Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

You selling your troublesome Vespa @Sparky?

can one not ride a 125 with L plates if holding a uk driving licence?

The Big Ruckus are about £3k. Bullet proof 250cc motor and marmite looks (i prefer the twin round headlight version). A great choice if you can find one but they're mostly Japanese imports and there's one guy cornering the market at the moment. I love them and wanted one when I bought the SH300, just couldn't find one and needed transport. Not sure how insurance would be on an import either. Not sure why Honda stopped making/importing them.

I just put a Lithium battery in my R80. Maybe it will last longer on a barely used bike than the lead acid as the standing discharge is low. £200 though. The lower weight is a plus and it does seem to little performance increase on the alternator/ignition side although that may just be compared to the knackered lead acid I've been running for a year.

50cc on a full licence. CBT for a 125cc. It's been a while but I think there's a time limit on how long you can ride on a CBT before you need to do it again or the full licence.

heh..... okay thanks all. will look around for CBT prices. appreciated

2 years between CBTs

The scooter people used them when I retook my CBT and I had a quick go on one in the car park.

As they were instruction bikes I assumed they were tough and good value. No idea they were rare or anything.

Less theft, higher traffic speed. You need something freeway capable, specially for trips out to the boros.

proper petrol head I am not. I haven't owned anything with a combustion engine since 2004.

lived in Mallorca for a few years and had access to a scooter which my mate and I shared use of for years... now I am back here occasionally feel the need for something motored, definitely don't want a car. I don't need a scooter so would be more for a bit of fun...

perhaps i am still looking through mediterranean rose tinted glasses!

I was hoping for a 250 scooter or cruiser*/ (before I get too old and fat).... but they still seem fairly pricey.

I guess an old Honda Shadow would be the most sensible cruiser. Harleys seem to hold their value.

If I got something I think it would have to be $1,500 absolute max... and I'm supprised how much old 2nd hand bikes go for in the states.

Bit of an awkward problem with the Guzzi. Somewhere between London and Cornwall at the weekend, one of the bolts holding the pannier frame sheared off (vibration I guess). Panniers are held by three bolts each side, so was in no real danger of actually losing one, but it was very vibey until I noticed, ducked into a tool shop and did the journey back with the frame lashed on with ratchet straps, just to be on the safe side.
The annoying bit is that the offending bolt is right under the seat, so hard to get at, and sheared flush, so there is no way of gripping it with anything to try and undo it. It is going to be a bugger of a job to try and drill out...

Quite possibly! You should get a full motorbike licence, it gets harder as time passes and it's great to have access to all the thrills that big bikes offer. It's not such a great proposition at the moment to own a 50cc scooter just to potter about on a few sunny London days.

It used to be more fun when there was a bit more space in the middle of the road and you could pop your scooter on the pavement outside the shop.

...and thus ends the MCE saga. Like fuck If I'm going back with them. They seem to arbitrarily add shit just so they don't have to pay out. Refused settlement, kept NCB and if they ever find the bike, it's back in my hands. I hate insurance.

Can you get to it to drill a pilot hole in the remains of the bolt?

If so then something like this will hopefully get it out: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Expert-45856-5-Piece-Extractor/dp/B0001K9UEG

Advance warning, if you're applying some serious torque to get it out there is the possibility you can snap the extractor off in the remains of the bolt which makes a right mess of the job. The harder tool steel of the extractor is a nightmare to drill out.

Judicious application of PlusGas (not WD40) may also help.

Too many pot holes and cobbles in NYC for a cruiser I reckon. A bigger scooter or enduro type bike would more comfy for sure. Any idea where you'll be living yet? If you're in the city and just want it to get around Manhattan, a little scooter would be ok. Bicycle probably better though - you don't have to worry about parking and the island is pancake flat anyway.

They are all thieves, and will stop at almost nothing to not have to pay out. I've just had to renew with Carole Nash, who wanted £350 ... after much to and fro negotiation, I got it for £182. How can they justify nearly twice as much?

MCE are no better. I have used them before, but I won't go back to them since they left pillion cover off my policy for an entire year without so much as an apology.

Shit the bed that's horrific. One of the few reasons to have decent insurance surely. Not that that means much really.
In the end they offered me...wait for it....£95. Yup. 95. As if the excess wasn't high enough, they decided to charge £150 extra because apparently there wasn't enough proof that the chain was sufficient enough. How the fuck do you prove the worthiness of a 16mm chain vs a 14mm chain????

How do you rate Carole Nash?

Sorry to hear you've had such an unbelievably shit experience. Is it worth raising a complaint/contacting the watchdog?

I'm with Bennetts, when renewing because they didn't have my FAGH on the system they took it off to see - it made no difference to the policy cost - which means I'm covered for it stored or Parked unlocked. Amazing really as if you register a lock you are only covered if the lock is in use.

Potentially. It owes me a lot but I'm very pragmatic about its current state. You in the market?

I'm not yet in the motorbike scene. Me and my girlfriend are both planning on getting riding before the end of the year. I'll be doing full test but she's just after cbt or moped test so I was thinking of it for her as a first bike if it's suitable?

Found tye domestic insurance side to be likely the worst business I gave ever ever dealt with, and I have not had a claim or any incidents.
Simple things like providing the documents to go along with your policy are apparently impossible tasks.
Commercial business though is decent.

Maybe you guys can offer some advice. Like I said just above, I'm gonna do my test this year providing there's space and I pass etc.
My dad rides a Honda Hornet 900, he's nearly 60 and I reckon he'll stop riding it in the next couple of years. He's not so confident on it as it's quite powerful and his senses aren't what they used to be. With this in mind, I'd love to be able to go on some rides with him while he's still riding. I've been considering a hornet, I think it'd be nice to have father son bikes. It'd be my first bike though. Is a 600 too much? I'm not a fast driver, much more interested in driving smoothly and pride myself on being a sensible driver so I don't think I'd be jumping on a big bike and killing myself but I'd still be power like I'm not used to. Having never ridden anything like that, I don't know how it handles in that respect.
I'm coming from driving a 2l turbo diesel saloon mostly.
If it would be alright, what would be s good price to pay. Looking on eBay, the previous shape to the current ones go from 500 to 2k so varies widely. Anything specific to look out for?

You'll be just fine man. You can be a wanker or a liability at any CC.
Tested a hornet this week. Not my type of bike, but I liked it, they seem to like being wrangled some.

@BrickMan @TM It's absurd. Their reasoning didn't seem to be based on anything other than making life difficult. I was already expecting to be fleeced, but some of their requirements were downright inane. The absolute last page of the V5? Required! Why? To make sure the whole thing is real.....

Not a fucking iota. It's fine though, I'm shopping around, and looking to rent a council garage to keep shit locked down. Ground anchor and automatic poison dart machines installed.

The only downside to larger bikes is weight and running costs. The 600 class is easy to get into because the weight doesn't really affect them but most people end up wanting something larger because they're a bit more relaxed when you're riding longer distances/motorway speeds.

Personally I enjoy thrashing a small bike more than easing the power out of a big bike. I do think it's easier to get it wrong when there's more power available but that's just my slightly irresponsible attitude.

One of those will probably work, the pain in arse will be if I have to take the back wheel off to get the drill at the right angle...