first step towards bike test + BMW going

I realised at 19 when i nearly messed myself after doing about 50yds on the back of a mates 125 at 15mph, despite being perfectly happy to drive like an idiot in my 2.8 Capri.

James

I don't know what Vamp's age is, but I was out of my parent's home by 18 and by 22 I had my first house. I've never had a handout from my parents, so I had to scratch and save to get the deposit. Still the best move I have made.

I encouraged my eldest to do the same thing at a similar age and I was recently rewarded with thanks by them because although the first couple of years of ownership were painful they're now sitting on a 300K house with a 30K mortgage.

Youngest child couldn't be bothered and as a result still lives in rented accomodation and wastes a fortune each year in rent. The message about ownership still hasn't penetrated.

You mean I should get one?

Mebbe not.

Heh, I don't think yours is deliberate, is it? :-P

Oh, I don't know. You appear to be exactly the right demographic for chromosexual Harley ownership ;-)

It never was. It's a question of priorities.

My gut isn't large enough yet. One needs to look like the sad old farts in those Clint Eastwood films with the over-sized monkey. Or like the over-sized monkey.

But with house prices and credit as they are at the moment, it is extra tricky heh.

Hmm yes, but remember that I bought my first home during the previous mess that Labour made of the economy in the 1970s. Rampant inflation (over 25%), massive unemployment interest rates about double what they are at the moment and no bank willing to lend more than 80% on a mortgage. And a mad chancellor with big bushy eyebrows who didn't know that the hell he was doing.

Hell, it sounds almost exactly like the current situation.

Hehe I was gonna say "Sounds the same as now to be fair..."

Infation helps when you're buying a house - providing your earnings also go up...

As others have said, this sounds backwards. Keep the 328 for weekends and get your .

Personally I don't want to commute by motorbike because I'd end up thinking, ohh I'm a hairy-fairy-biker and I can tackle this corner way quicker than all these cages, then end up being a whole lot taller but thinner, if you catch my drift.

I'd try it, yeah actually I would, but I'd not want to be forced into it.

No, but perhaps your priorities have changed.

My compromise has been to run something mostly boring but very comfortable, but is also reasonably economical too, even if it runs on the wrong stuff. The bridge between what I want, what I like, what I can store and what I can afford does get smaller with time, which is nice, but then your priorities change on you...

What he said. Get a boring diesel car and a GSX-R 750. After getting into bikes I've found all cars to be a bit boring.

Fraser

Not everyone's lives work out quite as well as they'd hoped them to. For all sorts of reasons - bad mistakes (financial or otherwise), genuine bad luck, all varieties of mental states (including depression) affecting decision-making and the path one takes. All sorts of stuff. For every person that was happily settled down, married with a kid on the way, well into a successful career, and a house and a buy-to-let flat somewhere, all by the age of 21, there's probably at least 2 or 3 others that were complete fuckups until their early 30s, and then all of a sudden life changed for the better, and went on to achieve fuckloads of good in their life and really do well for themselves.

I disagree.

Depends, as ever, on what you buy.

As you know, I don't really find a CBR600 enough for me any more, but someone like Vamp would probably really enjoy one for a first bike, and there are plenty of those around at sensible prices. That, and they're good on fuel.

A Fazer 600 IME is more fun but heavier on fuel if you're thrapping it everywhere - cheaper insurance though.

The one thing young Vamp should consider a priority overall given he seems to have 'the calling' for a bike, is to get his Direct Access out the way *now* before those pesky changes to the bike license regs kick in

Indeed.

-- JackH

That is my current mortgage per month for a 2bed terrace with about 11=20 years to go on the mortgage.

Then it is mine, all mine.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

The DSA website has a couple of Bike mock theory tests. I passed both first time without revision or anything so I think it's pretty easy, with obvious multiple-guess questions. The only bike specific ones are really about riding over painted lines on the road or looking over your shoulder in case you die. I guess though, I'm probably already the ultimate round-town biker having negotiated Delhi at rush hour and dodged cows, camels, and invisible speedbumps on pothole-strewn Indian roads. I don't have much of a clue about cornering at high speed, but that's mainly due to the fact I haven't ridden at high speed, given that the 500cc Enfield seems to be the largest capacity bike readily available in India and I rode the 350 fully laden with luggage, me and SWMBO.

You might be better off keeping the BMW as by now it'll be worth f*ck all to sell and better the devil you know etc. Plus if you are commuting by bike you will save a lot on fuel costs. OTOH, your driving record might mean it is a lot to insure compared to a boring dervmobile. I love my Merc, it's quite fun in a slow way and it's only

Check out the Moto Guzzi California. It's psuedo-cruiser but the engine sounds a bit like SteveH's Ducati.

Yes, about time you stopped drinking your mum's breast milk :) The main thing, if you think your life to date has been fun then it's been no waste of time.

That created some dodgy images.

Bwahahahahaha.

Seriously, that's quite funny.

think that's the way not sure i want a cruiser now looking around i quite like the suzuki bandit to be honest, has to be a black one though