Tips for buying a Honda CT110 "postie bike" please

If I could get women only pre-learners I could almost be tempted back
into the work force. ;-)

Indeed.

I know this may sound strange, but I'd like to see the RTA allowing an
SO to go thru the pre-learners and MOST with their other half.

The current NSW training system is good.

However, the risk of that good being undone by "help" from an SO who got
their licence in the year dot, and haven't done any formal training is
fairly high, in my not too humble opinion.

I would be confident that, if you wanted to, you could do it.

It might take an hour of stuffing about, but you'd be able to pass on
the big Guzzi (not careful avoidance of name!)

As you say, you'd have been able to do it on the TRX, 'cos you tried a
couple of times, and thought about it.

The current, larger turn box, I expect that you'd be able to do both
bits, U-turn and slow slalom even on the Bandit. Might take a couple
or three practice goes.

MOST does not require any superhuman skills....but it does assume that
the rider is, within reason, riding a suitable bike.

Ally, as a beginner, on the GPX250 would be facing much the same
challenge as you would, John, riding the Bandit. (as a rough example)

Well, you wouldn't be allowed on the KR1! It would be noisey and
messy, but you'd do it. Raptor....piece of piss.

(For recent additions to the aus.moto fold, I have ridden with both
Zebee and John quite a few times.)

The scary bit, to me, is seeing those folk who have a bike licence from
the year dot....they maybe used to ride a C90 to uni, 40 years ago...
but now have big flash machines, and no real understanding of what they
are doing. That's bad enough for them, themselves, but they then start
"helping" SOs, sons or daughters, who might be learning to ride.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Actually, I think that's a pretty good idea. I used to have a good
friend who was a bit of a bike mentor for me. Every time he took me
out for a "lesson" he kept telling me to do stuff that ran contrary to
the Stay Upright stuff. I kept saying "no, I don't want to do it that
way, I'll just get confused" and he kept telling me why his way was
better, but I figured Stay Upright had more current knowl't have to do
a MOST test - didn't have to bloody do much of anything, actually!)

One thing that I wish I hadn't learned QUITE so well at Stay Upright
is the automatic adoption of the "ready position". There are times
when it would be far safer for me, balance-wise, to put my right foot
down when stopped, rather than the left. In Tamworth I almost came a
cropper every time I stopped because the main road slopes off to the
left so much, and I'm already at a bit of a stretch to get my foot
down! If only I could be "ambidextrous" with my feet - but I can't!

betty

 

Eek, this is what I meant a couple of weeks ago when I talked about gremlins
eating bits of my posts..... I sent this via Google groups, and there's a
slab missing from the middle. What I originally said was: "but I figured
Stay Upright had more current knowledge (and more inside knowledge about the
MOST test) than he did, because he didn't have to do a MOST test - didn't
have to bloody do much of anything, actually!)"betty, bloody gremlins

 

bikerbetty wrote:

The "ready position" gave me a few problems for a while too.

My left leg isn't as strong as my right leg...replic of many years old
operation.

I had to work _hard_ to consciously put down my left foot all the time.

I used to tell folk do it the way you have been taught for the first
year, after that, so long as you remember the reasons for left foot
down, you should be capable of making up your mind in the odd
circumstance where it isn't appropriate.

BTW, forgive me if you already know this, but you can get quite thick
soles attached to boots. I know a couple of vertically challenged bikies
who have done this just to gain a wee bitty extra in the leg length.


regards,
CrazyCam

 

Interestingly I was actually allowed to sit in on the classroom parts
of the pre-learners one Ally did at Liverpool or Campbelltown, I was
quite surprised when Calista went to HART and they were very abrupt
about not only not letting me sit in but even went to great lengths to
ensure you couldn't even watch from afar.

Naah not just that I tried, but also because it's comparatively light
with short enough wheelbase and good enough ergonomics(for me) that it
was very chuckable. Also the fact I knew it inside out and upside down
didn't hurt - very confident on it.

If the U turn box is bigger than the old one than a doubtful "OK
maybe". The problem (for me) with the Bandit was it was heavy to chuck
around - I can remember doing the hairpins near Khancoban on the Snowy
Ride on it and after 5 * 25K corners I was absolutely buggered - it
was serious hard work (granted I was riding with Guy Stanford and a
bunch of other hoons ahem quick riders so we weren't doing them
slowly). I just can't imagine getting the thing to flip flop cleanly
for the cones in the first place, and then with the length of the
wheelbase you're turning it pretty hard to get it through. If you did
it *really* slowly then I could see it ending up on its side... I
dunno, I'm curious now - who's gotta bandit they want to lend me for

You're probably right.

Yeah, but then you have the same thing happening with incompetent
drivers teaching their kids as well...

JL

 

JL wrote:

True. :-|

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Oooh, I reckon even a single centimetre would make a difference! No Elton
John platforms, thanks! but a weeny bit of extra length on my legs would
make such a difference. It was horribly gusty in Canberra today, and while
it was uncomfortable riding, it was far worse being stopped and being
buffeted from side to side without a firm footing on either side of the
bike.

So Cam, is there a special place that does the thicker soles on bike boots,
or can any bootmaker do them?

betty

 

I'm thinking back to the days of my million and one "remedial lessons" - and
I have to say I was extremely self-conscious. I think perhaps it would've
been too awful to have a SO (had there been one, hehe) within cooeee, seeing
the regular competent me suddenly turn into a quivering incompetent mass of
terror...
betty

 

bikerbetty wrote:

I'm a bit light on for detail, but I think you just wander round the
local boot repairers and chat to them.

I remember getting the impression that it wasn't a major drama, nor
particularly expensive, when I last spoke to a wearer of thick soled
boots. They might have had almost an inch extra, but didn't look silly
or anything. Actually, they were quite hard to pick, unless you were
looking for them.

Maybe some one else round here has actual detailed experience in getting
it done?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Thanks Cam, I'll ask around. I'm not too keen to fiddle too much with my
boots - after two years of daily riding (and they're comfy enough to walk in
as well) the soles of my Rossi boots are barely worn at all. They'd be
comfortable enough to wear all day , and I reckon they have many years wear
left in them. Wouldn't like to compromise the comfort or safety of the boots
in any way. Are bike boot soles made from a different compound to regular
boots, I wonder? Will have an "in-depth" conversation with one of the
bootmakers here to find out what I can.

In the meantime I'm thinking a campaign to get "bigger boots - longer legs
for shortarsed bikers" might be fun. Will fire off emails to various bike
boot manufacturers (have started with Rossi) and see if anybody responds.
After all, Target has had considerable success with their range of leg
lengths in women's trousers - are there enough short-arsed bikers around to
make variable height boots viable for boot manufacturers, I wonder???

betty

 

bikerbetty wrote:

A few years back now, in Europe, Honda decided to do some research into
marketing motorcycles to people of the feminine persuasion.

At the time, I found the whole thing very funny, 'cos the head of the
team was a bloke, admittedly of fairly small stature, but...<shrug>

Anyhow, they did various questionnaires and studies, and found that a
common complaint from ladies was that either they needed longer legs or
the motorcycles needed to be less tall.

The research team sat about and looked at the data, and noticed that
there was a funny thing in the pattern, the shortleggedness was common
in UK, France and German, but didn't seem to exist in Italy.

Was it possible that Italian ladies had longer legs?

It apparently took quite a while before they twigged that the Italian
ladies typically wore high-heeled boots when riding.
(Italian ladies are also not too impressed with crash helmets.)

As I maintain, sometimes one has to sacrifice comfort for style!


regards,
CrazyCam

 

She says you're on

David

 

Well, as I said, I have the time only during the week.

If you want to discuss beer etc. crazycam at ardotcomdotau reaches me.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

See, that'll teach you to stop in Tamworth !! That bypass is there to
allow normal people to avoid having to go there.

JL
(there's nothing wrong with Hicksville that couldn't be fixed with a
couple of tons of C4)

 

LOL, well I learned my lesson! Won't be doing it again in a hurry (unless I
get taller boots <grin>)

So..... you're a bit of a Tamworth fan, JL.....

betty

 

Indeed, it has all of the charm of a Broken Hill miner's used sock
left to moulder in a tin shed over summer.

JL
(and then in late January it gets worse)