bonio

Or Kircaldy Kawasaki https://www.kdykawasaki.com/bike-hire.php

Off duty day. Day trip to Cambridgeshire (in the car *sigh*)

Riding?? Who do you take us for?

You didn't hear anything like that here. Anyway, welcome in.

I hadn't realized until only yesterday why I liked the Tiger: when you sat on it, it was a lot like a GS. It's like the lover you never quite get over

Could you just whistle or hum something tuneless over the top?

I agree with this. I just had my 2nd ride. We go out, stop, do feed back and then come back. it could be more constant. On the VFR the rearward viability requires more effort. I have to spend 40% of my attention searching for the observer to see what his signals are! A simple; "turn left here" would fix that. I agree with the immediate feedback thing. My instructor for my DVLA test would use the radio to say things like, "see that person at the crossing - that means the lights could turn red any moment", "look over the hedge to the right and you will see there's a tractor coming in the opposite direction". This was really helpful in pointing out what was meant by "observation". But as for looking in the mirrors for signals - the counter argument would be that a glance in your mirrors is usually worthwhile when approaching any junction, so you know what's behind you in case you needed to brake, and it shouldn't take up too much of your attention to do this. I find that whenever I come to do my retest, I realise I've been neglecting my mirrors, and a couple of observed rides is enough to help me find them again.

Yes... I forgot to mention it. It's a complete mess. Far too much information presented in some fonts they repurposed from a windows 3.1 floppy disk. No icons, or at least none that made any sense. The only bit that was legible was the speedo.

Top idea. Definitely not up for a buying a new bike.

Sorry to hear that. But anyway all the best for a good trip.

Yup. Really sad, as it was almost a great bike. It is a great bike if you only want to ride it for a couple of hours. This is what worries me. It seems that some are a lot better than others. Presumably the ones now coming up second hand are from the worst group.

Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX This is the bike I wanted to like most of all, and I nearly managed to do it, despite doing most of the ride in the pouring rain. Let me be clear: it is a great bike, a truly great bike. The engine is awesome. What the reviewers all say is true: just put in third and forget about it. To be fair, pulling away from a stop is nicer from second or even first if you must. And then there are all those other gears you can play around with, just because you can. Like 30 in 6th: chilled. 80 in 4th: comfortably progressive . 80 in 2nd: frankly mental. There's a combo there for every occasion. Or just stick in 3rd and forget about it. The fuelling is first class: smooth and precise, and the gearbox goes snickety snickety, straight into which ever gear you want. Which is 3rd. The riding position is, well, hard to describe. The bike looks like a Japanese sports bike, and you can choose to bend yourself over it, elbows out, more or less as you would a sports bike, but the position that feels more natural to me is to be almost upright. So you can have it either way: upright when munching miles, and being more involved with the bike when the real riding starts. And I could imagine munching miles on this machine. Leaving the ineffective screen and the hard seat to one side, everything is set up to make motorway riding comfortable: only a light buzz at 70 in 6th, and cruise control that works perfectly, Push the button and let go of the throttle and the bike carries on. A quick flip of the throttle is enough to return smoothly to throttle control. Large panniers hug close to the bike's contours (although they stick out further than the bars). Given the rain, I didn't get to push the bike hard round corners. The corners I did felt solid, but there was enough vagueness (and occasional upset) in the front to suggest the forks weren't always completely happy with the road surface, and the steering wasn't completely precise. The suspension is adjustable for just about everything, and I'd really love to have to a go on one set up for me, just to see what difference it makes. The has narrower bars than the two bikes above, and so takes a bit more effort to tip into a corner - but not much. It's surprisingly light and easy to turn: you can understand why it's the UK's most popular tourer. But would I buy it? Dunno. Perhaps it was the rain and mud on the roads, or else it was the steering, but it left me with a feeling that I had to concentrate all the time: I couldn't find the "relax and just ride" mode. Perhaps I should give it another chance in better conditions.

BMW S1000XR I'd already decided I wasn't going to like this bike. It is too big. Too powerful for real road use. Too heavy too. And BMW. Not much going for it, really. But I only sat in the saddle and already I was smiling. Oh dear - it felt like Home. The controls were all where they should be, the new TFT screen was easy to read even for an old fart with poor eyesight like me (they know their market segment). Even so, I set off still knowing I wasn't going to like it. I stalled, and knocked the first assumption out the window: it isn't really that heavy (228kg, just 6 bags of sugar more than the Tiger). On the second attempt I got going and took it through Long Melford where there was a lot of stopping and starting to allow traffic to weave past parked cars. And the bike was extraordinarily easy to ride: the fuelling, the engine, the drive were all as smooth as a Honda. Then the open road and what a delight it is - weightless, effortless to turn, walzting into corners, floating round bends, crazily powerful in an overtake, but - oh my - what kind of hive of bees have they installed? Such a buzz from the pegs, through the seat , but worse of all, through the bars. It out-buzzes anything I've ever ridden (including the Hornet), and by some. Now I'm in a real spot - I already love this bike, but it's like the end of Some Like It Hot, where Joe Brown find he's fallen for Tony Curtis, and I know nobody's perfect but can I live with this buzzzzz? The only way to be sure is to see what it's like to ride day. So back to the dealers, explained the problem, and could they let me have it for 4 or 6 hours? It turns out that, no, they can't. But they can let me have a R1250GS for an hour if I like. Ah well. Nobody's perfect.

Better get me some geranium oil

Here they are, the first crop first lot of test ride reviews. Mainly cos it helps me to write it all down. MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Rosso This is the base version of the 800cc triple, with cruise control as standard. If you've met someone famous, you'll know that what you see in the flesh is a less beautiful version of what you see in the official photos. So it is with this bike. To be honest, I think my Tiger was better-looking: a sorry statement for an Italian bike, and especially one from MV Agusta. But ok, I used to own a GS, so clearly looks don't score too high on my must-haves. So what does it have? A nice engine. A very nice engine. Although the more shallow side of me was a bit disappointed with the sound, which was a tad too close to a whine or a wheeze than a roar, but it would bark in an asthmatic way when wound up. I loved the fuelling - smooth yet responsive, precise but never jerky. The power was all there, all I could use, but - given it's an 800 - I sometimes had to downshift to get it. The suspension was spot on: it never felt overwhelmed even by some of Suffolk's more rural tarmac, and was taut and predictable in the corners; the steering had diamond-cut precision. Going on twisty roads at 60-70 mph in 3rd, the bike shone like a shooting star: plenty of power for a cheeky overtake and good engine braking to make the whole thing feel smooth. This was when it would make me smile. On dual carriageways (no motorways in Suffolk) it was competent, without quite delivering anything plush or comfy. The cruise on the test bike wasn't working, but the upright position was easy. The only thing that stopped me looking forward to riding it across Europe was the slight buzz on the bars even in 6th - not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to stop me really feeling like I was on a relaxing holiday. The best thing - and possibly proof that MV are staffed by aliens with brains light years in advance of ours - was the screen: a scrap of clear plastic that you could move up and down that actually worked: whatever speed I did, I had a light stream of air gently washing over my head. Riding at 50 with visor open was as pleasant as it was novel. In town, it was well-behaved and easy to manage. Too tall for me to get toes down on both sides, but it's not a heavy bike (190-odd kg dry) so one foot felt fine. Gear box and clutch were ok, a bit clunky going down into the lowers gears, so somewhere between Kawasaki and BMW on the gearbox scale. Panniers, each large enough for a helmet, fit to the frame and are no wider than the bars. Would I be pleased to have one? Oh yes: it's a glorious bike, in fact, it's almost perfect. Would I buy one to tour with? Perhaps not. Not sure why... perhaps the buzz on the motorway, or perhaps just because if felt a bit small for a tourer. Size-wise it reminded me of a Hornet. Of course, it's more than capable enough to tour with, but if I'm going to spend a week or more on the bike, I think I'd like a bit more sense of space, and a bit more presence on the road.

I've three suggestions: 1. ebay 2. ebay 3. ebay Buy secondhand; a lot of good stuff there at good prices. I've just got myself some Daytona goretex boots: £50 instead of £350 new.

Amazing views! Italian tarmac Looks fantastic though

Agreed. I'm really enjoying your holiday

noooooooooooooo....

Don't leave your keys on the bar like that mate. You might forget them and not be able to find them in the morning.

Fantastic roads! Nice scenery too.

This is spot on. I learned to drive in London. And although I quit the place 30 years ago, I still revert to type and drive like a nob unless I keep my mind focussed. Doesn't help that I've a nob's car too.

und sahne, I trust. Sounds delicious. Half a mint magnum for me after a stroll along the (utterly empty) beach. Loverly, but not as loverly as the B500.