bought me a mo,sickle!

[ronan]

You never tried the Nankang Hedgefinders or - maybe worse still - Avon Skidmasters then?

I too ride a tedious old Honda, the sort of thing you see tubby middle-aged blokes bimbling around on trying to look like Mr Plod, secretly harbouring desires of riding a GoldThing.
However I ride it in the company of two Ducati Multistradas, an Aprilia Futura and a Kawa ZZR1400... and I try not to be left too far behind

God no, you mentioned a goldwing in a thread about bikes ! A goldwing isn't a bike, its a car with two of the wheels missing !

 

[Wedg1e]

God no, you mentioned a goldwing in a thread about bikes ! A goldwing isn't a bike, its a car with two of the wheels missing !

Have a look on Youtube for vids of Goldwings on the Deal's Gap road in the USA: one of them is being filmed from an ST1300 (like mine) and it struggles to stay with the Goldwing. If you think Wings can't go round corners, watching that may change your mind

Edit... though I can't find that particular one myself now; there are plenty of others on there...

 

[ronan]

Have a look on Youtube for vids of Goldwings on the Deal's Gap road in the USA: one of them is being filmed from an ST1300 (like mine) and it struggles to stay with the Goldwing. If you think Wings can't go round corners, watching that may change your mind

Edit... though I can't find that particular one myself now; there are plenty of others on there...

Nah , i amuse myself watching poseurs on very expensive bikes of all types going around a notorious bend on mulholland highway in los angeles , the snake. No one is ever hurt as the offs happen at very low speeds, but the ego's (and bikes) really take a bashing !

 

[silversurfer]

Hi Shakyman. Are you finding it hard to get riding again.? How old do you think is TOO OLD to start riding again ?? I can give you 30 years and would love to try it again ! And yes, I do still have a full bike licence although not ridden since I was 20......

 

[ronan]

Hi Shakyman. Are you finding it hard to get riding again.? How old do you think is TOO OLD to start riding again ?? I can give you 30 years and would love to try it again ! And yes, I do still have a full bike licence although not ridden since I was 20......

Len vale onslow was riding motorcycles all his life and was still on the roads on his self built machine, the super onslow special (S.O.S) when he was over 100 ! Go for it , but just be prepared to suffer the busier roads and everyone in a car now seems to be looking for a scrap.

 

[shakyman]

Len vale onslow was riding motorcycles all his life and was still on the roads on his self built machine, the super onslow special (S.O.S) when he was over 100 ! Go for it , but just be prepared to suffer the busier roads and everyone in a car now seems to be looking for a scrap.

Hi Shakyman. Are you finding it hard to get riding again.? How old do you think is TOO OLD to start riding again ?? I can give you 30 years and would love to try it again ! And yes, I do still have a full bike licence although not ridden since I was 20......

its not hard to ride the bike..gears clutch brakes feel natural after a few minutes..i just felt a bit vunerable and road positioning is different from a car..done over 200 mls now it feels great and second nature..but i care for my safety so would never ride as fast as i used to but yeah give it a go its still a great feeling...

 

[julianthegypsy]

Hi Shakyman. Are you finding it hard to get riding again.? How old do you think is TOO OLD to start riding again ?? I can give you 30 years and would love to try it again ! And yes, I do still have a full bike licence although not ridden since I was 20......

Never too old, but beware of comparing the old bikes you used to ride with new ones the same size. There are plenty of 600's around that will easily get to 150 mph, let alone the bigger bikes that you always wanted. Twist the throttle and you will hit 100 before you know it and if you aren't expecting it you can be heading for trouble at extremely high speed. I couldn't believe the power of a ZX9R when I bought one. It was like strapping yourself to a missile and hanging on. Fortunately they stop very fast too but you can get to ludicrous speed without even realizing it as its so smooth you don't notice. Start on a 500 twin and you'll be fine

 

[shakyman]

Never too old, but beware of comparing the old bikes you used to ride with new ones the same size. There are plenty of 600's around that will easily get to 150 mph, let alone the bigger bikes that you always wanted. Twist the throttle and you will hit 100 before you know it and if you aren't expecting it you can be heading for trouble at extremely high speed. I couldn't believe the power of a ZX9R when I bought one. It was like strapping yourself to a missile and hanging on. Fortunately they stop very fast too but you can get to ludicrous speed without even realizing it as its so smooth you don't notice. Start on a 500 twin and you'll be fine

wise words..but your not getting my 500 twin..painted the downpipes today , bit boring rubbing it down.still at least its not a four...

 

[Robotstar5]

Len vale onslow was riding motorcycles all his life and was still on the roads on his self built machine, the super onslow special (S.O.S) when he was over 100 !

Went past Vale Onslow shop on Sunday, all closed up and fenced off but still got stock in the window.

 

[ronan]

Went past Vale Onslow shop on Sunday, all closed up and fenced off but still got stock in the window.

He was an interesting character with a real can do spirit. I often wondered what became of his shop after he passed on, i thought his son would have continued with it.

 

[silversurfer]

Nice to get some encouragement, not like the opposite I get from my family ! Only thinking of running around gently,my speeding days are over. Something like a 4 or 500 twin would be adequate.My first bike was a 350 Levis, nice bike, followed by a 500 Cotton/Jap, a real beast that got me all over the country during my national service days. Road tax £3. 75 a year, insurance roughly the same, petrol at 11P a gallon...... Will see how Shakyman gets on and decide. Thanks for input..

 

[ronan]

Nice to get some encouragement, not like the opposite I get from my family ! Only thinking of running around gently,my speeding days are over. Something like a 4 or 500 twin would be adequate.My first bike was a 350 Levis, nice bike, followed by a 500 Cotton/Jap, a real beast that got me all over the country during my national service days. Road tax £3. 75 a year, insurance roughly the same, petrol at 11P a gallon...... Will see how Shakyman gets on and decide. Thanks for input..

Look out for a yamaha sr400 or 500 , srx600 or a honda gb 500 if you like big singles silversurfer, they are japanese versions of the old british thumpers, but without the unreliability and oil leaks and with advantages like electric starts and indicators.

 

[Farside]

at 55yrs old(dangerous age!) having not had a road bike since 1980,ive agreed to buy a honda cb500 twin cyl

Welcome (back) to the Dark Side.
Nice middleweights those, and free of the usual Honda camchain gremlins of that age, iirc.
Bikes of the late 70s and 80s appeal to me much more than the creations of today, not that I'd turn one down as a gift, of course.
2 x GS850 1 x XS650 in my workshop. Actually, the XS is in the kitchen.

 

[Farside]

Actually my Supper Dream was the most exciting bike I ever rode.
With a top speed of 89mph and shod with a pair of Chengshin"s my heart was permanently in my mouth.
Every approach to a corner or junction resulted in a squeal of complaint from these wonders in rubber technology
that could only bring looks of admiration from anyone within earshot.
When the vibration from the flatspots became unbearable I changed to Shin Hung Golden Boys but the bike was never the same.

I've had bikes since with more power and better handling but they were tame in comparison.

Paul G

For anyone on a budget, try modern Chen Shins - totally different ballgame from what they used to be. I'm using Maxxis (re-marketed CS) on my GS and never put a foot wrong with them. Honestly, unless you're looking for GP levels of grip, you won't go far wrong and if you're wanting GP levels, you wouldn't be on a budget anyway.

 

[ronan]

Welcome (back) to the Dark Side.
Nice middleweights those, and free of the usual Honda camchain gremlins of that age, iirc.
Bikes of the late 70s and 80s appeal to me much more than the creations of today, not that I'd turn one down as a gift, of course.
2 x GS850 1 x XS650 in my workshop. Actually, the XS is in the kitchen.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having an xs in your kitchen, infact it has much to commend it !

 

[Farside]

Just don't do this with it...

 

[pedrobedro]

Just don't do this with it...

How come everybody else could see how this was going to end but he didn't There's an MZ Scorpion in my friend's shop, it uses the Yam 660 engine. It'll shake your fillings out man

 

[norlander]

Have a look on Youtube for vids of Goldwings on the Deal's Gap road in the USA: one of them is being filmed from an ST1300 (like mine) and it struggles to stay with the Goldwing. If you think Wings can't go round corners, watching that may change your mind

Edit... though I can't find that particular one myself now; there are plenty of others on there...

The bloke that rides that wing spends most of his riding life going down and back up the Deals Gap road and pouncing on sports bikes.That is not to say its not a testament to his and the wings capabilities but parachute him and his wing onto unfamiliar roads and he might find himself being hunted down.
One bloke went long distance on a wing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Scotto wings have their place in motorcyclings rich tapestry.

 

[norlander]

Hi Shakyman. Are you finding it hard to get riding again.? How old do you think is TOO OLD to start riding again ?? I can give you 30 years and would love to try it again ! And yes, I do still have a full bike licence although not ridden since I was 20......

If you think you can do it-you probably can-I get hacked off when I get asked if I am not too old for living the biker lifestyle-your age problem is usually in the minds of those younger than yourself.
I let my riding and partying answer the question am I too old.Same in the gym-with young lads and their mobile phones-I usually ask em are you here to chew the fat or burn it-the machines are not racks for your towels.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/books/last-hurrah.htm owd blokes on owd bikes and ones diabetic.

 

[Farside]

If you think you can do it-you probably can-I get hacked off when I get asked if I am not too old for living the biker lifestyle-your age problem is usually in the minds of those younger than yourself.
I let my riding and partying answer the question am I too old.Same in the gym-with young lads and their mobile phones-I usually ask em are you here to chew the fat or burn it-the machines are not racks for your towels.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/books/last-hurrah.htm owd blokes on owd bikes and ones diabetic.

Exactly - you only get old when you stop riding bikes.
If you want to feel young - get a younger woman
If you want to actually be young - get a bike.