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Post by Dragon on Aug 13, 2023 21:42:01 GMT 1
The trouble with any motorbike is this; You cannot take it (money) with you when you go, so a motorbike is a good way of blowing that money, but the reason you "go" may well be down to the motorbike in the first place.... The trouble is, it's they only thing that makes me switch off, mainly because I'm concentrating so much to make sure that everyone else is not trying to kill me
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Post by OldGit on Aug 13, 2023 22:02:36 GMT 1
That's the reason I gave up with two wheels and swung the pendulum the other way - Landrovers. I saw too many mates wiped out and buried or left with unrecoverable injuries, my last bike was a RD500 LC
I don't think things have improved - either car drivers 'awareness' or bikers skill, there's a lot out there that have bought a bike as a lockdown/mid-life crisis purchase with no prior experience, so effectively no more idea than the kid cutting through traffic on his derestricted 50cc...
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remmington
Apprentice
Owns Spark Eroder
Posts: 4,974
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Post by remmington on Aug 13, 2023 22:24:44 GMT 1
That's the reason I gave up with two wheels and swung the pendulum the other way - Landrovers. I saw too many mates wiped out and buried or left with unrecoverable injuries, my last bike was a RD500 LC I don't think things have improved - either car drivers 'awareness' or bikers skill, there's a lot out there that have bought a bike as a lockdown/mid-life crisis purchase with no prior experience, so effectively no more idea than the kid cutting through traffic on his derestricted 50cc...
RD500LC - mid 80's V4 stroker - Kenny Roberts era. Cool bike... No one is worse for filtering thru traffic than me on a small bike - if local town is at standstill and it often is - I feel I have failed if I have to stop and put my foot down. Just keeping rolling slow like a snail - up the inside - and the outside in the middle of two rows of stationary cars - to the front of every queue at traffic lights. I know a lot of middle aged chaps that have bought into huge powerful bikes of late - paintsprayer who has the workshop opposite my premises - has had a selection of the fastest bikes going. I have taken a few of them out for ride/roadtest when I have done little jobs on them - I not keen at all on riding these hyperspeed - road race replicas... He also got the "animal" - road legal Honda CR500 - this eats riders like it eats pistons and barrels. Everybody who has ever been on it - been able to kick start it and get it going - has fell off it...
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Post by OldGit on Aug 13, 2023 22:39:02 GMT 1
'Filtering' isn't the problem, it's the young snots that bounce up kerbs and (pointlessly) rev the hair dryer with an illegal exhaust on to bully drivers to move, then sit over the junction - or more likely, wait for a gap, even though the lights for them are red, then cut across several lanes... The MLC riders are generally OK with traffic etiquette, it's just hazard prediction and avoidance they're rubbish at - that and the big gut raising the CoG to somewhere over their head...
It used to be that older bikers had experience from their teens, now they tend to have 2-3 years at best.
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remmington
Apprentice
Owns Spark Eroder
Posts: 4,974
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Post by remmington on Aug 13, 2023 22:48:48 GMT 1
'Filtering' isn't the problem, it's the young snots that bounce up kerbs and (pointlessly) rev the hair dryer with an illegal exhaust on to bully drivers to move, then sit over the junction - or more likely, wait for a gap, even though the lights for them are red, then cut across several lanes... The MLC riders are generally OK with traffic etiquette, it's just hazard prediction and avoidance they're rubbish at - that and the big gut raising the CoG to somewhere over their head... It used to be that older bikers had experience from their teens, now they tend to have 2-3 years at best.
I never been off on the road - "kissed tarmac" - forty years of commuting to work. Mostly 1 to 3 mile journeys - summer and winter. I been lucky... I've dropped one big bike on top of myself moving it about in my garage. It's off road - I been off and battered and bruised myself - playing on fields and pits with motorcrossers and off road bikes. Jumping things - I hit a tree hard once on an XR400 in the woods. My son had a scooter when he was 16/17 - but grandsons not interested at all - oldest one 18 now - he just waited till he was 17 and got a car. -------- Best year of my life aged 16 - fast moped - job - money in my pocket - independance - discovered beer - got a girlfriend - was "out and about" everywhere... They all at college now - playing with their phones - they are not having half the fun I did as a teenager...
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Post by valhalla on Aug 14, 2023 0:17:53 GMT 1
Best year of my life aged 16 - fast moped - job - money in my pocket - independance - discovered beer - got a girlfriend - was "out and about" everywhere... They all at college now - playing with their phones - they are not having half the fun I did as a teenager... Made me laugh - I think 16-years was a turning-point for me as well, although I wasn't allowed a motorised bike - I had to be content with my pedal-cycle. To be frank, it wasn't so bad; I used to be in a cycle-racing club, so other than stripping the Shimano chainsets every few weeks, and snapping chains each week, I had the edge over the guys on the mopeds......
Made me remember this;
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