Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Give a man and bike and he will drive 100 miles for fish n chips by the sea
edd1974:
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.Give a man and bike and he will drive 100 miles for fish n chips by the sea
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will bugger off on a boat with his mates and drink beer all weekend…
Peirre, maybe you have the wrong bike in your garage.
Back when I could work and ride I’d spend 3 weeks abroad driving the truck and dreaming of when I was home again and on the bike.
I had my dream bike from my youth, a 1982 CB1100RC and I couldn’t wait to get home and get out on the road on it again.
Even a short weekend would see me out on it at least twice, stay at home holidays would see me out riding every day.
I live in Devon so it was easy to find the best roads and scenery to enjoy.
There’s no comparison between driving the truck, however many miles you do a week and the sense of freedom you get on 2 wheels, do what you want, stop for a cuppa when you want, and go silly when you want.
My advice would be to get motivated while you can, you’ll miss it terribly if you find one day you can’t ride any more.
peirre:
Maybe It’s me, but after a week on the road I’m struggling to motivate myself to get the bike out the garage and hit the road for pleasure.
I’m not a biker but I have a hairdressers car, MX5, for the weekends that I have no problem going for a blast in. Around Driffield there’s a load of B roads and unclassifieds that nobody goes down so plenty of opportunity to get out, get the roof down and have a good run out and clear the cobwebs. Its not motorways, I’ve got no deliveries, there’s no drivers hours to worry about, its a completely different kind of driving so it doesn’t feel anything like driving at work at all.
I don’t think I could do the same in my Mondeo as I use that to go to work and back so it would have that association.
haha I wouldn’t admit to even driving a Mondeo let alone owning one … 
edd1974:
I own a bandit
My bike would ■■■■ all over one of them. 
Harry Monk:
edd1974:
I own a banditMy bike would ■■■■ all over one of them.
Is it a Raleigh chopper ■■ 
peirre:
Harry Monk:
edd1974:
I own a banditMy bike would ■■■■ all over one of them.
Is it a Raleigh chopper ■■
Raw power mate. You couldn’t handle it. You’ve got to be a proper biker to know how to control one of these. Especially when you get a loaf of bread and some tomatoes in that basket.
raymundo:
haha I wouldn’t admit to even driving a Mondeo let alone owning one …
Decent price, decent performance, decent handling, decent running costs, can fit a ton of stuff in it even 3 metre kitchen worktops and still close the boot, Clarkson rates them above BMW 3 series - in fact its the only car the three of them agree on, they’re much rarer than a BMW 3 series too.
What do you own which is so much better?
I f****** loath driving cars, being stuck behind useless dithering imbeciles when I’m being paid for it is great.
Being stuck behind the same useless imbeciles in my own time is intolerable, bike, with a big engine all day long.
peirre:
I’m aware that it’s not unusual for truck drivers to be bikers and petrol heads in general, but after driving 1-2K miles a week for work how do you motivate yourself to indulge yourself in your hobby which might involve riding/driving a few hundred more miles?
Maybe It’s me, but after a week on the road I’m struggling to motivate myself to get the bike out the garage and hit the road for pleasure.
Then you need a bike that you really enjoy riding, you like how it looks, sounds, performs, corners, everything.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on the latest fastest most expensive bike, mine cost me £1350 and its epic.
Harry Monk:
Raw power mate. You couldn’t handle it. You’ve got to be a proper biker to know how to control one of these. Especially when you get a loaf of bread and some tomatoes in that basket.
Bet you never thought the beast would be a collectors item nowadays though Harry?
Me uncle had one of these in the 80’s as his commuter bike. Brilliantly simple, presumably perfect for getting on and off the boat. And uncool enough to be fairly scrote-proof.
mike68:
Then you need a bike that you really enjoy riding, you like how it looks, sounds, performs, corners, everything.You don’t need to spend a fortune on the latest fastest most expensive bike, mine cost me £1350 and its epic.
All mine are in that category, and three out of the six are roadworthy and road legal , but it hasn’t stopped me doing virtually zero miles on any of 'em so far this year.
Sometimes you just need a break; I guess you then appreciate them more when the itch starts again.
Observant types will now suss how my screen name came about. 
Sidevalve:
Harry Monk:
Raw power mate. You couldn’t handle it. You’ve got to be a proper biker to know how to control one of these. Especially when you get a loaf of bread and some tomatoes in that basket.Bet you never thought the beast would be a collectors item nowadays though Harry?
Me uncle had one of these in the 80’s as his commuter bike. Brilliantly simple, presumably perfect for getting on and off the boat. And uncool enough to be fairly scrote-proof.
mike68:
Cool bike that red one, I’m guessing early 50’s flathead.I know bugger all about them, but I bet it draws a crowd.
Then you need a bike that you really enjoy riding, you like how it looks, sounds, performs, corners, everything.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on the latest fastest most expensive bike, mine cost me £1350 and its epic.
All mine are in that category, and three out of the six are roadworthy and road legal , but it hasn’t stopped me doing virtually zero miles on any of 'em so far this year.
Sometimes you just need a break; I guess you then appreciate them more when the itch starts again.
Observant types will now suss how my screen name came about.
1
sidevalve BMW ?
mike68:
Cool bike that red one, I’m guessing early 50’s flathead.I know bugger all about them, but I bet it draws a crowd.
1942 actually. Ex-military WLC, which is the Canadian army version.
Congrats on those who get to keep their bikes.
I brought one brand new. One month to the day after it was delivered it disappeared in the night. I’m still waiting for insurance to pay me out. Inside it my partners brand new gloves, my phone charger and other bits of value. To say I was gutted is an understatement. £100+ alarm disk lock didn’t even go off. Nearly cried when I realised.
I’ve decided after this I won’t get another bike. Well, actually I will. But rather than brand new it’s going to be a scrappy affair and I’ll fill it with kill switches and might even DIY an after market GPS tracker/engine killer. I also very much enjoy a bit of spannering so want to get something to do up. So rather than brand new I’ll have beaten up and old.
And… enjoying it was easy for me. I genuinely loved having a bike. Freedom to explore and random rides - just a shame we live in a scum society.The 1 months ownership will cost me mega ££ but it was fun.
Sidevalve:
mike68:
Cool bike that red one, I’m guessing early 50’s flathead.I know bugger all about them, but I bet it draws a crowd.
1942 actually. Ex-military WLC, which is the Canadian army version.
Lovely old bike, very rare I would imagine.
I’m looking for a new bike. Been browsing on.ebay over the weekend
Saw a nice looking cbf 600 so read the full advert.
In capitals it said BUYERS BE AWARE THIS BIKE IS SUBJECT TO THE NEW LONDON LOW EMISSION CHARGE AND CONGESTION CHARGE.
Thought wtf .
so looked into it and bikes are liable for the low emission tax .
Surprised they have put petrol lawnmowers on the list then
edd1974:
I’m looking for a new bike. Been browsing on.ebay over the weekend
Saw a nice looking cbf 600 so read the full advert.
In capitals it said BUYERS BE AWARE THIS BIKE IS SUBJECT TO THE NEW LONDON LOW EMISSION CHARGE AND CONGESTION CHARGE.
Thought wtf .
so looked into it and bikes are liable for the low emission tax .
Surprised they have put petrol lawnmowers on the list then
Seller was talking ball hooks as far as Congestion Charge is concerned - two wheelers (even with a sidecar) are exempt. Motorcycles are also exempt from the “Low Emission Zone” charge (but not the new Ultra Low Emission Zone) charge.
Went through a bit of a bike crisis recently 
started looking at buying a different bike, but I wasn’t using what I had, so (probably with my dad’s words ringing in my ears when I was younger) I decided I couldn’t justify changing bikes if I didn’t use the one I had so I started forcing myself to use it, once I was actually on it it was fine, except being a slightly sporty bike and me no longer being a sporty physic, I found myself feeling my age after a trip out on it, so I’ve bought a more touring bike with an upright riding position, much better.
As for you MX5 owners I used to be one of those ■■■■ takers, until I worked for a race team that started to tweek them for road use and I had the job of test driver, as I lived so far away from work and could get the mileage required to get them warrantied, great fun but practical cars, either for reasonable speeds on UK B roads or just tootling around back roads with the top down.