I passed my motorcycle course and upgraded to an unrestricted license!

Dave Polaschek (he/him)

@dHeinemann Agreed 100%. A neighbor has asked me to go riding off-road multiple times, but even knowing that I didn’t know my way around, he kept riding fast enough that I couldn’t figure out landmarks and speeding away leaving me lost. He always came back, but I haven’t gone riding with him again after that first time.

“Our riding styles are too different.”

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@davepolaschek Yeah, I don't join group street rides for that reason. I always end up at the back of the pack as everyone else speeds ahead.

Luckily, my adventure riding group is reasonable.

thefathippy

@dHeinemann

Huzzah! Congratulations!

TBH, I'm rather surprised you had to do the test on a bike you're not legally allowed to ride before passing the test. I wonder if that's the same in other states. Not in my day, but I can't remember what my son did in *his* day (also many years ago).

And surely a Honda4 has a light clutch - or is faulty... Light clutches were one of their selling points!

Pistonblown

@dHeinemann
Even if that guy passed, knowing the Aussie cops attitude to speeding I suspect he'll not keep that license long:-)

Congrats on passing and looking forward to seeing the photos of the new bike.

SeaFury 🦜🍉

@dHeinemann WOOHOO! Nice! I don’t have to do anymore tests after my Ps, I’ll automatically be upgraded to a full license. So weird that there are so many different ways to get licensed in one country….

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@thefathippy

I definitely expected lighter clutch from a Honda. I've sat on a lot of them at the dealership now, and they were never as heavy as this. Felt more like a big twin Harley-Davidson clutch. So did the shifter, actually - stiff and clunky.

It was an older bike, with a digital speedo, analogue tach, and no gear indicator. Lots of wear and tear. Perhaps it doesn't get serviced often.

I'll see if I can figure out what year model it was.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@thefathippy Yeah, having to use an unrestricted bike was annoying. If I could have used my CRF300 Rally instead, the course a total breeze.

On the other hand, it was an opportunity to ride an I4 for the first time. I loved how smooth and torquey the engine was. Power delivery was extremely linear. If I were to guess, I'd say it must've been around 60-70 HP? Would've been a pleasure to ride if not for the clutch and ergonomics.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@thefathippy OK, it would've been a Honda CB600F, circa 2008. Here's an example:

bikesales.com.au

(www.bikesales.com.au)

Looks like it's 102 HP. Didn't feel as powerful as I expected 100 HP to be, but since it was really torquey, I didn't rev it very high. I was probably outside the power band.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@pistonblown Yeah, doing 300 km/hr on any road here is probably grounds for having your vehicle permanently confiscated. It's probably in this guy's best interest if he's serious about going that fast on public roads.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@SeaFury Yeah, I'd have thought the rules here in Australia would be standardised more across the country.

At least most states have the LAMS bike scheme. It made it really easy to find suitable beginner-friendly bikes. ️

commonst

@dHeinemann also, not dying is good.

Pistonblown

@dHeinemann
Half that would be an instant 28 day ban just as a starting point here. Yep his bike would be going to the crusher.

Funny thing was that he obviously thought he was the bees knees and everybody else just through he a total Munter.

thefathippy

@dHeinemann

I remember riding my mate's CB1100 Bol d'or (rolladoor). It went ok, but not as fast as I expected, at least not until I dropped it down 2 gears, got it revving, then it took off. Handling was scary though. Suspension was crap in the 80s/90s.

My memory was a very light clutch, but I was used to a very heavy Ducati setup.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@commonst Agreed. Can't ride when you're dead!

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@pistonblown I certainly wasn't impressed, but who knows. The other participants were in their 20s like him. I was never very reckless, but I'm glad I didn't get my license until my 30s, when I had more maturity.

Must be tough to be a trainer and have participants like that though. I guess you have to pass them if they demonstrate competency, but that attitude makes me worry it's only a matter of time before he gets in a wreck.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@thefathippy I'm glad 100 HP bikes can be this tame at low RPMs. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about jumping on a bike with 4× the power of my Honda CRF300 Rally, but it was fine.

I'm still super impressed with the torque. It didn't struggle at any point, and seemed happy in any gear and RPM I used. I think I mostly had it between 3,000 and 5,000 RPM, but it's hard to remember now. That almost sounds too low in hindsight. My Rally struggles below 4,000 RPM.

Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

@thefathippy "Bol d'or" reminds me of Lord of the Rings. I don't know how it's pronounced, but in my head it sounds similar to Dol Guldur.

Now I wonder what kind of motorcycle Sauron would ride.