UK Bike Forum / UK Bike Forum / New to Biking?

Situation Change - What Bike to Purchase

Johnty — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:55:08 GMT

Hi all,

It is a while since I posted as I got sent away with work and never fulfilled my intent to purchase a bike.

Now I require advise on what bike to purchase.

The bike will be used to get me from London to Manchester on a Friday and return on a Sunday. So bearing in mind the roads (mostly motorway) and mileage and my virtually nil experience of riding, it would be appreciated if you experienced riders can give me some advice on the bike to purchase.

My Budget maximum would be £3k.

An additional question Id like an answer to is, is there a bike that could do the journey non stop i.e without refueling, the mileage is just short of 200 miles. Following on from that, is it wise to do a journey of that distance on those roads non stop or is a stop recommended.

Grateful for your input.

Regards Johnty

New To Biking, Newbies Guide from a Newbie

Trick3003 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:09:08 GMT

Hello All,

Like i said in another topic, i'm looking to write up a summary of my biking experience so far, including information that i have found useful, things i have figured out for myself etc etc.

Ive got some ideas already, but would like some ideas of topics, presentation and so on from yourselves.

Thanks

Rich

A hello... and a question.

Roop — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:22:29 GMT

Hi!

My name's Roop, I'm 26 and live near Winchester. I feel like I'm probably a bit old to be just starting to get into biking, so apologies for being an old fart! I'm rather ashamed to admit that I'm primarily interested in getting a bike because I've found commuting the 12 miles to work in my knackered old BMW 525 is costing me a lot more in fuel than I'd like it to be. To remedy this, I bought a Honda Vision 50cc scooter which was a great deal cheaper to run, but is horrendously crap and riding it on the mainly fast "A" road route to work feels unwise... consequently, I'm in the process of doing my CBT (well, I've booked it anyway) and I'm looking for a sub-125cc geared bike that will be able to hustle me along at a more sensible speed.

Now for my question: Why is there such a difference in the relative prices of a used cars and used bikes? How come I can buy a knackered, but still road legal old car from about £200 (or less if scrap value suddenly plummets) but even old bikes which have been declared SORN, have no MOT and may not even run tend to go for £300+?

I'm not really complaining, because I stand to save at least a four figure sum by switching to a bike, but I'm curious. Thanks!

Well Hello there!

Acidburn — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:37:18 GMT

Hey all I'm Joe I'm 17 and i live in Swansea in Wales!
I actually registered on here about a year ago but havn't really been on...but i thought it might be time for me to actually introduce myself XD

Currently my bike is a 2006 Honda CBR RS-6 (repsol colours =D) although for some reason on the website it won't let me change my bike from the Derbi Predator 50cc i have...anyone want a scooter by the way? looking for about £400 for it...
Surprisingly since ive had my CBR ive had quite a problem with it which was the gears meshing...which required me to get a new engine...got one off ebay for £93 and was quite happy, i took it to a mechanic we know and he fitted it, i drove it to within a mile of my house and it cut out!

We took it back to this mechanic and after about 4 weeks of trial and error, plus alot of testing up and down the road outside his workshop...after replacing the carb with the one off the old engine it seems to be working now! *touches wood*

Anyone else had an experience at all similar to this with this bike or is it just me? XD

I'm Quite Miffed

Trick3003 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:33:53 GMT

Didn't see a thing that covered the UKBike website so i'll post it here if no one minds....

I wrote a nice long review for my SR, but it looks like it didnt get into the review listings! Am I not worthy?

Or does it take a while to be put on there?

Should I Stay (on the bus) or Should I Go Now (on my bike)?

Trick3003 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:15:08 GMT

Hello,

I was wanting you sage like opinions of wether or not i should ride to work on monday.

I got my bike saturday gone, and have been riding round my quiet sub urban area getting the hang of gears (didnt quite manage it in a day on my CBT having never ridden/driven anything with gears).

Pootling round my area i have felt fairly safe in Jeans, Sturdy walking boots, a thick coat and my helmet.

Ive not had any distasters yet, only mildly embaressing situations like stalling when pulling out of a junction etc..

Would you say its safe to ride to work? Its a trek from Oakwood, to Leeds city centre, daylight on the trip to work, night time on the way home. Bearing in mind i haven't got a armoured jacket? I do have a High Vis vest though for the night time.

Rich

My first biking experiance

Binny — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:40:53 GMT

Hello all forum goers,

To tie in with my new blogs I thought it would be nice to hear about all of your first biking experiances, weather you are a new biker, or been biking for years, share you memoirs here.

It will also help me not feel so silly when I cant do simple things on a bike! My personal trait is having difficulties getting into neutral first time!

I think this will help us learners by hearing about issues that experianced bikers had, or have still. Especially with questions!!

Look forward to hearing them all!

Here is a link to my first blog in caes anyone wants to have a read! http://ukbikecom.blogspot.com/2009/01/1-before-even-getting-on-bike.html

I got a bike

KH_2008 — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:19:35 GMT

Well i managed to get myself a moped! It's not exactly what i wanted (pretty far from it actually!) but money was a bit tight and i was desperate to get one so when it came up locally i thought i might as well buy it. It's a 1999 gilera runner and cost me £350. It isn't in great condition, has a lot of sc****s and several of the body panels are loose to its obviously been dropped a few times. Also the exhaust has a lovely big hole in it which has been temporarily fixed. But otherwise its fine, runs OK and everything, i've been out on it a couple of times. So now i'm just waiting till i can pay for insurance!

Will post a pic when i get the digital camera workin

Bike or Trike?

randomgirly — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:04:44 GMT

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and pretty new to the world of motorbikes. I have passed my CBT and want to get a 125cc bike, the only problem is my mother is dead against it. I am 21 and I know her opinion should not sway me too much but it has given me a guilty conscience. I was just wondering if anyone knew if I needed a different licence to drive a Trike or can I do it on a car licence. I thought a trike might put my mothers mind at ease a little before getting a bike.

What do you think, bike or trike?

Random

I got my provisional!

Trick3003 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:14 GMT

Hi Guys, i got my provisional through the other day! about time too at the age of 20! However they have cut off part of my face, ie the picture is not centred.

Anyone else had any sub standard dealings with the DVLA?

Well....

KH_2008 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:08:54 GMT

...i did my CBT today. And what a day it was. I admit that having never ridden a bike before i was absolutely terrified! I did ok in the on site training although i struggled with making turns and kept crashing into the cones oh yeah and i was absolutely shit at u-turns. I felt very lacking in confidence and didn't really want to go out on the road but i did in the end. I then proceeded to make TONS of mistakes, including forgetting to indicate, forgetting to stop indicating, going through traffic lights as they were changing, forgetting to check my mirrors/blind spot...and coming out of a junction without looking and nearly crashing into a van. That completely freaked me out. I swear i will be absolutely paranoid about junctions for the rest of my life now.

I'm sure these are all piddling little things to you guys who have been riding for years and know exactly what they're doing...but for me as a 16 year old on the road for the first time it was all scary as hell...i got my CBT certificate but hell i'm not sure i want a bike now it all went so bad.

So yeah that was my day! I don't know anyone who owns a bike so i don't know how common the mistakes i made were. I'm just not sure i have the confidence to get my own bike now. Some reassurance would be nice

Trackday/ vs MotoGp

RACECAMP — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:38:38 GMT

You want to watch the First official Motogp test in januar? then take out your own bike at the Sepang Circuit for 5 days ?

Full package, Plane, shipping from UK, hotel, meals, etc

Go to www.racecamp.no for contact

Oh dear, i've seen so many i like

Trick3003 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:50:19 GMT

Right, i have a problem.

A few days back i posted regarding the CG-125. It seems to be a great bike, but no the best looking. So i went onto ebay and searched for different Manufacturers 125 cc bikes, and now i have a few to choose from, which is a bad thing!

I have read the reviews for the various bike i looked at, and they all seem to say the same thing! so i need your input please:

Honda CG 125 - Older bikes area bit ugly, newer models are nice, but are usually out of my price range. However this is said to be the most reliable and learner friendly bike out there.

Suzuki GS 125 - To be honest, this bike it very ugly (well i think anyway) it is very boxy, but then the reviews all said that like the CG, it is very reliable and learner friendly.

Suzuki RV 125 - This is a very good looking bike, but for one that isnt covered in rust, or needs things fixing they seem to be a bit pricey. Are they easily fixable? The reviews said this was another great bike for leaners.

Suzuki GZ Marauder 125- This is probably the bike i would go for based on looks alone, its a mean looking 125. The reviews said it was great, but took a while to get used to cornering. Any ideas on how easy they are to maintain? Reliabilty?

Honda VT Shadow - I am yet to see one in my price range, but they are gorgeous!

Open to all suggestions and comments, im trying to build a bigger picture for each so i can decide (once January comes around) which one to purchase.

Thanks

Rich

Well met friend, I am Richard. Let me tell you a story....

Trick3003 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:45:01 GMT

Hi all,

im afraid i've been rude enough to not introduce myself. Seeing as you lot have already answered my questions, and i'm sure there will be more in the future i might as well let you know a bit about me!

I'm originally from Colchester, UK, affectionatly known as daarnn saarf (attempt at writing in a essex boy accent)! I moved to leeds just after turning 18 (mostly to get away from my family) with my partner Ali (short for Allanah). Me and the Mrs (her new name!) both got steady jobs and a flat and live quite comfortably.

Neither of us drive which is why we are getting motorbikes! It is apparent that riding a bike is much cheaper, more fun and just damn cooler than a car! I first got the bug when i was about 7, i got the back of my friends big brothers scrambler (not helmet or anything) and got a quick tour of a field. Since then i have allways wanted a bike, but have either not had the money, or wanted to spend it else where! Hopefully i'll be taking my CBT december ish (bit cold buy oh well), and be buying my bike in january along with moving into a house!

At the ripe old age of 20 i got married (1 month ago in fact).

Also i'm a giant geek! I play the Xbox 360, PC, Tabletop war games and like geeky stuff like gadgets!

Look forward many more postings!

Btw from what i can tell its a very small community on here 6 of you?

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Honda CG125

Trick3003 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:51:40 GMT

Hi all!

hopefully you lot can help me. I'm looking to start biking before the end of the year, which means purchasing a bike.

I have read reviews about the Honda CG125 and found that it sounds like a really good starter bike! However :

- Does it have any storage on it?

- Will it be ok with 14st worth of me on it?

- I'm looking to spend no more than £700, would this be enough to get a decent bike?

- Is there any security on it and what would you recommend lock wise?

Many thanks

Rich

UKBike.com are looking for blog writers!

tom@ukbike.com — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:01:41 GMT

Hi everyone, I'm Tom from the UKBike.com team.

We are looking to launch our new blog soon, which will highlight the latest bike reviews, news and video items, information on UK bike events, and updates from UKBike.com.

Our blog is also a platform for quality writing. We're looking for bike riders who can regularly turn their stories, thoughts, bike reviews, and most of all their passion for motorbikes into words.

UKBike.com is the UK's leading motorbike reviews site - in August alone we had 90,000 individual visitors. Today there are 4,401 bike reviews in our archive, and we'd really like to bring the qualities of these reviews to our new blog.

If you're interested in writing for UKBike.com, then please drop me an e-mail at tom@ukbike.com or leave a private message through this site. Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers

Tom @ UKBike.com

Scammers using this website

Grimn — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:59:16 GMT

Warning, Someone using this website and the email address, name "davidcole1580" @Yahoo.co.u.....Below is the email:

Dear Advertiser,

David from the UKBike website would like to contact you with reference to your advertisement and has left the following message for you. "Hello,am David i came across your bike for sale and am really interested in it.kindly send me an email so that we can discuss better on your last price and your preferred payment method,you can contact me on davidcole1580@yahoo.co.uk.Thanks,David. "

I responded to David, he asked me what my "final price and method of desired payment were".....and right there you know it's a scam, because any real biker would want to know more about the bike first, then my ask final price. He went right on to say that "he could only pay me by check, as his employment required it"........

Please, come on scammers, you're going to have to try harder and learn western speak.

Bikers Beware !

scammers

Grimn — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:08:20 GMT

Below is an email I received

From Emanuela Fofana
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
West Africa.

Dear after going through your profile i decided to contact you for friendship and assistace.I am Miss Emanuela Fofana the only child of Mr and Mrs Fernard Fofana,my father was posioned to death by his business associates because of his wealth and during my fathers sickness he called me on his sick bed as his only child because my mother died when am young and told me about the money($5.500.000usd) he deposited in a bank here in our country that it was because of this money he was posioned that if he dies i shall look for some one whom i trust to help me transfer this money out of this our country to his account for investment purpose abroad while i will continue my education then the person will be managing the investment.Dear am solicating your assistance to help me transfer this money out of this country for my life sake while i will come to meet you to continue my education in your country.
Dear am looking forward to hear from you so that we can discuss on what will be your compersation for this assistace.

NBlease contact me at this e-mail (emmfofa@yahoo.fr) only for more information on how to procede.

Thanks

Emanuela Fofana

Scam

trb — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:18:36 GMT

Just a quickie.....got an email saying i had a new message waiting in my UKBIKE messages....turned out to be a Nigerian scam email, so please be aware (hopefully no one will fall for the oh so bloody believable sob sob story..am i being too cynical?...nah!!!) email wasfrom an emmfofa and was sent 01/09/08 at 12.44. Haven't posted content just in case it contains any nasties.

However, should anyone here wish to help out a poor chap with a poisoned father (or was that brother or uncle?) by looking after a huge sum of toytown pennies until said pennies can be deposited into the bank of scamland could i suggest that you bang your head into the nearest wall as it'll be less painful than having your bank account fleeced!

Did i go over the top?

New 125cc Lerner Legal bikes FOR SALE!!!

bigjamie — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:35:10 GMT

Hey guys,
IV just set up a new company in the north east of England with motorbikes imported from china they are all rebranded under my company name. The bikes are top quality and are made by zongshen who make Harley Davison parts so not your usually china crap.

The two models are both 125cc the first one is partly based on KTM, and the second one is a small pit bike. both road legal,

Please tell me what you think of them? Honest views please

Many thanks
Jamie

I Ignored You Anyway

Biking_Newb — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:07:14 GMT

Although u did help me pick the sports bike rather than the cruiser in stead of going for the japanese option like u sugested like the nsr, cbr and yzf i decided to go for the italian option! The Aprilia RS 125!!! its a 2000 model with just 800 miles on the clock has full mot and service history (had 7 services) and its fully deristricted however it was owned by a 45 year old women who was learning how to ride however she loved it so much she kept it for 8 years (yes 1 owner) and theres not 1 scratch on the entire bike! yes it cost me 2 grand (like a year of saving!!) but its completly standard and in show room condition and not been raced round by some one like my self i chose the rs because i knew that if i bought a different bike for reliability that its not the bike i wanted and would probaly sell it any way and buy a rs!! ive also booked my theory for the 9th of september and im geting lessons round a school car park this wednesday! altho i have been practicing on both my m8s derbi senda for the last couple of days however only had about 30 minuites on them so im reading my high way code and riding round on my scoot as if i was on my test!! cant try any harder than that! not booked my test yet however i will do tomorrow but i was woundering when should i book my lessons etc for?

anyway just updating you all as ive not been on here for ages! i just hope you lot cant say i told you so if it goes wrong! however im not going to be able to go much quick than 60 on it anyway as my m8s are still on 50s and i run it on Shell fully synthetic 2t (well i do my scoot and i plan to do this to my RS as well) and im training to be a mechanic (start college in sept) so when it does go wrong hopfully ill be able to fix it LOL!

anyway Chow

Um....help? Complete newbie...

KH_2008 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:12:59 GMT

Hi guys

I am 16 and hoping to do my CBT this month, after which i want to buy my first bike. I know next to nothing about bikes so i'm hoping someone can help me out, or i'll probably end up making a REALLY big mistake! I just want a 50cc bike that i can ride once i've done my CBT, that will get me to work/college and back. I can probably afford up to about £800.

So yeah...any advice on what bike to get (well okay moped!), where to get it FROM, and whether its actually worth getting one at all and should i just wait till i'm 17....? I know i want to pass my proper motorbike test once i turn 17, but i just really want something to tide me over till then, and i really want something that looks like a motorbike not a moped. Mopeds make me think of old people

any advice much appreciated!

SELLING MY BIKE...

manz — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:06:27 GMT

ZR50s

Great Project for any one...

Running until last week...

in devon needs collection.........

PLS HELP!!! Need help buyin 1st bike

samrsa — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:13:40 GMT

hi guys. if any of u cld help me with this id be much obliged.

basically im looking to buy my 1st bike. 20yrs old and i need the bike to go to college evry mrng and thread its way thru the traffic.

it wld need to be quite good on petrol and relatively cheap to buy (2nd hand obv).

it doesnt need to go fast but it wld be nice for me to be able to open up if i felt like it.

just to give u an idea: from wat ive herd a honda nsr 150 or 250 fits the bill.

is ther any alternative to this??'

Any help and advice wld be much appreciated

Cheers

New Emissions Regulations Help!!

IANMOORE — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:06:58 GMT

Hi I am looking at buying Triumph Thunderbird 900

I have read that this bike was 'finally killed off by EU emmisions regulations'

AAAAHHHHH.... what is that all about and what is the soulution , is there any add ons or modifications that can be made, or do all these bikes simply get thrown away ???

Honda FMX 650 vs. Suzuki DRZ 400 SM

dodojanik — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:25:38 GMT

Hi!

I want to buy my first bigger bike, but it doesnt have to be a CBR or Ninja....because i am gonna ride it for 90% comuting in London and 10% some B-roads i decided to get a "low end" supermoto, with as less maintenance neede as possible so my two top bikes would be Honda FMX 650 and Suzuki DRZ 400 SM...the FMX 650 has got bit more power and especially more torque but the DRZ is 30 kilos less heavy...so which one would be the better option, especially in performance...thanks for any posts

WHAT BIKE TO PURCHASE

Johnty — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:55:24 GMT

Hi, Im after some advice on what bike to purchase, I will give you as much info as I can of my needs and then I would appreciate any recommendations.

OK I passed my test at 17 which is about 19 years ago, I have only owned one bike since which was about 15 years ago which was a KR1s.

I want a bike to commute daily to work, the commute is a 50 mile journey which about 45 miles is a dual carriageway.

So the characteristics I need in a bike are:

Comfort (50 miles worth)

Reliability

Suitable for a unexperienced rider/forgiving of biker error

Possible use in all weathers

Generous Mpg (will I need to fill up every day @110 miles per day)

One that has reasonable priced tyres (running up approx 2000 miles per month)

I dont want a brand new bike, due to the heavy mileage I will put on it causing loss of value, so I want a compromise between reliability and all weather bike.

Your recommendations will be appreciated of type of bike and model year.

Thank you. Johnty

Help with first bike newbie

nickcj — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:44:58 GMT

Hi guys I'm sure you all get sick of us newbies posting these things up all the time lol.
I've got a few bikes that are in my list i just dont know how to choose as lack of experience with bikes. Here is my list:

Honda CBR 400 -----> I know a lot of people love it
Honda VFR 400 ------> Whats the Difference with CBR???
Kawasaki ZXR 400 or the ZZR 400
Suzuki GSX 400

As you can see I want a 400 just because its cheap on Insurance as im only 22 and want to get some experience before moving on to something bigger.

Im not sure which bikes are suited and more comfortable for some one who is 5ft9.

Any advice greatly appreciated
Thanks

Test Driving

Johnty — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:51:21 GMT

Hi again,

Thank you for your advice on my other thread in the choosing of a bike, of which the favourite seems to be a VFR 750 for my needs.

My next dilema is actually test driving the bike, I want to admit that I am actually quite nervous about going into a dealer and asking him if I can take a bike to test drive, the reason for this is, as already mentioned I havent rode a bike for some 15 or so years and would be nervous about taking it out, also would I need to take my own helmet, what would be the appropriate dress for a test drive ( I know weather dictates) but i am not yet in possesion of any leathers or alike.

Any advice would be greatly apreciated. Cheers

Simple question, but can't find an answer ...

Black Dog — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:07:05 GMT

As many of you know, I am trying my hardest to get Mrs BD onto two wheels. But every bike I have shown here is too big or heavy for her to feel confident with. It suddenly occurred to me that a while ago, car drivers could ride mopeds on their car licence without the need for a separate test. I have looked at the Direct.gov website, and there is nothing to say this isn't true, but nothing to say it's right either.

She passed her car test way back, and has the P entitlement on her licence, which translates (as far as I can see) as being able to ride a moped up to 50cc, etc., without any further requirement. I mentioned this to her, and she seems interested. The idea of not having to pass a test is very appealing. (Hidden agenda - get her hooked on 2-wheel transport with a nice easy twist'n'go, and then move her towards training, a test, and a proper bike in due course.)

Any of you licence experts confirm or deny this? There have been so many changes in the law in the last 10 years that I frankly haven't kept up with it.

Provisional License info

takeda — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:59:03 GMT

Right, Im in NI, and I know i dont have to sit the CBT to ride a 125.

However my provisional tells me that I can ride

A1 & A

However there is two sections to the A part. The first set of boxes is filled in so that i may ride unil so and so.
But the second part shows a much larger bike (looks like a proper motorbike) Does this mean I can ride any bike/scooter, 125 or below. Or must I sit the CBT.

In Simple terms can I ride a Junlin 12511 - Custom Grey with a provisional License.

http://www.kickstartonline.co.uk/vehicledetailed.asp?VehcileID=900

Hey all need some help!

takeda — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:15:33 GMT

Okay, well im 18 years of age and i want to get myself a bike!
I havent got my drivers lisence yet and (provisional only)

So obviously atm, I can only get a 125 cc.

So I have seen some nice enough bikes. I really dont care about the make or model. Just aslong as it looks okay and sounds good ( I dont want one that sounds like a strimmer lol)

Ive seen a few Jinlun Cruisers before, Or the Honda Shadow. Which are both nice bikes.
Anyone have any suggestions.
Best regards, Lucas.

New kid on the block

whatever_37 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:17:02 GMT

Hi all, I am not so much kid more 'middle-aged crisis sufferer apparently!' Why do so many people say that?

So new to biking in fact that I don't even have my bike yet...another few days to wait and it's killing me....I got it bad. Recently took the CBT and a week later the full theory test. I have booked a practical and am now taking some lessons, just need my YBR to arrive to get plently of practice in. I intend on keeping the YBR for a couple of years before maybe moving up to something bigger - maybe. I just wish I had done this years ago, still, better late than never eh?

I am looking forward to reading the many excellent posts on here and learning what I can along the way.

Cheers

IDL

Anyone heard of Ems?

Black Dog — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:40:30 GMT

Not seen since early July. Is she still about? I want to know what happened with the leathers!

Cagiva Mito 125

Atlas23 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:02:56 GMT

Hello every1!!..I currently have a 50cc scooter but want to get a bigger and faster bike, but who doesnt lol ive been looking at 125cc because i can still drive them on my CBT. Lately ive been really impressed by the performance and looks of the Mito 125, yet ive read that they do have a lot of problems and parts are hard to find. Just the fact of how the bike looks and performs, is it worth getting??

Is the Mito really this unreliable or is it just the select few, it is my first 125 and so im just looking for a laugh really. Do you really have to fork out a lot of money or can it be managed. Thanks for your help and suggestions of other 125 would be welcomed.

Suzuki GS500

Black Dog — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:02:09 GMT

Pardon my blushes as I confess that the Ducati "failed to proceed" earlier this week. It went onto one cylinder as I was lining up for a big overtake, and although it limped home on 1 or occasionally 1.5 pots, later, when it had cooled down, I couldn't start it. So it's back at the dealers, waiting for their "Ducati Man" to come back from his hols next Monday. In the meantime, they have provided me with one of their training fleet - a GS500 Suzook.

Now, I can't say I was thrilled when they handed me the keys, but as I needed the transport, and any bike is better than no bike for a few days at least, I rode it away. I have now commuted on it for a few days and I am well impressed. In the lower half of the rev range (up to about 5k), it is soft, predictable and gentle, and excellent in traffic, as it whispers along on a whiff of throttle and picks up well to squirt the gaps. As my commute involves a lot of A-road with heavy traffic (where decent acceleration is a must if you are to keep passing cars), I thought it would be a bit under-specified in the horses department. But no - if you let it rev out to 10/11k, it goes pretty well, and sounds quite funky too. As long as you are prepared to rev the tits off it, you can get to 70-80 and stay here with ease, and top end looks like it will be a good bit over the ton. Handling is light but steady, and hurling it around roundabouts is excellent fun. Brakes are good, clocks are readable, everything works, and I am impressed. It's so predictable and easy to ride that I can't see anyone with a bit of sense getting into trouble with it. The downside is that it hasn't much character, but you can't have everything. I am seriously considering one for a winter hack/second bike.

Nice when you have your prejudices overturned, innit?

Bikers Fuel Protest

Spartan — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:38:25 GMT

Thumbs up to those that took part yesterday and what a brilliant turn out and some decent positive media coverage for a change.

advice on making a suzuki zr50s quicker

slymark1 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:06:22 GMT

hi i have just finished my suzuki zr50s and finally got a mot on it , and today passed my cbt which i must say was one of the best experiance's i have every had ,

but i was wondering if anybody knew how to make my bike faster?? its a 1990 model

but 30 mph is a bit tame after doing 55 mph on my cbt lol

also what would be the best oil to use in the engine/gearbox?

thanks mark