Mid-Life-Crisis (Motorbike purchase)

Guess what’s now sat in my garage?

Didn’t happen without Piccies 😉

Oh go on then 😉

Not quite in the garage, it needs a going over with scotchbrite/wire wool to clear back some of the surface rust, but it’s only cosmetic.

nnniiiccee 🙂

Saw a Norton Dominator on the way home from work in my car the other day… well, I heard it first.

OMG.

ta11pau1

… well, I heard it first….

That’ll be the big ends…

Oh, there’s a new one?

That Triumph is fab. £1000? Bargain! They are fast and comfy.

That’ll be the big ends…

Oh, there’s a new one?

Yeah was one of the new ones, was on an 18 or 19 plate.

I’m 99% sure it was one of these https://www.teasdale-motorcycles.co.uk/shop/new-motorcycles/norton-dominator/ but with the race pipes as in the video, sounded exactly the same.

Where did you see the Norton Ta11pau1?

My mate has a Dominator Naked. It’s a very pretty and noisy thing.

We were out today but he didn’t have his Norton as it’s too uncomfortable for anything more than an hour.

Those are amazing, the sound of it, one of my first purchases after a lottery win.

It was coming off the A229 at Maidstone (bluebell hill) onto the M20, coast-bound. At about 6pm either thursday or friday.

Ah ok, wasn’t him. But still a nice thing to see one actually being used and not just being parked up and looked at.

My mates is one of the last Domi Nakeds they made, full Ohlins suspension, megaphone exhausts, polished tank and carbon fibre parts, all alloy parts polished aswell. Has had a few “teething” problems with it but seems to be running ok for now.

I think the Norton Dominator is the best looking bike you can buy new at the moment.

Back last night from a weekend riding in Wales, 6deg in Llanberis, thank god for heated clothing 🙂

Great little warmup for Pyrenees trip in May.

Congrats 🙂

It was my MOD 2 on Tuesday. It pissed it down the whole time. It was all going tickety-boo until approaching a give way junction I was asked to turn left. I had good visibility of the road so just slowed, kicked down the gears and went to pull out. However, instead of selecting first as I though, I’d managed to get neutral (this, on a bike that selecting neutral is very hard). Went to pull out, realised my mistake, had a wobble, put my foot down. Instant fail! A real shame as I only had one minor.

The most annoying thing of all (apart form the massive damage to my pride) was phoning SMC in Sheffield to tell them I wouldn’t be picking up my new Duke 790 that afternoon after all…

So, following on from a cancelled first MOD 2 and a failed second MOD 2, I’m pleased to say I passed on Thursday morning. 2 minors – stalled pulling away from one of the many “pull over on the left when it’s safe to do so” and accidentally beeping the horn in the kerfuffle getting started and pulling away safely…

Anyway, with a smile plastered all over my face, I headed over Snake Pass to Sheffield Motorcycle Centre in the afternoon to pick up my new Duke 790. Happy bunny!

Well done! And nice bike, mine is still waiting on the bits I ordered to give it a routine service before I go out on it again.

I was out on the Aprilia over the weekend, and 2-1 lane merges are so much easier on a 955cc four stroke than a on a 125cc two stroke!

I have one just like that but orange…

Congratulations

https://www.ktmforums.com/forums/

https://www.ktmforum.co.uk/forum.php

https://www.790dukeforum.com/

Nice one. remember its now that you actually start to learn to ride., If I were doing it again I would get a post test lesson in motorways and cornering and stuff

If I were doing it again I would get a post test lesson in motorways and cornering and stuff

I’d book Donington GP 🙂

Nice one. remember its now that you actually start to learn to ride., If I were doing it again I would get a post test lesson in motorways and cornering and stuff

I’m back into riding after about 20 years. I got myself a 650 v Strom. I had a few refresher lessons before I started looking properly so I could test ride with confidence. So glad I did. I would also consider so e advanced riding lessons now. Money well spent.

@Furious Well done and that’s a lovely bike 🙂

I had great fun over the Easter holidays – lots of biking and in general, things are progressing quite well for me – the occasional wobbly moment but that’s to be expected. Taking things very steady but gradually trying to lose the “driving a car” mentality while keeping things very safe.

Out of interest (and may be of use to me in the future if I decide to try and get an A2 licence) why is putting a foot down an instant fail? Is it not the same as putting a foot down when you come to a stop sign or a Give Way when there’s traffic coming?

It’s putting a foot down to catch the bike following a loss of control. It’s not putting a foot down when stopping for junctions, etc.

By loss of control, this might be stopping rather quickly while turning and the bike leaning, missing a gear unexpectedly and the bike slowing resulting in a stop. Basically, if you hinder traffic if any way, that’s not a good thing to do. You need to control the bike at all times, rather than the bike controlling you.

OK, understand that, noted…. thanks 🙂

Nah probs – it’s all part of the learning process (and beyond as I’m finding….).

Lots of peeps on here can offer better advice than I can (passed MOD 2 last year so still very much new to all this but happy to pass on any knowledge).

Out of interest (and may be of use to me in the future if I decide to try and get an A2 licence) why is putting a foot down an instant fail? Is it not the same as putting a foot down when you come to a stop sign or a Give Way when there’s traffic coming?

It’s putting a foot down to catch the bike following a loss of control. It’s not putting a foot down when stopping for junctions, etc.

By loss of control, this might be stopping rather quickly while turning and the bike leaning, missing a gear unexpectedly and the bike slowing resulting in a stop. Basically, if you hinder traffic if any way, that’s not a good thing to do. You need to control the bike at all times, rather than the bike controlling you.

Yep, GQ hit the nail on the head. I was already rolling out of the junction so I wasn’t in full control of the bike. A foot down during a maneuver is a fail on MOD1 and MOD2. Seems harsh on the surface but understandable in context.

Super excited, after 6 months of loving my Duke 390 the time has come to say farewell. New bike Friday has arrived!

Pictures or it didn’t happen @Bianchi-Boy 🙂

Just back from a soggy five day Almeria Euro track trip. The rain in Spain does not just fall on the plain 🙁 While you guys had the best weather for ages.

Morning all… New bike Saturday for me last week.

Nice Tootallpaul! 👌👊

That’s a nice looking motorcycle.

Proof that it did indeed happen!

Nice. I had a matt grey Street Triple R, such a fun bike

Good thread now 🙂

Tootall, XSR700 or 900 ?

Bianchi, shiny Striple 🙂

MY 790.
2019-04-25_03-16-32 by Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr

Also my ZX6R
2019-03-21_04-27-26 by Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr

XSR900 – Traded in my Tracer 700 for her.

Just passed my test* and picked this up and heading to Donington park for a trackday Monday

Untitled by Tony H[/url], on Flickr

*Not really

I picked my Triple up on Friday morning, went for a little ride around on the way home and then parked it in the garage. It has not stopped raining since!

Nice bike Bianchi Boy,here’s mine

The Street triple forum is a good source of knowledge on all things STR

Got out yesterday with the intention of doing the Northumbria blood bikes 360 challenge. Did the first hundred miles down to Teesside and headed back up to Corbridge via Eggleston. On the moors south of Stanhope a mate got a puncture. Cue 4 hours of misery while we pillioned into Stanhope to get signal and waited for the RAC in the smegging rain. Normally I always carry a plug kit and a tarp. But not today. Pooh!

Just back from completing my CBT at the ripe old age of 55!

Slightly nervous beforehand but had a great time.
I was thinking if buying the new Honda Monkey just for pottering around on – and I still might – but the instructor gave me a go on his Honda CB500X which was a bit of an eye opener!
Plenty to think about now 🙂

Glad you enjoyed it, I felt the same when I completed my CBT 🙂

Do you go the 125 route? Hmmm. I did, had mine for about a year before going for the bigger bike licence.

Looking back with hindsight, was it the correct thing? Not sure, probably not. Bigger bikes are no harder to ride so just go for it (but I did quite enjoy my time on the 125!).

I went out this evening for a quick blast on my MT-07 and wouldn’t want anything smaller… 😉

Well, this morning was interesting. My commute takes me up a 50-limit single-carriageway. It’s wide and straight with good sightlines. This morning, I was riding along there at around 60 (I know, tsk), when about 500m up the road an oncoming white crew van with a yellow light is moving into the right-turn refuge. I look at him. He stops. I get closer. He continues to be stopped. I carry on. He turns. At this point I am less than 100m away from him.

I seem to remember people saying things like “swerve, don’t stop”, so I try and aim behind where I think he’ll be when I get there. Yet now, finally, he sees me and slams his brakes on. Now I am aiming straight at the passenger door. I have to swerve the other way. In the end, I miss him by what feels like inches. All the time I have been avoiding slamming on the brakes because I don’t want to lock up and go in a straight line, so I am still doing about 45 (I’d guess). The whole thing happened in about 2 seconds.

The weird thing is, I saw him ages (ok, maybe 10 seconds, I wasn’t counting) before the “incident”, and something in my head told me “Watch him. Keep watching him very carefully.” and I did.

Now I need to go have a little sick.

BTW, congrats on all the passes recently! It’s not all like this, a lot of it is great fun!