What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

The fit and finish was superb. The fairings were carbon fibre and the paintwork deep and lustrous. It was one of those bikes I fancied owning when they were new, but couldn't afford at the time so I bought that one a few years back with very low mileage. The motor is very strong about 125 bhp (if I recall correctly) which was a lot of power in the early 80's, but the frame was made of steel not alloy, so the whole package was up around the 240 Kg mark and you really had to muscle the bike around. Still quick in a straight line today, but not so wonderful in the twisties. IMO they would suit someone over 6 foot tall with longer arms than me. I found it quite a stretch to the bars over that long fuel tank. I sold it to a friend of mine who is a self confessed Honda nut, he also owns a very tidy NS400 two stroke and several Fireblades of varying vintages.

 

Phwoooaar.............. that's tasty and a half

 

@Helmut Visor - great looking bike fella, gis a shout if you need someone to ride it for you!

 

No worries, will keep you posted

 

s'cuse me m8................ join the queue....................

 

Well that time of year has come for the interceptor to go into hibernation. So into its vacsac it went…. See you in the spring

 

Cheer up guys, it’s only 165 days til the clocks go forward

 

Well you're a cheerful so and so. Still 19 days till they go back.

 

Taxed, insured and about to take the Tuono out for a leisurely stroll

 

Leisurely my ass

 

Alternatively

 

My non - Triumph today (and will be for the next three days) has been a Suzuki Gladius - the first day of my DAS course. We did some low speed work - u - turns, low speed riding, controlled braking, manual handling etc and spent the afternoon road riding. It was brilliant although it will be a very early night for me tonight!!!

 

GO Girl GO Girl !!

 

That's terrific, @Mrs Visor, and a big step up from your previous bike. Sounds like you are doing fantastic. Good luck with the remainder of your DAS course. Please keep us posted. BTW, what does DAS stand for??

 

This morning I rode my Low Rider S over to Le Buzz, a great coffee house/restaurant that is a haven for motorcyclists and bicyclists. There I met up with a friend whom I've known for nearly 30 years through the cycling community. She and I were on the same bicycle racing team for over ten years--but those racing years are well in the past for both of us. Since those days, we've run into each other now and again (Tucson is the smallest big town I know) but mostly fell out of touch with one another. Well, I heard through the grapevine that she was interested in starting to ride motorcycles and she connected with me to meet for happy hour to talk bikes. Long story short, she took and passed the MSF Beginning Riders Course and now has about 500 miles on her 2021 Honda Rebel 300 which she got for a song with only 1K on the clock.

We finally found a day that worked for us to meet over coffee and perhaps do a bit of a ride afterwards. It was great fun to learn about her experiences this far and talk about gear and all those motorcycle "firsts" that we all remember, like first ride on the freeway, first ride at night, first ride in the rain..... Well, it turns out that today was her first time riding with another rider. And I was it! She had thought it through and asked if I might be willing to ride back to her house with her as it was a route she was very familiar with from both cycling it and riding her motorcycle on it. It was also great fun to feel her excitement and reminded me in many ways of how I felt when I first started riding a motorcycle.




It was an absolutely gorgeous day for both a little motorcycle ride and to sit outdoors with a cup of coffee and good conversation.




Le Buzz is also very pet friendly and today we got to meet Iris, a six-month old pig. She was adorable and actually wagged her tail! Her canine buddy, Felix, was cute, too. But it was Iris who stole the show.




I'd never seen my friend's house so she gave me the full tour when we arrived. It's a great house with fantastic views from both front and back. But my favorite part of all is that she has her 2015 Indian Scout parked in the family room. She bought this bike before she even took the MSF class. A friend of hers had it up for sale and it was love at first sight. Now she's practicing and putting in the miles on the Rebel in anticipation of being ready and able to ride her Scout.

 

That's great, it sounds like she has definitely got the bug! i bet she ignores the tv at night and just looks at her new bike

 

i think it means 'direct access' course. i had to look it up! but what do i know?? i took the single-part test in mid eighties. fair play to anyone, like mrs visor, trying to get a bike licence these days it's A TASK for sure

 

I got my motorcycle endorsement at 15 yrs old when I got my FL learner’s permit. All I had to say was “I’d like to have a motorcycle endorsement.” That’s it.

 

Yikes! That's amazing. And rather frightening, actually. Nothing against you personally, @Golgotha.

I don't know what the rules used to be in Arizona, but currently you don't have to take any sort of class. But you do need to take a written and driving test and pass both to get an endorsement. If you take it at the Department of Motor Vehicles and you provide the bike. The great thing about getting one's endorsement through the MSF course is that they provide the bikes--all of which are around 250cc's and are small and lightweight--and that you take the written and driving tests as part of the course. When (or if) you pass both, you get a certificate to that effect that you bring to the Department of Motor Vehicles (no bike needed) and after a super basic vision "exam", a motorcycle endorsement is added to your current license. And proof of passing the MSF class also provides a motorcycle insurance discount with most carriers. Our local Harley dealership was also allowing a credit of sorts to get protective gear. If your course cost you, say, $200, you could show a receipt and get $200 towards a riding jacket, helmet, boots, etc.

 

No class needed in NC. Just a written and a road test. No idea what the deal is back in FL other than you have to pass a written and road test there now too. Our local HD dealership- Tobacco Road HD(a den of absolute scumbags, btw), have an outside contractor who gives 2 day classes for motorcycle prep. If you pass his class you don’t have to take the NCDMV road test, which makes you do WAY more shit than you really need to know to operate. I know 2 people who failed it. His road curriculum is very difficult as well, but he gives you more 2nd chances to pass each individual maneuver than his bureaucratic counterparts. He charges 2 or 3 C’s and he supplies the bikes. I put the Mrs through it. Money well spent.