scream_at_al
New Member
Hi all,
I'm Alan, from Canberra, national capital of Australia. I just purchased my new bike a week ago and managed to ride it everyday since. This my first motorbike, I've held my moto licence for 12 years but have been a scooter rider in that time. I still have my P series Vespa, a 2005 model with a 200cc stroker 4 speed manual. It is a hoot to ride and I still love it but over the years I have become less confident riding it mainly due to the crappy road surfaces around these parts. I commuted on it at freeway speeds for a 44km (23 mile) round trip. It does 100 km/h (60 for you statesiders) but that's at top whack and it's revving its tits off. When I lived in Melbourne, a much bigger city in Aust, the Vespa made more sense as a commuter. Here in Canberra, there is less traffic and average travelling speeds are greater. The roads are generally good but there are many sections that are quite poor and slippy especially in the wet. At least there are no steel tram lines to negotiate like in Melbourne.
So I went shopping for a new bike. I knew I didn't want some boy racer crotch rocket type thing. The NC was really appealing due to the storage compartment, scooter type mod cons are rare in the moto world. Went on a test ride and wow, bought it on the spot! I was hooked on the low RPM torquey engine, so gutsy! The ride quality was rock solid compared to the 10 inch rims and ageing suspension of the Vespa. The NC has revitalised my love of riding and I have found myself riding the long way home from work in this last week. I'm very much looking forward to spending more time with it especially I have 3 weeks' leave coming up (although one week will be dedicated to the mountain bike of the pedalling variety).
I'm finding some gerat tips and stories from this forum so far. I'll be sharing more soon after a few more Ks.
Later!
I'm Alan, from Canberra, national capital of Australia. I just purchased my new bike a week ago and managed to ride it everyday since. This my first motorbike, I've held my moto licence for 12 years but have been a scooter rider in that time. I still have my P series Vespa, a 2005 model with a 200cc stroker 4 speed manual. It is a hoot to ride and I still love it but over the years I have become less confident riding it mainly due to the crappy road surfaces around these parts. I commuted on it at freeway speeds for a 44km (23 mile) round trip. It does 100 km/h (60 for you statesiders) but that's at top whack and it's revving its tits off. When I lived in Melbourne, a much bigger city in Aust, the Vespa made more sense as a commuter. Here in Canberra, there is less traffic and average travelling speeds are greater. The roads are generally good but there are many sections that are quite poor and slippy especially in the wet. At least there are no steel tram lines to negotiate like in Melbourne.
So I went shopping for a new bike. I knew I didn't want some boy racer crotch rocket type thing. The NC was really appealing due to the storage compartment, scooter type mod cons are rare in the moto world. Went on a test ride and wow, bought it on the spot! I was hooked on the low RPM torquey engine, so gutsy! The ride quality was rock solid compared to the 10 inch rims and ageing suspension of the Vespa. The NC has revitalised my love of riding and I have found myself riding the long way home from work in this last week. I'm very much looking forward to spending more time with it especially I have 3 weeks' leave coming up (although one week will be dedicated to the mountain bike of the pedalling variety).
I'm finding some gerat tips and stories from this forum so far. I'll be sharing more soon after a few more Ks.
Later!
