One day one photo - 19: Welcome back to the fun Honda Monkey motorbike

Honda Monkey at Ditchling Beacon

This was the celebratory photo I took of my motorcycle at Ditchling Beacon earlier this month on my first ride down to Brighton. It was one of the few times recently when the Monkey started without any problems before things went downhill significantly and I had to do a few rounds with breakdown services and motorcycle mechanics. I'm glad that the problem is now fixed.

It's nice to be able to ride my Honda Monkey without worrying that it wasn't going to start. It's just great to be back with the fun Monkey, as opposed to the rather sickly monkey over the last couple of months.

Throughout last summer, through the winter and spring my motorbike had started without fail, and without the need for a trickle charger or jump leads. Then I had this dodgy period where the motorcycle just seemed to become more and more difficult to start. It totally failed to do so a few times, with the battery losing charge at an ever increasing rate. I became more familiar with the breakdown recovery service than I would have liked. The bike even failed to start on one occasion after I had left it parked for 2 hours during my orchestra rehearsal - despite having left it on trickle charge for the whole day before going out on it.

When it comes to that, things become quite stressful and you realise you can't take the bike anywhere. Also, it won't do for someone to just say "you need a new battery" or "it's the tracker that is draining your battery". 

Thankfully a good mechanic had the presence of mind to check out the underlying cause and pinpoint the problem to a faulty rectifier. So that has been replaced, as has the battery - with a good quality Yuasa one. So now I am a happy rider. 

I can't say how relieved I feel just to be able to start the engine and be greeted to the sound of the rumbling of a healthy engine. I imagine my Monkey is also very happy to have properly working innards too!

So I look forward to doing some more trips to interesting places before winter sets in.

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 6: Dropping the bike

Just when you think you're getting the hang of it..... and you have that really embarrassing fall.

I am really enjoying riding my Honda Monkey, and I must say I even feel I have a bit of status because I ride my minimotorbike with no L-plates - unlike most other riders on small motorbikes and scooters around London.

I guess that comes with pros and cons. It's great that people can look at me and view me as someone who takes their motorbiking a little bit seriously, riding with all the correct protective gear, being responsible on the road, and not thrashing the bike around like a frisky teenager. 

But on the other hand, folks may also look at you like you are this really experienced bike rider. And then some of the newbies may even follow my line when filtering through traffic. Look, I'm just ad-libbing things and learning on the job. It may even be that some motorbikers with L-plates have been riding on the road for more years than I have been. The difference between us is just that they have chosen not to take the test for a full licence, preferring to renew their Compulsory Basic Training certificate every two years. So who knows they may actually be better bike riders than I even though they have L-plates. If that is the case, I am confident that it won't always be the case. I am determined to do all the courses and activities that will make me good, safe motorcyclist.

However, for now, I have to put up with those silly schoolboy errors. Top of the list of silly errors is dropping the bike when riding at a slow pace. I remember dropping the bike a couple of days after I bought the Monkey. It was pretty embarrassing, as I pulled into the driveway of my house and as I accelerated a little to get the bike to ride over the ramp in the kerb, I must have accelerated a bit too much and ended up losing control of the bike as there was a rapid surge in momentum. At that point me and the Monkey were in a heap on the pavement. 

Before I had time to think about any damage to the bike or my body, I focussed very quickly on getting back on my feet, hoping that nobody had seen what was a rather embarrassing fall. I picked myself up trying to style it out as though the tumble had been a planned action - not!

Apart from that, I hadn't had any mishap on the bike until now, when I was parking in a residential street next to Hampstead Heath to go to the Lido. It was a lovely sunny morning and I was enjoying riding down this tree-lined cul-de-sac with its Victorian red-brick houses. Finding a space on the other side of the road I did a very slow U-turn, then before I knew it, the bike lost momentum and wobbled. My gut reaction was to try and rescue the fall. But at this point I was already heading for the ground, and I was beyond rescue. Both me and the Monkey flipped sideways and I had hit the deck, with the bike lying on top of my leg. The engine continued running for a few seconds more before stalling.

I didn't feel any pain as the thickness of my Kevlar trousers must have absorbed the force. Motorcycle gear is definitely worth investing in. I would have felt very embarrassed, but in fact my biggest issue was how to get up. The bike weighs 104kg, which is light compared with most motorcycles. Nevertheless, it felt like a tonne and I was completely unable to move it. I was trapped. The saving grace was that this was a small cul-de-sac, so no chance of traffic passing through. Unhelpfully, no pedestrians were coming through either.  So I was faced with the prospect of just lying there until someone could help me. 

Luckily, two young women emerged from one of the houses. When they saw me they looked shocked and at the same time mystified as to what to do. I asked if they could lift the bike for me. The younger woman bent down to reach the bike. I felt a little awkward as I didn't know how strong she would be, and I would've been horrified if she'd put her back out. 

"Thanks, that's great. I can do the rest now," I said to her as she tried to bring the bike into an upright position. All I had needed was for the bike to be lifted enough for me to remove my leg from underneath it. Then I could stand myself and the Monkey back up. I was really grateful for her help. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking quite worried for me. "Oh, I am fine. There's no harm done," I replied. At that moment a cycle courier on a scooter appeared from nowhere, and also asked if I was okay. Then I began to feel silly. When you're on an eye-catching bike like the Honda Monkey you should be able to walk the walk, not hit the deck!

"I'm totally fine," I replied. "I made a silly mistake when doing my U-turn. I just feel really embarrassed!"

"Don't worry about it. We've all done that. But you're okay, right?" The young man enquired. 

I told him I was fine, before he went along on his way and continued his day, as did the two women. 

A quick inspection of the bike showed no damage, apart from to the right wing mirror which had come loose. This road turned out to be a a convenient place to have a mishap as there was a Kwik-Fit garage right opposite. The guy quickly resolved the issue by screwing the wing mirror back on, and everything was fine. Of course I would be getting the bike checked over properly once I got home.

After that mini drama, I found a parking space a little further away, and swam my cares away at Parliament Hill Lido.

There was no harm done during this fall. Most bikers wouldn't class it as a fall, but as dropping the bike. It is said to be one of the most common incidents, and can happen to anyone regardless of experience. That's reassuring to hear, but what I need to do is to learn how to pick myself up after such incidents.  In fact, I must say that this "bike drop" is one reason to stick to mini-motos like the Monkey, and not get a larger bike. I need something I can easily lift in these instances, or at least any passer-by helping me can easily lift.

Better still, I should try not to drop the bike - or at least learn to style it out if I do drop it!

Related posts 

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 5

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 4

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 3

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 5: Ride to Newlands Corner

Easter at Newlands Corner 

All smiles at Newlands Corner after taking a few fun bends and then doing some trail running

Since passing my A1 motorcycle test in February, I have enjoyed riding around on my Honda Monkey without L-plates. Even though I am only on a 125cc bike I still feel like I have come up somewhat in the motorcycling world. It just gives me a feeling of being a slightly "serious" biker as opposed to a kid on a runaround for delivering pizzas, or someone confining themselves to a life of just renewing the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) certificate every two years. No, I want an actual license, so that I can do all the things that motorbikers do, albeit in a mini version!

I now have the full gear, having gifted myself a pair of fully padded trousers for my birthday, to complement the jacket and boots. They did set me back to the tune of around £250, but I am sure these pants will be worth it and can provide the difference between slight bruising and broken bones if I come a cropper. Very prudently, my clothing is included in the bike insurance!

So with all my gear I decided to go out on an Easter ride. My longest outing to date was 40 miles round-trip to Box Hill and back. Today, I went a little further and went to Newlands Corner, also in the Surrey Hills but slightly more to the West and close to Guildford. 

Route-finding was not an issue for me as I am familiar with these roads, having done lots of road cycling around Surrey. I headed down to Reigate where I picked up the A25 to Dorking and basically stayed on that road all the way to Shere. I stopped quickly to fuel up and then took the short uphill stretch to the popular visitor centre and car park on the North Downs Way.

I had been slightly apprehensive about the ride, mainly because my little Monkey is more used to urban riding, where the average speed is around 15 miles per hour and top speeds approximately 35. Would the little 9 brake horse power engine be able to cope with 40 or 50 mph roads? I was afraid of holding everyone up, and having a long snake of vehicles behind me. Also, would I be able to take the bends?

To make life easier for me, I set off from home early - around 8.30am, when the roads would be quiet. Riding along the A25 in the shadow of the chalky hills of Box Hill, Denbies Hillside, and Abinger Roughs was a real buzz as I took the bends prudently but still faster than I normally ride. The Monkey felt firm on the road and as long as I opened the throttle generously and before the road steepened I was able to get up without without dropping too much momentum. There was a section after Wotton where I underestimated the steepness of the hill and the bike began to chug a little so I dropped down to second gear. Luckily there was no one behind me so it was no big deal.

I must say when I arrived at Newlands I had a smile on my face. By the time I arrived at the car park it was almost 10am, and bikers were already gathering. 

The thing is, I didn't have any intention of hanging out eating a bacon sandwich/burger or admiring other bikers' kit - whatever it is that bikers do when they gather at these places. I chose to go to Newlands because it's a nice trip out, and more importantly it's great for trail running. I even had a little orienteering map with me to check out a permanent course and get in some running as well as navigation training. So while folks were queuing up at the café, I was getting changed into my trainers and running kit.

My bike was parked up next to an older guy who greeted me on my arrival. I must say I felt a bit of a fraud. "I'm not a real biker," I told him. "I'm new to motorbiking and I've just come here for a run." He half laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, we've all got to start somewhere. Nice bike, by the way." He then told me about how he had come all the way down from Newcastle-on-Tyne for the weekend, and had taken part in a big ride out to Windsor with about 500 mainly ex-military guys on motorbikes. He was still on a high from that event. I guess that was something I could look forward to doing. (It's open to civilians as well.) He then said he'd had enough of Newlands Corner as he found it a bit too cliquey and would be going to Ryka's at Box Hill, which is apparently a lot friendlier. "I might see you over there," he said. I told him I'd be doing a trail run first, and he said "Okay, see you later." I could only guess he didn't know what I meant when I said "trail run". I didn't have the heart to explain to him it would take me a little longer than the time he would take to ride the 10 miles to the foot of Box Hill!   

My orienteering trail run was quite fun, and it was great to be able to explore the trails near the area of St Martha's Hill, even if it was quite taxing trudging uphill and down dale through the woods and on the grassy banks. Still, I really enjoyed being in these deserted pockets of beautiful countryside in the April sunshine. By the time I returned to my bike the car parks - for cars and motorcycles - were rammed full.

A couple of guys had gathered around my bike which I had covered to conceal my motorcycle clothing and boots. "We were waiting to see the bike uncovered; we were curious to find out what bike was underneath the cover," they said. I suspect they already knew what my bike was, as they would have identified the familiar small-sized chunky tyres. By some coincidence one of the guys said, "I knew it. I have a Monkey as well. Come and see mine." He then proudly led me across the car park to show me his yellow pride and joy, known as the Monkey Banana. It did look pretty cool. He reeled off all these modifications that he had made to the bike - getting long armed wing mirrors, putting on a stronger suspension, modifying the exhaust, and adorning it with some cool-looking stickers. 

I actually felt embarrassed to say, I had no modification story to reciprocate. Feeling quite the boring so-and-so I said, "Mine hasn't had any thing done to it!" I did welcome his recommendation on where to get some monkey shaped stickers though! I wouldn't mind having some of those.

Interestingly, this gathering at Newlands was a day out for the guys, though they only lived down the road in Cranleigh. At least I could take some brownie points for having travelled almost four times as far as them, having ridden across from Crystal Palace.

Throughout my time in the car park, various people arrived and left, with people who seemed to know each other or recognise each other from other biker gatherings catching up and chatting. A guy on a big trike parked up next to me, and a lot of people crowded around his mean machine observing, inspecting, discussing, and quizzing about it. It was all very intriguing. I just busied myself with getting changed and packing away my bike cover. 

I couldn't have contributed towards the discussion after bidding him a courteous "hello", other than to say "burgundy is my favourite colour" or something equally inane. So I judged it better to not be part of the crowd. Maybe my homework will be to read a little about trikes in case I bump into him again.

All in all, it was a good morning (which turned into an afternoon) out. On leaving Newlands Corner I felt quite emboldened and motivated on my ride home, after spending all that time among motor bikers. It may have even given me a confidence boost when riding.  

I may not "feel" like a motor biker, but in fact just turning up at a motor biker car park (particularly where the folks are friendly) does have the effect of the culture rubbing off onto you without realising it. Who knows, maybe they'll make more of a motor bike out of me in the future. 

I look forward to doing a similar outing before long.

Related posts

The Monkey Motorcycle Diaries - Episode 1

The Monkey Motorcycle Diaries - Episode 2

The Monkey Motorcycle Diaries - Episode 3

The Monkey Motorcycle Diaries - Episode 4

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 3

I am two-thirds of the way along the route to taking the L-plates off my dear Honda Monkey 125cc bikje. Part 1 of three was all about doing the theory test, and Part 2 was Module 1. The final part, Module 2, will be at a time in the not-distant future.

Slightly worn but somewhat valuable certificates!

Once I pass that then I will have the A1 licence. It is basically a full licence, but restricted to 125cc motorcycles. Usually the A1 licence is what young riders get as they are not old enough to be issued with the A licence which allows you to ride any sized bike. For that, you have to be over 21 years if you have done a progressive access course, or over 24 years old if you are getting directly into motorcycling. 

So, as a woman in her fifties some might say that I should go for the A licence. Folks on motorcycle social media groups often say that the A1 licence is a waste of time getting if you are over 24 years old. After all, it will cost the same to obtain as the A1 licence. Furthermore, you'd soon get fed up with riding a 125cc and I will be wishing for a big bike.

The thing is, on a number of fronts I don't agree with what folks say. Firstly, in my opinion, getting the A1 is a hell of a lot cheaper than getting the A license.

The motorcycle test to get the A license has to be done a minimum 600cc engine size. So given that CBT only allows you to ride a 125cc then any time you want to practice and prepare for the test you have to go via a motorcycle training school. The A1 licence, being for 125cc bikes means that if you own a 125cc bike you can prepare for the test yourself, without having to go through the programme in a training school. And it is true that the sessions will be the same as for the A licence so it will cost almost the same - around £800-£1000.

So yes, there is a case for going for the full A licence if you only plan to prepare via a school. But that's not my line. I went to two different schools in order to obtain my Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) certificate, neither of which were schools that I rated. By the time I'd done my CBT I had had my fill of training schools and so am not ready to send my cash to any training school for the time being.

So with that in mind, I was ready to do the A1 as a privateer and just pay the test fees (£15.50 for Module 1, £75 for Module 2) plus a small investment (£15) in a set of cones to practice riding around in a car park.

As I already have my little Monkey to ride I can get all the practice I need riding around the various streets in London. For my Mod 1, I took to hanging out in carparks - at the local Tesco, usually early in the morning; then in a local sports centre, and even just on quiet residential roads for things like the emergency stop and hazard avoidance test. 

When I told a few people of my intention to prepare and take the test as an individual many people were quite skeptical of the idea and told me that it would be really tough as I don't know what the examiner will be looking for - there is a reason why people get trained by a motorcycle instructor. I just didn't feel convinced that a motorcycle instructor would teach me anything that I couldn't work out myself or obtain from online resources. Judging by the behaviour of other instructors I had experienced I just didn't rate them enough for me to want to take any instruction from them.

After passing the multiple choice test, which I thankfully passed first time, with the help of the DVSA video practice tests in books and on-line, I then attempted my Mod 1 at the driving test centre in Mitcham. That wasn't a great experience.

I had visited the test centre a couple of days before, to get a feel for the layout of the place, but I wasn't allowed to ride around the route. On test day I was very nervous, and the examiner was anything but friendly or welcoming. He delivered the instructions quite quickly and when I asked him to repeat, so that I could check I had understood what he wanted, he sighed and repeated them again just as quickly. At one point he said, "You haven't had no lessons have you?" I replied that I had prepared for the test but I was feeling very nervous. That didn't register with him and when I asked him to repeat the instruction on another occasion he shouted at me saying, "You should listen."

Despite all that I performed all the tasks correctly, except for the very last task, the hazard avoidance. On my first go, as I looked at my speedometer and saw 25 mph shortly before the speed trap I abandoned the attempt knowing that I wouldn't be able to reach the required 31mph.

On my second attempt I was determined to give it some welly, revving the engine right up and I went through the trap at 34mph, then brought the motorbike to a controlled stop feeling pleased that I had done a good swerve.

But, uh oh! I looked at where I had parked the bike and realised I stopped completely in the wrong place, and nowhere near the cones where I was required to come to a halt! I knew I had blown it and just wanted to ride straight home.

The examiner said I hadn't done badly apart from the final exercise, and he put it down to me having gone through the speed trap too fast, and not being in control of the bike. I didn't agree with that. I knew that the nerves had gotten the better of me, and his behaviour had not helped matters.

I went home feeling quite furious with the situation and fed back about the behaviour of the examiner, who I later discovered had not even gone through the proper administrative processes at the start of the test. I have no idea if DVSA will have taken any action in respect of this. Given some of the negative feedback that I have heard about the place, I don't get the impression they care.

On the road to a life of no L-plates

Still, it didn't stop me going back to take the test on another occasion. On my second attempt I did everything perfectly, but once again I failed on the hazard avoidance test. My first attempt was too slow, and on my second attempt I looked down at the speedometer, and seeing that I was at 34mph I thought "great" and released the throttle, only to drop, unbeknown to me, down to 28mph. I could have kicked myself. Finally, I got the test on my third attempt, and with just one minor error. When I did that test, I didn't feel nervous at all - probably more fed up and with a bit of a ground hog day/here we go again feeling. So I was probably quite relaxed!

It's been a bit of a faff getting the Mod 1, but to be honest, I still feel that it has been worthwhile doing it this way, and I have generally been very much in control of where I am and how I go about the motorcycle test preparation. The times I failed were on the same issue - the hazard avoidance test. That was also the aspect I practiced the least during my preparation because it wasn't that easy to find an off-road space where I could ride at 31mph without potentially being a nuisance. But when I found a magic cul-de-sac the day before the test, and practiced on it during a quiet time of the day that made all the difference. I now have the final part to do - hopefully that will be a more straight forward affair. 

Some people might still wonder why it's so important to have an A1 licence if I could just continue with the CBT certificate and L-plates, then keep renewing it every two years - something that is quite commonly done. Firstly, I am not sure how economical that is in the long run because CBT renewals cost at least £150 (as much as £180) in the London area, and that works out as as more than taking an A1 test. 

Once you have an A1 licence there is no obligation to renew anything, You don't need L-plates and you have the same status as anyone on a larger bike. So you can carry a passenger (if your bike is set up for that), you can ride on a motorway (if you dare to do so on a 125cc bike), but for me most importantly, I can take the bike abroad. My goal in the next few months is to be able to take the Monkey to France - to ride up the Champs Elysées, park there and soak in the Paris in the Spring atmosphere. I look forward to getting to the French capital significantly quicker than on my pushbike!

Related posts

Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 1

Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 2

The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 1

I have become a motor biker - well, kind of. I am still just a learner at the moment. But it is a start. I'm on two-wheels and with a machine. It's not quite in the all leather or hell's angel or even a mod type, but more in the practical sensible bike rider type. 

I guess my motives for motorbike riding are more dowdy and less rock'n'roll than most other bikers. I just wanted a way of getting around London without being heavily reliant on public transport and without having the car stresses of getting stuck in traffic, parking, expensive parking and congestion charge. 

Of course, I like to travel around by pushbike, and that is something I will still continue to do. But it's good to have another option for when you don't want to have to go by using pedal power all the way to North London, or when travelling late in the evening. Or sometimes I just feel tired and want a sedentary way of getting around on two wheels. I'm getting old!

So, after a number of lessons I got through my compulsory basic training (CBT) and now I have the prized D196, which let's me onto public roads, albeit with L-plates and limited to a 125cc motorbike. 

That's handy, as that's what I've got - 125cc Honda Monkey with L-plates on it. 

I picked up my new 2wheeled horse the very next day after doing my CBT. I had had most of my lessons on a Honda MXS 125cc (also known as the Grom), so the Monkey, which has the same construction as the Grom was a good bike to start with in my motorcycle riding journey. However, that still doesn't stop you from being nervous.

The worst moment for me, was after I paid for and picked up the bike from the showroom in Coulsdon, South Croydon, shook hands with the salesman and sat on the bike. which was parked right outside the shop on the main road. I really felt like everyone in the shop was watching me and I felt all the pressure to set off smoothly like I knew what I was doing. Of course I knew what I was doing - I had spent the previous afternoon riding around South London and had shown my instructor what I was capable of riding on public roads. So I really had to remind myself that I would be fine.

Riding through the Croydon traffic at rush hour was fun and games. I stalled the bike a couple of times when pulling away from lights. At least I had the presence of mind to pull into the side of the road, out of the way of traffic, and

 restart the machine and carry on. The busy Wellesley Road which includes many buses pulling out from the bus terminal and traffic coming in from the underpass proved a bit of a challenge. Likewise for Selhurst Road which involved stop-start traffic on an uphill stretch. 

In fact, it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Motorists seemed quite patient, and in any case the traffic was quite slow-moving given that it was rush hour. What I can look forward to is being able to filter through the traffic and leaving behind the four-wheeled vehicles.

Once I reached home at Crystal Palace, I felt like letting out a cheer that I had survived my first unaccompanied motorcycle ride through the London area. When I took my jacket off I realised that I was drenched in sweat - not just because it had been a hot day, but because it was reflective of how nervous I had been.

Well, I had made it home in one piece, and from here on in no other bike ride would be as nerve-wracking and clumsy as this one. So things can only get better. It was just a question of making sure I get out on the bike frequently, so that everything becomes a natural reflex. 

Given how much I like my little cute Monkey I don't think it will be difficult to will myself into getting on the bike.