I've rediscovered my love affair with biking

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

and it only cost me £250.

Do I label this as a new bike honeymoon?

As some of you know, I've bought another bike. A few weeks ago, I started a thread for member's recommendations of a relatively 'crap' bike, to plod around local b-roads and unclassified routes.

What a revelation my latest purchase has been.

Don't get me wrong, I love faffing around with my NC30 when I'm in the mood to tinker in the garage; for it has been and continues to be an ongoing, developing modification/restoration project. Also don't get me wrong on the fact that I think my RR8 is an awesome piece of motorcycling technology, thats abilities are far beyond my own but not to the end where it leaves me unsatisfied with its performance capabilities; in the large variety of road environments where it excels.

But recently, there seems nothing more good-mood inducing than the piece of crap I recently bought myself. A couple of threads ago, in the 'why did you get into biking', I replied with a 'not sure'. I remember now. It's the reasons of how I've spent the last bank holiday weekend.

Plodding around, usually around 40mph or so, enjoying the countryside, the views, the smells, and, to my amazement, all with zero-to-no other traffic users (in the South East of England of all places). Mid day at a bank holiday weekend and the only real traffic that I've encounted on such routes is the odd 4x4, rambler or horse rider, all who reply acknowledgement with a friendly wave. The bike, for all intensive purposes, is crap. The engine has no power to speak of, ditto the brakes, the tyres are Indian made rubbish, but are far better than the pogo stick suspension, the whole thing squeaks, rattles and has obviously taken a few too many knocks over the years of learner abuse. But it works, it's road legal, with a year's MOT and Tax and it's just about right for my needs.

Even on bigger roads, the grin factor remains. Every next mph feels like I've won something, each overtake; due to the Great Escape levels of planning required feels like a big achievement (and, apparently, almost brought my biking friends to tears at the hilarity of me spending 15 seconds overtaking a Nissan Micra). Other biker's attitude to my new steed isn't what I was expecting, being mostly ignored from the usual friendly nods of comradeship that I'm used to on my other bikes. It matters not though, I certainly didn't buy the thing to 'fit in'.

I'm even tempted to take it into work tomorrow.

Why didn't I discover such a bike sooner?

Behold, the heart, soul and belly laughs of my current motorcycling endeavors; the Brazilian made Honda CG125.

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

You're one step closer to discovering the joys of offroading Wink

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

Ben. · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Karma :

its fun rideing a low powered bike but it all depends on 1 thing i find. If its a choice.
Its only fun if youve got the option to blast about on a fast bike but instead you chose to take the shitter.
____________________
follow my racing season
Race bike - R6
Road bike - sv650

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

Indeed HL, I guess variety is the spice of life.

But I like getting things dirty, it gives me good (non too obsessional) reasons to clean something. The CG is looking pretty sorry for itself cosmetically at the moment, maybe I could even Rat it. Shocked

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

I guess it's all about purpose - a ratty CG can stay ratty, a dirt bike can be muddy, but a shiny sports bike should be shiny.

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

So I guess the difficulty would be me keeping a dirt bike looking dirty by not cleaning it too much.

I bought the 125 as I know I could easily sell the thing if things didn't work out and I'd made the wrong decision. I don't think I have, but if it opens up a new avenue to biking which I haven't yet discovered, off roading for example, I could always sell it on to 'upgrade'. In that way, it feels like I've started riding again, but rather would ignore the sportsbike path this time round.

I'll just have to see how I get along with it.

wristjob · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 Sep 2005 Karma :

going a bit slower can reveal all sorts of stuff.
a friend who has spent the last 10 years hammering the best sport bikes he could afford has just had a split from his wife and due to lack of money is plodding round on a cb500.
in the pub he is all "did you know there is a pub on the A..... or have you seen the view from the top of the B.....
he has been going round the country only looking at the road.
enjoy the journey.

garth · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Karma :

Small bikes are fun, and although not to CG extremes, have improved my riding alot.
____________________
You ain't a has been if you never was

Blau Zedong · Banned Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Karma :

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

Right. This is getting silly. I bought this bike as a back road weekend lark about toy. But I can't stop riding it. I've taken it to work throughout the week now - much to the amusement/confusion of my co-workers, but have even been discovering longer routes to take, mostly along previously unknown country lanes. Some of the views I've come across have been pretty insightful - it's hard to think that I'd been travelling to the same place each day and not realised they were to be found.

I'll be sure to take a camera with me soon, if I continue to ride the little CG. South East England can be almost traffic free, and quite picturesque, if you've the patience to do some exploring. I haven't felt this good about biking since I got my CB1 last year.

The only problem is, 95% of other bikers completely ignore me now. Even the regulars on some sections of my commute fail at any kind of their usual friendly biker-biker acknowledgements.

I should also fire up the CBR sometime too, might be a bit of a shock to the system when I next ride it. It's probably quite confused as to its sudden lack of use, lurking in the garage beside some old NC30.

Wafer_Thin_Ham · Super Spammer Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Karma :

MinhDinh · World Chat Champion Joined: 01 Jan 2005 Karma :

Fahd · World Chat Champion Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Karma :

I rode one of these for a day recently, I must say I did love it but for a different reason to you. Ragging it through the gearbox is incredibly entertaining and far less likely to kill me than my CBR. Laughing

____________________
I Ride: Honda CBR 400RR.
I Drive: Audi S3.

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

The CG's got a battered old tank and the sidepanels are held on with zip ties. Not to mention the scratched rear panels and home-welded luggage rack. Ammo boxes are a no-no - the bike's too underpowered for its weight already, but I might get busy with some black spray paint. Wink

I'm just bemused at what a good mood the bike puts me in when riding it. It's opened up new avenues (pun intended) and chilled me out so much more than I thought a bike would do. I've even taking to humming random tunes on the way to work; accompanied by hoots of the bike's laughable horn.

I think I've gone mad.

hornetmike · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 May 2008 Karma :

I love my cg125 want another one really or an 80's CB250 , it nice just to get through traffic on a simple light bike
____________________
87 Honda CG 125 - 97 ER5 - SR 50 -81 Z250- 96 CBR 600 F- 94 GPX600R 88- GPX 400R- 87 GS 125 - 2006 Honda CB600F- 2003 ER5 - Honda CBF 1000 2009 - Honda CBR 600 RR 2011
Current BMW R1200GS 2010

Mr Nice Guy · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Jul 2007 Karma :

Ace

____________________
Suzuki GSX-R750K4 ~ Mivv GP

hornetmike · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 May 2008 Karma :

____________________
87 Honda CG 125 - 97 ER5 - SR 50 -81 Z250- 96 CBR 600 F- 94 GPX600R 88- GPX 400R- 87 GS 125 - 2006 Honda CB600F- 2003 ER5 - Honda CBF 1000 2009 - Honda CBR 600 RR 2011
Current BMW R1200GS 2010

st3v3 · Super Spammer Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Karma :

Mudskipper · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Karma :

CG's are shit, but brilliant.

No nonsense, have to throw everything you've got into riding it kinda fun.

I ride one up to the airfield on CBT days as a favour occasionally, and I love it. Especially filter-racing on the ring road against the instructor on the CB500 Laughing

____________________
CBR125|||GSXR400|||CBR400|||CBR400|||CB250RS|||GSXR750|||CB250RS Mr. Green

"You're clumsy, you eat too much and you behave like a 12 year old boy. But you know what? Every once in a while, you find a thumb."

Grav · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Craig, it's amazing what rekindles a persons interest in bikes. I hope you have many more thoroughly enjoyable miles on your CG. Thumbs Up

____________________
Dark Lord Of Custard

snigger..... Very Happy

craigs23 · Mr Muscle Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Karma :

Fahd · World Chat Champion Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Karma :

Pictures of the beast? Cool

____________________
I Ride: Honda CBR 400RR.
I Drive: Audi S3.

Fnatic · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 May 2008 Karma :

Craig if you rode as much as you cleaned/looked after your bikes you'd be Rossi Smile