How do you actually pick a bike?

[skyrider]

4 minutes ago, XTreme said:

 

I remember parting with 22 quid in a private sale for a 62 Lambretta TV175 in 1971........and not having any idea how to ride it home. Couldn't even afford a helmet.

 

Binned it a few times on the way back but I made it. Somehow!

 

So next day I went out and binned it a bit more......just for the hell of it! 

bet you will be trying to keep the beemer rubber side down 

[XTreme]

8 hours ago, skyrider said:

bet you will be trying to keep the beemer rubber side down 

 

Yeh.....I stopped binning on the road in 1978 skyrider!

 

Last binned on the dirt in 2004.......found that I didn't bounce so well as in my youth.

[Gerontious]

when you speak of 'binning' a bike.. are you saying you came off in 2004 and the bike was only fit for the bin. ie a write off. or for the parts bin. or is binning the new and improved way of saying you simply came off.

 

Ive come off twice since 1980 and neither time was the bike 'binned'.

[Six30]

My advice has no basis  than my own meandering experience , i will dispense this advice now ...

it depends how anal you are , ooh i need a fairing cause of the wind, i need luggage cause im to weak for a rucksack blah blah blah..

what i can tell you when you do get a bike is when you park it up and walk away from it and you turn round to look at it and it makes you smile you have chosen the right bike.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Six30

[Jerry1111]

12 hours ago, Silentbob83 said:

I’m a bit of a short arse,5ft7 with short inside leg (insert joke here?). I can’t even flat foot the 125 completely.

 

 

XJ6!!!

Get yourself XJ6 Diversion F ABS and enjoy

 

[XTreme]

2 hours ago, Gerontious said:

or is binning the new and improved way of saying you simply came off.

 

Yes......but it's not new......we've always said that in South Wales.

 

I believe in posh places in England they use the term "unscheduled dismounts".

[Six30]

11 minutes ago, XTreme said:

 

Yes......but it's not new......we've always said that in South Wales.

 

I believe in posh places in England they use the term "unscheduled dismounts".

And Gentitals doesn’t come he arrives .

[XTreme]

14 minutes ago, Six30 said:

And Gentitals doesn’t come he arrives .

 

Who?

[Six30]

15 minutes ago, XTreme said:

 

Who?

Genitals or whatever his name is , Genitals is rather apt don’t you think it’s he who rides the big Honda Africa Scooter

[Steve_M]

3 hours ago, Six30 said:

My advice has no basis  than my own meandering experience , i will dispense this advice now ...

it depends how anal you are , ooh i need a fairing cause of the wind, i need luggage cause im to weak for a rucksack blah blah blah..

what i can tell you when you do get a bike is when you park it up and walk away from it and you turn round to look at it and it makes you smile you have chosen the right bike.

Oh dear. 
 

I may have joined the wrong forum. My bad. I thought this was about a shared interest in motor bikes, and having adult conversations, not a place for juvenile, willy waving machismo, ego trips.

 

 

 

 

 

[XTreme]

53 minutes ago, Steve_M said:

Oh dear. 
 

I may have joined the wrong forum. My bad. I thought this was about a shared interest in motor bikes, and having adult conversations, not a place for juvenile, willy waving machismo, ego trips.

 

I know.....it's awful isn't it? I've suffered it since 2013......only because no other forum will take me.

 

And besides being a place for juvenile, willy waving machismo, ego trips, as you've rightly pointed out.........it's also full of Gammons and Casuals!

 

Generally, when you've hit rock bottom, this is the place to come! It truly is the shallow end of the gene pool.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

2 hours ago, Steve_M said:

Oh dear. 
 

I may have joined the wrong forum. My bad. I thought this was about a shared interest in motor bikes, and having adult conversations, not a place for juvenile, willy waving machismo, ego trips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you've misunderstood and ascended onto a vertically endowed equestrian - I think the comment is perfectly valid. You can choose a bike for all sorts of reasons that are either practical or aspirational. Which is how I chose my 2006 CBF500 for my workhorse. I wanted reliability, practicality, a centre stand, a small screen, a top box, a bike I can ride through mud and grit and not worry about. It comes home covered in filth and gets hosed down daily. It makes me smile because I don't have to worr about it.

 

But I also ride a Triumph Bobber which is totally & completely impractical, has a tiny range and is frankly not very comfortable. But it always makes me smile because it's bonkers.

 

At the end of the day, whatever your criteria, if a bike makes you smile it's the right bike for you.

[Steve_M]

27 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

 

I think you've misunderstood and ascended onto a vertically endowed equestrian - I think the comment is perfectly valid. You can choose a bike for all sorts of reasons that are either practical or aspirational. Which is how I chose my 2006 CBF500 for my workhorse. I wanted reliability, practicality, a centre stand, a small screen, a top box, a bike I can ride through mud and grit and not worry about. It comes home covered in filth and gets hosed down daily. It makes me smile because I don't have to worr about it.

 

But I also ride a Triumph Bobber which is totally & completely impractical, has a tiny range and is frankly not very comfortable. But it always makes me smile because it's bonkers.

 

At the end of the day, whatever your criteria, if a bike makes you smile it's the right bike for you.

It is, indeed, ultimately a valid point. The preamble, though I think you’ll agree, was not as well presented as your case and was a bit of an attack on other people’s perspective with reference to a previous post.

 

It seems my posts will now need to be approved by a moderator. It would be interesting to understand the logic behind that decision.

[rennie]

temporary only while we talk about stuff 

[geofferz]

Good question. I was going to buy an r6 until I sat on it and it was hideous. The guy in the dealer said 'try the mt10' and I was like that's the r1 engine - I won't be able to afford the insurance. Ran a quote, turns out it was surprisingly cheap, test rode it, it was sublime so I bought it. 

 

Then my current bike I bought having never seen one in the flesh let alone test ridden. Always had an irrational dislike for suzuki so it was quote surprising. I was bored during lockdown and the monthly finance was insanely cheap so I bought it. 

 

My local dealers (Sussex) let me test ride whatever I like for however long I want on the day I passed my test. My mate too. Dunno about covid though. 

[Tiggie]

22 minutes ago, Steve_M said:

It is, indeed, ultimately a valid point. The preamble, though I think you’ll agree, was not as well presented as your case and was a bit of an attack on other people’s perspective with reference to a previous post.

 

It seems my posts will now need to be approved by a moderator. It would be interesting to understand the logic behind that decision.

Not just your post. All for this thread temporarily

[Silentbob83]

2 hours ago, geofferz said:

Good question. I was going to buy an r6 until I sat on it and it was hideous. The guy in the dealer said 'try the mt10' and I was like that's the r1 engine - I won't be able to afford the insurance. Ran a quote, turns out it was surprisingly cheap, test rode it, it was sublime so I bought it. 

 

Then my current bike I bought having never seen one in the flesh let alone test ridden. Always had an irrational dislike for suzuki so it was quote surprising. I was bored during lockdown and the monthly finance was insanely cheap so I bought it. 

 

My local dealers (Sussex) let me test ride whatever I like for however long I want on the day I passed my test. My mate too. Dunno about covid though. 

 That’s what I was trying to get at albeit in a very long winded way...to understand how everyone decides on the bike to buy.

Have people bought ‘dream’ bikes, however you define dream, liked it, loved it or hated it. I guess because the dealers locally at least have said effectively no test rides, I’m not sure just sitting on it will be enough.

 

someone mentioned the XJ6, which is in my shortlist. 
 

To answer  Six...I’m not sure if I NEED a fairing, only ever ridden naked bikes wind hasn’t been an issue- so nothing to compare if it is better with to be honest. Although the XJ6 mentioned above is fully faired, but not a deal breaker.

 

And I also wear a backpack on the bike now, only when I go to my transplant clinic once a month as I need to carry my meds and paperwork etc.

 

appreciate all the answers/feedback.

[James in Brum]

I can offer only my limited experience. 
I spent months prior to Mundas looking on eBay within my price bracket and nothing stood out for me. Then there was a zzr600 (30 year old) with 16 k on the clock within my range. It was 35 miles away. I spoke to the vendor and said if I bought it would he deliver, I figured if he would ride it to mine it was likely safe. I went to look at it, liked it and risked it (no DAS Pass at that point), 

Insured it the day I passed and loved it since, it was written off for economy reasons when some daft person drove into me. @fastbob helped me mend it and I have done a load of miles on it since, mostly commuting. I still peer out of my work window to look at it, still turn my head as I walk away and have been known to visits it during the day. I adore my bike. If I didn’t bikes hold their value enough that if you get one and don’t like it you can try another. That said I think some people are looked for a unicorn bike and are not prepared to accept little foibles for otherwise perfect.

[skyrider]

9 hours ago, XTreme said:

 

Yes......but it's not new......we've always said that in South Wales.

 

I believe in posh places in England they use the term "unscheduled dismounts".

yes we use that expression here to

[Pie man]

Hello 

I cant really recall how I chose my first bike (so long ago now)  but after every bike I sold, I looked back and thought, that was a good bike. Now when looking for a new bike I think what do I need it to do, where do I want to go and how long in the saddle am I going to realistically spend. How much to run, insurance cost etc and how much does the bike cost to buy. Test ride if you can, but I also tried to sit on as many as I could. (Motorcycle Live Show was good for this)

I run a little MT07 for my commute, also with 30l rucksack. Small and nimble and easy to cut through the traffic can flat foot both feet however for touring and weekend fun I use the Katoom.  

I once bought a BMW R850R and thought it was the Bees Knees until I bought the CBR600F, then the R1, then the K12, you get my drift. 

 

good luck with your search 

 

[XTreme]

19 minutes ago, skyrider said:

yes we use that expression here to

 

Unscheduled Dismounts? So Preston is posh then? I always thought it was some sort of northern shithole full of wannabe Scousers? 

[skyrider]

3 minutes ago, XTreme said:

 

Unscheduled Dismounts? So Preston is posh then? I always thought it was some sort of northern shithole full of wannabe Scousers? 

no i meant binned it

[XTreme]

15 minutes ago, skyrider said:

no i meant binned it

 

Right......I didn't think you were posh! You must be the posh one if you didn't know about "binning it" @Gerontious?

[skyrider]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

 

Right......I didn't think you were posh! You must be the posh one if you didn't know about "binning it" @Gerontious?

yep done that a few times 

[XTreme]

7 minutes ago, skyrider said:

yep done that a few times 

 

You can't learn to swim without getting wet!