Learner/Beginner Bike

swooshdave said:
Practice now, it'll only get worse when you get married.

"Gee, honey, I have no idea how many bikes I have..."
Click to expand...

I guess I'd better. It won't get much easier for me unfortunately - I'm sure many of you can attest to that.

I don't understand my moms logic. She says that once I'm a bit older shell buy me a bike to learn on. Well, why don't I just buy the damn thing now for $350 myself and save her the money in the future because I don't think a bike like this will be found at such a good price again. (at least not easily). Meanwhile, as the argument goes back and forth, she can only come up with the argument that she doesn't even want me to ride, even though she picked up the "motorcycle learners handbook" for me, bought me many parts for the norton as presents for Christmas/Birthdays and in general doesn't show an overwhelming opposition to the Norton, other than the money we put into it. Not to mention the fact that she thinks that learning on a small less powerfull bike doesn't make sense, but learning on the freshly restored Norton 750 Combat is a better idea - still trying to figure that one out...
And on the sidelines, my dad who is trying to agree with my mom for his own sake, even though I can tell he sees how much more sense my argument makes - he just can't say it.

Matt

Well that enough for my rant. I hope I can buy this though, I think it's a pretty good one for me, and if I don't want to keep it once I've got a good grasp on riding, I can put some time into it and turn it around for a profit... I hope.

Matt
 
Matt, you have to always remember that you Mum doesn't want to see you get hurt.
The Norton is ok because she possibly thinks it wont get finished?
If you miss the Honda it wasn't ment to be and there was something wrong with it. A better bike "WILL" come along for sure. This has always worked for me, if I miss a bike, it wasn't meant to be.

Ask her what sort of bike she thinks would be good for your first bike. Go along with her idea for a while.


I wish I could remember all the old cons that worked for me when I was your age,,,,,, but it's hard enough remembering what happened when I was twice your age.

Let things cool off for a while and don't push too much. (for your dads sake too)

Graeme
 
That's not a bad little Honda for $400 except non-running bikes are a total lottery.

I like the idea of taking it apart and bringing it home in boxes.

"Gee honey (mom), I have no idea how many bikes I have" WILL NOT WORK. I have tried it nearly 150 times and it has failed every time.

Learning to ride in the dirt is a good idea, a riding course is a better idea.

Don't you have any friends with dirt bikes that might help you learn on thier bike if you promise to let them ride yours?
 
My greatest asset is having a Barn and Pole Barn at my parents house. It has housed the ocassional "spare bike" a time or two. My wife feels I need to get rid of one in order to get another. That won't work for me. I only have the 2 right now, and I can't/wont part with either. She says why do you need more, you can only ride one at a time. I need to get going on finishing up hers, that might help her understand. I'm amazed she got her liscense, she grew up with her mom telling her motorcycles were the devil (so to speak). Shortly after I started dating my wife I showed up at her house with my.... Motorcycle. Her mom was not pleased. She threatened to run it over. My best advice is to talk with your mom, but come prepared with data to back up your argument. Tell her that the Norton is a long term investment, not only money but time spent with your dad. Let her know that you want to learn how to ride the right way, by starting out small and working up to the larger bike. See if she would go for a deal like you buy the smaller bike and she pays for a safety course. From what I remember, parents like responsibility and planning.
 
"I don't understand my moms logic."

Matt
Click to expand...

And to be honest you never will, there are guys on here with years of experience around Norton’s and a combined knowledge that makes any Norton question answerable, these same Guys have probably spent the same amount of time around wives and girlfriends (some possibly both at the same time!!) ask them about female logic and there will be a lot of shuffling and looking at feet (myself included)!!

GRM450 along with others is giving a lot of sound advice, suffice to say your mum is worried about you on a motor bike. Start looking at high Viz jackets and take an interest in safety ratings on helmets, mums like that. When my eldest son started driving he use to come home and tell his mum with great excitement how many miles to the gallon he had got on each trip by keeping the revs down and freewheeling down hills. (I was paying for and so therefore knew how many mpg he was getting, lying little git) but his mum was happy and now never gives it a second thought.

Cheap light 2 stroke Dirt bike is good suggestion and your mum might be happier if you can get access to some off road area so she sees you doing some riding away from traffic first.

Great work you are doing with your dad on the Norton I’ve really enjoyed following your progress.

Cheers
McVic
 
This should sum up trying to understand women. Keep up with the safety and economy stuff.

A man was walking along the beach and found a bottle. He looked around and didn't see anyone so he opened it.

A genie appeared and thanked the man for letting him out. The genie said, "For your kindness I will grant you one wish, but only one."

The man thought for a minute and said, "I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but have never been able to because I'm afraid of flying and ships make me claustrophobic and ill. So I wish for a road to be built from here to Hawaii."

The genie thought for a few minutes and said, "No, I don't think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved with the pilings needed to hold up the highway and how deep they would have to be to reach the bottom of the ocean. Think of all the pavement that would be needed. No, that is just too much to ask."

The man thought for a minute and then told the genie, "There is one other thing that I have always wanted. I would like to be able to understand women. What makes them laugh and cry, why are they emperamental, why are they so difficult to get along with? Basically, what makes them tick?"

The genie considered for a few minutes and said, "So, do you want two lanes or four?"
 
I can't give you advice with women, or I guess I won't cuz I wouldn't want to ruin your chances of ever having good relationships. However with Mom's it's differant. It's your money, I say buy it ride it home, walk in the door grab one of your dad's beers or better yet go to his liquor cabnet & pour yourself a good long drink & down it. right in front of her! Let her know your a man & your going to do what you want!! Hopefully she'll be in shock so you'll have time to go puke your guts up & lie down before she comes in & beats you to within a inch of your life but at least you'll have the bike!!! You know, on second thought maybe I shouldn't be giving advice..
 
gtsun, ha ha ha very good!
Has that hapened to you ?

Matt, I wouldn't think that one of those is too heavy. But after a push bike it will be for a while, then you'll get used to the weight very quickly.
They both look like a good buy.
The first one has some sorting to do and I'd get some standard bars instead of the clubman bars. Standard bars will make it a lot easier to ride and push around.
The second one looks more original and that may be worth more in the long run. But the add doesn't say it runs, so I'd be asking the seller lots of questions.
Either way they are old bikes and will need work.
What are the size bikes you can legally ride over there? Here it's a hp to weight thing, so 650 Suzuki v twin and soo ss Ducatis and anything below, (no Aprilia 250 RS or 250 RVG's though)

graeme
 
I would suggest going a lot smaller. A friend at Boeing, back in the late 1960s used to go dirt riding on a 100cc Hodaka. Neat little bike, one-lung ring-a-ding, but surprisingly agile. I'd recommend one as a starter bike. A 250 Bultaco, Husqvarna or Jawa might also work. "They're only 18 horsepower, Mom, how can I hurt myself?"

I had the same "Mom" issues when I first started, but bikes were a necessity in England in the early 1960s. Cars were just too damned expensive. I started out with a 150 Vespa. My first reasonable ride was an Ariel Leader (250 2-stroke twin), followed by a BSA A7. Gave it up when married, until I went to work for Norton and got paid to ride some good stuff!
 
I don't know how many times I've told this story so once more won't hurt. Wife and mother-in-law were a little disapproving of the whole motorcycle thing. So I started with trials and a nice slow Bultaco Sherpa T. Even tho' I'd come back with a few bruises I wasn't maimed. Then I moved to a Pursang MX bike. Haven't fallen down on that yet. So the street bike was a logical progression.

I am adamant in saying that nothing will teach you how to handle a bike like trials. Once you are comfortable at super low speeds you'll understand balance and control and it translates to higher speeds.
 
Agreed, Dave. Tria;s riding teaches more about bike control that anything else. I remember watching our works M-X rider, Macolm Davis, doing a 180-degree turn on the Stormer in a 8-foot wide garage at the plant. Never put a foot down!
 
frankdamp said:
Agreed, Dave. Tria;s riding teaches more about bike control that anything else. I remember watching our works M-X rider, Macolm Davis, doing a 180-degree turn on the Stormer in a 8-foot wide garage at the plant. Never put a foot down!
Click to expand...

No easy on a MX bike with no turning radius. All about control.
 
Hi All, the retired engineer was "Fluff" Brown, he completed his last Stormer in 2009, 40 year later, and then retired, not bad going. You can see a picture of him and the bike on the AJS MOTORCYCLES LTD website, look for the PRE 74 tab and you enter into a host of links, including spares and tips. In TIPS FROM THE TOOL BOX they recommend using FUCHS (SILKOLENE) CASTERENE R40 (CASTOR BASED OIL) at 32-1 with HI OCTANE UNLEADED fuel. You can buy an original NVT parts list which is a folder with exploded diagrams, with part numbers and quantities, which you can then use to order your parts, most are available but not all, and yes they are stored in a shed on a farm and they are mostly old, but this is all explained on the site. You can also call and talk to staff, including "Fluff's" son Nick who is a top bloke and knows the Stormer inside out.

Frank. would you know anything about the AJS Stormer front forks and there development history?

I ride an AJS Street Stormer 250cc 1976 Enduro, I'll post a photo when and if I can figure out how to attach, I bought the bike in 1978 when I was 18 and have hacked it around ever since, it's now on the streets of London.
 
I'd be a little concerned about having to wrench on that little trumpet (never having owned one), but the "get used to shifting and braking like you'll be doing on your street bike" has a lot of merit. Cj
 

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