[cruizin]

G'day all,

I have been fortunate enough to be asked to be moderator on this forum and have accepted the duty with open arms.

my riding experience started when i was just 7 years old on my granddad’s farm on a 50cc 3 speed honda dirt bike and was hooked from then on.

i rode an assortment of dirt bikes over the years on/off when not doing other things in life like playing computer games, writing programs, bashing with r/c trucks/buggies, racing cars at speedway ( started with 1978 1600 cc toyota celica and moved to a 2 litre nissan bluebird later), ran my own IT business for 5 years, worked in the IT industry over 20 years.

I started riding road bikes in about 1996 with a Honda CBR250RR i had custom painted in Winfield Racing colours

i kept that bike for 4 years and did a few mods along the way. Added a Ventura rack and fitted an Omrae slipon and modified the air box for more air and rejetted the carbs as well as add a speed de-restrictor to it.with all these mods the bike would do about 220-230 kmph.very impressive for the 250cc engine and how light it was. the scream from the inline 4 was addictive. i learnt how to scrape pegs on this bike.awesome bike.

i then moved to a 2000 model honda vfr800 i went nuts modifying it and spend many thousands in the process and kept it for many years as well

some of the things i added to the bike was

Polished/Flamed Triple Clamp, Polished/Flamed Cush Drive, Polished/Flamed Swingarm, Polished/Flamed Forks, Polished/Flamed Rear Wheel, Polished Fairing Bolts, Polished Front Axel and Bolt, Polished Fork Tube Pinch Bolts, Polished Cush Drive Nut, Polished Fork Caps, Polished Brake Levers, Polished Gear Lever, Polished Clutch Lever, Polished Front Wheel, 15 carat gold plate nuts on rear wheel, Electronic Cruise Control, Power Commander II, Corbin Gunfighter Saddle, Scottolier, Custom Licence plate holder, Custom Rego holder, SheepSkin Seat cover, Power Bronze Front screen, Ventura Rack, K&N Air Cleaner, Two Brothers brake/clutch master cyclinder covers, Omrae Carbon High Exhaust, Carbon Triple clamp cover, Carbon Tank Pad, Carbon Petrol Cap cover, Ventura Headlight cover, Foam Grips, Under Seat power socket,

i then circumnavigated Australia on it in 2002 and covered 17,922 kilometres in 9 weeks and i would do it again in a heart beat.the most amazing holiday i have had in my life.
a link to the interent archive of some of my old web site i have with info about the trip

http://web.archive.org/web/20040218...ound_oz_trip_2002/great_round_aussie_trip.htm

i did later update the web site and put in distances travelled, total fuel used and more info

I also owned a BMW1200RS at the same time as the VFR800

The k1200RS was the first bike i owned with ABS and it was sensational.The paralever/telelever suspension on the RS taught me what motorcycle suspension should be like.the suspension was nothing short of incredible, loved it.

After owning these bike for some years, i traded them both for a K1200LTSE that i had for many years as well and did some great ride on it, was a great bike to ride

The LT on the highway was absolutely in its element, fantastic bike. Wasnt too bad round town either i might add.

I sold it and eventually picked up my current ride, a 1991 Suzuki GSX250F across

I have cleaned it up a bit since this photo and repaired many small faults with it and had fun riding it too.
But alas all god things must come to an end, and im awaiting my Ninja 300 i ordered about 4 weeks ago to arrive with plenty of mods i have ordered with it.

Im looking forward to the challenge of being a mod on this forum and i think its the least i can do to help out around the place as i think this is a great forum and i will be keeping my bike for many years to come.

Cheers

 

[RedRaiderX]

Congratulations on the moderator status. Also I love that cbr 250rr. I wish Honda still used that inline 4 vs. the new single cylinder they use now.

 

[veksdeath]

Cool.

 

[Rick]

WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN HULKAMANIA RUNS OVERRRR YOUUUUUU BROTHERRRRRRR?!?!?!

and yes hogan really refers to everyone as "brotherrrrr". i've met the guy numerous times in real life...

 

[GenPatton]

Gotta love that classic VFR swingarm! Was my favorite thing on my CBR900RR

 

[agent86]

grats cruizin!

 

[ghost3772]

Gratz man! glad to have ya!

 

[cruizin]

Thanks guys, appreciate the support

GenPatton yes mate the VFR800 swingarm is very adaptable to other Honda's be it the VTR1000 and CBR.from memory the vfr800 swingarm only needed a small spacer no bigger then about 30mm is size to fit the vtr1000 and i think about the same for the cbr as well.

i wish everyone went nuts and put swingarms on their bikes when they were built that were single sided, i absolutely love the looks of a SSW. they are usually a little heavier then a double sided one, but honestly who cares when the look so sexy.

also very easy to maintain. undo just one pinch bolt and do your chain adjustment and retorque, cant get any easier then that for a chain

also if you have a look at the bottom of the vfr800 swingarm on the bottom of it near the cush drive, you will see a hole that is big enough to run our brake lines thru it for a stealth install...

mmmmm... cant get much more sexy looking then that

 

[Woomba]

Enjoyed reading the past bike history

 

[cruizin]

Awesome, good to hear. I have most definitely enjoyed pouring bucket loads of money in to motorcycles over the years. i enjoy travelling and this let me do it inexpensively and i like meeting the many and varied people who ride as well. i have found that riding is a universal language amongst men & women and can sometimes open doors that weren’t open before so to speak

 

[jeff]

I sold it and eventually picked up my current ride, a 1991 Suzuki GSX250F across

I also used to own one of these and have to say was one of the most fun rides I have ever had on a 250 bike. These things used to sound great screaming at 16 grand.......4 cylinder, twin cam, 16 valve what a weapon that little engine was....... And that glovebox where your tank normally is was the best feature on a bike I had ever seen. And with a little light in it and all. Would def love to have a glovebox now thats for sure.

And I am pretty sure stock these bikes had around 45HP too so wouldnt that still make them one of the most powerful in their class? More HP than the 300...... just sayin..........

 

[cruizin]

yep the 1990-1991 models had 45HP after that class restrictions were imposed and limited to 40 HP with a bike that weighs 170 kilogram(mine was a 1991).the twin cam engine in the Across was very strong and the sound at between 10000 and 16000 was sensational. The "man bag" where the tank should be was a great feature, i could fit in 2 loaves of bread and 2 x 3 litre bottles of milk on a run to the shops.

the tires on it are the same size as the 300 as well, but the 12 litre tank was a touch small, i could get about 230 kays max out of a tank of juice

 

[jeff]

i could get about 230 kays max out of a tank of juice

But it was the quality of those 230 kays.......

 

[Captain]

Have you laid the 300 down? That's a requirement to be a moderator...


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[cruizin]

Have you laid the 300 down? That's a requirement to be a moderator... http://www.motorcycle.com/mobile

lol, nope, no intention to either. i can stand up on both feet and have at least 6 inches of clearance between my butt and the seat, i have plenty of control on the bike.

theres a few secrets to not dropping the bike.

1. before stopping somewhere, have a quick look and access the ground your about to stop on, is it gravel or oil road?can you park somewhere else?? stuff like that

2. dont look down to flick out side stand. goto a flat clean area away from everyone else and practice putting sidestand down with foot without looking at it.you look at it, theres a good chance you will drop the bike to the left.

3. anther great way to drop the bike is with a pillion on board.tell the pillion to act like a statue on the back and *ONLY* get on /off the bike when the *RIDER SAYS SO*, and tell them to get on and off from the left side only, keeps them away from the exhaust.
this gives you a chance to brace yourself and the bike.

4. try and keep alert when stopping at traffic lights after a long day and dont ride when tired. nothing more embarrassing then stopping at lights and forgetting to put your feet down (been there done that..... ok, stop laughing now) or being so tired you cant hold the bike up when stopped.very dangerous to you and other people using the road.

hope this helps

 

[Captain]

I was just making a sarcastic joke and now I get a lecture. Geeees.

No wonder you're a mod. Hahaha jk.

It's good advice for sure. First thing I did (also taught in the msf) is to practice finding all your controls while looking forward. Kickstand. Engine kill. Blinkers. Yada yada. Definitely a must for anyone.


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[cruizin]

It's good advice for sure. First thing I did (also taught in the msf) is to practice finding all your controls while looking forward. Kickstand. Engine kill. Blinkers. Yada yada. Definitely a must for anyone. http://www.motorcycle.com/mobile

best way to practice this, is blind folded. laugh at me if you wish.but the less time you have to concentrate finding your control/switch gear and more time concentrating on other things the better.