Two wheels good.

[paulplom]

Stepson, using his pushbike has made a good living from them while at university. He's never been bunged from us anyway. He was jobbing from mcdonalds in Blaydon Which is getting on for ten miles from his digs so he ahad a trek before he even started.
He's just paid a grand for a new hybrid bike as well.

[Warren t claim]

Stepson, using his pushbike has made a good living from them while at university. He's never been bunged from us anyway. He was jobbing from mcdonalds in Blaydon Which is getting on for ten miles from his digs so he ahad a trek before he even started.
He's just paid a grand for a new hybrid bike as well.

I just don't want anyone getting hurt.

Too many riders seem to be taking chances and cutting corners just to make £2.30.

[Drum]

When I did the direct access course in the 90s the first day we did a morning of cone work in the yard then got out on road in the afternoon. Must have been the CBT part as we were on 125s. I had my car licence for 10 years at that point, had been scrambling about on bikes since I was a child and had lots of shots on my mates bikes on private* roads so being a cocky git reckoned I was better than the instructor.

The first day there were two of us learners and the instructor. The first couple of miles were fine although it was obvious the other learner, who was a bit older, was nervous.
We were travelling along a main road with the other learner in the lead when the instructor told him to turn off into a side street. He indicated and tried to turn in but did a hooli. Didn't turn sharp enough and mounted the kerb scattering a group of pedestrians with the instructor screaming at him to "turn the fucking bike!". The instructor was raging and had probably shat himself and the learner's nerves had gone, so a slow wobble back to the yard followed.

The big bikes they used were ER 500s. When I passed the test, the instructor took me on the long route back to the yard which included some open road and the chance to get some speed up.

[stillOrange]

At least most of them did some basic training.

I recently read that here in Sweden, estimated 1/3 motorbike riders have no license.
In Norway it's supposed to be almost 40%.

[Scruffy Bodger]

I had an interesting* one with a learner the other day on some old 125 I'm assuming, he wasn't a kid, open faced helmet and Hooli style beard. I'd spotted him in the mirror and knew the cunt was going to go round me. He chose to do that as the car in front of me was turning left on the brow of a hill that bears left on a staggered cross roads, good job I didn't ease out as he'd have taken my mirror off. Now in a national limit down a good bank he's got his head down and legs trailing out behind him to max out the aero up the bank the other side he slows after a couple of sweepers to 45ish all the way to the top FFS

To give him his due thru the forest he was doing well on the bends, certainly wasn't shy with leaning an old bike on skinny tyres over. His problem being his anticipation and poor brakes Flat out around another blind sweeper and there was a car broken down and three cars queuing to get round it. I swear I hit the brakes before he did and I was sat fairly well back, I pulled up with no drama and plenty of room to spare, even in the scabby Citroen. He very nearly ended up inside a Jimny. He bugged out at the last second and went down the gap between the queue as there was no way he was stopping, very lucky there wasn't a stone wagon or similar coming at him.

Definitely new shreds time for him when he got home!

[Guest]

At least most of them did some basic training.

I recently read that here in Sweden, estimated 1/3 motorbike riders have no license.
In Norway it's supposed to be almost 40%.

My Aunt had a full motorcycle entitlement on her licence, she had not taken a test, nor had she ever ridden one.

There was obviously a glitch with her driving licence, she had never taken a driving test, but, during the war she worked for the Post Office Telephones, they found that she had driven the tractors on the farm so issued her with a driving licence and a van. She kept her licence even though she didn't drive again until the 1970s. When the new paper licence came out to replace the old red booklet she was most concerned, on reading the groups, that she had a full entitlement to drive all groups.

"It says I can drive a steam roller" it took a while for us to convince her that nobody was going to make her do that, or drive a lorry, etc. and to just carry on driving the car.

[Jazoli]

I take it you will be fitting chains for him in future?

I will, he also replaced the knackered shock with an R6 one and an adapter, which is a good mod but but guess what? he never tightened the linkage bolts up and chose not to fit the washers to the bolts, so the whole linkage was free to move laterally, he also fitted a nice end can I gave him but didn't space it correctly so it has scratched the freshly painted swing arm to buggery, he has been told in no uncertain terms that he is to do nothing apart from put fuel in it in future, he can't be trusted to work on a machine that will certainly kill him if he fucks up again.

[DodgeRover]

Good lord, is he safe with petrol and have you explained he isn't too drink the contents of the battery?

[TADTS]

Fresh MOT on this. Tidied it up for my dad to use, but he done maybe 30 miles on it in a year. Insurance is up so I'll probably move it on - especially as prices seem to be silly at the minute.



The wife's CBR125 is away as well - she will either do her full test or just not bother at all. She was a confident rider, but just doesn't have time.

Either way I'm looking at replacing the bandit with something we can share and both get some use out of. Gives me an excuse to buy something a bit different from what I would normally go for.

Top of the charts at the minute is the Honda CMX500 rebel. I get they are a bit of a marmite bike looks wise but she really likes them, the low seat helps there. She also likes Sportsters but the Honda is far lighter and has similar performance to a standard 883. I had a poke around one at the local Honda place and was quite impressed.

Meanwhile the Guzzi V85TT continues to just do everything I throw at it - I've been doing a fair few miles for work and it's been brilliant



Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[DodgeRover]

There's some older cmx250 imports that are quite cool to look at if you can find one.