facthunter Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 I've been a life time motorcyclist but IF they were Invented now they'd never be allowed on the road. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippydiesel Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 6 minutes ago, facthunter said: I've been a life time motorcyclist but IF they were Invented now they'd never be allowed on the road. Nev After about 10 years of accident free motorcycling, I gave up road bikes, in the late 1970's. I spent a couple of months commuting in/out of the Sydney CBD - I had at least one close shave /day. The chicken entrails don't lie - it was time to sell the Honda 750/4. - just like this one except I had "Walker 2/1 pipes and dropped handlebars. Good open road bike, bit of a pig on sweeping bends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 17 minutes ago, facthunter said: Surely not? Has she taken out a lot of Insurance on you? Nev i went for a ride the other day after 25 years and i needed another set of eyes, cars tailgating me at 100 , cars switching lanes without notice. you have to on the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 3 minutes ago, skippydiesel said: After about 10 years of accident free motorcycling, I gave up road bikes, in the late 1970's. I spent a couple of months commuting in/out of the Sydney CBD - I had at least one close shave /day. The chicken entrails don't lie - it was time to sell the Honda 750/4. - just like this one except I had "Walker 2/1 pipes and dropped handlebars. Good open road bike, bit of a pig on sweeping bends. $20000 sitting there. cb 750 s are sought after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 motorcycling in victoria makes ultralights look pretty safe. its funny the perception people have , my wife wants to ride pillion with me yet refuses to go in an ultralight at all. i think she might change her mind once she experiences it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackc Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 This went part way to funding my Jabiru… 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenaroo Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 1 hour ago, jackc said: This went part way to funding my Jabiru… PHWAOR... thats a rare bike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackc Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 12 minutes ago, spenaroo said: PHWAOR... thats a rare bike Yes special order limited production HP2 Enduro sent to me in crate, I documented it’s assembly and “flight test” was given full warranty by BMW and to me to do full authorised service work on it, did 9000km then sold to a collector In Sydney 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freizeitpilot Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 2 hours ago, BrendAn said: motorcycling in victoria makes ultralights look pretty safe. its funny the perception people have , my wife wants to ride pillion with me yet refuses to go in an ultralight at all. i think she might change her mind once she experiences it. I spent a month in an orthopaedic hospital ward back in the late 70s. Almost every 2nd bed was filled by a bloke from a motorcycle prang. I seldom ride on public roads now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdun Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 Interesting. My wife will ride a motorbike with me but only if I’m the pillion rider. She used to race motorbikes but gave up when a close mate died from anaphylactic shock from anaesthesia following a crash on the racetrack. She won’t fly with me: ‘why should I do something i don’t like’. That’s that. Still have the bikes, pair of Ducati single demos (1963 & 68), but she can’t swing her leg over anymore to ride. I’m told the ABC recently reported that old men on motorbike make up 50% of motorbike fatalities ( ‘old men’ being men over 40yo). They will probably have to get a permission note from a GP to keep their licence, or something equally ridiculous. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfGnome Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 (edited) My beloved had a much better bike than mine (which she let me use occasionally 🙂), but she had to give up after smashing her wrist in a snowboarding accident when she no longer had the strength to apply the brakes (so I inherited her bike 😁). I eventually sold it when I found I was using the push bike instead of it (now there’s a mode of transport you need to have eyes in the back of your head for in Sydney traffic). The bloke I sold it to wrote it off within a couple of months. I will add that she will fly with me, but unenthusiastically. 🫤 Edited May 2 by sfGnome Addendum 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenaroo Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 14 hours ago, Markdun said: Interesting. My wife will ride a motorbike with me but only if I’m the pillion rider. She used to race motorbikes but gave up when a close mate died from anaphylactic shock from anaesthesia following a crash on the racetrack. She won’t fly with me: ‘why should I do something i don’t like’. That’s that. Still have the bikes, pair of Ducati single demos (1963 & 68), but she can’t swing her leg over anymore to ride. I’m told the ABC recently reported that old men on motorbike make up 50% of motorbike fatalities ( ‘old men’ being men over 40yo). They will probably have to get a permission note from a GP to keep their licence, or something equally ridiculous. Yeah, normally guys who gave up riding when raising a family. returning later in life after not having sat on a bike for 20 years. like flying its a skill that if not in constant use is forgotten - and easy to let overconfidence get you in trouble 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 Yep older riders are hugely at risk when returning to the bike world. It's not just rusty skills but the roads are far busier and the bikes are hugely different. 100 HP in the 80's was a superbike. A old CB750 was 70hp, came with a hinge in the middle and part time brakes. And we road them to suit. I used to have a 1975 CB 750 F1. Now a modern bike, even a "slow" BMW twin is 120hp and only 220 kg wet and has brakes and handling light years ahead of anything the old rider has experienced. A fast one is 180hp and less than 180kg, ie over 1:1 power ratio not the old 4:1 of the Rhonda the Honda. You can even get a BMW that is too light to race and must add ballast to make 165kg to compete. If you see a bike wreckers you will notice quite a lot of new hyperbikes with a dent in the top of the tank and broken screen. How? The silly bugger does a wheelie and flips the bike at speed- they rarely survive. A hyperbike can mono in most gears purely from more throttle. Many new bikes actually restrict full power in the lower gears to stop it flipping. The old Rhonda in a dream monoed in 1st, and only got the wheel up a little, not vertical. Mind you, a lot of the dead old riders are on cruisers ie. Harleys which come with bugger all cornering ability nor brakes. They are very easy to approach a corner too quickly and run wide as they run out of clearance and scrape. Another factor is dickheads who ride in close formations this means they can't easily see the proper corner line nor be on the correct position. Also they are too close to each other for even one to swerve around a pothole, hence they bring down the other riders with them. This is quite common and stupid in the extreme. In the USA such rides killed over 6 riders purely from one swerving. A recent one here killed one and disabled three riders. Maybe a compulsory rider course for anyone who registers a bike after not owing one for five years would be a good idea. For most returning riders it's like flying a Drifter years ago and jumping into a Turboprop with no training requirements or currency. I've road ridden for 38 years but know when I am rusty and practice my skills. Most forget anyone can ride fast in a strait line, but real skills are practicing very slow tight laps around witches cones- that generates real balance and control skills. If you can't do a very tight 180 turnaround in a car length, you need to improve your skills. Those skills are bike irrelevant, even a full dress Harley can do it if you have proper riding skills. 2 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 On 02/05/2024 at 1:41 PM, jackc said: This went part way to funding my Jabiru… Wow, a HP 2 dirt squirt. A hyperbike for the road/dirt. Amazing machine and peerless. Pity you sold it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 I have an old Honda st1100. Its only 100 HP but you still need to be careful on the throttle. I just stripped the forks , doing Bush's and seals, then a full service and timing belt. If I don't feel confident riding someone will get a good tourer ready to go. That v4 would make a lovely aircraft engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 The ST 1100 are great tourers but very heavy. The V4 is a smoothy but very heavy to convert for a aircraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 48 minutes ago, Litespeed said: Another factor is dickheads who ride in close formations this means they can't easily see the proper corner line nor be on the correct position. Also they are too close to each other for even one to swerve around a pothole, hence they bring down the other riders with them. This is quite common and stupid in the extreme. I was having lunch in a local hotel today and a stack of bikies came pouring in and started to push tables together. They'd just been to the funeral of a female club member. She'd been killed in a pothole accident; five riders were injured, she was the one that died. The guy I was talking to wasn't sure who hit the pothole. Victoria currently has about a million potholes, all about 450 mm dia, all from 50 mm to 400 mm deep....like wells, all on the LH car/truck tyre line, many hard to see because there's no gravel spill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 26 minutes ago, Litespeed said: The ST 1100 are great tourers but very heavy. The V4 is a smoothy but very heavy to convert for a aircraft. 300 kg. The v4 is 97 with gearbox. There are sts that have done 500,000 km and still going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 3 minutes ago, turboplanner said: I was having lunch in a local hotel today and a stack of bikies came pouring in and started to push tables together. They'd just been to the funeral of a female club member. She'd been killed in a pothole accident; five riders were injured, she was the one that died. The guy I was talking to wasn't sure who hit the pothole. Victoria currently has about a million potholes, all about 450 mm dia, all from 50 mm to 400 mm deep....like wells, all on the LH car/truck tyre line, many hard to see because there's no gravel spill. The big build takes all the resources that should be fixing roads. The wet weather the last few years caused a lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippydiesel Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 Currently trying to get a straight, low km, 1999, Suzuki SV 650 S back in to good working order. Pig of thing to work on, compared with the bikes of the pre 1980. It's just a fun project/ challenge to do, no intention of riding it (other than a test ride on our very quiet semi rural dead end street). Will offer it to you guys once, all the nigeling little problems of years of neglect have all been sorted and its registered again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdun Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 Returning to the orthopaedic hospital ward, I’m not to sure I’d place too much on the anecdote about wards being filled by motorcycle crash victims. When I was last in an orthopaedic ward most of the other ‘blokes’ had a sixpence stuck in their throat or polio. And I can vividly recall having 4 burly nurses struggling with difficulty to extricate myself from the bed to be taken to the operating theatre. The surgeon turned up to see what the ruckus was about (it was a pretty hard physical fight, plus screaming etc) and he then noticed, when I broke one leg free and kicked the nurse away, the scabs on my legs from extensive grazing and bruising from a recent bike crash. I was then evicted from the ward precisely because of my bike injuries. It was a great lesson for a 7yr old. I’d suggest the aged mc fatality issue is overbaked. Really how many guys are there under 40 riding compared to over 40? probably 50:50. My wife’s racing bike is 250cc and I have difficulty getting it to exceed 100kph despite her once having to explain to a magistrate why she was doing 110kph in 3rd grear in a suburban street on the then unregistered Ducati. So yes, there probably is something in the extra power of modern bikes. But I also see increasing incidence of drivers incompetence; much much more ppl over the centreline (inc double unbroken lines); ppl driving at 40-60kph at night on 100kph roads etc etc…we’ve all had the whinge. I conclude that as roads have improved, driving skills have delayed more. It might be the same for flying 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueadventures Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 4 minutes ago, Markdun said: Returning to the orthopaedic hospital ward, I’m not to sure I’d place too much on the anecdote about wards being filled by motorcycle crash victims. When I was last in an orthopaedic ward most of the other ‘blokes’ had a sixpence stuck in their throat or polio. And I can vividly recall having 4 burly nurses struggling with difficulty to extricate myself from the bed to be taken to the operating theatre. The surgeon turned up to see what the ruckus was about (it was a pretty hard physical fight, plus screaming etc) and he then noticed, when I broke one leg free and kicked the nurse away, the scabs on my legs from extensive grazing and bruising from a recent bike crash. I was then evicted from the ward precisely because of my bike injuries. It was a great lesson for a 7yr old. I’d suggest the aged mc fatality issue is overbaked. Really how many guys are there under 40 riding compared to over 40? probably 50:50. My wife’s racing bike is 250cc and I have difficulty getting it to exceed 100kph despite her once having to explain to a magistrate why she was doing 110kph in 3rd grear in a suburban street on the then unregistered Ducati. So yes, there probably is something in the extra power of modern bikes. But I also see increasing incidence of drivers incompetence; much much more ppl over the centreline (inc double unbroken lines); ppl driving at 40-60kph at night on 100kph roads etc etc…we’ve all had the whinge. I conclude that as roads have improved, driving skills have delayed more. It might be the same for flying Back in the late 70's early 80's you could buy a cheap hang glider there as well. Sad but true. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 3 minutes ago, Markdun said: Returning to the orthopaedic hospital ward, I’m not to sure I’d place too much on the anecdote about wards being filled by motorcycle crash victims. When I was last in an orthopaedic ward most of the other ‘blokes’ had a sixpence stuck in their throat or polio. And I can vividly recall having 4 burly nurses struggling with difficulty to extricate myself from the bed to be taken to the operating theatre. The surgeon turned up to see what the ruckus was about (it was a pretty hard physical fight, plus screaming etc) and he then noticed, when I broke one leg free and kicked the nurse away, the scabs on my legs from extensive grazing and bruising from a recent bike crash. I was then evicted from the ward precisely because of my bike injuries. It was a great lesson for a 7yr old. I’d suggest the aged mc fatality issue is overbaked. Really how many guys are there under 40 riding compared to over 40? probably 50:50. My wife’s racing bike is 250cc and I have difficulty getting it to exceed 100kph despite her once having to explain to a magistrate why she was doing 110kph in 3rd grear in a suburban street on the then unregistered Ducati. So yes, there probably is something in the extra power of modern bikes. But I also see increasing incidence of drivers incompetence; much much more ppl over the centreline (inc double unbroken lines); ppl driving at 40-60kph at night on 100kph roads etc etc…we’ve all had the whinge. I conclude that as roads have improved, driving skills have delayed more. It might be the same for flying The road statistics are pretty good these days collating the victim numbers and ages by a number of variants, but the causes would make the Bros Grimm proud. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 1 hour ago, BrendAn said: The big build takes all the resources that should be fixing roads. The wet weather the last few years caused a lot of them. I thought you were in the transport industry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendAn Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 8 minutes ago, turboplanner said: I thought you were in the transport industry? Pretty sure I sm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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