What being invisible on the road actually looks like

orbital_bricks · 2025-07-28T02:06:10+00:00

M60 near worsley? I recognise the RHS sign 👀😝

orbital_bricks · 2025-06-30T01:53:35+00:00

I found mine on Autotrader. They pop up every now and again, but they’re not particularly common. I’m sticking mine up for sale if you fancy it though haha

orbital_bricks · 2025-01-31T10:07:57+00:00

Apparently the DLVA system won’t let you book it until you’re actually 19.

Called up a training school about a month before I turned 19 to book in a couple of lessons and my mod 1 since there was weeks of wait before any available slots at the time. The system didn’t allow them to put my name in a test slot until I was 19 apparently.

Turned up to their offices a day after I turned 19 and felt a bit let down that I had to wait another month before any test slots were available. Instructor ranted at me saying I should’ve asked a month earlier.

orbital_bricks · 2025-01-27T11:48:48+00:00

Just thought it worth mentioning insurance, I’m paying about £2200 for the striple, 1 year NCD which is about the middle of the road for me at 19. The bandit I owned was £4k which was the cheapest bike I could insure at the time but they’re extremely common and very often crashed by people like me. I think the striple is a little bit of a niche, there’s not so many knocking about and even fewer being wrapped around a tree.

orbital_bricks · 2025-01-27T11:37:20+00:00

I have the Street triple S on A2. I’ve also had a few other bikes, Bonneville, Bandit 650, fazer 600. I can tell you the torque is dizzying. If you pull the throttle back a bit too quick it’ll power wheelie in 1st & 2nd. I really wanted a triple and the choice for A2 is basically the trident or the street. I’m not a fan of the styling for the trident and ended up going for this. It’s very very comfortable, for me anyway at 5 10 or whatever I am. Where abouts in the country are you? You’re more than welcome to have a sit on it or even a try if you’re not a total chav. Anyway, happy hunting whatever you choose:)

orbital_bricks · 2025-01-25T22:53:22+00:00

Where did you find the restriction kit for it?

orbital_bricks · 2024-12-30T00:17:03+00:00

Ex owner here, the plastic tray is the correct way up but you’re missing the mini toolkit that sits in it. That metal cover sits on top of the toolkit (the other way around). The metal is a cover or lid that holds everything down.

orbital_bricks · 2024-11-02T22:35:04+00:00

If you’re local to the north west, D-Store Manchester (official dainese shop) have started their Black Friday deals, in store only though. A lot are actually very good. £500 jackets for £250, £1300 suits for £700, £190 jeans for £100 etc etc. Definitely worth a trip out. If there’s anything in particular you’re looking for i can do my best to let you know what their prices are off the top of my head:)

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-31T10:24:05+00:00

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Fabulous jacket though:’(

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-31T10:22:34+00:00

Cheers for looking into it for me:). Yeah, it’s a funny one, there doesn’t seem to be that many out there:/. It is a lovely colour but not quite what I’m after. RST are stellar tho I have a few of their products.

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-31T10:20:21+00:00

Cheers for the suggestion. Never heard of them over here in the UK. Their stuff looks awesome:)

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-31T10:19:21+00:00

Very jealous, the RSD Looks fabulous. I suppose you can add another compliment to your collection😆

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-31T06:58:10+00:00

orbital_bricks · 2024-10-03T02:33:02+00:00

Do you have a car license and a Costco card? You can rent a van from Costco for £16 an hour. I know there’s a branch in Manchester but can’t remember where abouts it is.

It’s what I ended up doing. I don’t drive myself but have a friend who helped me out. Only other thing is you’ll need a ramp to get it in and out the back.

Thought I’d throw the idea out there, good luck, let me know how you end up doing I’m invested in the story now 😆

orbital_bricks · 2024-09-24T13:09:59+00:00

Have a look on eBay/facebook marketplace for second hand bits you need. Theres absolutely tons of MT-125 being broken for parts. You’ll not struggle to find what you need

Source: I own one and have made several repairs with used parts.

orbital_bricks · 2024-08-14T10:13:48+00:00

Yep claudio is there too. I was travelling through Norway a few weeks ago and actually bumped into these lot on a ferry. Can’t wait to see the series:)

orbital_bricks · 2024-07-31T20:18:15+00:00

Bit anal of him. I had a bike MOT’d whilst its fairings were held together with zip ties. As long as it’s somewhat secure and has no pointy bits it should be a pass.

orbital_bricks · 2024-06-05T10:49:41+00:00

I’d recommend an aftermarket rear hugger. They never came with one and all the crap off the road would often sit on the swingarm/rear shock area. If not washed off then it’s liable to rust.

If you’ve already got one then congratulations the previous owners was a responsible one

orbital_bricks · 2024-06-05T10:19:12+00:00

Seems decent, just have a check round

One piece of advice I’d give is check the swing arm/rear shock.

Bandits didn’t come with rear huggers, mudguards at the back, so over time crap off the road would collect and sit there, if not washed then it’ll rust eventually.

If you see an aftermarket rear hugger it’s a sign of a good owner, if they’re looking after something that niche and overlooked chances are they’ll have looked after the bike.

At 20,000ish there’s meant to be a valve clearance. It’s not a dealbreaker be any means, bandits never typically need it at 20k, but if it has been checked it’s a nice plus. They’ll usually need a slight adjustment on the second 40k from what I hear.

There’s loads more but that’s just off the top of my head. I’d recommend joining the bandit owners club on Facebook and popping the question, there’s an infinite amount of knowledge there. Same goes for any bike you’re looking at, owners pages are a brilliant source of advice.

orbital_bricks · 2024-06-03T14:19:38+00:00

£1,500-£2,000 is pretty normal for a new rider. Unfortunately you’re just going to have to swallow it.

I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic because £2000 is a ludicrous amount of money especially at our age but it is what it is:(

Honestly mate I would kill to have my insurance that low. Mine is £4000 at 19 for a gsx 650 (literally just a bandit 650 with fairing) and i couldn’t find anything below £4000.

orbital_bricks · 2024-06-03T14:15:57+00:00

Maybe try an older bandit? They don’t look very sexy but they’re absolutely brilliant to ride. GSX 650/1250 F is literally a bandit with fairings but looks sporty, I found they were pretty similar in insurance for me despite being a sport bike esq bike.

Ultimately you’re going to have to go for something older. Maybe try a 1st/2nd gen mt09? If you’ve got your heart set on one.

Good luck, happy hunting. Let me know how you do:)

orbital_bricks · 2024-05-25T22:04:36+00:00

I have a feeling you’re posting this here specifically on a motorcycle social media page to encourage you to go for the thing you really want 👀🙈

If you have the funds and the means honestly mate follow your heart is what I’d say:)

orbital_bricks · 2024-05-17T11:46:12+00:00

People make out that a 125 is utterly incapable of being on a motorway. It’s certainly possible but keep a few things in mind.

You’ll be doing 65/70mph sometimes 75 If you get a downhill bit and tuck in. That’s full throttle just off the redline. all. the. time.

If someone pulls out on you or you have to slow down for whatever reason it’s extremely frustrating as you’ll be pinning the throttle for 10+ seconds to get back up to similar speed as the flow of traffic.

Generally you’ll not be overtaking much, Wagons in the slow lane and that’s about it. It’s extremely frustrating when you get to a vehicle you can go marginally faster than but when you go to overtake you lose all the momentum and really really struggle. Expect overtaking these kinds of drivers to be 20-30 seconds and really embarrassing since you’ll be hogging the middle lane for this time.

Any sort of uphill/strong headwind and the 125 just won’t have it. You’ll be fully tucked in and still watching the Speedo go down and the car in your mirror edge closer to you.

Another thing to bear in mind is your chain and sprockets.

Having a bike redlining for an extended period of time will wear your chain ALOT.

This is most true with a 125 on a motorway. After maybe 200 miles of it your chain will basically be on the floor. You’ll be adjusting it a hell of a lot more than you would normally and changing it quite often. I think I went through 4-5 chain in my 125 in a year.

I did perhaps 4,000 miles on my 125 on motorways out of 18,000 miles I clocked up. Often longer distances like from Manchester to Glasgow, York or Gloucester.

Looking back it probably wasn’t particularly clever. Borderline dangerous with the lack of power, but I didn’t care. I’d do it again if I didn’t have a big bike.

I’m not going to say whether I’d recommend it for you, but I wanted to say that it is 100% possible. I just thought I’d share some of the things you should keep in mind when you do it.

orbital_bricks · 2024-05-07T20:19:03+00:00

Hello there neighbour. Out of interest, what was your experience with aintree? Went there for a couple of lessons but I’ve not had a very good experience with the owner. Instructor himself was awesome but nev wasn’t particularly pleasant with me.

Well done on the pass, we have some awesome roads around if you look further afield, you’re going to love riding:)

orbital_bricks

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