Hi!
First things first, the tire situation has changed. Because of the social patterns and networking of my parents with other parents, who had kids, who decided to go in to the vehicle repair business and become really good, I was able to get a rear tire the same as my front for £70. A damn sight cheaper than £250. But it meant getting my bike on Monday night instead of Saturday…
For muchos cash saving, I said, “whats another few days?” and opted for the matching rear. Which meant getting the bus on Monday to work….C R A P. I did all this to stop getting public transport and here I am, after buying a bike and passing my test, getting the bus to work.
Nevermind. Monday went like a flash and I was back to the repair shop to pick up my baby. Good as new…well she feckin is! 20 miles on the clock and already a new rear tire!
Anyway, Tuesday came and I got ready to go to work. On my bike! YES!
I was really cautious as I didn’t want to do something stupid and that would be it! So on the way to work it was really windy but I took it easy and got to work 20 minutes late…I left at 8:30 you see….cut that a bit fine!
The journey home was fine, lots of merging through traffic! A wee bit slow but great never the less!
Wednesday, today! I am getting so used to the bike already. It really is a testament to the good folks at Yamaha, coming up with a bike that someone who has never ridden a bike before can just jump on it and be stable and safe! The riding position is aggressive but so comfortable. Its a slightly forward stance with my hands at chest level. No clip ons or full racing tucks here…well there is but more on that later! The footpegs are perfectly positioned. Not too high, but slightly back so that you are resting your feet on them but not struggling to find them everytime you take your feet off and back on again! Same goes for the gear shift, perfectly placed and the lever isn’t too big, so you can do really quick and easy shifts without double shifting or missing a gear. Rear brake is a rear brake. I still have to bed my brakes in yet, but they are getting sharper. The front brakes are perfect. You can give them a good squeeze and they respond with speed but not sharp in the slightest. Very progressive. Same with the clutch.
Really what I am trying to say here is, the MT-03 is the dogs bits for someone like me: I wanted a bike that is quick off the mark, but not a 200mph sports bike, easy to ride, great fun and safe.
BUT. There is a slight downside to all this goodness! The only thing that I have noticed that requires a bit of work is when it’s windy, but I assume that it’s like that whatever bike you are on. I occasionally, over the past 2 days, cause it’s been really windy, I have had to get my chin on to the tank. Not only does it make me less prone to major position change due to sidewinds, but its easier on the engine. I can sit at 5000rpm in 5th, sitting up and do 70mph. If I tuck in, I can be in the same gear at those revs and do 78mph. It may not seem like much but you can definitely feel the bike having to work harder if I am sitting up.
Wow! Side track! Wednesday. I left at 8:10 today and got in to Barnton at 8:35. There was an accident on the bridge and it was back to Dunfermline! But it didn’t concern me cause I just went up the middle!! AHHHH the benefits of being a biker are already showing! Although I have to really watch for idiots and second guess every car, I can easily go 30-40mph up the middle of the motorway, when cars are doing 5mph or stopped!!! I did have to fill up this morning, my reserve light came on as I joined the motorway at Glenfarg. There’s a nice wee touch on my bike! Ah Yamaha, why do you do it! When the reserve light first comes on, a meter is tripped, called the F-Trip. It tracks the distance I have travelled since I hit the reserve, so that I know how much further I can go! Its so handy as was shown this morning. I could either have gone to Kinross and filled up, but because the light had just come on, I decided to go straight in to Edinburgh, as I didn’t know what the traffic was like after that earlier accident. Edinburgh is 30 odd miles away so I knew I could easily make it on my 40mile ish reserve tank.
Another thing I have noticed is how much freedom you have on a bike as compared to a car. I can drift in and out of traffic and go where I like. I can progress at my own pace and not have to wait in any queue! NOT ONE! Because I have the drop on every car on the road 0-60mph, I can easily get out of the traffic and get away from the car idiots.
I did see a nice bike this morning on the dual carridgeway on my way to work. We were stopped at the bus lights (The lights go red so that the bus, which is approaching in the bus lane, can get out in front) and there was a nice bike in front. He started to go and began winding it up, and then I let rip and shot past him! He had gold wheels! nice.
Anyway, thats more than enough for tonight. I’ll upload new pics of my really dirty bike! This weekend will be it’s first clean! Awww.
Thanks for reading!
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