Vespa boy again. I just rang up for a quote on my training and test. The place near me does CBT training for £105 and then full test training for £400-600 depending on how much training you need - test costs included.
Am I being ripped off?

>>857
1500 all up means he musta got that R6 well cheap. Nice.
Specs say it does 130hp @ 14500 RPM and weighs 160kg dry. That's just nuts. Must be about the best bike out there for attacking the sort of twisties we have in south wales. Must sound lush when you rev the tits off it too.
>>863
Sounds very reasonable mate. Less than I paid.

Alright Lads, OP here.
Ok, so i got my CBT booked for Early April.
I've decided to get a 125 and learn on that for the time being instead of the driect access route. I will soon be looking to buy a bike.
A lot of you guys, people at work and what not are telling me that i shouldn't spend to much money on a 125 to learn on. But i do want something reliable and one which looks half decent, so i can just enjoy riding it.
I do like the sportier looking ones but some of the commuters don't look too bad and are a little cheaper too.
Possibly thinking of a yamaha YBR 125, looks like you can get a half decent one for a grand.
Anyone else got any suggestions?

>>909

Honda CBR125, very good bike. Or if you want to go down the custom route, you could get many a decent 125 customs for around the same price as the YBR, the Honda Shadow is a particularly beautiful bike, also the Suzuki Marauder and Suzuki Intruder. The Honda Rebel is another really good looking custom but it's a little on the small side, I'm six feet tall and it felt way too small for me. The YBR isn't a bad bike at all though, very good starter bike, reliable, easy to find parts for, good fuel economy. The only beef I have with it is the size. The seat is fairly slim and the positioning of the pegs is too high for a lengthy ride to be as comfortable as I'd like.

>>909

I think they are giving good advice. Pass your test quick and get a restricted proper bike. cb500s and ninja 500s are good. In the meantime, just make do with whatever. Just got to pass the test, right?

Only 125 I've ridden is the ybr125. Small, tidy bikes, seem to work ok, but kinda cramped (5'11") and feel flimsy and are painfully underpowered (but its a 125...).

tl;dr: big bike asap.

>>894

That's impressive. I wonder how long it'll be before they're the norm in blade design. Does it affect performance?

>>905

Is this going to be a golden age for the early adopters, with nicely overengineered electrical gubbins, that will be cost engineered down to something barely tolerable by the time it reaches the mass market, or is it fragile and a maintenance / repair timebomb?
I wouldn't kick it out of the garage, of course, but I'm not sure I'd want one. Too expensive (for me) to use as a track toy, too tempting to let loose on the road (and probably disappointingly overcompetent), and I don't want to just mimble around in it.

tl;dr: Give me a Caterham or other se7enesque and a bag'o'cash instead.

>>907
That was more a question about electric drivetrains / hybrids / KERS, rather than the 918 in particular.

These Starcom ones look really good. Also, Autocom recently went out of business so they're really the only game in town now.

>>877

Yeah I know what you mean, it's hard to find anything with a battery life of more than half a day and I'd preferably like not to have to charge it from my battery every night as it would waste a fair amount of petrol.

The problem with the bike powered ones that are wired to the battery and fixed to the bike is that my bike isn't really the best for that sort of thing, my battery being just below the seat and nowhere to mount anything, I guess that's the problem with customs but I look at it this way, I'll be riding 8 hours a day on a seat as thick as my arse, my mate's going to be on an NSF with a seat so slim it sits between your cheeks so I'll chose comfort over practicality any day.

Also yes, the Starcom ones DO look pretty good.

>>884
Connecting to the battery is always a bit of a pain. For a simple, reliable lash-up, I generally use a Tamiya battery pack connector (Maplin do them, with nice silicone leads). Crimp some ring terminals on (Maplin again), and protect the junctions with glue-lined heatshrink. Use an in-line fuse. All from Maplin. That gets you a latching connector that's reliable and relatively small, that you can plug toys like intercoms into. Also, lrn2velcro...

>>886

Ahh Maplin, is there anything they don't sell? I'll have a look next time I'm in there, cheers.

And I've considered velcro but I'm worried it would ugly up my bike a bit as, due to the colour, it would stick out like a sore thumb. And I've always been under the impression that it would be a bastard to remove without compromising the integrity of the paintwork.

>>903
You use the sticky velcro stuff to affix the kit somewhere under the seat, not the outside of the bike.

>>896 Would just like to ask if you're actually a rider or just a hopeful? because 400cc+ is more than a bit of power to be honest...

>>896

898 here again, Suzuki Bandit 1000 is probably the sort of thing you should look at, some nice ones on ebay, haven't checked lately, but that's where i usually look, good thing about the Bandit is that is has a lot of low end power and as a result is great for city riding and is one of the last of the class of large "standard" motorcycles with most being supersport bikes without fairings. Mind, at 80mph+ these things are a bastard to ride.

>>899
yeah i've been riding a bandit 6 for close on a year now. It felt like more power than I could ever use when I got it, but now feels a bit meh. I'd like to upgrade to something stupidly powerful yet ideally with a streetfighter/rat look (love the rat look). A lot of people care deeply about cosmetics, but I figure if I can get a ratty looking second hand superbike that'll be ideal for my needs.

Something like a b-king would be ideal, i suppose... if only they weren't all brand new and costing a bomb.

>>900 Well, I know someone who has a crash damaged (mostly cosmetic) CBR1000 1996 I don't think he's managed to shift or repair yet, frame is undamaged... catch me on the irc if you're interested.

>>901
898/899/901 here again.. i'm also very partial to Streetfighters but not so much to rat bikes, cool in a way but maybe a bit "trying too hard" also (I've seen Outlaws MC on them while riding and they just make me lol). The CBR1000 I'm talking about is probably a good SF/Rat project. B-king is a lovely bike, was suprised when i saw the 600 though i thought they only did them in litre form

>>889
>It's hilarious to see a 51 year old male behave like a 5 year old.

The good news is that in a few years, you'll be just the same.

>>889
a heated spoon works wonders on new boots to soften them and avoid blisters - just dont use a heated spoon on your helmet - a mistake that i made as a youngun ;_;

I've got a pair of no-frills Arai's, and a half lid for the moped.

I'd like a flip, but only if the flip bit is detachable. Are they? It would nice to have a proper lid and a summer lid in one.

>>892
The flip bit is very fixed. I was a bit concerned before getting one about how sturdy the flip-bit would be but it clicks into place very solidly.

>>892
caberg do a detachable flip lid (or flid as i like to call them)
but your taking your life in your own hands buying a caberg.

>>784
awe come on, I said I was sorry

>>784
Blimey. See I don't like that. Sorry.

>>25
"Every day I ride it like a girl"

Yup. A true BMW rider.

I'll stick to the japbikes. Cheap, fast, easy to work on, and an abundance of spare.

Bikes have only one purpose.

http://video2.xtube.com/watch_video.php?v_user_id=lycralad2&idx=6&v=REfdr_C220_&cl=odi7v_C220_&from=&ver=3&ccaa=1&qid=&qidx=&qnum=&preview_flag=

http://video2.xtube.com/watch_video.php?v_user_id=lycralad2&idx=7&v=6W05N-C520-&cl=rel5q-C520-&from=&ver=3&ccaa=1&qid=&qidx=&qnum=&preview_flag=

>>885
Well I never.

>>858
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=remove+corsa+b+gear+knob

Why do you want to remove the gear knob? Why do you own a Corsa?

>>861
Thank you Mr. Smart Arse, but I tried everything they said, the majority of the advice they gave me was "Take a hacksaw to it"
>>862
I bought a new gear knob and would like to replace the old one, with the new one.
And I own a Corsa because it was a good buy, cheap tax & insurance, cheap to run, good mileage, cheap insurance etc.

>>864

you just cut vertical down the knob, as oppossed to sawing though the stick..

as long as you dont want to keep the old one you are ok

>>845
yeah its not too bad at all, and if you get a nice one he will go "yeah change that, that and that, do it now and I wont charge you to retest it for you mate"

Off on a slight tangent, does anyone have any tips on the design of a home built electric vehicle ? I was thinking af a trike similar to OP with 2 wheels at the front for stability and a single drive wheel in the rear to cut down on the need for tricky mechanics (differential etc).

>>850 Or can anyone recommend a reasonably priced electric kit car ? All the ones I've seen seem to be around the 8k mark.

>>851

Image related.

>>850

With electric power, you need to worry more about friction and weight distribution. Batteries are heavy so they need to be well supported. Will you have your motors inside your wheels? That makes a big difference. Or will you just be shoehorning a load of batteries into a Capri and hoping for the best?

>>844

Steam propulsion is brilliant, but bear in mind the restrictions and responsibilities that come with it. You have to have special insurance, the age limit is 21, and you have to map out your journey based on standpipes and common ponds. Fun, but time consuming.

>>852 Well, after your post I suppose I'll stick them between the front two wheels. Anyone else got any other tips ?

>>800
looks like a bobsled

>>812
heathen.
the high point of the manx TT (aside from guy martin's riding and tea promotion) is the side car racing.

>>813

Never been much of a fan of the new shapes. Pretty cool though, and I think I appreciate the skill and stamina involved with sidecar racing more than I do watching other motorsports.

>>825
tis the whole connection you have to have with your partner, you have to be able to rely on them to either put the bike in the right place, or put themselves in the right place while hurtling along at 100+ Mph... its a really disciplined sport that I feel does not get anywhere near the promotion it deserves.

>>826
to that end, I know there a few bikers on here, and a few psychopaths, we should start our own FiA break away group - build a couple of these and take them round the local supermarkets.

I like cars.

>>788
I love short pipes... So much so I've been known to cut mine down and then panic every year when it's MOT time

>>788
My Honda VT250 has really stubby cans either side of it.
With the V-twin engine it makes a low rumbling tone as it accelerates, looks good and sounds good, I hate the whine of straight-4's.

>>790
really? I love a straight four.

>>791

Fours do sound great, but I love the rumble of twins. Much easier to fix if anything goes tits up too.

>>792
not the case with my VT, the barrels are part of the block and you have to almost completely disassemble the engine to get to the cylinders.
had nothing go wrong with it (yet) though so far.

>>783
sons of anarchy fan?
It's the only harley I'd think about.... Well I say that but the tripple last night almost became a sportster :s

>>775
We're not filthy Europeans yet.

>>776
watch it lad, you don't want a couple of boys from /lab/ coming round to murk you

>>781