Inevitable new bike thread

[The Spin Doctor]

and a bump on the inside.

I'll be honest... I wasn't quick enough to worry about a bump

[Taipan]

Racers love a brick wall. Check out Handley's

My first lap of the TT circuit (as a spectator of course) that particular corner scared the sh!t out of me.

Ballaugh Bridge would scare me after seeing Bob Price get it wrong there and smash into the building!

[Noggin]

Racers love a brick wall. Check out Handley's

My first lap of the TT circuit (as a spectator of course) that particular corner scared the sh!t out of me.

Ballaugh Bridge would scare me after seeing Bob Price get it wrong there and smash into the building!

I was somewhat surprised that the Blackbird went air-born at 30mph over Ballaugh Bridge And that was with me riding it

Worse, there was a copper stood on the bridge to make sure people went over it slowly!!! He hadn't waved me down or anything so I didn't realise just how steep/high/humpy it was!

Never went over it at more than 25 mph on the BB after that!!


BTW - I did land it just fine. I was as surprised as anyone

[Yorick]

Racers love a brick wall. Check out Handley's

My first lap of the TT circuit (as a spectator of course) that particular corner scared the sh!t out of me.

Ballaugh Bridge would scare me after seeing Bob Price get it wrong there and smash into the building!

Blimey. Did you really leave that London?

[The Spin Doctor]

I was somewhat surprised that the Blackbird went air-born at 30mph over Ballaugh Bridge And that was with me riding it

Worse, there was a copper stood on the bridge to make sure people went over it slowly!!! He hadn't waved me down or anything so I didn't realise just how steep/high/humpy it was!

Never went over it at more than 25 mph on the BB after that!!


BTW - I did land it just fine. I was as surprised as anyone

I hit it at about 40 on the XBR... I've never jumped a bike so high and there's a little bridge on a lane round the back of Staplehurst in Kent that was great for a launchpad.

Got a huge cheer from the crowd outside the pub!

Mind you, I too was a bit slower myself next lap!

[The Spin Doctor]

Ballaugh Bridge would scare me after seeing Bob Price get it wrong there and smash into the building!

It wasn't so worrying as I knew it was coming. The fast but deceptive corners are the worst IMO.

[The Spin Doctor]

My first lap of the TT circuit (as a spectator of course) that particular corner scared the sh!t out of me.

Ballaugh Bridge would scare me after seeing Bob Price get it wrong there and smash into the building!

Blimey. Did you really leave that London?

It has been known. I lived in Kent from 90 to 2015

[mangocrazy]

The other one that made me wince was Hillberry.

I once sat on the bank there in 91. Foggy and Hizzy came through flat stick in practice on the mighty RVF Hondas. Scaaaary.

Never spectated at Hillberry, but I have at Cronk ny Mona, the next corner along. When Hizzy broke the 120 mph lap from a standing start in 1989 he was dragging the exhaust all the way through there...

[Noggin]

I was somewhat surprised that the Blackbird went air-born at 30mph over Ballaugh Bridge And that was with me riding it

Worse, there was a copper stood on the bridge to make sure people went over it slowly!!! He hadn't waved me down or anything so I didn't realise just how steep/high/humpy it was!

Never went over it at more than 25 mph on the BB after that!!


BTW - I did land it just fine. I was as surprised as anyone

I hit it at about 40 on the XBR... I've never jumped a bike so high and there's a little bridge on a lane round the back of Staplehurst in Kent that was great for a launchpad.

Got a huge cheer from the crowd outside the pub!

Mind you, I too was a bit slower myself next lap!

For me it was my first lap of the course, ever! And was out there on my own, so riding alone too!! Made for an interesting day!

[Potter]

He's carrying on as if it never happened now, which is good.

But one thing I don't like about this KTM is he can connect his phone via bluetooth and listen to music through his apple ear pods, changing the songs with the controls on the handlebars, or have a phone conversation as he's riding. I think as a new rider he should be listening to what is going on around him, not music, but maybe I'm just an old bloke that hasn't moved with the times.

[weeksy]

He's carrying on as if it never happened now, which is good.

But one thing I don't like about this KTM is he can connect his phone via bluetooth and listen to music through his apple ear pods, changing the songs with the controls on the handlebars, or have a phone conversation as he's riding. I think as a new rider he should be listening to what is going on around him, not music, but maybe I'm just an old bloke that hasn't moved with the times.

I'm inclined to agree completely with you, i've never been a fan of the music thing on motorbikes. Especially when it involved the switchgear as you say. Tricky used to love it though on his 390 also. You can easily get it turned off by the dealer.

[Potter]

He's his own man now, I can't really have it turned off, but I'm not really over the moon about it.

[Potter]

He's still doing well and enjoying his bike, it seems to have changed him a bit. A motorbike isn't just a motorbike when you're that age and especially if it's your first taste of the type of freedom and choices that having your own transport gives you. The kids over here tend to be different from the kids in the UK, just because of the lifestyle, they tend not to go off and disappear to explore stuff like we did as kids and they stick close to home or get cabs to the mall to hang out.
I think this keeps them kids for longer.

But now he's almost in the real world, he's got his own transport, has to make decisions that involve risk and danger, and I think having that freedom and the responsibility that comes with it has made him grow up a bit. I suppose it happens in the UK as well really, I remember getting my first bike and it opened up a whole new world where I had a different kind of freedom to move around.
His teachers said that since he got his bike his school work has improved and he's a lot more mature, so that's a good thing.

He's got a very laid back style of riding (for an ex-motocross racer) and he gently pulls away from the lights and builds up speed in his own time, which means over here he's usually got a Porsche/Ferrari or a taxi in a hurry about a foot off his rear wheel until he's up to speed and skirting the speed limit. It's a traffic light GP at EVERY traffic light, if you hesitate for literally half a second you have someone peeping behind you, in fact as soon as the light turns to green everyone peeps to make you hurry up. If you've ever been to a busy city where that is the common practise you'll know what I mean.

He's like me in that speed doesn't really thrill him and he rides around very leisurely, which is fine on empty roads but in the traffic here you need to be fast, so I told him to basically do race starts from any standing start in traffic until he's up to the speed limit. So we went out to the desert to practice.

[weeksy]

Are there places/adventures to be had in the same way as the UK ? e.g we'd do trips to the seasside, to places in North Wales etc.. but i don't know if you have that sort of thing there.

[Potter]

Are there places/adventures to be had in the same way as the UK ? e.g we'd do trips to the seasside, to places in North Wales etc.. but i don't know if you have that sort of thing there.

Yeah there is all that, trips to the seaside are easy, as are trips to Oman or just the other side of the UAE for that coastline, some of the coast roads are spectacular. Then there are mountain roads at an elevation of double the highest point in the UK and with roads to rival any European mountain pass. There is one famous one called Jebel Hafeet where you go from sea level to about 1,200m on race track grade twisties, and another one the same to about 2,000m with epic views.

It's just too hot during summer to spend long on the bike. Once winter kicks in I'll take him up to the mountain roads and maybe a weekend trip to camp on the beach up north in Oman.

[Bigyin]

I was riding up Bethnal Green road in light traffic - loads of market stalls closing for the day. A couple of Side roads people often turn into.

A small car I was following behind had its right-hand indicator on there was great temptation to pass on the inside where there was room as he,d moved over to make a turn , however I didn't and 3 seconds later the car pulled over to the left and parked.
It's just my massive suspicion and complete mistrust of other drivers in London where I do the majority of my riding.

All a flashing indicator tells you is that the bulb is working

[lostboy]

I was riding up Bethnal Green road in light traffic - loads of market stalls closing for the day. A couple of Side roads people often turn into.

A small car I was following behind had its right-hand indicator on there was great temptation to pass on the inside where there was room as he,d moved over to make a turn , however I didn't and 3 seconds later the car pulled over to the left and parked.
It's just my massive suspicion and complete mistrust of other drivers in London where I do the majority of my riding.

All a flashing indicator tells you is that the bulb is working

There are a few car (and bike) manufacturers that must have the most unreliable supply chain for bulbs ever because they NEVER work!