Pondering a New Bike whilst riding an MRT125 SM.

A ride home from Crawley, West Sussex, UK through the Kent and Sussex countryside while I deliberate on whether to buy a new motorbike or not…

[Applause] [Applause] so that was P it’s pretty good motorbike shop actually anything thing is the um second hand one that I wanted to see wasn’t there H never mind we get a new one though for 74 something tempting have to chat with the misses H nice I tell you what it’s food for

Four I’m getting very very tempted at the moment didn’t want to finance a bike but I’m thinking by the time I’ve done everything else that I want to do and finance this bike I won’t want to bike anymore so I’m thinking get a % credit card

Deal this is how it always starts % credit card deal cuz all the loans at the M are like 12% ridiculous I didn’t really want to loan either if I’m honest um but yeah and then basically do a load of willings Flyers at work cuz I can sell days off

But to the company and get that paid off fairly quickly and I put a rocket on me wouldn’t it to do it so I don’t know I don’t know thought I was going to do it I had my credit cards and everything in my pocket ready to do

That today when I got there I just but m not sure not sure not sure time to be a bit sensible maybe or maybe not we’ll see I’m going to go home my old commuting route let’s do that on a motorbike that’ be nice yeah let’s do

That I need to sit on one of those mc7 here I think cuz just don’t want to get it if it’s tiny didn’t look tiny smcr actually they had one of those in there they had um six KTM smcr 690 which is on the short list as well or be it was 8

8,200 and it was used orbe it did have an exhaust on it I don’t know how good that exhaust is but it had an exhaust on it and um yeah it didn’t look ridiculously big look quite nice I saw a standard one with standard exhaust on it exhaust was

Ugly so I think you need an aftermarket one but yeah 82 we reg brand new on for $ 7999 I’m sure there’s a catch with that though I don’t know what the deal is with that cuz that is not anywhere near recommended retail price I just think there might be a problem with

That but he had there the um Suzuki GSX 8s I think that’s right something like that anyway a new one that was nice that was lovely that could be really nice and they had the white one which on the when you see it on the paper it doesn’t look that good but in

The flesh that was really nice um he had one those for 72 that’s not stupidly expensive uh I think it had done about 400 Mi so it was kind of second hand that’s the problem in it if you get if you buy one off someone who’s given it

Back after a few hundred miles you don’t know how they’ve ridden it so he might be getting something that’s been abused in its very early life which ain’t going to do it any favors really is it so makes you wonder where you want to just go for a new

One oh well let’s not worry about it it’s um there money I could do without spending but I do want the experience and it be quite nice to I don’t know I’m enjoying this you know I don’t know I don’t know I suppose if I don’t know and

It doesn’t feel quite right the time is to wait is it let’s hang on for a bit there’s no rush I was I was 8020 that I was going to buy a motorbike on this little ride out but my sensible 20% one this thing is

Fun that Z 650 was nice the um retro one like that that too and I like the um that of a z thing that was nice the R7 was nice that was 7,200 uh I don’t want another sports but if this a riding position puts me off up

Don’t want to be doing that really although I reckon that be a right gigle who knows so many things you can buy so many decisions to make it’s very difficult it’s there it’s not difficult love having AR myself in my helmet it is difficult in a way although

It’s not life and death it’s not like you get this wrong you’re going to lose your house it’s no it’s just like just trying to create nice things for me and the kids you know so Jesus Christ scared the [ __ ] out of me that is one noisy motorbike with a

Hell’s Angel set on it well mate oh you can smell that Harley or whatever it is all right let’s try and take me to a Motorway I ain’t doing the motorways boys and girls just so you know we go straight on now he’s going left he’s behind him he’s going

Right no one’s on my left we’re out of here there you go so first motorcycle store of Manning these roads are much driving last time we were out I think the bike looking just as shitty though it’s probably mainly from a cut through though I did to avoid Sun Wells earlier

But hey hey and there is the OD damn patch which flicks pool all over your bik but what can you do now we’re into a 30 all right I think we fixed the bike charging thing anyway which is nice all right he’s going right he’s there not behind me so we’re back into

Lingfield right tasty to greenstead we’re avoiding that like of the plague anyway it’s a bottl net Co-op Red Room Cafe lots of horsey reference things there’s a linkfield garage yeah it looks like it works don’t know how you get to it it must be around the back many many Curry houses and Kebab

Shops they smell amazing I have to be honest back on to the shy roads start to concentrate a bit again Mar cuz there was getting a bit blaz on those nice roads then that’s the danger all right there might be some cars doing weird things down here cuz

Just remembering that I think there’s a horsey event on at the racetrack which is up here on the right so I’ll just keep an eye out for anyone doing something stupid all right hope you can see me my little friend yeah you can oh nice grid on the freaking hell I hate

It not just a grid there’s a grid on pretty much every line you could possibly take there it makes me nervous it’s like well I see people tipping in well I used to it when I was younger people tipping in on stuff like he’s like oh my God

What are you doing I S it just perhaps I was more nervous than they were I don’t think I was particularly nervous Rider my first share of n misses as well it’s a bit twisty down these Marsh green that’s the name of the village that I was struggling for

Earlier so yeah so this takes us through marsh green if we go left it takes you to godstone we ain’t doing that we’re going to turn right it’s going to take us back to that uh what you call it like to like Crossroads where the Caravan places and

We’re hanger I don’t know we can either go left and immediate right that’ll take us through groom Bridge which will be something we haven’t done before that might be nice on a bike um we can just go about the way we came in let’s go for something different things out on a little

Ride fortunately pH motorcycles has a l so cuz I was getting that way I L coffee this morning I think so got crap in the road and gravel love it not cool there’s enough of it two very bloody 90° kind of turns here staying that

Way me he’s [ __ ] that up any he look at that oops it’s very easy to do that on that road especially if you don’t know it cuz those Corners are definitely second gear Corners if you t in it you are going to get in trouble These are nice quite this next

Bit’s a bit tight but after that there’s some nice sweeping stuff down here but I think um fiest and person in front is just a little bit more nervous than I am let’s just take the racing line here a little bit you can see through the

Corner one of the joys of winter you can see through the foliage it’s all about the view if anyone’s done any advanced driving ourside riding it’s all about what you can see and acting accordingly really as long as it’s legal generally there’s your land driver garage

It’s not quite got the power to sort of black past on this thing so I ain’t going to bother cuz I just don’t want to be on the wrong side of radio approaching these blind Corners play the game Marcus you had a bigger bite you just squirt past but you

Can’t do it on this even though it keeps up you a’t really got once you’re sort of at 40 you yeah it will go faster but it take a while to get there so let’s just not bother he’s doing all right it’s 40 m hour this is rather wet very wet very wet

Yeah the old boots are going to need a clean as well doesn’t keep all the crap off you this bik end up wearing a lot of it that’s body’s walk through pants on rst things that I bought look pretty good so we’re back onto the a264 I’ll beit briefly cuz I think I’m

Going to take a slightly different route one I don’t normally do just for the fun of it right nobody’s coming let’s go that way so through Heartfield con some Qui today anyway supp it’s Wednesday afternoon at what 2:00 not going to be that amount of people around Orchards there you

Go reduce speed now decline fairly dry that corner which is nice minimum ass twitching from me sure that’s good ooh twisties just list everything I drive past ride past whatever sheepies cazi blackbirds this corner oh we’re into harfield 30 all right then H back bridge let’s have a little look over it nothing’s

Happening all right where am I going sat now left oh lovely house some people do have nice houses around these parts very nice my L that I do like a country country Bo lots to be said for it look at that view man I’m loving that too that’s um at

Least you get to see the field normally the hedges just a little bit too high you actually see over those bad boys look at that beautiful find it get the old all right so where we heading in now no idea I say that with him would be my best

Guess do that’s Lovely isn’t it this quite a nice little red home actually quite like this got a feeling it’s going to be longer but would be wouldn’t it all right electric voltswagon is going away oh that was slippy does feel like as I’m getting more used to this bike and

Then do feel like I need another gear sometimes I think that we need a bigger bike but no it’s just fun I do oh look at the view again I’m loving the views we like views rolling Fields very nice I do like a Sussex rolling field somebody’s got far too many host houses

For their own good that is a beautiful little complex yeah nice mate lottery win I think I said that before something running into the red down leaves blowing in now we have gravel we like a bit of gravel children let’s slow it down psycho joggers there’s a dry line

Here dry line misses a grid for a change nice let’s go to the outside just going to take the dry lines bit of an ideal but hey better nothing see a bit of patri patriotism going on down here oh there you go Grotto house

Nice not seen too many of them I do find the Christmas decks around these parts T to be slightly understated be interesting actually if we go back through the pantiles um just to see what they look like what it look like you know what I mean

That just run what a great name for a house greenbridge there we go what a nice little run out yeah it’s good if they did coffees in there they might do actually I heard someone recommending the hot chocolate but I don’t know if that’s just for clients not so much for his

Browsers said you know as browsers turn into clients if you treat us right that’s the thing isn’t it I do want to have a look around lagona though although I’m sure they do brand new MTA 7’s for eight grand OD and I’m like why cuz the appears like 75 he’s doing for 7495

Right we’re going right okay no one behind he’s way in which is nice she’s going all the way around there we’re going up here and shiming off to the left oh this is new I’m sure I’ve done this before when the colle r probably been stressed

Out because I’ve been late for work or something cuz they’ve sent me the wrong way you the man you the man oh nice little H back fridge it out all right where’s everyone going can’t be the school run cuz schools are finished now just avoiding the posty where’s he

Going to emerge from that’s the next question he not in his van hold on can’t imagine it’d walk all over here nice to know swings around to the left oh this is proper Uncharted Territory again I don’t remember ever coming back this way on in the

Car right I’m up for a set now we might not end up in the pantiles now in this we’re at the mercy of ways oh well let’s see what it does to us FS stood up for those ones that was all right there was no avoiding them they were across the entire Road

Flood it looks like it’s subsided wow a tiny P I managed to H It Well Done mate there’s a lot to be said for if you look at something you do generally drive over it gravel wet Christmas trees tell you what though it is epic fun just jumping on a

125 and just setting off around these country lanes it’s awesome I don’t know if it would ruin it if it was on a faster bite you know if it was on something that was competitive probably not I think I’ll probably start to not want to ride this who knows who knows I’d hope

Not this is just light as you like super fun tires aren’t ridiculous when the Z Fall’s not trying to take you out all right we go to the right let’s do that then doesn’t look like the driest of corners let’s take our time let’s not

Get too close to the middle so it’s Su this lady can’t take me out in her whatever that was little Mercedes thing they’re definitely in what could be called forest all these Silver Birch millions of them that is cool mate that’s a good visual I don’t know if the camera’s

Going to pick that up right get over Co blow M Geer all the puddle Dodgers dodging them into me oh I can’t Dodge that slow down for there all right we’re diluting the Silver Birch the SES of the trees now oh was sh that was pretty cool

Man I’ve got zero clue where this brings me out I can’t remember ever doing this before however we like a little mystery don’t we let’s just say this reckon I get home in but half an now all right whatever see what it takes today ni it’s pass the middle of the

Forest nice bar loving that oh 826 we know that I think we were briefly on that earlier I think we came we went down there last time ah this has brought me up to bunny Lane the back way so completely missed sunbridge worlds again oh well that’s good in a way actually

Cuz we get to avoid all the Christmas traffic chaos where people are losing their minds I imagine I’ve had people run me off a raiding cars in town situations when we lived up north and when we’re going to Tescos a week before Christmas and this guy

I had to actually Mount the pavement to stop up an accident with this guy he just took my Lan he must have had his mind on Christmas or something that will do that doesn’t happen often turn left on bunny Lane right this is the same way we came in mate nice nice rude

Yeah that was it I thought it was just double checking and then six the gear let’s take fifth for this cor now it’s dry enough nice PT hole on the Apex and then into a wet line lovely you got to get better as a rider they riding in these conditions you can’t

Knock can you assuming you don’t Chuck it down the road okay it makes you very Vigilant and it does make you finesse your power a little bit even though this isn’t the most powerful bik in the world and it does make you look for those dry

Lines and be super focused on what’s on the roads and stuff so I think in the summer should be a double after this it’s famous last words this Junction oh there a p i missed that bastard see I thought that car bit me off see actually this bike’s not too bad

Unless you get a boy racing behind you which is going to happen every now and then this this bike presents itself very nicely at the speeds even at running in speeds all right as you can see busy as you like and with cars turning right just adds to the

Mix we might be here for a while you don’t think so you let me go cheers mate I won’t dive into that line just yet what a nice man B regretting let me out now cuz in a Porsche think it’s probably faster than me where is it trying to take

Me oh I see no we’re not doing that that was a [ __ ] gear change markers let’s not panic cuz there’s a Porche behind us we could do that if you want do you want to do that do you want to do front we can do front stay there my little Volkswagen up

Friend let’s go back a different way I’ll go first right so what this does is it takes us in the back roads toward sort of bay M and that um and this is like the road that’s got let’s hope we don’t get taken out by a deer is my only concern cuz this

Is the most deer infested stretch of road I know about literally there’s a very straight bit of road which everyone wants to go mental on and go fast it’s like the fastest bit of road and it shouldn’t but it is got a 50 mph limit on it and you

Need to be going slower than that generally you know unless you got very good Lookout not so bad in the daytime certainly at night you need to be observing that speed limit or going slower I usually sit if I’m doing like a 3:00 commute and I’m coming cross

Country I’ll be sat straddling the white line there’s generally nobody on the road at that particular point in time not if there’s anyone around obviously and um doing about 40 with every single light on the front of my car going that I’ve got purely because you’re looking for a reflection

Of De eyes because quite often they’ll be the thing is there’s not usually just one there’s usually about 10 or 12 of them and uh if one of the guys just like Dives out on you you slow down and then 10 of them jump out so yeah I’ve done it before I’ve

I’ve gone down there at reasonable speeds in sort of commuting sort of times of the evening in the dark and um at normal time should I say you know like 4: 5:00 or even you know round about that time and I’ve had cars right behind me getting very impatient then

They go you see deer so you you slow down even put your hazards on which most people know that means is deer and I’ve had cars just go right so you overtake straight into all the deer and it’s just like oh what are you doing so yeah it’s um you need to know

These roads to a point and just if they say there’s deer around you have to believe them cuz they generally are botles I’m getting quite good at standing up for pool cuz there’s plenty of them and you can’t always avoid them that would have taken a big swerve to the right to avoid

Them which probably would have been worse than going through them so yeah stand up Let the bike move under you it’s good it’s happy enough to do that generally I’ve just shorten my spine by about 4 in all right we’re going right yeah all right so this is the road we’re talking

About it’s not so bad around these little twisty bits here but we go up here there’s like a kitchen Showroom on the left that’s Bell View green behind us they got not much there really there’s a train station and um a little shop called Lambs which kind ofely kind

Of cat the cyclist more than anyone really you know we do like right snacks and what here cist St there the B the bedrooms and studies now there you Go least you have good grace to wave and say s mate for making your y year break on which is you know fair enough not everyone sees bikes but and he’s coming out of a bit of dodgy cut turn there so I’ll let him off right this is the straight road

Let’s wait for hopefully a massive Road De fallow de road yeah Road still take me out won’t come Galloping straight across and flicking launch into the side of me that would be very very unfortunate caution dear yeah we know we’ve been talking about it for 20

Minutes mate uh I have seen him just launch out and sort of leap cars and things I like there not buffing into the side of me when I’m riding me back there I have to go down there one of these days see what that takes

Here today not the day I want to get this back and um get the worst of this crap off it least get some muck off on it stop it hands some get it kind of dried and some gt85 on it stuff it’s from Rusty into a big pile of Rusty stuff

So there’s a field bit further down here and sometime you look at it and it just looks like there’s cows grazing in it and it’s like literally there like 50 to 70 OD a lot put it that way just deer just grazing on the grass Manel come me

Apocalypse swear I’m coming with my rifle to feed the family all right see if a de out in this fi that’ll be kind of cool if they are can’t see can’t see can’t see there’s a dead deer poor thing splattered by someone no we’re not in the field might be the next

One B ab’s down here to be honest I don’t think there’s much there it’s just yeah there they are look at call them deer they are deer believe it or not white ones as well cuz um I know if one goes you see them on Facebook white deer

And they’re like oh they’re so rare I hope the deer hunters don’t go after we also nothing about deer hunting not that I’m an expert I know we take them out based on age and whether theyve got issues and all the rest of it um they certainly don’t take out white fallow

Deer because they’re not rare it’s just there’s there’s about three varieties of them you get like the the natural ones it’s like brown you get some black ones you get white ones they’re not they’re not albino or anything like the white stag which stands mystical on top of its perch doing

Mystical things now it’s just a a certain variety follow but yeah there I don’t know how many was there then probably about 20 20 20 something like that not as many as normal what time are you we in now they should have done the rout by

Now think they follow and the well the roof rot in July August I think fellow we don’t have seeka around there I’m pretty sure they tend to R in late October early November that’s so I should have done cuz quite often they’ll go into their own little territory so you want

See quite some many together which war and saying that look at that horrible leafy [ __ ] um which leaves Chinese Water day we definitely don’t have those around here they T to right in December which is now so but they they’re all around bedfordshire I think generally and it seem to be

Spreading quite Mont Jack’s just at it all year round oh yeah I can tell we’re getting close to my house cuz there’s loads of leafy slippy things around right so I think on previous ride I think the first time we came out on this we talked about the

Vineyard pub now the vineyard Pub as I said earlier is a 134 I can’t remember 144 15 1 anyway it’s old it’s an old Pub and it’s attached to a Vineyard there’s your Vineyard there’s the VES over there loads and loads of them this is called lamberhurst look at

There there’s millions of them and they go on might well quite a long way over there there’s a lot of them yeah it’s beautiful all right so any second now in fact just where that white car is this is the vineyard and this is the bear Garden at the about is

Huge yeah so what do it say 17th century still old it’s still old right I think what we’re going to do is we’re going to go right and rather and hit the a21 because I think the a21 is just a little bit too too Lively at this

Time let’s give people a clue where I’m going come on mate got these gloves actually they make it they’re nice and comfy but they kind of when you sort of starting off sometimes it kind of roou up underneath your palm and it’s very difficult to get

Your fingers in the right position to do what you need to do which is why since to make mistakes like leaving your indicators on stupid bu never mind made myself look like a complete am there still we might have to take you my little friend one of the 40 MERS

Oh it’s got a bit of pain that was a pill as well set I was having a mental fit trying to send me through some random place but what I intend to do is just go to the end of the St hang a left go through W and then back through Titus

Back to um sunny flimwell is all these little friend Jesse on the left hand just burled someone’s house only Jing Jesse Happy House what the [ __ ] are you doing man dear me that’s how it happens get some Kamar any from right you’re looking at them trying to plot an Escape Route I suppose

I shouldn’t be looking at them but then I don’t know if they’re going to do it to me then come in front of some erratic parking maneuver so good we survived Wurst nice view all right so be wary of the Christmas Chopper people are stressed at this time of year make bad

Decisions we know this stay stay looks lovely does it oh white vman’s clearly not staying the ribbons are full oh I see so you pull out and then it’s normal let’s not worry definitely losing the light a little bit earlier than night expected what time are we on 10 to 3 I thought

We’d have at least another hour maybe we do should have enough time to wash the bike there I’m looking through a dark visor what do it look like without yeah it’s getting a bit dusk like oh two Christmas trees in water Earth this year spoiling themselves

No oh God they made me nervous this p didn’t even see what his flag was then never mind suppose the only Escape Route I would have had then would have been to just take a very left hand position and hope he didn’t actually pull around that

Far cuz there’s no way I was stopping on this wet stuff don’t you bother thank you oh he saw me okay well the waterr it’s not underwater is it we did it earlier it’s certainly not dry I quite like look at that mt07 I’ve got

To be honest I mean the mt10 look like it’d be a beautiful fit I could just see me sitting in that bike even if I’m just in a low power mode I’m just enjoying it just cuz it just looked like it would fit beautifully mt7 looks a bit smaller

Uh be interesed to know what that feels like when you got your feet up on the post but having said that never heard anyone say anything bad about that so it’s got to be all right you know I’m not that much taller than most I’m 6’2

I aing towards a new one now just 2023 I don’t think 2024 is going to bring up anything amazing um I just think you know what you’re Buy in it’s got zero miles on it you decide how hard you ride it in this very early

Life if it’s going to be a keeper which it supposedly is and it just makes sense spend that extra little bit of money what we talking 800 quid for absolute peace of mind I mean it could still go wrong could be a factory dud but chances are are slim really aren’t

They all right we’re in tyur still thinking about that bike I would C thinking about in the night was going on the ultimate flipping sap for this S I think he’s going no crazy fool let’s see if you take me out you looking kind of let’s not be aggressive Marcus come

On meal mate no okay let you off let you off that’s me getting excited never mind let’s not do it let’s be nice come on any your little I 10 let’s be nice it’s Christmas and know doubt I’ve got a pull in front of him anyway in a minute so that

Was cheeky little point to point we went 30 odd mes I think it’s about 34 miles through East Sussex Kent and ultimately into West Sussex to takes you literally to the outskirts of Gatwick Airport which is where that p& motorcycles is in fact that left turn is where we go to

The um simulator when we’re doing our yearly checks so kind of know that area a little bit so yeah I’ve never noticed a motorik shop there though how weird is that probably when I go that way I’m doing my S check so my mind is very preoccupied on airplanes not

Motorbikes but uh yeah so that was pH didn’t film inside feel a bit of a dick to be honest walking around with a GoPro um but it’s got to see it from outside they had section on just as he walked in on the left for the Yamahas

Mainly the MTS they had an R7 there which was nice it was the 50th Anniversary one it had the gold wheels and like the you know the um the white color with the red sort of checks on it it was beautiful it was only 72 look like second hand um but tempting again

But I don’t want the riding position I want something I can just pole around on as well as excite myself on excite myself but um yeah I don’t want to I’ve had sports bikes and like I say they felt a bit I was coming towards my time

On sports bikes physically one of the last road bikes which was 10 years ago so I don’t think an R7 the way fors even though I can appreciate that as a beautiful bike beautiful looking bike certainly that 50th Edition 50th Anniversary Edition they had Suzuki section they had they had that GSX

8s beautiful although it’s going to go buy that I think I’d find the extra money and buy that c Suzuki um Kevin schwanz one that we got over in Bournemouth because oh mate that is beautiful I do like a bit of schany stuff I’m big Schwans fan saw him actually ride in a

Grand Prix at um we doing grand PRI in donon back in those days uh yeah went on up there on the back of my mates TZ 250 that’s was an experience um so yeah so that one was very attempting and then um but again and I don’t know I just keep coming back

To I do I do like a Yamaha