Any Motörbike riders here?

guitargeek62

boogieman said:

I keep my bike in a locked garage with a ground anchor and a heavy Abus chain and I’m still delighted to find it’s still there every time I go in. Sadly, if they really want it, they’ll nick it. I guess having it out of sight is a good start though, assuming you’ve got the space. 

That's the issue - we don't have a garage to store them in! There's three downstairs, but they're owned by other flats - I'm going to have a word and see if there's any chance we could rent one. My main worry is that any replacement I buy will be at higher risk now, unless we move - but even that isn't exactly a fool-proof (or cheap!) option.

On the plus side, indicative like-for-like premiums aren't coming in quite as high as I'd imagined - "only" ~40% more, rather than +100%

roundthebend

I rent a garage from the local Housing Association. It's a leaky sh*t hole but only cost £35 per month. I've found someone that lives near me with a spare garage which is much nicer and has power, and they're letting me keep the bike there for a fee yet to be confirmed - I offered a bit more than I pay for the other one.

guitargeek62

@roundthebend - nice idea! I didn't think to check any near me, I've submitted an app to my local borough, and will start the search for any others. Most of the private ones around here are £180+ per month, which is somewhat ridiculous!

TheBigDipper

I used to run my training school from 3 locations. My house was the office. The training area was an overflow car park that I attended on train8ng days with the bikes in a van that converted into a classroom. The bikes were stored at a storage facility that used sea containers. I had two. Next door, three different bikers shared the cost of another one and kept their exotica there. 

roundthebend

@guitargeek62 we live in a new township with a few Facebook community groups, so I just posted in those and got lucky. It's declared to my insurer too and it didn't cause them any concern. Good luck with it.

strumjoughlamps

Well I have spent the day on this (Honda CB650), first time on a big boy bike and I am totally sold, not from a speed sense although going 60 odd on the A47 and hitting the big hills and still going 60 odd up the hills was awesome.. but from a handling side and the control when slow riding was amazing... so I shall do my theory in the nest few weeks and then see what pennies I have to do DAS.. instructor said I shouldn’t have any probs based on how my riding was today..

cruxiform

strumjoughlamps said:

Well I have spent the day on this (Honda CB650), first time on a big boy bike and I am totally sold, not from a speed sense although going 60 odd on the A47 and hitting the big hills and still going 60 odd up the hills was awesome.. but from a handling side and the control when slow riding was amazing... so I shall do my theory in the nest few weeks and then see what pennies I have to do DAS.. instructor said I shouldn’t have any probs based on how my riding was today..

Brilliant stuff. Once you feel that extra power, it's addictive. The middleweight nakeds are really good bikes these days. Good luck with your test! 

roundthebend

Nice one @strumjoughlamps ;
I was hoping to get out for a ride today but my bike is locked in someone else's garage and they weren't around to get the key. D'oh. Then we had an almighty hail storm, so it was lucky really.
Keep us posted on your progress.

boogieman

The step up from a 125 to a medium size bike is a real eye opener. It feels much more planted on the road for a start and the throttle response is so much better. You’d think the extra weight would make it more unwieldy at low speeds but actually it gives you a lot more control. 

I’m thinking of selling my bike this spring, it hardly got any use last year. Keep your eyes on the classifieds here if anyone’s interested in a CBF1000. 

guitargeek62

Nice one @strumjoughlamps !

I picked up my new bike on Friday, then took it for a spin down to Brighton this weekend. I went for a Triumph Street Scrambler this time around - almost went for another XSR700, but that didn’t feel right after having the last one nicked. I looked at Ducati Scramblers too, but being 6’3, they’re too cramped for me.

Anyways, the Triumph is great - very comfortable, and a much smoother ride than the Yamaha. I’ve only done 100 miles or so so far but have noticed I’m riding a bit more conservatively already - probably down to the more upright position, and slightly lower/slower power delivery. Will post pics soon once I sort decent ones out

roundthebend

@guitargeek62 nice choice. I'm after a Street Twin but decided to buy a cheap Bandit for now to get some winter experience in my new licence.
KenK to hear how you get on with it. They're small, light bikes which is appealing to me and on test ride I loved the smooth controls.
Does the lack of fairing bother you on longer, faster rides?

guitargeek62

@roundthebend it didn’t this weekend, but my yamaha was unfaired and I put 10k on that in 10 months, so...!

I was at 60+ for about an hour each way this weekend, though I do have the short fly screen on it so I imagine that deflects a fair bit of air by itself - again, I had a similar setup on the XSR. The scrambler feels very nimble around town too, great balance, and as you say - very smooth controls! My fiancee is eyeing up the street twin for when she passes

guitargeek62

So with all this snow & ice I decided not to put my new knobbly(ish) tyres to the test, but I did remember to finally post some photos of the new bike!





Only mod so far is some new Biltwell grips, and removal of the pannier that came with it - more to come over the spring/summer!

roundthebend

@guitargeek62 lovely bike. I'm still lusting after a Street Twin. Keep us posted on how you're getting on with it.

quarky

Mine went in for a new tyres, service, MOT. Also got a clean!

https://i.imgur.com/3z7UC12.jpg

PC_Dave

I’ve got a rather exciting NBD coming up on Saturday.....!

PC_Dave

NBD!!! Traded in my BMW for a KTM SuperDuke 1290 R today - just got home from collecting it, and a long ride home! 
What. A. Bike. I thought the BM was good, but this this is on another level!! I think we’re going to be good friends! 

MtB

Happy NBD! Welcome to the KTM fold.

I test rode a SD1290R before buying my SD 1290 GT (at the time there weren't any demo GTs). The R that I rode was nuts - it wanted to lift the front wheel on power in 3rd and 4th. I had my GT for a year, and loved it, but I just found it too much. And with the state of the roads, most rides became workouts. Ended up chopping in the GT for a SuperAdventure - which I love to bits.  

octatonic

I've had an KTM 1190 which was bonkers but ultimately spoiled by wind blast.

I'm about to sell both my bikes (GS and an S1000R) in preparation for the overseas move so will miss this season's riding.

jaytmon

PC_Dave said:

NBD!!! Traded in my BMW for a KTM SuperDuke 1290 R today - just got home from collecting it, and a long ride home! 
What. A. Bike. I thought the BM was good, but this this is on another level!! I think we’re going to be good friends! 

Pics!! The only bike that tempted me away from the GS at the bike show two years ago... too expensive for me at that time, plus I had an SD990 that was a hooligan machine. Too much so in the end. What BM did you get rid of out of curiosity?