P-Plates and V8s - two July milestones.

I've mentioned in a previous post that I had acquired a Holden Monaro CV8Z but at the time didn't have a recent photo of the car and proud new owner, so here is one that was taken just yesterday.
(Click on image for larger view).

But there is another milestone that was reached in July by which I am quite tickled, and that was passing my motorcycle P-plate test.
Here's a shot of me leaning over my Vespa GT200 which is sporting the new plate, which has to be displayed for 6 months, after which it can be removed. In a year's time, all being well, the Provisional restriction will automatically be removed from my licence.

Practising the 'P'-plate motorcycle test.

(Click on image for larger view)

Today I spent a couple of hours with a group of like-minded 'L'-platers as we were taken through a practice session for the standard test for the  'P' (Provisional) license.

Under a perfect clear blue winter's sky and nary a breeze we assembled at the EPIC (Exhibition Park In Canberra) car park at Mitchell as instructor Heidi put us through the paces.

The 90-degree turn; accelerating to 20kph and stopping with the front wheel within a fixed-size rectangle; the cone-weave; followed by the emergency stop and, finally, the dreaded U-turn.

The Honda CM400A was my steed for the day (I really feel comfortable with this bike) and I think that I managed a successful U-turn (staying inside the lines) twice from about ten attempts, so have some work to do in that area. But all the others seemed fine and it is just a matter of practising until I can do it all without thinking about it.

Then, come September or October....or maybe November.....I'd like to do the test for real.

The Renaissa's back!

Eight weeks after the damage occurred, repairs were completed this week and the bike was available for collection yesterday (Thursday 3rd.)

Having only ridden less than 3 kilometres on it before the accident, I am somewhat nervy about riding it, so will be taking it easy over the weekend and then only if the weather is dry.

I'll update next week.

My first serious 'bike accident

It occurred on Friday 9th. April and the following is what I posted on the Canberra Riders forum....... 

Less than two minutes after having the bike inspected and passed (Discount Tyres, Erindale) and on my way home (another two minutes away) I am laying on the road at a roundabout, having given way to a driver on my left who was entering said roundabout....or so I thought.

"What the ???????" I say to myself as I lay there, bike to the left (still idling), me on my back.

I had the presence of mind to reach out and hit the kill switch as people came from left, right and centre.

Then I thought "Who's going to feed the cat tonight?" Ridiculous thought!! Why did I think that?!

Solicitous people are asking if I am hurting (not "Are you okay?", thank heavens) and, if so, where.

I hear someone calling triple-oh and I hear people talking about moving the bike off the road.

By this time I'm in a sitting position, visor half-connected to the helmet, and I'm nursing my left arm because my shoulder is hurting. I notice blood seeping slightly through the right leg of my jeans just where my knee is.

But - other than my sore left shoulder - I feel fine physically but utterly devastated emotionally. And HUGELY embarrassed. All those people looking at me and doing things because of something I did.

A fire engine arrives from Tugg and less than a minute later the ambulance arrives from Calwell station.

The man who dialled 000 tells me (a little later) that the operator said she'd send "everyone" but the police never stopped at the scene.

They did pass through the roundabout on their way up Erindale Drive....probably to something more pressing.

Single-vehicle accident, driver/rider okay.

But the ambos stayed, expecting the police to come.

Ambo checks me over, including slitting the sleeve of a perfectly good shirt!

At that time I have only a sore shoulder and an abrasion to the right knee - well, that's all that I know about.

"Do you want us to take you to casualty?"

"NAAAA! I'm fine....bit sore in the shoulder and I can stick a band-aid on the knee. I'll be okay, thanks all the same"

The driver I fell over for ended up taking me home (she is a motorcyclist) and a very nice man (Mick...thank you) rode my damaged bike home for me. He was a motorcyclist and used to tutor Troy Bayliss. Small world.

An hour later daughter calls in on way home from work and takes me to the medical centre.

Why? I was fine just an hour ago!

Moving my left arm above horizontal is agony.

Huge swellings are growing around both knees. It is painful to walk as I have to bend at the knees.........and on my right elbow there is a graze and another swelling. (Huh? Right elbow? It wasn't even sore an hour ago!)

I have discovered an abrasion to my right inner ankle. Huh? Where did that come from?!

Doctor (my GP for 26 years) says, "You IDIOT, Bruce!!" (great bedside manner!) when I tell her that I sent the ambulance away.

Abrasions are cleaned and dressed, tetanus shot administered, x-rays taken of left knee and left shoulder.

NO breaks. Thank God.

The swellings are soft tissue damage and should reduce over the coming week but "You are going to feel this tomorrow"!

Left shoulder is rotator-cuff damage due to severe extension of the arm (I held onto the left handle bar and the savage jerk tried to pull the ball out of the socket.)

Three hours after the accident my daughter drops me off at home and I am thankful to be in one piece, without major injuries and able to mentally slap myself repeatedly about the head as I shout "IDIOT!" over and over.

Observations A:

Unfamiliar with the bike, I grabbed too much front brake and literally in a split second I was on the ground.

Speed was only around 40 - 50 kph, as I had just left a 40 kph zone and was actually slowing (engine braking) when I grabbed the lever.

Strike One for Bruce.

Maybe the driver entering the roundabout should have stopped at the dotted line instead of continuing on into the roundabout. As it turned out, she was turning left into Harricks Cres. but she wasn't angling left as she crossed the line. That led my brain to the instinctive conclusion "SHE'S COMING THROUGH!"

Perhaps a Strike 0.5 for the car driver.

Observations B:

PPE works.

I have a graze on the front chin-protector of my helmet right where my lower right jaw sits within that helmet.

I would have facial damage if I had worn an open-faced helmet. Even an ambo commented on that.

Abrasions can occur through clothing.

My jeans have no holes yet I was severely abraded in the region of the right knee.

I suppose the only advantage is no ingress of road crap.

Armour works.

I might have an abrasion to my right elbow but even though I came down on that side, no point damage to the bone or tissue.

My jacket does, however, have some holes.

Armoured bits on gloves work, too.

They are reusable, but there is light grinding damage to the "bumps" on the right hand.

Conclusion:

I am more upset about the damage to the bike than I am to the damage to me.

It's not irreparable, by any means - the headlight & bucket need replacing; the handlebars seem to be slightly out of alignment; foot-brake lever is bent slightly; road-rash marks on the bar-end, muffler, etc. - but I am just so upset that this lovely little machine has been damaged by ME. That's what hurts the most.
========

Since writing the above, 3 weeks have passed and, in that time, I have climbed back onto a 'bike (the Honda CM400A) and have ridden it in traffic. It was important - to me - to do that because I felt that the longer I left it then the more my doubts would grow and my confidence wane.

Physically, the healing process is slow; the bruising has nearly gone, abrasions have healed over and the swellings have reduced but the left shoulder is still sore and will take longer to recover than the bruises and scratches.

As for the Renaissa - it is in the hands of the repairers and will be fixed just as soon as the headlight and any other bits arrive from Japan.

The Honda CM400A had a makeover.

(Click on photos for a full-size version)

A couple of month's ago I took the two side panels and the fuel tank from the "spare parts" CM250 to a spray painter to have redone in one of the colours used for the 1979 CM400 model.

I chose the Candy Ruby Red, as this was not available on the 1980 range, the liveries being either a blue or green - the latter being that in which my CM400A was supplied. The CM250 came with the blue combination.

The advantage in swapping the tank was that I gained another few litres (11 as against 9).

For some odd reason the smaller-capacity bike has a larger-capacity tank! One would have thought it would have been the other way around.

So whilst the tank and side panels were at the specialist I ordered the correct set of colour-matched decals from the USA and also a new pair of HONDA tank badges from a supplier here in Oz.

Whilst the total cost was not inexpensive - particularly that for the refinishing - the result is simply fabulous (to coin an expression!). It's not a metallic but has a silver base over which the red is applied and is then finished off with several clear coats.

I think it suits the bike to a 'T' and is more attractive than the green.

What do you think?

The Suzuki's replacement.

This is a 1997 Yamaha SRV250 Renaissa due to arrive from Melbourne next week. It is the same type of motorcycle as that bought by my son last August, as seen in an earlier post.

Yamaha initially released the model as the SRV250 (no "Renaissa" name) - essentially a Virago 250 motor put into a feather-bed copy frame. The motor was basically unchanged from the Virago except that it used 2 carbies instead of 1 and had a little higher compression; end result 27hp as opposed
to 21hp for the Virago. Weight was about 144kg.

They came out in 2 colours - either metallic red or green - with a silver alloy engine and chrome exhaust and although well received they were expensive for a 250cc bike.

So the later cut price version - the Renaissa - was released.

Silver alloy and chrome were replaced by black paint on the motor and frame and a single speedo was used instead of the original tacho and speedo. There were few other cosmetic changes and the colours were either silver/black or orange/black.


This one has about 23,000km's and appears to have been well cared for.
I'm looking forward to its arrival.

Goodbye, Suzuki A100.

I never really established a close rapport with this 'bike (click image for larger view); after riding the CM400A for over six months I have become quite comfortable with that motorcycle, the larger 4-stroke engine providing easy cruising on Canberra's 80 kph and 100 kph roads and parkways.

She is going to a nice home, right here in Canberra, having been adopted by a member (the founder) of the on-line "club", Canberra Riders. 

He is going to turn Suze into a "Super Light" period racer.

Good on him......a new lease of life for a beaut little 2-stroker.

As for me, I am looking at replacing the A100 with something a bit bigger (engine capacity) and of 4-stroke configuration.
Stay tuned!

Oh dear! I HAVE become a motorcycle collector!

(All photos enlarge when clicked)

As much as I love my Honda CM400A, it is a semi-auto (no clutch) and so I am not getting any experience in co-ordinating clutch operation and gear-changing.

If ever I gain my full license I want to be able to widen my choice of 'bikes and, apart from scooters, there are not many automatics out there. You can count them on the fingers of one hand, in fact.

The CM250 that I bought - back in September as a non-going project - is in pieces whilst I try and source a replacement 430-pitch rear sprocket and chain to mate with the drive sprocket on the CB250 engine. So I can't use that and anyway, it may just end up becoming a stock of spares for the CM400A.

So I decided to buy a small 'bike with a manual 'box.

But it had to be a classic, in good condition and less than $2,000 including delivery to Canberra.

Just before Christmas I bought the two-stroke Suzuki A100 seen here.

It is a 1980 model, but these 'bikes were manufactured with only minor changes for almost twenty years, so the latest model is similar in appearance to the earliest. Here is a link to some brochures.

My bike is not 100% original. The rear shock absorbers have been replaced with YSS units and the handlebar with a cut-down Renthal item. The top end has been rebuilt (slight overbore, new piston & rings), brakes redone and new tyres fitted. Finally, the bike was repainted red over black.

It looks the goods, in my opinion, and the first ride was a real eye-opener for me, as I had not ridden a fully-manual 'bike since doing the Stay Upright course back in August.

Co-ordination of clutch and throttle was practised up and down the driveway, first gear only.

Then, when I had become familiar with the friction-point, I took it out into the cul-de-sac where I live and did figure 8's, looping back and forth and around as I familiarised myself with the low-speed handling and gear changing between 1st. & 2nd. and back again.

That went on for about half-an-hour.

The next morning (Boxing Day) I launched myself out of my street and into the Big World, doing a few laps around the suburb and actually changing up and down through the gears.

Neutral is indistinct - maybe the selector detente is worn - and there were a couple of times when it revved it's head off as I idled along in what I thought was 2nd. but was actually No Man's Land!!

Along one of the local 80 kph stretches of road I did see an indicated 80, the little engine buzzing away at untold revolutions (no tacho), the wind whistling through my raised visor and a couple of cars ambling along behind me.

The experience is totally different to that when riding the Honda.

The CM400A cruises along; the Suzuki definitely does not cruise!

I will continue to practice on this little machine but I would like to have the gear selector looked at, as I think it needs to be more definite in its operation, certainly in that area between 1st., Neutral and 2nd.

When I pop it into a gear, I would like to actually feel it go there, not be left wondering!

The bike gets new pipes!

(Both photos, Sony DSC-F717. Click to enlarge)

Remember my Honda CM400A?
Well, it was necessary for me to replace the exhaust collector which sits underneath the engine and into which each exhaust header feeds, with the mufflers connected to the output end.
The outlets had rusted over time and the previous owner had used muffler putty as a temporary repair.

I had a used replacement collector (provided as a spare when I bought the 'bike), in good condition, but I thought I'd veer away from stock-standard and apply a little customising.

My age lends itself to memories of Triumph Bonneville's and Norton Commando's and BSA Lightning's when they were new, so I did a bit of a search on the 'net and found a place here in Australia that was selling a repro set of Dunstall "reverse cone" exhaust pipes.

A little over AUS$220 and a week later I took delivery of a beautiful pair of replica Dunstall's and, in the space of a Saturday afternoon, had the old set off and the new one's fitted and bolted up.

Now, when the 'bike is fired up, not only does it look a bit British, it definitely sounds like a Trumpy.

For anyone who might think that the originality has been sacrificed, never fear.
I have kept the original mufflers and have the replacement collector box, so if the CM400A is ever sold, it will be done so with these original items.

In the meantime, although I can't afford a Commando or Bonneville, I can at least sound like one!

Have I become a collector?

(Camera - Sony DSC-F717)

Another 'bike has been added to the stable........a 1982 CM250 Custom. (Click on image for full-size).
I had original thoughts of buying this to strip for spare parts to support the CM400A (they are identical except for engine capacity) but on reflection have decided to refurbish it instead.

Two reasons for this decision :-

• It's in too-good a state to butcher and needs very little in the way of anything to make it usable. After all, it only ran out of registration three month's ago.
• Second is the fact that the cost of registering a motorcycle in the ACT is determined by its engine capacity. Anything over 300 cc costs TWO AND A HALF TIMES more than anything under that capacity. To register the CM400A will cost (next February) $511 yet to register the CM250C will cost a mere $197.

As I am only riding a motorcycle for pleasure and leisure I have no desire to cough up $500+ just to stoke up the coffers of our local government, so I'll do a mild restoration of the smaller-capacity 'bike and then register it.

The plan is to have this done within the next three to four months.....but plans have been known to fall apart before!

I'll update in due course.

Father's Day 2009.

Weather-wise, just a superb early-spring day in Canberra and, with the weather warming up, an opportunity to continue getting to grips with my motorbike.

This was only the second weekend on which I'd had a chance to ride it in good conditions, so I ventured forth into Sunday traffic at about 10:00 AM, heading off into the city to a favourite second-hand book-store.
The experience was exhilarating and I was reluctant to get off the 'bike after returning home, some 25 kilometres later.

This afternoon, when my children & grandchildren came over for a traditional Father's Day b-b-q, my son-in-law took these two photos - the first of me on the 'bike.

He was very kind in not taking a shot when I gently laid the machine down on its side as I ran out of momentum whilst trying to do 360 in the cul-de-sac outside my home!
But I learned a lesson - one cannot turn a motorcycle if it is not proceeding in a forward direction.
I also discovered that I can lift the CM400A back into an upright position if I drop it.......something which I was wondering about.

My son, Drew, asking me how come I dropped the 'bike!

The Day of the Bike!

Well, the Great Day arrived last Saturday (22nd. August), when I received a phone call from the bike-transporting truck driver to say that he was at Yass and heading in to Canberra and how the heck did he get to my place because his GPS was RS and he didn't have a map!

Suffice to say that he found the place and the motorcycle was duly delivered that afternoon.

Here's a shot of it in the garage.
Not very flattering but I had to take an "on arrival" photo:-

(Sony DSC-F717)

I didn't ride it until the following Sunday morning, taking advantage of a relative traffic-free suburbia to get used to the on-road experience.
The funny thing was, I'm breezing along at what I thought was an indicated 50 kph (in the 60 kph limit around town), pushed it up to an indicated 70 kph along the 80 kph-limited arterial roadway, and thought to myself "This seems rather speedy - maybe it's just because I'm not used to sitting on a bike, exposed to the environment".

When I arrived back home and was checking over the bike I just happened to get a very clear indication that there are two scales on the speedo: The inner scale, in a dull red, is in kph. The outer scale, which I was referring to and is in easily-read white characters, is in mph.
So when I was reading what I thought was 50 kph I was actually doing 80 kph and ditto for the 70....I was hitting 110 kph!!!
No wonder I thought it was breezy!

There will be little opportunity for riding this weekend as the forecast is for rain and I prefer to gain experience on dry roads before tackling anything as adventurous as wet weather.

Old-age crisis? On-set of senility? I don't care either way!!

Last weekend I attained a "life target" that had been sitting at the bottom of my mind for years and years, gathering dust and becoming mouldy but never objectionable enough to throw out.

I gained my motor-cycle learner's permit!

I'd always wanted to own and ride a motorbike but had never actually done anything about it.
All it needed to prompt me into action was my son going for his license over a month ago and then buying a lovely learner-legal 1980's Yamaha "Renaissa" cafe-racer bike. A great little machine and not often seen on the "For Sale" sites.
(That's Drew's bike, below).

(Photo Sony DSC-F717)

So I made a booking for the compulsory 9-hour (4.5 hours per day) learner's training session which is run here in the ACT by "Stay Upright" under contract to the Territory's government.
On Saturday 8th. and Sunday 9th. August I joined 10 others at the training site and had a ball......tiring at times, but good fun all round.

The Sutton Road training area is near Queanbeyan and was once the driver training facility for the Australian Federal Police. There is a closed-circuit track and also a skid-pan.
The facility is now used by various organisations for motorbike education, advanced driver training (cars), heavy-vehicle training (trucks, forklifts etc) and to train Commonwealth-car drivers in evasive driving tactics.
This is the motor-cycle training area.......

(Photo from Nokia phone)

I was the eldest.....by the length of the home straight! Most of the others were half my age.
Three females, eight males. Two male trainers (Andy and John). Nine Honda CB250's and two Yamaha Scorpio's. Helmets and gloves were provided for the course.
Here's me and my Honda. No, I'm not wearing an astronaut's skull-cap under the helmet....it's a compulsory hair-net!

(Photo from Nokia phone)

At the end of the weekend only one person had failed to pass all modules so ten of us were handed our certificates and on the Monday I got myself off to the motor registry, handed over my certificate and was awarded with a rider's endorsement (restricted) on my driver's license.
It was a great feeling.

This past week has been a matter of (a) buying protective equipment and (b) selecting and buying a suitable motorbike, both of which have been accomplished.
The equipment acquired so far consists of the most important (and expensive) item - the helmet, and suitable gloves.
Next on the PPE front will be boots and jacket.

The bike was a harder choice.
I would have loved to have bought something along the lines of the type bought by my son but my 63-year old back and joints might just have a bit of a gripe about being in a bent-forward position most of the time!
So I then leaned (pun intended) towards the cruiser style, finally settling on the Yamaha Virago 250cc (learner-legal) and as late as this afternoon it was just a matter of selecting which one to make an offer for.

But then I saw this.........

(from Ebay)

A 1980 Honda CM400A, with 2-speed semi-automatic gearbox.
"So what?", you say. "A frumpy automatic...why not buy a scooter?!"

Well, this old bloke chose this bike (which I've bought from another "old bloke" in Melbourne) for a couple of good reasons....well, to me they were good reasons:-

• Late 1970's/early 1980's....yet with both electric & kick-start, disk brakes and alloy wheels.
• Its rarity in Australia. They were never sold here, yet share most mechanical bits with the CB400 series, which were available in Down Under.
  
• Semi-automatic gear-changing makes for one less thing (clutch operation) for me to concentrate on when learning out there in the big world.
• The larger engine (400 cc) is learner-legal yet capable of maintaining posted highway cruising speeds.
  
• The included "stuff" with the sale....a top-box for the back, a screen already fitted, spare starter, spare light and some additional bits 'n' pieces, including manual.
  
• Price. At $2,000 it was less than half what I was looking at for a Virago. If nothing else, I'm not going to be a whole heap of money down the tubes if I don't like the bike or bike-riding.
  

Now, if you would like to see how a pristine example presents, have a look at this on YouTube.

I should have mine arrive later this coming week, all being well. Can't wait!