toneh

iTrader: (1)

Well done , you'll be gettin them trackdays booked soon ,,, then cars will be just a means of transport and sooo slow

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Cars will always be my passion

CrisPDuk

That's what I thought 6 years ago Rob, but now I barely find time to service my Golf with allthe time I spend either riding or tinkering with my bikes

Congrats on the licence BTW, and just at the right time of year to enjoy it fully too

CrisPDuk

IMO the best motorcycle in the world

toneh

iTrader: (1)

Alright for a mess around , but they will never beat the exhilaration of a bike
Round a circuit nothing compares , have fun mate

njkmrs

Well ,congrats on passing test etc but...
I find it difficult to say get out and enjoy your bike.I did the same at 28,decided I wanted a bike after going on the back of a mates bike with him.Took a 1 week course, cbt etc and passed test.A mate had a Fireblade in Repsol colours fresh out of the paintshop.He called round one day as he only lived up the road,and asked if I wanted to swap my cossie for his bike.I had been looking for a cbr 400 at the time after only just passing my test.Took one look at the bike and said no deal ,but I,ll buy the bike if your selling.Two days later I owned it and his leathers ,lid etc and off I went.
I had a few mates who went out on a Sunday morning for a ride ,so I tagged along.Now some of these were Police motorbike riders and were the craziest f**kers ever.Wet or dry they were mental.I never felt truly in control as I was late into biking but I did my best to keep up.Many a time I got home and thought ,"how the hell did I get home today?".It was like being a naughty kid again.6 abreast on the East Lancs,leathering it between lights ,front wheel in the air and laughing like a Hyena.
But ,I dont know one biker who has not been off his bike at some time.How seriously hurt is just a matter of luck to be honest.Mainly just scrapes ,bruises and the odd broken bone,but I know friends who have friends that have died.
Track days are the safest place to test your skill and nerve,but be warned ,you can still get hurt.Chasing a mate round Oulton Park,last session of the day on a sizzling August day,I ran out of talent and came a cropper over Clay Hill.One broken femur later,I still did not find the sense to realise biking was not my best skill.I kept the bike for a couple of years more and did a few more track days,Sunday morns out etc and thankfully ,other things ,including my two kids took up my time more and more ,so I got rid of the bike.Missed it for a while but I still enjoyed cars so got a slightly safer need for speed thrill with cars instead .
Not sure if this will put you off,but the fact is with biking its not when you come off,its more a case of how badly you will be when you come off.I am only talking from my experience,and the people I know,but it really is a dangerous hobby to get into at a more mature age.
I hope you dont have the same experiences I have talked about and I cant say I did not have fun,but for me biking is one hell of a dangerous buzz,that you need to be aware of every time you get on your machine.
I wish you well and I dont mean to p1ss on your chips,but take care fella.

RICHARD J

iTrader: (4)

Iv got a 98 blade & although my Scoob is running mid 400s, when I go out on the blade I feel like I'm hanging onto a rocket, the exhilaration is just in a different league. Still love my Scoob though wouldn't part with either.

carpboy

iTrader: (2)

Love my spec c t25 but my hyper still gives me a bigger buzz

RICHARD J

iTrader: (4)

Wise words, bikes are certainly dangerous Iv had several spills myself & a 1 week hospital stay, I also know someone who was killed & have several mates who have had bad injuries. You need to know the risk when you get on a bike & never ride anywhere near the limit. Bikes are addictive though, I started riding at 16 & 22 years later I'm still hooked, but they must be treated with respect as they are not as forgiving as a car. Enjoy yourself & take care.

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Thanks for the kind sensible words of advice.

Car will always be my passion, and I don't think of myself as lucky when it comes to "on the edge experiences". 15 years of fast road cars followed by advance driving schools via work has given me the ability to read well ahead of the average joe on the road, this combined with plenty common sense I hope will keep me safe.

As for riding past my comfort zone, that's unlikely to happen, a) I have a family and two kids to think about, b) I don't want any points on my clean lic, c) loosing my lic would be like having a limb removed, d) I enjoy life and would hate to change that!

As for the bike, I'll be stripping her down over the winter with the vision of giving her a refresh, I'm thinking white, and more white.

Rob

spudboytim

iTrader: (3)

Good lad on taking the plunge into riding a bike. I've been riding for 5 years now and im 34. It was a itch i just had to scratch!!!

1st bike was a k5 gsxr600 which i kept for 3 years and did 2 trackdays on which helped improve my riding no end.
Ive now got 05 kawasaki zx10 trackbike with daytime m.o.t which is mental!!

I ride on track more than on the road now, simply because i like riding fast and the road isnt the place to do it!

Having said that my rule on the road is to expect people to pull out on you!!

It very rarely happens but if your ready then you've got everychance of been o.k.
My problem with bikers is blaming car driver's for pulling out on them when they've just been racing their mate doing twice the speed limit!!

Anyway enjoy your riding be safe. Tim.

toneh

iTrader: (1)

Riding a bike on the road is nothing like a car , I myself have done advanced driving in cars but even so does not prepare you for biking
Example , when was the last time you looked for diesel on a wet road or roundabout , or gravel on a corner , horse ****e , and how would you take avoiding action ?
Or avoid another motorist that says sorry mate I didn't see you ,How much lean have you got or how fast can u change direction , there is a massive difference in braking , steering , cars are virtually idiot proof and very forgiving , bikes are not , which brake do you apply for the situation , how much grip have I got , all very different from cars and all comes with experience not lessons

carpboy

iTrader: (2)

By the way the hyper is a far better looking bike then the triumph

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

I didn't say I was already experienced, I was implying that unlike 99% of other road users (hgv and bike not inc) I feel that in my opinion I have more road sense and much better perception. As for the scenarios above, that is something you learn along the way. Lets not forget I'm no teenybopper, just because I've only just passed my test doesn't mean I fall into the same category of someone that regularly rides like the have TWOC. My tutors offered ample examples f the above, cow muck, leaves, gravel etc, and living out in the country I'm more familiar to it than city bumpkins. I'm not saying I'm going to have many years of incident/accident free motoring, but I'm not going to let pessimists put me off. Constructive comments or criticism is all good here though

Cheers Tim.

When I bought the bike Friday, I was travelling down the M60 when it was suddenly backed up (closed ahead), so I decided her was a good time to learn a little about getting my way through traffic at walking pace, yet safely. I dare say no more on a forum as I'm yet to work out if its legal to lane split? Then I was off the M60 for 15 miles with no idea of where I was going, but yet followed my nose and came out exactly where I would have wanted too. I'm not after praise, I'm just stating I have the nounce to work unplanned situations out, and yes I know this is **** all in comparison to doing full speed limit and being cut up, but more often than not if your in a safe place to begin with then your unlikely to be cut up. I'm new to all this, and with the shat British weather it's unlikely to see many miles per annum. A Subaru is back on the agenda for 2013, something bigger and better that my historical cars

Rob

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

Don't worry about the Subaru for next year. If you're lucky, you'll still have a chance to go on holiday to this:

http://www.iomtt.com/

You'll still see the odd Subaru there though, as they use them as course cars.

matty01

+1

Far too many distracted texters on the roads nowadays,i fear going out on my bikes and i'm very experienced (2.7 million miles)

Fun , but you are totally at others mercy,and nowadays that spells trouble

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

I get the picture guys, I really do.

As for the IOM, maybe next year, but certainly the year after. Too many holidays booked already to be splashing out further without the mrs.

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

Take your wife along, she'll love the place. And don't forget to book for 2014 at the end of May 2013 or you'll struggle to find accommodation and sensible ferry times.

Leslie

One thing you do learn on a 'bike is to drive defensively...thats if you want to stay safe that is!

Les

c_maguire

There's a lot of doom and gloom on here, sounds like Christopher Walken stood more chance of making it in The Deer Hunter than Joe Bloggs on his CG125 down Tottenham Court Road.

You didn't say what CBR you have, F or RR, or how old it is but either way Honda always seem to make the best road bikes. Just go at a pace you are comfortable with and I expect all will be OK.

And a bit of lairy behaviour in this sanitised World is not necessarily a bad thing occasionally. Back in '89 on a GPZ900R Nice seafront saw me cracking 150 in shorts and t-shirt (I did have sunglasses on for safety reasons incase an insect got in my eye) and the hard-shoulder of the M11 saw 125 undertaking in pouring rain on the way back to catch the pub before closing time. I'm still here and I'm sure some would still object to the way I drive and ride even though I'm nearly a saint by comparison now.

toneh

iTrader: (1)

It's not doom and gloom it's called the real world !, I love bikes ( had them for 25 years out of my 42 year life , I've nothing against bikes at all and hope rob Has many weeks of fun and safe riding , I'm sure he's gonna love it
As for your comments on your past riding behaviour , you have been lucky , end of
And as for advocating a little bit of lairy behaviour , one word ***
That's got to be one of the stupidest things I've heard said on this forum
I take it you've either not attended many mates funerals that have died on bikes or you are totally brain dead

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

I suggest anything unlawful be deleted from above posts, the plod can attempt legal proceedings from a "comment" on a forum I believe? Well so it's been said!

I've lost a few friends, one more recent:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...orcyclist.html

However if we decided not to do anything due to risk then, it's likely I wouldn't have work, flown, driven and had the odd tipple in the local boozer. Every event or occasion has an element of bad/good luck, but the large deciding factor is to ensure you stay safe whilst not endangering others in my opinion, so that's why I'm not detoured about my actions.

Rob

toneh

iTrader: (1)

I totally agree rob , we can't spend all our lives wrapped up in cotton wool

It's only road riding I'm not fussed on , I think you will see the same after time
The track is where it's at , you can explore the limits of a bike and yourself in relative safety
And even the mildest road bikes can perform excellently on track ( with a few tweaks , a lot of guys I know never really went back to road riding after track exploits ,
And the costs are nothing like running a track car
So you can get plenty of adrenalin fixes
Even the weather doesn't matter , get some wets and then experience the weirdness of being cranked over , knee skimming the ground in the pouring rain
, hours of fun
In fact it's starting me off thinking about it

Leslie

Lovely sunny day here in Devon,so I went out for a "burn up" today on my 1978 Suzuki GS 1000 which looks almost like a new one.

Thats what I call "fun"

Les

RAVENLEON

iTrader: (4)

Picked this up in the summer!, great days out!!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

A mate of mine learnt, just decided one day and passed his test fairly quickly, got an old GPZ500 and then a new R6 which he loved, he thrashed it day in day out for three years and had a blast, he then got an R1 which he didnt enjoy as much, he said where he could wring the R6's neck the R1 would spin the rear tyre or lift the front wheel, it was just too much, he got used to it but never seemed to enjoy it as much as the R6.

toneh

iTrader: (1)

r6 are guttless below anything less than 10k , i had one when they first came out and it was horrible and hard work to keep on the power , i also rode a harris prepped r6 with a fair few mods which was still the same

a bigger bike with more torque is a lot smoother to ride and control

ducati are the best example , they pull so smooth from nothing and are brilliant handling , so easy to find grip levels ect because your not fighting it to get every last drop of performance

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Depends where you are coming from, somethign peakier is probably better if you are new to it, I will bow to your actual knowledge rather than me summising, I was thinking along the same lines for cars, I had a Turbo Saab and I test drove a Clio 182 as a repalcement and it felt lame after turbo power but to a Saxo VTR driver it must feel ballistic with another 80 bhp.

I think after his GPZ it felt so quick and he could confidently wind it out and com out of corners quickly where the R1 was a more serious proposition, they all deserve to be treated with utmost respect but litre class sportbikes need to be built up to, would rather enjoy going up through the ranks and feeling the benefit rather than hopping on an R1 or GSXR thou and scaring myself witless !

I still fancy doing my test, I have long had a hankering for a Hayabusa, which apparently my biking mates says is probably a better proposition early on than a ***** out sports bike, my dad went for a VFR when he passed his test, then a Fireblade.

Not sure I will bother, I did the part one, some lessons and then the missus realised it was going to happen and got all paranoid, I bought a Fiat Coupe Turbo, probably a good move compared to a bike if not compared to a decent car !

Leslie

I started my career on the road with motorbikes as soon as I was old enough for a licence. Always had to get s/h bikes since a new one was out of the question. It was a fair while ago so I had some incredibly interesting bikes which would be worth a mint if I still had them. My best one then was a Vincent "White Shadow". It was a full Black Shadow spec. but the engine was unpainted because they ran out of the special paint and sold about 5 unpainted ones. One of those is worth an incredible sum now because of the rarity value. It was pretty powerful, I once saw 138mph along the Fairmile on the A3 with a girl on the pillion. She was a bit of a player-got all fed up when I had to slow down for Cobham!

There was only a fraction of today's traffic on the roads in those days! Riding and driving was fun!

I still have a couple of old bikes, a 1978 Suzuki GS1000 4 cylinder which goes pretty well, and a 1958 Norton Dominator 99 600cc twin. It has the Featherbed frame with the outstanding handling you might expect. Looks almost like new.

I get a lot of pleasure from owning the old bikes and riding them of course. They are a pair of head turners! Modern bikes are very impressive of course and a lot of fun to ride, but I think I prefer my two "old Faithfuls" for old time's sake.

Les

c_maguire

I also had a '78 GS1000 but back around '86 when I was 18, but I don't imagine it was anywhere near as tidy as yours Leslie. Back then the mentality in the group I was in was to get a bike with the biggest engine you could simply because then chances were it was faster than most of the others. None of the bikes we could afford handled or braked particularly well so most amusing memories we have of that time are of the sometimes ludicrous antics we got up to. With the arrival of the 900R in '84 it was possible to have performance and handling but it was '89 before I could afford one.
Now the fun with bikes is all about the cornering and to a lesser extent the acceleration, and the daft behaviour is so frowned upon by all the boring sods that it's not much fun anyway.

One guy I hung around with back in the eighties had a habit of overtaking you on his bike, cutting in front of you and then locking up his back wheel and leaving black lines everywhere (I had a variation on this that involved me approaching t-junctions at say 40-60mph then locking up the rear and skidding across the junction and down someone's driveway on the other side). One day I was pillion on another guy's bike (he was always clueless and a few years later he followed me into a tunnel near Genoa too fast and ended his holiday early) and the first guy was with us. Next thing he overtakes us, and locks up the rear. We ran into the back of him at relatively slow speed and fell off.
Another time I'm in the same guy's Escort 1100 Popular Plus (in yellow) which he likes to jam into 1st when it's doing 60mph. So we are en route between boozers and he does exactly that and we skid off the road into a ditch.

The good ol' days.