# New Bike Tomorrow



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

I am all giddy with excitement.







My kit is out and my helmet is polished







Tomorrow's the day, up at 6.30 a stroll down to Shipley station, change at Leeds with the usual mad dash to get my "fast track" ticket and then a leisurley journey to Newcastle to pick up my new motorbike. I don't think I will be able to sleep...........I am 43


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## USEDMODEL (Mar 26, 2005)

MarkF said:


> I am all giddy with excitement.
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That OLD









Reminds me of the night before Christmas









Enjoy the bike but do keep safe.


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

Nice one Mark, be sure to post a picture.

Mike

P.S Now that you are distracted







any chance of selling me that Casio,you know the one


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Good luck Mark & keep safe









I do want to get a bike again maybe next year but thanks to my arthritis it`ll have to be small, I like the look of the new Suzuki RV125`s, something different from the average 125


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## USEDMODEL (Mar 26, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Good luck Mark & keep safe
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Is that a SMALL bike or a Dinky .............. looks tiny


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

USEDMODEL said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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Actually it`s quite big for a 125


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Thrash the guts out of it Mark....enjoy

Dont forget to "lose" the number plate first though


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Just be careful you soft sod.


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

You silly sod





















.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

OK Mark, its been three days since your original post already, so where & what is it









I do hope you`ve not had a prang on it already


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)




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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

I have pinched this pic from Ebay, mine is identical, in fact 3 days after I agreed to buy mine in Newcastle this one appeared for sale 10 mins from my house.









Frankly I don't like it much, I love old bikes but when I have one I get it into my head that I need a 150mph plastic projectile, so I get one and am gratified for, oooh, 2 or 3 minutes then I know I have made a mistake......... again.







I picked it up and did a steady 80-120mph all the way down the A1, bored witless.







Got home, junked it in the garage and went for a ride on my slow, pig handling, rattlebox 1981 Spectre and was soon smiling again,









On the upside it is mint, less than 13k on the clock and with good tyres chain etc and it was the biggest bargain I have ever come across.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

You`re not going to do a`Jot` are you?


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> You`re not going to do a`Jot` are you?
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What, shag it?


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

MarkF said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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No, *shift* it, then buy another


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

MarkF said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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> > You`re not going to do a`Jot` are you?
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## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

MarkF said:


> I picked it up and did a steady 80-120mph all the way down the A1


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## in_denial (Aug 3, 2005)

MarkF said:


> I have pinched this pic from Ebay, mine is identical, in fact 3 days after I agreed to buy mine in Newcastle this one appeared for sale 10 mins from my house.
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In that case I'd recommend Sir tries a Ducati 900SS from (for sake of build quality) 1996 onwards. "Modern", plastic covered as you like, will do 140 if pushed, but has proper (i.e. slow) steering, agricultural suspension, vibrates like a good'un and a dry clutch which sounds like spoons in a waste disposal!

--Tim


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## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

dapper said:


> MarkF said:
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> > I picked it up and did a steady 80-120mph all the way down the A1
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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Were NOT starting that one up again


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

jasonm said:


> Were NOT starting that one up again
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What one?


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

> did a steady 80-120mph


The speeding debate


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

in_denial said:


> In that case I'd recommend Sir tries a Ducati 900SS from (for sake of build quality) 1996 onwards. "Modern", plastic covered as you like, will do 140 if pushed, but has proper (i.e. slow) steering, agricultural suspension, vibrates like a good'un and a dry clutch which sounds like spoons in a waste disposal!
> 
> --Tim
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Tim, I love Italian bikes particularly Ducati's, 5 mins from my house are "Cobb & Jaggers" the north's Ducati dealers with, funnily enough a Moto Guzzi dealership 2 mins from that.







Manys the time I have "nearly" taken the plunge but my head keeps overulling my heart







I do some big trips and can easily do 500 miles day, I do not have faith in any Ducati to deal with that kind of mileage day after day.


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## Andy (Feb 23, 2003)

Nice bike that Suzuki.

Basically a faired bandit, as it uses the same lump.

Never could get used to that baboon's arse tail light, but apart from that, it's far from ugly.

I had the 600 version as a courtesy bike whilst a Yamaha I owned at the time was being serviced and I couldn't really fault it, and therein lies the problem with in-line fours, and the reason I changed to BMW twins.

They're just too flawless, to the point of being bland and annonymous.

My BMW is about as agricultural as a bike can be, and yet this somehow makes it more fun to ride.

You can't just short shift into top and switch to auto pilot.

You have to drive through all the gears and if you change up too soon, it doesn't like it.

It's just more involving, and thus more rewarding to ride.

I do have a Japanese four that I use as my daily hack.

It's a Yamaha 900 Diversion with 70,000 miles up that gets used all year, all weather's, never gets looked after and if it's very lucky, may get a wet sponge thrown at it once a year, but the bloody thing just goes on and on without fuss.

The BMW would have popped it's clogs yonks back if subjected to the same abuse.

My point being, if you want ultimate reliability and longevity, buy Japanese but if you want a bike that's fun and involving to ride on the road, buy a BMW, Ducati, Harley, Guzzi, anything but from Japanese.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

I'd broadly agree with all your points Andy, the bike has some really good styling points but yes, the rear end is awful.







It is vastly underrated and undervalued IMO. It was a 900 Divvy that I was looking for as I wanted to stick with shaft drive but this was too good a price to pass up, I reckon it will do the big trips I have planned and then I will still be able to flog it at a profit in the summer.







Unless I fall off


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## Andy (Feb 23, 2003)

I can highly recommend the Divvy.

Dull as dishwater but does the job.

Mine cost me Â£900 nearly three years ago from a dealer, and even if I threw it away now, I don't think I'd have lost out financially, bearing in mind what it's saved me in daily train fares.

How much was the Suzy ?


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Andy, 12.5K miles, 2 owners, FSH, mint with good consumables, Â£1300.


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

MarkF said:


> Andy, 12.5K miles, 2 owners, FSH, mint with good consumables, Â£1300.
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At that kind of money it BEAUTIFUL









Good result Mark









MIKE


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## in_denial (Aug 3, 2005)

MarkF said:


> in_denial said:
> 
> 
> > In that case I'd recommend Sir tries a Ducati 900SS from (for sake of build quality) 1996 onwards. "Modern", plastic covered as you like, will do 140 if pushed, but has proper (i.e. slow) steering, agricultural suspension, vibrates like a good'un and a dry clutch which sounds like spoons in a waste disposal!
> ...


If you do that sort of mileage you do need faith, so I can't blame you - I've been lucky, as have most (recent) Ducati owners I know, but lots of people have horror stories as well.

I did a National Rally in '95 on my old 900SS (about 600 miles altogether in 24 hours), but I don't think I could do much more than 200 miles on my 916 before my wrists give up


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

in_denial said:


> I did a National Rally in '95 on my old 900SS (about 600 miles altogether in 24 hours), but I don't think I could do much more than 200 miles on my 916 before my wrists give up
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I don't think I could get to the bottom of my drive on a 916 before crying out in pain


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

MarkF said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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> > You`re not going to do a`Jot` are you?
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It looks good enough


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

A bit of lipstick around the exhaust and you're in there







.


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