Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

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kiter65
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by kiter65 »

Hi Richard, I know you don’t want to be a speed freak/racer but once you’ve passed your test I would recommend you have a look at going a race school day, I think Caldwell Park still do them, not only do you learn how to ride a bike,see now far you can push them and yourself all on their bikes in the relatively safety of a race track but they are unbelievably good fun :thumbup:
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by Dancematt »

Ive never tried dct myself, to my mind what it does is add weight, remove some joy and control via shifting before or maybe after you would like aswell as causing confusion as whats going on underneath you (the machine can shift multiple times when filtering through traffic etc so ive read wheras you would stick it in second and drag it for optimal comfort maybe), theres also "phantom limb" issues with bikers who have been doing it a while (ie grabbing for a clutch that isnt there), shifting gears is an absolute joy on most bikes, alot have very light clutches now and lovely smooth gear boxes.

Gaging your uses the Ducati scrambler isnt a bad choice but it has little leg room for taller people but otherwise seems to have great feel, looks and a decent ride.

Weight of rider is an issue on some bikes maybe, the cb500 is such a great bike (tighten the front and rear preload before you even get on it for a correct idea of what its capable of) but if the rider is heavy it might be off putting, thats where the nc finds its buyers a bit more but its got that bloody rev ceiling and just as youve started to have fun it castrates you for it banging off the rev wall in at least four gears. Both are fun to ride though. The nc for its reeeeally low centered engine which makes turn in a doddle. A leg out motocross riding style can give confidence on bikes like these on soggy days and the nc has the fake tank for two bags of shopping or your hemlet when you arrive but again wind noise etc is an issue, not so with the 500x.

As to dealers being a distance, thats not an issue really? Its just another reason to enjoy the ride, i say that but of course jap bikes rarely go wrong i was an hour from my bmw dealer and :( i guess that doesnt help when you have problems. I so wished the bmw to be reliable, it was amazing to ride (if bloody tall) it hurt my heart that it didnt work right and as clarky says it might have been one of the rotten apples in the crop but i would recommend them to no-one now and to be honest the cb500x felt no different in power due to being a strong engine where it matters on the road, the electronic suspension on the f800gs was worth nothing and a waste of money as it didnt affect the front suspension only the rear and the factory heated grips were worse than £90 oxford efforts so something to consider that your money could go to better places with seperate companies.


Now the triumph street twin scrambler.....thats the really interesting wild card for me.
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

kiter65 wrote:Hi Richard, I know you don’t want to be a speed freak/racer but once you’ve passed your test I would recommend you have a look at going a race school day, I think Caldwell Park still do them, not only do you learn how to ride a bike,see now far you can push them and yourself all on their bikes in the relatively safety of a race track but they are unbelievably good fun :thumbup:
It’s a possibility, although I really need to see how it all feels before I get too carried away. Must admit it sounds like a blast though...
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

Dancematt wrote:Ive never tried dct myself, to my mind what it does is add weight, remove some joy and control via shifting before or maybe after you would like aswell as causing confusion as whats going on underneath you (the machine can shift multiple times when filtering through traffic etc so ive read wheras you would stick it in second and drag it for optimal comfort maybe), theres also "phantom limb" issues with bikers who have been doing it a while (ie grabbing for a clutch that isnt there), shifting gears is an absolute joy on most bikes, alot have very light clutches now and lovely smooth gear boxes.

Gaging your uses the Ducati scrambler isnt a bad choice but it has little leg room for taller people but otherwise seems to have great feel, looks and a decent ride.

Weight of rider is an issue on some bikes maybe, the cb500 is such a great bike (tighten the front and rear preload before you even get on it for a correct idea of what its capable of) but if the rider is heavy it might be off putting, thats where the nc finds its buyers a bit more but its got that bloody rev ceiling and just as youve started to have fun it castrates you for it banging off the rev wall in at least four gears. Both are fun to ride though. The nc for its reeeeally low centered engine which makes turn in a doddle. A leg out motocross riding style can give confidence on bikes like these on soggy days and the nc has the fake tank for two bags of shopping or your hemlet when you arrive but again wind noise etc is an issue, not so with the 500x.

As to dealers being a distance, thats not an issue really? Its just another reason to enjoy the ride, i say that but of course jap bikes rarely go wrong i was an hour from my bmw dealer and :( i guess that doesnt help when you have problems. I so wished the bmw to be reliable, it was amazing to ride (if bloody tall) it hurt my heart that it didnt work right and as clarky says it might have been one of the rotten apples in the crop but i would recommend them to no-one now and to be honest the cb500x felt no different in power due to being a strong engine where it matters on the road, the electronic suspension on the f800gs was worth nothing and a waste of money as it didnt affect the front suspension only the rear and the factory heated grips were worse than £90 oxford efforts so something to consider that your money could go to better places with seperate companies.


Now the triumph street twin scrambler.....thats the really interesting wild card for me.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply, Pete. I really appreciate it.

I can understand the downsides of DCT, and indeed suffered a few of them in cars in my early days of transferring to dual-clutch or auto gearboxes. The phantom thing would be less of an issue for me because I guess my hand clutch / left foot gearshift muscle memory has been eroded over the last 40 years... DCT cars occasionally shift at the wrong moment too, although you quickly learn to drive around it by using a quick prod on the accelerator or a manual shift at the appropriate moment. Also, using the different sports modes, it’s normally easy to find shift behaviour that suits your driving style on that particular journey. The latest Honda DCT seems to have plenty of options with 3 sports modes (basically it holds gears longer through the Rev range) and the bike equivalent of flappy paddles for manual shifting.

Overall though, it’s probably not necessary on a bike for what I’ll use it for.

I think you are right about the Ducati - it looks great, but also fairly compact for an inflexible, overweight six foot tall lummox, who is fast approaching his bus pass...

I agree with you about the dealer distance. It’s great if you have a close one, but it’s not really a deal-breaker, I guess.

Meanwhile, looking at something else...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifie ... 6127405185

Definitely more than I need or intend to spend but pretty nice...
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

Being an idle layabout, I just spent the first part of the morning watching this:



I like the way this guy reviews bikes, and the BMW is definitely still a contender for me.

Now... better get a shave, I guess. :D
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

Yesterday I visited my local Ducati dealer and confirmed the Scrambler 800 was a bit cramped for my frame - even though it's a lovely, simple bike.

I had a very good look around a Scrambler 1100 and that's far more up my alley - size wise.

Image

If money was no object, I think the "Special" might have been the one:

Image

but it would definitely be a purchase from the heart rather than head.
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

In a move that will surprise absolutely nobody, I have put some money on the table of a BMW dealer

Image

F750GS Sport with a couple of extras.

Better pass those pesky tests now! :klugscheisser: :omg:
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by scooter »

Great purchase and good luck.

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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

Thanks, scooter. Did you reach a decision about the Monkey?
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by scooter »

I've decided to wait now until Spring as to be honest I won't be riding much before then.

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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

scooter wrote: Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:55 pm I've decided to wait now until Spring as to be honest I won't be riding much before then.

scooter
Sounds sensible. I'm afraid I'm going to be too impatient to wait until the next season, so I'll just have to pick my moments to gain some experience over the winter.
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by Thermexman »

Very nice indeed Richard. Great incentive to get that license.
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by downer »

^^^ Thanks, Steve. Plenty of incentive, just need a bit of luck to get through it...
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

That’s very smart indeed, Richard. Enjoy it and stay safe. :thumbup:
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Re: Mid-life crisis, challenge, bucket-list or life-long dream?

Post by kiter65 »

I must admit I’m not that up to date with modern bikes but that doesn’t look like the traditional BMW ‘flat’ engine?
Very nice :thumbup:
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