Ken from Suffolk

[ken]

Hi Guys,

I will introduce myself as requested!

I'm very old and my first ride was at the age of 15 on a Sunbeam S7, on military roads so not quite as illegal as it sounds, possibly. In 1963 one could ride a moped at 16 and my first bike was a Cyclemaster, a bicycle with a 32cc motor in the back wheel. At 17 I aquired my first scooter, an NSU Prima it had 150cc of two stroke power, a foot operated 'rocker' gear change and very unreliable engine electrics. I fell off it frequently. Since then I have owned and ridden many motorcycles including my current ride, a K7 Burgman AN400 bought new in 2007, which now has about 20,000 miles on the clock.

The K7 is the best bike I have ever owned. Before going back to scooters in 2006 (Sym Joyride followed by a Piaggio X9 250 both bought new) I was using a Suzuki SV650S, a lovely bike for short rides but my son reclaimed it from me so I needed something to ride to work and I had bought a 19' motorhome, which wasn't very practical for commuting. I suggested a 50cc scooter but my wife insisted I should have a 125 at least as "I wouldn't be satisfied with 50ccs for long". She was right and the 125 didn't last long either. Then the local dealer aquired a couple of discounted new AN400s.

The K7 is supreme as a practical everyday ride. It is comfortable in all weathers, so on a wet day on a dual carrigeway I have found myself overtaking a struggling Hayabusa. I holds an unrivalled amount of luggage, a 25 Kgm bag of sheep nuts went under the saddle with enough space left over for a shoulder bag. It is economical, cruising at 70 mph (indicated) on motorways returns about 70 mpg dependant on the weather. I know of a few dedicated motorcyclists who have 'downsized' to a Burgman and several have said they envy my scooter when the weather is bad.

I have had very few problems, the dreaded clutch squeal is avoided by holding the brakes on and running the engine upto 5,000 rpm momentarily before each ride and I have have a replacement seat gas strut on order from eBay as I write. The other problem is that it is so damb good I can't find any excuse to chnage it. I've tried the 650, very nice but not nice enough to justify the downsides of costs, less space and more fuel and weight. So I'll remain a happy owner for now.

Ken

[Phil]

Hi Ken, welcome to the forum, lovely part of the Country you come from, Phil

[ken]

Sorry about the errors in my first post, I was 'summoned' away and had to post before proof reading it!

Ken

[ken]

Thanks Phil, yes Suffolk is great. We moved here 'temporarily' in 1970, when house prices were affordable.

Ken

[StevenM]

Hello and welcome aboard

[Black Wing]

Hi Ken,

Welcome!

I am 53 so I had better be known as Young Ken from Chichester!

[Raven]

Hi ken welcome to

Raven

[VOZZA]

Hi Ken and welcome.

[ken]

Thanks all, old Ken sounds about right!

Ken

[anonstarter]

Hi Ken and welcome!