Motorcycles

[VEGAS]

Glad your not too hurt Jonesey.

Not that its any consolation but I am forever falling off my Mountain bike.

About ten years ago I was travelling along the Pennine way and got to a very steep and technical descent called Jacobs Ladder near to a small village called Edale in the Peak District. Its so steep, it brings you back down to sea level very quickly in a relatively short distance.

Most mountain bikers dismount and walk down it.

It was a hot sunny summer day with walkers and familys sat all along the hillside eating their sandwiches and watching the world go by.

So muggins here decided it would be fun to have a go at riding it and give the public some entertainment.

As I descended down hill, hitting the tricky rocks and muddy channels, everyone stopped and focused their attention on me.

I had only travelled about 100metres and hit a large rock which sent me straight over the handlebars and I landed on my head. Thankfully I had all headgear and pads on. The helmet absorbed all the impact and ended up squashed down over my eyes!

I got to my feet shaken and shocked, only to be greeted by lots and lots of people from all directions giving me a round of applause.

I took a bow and walked down the rest of the hill with several cuts and grazes. I felt a right tit.

The only long lasting damage was pride!

Moral of the story: Fall offs are part of the experience. Just ensure you have all your kit on.

[DaveB]

Mr B i will post some pics of the new 10R later just to turn you more green

I've lived in abject poverty for so long mate.. I'm well used to it now. I can't even afford envy Don't worry.. every post I see you make from now on.. I'll use the 'Mark Topics Read' button

ATB

DaveB

[Nigel H-J]

Geez, sorry to hear that Jonesey but at least you walked away from it unhurt. That is one downside to 2 wheels, manhole covers, those 'orrid painted lines on the road and ice!!

Came round a left hander once on my trusty Honda 125RS straightened up, applied throttle carefully and the next thing I knew I was sliding along the road on my *rse watching my bike leading the way!! This occured 3 weeks before I was due to take my MOT Road Test and as the bike was in for repairs I ended up borrowing a 100cc Honda from ther local motorcycle school, electrics were rubbish and as I neared the end of the test the indicators packed up!!! so it was very much a case of using hand signals, fortunately the examiner passed me.

Nigel.

[John]

You know it's odd I still call myself a biker, but haven't ridden in over 2 years!

I've owned mostly Suzukis and Hondas. The Suzuki's were all 2 strokes GT 125s and GT380s and the Honda's CB125s, CB250s, and VT250s. Why nothing bigger if I've been riding so long?

Well for 14 years I worked for Honda UK. So it was a case of asking the press fleet for the latest or test riding bikes for QIC. So in my time I've ridden CX500 turbos, VFRs, CB1000Rs, NS400Rs, Blades and nearly everything else we made in that 14 year period. After that I was lucky enough to work at an ad agency that did all Suzuki's 2W work, so the odd Gixxer came my way.

What do I want now? Oddly a TL1000s or a current Triumph Thruxton.

Kind regards


John

[ChrisHunt]

Glad you're okay Jonesey - same thing happened to my wife many many years ago, albeit she was on a Honda Vision at the time - going round a bend on a wet road when a manhole cover intervened. Very similar injuries and damage. I had a Vision as well and we used to race them around Woking - those were the days.

I like the idea of riding a big bike but I suspect I'll stick to the idea. Nearly got taken out be a bike back in July; riding toward my town from Stowmarket, just a mile our two out of town on a very twisty bit of road when about 15 big bikes came past in the opposite direction; came to a left hander (mine) and I thought I must get in tight to the verge here 'cos there's bound to be more - sure enough was confronted by a bike on my side of the road and leaning in my direction (his right hander). Brown pants stuff or what! It was bad enough for me, god knows what he was feeling; if I'd had the car I part exed a couple of months earlier he would have been toast (and possibly me as well). Fortunately the vast majority of bikers get it right but particularly in the summer months you have to constantly think about what might be coming around the corner.

BTW there was an event in early summer/spring, charity ride I think, that saw in excess of 300 bikes ride through my town - superb sight and sound, from big super bikes to vintage and electric starter/automatic 250cc jobs.

Regards,
Chris

[ChrisHunt]

Blimey Vegas, trying to ride down Jacob's Ladder - you must have been nuts (try riding up, now there's a challenge ). Got a Cube for my son by the way but 'tis a road bike rather than mountain bike - there aren't any around here (mountains that is). Great little bike with a superb paint job. I haven't been on the mountain bike since getting the road bike 'cos you can do many more miles with about half the effort.

Regards,
Chris

[Tarasdad]

I basically grew up riding motorcycles. My family got into enduro riding when I was about 5 years old, and I got my first bike at 8, a Honda SL70. Spent many a great day out in the woods riding trails and competing in events during those years. Had a long dry spell with school and work, and didn't get my first street bike until about 1992 or so, a 1991 Suzuki GS500EN in blue. I put over 25,000 miles on that bike. It still ran and looked brand new when I traded it in for a 1993 Suzuki GSX1100G. That bike was pure power, with the same engine as the GSXR1100, but in a standard frame rather than a sport frame. All that power saved my butt a couple of times.

Really with I still had (and could still ride) that GS500, though. Little sucker got over 100 miles per gallon on the highway, 50+ in commuter traffic. The 1100...well, not so much, about 30+ on average.