Haven't ridden a bike for 10 years.....thinking of buying a slow plodder/classic/adventure bike to ride into work for a few months.
My commute is 15 miles each way - I'll probably do it on my actual pedal bike twice a week and a motor bike three times.
Roads are 30,40,50. moderate to low traffic. Plenty of potholes and associated scattered gravel.
I'll use my old kit as its quite good (Rukka) but obviously buy a new helmet, boots and gloves.
I haven't even looked at bikes or kit since 2015 when i sold my CBF1000 which i used to commute from Kent to London for 10 years.
whats going on in the world of bikes these days? Is it really bad with the road surfaces? I'm a slow careful biker, always have been.
You're the same, the risks will vary, just like they always did. Your approach to dealing with the risks will be as they were before, but with a bit of extra caution because of your time off and because you're older and wiser.
You were always more cautious when the conditions demanded it, temps, rain, traffic, broken surfaces.
And it's the attention and the focus you're missing from riding a motorbike, right?
So get one, ride one, you'll match your behaviour to the conditions just like you did before, and get your vibe on.
I don't find it that bad at all really.
I commute about 10 miles daily into Stratford Upon Avon on my little Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
I have to jump on and off the M40 and dual carriageway and yeah, it's busy as hell but that's partly why I like the bike.
There's a few bits where I really have to take control of the road as there are so many t**ts out there.
Car drivers have literally no appreciation of just how slippery busy islands are when it gets damp and drive right behind you. So dangerous. I take islands real slow in the wet and have been known to gesticulate on occasion.
Busy islands you've to watch too. I get no end of car drivers who when you're on the island, are sort of predicting your passing and start pulling out before you're even past. Again, scary on wet islands and I find myself giving them hand signals 🤌🏻 now and again.
Everyone is in such a rush and so oblivious to the elements etc. Nothing like you are on a bike.
You just have to really chill, don't get wound up and let them jostle amongst themselves and let them get to the front. Not worth it.
Never ever ride past any junction without 100% awareness of what the person sitting waiting to pull out is doing or is likely to do.
But yeah. I really like it. I have heated gloves now and when it's wet I wear wellies and a waterproof cag over my bike jacket. Makes a big difference.
Can't say I notice much difference on the roads than I did years ago. Everyone was out to kill you then too 😊
You soon sharpen up your awareness on a bike.
Never ever ride past any junction without 100% awareness of what the person sitting waiting to pull out is doing or is likely to do.
Everyone was out to kill you then too
So nothing changed then!
Just watching people drive from my car shows the roadcraft has diminished since I rode a bike, even in just 10 years. As you say especially roundabout discipline where nobody seems to know what lane to use or where/when to indicate.
I like to think I've retained some of my 'spidey senses' but I suspect as a 56 year old I'm not as 'on it' as I was in my 30's and 40s
In the last 10 years more and more people are looking at their phones or car play/android auto.
These are the dangerous ones.
1987 to 2007
All sorts of motorbikes.
Personally, I would never go near one again. Deathtraps.
PS Still miss the Hornet a bit ;-). Still deathtraps though 🙁
I like to think I've retained some of my 'spidey senses' but I suspect as a 56 year old I'm not as 'on it' as I was in my 30's and 40s
You will have. Motorcyclists tend to be much more aware, simply because they have to be.
I think smaller capacity 'plodder' bikes are where it's at. You can take the scenic route too and avoid the horrible stuff. That's what I often do.
.....
Crazy triple post weirdness
having returned last year after more than a decade I notice no difference in general but I have been mainly riding on rural roads not urban.
What i did notice was how deskilled I have become. I used to be a quick smoothe safe rider. I spent the first thousand miles wobbling about.
I really needed a refresher course but couldn't find anything suitable
Depends where you live.
I can't avoid the really busy parts of urban Sheffield so my riding career was pretty short. Too many wannabe gangsters flying around in very fast cars and bimbos in Ranger Rovers.
I had a few very memorable near misses and it put me off.
I'll get another bike eventually but only after a house move.
It's mostly the same as it always was. Some people are inattentive or distracted. The majority are OK and a small minority are dangerous arseholes. The only things which have got worse are mobile phone use and potholes. Keep your eyes on stalks looking out for both.
Remember you are vulnerable, ride defensively and you'll be OK. One thing that will definitely have got better since you last rode is your age. Maturity and life experience brings wisdom and a greater awareness of mortality which will all have a moderating effect on your throttle hand. This is a good thing.
Getting some advanced training can also really help your confidence. Never stop learning.
Welcome back. It's still awesome.
Suspension. It's all about the suspension!
I favour more upright bikes with good suspension: better on our appalling road surfaces. I always have a BMW GS of one type or another.
I bought an XSR700 2 years ago after 20 years off... Decided I was going to have another bike in my life, and I'd be better off getting back in the saddle at 50 than later in life... I held my breath most of the hour ride home on it... took a month or so to click again... I "upgraded" it to a Guzzi V85TT in March and had to ride that back from Aylesbury to West Somerset in very cold March conditions... again was very nervous, but modern tyres are better than tyres 20 years ago... probably the most noticeable change. Most of my riding has been day trips and weekend blasts, and not much traffic where I live. Hope to take the bike down to Girona for a proper adventure in May
How do you like the V85? I'm seriously tempted. How tall are you? I don't like this trend for very tall bikes. My Speed twin 1200 is just about right with a 800mm seat height.
Do you ride pedal bikes on the road ? If not then it might be a bit of a change.
How about half a day of coaching with someone...just to get you back in the mindset (although if you've been cycling on the roads since quitting biking, you'll likely have 90% of the roadsense anyway)
https://www.rapidtraining.co.uk/courses. or similar.
The police does a Bikesafe course which is a one day 'intro to advanced riding' course. It's worth doing.
You'll have an IAM branch near to you that can help your riding skills for little money. Each group has its own personality, so try a few to find one that suits your bike riding.
There are a lot of nice smaller CC bikes around now: Enfield Himalayan, CF Moto, Triumph Scrambler etc. All nice looking and good handling bikes.
Since you used to ride into London, you'll have developed quite a defensive riding style, cause if you don't, you get hurt. Take it slow to get the feel back.
I returned to motorbikes last July after 15 years off them. In a rush of blood picked up a classic airhead BMW from a seller near Newcastle and rode it back to London. I'd ridden scooters in Indonesia in the interim but nothing like a proper bike. The ride back from the NE started as a bit of a shock to the system, particularly as the brakes were absolutely terrible, it had an intermittent indicator failure and the bike bogged down at 55-60mph which made dual carriageway in traffic more exciting than I remember.
The actual controlling the bike bit came back almost immediately and by the Yorkshire A-roads I was enjoying myself.
In terms of what has changed since 2010, lots less other motorcyclists on the road in this bit of the UK. My reactions are I expect a lot slower and I have to noticeably focus a lot more after being spoiled with adaptive cruise control and multiple sensors/alarms on my EV..
Its for sunny weekend use and touring only, I wouldn't do a regular commute on a motorbike anymore, happy to do it on a push bike but when I had motorbikes before as my primary transport, riding around London daily would result in a monthly near miss which was why I got rid of my bikes in the first place following the arrival of kids. Drivers have only got more distracted...
I wouldn't say there is much difference in people's driving standards, even though there are more distractions in the car. What i have noticed is there are more average speed cameras and speeds are lower. My commute has changed massively over the last few years though. From an easy 10 mile each way, to my now 75mile, 2hr journey from s.coast to centre of London. Heated gloves ftw!
I love it... its a great all rounder. I got the factory panniers too. it's the most comfy bike I've ever ridden, is a bit different (important to me as its a reason to be a motorcyclist!) handles great and has (just) enough power. 20 years ago, and/or if I wanted to take Mrs H on the back it would be underpowered, but for local Somerset roads and the odd long weekend its magicHow do you like the V85? I'm seriously tempted. How tall are you? I don't like this trend for very tall bikes. My Speed twin 1200 is just about right with a 800mm seat height.
@failedengineer- I'm 5 foot 11 and get both feet flat on the floor
I really needed a refresher course but couldn't find anything suitable
I would suggest local IAMS group, I did my advanced test with them years ago. Learnt a lot
I came back last year after a 10 year break as well. Don’t commute, so only ride for fun in warmer weather but there’s been a definitely shift in people’s driving. There seems to be no anticipation anymore. Drivers speed right up to roundabouts and give ways, expecting to go and then suddenly break if they can’t. I’ve always driven/ ridden in the mindset that I’ll always have to stop. Unless they slow down, I always treat it as if they haven’t seen me and prepare to act accordingly.
I went sensible with a first bike back and went for a Triumph 400 and also did a refresher morning. Was good to have a safe space to practice low speed manoeuvres but on the road I can’t say I learned a lot, but I was reassured about my riding when the instructor gave said he had no worries about me getting a bike after a 10 year break.
Only did 2000 miles last year but I’ve enjoyed having a bike again.
I really needed a refresher course but couldn't find anything suitable
I would suggest local IAMS group, I did my advanced test with them years ago. Learnt a lot
Came here to say this...
9yrs back on a bike after a long layoff now, within weeks of getting back on one, I realised how poorly equipped I was in terms of skill and margin of safety for the modern roads, and how much worse even a lot of my fellow motorcyclists were!
I found my local IAM group, joined, passed my Advanced Test early COVID, and it have since been an active member of my group and am now training to be an IAM Observer myself too... My riding standard came on leaps and bounds very quickly, but continues to improve too.
I'm a slow careful biker, always have been.
It's not about being slow, or careful yourself... It's about being SAFE! And sometimes that means using speed to your advantage... Either way, you only learn how to be truly safe on a bike by anticipating all of your surroundings, and you only really learn to do that effectively with proper, ongoing, Advanced Training IMO... A one day course can be a good eye opener, but ultimately doesn't instil good practice... It needs to become 2nd nature!
Where are you based OP...?
How do you like the V85? I'm seriously tempted. How tall are you? I don't like this trend for very tall bikes. My Speed twin 1200 is just about right with a 800mm seat height.
A friend had one... He's a Guzzi fan, and even then he said it was an "Agricultural POS"... Constant whine from the gearbox and the final drive (they all do that sir, he was told!), oil leaks, performance way below par and expectations... He was glad to be shot of it!
As for the seat height thing... Do you need to flat foot both feet when you come to a stop on a bicycle too?!?! 🙄 A motorbike designed either for proper use off the beaten path, or the ability for decent lean angles in the corners (so anything except a cruiser really), NEEDS to have decent ground clearance which inevitably means a taller seat height... I'm 5ft10 but run the seat in the higher of the two positions on my KTM 1290 Super Adventure and run 50% preload solo which gives around an 875mm static seat height... I put the preload up even further when the GF gets on the back... With both of us on, a full tank of fuel and maybe a bit of luggage, that's 500kg of weight I'm holding up on the tiptoes on one foot at a traffic light... It really isn't a problem! You just get used to it and you gauge your surroundings to make sure you don't put your foot onto a downslope or into a hole by accident!
A refresher course seems a good shout but to be honest as I cycle commute reasonably often my roadcraft is prob ok. I suspect a couple of hours bimbling round a quiet industrial estate to remember where the controls are will do just as well.
Went to look in a bike shop over the weekend. There does seem to be an awful lot of 'adventure' bikes around, many of which look about as useful offroad as a Kia Sportage and a bit tall for easy traffic light negotiation...I guess SUV culture permeated the bike world too. Embarrassingly I was drawn to a Bonneville 865 with leather panniers but I suspect I'll end up with an NC750 or similar
@mboy - I'm near Brighton
There does seem to be an awful lot of 'adventure' bikes around, many of which look about as useful offroad as a Kia Sportage and a bit tall for easy traffic light negotiation...I guess SUV culture permeated the bike world too.
I ride an adventure bike which rarely gets its tyres dirty. The main reason is the riding position is incredibly comfortable, more so than any other style of bike for me, even for 2 up continental touring. Especially if you're used to sports bikes, or even sports tourers which cripple me these days. No knees bent at an acute angle, no weight on your wrists, no lower back pain. But still with plenty of ground clearance for twisty road cornering, even with fully laden panniers.
Some find cruisers comfortable but I don't, the feet forward position puts weight on your spine and their ground clearance is compromised in the twisties.
There is no issue at all with "easy traffic light negotiation". Once you are moving the weight disappears. Filtering is a breeze on mine. The taller stance and upright riding position also enhance your view in traffic.
I can happily ride mine for 2 or 3 hours without a break and get off fresh. At my age, there's no other style of bike I could do that on. There's a good reason adventure bikes are popular, especially with older riders.
I suspect a couple of hours bimbling round a quiet industrial estate to remember where the controls are will do just as well.
There is a saying that gets used a lot regarding Advanced Training, and it's "you don't know what you don't know, until you know"... It is incredibly accurate in every case I find!
You aren't at the peak of mount stupid, but you definitely haven't yet dropped into the valley of despair... That will inevitably happen when you get back on a bike, and experience some of the roadcraft exhibited by other road users!
To reiterate... I started riding again in 2017. Bought a bike, was incredibly rusty on it for a few days, that went inside a couple of weeks, then started realising just how bad other road users were, just how out of my comfort zone I was in anything other than perfect conditions (which nobody ever experiences on a commute of course!!!), and then started riding more with other riders and seeing just how bad a lot of them were too...
FFWD 9yrs, I now average about 10k miles on a bike per year. A few months back on a bike in 2017, I thought I was a really good rider. 8 1/2 years on, and a LOT of training and experience, I know that my ability now just about matches where I thought I was 8 years ago, yet I am in reality a whole world apart skills and ability wise compared to where I was then, but I also know I still have a lot of room for improvement too... A big part of why I now am training to become an Advanced Observer myself, as the ability to see mistakes in others and coach it out of them, is a real skill to improving your own abilities and awareness too.
There does seem to be an awful lot of 'adventure' bikes around, many of which look about as useful offroad as a Kia Sportage and a bit tall for easy traffic light negotiation...I guess SUV culture permeated the bike world too.
What @blokeuptheroad said, plus...
They're popular, and for very good reasons... It's nothing to do with the SUV culture though... Adventure Bikes are brilliant in traffic! The widest bit on an Adventure Bike, the handlebars, is higher up than on other bikes, and cars/vans etc. all taper inwards as they go up. Combined with a taller riding position, affording you much better visibility than bikes with a much lower riding positions (especially given how many bulky SUV's are on the road that you need to see past!), allowing you to make better progress in traffic than on smaller bikes! Out on the open road, the longer travel suspension and comfortable riding position, makes lighter work of the heavily beaten up tarmac roads that many of us experience all too often. An Adventure bike may make little sense for commuting up and down the A38, but out on broken back roads where grip and visibility can be at a premium, they absolutely make sense! People pour scorn on them until they have ridden them... Once they ride them, they get what they're all about! This isn't a "keeping up with the Joneses" class war type thing that SUV culture has become... This is simply people realising that the UK road networks aren't smooth or well cared for, and that bigger bikes with a more comfortable riding position, longer travel suspension, better visibility etc. make real sense! Think of it a bit more like a modern long/low/slack Enduro bike with mullet wheels vs a steep angled rigid or short travel XC bike with 26" wheels from 2 decades ago, and you'll get the point of them...
@mboy - I'm near Brighton
Bit far from me sadly, was going to say if you were close enough would be happy to meet up for a ride and give a few pointers, but I'm about 4hrs away! Definitely find out who your local IAM club is though, and get some info from them regarding how they train and what the club looks like etc...
A refresher course seems a good shout but to be honest as I cycle commute reasonably often my roadcraft is prob ok. I suspect a couple of hours bimbling round a quiet industrial estate to remember where the controls are will do just as well.
I had ridden mnotorbikes for 30+ years riding 10 000+ miles a year. I rode a bicycle daily. I was astonished how deskilled I was after more than a decade off a motorbike and how poorly I rode a motorbike after I got back on one.
An Adventure bike may make little sense for commuting up and down the A38, but out on broken back roads where grip and visibility can be at a premium, they absolutely make sense! People pour scorn on them until they have ridden them... Once they ride them, they get what they're all about! This isn't a "keeping up with the Joneses" class war type thing that SUV culture has become... This is simply people realising that the UK road networks aren't smooth or well cared for, and that bigger bikes with a more comfortable riding position, longer travel suspension, better visibility etc. make real sense!
The modernish bike I rode most was a BMW R1100 RS. I have ridden a couple of GS and thought them awful. Poor handling, uncomfortable and unwieldy.
Basically the roads have deteriorated a lot in the last decade so expect lots more potholes and gravel/crap in the road. Drivers are generally still trying to kill you but now more of them are on 'phones and I found i'm following cars that smell of weed a LOT more ( particularly in summer when people are out for a drive). It's still worth it though! I love my bikes and riding both alone and with my wife. Obviously this may all vary depending on whereabouts in the country you are ( i'm in Derbyshire). Signed Scammell - Royal Enfield Himalayan Scram411, Yamaha BT1100 Bulldog and Yamaha XJR1300.
Go out, ride carefully, practise cornering and leaning, explore braking hard, maybe read Roadcraft, be careful filtering in traffic. If you fancy a course do it but riding a bike well isn’t rocket science.
Rapidtraining are a pretty good training company if you decide to do some training.
New shaped bonnevilles aren’t a bad bike, I had the t100. Good seating position, grungy enough and stick on a detachable screen and they can tour; did over to the Nurbergring on mine.
Bought a Bonneville 2010. 1 owner, 8k, loads of extras including small screen, bar end mirrors, panniers etc Its the SE so nicer paint job, twin clocks and cast wheels. I like the look of them better and you can't run tubeless with the T100 s. Also ordered a copy of Roadcraft (which i've never read) as suggested above.
Getting it next week and will take it very easy to start with - thanks all for input.
I swear sat-nav's are half the problem.
People no longer think "ohh I'm coming off the motorway at the next junction, better move over in good time and put my indicator on at the 2nd repeater thingy".
They've just switched their brain off and turn the wheel as the computer tells them. No need to look around at signs because it will tell you the speed limit and directions. So they've just stopped looking in mirrors or anywhere else too.
I only commute one day a week and every time there's at least one car that just moves into my path without looking, just indicating as they turn the wheel.
Have a look for the various Police / ROSPA / IAM days, they're generally free or just covering the cost of biscuits and a book. Someone recommended the police book to me, it's way too long to digest, the IAM short version is much easier to read.
Modern gloves are some sort of witchcraft, even my cheap oxford summer urban/cruiser gloves (with some silk liners from decathlon) are somehow warmer than my year round gloves of 20 years ago.
I need to buy some gloves (and boots and a helmet!) so any recommendations would be great. I'm thinking of getting a flip front - never had one before or is that a silly idea? last helmet was a Shark Vision R but obvs now well past its use by date.
Used to have a flip front shoei for work, it was fine but I never rode that much with the front up, it seemed to be more for when I had to talk to anyone or eat and drink with the helmet on. Now I just have a full face and an open face with a full visor (Arai and a Frank Thomas). Originally the open face was just a cheap alter for when it’s sunny and riding into work but I seem to prefer that one for all weathers now - but not if i’m doing long motorway / dc rides. If you find a flip up that fits and you like there’s no reason not to do it. IMHO.
Gloves are just alpine stars for summer and a combo of alpine stars winter gloves and some old hein gericke (sp?) lobster things for winter
If you wear glasses (as I do) then the flip front or flip over (where the chin bar goes all the way to the rear of the helmet) helmets are great. The only thing with them is that they usually have slightly worse wind noise, For both gloves and helmets they are a personal fit thing so I'd recommend trying several on and hope you don't have an expensive head shape! (I'm lucky in that HJC helmets really suit my head shape and they have a great range from cheap to more expensive. My wife unfortunately has a Arai shaped head and so her helmet is really expensive).
I need to buy some gloves (and boots and a helmet!) so any recommendations would be great.
Carberg flip style helmets work for my head. I don't think I'll ever buy an unflippable helmet again. Easy to walk into petrol stations with them still on + easy to put on when wearing neck and face wind protectors.
I think your helmet, given the bike you've bought, could do with not being one of these hideous modern ones with big graphics everywhere and angles and dayglo colours.
Urban Rider have a lot of really nice helmets and clothing that tend to be a bit more on the retro/classic/tasteful side of things.
I've got a Biltwell Gringo S which is a lovely helmet. Completely devoid of any unnecessary adornment. 😊
Obviously it goes without saying, but the best helmet is the one that fits.
If you're anywhere near Cheltenham, then The Biker Company are a really brilliant shop. Similar to Urban Rider in many ways. Tasteful kit, lovely people.
See if there's a Sportsbikeshop near you to peruse. They don't just do sports bike stuff any more. There's gear for all riding genres with lots of gloves, helmets etc to try on.
Adventure helmets can have good vision and the flip down sun glasses thing is useful. The MTB-style peak might look good but doing 70 with one for distance can be hard on the neck and traps. They are removable though, so don't let that put you off getting an adventure style lid.
the flip down sun glasses thing is useful
+1
I got a nitro flip front helmet from J&S - its got an integral flip down tinted sunscreen / glasses thingy. Its OK but one thing to note is it has less EPS than a conventional full face. YOu get what you pay for and this is cheapo
https://jsaccessories.co.uk/product/nitro-f441-helmet-uno-white-65073
