Jump to content

bippo

Supporter
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,468

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    79

 Content Type 

Posts posted by bippo

    Feeling rather chuffed

    in The Bar

    Posted

    good on ya Bip.

    just watch the shadows in the morning, as they sometimes have black ice on the road at this time.

    Thanks Drewpy, I have to admit that very much plays on my mind. I'm finding myself going round some bends a little slower than others, but better safe than sorry.

    Feeling rather chuffed

    in The Bar

    Posted

    Should I be pedantic and say that a tomato is a fruit too....................................na, I will leave that.

    The other DT is right about the small type fairings. They can act like a scary sail in crosswinds.

    Smart arse... ;-)

    Personally the bike looks pretty cool without a screen - thanks for the useful information about them, I think I'll definitely steer clear.

    So much to learn about this biking malark!

    Feeling rather chuffed

    in The Bar

    Posted

    At a girl ....real bikers don't let weather stop the ride,mind it's much more fun in nice weather.Just think free parking less gas $$ you will save up for the bigger bike in no time.

    Fly screens on a small bike can cause the bike to want to steer it's self in cross winds as they are attached to the forks.The bike will handle better without in windy conditions.

    wishing you many more safe and happy miles :headbang:

    That's the way to think of it! I can't wait you get more experience, pass my test and invest in a bigger bike!

    Good to know about the fly screens, I assumed they would only be of benefit with head-on wind. But I found that gripping the handlebars tighter meant I got around around that for a cheaper price, ha ha!

    Feeling rather chuffed

    in The Bar

    Posted

    Well done Bippo. You will make a lot of full license holders bow their heads in shame.

    A couple of things;

    I don't think Glossop is Northern, the Midlands really. I am a Londoner who now lives in the Midlands

    What was in your lunch box?

    Thanks DirtyDT :-)

    Do you know what - I have no clue as you whether Glossop is classed as 'Northern'! All I know is that when I used to work in Manchester they would joke and call me a "Southern Jessie". Obviously now that I work in Yorkshire, they really do class me as a Southerner!

    Nwo for the important one... Lunch box consistent of crisps, fruit, tomatoes and a meat wrap. You know... The really 'heavy' stuff that is going to weigh down a 125.. ;-)

    Feeling rather chuffed

    in The Bar

    Posted

    My new bike is now officially run-in and serviced, so today I braved my first trip into work. The reason I hadn't done it sooner is because:

    A. I live in Glossop, and work in Leeds. So for those of you who don't know, that's a 50 mile one-way trip when I drive on the motorway and a 38 mile trip on back roads with my CBT and a 125. A total of 100 or 72 mile round trip, depending

    B. It's a hilly ride so with a 125, revving can't be avoided and I didn't want to over-rev a new bike

    C. It's taken a while to save up and buy clothing suitable for a cold ride over the Pennines in the morning

    D. I'm new to riding, so I've been focussing on building up my confidence on two wheels

    E. I'm not originally a 'Northerner' so I didnt know the roads or route. You get shockingly used to using motorways, you don't realise how little you know of an area until you are forced to use minor roads without sat nav!

    But overall it went well! The only downside was the fact that the bikes headlight is terrible and doesn't actually light anything when riding down a road with no light pollution or street lights. But then again, what else is the full beam for?! That did an adequate job. I'm not complaining, I appreciate the YBR is a cheap 125 aimed at the city-riding market as opposed to A-road, B-road and country lane riding.

    So today was the day! Even with the rain, darkness, coldness and mental memory of junctions I really enjoyed myself! The last thing I want is to be a "fair-weather rider" so I plan on doing the same trip tomorrow and as much as I can until the weather really turns bad. Even though I work in Leeds city centre, I get to park my bike for free in our underground car park, complete with military-wannabe security guards which is far better than the daily parking charge I had to stump up with the car.

    As I work an early shift, the roads are much quieter, so I'm hoping to get as much practice in as I can. You'll be surprised how many hilly hair-pin bends I tackled on my route, in darkness! Roads like that I don't even think about in the car as I can't "fall off" that! So I'm hoping that practice too and from this route will soon see my right for my full licence and a bike more suited to demanding trips.

    Oh - and for those YBR owners who are interested, working the gearbox meant I didn't encountered an issue. I was dealing with many 10% - 15% hills and the bike did surprisingly well. I'm 5'8" and had a backpack with my work clothes, iPad, documentation and lunch in. I rode across a lot of open moors resulting in a side wind battering, but the YBR handled itself well enough. I don't (yet) feel the need to buy a fly screen or resort to the car. It's surprising how much the right clothing assists with a demanding ride.

    I can see the benefits of a larger capacity bike, and don't get me wrong, I really want to own one! But I've discovered that owning a 125 doesn't have to be a restriction, and it sure as hell is an experience!

    Motorcyclists funny phrases?

    in The Bar

    Posted

    This phrase always makes me laugh........

    It does 90 on the flat, but i can get 105 going downhill.

    Or in my case, "it does 55 on the flat (revving the nads off it), but I can get 65 going downhill (with the wind behind me).

    Ha ha!!

    Getting pissed off with SMIDSY's

    in Yamabyss

    Posted

    I've sadly fallen victim to this before...

    7 odd years ago I was a pillion on a bright orange bike, clear daylight, headlight on, two riders both with fluorescent helmets, riding down a single carriageway 40mph road in flowing traffic.

    So there was a car in front, us, and a car behind. All of us were holding sensible breaking distances.

    Enter the Merc driver... He appears at a side road on our left hand side, wanting to turn right out onto our road, so across our lane. He looks left and right. Then he decides to pull out in between the two cars I mentioned.

    Unfortunately we weren't lucky enough to avoid them. He pulled out as the bike was going by, so although we swerved, they couldn't avoid hitting my left knee.

    Kneedless (geddit?!) to say, he stopped in comfort while we got shunted into oncoming traffic. Thankfully the oncoming car stopped and helped us get the bike up.

    What gets me is that he said, and I quote, "oh it was merely a dent" as he inspects the knee-shaped dent in his -metal!- bonnet.

    So, after numerous hospital visits, physio and a knee I can't straighten which aches in the cold weather, I often think of that posh bastard and his casual reaction to the accident.

    Road Wizards Bike Show (Saddleworth, Oldham)

    in Events, Rideouts & Trackdays

    Posted

    bippo where abouts are you?

    and as well as the salvation army run there is the roughley's one as well.

    i have not done the salvation army one but have done the roughley's for the last five years.

    it has a turn out of about 300 or so bikes, run from stockport harley shop to together trust and then to francis house hospice shop at lowry centre. a mass convoy no stopping for lights or juntions all marshalled by out riders and a real good day... all you do is turn up with a few little unwrapped pressies and follow the leaders, get to the stops aqnd give your pressies over have a brew/ chat and head to next stop.. do the same.

    this years is december 9th.

    Hey Beef. I live in Glossop.

    I'd like to do the Toy Run, never heard of that before. Also Roughley's sounds good too - like the sound of no traffic lights etc!

×
×
  • Create New...