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I passed my bike test early ‘97 then later that very same year in a monumental moment of stupidity highsided, flying several car lengths down from one side of the road to the other. Needless to say I did not bounce, getting strapped to a spine board, moderately re-arranging my right shoulder sufficiently well that it was several inches lower than my left & damaging the nerves¹ Did it put me off? Well if it did this post would be a lot shorter and contain no images so no there is nothing like riding a bike - to bastardise old **Swiss Tony** … riding a bike is like making love to a beautiful woman you and the machine moving together leaning over together, feeling the environment, the heat, the noise … get it right and magic happens get it wrong and theres all sorts of squeals and pain. So on a bike we have all the sensations driving a car just does not bring, being part of the environment and the journey, shutting out all the mindless noise and drudgery making the commute to work a joy and not a chore.

However when the financial crash hit in ‘08 something had to go and the bike no matter how much i tried to justify its life was just one expense too many, she had to go so with bitter regret my beautiful, sexy ZX6 departed for pastures new and lo as each year passed i’d sit and listen to all those fuckers still riding, the roar of the engine increasing as they perhaps exceeded the A-road speed limit and so it continued year after year until i could no longer stand it.

I spent over a year searching for something often torn between the desire to cafe-racer an old CB750 or similar and the need for speed. I’d mark bikes on ebay or other sites but by the time i had made my mind up they’d gone. In the end i bought something i had not even considered looking at and which neither fits the cafe-racer or need for speed categories;

It is a nice looking bike, gets a lot of questions\comments mostly from people wanting to copy the rear end for their projects plus the fuel tank is massive i was used to a re-fueling stop anywhere between 90-120miles yet this thing just keeps on going.

There are a few shortcomings …

• [1] power is one - yes she is easy to ride, quick to chuck into corners but be prepared to hit the gearbox often unless you dont mind stopping midway through an overtake as the rev-limiter kicks in, treat her a bit like an old two-stroke. That said for a simple cruise with a bit of fun in the twisties she’s alright.

• [2] Dashboard - yes its a nice looking TFT display but there two significant-ish concerns. Firstly it often becomes unreadable in full sunlight and though you are not going to breaking many records i dont think Mr Plod will accept the excuse “i cannae see me dashboard when suns out” secondly perhaps laughably watch what happens when you switch to night riding … the fuel gauge and temperature display swap sides.

Despite those the ride is fun, she looks good,l and she was cheap we’re talking about 5200 on the road but since the purchase of the Benelli i still kept my eyes on ebay and over a year ago ended up with a second bike, this time a full on cruiser and one from 1997.

She really doesnt struggle with power\torque and to be honest combine a cruiser with an open face helmet, a pair of shades and good weather it is awesome. Yes ground clearance is now almost non-existent and lean angles are not double digits, and yes the suspension may have gone a little soft (scraped through the exhaust) but it is just so much fun. Makes me wish i had gone this route sooner although there are other issues with owning an older girl …. the new E10 petrol might be something to consider and well …. she broke down on me, leaving me stranded except for a fellow biker who happened to be driving past in his van! Saved me a long walk home.

That decision hasn’t been made though but for the Benelli it is time to go, i’ve had my 3yrs of fun but have reached the limit and it is time to go different though what? Bikes are a personal thing and finding the right one is not so easy the search has restarted…….