Purchase of the year thread

[muttley1]

Hi,
enough with the "what do you want for Xmas" stuff, what's the best bike related purchase you've lashed out for this year?

Mine is a Lidl open face lid, £15. Perfect for round town on the bike, fits fine and the vents work well. Not the thing for a blast down the motorway but for low speed use it offers more visibility, is cooler and looks ok too. Pic here : https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://2img.net/h/i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/bronskimac/2013.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dundeebikers.com/index.php/topic/36104-my-new-lid-titter-ye-not/&h=875&w=1024&tbnid=s2JSSFhw5QRdXM:&docid=9eo8FjTS_p4CsM&ei=1GppVoXdJIrkUsibjaAP&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwiFl-rSoNHJAhUKshQKHchNA_QQMwhYKDEwMQ

muttley1

[biglee]

hi all my best bike related prchase this year so far a pair of worrier adustable paddock stands fits mlti bikes for 33 quid all in

[ashcroc]

Think I'd have to go for my full Remus innovation stainless exhaust. Even though the baffle isn't removable the bike roars now & it was a bargin at £150 2nd hand.

[eternally_troubled]

Hi,
enough with the "what do you want for Xmas" stuff, what's the best bike related purchase you've lashed out for this year?

Mine is a Lidl open face lid, £15. Perfect for round town on the bike, fits fine and the vents work well. Not the thing for a blast down the motorway but for low speed use it offers more visibility, is cooler and looks ok too. Pic here : https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://2img.net/h/i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/bronskimac/2013.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dundeebikers.com/index.php/topic/36104-my-new-lid-titter-ye-not/&h=875&w=1024&tbnid=s2JSSFhw5QRdXM:&docid=9eo8FjTS_p4CsM&ei=1GppVoXdJIrkUsibjaAP&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwiFl-rSoNHJAhUKshQKHchNA_QQMwhYKDEwMQ

muttley1

Not bad for 20 quid. I *was* thinking of getting something similar for occasional summer use.

I was then slightly put off by an slow-speed accident my wife had on her YBR125 - she wasn't going more than about 20 mph and took a slide on a roundabout, the bike slid out from under her and she skidded along the tarmac. She was fine (give or take a bruise or two) but her helmet was f*cked - the chin bar on it had taken the full force of the impact and saved her face from injury.

I'm not trying to put you off (I wanted one too!) but you are right about 'not for motorway use'...

Anyway, my best buy of the year was a slightly dented FUEL can I got off a member of this forum - I really didn't want to lash out on a new one and it sounds great.

[ashcroc]

Anyway, my best buy of the year was a slightly dented FUEL can I got off a member of this forum - I really didn't want to lash out on a new one and it sounds great.

As I recall you just beat me to getting that battle scarred can back

Something like this should leave it looking good as new if it bothers you.

[geewhizz]

go to be my new and unused custom made stainless steel down pipes for £40 - yet to be fitted so the proof is out ther but they look top

[eternally_troubled]

<snip>Anyway, my best buy of the year was a slightly dented FUEL can I got off a member of this forum - I really didn't want to lash out on a new one and it sounds great.

As I recall you just beat me to getting that battle scarred can back :x

Something like this should leave it looking good as new if it bothers you.

Yes, that might make it look better, but if you'd seen the rest of my bike close up then you would realise that your slightly scratched and slightly dented can shows up the rest of my bike for the heap-o-shit that it really is :)

[trevor machine]

The £450 I spent on getting my original 500 back on the road after stacking it back in autumn of 2014. It took a year to get it done but it looks brand new now.

[Jameshambleton]

Mine's the £337 that I spent getting my A2 licence.

[skyrider]

and mine is the red cb5 itself  it finally arrived today so over Christmas it will be something to play with in the man cave replacing the centre stand etc

[ashcroc]

I think we have a winner

How's it look in the flesh?

[skyrider]

not too bad it has a few scratches but I think I will be able to bring it round plus it came with the original silencer and handle bars and a lot of old mot's  and hand book so overall well pleased

[louis_sutton]

Mine's a cx500 I accidentally bought on eBay... Winter project sorted (for about the next decade I reckon)

[ratatooie]

Mine's a cx500 I accidentally bought on eBay... Winter project sorted (for about the next decade I reckon)

Ahahah! Maybe I should try accidentally buying another project on ebay too. I think the missus would exterminate me though...

I almost had a CX500 actually. One of my biggest regrets not getting that bike. They chap wanted £700 and it was essentially a nuts and bolts rebuild!

[trevor machine]

Okay cheating alert now, but I've started so I'll finish - but best bike related purchase was my klx250, which iirc had just over 2k on it and cost me 2.2k. It was in excellent very clean one owner nick having  been only used abroad in portugal. The thing is though that despite an egregiously bad MCN review, this bike is perfect for green laning. It replaced my much loved CRM250 that got stolen from my garage back in easter this year, and although it doesn't have the 2t excitement and general character of that bike, the klx feels almost as capable. Its geometry, dimensions and weight are very similar so it feels very familiar and I would almost say the suspension of the kwakker is superior (although that will probably be down to freshness and age).

I just want to point out how misleading the MCN review is, for whilst the CRF250L gets a lot of praise for all kinds of things, the KLX is essentially the same bike in many key respects. Except its a chunk lighter (always a bonus, but especially for trail riding, where you're going to be picking it up and trying to man handle it out of axle-deep gloop), and a grand or more cheaper on the used market. So quite why it consistently fails to garner the plaudits of the Honda is baffling. I honestly put it down to the big H's marketing department and fuck all else. Anyway, I'll shut up now - after quickly saying that I've had more fun riding off road (down local trails and at a nearby abandoned quarry) in four months than in 12 months on road. To anyone here at the cb500 club who's curious about off-roading and who has decent access to green lanes and BOATs, etc., I can thoroughly recommend it. It's consistently challenging and for some unknown reason never fails to deliver more smiles per mile.

[wornsprokets]

I use to have a honda xlr 250 baja grey jap import.it was great on road ,and wasnt bad off road either. Simular to klx. Off road riding wil only improve your road riding. Thats why nearly alll tt riders and racers have off road bikes.

[wornsprokets]

My purchase of the year is my 1997 cb 500 i bought in march for 750 euro i bought it as a commuter bike to work.it been great bike and more than an oul winter hack to disgard in summer for my fireblade..that little bike got me back to commuting again by bike after over 10yrs. Its more than sum of its parts.

[skyrider]

I use to have a honda xlr 250 baja grey jap import.it was great on road ,and wasnt bad off road either. Simular to klx. Off road riding wil only improve your road riding. Thats why nearly alll tt riders and racers have off road bikes.

I always keep my yam 225 serow in the man cave for when anything goes pear shaped

[Beresford]

Got fed up blunting drill bits, so bought a cheapy

super value at under £30 at Screwfix.

[skyrider]

that's a handy looking tool

[wornsprokets]

Good purchase beresford so handy unlimited uses .my dad has an old one , one does grinding other does polishing

[stormbringer]

No 'Purchase of the year 2015' for me.

Don't take this as a negative. It isn't.

I've got all I want for my CB; The bike itself - in good nick. Fuel can. Not much to say. I'm happy.

Which is actually a grrrreat thing; I mean - other poor sods have to go buy all kinds of bolt-on accessories to make their otherwise boring bikes more interesting. I've got it all; my CB. Basic, dependable, fun.

Most of all, dependable. I cherish the fact that I can rely on it to take me anywhere - right here and right now. Always. It's me who's the weakest link... Wrong clothing, tired, whatever. The CB just soldiers on...

[stormbringer]

Got fed up blunting drill bits
...
super value at under £30 at Screwfix.

I hear you.

Got one similar - yet somewhat smaller - in my shed. Sharpening axes, de-grating bolts (I carry *one* standard length, which is cut to length when needed), screwdrivers and other tools becomes a breeze.
One thing more useful is a compressor - just a hobby 25 liter 8bar model - it's awfully useful! Not just for inflating tires, but for de-crapifying stuff. All the turpentine in the world won't do the job of an airgun powered by a hobby compressor. Then, add a brush with turpentine to the airgun treatment...

[skyrider]

I like your style stormbringer

[ANDYC]

Mine has to be the fireblade rear wheel for my track bike project at £1.20 from fleabay

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