Reply With QuoteJust got quotes for insurance, will be a stand alone policy as cheaper... £245 fully comp or £206 TPFT.
Remember getting a mid 4 figures quote for a blade when I was 20 lol.
Picking up a ‘97 Fireblade tomorrow to add to the garage...a 90’s blade is bit of a long term grail bike for me....
Well within budget but not an ideal first bike though verv ;)
Just got quotes for insurance, will be a stand alone policy as cheaper... £245 fully comp or £206 TPFT.
Remember getting a mid 4 figures quote for a blade when I was 20 lol.
I was going to suggest a Honda super cub Verv, retro cool and a piece of pudding to ride to build up your roadcraft. However, I've remembered they use a centrifugal clutch which negates any advantage for a learner who'll be progressing onto a larger machine.
Shame 'cos they're great fun and what once was geeky is now cool!
Originally Posted by verv
Aye, Japanese would be ideal but the likes of old Honda shadows are similar pricewise.
life choosing a 125 would be so much easier if I liked ones that look like sporty waspy wee things as they're everywhere.Suzuki Van Van 125!
That is also a very fun toy. But then Verv will need to move to the French Riviera, its natural habitat.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Newcastle or Nice?
Tough choice!
Especially if you like Brown Ale
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I didn’t know they made brown ale in Nice
Well a deal has been done and the CB1100 is on the way out, to be replaced by this:
Scrambler 1200 XC. The good news is I got virtually all my money back on the Honda.
I was about to suggest one of those or a Yamaha TW125. Pick one up at the right price and you won't lose a penny when you sell.
A good choice, I think - Scrambler has loads more character
Get a Sporty and learn guitar.......
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I hope so.A good choice, I think - Scrambler has loads more character
I ran a Van Van 125 for 4 years sold it to buy the monkey last year.
Great fun, passionate forum, full of nutters who ride them up the French Alpes each year. Big on VV rideouts. Only downsides 55 mph max and those Soft tyres ( 19psi) perform part of the suspension so lead to a vague handling experience. As a learner I would go with YBR as stated numerous times above, truly a liquid bike you can sell on.
Steve
Character eh?..... I had a bike with character once......it was sh!t heap.A good choice, I think - Scrambler has loads more character
There's good character and there's bad characterwas it Italian?
Nope... Triumph TR6.There's good character and there's bad character
There were times I even considered torching it to put myself out of my misery.
My last daliance withan Italian was Aprilia.
Like a high maintenance mistress, would only put out when she wanted to...beautiful bike though.
125s are deeply dissatisfying. No guts, clutch is like an on/off switch.
Do your CBT and then Direct Access. The 500 twins you use on that are so-o much better than a piddly 125.
After that - a Guzzi or any decent 600cc machine.
Good choice on the helmet. Do the same with Gloves. I learned that after the first day of CBT.
Agreed. I borrowed gloves from the centre for my CBT. Afterwards my hands smelt like the inside of rental ski boots and it took a good few washes to get rid of the smell.
My wife says similar things about me...
Fortunately, my 7 month dalliance with the Honda will end up costing me about £300, so no complaints.
Sold my 1999 blade earlier in the year which is the same bike as a 1997. Cracking bike, spent a little on heavier Ktech front springs, sent the shock to MCT for service/revalve and set for my weight and fitted front HEL lines. About £300 all in and made a big difference, was never going to sell it of course......
That’s a really good price for a potentially bike transforming change! I’m not quite sure what I’m going to find today when I get on it. Very excited though.Sold my 1999 blade earlier in the year which is the same bike as a 1997. Cracking bike, spent a little on heavier Ktech front springs, sent the shock to MCT for service/revalve and set for my weight and fitted front HEL lines. About £300 all in and made a big difference, was never going to sell it of course......
I have no means of dismantling/reassembling/generally furtling with bikes currently sadly. I guess I need to find someone in the Brighton area who is good with suspension rebuilds...and valve/carb servicing probably lol.
Beautiful bike though the RRW was the “all new” (not really) version after mine, mine’s the RRV...in black which was my original grail bike back in the day.
Brilliantly simple and geeky Fireblade reference site here:
http://www.simonreid.net/fireblade/i...versions97.htm
FWIW that's what I did & then got a Yamaha Fazer 600 as my first bike.
The Suzuki SV650 is a perfect bike for a novice rider. Enough power to be fun, but not intimidating. Light, reasonably low seat height, inexpensive & reliable.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Ron Haslam has just announced that he is closing his race school forever :(
End of an era....it has been on my bucket list forever and I never blimming got round to going.
I watched another Fortnine video recently (https://youtu.be/ifBNDeMZQkI?t=335) and that was discussing how the SV replacement - the Gladius - had numerous improvements but was less expensive to buy as the looks hadn't been quite so popular
I enjoyed it when I did it, as did my father who came along at the same time.
He was really pleased that he'd improved so much after a while as no-one was overtaking him. In truth he didn't see the flags being waved frantically at him and was actually out on track for 1/2 hour on his own...
Second vote for a SV650, very good value, comfortable riding position, loads of pull and plenty around and a short search will likely bring up a good one.
Im doing the CBT then direct access. Spoke to bike school yesterday, they'll let me know on CBT day how many days of DA they think ill need. Hopefully in the low numbers as im already au-fait with driving/Highway Code etc.
Exciting times. In my test I found it was more to do with confidence than anything so hopefully you get on with the bike they give you. Some nice thin summer gloves and a visor with a pinlock helped me a lot.
Exciting times!
I really enjoyed my CBT day. Then spent a year or so riding/surviving in and around SE1...then full test in Reading which was a breeze.
When will you do the CBT?
Went on the back of Ron years ago at Croft on one of his Fireblades, fantastic experience. Thought he was going for it until John McGuiness came around the outside of us mid corner.....the braking was eye popping, you had to have one arm around his waist and one hand against the back of the tank to stop you going over the top!
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Previously had a DL650 - SV650 engine. Those Suzuki V-twins are excellent engines. In the Wee Strom performance was nothing to write home about due to the weight and top heavy feel of the bike. In the Gladius / SV650 I suspect a livelier feel.
http://www.hainesmc.co.uk/fantic_cab...allero_review/
the sv650's are the taxi's of the bike world - good as a method of transport for getting to and from work and will run forever - excitement wise (if your motorbike is a fun toy like most peoples ) i'd steer clear of them - you will be bored to tears of it with a few weeks.
i was given an sv650 for a few days last time my bike went in for a full service and my opinion was that it was the skoda diesel of the bike world.
15th aug.
that caballero looks good!
Have you got your theory test booked? If not you might have a hell of a wait. Good luck with the CBT though. :)
Fish
My mate's KH400 had all of the above plus the excitement of never quite knowing when the middle pot would seize on you next.
Remember when trials bikes were all two stroke? Almost none of the above!
Dave current trials bikes are two strokes, some even using Fuel injection rather than carbs.
Good luck C. Take care, everything is dangerous on bikes.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I thought they’d all gone four stroke in the eighties/nineties after Honda but I don’t really follow trials much.
I was just highlighting that they’re not all “all or nothing” with a microscopic powerband. Trials bikes are the exact opposite.
With fuel injection, two strokes should be making a comeback big time; FI should allow the emissions and economy issues to be easily overcome.
Good luck, look forward to hearing about it. I’m sure you’ll find it fun!
Got my blade home...needs a rear tyre, rear pads and some new ss headers as the current ones are peppered with holes under the belly. All ordered...have gone for some Delkevic headers - British made and have heard good things about the company.
But on the plus side had a newish Showa rear shock and a full fork service 2 years ago, handles really well, has great fuelling, all electrics perfect and still has the toolkit in the passenger seat trunk! Plastics all good too :)
Last edited by Plake; 15th July 2020 at 19:03.
Was that in 2001? I went on the back with him at Croft on a Honda sponsored day. 3 laps absolutely bonkers and tiring!!! Brilliant day lots of fun, the following Saturday got blue lighted from hartside to Carlisle after a spirited ride and washed the front end out under breaking into one of the corners on the way down to Penrith..
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That reads to me like Honda have pulled the plug and the Haslam's are looking for alternatives...
Ron is 64, presume wife is similar age, probably not a bad time to wind it down a little.
I'm having another try at going full hipster with a Roland Sands Designs Bell Custom 500 open face.
The 2020 smoked black and silver checkered flag design that fades beautifully to a rich gloss black is beautiful.
So I've bought the white and red-lettered 2019 version.
Why that one? Well, it looks like it should be partnered with a squeaky red nose, water-squirting flower and clown shoes so is heavily discounted.
But you can't see a helmet when it's on, can you?
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