Butchers,

Well done a=on passing MOD 1 & 2 so quickly . Glad you passed and you enjoyed dinner.

Now go get a bike to suit those leathers

Rich

 

Cheers again for the pie & pints Rich! Get your old girl fixed up so she can come too next time

I'll start looking for something to go with the leathers as soon as my bank account recovers

 

Heather,
Saturday target - strip out and fit new starter solenoid - clean and lube - ride

 

So many cool members on the other side of the pond!!!

loved the introduction, re-introduction the unfolding story of someone new to the hobby/sport or really just a love a motocycles!!!
I'm a bit impressed with the amount of effort that goes into getting a license over there.. on this side: not so much.. they pretty much just give them away!!!

but I really enjoyed the story of your first ride home.. mine was similar, not exact, but like I said, similar..
let me briefly tell you mine, I promise it will put a smile on your face..
like 20+ years ago, feel like an old fogy, anyway the day I rode my first six hundred and drove it home. I could "not" have been any prouder!! working from the age of eight(delivering papers). this was my real first big boy purchase...
it was 7 red-lights which I stalled out at(each and every one)!!! not being used to the clutch and someone at the dealership had left my key on earlier in the day and flattened my battery, but I wasn't deterred.. the 7 lights were relatively close together on one strip and because the battery was flat and i wasn't used to using a hand clutch. I had to keep running and jumping on the bike to pop the clutch and my brand "new" bike and would rummm , come back alive..i finally made the turn for a 40 min jaunt on the highway and as soon as I got home.. I called my grandparents out of the house to show off my new bike.. eww, I was sooo excited!! so they came out and im like, let me turn it around so you can see both sides!!
and so I did!! all of sudden, not being on the bike I started to lose it as it slowing pulled away from my grip (I was 160lbs back then) and she layed on her side. as a panic set in, I ran around the bike and picked her up. I wasn't in any better position and in a matter of one min she layed back down on the oppitsite side. all the while, my family was watching in "horror" their sixteen year old boy who obviously couldn't even hold the bike up..
And i was like, hey look at me, tada!!! my new bike!!!
well in my defense these bikes back in 88 were still over 500lbs (very heavy) compared to todays bikes and I was a skinny little runt back then.. not like today!! heres a picture I snagged off of the internet...
I don't think your going to have any problems with riding and finding someone ten times better than the ex.. I only wish I could get my other half to ride her own "two wheels".. although if I told her she can go shopping for leathers, maybe she'll change her mind!! +1
jay..

 

Welcome Heather, congrats on joining us on the welcome crew

 

Glad the old girl is up and running again; I want to see those new rear lights at some point soon too

Jay, I love epic tales of noobs triumphing! It's how we all learn. Some of us like to bite off more than we can chew. It always makes for interesting life experience stories and lets face it, yours is pretty great! 16 yr old on a 600, stalling, dropping... that took some stones and grit that did

Cheers Shueisha! I must get on here more often :P

 

Time for more updates on a noob's epic foray into motorcycling;

I went pilly on the back of Bugkiller's CBR1000F to see in the new year in Snowdonia. It was awesome; I'd just done a 4am-1pm shift at work, then home, then up on a Hurricane towards the mountains! Bugkiller pulled over at one point and asked me why I kept nudging him in the back with my helmet at higher speeds; was I struggling with the buffeting winds on the motorway?

No. I was dozing on the back I was waking up when he slowed down to see who'd got in our way. Hurricanes are a little bit too comfortable!


Quirky biscuits for quirky people!


Southbound on the A494. Mountains Gandalf!


Bugkiller's nice old girl, parked up on the A496 just outside Barmouth.


Heather in it's natural habitat.


A wild Heather appeared.


Paddling in Betws-y-Coed's waterfalls.


A Heather cunningly camouflaged behind a clump of heather.


Modern art; what is it supposed to be? I kicked myself when Bugkiller read out the description. Hint; Extinct.

I also went out on the Victoria Bikers Pub Brass Monkey Run. I even led a workmate's boyfriend on the L-plated CG125 he got for christmas out to the run too. I feel like the circle of life is nearly complete! There were something like 400 bikes attending, I had a guy on a noisy, throaty Harley behind me for a long while, then I got separated at a junction and shoaled along with a guy on a Fazer for a bit. It was pretty epic; I now can't wait to go on another, bigger run. I even got a text that evening off the CG125 rider saying 'WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE?'


Bugkiller (CBR1000F), Workmate's boyfriend (CG125), Butcherspencil/Me (CBR125) and friends from the earlier National Memorial Arboretum meet (500cc Suzuki thing of some description... basically 'not a Honda' :P ).

 

I,m new to cbr,s too babe. Got a mate at castle Bromwich you anywhere near there ? Had bikes when younger and passed test recently but picked up an 04 600 rr. Get it done

 

Castle Bromwich is about 15 miles away from Butcherspencil (Coventry) and 55 miles from me.

 

Congrats on passing Heather! Did you do your Mod 1 on one of those ridiculously flat, high grip surfaces @ the DSA testing ground?

I did and thought to myself, I'm never going to see road surface as good as this anywhere on the UK highways. No pot holes and totally flat!