First Step

[roadman]

Hi all

I have moved from the car world to the bike world. I always wanted a cafe racer but due to the joy of life, money was always a battle for what I wanted, so something for my future list.

I started with a 125cc to get me into the bike world. I chose a Herald Brat as a start, which was a nice easy ride and did not sound completely like a 125cc
[pic] IMG20220810163834 by Trevor Hill, on Flickr[/pic]

Then ticked all the correct boxes and now I can ride big bikes

First purchase was an Aprilia Shiver 750 - which is absolutely terrifying and superbly exciting

[pic] IMG20221219124148 by Trevor Hill, on Flickr[/pic]

The bike world has me asking many questions

What are the necessary cleaning kit?
How often do you service?

Riding in rain is not fun, do you wait for completely dry roads?
The bike has Arrow exhausts and I like the noise but always want more. Will removing the baffles help significantly?

Do you use a cover every time it is put away?
What products are a must have?

Also how often do you clean and oil the chain?

Edited by roadman on Tuesday 10th January 12:31

[Amused2death]

Essentials for me include a paddock stand and a bike dryer.

I'm a purely dry day biker, but plenty of people ride in the rain with suitable clothing.

ETA... I'm lucky enough to have indoor storage for my bike, but if it was kept outside I'd only put a cover on it if it was dry. Putting a cover on a wet bike will trap moisture whereas letting the wind get to it uncovered will help to remove it.

Edited by Amused2death on Tuesday 10th January 12:07

[roadman]

Amused2death said:

Essentials for me include a paddock stand and a bike dryer.

I'm a purely dry day biker, but plenty of people ride in the rain with suitable clothing.

ETA... I'm lucky enough to have indoor storage for my bike, but if it was kept outside I'd only put a cover on it if it was dry. Putting a cover on a wet bike will trap moisture whereas letting the wind get to it uncovered will help to remove it.

Edited by Amused2death on Tuesday 10th January 12:07

My bike is kept in the garage, do you still use a dry cover? and do you ride only on dry roads or just days that do not rain?

[Amused2death]

I'm the wrong side of 50 and only got my full license 2 years ago so have a really good sense of self preservation so dry roads only unless I really need to be somewhere. In terms of storage I've got my bike uncovered indoors in my "hobby" room, which gets residual heat from the rest of the house. Only riding on dry roads also means it never gets put away wet which saves me washing and drying it. I've only got one bike (BMW 800st) so I do my best to look after it.

Edited by Amused2death on Tuesday 10th January 12:38

[airsafari87]

When you ride is purely down to yourself and what you feel comfortable with and enjoy.

There is nothing wrong with riding in the rain if you want to. Myself? I enjoy riding in rain so will happily take the bike out of its hammering it down. Others people wouldn’t even entertain the idea.

The only time I ever really sack off riding is if it’s windy. Wind is just plain sh*te and the worst of all the weathers. I get no enjoyment out of riding on a windy day.

I have a few soft fleecy type bike covers from Oxford that I use on my bikes in the garage during the spring and summer months. However I don’t use them during the winter as they attract and hold on to moisture in the air and even though the summer bike has been unused (I have summer and winter bikes) and was 100% dry when put away, it does get dripping wet if it’s under the cover.

[MesoForm]

roadman said:

My bike is kept in the garage, do you still use a dry cover? and do you ride only on dry roads or just days that do not rain?

I keep mine in the garage and used to use a cover but now I don't bother - the only positive thing I could see it was doing was to keep dust off and as I don't do any dust creating activities in the garage (woodworking, lots of drilling, etc.) I couldn't see it was providing any benefit. The bike often felt slightly damp taking the cover off in the winter when damp air was trapped under there so now I don't use a cover.

Essential items -
paddock stands so you can clean the chain, clean the bike, do any maintenance, etc. on it much easier
small lock for when you leave it out and about, plus something to remind you that you've left the lock on

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Opinions will vary as to what chain lube to use but I'll usually aim to oil the chain every 750ish miles and clean and re-oil every other time, and have had no complaints at all with using this synthetic silicone lube over the years: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384151206438?chn=ps&amp...

A generic paddock stand might be good if you've got some bobbins to screw on, otherwise a little Abba 'Superbike stand' can be a good investment. Picture here of a previous bike on my Abba stand. If you change bikes in future then you keep the stand and just buy a new adaptor kit from Abba for the new bike.

roadman said:

Riding in rain is not fun

Then don't. I bought a lovely clean low mileage bike last year so have no desire whatsoever to ride it around on wet oily roads either. Biking for me is an enjoyable hobby rather than a necessity but with local traffic here in Essex becoming unbearable and unpredictable I'm considering a fast scooter (by 'fast', I mean greater than 125cc), something like a Honda SH300, which I won't have a problem with donning wet weather gear now and then and getting a bit dirty and wet if necessary.

Don't go blasting a pressure wash lance all around the bike as you would a car, a bit of snow foam and a rinse does the job most times.

I usually take one one these around and click it on whenever I leave the bike: https://grip-lock.com/
Can be bought for about £60 on Amazon (get a legit one, not a fake Chinese one called 'CapsLock')

[roadman]

Thankyou for all your responses. One item which was most mentioned is the paddock stand.

So this is my next purchase

My bike is stored in the garage, which is split into an office and 3 cycle bikes and work bench, so space is getting less and less

Is there specific types styles, makes, people leans towards? - i see Abba was already mentioned. It would be good to get one that is easier to use and stores well. your recommendations please