Any Motörbike riders here?

midiglitch

@cruxiform got any photos of the 'blade?

That was the bike that I used to have posters of on my bedroom wall in the early 90s.  Gorgeous machine.

I will own one one day.  The aim is to do it within 3 years.

cruxiform

@midiglitch

Here you go, taken today as it happens. This is a RRY model from 2000, owned it for 4 years now. Been on 2 euro trips, Isle of Man TT, days out, bit of commuting etc. It's getting on a bit but is still an awesome bike.




This was my first Fireblade, a RRP model. It was a US import and the picture was taken in 1999. It was the best bike I've ever owned and I still kick myself for selling it in 2004.

Tone71

I struggled with the turn in the road constantly, that and remembering to look over your shoulder every bloody time before moving off, the tester did give me a little "remember to treat it like a public highway" nudge though.

strumjoughlamps said:

okay you bunch of a***holes have spent 2 days this week on a XJ6 and...

was it awesome? your frickin flailing right it was

can I afford to buy and run a bigger bike? NO

do I need a bigger bike? NO

am I in general happy with the 125? YES I really am I get on with it well and its cheap as blooming chips to keep.

so am I going to bother with a full test..? you bet your last dollar I am

and there was me just starting to be happy with my personal savings

Big bike = More fun

I`m already eying up a 750 Gixxer, the SV is good, but.......more power!

midiglitch

@cruxiform

nice!

out of curiosity what made the first fireblade so good?

octatonic

midiglitch said:

@octatonic I've done a lot of reading, talking and research over the last few months and no one has a bad word to say about the triumph - on the contrary: by all accounts it's a stunning bike.

Enjoy the das - whereabouts are you doing it?

Had two wonderful rides around the forest this weekend - nice empty sections of country roads around beaulieu, beautiful weather, and my confidence is growing all the time.

Doing DAS with MCT London.

Really recommend them- heard of them via the London Bikers forum.

Tests will be at the Uxbridge testing centre.

I'm checking out the Triple on Thursday.

Also have an ER6F and another Hornet to see too.

Oh and the MT07- if West London Yamaha give me a deal then I could go for that but I wouldn't pay full retail on a new bike I don't think.

maidenfan

I've been following this thread with interest, been riding for about 16 years. TBH, whilst bikes like the er6 seem a good idea just now, and they are good bikes, great for commuting, I think you will get a bit frustrated with the lack of oomph not that far down the road. Speed triples are nice bikes, a bit more go and the handling is far superior to any of the er6 or hornet variety. I don't know what physical size you are but be careful that you are buying something that is 'all day comfortable', rather than just a quick blat down to Box Hill and back.

I used Chiswick Honda for a while, decent blokes when I lived in Ealing, but the prices were always a bit eye-watering.

Perhaps, if you are a bit taller, then consider something like a VFR, either last of the 800s before the Vtec (Vtec does not have gear driven cams it has chain driven cams) or a Vtec if that takes your fancy (not an early one, they can be a bit on and off when the power kicks in. Or something like a Tiger or other 'soft roader' which will give you some leg room and be really comfy for you all day, and happily carry luggage / tent or beer.

octatonic

maidenfan said:

I've been following this thread with interest, been riding for about 16 years. TBH, whilst bikes like the er6 seem a good idea just now, and they are good bikes, great for commuting, I think you will get a bit frustrated with the lack of oomph not that far down the road. Speed triples are nice bikes, a bit more go and the handling is far superior to any of the er6 or hornet variety. I don't know what physical size you are but be careful that you are buying something that is 'all day comfortable', rather than just a quick blat down to Box Hill and back.

I used Chiswick Honda for a while, decent blokes when I lived in Ealing, but the prices were always a bit eye-watering.

Perhaps, if you are a bit taller, then consider something like a VFR, either last of the 800s before the Vtec (Vtec does not have gear driven cams it has chain driven cams) or a Vtec if that takes your fancy (not an early one, they can be a bit on and off when the power kicks in. Or something like a Tiger or other 'soft roader' which will give you some leg room and be really comfy for you all day, and happily carry luggage / tent or beer.

Hi mate, 

I'm looking at the Street Triple, not the Speed.

Speed would be a bit big for me at the moment- I was on a Bandit today and it was all the power I need for right now.

I'm happy for this to be a bike for a year or so, so it doesn't need to be a bike for much more than that - we are likely moving back to Oz so I'll sell it and then get a litre bike when we are back there.

I'm 6ft 2, I found the Bandit fine after the YBR.

underdog

Is it humanly possible to get half decent Kevlar jeans at a sensible price? Most brands are eye watering when it comes to cost.

BenSirAmos

underdog said:

Is it humanly possible to get half decent Kevlar jeans at a sensible price? Most brands are eye watering when it comes to cost.

£30 - got to be worth a try, haven't they? I've seen some reviews saying they are half decent

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/sunday-9th-march/product-detail/ps/p/motorcycle-kevlar-jeans/

BenSirAmos

octatonic said:

Day 1 of DAS.

Maddeningly frustrating at times, but I ended up doing ok and had fun.

The hard stuff: U turns, swerve test, figure 8.

The OK stuff: emergency stop, slow control.

Also went out on the road for a bit- getting up to 60 on the A4 was AWESOME!

Did it with a guy who kept on keeping his indicator on and wouldn't go over 30.

He was better at the slow control stuff though

Day 2 tomorrow.

Nice and steady mate.

No rush

cruxiform

midiglitch said:

@cruxiform

nice!

out of curiosity what made the first fireblade so good?

Easy to ride, lots of power and felt solid. Well ahead of it's time. People talk about the 'twitchy' front end because of the 16" front wheeI but I never experienced that. It was exceptionally quick and was never overshadowed by newer machinery. I lived my life on that bike as I had no car during those 5 years. Rode it 12 months a year in all weathers and it never let me down. The build quality was exceptional, it still looked new when I sold it despite being ridden through 5 winters. It was a bike that I felt I could do anything on. By the time I sold it, it was like an saying goodbye to an old friend.

@octatonic

Good luck, I'm sure you'll pass it no problem.

underdog

BenSirAmos;183851" said:

underdog said:

Is it humanly possible to get half decent Kevlar jeans at a sensible price? Most brands are eye watering when it comes to cost.





£30 - got to be worth a try, haven't they? I've seen some reviews saying they are half decent

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/sunday-9th-march/product-detail/ps/p/motorcycle-kevlar-jeans/

picked up a pair yesterday, not a great fit, knee pads are 2 inches too low, so was looking for a cheap alternative. Gutted they had no gloves left in my local.

octatonic

I have some Bull-It Covec jeans.

Not the cheapest, around £120, but they fit like regular jeans and I can wear them off the bike without looking like a dick.

And supposed to be harder wearing than kevlar.

boogieman

maidenfan; said:

Perhaps, if you are a bit taller, then consider something like a VFR, either last of the 800s before the Vtec (Vtec does not have gear driven cams it has chain driven cams) or a Vtec if that takes your fancy (not an early one, they can be a bit on and off when the power kicks in. Or something like a Tiger or other 'soft roader' which will give you some leg room and be really comfy for you all day, and happily carry luggage / tent or beer.

I got rid of my non VTec VFR800 because I found the riding position killed my neck and put a lot of stress on my wrists. I'm 6'1. They're getting a bit long in the tooth now too, the non VTec was last made in 2001 I think.

octatonic

Been looking at the MT07 a bit more.

The notion of a new bike is appealing- I guess I'd lose a grand or so in the first year in depreciation though, right?

The reviews say they are a real blast- not as fast as the Street Triple but I'm not likely to reach the limits of any bike for a while until I know what I am doing.

They are £5300 OTR- do people think I will get any off for cash?

Local dealer will give me £1500 for my YBR, which is about what I'd get in a private sale and about what I paid for it.

I'm happy to sell the YBR privately if I can get a decent amount off for cash (like £500+) but if this isn't possible then I could just part ex the YBR and have an easy life.

Going to check one out today (not buy it).

They have one in the 'deep armour' colour (dark purple), which to me looks like it might be tricky to sell on- purple cars and purple guitars are hard to sell, is it the same as bikes?

I guess black/red/blue are good colours?

boogieman

Any Yammy dealers got a pre-reg one? That'll usually save you a good few quid. And yeah, purple is not great IMO.

BenSirAmos

octatonic said:

 I guess I'd lose a grand or so in the first year in depreciation though, right?

You might only lose a grand in a year - if you didn't put too many miles on it. (But what's the point of that?)

And as long as you haven't scratched it by dropping it. 

At least, a dealer might sell a year old bike for £600 less than a new one (if the mileage is low) - there has to be at least this much differential from their new bikes - but I'm not sure how much they would pay you so that they have a year old bike sitting on their forecourt competing with their new ones. 

octatonic

The dealer is saying there is a waiting list for the desirable colours (after trying to convince me that the purple wasn't awful- eventually gave up when I pointed out that a large 42 year old riding a purple bike was simply ridiculous) and no money off for cash due to demand.

Possibly believable but if I can't get a bit off then I might as well get a Hornet or a Street Triple.

bertie

octatonic said:

Anyone have opinions on the Triumph Thunderbird?

Been reading that it is a better ride and better equipped than the Harley equivalent.

mid-life crisis alert

BenSirAmos

bertie said:

octatonic said:

Anyone have opinions on the Triumph Thunderbird?

Been reading that it is a better ride and better equipped than the Harley equivalent.

mid-life crisis alert

But it is true - because Harley Benton make crap motorbikes