Motorcycling

Suzuki DL1000GT V-Strom

After getting too stiff and imobile, I really didn't think that I could keep the VFR, so I had to look for something new. After much soal searching and gnashing of teeth I decided on a Suzuki DL1000GT V-Strom.

Honda VFR750

I blame my love of motorcycling on my Mum's uncle, who used to sit me on his black Norton 850 Commando when I was a child. I wanted a bike from the age of about 14. My parents have always hated them and threatened that if a bike arrived at the house then I could leave. It took me till I went to University before I actually got one.

The first bike was a Honda CB125T. It was just something to learn on and lasted until I had passed my test. I ended up selling it go go Inter-railing with Kay. The next bike I had was a wreck of a Honda CX500. The classic mistake of buying a bike cheap only to find loads of things wrong with it. It ended up costing a fortune to get the cylinder head gaskets replaced and it then ended up being a problem with the water pump.

The next bike and first good one was a Honda XL600V Transalp. This is one really underrated bike. I commuted into Manchester for a year and a half on the Transalp and it was the perfect tool for the job. Great visibility, great handling and an engine that just went on and on. I traded it for my next bike, but really wish I had kept it. The bike would have been an excellent winter hack.

So what have I got now ? Probably the best all round bike in the world. The Honda VFR750, what can I say about it that has not already been said. Commuting, touring, scratching, it does the lot and it just loves to be ridden fast.

NOT Steve's Yamaha FJ1200 Anymore

What can you say about this monster ? Well with those race cans, it certainly makes enough noise. While leading a ride one day I began to think that my bike was making a bit more noise than usual. I lifted my visor to see if I could work out where the noise was coming from. It was quite a surprise to find that the noise was coming from the bike behind me. 85db of wind noise and I could still hear the big yins bike growling away behind me.

Steve's New Honda Super Blackbird

Before anybody asks, that is not Steve on the bike. His legs are far too short to get anywhere near that close to getting his knee down. Quite right too if you ask me, knees can be put to far better use than supporting half a ton of bike. You can use them for groveling, or begging or the most useful thing I have found to do with them is to stop your legs breaking in the middle when you need to go upstairs. They can also be used for crushing those soft squidgy parts of your enemies anatomy when they get in your way of the bar at last orders. More photos will follow when I can be bothered to get my digital camera out and go out for a run with the 'big yin'.

The Manchester International Motorcycle show was held at the G-Mex centre from the5^th to the 7^th of January 2001. It can be a bit pricey at £9.00 to get in to the Manchester show, but there are a few things that do make it worth it. First of all there are the bikes. It's always good to drool over a few new bikes and with the show being more oriented to the Manchester area, the dealer stands are local. You can sit on the bike of your dreams and usually find out what stock these local dealer have. My favourite bit of these shows are the accessory stands. Being a bit of a sucker for gadgets, I love to dream of all the bits and pieces that I can bolt, stick or throw over my bike. It is also because of the offers available at these stands during the shows that I am always on the lookout for that ultimate bargain. What normally happens, is that we walk around for hours on end looking at all the bits we want to buy and then decide that we will wait till the BMF rally where the bargains are bound to be better.

The next good bit is the stunt show. The control these guys have over their bikes is incredible. I have no concept of how they actually do all these things. The amazing one for me is the guy on the trials bike. I have always admired trials riders, but the balance he had is beyond my imagination. I have been to a round of the world trials championship and seen the indoor trials the Birmingham Arena and I am always astounded by their skill and control.

Last and I suppose not least are the girls. An added bonus for any red blooded male. It is usually the normal model types that drape themselves over the hoards of shiny metal. This time we were presented the UK Centrefolds and the girls from The Adult Channel. I'm sure you can imagine which stands it was difficult to move around. It was strange to stand and watch for a while (scientific purposes only) as they all look completely bored with the whole day until someone is willing to pay good money for a crappy Polaroid. Then the smiles are activated and they go into 'model mode'. It really is a complete transformation. It does make you think that they are only interested in the money ( sorry girls )