Bike test today

Wyvern971

Wyvern971

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George
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Bike test was at 9:17 this morning, so was up from 05:30 to get to the training place and ride over to the test centre.......I passed with 3 minors :D

All I need to do now is start saving for my bike........now what to get :)
 
Wyvern971 said:
Bike test was at 9:17 this morning, so was up from 05:30 to get to the training place and ride over to the test centre.......I passed with 3 minors :D

All I need to do now is start saving for my bike........now what to get :)
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Tricycle in pink with a nice bright red bell? Now you've passed can you take the stabilisers off? :D :p
 
Well done :clap: , I passed mine in 1978 :eek:

Remember the basic rules of Motorcycling....:rules:

They cannot see you

If they can see you they will try to kill you.

Be paranoid
 
:agree:

And also keep your spare eye on the road surface.... ALL the time
 
You forgot:

Drive as fast as your bike allows

Overtake on blind bends

Weave in and out of traffic

If someone is in the outside lane of the motorway and is overtaking something in the middle lane and isn't going as fast as you want them to, feel free to weave about, undertake and then show your displeasure by backfiring the engine.

I am of course only jesting and I know that not all motorcycle riders are suicidal speed freaks ;)

Well done mate, I wouldn't be able to cope on a bike, well not in winter anyway - too much rain. I like having a roof over my head :)
 
Brilliant.... :clap: :clap: I did mine in 77. Did the full range of GT Suzukis (185-750) with odds and sods in between and along with them. Then moved to Goldwings for quite a few years selling the last one about 8 months ago. Now all I have is a Blackbird from Mr. Honda.

My Wife accompanies me everywhere :shrug: as co-pilot and my son has just swapped his Hornet for a Triumph Daytona 650. My daughter has absolutely no interest :lol:

:agree: Keep your eyes peeled and treat all other road users warily.

Recommendations..... Honda, Honda, Honda!

Ride Safe

David.
 
Thanks all,

I know you have to treat everybody else on the road as if they are crazed psychopaths trying to run you off the road..............


Did the test on a Kawasaki ER-6, am thinking atm of a 600cc bike, possibly an R6 or a CBR 600 RR, but I know that they are probably a bit much for me at the moment. Actually the ER-6 was quite a nice bike, might go for the ER-6F (ER-6 with a fairing)

I'm looking at doing the Bikesafe days the police do (quite handy they run it from the Ace Cafe as it's a 5 min ride away :) )
 
:clap: Well done :thumbs:
Ah the Ace cafe, Triumph bonnies Norton commando's :D
 
Drive carefully.

I don't think there is a weekend goes by when there isn't a biker killed within about a 20 mile radius of where I live. Its renound for it.

I'm not saying its always the biker's fault, just that it usually is round us. There is a contingent that drives like complete nutters and can often be found coming at you head on on the wrong side of the road and sometimes even doing a wheelie!!

Sorry

Andrea
 
Congratulations :clap: :clap:

Do the bikesafe thing, get a copy of Roadcraft the police riding manual and learn to ride their way. You will be better, safer, in the right place and right gear at the right time, more aware and able to ride faster than all the other to$$ers put together. They actually show you how to overtake on a blind bend safely :eek: Do some track days too, they will blow your mind, and your wallet if you become addicted :( .
 
Hornet, Bandit or Fazer in that order are good starter bikes for what it's worth.

David.
 
well done, congrats :clap:
 
Congratulations :clap: , you'll love it (but maybe not in the weather we're having at the moment :'( )
Re your 1st bike - I reckon Hornets are good and also SV650s seem to be popular if you fancy a twin.
Have fun and ride safe :thumbs:
 
Nice one, I`ll get around to taking my full test one day. Just in time for the nice-ish weather too!
 
Congrats! Ditto what the others have already said about being safe.
 
Did mine in 68 on a arial arrow yes im old, time goes very quickly when your having fun
 
Congrats..i'm hoping to do the DAS test before the year runs out..it's gonna get A LOT harder in 2008! :(
In reply to what bike to get...ooooooh,if money were no object..this!

http://www.motoinfo.it/immagini/nuovo/YamahaR6_2006-g.jpg

My brother has just bought it..and I'm surprised I actually fit it perfectly! And this coming from a short ass woman :p It's so much kinder to your bum on long journeys than the cbr 600rr which was his previous bike (got nicked at a garage :'( )

Be safe and most importantly..have fun! :)
 
Congratulations. :clap: :clap: :)

RickMezza said:
Re your 1st bike - I reckon Hornets are good and also SV650s seem to be popular if you fancy a twin.
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Those would be my choice too, friendly bikes to ride and bit more able than the ER, and therefore somehow less likely to be crashed... your insight into the CBR or similar being too focused for you is probably very wise....you'll learn more, be safer and have more fun on a less technical machine.

My tip.

Learn how good your bikes FRONT brakes are by testing hard (but smoothly) in the dry when the tyres are warm, try repeated goes at breaking, feel for the weight of the bike being thrown onto the tyre, the increased grip because of this extra transferred weight, feel for the front tyres limits of grip, after a while, use two fingers at the end of the leaver for more feel...try different road surfaces.
Be careful, REMEMBER if the front tyre locks let go of the brake, as long as the wheels are revolving the bike will not fall, as soon as the wheel stops turning the bike starts to fall, very quickly usually.... That’s all obvious you’re thinking.. But was it? :)
Buy only expensive sticky tyres, yes they wear out quickly ...but the cost of grip is well worth the extra expense.

In the dry, I use about 90% front brake, 10% back.
In the wet, 70-60% front 30-40% back.
On London greasy roads in the wet... 100% pray. both legs and the side of a bus to stop .:lol: :(
 
Well done. Get a 400cc as there the dogs! Ive currently got a CBR400R but its stripped down for the track. Used to have a gixer 750 until some clown thought it was a great idea to do a U-turn on a roundabout and nearly kill me!! - not been on the road since!
 
Sod it off to the Honda place on Sat then to have a look :D
 
Just remember HRC rules!!! (hhmm is my name a vague acronym for the wonderful world of the Honda Racing Corporation?) :suspect:
 
Wyvern971 said:
All I need to do now is start saving for my bike........now what to get :)
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A few tips from me on that front (over and above what others have advised so far, which is all good stuff)

1) Start your bike quest by listing what you think you will like then getting insurance quotes for them all.... you will find a 600 sports bike will probably cost you well over a thousand quid a year to insure, if they will insure you at all. Forget litre sports unless you are a millionaire.

2) Don't blow all your money on bike and insurance - you need good gear. If anything, buy the gear and then see what you have left for the bike/insurance.

3) Good gear isn't a waste of money. No matter how good you think you are as a rider, you WILL have an accident at some point and with good gear you might just live to ride again. Sorry if that sounds negative but its VERY true.

4) A good starting bike is anything without a fairing... why you might ask... well, you are very likely to drop it and fairing damage is usually 500 quid upwards from a single drop... expensive 2 seconds of your life!

I'd say plonk for a Bandit... 600 or 1200 maybe. Good bikes! I've ridden them but never owned them and they really are good fun.
 
desantnik said:
A few tips from me on that front (over and above what others have advised so far, which is all good stuff)
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1) Start your bike quest by listing what you think you will like then getting insurance quotes for them all.... you will find a 600 sports bike will probably cost you well over a thousand quid a year to insure, if they will insure you at all. Forget litre sports unless you are a millionaire.
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Will do this, the thing is initially I'm not fussed about paying 1K on insurance (I'm sure the car cost me more than that initially) I am 26 which helps as well.

Been quoted £691 for a 600cc Fazer
2) Don't blow all your money on bike and insurance - you need good gear. If anything, buy the gear and then see what you have left for the bike/insurance.
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Will be getting biking gear next month (once I've paid off my cards from doing the DAS :( )

3) Good gear isn't a waste of money. No matter how good you think you are as a rider, you WILL have an accident at some point and with good gear you might just live to ride again. Sorry if that sounds negative but its VERY true.
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Already had one spill (2 days before the test, pulled the front brake in a panic moment turning left, needless to say it hurt and I'll be getting hip armour put in my Draggin jeans).

Planning on getting a 2 piece leathers (zip together) for most riding and a set of textiles for winter, and a Shoei or Arai lid.

4) A good starting bike is anything without a fairing... why you might ask... well, you are very likely to drop it and fairing damage is usually 500 quid upwards from a single drop... expensive 2 seconds of your life!
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I find the sports bikes far more comfortable than the naked bikes, so I'm probably going to go for a sports bike in the end, I know it'll cost more, but I'd rather be comfortable riding it.
 
Yes a fairing does make the bike more comfy to ride... but it comes at a cost... seriously think about something without expensive plastic bits for the first few months.

BTW the insurance will go down significantly after your first year of no-claims... then you can go for those sooper-dooper sports 600's :D
 
:bang: did you say fazer!!!

Mate, you'd be better of with a 600 bandit! Fazer is very "lumpy" even with its tasteless bikini fairing!!! :shrug:
 
Yes, not many people like the Fazer much... I could say its like Marmite, but lots of people like Marmite :D
 
Right might knock the Fazer on the head then.

how does the SV 650 stack up against the Bandit, as insurance wise they are fairly similar.
 
SV is a nice bike, sounds much better, the V twin engine is a beast. You might also consider your height. The bandit has a very high sit up and beg style to it so if your not too tall you may feel swallowed up on it! Another thing to consider is how mechanical are you? IMO the suzy isnt the most reliable fish in the pond, which is one plus point to the Yammy.

Have you considered a VFR 750? the engine is really smooth, so feels inviting rather than intimidating, but has top end power so you can grow into it, also has a bullit proof engine and really easy to work on!
 
I personally don't rate the Bandits at all, nice looking yes, good engines yes ...but with an ancient steel flexing chassis and poor suspension... I reckon the only people who love these are those that haven't ridden an SV650, a Hornet, or a fazer ...etc. ;) ...the fazer is bland yes, but is a very friendly and forgiving bike to ride, very comfy too....a fine choice.

Because insurance is a problem why don't you try some smaller 400's ... many Japanese Imports available, I used to sell them myself...most parts are no problem as they share many with uk bikes … and, more importantly the uk parts suppliers sussed many years ago they can make a fortune out of supplying...so they have been for about ten years now.

Technology on standard type bike Jap imports runs 5-7 years ahead of our UK market …so an 87 Bros 400 for instance is equal in technology to a 92/03 bike over here.

I'm thinking.
The CB1 (CBR400RR engine) 50bhp, ++ with tuning. ...top engine. ,,,12,00revs all day every day for years....Oh yes indeed.
The CB400 super four. 45-50 bhp (Do not get early variable valve type)
The Honda Bros 400 (33bhp v twin, top ally chassis, can be tuned up) Superb bike....and still quick, great engine.
Yamaha SRX 400 or is it SRX or ..?? (Single cyl, sleeved down famous XT660 engine) 30-35bhp ...loads of torque though.

Can’t think of many good Yams in that size, sure there must be some though.

Forget the kwaka 400s...lots of power, BUT lots of trouble :nono: ...good machines otherwise ...as are all Japanese machines.

Suzuki 400 Bandit..?? (It’s nearly a bandit like its bigger brothers, but has good chassis thankfully, etc. ...Good bike...hard to find a low mileage one...but that's a must.
 
Like i said earlier in the post 400's are the bees knees! I wouldnt swap my CBR400RR for anything, and ok, its specially built for the track, but even on the road the 400 is king! My first proper bike was an NC23, and although they're a bit dated now the NC30 is still an awesome ride!
 
The Sports 400's are excellent bang for buck actually, although the only problem now is that I believe they haven't made any of them past about 1995, even in Japan.

I had a ZXR-400 and honestly its the biggest grin I've ever had. Sure the bigger bikes I have had are quicker in a straight line, but who cares about top end speed on the road? Round the corners it was just a total scream - you feel like a moto-gp god even if you are rubbish like me :D

The VFR400 is also an excellent little machine, although the one thing you might want to consider is that if you are tall then the 400's aren't for you really as they are tiny little things and you end up looking like Ruben Xaus LOL!!

The 400 sports totally poo on the Bandit, SV, Hornet etc, but with the above caveats!
 
desantnik said:
The VFR400 is also an excellent little machine, although the one thing you might want to consider is that if you are tall then the 400's aren't for you really as they are tiny little things and you end up looking like Ruben Xaus LOL!!

The 400 sports totally poo on the Bandit, SV, Hornet etc, but with the above caveats!
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Good point, although on the flip side of that, as a starter bike, if your tall then you really do dwarf the bike, which is a great confidence booster as you feel more in control of the bike! i found going from a vfr400 to a gixer 750, i was terrified to nail the corners cos the bike was so damn big! and im 6'2"

I suppose it would also be worth mentioning, if you get a 400 and want to go for really long rides, you'll soon find you get sore wrists as you have to open the throttle hard as the most fun is in the 12 - 10k rev range!

If you want more info on 400's check out http://www.400greybike.co.uk/
 
I cant get through the rest of the replies before posting.

Well done mate, there must be a few bikers on here.
I passed about 5 years ago and bought a Bandit 600s. What a great bike!
It does everything I ask of it.
I've commuted all year round for the last 5 years on it.
It will beat all but the the faster sports cars away from the lights and take you up to 130.
It's comfortable, reliable, cheap to insure and cheap to run. I get about 140-150 mile out of a tank that I've filled up for £12.
I don't think you can go wrong.
In the same family you've got Honda Hornet, Kwak ER6, SV650.

My advice where training is concerned, don't go to the bikesafe. I think it cost about £60 last time I looked. Ride for a year and contact your local Institute of Advanced Motorists and do an advanced test. It's run by volunteers and will cost about £80 including your test, only additional cost will be petrol for you and the observers. Once passed you may even get cheaper insurance too.
Don't be a nutter! be sensible!
 
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