How Time Flies

[garyboy]

replying to the DR thread recently, I kind of realised how much time has flown. Its a bit of a shock, especially when you're still `living` in the last century. I was looking at bikes from the 80's and nineties, and thinking of how much they have come since then, whether good or bad, .. but a fast history anyway.

There was a question on the trf site about gps and files 'n stuff ..... when i suddenly remembered that on my first trip to france on a bike, I had nothing to guide me.... not even a map lol. Certainly not a camera, or even of recording my solo trip. I was around 23 and could not even afford some half decent bike wear. Just normal clothes with a borrowed leaky thin nylon over jacket.

susuki x7 by gary boy, on Flickr

It was a lightweight 2 stroke. It folowed the reinigrooves like a small death torpedo, and took to fighting the massive trucks that were overtaking. I can't remember the brakes, but i think that's a good thing. Strangely, or perhaps to be expected, I can't remember carrying a tent or anythin, but i must have, even though i slept rough at times. How did I navigate? ... hmmm .. let me think. I must have just been heading south through the middle of France. Perhaps I had a small one-page map of the main cities. I knew where i was going. that's what mattered, lol. .. To see the Med.


It was a great adventure .. probably the best i will ever have, mostly because it was all new and exciting. But I never really knew where i was, accurately, at any one time. .... that probably made it seem even more adventurous.

Now, I have got the Outdoor Active app on my samsung mobile phone.
Even Google Maps would have been a game changer for me, at that time, but this new app can give me correct location even off road (as long as there ia a gps signal) and you can record pre set maps for offline, which I haven'et used yet.
This all no doubt more familiar to you lot than to me. But, in the day this would have been a game changer .. and almost seems like magic now,.. well, to an old codger like me.

20231122_145949 by gary boy, on Flickr.

I dont use it for route gps guidance, just gps position at present time, as i researh the small route i plan.

Of course, the bike is a bit different ....still a 250cc (crf250Rally)..but, 4 stroke not 2 stroke, panniers and rear rack (not shown here), FE not Carb, ABS not skiddy fun times, comfortable riding position, real tyres, heated grips, brakes that work, etc ..... though i have not yet takene this bike abroad, just in Wales.
I'm trying to think what the last bike was i took away? .. It may have been my previous Honda ST1100 ?
I'm just comparing the difference now in bike/accessories/comfort/guidance.


found a pic of an ST1100 like mine .... crikey ... what a difference to take away.. compared to the X7

6000000007 by gary boy, on Flickr


what would I take now .... NC750 ..

p3310567402-11 (2)qq by gary boy, on Flickr

[macvisual]

wOw - my first ever proper motorcycle……Suzuki X7.

Utter Quality..!

Thanks for posting this.

Peter

[Spike941]

Golly, got me thinking. My first foreign bike trip down to Andorra was 40 years ago this year. Remember it well. Kawasaki Z1000LTD. Bicycle panniers and the obligatory lightweight leaky waterproofs. I know I had a tent, just not sure which one. I loved it, but my girlfriend and pillion on the trip, now my ex wife, wasn’t that impressed. In fact, that was her last biking trip.

[mark vb]

Golly, got me thinking. My first foreign bike trip down to Andorra was 40 years ago this year. Remember it well. Kawasaki Z1000LTD. Bicycle panniers and the obligatory lightweight leaky waterproofs. I know I had a tent, just not sure which one. I loved it, but my girlfriend and pillion on the trip, now my ex wife, wasn’t that impressed. In fact, that was her last biking trip.

That's a shame, but life is such a lottery with what it throws at you. I guess I was a bit lucky in the g/f-wife-bike stakes.

[PaulinBont]

Great post Gary.
My first trip abroad was in 1980’s on a CX500.
Derri Boots and a one-piece Rukka.
Northern Germany via HvH

[garyboy]

20210817_164526 (2) by gary boy, on Flickr

waiting out this very bad weather, I have been thinking a lot about travelling to France next year. Maybe throw in a few other countries.. that's if there are not too many more Brexit Penalties, like paperwork in Spain. I've been thinking about `which bike?` a lot too.

(above pic).. my NC750s dct surely has got the be the choice?
Very comfortable, now i've raised the front of the seat, Nice and heavy (230kg) for stability on the road (tarmac only), oem h/bar grip heaters, great handling for a budget bike .. best i'v ever known,, Low c.o.g. (this is very important to me, DCT.. semi-automatic (not so manly lol but great to use even though constant input is needed in Sport Mode), Low seat height, Good carrying capacity as strong steel frame, Reasonable brakes with just 1 front disc but ok, great in side winds etc.

It can do over 130mph, though 80mph is plenty, and helps with keeping my licence. But there are drawbacks too, of course.
It's a naked, which means there is a lot of wind pressure ... all around .. front and sides, and very cold in the wintyer months.
The suspension is mostly crap, but it's fine unless you hit a pot hole ... argggh.
I've fitted a taller screen, but it looks like i will need to tilt it more upright, especially as the wind noise is now the most disabling thing about the bike .... it's silent glide when there is favouable wind.

Perhaps the most eligable touring characteristic is its very low fuel consumption.
Sport mode is about 77mpg .. but Drive mode is 83mpg and would get a fair bit higher in French sweeping long roads. You must kake sure the brakes not bind, as it is prone to seizing after winter salt, and general muddy use.

I've also got a crf250rally .. and that can do 100mpg in the UK, and i bet it would do 120mpg abroad on the long roads.? I could also do the picos pyrenees spain smugglers trail etc .... Places I have never done. It would be light to lugg around too, but would feel the wind badly on open roads. It would carry luggage ok, and is best described, I now realise, as a small capacity adventure bike. Worth considering, but generally harder work, and harder for me off road?

[garyboy]

Great post Gary.
My first trip abroad was in 1980’s on a CX500.
Derri Boots and a one-piece Rukka.
Northern Germany via HvH

Thanks, Paul.

I remember the CX500 coming out first. `the Teapot` I think, they called it. Perhaps not legitimaly vallued in general at the time, but loved by dispatch riders. Today its a classic and well sort after, I believe.
The autobahns were something else. I don't know if you can still do unlimited speed on certain section, but my then VF1000r had a whale of a time .
One-peice Rukka ... now that's really showing off. You must have been one of the poshest riders around.

Hope to see you on the roads or trails soon.

I hear Big Al had a car accident .. hope he's back in work soon.

Best Wishes.

[PaulinBont]

The ‘Plastic Maggot’

[garyboy]

Ii wasn't going to ... but i thought i'd better continue my bike `saga` by getting a bit up-to-date with the thinking. I don't suppose anyone is particularly interested but if you are reading this... perhaps you are a bit curious ... or bored, lol .

.. so .. where was I ?
I was talking about the NC750 I have. Perhaps not the most pretty bike, or most exciting, to be sure, but then again .. it's How you Ride it .. this gives it its superiority. (It all depends on what Mode you choose, and how this is applied to a particular road or day.)
There is an ever-growing fan base for it .. well deserved.. as it is so comfortable and east to ride. I have the naked S model, but would recommend the X model .. for wind protection. I don't like the newer ones, as they have Fly-By-Wire, and i prefer to be physically connected to the power input ... not wirelessly. What a crazy idea.

Yes, the NC has great rideability and fuel economy, but ... as all riders.. (well older ones perhaps) .. will tell you .. they miss the power of a big bike !!
My previous 954 Fireblade had the Best handling, almost reading your thoughts to go around bends; the greatest brakes, which could go from 140 to 40 with just a two-fingered gentle pull on the brakes. (followed by a gut wrenching heave on the lever to get off the last 30mph.) But ... the speed was too adictive, and could not stop myself automatically chasing 100mph plus.. simply because the bike was made that way. It was so light, and so easy to power up. In fact, it was difficult to ride under 85mph, due to the configuration of the wind dynamics, and power output and gearing characteristics. .. In short .. It was a racing bike, on public roads. My introduction to the Honda NC gave me real-world biking enjoyment and licence security. That lowly budget platform gave me genuine rider happiness.

I fancy a Blackbird or Hyabusa .. but realise i won't stay with them and would not be suitable anyway .. for me. SO what big bike would I get?
I really don't know.. but it would probably be a big adventure bike .. and there's loads to choose from . SO, I'll leave it at that .. for the moment. (in terms of Big/ versatile/ comforable.)

Perhaps the truth is that I can't really afford such a bike atm .. and there is SO much to choose from .. and I haven't properly researched it all.

.. but Bennetts have ....
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n ... motorcycle

[garyboy]

.. SO !! ... I have two bikes... a road bike NC750dct .. and a CRF250 Rally.
The 250 is very smooth on the road, around 55mph, and really nice travelling at 60mph. (even with knobblies on).
But of course that comes with a price if you have knobblies on, as they wear a bit fast .. ok at 50 mph but obviously, more tyre wear at 60mph.
The other thing is .. it's an (small) adventure bike ... not a pure trail bike.
It's a bit too light for UK road riding, with all the vagaries of our weather .. and too heavy for even slightly technical trails, though better riders will disagree.

So what would i like for trails .... At the Moment .. its the KTM350 (the 500 is supposed to be vibey at road highway speeds, and perhaps a little less manageable on trails, despite being almost the same weight). The 350 Husky looks really nice, but it has that PD rear shoch, which means i don't think I could lower it easily.

I even fancy a ... little easy trail 125 .. there !! I've said it. keep it to ourselves, eh?

[N + 1] > [N +2] > [N + 3] > [N + 4] > [N + 5] .......

.
.
.PS .. I tried the ONE do-it-all unicorn bike .... the TTR600r .. a great bike but with just too many drawbacks, for me. Though I notice that, basically, Itchy Boots has chosen almost exactly That bike. The difference is that she had the YouTube dosh to get an XT600 fixed up good and proper by a German engineering wizard.