Did my CBT today - Direct Access soon...

I was going to say get used to it but that pretty much sums it up.

 

My sigsep is dash dash space. I've been on usenet for over ten years
now, and "--Nick." is always typed in manually by me, I even do it in
my emails and also at work. After a decade, I don't think I'm going
to stop it.

 

In what way?

Tax, insurance, MoT and fuel costs are greatly reduced.

--Nick.

 

My VFR is going to cost me about as much as my car to insure this year,
even though the bike is restricted to 8k miles / year and the car more
or less unlimited (30k miles). This is with 10 years riding experience
and 4 years NCB.

On top of that, it'll need a rear tyre every 5k or so miles, at close on
£200, plus a front every 10k miles, around £120.

Servicing - well, I'm lucky with the VFR, 'cos it has car-like service
intervals, but most bikes will need a minor service every 4 or 5k miles,
at around £150, with a major service every 8-10k miles. If you need the
valve clearances doing, then factor in a cost of £400 plus for a major
service.

Fuel economy. Hmmm, depends. The Alfa 75 is more economical than the
VFR, which turns in around 35mpg.

I don't think you've really thought about this one. A bike isn't a cheap
way to get around, so if you're only doing it to save money, then you've
made a bad decision, unless you're planning on pottering around on a
CG125.

 

Damn right.

These days, the lights go green and I *always* check before moving off,
because there are so many twats jumping them these days....

Filtering down the outside of traffic queues - I stay well, well out and
watch the front wheels of the cars in the queue, to detect the first
movement before Twatty decides he's not going to wait any longer and is
going to pull a U-turn and find another way....

At intersections - just because the dear old white-haired lady has
looked you straight in the eye doesn't mean she's seen you. It just
means the message is passing, slowly, along the neurons and hasn't got
there yet....

Seriously - they really *are* out to get you.

 

<Proffers glass>

 

Where are you buying your tyres, at www.fuckmeupthearsewithrubber.com?

My bike's shit at fuel economy, too at around 10p per mile.

 

Can't quote an exact price, just giving an idea how much you're likely
to pay for a 180 section rear with fitting. Tyres can be bought cheap,
but if you're also paying for fitting then it can get expensive, ISTR it
was actually around £160 last time for the VFR, but it's easy to remove
the rear on them.

It's a Honda.

HTH.

 

I didn't know you liked "cheap" drinks?

Damn, I could've bribed you a while ago with a bottle (or two) of
Southern Comfort.

 

It's not just petrol I was factoring in. In all honesty, I've spent
something like £2,000 on my car in the last few months alone,
servicing on my cars is generally about £400 a pop (not main dealer) -
fully comp insurance on my car was about £700/year, whereas looking at
quotes for bikes that I'm interested in seem to be a maximum of about
£400, or £250 TPF&T...

Plus I think I like the idea of going around on a motorbike. I'll let
you know in a few weeks time.

--Nick.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, SteveH wrote:

Holy cow. I don't think I've *ever* paid more than £120 for a rear,
whatever. It's ten quid to fit but that doesn't count. £160 is just
taking the piss. I can get a pair good tyres for less than that.

It doesn't. I already knew that

 

Bloody hell, what was wrong with it? - sounds like you had a right dog
of a car there, or were doing silly mileage in it.

Not too bad on the insurance - what bikes are these, btw?

 

You are repeating what my first few goes on a motorcycle were like. It
gets better if you have half a clue as to what you are doing and can
follow instructions.

Good luck

Not quite sure that is what you do with ukrm but who cares

 

Heh, I did CBT and DAS in a week having never really ridden a bike before
(year before last).

If you CBA to google for it, I posted a daily diary whilst doing the DAS.

BTW, bikes fucking rock mightily.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

I don't like Southern Comfort (I used to, got horribly pissed on it 25
years ago, and have never liked it since) but Black Jack, over lots of
ice, is very palatable indeed.

<Waves glass at Nick again>

 

As Steve said, it really depends on what bike you go for.

At opposite extremes:

In my sig, the little CD200 is a 25 year-old Honda commuter bike, does
70+mph, tyres cost 25 quid each and last maybe 8k rear 16k front, and
insurance (classic policy) is peanuts. Servicing takes me an hour.

It costs so little to run it's not worth calculating.

Then there's the Triumph Trophy 1200. Drinks fuel at 35mpg (thirstier
than my car, by some margin), rear tyres cost 120 quid and last 6k
miles, fronts cost about 100 quid and last 12k, insurance is car-like in
cost (400 quid a year, together with my Ducati - but then I'm pushing
50), and needs servicing every 6k miles. While I did the last one
myself, next week I'm throwing it at a dealer because I CBA, and the
bill will be 400 quid - at least.

Small bikes are cheap transport - but then so is a 500 quid Fiesta. Big
bikes are expensive transport. Trust me.

 

*nods*

You`ll go far if you keep that healthy sense of paranoia.

They are out to get you. Every last one of them.

 

Have tyres fallen in price recently, 'cos I'm sure you couldn't get an
020 for £110 last time I looked - even mail order.

Didn't do many miles on the bike last year, with moving house going on
and stuff, but I'm _sure_ I couldn't have got a Bridgestone for that
kind of money last time I needed one.

 

What you need is a SOB, or ShiteOldBike as they`re known. As TOG has pointed
out, something as lovable as a CD200 is so damn cheap it`s not even worth
thinking about, likewise with the CB200 in my sig. Even my 550/Four is
relatively cheap to run around bar fuel consumption but I dare say it`s
better than a lot of cars, and wayyyy more smiles per hour than any car I
can think of.

Most SOBs=Classic insurance. Example, I`m 32 living in Liverpool, and pay
£75 or thereabouts TPF&T for both my bikes.

 

Fair point, but 'Nick' should be really be on another line IYSWIM.
also '--Nick' has no space in it that I can see, but then I'm pissed
Welcome either way
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 2.0 TS
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk