mcshaz
12th December 2016, 19:00
7 years ago I left Oz for NZ, and I sold a '06 Honda CB600R (hornet) to come over the ditch. My better half pushed out 2 little kiwis, I have flicked over to the wrong side of 40 (with the associated loss of youthful reflexes).
Seeing a mate's Harley the other week has lead to a creeping, gnawing, unstoppable itch that it is time to get another bike, and I am personally not even interested in cruisers (all due respect etc etc).
previous bikes have been a Honda XR250, '77 Triumph Boneville T140J (Silver Jubilee). the hornet was my favourite bike - rarely got it out of 3rd & had a fantastic ride to work.
I am not even sure where to begin, but might put thoughts down to organise my current dilemmas
I want something that will get me through Auckland traffic.
should also be fun going out to the bach at Kare Kare.
Some skills will have deteriorated in 7 years off a bike. Even though I can probably afford something quite nice, I would probably be best off with something I am happy to lay on its side at rider training - it is always the slow speed stuff that made me the most nervous. I have put bikes on their side twice, both while doing tight manoeuvres with loose asphalt (a better rider would have kept the bike upright).
I need to keep my licence - loosing it I would be unable to keep my job, and I need to keep it (too much investment of time and effort to get here). Accelerate up fast to the speed limit, hold speed in the corners, but I really can't afford the license points of breaking the speed limit. I also have 2 girls I need to stay alive for.
I have an inner hoon like, I suspect, most people on this forum - used to go through a new rear tire on the hornet every 5 to 6000 clicks, and removing chicken strips quickly is a matter of principle.
Having never ridden a bike with a fairing, maybe it is time to give one a go - ducking under the wind cover in the rain, or not hanging on so hard at 100kph must be nice. I do prefer the look of nakeds, but sometimes function is more important than form.
I have always had a thing for BMWs and boxer engines, lusting after the GS series since I was about 17. Interestingly now I don't fancy the adventure tourers (if I had time to ride around NZ over a few months, that would change my mind), but still am smitten by what I have seen of the modern BMW techno-wizardry. Of course no modern BMW is in any way compatible with point 3 (the price means a drop would be accompanied with tears and the weight of a 1000-1200cc seems intimidating). the S1000 series look amazing, but are in no way compatible with point 4, and would be well outside my skill level.
I am not even sure of the number of cylinders. I wonder what peple mean when they say 4s have no character - if you stay in the top end, they have plenty of character for me (although they do make a fairly obtrusive noise for other motorists on the daily commute when you spend most of the time on the bike in that range)
Having put these meandering ramblings down I guess I have 2 questions:
Any recomendations for a training course for an average rider getting back into things
Any thoughts about dealers in Auckland. I have always bought and sold privately, but am now pretty time poor
Seeing a mate's Harley the other week has lead to a creeping, gnawing, unstoppable itch that it is time to get another bike, and I am personally not even interested in cruisers (all due respect etc etc).
previous bikes have been a Honda XR250, '77 Triumph Boneville T140J (Silver Jubilee). the hornet was my favourite bike - rarely got it out of 3rd & had a fantastic ride to work.
I am not even sure where to begin, but might put thoughts down to organise my current dilemmas
I want something that will get me through Auckland traffic.
should also be fun going out to the bach at Kare Kare.
Some skills will have deteriorated in 7 years off a bike. Even though I can probably afford something quite nice, I would probably be best off with something I am happy to lay on its side at rider training - it is always the slow speed stuff that made me the most nervous. I have put bikes on their side twice, both while doing tight manoeuvres with loose asphalt (a better rider would have kept the bike upright).
I need to keep my licence - loosing it I would be unable to keep my job, and I need to keep it (too much investment of time and effort to get here). Accelerate up fast to the speed limit, hold speed in the corners, but I really can't afford the license points of breaking the speed limit. I also have 2 girls I need to stay alive for.
I have an inner hoon like, I suspect, most people on this forum - used to go through a new rear tire on the hornet every 5 to 6000 clicks, and removing chicken strips quickly is a matter of principle.
Having never ridden a bike with a fairing, maybe it is time to give one a go - ducking under the wind cover in the rain, or not hanging on so hard at 100kph must be nice. I do prefer the look of nakeds, but sometimes function is more important than form.
I have always had a thing for BMWs and boxer engines, lusting after the GS series since I was about 17. Interestingly now I don't fancy the adventure tourers (if I had time to ride around NZ over a few months, that would change my mind), but still am smitten by what I have seen of the modern BMW techno-wizardry. Of course no modern BMW is in any way compatible with point 3 (the price means a drop would be accompanied with tears and the weight of a 1000-1200cc seems intimidating). the S1000 series look amazing, but are in no way compatible with point 4, and would be well outside my skill level.
I am not even sure of the number of cylinders. I wonder what peple mean when they say 4s have no character - if you stay in the top end, they have plenty of character for me (although they do make a fairly obtrusive noise for other motorists on the daily commute when you spend most of the time on the bike in that range)
Having put these meandering ramblings down I guess I have 2 questions:
Any recomendations for a training course for an average rider getting back into things
Any thoughts about dealers in Auckland. I have always bought and sold privately, but am now pretty time poor