Motors Motorcycle Mayhem

I'm sure it is....it's the getting to it that bothers me, taking the Aprilia fairing apart takes ages.

This is where the key switch lives...

 

Noob reporting in!

Did my CBT Sunday and had this delivered yesterday:



It's been pretty nerve-wracking TBH. I can drive a car - I just haven't passed my test - and I cycle on 50mph roads, so I'm used to being part of the traffic and I'm used to being in a vulnerable position. But getting my head around the controls and trying to ride the clutch so much in 1st gear just totally boiled my brain. I still want to use the clutch as the rear brake like I do on a bicycle.

I felt a lot better after riding to/from work today. I feel like I'm starting to get to grips with the controls and I can concentrate more on all the things I need to do keep myself safe. Still struggling to change gears properly, but it's definitely getting easier.

I topped up the tank earlier from about half full - it cost me £6.32 .

 

Oh **** yeah. Honda 125s for life.

I was on my CG for 7 1/2 years before I upgraded it. I was really eager for something bigger by then, but jesus was it reliable. I rode like a hooligan (well, as much as one can hooligan on a 125) all year round and it never missed a beat.

Consider Bone Dry handgrip muffs for winter/rain. Much cheaper and more effective than trying to find that 'perfect' pair of winter gloves that somehow defeat the laws of physics and keep your hands warm in January.

And buy some ACF-50. Your bike will rust. ACF will save it.

And if your gear stops being waterproof, buy some £10 galoshes (the kind sold in the fishing section of department shops) and pull them on over the top when it rains. Saves a lot of time/money replacing or treating textile gear.

And lubricate your chain regularly. If they get dry enough they snap and cause horrible kinds of damage to the gearbox, sprockets, you, or all of the above.

And don't wash the bike with warm water, cold water and a good degreaser is fine. Warm water accelerates rust.

And if it's kept outside, a bike cover will pay for itself ten times over in prevented weather damage within a year.

...that's the condensed wisdom of my 9 years riding so far.

 

Yeah the CBF125 I have was supposedly the model introduced to replace the CG125, but the CBF125 was apparently superseded by the CB125F late in 2014. This numbering/naming system is almost as confusing as GPU numbering!

Mine's a 14 plate and has about 2600 miles on the clock, so it should have plenty of life left in it. I'm not a small fella, being both a fat ******* and quite tall (6'2"), and the YBR125 I did my CBT on felt like a bit of a toy bike. I doubt my CBF125 is that much bigger, but it certainly feels like it - I feel a lot better riding that than I did the YBR125.

Three separate people have already recommended heated grips, but that does look like a far cheaper solution. Heated grips aren't expensive but I'll be paying someone to fit them for me - no chance in hell I'm doing that myself. I have a pair of winter gloves already, but they're just far too big & bulky; they'll probably be OK eventually, once I'm used to handling the controls, but right now I need the extra control that smaller gloves give me.

Duly noted .

Way ahead of you there .

Consider it well received!

 

Welcome to the biker world! Now I just need to rejoin the biker world...

 

Rode in the rain for the first time today. Nowhere near as unpleasant as I'd expected it to be.

 

All depends on the speed, the bike, the gear and who you're with! If you're on a motorway, on an unfaired bike, with no waterproofs and on your own in an unhappy state of mind it really, really sucks. A good set of waterproofs go a long way to remedy that, and filtering past everything makes it worthwhile.

At the same time, down here it doesn't always work like that, this was two days ago!

 

Man thats a nice view.

I miss my summer weekend rides ride to nice spot enjoy the view while munching on a sarnie and ride a diff way back home, awesome way to unwind.

 

I got to ride the Triumph Bobber out in Spain and made a crappy video and wrote some words



I'm also going to the launch of the new Street Triple on Jan 10th so I will post as much info & photos here as I can afterwards

 

I'm very intrigued by that bike, just concerned by its complete lack of practicality despite its lovely looks. Very interested in the new Street though, on the market for a new bike in February when I turn 25 and things open up insurance-wise!

 

Yeah I can't wait to know more about the Street & have a go on one. Rumours suggest a 765cc (called an 800, maybe) with an electronics package and maybe a few different models. I reckon the press rides will be ~March sometime.

The Bobber's a right laugh tbh, but not a practical bike in the slightest. I reckon you could strap a bag to the fender but that's about it. And obviously zero chance of carrying a pillion So good though and it sounds ****ing amazing. If someone gave me one, i'd probably keep it

 

Probably the best review of any product I've ever read:

http://www.bikeme.tv/index.php/2017-suzuki-gsx-r1000r-review-return-king/

 

Rear drum brake on my CBF125 seized up on me recently. Turns out that water had got into the brake housing and turned the brake dust into a thick goopy paste which was clogging the whole mechanism. It had to be stripped down, cleaned, the inside of the hub sanded, and new brake shoes fitted. The garage I took it to also adjusted the chain tension at the same time (it was getting a bit slack, I'd planned to do it this coming weekend). In the short ride home since picking it up I made two observations:

1. So THAT'S what my back brake is supposed to feel like...
2. Holy crap this thing is faster when chain is properly adjusted and the rear brake isn't ever so slightly stuck on

That is an excellent read.

 

Had a similar effect when I swapped the (never previously replaced!) clutchpack on the CG125. Oh, hey, I can actually get all of the already small number of horses to the wheel now!

 

So, I'm finally doing my full licence in March.

For my first bike, I'm thinking of either a Kawasaki Vulcan S or a Yamaha XSR700

I really do like them both. Very similar cost wise, but very different bikes.

Thoughts?

 

What kind of riding will you be doing?

It's mostly personal preference here but I wouldn't be caught dead on a vulcan.

Have you considered a yam MT? I'd be looking at the 7 (or 9 if you're an idiot like me) for a first bike nowadays.

 

I'm sure you already know yourself, but be wary of buying a new bike for your first. When you drop it, and you will, it hurts so bad. It could be the first week or the second year but it will go down.

Only you know yourself though, I started on a brand new bike (restricted to 33bhp) and I didn't drop it til my third year of ownership and have never dropped it since (now in my sixth year), so it is entirely down to you and your luck.

As for the XSR and Vulcan, I think the XSR/MT (MT-07 being what the XSR started out as) would be your best bets for bikes to begin on and grow into. I had a go on the MT and had a blast despite it making a similar amount of power to my Yamaha XJ6, so light and perky it belies its price, yet because of the modest power it's not enough to catch you out.

Cruisers are a whole different story though, and something of a love/hate thing. They are almost entirely style over substance as their handling, braking and general performance are (almost) always inferior to a conventionally styled motorcycle (unless it's a Ducati Diavel). They make good starter bikes because of this, the low seat height is great for shorter riders plus it makes them easy to keep upright. If you love the cruiser styling however, you're going to get one no matter how compromised the performance may be.

Oh, and don't skimp on gear, and wear it all the time.

 

Second...I'd start with a good used bike too ;-)

 

Which is why your first purchase after gear is a set of crash protectors, I only ever dropped by first bike once (it was however pushed over countless times -.-) and never dropped my second bike. Whilst I would recommend still to get a used bike, I appreciate that the draw of a new bike is very strong and would of probably have gotten one myself if I had had the money!