True. Even a scratch is costly on these things! But there is a nice set of matte black fairings on another thread for 160 quid you could buy to preserve your nice red/white/blue ones
nah, thats like putting seat covers on your car to protect them for the next owner. I think mine is a work of art but i have to say, im feeling a bit ridiculous on it at the moment.
just paranoia tbh but: went to town on it, parked up on it and got a small crowd watching and talking about it. went to mcdonalds and some nutter pointed at it and said 'respect' work are commenting on how expensive the gear i have is and I went back to CMC for something and i parked up with the bikes and the only other bikes there were fairly old 125s and ratty looking bikes, on the way out, some more rode in on similar bikes, apart from a R1 i think, and it was on a M plate or something. so its making me feel like a show-off dick
That's the beauty of being a power ranger & having a lovely sportsbike It's when they stop looking you have to worry
Lol just wait till spring/summer. It's very easy to be overshadowed by the lovely Italians etc which are hibernating. A lot of my mates have what they class as rat bikes for over the winter. Older GS's and the likes which they buzz around on until the summer weapons are unleashed.
well thats more like it, but im not one for parking up with all the other bikers, at the moment anyway. i always took power ranger to be an insult, but im not sure it is now lol
Blink - what is it that you’re riding that’s getting all the attention? It’s funny to how many people a motorbike is a motorbike is a motorbike, you could show up on a gleaming HP4 Race or Duc Superleggera and you might have well turned up on a ratty 125cc scooter. As for what got me into bikes - I’d always wanted to get my bike licence, since maybe 15-20 years ago, but never got round to it. I’d done some motocross in my teens, enough to know I liked it but not enough to get properly good. Then once I passed my driving test at 17 I fuelled the original passion of cars, doing track days and finally classic cars (haven’t taken the classic on track yet though!) and that kept me entertained for a while. But then whilst helping my brother work at the NEC bike show in 2017 I spent so much time around bikes that I was like - YES - I fucking love these stupid things. Also my mum had passed away earlier in the year, her dad loved bikes and used to race speedway in the 1930s - and I just felt like it was the right time. That was November. I’d passed my test by January (aged 39) and promptly bought an ex-demo Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer. Beautiful bike and lots of fun but not very versatile or practical. Test rode a bunch of other bikes, really liked the Ducati Supersport but it was expensive. Then at the Manchester show in March saw the CBR650F in black and thought... mmm maybe that’s the ticket. Test rode it, loved it, bought another ex-demo. Did about 8 track days over last summer between the Duc and the CBR (including the California Superbike School - highly recommended) - sold the Duc a few months ago and as of last week bought a 2007 Blade. Feels like maybe I’ve come to the Blade too fast in my biking journey and experience level but fuck it, YOLO Also going to be interesting seeing how I get on with a 12 year old bike having previously had 2 pretty much new ones.
There's many a case of saying that a 12-year-old bike in good condition, as is yours, can be much better than a current model. You only have to monitor the amount of recalls on some to understand the number of glitches in new technology.
i have a tt legends like in the pic above. i have never been one for wanting the newest stuff, and i dont think bikes date like cars tend to.
There is no need to feel like a dick, I get what you mean though. You're probably thinking....everyone thinks I've got all the gear and no idea But who gives a shit what anyone else thinks! As long as you've got the bike your happy with and the gear you've always wanted, then great! Do you ride with others or on your own? Maybe if you were with other like minded people you wouldn't be so bothered? Because we all look the same
always on my own, all the gear no idea sums it up, but i also know that people that dont have bikes wont have a clue how good i am lol Its something i have wanted for years and years and never thought id do it, let alone have a fireblade. It's hard to describe the sense of achievement i have that i have managed to set aside all the nerves to start learning, right back to the CBT, which was the first time i sat on a bike one reason i ride alone is that at least i wont be tempted to keep up beyond my abilities, and neither will i feel the runt of the group. I also still have this problem that bikers seem to be a bit heterosexual, and the fact that I hate people assuming im straight makes me an automatic outsider. There are loads of reasons i want to ride alone too, i enjoy the freedom, stopping for as long as i want, investigating roads etc. The 125 enduro couldnt be any more different for this than the fireblade if it tried. Anyway, I'm still learning, and im sure i will be for a good while, but i can tell that im improving, i have stopped losing balance at traffic lights and putting both feet down for example! Thats something i never did until i got the fireblade, it was always one foot down before that, but stuff like that, corners etc tells me that im getting more used to it, just like when i passed my driving test, nobody passes and is an expert, i guess that bit frustrates me a little.
oh, and since i started riding, i have been watching anyone on a bike, and its amazing how much you see bikers stop at junctions, swapping feet, both feet down, messing with the gears, rolling back, wobbling as they set off. Nobody else notices, the bf included, they are all just bikers with equal skill. Another thing, where i live, its a busy road to matlock bath, and you see bikers riding sensibly, they invariably are wearing good boots, leathers etc, but the ones that ride badly, fast past the junction are the ones wearing trainers, jeans and jacket. I want to be the former sort of rider.
Blink, I just want to say what I give you respect for is your absolutely honest approach to your riding, you're not trying to impress anybody and you don't care what people think - on here or on the road. And also for being openly out in what most would consider to be a conventionally straight/macho/non-pride type community. I'm new to the forum but I've actually been pleasantly surprised by the acceptance level on here. Don't think you'd find that on piston heads... Anyway, I think it's cool
