Winter Hacks?

[iCraig]

Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on he best winter hacks?

Do you favour the GT550, CG125 or something different?

Or are you gonna be namby pamby this winter and drive a car?

[bish777]

being a sado masocist i continue riding my GSXR1100 throughout winter.

Last winters ride was a sphincter clenchingly terrifying FJ1200. That bike had no powerband. Just power. Wheelspins ahoy.
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GSXR1100J

[yorkshirelad3]

im thinking of chucking in my current bike in private sale, and buying a cheap scooter for the commute. Then when summer arrives lookaround for my 1st 'big' bike

[RobB]

My first proper bike....

Ladies and gentlemen, the Kawasaki GPz305.

https://www.artran.co.uk/images/GPz305-1.jpg

Mine was a J-plate, and cost me £500 from a bizarre small car dealership in N.London, that had taken it as part exchange.

Apart from it's hideousness, it's belt driven. This is a fantastically lazy alternative to a chain. Not powerful enough to get you into any trouble in the rain, but it got to 60ish quick enough. Small, pretty light, comfortable. Topped it out downhill at about 98 on the speedo, so probably about 70 in real terms.

Dropped it 3 times, worst damage was a cracked front fairing (gaffa tape sorted it). Very easy to work on, and/or learn with. A bike described to me as "bullet-proof", and I've no doubt a few people tested that theory.

It got through 3 MOT's with minimal effort, and all I ever did was change the oil and plugs once a year. Kept in a garage, cleaned once a month during winter, never during summer. It always started. Finally died when I moved to a house without a garage, and it sat in the rain for a year. The wheels were pretty well stuck. The engine however, with some Easy-Start, did still fire up. Despite having year-old petrol in it. When I left, I gave it to a bloke I worked with, who had a van, some tools, and a desire for an ugly bike

If anyone has the 2nd ever issue of TWO magazine, they featured the 305 in a column in there called "consign it to the scrapheap" or something similar. I disagree. Consign it to your garage, and use it when you don't want to risk your "real" bike.
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[iCraig]

GPZ305 and Bullet proof are rarely used in the same sentance!

Weak top end springs to mind mainly.

[colin1]

Ive got my eye on a £350 250 scooter.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[sickpup]

Just sorted myself a winter hack. One of my old hire bikes a CD250U

Great little bikes, utterley reliable and very cheap to run.

[tatters]

https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/phto0008_946.jpg


Thats my winter hack, 75mph flat out. l can get a pistion for £5 and £25 for a rebore. cheap 1970,s desgin air cooled disk valve induction two-stroke.



(currently painted matt black)
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Past:NRG50,AF1125(x2),NSR125RR,ZZR250,CX500,VFR400,KR1S,ZZR600(x2),CB400N,YZF1000(x2),KH125,Z200,FX400R,CBR954RR(x2)GPZ500S,GT550,VFR750F(x2),RD350N,XR650R,CBR600F,CB250,KDX250,YZF750R,CRM250,400EXC,KLR650,TTR600RE,DR350S,R100GSPD,RGV250,VMAX1200,DL650,KZ750 Present:G650XC,C12,CRF450X,1190ADV

[stinkwheel]

[JonB]

Done one year of winter riding and decided to be a pansy.

Therefore - Car.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Robby]

Car for winter, just like summer.

Rear engined and ice could be fun.

[mr.z]

CX- The gt's honda rival, two cylinders, all day comfy, tours brilliantly, parts cheap as, and enough power to spank the majority of cars out on the road..

Seen them for £500 or so (and less in not so hot condition), calling them hacks is a bit much, i use mine all day every day and theres nothing this side of £3000 that i'd swap it for (appart form the 650cc version or perhaps the turbo)


Have my ongoing project cg125 which is waiting for some new shocks, chain, paint and being put back together, new job soon so hopefully this will do nicely for those dark winter mornings/nights
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[stinkwheel]

[Marc_Buck]

I take it the light is naff?

[mr.z]

stinkwheel - My first cg the lights would go out when it went below 3000rpm of so, almost blackout on country lane, right on corners!! i think this was down to faulty regulator maybe? dunno.. interesting it was though...

[stinkwheel]

You'd probably be better with those halogen ones you get for push bikes that clamp over the handlebars. The Ni-Cd battery would probably cope better with being deeply discharged every day too.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[killa]

TS125R is a good bike for winter
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Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[craigs23]

I'll be looking for a hack soon (to compliment my current hack). My ride to work is about 70% B-road, so I was thinking either some old 500cc twin (maybe even as low as a 250), or a cheap 'crosser, supermoto'ed up. May make the trip a bit interesting as well.

[Gazdaman]

Craig, you KNOW an MZ 250 makes sense. You've had one before, you know they're good.

Very cheap, very cheap to insure, cheap to run, parts are still easily obtainable.

And FUNNNNNN.

https://www.bikepics.com/pics/pics/mz-etz250-90-bikepics-424808.jpg

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MZ-250-ETZ-1983_W0QQitemZ4578885345QQcategoryZ9931QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - Fair bit older than my one, but I'd be surprised if it goes for more than £200. Stick some good tyres on it, and it's good for whooping pretty much anything round Lydden hill.

Gaz

[Kickstart]

Hi

Will be using the bike most of the time. Bought some new waterproof trousers which should sort the main problem. Will use the FZR most of the time for commuting as I do all year. If the weather is too bad I will take the car.

[Mister James]

I've just got the Aerox 100 re-insured after about 9 months off the road - just need to get it taxed and a new rear tyre, and it's ready to go.

Not sure how I'm going to survive without the power and speed of the Fazer, but at least it's got storage space!
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