Tony I think you have distilled and digested all the advice given on the forum well. As a shortarse (slightly senior to you by 4 years and current owner of 6 bikes), I would HAPPILY ride and own any of your four shortlist. All of them are attractive enough to move on without taking a haircut on selling if you dont bond or want to change.
Power wise Im sure it was Mike Hailwood who said no one needs more than 60 bhp on the public roads. 95% of 100bhp plus bikers rarely use the full performance regularly. However 100% of all riders feel the weight agility and nimbleness of their bikes 100% of the time at low speeds.
Lower weight nimble bikes are so easy to move around the shed garage etc, because as stated many posts ago we all drop our bikes when we are moving them to get something else out!
Just my 2p
Steve
Can I say one word?
Hayabusa.
Shortarse compliant, stable, comfortable suspension, effortless power.
It's one of the nicest bikes to ride slowly that I've ever had. Cruising around legally is sublime. Relaxing.
Ok, if you wind it open it's less sublime and relaxing, but treated the right way it's like having a V12 limousine and you can just waft along.
(But don't get one as a first bike, Tony)
Well, I passed. I almost screwed up the hazard perception test, though, through over clicking on three of the clips and not scoring on them. It was nothing like the practice clips online where you could click 8 times in quick succession without penalty!!!
TFFT
Looking forward to riding with you Tony
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Nice Thruxton R Kerry, nice helmet too. Was that photo taken at Loomies?
Congrats Tony BTW!
Well done on passing the theory... now the real fun starts.
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Insurance costs always used to sway my motorcycle purchasing decisions when I was young and skint.
It can seriously hike up the running costs.
I was insured with Carole Nash until yesterday, but they kept upping the prices each and every year - this year it was up by £58 to just over £300 = 20% annual increase
Shopping around generated two decent quotes from Bennetts & MCE.
The 3rd quote from RAC came in at £170, and had better T&C for the excess payments
The RAC were £50 cheaper than standard quotes, and nearly half the cost of my previous insurance provider.
It pays to shop around.
105bhp
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Congrats T.
Regarding R9T's, I guess it's what you're used to but I didn't find the loan bike I had when my S1000r was being serviced was anything more than reasonably brisk. It didn't do much for me, but I guess you'd feel a lot different if you really liked the design.
A vertically challenged work colleague of mine has one of these, which he really likes
https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/produ...ge/xsr700.aspx
Not expensive.
Last edited by andy tims; 5th September 2018 at 13:44.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Probably nearer 100hp at the back wheel.
My guess is 95-98?
I know the owner of this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R-nin...53.m1438.l2649
If you think you might be interested...
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Well, I'm off to play with the MT-07 in a couple of hours - quite excited about it too, as it's something quite different to all the other bikes I've been focusing on to date.
I have one more week now before my DAS bike training and MOD1. I'm already nervous just thinking about it.
Keep your eyes on where you want to go, not on the thing you’re trying to avoid (cone, obstacle)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Aint this a beauty Tony;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-R-NIN...wAAOSw1SJbiUgD
I was okay with it, actually - not quite flat footed on both sides but not far off.
Something interesting happened when I was buying the AGV helmet, though. I was being served by an old boy and we started chatting about the bikes I'm testing. Anyway, it turned out that he bought a Street Twin (in black) in January, from the guy at Triumph Hemel who's helping me. He rode it home, used it once for work and garaged it. It's now got 27 miles on the clock and he said that if I decide to go for the Twin then he's happy to sell me his.
I'll wait to see which bike I actually prefer, but if he's willing to knock a decent chunk off list it might be a vote winner as it's effectively a new bike. I already know that the Twin is going to be one of the easier bikes to handle, so there are real possibilities.
Interesting thread. On a very similar path. CBT booked with A license the target by the end of the year. Watching with interest as it seems we have a similar taste in bikes and short inside leg!
I normally ride big bikes but yesterday I took this out. This XSR700 is very impressive bike for little £’s
Haha.. maybe
Thinking about it, he may struggle to compete against buying new. Triumph have various offers (0% finance, £1k of accessories, etc), will probably discount a bit and will take my YBR as a trade-in. With 27 miles on the clock I can't imagine he'll come down from list by a silly amount, so it still may not be the best option around.
In other news, I've been practicing my u-turns, slaloming and lifesavers (albeit on the smaller bike). I've definitely improved, and the lifesavers are getting much easier (I've been doing neck stretching exercises for two weeks now, as I was finding it quite hard to turn my head properly). I have one more week before my DAS bike training starts, and I'm going to try to make the most of it.
Be interesting to see how much he comes down, and you’ll get more for the YBR privately (though I guess it’s near the end of learner season - start advertising now!). Is it because he has other bikes, or some deals buyers remorse?
Sounds good on the practice. Once you start the training, I was told not to practice manoeuvres on the ybr as it’s too different and will confuse your technique.
A mistake I was picked up on was using minimum revs - he said having higher revs with part clutch and back brake is more stabilising as the flywheel creates a gyroscopic effect
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Apparently he has some water supply or drainage (can't remember) issues that are his responsibility, and he's been quoted £6k to sort it out; given that he wasn't using the bike (nor did he use the Harley that he traded with Triumph at the same time) it just doesn't make sense to keep it.
I probably should think about advertising the YBR, but I reckon I can get a decent price against a new bike, and I need to hang onto it in case I don't pass the test straight away. Unfortunately I'm a month or two later in the year than I'd like to be but I'm stuck with that.
Interesting point about technique, thank you.
I sat on one of these yesterday, and in fact my only local Yamaha dealer may not have an MT-07 demonstrator so suggested I take the XSR out instead. Same engine and similar characteristics, if marginally more upright/less sporty.
By all accounts it's a genuine alternative to the MT, so if I really liked it more than the Triumphs and Ducati I'd have to make a choice based on looks and style. Not an easy decision, that one, because the XSR is a lovely looking thing! Big downside, though, is that the height is the worst (for me) of all the bikes I've considered/sat on.
For something completely different, Ward's appear to have put out the Christmas decorations early
but congratulations on passing your test and good luck with the bike hunting. I am sure you will get some better deals as summer winds down even more.
I'm excited for you to get your first go on a real bike after a YBR!