bippo

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.

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!

Erm... Count me in! Ha ha!

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!

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.. ;-)

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!

I've heard that this is a good diet:

Hey and welcome to the forum! Your English is great, and so is your interest in bikes!! Enjoy yourself here. :-)

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!!

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.

Ha! What a small world! Well if you see a black/grey YBR pottering about, give me a nod! Keep me posted on the run, I'd like to give that a go if I'm not away with work.

Hey and welcome to the forum!

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!

Hey and welcome to the forum! Hope you're enjoying the cruiser :-)

Hey Sam and welcome to the forum!

Hey and welcome to the forum! I have a YBR too - fun little bike to learn on.

Hey Gerry and welcome to the forum!

I have to admit, I'm gutted I couldn't make it - some cool looking bikes. Now the Toy Run... Looks like cracking fun, I just Googled it! Can't find anything for this years event though?

Hey and welcome to the forum! I upload my photos to Photobucket and then just embed them into my posts - easy peasy.

Hey guys, change of plan for me I'm afraid - I now have to work! Bugger... :-( Still I managed a quick morning ride with my dodgy wheel and rode past the event. So I was there in spirit I guess!! Enjoy your day and I hope the weather holds.

Hey and welcome to the forum!

Glad I'm not the only one! It's typical, I've only done 550 miles on this bike. Never had a puncture in a car over 10 years! I'll see what family plans are but will send you my mobi just in case.

Hmm... Only 11 miles from my house. May pop along to this, but the RAC had to put a plug in my rear wheel due to a puncture. Can't sort a new tyre until Tuesday, and am not sure how durable these plugs are...

Hey and welcome to the forum!

I have no experience of this, but did a Google search and found these. Maybe worth a try? http://www.insurancechoice.co.uk/carinsurance/american-car-insurance?ad_id=gaw708&gclid=CLv6h-yatrICFUNkfAodAwUAzA http://www.performancedirect.co.uk/4x4-car-insurance/dodge-ram.aspx Sorry if not! I know some companies just try to lure you in based on certain Goodgle searches...