Test

[Rhubarb]

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I like my bike
So ok
I went out Sunday and did feel it was screaming a bit at 60mph , after using the school bike which wasn't even stretching its self at 80mph

Spoke to the school again about these cancellations the examiners keep doing. Paul still maintains I should use the bigger bike, my instructor says I handle it well, and I'll need the power behind me if the weather stays wet. They only cancel in ice or snow. Thats nice

I'll see a bike and when I do, well, that will be it, like when I saw my Honda. They were trying to sell me a blue and red one with a sport fairing- failing to notice I'm not an 18 year male student! but a mum with a elderly mother who sends shopping lists just as I'm about to visit. I need a box.
I need a bike that doesn't smash eggs! (only lose 2 or3 now-a-days)

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Oh find yourself a nice old Norton! You can spend the winter restoring it an then you can be cool like Fonzie riding around town!

[LKTraz]

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Norton, Triumph, BSA. All three should be fairly easy to come across in the U.K.

I would imagine that parts should be fairly common too. An old 70's vintage Triumph 750 Bonneville would be the cat's ass!

[Rhubarb]

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Norton, Triumph, BSA. All three should be fairly easy to come across in the U.K.

I would imagine that parts should be fairly common too. An old 70's vintage Triumph 750 Bonneville would be the cat's ass!

So who's buying it may I ask? They may be ok to find, but deep pockets to buy an good one, a REAL one. Triumph are being reproduced and Norton. Enfields are built in India under license. We know people with them or having them.

My brother has just sold his AJS jam-pot 350cc 1953. Although it ran he never got a road ticket before he decided to finally sell it (after years of nagging from my father who stored it in his shed). It's not such a popular bike on the circuits, parts are hard to find. He got £1200.

The thing with old British bikes is the clutch is on the other side to Jap bikes, so it is hard to swop over. My brother struggles to ride my bike. Also they 'mark their territory' (piddle oil). At Bike Night the quay is roughly sectioned off.
The first stretch is old UK classics (territory marked out on road with stains), side cars and novelty bikes (Chicken chasers, Bantems, Ariels, working bikes, ex-Army, Police and Post office, pushbikes with engines)
Then its the Custom jobs, Trikes and Disabled bikers (don't know what the organisers are saying).
Harley's on the round-a-bout leading off the quay
Goldwings on the other side of the round-a-bout
Classic Jap (Crap)beyond
Everything else squeezed along the water front (me and Philip)
Arrive too late, sent to Arena 2 on the fisherman dock.............

Hubby would love an Ariel, but a new car would be cheaper.
Someone buys me a Vellocette I would put it in the Dining room as an ornament.

[LKTraz]

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Are you serious?

I can find "basket case" 650 and 750 Bonnies for around $500!

Most simply need reassembly and one or two key parts (usually second or third gear) or some odd non critical things. Add some time and TLC and you have a re-born classic!

Personally I prefer 70's - 80's vintage Suzukis. There's a fellow down the road who still has a perfectly operating Suzuki RE 5 rotary. V 4 Hondas would be ok for me too like either the V45 or V65 Magna. But in my book you can't beat a GS 1110 L (unless you have an original TS 750 "Water Buffalo")

All this coming from someone who lives 63 miles away from the big Harley plant in York,PA.

[Rhubarb]

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All this coming from someone who lives 63 miles away from the big Harley plant in York,PA.

We nearly stopped in there when we were over in the Summer!
Except we saw the musuem hours were so short we would have missed it by the time we got up, fought Mark for the car keys and re-programmed the Sat Nav, my boss lent us to get to WV.

Honestly, classic and vintage bikes fetch good money (if it's a good complete bike), but basket cases do come up and often they get cannablised or 'disapppear' because the number plates are worth something too. Car owners sometimes buy a bike transfer the plate and ditch the bike. My brothers bike came with no number plate so he had to re-register it, which devalues the vehicle. It was a local bike but had a Scots number plate (plate has to fit the age of the bike, and once numbers run out in a heavily populated area a plate is supplied from a less densely populated place).

You had better start shipping

Although there are plenty of classic bikes, they stay with their owners. There is an Ariel at Bike Night, Mark has got to know the owner quite well, always have a chat together. He has had the bike since new and once he gives up riding (God Knows how old he must be) his son will ride it. We couldn't afford to buy it anyway.

Just had to look for a Water Buffalo once you said about it. Found a custom rebuild, looks nice.
So what the thought on Kawasaki's?

[LKTraz]

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Kaws ran hot and cold. Some were fabuloso while others were pure rice burning crap!

The KZ 900A was just great as was the original 750 Mark III. Some of the Vulcans were decent (the 800 was the best of them).

*Just noticed....shoulda been GS 1100L, not 1110*

[Rhubarb]

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So another day. Another test.

I wondered if I should do it, but Paul said, go for it, unless I really felt I wasn't in the right mental frame of mind, but which bike? I couldn't decide. He emailed me, I didn't reply so after phoning the house to find I was at work and phoning work to find I wasn't! He booked me in the test centre on his school bike.

I did as instructed went to the centre on my own bike and sat in the pouring rain at the junction and waited. 'Thinks', Hey this carpark has hatchings about the same distance to practice figure of 8 and slaloms. So I spent my time getting dizzy, then my husband drove past in the car. He was on his way to the tip to get rid of a mattress. Not only did he think I'd lost the plot he was worried Bill or Paul hadn't arrived to collect me. He didn't know I had to do all these moves on the bike for the test and said it was stupid. He got really wet waiting with me because he only had a fleece.

Bill arrived with Chris and Ryan and we set off for some practice. An instructor is not allowed to have more than two pupils on 500cc bikes. So I dropped off my bike and used Ryans for an hour then gave it back and used my own to go back to the centre for midday when the testing started.
The local centre only test on Saturday and Sunday because it is a temporay base. Monday to Friday the centre test HGV truck drivers. Bike tests are cancelled if there is a diesel spillage.

We were really wet - my gloves had failed, Ryan didn't have proper boots and had wet feet and although Chris and Bill were dry enough water had run off their helmets down their necks. It was raining that hard.

Two examiners were testing 20 pupils all afternoon, no breaks. I was the fifth one.
He was a really nice examiner, I understood him and when I messed up the U turn I knew it was a fail, because Ryan did exactly the same as did the rider before me. There was wet leaves on the track and we were all scared of slipping on them. He said don't worry, this is your time slot use it while you can, don't give up. Congratulated me on my slow ride and my figure of 8.
Then there was those avoidance tests and emergency stops. The second trip round I locked the back wheel
Instant fail
The examiner didn't move as I sailed towards him while he held his hand up for the stop signal. I stopped two foot infront of him and he peered under his clip board to see how close I was. I sat on the bike knocking the bike into neutral and pulled a smile sheepishly. 'I stopped, but its a fail isn't it?'
He nodded 'Sorry Trudi, you're right, but I do have to say you recovered extremely well from the lock up and I actually think you will make a very good rider. I'm so sorry I can't pass you today'.

When he was completing my paperwork he said 'you will try again will you?' I said I had to keep trying, it was my challange, I promised Christine I would do it and I need to know myself my bike road sense is safe. He said it was a good challange but when that was complete what would I do, learn to drive a tank?
Now..........theres a thought.

How many of us passed ?


Two.

They both had taken the test already 3 and 4 times each.

Poor Ryan was really upset, he had no more money (so I challanged him to give up smoking and so did Bill, Ryan agreed!)
Chris was in a pickle, he had his final part 4 test booked for next friday and was going back to sea for 4 months the following tuesday! His CBT paper runs out before returns from his tour. Paul was going to re-book Chris's 3 part for friday and upgrade his CBT before he left for Plymouth on the monday so all working out.. he could take his final test in March.

Me? I'm booking a half day ride on the bike but I'm going to have a break from the test.

Guess what? The sun came out as we were leaving the centre and the roads were dry by the time I got home :gah2:

[LKTraz]

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Good grief! No wonder public transportation is so popular over there! Passing your driving tests is akin to surviving the Spanish Inquisition!!!!!

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Cripes! The Spanish Inquisition seems less cruel!

Trudy, the rain is your enemy! It seems like every time it's time to take a test you get rotten weather. One problem gets sorted (thick accented proctors) and now all you have to do is figure out how to prevent it from raining by you for your test!

I'd say wait until spring but knowing how much it rains in England, April showers is going to be just that for you!