Be Excellent To Each Other

Can't see anything under £3k that's going to be any better for my requirements than my Clio so going to stick with it for another couple of years I think, then upgrade to a Fiesta ST (£10k at the mo).

Still waiting to see what the damage is!

Go on...

~7 seconds 0-60, handles well, seats four people, reasonable boot size, 30+mpg

Unlimited budget? Good for you.

I already mentioned budget in my previous post.

Ah yes!

Worn plugs and HT leads. They were replaced but the error kept coming up. One of the injectors needed replacing after that which fixed it! £250. Whew.

Octavia VRS?

Oh yeah and not diesel.

The last of the Mk1s were on a 55 plate and they occasionally crop up with sensible mileage for your budget - that's a 1.8T petrol engine.
The first Mk2s aren't too much more but are likely to have quite substantial mileage and come in either petrol or diesel.

Look at you, Mr "I go away with friends'

More like taxi driver to my gf and her mates. #jokes

Here's a nice demonstration of how much an F1 car relies on downforce (the start), and how fucking fast they are when they have it (25s).

Was over in the badlands of the UK the last few days for my brother's 40th. He was putting diesel in his car at 99.7p per litre which is fully 13-14p cheaper than it is over here.

Can't remember how many years it's been since I saw the litres go up faster than the pounds.

Also, UK roads and motorways are bonkers. I think I'd go insane if I had to deal with that sort of traffic on a daily basis. It's like, there are queues everywhere, all the time.

Not if you're a biker there aren't.

It's a braver man than me who'd take a motorbike out into the sort of driving that was routinely on display.

I wouldn't even ride a bike on IOM roads these days, let alone UK roads.

Meh. I'm either stupid, pig-headed, ignorant of the risks or all three; I suppose I take the view I ain't dead after 32 years of it so what the hell. (Also, the bike's so bloody loud you'd have to be stone cold deaf and half blind to be unaware of my presence on it within a 10 metre radius, no matter how loud your in-car stereo. You can feel it approaching lol)

Must admit to spending most of December in the car due to the foul weather but I've already used the Hog a couple of times for my work commute since we've been back. Literally cuts my journey time in half.

Yep, I've not found anywhere I wouldn't ride a bike, at least in decent weather anyway. At night if it's raining I'm more cautious.
I've gone on plenty of motorways and through Manchester, Birmingham and London city centres and didn't feel too at risk.

That's only on a 300cc Vespa too.

Changing the subject slightly, how well are the earliest VRods holding up Cavey? Still nice and solid or total money pits?

As far as I can tell, not bad at all mate - the big, lazy old motor's so understressed and over-engineered. (Mine hasn't put a wheel wrong in 3 years either but to be fair she's only done about 5000 miles)

In truth I'm sure you'd be better off with a Honda Shadow or whatever, but however irrationally, for me it's just got to be the real deal, warts an' all.

'Rods even have half decent (Brembo sourced) brakes!

Here's a dedicated forum if you fancy doing a bit of research; personally I can't recommend the bike highly enough and absolutely adore it.

http://www.1130cc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10

I'm most tempted by a Triumph Speedmaster, but I have had a test ride of a HD Street 750 and thought it was nice enough but a bit too quiet to feel like a real Harley.

One of the first VRods would be at the top end of what I'd like to spend but my preference is for a newer low mileage bike.

I'd be a bit wary of the Street; I think they're really built to a price (in India IIRC)

I think the thing about (most) Harleys, especially in the UK, are that few have been worked hard (in fact many haven't seen so much as a single drop of rain), so I'd be much more confident about buying an older bike as long as it had an impeccable HD service history. There was a lovely 2002 VRod for sale at my HD dealership for £8k, about half the price of a new one, which sounds like a lot of money until you consider the bike still looked as new, had low mileage and came with customisations which believe me cost a pretty penny. It still irks me that I had to fork out over a hundred quid for a water hose shroud to replace the stock one which was so shit it just fell off (you'd never get this with a Jap bike), and even the replacement one burns your leg... still, that's Harleys I guess, it *looks* good...

I'll never forgive Triumph for my Speed Triple; what an overheating, ill-handling, evil, plasticky piece of shit that was, I hated it and lost an absolute fortune on it. I loved my little Bonnie but for me, never again, red-carded (and never believe what they print in bike mags, detailed test ride every time, or walk)

Yep, the Street 750 was very obviously aimed a price point, and for the same money the Kawasaki Vulcan S looks like a nicer more solidly made machine.

Part of my problem is that I don't exactly know what it is I'm after, other than something different to what I've had before.

What have you had before?

Hey Dr Z, if new, relatively affordable Harleys are your thing, why not consider an 883 Iron? Lovely little bike IMO and very much still the real deal:

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_GB/Mo ... l#!gallery

£7495 OTR (but you'd get a discount on that, especially this time of year, or maybe even a Stage 1 kit thrown in for that authentic sound and more performance)

We could even talk about this in the motorbike thread.

A few plastic scooters, then a Yamaha SRX400, Yamaha Thundercat, Honda Hornet, then two modern Vespas.
I'm not the right shape for sports bikes so was looking at either "adventure" styled machines or something retro-ish like this.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... s?logcode=

If I can find something I like for £3k, great, but I'm happy to go up to about £5-6k if that's what I need to spend.

If you want something different why not a classic like a Moto Guzzi or BSA Super Rocket?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-CALI ... 1695712545

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/BSA-SUPER-ROCKE ... 2226053873

Each to his own ( ), but personally I wouldn't touch a Guzzi or any classic Italian with a bargepole unless you like throwaway electrics and repairing stuff generally, and as for 50 year old+ Brit bikes...? Crikey, much as I'd love one, I wouldn't rely on one to get me 3 miles up the road and would pray for Brent Crude oil to remain at $30 a barrel...

There again, Harleys can be, ahem, pretty temperamental (even the new ones); if you want trouble-free your best bet is new or nearly new Jap.

True enough the Guzzi might give you some trouble if you don't know your way around a socket set, but you can fix a BSA with a heavy lump of wood

What's the fun in that, though?

Oh I agree bud, that's why I haven't done this.
But, I just get a tad nervous recommending others to go off-piste the same as me, because I've dropped some very expensive clangers (e.g. Speed Triple) as a result of my less than cautious attitude.

What would you have if money was no object?

Oooh crikey, now you're asking. I think it would have to be a whole garage of bikes; I mean, I'd love a completely bespoke, hand-built hardtail chop - but have you ever tried riding one? Fuck me, 3 miles in and it's chiropractor-o-clock. You'd want at least three or four bikes to do different things, just as you would for a money-no-object car garage.

I dunno really, but I love shit like this as a starting point, I could just fill my house with these bikes just to look at 'em, they mean more to me than 99.99% of the (IMO) shit that passes as "art" these days.

How about you? (or anyone else for that matter)

I'd have a classic bike, something that I can sell in 10 years to put the Grimlet through uni.

I'd fucking *love* a Vincent Black Shadow, but that feels too obvious, so I'll go for a BSA DBD34 Gold Star.

If that's the single cylinder one, I'm with you all the way. For me, still one of the most stunningly beautiful bikes of all time, so drop-dead gorgeous in the metal it even left me speechless and silent when I saw one at a classic bike show yonks back. A masterpiece.

Shit, we used to build some amazing stuff.

If I was doing classic bikes it would be a late 80s / early 90s Yamaha sports bike I think.
Hmm....

RD500YPVS? You know you want to, now there's a lovely, reliable bike you could use every day.

*** Disclaimer ***
It really isn't (but fecking awesome). Suzook RG500 Gamma even better still.... man these bikes were legends

I'd be happy with a nice FZR1000, but I doubt there *is* a nice one left.

Nice back in the day, I like 'em You might well still find an unmolested ThunderAce?

If it's 80s Jap though, fire-snorting 2-stroke monster all the way, man. A modern day R1 is the direct descendant of the FZR and its genes are well apparent, but an RD, RG or even a Kwack triple...? We'll never see their like again.

I well remember my first 2-stroke powerband experience. As mindblowing as it was unexpected; shit, it's one of the most utterly profound and landmark moments of my life. The Porsche can't even shine a candle on these wild, vicious, wonderful old machines (and their demise is why I hate environmentalists so much). RIP.

The triumph rocket 3 advert is a Thing of excellence. Velocette mac70 for me, now if I could just find the time to build it...

Focus RS review

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/for ... -rs-review

Oooh snazzy, and under £30K too.

I'd be hard pushed to choose between that and the new Type-R if I were to go insane and actually buy* a car costing that much.....



* Finance.

I'd deffo have one. Think I'm just going to have to settle for the Fiesta ST in a couple of years' time.

Got to admit, that's just awesome. Want.

It looks fucking brutal, doesn't it?

Yeah, and you just know they've really nailed it this time; for once I believe the hype - Ford want to (re)stamp their authority on the RS moniker, you can see they've spent real money re-engineering stuff just for this car, from obvious things like the 4wd system to bespoke aero etc.

Those performance stats are just amazing - 30mpg and Cayman-kicking performance levels, sub £30k pricetag, a car you can use everyday and take the kids to school, but it looks great to boot, just like you say. Fairly or unfairly, for me this has just got so much more appeal and attitude than something like a Golf R (as well as costing less).

I'd still go Mustang but this is a very, very compelling package IMO. I'd go for one of these in black, personally...

I'm not usually one for judging people by their car but I have never, ever seen a fast type Ford Focus being driven by someone who doesn't at least look like a total prick. 99 times out of a hundred they'll have absolutely awful house music blaring out too.

Gah, I gave up thinking about what people think about me driving my car, or bike, or whatevs years ago?

I know you're not really saying this as such Mark so am not aiming this comment at you (at all), but people tend to resent what you got whatever it is, if it's out of the ordinary? Balls to em I say, this looks like a damn good car.

The RS seems to hold its value pretty well but the STs drop down into 'chav money' territory reasonably quickly - and to the casual observer they probably look pretty similar.

One of the car dealers over here brings quite a lot of Fords over, particularly STs that are down into £6000-£8000 territory, plus he has a Facebook page where he posts the details of new cars and they tend to get quite a few comments, I've got to be honest and say that a cursory look at the profiles of the lads who express interest in the STs does suggest a 'certain market sector' will be going for them.

I agree with Cavey though, who gives a shit? It's like when I had the Scooby, I knew the connotations it came with but to hell with it, I'll just be a boring bloke in his mid 30s (as I was at the time ) driving around in it, and if people want to think I'm a Burberry toting chav (or whatever the assumption is) then so be it.

And beyond all that I can see a Focus ST being very appealing to a bloke in his early twenties, they're reasonably priced, reliable, fast, practical and insurable - so fair play to them, I'm not going to resent them having their fun in a fast car

I don't believe anyone who reckons they don't care what anyone thinks about them, unless they're literally a psychopath or something. And whilst I haven't generally observed most stereotypes about cars to be particularly true my own prejudice against sporty Focusseses has been borne out in practically every encounter. Every one I've seen was being driven like a cunt, by a cunt. Like I say, just my experience, but it's enough to make me not want to ever get behind the wheel of one.

That's not what I'm saying, of course I care what (some) people think about me in relation to (some) things, but assumptions based on the car I happen to sat behind the wheel of - not so much.

Also, what is the proper plural for Focus? Foci? Focuses?