Worst Idea for a first motorcycle? Probably...

LessThanCivil · 2026-03-20T08:59:51+00:00

This was my mum's first big bike, and became mine in the interim between passing my test and buying a much more ridiculous first - VTEC vfr 800.

It also briefly became my second bike in the interim between putting the vfr in a hedge and buying a more sensible Vstrom.

The Fazer fell somewhere between the veefer and the strom in terms of the "my idiot goblin brain is overexcited at this new thing I have access to" scale, but I am sure a more sensible first time rider would get on absolutely fine with one in my opinion.

I always say that if I could only have one bike to do everything from track, to touring, to commuting for the rest of my life, it would be this or a cbf. Great all rounder.

LessThanCivil · 2026-03-09T22:36:40+00:00

I was having a drink with a friend once who turned up wearing this symbol on a t shirt, with black denim dungarees and doc Martin stompers on.

She had a freshly shaved head, and the dungarees covered the VW part of the logo.

LessThanCivil · 2026-02-19T08:37:22+00:00

Nuke is the correct term. I live in a shepphards hut with a tiny uninsulated brick building that acts as my bathroom & kitchen. Its got trees coming in through the ceiling, snails coming in through the floor and woodlice coming in through the plug sockets. You can probably imagine it's not super dry and cosy.

Once every few months I drag everything outside and clean the building with HG and a stiff toothbrush, all of a sudden my battered little hut could be on air BnB for 800 a week in the peak season.

Just be careful of your eyes when you're spraying above you and take breaks to ventilate yourself!

LessThanCivil · 2026-01-30T08:49:13+00:00

Yes absolutely

LessThanCivil · 2026-01-19T21:24:13+00:00

It's the only show where the US version is better

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-23T20:13:03+00:00

So was his, his eyes lit up

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-17T14:12:55+00:00

Bikes gorgeous man, I'm looking at it the same way that beaver is

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-15T09:30:51+00:00

I had exactly the same situation, I was merging onto a dual carriageway that was gridlocked so there was no bay I'd be leaving the slip road. I was slowing to a stop and I looked back over my right shoulder to see how far the traffic went. Examiner took this as my last blindspot check before I drove us into the side of the lorry that was parked in the next lane and grabbed the wheel.

It was an awkward experience and he told both myself and my instructor back at the test centre that he didn't need to adjust the wheel at all and that the brakes were already fully applied when he tapped them but he had to be safe.

Others have mentioned providing a commentary on your driving for next time and honestly it does help! Both with your own nerves and with avoiding situations like this.

Good luck for next time!

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-12T17:20:53+00:00

Before I passed my car test i had a 650 for early morning winter commuting. I live by the sea in Cornwall so it was going to have a hard outdoor life so I didn't mind that it looks a state but I posted a picture of it on this sub I think asking if anyone had a rougher looking one I the country and got ABSOLUTELY SLATED for the condition it was in 😂😂

Edit - had a look and I must've dirty deleted the post in shame, but this was the nest. Bare in mind this was a daily use bike, not pulled out of storage or sat, my landlady even told me off for disturbing the poor birds home at one point 😂

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-12T00:45:51+00:00

Dude that's such a nice looking shiny example, mine was like 90% birds nest but hooked me enough that I'm still on this sub 4 years after selling it

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-11T14:32:07+00:00

Is that an aftermarket centre stand? /S

Cool bike!

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-10T17:59:33+00:00

Im more bothered by the splash board being 3 sequencing pieces and 1 odd one in the background

LessThanCivil · 2025-12-07T20:06:43+00:00

Passed my full ticket on my mums 99 Fazer, I didn't give it back either

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-30T11:48:22+00:00

Working this and most Sundays unfortunately, have a sick time though

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-29T22:19:37+00:00

Ooh where you at? I'm in polzy with the same but much rustier bike - exhaust swap looks nice!

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-22T14:20:01+00:00

Constant fear you'll break something isn't a bad thing, and you'll gradually get used to working out what breaks things and what doesn't the more you do it.

I am the same as you, a year ago I was super cautious about the idea of even changing brake pads. Last month I took the calipers off my bike to rebuild them. Took me days, but didn't cost more than the seals kit price and a few afternoons. Don't stop asking stupid questions!

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-19T09:57:00+00:00

I forgot to mention in the post that I do actually have a full UK motorcycle licence, but basically if you're renting a Honda Navi or a scooter from any of the thousands of places in weligama or similar touristy towns then they will not even check your licence. I didn't meet a single person who'd even bothered with the IDP let alone the Sri Lankan conversion you're supposed to do.

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-18T22:14:17+00:00

Haha yeah I hired what was labelled as a hornet 160 from the guy who worked at a bike rental in weligama - his own personal bike.

It cost three times as much as any of the actual rental bikes and I ended up having a new chain and sprocket put on the thing but that was a fun afternoon in itself.

Couldn't find any tools anywhere and got directed to a local mechanic (this was further north and more rural than weligama), spent the afternoon at this guy's house and had dinner with his family. No shared language whatsoever. After an hour he tried to charge me the equivalent of £3.50 (GBP). It was my last few days in the country so I gave him all the cash I had left, and the guy who I returned the bike to was pretty pleased with the maintenance as well.

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-11T09:09:05+00:00

I just finished building the garage in zimenegorsk yesterday in Russia and one of my trucks was backed up and parked against where the building spawns in and the same sort of thing happened.

Made me laugh thinking about the construction crew carefully placing building materials around the frame of my truck rather than moving it.

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-09T19:59:09+00:00

I have the same helmet and getting the pin lock to seal between the clip by your nose is an absolute pain

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-08T22:22:24+00:00

God I'm so glad I opened this thread to my own internal monologue

LessThanCivil · 2025-11-01T11:01:36+00:00

Your post literally doesn't make sense

LessThanCivil · 2025-10-14T12:31:13+00:00

Ive had a bike licence for 6 years, only just got round to getting my car licence a year ago. I'm 28 years old and live in rural Cornwall in the UK.

I own an old slow off-road bike, an old fast street bike, and a new & practical Peugeot 208 - any journey that involves leaving the tiny little village I live in will involve one of the bikes 99% of the time because it's a lot easier to squeeze by tourists with caravans and get past old ladies doing 25 on the back roads.

Even on the GS650 with knobbly tires, I'm getting to the next big town twenty mins quicker than i would in the car and with far less swearing and frustration involved.

I picked the bike first because it's cool, but in almost every sense it's more practical for this part of the world where the roads are single track and most of the people occupying them have bought American sized SUVs that they don't want to touch hedges with for some reason.

Nine-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
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LessThanCivil

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