Greetings from Pretoria

[Sniper335]

Morning, more mense, avuxeni, ndi matsheloni, dumelang, howzit, I’ve always loved bikes since high school, used to buy Bike SA every single month, but like most of the teens, I loved the super bikes, specially the green Kawasaki zx9r I had on the wall of my koshuis bedroom So I recently sold my bmw e92 335i and decided to buy a family car for the wife and a bike for myself. I went to a local bike shop hoping to catch a glimpse of my future ride (Yamaha R6), found one, tried to sit on it but ya, the bike was a tad too high for me, had to tippy toe so one of the guys there suggested I look at a cruiser, I wasn’t too keen but I somer decided what the heck. They had a Triumph Bobber which I must say just looks damn good. I sat on the bike, first thing I loved, I could put both my feet firmly on the ground “whoop whoop “ secondly loved the seating position and the bike felt so comfortable. I went back home with a big smile on my face to break the bad news to the wife, told her I found a second wife and I’m sooooo in love . I’m looking to get one by December and I can’t wait, I’ve been looking around for a good deal, it’s my first bike so I don’t wanna break the bank .
Anyway that’s my story and I’m sticking to it


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[Q]

welcome - if you are interested in a Triumph (good choice btw) give Rob Chandler at Triumph SA a call (011 444 4441) - he's always willing to do some seriously good deals

[Sniper335]

welcome - if you are interested in a Triumph (good choice btw) give Rob Chandler at Triumph SA a call (011 444 4441) - he's always willing to do some seriously good deals

Thank you, I’ve been in contact with Peter at the Triumph dealership

My local bike dealer had a nice one for a good price, 2018 model with just over a thousand kilos but the seller decided to hike the price so ja, the search continues.


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[Q]

Thank you, I’ve been in contact with Peter at the Triumph dealership

then you are in good hands - maybe look around at some other choices - a heavy cruiser (even if it has a low seating position) is not always the ideal bike to get started on should you be new to biking

always a good idea to rationalise why you want to get into biking (your passion is evident in this regard so that is moot ), what do you expect to do with the bike (eg. just Sunday morning rides, bit of touring, commuting, etc.), what do you expect from the bike and then find a bike that suits

the Bobber is very nice and if I could have a SECOND bike in my garage, it would probably be a Bobber - but (given my requirements/use/expectations) it would not be my first choice if I could have only one bike

[Sniper335]

then you are in good hands - maybe look around at some other choices - a heavy cruiser (even if it has a low seating position) is not always the ideal bike to get started on should you be new to biking

always a good idea to rationalise why you want to get into biking (your passion is evident in this regard so that is moot ), what do you expect to do with the bike (eg. just Sunday morning rides, bit of touring, commuting, etc.), what do you expect from the bike and then find a bike that suits

the Bobber is very nice and if I could have a SECOND bike in my garage, it would probably be a Bobber - but (given my requirements/use/expectations) it would not be my first choice if I could have only one bike

Thanks for the advice Q, I’m not looking to use the bike for commuting to work and back, maybe that one Friday, twice a month but ideally I want it for Sunday morning rides, breakfast runs to Haarties or Nelspruit etc.


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[Sniper335]

I’ve also been scouting around for riding gear, I have lots of questions specially on helmets but one thing everyone advices me, don’t cheap out on a helmet.


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[Q]

I’ve also been scouting around for riding gear, I have lots of questions specially on helmets but one thing everyone advices me, don’t cheap out on a helmet.

price is not always an indicator of quality or level of protection - I much rather look for ECE or Snell ratings on the helmet (not DOT - that is a BS USA sticker-only mark)

have a look on YouTube for FortNine - he does brilliant reviews on all things biking and if I'm not mistaken he has an annual review of the various types of helmets

above all - don't simply "go for the look" with something like a ****-pot open-face - your chin has two major nerves and if those are damaged in a crash, you risk the risk of facial paralysis - i.e. ALWAYS wear a full-face helmet or an open face with decent chin protection

[AMZ]

I’ve also been scouting around for riding gear, I have lots of questions specially on helmets but one thing everyone advices me, don’t cheap out on a helmet.


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Research the helmet. It must at least be ECE 22-05 approved and better than 3 stars on the Sharp scale. All helmets rated by the Sharp Ratings (UK government) are ECE approved.

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

[WBro]

Hi and welcome to the TB Forum

[Sniper335]

Geez, thanks for the advice guys, i must have looked at over 30 helmets so far, i understand Carbon helmets are the way to go safety wise, but i see the prices are nuts. I have been adviced to look at Shark or Scorpion Exo 490.

[Sniper335]

What about Modular helmets?

[AMZ]

Geez, thanks for the advice guys, i must have looked at over 30 helmets so far, i understand Carbon helmets are the way to go safety wise, but i see the prices are nuts. I have been adviced to look at Shark or Scorpion Exo 490.

You do need to check out the Sharp Helmet Ratings though. Shark are generally very good helmets, ranging between 4 and 5 star. Scorpion is also good, but look at their ratings. Most of the Scorpion Exo rate 3 stars and one, the EXO 920 only 2 stars. One or two models rate a 4 star. Thing is, you buy a Scorpion EXO thinking you have a great helmet, but you don't.

If by modular you mean flip face, or system helmets, again check the Sharp Rating carefully as they will show how well they remain shut during a crash. The Shark Evo-One remained shut during impact 100% of the time. The Shark Openline, 97% of the time. The Shark Evoline 3, only 57%.

[Q]

What about Modular helmets?

I've used the Schuberth C2 and E1 for a few years now - nose-bleed price tags but I very happy as these suit my needs when marshalling as I can shout at cagers and smoke

if you don't need to occasionally open the face, the extra weight and price are not worth it - a proper full-face will have a better cost-benefit number

[Sniper335]

I've used the Schuberth C2 and E1 for a few years now - nose-bleed price tags but I very happy as these suit my needs when marshalling as I can shout at cagers and smoke

if you don't need to occasionally open the face, the extra weight and price are not worth it - a proper full-face will have a better cost-benefit number

Lol, cool

Caberg V2RR Chrono vs HJC FG-17 vs AIROH ST701, anybody using any of these?

[Sniper335]