Any Motörbike riders here?

midiglitch

@fusionista was it you who did the cafe racer bmw? I was looking back through the thread but the pictures seem to be gone.

I picked up a rusty old honda cg125 last weekend as a cafe racer project for my spare time.  I've got it stripped down, ground the excess frame off at the back and managed to get the engine running so am now waiting for some bits and bobs to arrive from ebay before i rally start to rebuild.

Figuring out how i'm going to do the seat / cowl/ tail end (lights and plate) is dominating my thoughts atm and i'm on the lookout for inspiration.

Fusionista

Try Steve Hillary at Redmax http://www.redmaxspeedshop.com/

Fusionista

For your delectation 

boogieman

Fusionista;631136" said:

For your delectation 

That is so cool. You win the internet.

Fusionista

When I first stripped her back, I was a tad disappointed with the handling, which definitely as they say 'harks back.'  However, in riding various other bikes since, I am always glad to get back on her.  There is a directness and a low-down pull which is deeply satisfying and she will cruise at legal speeds effortlessly. 

The new GS LC is like an armchair in comparison, and makes even that lump of an engine seem light

boogieman

That "low down pull" is why I like my CBF so much. I've had faster bikes and this one definitely wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty contest but it pulls like a train, in any gear. Totally effortless to ride. I (and my back) also rather like the Old Geezer riding position, reminds me so much of an old British bike. I love the look of cafe racers, but I don't think I could ride one these days.

Fusionista

Looking at the new CBF1000F, I realised that the reason I own 2 BMWs 30 years apart is...character.  Both of them have it in spades.  I get on a new Honda and it's just a bike - a very well engineered bike I grant you - but nothing to make me get out of my Golf and ride.

boogieman

Hmmm, I know what you mean. Mine is the older Mk 1 version, but it still isn't exactly characterful. I like the fact it just.... works, though.

I gave up riding for 30 plus years, so my last experiences of riding were Brit bikes from the 60's. Looked the part but were universally fairly awful and I wouldn't want one nowadays. I had a Bantam, a R E Crusader then a Velocette Venom. All of them leaked oil, broke down at the most inconvenient times and needed maintenance of some sort all the time. The Honda is just put the key in, press the button and it starts. Oil the chain and check the tyres and lights every now and then. Service once a year. No dramas, no swearing.

Fusionista

You and me both Which is why when building a cafe racer I went for the best of the BMW flat twins, which were the Rolls-Royce of bikes throughout the 70's - when I mostly rode Japanese.  When first I got back into it, I tried various bikes, the best of which was the Blackbird: smooth as silk and power out the wazoo, but heavy, hard work on a long run, and not suited to the potholed back roads around here.

midiglitch

Stunning. I love the look of those flat twins.

octatonic

boogieman said:

That "low down pull" is why I like my CBF so much. I've had faster bikes and this one definitely wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty contest but it pulls like a train, in any gear. Totally effortless to ride. I (and my back) also rather like the Old Geezer riding position, reminds me so much of an old British bike. I love the look of cafe racers, but I don't think I could ride one these days.

If you want low down pull, you have to try the S1000R.

It has arm ripping torque all the way up to 11k.

I did a 60 mile trip back on the M4 from getting it through its first service.

This thing is ridiculously fast.

Comfy too.

Nomad

littlegreenman said:

Will you lot stop it! I can't ride a "proper" bike until I do my license, but with Summer on it's way I can see myself blowing some serious cash on a smaller 125 bike for shits and giggles.

Haven't owned a bike that has a motor other than me legs for years, what's insurance like these days for a 125?

'Scuse the belated response. If you haven't bought a 125 yet, you could consider hiring. The first day of DAS fried my brain, not least due to the sheer lack of experience and familiarity of controlling a bike. I managed the road ride okay, if rather cautiously, but practicing the Mod1 stuff showed up the lack of experience - having to concentrate so hard on controlling the bike while learning the manoeuvres was pretty demanding. I was making little mistakes, like putting my right foot down coming up to a stop and having to grab the front brake at the last moment (and grabbing too hard, making for a shabby stop).

I decided I needed to take a step back and get some basic practice at my own pace - needed to get the machine control more intuitive. I did consider buying a 125 for a little while, especially since the shop I'm using has a buy-back scheme (same price you paid, less clean up costs). At the same time, I knew the power of a 125 would be lacking at times (the easy power of a big bike eclipses a 125), so I decided to hire one for a day (45 quid) and see how I got on. I figured a few days of that would still cost less than what I'd lose with 125 insurance and the buy-back losses (estimated 2-300 quid).

I've had three day hires so far, and it's been making a big difference to how I use the bike. The right foot down thing has been eliminated, been getting better at switching to slow riding mode in traffic when trying to time myself for traffic lights changing to green when there's traffic in front of me, more confident of twisty open roads, handling roundabouts better, etc. Still a way to go, but I'm pleased with how I'm settling in with the controls. Got another hire booked this Sunday, and I'm planning to spend more time doing city riding. (Did about an hour of city at the end of the last hire, and it went much better then I expected.)

Fusionista

If you want low down pull, you have to try the S1000R. It has arm ripping torque all the way up to 11k.I did a 60 mile trip back on the M4 from getting it through its first service.This thing is ridiculously fast.Comfy too.

Ridiculously fast describes most 'full-size' bikes these days.  It is near impossible to go over the legal limit for any length of time without getting into trouble,  so all that power really gives you is frustration, with a bit of tyre-burning and the odd wheelie.  I remember trying out an R1 a few years back and saying to the salesman, 'No thanks, I value my licence.'  

boogieman

octatonic;632074" said:

boogieman said:

That "low down pull" is why I like my CBF so much. I've had faster bikes and this one definitely wouldn't win any prizes in a beauty contest but it pulls like a train, in any gear. Totally effortless to ride. I (and my back) also rather like the Old Geezer riding position, reminds me so much of an old British bike. I love the look of cafe racers, but I don't think I could ride one these days.





If you want low down pull, you have to try the S1000R.It has arm ripping torque all the way up to 11k.I did a 60 mile trip back on the M4 from getting it through its first service.This thing is ridiculously fast.Comfy too.

It's a stunning looking bike but I'm kind of past "ridiculously fast" these days, don't forget I'm over 60. I value comfort much more.

cruxiform

It's nice to have that power but I agree that most riders will never get to experience it legally unless they go on a trackday or to Germany and get on an autobahn. I did this last year on my 15 year old Fireblade and it was ok but after a couple of miles at high speed it was boring. I couldn't wait to get off and hit the twisties again, which is where sports bikes come into their own. Unfortunately for us in the UK it is getting less and less attractive to do any 'spirited' riding. That's not to say I don't but I'd rather have a whole weekend in the Eifel  where I can ride for 5-6 hours a day without getting bored or stuck in traffic. It's only 4 hours from Calais, the hotel I stay in is cheap and the roads are sublime in places. Also, there's the Nurburgring

Fusionista

Germany - meh ?  As I have oft opined, the Germans lost more than a war.  Give me France, Spain or Italy any day.

cruxiform

What can I say, I love the place! France is nice but then I haven't ridden any of the south or the Vosges yet, but it's on the cards. As is Italy. Euro tour in the planning stage

octatonic

I'm not talking about top end speed though, I'm talking about torque.

The S1000R is slower than all of the super-bikes and slower than most of the 600cc super-sports on a track when it comes to top speed, or even lap speed.

You can't really ride a naked bike with flat bars much over 90 and feel comfy.

At least I can't.

What it does better than any bike I've ridden is get you from 0 to national speed limit in such an entertaining way.

Not all the time, for course- but when you need it it is there waiting for you to unleash it.

I've never felt anything that is so savage and immediate.

(Although I've not ridden the Tuono, which is supposed to be even more brutal).

It keeps going way beyond where I need it to and will run out of legs before a super bike but that isn't what it is about for me.

It is such a great road bike.

Have I mentioned the torque?

This guy agrees:

underdog

Last couple of weeks I've got the few niggles with electrics sorted on my little 125 so MOT needed now and I got it back for summer fun.

Fusionista

octatonic said:

I'm not talking about top end speed though, I'm talking about torque.

The S1000R is slower than all of the super-bikes and slower than most of the 600cc super-sports on a track when it comes to top speed, or even lap speed.

You can't really ride a naked bike with flat bars much over 90 and feel comfy.

At least I can't.

What it does better than any bike I've ridden is get you from 0 to national speed limit in such an entertaining way.

Not all the time, for course- but when you need it it is there waiting for you to unleash it.

I've never felt anything that is so savage and immediate.

(Although I've not ridden the Tuono, which is supposed to be even more brutal).

It keeps going way beyond where I need it to and will run out of legs before a super bike but that isn't what it is about for me.

It is such a great road bike.

Have I mentioned the torque?

Must say I find, running about generally, I keep my GS LC on the Rain setting - Dynamic is WAY too 'entertaining' for traffic and potholes.