Do You Ride? (Motorbikes!)

[mattc]

Back in the day I worked for a company that had 2 x ninja 6s, a blade, a blackbird, a 955, a huyabusa and an r1. I very quickly learned my ability feel far short of the bikes and I've stayed away from them ever since....I would have smeared myself up the road and under something metallic and heavy long ago. .. Mans gotta know his own limitations etc etc.

 

[Mactech]

Snap ! Here's one of my earlier bikes, oddly for a Honda mine was very problematic, heated grips failing, locks siezed up..View attachment 123936

Yes, that's odd. Mine has Oxford heated grips, but I like the Honda anti-theft system system of seized locks.....

 

[Phil1968]

'84 Kawasaki Z1300 & an '07 Yamaha MT-01. Chalk & cheese

 

[fozRB25]

Hopefully get a fresh MOT and some new rubber once the weather picks up a bit.

Absolute beaut!

 

[RogerSausage]

Absolute beaut!

Thanks!

Had the old thing forever. Other bikes have come and gone over the years but I've always kept hold of this one. There's just something so satisfying about an old analogue, carb-fed sportsbike; I find that I don't have to be going at warp speed to have a big smile on my face.

 

[Nicebutdim]

A couple of my old Suzukis. Gone but not forgotten. I’ve another in the final stages of restoration which should emerge this summer.

 

[Darrell]

A couple of my old Suzukis. Gone but not forgotten. I’ve another in the final stages of restoration which should emerge this summer.

My old business partner had one of those (Kettles) when we were at college. Didn’t they have a tendency to overheat?

 

[bolidemichael]

Forgive me for my self-indulgence. This thread has given my an excuse to ruminate as I love cars but bikes are in my soul. They're my 'spirit animal', if you like and once I rode one, I knew that I was a biker for life.

I recently purchased a VFR1200F - not a DCT like MacTech's, but his eulogy to his pushed me into buying one. I wanted a bike with a characterful engine, after having owned Jap IL4s exclusively.

It's had a recent very thorough service with Honda and I've added a loud horn to replace the Noddy hooter plus other sensible bits. I've also been to the well-reputed Darren at MCT Suspension in Suffolk for new cartridges (his own proprietary design) in the front forks and a replacement rear Nitron shock built to my weight and riding requirements.

I haven't actually had a chance to bond with it yet, so perhaps Spring and Summer will present the opportunity to do so. It's heavy and very powerful -- so I'll see where we can take off too, bearing in mind the burden of one wife and two children.



I also have a Fazer, somehow I've still held onto it -- it was the first bike that I purchased in 2002. My instructor rode me to the shop, Hartgate's of Mitcham, to show it to me on the ride back from my test pass in Carshalton. My enduring memory is the glum face of the deflated helicopter pilot that had been on the five day course with me and failed. He was a little full of himself and the school had a policy of a free re-test for failures. So the instructor took great delight in his misery whilst indulging my glee. Ze Germans refer to that as schadenfreude, as you may well know.



It doesn't cover a lot of miles anymore and I use it occasionally to pootle around town. It's nice and light, though over the years have managed to rack up over 40,000 miles with tours to France etc. One of my memorable ****-busting days was a ride home from Carcassonne via the Chunnel answer onto SW London. I felt heroic until we shared a carriage with two guys that had attended the Harley Davidson European gathering. They had ridden from Nice... and were continuing on to Manchester after disembarking!!! One of them had monkey bars!

From around 2004 to 2016 or so (it's still a little painful so I choose not to recall specifics), I owned a lovely fast bike. I remember seeing it as I drove past with my Dad outside Tippet's Honda in Surbiton and I loved the black top fairing and the purposeful stance. However, as I'd only experienced a 600cc, I was a little unsure about taking the step up after just a couple of years' experience. My mentor at the IAM put my reservations into perspective by saying "who controls how wide the throttle is opened?". I booked a rest ride for the CBR600RR that they also had, but I hated the pesky, rev-hungry nature of the engine that wasn't suited to my style of riding on the road -- whereas I had been accustomed to the low down grunt and accessible power of the Fazer. So I came back to the dealer and he took my hint, ushered me towards the 'blade... hitting the nationals for the first time on a fast cambered sweeper on a dual carriageway and feeling the power, I was absolutely smitten. I felt the horns growing through my Arai and we bonded instantly.

I loved my CBR900RR3. It was the 954cc and the final Tadao Baba Fireblade. A few weeks after purchase sat on the North Circular approach Ealing southbound (at the traffic lights outside the BP station), a red warning light appeared on the dash and smoke began billowing from the engine. It transpires that a manufacturing fault meant that the engine casings were porous so I was sent the last factory engine sitting on the rack in Japan. I covered many happy miles on this, around Europe, to the Mugello MotoGP with the all Italian rostrum of Rossi, Biaggi and Capirossi and then all the way to Athens.

Some of my happiest life memories are of many enjoyable laps around the wonderful and evocative Nördschleife Nürburgring, as pictured below. It's my happy place. I attended a three day BMW course there, which taught riders (and car drivers, separately but concurrently) the 'ideal line'. At the end, we were unleashed with staggered starts onto an empty Nördschleife and graded on our line at seven different locations. Despite being a novice amongst many old hands, I was awarded third place in points and know where I messed up -- after the Füchsrohre (Fox Hole). I sold the bike due to low use and ploughed the money into my forlorn Fazer, figuring that I'd get more use of that with the children and around town.



Finally, my GSXR600 which I bought and raced from new as part of an ACU GSXR Trophy which was designed for novice riders. It was anything but, with the fast boys being extremely experienced and talented. It was eye popping being up close to them on track, but after years of honing my riding on road with the IAM and various 1-2-1 tuition, in addition to the Nürburgring, I fancied getting my rocks off on track. It was a great experience but I quit after a year in order to focus on starting a business. Such is life.

I travelled to small and large race tracks all over the country, experiencing racing life and racing people. People with whom I'd never have had contact with in my life experience, hitherto, and places that I'd have never visited, such as Croft circuit, Angelsey, Mallory Park, Castle Combe and rainy rainy Pembrey. The amazing ones were Oulton Park and Cadwell. The list isn't exhaustive, ofc.

 

[Doodle]

Compared to my burgeoning list of 4 wheelers, there's only been a handful of bikes to cover 22 years of riding.

No pictures of the first, a 93 Transalp. Rather like our man above, I saw it when we stopped at the bike shop during a riding lesson. I passed the following day, and went back to buy it on the spot. Sold to a friend in 2007, he kept it for well over a decade until it got stolen from his garage (who the hell steals a near 30 year old transalp?)

This one should have been red. Motorcycle City (remember them?) registered the wrong bike from their stock which was rather embarrassing, especially for the buyer who had specifically chosen this colour (whereas I was just taking the last one available in whatever colour). Didn't stick around long as it was unpleasant to ride at anything less than 10/10ths.

Moved onto this afterwards, with lots of memories. In 3 years it broke down twice (the usuals - FPR & EWS ring), cooked the front brakes more than once. Took it Christmas shopping introduced a friend to bikes and ferried us to buy her own gear and bike when the time came.

Swapped the BMW for this Speed Triple Carbon Black, partly because it captured the attentions of a lady Moody looking shouty thing, spat fire on overrun and set off alarms in the company car park. Great fun but little wind protection meant I turned into a human parachute over 3 figures.

And then Ducati released the MTS1200. One test ride and I was hooked, managed to shift the Speed Triple for basically what I paid for it. The Carbon Black edition was a pack supplied to the dealer by Triumph, who would strip a standard Matt black bike and add the carbon etc etc. When I bought mine, the dealer gave me all the stock parts. So what I part exchanged to Ducati was a standard matt black Speed Triple, and then a whole load of trick parts went on the forums.

Sold it as it wasn't getting used, missed it so much I ended up buying another, although a previous owner clearly had a thing for Corse/Italian flag stickers.

 

[st13phil]

I've also been to the well-reputed Darren at MCT Suspension in Suffolk

The biggest bang per buck you will ever experience on a bike, imo.

Darren reworked the suspension on my ST1300 and the difference was night and day.

 

[Doodle]

Darren did pretty much all of mine above bar the white MTS. Unfortunately when I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago he's so busy now he's no longer really offering workshop services and asks customers to post the units to him instead for reworking. As a result I'm giving Mark Hammond at MH Racing a go this time round.

 

[bolidemichael]

Darren did pretty much all of mine above bar the white MTS. Unfortunately when I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago he's so busy now he's no longer really offering workshop services and asks customers to post the units to him instead for reworking. As a result I'm giving Mark Hammond at MH Racing a go this time round.

Actually, I had my VFR booked into the local mechanic for removal of the components in January as he was fully booked for weeks ahead.

He then called me to let me know that the Nitron unit had arrived earlier than expected and that he had a cancellation, so I rode up to him on a lovely misty and frosty morning in December and was one of the last fittings that he had at his premises.


It's a shame as he's such an interesting chap with a really clear view on the direction of his life trajectory. It strikes me that he's doing it 'right'.

The bike needed a wash afterwards!

 

[chesterpiglet]

I finally found the photo of mine(it's still in the UK)it's a 1938 BMW R35. I hadn't ridden for a good few years(since the mid 1980's)when I told a friend I fancied another bike I was told "you will kill yourself" I took their good advice & bought this- trouble is it has cable brakes & from 30mph using both feet it still takes 300ft to stop! I'll add that I'm 6'3" tall & my knees impede the handle bars when turning, the throttle is not spring loaded, there are no indicators & the gears are a hand shift on the tank- you have to concentrate to ride it but after a while you get used to it. It looks nice though!

 

[Ted]

Found these a few days ago.
Me and a mate at another mates wedding. I’m the rider.
1974 I reckon

 

[st13phil]

Found these a few days ago.

650 pre-unit by the look of it?

 

[Ted]

650 pre-unit by the look of it?

Yes - spot on!
1959 pre-unit 6T Thunderbird.

 

[st13phil]

1959 pre-unit 6T Thunderbird.

I test rode a less-than-stellar example of one of those for a mate donkey’s years ago. With its single leading shoe front brake and wobbly swinging arm it was one of the few bikes I’ve ever ridden that actually scared me

 

[Darrell]

I finally found the photo of mine(it's still in the UK)it's a 1938 BMW R35. I hadn't ridden for a good few years(since the mid 1980's)when I told a friend I fancied another bike I was told "you will kill yourself" I took their good advice & bought this- trouble is it has cable brakes & from 30mph using both feet it still takes 300ft to stop! I'll add that I'm 6'3" tall & my knees impede the handle bars when turning, the throttle is not spring loaded, there are no indicators & the gears are a hand shift on the tank- you have to concentrate to ride it but after a while you get used to it. It looks nice though!

Love an R35. There’s loads of these in Greece.

 

[chesterpiglet]

Love an R35. There’s loads of these in Greece.

They are quite an interesting bike in that they were made at the Eisenach Motor Works in Eastern Germany. During WW2 the Russians captured the factory(complete with a vast amount of part completed cars/motorbikes, parts & tools to make them) & both during & after the War they continued making these "BMW's". In 1952 it became EMW- all "BMWs" made from 1945 to 1951 are Eisenach products. BMW also made the Dixi which was their licensed version of the Austin 7 & the 1st car they ever made.

 

[Darrell]

They are quite an interesting bike in that they were made at the Eisenach Motor Works in Eastern Germany. During WW2 the Russians captured the factory(complete with a vast amount of part completed cars/motorbikes, parts & tools to make them) & both during & after the War they continued making these "BMW's". In 1952 it became EMW- all "BMWs" made from 1945 to 1951 are Eisenach products. BMW also made the Dixi which was their licensed version of the Austin 7 & the 1st car they ever made.

I tried to buy this but the owner is having none of it.