BMW Concept 6

How's this for one sweet, sweet looking ride?

This is the BMW Concept 6, an inline 6-cylinder 1600cc beast that screams speed. This monster has 170 horse and 130Nm torque (in comparison, my CRB125R has 13hp and 10Nm) and the engine is supposed to be the smallest inline-6 to date. The bike will still be heavy though (I don't have a figure) but will easily compensate with sheer power throughout the RPM range. Even more impressive though are the looks. It's one sexy ride!

No idea if it'll ever go in production, and pretty sure it'll never be within my budget, but one can only dream.

First few weeks on my CBR125R

I've already posted about my first ever ride here. My second ride was a week after, during which time I was thinking about the sense of speed and freedom I felt going at a whopping 40km/h! Also though about some of the things I did wrong, and what I needed to practice more. On the list was u-turns, blinkers, smoother gear changes, higher speeds, hills, takeoffs...pretty much everything.

Second ride went fairly well. Felt a lot more confident taking it out and just driving around randomly. My gear changes became smoother (although still not great by a long shot), I stalled only two or three times, and I even managed to use the blinkers once (although forgot to turn them off for a while). Besides that I tried going faster and reached around 55km/h when I experienced a strange side-to-side wobble that felt a little scary. I gently slowed it down and stuck to under 50 for the rest of the day.

When it started getting dark I pulled in to a small car-park and started driving around in wide circles in second and first. Almost dropped it once or twice when going too slow and turning too sharp but managed to keep it up by sheer force (it's a pretty light bike). All in all second day went well, although the wobble was a little concerning.

Another week later, my third ride out proceeded as normal - took the bike out and drove around randomly for a while. I then started practicing some slow-speed riding for around twenty minutes or so. That is, just going as slowly as I could in first or second. Doing this I learned to combine the back break and throttle for stability control, and got better at finding and riding the friction point. Also took the bike out to the car-park close by and practiced some u-turns and figure-8s. Didn't almost-drop it this time, but leg was coming down a fair bit to keep it upright. Finished off the day by taking it out on a long straight and going 55-60km/h when again I felt the strange wobble.

I started getting worried about this and though there might be something wrong with the bike. Did a little bit of reading and found out a wobble can be induced by flat tires, worn tires, mechanical problems in the steering head, bumps in the road, matching the harmonic frequency of the bike, etc. Also watched some youtube videos of wobbles or tankslappers (because your knees/balls start slapping the tank when this happens). Mine wasn't really that bad though, but still alarming. I read that a steering damper can help eliminate these wobbles, but that it shouldn't really be used as it just covers up an underlying cause. After a bit more research and forum trolling, I was advised against a steering damper and told to check tires etc, but also to take note of my grip on the bars. That is, something as simple as a tight grip can be the cause of wobbles.

So the 4th Saturday out I get on the bike and take it to the straights. I make a mental note to myself to grip the bars as light as possible, and also to pull in the knees and hug the tank with my thighs firmly. Sure enough, doing this I was able to go 50/60/70 kmp/h without any wobble! The instructor in my pre-learner test kept telling me to relax and to hug the tank, and he was spot-on right. A tight grip is dangerous and can de-stabilize the bike and likewise if your knees are fluttering about.

I kept practicing for the rest of the day reminding myself as often as possible to keep a loose grip and keep knees in. By the end I felt a lot more comfortable riding and a lot more in control of the bike. I also found I could ride comfortably one-hand in a straight, but only with a loose grip. For the rest of the day I just practiced driving around 60 or so, and practiced some emergency breaks (I found my weight shifts forward a lot and my hands are applying a lot of pressure to the handlebars when I do this). Also practiced some more slow-speed maneuvers in the small car-park near by. Started getting much better at this but still need a lot more practice.

So far I've been out on 4 or 5 rides, totally about 6 or 7 hours and no drops yet (keeps fingers crossed). I still need a lot more practice, namely on more confident take-offs, take-offs and u-turns on inclines, and eventually on starting to enter traffic and dealing with lanes, lights and idiot drivers. All in good time though, I'm in no rush :-)

First ride on my CBR125R

I had my Honda CRB125R delivered by the dealer on a Monday night but due to logistic reasons, I can only ride it on Saturdays. The 5 day wait till my first ride after just having gotten my L's seemed to drag on forever. I had vivid thoughts picturing myself walking it out on the road, pointing it straight, hopping on, turning on the key, pressing the clutch, shifting to first, finding the friction point, releasing the break, giving it a bit of throttle, etc. I was both excited and a little anxious at the same time.

On the first Saturday, I hopped on my bike on the drive way and practiced what I had visualized all week, i.e. just getting it started and moving slowly in first. I went back and forward doing this in my 10 meter driveway for about twenty minutes, just learning the friction point, the sensitivity of the throttle, the weight of the bike, etc. This gave me a little bit more confidence as I knew that once you get it going, it's pretty easy to stay on.

So off I go inside, grab my gear, and give it another go in the driveway. First thing I notice is that the thick leather gloves severely reduce the feel and flexibility in your hands and fingers. I found it much harder to reach for the controls and harder to get a feel for the throttle, but adjusted after about another 10 minutes of practice.

I was then ready to take it out on the back roads around my house. Thankfully the roads around me are pretty quiet most of the time with very few cars going around and no traffic lights, round-abouts, speed-bumps, etc. So I get on my bike, pop it in neutral and walk it to the other side of the road pointing it in the right direction. Put it in first, check the mirrors, head checks, make sure there's no other cars around and off I go!

I revved first a little too long before changing to second, but managed to get there, and then to third, and off I went for around 500 meters till I got to a dead-end. Not confident enough to try a u-turn on the somewhat narrow street, back in neutral it went and I slowly pedaled it around then took off and drove back to in front of my house. Did this back and forward about 3 or 4 times before I started getting confident enough to drive around randomly through the neighborhood taking lefts and rights.

Think the top speed I reached was around 40km/h on the day, which felt like warp speed! The rest of the time I was just slowly riding around at 20 or 30, keeping an eye out for other cars and pulling over to the left whenever I saw one behind me. I couldn't use the blinkers yet either, my thumb had no idea where the little slider was and there were enough things going on in my head to worry about that.

I wasn't very smooth on the gears, the bike would often jerk when down-shifting one-too-low, and I stalled it a number of times trying to start from second or third and I'd often loose track of what gear I was in but around an hour later it started getting dark and it was time to call it quits.

First ride. No drops. Success!

Hornee Kevlar Jeans

Bought a pair of Hornee Black Kevlar Jeans the other day for around $220 AU. These look and feel almost exactly like regular jeans. The only visual clue that they're anything but is extra stitching along the upper/lower knees and thighs. This stitching is used to keep in place the thin Kevlar sheets on the inside. These Kevlar pockets are supposed to give the jeans a very high abrasion resistance, i.e. they won't tear if you crash and slide on a gravel road. This will save your skin from severe injury.

The Kevlar feels like normal fabric though, it's not like a solid metal shield or anything. Which means you get abrasion resistance but not impact resistance. So if you crash and you hit the road with your knee, the jean won't tear, but your knee may still crack from the impact. You can purchase knee guards and shin guards and wear them separately on the inside, otherwise if you really want maximum protection you can get designated riding pants with all this stitched on the inside.

The advantage of the Hornee jeans is that they look normal. After getting off your bike you can comfortably go out shopping without looking like you've just parachuted from a plane and are lost in the jungle looking for your way back home. You could even wear these if you don't ride so they could double as your one and only pair of casual jeans, which works out well if on a tight budget. They're quite comfortable and you can't really tell there's anything different about them when wearing them.

There's a large range of styles available, so make sure to go to a riding store and try some out to find the right size and right look for you. There are other brands besides Hornee that make Kevlar reinforced jeans so shop around. This article gives an in-depth comparison between Hornee and Draggin. The brief summary of this is that Hornee have more Kevlar covering more parts and look trendier whereas the Draggin have thicker Kevlar covering less leg and better stitching.

With my Hornee jeans, most of the thigh, knee and shin is covered. The Kevlar comes down to just below the knee but since I'm fairly short (165cm, 5-ft-5 for you yanks) I had to take about 15cm off the bottom, which brought the Kevlar knee pocket further down covering most of the shin as well :-)

I haven't had any crashes in these yet (and I hope I never do) so can't personally speak about the level of protection offered. I did drop my bike once during the initial learner training course though. I was wearing a mid-priced pair of jeans and managed to tear them at around 5 to 10km/h, which gave me a nice, deep scratch on my shin. Had I been wearing these I'm sure I would've been fine. Well worth the money in my opinion.

My first bike - Honda CBR125R

Yes, yes, I know, it's a girl's bike, you don't need to tell me. I did some research before buying my first bike and probably over 80% of people say to go for a 250cc instead. Everyone says the 125cc doesn't have enough power, can only reach about 120km/h (on flat road), and is terrible for going up hills or on freeways.

That's all well and good but Learner riders in NSW are legally limited to 80km/h anyhow and I don't intend to ride it on freeways any time soon. I'll be doing most of my riding on 50-60km/h roads until I get more experience and more confidence so the speed limitations don't really bother me. Also I'm a pretty short guy so I wanted something light and easy to handle to start off with.

I checked out lots of listings before going out to buy. The recommended redbook.com.au price for the 2007 model is $3000 to $3600 for a private sale, although most listings in NSW are $3800 plus so make sure to do some haggling if shopping for one.

I actually bought mine from a dealer. The listing price was $4149 but I brought it down to $3800 with 12 month rego and free delivery. Could have probably got it cheaper buying private but I was happy with this model. It's a 2007 red/black with 6300km on the clock and in mint condition with full service history.

I personally think it's a great looking bike with a nice paint-job. The only negative is the skinny looking tires which make it look like a mountain bike and don't do much for its image. It also has a little storage underneath the rear seat although not much will fit in there besides a disk lock, some gloves and maybe a phone or wallet.

As for the official specifications:

Displacement:	124.70 ccm (7.61 cubic inches)
Engine type:	Single cylinder
Stroke:	4
Power:	13.00 HP (9.5 kW)) @ 10000 RPM
Torque	10.10 Nm (1.0 kgf-m or 7.4 ft.lbs) @ 8000 RPM
Compression:	11.0:1
Bore x stroke:	58.0 x 47.2 mm (2.3 x 1.9 inches)
Fuel system:	Carburettor
Fuel control:	SOHC
Ignition:	Capacitor Discharge (CDI)
Starter:	Electric
Cooling system:	Liquid
Gearbox:	6-speed
Power/weight ratio:	0.1130 HP/kg
Fuel capacity:	10.00 litres (2.64 gallons)
More...

Looking forward to giving her a ride soon!

Securing your ride

When it comes to motorcycle security there are three main options (and some variations): engage the steering lock, use a disk-lock, and chain your bike to something solid.

The steering lock option is available on most bikes and usually what you do is after stopping and parking your bike, turn the bars all the way to the left and turn the key in the ignition to the lock position then take it out. This way if somebody tries to steal your ride, they won't be able to turn the bars to wheel it away. The steering lock can easily be broken though and it doesn't prevent well-prepared thieves with a pickup truck.

The chain option is pretty straight-forward: get a heavy duty bolt-cutter proof chain, tie it through the wheel/spokes/disk/etc., wrap it around a big solid pole or something bolted to the ground, use a big tough padlock to complete the link and you're done. You can pick your own chain and padlock, or you can get motorcycle specific chains which are specifically designed to be very hard to cut and have very secure locking mechanisms such as a Kryptonite Keeper:

You don't necessarily need to tie the chain to something either, you can just wrap it though the wheel spokes and bars so the bike can't be pushed away (but can still be lifted onto a truck). The disadvantage with the chain option is that they're big and heavy and you wouldn't want to carry one with you.

The third option is a disk-lock. This is a small metal wedge like device with a slit that slips onto your wheel's disk and locks via a heavy steel bolt. The best way to describe it is to actually look at one:

This by itself serves the same purpose as a chain wrapped through the wheel but not tied to anything. That is, the bike can't be wheeled away as the wedge would hit fixed parts of the wheel frame and would prevent rotation. The advantage is that it's small, light, bolt-cutter proof and pretty cheap. The Xena lock pictured above however also has a motion-sensor 110dB alarm which triggers whenever the bike is moved or someone attempts to tamper with it.

I recently bought the XZZ6LYellow from a local bike shop for around $59 (AU). It's very small and light and I can store it in the rear seat compartment to take it with me. It takes about 2 seconds to put on (can just push in the lock cylinder with your finger) and about 5 seconds to take off (obviously using one of the supplied keys). The keys are said to be unique for each device sold (they have a 7 digit serial you need to keep handy in case you loose all three). The battery for the alarm is supposed to last 8 months to 1 year.

The alarm is very sensitive too, maybe a little too sensitive! any jolts to the front wheel with the lock on will trigger the alarm for about 10 to 12 seconds. Seems it could either be very effective, or very annoying. I'll post back later letting you know which is the case.

There are many variations to the products listed above and nobody can really tell you what's best for you. You need to do your research, think about how and where you're going to park your bike, and try to find the most convenient product for your circumstances.

Buying your first motorbike

Once you have your Ls license it's time to head out hunting for your first motorbike! If you have friends or relatives that ride, you can try asking if they have any bikes that their willing to get rid off (see RTA page for list of Learner Approved bikes).

Otherwise its time to start doing some research. First you'll want to narrow in on one or two models that you're set on getting. Then it's time to do a lot of research on new or used prices, whichever you're willing to get. Set yourself a budget, remember to put aside $1000 to $1500 for gear, and start going through online sites. The ones I've used were:

• http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/
• http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Home
• http://www.bikesales.com.au/
• http://www.bikepoint.com.au/
• http://ebay.com.au
• http://bikebiz.com.au/v2/ (dealer site)
• http://www.redbook.com.au/

Get a feel for the local prices on the modal that you're interested in. This includes looking at condition, number of km, amount of rego left, etc. Once you're comfortable with the prices, you'll be in a much better position to negotiate when you find one you want.

When you do buy something, remember to also do the necessary RTA paperwork. See this link for registration information. If the vehicle is already registered, you'll just need to fill out a Transfer of Ownership form within 7 or 14 days of buying it. This will transfer the registration and CTP insurance under your name for the remaining rego period. It'll cost you $27. If the vehicle is not registered at all, expect to pay somewhere around $250 for 12 month CTP (depends on many factors) and $103 for 12 month RTA registration.

As for what's that best learner bike to start with? No one can really answer that for you. The general opinion I got from reading forums is that you should favor a 250cc over a 125cc, and the Honda VTR 250 often comes highly recommended. People also suggest getting a second hand bike, and one with no flairs (sports plastics on the sides, think car body-kit). This way if you drop it less parts get damaged and you won't feel as bad as damaging a brand new sports bike.

The popular learner models seem to be the Honda CBR250RR, the VTR and pretty much any of the Kawasaki 250 series (GPX, ZZR, ZZR2). Also the Suzuki Across GSX250F gets mentioned pretty often for its large integrated storage area under the seat (can fit an XL sized helmet).

In the 125cc class you have the Aprilia RS 125, the Honda CBR125R and a few others. The Aprilia is supposedly one of the fastest, but all 125cc bikes are basically regarded as nothing more than fancy scooters. Top speeds max out at around 120km/h (although as an L rider in NSW you're legally limited to 80km/h anyways), uphill acceleration is almost non-existent, and high-speed stability is not as good as the bigger bikes.

Having said that though, the 125cc are the lightest bikes and generally the most forgiving when starting out. Hence why I choose the CBR125cc to be my first! I just couldn't justify spending $5000+ for a used CBR250RR that's close to 20 years old, has over 50,000km on the clock, and has had the living daylights thrashed out of it since it was born. The CBR125R is manufactured in 2007 (or 2009 for the new model) and a used one in top condition with around 5000km on the clock can be had for around 3.5k. That's just my opinion though, so you'll probably want to get some advice from someone who actually knows how to ride and make up your own mind as to what suits you best :-)

Pre-Learner Training Course

The first thing you need to do to get a motorcycle license in NSW is complete the pre-learner training course. Refer to the RTA site here for details and exemptions. If not exempt, you need to book your training via the phone or online via myTests. There are a number of different venue locations at which you can take the test, a list of which can be found here. You will get to pick the location and time/date during your booking. The training course costs $76 and goes for 3.5 hours a day for two days.

You will be sent specific instructions in your booking confirmation email as to what you'll need for the course. In summary, you need to wear sturdy shoes (leather workshops or sneakers will do), sturdy pants (think jeans and cargo pants), sturdy full-sleeve jacket (almost any full sleeve hood-type jacket will do) and identification (current car driver license, passport, etc). It's also recommended to bring wet-weather gear as the course will not be cancelled if it rains. The rest is provided for you by the facilitators (bike, gloves, helmet, helmet shower cap).

We did our training course in Clyde, which is basically just a concrete area smaller than a typical car-park underneath a bridge, so not exactly state-of-the-art motorbike circuits here. On the first day you are split into groups of 4 or 5. You start off with some basic theory (instructor just reading through RTA guides), then grab a helmet and some gloves and head out to meet your ride. The instructor proceeds to quickly go through the basics (clutch, changing gears, breaks, getting on and off) and then you pair up in twos.

You get on the bike with the engine still off, change gear to neutral, and your partner pushes you to the other end of the course while you try to maintain balance. You then repeat the exercise with the partner letting go half-way. Soon after that you learn to turn the bike on, change to first gear, and go in a straight line. Next instead of just going for 10 meters straight, you learn to travel around the course in circles. The first day concludes with you being able to change from first to second and back to first while going in a circle.

The second day is a bit more theory, a recap of what you did on the first day, and then some more advanced circuit driving. You never go past second gear in the training course, and you're never supposed to go over 20km an hour, so the second day is more about being able to change gears before/after corners smoothly, being in the correct entry/exit positions going around a bend, slowing down, checking your surroundings and giving way to others and that's about it. Course ends with the instructor asking the group some very basic questions, after which he signs a green slip with your name on it and you're done! You have 3 months to take the green slip to the RTA and do your Ls knowledge test before it expires and you need to do the course all over again.

A few more notes about the course. We were riding Honda CB250s down in Clyde and I think a number of training places use this model. Two other people in our group already had riding experience so it was a total breeze for them. I on the other hand found it a little more challenging. Namely, I found it hard maintaining enough speed in first when going around the bends although found the bike a lot smoother in second. I lost too much speed in one turn and actually dropped the bike, tearing my jeans a little and getting a scratch on my shin (guess the jeans weren't sturdy enough!). Managed to get back on and still passed the course though.

If you've never ridden a motorbike before, it helps if you at least can ride a push-bike and if you can drive, or at least have attempted to drive, a manual car. This will at least help you with balance a little (although a motorbike is much heavier than a push-bike and it's easier to keep up in some ways, but harder if you try to fight it), and knowing how to use a clutch to stall a vehicle comes in handy too.

Getting a Rider License in NSW

So after the initial "Fully sick bro! Let's do it!" back and forth macho chatter it was time to get down to business and find out what exactly we had to do to get a Rider's License. Luckily, the RTA pages are pretty straight-forward on this. The process is as follows:

1. Complete Pre-Learner training. This is also called the Motorcycle Rider Training Scheme. You need to do this before going in to sit for the Ls knowledge test! There are some exemptions however, so read the RTA site carefully (for example those outside the 'declared zones' or those who've had a provisional or full license in the past don't have to do it.). The course costs $76 to book and goes for two half-days. You can make the booking online via myTests. Make sure you get in early as the rider training centers are sometimes booked out for weeks or months in advance, especially in spring/summer.

2. Pass the Ls knowledge test. This is just like the car learner's test, although there are some motorcycle specific questions so make sure to go through the RTA question samples online. You can download everything you need from this page. The motorcycle questions PDF contains about 300 questions. The test will be comprised of 45 out of these 300 picked at random. So just go through the thing the night before and you should have no trouble (this is assuming you already know the road rules, otherwise if this is your first license in NSW, spend some time and learn things properly, you don't want to forget giving way to a semi-trailer on a bike). Again, you can book online via myTests. Cost is around $37 to book, and $21 for the license if you pass. If you already have a car driver's license, they'll just reprint your old license with an additional condition printed towards the bottom.

3. Buy a motorbike! Yup, that's it. Once you get your Ls license you can go out, buy a bike and take it on the road. Note however that NSW follows a LAM scheme (Learner Approved Motorcycle). This means that while you're on your Ls, you're restricted to motorcycles up to 660cc and which do not exceed a power to weight ratio of 150 kilowatts per tonne. The RTA maintains a list of approved bikes here, so make sure to check that out first.

4. Buy gear. You're going to need a lot of gear before going out on the roads though. The legal requirement is to wear an Australian approved helmet. But it's also strongly recommended to wear a pair of gloves, a riding jacket, riding pants (or very sturdy pants) and preferably riding shoes (or study ankle high leather shoes). This stuff will cost you money. Possibly more than you realize if you've never looked into it. Expect to pay around $1000 plus all up for good stuff.

5. Try not to fall. The rest of your motorbike journey will be mostly focusing on keeping the thing up, preferably with you on it.

We'll be posting some additional details on each of the above as we go along.