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Brand new to motorbicycling - 2023 we go again..


JJ0063

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I’m legal!

Only did probably 6-7 miles but it went fine. I think the throttle needs adjusting or maybe even changing to a quick action one as its bloody long, have to twist your hand right round. Not like any bike I’ve ridden before. 
 

It’s surprisingly loud, does the odd pop when letting off too. 

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On 2/26/2023 at 9:20 PM, JJ0063 said:

Or you could actually fit the bigger engine and sell it like they did Novas 15 years ago “1.0 on the logbook but has a calibra redtop m8 up 2 owner 2 change if they wont”

That'd be a bit obvious though as the 650 engine is water cooled.  They did however do a 250 version which looks identical to the 125.

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I did the chinese 125 thing for a year before my full test just so I could get a taste of on road motorcycling before spending the money on a full test. I now have had my full license for 2 years and sold the 125 for a profit. 125's are ok around town but a bit scary when you pull off a slip road at 50 with a HGV starting to catch you up as you slowly wind up to 65+.

I tended to stick to the back lanes but it kind of limits you if you want to make a bigger trip. That said I did enjoy my 125 it was still fun.

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1 hour ago, JJ0063 said:

I’m legal!

Only did probably 6-7 miles but it went fine. I think the throttle needs adjusting or maybe even changing to a quick action one as its bloody long, have to twist your hand right round. Not like any bike I’ve ridden before. 
 

It’s surprisingly loud, does the odd pop when letting off too. 

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Why is it summer where you live? It's still like the bloody polar wastelands here 🙄

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Adjusted the throttle today which has removed the majority of the free play now, this has made the throttle a lot more sensitive so it’s easier to pull away now. Still a lot of travel but just must be how it is. I can live with it. 
 

Fitted an NGK plug cap as preventative maintenance, as read online that the original isn’t very good and can cause cutting out issues. For the sake of a fiver whilst I was in Halfords it’s a 30 second job to do.

The chain had way too much slack so I tensioned it properly and then soaked it in GT85 as it doesn’t look like it’s seen lube in a long time. 

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I have a Chinese heated body warmer that is awesome, winter gloves and leggings under my outerwear and say goodbye to inappropriate clothing! Apart from cold ears after a couple of hours ride out when I got home felt fine.

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Been using this as much as I can the last week or so, only very small journeys but my confidence is building both in handling it but also gear changes and clutch control. 
 

Had a spare afternoon so have just finished about 25-30 miles on it, mixture of local towns, villages and longer straight main roads.

What have I established? I just don’t particularly enjoy it 😂 it’s really pissing me off as when I’m sat at home, the idea of a bike really appeals to me and I’m sure it’s just a combination of it being cold out and not on a decent bike but the whole ride today I was sat riding along thinking it’s not particularly comfortable, it’s loud, im cold, Id rather be in a car… 😂

Meh, dunno what to do. I know I’d feel different on a proper bike but I’m just of the mindset of what if I spend £700 on my DAS, couple of grand on a bike and then still feel the same. 
 

Part of me just thinks I should quit whilst im ahead and that motorbicycling just perhaps isn’t for me?!

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5 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

When you say it's loud it shouldn't be, you are wearing earplugs aren't you? If not you risk hearing damage.

It also gets much better once the weather warms up.

No earplugs, didn’t realise that was a thing. Just thought it was a loud Chinese 4t exhaust noise that was annoying me!

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10 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

No earplugs, didn’t realise that was a thing. Just thought it was a loud Chinese 4t exhaust noise that was annoying me!

Yeah you should definitely be wearing them, try Howard Leight laser soft rhubarb and custards or Macks supersoft, they make a huge difference and your ears won't ring after riding, I have really bad tinnitus from the wind noise from bikes, wouldn't wish it on anyone.

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I'm loving it, even in the cold and rubbish weather. But I tend to never feel cold anyway and have been wearing full gear including over trousers.

I've not needed earplugs - but the exhaust on the bikes I've ridden aren't too loud. Have to say, I've not noticed much wind noise either. 

What helmet are you using? Some are very noisy, one of the reasons I bought mine was that the reviews said it was quite quiet at motorway speeds. 

Motorbike riding is louder than cars, obviously, but it shouldn't be annoying or painful - it should be fun. Definitely sounds like you need earplugs.

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Just do your DAS man, yes it's a chunk of cash but it's not like the licence expires.
You could easily be £700 down buying another 3 bikes you may or may not like. 

A decent school will maybe even have a couple of different bikes you can try and once you have a licence you can bother main dealers for test rides to see what you might like without buying.

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6 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

Yeah you should definitely be wearing them, try Howard Leight laser soft rhubarb and custards or Macks supersoft, they make a huge difference and your ears won't ring after riding, I have really bad tinnitus from the wind noise from bikes, wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Nice one, I’ll get on Amazon!

Just now, Sham said:

I'm living it, even in the cold and rubbish weather. I've not needed earplugs - but the exhaust on the bikes I've ridden aren't too loud. Have to say, I've not noticed much wind noise either. 

What helmet are you using? Some are very noisy, one of the reasons I bought mine was that the reviews said it was quite quiet at motorway speeds. 

Motorbike riding is louder than cars, but it shouldn't be annoying or painful - it should be fun. Definitely sounds like you need earplugs.

I don’t know if maybe it’s something I like the idea of more than the reality but I think like @Dave_Qsays I just ought to do it. 
 

I have an AGV K1 full face, nothing special but not a £30 eBay special either 

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On 23/01/2022 at 07:13, brandersnatch said:

It’s a completely different proposition on a lovely summers day riding a good bike. Go for it. If nothing else you’ll have a new skill and another category on your license. 
And if even then you find you don’t like riding you’ll still get your money back. Bikes sell easier in the better weather. 

This still holds true a year later. It’ll warm up soon and a whole new world will open up to you. 

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1 hour ago, JJ0063 said:

Been using this as much as I can the last week or so, only very small journeys but my confidence is building both in handling it but also gear changes and clutch control. 
 

Had a spare afternoon so have just finished about 25-30 miles on it, mixture of local towns, villages and longer straight main roads.

What have I established? I just don’t particularly enjoy it 😂 it’s really pissing me off as when I’m sat at home, the idea of a bike really appeals to me and I’m sure it’s just a combination of it being cold out and not on a decent bike but the whole ride today I was sat riding along thinking it’s not particularly comfortable, it’s loud, im cold, Id rather be in a car… 😂

Meh, dunno what to do. I know I’d feel different on a proper bike but I’m just of the mindset of what if I spend £700 on my DAS, couple of grand on a bike and then still feel the same. 
 

Part of me just thinks I should quit whilst im ahead and that motorbicycling just perhaps isn’t for me?!

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I passed my bike test at the end of last year and have so far only ridden three motorbikes. Two 125s (a Honda and an AJS) and my instructor's 650 (Kawasaki). I'm very much a beginner, but for me the difference between the 125s and the 650 was enormous. And that's bearing in mind that a 650 is only really a mid-sized bike!

The bigger bike if anything was far easier to ride. Yes it was heavier, but it felt much more settled and planted. I'm guessing that's largely due to the lower centre of gravity. It was also far more relaxing to ride. Much more power and taller gearing meant it didn't need to be thrashed through the gears to keep pace with traffic like the 125s did. 

Biking may not be for you, but I'd at least have a go on something bigger before you bin the whole idea off. Obtaining my licence set me back over a grand, but once you've done it, you'll never have to do it again!

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For me the bike is another mode/form of transport I want to enjoy, and even though I’m on a 125 it still gives me a buzz and obviously requires a different discipline to other vehicles. My long haul car is an automatic powerful BMW, I have the 1968 Wolesley that’s slow and loud and then my old pickup that is slow and steady which I will probably be buried in! I went out on Saturday and it was bastard cold but I just cracked on and enjoyed parking in a busy town for free and the freedom of the open road riding around muppets in traffic jams.
 

As a few have said, the desire will grow deep once spring hits. Ask yourself why you want to ride, if it’s to scratch an itch job done, if it’s to have that 1995 Fireblade  or the Kawasaki KR1 S  to keep in the garage as a toy and ride when you want then £700 is a small price to pay to give you access to something not many have! I purchased a Honda 250 WetDream (SuperDream) a few weeks ago as a summer Project to rebuild knowing full well it will be cheaper than a car and I can also hide more bikes from the wife!

Stick with it Man……..

 

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2 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

Been using this as much as I can the last week or so, only very small journeys but my confidence is building both in handling it but also gear changes and clutch control. 
 

Had a spare afternoon so have just finished about 25-30 miles on it, mixture of local towns, villages and longer straight main roads.

What have I established? I just don’t particularly enjoy it 😂 it’s really pissing me off as when I’m sat at home, the idea of a bike really appeals to me and I’m sure it’s just a combination of it being cold out and not on a decent bike but the whole ride today I was sat riding along thinking it’s not particularly comfortable, it’s loud, im cold, Id rather be in a car… 😂

Meh, dunno what to do. I know I’d feel different on a proper bike but I’m just of the mindset of what if I spend £700 on my DAS, couple of grand on a bike and then still feel the same. 
 

Part of me just thinks I should quit whilst im ahead and that motorbicycling just perhaps isn’t for me?!

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Proper bike jj, something about that amount of power and agility that's proper visceral. Even though I eventually scared myself so shitless that I gave up! 

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On 3/2/2023 at 8:36 PM, Jazoli said:

But don't, decent Oxford hot grips are 40 quid and reliable, you can also get heated clothing, which is an even bigger game changer.

Due to having to hop from bike to bike when I was instructing, I bought a pair of those Oxford grips that wrap around your existing grips.

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On 3/5/2023 at 5:00 PM, Dave_Q said:

Just do your DAS man, yes it's a chunk of cash but it's not like the licence expires.
You could easily be £700 down buying another 3 bikes you may or may not like. 

A decent school will maybe even have a couple of different bikes you can try and once you have a licence you can bother main dealers for test rides to see what you might like without buying.

Trust me, on more than one occasion one of our DAS bikes would mysteriously develop a fault and be unable to be used for a lesson and the punter would be taken out on the CBR600/Bandit 600 I was selling at the time. 

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With every capable CBT punter I had I'd always give them a chance to have a spin around the yard after their road element on something more "fruity". Quite often that'd be one of our ER5s but if they were both skilled and lucky they'd be allowed a quick Brucie Bonus compound session on anything from a RF900 to a Fireblade. Needless to say they wouldn't be doing tight cone exercises on anything other that the ER5s. 

One bloke saw his arse when he returned to collect his girlfriend on his 1200 Bandit only to see her doing loops of our compound on a Yamaha R6. He said that the R6 isn't a girls bike and far too powerful for a lady!

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On 3/5/2023 at 4:23 PM, JJ0063 said:

 

What have I established? I just don’t particularly enjoy it 😂 it’s really pissing me off as when I’m sat at home, the idea of a bike really appeals to me and I’m sure it’s just a combination of it being cold out and not on a decent bike but the whole ride today I was sat riding along thinking it’s not particularly comfortable, it’s loud, im cold, Id rather be in a car… 😂

Meh, dunno what to do. I know I’d feel different on a proper bike but I’m just of the mindset of what if I spend £700 on my DAS, couple of grand on a bike and then still feel the same. 
 

Part of me just thinks I should quit whilst im ahead and that motorbicycling just perhaps isn’t for me?!

 

When it was pissing down and I had to take punters out for a bike lesson I'd make sure that part of the lesson involved at least two trips through the Mersey Tunnel.

Compound CBT work in the rain isn't fun either. I'd stand there supervising under a golf umbrella and on several occasions I'd end up doing my best Mary Poppins impersonation to avoid having my feet cut off at the ankles by a CG125 sliding towards me on its side.

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