IndigoJo

According to this video it's shutting for a refit, and will reopen as a Superbike Factory: Had a look at SBF's website yesterday. Seem to have a huge stock of secondhand bikes across five or six warehouse sites (the one at Milton Keynes looks much bigger than the P&H site) and they sell three Chinese brands' bikes new. Couldn't help but wonder what they meant when they said they had the expertise to only do what work was needed, rather than all the work other dealerships did which pushed up the price. And Completely's administration is now official: https://www.facebook.com/completelymotorbikes/posts/pfbid02gt5Eptb8p2AwSjVp6BojJe4FYyq19GVFCK9iGbQa6izqZ2tthkkyK1vqehn8iZLjl

Seen on some of the FB threads about the CM 'stock-take'. Had to explain to someone that companies don't shut without warning to do stock-takes.

It's a mystery why companies are allowed to take money for products or services they know they are likely to be unable to deliver. The bosses knew they were bankrupt but only told people when it was too late to pull out. It should be fraud and the people concerned should be personally liable.

Lots of people in the FB comments saying they paid Saltire for CBT they didn't get.

Been browsing John W Groombridge's website for a few weeks for ideas on what to buy when (if) I ever get my licence, as it's not that far from me (though Doble and Hartgate are considerably nearer) ... and today I discovered that the place closed yesterday. The current owner cited "continuously rising costs, pressure within the industry, reduced profits and the current economic climate". They had been doing a "cost price plus £1" sale on all their clothing and helmets, but were still promoting their bikes on FB up until the 19th. Last week they had announced that they weren't participating in the Royal Enfield "One Ride" because of "unforeseen circumstances"; I hadn't seen anything on the website that suggested they were closing, but the message had been posted on FB last Tuesday. Weirdly, I drove past Hartgate in Mitcham a couple of weeks ago and noticed that they'd moved from their former multi-unit premises on Upper Green East to a smaller shop a few doors down, with a much cruder sign. The old premises are now occupied by an employment agency which also occupies several other units on the same parade. The website still gives the same address and pictures. Unless they've got a warehouse somewhere, they will be selling nowhere near as many bikes as they might have been doing before.

I've noticed that there's no bike with a bigger than 500cc engine that does as much mpg as my car (a 2014 one-litre) and some do even less. A modern 125 does about twice as much (some even more) but the savings go down rapidly with anything bigger. If I was downsizing from an old saloon or a 4x4 then any motorbike would be an improvement, but if your car is already pretty economical, there seems to be no savings made by switching to a bike unless it's a tiny one. I'd have expected there to be at least some saving, given that any motorbike has less to carry than any car; a cushion instead of a cabin for a start.

Definitely practice riding a pushbike. CBT operators often will not let you take the course unless you are confident riding a bike. It's in the terms and conditions.

I contacted the accessories shop linked off RWMT's website and was told that this was the usual experience trying to contact them, and the guy I spoke to said he'd passed with AJH and recommended them instead. Apparently Simon's wife died a couple of years ago and she was his main admin person, and now there isn't one. RWMT looked like good value (lower cost than anyone else, free second go) and I suspected they'd gone under, as that deal might be too good to be true nowadays.

So Bandits are made for pull rather than speed, for all that luggage? A bit like an HGV engine, which typically has even lower bhp:cc ratios (say, 500bhp from a 13-litre engine, typical for artics) and are restricted to 56mph. The better ones can get up Stokenchurch hill at 56mph. Usually it's 40mph or less. How good a packhorse is the Classic 350? Not looking to go across Asia, but if I'm going to the Lake District or similar?

I notice Harleys often have the same low bhp:cc ratio as RE (even lower in some cases). My car (a Kia) has the same ratio (1l engine, 67bhp). 10cc:2/3bhp as opposed to 10cc:1bhp as with most bikes. Anyway, the Classic 350 is a 20bhp bike. Fine. Is there a reason to make a 350cc engine with that output as opposed to a 200cc one? Especially as a bigger engine size results in more road tax to pay, especially with the 650cc (47bhp) models.

Does anyone know if Right Way Motorcycle Training in Redhill area is still in business? I've been trying to contact them by phone and email but it just goes to voice mail and my email hasn't been answered. Their website says "call Simon any time" but there's no answer.

But what did you mean then?

@RideWithStyles Terrible welds? Which bits of the bike aren't stuck together properly?

I've been watching videos on YouTube about Royal Enfield bikes which seem to have improved a lot in quality this century; not that long ago they were generally described as unreliable throwbacks. But why are all of them so underpowered for their engine size? Their 350s put out 20bhp; the 650s put out 47. Even the new Himalayan/Guerrilla bikes are 450cc but around 40bhp. Why would you buy a bike like this? Especially the 650 which has a power output normally seen on 400-450cc bikes which have a lower road tax rate. Some bikes sold as 400s are actually 395cc or thereabouts and they have a lower rate still - £55 instead of £117. I know they're more expensive new but you can get secondhand ones for less than a new Enfield. I know the 350 range is cheap(ish), but the 650 isn't, and some of these YouTubers talk as if the Enfield is for a different class of motorcyclist - it's a gentleman's bike and if you want to do 70mph on a motorway because the destination is more important than the journey then you're not the sort of person we want in our little club; a peculiar attitude given it's nothing luxurious, it's a cheap Indian bike.

I notice they don't even bother to find out what the "safety issue at the end" is. There's the main bypass which ends at the roundabout with Colliters Way; the road and bus lane continues for a few hundred yards to the B3128 interchange, where the latter joins with a slip road, and then there is two open lanes until it reaches the Ashton Gate interchange. There's no "choke point" as far as I can see.

I found Lexham to have the lowest quote for third party, fire & theft (3PFT) but still over a grand for a bike kept on private property and a rider in his 40s with a clean licence. Most of the quotes were at least double that. 3rd party only started at £650. Is this something that will keep up or will the price go down after I've passed, or had my licence for a year or two? Would it be less for a bigger bike that is less of a target for thieves? They do ask what if any security device is fitted; which ones are most effective and would bring costs down?

Useful to know. The bike has sold now (not to me).

It didn't go very well; looking for a different CBT provider.

After a CBT that didn't go well last Saturday, I'm looking for another training provider somewhere near the SW London / Surrey border. I initially approached Ridesure, which is based at Dunsfold aerodrome south of Guildford, which has two-hour 'introductory' sessions, but they told me they couldn't do these later than 10am because their instructors have a timetable that's written in stone basically. There are a couple of 'schools' in the Redhill/Reigate area which have CBT rates that are a bit more reasonable than the £180 I paid for last Saturday's attempt, which seem to be one-man shows, like AJH and RightWay. The latter in particular has a much lower cost than the place I went to last Saturday, and has a second go free of charge. Anyone dealt with either company? What are the instructors like? What's the training ground like, and how much space do you have to ride round in before you go out on the road? What's the gear like? Last Saturday I got part way through element C (i.e. learning to actually ride rather than just talking about safety and looking at the controls). I was briefly able to ride round in a circle and change up from first to second and back, but the weather got warmer, I was baking in the gear (their gear is a rag-bag of old stuff and the instructor basically told us to pick out something that fits; I don't know if any of it was suitable for standing round on a hot day, though it was comfortable enough when in motion) and couldn't concentrate enough to practise the skills I'd learned, let alone extend them, and I left early. I wore my work boots (steel toe caps) which they didn't tell me weren't suitable until I got there.

I went the other day to a big 'chain' moto accessories shop near my home to get a helmet. My last attempt at CBT failed because my glasses misted up; it was January, I was using the school's helmet which was a full face type and they did not seem to know what to do about it and I was in a bit of a panic. So this time I decided to be prepared and went to get a helmet in advance, and explained to the staff that I needed one that was "glasses friendly". I was initially looking at 'open' helmets, but the store assistant somehow persuaded me to get a full-face helmet which was mostly comfortable, except for around the cheeks, where it pushed my face in such that if I opened my mouth, I couldn't close it again without biting the inside of my mouth. The assistant gave the impression that this was a common problem. His colleague told me that it was something that would solve itself in time, and that some people had done things like stuffing towels inside a new helmet in order to force the cheek pads out. But really they made me feel like a difficult customer, I wanted to be prepared for my CBT and got the impression that they couldn't do anything else for me and I don't know any other bike supplies shops. It was a Shark helmet that cost about £140. Were they correct and will this resolve itself? Or was I foolish letting them persuade me to buy something I didn't really want? Where's the best place to buy these sorts of things?

Yeah, this one is a good £1,000 less than similar secondhand bikes of this model (not that there are many). If it works OK it's a bargain; a 125 with a bit of extra horsepower, will be useful when I get my licence and can take it on the motorway.

@Fiddlesticks probably; what's a reasonable amount of time between CBT and starting DAS?

I'm looking to get a 125 in the next few days (CBT permitting this Saturday) and there's a Kawasaki Z125 going for a little under £2,500. The listing says its a Category N, meaning a past write-off. I contacted the dealer to ask why this was, as the bike looks decent in the pictures (no obvious damage, though they took all the pics inside the shop surrounded by other bikes, rather than outside where you could get a clear view), and they told me that the only thing damaged was the ignition, which they had replaced. Why would a bike be cat N because of this alone? I thought that term meant it had been written off because of an accident and it would have cost more to replace than repair. https://www.bikesandscooter.com/used-bikes/kawasaki-z125-125-performance-willesden-202405079447271

Hi everyone, New rider here; I'm 47, male, I live in south-west London and work as a truck driver. I've got my CBT booked this Saturday, and hope to get my first bike fairly soon after so I can ride it to work and for pleasure.