Moto X anyone?

[NeilT]

just realised i've got my spare wheel on a rear carrier won't fit will it?

[windsurfer]

Absolutely and here's my choice of bike to start on -

http://www.thumperpage.com/articles/Serow.html

And as the bloke says no reason to ever get a bigger one. 108 Kgs should sit on the back of your surf ok. Or just ride there, there are loads of green lanes round here that are impassable in the surf and even a challenge on bike Don't forget that if you want to green lane it has to be road legal!

Cheers for the advise Neil. I'm only 5 foot 10 so a bike like that might do the trick! I am thinking of doing this course:
http://www.yamaha-schools.co.uk/experience.htm
What do you think?????????????
I will see how I get on and then look into getting a bike (my wife does not want me to at all, she thinks I will end up dead!)
Thanks again, any idea of the price of these bikes?
Cheers
Windsurfer (Simon)

[Medieval Dave]

just realised i've got my spare wheel on a rear carrier won't fit will it?

This is the rear carrier

http://www.autowbars.co.uk/motorcyclerack.htm

the version that spaces out past a rear mounted spare is an extra 12 quid or so. The crossways bit goes in between the towbar mounting plate and the ball hitch and stays there. the two wheel carriers just drop in. you can tow with a bike on if you need to. This company comes highly reccomended, they were happy to answer silly questions and dipatched right away.

This is the off road place:

http://www.in-4.co.uk/

I have been trying to round up my old road bike mates to go mid jan. So far I have 1 yes, 1 awaiting permission from wife, 2 skint and 2 'January, not likely!'

[codlord]

Do it, do it, do it - messing about off road on a motorbike is one of the best things in the world! But not sure if you are talking about messing about on bikes or some form of competitive racing?

The yamaha experience looks like a good taster to see if it's for you, but I would check to see you are going to get the right level of tuition or whatever, you don't want to turn up on a day when everyone else wants to learn how to rag around a track or jump or whatever and you dont.

I would take issue with the people who say don't get or you don't need a big bike/small bike or whatever (talking about cc here) - cc is not a good measurement of how a bike will ride. I have ridden 125 two strokes that are insanely faster than bigger capacity bikes and much more of a handful. Gotta take into account if its a 2 stroke or 4 stroke, what type of bike it is (i.e. road legal enduro or balls-out motox) and if its been tuned or derestricted etc - these things can make a big difference. Just some examples to make sure you get what is suitable for you and the type of riding you will be doing.

Personally I am a fan of the largish 4-strokes as they are easy to ride, very forgiving and have loads of power throughout the rev range (but remember dont be scared by the amount of potential power - you don't have to use it!)

As for age - blimey people are talking like over 30 is dead! jesus, I am 32 and have only been off-road biking for a few years. Plus if your not racing or jumping then you are unlikely to injur yourself - just take things at your own pace.

My motorbike racks: (and showing off my new KTM in the attachment )

[windsurfer]

Thanks

Hey Codlord,
Thanks for the advise. I do not want to compete on a track at all. I like the idea of taking a bike off road, doing some small jumps and just enjoying it. I do not know much about bikes so thanks for the info on engine sizes etc. I shall contact that bike experience place and make sure that I get a course with people of a similar standard (rubbish in other words). About my age, I do not feel old. I am very active and love surfing, windsurfing, climbing and have even been known to jump out of aeroplanes. Besides, I must look young as this dumb ass woman came to the door yesterday, she was trying to get us to change gas supplier. First thing she says to me is 'are your parents in'. I just laughed at her!

The type of jumps you see on tv done by the Deeg or Faisst are awesome, but I sure do not expect to do that. I'd be happy to get some air time and just enjoy feeling alive. Work drains me so much that I need to get the adrenalin going to keep me sane!

Your bikes look so cool, I especially like the KTM, it's wicked and must look amazing on the back of the Surf!
Thanks again, any 4 stroke you'd advise for a beginner?
Windsurfer

[codlord]

First an idea on prices of my bikes - the blue yamaha on the racks in the pics above (1999 WR400) I recently sold to a mate for £1500. The KTM (2003 450 EXC) I recently bought for £2650 (which was a very good price) but the picture is after spending another £600 or so on it (most of it on new wheels and tryes as I wanted to keep the original wheels with road-legal tyes for MOT's and stuff).
You can always look on the bikes section of autotrader too.

Advice on 4-strokes... hmmm, well kind of depends what sort of money you were thinking of spending. Personally I am a fan of yamaha and KTM (both very well respected and well supported), although any of the major brands will probably serve you very well. I would deffo stay away from any lesser-known brands such as Husqvarna or whatever even if you find something dead cheap - they may be excellent bikes but getting parts is near-impossible (my mate has a Husqvarna and a Cagiva and really struggles to get parts for both!).

Also, two of my mates have those racks from the links above - they are good racks but I would be very careful about putting 4-stroke sort of weight on them, as far as I know they are not "rated" to any particuar maximum which worries me a bit and having seen them I think 120+kg is pushing it. Although my mate is using his with a modification to cart about the WR400 I sold him. And you can just-about get a bike on and off by yourself but not easy and I would recommend getting someone to help. In this country there does not seem to be much on offer as an alternative rack tho, which is a shame, in the states I have seen loads of different racks with lots of wizzy features like tilting racks or ramps so you can get the bike on/off easily.

[NeilT]

Hey Codlord,
Thanks for the advise. I do not want to compete on a track at all. I like the idea of taking a bike off road, doing some small jumps and just enjoying it. I do not know much about bikes so thanks for the info on engine sizes etc.

What codlord said! plus weight is a big issue for a novice. The closer it is to a mountain bike with an engine the better, you'll be able to chuck it around more and it'll be more recoverable when you hit a bump wrong. And picking it up won't do your aged back in I've had the most fun hacking around on things from honda C90s to nearly disemboweling myself trying to jump a vespa 2 up Also a weird manual 2 speed 50cc Puch something i had as a teenager with a mental low gear that climbed vertical slopes.... bizarre it was. Anything light is mad fun off road. My mate has an old 50cc wind-back-and-wait that we hack around his garden on and it always gives mad grins and exhaustion. A 650cc single (dominator) i had was a pig off road, required more skill than i had and wasn't fun.

one thing I've noticed is that the bike you ride influences the way you ride it. If you get a moto-x bike like codlords you'll soon be pushing your limits just to use the bike, if you get a trail bike like the Serow you'll have plenty of poke but you won't feel like you're ticking over all the time. If I'm in a nippy hatchback I'm a boy racer, in the surf it's all a bit more stately... know what i mean?

Codlord is that a hydraulic lift thing on the carrier in the second picture? good for getting the bike on single handed?? Any info on it?

Dave - I might be up for mid January but i better not commit, sorry. I might well come in last minute if it's still possible though? I'll be back from abroad on the 9th and my surf won't be MOT'd or insured, i might make it right by then but i better not commit.

cheers
Neil

[codlord]

If I'm in a nippy hatchback I'm a boy racer, in the surf it's all a bit more stately... know what i mean?

I know what you are saying but 4-strokes like mine do not have to be ridden hard at all. I agree the serow would be an ideal sort of bike for a beginner (don't get me wrong I am not saying go out and buy a 400) - but don't think that sort of bike needs to be pushed - you need bigger balls and more skill to ride 2 strokes well becuase of the power band issues - none of that nonsense with 4 strokes

Codlord is that a hydraulic lift thing on the carrier in the second picture? good for getting the bike on single handed?? Any info on it?

Yeah, 'course, info on my site dude:
http://www.showmesome.info/hilux/workshop/rack2.htm
Had to import it from US at great expense tho, and a US reciever hitch to go with it:
http://www.showmesome.info/hilux/workshop/receiver.htm
Worth it tho, easily handles the weight of my bike and is great to use - easily get it on and off by myself now.

[Medieval Dave]

Height can be an issue too - I just ordered modified links for my DR to drop the seat hieght by 1.5 inches.

[Medieval Dave]

You gotta do it....

If you are tempted, then you really should go for it. Both today and yesterday I was out at first light on the new DR. It isn't an exciting bike as they go but I still had great fun. i haven't even been of road on it yet, Just up the back roads and farm roads that I have been scouting out for the surf. Nothing you couldn't drive up in a ford fiesta if you didn't mind scratches. I had the best fun on the road to some disused industrial buildings in the middle of nowhere - the road is in a terrible state and there are some really deep puddles and potholes to mess about in.

It wouldn't really have been much fun getting out on a road bike on mornings like this, as although the weather was mild the roads were wet and covered in mud. On the trail bike I had great fun. Some of the lanes feel fast and furious at 25mph, and even on the A roads I didn't feel the need to go over 60 to have fun.

The plan is to go on an off road fun day (on thier KTM, so no worries about kit), then to go on some guided rideouts on the DR, once I get the feel of it, and sort out the ride height and tyres.

So go on, give it a go.

Dave

[wibblywobbly]

Just read the Serow review

Absolutely and here's my choice of bike to start on -

http://www.thumperpage.com/articles/Serow.html

And as the bloke says no reason to ever get a bigger one. 108 Kgs should sit on the back of your surf ok. Or just ride there, there are loads of green lanes round here that are impassable in the surf and even a challenge on bike Don't forget that if you want to green lane it has to be road legal!

I quite agree on one point. If you are going green laning, light and nimble beats heavy and bruising every time. I used to have an IT 175, light as a feather and a lovely engine. I used to run rings around the big stuff, especially on rock climbs, steps and the like. The bike took the pressure off me and that meant that fatigue was never a problem.

[NeilT]

Too right. I watched Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round and they were struggling badly on their 1/4 ton BMW's, then the camera mans bike broke and they were laughing at his little Chinese replacement bike, until he was just floating over all the rough stuff they were getting bogged down in. A 50cc will do 30 mph and thats fast off road, another 100cc for getting through some rough stuff and it's plenty. 175's are getting rare and old but an imported 225 serow seems a good idea. Not just for beginners. All 4 strokes of course. I got to get one soon myself

[Medieval Dave]

All true, but I remember riding 175 two stroke trail bikes. on the road they just felt frantic all the time. Fun it you felt like thrashing a bike, but just hard work if you wanted to go somewhere. I just got a DR350, and it has lovely road manners, but still isn't too heavy. I think it will in part depend if you are going to have to ride on tarmac to get to the rough stuff.

I have been out on it today, and really enjoyed it, even riding on sheet ice over tarmac for a short stretch, and frozen tractor ruts in mud.

[BULLDOG]

Im 35 and just got into motox been building and riding streetfighters all my life ie 750 up to 1176 cc but i became self employed and couldnt run the risk of being bowled off by some other muppet on the road but i missed 2 wheels so i went out and biught myself a crosser my head kept saying "250" but my friends told me to go 125 so i did bought a 2001 KX125 and all the gear trailer etc all armour boots etc and off i went all i can say is "F**^%NG HELL!" wot a scream scared the bejesus out of myself as well that thing is a serious crotch rocket.
If i were you id try a 125 first because believe me you will be shocked and hooked it is so much fun A 2 stroke 125 will easily keep up with a 4 stroke 450 around a track (i should know )

[Medieval Dave]

Go on, you know you want to....