I start this topic because I’ve just had mine, and am sure I wont forget it!
I guess everyone rides their bike for a bit round little residential streets or whatever, but then there’s that one time where you set off for your first lengthy-ish solo ride after you’ve passed!..
So I passed yesterday; my battery on my sv had died cos ive just been firing it up for the last month without really ridiing it. Anyways, managed to get a mate to help me push start it…
then i set off for my first ever ride by myself, and what a feeling it was…Milton Keynes to London… a good 50miles on the M1, followed by about 10miles London riding from the M1 down to London Bridge University halls…
Gotta say tho, riding in London aint so easy…my first time as i was learning in Milton Keynes…and I had all these scooters out filtering me and knowing exactly what to do…well i guess it will come with time and experience…
As boring as this bog standard journey may sound, I know i’ll never forget it cos the first will forever remain imprinted i guess…and i love my SV!!
im sure everyone remember their first solo mission, right?
Anyway, I didn’t remember, but thinking hard I can remember first ride after passing. I had arranged to pick up a scooter and rode it home…literally less than five minutes but since I had never ridden a twist and go, it was raining and I had no tax or insurance and (later found out) the tyres were flat I was sweating buckets! I remember looking down at the speedo and being impressed I was doing 40…course the speedo was in KPH…fun times.
Yeah and it was effing worrying!! I got my first bike about 5 years ago when I lived in Cambridge but only had it for a few months before I moved here. I had a CG125 waiting for me at home on the assumption that I would of course pass my CBT…
…I left my village and entered a 60mph quiet country road. I approached a corner and suddenly found myself in the gutter on the other side of the road. Pull over. Check bike. Start thinking about what’s up with it. Ride off, same thing happens. Hmmm. Was forgetting to lean…!!! Sounds mad, but without the presence of a CBT instructor I just didnt feel comfortable. Got the hang of it.
My first solo ride on my bike bike (Hornet 600) which I got 6 weeks ago was just ammmaaaazzzzinngggg.
My first solo ride was taking the 125cc from the riding school to the test centre. For some reason they just let you go and come back on your own without supervision.
My first bike was a 600 hornet. About a month after past my test last August. I hadnt ridden for 4-5 weeks. Seemed like an eternity. Then found myself riding the hornet back from Surrey to Enfield (North London) in the rain. Hit 90mph on the m25 Schweeeeet.
As part of my DAS course, we rode CG125s for two and a half days, and got to take them home for two evenings to practice.
My first solo outing was riding home from Vauxhall to Beckenham on a Saturday afternoon - it was quite hairy. But not as hairy as the ride the other way at rush hour on the Monday morning.
Even now, a year and 12,500 miles later, having to do that route gives me the heebie-jeebies! :w00t:
But despite The Fear, it was a great feeling. I’ll always remember it.
I was out recently on my 125 - still not got the confidence to filter much (unless the traffic is standstill and there is a 3 or 4 lane gap between the cars ) and a kid in a Vicky Pollard tracksuit filtered passed, slowed down just ahead of me, and turned and looked at me for a minute before nipping off up the road passed the cars. I felt a bit embarrassed at first but then thought to myself “wont want to be him when he has an off” and put it out of my mind!
I sometimes feel a bit stupid if the traffic is moving slow and there might be enough room to filter safely, but then again, I’m sure I’ll pick it up before I know it and I’m certainly not going to be rushed into it by peer pressure or fear of what others might think!
I just realised I lied earlier! I hired a shitty old 125 with no brakes (suzuki gs 125??) from Acton (Raceways) in between my DAS for 2 weeks and rode in/out of work which then was Enfield to Borough Market (LTSB Red Lion Court building) The first ride was from Acton to London Bridge which was fu’in 'orrible. Traffic everywhere. I remember the tension and stress. Its good looking back tho. I remember after giving the bike back, that I hated it. I never wanted to ride urban ever again. But true to form, no problem with it now I also remember the stress trying to keep up with the flow on the north circ …
most peoples first rides seems to be on 125’s!..i only rode a 125 on two days for DAS, and i just know i would have been crapping it hard if my first ride was on a 125…felt a bit of a relief having a little bit of oopmh under ur wrist, even in heavy traffic!..i just found the 125’s more of a challenge to ride, but i think the ones we had at our DAS were horrendous!
pretty cool how a lot of you guys were just allowed to ride ur riding schools 125’s out by youselves…musta been awesome as a newbie!
A week after I did my CBT in Nov 97 I was the proud owner of a shiny new SR125. As soon as they (Hamiltons in Streatham) handed me the keys I rode it straight to Brighton on A roads, stopping off briefly at Motorcycle City in Purley to pick up some decent boots and a yellow hi-viz vest. Torrential rain for most of the journey but will never forget the feeling of satisfaction when I sat in the seafront greasy spoon wolfing down a vegeburger admiring my new (albeit wet) baby through the window, and contemplating much fun to be had in the future on 2 wheels.
Comedy moment was seeing a truck driver who had just jumped out of his cab in the pouring rain wearing spotless white t shirt shorts and plymsolls. As he crossed the road in front of me I was surprised to find myself eye to eye with Chris Eubanks :laugh:
I bought a 50cc scooter and rode from Luton to Abbey Wood via all the back roads. Took me 3 hours to cover 65 miles, flat out! First time I’d been on a PWT in 20 years! Huge fun!!! Bright sunny weather and all that.
Passed my DAS in Lincoln and road back down to London on my FJ1200. Took me all of 2.5 hours and I was being shadowed by my brother on his Virago 1100. Heated grips in the March weather were a huge boon!
I managed to get lost from Twickenham to Bow going via Hammersmith, Kensington, Hyde Park, Picadilly Circus, Holborn and eventually finding Mile End road after hitting the kill switch and calling the dealer to complain they had sold me a duff motor.
I was terrified and sweating buckets, especially when I stalled it in Shaftesbury Avenue and couldn’t start it up again!
I remember it well. Rode my Minsk 125 two-stroke from Coventry, down the Fosse Way, to Oxford. I really didn’t expect the bike to make the journey, but it got there. The vibrations made me feel like I had fizzy blood.
On my big bike - 1 hour after passing my test & riding my CG 125 for a year I followed my mate in his Sierra Cosworth up to Brands Hatch to watch a track day :Whistling:
On my CG I passed my CBT and it felt like I was going so fast doing 30mph & I had to go round to all of my mates to show them my £400 46k mile CG
If you wanna go from MK 2 London take the A5 to the A505 head towards Leighton Buzzard then pick up the A4146 towards Hemel Hempstead much better road fast n sweeping in places.
Oh you might have guessed Im just down the road from ya near Hockliffe :)
Schweeeeet.
) and a kid in a Vicky Pollard tracksuit filtered passed, slowed down just ahead of me, and turned and looked at me for a minute before nipping off up the road passed the cars. I felt a bit embarrassed at first but then thought to myself “wont want to be him when he has an off” and put it out of my mind!
