• NEW USERS: If you haven't received your Confirmation Email: There has been an ongoing issue with the forum's send mail function and many new users haven't received the email to confirm their registration. I've done my best to manually process these, so there's a good chance if you've signed up in the past 30 days that you've already been validated and can proceed with posting on the forum (don't forget to introduce yourself!). If you still can't get in, please use the Contact Us link on the bottom of any page to send me a message and I'll process you manually. Thanks for your patience! ~Jerk

How passionate are you about riding?

Turbofurball

Well travelled
Location
Catalunya
Yeah, my first 3 cars were like that ('68 Fiat 500, '58 Morris Minor, '75 Mini 850), on those cars it was probably fine for most people but I had problems living in Cornwall since there's lots of hills ... sometimes I'd stop and have a smoke to give them a a few minutes to cool off properly.
 

windmill john

Well travelled
Location
Southern England
You also have to remember that you can go as fast round corners on the Hunter as you did on bigger bikes 😊 ahem…..

I sold my mint 1973 CD175 to buy the Hunter; and my Yamaha Diversion bought for commuting that didn’t materialise. The 175 matched the Hunter for performance… I didn’t like the fact that the CD lived outside so much chrome polishing involved; not my bag.
I love the Hunter ride position, suits me perfectly. Reminds me very much of Honda CB models of the 70s.

Drum brakes, always played with my mind that they didn’t work when rolling backwards. Okay, so I’ve shot myself in the foot re drums 😉
 

Bluestrom13

Well travelled
Location
GB
The thing with commuting on bikes....
I did too, during the summer, everyday. Sometimes during the wiinters too, except in fog and freezing temperatures.
People in the office thought I was mad. I told them it saved me time.
In reality, time to ATGATT, get the bike out of the shed etc. cost me time.
THEN, the 15 mile journey by car, inevitably transformed into 25 or sometimes even more when on the bike.
But I always started the day in a better frame of mind...
 

windmill john

Well travelled
Location
Southern England
Yes, commuting by bike and that once a while traffic problem where you’d say ha, glad I’m on a bike. Then all the other times with numb, painful hands when you could be listening to the radio..

Still, one of my daily commutes for four years was to Hove and every week, sometimes more than once a week, there was a problem at Kingston and the bike certainly saved you a chunk of time. Reality…, I hate being stuck in traffic, mental issue I have, I know; and riding a bike is great.
 

Laserman

Well travelled
Location
Yuba City, CA
The thing with commuting on bikes....
I did too, during the summer, everyday. Sometimes during the wiinters too, except in fog and freezing temperatures.
People in the office thought I was mad. I told them it saved me time.
In reality, time to ATGATT, get the bike out of the shed etc. cost me time.
THEN, the 15 mile journey by car, inevitably transformed into 25 or sometimes even more when on the bike.
But I always started the day in a better frame of mind...
Yeah, I know those looks, brother! Best part about daily riding 40 miles in 40+C heat whilst leather-clad is being able to split lanes legally here. I've been a steel handler for almost 30 years and I'll definitely cuss like one when I encounter a red traffic light or a line of cagers doing their best 3-toed sloth impression.

Himalayans aint slow in traffic! :LOL:
 

BSA Biker

Well travelled
Location
Tarragona, Spain
Back in the 'good old days' I used to commute very early in the morning, in a Mk11 Ford Escort, up the M27 to where I was working at Bishops Waltham and quite often it would be raining.
Coming off at the (now) M3 turn off the drum brakes being wet had no grip at all, its quite an experience to think that your car should be slowing down and nothing happens its as though its speeding up. If I remembered I would put the brakes on very early to dry them out for when they were needed, trouble was I would not always be fully awake and forget.
Disc brakes are so much better.
 

windmill john

Well travelled
Location
Southern England
When setting off with drum brake bikes, I made it standard practise to feather the brakes for the first half mile or so. Stopped any sticking and dried them out. You adapt your style to suit the situation. Disk brakes are great as long as someone else strips them for me…. Which won’t happen as I do all myself.
No worries, I have 700 pieces of torn cloth and a vat of brake cleaner…
 

Carl 350

Well travelled
Location
Spain / UK
As previously mentioned ABS is a big factor driving drums out. ABS works better with discs because the disc brake has a lot less hysteresis than a drum. Friction variation due to humidity/water, speed and temperature tend to be much greater with drums.
And who's lucky enough to have experienced "brake fade" :oops:.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen with discs, but the few instances I've known of (in cars) over the years it's been drums, more than once with boiling fluid and the pedal going to the floor.

(Sorry O.P, maybe change the thread title to Anything!).
.
 

Turbofurball

Well travelled
Location
Catalunya
I don't think I've ever had brake fade with disks like on a car with drums, including the time on a Scatter when I managed to set the front brakes of an Austin Maestro on fire, thanks to the Peak District's interesting back-road topology - the car still stopped okay
 

Bikeruk

Well travelled
Location
UK
Like BSA Biker, I’m glad I took my test on a 250; KH250 triple in my case in 1980. Bought off a colleague who couldn’t afford the repayments.
Those were the years they talked about bringing the limit down to 125cc.
I took my test in the 80's in Guildford on my Yamaha DX 250. I also had an RD 250 as well.
At 17 you able to buy up to 250cc bike, slap "L Plates" on it and off you went !!
 

Bluestrom13

Well travelled
Location
GB
A month ago-ish, I bought my Hunter from a dealer. I’ve had far too many bikes, but all bar two have been second hand.
I feel that was my bit…… BUT THEN…….
The dealer, JW Groombridge, closed down last week after 73 years. East Sussex
Two days later I was speaking to a guy on a bike and he told me Park Motorcycles closed this week. East Sussex
And today, Pidcocks "fall into admiistration"....
:(
This following Completely Motoring going out of business earlier in the month..
 

Scrapyard Sorcerer

Well travelled
Location
Lincoln
I do my bit, working in highway assessments etc in a local authority. Outside of work, lobbying for changes in graduated motorcycle licences. If you look at data from road safety groups and authority partnerships, graduated licences haven't reduced deaths or serious injuries for uk bikers. Looking at the future I can see electric motorcycles playing their part, especially in towns. In rural areas, where public transport is poor, mopeds have been subsidised for 16 year old to get to training/work or education. They usually bin the moped at 17 and get a car. The feedback I get is that it's easier to get a car licence. After all, the driving instructor comes to you.
 

Bikeruk

Well travelled
Location
UK
I do my bit, working in highway assessments etc in a local authority. Outside of work, lobbying for changes in graduated motorcycle licences. If you look at data from road safety groups and authority partnerships, graduated licences haven't reduced deaths or serious injuries for uk bikers. Looking at the future I can see electric motorcycles playing their part, especially in towns. In rural areas, where public transport is poor, mopeds have been subsidised for 16 year old to get to training/work or education. They usually bin the moped at 17 and get a car. The feedback I get is that it's easier to get a car licence. After all, the driving instructor comes to you.
Has a study been carried out or going to be with reference to "graduated licences haven't reduced deaths or serious injuries for UK bikers"
Coming back to biking this year I read the Police Roadcraft Handbook on a regular basis and watch videos on YouTube on Advance Motorcycle Techniques.
A valid statement from on Advance Instructor I watch, "Training was for life not just for passing the test"
 

Bluestrom13

Well travelled
Location
GB
Has a study been carried out or going to be with reference to "graduated licences haven't reduced deaths or serious injuries for UK bikers"
This isn't specifically related to the licensing system, but gives multiple data since 2004 to ~present.

Main findings

Between 2004 and 2022:
  • fatalities were down 40% from 585 to 350
  • serious injuries (adjusted) decreased by 35%
  • motorcycle traffic decreased by 10%
Averaged over the period 2018 to 2022:
  • an average of 6 motorcyclists died and 104 were seriously injured (adjusted) per week in reported road casualties
  • a majority of motorcycle fatalities (58%) do not occur at or within 20m of a junction compared to 41% of all seriously injured (adjusted) casualties
  • almost half (39%) of motorcycle fatalities were in 2 vehicle collisions between a motorcycle and a car
  • 66% of motorcycle fatalities occurred on rural roads compared to 41% of traffic
  • 92% of motorcycle killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties were male
  • the most common contributory factor allocated to motorcyclists in fatal or serious collisions (FSC) with another vehicle was ‘Driver or rider failed to look properly’.
  • ‘Driver or rider failed to look properly’ was also the most common factor allocated to the other vehicles involved
Source (with Further results ) - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-motorcyclist-factsheet-2022/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-motorcyclist-factsheet-2022
--------------------------------------
The AA is now campaigning to INTRODUCE graduated driving licenses, for new drivers......
 

Scrapyard Sorcerer

Well travelled
Location
Lincoln
In the first instance, speak to your local road safety partnership (if you have one) and get their figures.
The problem with graduated car licences doesn't take into account rural areas, and they often try to add no night time driving, no passengers under 21/25. As an example, my eldest son had to have a black box fitted for insurance purposes, but his car was too old. His first job was night time warehouse work. And he would pick up his teenage brothers from the station and college. Then he was van driving in lockdown, 3.5 tonne, doing traffic management. Many of his school mates haven't bothered to learn to drive, preferring to do nothing or go to uni, then work from home.
 

Bikeruk

Well travelled
Location
UK
And today, Pidcocks "fall into admiistration"....
:(
This following Completely Motoring going out of business earlier in the month..
There are quite a few opinions as to why there is a downturn in motorcycle sales here in the UK on YouTube.
MCN have also issued a statement.
MCIA boss responds to multiple motorcycle dealer closures
As for the cost of living crisis being blamed to a degree, how much better does it have to be in order to address the shortfall in sales?
(Side Note)
I was in my local supermarket recently queuing up to purchase my weekly lottery ticket :) There was a chap two people in front of me who bought 200 cigarettes costing over £140 with the lady directly in front of me spending over £80 on cigarettes!
Both looked to be of pensionable age so clearly not impacted by the "Cost of living crisis" and probably don't actually need the winter fuel allowance either!
(I guess that's another debate entirely).
 
There are quite a few opinions as to why there is a downturn in motorcycle sales here in the UK on YouTube.
MCN have also issued a statement.
MCIA boss responds to multiple motorcycle dealer closures
As for the cost of living crisis being blamed to a degree, how much better does it have to be in order to address the shortfall in sales?
(Side Note)
I was in my local supermarket recently queuing up to purchase my weekly lottery ticket :) There was a chap two people in front of me who bought 200 cigarettes costing over £140 with the lady directly in front of me spending over £80 on cigarettes!
Both looked to be of pensionable age so clearly not impacted by the "Cost of living crisis" and probably don't actually need the winter fuel allowance either!
(I guess that's another debate entirely).
People will spend fortunes on their addictions......take motorcycling as an example...but obviously smoking is more addictive
 

windmill john

Well travelled
Location
Southern England
I hope RE doesn’t go the way of most new bikes. Silly mudguards, silly seats, silly passenger foot pegs that shove your passenger’s knees into your ears etc.
The new Guerrilla could almost go that way, but luckily they have kept a reasonable front mudguard and a bit of a hugger at the back to keep the shock clean.
Maybe RE riders can’t keep the industry afloat, as there may be too many sensible owners.
 
Top Bottom