Richard

A 701 Moffat to Edinburgh is spectacular 

Went out for the first time on the bike in six months ( post stroke) very pleased with myself!

The last one I bought from Bennett’s at Doncaster, who are keeping their dealership, and they were excellent to deal with

8 minutes ago, Interference Fit said:

Thanks. My head says go for the Street Triple, my heart takes one look at the Brutale and screams "Do it"!

I had the same do it ! I lost 700 gbp over two years on the 1078 buying new and made on the Dragster (  couple of hundred) they really kept the value

I had a Dragster 2014 model I also had 2010 Brutale 1078 rr neither caused issues and both where reliable, had the 1078 for two years but the Dragster for one and traded for a Super Duke

Sadly, limited to a clean, but they looked nice in the sun

Started the pair of them up. First time they have seen the light of day for seven weeks. I still can’t ride them but they ran for 15 minutes 

27 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

 

Are not nearly ALL motorcycles big boys toys ?   I class them along with women's handbags and high heeled shoes.  Think about it.  Some women will pay an absolute fortune for a bloody handbag and the most noticeable difference between a cheap one and a dear one is the label.  They're still just hand bags.  Apart from the image, style and 110 bhp what really is the fundamental difference between an MV Agusta and a Royal Enfield ?   They're both motorcycles.  Both have enough performance to deprive you of your licence in jig time. So you buy an MV and spend most of your time watching the speedo and rolling the throttle back.  But I forgot, you do look fabulous on it, don't you ?  OK you're approaching 60 years old, you're probably 28 kilos overweight and your last bike was a BSA Starfire...a long time ago ! And it's not a cafe racer because you don't cruise round to the local cafe in case it gets wet/dirty and it would also mean folk could watch you struggling to dismount nimbly. Also removing your helmet reveals the fact that the flowing locks you had 30 years ago have long gone.   Despite what you see in your mirror, nobody's going to mistake you for Giacomo Agostini.

It's like the high heeled shoes. Women of a certain age and dare I say it body composition are convinced that a pair of wildly expensive high heeled shoes immediately give them legs like Cyd Charisse.

But what the hell, we're probably the last generation who have reached the stage where we can afford such frivolities.  Not quite a substitute for a lost youth but near enough ... maybe ?

I have basically lived your statement, I have had a lot of bikes over the last 5 years , really I started changing around the lockdown period. Everyone of them had its positives and negatives, and how prices were moving I only lost on one of them. Each one of them was a dream at the time, and some illusions were shattered. I have tried to live the dream, and could afford it when on bikes, cars I couldn’t afford to do it. And my hairstyle definitely backs up your statement 

A interesting bike with the BMW torque twist, that I think is great fun.

Basically 1200 cc. Flat twin  non standard exhaust 115 bhp 53 mpg, pretty comfortable and handling is lovely. Lots of trick bits to buy. Shaft drive is a big positive and basically I would recommend it highly for someone who likes the thought of a naked bike.

Had a green benelli 1130 and was pulled out on , I had crash bungs on the bike  and it punched a hole in the wind , I went round the ‘a’pillar and we bounced off about 5 meters down the road. it took nearly 5 months for parts and repairs. When I got it back , 4 days later a van reversed over me at some traffic lights when he decided he was in the wrong lane. I changed the bike fo a bright yellow one after that.

https://www.facebook.com/richard.h.whalley/videos/994852931127214/
 

for those that have never heard or seen a Buell

As it’s Christmas Eve, and I am mellow, I thought would offer you a variation on the Jacob Marley question.

• Best bike you’ve ever had
• Worst bike you’ve ever had
• The bike, if money had was not an issue you would still have ( you have to have owned it)

Merry Christmas everyone!

May is ok, you will see plenty of glaciers . It’s the tunnels, the longest I went through was 17 miles.

Think about Hardanger ( Norway) the scenery is amazing, the roads are too. Visit the Stream Nest and Telemark. Only issues are prices and speed limits

https://tourstart.org/tour/Tour_of_Hardanger_17584

Quite often the first bike is just a stepping stone to either a bigger bike or something that is more desirable to you. I would recommend you think about something that is easier to sell. Nothing wrong with a cat n but for me the bike would have to be something I had lusted after and wanted to keep 

23 minutes ago, Mickly said:

I took a Bobber Black out as a courtesy bike & really enjoyed the experience, the drawback wasn’t the wind buffering around the upper body but the way I had to grip the tank with my knees so hard to stop my legs splaying from about 90MPH, although when I mentioned it to the guy at the dealership he said I wasn’t really the target market

When I had a bobber, I had the same problem. I have nearly always had naked bikes, sometimes they are easier to ride at + speeds than others. I have toured quite happily on them and it’s just what you get used to.

If you can’t get the wheels off the concrete floor, just use a couple of carpet samples, it just stops the cold creating flat spots 

It’s more fun than the Ducati, I really like it 

Same place different bike

Ah, child labour!

2 hours ago, bud said:

The last couple of sets of tyres I brought. I got them from M&P.  Not the usual place I would go for tyres, but they were the cheapest.

Came within a couple of days with free shipping too.

Next day for me

No just a little cafe close to that, I had enough chips already that week and begged for a salad. 

Yes it was