Newbie trying to be sensible...

raden says...

GS 5 0 0

Not GS 5 5 0

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

wessie says...

Just under 11 stone atm. But, I'm staying this side of the fence so it's
not really of any importance to yourself.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

Bear wrote

Still is.

 

Bear says...

Yes, based on a bike that was horribly outdated and bettered by even the
Superdream 400 back in the early 80s.

So did I. Mine ended up getting pxed at our local Honda dealer against a
nearly new GSX750EFE. I had to trailer it to within 100 yards of the
dealer because it wouldn't run on all 4 cylinders under load. We dragged
it off the trailer, warmed it up and I rode it slowly up to where it
would end up getting scrapped. They started it at the dealers, but
unless you rode it you couldn't tell it was going to misfire on all 4
cylinders as soon as you got above 3K revs. They couldn't sort it, so
they scrapped it.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

Bear says...

Really. I thought mine was shit at just about everything except making
it home without stranding me. It was horrible, uncomfy, gutless, badly
braked, foul handling, but always made it home. It would do that even if
it was down to 2 cylinders and the gearbox only had 3rd gear left. Not
that mine ever got that bad.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

I would place the GS550L I was loaned while the Wing was being
serviced firmly in the top three shittiest heaps of shit it has ever
been my misfortune to have to ride.

Alongside a mate's TR25W and another friend's RS100.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SE-V/CBR1100XX-X/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..78895.../...19992.../..31257.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 PM#5 WG*
'^' RBR 2005: Abandoned - Bronze Award.

 

Realised that milliseconds after posting

 

I had an Alfa on my Z750 - stopped somewhere around the left pillion
peg, iirc.

Raucous didn't do it justice.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SE-V/CBR1100XX-X/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..78895.../...19992.../..31257.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 PM#5 WG*
'^' RBR 2005: Abandoned - Bronze Award.

 

"The Kim Lady" hit the keyboard & produced:

Ow do, nice to find a subject I can comment on.

Oxford to London isn't a bad run but as you mention you will clock up miles.
This means - regular chain lube, servicing, and tyres. Price this in.

The first 35-40 miles take about 35 mins. The next 10-15 or so miles
(where abouts in London?) will probably take another 30-35 minutes
once you get used to filtering. Salt and rain will take a toll on the look
of the bike
You want something thats OK for 80ish on the motorway but still thin enough
for
filtering. Have you tried an old NTV? Shaft drive will cut down on the chain
lube
and the V twin keeps the width down. Its OK for a first bike, but in a year
or two
you'll want something with more fun factored in.

Look for a mechanic near your place of work so you can drop it off in the
morning & pick
it up at home time.
Its going to be a cold run. A fairing is OK but expensive to fix & pushes up
servicing costs.
The most useful bits to help in the winter are a screen & handle bar muffs.
Both help to fend
off the worst of the rain and the cold wind. But you'll still need some
extra layers for January
and February. The cold will get to you. The M40/A40 route in to London is
quite forgiving. 2 & 3 lane roads most of
the way in so room to filter.

Hope this helps.

 

Me too, it's costing over 500USD for me to get my contractors license.

 

Yes, I do have a jolly good sense of humor. I'm also a few thousand
miles away, so I hope he has very long arms.

 

Rampant Rabbit?

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Salad Dodger amazed us all with this pearl of
wisdom:

It's only the newbies that can see it, it becomes undiscernable when
you've been here for a while.

 

Lady Nina wrote:
(snip)

Rather? Excessively darhling! Sublime. Etc.
And indeed, she shall be in attendance. If you are planning on
pouting, perhaps you would be so kind as to kiss her hello from me when
she arrives? It will be cute. Yes.

 

Thanks, that's doable. It's one reason I want something very cheap to
ride at first - something I can drop and not fret about and not cry
when it gets rained or snowed on. I'll still do DAS if I can, but I'm
not so worried about going the A2 route.

 

Tis a pleasure to bring pleasure.

Indeed I have - I'm budgetting about £200 a month as "bike costs".
Perhaps excessive, but the remainder will go into savings [1*]

Thanks! I know very little (and even that is being generous) of
mechanics. V twin is thin. I'll look up old NTV's. [1*] Hence saving
for a New(er) bike next year, when I'm less likely to drop it, come off
it, or otherwise ruin it / me. For now "fun" is something I am happy
to wait a while for. I'm sure the M40 will be entertaining enough, as
will Marble Arch, during rush hour.

It's good to know I won't need a whole fairing. A screen and
mittens... ah that'll add to the look I want (i.e. something not worth
touching with a barge pole). I work in Westminster, and know of a bike
shop just south of the river in Vauxhall, but any recomendations or
otherwise would be helpful.

Hugely!
*adoreadore*

 

I've already done a few days DAs training, but having lost out on one
day due to An Administraton Error (booking the instructor helps) I
wasn't ready to do the test on the Big Bike. I need practice to get
the clutch control just so. I'm training again Saturday, and if I can
get another day between then and the test (which should be Wednesday) I
should be okay to take it on the Big Bike. That said, if I use a 250
for a few months, that won't trouble me. I shouldn't be going too fast
too soon anyway (especially knowing how I look at corners).

 

Bear wrote:
(snip)

*laughs* Yes... but I have never driven or ridden anythign other than a
push bike, and it is taking me a while to get accustomed to everything.
But yes, I'm feeling more confident now, and am less frustrated my
waiting now there is a goal.

*laughs more*
I didn't have to pay extra for the training I didn't know I had to pay
extra for, which was only a couple of hours anyway. And no, I have not
recieved anything for the other day of work I missed when they booked
my theory test at the wrong centre. Hahaha! I throughly intend to
name and shame once my experience of them is done. That or write a
comedic radio play, or perhaps a sitcom.

 

"Lozzo the Gimp"

Thank you so much for that image.

 

You can test my resolve.