Mini Biking Life

[S1417]

I've been on the forum a while now but tend to spend most of my time lurking and just seeing what everyone else is up to. So I thought I'd finally get around to introducing myself properly in the form of my biking life to date (I'm only 18 so it shouldn't take too long ).

So anyway, I've always liked anything that has two wheels or an engine so naturally motorbikes have always been my thing. When I was very young I lived in America for a bit and a friend across the street from me had a mini dirt bike (I don't know what it was but I presume a small 4 stroke 50cc given the size). I was always dying to have a go but was never allowed From that point on a dirt bike was always top of my Christmas list to Santa as I thought that was a good way of getting round my parents not letting me have one

Move on a few years and I'm back in the UK when Long Way Down first aired on TV. I remember being desperate to watch it every week and from that point on all I could think about was getting a bike. A few years later and my Dad decided he wanted to get back into biking after not riding for 25 years. We therefore spent endless weekends in bike dealers and looking at local bikes for sale and I was in my element. About a year after his initial idea of getting back into biking he finally bought a Varadero 1000. I remember going out on the back of it for the first time and being sat on the back grinning from ear to ear at the sense of speed and acceleration.

After that my Dad decided he wanted to try and buy another bike, but this time a classic and one that he'd had when he was starting out. What he bought was this:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/029_zpskpdtzq6u.jpg

It's a 1973 CB175 and definitely isn't concourse with rust in quite a few places and one exhaust missing a baffle but other than that it's in nice all round condition for a 40 year old bike. I learnt basic maintenance on this bike starting with things such as chain adjustments and oil changes. Other bits I've done since we've had it include replacing the rear shocks as the originals were dead, and replacing the rollers in the starter clutch as when we got it they were so worn the starter would just spin and not engage the crank shaft.

When I was about 14 I finally got my first go at riding a bike. Round the corner from us there's a small strip of "private land" so my Dad rode us round there and let me loose. The area must be about 100 metres long and about 2 road widths wide. I must've spent hours over the 2-3 years blasting up and down testing how late I could leave the braking so I could reach my new top speed. I think the highest I ever got was an indicated 40mph My dad was also insistent that I practised slow speed control In fairness this did wonders for my MOD 1

When I was approaching 16 I started looking into mopeds as I was itching to get out on the road legally. My parents were hesitant at first but eventually gave in saying if I could fund it then I could do it. My plan was to get a cheap 50 with a years MOT and then move it on after the year. In the end my parents decided they'd prefer me to have something new for their peace of mind, but they said they'd pay me back any depreciation so that was fine by me

I ended up with a Vision 50:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_9218_zpsqgskpmcf.jpg

It was a good little scooter and served me well for the year taking me to school and back each day. It did 100 miles for a fiver of fuel so it at least got me out and built up my road sense a little bit. I used to take it out down the country roads near my house and try and see how long I could keep it flying along at its full 28mph without backing off or using the brakes A friend of mine had a Chinese 50 at the time which obviously lead to a few "races" breaking out. My scooter had about a 0.5mph advantage over his which lead to some blistering overtakes

Overall I'm glad I got a 50 despite a lot of people out there saying they're too slow for the roads. For me it was perfect for getting myself out and about without having to use buses or rely on lifts from my parents. Inevitably I did drop it one day when I was washing it and my wet shoes slipped of the centre stand making me lose complete balance Somehow there wasn't a mark on it however a good lesson learnt

The vision really was nice to ride so I'd definitely recommend them to any 16 year olds looking to get mobile. However, buy second hand. The depreciation was horrendous when I sold it, the bike was absolutely immaculate with less than 2k miles and I only managed to get back 60% of what I paid. Again, lesson learnt

Half way through owning the scooter I started to devise plans for when I turned 17. I loved messing about with the bikes in the garage so decided I'd get myself a bit of a project. What I ended up with was a 1980 CB125T. Not technically learner legal but who was going to know

This is how it arrived:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_20130912_150644_zpscasz8guj.jpg

It quickly looked like this:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_20130914_121715_zps0dzdpw9p.jpg

And by the time I sold it, it looked like this:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_9246_zpsunrzvrhv.jpg

When I first got it it was a non runner. This later turned out to be due to the cam shaft being in back to front After that was sorted and new pistons and rings put in it eventually fired up. It never ran right in the whole time I owned it, it required constant revving to 3-4K at traffic lights to stop it cutting out. The front brake was also alarmingly shite, almost to the point of being non existent. Either way though it was a good laugh to ride about on and I always had something that was broken to tinker with. I had intended to do a project thread on here but never got round to it. I did have some difficulty sourcing a seat and mudguard so ended up buying another one for spares:

https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_9262_zpsu0ccmd5g.jpg

That picture makes it look a LOT better than it actually was. It was a complete mess and only really good as parts. I did manage to sell it on for exactly what I paid for it having salvaged the mudguard and seat so that was all good

Eventually I got bored of it's "quirks" and wanted to get my tests done before my CBT ran out which was going to be difficult with the lack of brakes etc I wish I hadn't sold it though. It was worth more to me than the £5-600 I sold it for but hey ho.

I replaced it with this:
https://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo195/shields17/IMG_9277_zpsfr15vdd8.jpg

I had wanted a YBR as I'd heard it get far more recommends due to quality etc, however this one came up at a decent price with less than 1k miles on it and still in warranty so I decided to go for it. What a difference, the grip from the modern tyres was so much better than what I was used to. Also a working brake was such a luxury

It's now done 3k miles and has almost no rust on it despite the bad rep. The only problem I have had with it is it started to whine above 50mph and then that whine wouldn't stop until I slowed to below 20. At first I thought this was the fuel pump going having read some of the issues people have had with them so I took it into the dealer as it was still under warranty and they eventually worked out it was faulty clocks. So after about 3 months on back order they finally got a new set of clocks in for it and those have now been replaced for whine free riding

About a month ago I rode it up to Scotland to visit relatives for the weekend. It was about 330miles on the way up and 280 on the way back down. My arse was completely numb at the end of this however some of the roads and scenery on the way were astonishing.

My plan for this summer after exams is to get a small tent and go for a 3-4 day trip around Scotland camping wherever I can. I'm also making plans already to get my A2 sorted when I turn 19 next year.

So yeah that's where I'm up to at the moment in my life of bikes

[grr666]

Waits for tefgasm...

And my wife whines above 50mph too. I just turn the radio up.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[pepperami]

[Doomsnite]

330 miles would kill me on my hornet, let alone a 125. Hat off to you sir
____________________
Triumph Street Triple-R
Sold: Honda Hornet CB600F-Y / Yamaha YBR125

[mentalboy]

Is that dad's collection in the garage? Impressive!

[S1417]