No. I cherish dignity. When it comes down to it, I have been through so much shit, I feel at ease doing just as I like. I'll see how it is on Friday with the Royal Enfields. It is such an easy ride to Frasers,compared to going in to Brizzle for Fowlers, even without all of the diversions and closed roads Bristol seems to cherish.
FWIW my sone who is fluent in Spanish (inc many S American dialects (don’t ask me how but he proved it to me in Madrid) says LUPA means magnifying glass. He may be wrong but ‘magnify’ was mentioned in an earlier post.
I just checked and “wolf” is actually “loba”, so I wasn’t far off, although not close enough to avoid being a liability on a hike through the Pyrenees, as some poor soul’s last thoughts before a set of jaws clamped around his throat would be, “Why is that bloke who looks like Ming the Merciless yelling ‘Magnifying glass! Magnifying glass!’ over and over at me?”
The Royal Enfield idea is bined. The quality just isn't there (for me) so it will be back to Fowlers, for either the Kawasaki Eliminator or my mate said I reckoned on the BSA Gold Star. of which I have no memory of, So I will look again. That is it. From Fowlers, either a BSA Gold Star of Kawasaki Eliminator. Although, from previous experience, that pretty much guarantees something else! If only I knew! I am in Paignton next week and so it will have to be the week after.
I haven’t read a single post apart from the first one. Have you bought a bike, or is this more waffle?
My defence is, or was, that it was either going to be a Royal Enfield of some description, or the Kwacker. I had forgotten about the BSA. Now, it is between the BSA or Kawa Eliminator. I can't get back to Fowlers until the week after next, so it is wait until then. I can't even give a hint as I cannot remember the BSA at all. I've watched a few videos today and it doesn't look bad for what I want. I need to see what it is like getting on and off the BSA. That is the acid test. If it proves easy to get on and off and push it around a bit, a big single does interest me. Both bikes are around the same money and the KTM will get the same p/x price from Fowlers, I would assume. And they cannot tell me that my KTM is shit (although it is) because they sold it to me! The decision should be easy as I now don't care about range, touring, luggage carrying, or anything.
And another thing . . . . . . I don't want to ever go though this again. My brain damage is not bad enough to prevent me doing things, like travelling about, but doesn't seem to work that well at making choices between things that I like, equally. Although when I don't like something, I can be very judgemental. Take the Royal Enfield: I think that it was the Hntr, that for some stupid reason they can't call it 'Hunter'. FFS,call it something else that you cannot spell the name correctly, then! It has some weird and rubbishy routing of the clutch cable. And it did not feel like the clutch of a brand new bike, but well-secondhand. I prefer the oil pressure actuation that you have on Ducatis, but if you insist of cable-actuation, then make it nice and light and smooth - at least on a brand new bike. FFS if that defeats you, what othing tricks await me?
I was out and about -locally- on my KTM 390 today. If yours is shit, you either got a bad one or its riders error matey. Its a great little -brap brap- bike! LOL STOP PRESS: "Although when I don't like something, I can be very judgemental."
The bike is too tall. It is not just me because there seems to be an industry in creating lowering kits. And somebody in this thread (I think it was) listed out the seat heights of bikes that I had listed as being interested in. I think (if memory serves) the KTM is about four inches taller and for me, at about 5'11" that makes it too difficult. The Royal Enfield that I tried today, was fine and the (admittedly low) Kawasaki Eliminator and Triumph Bonneville Bobber are easy. It is not about me trying to force myself onto a bike that is unsuitable for me, but getting a bike THAT FITS ME! Maybe my injuries make me less flexible than somebody else of my height and inside leg measurement, but that is how it is and I either get nothing, or get something that I am happy on.
Perry you are totally right about getting the bike that works for you. Especially as you have a few issues following your accident which make getting on & off more difficult. But none of these things make your KTM shit. Life gave you a short straw. Now if you had said the orange colour was bad -well thats arguably true...
And what about a bike you really liked to ride but thought too tall, maybe a lowering kit would then make it the ideal one?
It would still be too tall for me. I watched one video of fitting a kit that looked like major hassle and all to lower the bike by one inch (or so) to which is just not worth the hassle. The bike would still be too tall with compromised suspension. I recognise that I made the mistake for two reasons, KTM was an attraction because that is where I started on bikes and two, I was obsessed with kerb weight. All that matters is that I can reverse it into my garage easily and push it out. I don't have to be able to juggle it!
