Mid-Life-Crisis (Motorbike purchase)

Bad luck mate, but sounds like its mainly your pride hurt.

You will gain confidence as you get more miles under your belt. Next time you will just push on the bar and lean the bike a little bit more. Its actually quite surprising the amount of grip you have in the wet if you are not abusing the throttle 🙂

Don’t be hard on yourself, this stuff happens.

Glad you and the bike came off (relatively) OK.

It happens to all of us.

I’ve have had three drops now in 18 months- 2 whilst manual handling, and once under power.

And in one of the manual handling ones, I had to be assisted by a pedestrian as the bike fell on top of me whilst paddling it out of the traffic after I stalled.

I dropped mine at Slow Control Workshop last month.

Perfectly illustrating why I needed to attend a slow control workshop.

And as Bazzer says, confidence will come. For most mortals there is always much more grip than you would realise. Someone pointed out to me, that your contact patch on a corner actually increases compared to a straight line.

I absolutely expected it to happen at some point, and I’m not hurt in the slightest, but thanks all for the kind words.

I am definitely struggling with faith in the tyres – I’ve really not pushed them yet, so I really have no feel for the amount of grip I’ve got. All in time, I suppose.

This time of year the roads are awful. So it’s just a case of being aware and riding to conditions. You must keep concentrating and thinking about every bend etc. And dont be embarrassed about riding what you may consider to be slow if you’re unsure.

At least you’re ok. Come the summer you’ll be laughing as if you can ride in this you can ride in anything.

I found it took a roadtrip in good conditions to really get used to tyre levels of grip and general better road awareness. Even if it was just a long weekend you’d probably learn a lot covering 150 odd miles a day.

Those dukes do have fairly small tyres though and its not the first time I’ve heard of a few 390 duke riders finding it hard to find the balance in the wet.

Just remember your bike can only do one thing well and unless their is an obstictly on the road or a car coming towards you then letting it go wide and off the road should be the last resort.

When you find yourself freezing up. Look where you know you need to go – breathe out, keep your eyes tracking round and push away on your inside bar. You wont be the first or the last to mess up corners or road conditions.. I’ve had plenty of moments too.

I dont ride in the middle of my lane unless I have to. thats where all the shit is.. so setup in good time for corners whilst still learning the ropes.

Oh and try riding so smoothly you barely if at all touch your brake.

I am definitely struggling with faith in the tyres – I’ve really not pushed them yet, so I really have no feel for the amount of grip I’ve got. All in time, I suppose.

Same here! On my 125, I’d happily negotiate corners with confidence in both wet and dry conditions. On my big bike (2018 MT-07) I’d doddering around in the wet like it’s my first time on 2 wheels, lol! And roundabouts – jeez! I just don’t trust it yet although the grip will be so much better than the 125.

I’m just waiting for some dry weather so I can really get a feel for the bike. And there’s some great advice on here, thanks all for passing on your tips – it makes good reading and much appreciated.

I had a wee accident on eBay last weekend. Picking this up on Sunday.
Super modern by my standards 🙂

Any recommendations while we’re here for modified bike insurance?

2019-02-07_07-29-21

That looks very tastefully done

Any recommendations while we’re here for modified bike insurance?

Same question here for when I finish this

Untitled by eastham_david[/url], on Flickr

Untitled by eastham_david[/url], on Flickr

Untitled by eastham_david[/url], on Flickr

That looks mint Vortexracing. You could eat your dinner off that carb. 😄

Where’s your downtube gone?

It will be back on when the frame (and the downtube thingy) have been powder coated

Is it normal to want loads of bikes? Although I’m completely happy with my MT-07, every time I go past a bike shop I’m looking at the bikes on display thinking “I want that….and that one…and maybe that!”.

Please make it stop! Not 🙂

Glenn I doubt there is a bike I haven’t wanted 😬. I’ve been pondering the next bike for a while now. Ducati monster 821, BMW rninet, new Honda cb650 all contenders but then I think I’d maybe like to have a sportsbike even if only for a while. And I’m partial to the Africa twin too. Then again maybe some older bikes and try out a few, wouldn’t lose too much money. As so it goes and round again.

16stonepig – if you have no confidence in the tyres try a different set when they’re due for changing. You’ll be surprised how different a bike feels with different tyres. I had a set of metzeler racetec on my bike from new (bmw s1000rr), they were slow to turn, felt heavy at slow speeds, rubbish in anything but baking hot conditions. I dropped my bike doing a u-turn outside the doctors as a result! Swapped em for a set of metzeler sportec and it was like a different bike, much easier to paddle round, turned lovely, confidence inspiring in all conditions. Don’t just think you need to stick with the original make.

Glen, in a 9 year period I owned 40+ motorbikes. All used all ridden, most tracked. I only wanted an R1, it all then went a bit nuts.

@YoKaiser @weeksy – Cool, that’s good to know 🙂

I’m still holding on to my 125 just in case… 😉

But I do fancy a 250ish trials bike type thing.

Loving it big style!

At the risk of sounding a bit of a saddo, that carb in Vortexracing’s post is bloody lovely. I do miss carbs.

Re: going into a corner too fast – force yourself to look where you want to go (i.e. the corner exit), really focus hard on it, and get used to using counter steering intuitively. I’ve been riding since 1981 but still get the odd corner wrong; looking intently where I want to go and giving the inside bar a good shove has always got me out of trouble. It really does work.

Nice few hours out on the bike for me today, still learning the ropes but feels like I’m making progress and starting to feel comfortable on the bike.

I was behind a learner on a scooter who very nearly went off the road – 30 zone, slight right bend and rode into the kerb but somehow managed to keep upright. He/she must have been distracted by something and did well not to fall off – it could have been quite nasty as there was a bus stop on the pavement.

I passed my CBT last weekend and had my first ‘proper’ lesson this weekend. Straight onto a 650 and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so nice to ride.

The stuff we went over for the MOD1 was pretty straightforward but so much to take in for the MOD2! The two hours we did on the road left me exhausted

Vortexracing, that is pure pornography

Re: going into a corner too fast – force yourself to look where you want to go (i.e. the corner exit), really focus hard on it, and get used to using counter steering intuitively. I’ve been riding since 1981 but still get the odd corner wrong; looking intently where I want to go and giving the inside bar a good shove has always got me out of trouble. It really does work.

Yep – Did about 150 miles this weekend riding down to a mate’s and back. I spent most of the time doing exactly that, and it did wonders for my confidence. It’s funny – I know the theory from my mtb, but that lack of experience on the motorbike just makes me tense up and forget it all unless I consciously work at it. It’s coming together though.

The stuff we went over for the MOD1 was pretty straightforward but so much to take in for the MOD2! The two hours we did on the road left me exhausted

Quite. Having to hold all that in your head, and process it all consciously (because you don’t yet have the experience to do it by instinct) is thoroughly knackering.

Incidentally, I got myself a Garmin Zumo for navigating and used the “Adventurous” routing option. It was great. Kept me on quiet twisty roads all the way.

Quite. Having to hold all that in your head, and process it all consciously (because you don’t yet have the experience to do it by instinct) is thoroughly knackering.

Agreed – I was out for a few hours a couple of weeks back and was knackered when I got home. And a few lapses in concentration, such as trying to perform a hill start in neutral!

Once you have a CBT you could always hire a 125 for a weekend and get some miles in for practice. A mate of mine did that. I went out with him, was quite interesting going out for a ride with someone on a 125 🙂

I had my second MOD1 lesson yesterday, 1.5hours of emergency stops and swerving, went fine, the swerve is easier than I thought it would be, the other pupil managed to grab a bit too much front brake on the emergency stop and drop the bike, but it’s all learning, and he picked himself up and got it right the next time.

The challenge I’m finding for MOD2 is getting used to being followed/given instructions, as I’ve been riding on CBTs for 6 years, so I can ride a bike already, I just find myself second guessing what I need to do/overthinking things and ballsing simple things up, which’ll get sorted with practice and stopping trying to ride the bike and just riding the bike.

Even I like the look of that Ducati Monster 821.

I would however kill myself dead within a week of owning one.

I admire you lot who ride bikes.

Vortexracing, that is pure pornography

Wait till it’s finished 😉

BTW it’s taken 4yrs to get to that stage so far 🙁

Picked my new machine up today. It’s extremely tidy for a 21 year old bike!

Very sorted build by a true enthusiast.

I have the printouts from the dyno session after he had it set up with the new air filters and exhaust.

How satisfying must this day at the office been?

Before

After

That first run looks a right mess, but that lower one looks a very nice curve.

Did you find anywhere/anyone to Insure it bedmaker?

Now that’s a proper flat spot bedmaker , a brammer!

First ride of the year yesterday. Good to get some bike time in. Slightly tarnished by a puncture in the rear tyre. Fortunately it happened when I got back, bloody stone(!) between the treads.

A couple more weeks in, and I’m feeling way more comfortable. It’s like the opposite of a vicious cycle:

1 – I feel more confident with the extra experience.
2 – I relax more.
3 – A relaxed posture on the bike makes control and cornering more natural.
4 – GOTO 1.

The warmer weather helps too – I can take some of the thermals off and not freeze to death.

How is everyone else getting on?

My duke 390 has been on commuter duty this week I think that’s the first February riding where I’ve not needed an oversuit.

Off to the folks next week where my Dad’s 400/4 will be getting some spanner time.

I had my MOD 1 cancelled by the DVSA as they cleaned the pad to remove moss, except that it didn’t work and now the pad is a horrible greasy mess. Rebooked for tomorrow, so hopefully it’ll go ahead.

MOD 2 practice is going fine, as I’ve been riding on L-plates for many years, so it’s a case or ironing out my bad habits and ensuring I don’t balls anything up…

I was out most of last weekend, racked up a fair few miles. And like you 16stonepig, the more I ride, the more confident I feel and the more relaxed I am. Still learning the ropes, but absolutely loving it.

Good luck in your MOD 1 sobriety.

Sounds daft, but after doing thousands of miles commuting it was only when I pitched up to a track day did I really feel confident on a bike. You’re in an environment where there are no cars and you can find the limit of what is and isn’t possible on a bike (or your limits anyway). I’m certainly no hero but my riding improved no end.

If you’re going to head down this route a) don’t use brands as your first one and b) don’t enter the intermediate group. Head to somewhere like Snetterton, get in the slow group and enjoy riding your bike to your limits. It doesn’t matter what you’re on either, there was a bloke on a 1200 bandit with crash bars and an ER6-N in the first one I did. I was on a newish Fireblade and was passed MANY times by blokes on 250’s and the like so it’s not about what you ride but how you ride it!

Been commuting on the 390 all through the winter so far. It’s not quite so confidence inspiring when there’s a frost in the morning. Still plodding along fine though. One thing I have found though – that ACF50 stuff that’s supposed to protect everything isn’t doing that good a job. I’m rinsing the bike every week, and washed & re-applied the ACF50 twice since November, but the crud is getting EVERYWHERE and it doesn’t come off that easily. Got to the point where my rear brake was binding due to the crap building up inside. Strip and clean and it’s okay again but the bike needs a lot more attention than I was giving it.

Off to test a 790 Duke in a couple of weeks so may well be px-ing the 390 if it’s as good as the reviews say…

Had to let my lovely 1982 GSX400F go this week. 😩

Untitled by kayak23[/url], on Flickr

Basically, while doing up the 400, . I accidentally bought a year 2k Gsx750, my van is starting to give in and I can feel a need for cash coming on so something has to give.

Sad to see it go. Loved riding it but to be fair, I could never get it to run 100% and now I’m self employed I just don’t have the time to be on the spanners so much.

Oh well. Suppose I’ll have to make do with just one motorcycle…

#thestruggleisreal

Its totally addictive. Writing off my Monster 821 with a tank slapper (thank god no injuries) has led to an MV Agusta Brutale 800RR and a Triumph Tiger XCX both been purchased!

Mrs BS has declared she wants a bike again and wants my ’08 Street Triple, so has authorised a test ride on a new 765 Street Triple RS for me at the weekend, happy days!

Got out for a few hours yesterday afternoon, and it was probably the first time i’d Ridden my bike in fully-dry conditions with the temperature above 10 degrees! After the front wheel slid out and the rear spun up On the slimy roads last week, it was blummin lovely to have a consistently grippy bike to ride!
Shame it’s looking a bit grim for the next week or so! I was just getting used to dry and warm😀

Flying Ox, give us some feedback on the 790 please, I’ll probably take one out soon (as well as a street triple R and a few others) I do quite like my older Kawasaki, but keep looking at stuff with abs and warranties and I think it’s only a matter of time…