Welcome Dilbert
Meeting Dilbert
Dilbert didn't arrive; we went to get him. We drove down the A338 and laughed as Karen navigated us away from Barclays Motorcycles in Bournemouth back toward Portsmouth.
Once the map was sorted and we approached the store from the North I saw Dilbert. He was alone, parked arse to curb behind a non-descript vehicle looking rather falorn and lost in the busy afternoon traffic skimming just centimeters from his front wheel.
"That's him!" I exclaimed to Karen and immediately drove across the traffic flow to park at his side. We buzzed round him on foot; prodding his front disk and stroking his top box. Then we went in to Barclays.
"Corr, petrol!" Snorted Karen. A lovely mechanical mix of tyre rubber and fuel mixed with hint of leather greeted us inside just seconds before Colin's Mrs welcomed us and went to fetch Colin for him to show us around Dilbert. Karen stayed to talk girlie stuff as Colin and I went to business. I sat astride Dilbert and was impressed my feet were comfortably on the floor. Colin inserted the key and pressed the stat button. "Broom, bugger, bugger", went Dilbert [yes he did, don't laugh], and I took his weight off the side stand, pulled in the clutch, raised the throttle, and lowered it again.
This was the bike for me, alright; solid, with luggage, and old and slow enough to keep me from racing up and down the A32 as quickly as the Alpha goes, which is pretty quick and getting quicker each day. I was smitten. There was no going back. I was going to be the owner of a Honda NT650V Deauville Special Edition with added metal worm highlights.
Some may say it's high milage, well all of you in fact, but 66K tells me Dilbert has been places and has been comfortable enough to get to each and every one of them. It tells me there may be less fight in him and again, that'll suit me fine as long as there's some control in how I get from A to B on two wheels.
We ponced around the store a while trying on gloves, helmet, jacket, strides, and boots, and buying whatever Colin said was good and which fitted. I really wanted a white helmet to look "Policie" when creeping up on mates, etc., but I bought black. So we struck a deal, took the gear, and await delivery on next Tuesday.
Of course, you may be wondering why I didn't test drive / ride? Well I can't. I haven't done any of the tests!
Kit bought:
- Helmet HJC (with snatty sun visor and ventilation)
- Jacket, Behring Newton 3-season 3-layer; fleece, wet, and top, with vent zips
- Trousers, Behring (Newton-fit with removable lining)
- Boots, Oxtar Matrix 2 (Gore-Tex)
- Gloves Richa waterproof Racing<.li>
The test will set me back a further £850 (Paragon, Gosport) for a week's training with M/C Theory, CBT, and Big Bike Test. Insurance is ranging £100 to "250 depending on my excess risk. So, on the road for around the cost of my Alpha, then? It's not cheap, no matter what some of you have claimed!
Justification
With bike tax being diddley-squat, and fuel consumption around 50mpg there has to be some advantage over Alpha insurance at £340, Tax at £200, and petrol at £20 per day! (Wheel alignment, brakes, service, and MoT cost over £1000 this year alone, too).
Notwithstanding this argument, I spend approximately 30-minutes in queuing traffic each day. That's 30-minutes at 5mph. I reckon the bike will get at least 20mph through the same traffic, meaning at least a saving of, what? 20-minutes a day?
Finally, I DETEST biker who think they should slip down my off-side and cut me up at traffic lights where the Alpha can out-accellerate a vast number of them. As knocking them off is considerd poor form and worth at leat 11-points for careless or inconsiderate driving, why not become one myself? Now I, too, can delay the cars' passage through the traffic lights causing an additional 3-cars' backlog through them. I will be a biker, and every bit as much a wanker as the rest of you. If that isn't worth £3000 of anyone's money, I don't know what is!
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