Hello Peeps

Hmmm, just put a deposit down on a Monster 821, always wanted a Ducati but back, wrists, elbow old age always put me off the sports riding position, had a KTM 640 supermoto and test rode a Multistrada in 2003


Wife said no, that's fugly, rode like a dream I have to say as you can see from the chicken strip on the back tyre no one had a problem cranking it over. So stuck with the KTM oh and a ZZR1200 for a bit. Went with a BMW 1200GS trading in the KTM after a 9 year love hate relationship, I loved riding hated fixing it I think every electrical safety device had been bypassed as it had shaken itself to bits and kept cutting the engine.

So BMW.......plans for touring in Europe never came off and after 4 years I was wondering why I had only put 3k miles on the clock so it had to go before it lost too much more money sat in the garage. Read a lot about the BMW 800r which I rather liked the look of, but by chance I popped into a local dealer for a look see and sit on, 29 inch inside leg does not inspire confidence on a 1200GS in town when a road camber can affect putting your foot down. The missus saw the ducati diavel carbon black shouted look Batman's bike "buy it" but at that price I want to know I will be riding it, a lot, but then I saw the new Monster parked next to it a bike I had always had my eye on over the years.

Well looks like a test ride on the stripe caught me big time, thumbs up on the looks front from my wife, gave it a bit of a run despite going into redshift on some of the country lanes and loved it, pain in the right hand, but that is age and lack of riding time I am sure. Got back to discover this bike had 100 miles on the clock when I took it out, whoops. But the advantage is I have bought it at a discount with 171 miles and 2 careful riders. Now back to a chain and maintenance and manually setting up the suspension. Heart shouted get the 1200 head said no way this will do for now, plenty fast enough and far more flickable than the 1200GS which incidently felt very sedate and pedestrian on the way home.

So that's me riding bikes on and off since 1979, more on than off, hopefully this will get the adrenaline flowing again.

Regards

Mark

 

Thanks all, might have to go and dust of my Heine Gerrick leathers circa 2001, might leave the MX boots in the loft though, just in time for winter... thankfully it is a toy and I can chose when to ride, no salty roads for this one.

 

Woohoo, its in the garage, sods law as soon as I picked it up and put my helmet on it started raining, and raining, and raining oh well no issues with worrying about getting it dirty now, I take it as a good omen that I can ride it in all weathers now it has been christened. Slight problem with the leather jacket, can't quite fit a fleece under it :-( may be a bit tight, but the trousers fit

First wash done and tucked up in bed.