My first pillion ride... (Pics now added!)

**Deviant Esq** · 4th February 2007, 04:56

Went for my first ever pillion ride today, on the back of Fat Tony's 2006 GSXR750 K6. In black. Shiny... Up until today I'd only ever been on my NZ250 (go the single!) and a CG125 (shaddup. Did my basic handling on one!

), so I think it's safe to say that there was quite a big difference! Something along the lines of "holy shit!!" kind of difference...

Due to the road conditions around here this time of year - greasy and a fair bit of road salt - Tony was taking it easy. I could definitely tell in the corners, there was plenty of lean angle left, but on the straights, or when we wanted to get past a line of traffic... let's just say, it's the fastest I've ever been on the road, by quite some margin. Bloody quick.

We fanged around for a while then stopped at a biker pub. Pulling into the car park I was thinking "where'd all these bikes come from?!" It's quite a large car park, and it was full of bikes - must've been a good 250 - 300 machines there. It was quite a nice day today. Naturally Tony says "It's quiet today - I've seen about five times this many here before. Can't move in the car park because there are bikes everywhere!" It's the biggest gathering of bikes I've seen. More than any bike shop I'd been in!

Bit more of a fang after we'd had a drink and a bite, as well as a look around the car park (there were no cars, only bikes) - almost everything was represented. Large numbers of Hondas, CBRs as well as VTRs, Kwakas, Yamis, a few Suzukis (including Busas), Aprilias, Dukes, Harleys, a Norton, trikes... you name it. Just very few small bikes, most were 600cc or over. Anyway, didn't take it quite as easy on the way back, but I never felt uncomfortable or worried about the pace, which as I mentioned, was quite a lot faster than I've ever been on the road before (over double the NZ limit in a few seconds...). Made me think, if it was that quick, with a pillion, on "only" a GSXR750... what the need for a thousand would be. Just. Stupidly. Mental. Quite a bike to have your first pillion experience on!

Got a whole new level of respect for guys who ride the thousand cc sportsbikes now. You're bloody loopy, the lot of you.

Crap, I think I've caught the bug.

Thanks Tony. Bloody legend mate, awesome ride. So much fun! I don't think the grin on my face will be wearing off for a while yet!

Wish I had some photos to share, but I didn't have the camera with me. Maybe tomorrow? Tony? Can we canwecanwe?!?

**Fat Tony** · 4th February 2007, 06:25

Originally Posted by Deviant Esq

Anyway, didn't take it quite as easy on the way back, but I never felt uncomfortable or worried about the pace

I'm glad you weren't!

lol

Glad you enjoyed it mate, just a shame that the roads are so greasy. Can't really push it that much with them in this state... one bends dry and fine, the next is covered in grit, the next has a large damp greasy mess right on the line you want to take etc etc etc... managed to find a few decent ones though eh?

Have to say... I couldn't help but laugh at the look of relief on your face when you took the size 8 boots off your size 10 feet

I'll keep searching for somebody who can help out with some a tad larger

Yeah, if the weather's dry tomorrow, should be OK for a wander out again. Only thing I'm tied in to is collecting my daughter around 3ish I think.

**Kendog** · 4th February 2007, 08:34

Just wait till you first ride a bigger bike.

I spent a long time on a 150, then one day decided to go to some bike shops and tried a 250, then a 400, then a 600. The moment I pulled away from the bike shop on the 600 my life changed

for the better.

**T.W.R** · 4th February 2007, 08:50

Originally Posted by Deviant Esq

Went for my first ever pillion ride today, so I think it's safe to say that there was quite a big difference! Something along the lines of "holy shit!!" kind of difference...

Crap, I think I've caught the bug.

Thanks Tony. Bloody legend mate, awesome ride. So much fun! I don't think the grin on my face will be wearing off for a while yet!

Wish I had some photos to share, but I didn't have the camera with me. Maybe tomorrow? Tony? Can we canwecanwe?!?

Redge

young grasshopper is learning the ways of the force

**Mrs Busa Pete** · 4th February 2007, 08:51

Make sure you take your camera and get a photo of fat tony some we all back here can put a face to the name.

**The Pastor** · 4th February 2007, 08:52

awesome bro, we need a biker only pub in nz! Was it mainly crusiers and gang members? Or a fair ammount of sport bikes too?

**dawnrazor** · 4th February 2007, 09:38

Originally Posted by renegade master

awesome bro, we need a biker only pub in nz! Was it mainly crusiers and gang members? Or a fair ammount of sport bikes too?

not that many biker gangs in the UK

**dawnrazor** · 4th February 2007, 09:44

Originally Posted by Deviant Esq

Went for my first ever pillion ride today, on the back of Fat Tony's 2006 GSXR750 K6.
We fanged around for a while then stopped at a biker pub.

Hey what was the name of the boozer, might know it - have been to leeds and yorkshire a good bit in the past, I love the roads in the dales - stone walls are scary as f*ck, get it wrong there and its goodnight and good luck...as plenty have done in the past...

I read recently that UK uses so much salt to grit the roads in winter that it has leeched into the soil and water table...and that now plants that only grow by the seaside, now grow hundreds of miles inland...that shit eats bikes overnight as well eh...

**McJim** · 4th February 2007, 09:54

Yup - it's nice to live in a country without Winter. To a Scotsman the seasons go:

Spring, Spring, Spring, Summer, Spring, Spring, Spring, Summer.

Can't remember the last 2 foot fall of snow, 3 week frost or -15 degree night!

**MSTRS:Me** · 4th February 2007, 10:26

Originally Posted by McJim

To a Scotsman the seasons go:

Spring, Spring, Spring, Summer, Spring, Spring, Spring, Summer.

Thought they went..AUTUMN W I N T E R spring summer

**Deviant Esq** · 4th February 2007, 11:30

Originally Posted by T.W.R

young grasshopper is learning the ways of the force

God yes. I have been enlightened. I crave more enlightenment!

I'll be looking for a bigger bike when I get back into New Zealand. Might start off with a VFR400 NC30, you know, just to step up slowly and get used to the extra power and pace... better keep an eye on the ZXR!

Originally Posted by renegade master

awesome bro, we need a biker only pub in nz! Was it mainly crusiers and gang members? Or a fair ammount of sport bikes too?

It was amazing mate. Hell of a lot of sportsbikes actually, but at the end of the day there was a big collection of nearly any sort of bike, from a GS500E to R1s and R6s, CBR1000RRs (several of those), Hayabusas, a few Gixxers (less than I expected), ZX-12R with shiny attachments, Aprilia RSV-Rs, Ducatis, Harleys, scoots, a Vespa.... all intermingled and scattered all over, and a bunch of people all walking around checking out all the machines on display. Noone was picking on anyone's type of bike - there were just so many bikes and bikers from all walks that as long as you were on two wheels you could talk to anyone. It was really cool. Hopefully I can go there again tomorrow and take some pictures and a video or two. The amount of bikes flying past on the road was pretty cool too - more than one botched wheelie attempt drawing chuckles from the crowd.

**90s** · 4th February 2007, 14:32

Originally Posted by renegade master

Was it mainly crusiers and gang members?

erm, its the UK dude.
They would have all been accountants.

(leaves space for flames)

... and yes I'm a pom too and I've been to Matlock where the bikers next to me were accountants, a historian and a librarian ...

**90s** · 4th February 2007, 14:37

Originally Posted by Kendog

Just wait till you first ride a bigger bike.

I spent a long time on a 150, then one day decided to go to some bike shops and tried a 250, then a 400, then a 600. The moment I pulled away from the bike shop on the 600 my life changed

for the better.

Rode a very ancient 350 (a Honda K5, CB350-type '70s bike) in the late '80s early '90s. It was was muh slower accelerating than the RG150. Must say that stepping of the RG recently onto the GSX6 was no big deal, although maybe because it is such an unitimidating 6, even if it can pull 250.
Maybe I'm just a tame rider?

**Fat Tony** · 4th February 2007, 20:14

Originally Posted by busa pete

Make sure you take your camera and get a photo of fat tony some we all back here can put a face to the name.

Hell, if Wiggum sees it he'll know where I left Springfield for.

Originally Posted by renegade master

awesome bro, we need a biker only pub in nz! Was it mainly crusiers and gang members? Or a fair ammount of sport bikes too?

Yeah, as said, we don't really 'do' the gang thing over here. The bike meet's open to anybody on two/three wheels or anybody interested in bikes. There's plenty of days at this time of year when people will turn up in there car and wander round rather than riding over due to the roads being so salty. There's no real snobbery over bike types, if you've an interest in bikes you'll fit in just fine.

There's people from all walks of life (including accountants, lol) with all sorts of machinery on all sorts of budgets but it's just one big happy bike family at the end of the day. Sure, you get the usual ribbing over bike types but I've never witnessed any real dislike from one 'group' to another... just good banter.

With regards to the balance of bikes over here, there's a strong showing by sportsbikes, but over the last couple of years more people are getting in to the likes of cruisers/nakeds/motards because of the stronger speed camera presence around, and with people having been caught doing high speeds and ending up spending time in prison, some are looking to bikes that give more pleasure at lower speeds.

Originally Posted by dawnrazor

Hey what was the name of the boozer, might know it - have been to leeds and yorkshire a good bit in the past, I love the roads in the dales - stone walls are scary as f*ck, get it wrong there and its goodnight and good luck...as plenty have done in the past...

It's 'Squires' mate. Out in Sherburn-in-Elmet. http://www.squires-cafe.co.uk/

Yeah the 'dales rock. Fantastic roads but like you say, those stone walls catch a few out... nearly me last year

Originally Posted by dawnrazor

I read recently that UK uses so much salt to grit the roads in winter that it has leeched into the soil and water table...and that now plants that only grow by the seaside, now grow hundreds of miles inland...that shit eats bikes overnight as well eh...

Yeah it's bloody awful. The bikes take quite a beating at this time of year. My black bike's now more of a grey following the ride yesterday. Bloody salt! I spray it with ACF-50 which should keep the corrosion at bay, and usually wash if after every ride during the winter... didn't get a chance yesterday... hopefully it'll still be in one piece this morning, lol. It's a pain in the ass though.

And to make things more interesting, last year some authorities started adding some sort of malasses(?) to the grit to make it last longer/go further. The result being that it leaves a really greasy, horrible mess all over the place. Ahhhh... cost cutting excercises making life more dangerous...

**dawnrazor** · 5th February 2007, 07:18

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

It's 'Squires' mate. Out in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Had to look it up on google, more familiar with NW of Leeds as it happens, but it did sound familiar

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

Yeah the 'dales rock. Fantastic roads but like you say, those stone walls catch a few out... nearly me last year

Yeah NO ROOM for error

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

Yeah it's bloody awful. The bikes take quite a beating at this time of year. My black bike's now more of a grey following the ride yesterday. Bloody salt! I spray it with ACF-50 which should keep the corrosion at bay, and usually wash if after every ride during the winter... didn't get a chance yesterday... hopefully it'll still be in one piece this morning, lol. It's a pain in the ass though.

You won't have to worry about that shit over here

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

And to make things more interesting, last year some authorities started adding some sort of malasses(?) to the grit to make it last longer/go further. The result being that it leaves a really greasy, horrible mess all over the place. Ahhhh... cost cutting excercises making life more dangerous...

Thats bloody criminal