First motorbike looking to pass CBT

Been riding for hours today & not as tense. Starting to enjoy her now :D
Had a few nods from other bikers ;)

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Racked up 300miles in first week so had to limit outings until first service 15/06 no more than 620miles else lose 2yr warranty.
Every time I go for a ride I learn something or take a corner better. Picking up counter steering so push on left grip to turn left then lean rigid with the bike & not keep body upright which is what I was doing at first. Now learning to pre-load the gear by resting foot on shifter just before change which results in a smoother change. Blipping the throttle before a downshift is beyond me for now.
Sharp right corners are a bit daunting but getting better & more confident... Just taking it east :)
 
Put genuine round mirrors on & looks better. Kept her inside over winter & still went out to practice for tests.
Mod1 practice a week before mod1 below, only 5min stints to protect the clutch:

With a local bike school I passed mod1 2 weeks ago in Burton on Trent on a Kawasaki z650 -I found not a pleasant bike to ride bar power, a bit too low & vibrated lots with drop bars.
Passed mod2 yesterday on the z650 in Newcastle under Lyme, so a full 'A' license now :D

The Husqvarna 125 has 3500 miles & don't really want to ride it now even with no L plates. Glad I spent time learning on the Husky though, as cornering dramatically started improving after 6months.
Going give her a good detail & glad kept inside over winter. Looking to sell or part-ex for a Honda CB500X preferably 22 model year change. A new NX500 makes more sense for another £2-3k with TFT dash etc but the looks don't gel with me plus the cost atm.
 
The Confused website confused me. A 650 70hp V-Strom is cheaper to insure than a 500 45hp CB500X. Plus a V-Strom is a better size for me with being tall. Will have to sit on one but try not get emotional on the first bike I sit on :)
 
Had a sit on a V-Strom today & can easily flat foot it with an upright riding position, so all good. There's a fairly large Triumph dealer nearby in Tunstall & the Tiger 900 looks cracking, though would take a long while save for.
Going save for 3 months then part-ex the Husky to get a 1 or 2yr old V-Strom 650 as they seem quite common. It will mean not riding the Husky to maintain its value which is a shame & I'll give her a good detail & probably a ride once a month to keep healthy.
 
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Will lose £1200 to part-ex the Svartpilen but that's the price you pay for convenience & will mean another 6weeks on beans & toast watching it rain lol. Only way sell before get 1yr no-claims in May so no interruption is if have understanding buyer & line up a V-Strom to switch over the same day, as in checkout / test ride & put down a deposit to carry a few days I guess prior to a certain sale of Svartpilen.

As the Svartpilen 125 was new from dealer I did not test ride it. If I got a 2yr old V-Strom (still in warranty) that looked & sounded good is it still wise or normal to test ride?
 
Going look at a CB500X tomorrow. 2021 £5k 2300 miles with crashbar, USB, Oxford heated grips & very good condition. This mileage is nothing for a Honda & may as well be new but do need watch rust so will be smelling sweet with ACF50 :cry:
Pity not 2022 model with improved forks, but it is a first proper bike after all & my skills won't get best out of handling yet.
Gotta sell my bike first but not £800 less than value to the WeBuy place.
 
Went local Honda dealer. Sat on CB500X for first time & even though same seat height as Svartpilen it felt higher as seat wider & feet just comfy flat footed.
The last CB500X remained in black, priced 6800 but advised its now 6200 then they could probably do a sub 6000 deal. Well, we appear to be in a buyers market :)

2022 model year inc NX have much improved SHOWA forks, so a new CB500X at 5900 makes the 2021 CB500X 2300miles at 5000 I was going look at today a poor deal, so I cancelled the viewing... Something is only worth what someone will pay for it!

Granted, the new CB500X I saw today is basic with no extras & my least favourite colour: black, but not quite enough for that today.
Going hang on a month or two & build up some more money & maybe sell Svartpilen in May when get NCB & don't need sell/buy same day.
Going give the Svartpilen a good clean & detail because you never know :D
 
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Tiger 900 does look the business & my instructor had one so they must be reliable. The Speed Twin sounds awesome, just the lack of a fly screen for long journeys.

I started looking at the CB500X months ago as a first bike which sounds like ItchyBoots bike as watch her vlogs every week. It does review as a great all rounder & just doing 70 all day may be an effort, though I'll probably only need do 70 for a hour or two once in a blue moon. A 22+ CB500X is my target atm, but could be May.
 
Picking up a CB500X in a week. Could have waited a month & got the NX500 but after seeing in person it did not look right... The stubby nose didn't suit it, unlike the larger Transalp. NX500 dash is better though with turn by turn navigation & BT voice/music etc. though a bit dumb compared to the Transalp.

Research now commences using money saved not getting a NX :D
*Which tank bag, do they all have a strap for carrying or can they be locked to bike. Already have a rear strap on bag for locks, waterproof leggings, first aid.
*Which crash guard, already learned to reduce vibration the engine needs to run a few minutes before tightening the bolts.
*I have a Beeline but for longer trips a satnav is probably better, so use phone on fly flyscreen rail or tablet (IP67) or dedicated satnav. Can a tablet be used as a dash-cam to auto-record at engine start then load navigation (ahh ADB).
*Which pannier bags or top box for long trips in summer.
*Didn't have a choice of colour & it's matt black. Which extra running lights presumably mounted on crash guard.
*How to fit a connector for heated grips, running lights & USB (before crash guard install).
*Build a side gate to make it harder for the local bike thieves. Maybe get a shed.
 
May go the Brodie / Tab way in future but for now I'm using the common Quad Lock as much simpler get going straight away. Already have Copilot for iPhone, Android & Windows Mobile (remember that).

*Puig Engine Guard £121 -2 bolts on engine each side so less vibration than full wrap around bar
*Exhaust Protector Cover £12 -Engine Guard not protect exhaust

*Running lights mounted on Engine Guards -by switch to power under seat

*Quad Lock Motorcycle Handlebar Mount £38
*Quad Lock Wireless Charging Head £65 -wire or USB, how best connect to power under seat considering running lights & future Tablet?
*Quad Lock MAG Case for iPhone 12 mini £33 -if phone damaged by vibration it needs replacing anyway

*bobbins £15

*Tank bag -pending research

*side panniers & or top box -pending research
 
Shopping list is evolving as research is done for each item esp crash bar.

*SW-Motech Crash bar Honda CB500X (16-) Black -connect in front of radiator

*radiator guard

*handlebar grip guards -Barkbuster S7?

*Zumo XT2 -check can mount on navigation rail or need adapter / power

*Tank bag -magnetic or fuel-cap, carry strap or lock

*Running lights mounted on a beak rail - switched yellow/white? / power-relay

*headlight guard -stick on

*bobbins
 
Research is time consuming but expect good results. Reckon you're right Hades about the Brodit way. Just got a s/h Samsung Active Tab 3 £150 & found Brodit active charge/lock mount & trying figure out which Brodit pipe mount for navigation rail but only 2 bolts so wondering if 4 bolt SW-Motech is better (if Brodit mount is visa 75).
Beauty about the Tab 3 is no battery option so should boot up when turn on ignition & power off with bike, so no need set the boot loader to power up if that was possible.
 
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Samsung Active Tab 3 only does the no battery option with an Enterprise Knox license, unless you just remove the battery.
I'm going run it powered all the time as the 2yr old original battery lasts a long time in standby & just turn it off when remove from bike. May get a new battery & use an 80% charge limit app if possible on a none rooted device.

Picking up the very last CB500X my local dealer has in 3hrs. Had no choice of colour or extras but I think it was a good deal. Last ride on the Husky thumper today.
 
Well the new tyres are certainly scrubbed in :D
Brutal acceleration (don’t laugh) I’m used to a toy motorcycle.
Deffo need a wind deflector on fly screen as lots of buffeting at 70.
First job is fit SW-Motech drop bars that join in front of radiator.
 
Fitted Brodit dock on SW-Motech mount & had to get 4m 12mm bolts with nylon nuts for AMPS holes. Figured out best not get the dock with a large lock at top right.
A successful dry run in the rain Only way test is by a kick of the can huh, like Starship. Drive Mode 2 satnav is sweet & ultra smooth. One fatal issue is it's a rather large distraction, but will get used to it & ignore after a while & it does not block my view. A huge GPS speedo is hilarious & have an OBD adapter/dongle to install after first service in a few days.

Charges in a rain storm. Power enough keep at 100% under heavy load. Just got DailyRoads Pro £3 Dashcam app to focus on infinity & auto record until removed from dock/disconnect power. May wipe grease around cable input but keep any dielectric stuff away from pogo pins. The dock looks well protected from rain behind windscreen but may get a clear zip bag for heavy rain. Did not have Honda ignition switch connector so jerry rigged something. Fairing was awkward & nerve-racking to remove. I suspect the max brightness of Samsung Tab Active 3 may not be enough for bright sunlight, though an anti-glare screen protector will help sometimes. Tab Active 5 is significantly brighter & same size if anyone does this. Oh, screen works with wet winter gloves too :D but not while riding :eek::p

To fix after ride test 1: Dock ball joint screw tighten not enough stop tablet dropping under its own weight & zip ties help but at speed windscreen flexes & pushes dock so top of speedo covered (I'm 6ft tall). Solution is to remove lock block & mount centrally as lock block not needed to keep in place & put tablet in jacket pocket when leave bike.
Need order £7/m 25GB SIM (DMD2 does sat views) as WiFi tether kills old iPhone12m battery, but data not always needed tho nice have traffic updates for route planning.

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