Look what I made





my very own YouTube Player!

Welcome to the home of the Motorcycle Diaries, now set up perfectly so that all of my latest video’s will update automatically on this wonderful YouTube player you find below!!

You simply need to check back here on a daily basis to catch the latest video’s or  head to my Youtube channel for more, and to be able to subscribe so you are updated when a new video is available!

To scroll through the video’s on the right hand side, just use the arrows on the bottom, and to switch between the list of video’s and the information on the video you are watching, just use the two buttons in the bottom left of the right hand frame!

Well what are you waiting for? Get involved!

For quotes on any of these bikes, or for one on your bike, simply head to my esteemed sponsors page at Express Insurance, and they can give you an online quote in seconds, or simply give them a call on 0800 912 0529

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!

Time for not only some automotive porn, but also some racing V Twin action as I put the Ducati 1198S through it paces, want technical info on this sexy beast? Simply head here for the full run down!

 

It costs a whopping £16,895 from Ducati Coventry, so does it live up to the hype?

Find out Below:

 

 

As always – find below a few generic quotes from my beloved sponsors Express Insurance to give you a ball park idea of how it will cost to insure!

Motorcycle	Year of Manufacture	Value	Age of Rider	Licence Length	NCB Level	Premium	Excess
Ducati 1198S	2010	£17000	21	1 Month	0	£4950	£1500
Ducati 1198S	2010	£17000	30	5 years	3 years	£795	£500
Ducati 1198S	2010	£17000	55	20 years	6 years	£450	£500

* Based on Motorcycle garaged in a Birmingham postcode with a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser fitted.

 

So after returning the Suzuki GSXR750, I got given the Bandit 650 to ride home on, so therefore the first video is half GSXR, half Bandit, but from then on its all Bandit baby!

 

You want technical info on this little naked commuter?? Go here you crazy Kittee Kats, and at £4749

its pretty damn cheap, but is it any good?? Find out below!

 

 

As always – find below a few generic quotes from my beloved sponsors Express Insurance to give you a ball park idea of how it will cost to insure!

Motorcycle	Year of Manufacture	Value	Age of Rider	Licence Length	NCB Level	Premium	Excess
Suzuki Bandit 650	2009	£5500	21	1 Month	0	£950.66	£400
Suzuki Bandit 650	2009	£5500	30	5 years	3 years	£250	£350
Suzuki Bandit 650	2009	£5500	55	20 years	6 years	£127.58	£200

* Based on Motorcycle garaged in a Birmingham postcode with a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser fitted.

So after all the debacle of moving flats, and still trying to sort out my internet connection, I can start getting through my backlog of Diaries from the last few months!

I got to spend a day with this awesome £8,100 1300cc beast from Suzuki, see what my first impressions are below!

 

 

Bike: Honda CB900F (click link for full tech specs)

Engine: 919cc Straight Four

Price: £3,300 (this is a 2nd hand price)

As I don't just like to focus on new bikes, I take a look at a KE 03 reg Honda CB900F Hornet, with 30,000 miles on the clock. She is in great condition, and wow, for a bike that is on sale for £3,300, she has a few surprises in store for me!

I was in possession of this ‘03 Honda Hornet 900 for over a month, during this time I racked up the miles, and got a really good feeling for this awesome all round bike, that has since been succeeded by the CB1000R. Just how much bike do you get for juts over £3000, and of course what do i think of it?

Find out My first impressions below:

 

Then after over a month in possession of this bike, I take it back to Streetbike, and give you ,my final thoughts, and then Jason chats us through the technical side of this machine!

 

So its one hell of a bike, and cheap too, so to give you an idea on the Insurance costs, here are a range of quotes from Express Insurance, my esteemed sponsors!

 

Motorcycle	Year of Manufacture	Value	Age of Rider	Licence Length	NCB Level	Premium	Excess
Honda CB900F	2003	£3000	21	1 Month	0	£950	£500
Honda CB900F	2003	£3000	30	5 years	3 years	£250	£250
Honda CB900F	2003	£3000	55	20 years	6 years	£120	£250

* Based on Motorcycle garaged in a Birmingham postcode with a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser fitted.

Bike: Suzuki GSX-R 750 (click link for full tech specs)

Engine: 750cc Inline Four

Price: £9,099

So up next in the Diaries is the Suzuki GSX-R 750,  one hell of a sports bike, and with that 750cc engine, the perfect trade off between a 600 crotch rocket and a full fat superbike! For all technical info head here! I also then pick up my next steed from Suzuki, the Bandit 650!

See what I think of it here:

 

Richard from Suzuki talks us through the finer technical points about the bike in two parts! Part 1 is here:

Here is part two:

 

And if your wondering what the Insurance would be like, here is a quick range of quotes from my beloved sponsors Express Insurance to give you an idea:

 

Motorcycle	Year of Manufacture	Value	Age of Rider	Licence Length	NCB Level	Premium	Excess
Suzuki GSXR 750	2009	£8500	21	1 Month	0	£2500	£1000
Suzuki GSXR 750	2009	£8500	30	5 years	3 years	£495	£450
Suzuki GSXR 750	2009	£8500	55	20 years	6 years	£250	£450

* Based on Motorcycle garaged in a Birmingham postcode with a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser fitted.

 

So with the weather having frustrated me like nobodies business over the last few weeks, and the debacle of having lost my bike padlock keys, I finally got the chance to get back on a two wheeled machine

.and my god what a bike!

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the MV Agusta F4 launch, at Rockingham raceway



not a bad way to get on a bike I here you say!! I had never ridden an Italian superbike before, and to get on one of these beasties was a dream come true!

The ride was great on the Honda Hornet 900, but the wet track looked ominous when we arrived, but not as ominous as my fellow testers who had all had much more race experience than me and one was a BSB Rider, added to the fact I had never seen the track before and well


this could get rather embarrassing!

See how I got on riding one of the worlds fastest, and most beautiful motorbikes!

 

 

I got invited to Brindley Honda in Wolves for the launch of the Honda VFR1200, a bike that has got lots of people talking, and the stunning new Fury. I met up with Lee from Brindley Honda, and Mick from Tran Am, to have a look around these two very different bikes and discuss what we thought!

Have a look!

 

So with a new year upon us, and with me about to get back on the bikes, I decided it would be awesome to go down to the Tran Am client Expo at The Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, to find out about all the latest developments in the world of biking gear!

Lucky old me too, as my good friend Mick from Tran Am, had only gone and sorted me with the first all new Rukka top of the range all weather suit in this country, as you will see in the video, which has more technology in it than a tank (well maybe not, but its not far off), and I was amazed about how much bike gear is advancing in leaps and bounds, with not just leathers, gloves and boots, but also in Helmets and all the other accessories getting the modern makeover  too!!

I broke the day down into three parts, and they are all below, and you can purchase everything you see on this video from the Tran Am website!

 

 

 

Enjoy, tomorrow, I will be uploading my first bike review of 2010, the rather fun and impressive Yamaha Wr125X!! Oh and just to let you know, having never had proper all weather gear before, OH MY GOD what a difference it makes!! I’ve been riding the last few days in shorts and a T Shirt, and I’ve been dry and toasty! While they may cost a lot, honestly, its so worth it!

Ride safe amigos!

 

So my first bike of 2010, and no I didn’t go for a superbike, or even a massive cruiser, I fancied something different, and Streetbike had just that in store for me!

Yamaha’s WR125X, it looks good, it definitely surprised the hell out of me, and left me grinning like a Cheshire cat!

 

 

Here are the Video’s:

 

 

 

For all of your technical info simply head here, it retails at £3,600 brand new, and here are some insurance quotes to give you an idea from my esteemed sponsors Express Insurance, who without none of these Diaries would have been possible!

Motorcycle	Year of Manufacture	Value	Age of Rider	Licence Length	NCB Level	Premium	Excess
Yamaha WR125X	2009	£3900	21	1 Month	0	£1395	£450
Yamaha WR125X	2009	£3900	30	5 years	3 years	£325	£350
Yamaha WR125X	2009	£3900	55	20 years	6 years	£130	£150

* Based on Motorcycle garaged in a Birmingham postcode with a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser fitted.

Up next, a rather nice second hand Honda CB900F Hornet as you can see at the end of our final chat!! Bring it on, its great to be back on two wheels!