Will145
Moderator
Welcome pengjn! Good luck with all your mod 1 and 2 tests!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Anyone else ordered it without seeing it in the flesh?
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
pengjn
New member
Thanks very much!
xt660isgood2
New member
Nice choice Pengi. I can understand people who do or don't like the Mt's styling and looks, obviously it's a personal choice.
But when you get it and if you don't like riding it? Can honestly say motorcycling is just not for you (don't worry....You will not be disappointed)
But when you get it and if you don't like riding it? Can honestly say motorcycling is just not for you (don't worry....You will not be disappointed)
Will145
Moderator
Yeah in the rare chance you don't like it, you'll have no trouble selling as they are in demand
pengjn
New member
Exactly what I figured. I spoke to my dealer earlier in the week and he told me new orders now for non-ABS were Sept and he couldn't get a date for ABS.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dazzor
New member
Hello everyone - my first post here!
I've been avoiding motorbikes since my brother took them up as a teenager and I guess at 38 I am having a mid-life crisis. Here's how it went:
1) Visiting my brother in California, on Sun 4th May he shows me his MT-09 and says it's incredible and the best bike he's ever owned. He talked to me about bikes until I cracked. He told me that the little brother version, the MT-07, was getting overwhelmingly positive reviews even for beginners. My total motorbike experience at this point: 1 day spent with a mate in Canada blasting through off-road forrest trails on a KTM 400.
2) Tue 6th May I get back to the UK
3) Wed 7th May I place an order for an MT-07 with ABS in Matt Grey
4) Sat 10th May I go to my dealer and see an MT-07 for the first time. Looks amazing but seeing a Matt Grey and one in Competition White side by side I decide that i prefer the white and change my order.
5) Sun 11th May I do my CBT
6) Thu 15th May I do my theory test (I've been driving for 21 years BTW) and book in my full licence course and tests to complete as early as possible (July 9th)
My bike is *hopefully* coming some time in June, so I'll be able to go see her at the dealership and she should be ready when (if) i have my licence.
Nervous and excited.
It's a poky little machine for sure. Having said that, a 125 will get you into trouble but not out of it like a bigger bike sometimes can.
When I first went up to a bigger bike, someone once said to me .."you're as mad and bad as you allow your throttle hand to be" which in all fairness doesn't cover all sins but made a lot of sense to me at the time.
My advice, enjoy, learn, build confidence at a steady rate and focus on how well you can stop safely and not how fast you can ride.
Great first big bike and great any level rider bike in my opinion.
Stay safe and enjoy it
Darren
pengjn
New member
Good advice, much appreciated. I'm a little nervous about the whole motorbike concept let alone going straight onto a reasonably powerful machine, especially as it's just a hobby for me not a form of transport. However, everyone I know that rides absolutely loves it and the couple of days I've spent nipping around London on a 125 thus far have been far more entertaining than I imagined.
A friend said to me last week that to stay safe on his bike he "rides like he is invisible", by which he meant (i'm assuming) that he tries to avoid putting himself in a position where it matters whether or not the other drivers/riders have seen him or not. I think you can only go so far with this idea but it's interesting.
I don't want to kick-off an equipment vs skill debate but having bought some fairly cheap armoured textile jacket and pants, and then trying on leathers a few weeks later - i felt so much more protected in the leathers, so i bought a pair of leather jeans from RST and a jacket to go with it. Also got a Hit-Air MLV-P high-viz airbag vest, which arrived from Japan on Friday (£300 as opposed to £465 in the UK - if you can find one). I figure ride safe but if something goes wrong then i'd rather be as protected as possible.
dazzor
New member
You've got a great, mature and sensible attitude as far as I can tell..best start you can have, IMO.
Yes, the old classic, "ride as if everyone is out to get you killed" you're right, it's a concept and a good one, but, it's not a one-stop solution, it's just a mindset to adopt....there will be moments of madness, both from other road users not seeing you to you just having a bit of a blast.. Nowt wrong with it, just know your limits and that of the bike.
Also, feel safer in good gear but also try and imagine you're still a bunch of bones and organs...leather stops/ helps prevent skin coming off, it doesn't neutralise energy transfer in split seconds.....aka high impact shockwaves through your body.....that's what does a lot of the serious damage.
Mate, it's a great past time, enjoy and just know it's got a risk that you can mitigate with the right approach and discipline.
One thing that expedited my learning curve was doing a track day years ago. I learnt more about braking in one day than I think I would in a year.
Be safe and enjoy.
Darren
pengjn
New member
More good thoughts, thank you. Really good point about remembering about the body's fragility and when encased in leather, Force Field armour (I have the shorts already and I'll get the long sleeve top with the back protector) and a helmet, it's easy to think I am invulnerable, which could well increase my risk taking. However, I had the same thing learning to snowboard - suddenly wearing a helmet and armoured shorts I felt more confident but i think it actually made me board better because I wasn't so afraid of falling and could relax more. Hopefully it's the same with motorbikes. I've always done dangerous sports and have thus far avoided major injury...aside from when i was doing the nice safe activity of riding my push bike... I hit a small road defect and my carbon road bike launched itself skyward resulting in me landing with all my weight on the side of my left leg just below the hip, on the corner of a kerb stone. It was a freak accident because i was going about 10mph at the time and it snapped my left femur in two just below the hip joint. The bone now has two large metal rods inside it and probably always will. As a result I'm very aware of how breakable my body is
Track day - good call. I've done a couple in cars and learnt more about driving in them than the previous 20 years on the road. I wasn't sure if it would be the same on bikes, I thought maybe you needed to reach a certain level before going but I'm glad you've reinforced my belief that getting on a track and learning how to push myself and my bike further towards the limits than i would on the road, in a relatively 'safe' environment, is a great way to learn. Right....off to book first available local track day (I'm in London - any recommendations?).
Cheers
Jim
Last edited:
xt660isgood2
New member
totally agree with you. would just like to add "as it happened to me last week" The design of cars these days means that the "a post" eg the metal bit that joins the windscreen to the rest of the
car is very wide. Hence giving the car driver limited vis unless you move your head around, and not all do.
I was actually in my car "cheapy" and didn't see another car /bike no chance due to that blind spot.
Just assume that the person in the car has not seen you until you are sure they have...does that make sense?
dazzor
New member
I'm London-ish too. Only done that one track day, many moons ago...brands hatch. Novice day, something like 7 lots of 20 minutes over the day. May well be different now. I think you can opt for tutorial days too as part of a package. Bike like the MT may be better on a more twisty, technical track?
I've been tempted to book a day where you rent the bike and leathers...everything. I'm not mad keen on in-line fours anymore, but, a well tuned 600 being ragged on a track does appeal to me.
If I had time, ideally I'd have a nice twin for road use/my commute and maybe a gixxer 750 as a track machine
Anyway, I've gone way off thread topic, sorry folks.
So Jim, enjoy your bike and if you do book a track day, let's us know how you get on.
I've been tempted to book a day where you rent the bike and leathers...everything. I'm not mad keen on in-line fours anymore, but, a well tuned 600 being ragged on a track does appeal to me.
If I had time, ideally I'd have a nice twin for road use/my commute and maybe a gixxer 750 as a track machine
Anyway, I've gone way off thread topic, sorry folks.
So Jim, enjoy your bike and if you do book a track day, let's us know how you get on.