Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

I'm still amazed at the difference in petty theft here vs London. Not to say stuff doesn't get robbed but it's so much less prevalent. LAPD are certainly no angels but at least they'll have a go chasing thieves and if they nick them, they generally go down. The Met are useless, always have been.

Thinking of buying this to learn on. The only issue I perceive is that there isn’t anywhere to put my L-plates. Does anyone know if Ducati supply a bracket etc?

Back to the the car thread ….

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Here's a sad unridden 999R. Bizarre. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/133991060648 Almost tempted to bid.

Missed this post.

Did you watch the delboys garage project on one of these?

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRS52UHF-MfkYlISRGUByKq0UXbq4c4H9
-MfkYlISRGUByKq0UXbq4c4H9

I was thinking of a Monster as there’s less bodywork to break when I drop it.

They do look that way to someone who only really knows cars. To get near the acceleration of a bike you’d need to spend £50k plus, so 10k on a Fireblade and the kit does seem cheap.

10k Ducati vs 100k Ferrari etc.

Yeah I did – pretty fortuitous timing actually, his tip for getting the exhaust studs out was how I managed to do mine! Mostly I found being shown "how having two massive workbenches indoors is wonderful" a bit depressing.

Reminds me, I did bust a radiator bolt too, and his replacement wasnt available when I looked before. Pretty sure there's some swarf in mine even with the careful drilling-out of the broken bit, probably not worth the risk of using it.

I'm not sure how serious you are, @Dammit but getting a litre+ sportsbike as your first bike is a silly idea.
You really want to get something boring for a few months to learn to ride a bike properly.
Filtering, changing gears rapidly, checking every angle at the same time, etc. needs practice.
Coming from pushbikes helps to an extent, but it isn't entirely transferable.

I recently switched from a 60bhp 700cc to a 135bhp 1200cc and nearly binned it on the test drive.
1st gear is still lairy and catches me off guard, and I have years + lots of miles of experience.

I may not be being 100% serious about getting a front-rank World Superbike as my first motorcycle.

The type of bike that would be most logical for my goals this year would be a small, light dirt bike of some kind, but that suffers from the "I live in the middle of London" problem, which means two hours driving out to somewhere that it could be used, and of course two hours driving back home again, which I hate but there's no way round it.

The Monster may be an option but I suspect it’s a bit much while you learn. I think that others reading your posts wonder if you are serious or not. The mention of older cheaper bikes is fair BUT not Fireblades or OWO1s etc. Those bikes may be older but they still do 170+. From memory, a ZZR1100 from 1990 does 72mph in first gear!
There are plenty of bikes to choose from which would be better to learn on and plenty of people here to advise on that - I’m a bit too old to advise now. The main thing about two wheeled motorised transport is that people in four wheeled motorised transport keep trying to kill you. And you must remember a motorbike is not a bicycle - sounds a silly thing to say but the speeds are so much higher, your profile is very similar to a cyclist and car drivers do not appreciate that. Please stay safe.

Husky 701 sm or ktm 690 sm.

a ZZR1100 from 1990 does 72mph in first gear

…do want.

I learnt on a ktm smt 990 and my second bike was a blackbird.

You'll only go as fast as your right wrist.

Buy the bike you like and don't be a bell end on it.

You can as easily kill yourself on a shit bike if you're an idiot.

That said. Something with a small engine will allow you to wring its neck and really have an engaging drive. The blackbird was boring, but efficency, as once I was in second gear I was in prison territory if I opened it up. Hence by suggestion of a ktm 690 supermoto. Fun to drive, cheap (ish) and again so much fun.

That’s very bizarre indeed. Lack of pics is odd too. I think I’d like to see it in the flesh before bidding though. There is a fuzzy bit on the frame rail which could be the camera or scrapes (or my fuzzy eyesight!).

dirt bike

In lots of ways yes, and in equal number no.

Watching dad drop his brand new CRF250 because he couldn’t stop and get a foot down with the bike’s height is an example of the ‘no’. Not that you’d suffer the same, but a tall bike brings with it tall bike issues that take a little getting used to.

Also they handle so much differently. I don’t mind leaning over flat knobblies, but the aggressive road-racer mechanics refuse to do it.

But, motards/supermoto exist because road wheels on a dirt bike has always been an incredibly enjoyable thing. And even with 21/18, you can embarrass people.

The XJ600N in my possession is so ideal. It’s a little under the power of a Bandit and easier to crawl at walking pace, and no bodywork to replace. In the slimy icy roads recently, and in torrential rain, it was totally stable and manageable.

I’m struggling to find my next bike because the more I ride, all I’d want is the XJ with a bigger engine.

So, like, buy my XJ? Ha!

Once you've got your licence any decent sized or brand dealer will let you test drive a bike and they're never fussed about how long you take.

Just go try a load out. Twins, inline 4s faired, dual sports, whatever.

Also remember you can get lightish dual sports that won't be as good as a proper dirt bike, but still work. Just look at videos from the 30s of riders on giant bikes riding dirt tracks.

I'd add that number of owners isn't as much of a thing with bikes as with cars. A car owner putting a couple of k and then selling triggers red flags. For a bike it could just be someones midlife crisis, or like the guy who sold me my bike someone who gets a new bike every year.

Yeah it's his success is a mixed blessing. The OG videos were so accessible because he just had a tiny garage with a shit workbench and a vise.

Idk if you know but he's very accessible so if you do end up with a question, post on the most relevant video or DM him.

Most dealers insurance only covers licences held for 12m, IME

DRZ-400 S could tick the box for you pretty well I reckon? It definitely sounds like something dual-sportish would be the best bet though...

@Dammit reading all the helpful comments reminds me how daunting it can be embarking on a brand new hobby. I would just say once your license is sorted and the sun is shining there's no better feeling if that helps as motivation to persevere reading another online opinion. Having said that...

Personally I have to agree with @skinny that you're only go as fast as your right wrist, and that's as somebody who really enjoyed moving up the cc ladder slowly. I always thought (still alive) litre bike riders were immensely talented, but really it's just self restraint.

I don't think this is the case, but if somebody is just looking to experience the best power to weight ratio on the public road then you'll never be satisfied, always wanting the latest superbike which you can't get out of first gear. Re self restraint and safety, this video explains it well.

https://youtu.be/r9BsCeOl3tY

Stop recommending the DRZ, the prices are going too high!

No no, this is a good thing... Dammit will buy a new one and if you can beat PhilDAS to it you'll nab a bargain when he trades it in for a Ducati Superleggera in six months.

lol
I've not caught the off road bug yet so undibs

If I went for anything instead of my DR350 I’d be torn between a DR650, or a WR450F….

https://www.brake-magazine.com/review-wr-450-f-rally-replica/