Do you love motorbikes? Did you used to ride a motorbike and are looking to rekindle your love, or have always had a desire to ride, but it’s remained dormant?
Then this Saturday and Sunday, at Church Street Motorcycles in Ventnor, there’s a great opportunity for you.
Not only will you get to salivate over the latest Honda bikes but you’ll have a chance to arrange future test rides of them.
The joys of motorbiking – Traffic jams are thing of the past
I’ve had the good fortune in the last few days of riding one of the new bikes that will be on show, the Honda VFR800.
If you haven’t ridden a bike on the Island for a while, getting back on the roads reminds you that, when you ride a motorbike, the number and length of traffic jams on the Island make little difference to you. You can generally just sail straight past them. I’m not talking about crazy-overtake-at-every-opportunity riding, but just normal law-abiding, sane riding.
This means when you set off for a destination, you’re pretty certain what time you’ll be arriving – a very different story from driving these days, with the seemingly ever-growing number of temporary traffic lights and roadworks over the Island these days.
Time with the new VFR800
The heritage of the VFR800 stretches all of the way back to the mid-eighties with the classic VFR750F. Since then continual improvements have been made including the step up in engine in the late 90s to the 800cc egine. It still retains its single-side-arm rear suspension.
All of this leads to a very competent, accomplished motorbike.
The VFR has two sides to its character. It can be patient and flexible, allowing you to pootle along in pretty much any of its six gears, without complaint.
Go!
When you want to go, it’s equally happy to help. It pulls well from low down and if there’s an opportunity, it’s quite happy to unleash its 104 horses, propelling you forward with frankly mind-warping acceleration, red-lining at 12,000 revs.
To match its ability to propel you toward the horizon at shattering speeds, the braking is reassuringly impressive, including ABS, if you want to put your mind at rest.
Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it, pop in and see Adrian and the boys tomorrow and you can take it for a test ride.
Where and when
To see the three new bikes (CBR650F, CB650F and the VFR800) and much more of the Honda range, head to Church Street Motorcycles from 9am tomorrow (Saturday 7th June) and Sunday.
Church Street Motorcycles
Church St
Ventnor
Isle of Wight PO38 1SW
Tel: 01983 852232
Our thanks to Church Street Motorcycles for sponsoring this feature. Please support them, as they and other businesses taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
