Motors Motorcycle Mayhem

well looks like im buggered my nosey neighbor came over an insisted i try his trend grab-it bits, i knew from the start i shouldnt have but allowed my self to get talked into it.
really really regretting taking my bike out when the roads were caked in salt earlier this month not only does the bike not shift corrosion is setting in and i cant give it a good was where its stood.

 

well saw a you tube vid last friday some american kid in the same situation as me hammered in a tight fitting torx bit to remove the allan key bolt. and it worked!!!

before


and after a proper hammered in torx bit.

 

Hello BitTechers!


So, I actually want to start riding. I've wanted to ride for a V.long time, but life just hasn't let me and I seemed to be surrounded by people who said no. Don't start.
I'm 33 now. I don't know if there is a time that it is too late to start, but i'll be taking my CBT sometime in the next month hopefully.
But essentially, i've moved away from some of those that said no (job changes and moved North) and discouraged me, and i'm ignoring the others who think I just shouldn't.

Any bittechers in the North East know some good brick&mortar shops to visit for helmet/gloves/jacket/trousers etc? - or have any advice otherwise?

I'm not really looking at bikes at the moment, as once i've done my CBT i'll probably have a go at testing different ones. I realise a bike I like the look of, may not necesarilly
be the right bike for me. I like tourers/cruisers. Not big on the sports bikes. As an example of one that stands out is the one below (Triumph Bonneville Bobber) and I really like the
look of (but obv can't ride until fully licensed etc), so that sort of style etc. I get very confused with all the different terminologies and namings of bikes. And until i'm actually
actively looking and have been told things by those in the know, I get a bit lost for what to look for.

 

I'll jump in here, since I passed my full test not long ago.

You are absolutely not too told . I didn't do my CBT until I was 34 - I didn't even have a car license when I did my CBT (and I still don't have one now!)

If you have the money, do the direct access as soon as possible after getting your CBT. I rode for about a year on a CBT and while I got great experience of being on the road on a motorbike, I picked up a hell of a lot of bad habits and had to unlearn an awful lot when I came to do direct access. The first time I sat on the 650cc Suzuki Bandit it was like being on a motorbike for the first time again: I was very hesitant and extremely cautious. After about an hour or so however I got used to the bike and the controls, and I realised just what I'd been missing on my CBF125. Even something as simple as having the power to pull away from traffic lights without having to peg my throttle wide open was a joy. The attitude of other road users totally changed when my L plates disappeared too. I'd often have people tailgating me or overtaking me very dangerously but as soon as I got on a bike without L plates, all that stopped straight away. Well, mostly stopped anyway - there are still plenty of d!ckhead cagers out there, but generally most people do tend to give me a much wider berth than they did when I was on the CBF125.

It's totally up to you though. See how you get on when you do the CBT and take it from there. If you do want to ride on L plates, then I'd suggest sticking to the "big 4" Japanese brands for your first bike: Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. Don't be tempted by cheap no-name imports or Chinese brands; even if they might be perfectly acceptable bikes in their own right, you might struggle to find a dealer/garage who will service them. Stick to something like a CBF125/CB125F or a YBR125 and you can't go wrong. I was warned against going for a cruiser-style 125 as the weight balance can make cornering difficult - I've never ridden a cruiser though, 125 or otherwise, so I can't comment on that personally. It is a more expensive way to do it in the long run - you have to buy and insure a 125, which you'll probably want to get rid of as soon as you do direct access - but you will be riding straight away. That was my goal: I wanted to be on the road as soon as possible. At the time my father had not long had a terminal diagnosis; I needed to be able to travel ~16 miles on little to no notice and I couldn't face relying on getting a lift, not even a lift from my other half. I needed to be on the road right now and a motorbike was the cheapest and fastest way to do that (and I'd always sort of wanted a motorbike anyway). TBH though if you get one of the "big 4" 125 bikes and keep it in good order then chances are that you'll get a good trade-in price. I paid £1900 for my CBF125 but I got £1300 trade-in for it just under a year later - I could have got more if I'd sold it privately, but I was getting a new bike and that was perfect as a deposit.

Don't be tempted to skimp on protective gear. In an accident that stuff will be the only thing that protects you. Get good quality boots, trousers, jacket, and gloves, and make sure any armour is CE-certified. Don't worry about all-weather GoreTex gear to start off with - you can always wear cheap waterproof trousers/jackets on top of the rest of your gear. Get a decent helmet too. You don't have to spend £600 on a Shoei lid with built-in a bluetooth comms system, but don't buy a £50 jobbie from Halfords either (in fact just don't buy anything from Halfords ). If you can, go to a store and try them on; you'll probably get a better deal with an online retailer like sportsbikeshop, ghostbikes, getgeared, etc, but you could end up sending it back several times to get the right fit. You might get lucky - I did, the Shark S900 I bought from sportsbikeshop turned out to be a perfect fit. But late last year I bought an AGV helmet in exactly the same size as my Shark helmet and I couldn't even get the AGV on my head. In hindsight it would have been a better idea to go to a store/dealer the first time around.

Other than that... enjoy it . For me there is absolutely no other feeling like it. I wouldn't swap it for anything; even in the howling wind, driving rain, freezing cold, etc, I'd much rather be on my bike than in a car. I'm going to get a car license for practical purposes - can't really fit a week's shopping on the bike, even in my the storage box on my NC750X! - but my other half already drives, so I'm in no rush.

 

Couple of points to add to the above from my perspective.

Re: the big 4 Japanese brands when picking a 125; I mostly agree, however the cheap Chinese bikes do have their place with but one caveat, come resale time it'll be worth chuff all, but buy new and consider it a disposable commodity and they'll see you right for at least the length of your CBT 2 year validity period, after which you'll be holding it together with baling wire.

Re: 125 cruisers; They go and corner alright, I had a CM125 custom as my first geared bike after my CBT, coming from a Pug Speedfight 100, but of course as bikes have evolved they have got bigger & heavier trying to ape the full cruiser look so aren't going to anything close to nimble or quick off the line.

Re: helmets; always always always try before you buy

 

byron c has covered everything really. i was 33 when i did my cbt then did my full licence after 8 months on a varadero 125. only thing i would add is dont be too fixed on a big bike yet and keep an open mind you might be suprised which bike you will end up with after a full license take your time demoing a few bikes. i test drove a few bikes even ones way outta my budget before finding my ugly bike which i love

 

on another note after a harsh winter on roads caked in salt has taken its toll on the exhuat headers/down pipes i am down to give them a good clean and remove the rust this weekend anyone have any experience on the best protective paint for them?

 

On the subject of gear: find a local store, try on as many of the high-end brands (Dainese, Rukka, Knox, Alpinestars, etc) as you can, and find out what size of their trousers/jackets/helmets/gloves/boots fit you well. Once you know that, you can order online without as much worry about fit (some good prices can be had from European online sellers e.g. Motocard), and even snag some excellent deals on ebay if you're willing to wait: set up a saved search filtered down to just your size, and when something nice comes up put in a "it would be nice if I could get it for X" bid and then ignore it until the auction ends. Except for helmets, always buy those new.

 

Wow thanks so much for the replies people!

I will have to look at the DirectAccess. I was intending to go for the full test pretty much as soon as I was comfortable. Hopefully within the
first year and (as you say) before I pick up too many bad habits.

Just don’t want to progress too fast before I’m used to riding.

I’ve been told that about the lower powered cruisers too. I’ll have to look in to it.
Not so massively bothered about the first bike being a ‘dream’ one obviously.


As for gear, definitely not a place I am going to be cheap on. I’m hoping to get
a bike for around £2k if I can. And then my gear I’m looking at around £500/600.

I want good stuff. To keep me cool especially as I am naturally VERY warm. I wear tshirt s in winter. And hate the heat haha.

Will defo try before I buy! Will be the same for all my gear.

As for bike I’ve heard lots of things about the bikes. If I can get a Chinese one for a cheap price that isn’t absolutely diabolical
to use for the year I may need it then I’ll look into it. Keeway Superlight 125ltd looks nice.
Who knows how they fare as a bike though, eh.

I’m definitely not set on a bike yet. I just have the styles I prefer the look of, it may be that when I come to ride them, I hate it and prefer a different ride.

But I’ll find one. Eventually! At least it isn’t as much as cars!

 

Just got myself a 2011 CBR125. Had it for a week and itching to ride but I have to wait until tomorrow to do my CBT. Also working on a vicious frame lock for it made from 40x40mm square tube. Will post pics when it's done.

 

I used to use army Surplus heat resistant matt black paint.
Later rattlecan heat resistant matt black paint.
Both are labelled "upto 650°C"

Both "bleached" within two years, so I had to redo it every second year or so.

 

CBT done and dusted. Now I can finally ride my CBR125 tomorrow! Yay.

 

Congrats, sir. Just in time for the warmer weather, hopefully!

My own celebration this week is the realisation that next week I get to go to Spain and ride...

 

Shiny. Racing-style bikes aren't really my cup o' tea, but I can still appreciate a fine piece of engineering.

Don't fancy those tyres for my commute to work though

 

Made a proper tool of myself, showing up at the Honda dealer twice to get a testride on a Grom.

Then I managed to show up for the testride, and forgot my driving license at work, so they couldn’t hand it out.



Fool!

 

So...the MSX testride was a let down.
While it IS fun to ride the 2017/2018 has some downsides that made me not buy it.

1. the seat is so hard, my butt hurt even after a 30 min testride.
2. it's hard to accellerate quickly at the stoplights.

The idea behind getting a small bike / Scooter was to be quick at the lights, so the cars aren't too upset that i passed them at the lights.
To do this the MSX needs high revs, and the clutch is very sensitive and far out on the lever.

Compared to an Innova, that has the same engine but is 10 years older, the MSX has the torque higher up in the revs, making it actually slower. (at least that's what the Honda salesman told me)
The Euro4 setup probably didn't help either compared to the Innova that is...Euro2?

 

Who'd have thought it is so difficult to buy a used scooter here in former eastern Germany.

1st Try: Honda Pantheon (too big really) old, scratched, dinged, worn tyres. but well maintained (apart from the tires) but just waaaay too expensive.
2nd Try: Honda Dylan. Looking great because: been standing for 13!!! years, last Service 14 years old Too expensive, no price movement possible.
3rd Try: Dinged and worn Vespa, a lot of things need to be done, but the price is accordingly….for one day, next day it's suddenly twice the price
4th Try: okayish old Piaggio, price okay, no contact possible for the last three weeks

 

Most of the smaller bikes like 125cc like to operate in the higher rev range and will quite happily sit there all day. You could always change the front/rear sprockets. My CBR 125 is ok, but after changing the front sprocket (easy job) from a 15tooth to a 14tooth, acceleration is amazing. I don't have any problems leaving most cars at the light on takeoff. An old CG125 is also a nice reliable bike and you could do the same to the sprocket setup. They are also great on fuel economy.

 

My old CBF125 topped out at 8000RPM and the engine wouldn't have any kind of pull at all until you hit ~4500-5000RPM. Was so nervous the first time I got on the SV650 I passed my test on, I was paranoid I'd rev it too hard and land up flat on my back in the middle of the road.

 

Well, I finally did it: I tried to ride off with a disc lock still attached to the front disc:



That little bracket is going to cost me around £180 , and that's assuming the caliper itself isn't damaged.

Ignore the rust please...