Hi guys and gals,

I'm doing my test in July, although I have a fair bit of private road riding experience and have covered literally tens of thousands of miles as a pillion over the years.

I'm short and the Thundercat that is my boyfriends old bike (before he got the blackbird) is due to be mine when I pass my test. Only problem is, I loved it as a pillion, but to sit on it and do slow control on the drive is a nightmare. It's too tall, even when lowered and I can only get my tip toes on the floor and it's VERY heavy for me. I am really concerned about it as my first bike because, although I am not that worried about cosmetic damage if and when I drop it, I know that I'll do it at lights or a roundabout or something and I won't be able to get myself out of the way of it as I can't swing my leg quickly over the back. It's a cumbersome beast!

Then, on Saturday, I had a sit on the XB12Scg at the Oxford dealership and was on and off it for the best part of an hour talking to the dealer. I can easily get both feet on the floor, walk it back and fore without any real effort and it felt like it was built to fit me.

Now....I'm not too worried about the power, I can control my right hand and will be taking it slowly while running it in and have an ex instructor to ride out with me and keep coaching me. My only worry of dropping it would be while cranked over if I put the throttle on too hard, but that's for me to control.

SO......I have the money to afford the services and replacement parts if I do drop it and I'll be getting the much improved (so I've heard 09 model) but........what I am really wanting is some info from people who know this bike on how reliable they are, what is likely to go wrong and what I can do to prevent against it like getting an aftermarket exhaust on it as I've read that they can help cut down the vibrations a bit.

Go easy on me.....I just fell in love with the bike and felt so comfortable and confident on it.

First of all welcome - have a look at THIS topic which will pretty much answer all of your questions and - Oh yes - go for it, ok it makes no sense at all but what the hell.

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It's better to have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!!

Welcome to the madhouse GG. Buells are great bikes. As long as you go into it with your eyes open and know what to expect then you wont be disappointed

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

Oh, the vibes usually take care of that ....

Welcome, and yes, do it.

Wooo, thanks guys, have a massive grin on my face now!

Good to see you calling me GG already.......like it, love it, want more of it!

Hey, GG

Ride one and you won't be needing to ask anyone whether it is the right bike for you.

Get rid of the t'cat (and the boyfriend ) and all will be wonderful.


More than many of the on here can say!

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Good in straight lines
2001 X1 "The Tart's Handbag"
2001 FZS1000 "The Fridge"

This post needs pictures

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It's better to have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!!

Ahh....good to see a bit of healthy fun on here! I'll post pics at my discretion and whether my rather skilled rigt hand can be bothered or not...lol.

As for the T'cat, it's the boyfriends first bike and it's not going anywhere, even if it never gets used again.

The boyfriend is oh so definately staying put though. He loves taking me out on the bike with him, we have four dogs that only we can control and perhaps most important of all......

I managed to get him interested in off roading, which I've been doing for years. He bought us a '98 Disco 300tdi last September, has been loving modifying it and it's great to get out and get dirty and break the disco at every available opportunity...like last night...lol

So......dry days, out on the bikes.....wet days, out in the disco....can't go wrong really. And he puts up with me!

You sound a handful, I think a Buell would suit you.

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In a purple fug

Blimey! You've been doing off roading for years but still bought a '98 Disco.

Should have gone 90".

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Good in straight lines
2001 X1 "The Tart's Handbag"
2001 FZS1000 "The Fridge"

Had one.....a 1986 D' reg station wagon 90, pretty much standard with a decent set of tyres on it and the thing could go anywhere. Now......I've also had a 1989 Range Rover Classic 3.9 V8 EFi and that was also fantastic...but I kind of killed it off road.

All in all, the Disco is fantastic.....we've not yet been unable to do the same as many of the 90's and 110's that we go out with and have actually had to two a few on occasion! We need it to be a day to day car too, so it does what we want easily.....tows those that can't keep up and is comfortable to be in for 12 hours of rough off roading!

You got one then Norm???

Got a 110" truck cab at the moment. It's the most modern Landie I've had (so far) with them funny coil things in the corners. And with windy windows, wipers that work together and a heater.

Farm boy, me, you see, brought up with 88" working vehicles and, many years ago, had a safari racer based on a lighweight.

There's quite a few here with muck under their finger nails. There's also some others who have Chav Rovers.

Never did get on with the Range Rover on the road. We've only had a couple but they each had more steering play than the worst of the Series vehicles I've driven.

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Good in straight lines
2001 X1 "The Tart's Handbag"
2001 FZS1000 "The Fridge"

Not sure what this forum is like for going off topic, but as it's my thread and I like the way it's going, I'll carry on for now...lol.

Norm, the RR I had was fab, but yes, a lot of play in the steering, made even worse with a set of aggressive MTs on it for the Wales weekend I broke it on!

The new Defenders offend me massively. Why oh why have they done away with the manual air vents??? Do they not realise that they have RRs and Discos for the luxury (and I suppose I should mention Freeloaders)....the Defender is the ultimate utility vehicle. It's made for use, REAL use.....the less that's in it to go wrong the better as the people that buy them for proper use.....farmers.....don't want to have their vehicle in the garage when time is money and the vehicle is so important to that. Also......it's one of the quirks that makes it what it is and if you ask me, it's dropped in desirability because of the lack of manual vents, the addition of a curious bump on the bonnet and the general "new" feel. I don't even like where the Gear lever is anymore. My '86 had a massive gear lever in a really awkward place that I had to almost reach for.....but I loved it! If I won the lottery and could go out and buy a brand new one.......I wouldn't.........I'd still get an old boy!

Sorry if I've offended any Freelander owners.......they are actually really good vehicles now, but unfortunately carry the crap badge from their earlier years...one of the most unsafe cars on the road........glad LR have upgraded and improved and they now look like baby RRs a bit.

We should have a UKBEG off roading day!!!

And you haven't even mentioned the questionable engine & gearbox etc etc reliability of the newer models.

I don't live on the farm any more (it's only a couple of miles away though) so ours gets used as a skip, bike transporter, snow-trak, as a firm base when arrows get stuck on the roof (the joys of teaching archery to a 9-year old. ) as well as giving The Smalls something to practice driving off-road. My son (currently 11) has already claimed it as his 17th birthday present.

IMO, the early coil-sprung Defenders are the best compromise. It is actually useful on the road but still has the abilities and build of the earlier Series models.

That said, though, whilst I agrre that the current Defender has moved too far to the ground which the original Disco occupied, if you look at what they are selling, many / most Defenders seem to be safaris which are family cars, rather than the work-horse you describe. Our farm trucks are now Ford crew-cabs, with leccy windows, air con, relatively decent ICE and they are proving just as good long-term as the 88"s were.

I think that the most telling market, the long-range travellers who head off to spend years in Africa, for instance, and need reliability and ease-of-bodging are either using older Defenders or, for those with the cash to buy new, are looking at stuff from Mitsubishi or Toyota.

Much as I love the RR and Disco III (there, I've said it!) they are just as aspirational now as the metal from Merc & BMW, utility is not the market that they seem to want to occupy. Which is a shame.

As for going off-topic... "they all do that, sir!"

IMO.

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Good in straight lines
2001 X1 "The Tart's Handbag"
2001 FZS1000 "The Fridge"

Tis such a shame though. With 85% of all Land Rover Defenders ever built still on the road, the market will never die.....NEVER I TELL YOU!

For me, my dream would be an 1980's Defender with a few bits taken from Series II & III's and minimal off road mods. I laugh my head off when we have to go in our practically standard Disco I and two people in highly modded extreme off road set up defenders, RR bobtails, Surfs etc.........too much stuff can cause too many problems. Why do some people not just see the incredible off road capabilities these vehicles have as standard.

Oh, and don't get me started on the idiots that don't bother learning proper technique, break on steep slopes, use low box and think you're talking boll0x when you say to put it in third to floor it up a hill, instead choosing first gear and nearly blowing the engine!!!

So many idiots out there......but so many laughs to be had at their expense!!!

If you see the June issue of Land Rover Monthly anywhere, check out page 80......that's my other half with our Disco.....he's such a muppet!