MT07 - My first bike!

[Dynamoduck]

So after lurking around a few forums for the last few years I thought it’s about time I actually contributed something.

I turned 19 earlier this year and I’ve always wanted to have a motorbike, however trying to convince my parents, especially my mum, that me sitting on a bike wouldn’t mean instant death was quite a challenge and she always said that if I ever bought a motorbike whilst living at home I would be kicked out immediately. After slowly hinting at the fact that I was getting a bike for the past 4 years or so I managed to convince them both that I would be extremely sensible and I would wear as much hi viz gear as would make them happy even if it makes look like some sort of space alien

So a few months ago a friend and I were bored one weekend so we decided to drive to one of the largest bike dealerships in the uk just to have a look around and that’s when I saw the best specced MT07 I have ever seen in the exact colour scheme I wanted and I knew I had to have it. After getting some finance quotes back that were so ridiculous I actually laughed when I saw them I realised I’d have to buy it outright which I didn’t really want to do but I had no other choice.

I’ve done my cbt, theory and mod 1 already and have my mod 2 booked in for this Sunday so fingers crossed everything goes well and I’ll be able to go out for a blast about next week.

This post will be updated over time as I do more things with the bike such as my first ride, first bike meet-up and first adventure out on it so hopefully when I look back here in a few years there’ll be some nice memories.

Pictures to follow soon

[Dynamoduck]

The bike at the dealership



When it first arrived home



And where it’s being stored temporarily now alongside my mini moto whilst I build a shed/garage for it in the garden.

[Dynamoduck]

Thank you all for the replies, I definitely need to look into a chain for it, luckily I won’t be commuting on it as I’ve got the van for that so it won’t be left anywhere for long apart from if I go out on the weekends on it.

About the A2 part yes it’s got a throttle restriction so i can only use about half the throttle on it. Although it annoying the CBF500 I did my cbt and mod 1 on was restricted and that felt plenty powerful enough for me although as that’s the only bike I’ve ridden on the road so there’s not much to compare it to.

I know the quality of the throttle restrictors is so bad that they have a tendancey to fall off the bike but I don’t think it’s worth the worry/hassle if someone really wanted to have a closer look at it.

[Dynamoduck]

Update time! So I managed to pass my mod 2 first time, meaning I got through my entire license training without a single minor which I was very happy with


After spending a small fortune on insurance it was finally time to get out on the bike.

Naturally the first trip was to the petrol station


Next up was a ride over to the reservoir just down the road from me


Just after this photo was taken I was riding along the wall of the reservoir towards the gravel lay by at at the end so I could turn around and head back towards home. Nice and slowly onto the gravel I went and as I stopped and started to push the bike backwards with my feet guess what happened? I noticed the ground wasn’t as flat as I had initially thought and the bike started leaning further and further over. I tried to save it but I just ended up banging it off the rev limiter and looking like a complete tw*t I knew I was eventually going to drop it at some point I just wasn’t it expecting it to be so soon.

My ego must’ve taken all the damage as the bike didn’t have a scratch on it.

I spent the next few rides taking it slowly and getting used to handling the bike on some quiet roads after work, trying to rebuild my confidence a bit.

This weekend just gone I met up with my friend on his moped and we rode up to Matlock. It’s not ideal with him being able to go a whopping 57mph all the way there but it was a good ride anyway. We ended up getting there very late in the afternoon so a lot of the bikes had gone already so I’ll probably go back up there soon and be a bit earlier.



I’m slowly getting used to leaning the bike over in the corners, the only thing holding me back is my confidence in the road surfaces. Seeing bits of gravel, horse poo or potholes halfway around a corner isn’t something I’m normally bothered about in a van but when I’m on the bike it’s a whole different story.

In their infinite wisdom the local council have started re-doing all the roads in my local area by dumping loose gravel everywhere which has restricted the amount of fun I can have but at least it’s good practise for me to ride on different surfaces.

From the time I passed my test I’ve ridden 650 miles and it’s been amazing so far. There’s a few things I wasn’t expecting before I started riding -

- How many bugs I would have splattered all over my helmet and clothes
- How much difference it makes pushing the bike around with a full tank of fuel vs almost empty
- You can tell if another biker will nod/acknowledge you back depending on what gear they’re wearing and what bike they’re on. I also seem to get less nods when wearing hi viz than when I’m not
- How relaxing it is to go for a ride on the bike compared to being in a car
- How loud my bike is. I knew it would be louder than normal but not this loud! I love it

Here’s a few more photos, any advice would be greatly appreciated

Edited by Dynamoduck on Wednesday 15th June 20:25

[Dynamoduck]

Slowboathome said:

I have an MT07 mate. Yours looks great in those colours - they suit the bike.

I reckon you're doing so much right - your awareness of the road surface seems excellent. I know exactly what you mean about loose gravel 'resurfacing'. I've been caught out by this a couple of times when turning onto a road that's just had the gravel treatment.

I've dropped mine 3 times. I've put crash bungs on mine.

Apart from that, it's all about anticipation - I assume literally every driver is going to pull out in front of me or turn right across me.

Enjoy your bike!

Thank you 👍 Crash bungs are definitely something I’ll be investing in soon as I know it’ll happen at some point again. Ive already had three people pull out on me but luckily nothing major yet.

[Dynamoduck]

Update

I’m definitely getting more comfortable with having the bike leaned over, I think the main thing is being on some nice roads without much traffic.


As for the power I am starting to want a bit more but only on the long straight and motorways, however when I’m on country roads it’s plenty plus I like the fact that I can go “full throttle” through a few gears without doing crazy speeds.

I also did something stupid because I was being impatient. I was cleaning the bugs off the light and screen with a sponge but they weren’t coming off, for some reason I decided to use the other side with the rough part on it and it’s scratched everything. They’re only light scratches but it’s still annoying so I’ll have to polish them out when I clean the bike next.



Definitley needs a proper clean soon! Probably next weekend.

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