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Thread: I want to get a bike license

  1. #1961
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    I think I'd be inclined to buy a waterproof cover for my phone and use google maps tbh.

    I use google maps in the car and use the sound because it saves having to take my eye off the road. Biggest ballache is switching it off once I know where I am.

  2. #1962
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    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...QQr12wKCkq38As


    As if Garner hasn't been hiding his millions away in the intervening period. Bankruptcy and a sailing off into the sunset awaits.

  3. #1963
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    Realised I haven't updated this. More bike hunting has been going on.

    Set off for a Triumph dealer as they'd got an R Nine T in as a trade-in and I did want to try one. But of course I had a look around first and, to my surprise, they were really amenable to me trying more than one bike and let me have a look over / sit on the Speed Twin.

    Well. Here she is:


    I'd love to say that I hated it, and that it was awful and I really don't want one. But that would be complete and utter bullshit I couldn't get particularly comfortable on it because the tank is narrow and I couldn't brace myself against the tank, but with a different seat and tank pads I think it'd be an absolute belter. It is fabulous

    Brakes - stop on a sixpence.
    Handling - stable and dart like on the front end, nimble and chuckable.
    Engine - especially in Sport mode, it's a thumping torque monster with loads of grunt, a lovely sound and it revs out lovely; yet it's tractable and flexible.
    It really doesn't feel as heavy as it should be with the big lump slung in there and it feels really premium.

    What....a machine..... Yes. Oh yes I shall have one.

    But not for now - £11k all told new. I'm not stretching that far. But it's a very good second hand option in 3-4 years time.


    And then I got what I was going there for:



    First things first - it's an odd looking thing but I must say, in that sort of oddball way that odd looking things tend to do it to you, I started to get that beauty come through after you stare at it a bit longer. In the metal they're extremely well built and the design cues start to work. That said this particular one was, hmm.... iffy. I didn't really like the brushed silver tank and it had a few scratches in it, and the odd seat hump with LED rear light in it made me want to vomit into my mouth just a little.

    Second things second - right, I probably should have ridden the R9T first as it was tainted a little by how good the Speed was.

    But, on its own in reflection - brakes are really good and no problems there, and chassis wise it NEVER feels like its 220kg girth. In fact it's easier to pick up off the stand than the Enfield as the weight is so low down. I was really surprised by that. It's no dart like the MV Brutale was but it's also just so easy to throw around the place and still be really stable. I took it down some narrow roads that were gravel laden in the middle and it was sure footed and easy to get confidence in.

    It's got a nice seat height and the riding position is so neutral that it's all day comfortable - a little high in the pegs? Maybe, but I wouldn't say overly so in that it was a problem.

    Power, it's nowhere near as quick as the Speed Twin (see what I mean about not back-to-backing them) but had a lovely grunt to it, with it fuelling smooth and feeling usable but not at all scary - roll-on torque in gear is good. It's more than quick enough for a naked roadster. Can fly past things without a struggle and you're hardly ever in the wrong gear.

    It's exactly what you should reckon a BMW should feel like. A great all round package, well built and premium. That's what it was. But don't let me fool you into thinking it doesn't have character. It does - the engine is very charismatic and it's got a real presence to it.

    So there we go. Speed Twin later in my life. R Nine T for now I reckon......



    Oh did I mention I've bought one already?

    Pick it up Saturday

  4. #1964
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    PICS !!!

    (Hope its better looking than the one you test rode lol )

  5. #1965
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonny Wilkinson View Post
    PICS !!!

    (Hope its better looking than the one you test rode lol )
    Only got one of it - and yeah, it is. Better colour, better tail. Don't like the engine covers much mind - will have to change those; or maybe just wrap them in black / carbon / dark grey.


  6. #1966
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    Very nice,

    A site manager I do a lot of work with has one, the looks get better every time I see it...

    I imagine it's a fair bit different to the KTM, but in a good way.



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  7. #1967
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    Well like all the car / bike hunting I tend to do, I've yet again gone and blown the budget and not stuck to the brief

    I did want something lighter. Having checked online the BMW is 222kg fully fuelled and ready to go; the KTM is a claimed 196kg dry but I've seen someone front and rear wheel weighting one at 209kg wet so I'm probably only 10kg over, but the weight does seem very low in the frame which makes it less of a problem. Pushing it backwards into the garage will be the acid test but I've decided not to sweat that.... If I have to pull it in frontwards then so-be-it; I'll be thinking of ways of making that easier and that might include getting the area outside of my garage paved / sorted somehow so that it's a bit easier.

    It's a really smooth, but torquey and responsive engine and I can sit on it with my knees slightly bent even feet down, so as far as my back goes all of that makes sense.

    Rear rack to be purchased which will give me space for my Kreiga US30 leaving rear seat for my 60L rollbag if needed. That should do me loads of storage and then I can go get some miles in once the world goes back to normal

  8. #1968
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    OMG Arry, you appear to have turned into a Geography teacher :-O

    Have you grown a beard and started wearing cords???

    Nice purchase, looks like fun
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  9. #1969
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    As I'm now an adventure bike rider

    Thought I'd treat myself to some new gear that's more suited....

    Can't believe how much better the adventure stuff is to wear than the sport bike gear.

    Got some RST pro series adventure trousers and the fit and comfort for a "larger gentleman" is properly good, so good I wish I just bought some anyway for when i had the fireblade...

    And the ventilation is a game changer, I'm sure shorts wouldn't be as cool in the sun as tese are, it properly works well and channels a nice cool stream of air where it's wanted for comfort.

    But then they have the added bonus of zipping up the panels and becoming waterproof.

    Plus they have 2 additional linings so should be a full season setup.

    Impressed and recommend to try some out!

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  10. #1970
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    Quote Originally Posted by GrahamB View Post
    OMG Arry, you appear to have turned into a Geography teacher :-O

    Have you grown a beard and started wearing cords???

    Nice purchase, looks like fun
    Haha. I'll have you know I've been wearing blazers like a big boy for a while now.

    Can't manage cords though. Errghh..


    It's a nice bike and it's near brand new and still in warranty. I hate to think what it's cost the previous owner in depreciation over ~17 months and 3700 miles. A lot is the answer. I got a bit of a bargain on it compared to dealer pricing and the owner has kept it tip-top.

    D - blimey mate, lifestyling it Glad you're enjoying bikes again

  11. #1971
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    It was mainly because I came very very close to dropping it....

    Having been used to the blade for years I never realised I had such an issue extending my legs fully in my kevlar lined jeans when sweaty.

    Then I was on a off camber hill, had to stop for a car, went to put my leg down but could only get about 80% straight and it was a good 4-5 inches short of reaching the road and I was already committed to leaning the bike in that direction. The wieght of the KTM is deceptively light to manoeuvre until it's off centre unexpectedly.....

    Dam near gave myself a arse tulip catching that one, but escaped un damaged and kept it upright.

    So went straight in the bay for a pair of more flexible trousers

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  12. #1972
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    RST is generally good stuff and very reasonably priced.

  13. #1973
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    Went and picked up the R Nine T.

    Another search for a vehicle where I go well off piste with the list of wants and well out of wack with the budget, but hey ho. Really wasn't what I was looking for originally; I really wanted something lighter. But as soon as I sat up on one and got moving I realised that it's true what they say - you can't test ride bikes on paper; it has to be right in the real world.

    So here she is







    First impressions - well I love the characterful burble and torque rock of the boxer. It has loads of torque and roll-on acceleration in any gear at any rpm is pretty brisk, but catch it in the right gear and use the revs and it flies well. It's stable, predictable and a lot lighter to chuck about than the numbers would suggest - it does require a bit more muscle to get it in there on the tight ones, but it's not problematic for it. Brakes are excellent, I mean plenty stopping power with great feel. ABS might kick in a bit early, mind - will have a more deliberate attempt with it tomorrow.

    Really comfy, smooth, quiet yet lively and it feels like I've always been riding it somehow. I think this one's gonna be with me for a long time

  14. #1974
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    120 miles with my mate in tow today, out getting to know the new steed. Bloody fabulous thing - honestly, it feels like the bike I should have been riding for donkeys, and I've felt so naturally at home on it that 'getting used to it' wasn't really needed. Love it proper already







    Really, really good times.

  15. #1975
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    I'm so pleased for you. I know you've struggled to find the right bike recently and I did wonder if you might fall out of love with the whole bike riding thing but when you find the right bike, its amazing.

    I remember when I had my first fireblade, it just felt right and although it was wide and a bit fat and needed muscling into corners because of the 16in front wheel, there was such an obvious connection between bike and rider, I loved it.

    Just goes to show you need to keep looking until you find the right bike.

  16. #1976
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonny Wilkinson View Post
    I'm so pleased for you. I know you've struggled to find the right bike recently and I did wonder if you might fall out of love with the whole bike riding thing but when you find the right bike, its amazing.

    I remember when I had my first fireblade, it just felt right and although it was wide and a bit fat and needed muscling into corners because of the 16in front wheel, there was such an obvious connection between bike and rider, I loved it.

    Just goes to show you need to keep looking until you find the right bike.
    100% this

    Never really had a connection with my R1 that I had with my previous ThunderAce, 12R is pretty much in the same "fat sports bike" mould that seems to suit me

    I too have bought some new kit I've had a 1 piece race suit for ages but other than for a quick scoot out they're an utter pain to deal with. So back to 2 piece for me

    I've also bagged myself a new lid, I had a BMW system 3 20+ years ago, pretty primitive for a flippy lid, but I've just got myself an AGV Sport Modular. Compared to the old BMW, it's 400 grams lighter, all carbon affair.
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  17. #1977
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    I'm having a similar experience with the KTM,

    Feels instantly natural and after a couple of hours feel more at home.on it than 8yrs on the fireblade..

    My ducati monster was similar, almost Instant feeling of "right" where as the blade took a good long time for confidence and trust in the bike to come through.

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  18. #1978
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    Quote Originally Posted by DLowe View Post
    I'm having a similar experience with the KTM,

    Feels instantly natural and after a couple of hours feel more at home.on it than 8yrs on the fireblade..

    My ducati monster was similar, almost Instant feeling of "right" where as the blade took a good long time for confidence and trust in the bike to come through.

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

    Glad you're enjoying it mate


    Well the last ride didn't go to plan Was heading to take the R Nine T in for servicing and wasn't hanging about.





    Came hooning off a roundabout, 2 lanes down into one, uphill and still cantered over like a motherbitch and I'm throttling up to get past a row of cars and all of a sudden, everything goes wobbly AF. Get the bike stood up and yep, that back end has gone to shit, WTF. Puncture

    I'd even sat thinking to myself that's two bikes I've got now with tubed tyres and what a PITA that is. I think I picked up a puncture (and wrote the tyre off) on the KTM less than a week in as well.

    Still, managed to get the bike recovered up to Witham and Cannon BMW took care of it for me, despite me missing my service slot. Serviced, new inner tube and cleaned out the mess that the sharps had made, and still only charged me £240. Nice

    In the meantime I took a walk around Great Braxted and surrounding villages.

    [





    Bit more drama than I wanted for the day but I'm not deaded so yay

  19. #1979
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    Thought I'd best have a 'big one' to 'get to know it better' so I headed off yesterday morning for a bit of a whopper ride.

    Sorted a route out at home and plumbed it into Beeline;it was supposed to be circa 290 miles. Over the course of the day I realised I was going to run out of time to be back for dinner so I cut a few waypoints out and used a bit more dual carriageway to make up some time later in the day. But overall it was an immensely satisfying day with 263 miles covered

    Started from home in South Essex and went through The Rodings to Finchingfield, through to Steeple Bumpstead and round Haverhill towards Mildenhall, where I stopped for some lunch:



    Place was heaving with smelly bikers.

    Then set off in a sort of triangular loop through Thetford Forest (I love it in there, don't know why because it's quite boring long roads without bends but it feels like being in a tunnel and has a sort of eerie but chilled vibe to it) before pinging back out onto the A11 for a short while before happening upon this place:



    Then set off through the pretty little villages towards the East Coast of Suffolk and Covehithe which is about to fall into the sea:



    Nice scenery and roads:






    Real mixed bag of riding - some fast A road, some bumpy B road, some farm track, some dual carriageway to make up time. Sat at indicated 85 on a naked bike and it wasn't hellish (I'd not want to do it forever, but ~15 miles of it was alright and it's loads better at 70) and 'making progress' through the lanes with some choice overtakes - which this bike LOVES to do with just instant torque and shove - and a good mix of blatting it and relaxing on it taking a pootle.

    Filled up end of my road at the start of the day and at the end of the day. 263 miles combined tankfuls and working out the MPG gives 51.2

  20. #1980
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    Managed to get a couple hours out on the KTM today, it's a revelation compared to the fireblade, got it up on some roads I know well up around Buxton and it just glides over all the rough patches and bumps.

    Weather was a bit over cast and it did start raining towards the end, so managed to try out the heated grips - What a luxury, didn't know what I was missing.


    Had heard the cat & fiddle had reopened, but unfortunately not

    The roads are lovely, but have been somewhat ruined by the average 50 cameras that have been added - still feels like your riding the mountain at the TT



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