Life on a Honda 2008 CBF1000A purhcased on Facebook Marketplace. A Flog's Blog

[Jerry_Atrick]

I was a late starter learning to ride a motorbike (as with most things in life, really). 

 

When I was 27, I did a one or two day L plate course with a company called Stay Upright. The course was great as it was done at the old RAAF laverton airbase. We were hooning around on Suzuki GN250s and some tank was being put through its paces. Apparently, they were testing it for purchase, and that day the plan was to see if they could roll it. They looked luike they were having fun as well.

 

I never did progress from the L plates. It wasn't that I lost interest, but in the big scheme of things, motorcycling was a lower priority - certainly than flying - so once it lapsed (after a year or two - I can't remember), I didn't renew it. At 31, I moved to the UK and with a haitus in flying, I thought - for a very long time as it turns out  - about getting a licence. At the time, in the UK, it was similar to Australia, except that learners (CBT - Compulsory Basic Training) were (and still are) restricted to 125cc motorbies, about 1/2 of their Aussie counterparts. 

 

A change in the law came, in the form as Direct Access motorcycle licences. I can't remember the precise rule, but it was something like if one was over 25 and had a full driving licence for over 5 years, they could get their CBT (learners), and then, if they did a minimum of a certain amount of hours training and pass their test on a bike of more than 47 hp or thereabouts, they got a full motorcycle license. Well, I thought about it, moved to Australia for a couple of years, and then returned. In the time I was in Australia, the EU expanded from 11 or so to something like 27, and it seemed most of the tradies from the new countries rocked up ionto South West and West London. At the same timne, London introduced a congestion charge, resulting in a lot of cars skirting the zone. And the problem for me was my work at the time was not in the city - but in Watford. The transport links from my place to Watford was slow, decrepit and passed through areas that were not very safe.

 

Ironically, my last jon before moving to Australia was 2 doors from my new job after arriving back. Before moving to Australia, normal driving to work was about 40 minutes or so.. After returning form Australia, that same drive had around doubled with the sheer volume of traffic on the road. We just had a daughter and I convinced my partner that to be able to at least see her, I should get a motorcycle. 

 

 

I got my CBT in a suburb called Croydon. It is a bit of a shiphole, but the training organisation and instructors were great. In the morning, I couldn;t release the clutch without stalling it. By the afternoon, I was reasonably confident on the road. I really enjoyed it, albiet the bike being a whole 12 hp. On the Monday, I trundled into Motorcycles  Direct in Watford and bought a brand spanking new Honda CG125 to spend time getting used to the road and riding before doing the cirect access course. It took a couple of days for them to pre it for delivery (it had to be assembled, etc, and they were quite busy at the time). On the day it was ready, I lugged my protective clothing, helmet and boots, in on public transport! I let my partner know I would be home much quicker than with the car as the bike was narrow and would easly filter through traffic. I was looking forward to being a smug little git passing in between cars stopped in a traffic jam. 

 

That very first ride home took almost 2 hours! As a CBT holder, one is not allowed on the motorways, and a motorway was  part of my normal journey. And even though it was in peak hour, becasue I would be going against the flow of traffic, the motorway section was always fast (normally 80mph until the end of the line). So, I had to take normal roads home.. And they tend to be a lot busier. Not only that, but as I came up to my first set of lights, the gap between the cars looked decidedly marrpw and dangerous to this 40+ year old learner. So, I ended up on normal suburban roads, stuyck in traffic and not filtering to the front of the queue. To say my partner was not happy when I got home woud earn youy a prize of the understatement of the year. 

 

I figured it was useless doing the direct access course if I was too timid to filter through traffic. After maybe two weeks, I racked up the nerve to try it and by the end of that week, I was filtering through traffic confidently and safely. I was still taking longer to get home on account of being stuck on long suburban roads, bt at least it was well under 2 hours. 

 

I used to visit the bike shop regularly as I got to know one of the salesman, and ogle the new big-boys bikes. Anyway, one day, I walked in and declared I was going to go back to the school in Croydon and do the direct access course. They suggested using a local Watford school (not so local to me!). So I went theit their suggestion and also very good instructors. I booked a 5 day course over three weekends. Blimey, riding a big bike is easier than the little ones I though, although those slow u-turns took some getting used to. I was booked in for the test at a suburb called Penge. This was, of course, a week day. I took a day off beforehand to practice with an instructor. But on the day of the test, as Penge wasn't that far, I just "nipped out" for the test. The bike I trained on was a Kawasaki ER5. 

 

Bugger me! I failed it! I did everything right, except as I did a left hand turn into the T intersection, which was a narrow road, a car parked in the oncoming direction pulled out from the parking space. I braked, and he braked too. Apparently, the examiner judged because the oncoming car had to stop, I was blocking his way and didn't show adeuate control of the bike to stop in time coming out of the turn into the T. I thought it was touch and go as I was quite late in the turn before he motioned out, but it was useless arguing. That was the first time in my life I had failed a test. We re-booked the test, I took a another weekend of lessons and the second time was a straight pass; no lost points. 

 

I rode back to the school with instructor behind me and intercoms switched on. The instrutor's voice came over the intercome, "OK Lance.. wait for your own boke to put on some pace" or some such words. As a newly, but filly licnesed moptorbike rider, I wanted to feel what acceleration these things really had. The ER5 is a 500CC 50hp bike, and compared to the CG125, I kept the CG125 for a little while, but would ride it on the motorway.. which was a crack. On a flat surfacec, the 11hhp with full throttle and no wind could get to about 55mph. It is uite embarressing when a fully laden tip truck rockers past you on a motorway. On a downhill, very occasionally I could get it to the speed limit of 70mph. In the end, I ended up selling it after I purchased, off eBay and uneen, a Honda VFR750. 

 

I knew all the consumables needed changing - cables, chain/sprockets, etc. I paid an appropriate price. I rode it from Brighton home to Richmond - about 50 miles I would think. It roade really well, except the chain was rattling a bit. I booked it in for a service with the bike shop in Watford, maybe a month or two after I got it. After all, it had a new MOT (Road Worthy Certificate). On the morning it was going to be serviced, I rode north up the M1 from where it starts in London. I was doing maybe 80,ph, when a stonking Merc overtook me at a great rate of knots. The testosterone injectors in the helmet kicked in and I was not having that. So, I decided to show this wanker what he was up against, and I overtook him at about 100mph, where the power band kicked in.. that was somethign I wasn't prepared for!

 

We both ended up racing each other and hit 140mph, at which time, the testosterone hit started to wane while I remembered I had a new born daughter and I decided that was enough. I released the throttle and the bike was soon agian cruising at 80mph. I dropped the bike off at the shop (which was also a Honda dealer at the time). The commented it was a bit rough - a winter hack - but they are great bikes. At lunch time as I was walkign around Watford, I saw the mechanic test riding the bike. In the afternoon, I walked to the shop from work, and went to the service desk looking forward to a serviced bike, but not the repair bill I was expecting. When the service manager told me the bill was a £35, I was stunned. "What? I thought you were going to do a full service and replace just about every consumable there is". 

 

He explained that when the mechanic took a side panel they they noticed the frame was bent and there was one more weld than there sholuld have been. My heart sank - earlier that morning, I took a bike that should have been written off  and with a weakened frame, and rode it up to 140mph! And I just had a new kid!!

 

Onto eBay it went,. I declared everythign wrong with it, and in the end the highest bid was £50 more than I paid. So not all was lost. I decided the next bike would be a new one. so walked into the Watford bike shop on the Monday after I sold the VFR750. The Hondas were too expensive, but a slick looking Kawsaki ER6f brand new looked great, and was affordable, I thought to myself even idf they aren't as good as Hondas, it is 20 years younger than the VFR750 was, so with the engineering and technoloigy advances in that time, it surely will still be a good bike. I put the deposit down for a new bike without test riding a demonstrator, got 0% finance after negotiating the price down, and a couple of days later was riding a new, albeit boring 650CC bike.. 

 

That was 2007 and I had it for 10 years riding it in all conditions and not looking after it terribly well (as it was a boring bike to be honest). I insured it for 10k miles per year, and it did about that. But, in 2017, there was just too much wrong with it to keep it on the road. So, I sold it for parts and with other things going on (like being back into flying), riding took a pause for a while. 

 

The COVID lockdowon came and I thought I wouldn't work in London again. A motorbike was far from my mind as working out how to eek out a living in the regional cities was pressing on my mind. Of course, I ended up working in London and now commute with a car. But it is incredibly frustrating at times, because I still have to rely on public transport. That, in itself, is not bad, but, if I just miss a train into London, at that time of the morning, it is a 30 minute wait. Guess what? This week, I was running well on time for the train after my commute, only to be stopped at road works and then missing my train by a minute. A half hour wait ensued. Then when I get to Waterloo, it is a faff to get to Liverpool street and takes the same time to get three miles as it does to get from North Sheen to Waterloo  on the slow (stopping all stations) train, which is about 15 miles. And last night, leaving the office, I got to Waterloo at 8:02; two minutes later than the train to my station leaves. Guess what, it is a half hour wait to the next one. 

 

But, with a bike, I can ride all the way to Liverpool Street and park for free. No waiting for trains, issues with train strikes or faulty signals/points that brings the network to its knees. And there is no congestion charge. And, if I get a young enough bike, there is no ULEZ charge either. So I decide, I have had enough and am going to take up riding again. 

 

My choice of bike is the Honda NC750X, as it offers a little more weather protection than the Honda NC750S (competely unfaired). The reason is these bikes are only 55hp, but have a lot of low down torque, rev low so are never stressed, and they have a range of upt to 80mpg. The problem is, even early ones are around £3,000+ pounds unless they have really high milesage or someone is desperate to sell. But as this is a commuter that is going to be used on motorways at all hours of the morning and night, with salt, grime, etc. I don't want to spend £3,000+ Enter the CBF1000. A much understated bike, this has a detuned 1000cc firebalde engine, so has a lot of torque and doesn't rev hard, but pumps out 97hp (new). It is a bigger bike, faired better, and is ideal for longer distance touring. Although I am commuting, the distance from my place to central London is 170 miles using the mortorways, which is what I would nornally use as they don't often get animals on them and there is sufficient motorway services to stop, revive, and survive. 

 

There are two downsides compared to the NC750s. .First, fuel consumption is not quite double the NC750s at between 45 and 50 mpg. Secondly, the NC750 doesn't seem to have anything that commonly goes wrong with them. In other words, the design is pretty sound. However, the CBF10000, especially the Mk 1 (2006 - 2010) suffers a problem where the stator burns out regulalr - about every 15k - 30k miles I think (it may be less dependent on riding style). The problem is the stator sits in the engine housing bathed in hot oil, and that it produces high current which dissipates heat into the oil. Combined with a shunt type reg/rectifier which dumops excess current to ground resulting in heating the regulator and stator, both end up burning out. The answer is to replace the regulator with a MOFSET or series regulator and to ensure the engine oil is topped up. Of course, getting an uprated stator will help, too. I guess they gave that part of the design to an intern!

 

But the benefit of a CBF1000 over an NC750 is price. And I found a beaut for £1,500. It isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than the VFR750. A lot better! And it is comfortable, clean, and everythign works -even the stator, which was rewired a few thousand miles ago. . The bike has a little over 40,000 files. Mechanically it seems great. All of its documentation checks out. So a deposit put down and I collect on Monday, which is the start of two weeks off work for me. My partner will drive me the almost 2 hours to pick it up. I will ensure there is enough oil in the bike and then ride it home. Thankfully, the weather is forecast to be sunny, of cold:

 

The ride home is quite good. The bike is in a nice Cotswolds village called Northleach. It is not far from Cheltenham. A wide enough road out of the village to a dual laned A road, which runs to the M5 motorway - from memory about junction 12 or 13. From there, it is the M5 south all the way to Taunton (Junction 25) and then about 15 minutes on town roads and then country lanes home. I am looking forward to it, even though I haven't ridden for quite a few years. 

 

On Tuesday, it will go for a full service and check over - just to be sure, as well as its MOT (RWC), as that expires on December 18 and once a vehicle hits three years old, a valid MOT for the vehicle  is required to legally drive it on public roads. It will also have heated grips and storm guards fitted. And I may get them to fit a USB powerbank. 

 

The rest of the two weeks will be mainly DIY, but I am going to get my aviation medical in Oxford, so will probably ride there if the weather is goof enough. And then, on the morning of the 2nd of December, my first commute to London from Halse will begin at around 3:30am. 

 

That will be the test of whether or not I made the right decision.

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

I forgot to mention, the laws for getting a licence have changed. You can get a learners at 17 as per normal. At 18, you can get an A1 licence, which restricts you to 125cc still but you can ride on motorways, carry pillions, and not display L plates (P plates are optional in the UK). 

 

At 19, whether or not you have the A1 license, yuou can go straight to an A2 license, as long as you train and pass the test on a bike of around 33kw. This allows you to do the same as an A1, but on a bike up to 33 kw. You can get a bile up to 66kw and have a certified restrictor kit to take it to 33kw fitted until you get an A (full) motorcycle license. 

 

At 24, you can go straight to the full licence after a CBT has been achieved if you pass the course on a minimum sized bikle even if you have not had a car license. You can also skip the A2 licence at 21 and go straight to the full licence if you have had an A2 license for 2 consecutive years. 

 

My son, who is 23, has decided he wants to do the A2 licence, and wants to do some touring with me. That is always nice. 

 

Here is a YT vid on getting your licence:

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Jerry_Atrick

[nomadpete]

Congratulations on your return to riding.