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June 2010 - August 2012 - 1991 Honda CG125 (BR-J)
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So! Off I set into the world on my very first motorcycle. Limited to 125cc for due to vehicle licencing, I still used this bike whenever I could but did not use it for commuting until I had passed my test in January 2011. Until then I rode with L plates and went wherever I could, whenever I could in practice for my moduled tests. I did not take any lessons but took in advice on the internet and common sense observations. I passed the skill test the second time but passed the road test the first time. After passing my test I did little with it other than the occasional use to University and other small places. For a while I did use it for offroading when I had affixed a trail tyre and smaller front sprocket. The max speed I got out of this machine was 61.5mph indicated! Pretty swift!
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Before picture of when I first got the bike, and a picture after I ‘did it up’.
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April 2011 - January 2015 - 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S
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My first ‘BIG BIKE’. A sporty little number that I never did quite mould with. There were oddities with the handling that I could never adjust myself with. I had my first slide on this bike. No damage other than the clutch lever and some pride. I had to wait a few hours on that particular occasion for the AA. Soon after I learned how to use a motorcycle without having the use of the clutch. It’s clunky but it would have got me home fine that day hours earlier.
Anyway for the last two years of it’s life in my possession it ware barely used a couple of thousand miles which was a shame as I invested in new tyres, chain and sprockets and brakes all around. I took quite a hit on selling, but I wanted it gone before it rotted into oblivion, I haven’t missed it at all, not least like my CG125.
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The engine was out for frame painting!
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September 2011 - March 2012 - 1992 Honda XL125S
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I saw this motorcycle on e-Bay and found that it was a neighbour literally just up the lane from me. I looked at it and found that it had a 5 speed Honda CG engine instead of a 6 speed XL engine, but was an Italian import and certainly looked the part for some offroading which I had been wanting to do for some time on a proper offroader.
I bought it, and only had it a few months covering a few hundred miles. The lack of a sixth gear meant that 50mph was the absolute end of the earth and therefore only 40mph was comfortable for cruising. It did perform very well offroad with the higher sprocket gearing though, but it was not a comfortable ride on the road. Once again, like the Suzuki TS, it was a 6 volt ignition which played a bit of havoc. The indicators didn’t work and the lights were barely passable.
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I did like to explore with this motorcycle, and it was good at doing it!
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