Biking update: Big Bike Lesson

It has been too long since my last motorbike lesson, a couple of months or so. But I am determined to get my bike licence this year so I need to get a move on.

It was to be my first lesson on a big bike, a 500cc Suzuki twin. Compared with my little Honda it felt huge and heavy; in particular the clutch called for a strong grip although it was beautifully progressive. Even so, it is going to take some getting used to the bike for low-speed manoeuvres.

On the road, however, the Suzuki was fine. The most noticeable thing was how effortless the performance felt compared to my little 125. My little CBR likes to be kept above 7,000rpm but the Suzuki was content to run at half that. The clutch could be ignored almost completely – except for stopping and starting – and the gearbox was so sweet; just a little twitch of the toe to go up or down.

The good news from the lesson was that a couple of thousand miles on the road don’t seem to have led to too many bad habits. In fact my observation and positioning on the road seem to be pretty good. The next step is to get some practice for the Module 1 part of the test. My next lesson is already arranged.

And, as an aside, I was a little concerned about how I’d feel climbing back on to my bike after riding something more potent. It did feel as though I was riding a child’s bike but other than size and lack of power it still feels as beautiful to ride as ever. Of all the vehicles I’ve owned to date my Honda CBR 125R is one of the very best.

Trying bikes

Recently I arranged test rides of a couple of motor bikes with a view to buying one. My main purpose was to try a Honda CBR 125R but also provided the opportunity to acquire some experience of the Yamaha YBR125.

The Yamaha felt very familiar; the upright riding position and comfortable, squashy seat are very similar to the Honda CG125. Modern injection and engine management meant no messing about with chokes and a fuss-free power delivery. The presence of a tachometer made it easy to judge how much power to use in slow riding. It wasn’t terribly exciting but would make a nice little workhorse of a bike.

The Honda CBR was more like a racehorse, with its sporty riding position and appearance. True there isn’t much performance since, like all learner legal bikes, it is limited to 15bhp but it has a feeling of delicacy and precision. All the controls have a lightness and positivity of operation, particularly the featherweight clutch and disk brakes. The handling and ride are about the best I have encountered (in my limited experience). My only complaint was that the riding position felt less comfortable than I expected; putting too much pressure on the hands.

After some deliberation I decided that the Honda was the one to go for. The YBR would be a fine commuter bike but the CBR is nicer to ride. To my mind motorbikes are as much about balance and control – which the Honda has in spades – as power and speed. Furthermore; if I’m using the bike every day then I want the best machine I can buy.

Another motorcycle adventure

It was hard to believe but two months passed between completing my CBT and my first ‘proper’ motorbike riding lesson on Friday.

I was a little nervous about climbing back into the saddle but it turns out that riding a motorcycle is a lot like riding a bike (you never forget how). In fact I felt more comfortable and confident than ever.

Even so, it was a relief to begin within the safety of the riding school’s compound practicing some of the exercises that crop up on the motorcycle test. The strangest of these is wheeling the bike backwards from one ‘garage’, defined by four cones, to another parallel space a few feet away. Other exercises included a slalom and figure of eight, both done at low speed – challenging but the key seems to be to look at where you want to go.

On the road I had to work hard to keep up as I was on a little 125 while the instructor and other pupil were on 500cc ‘bikes. Having previously thought Honda’s CG125 to be a bit of a slug it was gratifying to discover that it can move at a decent pace if you are prepared to wind the throttle right open.

Sadly there was no opportunity for jaunts through the country, the rest of the lesson concentrated on a succession of urban junctions. There is a lot to remember, for the novice anyway, in terms of observation, position, signalling, gear selection and cancelling the signal afterwards – no self-cancelling indicators on a motorbike.

But it was all good fun and it looks like there are only a few areas that need work before I can take my test. The next lesson will be in four weeks time.

Honda FR-V – now it is gone

Time I think to reflect on the Honda FR-V. On the whole I enjoyed driving it even though it was far removed from the type of car I would choose.

One thing that I wasn’t expecting was the performance, maybe not hot-hatch fast but certainly brisk. The engine was as good as one would expect from Honda and coupled to a 6-speed gearbox with delightfully close ratios and a snappy action. Mounting the lever on the dashboard might have been done in the name of leaving the floor clear but it also put the lever exactly where it should be – level with and less than a hand span away from the steering wheel. How many people, I wonder, will zip along in their FR-Vs revelling in the crisp performance as they keep the revs up? Alas, anyone who does will find a fly in the ointment – the engine does seem slow to respond to a closed throttle. Come off the accelerator to change gear and the revs will not fall away as quickly as you would hope.

Two final things should be said in praise of the engine. One is that it is a quiet companion unless you are wringing it out. As my long suffering passenger observed, you are aware that there is an engine running somewhere but it never intrudes. The other thing is the engine bay. Many people complain that modern engine bays are just acres of plastic trying to look like an engine. That is not how things are in the FR-V; you can see the engine and all the major components. As far as I can tell anything you might need to access (to check fluid levels, for example) is easily accessed. It is a joy to see an engine so honestly presented. Of course being a Honda you’ll never actually have to repair it but you could if you had to.

Returning to the subject of enthusiastic driving, the FR-V handles better than expected. The steering, I thought, felt a little odd with slightly inconsistent weight you could never be quite sure if the neat, leather-wrapped steering wheel was going to be light or heavy to the touch. Weighting aside the steering was accurate and responsive and the handling almost never gave cause for concern. Almost because I did manage to provoke a twitching lurch from the rear – but it had to be provoked and most drivers won’t be so silly. Other than that you couldn’t fault it, remarkable given the sheer height of the thing and even more so when you consider that it rode comfortably too.

Something should be said about the in car entertainment. I was initially critical of the sound it made but careful adjustment of bass and treble sorted that. The radio seemed reluctant to find any stations unless manually tuned to the correct frequency but that might be operator error. When I loaded 2 CDs into the in-dash player I could listen to the second all day but nothing would persuade it to give me CD1 without first ejecting the other disk. Finally, as a listening environment the FR-V leaves something to be desired. At speed there is a lot of white noise, a combination of road and wind roar – it isn’t especially loud but it will drown out softer pieces of Bach and Beethoven. The Scissor Sisters, however, come through loud and clear.

I found the leather seats quite comfortable but I would have preferred slightly more under-thigh support. I did wonder if the seats had been made slightly shorter than ideal to make the legroom seem more generous. That said, I did a couple of long journeys without aches and pains and I also did plenty of enthusiastic driving without fearing that I’d slide right out of the seat.

Somehow I knew I wouldn’t dislike the FR-V but I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Designing a successful small MPV can’t be an easy job but Honda has certainly succeeded. If you want something as compact as a Civic but with more space and greater versatility the FR-V could be just what you need.

More thoughts on the Honda FR-V

Took a friend out in the FR-V today as I was interested to see how it would rate from a passenger’s perspective. His first observation was of a lack of legroom, not good from someone of no more than average height. Three people in the front seats would be very cosy, he suggested. Other irritations included a mystery draught at neck level and noise coming from the roller-blind cover over the luggage boot.

The lively performance and mechanical refinement were well received. Also praised were the build quality and the tasteful interior trim.

I’ve got a long journey in the Honda tomorrow; it will be interesting to see what that brings to light. There is also the matter of trying to take some more photographs – that was going to be a job for today but the weather was against me.

What's outside today?

I've got this Honda FR-V 1.8 iVTEC on loan this week. Initial impressions are favourable; it is comfortable, easy to drive and reasonably quick. Getting used to the width of it has taken a bit of time - the FR-V isn't actually that wide but it feels wide because it seats 3 across in the front and back.

Evolutionary thinking

About the most difficult question I was asked by a friend after the SMMT test day was what my favourite car of the day had been. How on earth could I choose between the varied delights of the Jaguar XK8 and the Fiat 500? Something coarse but entertaining, like the Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring or civilised and satisfying like the Audi A4 3.2FSI SE.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SST was the only car that could stand a chance of being the best at almost everything and so, by default, the Evo had to be my favourite. Don’t, however, think that I was less than keen on it. In fact I enjoyed the Evo intensely – so much more, in fact, because it was more civilised than I expected. The twin-clutch sequential transmission must have helped; how could a dreaded “flappy paddle” gearbox shuffle forward and back at parking speed with such suavity?

Never mind parking, this is a car for whizzing, charging, zipping and dashing. How beautifully it danced on Millbrook’s hill route, up and down hills, around ever tighter corners. The transmission worked well as an automatic but was pure bliss when changing gear manually. With the gear changes at the second fastest setting (I never tried the fastest) the response to the paddles felt instant. The only complaint I had was that second gear could have been higher as dropping down from 3rd gear always seemed to have the engine screaming its head off.



It was the engine and transmission that dominated the experience. The steering and brakes must have been fine, the ergonomics acceptable. I do remember that the driver’s seat was good. I certainly can’t think of anything that was wrong with it.

Before I drove the Mitsubishi Evo I wondered what the appeal might be. Surely sticking a powerful engine in a family saloon was a mistake, diverting it from the proper purpose of being sensible family transport. In fact the way it goes is positively addictive, I just want another go, I need to feel that gear change again and the G-forces as the Evo charges round another corner. And maybe I need to try the manual version too for good measure.