2025

[Zema Bus]

The explosion of fireworks outside lets me know I've crossed the threshold into the year of doom

[Grogan]

Yes, my thoughts have been dark tonight as well. I wish I could wish you a happy new year.

[Dark Angel]

I wish us all a happy new year ... but I'm not holding my breath

[Grogan]

Yeah, Happy New Year. I should try not to be so miserable and negative

[Dark Angel]

Well, starting off the new year with a "well that's a pleasant surprise", I accidentally bought another motorcycle. Not new, an old one in fact, but very recently updated and overhauled by someone I trust. The owner posted in on of my bike groups that they were selling and what they had originally asked for it. I said I'd love it but no way did I have the money. He asked me to make an offer so I did, the contents of my savings account ($2k) which was less than half what he originally wanted. He took it AND will be personally delivering it 250km to my house this week! He's downsizing his collection and selling several bikes for what they owe him rather than what they're technically worth, and it's a model that I've been sweet on for a very long time.

472721293_9101191533234965_6265126312377188068_n.jpg (643.51 KiB) Viewed 68278 times

[Zema Bus]

Nice! Looks like lots of potential places for mounting a GoPro

[Dark Angel]

I'm still deciding on how to register it yet, then there will be the learning period as it's not a trivial engine in these things. I could go with historic/club registration which costs a lot less but restricts how much I can use it, or open rego which is of course unrestricted but costs a lot more. It takes time to bet to know each other with any new bike.
For reference, this thing makes as much torque as a 1340cc Harley and double the horsepower, but with none of the vibration or hairy men in arseless chaps crowding around.

[Grogan]

I've never accidentally bought a motorcycle before

I don't understand about the registration, and the restrictions. If you register it as a historic vehicle, you have usage restrictions on it?

[Dark Angel]

Yes. Normal registration requires me to get the vehicle inspected every year (basic safety inspection for a nominal fee, called a "pink slip"), pay the registration fee, and pay for third party personal insurance (covers injuries, not property, called a "green slip"). That's the minimum legal requirement. That would cost me about $600AUD. Comprehensive insurance (property damage, theft etc) is extra but won't be that much for this machine.
Historic registration has additional requirements. The bike has to be over 30 years old and in basically original condition (no out of era modifications, with reasonable consideration given when parts simply aren't available due to age), and has restrictions on how often you can use it. You have to be a member of a registered historic vehicle club to get this (I already am) and the bike has to be certified as compliant by the club registrar (who I know). I can use the bike to attend any number of gazetted club rides and events (have to be able to prove this if pulled over, a recent club magazine is sufficient) and keep a log book detailing maintenance rides as well as up to sixty days to miscellaneous rides that I just have to log. That's more than one a week. It does mean I can't use it for commuting to work or I'll burn through those ride days pretty fast. The payoff though is that the registration and Compulsory Third Party (green slip) for Historic rego comes to a hundred bucks total. Club rego cannot be transferred to a new owner if I sell the bike. Regular rego can.
I'm free to choose either sort of registration.

[Grogan]

Thanks for the explanation. I'd never heard of anything like that.

Sounds like a great deal you got on that bike

[Dark Angel]

I think so.

The Historic registration scheme was brought in to cater to people who have older vehicles that don't get used for things like shopping or commuting so they don't cost nearly as much to keep on the road compared to a daily driver/rider. I am prone to occasionally pissing off for a ride mid-week so I'll have to weigh up the differences to see which works out better for me.

[Zema Bus]

We have something similar here, any vehicle 1975 and older is eligible. For a pickup truck it is a difference of $35 registration vs $300 - $400 (pickups are classified as commercial vehicles so subject to weight fees). Historic plates also come with a long list of restrictions here.

[Dark Angel]

I'm getting inclined to go the Historic route since it's a big cost difference and realistically I don't ride a huge amount any more so the 60 days for personal rides shouldn't be a problem. My wife keeps telling me I can keep my other bike, a 650 V-Strom, which has full rego and is in a cheaper registration class. They're graduated here based on engine size. Under 250cc are the cheapest, 250cc to 660cc are the best value, the class the 1100 is in is next, then a couple more. The Triumph Rocket 3 is a 2300cc to 2500cc depending on year model and really fucking expensive. The CTP gets more expensive as well since you're more likely to have a passenger on a bigger bike and that's who makes the most claims against the rider's CTP if they're injured. In other states (our registration and licencing is done on a state basis) you can register the bike as a "solo", remove the passenger foot pegs and fit a cowl over the seat if available, and get cheaper rego since the passenger risk is reduced.

[Grogan]

I'm looking it up... Canada has historic vehicle registrations too, but it varies by province. There's regular registration which is $60 to $120'ish depending on where you live (populated areas). You can register normally for whatever that is, or historically, for example, like $18. In Ontario we don't even pay vehicle registrations anymore, they are just automatically renewed if there are no outstanding fines or fees. That "at least 30 years old and not substantially changed" seems to be a common rule of thumb. The operating conditions vary by province. Some say "pleasure use only" and some say "can be driven on highways for exhibition purposes, repair and testing".

In Canada it seems you'd be better off registering it normally as fees aren't that high (except for Manitoba it seems... $1600 reg. v.s. $400 hist). Insurance is mandatory (at least third person liability) and might cost $500'ish a year for just that but most people would have more coverage. For example I probably pay about $1200 a year for a commercial vehicle (I have commercial insurance because I might do gigs) with full coverage. I get mine billed monthly (and pay a little more for it) but it's less painful that way. I've made use of my insurance a few times. I hit a deer with my previous vehicle (Ford 500... I really miss it) and wrecked it and got $7700 for it. My current vehicle has "bioplastic" fuel lines and it got chewed by squirrels twice. As soon as you start the car... gasoline sprayed everywhere, including the ventilation system. The fuel line itself is $500 and the cleanup (replacement of stuff like dampening foam that's gasoline soaked) about $1500. I've had the fuel line wrapped in steel braiding since then.

As for bikes, I've never had one. I've only ridden one a few times, when people have let me have a go. (I'm not comfortable with it and would drive it like a granny lol)

[Dark Angel]

The historic rego here also lets me have really cheap personal injury insurance, what I've called 'CTP' earlier. Instead of around $500 it's down to $50 on the basis that I won't be riding remotely as often and thus a far lower risk.

I don't think I've had any of my bikes over about 190. I've been on the back of one doing 260-270 though.

[Grogan]

I hope you enjoy your new bike (and keep your limbs intact). It's summer there right now, eh? We're just heading into the depths of winter. We've had warm reprieves, but mid Jan through February is winter for real.

[Dark Angel]

Yep, summer here. Already had days in the high 30s and there will certainly be some coming up by mid Fed in the mid 40s. Not fun anywhere in that heat.

I'm not typically a fast rider, I leave that for others. If I'm going to open the bike up I am very careful to pick my place and time.

[Grogan]

I am a creature of air conditioned basements in the summer. 10 to 15C are optimal outdoor temperatures for me. It's -6C right now and I have a window open. Soon I won't be able to open it, once there has been enough snow accumulation there. It's a basement window and it's one of those outward opening Pella windows. My computers heat this room up more than I like. (I also have the heating duct blocked off in this room, but that doesn't block all the heat from the furnace... plenum etc.)

Even legal highway speed feels fast on a bike, to me

[Dark Angel]

I have to watch myself after about 45 minutes when riding. My speed perception adjusts and I start to not notice when I'm going faster than the limits. The BMWs have been the worst for this as they're just so comfortable at speed.

[Grogan]

Ahh yes, "the feeling of non-motion". That was something they warned us about in "driver's education" (which I took, because if you did in the city I was in, passing your driving test was a slam dunk even if you made small mistakes) in the sense that you'll tend to start driving faster than you think if not watching the speedometer.

It's also a bit disorienting when you get used to the motion, on a long car ride. It feels weird when you stop, especially if you get out of the car right away.

[Zema Bus]

That's something I'll be experiencing soon, the weird feeling after a long drive, about 6 hours and 365 miles

[Grogan]

I haven't done a drive like that in a long time. The furthest I go is to see my sister and family about 30 minutes away nowadays. Other than that, a few miles to get supplies once or twice a week. I stay in my own little world

[Dark Angel]

My eldest son lives five hours drive away, and my sister and other family are over 8 hours away. The route we take to get there is a LOT of high speed motorway. By the time we get there I have to make sure my leg hasn't gone to sleep so I don't just fall flat when I stop.
Yes, I have done that once. Right in front of the local post office in the middle of town.

[Grogan]

Nice way to sprain an ankle when you don't have muscle control like that too. I did that once, my lower leg was asleep and my ankle went right sideways when I put weight on it.

[Dark Angel]

The boots I wear are good for that kind of protection, but in that instance my leg simply didn't move. It was numb but I hadn't noticed or I'd have been moving it around earlier.