New to motorcycling

billy2shots

MEM62 said:

billy2shots said:  So I'm asking here for some inspiration really.  

Here's some more inspiration.  Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

Lovely, although it was the Triumph Bobber Black that I was most drawn to   

Rolandtheroadie

Done mines before it went to mod 1 and mod 2, at 35 years old. 
CBT will let you know if you enjoy it, so I'd do that first. 
My CBT instructor recommended I just done lessons instead of Direct Access. Failed after 2 lessons (foot down whilst turning the bike to face the other direction) and passed after 5. Only previous experience was a C90 step through for the fields when I was about 17. If I'd failed the second time, DA would have worked out cheaper. 

MEM62

Were_Doomed said:

MEM62 said:

billy2shots said:  So I'm asking here for some inspiration really.  

Here's some more inspiration.  Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

When I was young I always hankered after one of these.

Stunning, but you face two challenges buying one these days.  The first is making sure that it is genuine.  Once it reached classic status and the values shot up a lot of other Laverdas were dressed up as Jotas. The second problem is that you would have to cash in your pension to afford it.    

shinytop

Very nice. The other thing about old bikes is that they are cr*p compared to modern ones.  I still have a 70s Italian bike I bought when I was 21 as well as a modern one. Things have moved on a bit.  Still great fun though  

datostar

oldagetraveller1 said:

Totally irrelevant, but -

Something that puzzles me is the fact that having a motorcycle licence I could buy and ride a 1000cc bike with loads of power. Group A entitlement.

The puzzle being that I passed the test in the 1960's when the examiner was on foot and the requirement was to just ride around a short course for him to observe from various easily walkable vantage points, walk alongside briefly to check handling at slow speed and a couple of other tasks.

No CBT or anything else.

Frightening really. No, I have no desire for two wheels whatsoever!

Same here. Passed mine at 16 in 1963 on a little Honda.  Part of the route was downhill on a cobbled street. The examiner suddenly stepped out in front of me and stuck his arm out (this was the 'emergency stop'). I braked, skidded on the cobbles and dropped the bike. I said, 'I suppose that's the end of that, then?'. He said, 'That's OK, you missed me'. Test carried on and I passed. Got a Matchless 350 then a Norton Dominator 600.  Cars ever since. Years later my son had a Yamaha 350 YPVS 2 stroke twin and I had a go on it.  Terrifying. I opened it up and thought I was going to fall off the back. Apparently that model was the nearest thing at the time to a racing bike made road-legal with a top speed around 120mph.  

Were_Doomed

Ah! The old 350LC with the Yamaha Power Valve System ... wheelie heaven (for those so-inclined). 😁