Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

I was insinuating that your NC700s would ride like a BMW. A compliment IMO. Enjoy it. I think they look extremely practical which is my favourite attribute.

soul, what insurance quotes have you received as a new passer/first time rider on a motorcycle that size?

The cheapest third party, fire & theft including a pillion passenger was £640.

Ouch.

Google "Bike Theft Index 2005" for detailed information about risk of theft in the UK.

so they give quotes with and without a pillion? is that a new thing?

so they give quotes with and without a pillion? is that a new thing?

No idea. There was roughly a £40 difference between having and not having the box ticked.

Even though I can't currently take a pillion I opted for having pillion insurance for when I get my full license. I was originally going to go with MCE as they quoted me around £350 tpft. That went up to over £500 with pillion insurance. Ended up going with Carole Nash who quoted me £400 with pillion insurance and a lower excess - as I'd heard good things about them.
That said - I don't think you need pillion insurance to take a pillion, with a full license - it just covers them if you do go splat at any point...

I thought you did need pillion insurance to carry a pillion and it's no surprise that it's expensive when you look at the injuries pillions on scooters get, they often come off worse than the rider. Don't tell your pillions that before they get on though!

^ Carole Nash quoted me £1,300 to insure mine!!

i thought that ones licence entitlement covered that. with a cbt you could ride a 50cc with a pillion or a 125cc on your own

The licensing on carrying a pillion still doesn't cover them for insurance. When I started insuring bikes it wasn't an issue and the cover was automatic but if you have an accident where your pillion gets injured it could cost your insurance company a lot of money.

I've had one accident that wasn't my fault while carrying a pillion, it's sickening and even if the pillion accepts 100% that there is nothing you could have done you won't forget the feeling.

If your pillion is seriously injured or worse it would be very hard to live with, worth considering when you're just getting into motorbikes. At the very least make sure your pillions wear gloves and try to get the girls to wear boots not heels or sandals/flipflops.

good points about the clothing.

When I first started insuring bikes going tpft saved a lot of money but now it doesn't seem to make such a difference and I've even had quotes that were more for tpft than fully comp.

@soul When are you picking up the bike? I only ask because, you know...

The Honda will have the reliability though

It's being delivered. Probably next week.

Still waiting for my mod 2 test date though. That will be either next week or the week after and obviously I'll have the other bike ready to go by then...

I didn't think there was much between Honda and BMW for reliability. BMW GS residuals are usually very strong. Honda engineering can get a bit complex for the home mechanic, that's my reason for sticking with BMW's. The Hondas I've had were great though, very trustworthy. Did have a exhaust valve fail on one but it still got me home.

I've had two Hondas. One, my little CBR125 was unburstsble. Apart from the scheduled servicing it only needed two repairs. Once when some scrotes tried to steal it and I had to get a new ignition lock, and once when the headlight bulbs both failed within a week of each other.
The other, a VRX 400 had clearly been a quality machine but it was 12 years old and getting knackered. The forks were fucked. So pitted and scored that they needed new seals before every mot. Bits just used to fall off, like the chrome air cleaner cover. The electrics were the main problem though. Connectors breaking and oxidising. I concluded that Hondas were built well, but not built to last. They're reliable when they are new, but you never see old ones do you,?

I have a 22 year old Fireblade. It's a very reliable bike. Apart from consumables (tyres, chains, sprockets, brakes pads, plugs, filters etc), I have only had to replace the voltage regulator/rectifier. It is a very well built piece of kit.

Seems like there are 2 types of Honda, I had a similar 400 to BlueQuinn, even though it was repairable it became uneconomical because of the labour/complexity of the engineering. Apparently the Goldwing is incredibly reliable, owners getting 200,000 miles from them and the 250cc Foresight engine in the scooters is supposed to be bulletproof.

Surprised to hear that your Fireblade has stood up so well, you must have looked after it. Most of them will have been thrashed and crashed by now. How many miles have you ridden it?

Recent BMW's have had a few problems in recent years, the latest one is the R1200RT. They've all been recalled for a rear suspension problem, owners are advised not to ride them until it's fixed.

First ride into work this morning

:)

Marquez to make it 11 out of 11? On top of practice in FP1 as per usual.

Mine's relatively low mileage (40,000 ish miles), but I know people that have run them to incredibly high mileages. Mine gets well thrashed, but they have very strong engines, so as long as the oil & oil filter is checked/changed regularly, they last.

Chris Harris on why he doesn't service BMWs built after 2004

He also has a fantastic YouTube channel (/BavarianBomberWrench) that shows him performing basic and complex maintenance on pre-2004 BMWs

Post the 'chocolate-cammed' VF series, Honda have been magnificently reliable. In fairness, a great deal of their earlier bikes are bombproof too. The quality of finish on the top of the range bikes is legendarily exquisite, though the paintwork has suffered a bit post 98(ish) in some markets as they've had to change the paint for environmental reasons.

Speaking of reliable....my K5 GSXR1000 just passed 43k and still has perfect 190psi comp on all 4 cylinders and rides like a new bike. It has not been well looked after. :)

Japan has produced some exceptionally engineered bits of kit in the last 20yrs - still unmatched anywhere in the world I reckon.