Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Result. Sounds like you've got it sorted anyway. At least with a second hand loom you can work with it off the bike and clean it up/fix anything before you fit it.

Hi guys, I have just booked my CBT for a few weeks time with the intention of doing DAS shortly afterwards if all goes well. I have a question regarding bike storage and security.

I live in a very small, very quiet village which is with maybe around 150 houses. However around a mile down the road is a gypsy/traveller camp. Now I haven't see anything other than some very poor driving but have heard one story of tools going missing from a garage and imagine a bike locked outside might be targeted. I have a small front garden with space for some sort of shed and i'll also be putting in a ground anchor (or 2?). I've seen the asgard metal bike sheds but they are pricey and I could do with something as small as possible. Are they overkill? Anyone have any suggestions? or pictures of how you store your bikes securely in limited space?

maybe something like this and a disc alarm.

Also loved this but don't know how secure it would be. But you could look at making a DIY wooden version, which could also be a little less conspicuous.

Remember it may also reduce your insurance a little if you have a decent lockable unit.

If all else fails:

Kind of depends what bike you're planning on getting. How much value are you protecting. If you are thinking of buying a high end power house as your first bike you're likely to do more damage to it yourself than a gypsy camp will! If you're protecting a 5/600cc commuter style (which would be a sensible first option) then keep it covered and locked through the frame to a ground anchor and maybe consider a tracking device for peace of mind. There's only so much you can do to protect a bike and these days we've all lost one or 2 so try and prepare yourself for the possibility.

And try not to buy one on credit, cheap slow bikes are half the fun when you're starting out. Spend decent money on protective clothing, you'll probably keep it a lot longer than a bike and you can ride to Scotland on a 250 and enjoy it with the right gear but you'll only get to the chip shop in shorts and flip flops on a litre sports bike.

He looks way too heavy for that bike and it should be captioned 'forever alone'.

I have a mega Almax II chain and the squire padlock. Does anyone want it?

I paid £180 for it.

Will take £80 quid ONO.

Cheers @hugo7, I wasn't sure if the fabric shelters offered much if any protection from theft or the elements? Perhaps something home made is the way to go. Wasn't sure if I could get a bike into one of the smaller Asgard 3 bicycle stores or if it would be too awkward to manoeuvre in and out.

@Airhead I've been thinking of getting a old Honda CB. Something between a 250 and a 550. And I've set aside good money for protective clothing and boots etc. Will investigate trackers but presumed they would be over the top for a £2-3k bike

Shame the CB400's have been silly money for a while. There's a '77 on Autotrader for £100,000. Keep thinking that must be a typo! maybe they just don't want to sell it.

Sounds like you have your head screwed on. I had a VT400 (sleeved Japanese import of the then ubiquitous VT500), loved it and rode it balls out everywhere, must have come off it a dozen times and even when it dropped a valve it got me home, replaced the valve on the kitchen table and it ran some more.

I prefer V's to inline though, probably something to do with living in town and appreciating the low down torque.

We've just been singing the praises of CB500's - would recommend all day long.

He should nail the cat to the wall and keep the bike on the setee - plus it would hurt less if it fell on his head.

pm'd re the lock

Get a late 90s cb500 - loads of fun, cheap to insure and run and not that attractive to thiefs. Good ones are gettig hard to find but worth it imo.

Otherwise for the wild card look at an NTV650 - really nice v-twin, quick and sounds good - also not that attractive to thiefs and seem to be more common than nice cb500s.

I love that era CB500s, handy little bikes. Should be squeakily cheap though.
Do you mean the NTV650 Reverie? Those things are dull as ditch water. If you mean the 650 Bros / Hawk, they're lovely. Even the Bros 400 wasn't bad, if a bit gutless.

I had an NTV650 and it was pretty fun - same engine as the bros/transalp but shaft drive - are you confusing it with the dullville (deauville)? It accelerated well, sounded good and topped out around 110, very similar to the cb500 but much better handling.

Yeah - that's the one. I didn't like them much - thought the CB500 was much better handling and peppy. In fairness, the only ones I rode were high mileage, courier hacks. I liked the old GPZ500s too, though you had shitty tyre choice with the front 16" rim.

Re Duc on the wall, How, the fuck? I can barely hang a mirror on the shitty plaster walls of our flat.

Like the gpz500 ninja or an earlier one? Found the GPZ500 mini ninja felt like a small bike, but twitchy, good for about 125mph though, fast for a small twin. My NTV felt much better than my cb, handling was great with monocoque chassis and V twin mounted in a way it improved frame stiffness. CB is fun, power band is great, NTV was a smooth operator though.

On the subject of Dukes, I'll forever be grateful to have been at the Brands Hatch World Superbike rounds during the mid-late 90s - standing on the short straight between the frightening-fast Hawthorn bend and Westfield corner, in the wooded section, hearing a line of 955s, 916s and the odd wildcard on an ancient 888 roar through the trees in a great line, dicing with RC45s, Carl Fogarty against the world - absolutely amazing time and place to have been alive.

Does insurance make any sense to anyone? I know the principle on how they gauge liability and risk...but..

It's now cheaper for me to insure a Triumph Sprint than an SV650...
BMW's are practically free!

Mad.

Is it worked out against some kind of risk depending on the bike, i.e. If a high number of bike x have accident/theft claims does that build an expectation of the demographic that purchase them as higher risk? Majority of BMW owners are old and slow/careful - and they're maybe harder to steal due to advanced security?

Ahhh motorcycles. Finished wiring the lights on the Big Red Baja Pig. Hopefully successfully. But now it won't start again. I suspect not enough fuel in the tank (the petcocks are not at the bottom and I only put a splash in to try it out.) Otherwise, it's sucked more crap back into the carb and I'll have to pull and clean it again. Grrr.

Note to self. If bike doesn't start easily, stop kicking. Reduced myself to a liquid, sweating heap, even with the decomp lever.

Majority of BMW owners are old and slow

Yeah right , cheers!

Shut up @Markyboy

If you had ever got the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam/Zeebrugge then you would understand.

Throngs of brand new bimmers with past their sell by date bikers.

That quote was so close to being spot on about me , it made me chuckle that was all :-)