Classic motorbikes

Phil Robson said:
Wow - a lot of information here - thank you guys!

I'm a little wary about having 'the cart before the horse' & wonder if I should get a 50cc bike in the first instance, just to establish whether I like the idea & to give me some practical experience of riding a bike before I look at doing the tests. I understand that I could ride one with 'L' plates under my existing driving licence. Otherwise, I'm going to be totally unfamiliar with actually riding a bike. Of course, I may not like it......

There are some modern bikes (incl. Chinese :oops: :hmm: ) which I could go for.
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In my view you’re thinking along the right lines.

I’d caution against buying a small-wheeled twist and go scooter; a small motorbike would be better, at whatever engine size fits the licence structure you describe.
 
I may be an old cynic, but I am very sceptical about he 'Romance of Open Air mooring", or the thrill of "wind in your hair"
In my youth, when theses things ere supposed to be "fun", I had a convertible AH Sprite, and hardly ever used it with the top down. Both G/F and I hated it
Even though Thailand is warmer than UK, I do not believe that m/c is would be any more pleasurable that it was40yrs ago.
Plus the roads here are much more dangerous, and more stupid drivers.
Hve you thought of an open car? Don't kno how much, bu obviously moe than m/c., but far far safer. an MX5?
An experinceed m/c friend of mine, when discussing the idea of a m/c fro his retirement, sai "It is not if you hve an acciden, it is when...."
Make sure you have ood medical insurance.. Thai crash helmets are not up to much.
 
robin collis said:
I may be an old cynic, but I am very sceptical about he 'Romance of Open Air mooring", or the thrill of "wind in your hair"
In my youth, when theses things ere supposed to be "fun", I had a convertible AH Sprite, and hardly ever used it with the top down. Both G/F and I hated it
Even though Thailand is warmer than UK, I do not believe that m/c is would be any more pleasurable that it was40yrs ago.
Plus the roads here are much more dangerous, and more stupid drivers.
Hve you thought of an open car? Don't kno how much, bu obviously moe than m/c., but far far safer. an MX5?
An experinceed m/c friend of mine, when discussing the idea of a m/c fro his retirement, sai "It is not if you hve an acciden, it is when...."
Make sure you have ood medical insurance.. Thai crash helmets are not up to much.
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Couldn't agree more!
 
There are certainly live issues here.

“Born-again bikers” feature appallingly in the death and injury stats for motorcyclists.

However, I fully intend to mirror my grandfather, who was still riding a motorcycle on the roads at age 95; though I have a couple of decades to get to that age, I have never been without bikes to ride since getting my licence in 1968.

Oh, and the benign climate of my home in New Zealand’s Far North does make it easier nah nah nyaaah nah!
 
PS I do take issue with the “It’s not if you’ll have a crash, but when” wiseology.

I know several current old road motorcyclists who have clocked up over a million miles each without crashing, more than one over 2 million. I’m on a bit over 1 1/2 million.

Skills, training, observation, practice, thinking; all contribute.
 
I rode motorcycles before I ever drove cars here in NZ but once I got into cars I never rode another motorcycle again, so much so that I didnt apply for a motor cycle licence when NZ split car and motor cycle licensing, been kicking my self ever since as now the process of getting a bike license is a long difficult one when I should have had one by right ( if i had applied at the time).
I had plans to buy a motor bike about 10 years ago that is until I looked at the crazy process, very much regret being asleep at the wheel.
However I far prefer the warm dry comfort of a car.
 
I have wridden motorcycles since I was 16 without a break, so 41 years, and I haven't crashed. Motorcycles are not dangerous. People are dangerous. I have had a lot of friends crash motorbikes, luckily with no more than a few broken bones, but they were all doing something risky at the time such as speeding or overtaking in a bad place. Drive carefully and be observant and you can actually survive. It is also a million times more fun and exciting than any car. You have to do it to understand that though!! If you aren't a motorcyclist then you won't be able to understand!!
 
keynsham1 said:
I have wridden motorcycles since I was 16 without a break, so 41 years, and I haven't crashed. Motorcycles are not dangerous. People are dangerous. I have had a lot of friends crash motorbikes, luckily with no more than a few broken bones, but they were all doing something risky at the time such as speeding or overtaking in a bad place. Drive carefully and be observant and you can actually survive. It is also a million times more fun and exciting than any car. You have to do it to understand that though!! If you aren't a motorcyclist then you won't be able to understand!!
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Had a mate of mine back in the 80's when motor vehicle meant motor bike as well, one day he decided a bike would be fun so went out and bought a Kawasaki 900, I don't think he had ever ridden before.
Within a couple of days he was in intensive care with a broken back, had hit a brick wall at speed, luckily he was extremely fortunate and was able to walk again! He always was a lucky bastard!
 
I guess if you are worried that you'll be stuck at the side of the road with an old broken Rover; you'll not buy or use one. But then we know they give less hassle than a modern.
Similarly, if you don't think motorbikes are for you; you'll not buy one. You'll never experience the friendships formed, feeling connect with the world through feeling temperature changes, hearing the noises and smelling smells along the road.

Buy one, use it and see if you like it....
 
Not a bike person but I find these 1970s creations "handsome" in a way modern fairings on wheels just aren't. Maybe it's because they are clearly "machines" and I like the engineering on display.
 
Had a mate of mine back in the 80's when motor vehicle meant motor bike as well, one day he decided a bike would be fun so went out and bought a Kawasaki 900, I don't think he had ever ridden before.
Within a couple of days he was in intensive care with a broken back, had hit a brick wall at speed, luckily he was extremely fortunate and was able to walk again! He always was a lucky bastard!
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And a stupid one!:eek: Like I said, it is not the motorbike that is dangerous, but the person on it! Having never ridden before, jumping straight on what was considered the high end performance bike of the day would be like jumping into a Ferrari on your 17th birthday!! Riding large capacity motorcycles takes a lot of experience if you want to do it safely. I have a Kawasaki Ninja H2 which is a 200HP, 200mph supercharged missile but driven properly it is great fun. If I was 17, I expect my life expectancy would have been in the minutes!:LOL::LOL:
 
Please ignore my last post, last week.. I was having a 'senior moment' as I live in Thailand and was talking about m/c there.
I have sympathy with O/P, looking to chase a dream, but he might have too many expectations.
Start slowly, buy a small bike, , get training and m/c licence. Then you will know if you like riding.
When you have a licence, consider what bike you want for your dream.
Sure a full on Violette or Triumph/ Norton looks great, but could you ride it?
Buy the best you can afford and look after it. with luck you could sell it on without too much of a loss after a year if you find biking is not for you.
Get good protective clothing and then go for it. I hope it woks out for you. At least you will have tried and not regret missed chance.
 
have brother and a friend into bikes . Harley etc and one was an instructor for many years .both still use bikes (as I now do) but you get 2 groups when seem to get a lot of accidents 1= young bikers ( see a lot zipping past you on roads all over) 2 mature guy getting back to bikes and with deep pockets buying bikes ( re-capturing youth?) whom can't handle such power etc . these 2 groups have high accident rates. though I fit 2nd group as retired old fart.. am aware of being easy to break at my age and ride to condition and traffic ..so you wont see me overtaking you unless your parked! tears everybody on road with exception of a marked 'police traffic car '( not just police cars a they can be just as bad as normal drivers ) and assume they are all complete idiots and will do something stupid and WILL not see you on a bike! so yes they pull out in front of you. turn across you path without signalling etc as I also drive a car (s) I too notice idiotic bikers all over the place. much like we probably as see those electric scooters being ridden along pavement.roads etc without crash helmets and assuming they have right of way and are invulnerable. DO invest in decent protection with helmet to suit BSI kite marks etc and covering for legs .hands and boots ideally with armour included . I did speak to a NHS surgeon once whom treats cyclists a lot and in his opinion would ban all bikes in a second as he has to deal with results and injuries they get. imagine seeing a hand after placing it under hour body weight against a grinding wheel for a few seconds ..down to bone! that what happens when you fall off a bike at speed and hand goes against tarmac etc .it works like a grinding wheel and removes skin and flesh in an instant. so if you wearing for enjoyment of riding a bike .open road do be careful out there . roundabouts are nightmares . people enter at speed and only look to right ..fuel spills common ( had me off my bike at 10 mph breaking a collar bone and giving me concession .yes wearing a helmet!) people opening car doors without looking , sudden turning in front of you.changing lanes. heavy braking for no apparent reason ( seen a friend at a bus stop) list of potential incidents is almost endless . nothing wrong with riding a bike and they can be enjoyable , just be careful even of other bikers !
 
Thank you all for your posts :)

robin collis said:
At least you will have tried and not regret missed chance.
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I think this is what I'm thinking. As some of you will know, I became an Alfa owner a couple of years ago to scratch a 40 year old itch & whilst it's still tatty & not quite set up properly (currently at a mate's garage for accurate tracking) I'm very glad I got it & I'm enjoying the challenge.
PJay said:
In my view you’re thinking along the right lines.
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I'll do a bit more research on this. It may be a good idea to go to a training school first, although having my own small bike on the quiet roads round here would at least give me the chance to see if I was going to ride one much in practice (weather, free time, etc). Might save me a lot of hassle if I didn't 'get into it' ;)
 
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