Rodders

I wanted some jeans that I could wear on the bike for protection and then feel comfortable and stylish whilst having lunch or watching a gig. Something that would look right on a retro style bike. So I needed denim jeans. I bought a well known brand first and the fit isn't great - very baggy, and waist is a bit tight. The Oggie76 jeans had come up on ebay searches but seemed to cheap to be true. But they had a stall at Motorcycle Live (NEC) and I thought they looked pretty good quality. So I had a look through ebay to choose colour and size; they've got every base covered - blue, stonewash blue, black, stonewash black, light blue, biker wash black etc. For £46 delivered including some CE approved knee and hip armour, they are great. The fit is better although the leg is a bit long. They seem really well made and the armour is a nice addition which I can swap into the other jeans which came without. I think they manage to cut costs by reducing the amount of Kevlar lining they use - but the key areas are covered so I'm not too concerned. They're only really available through ebay, and I suspect they'll struggle to stay in business but I'm glad to have them in my kit.

That's annoying and I assume will cost you more money in bike hire. On a slightly different note, my instructor took me to the test centre to practise for MOD 1. Despite the heavy rain we were able to get some solid practise in, but I noticed what looked like a human excrement at the side of the compound. I have no idea how or why it would be there. Imagine hitting that on your emergency stop!

I also bought some surplus Police Goretex overtrousers, for £30. They're crazy baggy, but super waterproof and can get them on over my boots. The waterproof jeans have already been tested, and they didn't really work. So, I'd rather have saved £40 with the Oggie76 jeans and then add overtrousers when required.

Update on this. I plumped for some Bull-It SR6 jeans based on the Covec seemingly having better hear protection for friction burns, and they have a waterproof coating despite looking like normal jeans. But.... They were stupidly baggy, so I swapped then for the Italian slim fit variant which are still quite baggy but then I am extremely slim. I'm reasonably happy for £80 that I've got some good quality, reasonably stylish, protection. Though I haven't added any armour. So I thought I'd try some cheaper ones I'd seen on eBay and again at Motorcycle Live. Oggie76 is a funny brand name, but they have a good range of colours and with free CE hip and knee at about £45 you can't really complain. These are a much nicer fit. I bought my usual size and they are perfect. Tiny bit baggier in the leg than I'd like, but I'm used to skinny jeans. The armour seems like fairly typical budget stuff and they feel like good quality. I'm well chuffed.

Interesting...care to explain? I might agree that PCP isn't a great way to own a bike, but I think it's a reasonable enough way to get out riding on something you like.

Check this post out from elsewhere on the forum: "Lunatic biker- we all get a bad name" - https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65378 There are idiots/lunatics using all modes of transport, and there are also those who drive/ride sensibly. An idiot is an idiot....is an idiot. In that video, the cyclist that crashed committed a cardinal sin of letting their front wheel overlap the rider in front. You should either overtake, with plenty of room, or stay behind. The overlap was too close, I think they clipped the other rider who then wobbled and it went nasty. But I'm sure I've seen equally stupid motorcyclists.

If you're considering a bigger bike, don't bother with 125. Unless you want to start on the 125 for a year or so before moving up. The bigger bike is a bit easier for some reason - smoother controls and more power meaning less likely to stall. Balance is harder, but not much.

I know exactly how you feel, I struggled on my CBT earlier this year. Here's my tips: 1. It's normal, so don't worry. You're one step towards fixing it because you've recognised the problem and want to sort it. 2. It will come, with practise, and quicker than you imagine. You might master it after a few hours of riding but you'll almost certainly be *good enough* during your CBT. 3. Ask your instructor to practise in a straight line perhaps. Try keeping the bike at <5mph for a good distance. If you can do that, then it's only balance you need to work on. 4. Use the rear brake. It's hard to get smooth throttle and clutch balance, but using the foot brake can help to even things out. When you move off use the brake gently to bring your speed back down a touch, then just tiny movements of all the controls will see you right. Good luck with the CBT.

Everything that isn't a sports bike, adventure bike, chopper, luxury tourer or old wreck. Prices ranging from £1000 as a cash purchase, to £8000 on finance. Not very good at this narrowing thing!

If you're near Peterborough, then it's worth consideration. East London not far from the end of the m11, so not too bad but probably not ideal. I might be working in Basildon and staying over as of January...

If you're near Peterborough, then it's worth consideration.

Mission accomplished. From a "Get On!" Session in May this year, I've gone from being terrified of bikes to loving them, and passing today with no riding faults - just a fault for getting my words tangled on one of the questions about pillion riders. My instructor should take loads of credit. Sandra at CamRider in Peterborough. She made me feel at ease and confident, taught me simple things which allowed me to ride almost like it's second nature. Bike shopping now... The hardest bit!

Sorry to hear that [mention]Troy[/mention] On that note, I'm going to construct a shed for my future bike.

I say book your CBT. You can't do anything without it, pretty much, and it's cheap enough and simple enough that there's not much risk in doing it now. I'm learning just now, fit my final test this week all being well. I got soaked a few weeks ago, but it was OK. You don't really notice the wet when you're riding, only afterwards. Once you've got CBT, why not ask your school to take you out in a big bike for a sample session. That's what I did, and they said I was just about ready for test. If they say you need a lot of work, then you can plan it accordingly. If not, you can rush it through.... Or take your time. It's up to you, but you don't need to choose now. You only need to take one step at a time.

The Triumph Street Twin has been my #1 forever - well, at least since I first thought about riding a motorbike earlier this year. I sat on one at the MCN Festival and it just felt right. The Street Cup is stunning to look at, but I don't think it'll suit my riding needs with the dropped bars. The Honda Rebel doesn't quite feel right to me, but they're a great price and definitely comfortable to sit on. So, I have to consider one. As for the show, I think I'd go again next year and enjoy being able to see all the bikes up close. And I found out about some biking products and services that I hadn't heard of before, so it's always good to get that.

I went yesterday and took my wife and teenage lads. I've got my MOD2 test on Friday so this is all a bit overwhelming for me. I saw lots of nice stuff - not just the grid girls on the Aprilia stand It was busy, but we got to sit on everything we wanted to. It wasn't too crowded really, unless there was a celebrity on a stand or an engine start and rev' up. I wouldn't say there were many bargains to be had, most stuff was just normal prices on the web. Infinity had about 15% off a jacket we looked at for my wife, and seemed open to haggling. We did find it tricky to navigate our way through the volume of stuff. If you go there knowing what you want to see, then you could work out a route, but we just did the supermarket aisle approach - up and down every one. Overall it was a really good vibe. No pushy sales. Staff were happy to chat without trying to push sales. We felt good. My wife was jumping on loads of the bikes but decided against having a go on the Harley Davidson rolling road. I did it and enjoyed the experience. My boys liked seeing all the sports bikes, and opened their minds to some of the retro/classic styled bikes that I like. My youngest enjoyed the Arena X spectacle, but it gave me sweaty palms. My shortlist of possible first bikes managed to grow! Royal Enfield Bullet/Classic 500 Triumph Street Twin Triumph Street Cup Honda Rebel 500 Yamaha XSR700/900 Kawasaki Z900RS Ducati Monster 797 Suzuki SV650 I'm gonna have to get out and ride a load of bikes once I've got my licence!

It's called Lily

There is a drone already that follows you. Can't remember the name, but it's something like Lyssa. I'll look it up.

Nice one [mention]Kikesin[/mention] I think it was mostly down to my expert advice

Cycling shorts isn't a bad shout, actually. I found some other motorbike forums where people had used the Shock Doctor Bioflex Cup with positive reviews. But it might have been MX riders. Probably better just to avoid mud, and get used to gentle braking. In my defence, I was just using instinct so only a certain amount of training would have fixed that. In hindsight, that would have been enough and when I saw the patch of mud I knew there was a chance of the front wheel slipping so I had time to grip. Annoyingly I was already on the back brake for the U turn, so I just need to control that instinct to grab the front brake. Probably comes from my cycling experience.

I had my MOD1 yesterday. I was nervous too, but didn't really need to be. There's no need to rush any of it. Between exercises you can take a breather, just don't start moving until you're ready. For me, that was most useful after the manual handling exercise - I had been taking nervous short and shallow breaths, plus I struggle with the weight of the bike so I was heaving for air. Examiner reminded me that I could take a moment and ride when I was ready, so I just sat on the bike and gathered my thoughts. I found it useful to run through a drill in my head for the emergency stop and swerve. Mine went something like this, yours may vary: [list=]18-20mph on the bend looking at the exit point [list=]before speed trap, quick speed check [list=]watch for the examiner to start raising their hand [list=]rear brake towards the end, get ready to put foot down

Apparently 13% of bike crashes involve groin injuries https://mocktheorytest.com/resources/common-injuries-in-motorbike-accidents/ - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jun/19/motorcycling-accidents-near-miss-dangers-stories

Does anyone use something to protect their crown jewels? During a practise session for my MOD1 yesterday, I was doing a U Turn when my front wheel slipped on a bit of mud. I lurched forward, but grabbed the front brake and came to a sudden halt which caused me to slide forward and hit the fuel tank. Fortunately it was cold.... Mild discomfort only, and I didn't fall or drop the bike, and the instructor didn't see it either so my pride was intact. But it got me thinking that maybe some kind of padding would be useful. Or maybe I just learn to look out for mud!