bonio

Went to Aldeburgh and back. Nice conditions for riding here.

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. In the end I got the first service thrown in plus a bit of a reduction on the grips - all more than I might have got otherwise. It comes in a few weeks.

So a bit more information in case anyone's interested... Why buy new? Tbh I'd prefer something 2 or 3 years old (older than that and they have issues) but there are next to none around... I went to see one, but it was a bit bashed about and rusted in places after 6000 miles. There's another being sold privately; the guy says that in the he's 4 months he's had it from new, he's had it lowered, put new pipes on and had it remapped for more power (none of which I want) and he's holding out for no test rides. There are a couple of ex-demos around too, but they all come in at more than the new one.

I've found a bike I'd like to buy. It's a 2019 model, but new and unregistered. The only 2019 thing about it is the colour, and that it comes with panniers included. I like the colour and I would get the panniers anyway. It's about £1700 cheaper than the equivalent thing in the 2020 model. It's a good saving, and comes in part because it qualifies for a £750 "manufacturer's deposit contribution" (available until the end of the year), but the new model doesn't. But here's the bit where I am clueless -how to go about negotiating a price? I'm thinking of saying something like this: if I buy it now it's just going to sit in the garage and depreciate, and that's going to cost me £500 or more, and ask if they can offset this with free labour on fitting some extras (heated grips, a scottoiler) and a free first service. Does this seem reasonable?

Ohh is the quest for a new bike nearly over? Fingers crossed your insurance Co is playing ball about the old one. I'll answer in a new thread....

Probably not. They were riding blades years back, and they'd reach max warp on them too. Round here though the police have been cutting back on their motorcycle department. My guess is they're considered to be a bit unwoke.

Cheers [mention]Gerontious[/mention], [mention]Mississippi Bullfrog[/mention]. Currently looking at a new, unregistered 2019 model bike. Only difference with 2020 is the colour, which I happen to like. Works out £1500 cheaper. Dont really want a new bike but if they'll take a deposit and let me complete the sale in March (new plate, longer warranty) it might be a good option.

It was @Lateralus I think, haven't seen him post in ages though. Yes sir, you're right. Couldn't for the life of me remember until I read this.

I've always found multibike insurance was more than insuring two bikes separately. Not a clue why.

That's way too much shite for one year

I've now got into the habit of getting a new policy each time. I really dislike the whole performance of them writing with a quote that's way too high and I am meant to phone and be grateful they can find me something at the right price.

Reading this thread close to tears. Great respect for each one of you.

Good for you Rob. I guess your mates find your choice makes them uncomfortable. Goodness knows why.

I hadn't a clue what to get after I passed my test. In fact, I hadn't a clue about bikes. I didn't know one manufacturer from another and couldn't tell a sports bike from a supermoto. In the end a bloke at work wanted to sell his bike, so I bought it and rode it for a couple of years until I did know what I wanted.

This bit and this bit tell me you should go and find another school. There are better ways of inspiring confidence in people

Wow [mention]mike_smith[/mention] you've been working hard at this. What score are you on now?

For a few ££££££s they can provide with one.

Yes mate, if they do bikes, then they should do a spoked wheel without damaging it.

That Marauder is amazing

One more tip for riding in winter: when the road is damp or wet (i.e. most of the time) keep everything very smooth; expect less grip from the tyres, especially on roundabouts (this is most people's place of choice for spilling their diesel).

Me too. I find it works well; better than Pledge.

Looks really great.

For the bike: ACF50 all over (except the brakes ). Fender extender to protect the engine from the worst of the grit and salt. Rear hugger perhaps to protect the rear shock. Hand guards, or muffs (muffs are warmer, but I've always been too vain to use them. A screen large enough to keep the wind off your chest. For you: I'd say buy the best (not necessarily the most expensive) you can afford that's designed to keep you warm and dry, Goretex if you can run to it. Rukka is excellent, but eye-wateringly expensive. Other good brands include Held, Klim, Knox. IXS (from J&S) is a great budget option, but still good quality. But tbh most brands you can find out there - for example at Sportsbikeshop - do good kit. You can often pick up good deals on secondhand stuff from ebay.

Sort of. I took one out on a test ride yesterday for about an hour and a half. I thought it was a really nice bike. It has all the electronic gizmos you'd want from BMW: cruise control, electronic suspension, riding modes, very pretty TFT dash and so on. And it's all tech that's been tried and proved on other bikes, so it all works well. I rode the thing in Dynamic mode, but I found the suspension was too harsh (cos I'm only 9st, need to eat more pies). You can set the suspension independently of the riding mode, but even when I'd changed it to Road, it was still harsh enough to upset the ride and make the front feel vague. The issue is that you only have two settings for damping, and so you need to be sure that at least one of them is going to work for you. The engine reminded me of the the F800ST; it's very smooth, it revs nicely, the fuelling is spot-on. It delivers loads of power, more than you can reasonably use on the road. For all that, I found it a bit lacking in character (but I feel that way about many parallel twins). The riding position is relaxed and upright. Wide bars. It's truly a very competent bike. You could honestly tour on it (as long as you were happy with the smallish screen) or use it as a commuter, or for days out or pretty much anything. I would think it's got a fair bit of competition, as more bikes are coming out in this just-under-a-litre size, but I'd guess the comprehensive electronics package is a big draw.

Hi mate. See this post https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=73700 and ask [mention]Trooper74[/mention]