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K

King Gilga

Member
The R9T is just such a sexy bike in general, BMW really out did themselves with it, love how unbulky it feels too.

It's deffo on the top of my list when I upgrade unless Yamaha manage to deuglify their MT/FZ series.
 
W

Watevaman

Member
I "hit" a deer this morning. In the sense that my knee knocked him in the head at about 50 mph. He was almost parallel to the bike so nothing bad came of it besides a sore knee.
 
D

Dougald

Member
Dang glad to hear you didn't come off too badly other than the sore knee. I know a guy who T-Boned a Stag at 60mph on a country road, doesn't remember leaving the house, just waking up in hospital
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
Dougald said:
I can understand that, I scuffed my old Arai the first year I had it, I was livid
Click to expand...

Plus that shit always happens in the first year of owning it.

Watevaman said:
I "hit" a deer this morning. In the sense that my knee knocked him in the head at about 50 mph. He was almost parallel to the bike so nothing bad came of it besides a sore knee.
Click to expand...

Man, glad you're ok! I hear those encounters don't always end that well.
 
M

maxheadwound

Member
This is a great looking helmet and I do like the look of the bike. I am up for a new helmet and keen to have a look at what else is about again. Maybe flip up or old school.

ULAC2Zy.jpg
 
D

Dougald

Member
I'm due a new helmet next year, I'm currently leaning towards the Schuberth C4. I'm planning to get something a bit more tour-y for my next bike in 2018 or 2019, so I reckon a flip helmet makes sense

If you want to go for that 70s retro style, I love the Bell Bullitt CRB

RFX202_1.jpeg
 
D

Dougald

Member
I've only really seen it sold at Motolegends (aka the hipster moto gear store). They do have a shop in Guildford, but iirc if you're going for anything specific you're best off calling ahead

I did try on a different Bell Bullitt at a show a couple years back and it was okay, but not quite as plush as an Arai or Shoei. Think mid-range HJC. The price premium is all for looks
 
M

maxheadwound

Member
Cheers for the heads up, I will check them out. I am comparing a GT air with the Bullit that is almost a £100 more and it does not have a built in visor. I am also keen to look at the new BMW system flip up helmets as my dad loves them and he had a few Arai and Shoei helmets.
 
D

Dougald

Member
Well I can tell you that the GT Air is an excellent helmet, mine has served me well the last 3 years. The BMW flip-up is the other helmet I've been looking at, they always come top in the UK Government safety tests for flip-up helmets

Depends if you want flip-up or full-face I guess. I'll be finding out sometime later this year if I can ever have laser eye surgery, I'm assuming I'll be stuck with glasses forever so I'm thinking of a flip-up to help with that too
 
M

maxheadwound

Member
Think I want to try out a flip up for this round. My helmet is now 5 years and I need to start looking around for a new one.

I will go and try on that C4 as its a good looking helmet and try the BMW one.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
I do notice that I still use my flip-up Shoei more often than my new X-Spirit III. Partly because I want to keep the latter new and shiny, but also because I admit the flip-up aspect is incredibly practical.

Thinking about how I'll have to take off my helmet when I'm paying for gas (with the full face) is almost enough to just reach for the flip-up.
 
C

clockworkinyou

Banned
I wonder if I'll ever come around on the retro style helmets. I don't think I will.

Also don't like the 'Stig' style helmets that I see bikers wearing. Are they just Simpson road/car helmets or are they actual motorcycle helmets?

Also, what are some good solutions for helmet locks? The 600RR helmet 'cable' is pathetic and I don't want to leave my helmet on my bike for any amount of time with that.
 
D

Dougald

Member
The 'Stig' helmets are indeed Simpson ones. I don't think much of them as they aren't even safety certified for use within the EU..

As for a lock, the only thing that would be any good is a large bicycle-style 'D' lock straight through the chinbar, imo. I never leave my helmet with the bike though.
 
O

OraleeWey

Member
Speaking of helmets, I regret matching my helmet to my motorcycle's colors. So now, I have a red/white helmet and it doesn't match my current bike. I wish I had matched it to my jacket instead (hi-viz).
 
C

clockworkinyou

Banned
On my 3rd bike (black/red), I actually prefer that my gear doesn't coordinate too much. I could have easily gone all black/red to match but didn't want to and was actually looking to clash more.

-White Shoei GT-Air with a black stripe
-White/Black/Fluro Alpinestars Celer jacket
-my old Red/White Alpinestars gloves
-White/Red/Furo Alpinestars SMX boots or black/silver SIDI Roarr boots
-AGV Jeans or Black Alpinestars missile pants

I actually really like the blue/black Alpinestars Motegi 1-piece suit.
 
N

nico1982

Member
clockworkinyou said:
Also, what are some good solutions for helmet locks? The 600RR helmet 'cable' is pathetic and I don't want to leave my helmet on my bike for any amount of time with that.
Click to expand...
If the area is "safe" I leave it on the saddle (the rear half of mine is ridicolously wide), otherwise I carry it with me.
Keep in mind that most manufacturer will replace a "damaged" strap for less than 100 USD/euro, so the strap is only good for clumsy bystanders.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
I'm definitely going to get a solid white colored helmet next. In fact, my RF-1100 is due for replacement.

Not sure if I'll get a GT Air or maybe an RF-1200. When I tried on the latter, the fit seemed a bit different from the 1100. I think my 1100 is a small but the 1200 in a small was not even close to fitting.

Need to replace my gloves too though, as they are developing holes and the stitches are coming out.... and my pants need replacement. lol, $$$$.
 
Stevey

Stevey

Member
I have a Simpson Bandit and yeah don't think they're even road legal in the UK.
It's awful really, uncomfortable, the lining is rough, the visor doesn't even seal properly so it's really loud and let's rain in.
Never wear it anymore.
 
D

Dougald

Member
Pretty much the same as a car, pros being you get to own it first, you can be sure of the service history, and you can probably get more favourable finance deals if that's your thing. Cons being drop in value as soon as you buy it and its much more expensive

I will point out that at least in the UK, once bikes reach about 1/4 - 1/3 of their brand new price, they don't seem to drop a lot more. If I buy a bike for 2-3 grand today I can probably sell it for 2-3 grand in a few years.
 
C

clockworkinyou

Banned
Dougald said:
Pretty much the same as a car, pros being you get to own it first, you can be sure of the service history, and you can probably get more favourable finance deals if that's your thing. Cons being drop in value as soon as you buy it and its much more expensive

I will point out that at least in the UK, once bikes reach about 1/4 - 1/3 of their brand new price, they don't seem to drop a lot more. If I buy a bike for 2-3 grand today I can probably sell it for 2-3 grand in a few years.
Click to expand...

Yeah similar here in the states from what I've seen the last 15 years. Bike values taper off and stay pretty steady if they are in good, clean shape.

2006-2008 clean title R6 can easily go for $5000-5500 from what I've seen over the last 2 years. They really haven't dropped even with the redesigned R6 out now.
 
D

Dougald

Member
I actually bought a 10 year old Fazer a few years ago for £1800, changed the oil, rode it about for a year and then flogged it for £2300. Same with my wifes CBR600, paid £1200, bought some new tyres, sold it for £1500 a few thousand miles later.

Compare that to my lightly used Ducati that I paid £9000 for and is probably worth about £7500 a year later
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
Dougald said:
I actually bought a 10 year old Fazer a few years ago for £1800, changed the oil, rode it about for a year and then flogged it for £2300.
Click to expand...

And painted the headers!



As for my own Ducati. Bought brand new for 15. Sold for 8.

Lesson here is: don't buy new unless money is no object or you're 100% positive you're going to be riding it for a long time.
 
O

OraleeWey

Member
Question, I'm not knowledgeable about this, but is a rear drum brake bad?

This dealer has a new 2015 Honda Rebel 250 for $2,000 which would be perfect for my cousin but I don't know why such a bike isn't already sold. Only thing I can think of is people might not like drum brakes.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
As long as you have a disc in front, it's totally fine.

Might be that in the US starters market, the Ninja 250/300 is the more popular choice.
 
D

Dougald

Member
Fallout-NL said:
And painted the headers!
Click to expand...

I actually forgot about that! Good learning experience

OraleeWey said:
Question, I'm not knowledgeable about this, but is a rear drum brake bad?

This dealer has a new 2015 Honda Rebel 250 for $2,000 which would be perfect for my cousin but I don't know why such a bike isn't already sold. Only thing I can think of is people might not like drum brakes.
Click to expand...

Drum brakes are pretty terrible and archaic. However a rear drum on a lightweight bike isn't really a deal-breaker as most people only use the rear for stability and as an e-brake, the front is where you want your power. Wouldn't put me off on a 250, it'll be perfectly fine
 
O

OraleeWey

Member
Dougald said:
I actually forgot about that! Good learning experience



Drum brakes are pretty terrible and archaic. However a rear drum on a lightweight bike isn't really a deal-breaker as most people only use the rear for stability and as an e-brake, the front is where you want your power. Wouldn't put me off on a 250, it'll be perfectly fine
Click to expand...

Sweet. Such a beautiful bike though. Went to see it in person. He's a little stubborn though. I've ruined him with my dualsport because he also prefers a dualsport or a DRZ400. Trying to convince him that the Rebel 250 is a very fun bike.


v63IPTAr.jpg
 
D

Dougald

Member
I don't think you'd find many dual sports for that money in the UK, they're incredibly popular now

I think for £3k you could probably get an old Transalp or something, so maybe wait until the pound drops off another cliff again and grab a bargain!
 
O

OraleeWey

Member
Fallout-NL said:
Really? For over 3k you've got a lot of options here in the Netherlands. Though obviously not nearly as new as that Rebel.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a new 2015 Rebel for $2,000. It's such a low price compared to what else you can get. I don't know why it's still sitting at that dealership.

Lowest priced dual sport I could find was $3,200 and that was a DRZ200S. This is all before taxes, too, though.


Edit: That Rebel would come to about $3,000 or so after taxes, registration and dealer fees.
 
B

BriareosGAF

Member
I think the question with the Rebel is what you do when you're done with it, given a 250cc bike has limited utility? Will it resell quickly? For how much vs what you paid for it?

Around here for $2k you can get something like a nice low mileage GS 500f that will have a lot more longevity of use, or even a nice SV650 for a few hundred more. For $3k you can get a nice 07 DL 650, etc.
 
O

OraleeWey

Member
BriareosGAF said:
I think the question with the Rebel is what you do when you're done with it, given a 250cc bike has limited utility? Will it resell quickly? For how much vs what you paid for it?

Around here for $2k you can get something like a nice low mileage GS 500f that will have a lot more longevity of use, or even a nice SV650 for a few hundred more. For $3k you can get a nice 07 DL 650, etc.
Click to expand...

Hmm... Long term is something to definitely consider for. Seeing as my cousin is about to be 16, he's still a young'un and a little 250 is a good starter bike. That's what were looking for for now. Nothing too crazy. I *think* the Rebel might sell well later down the road. If not, I'd want (for him) to keep the bike around. It could be passed down to my little brother when he's of age :)
 
D

Dougald

Member
OraleeWey said:
I love watching some old, old motorcycle safety videos. Anyone else have their favorites? This one is mine.

https://youtu.be/atDFqxHLctE
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, good watch. Toms mate seems to be a bit of a legend!

Love the old British bikes with no indicators and the gear shift on the wrong side, look a lot like my grandfathers bike in the early 60s (and my father in laws old Velocette thats just itching for me to take off his hands). He probably had the same damn jacket too, though maybe not those weird gloves.

edit: apparently my dad used to ride his Honda cub with those exact gloves so I don't know what to say any more. They look like they provide the perfect conduit for rain
 
G

GONZO

Member
Finally got a decent lift for my bikes. Now I wont have to destroy my back working on them.


DiXpUMi.jpg


QERMeOw.jpg


And a pretty shot from a recent ride

G1x0sMw.jpg
 
G

GONZO

Member
Thanks already put 8k miles in about a year on it. It's the most insane bike I've ever owned. It never ever fails to put a smile on my face.
 
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