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My Scootering Life |
Happiness Is A Honda
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September 2007 - Present
June 2007 - July 2007
May 2004 - April 2007
March - April 2004
May 2003-March 2004
BOUNCING ALONG ON A BAJAJ SPIRIT March - April 2003
Coming Soon.....
Gears V Auto's
My personal favourites
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The Honda SES Dylan 125cc Having decided to give Honda a try I took a trip to the biggest Honda dealer in Scotland, a company called "Two Wheels", www.twowheels.co.uk , which was luckily just up the road from my work. The range of bikes they have is enormous and includes the entire selection of UK Honda scooters. My original plan had been to buy the 125cc Pantheon as this seemed to be closest to the ill fated B125 in terms of design and specification, however seeing it the flesh I just didn't take to the design at all. They actually had an old second hand two stroke Pantheon for sale which looked far more contempory in terms of design than the new four stroke. The other bike I had thought about was the 125cc Dylan. What had initially put me off was that it looked very small in the various photos I had seen. With my height and bulk I thought it was probably a non-starter. However the salesman let me sit on one and I found it surprisingly spacious. All the reviews I had read were positive, the build quality looked good...and it was £550 cheaper than the B125 which allowed me to buy the top box and side stand accessories and have a fair bit of cash left over ! The price also included a two year warranty, two years AA cover and a free first service. Never one to pass up a bargain I signed the agreements on the spot. A week later it was back to the dealers to collect the new bike. Cash handed over and keys collected I started it up. The first thing that struck me was the power of the engine from a standing start. This little bike really wants to go, it's defiantly the quickest scooter off the line I've ridden and fantastic for leaving cars for dead at the traffic lights. It really is a solid little machine, the engine never failed to start and that included days when it has rained for hours on end and the bike has been soaked (Piaggio take note !). It's obviously not quite as comfortable as the B125 but then any smaller wheeled scooter isn't going to be, having said that it seems far more stable than the old Adly, especially crossing the Forth Bridge on a windy day. The lights are excellent, far superior to the Adly and on a par with the Piaggio, the dash is simple and effective, the brakes very responsive and when you twist the throttle it just flies. Below are the updates from my old webpage which were written during the three years I had the Dylan: UPDATE 9th May 2004 - Been on a 110 mile round trip this weekend from Dunfermline in Fife down to Cockburnspath in Berwickshire to visit my heavily pregnant sister. This is the longest trip I've done on any of my scooters and once again the Honda has come up trumps. Despite the weather being lousy, with heavy rain and mist, I got there in one piece and then home again the next day. As usual the bike started without any problems and ran beautifully in some very difficult conditions. My confidence in this bike is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. I've often heard of engines being described as "bulletproof" and this one certainly seems to fit the bill. Hats of to Honda ! UPDATE 12th June 2004 - Just got back from Two Wheels in Edinburgh where the Honda Dylan sailed through it's first service. Honda offer free labour on the first service so the total cost was a miserly £8.77 for the new engine oil and disposal of the old. The next service is due at 2500 miles so should have a good few trouble free weeks ahead until then. UPDATE 26th July 2004 - The Dylan has now clocked up almost 1700 miles and is still providing hours of trouble free commuting. Unfortunately I got a little carried away coming up a very steep hill in Edinburgh and went past a speed camera slightly faster than I should have done (anyone planning a scoot up Drum Brae...beware !!). The result was a £60 fine and 3 points on my license which is a bit annoying but a lesson learned. The license points will mean I have to postpone plans to sit my test next spring as it's just too risky (another indiscretion on a new bike license and I'd be banned), so it looks like I'll be re-doing my CBT. Planning to get some more pictures posted to this site soon. UPDATE 27th September 2004 - Just got the bike back from it's first major service at 2500 miles. No problems at all, the oil was changed, the bike checked over and the engine valves slightly adjusted to allow for the engine bedding in from new. Total cost was £61 which was pretty much what I expected. The mechanic told me the Dylan was so reliable that the cost of each subsequent service would be much the same as little ever needed done. All set for the winter now...bring it on !! UPDATE 30th DECEMBER 2004 - Mileage now stands at 3700. The winter has hit quite hard up here, not only freezing days but also high winds. Following my black ice experience last year with the Adly I am playing it safer this year so several days have seen me on the bus. As my commute takes me over the Forth Bridge then high winds can also disrupt my scootering as motorbikes of any kind are among the first vehicles to be banned from crossing on a windy day. All this combined with the Christmas holidays have seen the mileage creep up slower than during the rest of the year. However this has been an excellent opportunity to test the bikes cold start abilities. I don't have a garage so the bike is outdoors at all times with only a waterproof cover over it. So far I have had no cold starting problems. The bike has actually been idle for the last 10 days as I've been away for Christmas and last night it was so cold the waterproof cover was solid with ice ! This morning I checked the bike over and it started up first time, which I think is quite impressive. The only minor odd thing to report was the digital clock re-set itself to Midnight on the way to work one day, it's never done it again since so I doubt it's anything to worry about. It's therefore a case of so far so good, once again the Honda is proving incredibly reliable whatever the weather can throw at it. I'm thinking of doing my test in the Spring, and another service will be due within the next couple of months so I'll update the site when I have anything new to report.
UPDATE 15th JANUARY 2005 - If I thought we'd had high winds before this week then I don't think anyone was prepared for what hit us a couple of days ago. I knew I would have to stay in Edinburgh after work on Tuesday evening as the forecast left little doubt that the Forth Road Bridge would be closed. Obviously using the bike was out so to try and protect the scooter I parked it on the far side of the stairs leading up to my front door and even lashed some washing line between the bike and the metal handrail for good measure. With my fingers firmly crossed I left home to the mercy of the storms. The winds up here gusted at over 100mph, even Edinburgh took a battering so it was with some trepidation that I went home on Wednesday evening. The first thing I noticed was that my garden shed had been spun around, tipped over and deposited about 6 feet from where it should have been, the second thing I noticed was the scooter lying on it's side which just shows what a ferocious night it must have been. Didn't get a proper chance to check it over until daylight the next morning, as far as I can tell I got off fairly lightly. There is a small piece of plastic missing by the left brake lever which isn't too noticeable, there is a tiny indentation on the left front side where it must have landed on a stone, a few minor scrapes on the left rear panel and black airbox. Switched the bike on, the electrics all seem fine and she started OK. Phoned my Honda UK to ask about touch up paint packs and they gave me the phone number of the company that supplies all Honda paint in the UK, RS Motorcycle Paint Ltd, www.motorbikepaint.co.uk , so going to place an order with them on Monday. The weather is now calming down a bit so hoping to give the bike a run tomorrow just to check everything is as it should be. UPDATE 4th APRIL 2005 - Just got the bike back from it's third service. It was supposed to have done 5000 miles by now but with a lousy winter behind me I had only managed to get the mileage up to 4500. Still had to take it in for a service as it has to be done every 6 months regardless of the mileage to validate the warranty. Anyway as usual no problems with anything. Had a new spark plug put in as that was now due as well as the standard checks etc. Total bill £66.00. With a bit of luck that should see me through most of the spring/summer months. I was planning to take my test this year, but uncertainly over the future of my job has led me to postpone that for another year. Will re-take my CBT at the end of April as the two years are almost up. A report on that will follow. UPDATE 10th MAY 2005 - Took my CBT for the second time on 23rd April. Another good, fun day although I'm still dreadful at the figure-of-eight and slalom cones. Having said that I did well at the mock road situations which at the end of the day is probably more relevant. The two hour ride out went well although one of the guys taking his CBT with me was a 17 year old who'd already been fined once for riding a pocket bike without any insurance etc (£200 and 6 points !!). A couple of his daft pals followed us around on a 50cc motorcycle and a trail bike until they were told in no uncertain terms to p**s off by the instructor. Looked out my Highway Code book after I came home as we were all lousy at basic road knowledge. Well that's me for another two years or until I can get money together to do the test. UPDATE 16th June 2005 - The Dylan is now approaching the 6000 mile mark. Commuting weather has generally been excellent and since mid March I haven't had to get the bus to work once ! No problems to report, in fact my confidence in the bike has allowed me to use the Honda on days when a year or two ago I would have taken public transport. This is especially true of days when it has been raining heavily, the Dylan has coped admirably and the tires supplied with the machine faultless. UPDATE 16th August 2005 - The Dylan passed the 7000 mile mark this evening. No problems to report and it's booked in for it's next service on the 12th September. For the last few years I've worked backshift so have always traveled out with the rush hour. From last week I'm onto normal 9am-6pm hours so have been dealing with the heavy traffic going to and from Dunfermline and Edinburgh at these peak times. The Dylan has really come into it's own. Long queues of cars leading up to the Forth Bridge and in central Edinburgh disappear on either side of me as I filter through them. I've made it home each night in around 45 minutes, if I'd been a car driver the time would be more like an hour and a half. I'll add a further update after the next service if nothing important happens in the meantime. UPDATE 24th September 2005 - The scooter has now been for it's fourth service at 7500 miles. As usual no problems discovered. The oil was changed along with the air filter leaving me with a bill of £70.43, which I was quite happy with. A couple of weeks before the service the bike was blown over again ! Left it parked in central Edinburgh overnight and while I was sleeping a nasty storm blew up. Checked the bike early next morning to find it lying on it's side - curses ! Thankfully no damage apart from a few scrapes on the top box side and front edge of the bike, easily covered up with the touch up paint I had bought previously. Autumn weather has hit central Scotland which means a lot of very windy days so spent more time on the bus than I would have liked recently, but I grab the scootering moments when I can. UPDATE 14th January 2006 – Happy New Year everyone. Used the bike quite a bit in December which was a bonus, but since then the cold weather has moved in up here in the chilly north. The bike has sat in the shed for the last four weeks which is always frustrating, but safety must come first and icy mornings are just not worth the risk. Got the bike cleaned and sprayed with Scottoiler and WD40 before I put it away. Was out in the shed an hour ago and decided to see how the battery was coping with cold and inactivity. Once again the Dylan came up trumps, it started on the first press of the button and the engine ran smoothly – excellent. Now all I need is the Spring weather to arrive, roll on March ! UPDATE 12th April 2006 – The Dylan has now covered 9200 miles. Took the bike for it’s 6 month service on 27th March. Only one small problem they noticed at the garage, the front brake was starting to seize slightly. The brake caliper was stripped down, cleaned and put back together. Apparently this is a common problem if you are using a bike 12 months a year, as a build up of winter gunk can occur. Apart from that everything was fine, total bill was £77.00. It was pouring with rain when I left the garage in Edinburgh, so got absolutely soaked on the journey back home to Fife ! Got some biking done in February which is very unusual, Spring is trying it’s hardest to arrive in Scotland now, so with a bit of luck plenty of good scootering days lie ahead. UPDATE 26th May 2006 - I'm now approaching the 10000 mile mark which will be quite a milestone. The weather has taken a turn for the better so getting to use the bike most days. I was thinking of getting a tinted visor for the AGV helmet as sunglasses are a real nuisance, however I discovered that replacement visors cost around the £30 mark. Was having a look on e-bay and found an Oxford Ultra Vision Tinted Visor Insert. This is basically a shaped piece of thin tinted plastic that fits onto the inside of your visor and does a great job of shielding you from the worst of the suns rays. It comes in a variety of colours (I was boring and plumped for black) and the best bit of all is it only cost £5 !! A highly recommended piece of kit. All set now for summer.
UPDATE 5th JUNE 2006 - Earlier today, just over the Forth Bridge on a sunny June afternoon, the Honda Dylan notched up 10'000 miles of trouble free scootering - fantastic ! UPDATE 7th August 2006 - The Dylan hit the 11K mark on the run home this evening, everything still running perfectly. While on holiday last week curiosity got the better of me and I took off a couple of the bikes inspection panels to have a look at the engine and headlight area. After two and a half years of riding in all weathers I expected the insides to be at least grimy, and possibly showing signs of wear and tear. In fact they were in amazing condition with hardly any signs of dirt and no visible rust. I can only assume the Dylan's panels must we designed to offer maximum protection against the worst our weather can throw at them. It is certainly working well ! UPDATE 1st September 2006 - Had my first tumble off the Dylan this afternoon. Nothing too serious but it is a wake up call about the amount of debris left on our streets. I was just coming off a small roundabout at the west end of George Street in Edinburgh when my front tyre went over a piece of black plastic lying in the road. The front wheel went from under me and down I went. Luckily I was almost at a stop anyway so no injuries at all. The bike didn't even stall so I just picked it up and carried on home ! Checked it over when I got back and noticed a hairline crack on the right hand panel. That seems to be the only damage and is frankly barely noticeable unless you are looking for it. A scary scooter moment seems to come along every year or two, if that's mine then I'll settle for that - especially as I got it out the way before the winter comes. So the moral of the story is watch out for other peoples junk lying on our roads, it can be deadly (or in my case just rather embarrassing !!) UPDATE 11th September 2006 - With the mileage fast approaching the 12k mark, I took the bike in for it's latest six month service this weekend. They changed the oil, spark plug and replaced the front disc pads which were starting to get pretty worn (hardly surprising as they are the same ones the bike had on when I bought it !). Everything else was fine and total cost of the service came to £117.00 which seemed quite reasonable to me. I noticed the first minor sign of old age a week or so ago when I suddenly realised part of the exhaust was missing ! It was the cowl shaped piece that covered the end of the pipe. Two and a half years of cobbled roads in Edinburgh apparently took their toll on the welds that held it in place. It was purely a cosmetic feature so of no great importance, I've just got an uglier exhaust now ! So that's the pre-winter service out of the way, the darker mornings are here and I've had a couple of good soakings over the last few days, winter is just around the corner. UPDATE 21st January 2007 - Well I've never known a winter like this one ! It's certainly mild enough but it has also been blowing a gale most of January so far. Only had one run in to work on the bike this year. Even busses have been barred from the Forth Bridge some days so had to get the train. Lets hope the Spring comes quickly. UPDATE 2nd April 2007 - After a frustrating couple of months when gale force winds did more to stop me riding than snow or ice, it looks like Spring is on the way. Last week with the Dylan approaching the 14K mile mark, I took it for it's first MOT, can't believe that three years have passed already. I booked the bike into Two Wheels for it's standard six month service and asked then to carry out the MOT at the same time. I am delighted to report that the Dylan sailed through it's MOT with no problems at all. The total cost for the service and MOT was just over £90.00 which I thought was excellent. I've got to re-do my CBT in a few weeks, still thinking of trying a geared bike this time just to see what it's like but I might chicken out and just take the scooter along. UPDATE 27th April 2007 - DISASTER ! The Dylan has been in a crash. Ironically I had just started a new job only 10 minutes ride from my home. I was traveling to work on 19th April and crossing a roundabout near my destination when I saw a brown flash, next thing I knew I was lying on the road with the bike on it's side several feet away from me. I'd been hit by a 4x4. I was taken to hospital where they found 3 cracked ribs, nasty right leg and pelvic bruising and a bruised liver. I was kept in for 4 days while they kept an eye on the liver injury and then allowed home. The bike had been wheeled into my work by one of my colleagues. Today my Sister's brother in law came up with a trailer he had access too and collected the bike. After three years and over 14K miles together the bike looks beyond economical repair. There is extensive panel damage to the front and sides, one brake lever has snapped off, the other is badly bent. The throttle is twisted out of position and the front inner panel is also broken. The top box is badly scraped. UPDATE 22nd May 2007 - Well that's my wee Honda Dylan finally on it's way to the assessors who will consider what money I should claim for against the other driver, I doubt the option of repairing the bike will even be considered as the front panel damage alone is extensive. It's taken an age to get the bike uplifted as the Scottish Police would not release the other drivers details to me. Eventually the insurers had to send a lawyers letter. This is a ridiculous situation and seems designed to penalise people who are injured in an accident. If I'd been OK I could have got the other drivers details then and there, but as I was taken away in an ambulance I had no chance to do this. My injuries are healing quite well, the cracked ribs don't bother me much but my pelvis must have taken quite a hit as my right leg gets sore if I walk too much or twist in any way. On a more positive note I'm starting to think about what I would like to replace the Dylan. My CBT certificate has now expired and as I won't have my own machine to do the course on it seems an ideal opportunity to try a geared bike, something I've wanted to do for a while. If I take to gears then I am considering a Yamaha YBR 125cc which seems to be a bullet proof, reliable and quite stylish motorcycle. If I don't take to gears then I will probably stick with Honda or might be tempted by the new Sym Voyager 125cc which is a lot of bike for the money. Will keep you all posted how things go. You'll be able to read about my next scooter...when I've got one !
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