Well, what can I say except..."Why didn't I get into this motorbiking caper earlier".
What an absolutely fantastic and exhillarating 13 months it has been.
The Beginning, L Plate Time
After listening to a work colleague talk at me constantly with stories about his adventures on his various bikes. And the simple fact at the time that petrol was on the rise, add in the cost of parking, I decided to investigate the possibility of getting a motorbike...
So many choices confront a person new to the scene. From humble GN250's, honda cbr's, kwakas, suzuki's, the list goes on and on. Kinda left me a little bewildered reading all the bike mags I could get my hands on, and my ears were left bleeding after listening to a conversation between two die hard bikers, one saying Honda, the other saying pieces of shit, go with a suzuki...So which to choose....hmmmmm, I chose me a Hyosung GT250R. Chose this mainly because it felt right when I rode it. I liked the look of it. And I wanted something new, so that if anything went wrong in the first few months, I was not going to be throwing heaps of money at an older machine, or not be covered by a fairly decent warranty....
BHS and L test outta the way and bike and associated gear purchased saw me ready to rock and roll......:
So happily astride my new machine, I set about the process of spending as much of my free time away from work on it as possible. Just simply riding, going from place to place, mixing it up with town riding and motorway riding, over the taka's, and out the back roads. Never with the intention of riding fast, but with the view to learning and enjoying "riding". And ride I did. Whenever and whereever I could.
6 Months and it's 6R time
Booked the test, AA Lower Hutt, recommend them if you live in the area. Read post # 11 in this thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=71784 for a full report.
6R achieved, back to the same routine of riding as often and for as long as I could. As well as to and from work every day. At all times of the day or night...
Having said that though, plans that were talked about and were waiting to be set into motion, after the 6R was achieved, took a nose dive with the passing of my riding buddy ( Brett "Grub" Collings ). I lost and I think to some degree still have lost a little of the pleasure, I got from riding, and exploring this lovely countryside with a mate. This is something that I will be forever mindful of whenever I am riding, that no matter how skilled, or how well prepared you are, things can and sometimes do go wrong, and that they can and could possibly happen to YOU.
The bike is still going strong at this point. Nothing has fallen off, and thats including the rider. Nothing has needed to be replaced. The stock standard shinko tyres are holding up well, considering they have to traverse the Wainuiomata Hill, twice daily. (This hill is known for being extremly hard on tyres, as the road surface is fairly rough in patches ). Have not had any tighten the sphincter moments with these tyres either. Even in the pouring rain and the slickness on the hill at times. So all in all am happy with the purchase of the Hyo. Some knock them, some don't, and at the end of the day it all boils down to personal choice afterall. Would I buy one again if I had to purchase one for say my partner to learn to ride on, most likely yes...
Another 6 Months and it's 6F time....
So the full licence test was booked. Same place AA Lower Hutt, different tester this time than before, but funny enough the same route and the same things were asked of me. Turn here, turn there, stop, do a u turn. Then it was onto the hazard identification part.
Tester : "I'll get you to turn right here at this intersection and then stop down the road, and I'll ask you what hazards you identified"
Me : "Ok"
Turned right and stopped after 100 mtrs, tester hops out of his car and says
Tester : " So what hazards did you spot"
Me : "The white car oncoming to my left, (about 150mtrs away), and the guy in the silver station wagon behind me tailgating through the intersection, in order to beat the white oncoming car"....(Was the testers car, Tip include him in your response when doing this test).
Tester : " Oh yeah right sorry bout that. Nicely spotted. Onto the 70km zone and then stop please".........Did that, no motorway, no going to 100km, hands me the piece of paper and says congratulations and heads off...
So it's all done, 6L, to 6R, to 6F, in 12 months. No more restrictive hours of riding. Just over 11,000 km's travelled from fresh learners to full licence.
The Choice
So now it's onto "The Choice", I originally said I didn't want anything bigger than a 250, but have decided that a bigger bike is what is required as I intend to do some touring, with my partner, so it's bye bye to the 250 Hyo, and hello new bike.......
Just like the choices confronting me in the beginning. I am now fronted with the same if not more choices. In order to narrow down the choice somewhat, I set myself some criteria. And chose two bikes to start with.
Choice # 1 - Honda VFR800. By all accounts one of the best all round sports/tourers there is available.
Choice # 2 - Suzuki Bandit 1250SA - Touring version of the NZ favourite Bandit, again a very popular choice.
Things that were being considered were price, service intervals, replacement parts cost, history of mechanical failure etc etc etc.
So armed with the spec sheets for both bikes, I set about a comparitive reading session. Also asked a lot of questions from sales people and fellow KBr's. After wading through a heaps of things, I decided to add one more bike to the mix.
Choice # 3 - Suzuki GSX650F - A suzuki bandit with a facelift and a few tweaks in the up and go department.
All of the choices you must realise, would be brand new, not second hand, and as close to the current year of manufacture, that we are currently in.
HONDA VFR800 - $16,995
Bandit 1250SA - $14,995
Suzuki GSX650F -$11,995
GSX in the lead so far.
Test rode all three of the above bikes. VFR I liked, Bandit I liked, GSX I really liked.
Tied.
Service costs where next on the agenda, ( I don't do my own services ), hmmm Suzuki 2 Honda 1 (based solely on the test ride)....
Very similar for mechanical failure history, with Honda edging out Suzuki on a couple of matters. However if something major malfunctioned on the bike, or needed replacing, for the overall cost Suzuki 3 Honda 1.
...Supposed to be getting easier to decide, but no.......So it boiled down to $$$$ in the end. And the fact that An 800 would be wasted, at this stage, along with a 1250, for me anyways. If I was doing a longer commute than I currently do (56km's a day), and planned to be out for 1000km + rides every days off then I would be going with one of those two. But the choice has been made and,
My next bike is going to be a 2009 Suzuki GSX650F, is currently on the boat from the manufacturer, and should be here late Febuary. According to the reports I have read, an able bike. Handles 2 up easily, and is quite user friendly. And the most important thing is that when I rode one, it felt right. My partner also sat on the back of all three test bikes, and she felt the most comfortable on the back of the GSX.
So when it arrives, I will be out and about on breaking in rides. Not that I need an exscuse to go for a ride though..........
"Why didn't I get into this sooner.....
Happy and safe riding everyone...
Pic is of the new bike...
Reply With Quote
If you are behind me
Dont ask as I am lost too.
Originally Posted by Fatt Max
Great reflection of where you've been, what you've done and how you have come along on this great journey! Keep riding, keep learning!
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