Hello there All,

Although I am very old, I am new to motorcycling.

Since I retired, transport modes have become optional in the sense I can buy what I wish without having to be humdrum. As a kid, I remember rôle model Shetlanders using 500cc single-cylinder-engined Nortons as daily commuting vehicles. This image stays with me. The most practical way I can hope to emulate these departed heroes is to buy a Buell Blast. Though I am seventy-one, I am very fit. My former work as a deep-sea, saturation, oilfield diver compelled me to keep up a certain level of fitness and mental alertness which was impossible to shake off even when I took up supervising.

Now, I am fed up with cars. I really want to own and cherish a Buell. These are not the cliché Harleys but a very distinctive variant on that theme. All I know is I experience an undeniably powerful emotional pull towards the privilege of owning such a well-thought-out machine.

I decided, after poring over various sources, that I could start with a Blast or even just go out with a Blast. She sounds the very bike for me. I have driven bikes of various denominations abroad, where the rules were flexible. I will start with a 125 till I have the full motor cycle licence. Meanwhile, given the dearth of Blasts in the UK, I would love to buy one as soon as possible.

I should greatly appreciate any positive thoughts or advice from someone who is qualified to give them, to help me in my dream quest. If it may be possible to realistically wait till a Blast comes up for sale, I will, but if this is highly unlikely, perhaps I should consider importing one from the United States or Canada.

If anyone who has information or experience in such matters can be bothered to reply, I should be overjoyed. I lived in the IOM for a number of years and got to know many motor cycle aficionados with whom I have now largely lost touch. As most of my kids live there there may be help from that direction but the accent there is on racing, obviously, not so much geriatric motor cycling down memory lane, albeit using all of the road...

I look forward to hearing from anyone who can emphasise with my immaturity of which I am very proud. I have looked after it all these years in spite of having to play the grown up.

Happy and safe biking,

Lustrewand

Hi

There are a number of Blasts in the UK. There are a number of fans such, biggest bring Jill. She will be along very soon.

I have imported bikes from the states. Budget on £1000 for importing and registering, but this depends on where the bike is (how far away from port) and it's arrival at Chatham. If it is over ten years old, you just need to get it through an MOT, younger and you will either need a type certificate (HD UK may be able to help) or a Single Vehicle Approval.

Cheers

Nick

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08 Specialized Langster

Hi Lustrewand,

Great post

If getting a Blast turns out to be too much hassle, how about an Indian Enfield 535 cc single cylinder thumper

http://www.ukbeg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17456

Good luck anyway

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Wear the fox hat

Welcome!
As Pash says, I own a Blast as well as an XB12. They are very different bikes to ride but I love riding them both.

As far as I know there are only two weaknesses on the Blast...the manifold intake coupler fails as the design is poor, cheap to fix and helps to have a couple of spares. The original exhaust system shears off either at the cylinder head or on the lower weld....as me how I know. I now have a Vance and Hines on mine.....quite loud but has a lovely tone.

I know nothing about getting a bike shipped to the UK, as mine was one of the original ones shipped over by HD as a Riders Edge training bike (one of 30), but there are a few people who have done it on here.

I hope you manage to find one soon. They are becoming more popular now, and a couple who I met at Em's Day in East Kirkby, Lincs own 5!!!!!

Have fun!

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Valencia Orange XB12Scg - serviced by Maz 2018
Black P3 Blast - serviced by Maz and fixed by Maz in 2019

I think all those helium bubbles must have gone to your head

As Bonzo has said an Enfield may be a better option based on spares availability, fitness for purpose and less likelyhood of being pointed at by spotty youths.

This opinion is based on having ridden neither and so should be taken with utter disregard should you have bothered to read this far

I have spent a fair bit of time in the Shetlands and it is a lovely place to ride a 500cc thumper on, maybe something like an old Yamaha XT500 would be better for catching those sheep

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I'm a Hornithologist, I get excited by exotic birds.........

Hi and welcome, any Bell will fill your desire. One off the bucket list,eh........

Wot, like a diving Bell?

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I'm a Hornithologist, I get excited by exotic birds.........

Wow!

Thank you all very much for your warm welcome and sensible comments.

Helium is right! All those slugs! Stratification with none of yer two percent O2...such fun and still here to muse.

No spotty youths up here; sheep ate them all.

Well, perhaps I should look around a little more, right enough.

I heard the better Indian Enfield is the smaller one whose cc I forget. I spent a lot of time in India, in 't Bombay High. Lovely. I can't wait not to return. Mind you the doughnuts on Sundays were good if you didn't watch.

I forgot to mention I need a soundproof box for me black pillion cat.

I greatly look forward to enjoying the camaraderie of this exotic club; far more fun than AA...now which one do I mean—this is one of the beauties of ageing—vagueness and deafness.

Hello Lustywand, hope there's still life in the old dog yet

Hope you weren't in one of the saturation chambers when it went up

If you we're I would have thought you'd had enough of blasts

http://home.versatel.nl/the_sims/rig/mhn.htm

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Wear the fox hat

The fact that you've had any sensible comments from this lot deserves a Wow . I'm sure it will all be downhill from now. Welcome to the madhouse. Any eccentricities are welcome in fact encouraged

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Its a blonde thing alright!!!!!!!!!!

Don't know about eccentricities, this bloke is raving nuts!
He's come to the right place!

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In a purple fug

Welcome Aboard.....

No, I was on the Samudra Sevak, Suraksha's elder sister. We were down at D18 SBM, twelve plus hours South and only got to BHN at first light next a.m. Nothing left but twisted, smoking risers poking out. We were appointed Emergency Control Vessel, though, that—there—is an oxymoron. The six Indian divers in sat on the Suraksha are still diving! We looked forward, thereafter, to any of them coming on our vessel as the likelihood of their being involved in another crazy accident seemed statistically unlikely. It is a very interesting place to work in the Monsoon. Especially SBMS and SPMS. Once upon a time I would not have risked the bad Juju of even saying:"SBM"; it was like whistling on an MFV or saying R-A-T on the IOM...

Let us non saturation divers know what the acronyms are