Any Motörbike riders here?

BenSirAmos

JolietJake said: 

Always fancied an old brit bike, but

Stop right there. 

boogieman

Yeah, old Brit bikes are a right can of worms. There's all the having to get used to gears and rear brakes being on the opposite side for starters. Add in the reliability issues and the amount of cleaning you need to do after every ride if you want it to stay rust-free and they're only really good for the odd sunny day ride-out. If you want old school looks, go for a modern Bonneville, Kawasaki W800 or an Indian version of the Royal Enfield.

octatonic

This is really for cruxiform/Rob but a good reminder for us all.

http://londonbikers.com/forums/1050260/motorcyclist-killed-in-'bad-weather'-crash-on-surrey-a3?

Some sad from the LB forum- one of the members '1412' was involved in a fatal accident just before christmas.

Was confirmed to be him today by one of the admins.

Very sad and a real reminder given he was also a new biker and rode the same bike as me.

We HAVE to be careful and not get over-confident, especially in the wet weather.

cruxiform

I saw that James. Being bikers we should never think we're invincible. A tragic accident, thoughts to his family who are going through something I hope mine never have to. If you feel nervous while riding there's probably a reason for that. Take care and try to anticipate hazards. 

I don't know the details about this poor guys accident but if it means a few bikers take extra care then it's at least something positive out of a very bad situation.

Fusionista

A motorcyclist was killed when he came off his bike in "bad weather conditions" on the A3 in Surrey and was then hit by oncoming vehicles.

That is the problem these days - other vehicles. And too much road furniture.  And f***ing potholes.

Tone71

I read about your tumble on the LB forum, glad you`re o.k especially after the A3 news, I passed the police boards asking for information today, very very sad.

Im yet to get out on a LB ride out but well done for you going out, I waited until the sun was up high and then went for a ride:


Dont overlook an SV as a starter bike, massively forgiving, the front wheel wont lift and the rear wont spin out, plus pretty light and the engine braking is ideal especially going into corners.

cruxiform

Epsom Downs? Nice SV.

holnrew

I've gone off the idea now!

Tone71

Great spot cruxiform, Epsom Downs it is.

cruxiform

Tone71 said:

Great spot cruxiform, Epsom Downs it is.

Stopped there a few times myself. Great views when it's clear.

boogieman

Heard a lot of folk on the bike forums recommend an SV as a first big bike. As well as all the benefits explained above, they sound great too. There's something classically " motorbikey" about the sound of a V engine. The Honda 800 v4 I had a while back had the best exhaust note I've heard

And yeah, go careful out there folks. I've had several offs in the past, including a nasty one when I was 17. Went straight over the bars when an old dear pulled out in front of me without looking and I landed on my head. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet (not compulsory at the time but my parents insisted) I'd probably be dead.

octatonic

Tone71 said:

I read about your tumble on the LB forum, glad you`re o.k especially after the A3 news, I passed the police boards asking for information today, very very sad.

Im yet to get out on a LB ride out but well done for you going out, I waited until the sun was up high and then went for a ride:


Dont overlook an SV as a starter bike, massively forgiving, the front wheel wont lift and the rear wont spin out, plus pretty light and the engine braking is ideal especially going into corners.

Hi Tone, 

I'll check out the SV's- they weren't on my radar.

Fusionista

Interestingly, it's not just about 'not looking' although that does happen a lot.  It has a lot to do with the eye/brain not actually working while the head is moving, so unless you stop your head and actually look, you think you are looking but you are not seeing.

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), also known as the oculocephalic reflex is a reflex eye movement that stabilizes images on the retina during head movement by producing an eye movement in the direction opposite to head movement, thus preserving the image on the center of the visual field.

BenSirAmos

Tone71 said:

I read about your tumble on the LB forum, glad you`re o.k especially after the A3 news, I passed the police boards asking for information today, very very sad.

Im yet to get out on a LB ride out but well done for you going out, I waited until the sun was up high and then went for a ride:


Dont overlook an SV as a starter bike, massively forgiving, the front wheel wont lift and the rear wont spin out, plus pretty light and the engine braking is ideal especially going into corners.

The only thing I would check with an SV is how easy it is to work on. It looks like Octa wants to do his own maintenance. The only time I tried to work on an SV, I found access to some things tricky (that's tricky for an amateur without an extensive workshop) but that might be because I wasn't used to a V engine.

Fusionista

I'll check out the SV's- they weren't on my radar.

Speaking as one who favours metal over plastic and vintage styling rather than modern, I didn't get an SV, but it is a light and forgiving ride.

strumjoughlamps

bloke down the road has a SV650, bought it quite cheap with 32k on the clock and its now over 65k, he says its easily the most trouble free bike he has owned. 

compared to the other major brands they do seem excellent VFM

Drew_TNBD

I've played Trials HD, does that count?

octatonic

It does not.

I don't think Trials HD gives you the hard, cold, rough feeling of scraping along the tarmac.

IanSavage

boogieman said:

Heard a lot of folk on the bike forums recommend an SV as a first big bike. As well as all the benefits explained above, they sound great too. There's something classically " motorbikey" about the sound of a V engine.

That's a large part of the reason I went for the NTV (that and the shaft drive); I used to ride through the tunnels in the middle of Birmingham five times instead of once on the way to the ex-girlfriend's just for the noise that my Virago made going through 'em  

cruxiform

Tunnels bring out the worst in most of us. I can't resist it on my fireblade when I ride through the Hindhead tunnel in Surrey. I never get out of the first 2 gears >:D<