Joined
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188 Posts
Well, i cruised down to M40 towards Hugh Endon's motorbike dealership near Oxford on my ZX6R, having made a deal the week before to buy an Africa Twin from them in px for my Kwacker. I had polished my bike before i sold it, the first time i had cleaned it since i bought it from new. She looked great again, excellant performance corners on rails etc, i loved this bike. I was sad to see her go and had mixed emotions about it, it had been a great bike.
When i turned of the motorway at junction seven, i drove past the turning where the bike dealers were, i found a layby nearby and pulled over. I lit a ciggarette, got off the bike and walked around her, i was wondering if i was doing the right thing with this deal. I got on back on the bike and rode into the dealers, i saw the @ in the forecourt, i did not get excited, i dispensed with the usual formalities for px, papers, sigatures etc, i gave them the keys for my bike and collected the keys for my new steed. The salesman showed me to the @ standing in the front of the dealers premises he then showed me what's what on the bike, left me to it and off he went. I was left alone for the first time with this new bike, i was looking for the lugs where i had to hook the ladder to, so i could climb onto the saddle. The bike seemed huge and intimedating to me, even at my hight of 5ft 11ins.
I turned the key and she fired up. I rode............ or should i say wobbled, around the car park of the dealers premises to get a feel of the new machine....... i really thought i had made a decision i was gonna regret by purchasing this bike, it did not feel right somehow. So i rode down a few country lanes and i realised i could see over the hedges at the bends, from my new elevated riding position, great! i rode the lanes for a few miles more and then decided to take the plunge and hit the M40 to ride home to London. I indicated left at the next M40 eastbound motorway sign and turned onto the slip road to join the motorway....... I accelerated to join the main flow of the traffic. I looked in my mirrors and I thought to myself, wow, wing mirrors that enable me to see the vehicles behind, because of the design of my previous bikes i was under the impression that wing mirrors were for admiring my elbows with....... and i could turn my head right round from an upright seated position to look at any rear oncoming threat, not for me anymore just a quick glance behind from a crouched down racing position tucked in behind a perspex screen which enabled me to see my shoulder.
I then twisted the throttle, and integrated with the main flow of the traffic............ WOOO HOOOOOOOOO! this was great i could see for miles down the motorway, no more looking at the rear number plate of the car in front which was usually about level with my eyes, a Range Rover was level with me on the right, i could see the inside the car and at the shapley legs of the female passenger next to the driver :lol: , i felt like tapping on the window and saying ' gotta light mate, whilst having a cigarrette dangling from my mouth, it was like a whole new biking experiance, 'Hey Ma! look at me i'm on top of the world' (are you old enought ot remember that line)
I hear @ owners complaining about the seat of the bike being uncomfortable, trust me.....i have done a non stop (except for refuelling)24hour one thousand mile ride on a fully laden Harley 1200 sportster, and a fourteen hour none stop stint on the ZX6R through freezing Spanish mountains, and the @ seat is not the worst one out there. This is a bloody great bike and i am wondering why i had never considered buying one before, when i am on the road with it i feel so planted, and to use the @ cliche 'there's so much presence'.
The only problem i have now is when it has been used and abused by me, what am i gonna replace it with, and don't mention the bike who's name begins with B and ends with W. I read your foum before i purchased this bike and i wanna say thanks for all the info you have written on the @ and thanks to those of you that answered me in person to my rather dull questions, i am very happy with my new toy
London Bubble
When i turned of the motorway at junction seven, i drove past the turning where the bike dealers were, i found a layby nearby and pulled over. I lit a ciggarette, got off the bike and walked around her, i was wondering if i was doing the right thing with this deal. I got on back on the bike and rode into the dealers, i saw the @ in the forecourt, i did not get excited, i dispensed with the usual formalities for px, papers, sigatures etc, i gave them the keys for my bike and collected the keys for my new steed. The salesman showed me to the @ standing in the front of the dealers premises he then showed me what's what on the bike, left me to it and off he went. I was left alone for the first time with this new bike, i was looking for the lugs where i had to hook the ladder to, so i could climb onto the saddle. The bike seemed huge and intimedating to me, even at my hight of 5ft 11ins.
I turned the key and she fired up. I rode............ or should i say wobbled, around the car park of the dealers premises to get a feel of the new machine....... i really thought i had made a decision i was gonna regret by purchasing this bike, it did not feel right somehow. So i rode down a few country lanes and i realised i could see over the hedges at the bends, from my new elevated riding position, great! i rode the lanes for a few miles more and then decided to take the plunge and hit the M40 to ride home to London. I indicated left at the next M40 eastbound motorway sign and turned onto the slip road to join the motorway....... I accelerated to join the main flow of the traffic. I looked in my mirrors and I thought to myself, wow, wing mirrors that enable me to see the vehicles behind, because of the design of my previous bikes i was under the impression that wing mirrors were for admiring my elbows with....... and i could turn my head right round from an upright seated position to look at any rear oncoming threat, not for me anymore just a quick glance behind from a crouched down racing position tucked in behind a perspex screen which enabled me to see my shoulder.
I then twisted the throttle, and integrated with the main flow of the traffic............ WOOO HOOOOOOOOO! this was great i could see for miles down the motorway, no more looking at the rear number plate of the car in front which was usually about level with my eyes, a Range Rover was level with me on the right, i could see the inside the car and at the shapley legs of the female passenger next to the driver :lol: , i felt like tapping on the window and saying ' gotta light mate, whilst having a cigarrette dangling from my mouth, it was like a whole new biking experiance, 'Hey Ma! look at me i'm on top of the world' (are you old enought ot remember that line)
I hear @ owners complaining about the seat of the bike being uncomfortable, trust me.....i have done a non stop (except for refuelling)24hour one thousand mile ride on a fully laden Harley 1200 sportster, and a fourteen hour none stop stint on the ZX6R through freezing Spanish mountains, and the @ seat is not the worst one out there. This is a bloody great bike and i am wondering why i had never considered buying one before, when i am on the road with it i feel so planted, and to use the @ cliche 'there's so much presence'.
The only problem i have now is when it has been used and abused by me, what am i gonna replace it with, and don't mention the bike who's name begins with B and ends with W. I read your foum before i purchased this bike and i wanna say thanks for all the info you have written on the @ and thanks to those of you that answered me in person to my rather dull questions, i am very happy with my new toy
London Bubble
