DuRavary

I’ve only ridden it 50 miles so far but am very pleased. The area around where I live has an unlimited number of unpaved chemins and grassy lanes. Many of the smaller backroads have fairly loose surfaces too. The CB500X is far more at home around here than my Pan European ever was and I’m hoping that it will be up to doing the longer trips I’m used to doing as well as the Pyrénées are a half day’s ride south and the Alps à good day to the east.

I was wrong, the rain and wind arrived today. It’s still surprisingly warm though.

Yes.

I will miss this one but I would not have dared to take it down that chemin. Owned it for nine years, a lot of memories.

I think that starts on Thursday. It was lovely today, 25° and sunny not what I was expecting in mid October.

Wrong tense because I haven’t done it yet but today is new bike day. What’s even better is that the forecast for this afternoon when I ride up on my current bike to pick up the new one is 24° and sunny. There will be plenty of opportunities to get the new one damp and dirty over the coming months.

That would be exactly my advice too. Get it on the road and enjoy it.

https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/vat-news/uk-post-brexit-vat-on-e-commerce-b2c-imports.html

Unfortunately they don’t. Very early on in my nine years of Pan European ownership I learned that you never parked with the front wheel pointing downhill if you couldn’t ride out in that direction even on a slight slope. I really do believe the Pan is a great bike and once it’s rolling is light and manoeuvrable but when they’re stood still they’re heavy. Too heavy. The bike I’m picking up on Tuesday is 130kg lighter. That’s a lot and even i5 is considered to be heavy.

No. Please no. As lovely as the Pan European is it’s already far too heavy without adding extra batteries and electric motors.

Im confused too. I’ve not ridden one but every ride report I’ve read has praised the AT’s engine. I will be at the Honda dealer on Tuesday or Wednesday I might have to see if I can arrange a ride.

Most of the big international mail order companies have got it sorted out. It can be a bit worrying to see import costs listed on the invoice but it’s the final costs that actually matter. Those costs often include VAT and postage and packing. The bigger problem will be persuading smaller companies not geared up to U.K.:EU trade to do business with you.

It wasn’t all bad, the Fox adjustable rear shock sounded pretty good.

You’re obviously a far more technically advanced rider than me. Whether I ride my V4, parallel twin or single I ride them like I ride any motorcycle. I have to make adjustments for the most powerful having 10x more power and a whole heap more torque than the smallest with the twin fitting somewhere in between but that’s not rocket science. The configuration of the engine is oretty irrelevant to be honest.

Congratulations it’s great to hear that you’ve passed your MOD2 at last.

Spot on!

When I lived in Sussex I played rugby at Worthing Rugby Club. One of my friends, Keith, got home pissed one night, couldn’t find his keys but noticed that the downstairs bathroom window was open. It wasn’t until he had squeezed through the window and was climbing down the toilet that he realised his house didn’t have a toilet that colour. He’d broken to his neighbours house.

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-the-placebo-effect

My new bike has been waiting at the dealers for a few weeks now. They want me to take delivery of it and have the SW Motech crash bars and other protection parts fitted first. It’s getting a bit frustrating now but this post has reassured me that I probably made the right decision.

It’s worth getting a quote from the suppliers for the total cost. I recently bought a Scottoiler that was ordered in the EU but actually came from the U.K. At first sight the duty costs seemed horrendous but in fact the price I paid for delivery to France was less than the post free price for an order that I had made for exactly the same product to be delivered to a U.K. address. I cancelled the first order because it’s delivery was delayed.

Never ride at speeds that both you and your bike are not comfortable at.

Those chrome rear crash bars look as though they were taken from my 1975 CB250G5.

The CB was around when I got my CD and about the same time the desirable CB200 arrived.

Go and find some roads with no traffic on them and just get used to travelling faster. I also find that any given speed feels faster on a smaller capacity bike. Even at relatively low speeds the bike might feel as though it’s working hard giving an impression of speed. The more you ride the more comfortable you will become.