Motors Motorcycle Mayhem

Wasn't going to post this vid, but found it, and the sound seems pretty good for a mobile phone recording + Youtube.

So... I present my SV:



With the baffle in too!

 

For some reason the video won't embed, so here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzB6KSlD6ec

So I had one of these (1st clip is the most similar but obviously mine was slower! The rest of the video is quite exciting though!) due to some gravel in the middle of a high speed corner! Rather 'exciting' but I managed to relax on the bars, keep the throttle going and keep it on my side of the road - especially important given the oncoming cars! I'm no pro-rider but I think it says a lot for the quality of my instruction when I learnt! I'm grateful to my instructor, certainly. I avoided target fixation and kept good technique, I think!

 

Romford Motorcycle Academy is where I learnt, amazing instructors. I've aqua planed twice, rode on ice, had countless close calls and even been hit side on by a car at 20mph. Never come off, and every time I think to myself, how much knowledge they've drummed into my head to prevent a big accident.

 

It's well worth asking around fellow bikers locally to find out what's said about CBT centres. The one I went to for all three (!) of mine was horrible - well, the instructor was horrible. He's actually rather infamous around these parts as a cantankerous, abusive mini-Hitler who treats students like crap, but because it's a small town and they're a good little business, the CBT side of things keeps getting customers. I guess nobody ever gives them feedback on his teaching - I just wish I'd asked around more, I only learned this year that there's a much better centre 10 miles away.

 

Absolutely. My guys in Macclesfield were fantastic! Great insight into riding ability and technique. So far so good!

 

Top notch


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Got some time off in May booked now; touch wood I haven't tempted fate as far as weather!.

Had a quick oggle at example motorcycle theory tests, not much different to the car based one except motorcycle-orientated questions. Should be easy enough if I want to carry on.

 

Best of luck, riding is nothing but a constant adventure.

 

Occasionally interrupted by the bumblebee, a demon sent from Hell to ruin your day.

10 Things They Never Told You About Becoming A Biker - RideApart.com

Hilarious article, may save you some suprises down the line.

 

Brilliant link there!


1. I'd never heard of these flying stealth demons! Is there any defence? Holy water mixed with insecticide applied liberally over oneself?

2. I work in a meteorological company!

3. I was hoping to do that! And inevitably get lost. James May has nothing on my lack of a sense of direction.

4. I will be sure to only hit dry manholes. *Snigger*

5. The main danger is angering family (cousins) if a young relative of mine sees me on a bike, presuming I get one. They're discouraging him from going for a bike!

6. I've already started behaving better (I hope!) from just watching vlogs. Interesting some things you can pick up on from seeing the road as a different user.

7. Wave. With the right hand. Definitely don't nod. I've got that right, right?

8. So long as the manual isn't heavier/bigger than the bike... I don't trust objects smaller than the manual it comes with!

9. I'll try to keep that in mind... but it may still get checked everyday!

10. Already used to that with hayfever and dust allergies!

 

I once got done by a hornet at around 30mph to that soft bit of skin behind your chin, and it stung, twice. When I finally managed to stop to work out wtf had happened, I was rubbing the skin with the hand and the friggin thing was still there, dazed and confused. I inadvertently caught it in my hand, cue two more stings on my palm.

That was a very bad day.

 

My kill count is currently at a trillion flies, one badger (bricks were shat, damn thing was the size of a dog!), i've picked bits of grilled pheasant out of my radiator & headers, and the bonus kill is A ****ING PEACOCK!

 

you hit a peacock and stayed on? that's incredible

 

Frankly the peacock was the scary one! I was exactly here. Straight road but dreadful surface, so going about 50, it's also pretty narrow. Just came out from the left, I had less than no time to react and just clipped it. It was a mess. Kept a feather or two

 

Dry manholes do offer more grip, etc. etc.

I kinda hate that article for pointing this out. I need to find a new phrase to describe wet manholes now, because they really are a menace when you're on a bike. The ones in the road surface, I mean. Although I guess the other kind would be seriously unsettling too.

The biggest thing I've hit in 6 years was a rabbit, though I've had pheasants do that terrifying back-and-forth dance and only just escape my front wheel. I've heard stories about pheasants killing bikers that I'd write off as apocryphal if it weren't so damned plausible.

But a badger? Christ, that would be like riding into a knee-high brick wall.

Are you persuaded of the joys of biking yet, Wozz?

 

Still up for it, CBT is now 3rd week of April! (Which I tried to post yesterday but kept getting a 502 bad gateway...)

Although I'll admit I'm somewhat terrified of the idea of hitting deer. On my usual work routes (there's 2 I vary between in the car) I've seen numerous pheasants and the occasional deer. And some ducklings and a duck once.

Not come across foxes/badgers/rabbits yet!

Edit: Or a peacock!

 

Happend a few years back up near where I live. Pheasant flew out and hit a biker +1 doing 60-70mph. Rider died and passenger was severely injured. Crazy scary! Worst so far for me is a badger running out in front of me but he was far enough ahead that I could avoid him.

 

Worst I've hit myself is a pheasant - left jaunty tail feathers trapped between the fairing and the wing mirror mount. However, I do have a fairly horrific story about sheep.

I was out with two other mates a few years back and we were in North Cheshire going between Middlewich and Wrexham. I was a bit ahead of the other two, and was 'making time' as I flew past two sheep cowering in the verge. 'I hope those sheep don't leap out in front of Carl and John' I thought as I went past them.

So I get to the next T junction and wait for C and J - and I wait, and I wait, ... and I wait - bugger, something has happened.

So I turn round and head back, and just as I had feared, as I get to where I saw the sheep, there's carnage on the road.

There were the two sheep, [horrible alert] one of which was literally cut in half, the other was smashed to pulp. There were two large skid marks, and lots of fairing plastics - some red and some blue from the two R1's - but no other sign of my mates - wtf? I got my phone out and called them, but at first got no answer, I started looking over hedges and into fields - thinking they might have been flung over into the field - but no sign.

Finally, my phone rings - it's Carl - him and John are down a side road about 1/2 mile up the road, they'd in fact seen me go back - but had both been speaking to either the AA or RAC until this point.

They'd both hit the sheep, but remarkably had both stayed on - Carl had hit one with a glancing blow - and the sheep had only made a mess of the fairing plastics - but John had literally scythed right through one [and while we didn't know at the time, he'd bent his frame - complete write off].

Both were hugely lucky to stay on.

Anyway, Carl then tells me that he thinks that lose animals on the highway is an offence, and can I get the ear tags out of the sheep so we can track the farmer for the insurance company.

Before I tell you the next bit - I need to tell you that it's the height if summer, it's 28degrees, and I'm in full one piece leathers

OK, so I track down the two sheeps heads, and proceed to try to get the tags out of their ears - one came out quite easily - but the other was just not coming out. I ended up having to put my boot on its neck, and pulling very hard - it was at this point when it let out a very feeble baaaaa, and the tag came out with a bit of it's ear attached - it didn't move or baa again, but I was totally horrified.

At this point a large van pulled up, and the driver asked me what had happened - I told him the story, but was a bit freaked out by the sheep if I'm honest.

The van driver told me that he was on his way to the abattoir anyway, and if I'd got the tags out of the sheep, then could I give him a hand putting the bodies onto the back of his van. I was to get into the van as he passed me up the sheeps bodies.

Sure, I said - but really should have thought about it - he rolled up the shutter doors on the van and in front of me there were the piled up corpses of at least two cows, two or three horses, lots of sheep - and I'm afraid I stopped looking for identifiable bits after that.

So here I was, in a full leather race suit in almost 30degree heat, in the back of a van piled high with dead, stinking livestock while a man threw the remains of two sheep at me for me to stack them in the back of the van with the other dead animals - one of whom I was convinced I just tortured to death.

That afternoon is burned in my memory.



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after i got my bike i booked a couple of rides with the instructor where i did my cbt. i hadn't got used to my helmet as i wear specs so kept the visor up, was doing 40mph when according to the instructor i performed a near perfect emergency stop, jump off the bike and began hopping around trying to remove the lid as i got 2 bees in both of them stung me. i still hear his laughter over the comms system in my sleep. now i wear a balaclava as well

 

Amazing