Motorbikes are brilliant

[Col city fan]

The Burgman 650 never ceases to astound me. I’ve not used the car for work for ages.

Tonight, I was riding up Middleton Street, which locals will know is a bloody nightmare in rush hour. The traffic was backing up as far as Aylestone Park.

I simply pressed a button, folded in the mirrors on the big scooter and filtered past all static motors. Must have saved me, genuinely, 20 mins. 

Fuel for work over the past week or so (jipping across town every day)...15 quid.

Marvellous machine.

[CarbonVirtine]

I'm considering downsizing, to a Deauville (aka Dullville) I'm of that age, that's my excuse. Cramp and backache finally getting to me and I've lost what little 'need for speed' I had.

[Col city fan]

1 hour ago, CarbonVirtine said:

I'm considering downsizing, to a Deauville (aka Dullville) I'm of that age, that's my excuse. Cramp and backache finally getting to me and I've lost what little 'need for speed' I had.

Nice bikes - shaft drive, go forever and quick enough these days. Don't expect to get one too cheap though. They really hold their value.

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

16 hours ago, CarbonVirtine said:

I'm considering downsizing, to a Deauville (aka Dullville) I'm of that age, that's my excuse. Cramp and backache finally getting to me and I've lost what little 'need for speed' I had.

 

What about a BMW? They've got the comfort, ease of use and reliability, but without the "styling" of the Deauville, and more poke if you ever need it. My dad is really picky with comfort as he has a bad back and has used the old K75's for years and swears by them. Unburstable engines

[CarbonVirtine]

Tbf, a Deauville would do the job for me. I don't have a problem with its looks (I prefer it to the old BMWs to be honest) and whilst it is a completely different machine to my Yam Thundercat, it trundles along happily at the speed limit and a bit. There's enough for overtakes, you just have to work a bit harder to get into position as it doesn't have the acceleration of a sports 600!  With the money I have to spend, it's a good option. I've ridden the 650 but I'll try the 700 too, just to see what the differences are.

[SpacedX]

17 hours ago, Col city fan said:

The Burgman 650 never ceases to astound me. I’ve not used the car for work for ages.

Tonight, I was riding up Middleton Street, which locals will know is a bloody nightmare in rush hour. The traffic was backing up as far as Aylestone Park.

I simply pressed a button, folded in the mirrors on the big scooter and filtered past all static motors. Must have saved me, genuinely, 20 mins. 

Fuel for work over the past week or so (jipping across town every day)...15 quid.

Marvellous machine.

- Because you can't filter through traffic on anything other than a Burgman 650.

[Col city fan]

3 minutes ago, Line-X said:

- Because you can't filter through traffic on anything other than a Burgman 650.

Of course you can. But it’s the ease with which the Burgman does it. No having to piss about with the clutch at slow speeds, the big fairing keeps just about everything off and as I said, get into a tight squeeze and simply blip the mirrors in. 

Far and away the best bike I’ve ever had for commuting.

No problem if you don’t like big scooters or prefer to go 100 mph in first gear. Good for you. I think they’re superb.

Edited 23 March 2018 by Col city fan

[SpacedX]

17 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

No problem if you don’t like big scooters or prefer to go 100 mph in first gear. Good for you. I think they’re superb.

First generation R1 - have to short shift in first otherwise...

 

No, I don't like big scooters - I don't like scooters period, but I understand the ease of your commute. Do you come out of Fosse Park and up Soar Valley Way by any chance? only I think I may have seen you the other week.

 

What I really can't fathom is riders sitting stationary in a traffic jam.

[Buce]

26 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

Of course you can. But it’s the ease with which the Burgman does it. No having to piss about with the clutch at slow speeds, the big fairing keeps just about everything off and as I said, get into a tight squeeze and simply blip the mirrors in. 

Far and away the best bike I’ve ever had for commuting.

No problem if you don’t like big scooters or prefer to go 100 mph in first gear. Good for you. I think they’re superb.

 

When you say 650, Col, does that refer to the wattage of the motor?

[CarbonVirtine]

6 minutes ago, Line-X said:

What I really can't fathom is riders sitting stationary in a traffic jam.

They want to sit in? You've probably been there at some point.

 

I do sometimes. In no hurry and/or can't be arsed filtering. Particularly if I'm feeling tired or somesuch. You need your wits about it you when filtering, looking out for those that might lane change without checking for bikes etc.

 

Edit: just rereading: yes, in a rock solid static 'jam', that is kind of different to filtering through slow lanes of traffic.

Edited 23 March 2018 by CarbonVirtine

[SpacedX]

2 minutes ago, CarbonVirtine said:

They want to sit in? You've probably been there at some point.

 

I do sometimes. In no hurry and/or can't be arsed filtering. Particularly if I'm feeling tired or somesuch. You need your wits about it you when filtering, looking out for those that might lane change without checking for bikes etc.

They "want to sit in" a toxic soup of sulphur dioxide nitrogen oxides with a liberal dressing of PM2.5?? Makes sense. You do indeed need your wits about you when filtering and having ridden despatch for 18 months in London I'd go further and say that you have to nurture a sixth sense. However, you have to "keep your wits" about you when riding any motorcycle on the road whether filtering or stationary. The danger comes when your vigilance drops.

 

Then there's overheating in the summer - depending upon what you ride your bike can reach an uncomfortable temperature and scold your nads long before the fan kicks in. I once sat at lights for what seemed like an aeon next to a lean burn Royal Enfield XS at Hyde Park Corner in July and it smelt like an electrical house fire.

 

Barring touring, the most fun I've had on a bike is off road - either a track day or MX. 

[Col city fan]

14 minutes ago, Line-X said:

They "want to sit in" a toxic soup of sulphur dioxide nitrogen oxides with a liberal dressing of PM2.5?? Makes sense. You do indeed need your wits about you when filtering and having ridden despatch for 18 months in London I'd go further and say that you have to nurture a sixth sense. However, you have to "keep your wits" about you when riding any motorcycle on the road whether filtering or stationary. The danger comes when your vigilance drops.

 

Then there's overheating in the summer - depending upon what you ride your bike can reach an uncomfortable temperature and scold your nads long before the fan kicks in. I once sat at lights for what seemed like an aeon next to a lean burn Royal Enfield XS at Hyde Park Corner in July and it smelt like an electrical house fire.

 

Barring touring, the most fun I've had on a bike is off road - either a track day or MX. 

I tell you something I’ve been thinking recently as I’ve been filtering past open car windows. I could be wrong, but I’m sure I’ve been smelling the old stinky weed being smoked on quite a few occasions. 

[Col city fan]

31 minutes ago, Line-X said:

They "want to sit in" a toxic soup of sulphur dioxide nitrogen oxides with a liberal dressing of PM2.5?? Makes sense. You do indeed need your wits about you when filtering and having ridden despatch for 18 months in London I'd go further and say that you have to nurture a sixth sense. However, you have to "keep your wits" about you when riding any motorcycle on the road whether filtering or stationary. The danger comes when your vigilance drops.

 

Then there's overheating in the summer - depending upon what you ride your bike can reach an uncomfortable temperature and scold your nads long before the fan kicks in. I once sat at lights for what seemed like an aeon next to a lean burn Royal Enfield XS at Hyde Park Corner in July and it smelt like an electrical house fire.

 

Barring touring, the most fun I've had on a bike is off road - either a track day or MX. 

You’re right about the 6th sense. However, that doesn’t come with the odd Sunday afternoon blast like @Swan Lesta and yourself seem to favour, by the sound of it? That comes from riding day in, day out, in all weathers and in lots of traffic. It also comes from having ridden bikes of many sizes and powers. I remember my first bike didn’t have ‘wheelie prevention’, super suspension, abs brakes and torque control. In fact, I was lucky if the brakes actually worked! 

It’s not surprising so many accidents happen to wealthy blokes who buy their 1300 rocket as a ‘toy’ and then haven’t a clue how to ride it properly.

Edited 23 March 2018 by Col city fan

[SpacedX]

2 hours ago, Col city fan said:

You’re right about the 6th sense. However, that doesn’t come with the odd Sunday afternoon blast like @Swan Lesta and yourself seem to favour, by the sound of it? That comes from riding day in, day out, in all weathers and in lots of traffic. It also comes from having ridden bikes of many sizes and powers. I remember my first bike didn’t have ‘wheelie prevention’, super suspension, abs brakes and torque control. In fact, I was lucky if the brakes actually worked! 

It’s not surprising so many accidents happen to wealthy blokes who buy their 1300 rocket as a ‘toy’ and then haven’t a clue how to ride it properly.

Like I said, I have a first generation R1 - no concessions, IL4 milkunis linked by a throttle cable. Sunday afternoon blast???? Like I said, I'm more interested in track days and off road - I learnt to ride on the dirt. I ain't no born again Col!!!

 

Because I have a sports bike, I 'd prefer to use it as God intended it but do also commute in "all weathers and traffic". That's not particularly appealing though since I cut my teeth despatch riding in London. 

 

Interesting post though. riding - it’s all in the journey as opposed to the destination – and about how you get there and savouring the experience, is why I‘d love a cruiser again for the road.

The problem with riding performance motorcycles is the tendency to explore the limits even though most road riders struggle to come close to exploiting the capabilities of a one litre hyper sports bike without ending up in intensive care, or upside down in a field with their head up a cows arse. Without meaning to sound ‘up the arse’ myself I find fast riding zen like, but mainly on track because in the UK as we have said, the roads are overcrowded battlegrounds and fraught with hidden dangers. I owned a Harley for a while which was great on a Sunday afternoon, taking your partner out to a country pub for or the occasional trundle to the coast. Every fantasy garage should have one. Not to suggest that one’s level of vigilance should be in any way be compromised by what bike you are riding and where, it’s very much the unexpected that causes accidents. 

I miss it. I miss the sound, the grunty motor, the minimalistic spartan black, - (no tassles, skulls, saddlebags, excessive chrome or Screaming Eagle filter covers here thanks) - the pedigree,the individualism, the zeitgeist and a legitimate excuse to wear my black Brando, Levi’s, engineer boots and shades. I also loved riding the thing and noticed that it turned infinitely more heads than my newly acquired R1. Toured on it too, although the limited range was frustrating. 

At some point, I have resolved to fly out to Miami, hire some agricultural machinery and trundle down to Key West to see Hemmingway’s house and then the other great American scribe ‘Knockers on the way up to the Cape (he doesn’t know this yet). If I can time this with the inaugural launch of the SLS then my pilgrimage to NASA will be complete. Having left no stone unturned in the American West and notched up tens of thousands of miles over the best part of the decade, my only regret is that I did not do it on two wheels. No particular desire to visit Florida otherwise, bar the desire to see a friend in Miami, visit the VAB, stand next to a Saturn V and be photographed beside a Rocketdyne F1 engine.

This is a very amusing read. Ian Mutch formerly of MAG…. 

https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Ameri.../dp/B00TBVBGKC

[Countryfox]

35 minutes ago, Line-X said:

The problem with riding performance motorcycles is the tendency to explore the limits even though most road riders struggle to come close to exploiting the capabilities of a one litre hyper sports bike without ending up in intensive care, or upside down in a field with their head up a cows arse. 
 

 

That brings back memories ...   

[CarbonVirtine]

3 hours ago, Line-X said:

You do indeed need your wits about you when filtering and having ridden despatch for 18 months in London I'd go further and say that you have to nurture a sixth sense. However, you have to "keep your wits" about you when riding any motorcycle on the road whether filtering or stationary. The danger comes when your vigilance drops.

Agree about the vigilance thing. Absolutely. You have to spot the signs, predict what someone's about to do. I used to live in central London and got used to filtering. Sunday evenings back down the M40 then A40M, you could filter for miles... and that was 10 years ago. Lord knows what it's like now. I'd get out of the way if I ever saw another biker coming up behind. I have total respect for the despatch riders that had honed their concentration skills with miles in the saddle. I can only manage around an hour in the saddle these days before my concentration starts to wane - so 'sixth sense'  is a long way off for me, riding requires my fullest attention. I know when my 'spidey senses' are not at their fullest and that's when I compensate. 

 

I started riding off-road; on the beach and up in the hills. Great fun and it teaches you a great deal about handling and how not to panic when things start going sideways (literally). I've done track days too but, tbh, they're not really my thing. Fun absolutely but not without their risks. I got taken out by a bloke on a hire track bike at Brands; I finished the session, and the others that followed, but that was the end of track days for me. I can control, more-or-less, what I do but I have no control over others.

 

I did a fair bit of advanced rider training too. Riding with serving police officers is probably where I learnt the most. I passed my IAM and got to RoSPA silver standard.  I'm not really a 'join a club' type of person so once I'd done the tests, I moved on. I could probably do with a refresher course now though tbh. 

 

I love riding (prefer it to driving in fact) but I've really noticed the changes over the years - levels of traffic-wise, particularly in the south-east. I recall rides 15 or 20 years ago where I go out to the Cotswolds and traffic really wasn't much of a concern, you could always get an overtake in (I enjoyed overtaking, the process of it) These days, I find that even if you get past one or two that there's yet more ahead of that. It's darn near futile. I recall riding up the A20 in Kent last year and it was practically bumper to bumper; almost felt like there was no point being on a bike. Still, I tell myself (as a kind of justification) that the road's no place to have fun anyway. Fetch me my pipe and slippers.

[Buce]

26 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

 

That brings back memories ...   

 

I thought you country types had your head up a cow's arse on a daily basis, CF...

[Countryfox]

3 minutes ago, Buce said:

 

I thought you country types had your head up a cow's arse on a daily basis, CF...

Fraid I'm an estate boy turned country type ..   

[The Guvnor]

On ‎17‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 20:17, Col city fan said:

It's happening kids...pick it up Saturday!

2013 Burgman 650 Exec

 

 

 

Hate being judgemental Col but this is the progression that comes hand in hand with old age, something that I most fear.

[Buce]

1 hour ago, Countryfox said:

Fraid I'm an estate boy turned country type ..   

 

When in Rome, CF, when in Rome...

[Buce]

48 minutes ago, The Guvnor said:

 

 

Hate being judgemental Col but this is the progression that comes hand in hand with old age, something that I most fear.

 

Blimey, Guvnor, I think dementia is already upon you - that post is 7 months old.  

Edited 23 March 2018 by Buce

[Guest seanfox778]

Looking to do my direct access next month providing I can get 4 days in a row off work. Was riding a Honda CBF 125 for months before I had to sell it at the end of last year, can’t wait for a proper bike. 

[Col city fan]

1 hour ago, The Guvnor said:

 

 

Hate being judgemental Col but this is the progression that comes hand in hand with old age, something that I most fear.

I don’t see it as age mate. Genuinely I do (Although I don’t turn 50 this year).

The big Suzuki is fantastic at what I need it for..commuting and then the odd longer distance ride. It’s comfy, it’s got shit loads of luggage and storage and it’s automatic. It’s literally the best bike I’ve owned for what I want it to do. If I wanted just a speed machine, I’d get one. But I don’t really.

And that’s what biking’s all about. A Suzuki Gixer 1000 would be no good for my purpose at all. I’d not get my laptop in it, work bag in it and would probably lose my license riding through town.

 

Edited 23 March 2018 by Col city fan

[fuchsntf]

33 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t see it as age mate. Genuinely I do (Although I don’t turn 50 this year).

The big Suzuki is fantastic at what I need it for..commuting and then the odd longer distance ride. It’s comfy, it’s got shit loads of luggage and storage and it’s automatic. It’s literally the best bike I’ve owned for what I want it to do. If I wanted just a speed machine, I’d get one. But I don’t really.

And that’s what biking’s all about. A Suzuki Gixer 1000 would be no good for my purpose at all. I’d not get my laptop in it, work bag in it and would probably lose my license riding through town.

 

Looks Like a great piece of m/c for Touring.Have you been any Short or Long trek tours,

with this Beauty..

[The Guvnor]

1 hour ago, Buce said:

 

Blimey, Guvnor, I think dementia is already upon you - that post is 7 months old.  

Now all joking aside that truly does terrify me, Amalgam fillings , Terry Pratchett believed Mercury fillings were to blame for his Alzheimer's disease, quite a few countries banned them years ago , the biggest cover up in the Western world. Read the evidence it's all out there.

What were we talking about again ?