only niggle for me with the finish on the CB650R was the Silver Matt finish on the fuel tank, but a quick visit to my go to painter & it was soon resolved with a few coats of clear lacquer.
I also fitted a full Akrapovic exhaust system on it and it sounded superb.
Not wishing to hang up my helmet yet I traded it in for a new Honda CB500X, much more suited to my older frame and pottering needs.
Hope this helps.
Brian.
Last edited by BRGRSP; 8th July 2023 at 14:18. Reason: Photos added
Snap. I also have one of those for when the T120 stays at home. Ace bike that gives more than you would expect.
Ironically I had been looking at a new Street Twin until I had a couple of P/X valuations on the X against one, these stealers certainly want their cake and eat it too.
My son has just added a new Africa Twin Adventure Sport DCT to his stable, beautiful bit of kit, trouble is I need a step ladder to mount it and would need a pair of glam rockers boots to be able to touch the ground.
I had a look at the new 750 Transalp last weekend at my local Honda showroom, it's not to my taste.
Local Triumph dealer has a very lovely low mileage 500X in, with full luggage, nice accessories and the logo "Halfrica Twin" on the screen.
Might be a common nickname for it, but it was new to me.
Lovely thing. No idea of the price
Thanks Brian, that does give me some ideas about it. I'm going to the local Honda stealers in the week so will check out the riding position as I'm no youngster! May also look at the 500. Cheers.I recently traded my 2020 CB650R, & given it's price new when I bought it I'd say it was excellent value for the money.
Very nicely put together, but I'd expect nothing less being a Honda.
As fast as a fast thing when needed, the major downside for me was the riding position.
I found the seat very uncompromising after an hour or so but worse than that was issues my wrists, my position on the bike was inclined forward so my wrists took my weight and I suffered quite painfully after quite a short time riding.
Probably not an issue for most but at 72 years old something I can do without.
The only niggle for me with the finish on the CB650R was the Silver Matt finish on the fuel tank, but a quick visit to my go to painter & it was soon resolved with a few coats of clear lacquer.
I also fitted a full Akrapovic exhaust system on it and it sounded superb.
Not wishing to hang up my helmet yet I traded it in for a new Honda CB500X, much more suited to my older frame and pottering needs.
Hope this helps.
Brian.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
£6700 new plus the obligatory £100 for Plate, Reg etc.Local Triumph dealer has a very lovely low mileage 500X in, with full luggage, nice accessories and the logo "Halfrica Twin" on the screen.
Might be a common nickname for it, but it was new to me.
Lovely thing. No idea of the price
That one has a tidy few quids worth of extras on it, I enquired about a P/X valuation against a new 900 Street Twin before I'd even ridden mine, just a PDI mileage of 1 mile and I was offered £4500 for it lol, bloody comedians.
There's a guy on eBay that bangs out the Halfrica Twin logo, I think it's the brain child of a guy on one of the CB500X forums, he butchered an original AT logo and it's caught on.
What I did forget to mention was it's rather an unkind riding position on yer Nads!
I *think* that's the one they have up at £6,250 - 2020 with 1,200 miles on it.
Dealers seem to want to clear £1,500 or so profit, so if they are looking to sell a pre-owned (but delivery miles) bike for about £6k, that'll be where the £4,500 offer comes from. Looking about, used bikes aren't shifting and seem to be sitting in the showrooms for quite a while so they're likely not wanting to pay top dollar for niche bikes that they might sit there a while.
Is that Cheltenham?
Spot on, that's the exact conversation I had with Carl Rosner Triumph, and tbh the feeling I got from them is as you say is they don't want to deal in secondhand machines.
He boldly said right of the bat that he'd get a price underwritten from a third party before committing to a valuation.
So straight away I knew the outcome wasn't going to be rosy.
Mines on a 23 plate with just 1 mile showing at present, full Outback Moteck crash bars & sump guard and BarkBuster hand guards, not actually fitted in my shot.
Last edited by BRGRSP; 8th July 2023 at 19:24.
The bike's in Cheltenham (or was on Friday), but their website (blade) is showing one 500X in the group in Stratford. Might be planning to move it there or might just be lazy data input. No photos yet to confirm that it's the same one
I thought I recognised the shop,though I havent made it that far this year.
Some great roads around the area.
There's one up for sale at their Stratford on Avon branch as you say, but it's showing as Red, so as you say lazy data input probably
Last edited by BRGRSP; 8th July 2023 at 19:42.
To be fair, these guys are running a business and have to make a profit to survive. Whilst we may see it as a kick in the teeth, they probably see it as the bare minimum to make it worthwhile and feel that they are doing the customer a favour.
At £5k on here, it would almost certainly sell to anyone who is considering one.
But if would still hurt the owner that had just paid £6,800 for it and not ridden it!
Yes agreed, I certainly couldn't afford to drop that type of money inside 2 months, I've never been without a bike since passing my test at 16, and I'm 72 next birthday.
What irks me is there's no negotiation in the process these days, the guy's you speak too in these dealerships all have to run back to their sales managers to ok any possible deals, once he's given the sale bod the max he wants to pay nothing will sway them away from that price.
But I guess it's all down to personal choice and financial circumstances.
My mate had the 790 Duke. I never rode it so all I can say is that he really liked it, and regretted selling it. He did about 6k miles on it, no problems.
It’s got 890 bodywork but it’s a 790
Last edited by Enoch; 8th July 2023 at 23:02.
Thanks that's nice to know.My mate had the 790 Duke. I never rode it so all I can say is that he really liked it, and regretted selling it. He did about 6k miles on it, no problems.
It’s got 890 bodywork but it’s a 790
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Just a very quick update for anyone interested...
My back is really getting better far more quickly than I could’ve hoped. It’s still a bit sore generally and hurts quite a bit if I actually put pressure on it with the wrong kind of movement or trying to lift something with any weight to it. However, I’m confident that within a couple of weeks I’ll be largely pain-free.
With regard to the bike, I’ve had a couple of recent conversations with Aviva and it looks like an order for a brand new replacement will have been placed by the end of next week. They’re happy to request my dealership to source the bike (the replacement vehicles team will speak to the sales manager direct) and will also advise me on whether they can source one themselves more quickly/easily so that I can make a decision on where I choose to go for the replacement. Apparently, whatever is on the sales invoice is what will be covered under the claim, so at the moment it looks like I can simply order a new bike with all the OEM-fitted options on it, thereby negating the requirement to remove anything other than the Motone and Legend Gear bits from the old new (!) bike prior to it being removed as salvage.
More news, as and when!
Glad you are on the mend, Tony!
Sounds like a good result saving you some time on getting git back to what you had originally. Hoping you can get one sourced fairly rapidly - what was the lead time previously?
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Good to hear the lay-off will not be too long.
Thank you. It was the best part of two months from memory. Not many are hitting UK shores at the moment and in the end it required a trade with another branch that had one landing a few weeks sooner.
Thanks, and fingers crossed…
Great to hear you are doing better Tony and the bike is being sorted
Great news Tony, hopefully you’ll ge able to catch the back end of summer!
Good news, hopefully we will have an Indian summer
Glad to hear things are moving on for you Tony.
The watch collection has been shrinking and growing since the last post,
The amount of available information on the web has grown exponentially since the last post,
My bravery in attacking watches I own under a microscope has shown that my enthusiasm far outweighs my skills.
(tho, the 6139 that was last under open case surgery is now working and keeping +/- a couple of minutes a day :-) )
Was (am) a "member" of a local group of "Bikers" who last regularly met 13 years ago, we met up for a "run" 2 weeks ago.
Recognised 2 of the other riders, age, grey/ nae hair, mcdonalds and generally dodging salads has led to many changes.
Conversations pre run used to consist of "Fnaaar, lookit the b00bs on that, ooh, wouldn't mind hanging out the back of that for a couple of minutes" . . and other properly inappropriate (but age/time correct) bants.
Now, they are, "What are you taking for your gout?" "Is the lumbago improving?" "Arthritis, in me feet mate" "Ooh me back hurts, this seat is not good on me piles"
Jeezo, shoot me now . . .
Now, not a soul smoking so the pre run "Tab" routine has died, saddled up and set off (this particular group had a "Reputation" with at least 1 crash per run)
within 100m of setting off, the nae/grey hair, lumbago / piles / gout had gone . . the old/sensible hats slipped off to be replaced by memories of youth.
I and at least 2 other on this run have had the realistic possibility of jail time for mild exuberance with speed limits this century hanging over us.
Did these minor (cof) misdemeanours affect our behaviour?
Not a bit.
It was absolutely fantastic, the reflexes and skill of our youth have been replaced by experience and knowledge.
The periods of making "Due progress" were outrageously memorable.
I've had the current bike (MT10) since it was new, 5 years ago, absolutely love it.
It is a bit of a bugger to keep the front wheel down in the first 4 gears (when trying) but its comfortable, planted and has an awesome engine noise (standard reek spoot, I'm not a fan of noisy exhausts, doesn't do us as a group any good)
Have been riding since I was 16 (now, close to 60) have broken more bones than I can count (or at this age, remember)
Never let the fear of dying, stop you living.
Will get caught up on the forum, but in the interim.
Great to be back.
Ride safe.
And yes, there was a crash on this run . . rider was overtired and lost concentration in a town, going less than 30 and went straight when the road went right . .
Bruised ego, mild road rash to bike . .
[QUOTE (this particular group had a "Reputation" with at least 1 crash per run) . .[/QUOTE]
Scary.
Why would you push your luck like that?
Great news Tony, hopefully you’ll ge able to catch the back end of summer!Thanks guys. Yes, if I can catch late summer or - latest - early September that would be great. With luck perhaps I might be a bit closer to remission by then, too.
Scary.
Why would you push your luck like that?[/QUOTE]
Well, draughts is a bit dull,
In a few years I'll get to golf . .
Flew hanggliders up to 2002, Flown gliders since the turn of the century, flown power for about the same time, Tow gliders with power planes at weekends for fun, your perception of risk and mine may not be the same, I fully respect yours.
Had a lovely 84 mile ride around Oxon, Berks and Bucks yesterday. Performed flawlessly until she ran out of petrol, it's the first time I've had to switch to reserve so it had me flummoxed for a minute or two! Reached the nearest petrol station, filled her up and carried on my way. 浪
Glad to hear you're on the mend Tony and glad to hear the insurance claim is proceeding smoothly. You'll be back in the saddle before you know it!
Thanks very much, Duncan. Healthwise it's still very much tough and go, as the new biologic I'm on now can take up to another three/four weeks to start working (which it isn't as yet, unfortunately). The bike claim seems to be going smoothly though - in fact the replacement vehicles team have literally just called me to confirm the process, and also confirmed (now in writing too) that all of my options/extras will be duplicated on my new bike.
By the way, what a glorious bike. You must feel like you're on cloud nine riding it!
That is really just magnificent.Had a lovely 84 mile ride around Oxon, Berks and Bucks yesterday. Performed flawlessly until she ran out of petrol, it's the first time I've had to switch to reserve so it had me flummoxed for a minute or two! Reached the nearest petrol station, filled her up and carried on my way. 浪
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
You would have loved Ludgershall lots of old British bikes and a great atmosphere.Had a lovely 84 mile ride around Oxon, Berks and Bucks yesterday. Performed flawlessly until she ran out of petrol, it's the first time I've had to switch to reserve so it had me flummoxed for a minute or two! Reached the nearest petrol station, filled her up and carried on my way. 浪
My dream is to one day I hope to ride a Vincent and Brough Superior yours looks stunning.
A real superbikeHad a lovely 84 mile ride around Oxon, Berks and Bucks yesterday. Performed flawlessly until she ran out of petrol, it's the first time I've had to switch to reserve so it had me flummoxed for a minute or two! Reached the nearest petrol station, filled her up and carried on my way. 浪
what a lovely bike,that vincent v twin is awesome looking.like my old bikes i see it marks its spotHad a lovely 84 mile ride around Oxon, Berks and Bucks yesterday. Performed flawlessly until she ran out of petrol, it's the first time I've had to switch to reserve so it had me flummoxed for a minute or two! Reached the nearest petrol station, filled her up and carried on my way. 浪
Thanks Tony, I certainly do!
Very kind of you to say, thanks!That is really just magnificent.
It's a shame I couldn't make it this year, hopefully things will have slowed down for me next season and I'll have a lot more time available, so I intend on visiting as many shows and meets as I can.
Back in the day they were unbeatable, these days not so much! However she is 73 years old but keeps up with modern traffic quite comfortably.A real superbike
The crankcase breather exits under the crankcase so it just drips when you stop as these engines build up quite a large amount of internal pressure with those two long stroke pistons doing their thing. Of course these days they would breath back into the induction system and anything would get reburnt, but they weren't so environmentally aware back in the 50's!what a lovely bike,that vincent v twin is awesome looking.like my old bikes i see it marks its spot
Triumph’s new for 2024 Scrambler 400 X looks fun - as does the slightly less pretty but 7kg lighter Speed 400 version. More versions featuring the 400 single are on the way apparently, which might mean a more modern ‘street’ take on the formula. There isn’t a vast amount of top end power but we’re promised plenty of mid-range. Hopefully an affordable quality package that could make a great town bike?
Agreed, they look great and it's perfect timing now that Ducati seem to have dropped their 400cc model from the Scrambler line-up. I loved mine...such fun.Triumph’s new for 2024 Scrambler 400 X looks fun - as does the slightly less pretty but 7kg lighter Speed 400 version. More versions featuring the 400 single are on the way apparently, which might mean a more modern ‘street’ take on the formula. There isn’t a vast amount of top end power but we’re promised plenty of mid-range. Hopefully an affordable quality package that could make a great town bike?
Made in India. Seems to be the way of things these days.
Made by Bajaj in the same factory that makes Ktm Duke 390/200’s. Have to say I was sceptical when my 390 came, but every single nut and bolt was tight. Most were “signed off” eg initialled. The quality of the welding is first class. Only issue in 2000 miles of riding is a weak Exide battery in the winter. However a 400 single with a 14:1 compression ratio is never going to be easy to crank over.
I visited a Triumph dealership ( Woods) yesterday. Deliveries are due Jan 24 with real bikes available to view at the bike show in Nov. The Street 400 is heavier and less powerful than my 390. But the styling is much more clasic than the street fighter type look of the Dukes.
Was that the Orange one , with a Wisteria in the background? That looked a lovely bike.
Ducati were quoted in MCN as saying. They do not want to be seen as an entry level purchase. All their bikes should be seen as aspirational eg second or third bikes! Cheeky bu33ers, this from a brand where the entry level 900& 600 Monsters saved Ducati from going under whilst they pedalled 888’s and 916’s that no one could afford!
Last edited by higham5; 11th July 2023 at 15:48.
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