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| #1  05-Sep-2009, 23:56 | ||||
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| my 749 road trip and pics well after a bit of research on here i decided to take the plunge and buy a 749,was never keen on them when they were first launched but theyve grown on me over the years. one night whilst browsing the net with a few beers on board i saw what looked like a bike that was too good to be true at the price it was advertised at,emailed the seller expecting it to be sold but it wasnt. we exchanged a few emails and this was where the problem arose, I live in Cornwall and am prepared to travel for the right bike but this 749 was in Belfast,yep thats right belfast !!! I didnt think too much more of it until I chatted to a few mates about it which is where the idea to actually buy it came from. out came the blackberry, flight prices were checked along with ferry prices and crossing times etc where it worked in my favour,it also helped that ive just had the last week off work. so as you do i exchanged emails,lots of photos from the seller and lots of research on here helped me decide the deal had to be done if for no other reason than the road trip to belfast lol the bike almost became a 2nd thought at this stage as i tried to work out how to get a bike from belfast to cornwall. i had already booked 4 days in dublin with the wife and tried to work out a way of collection whilst there but decided to be sensible and treat the wife to the break and sort the 749 out upon the return. I returned from dublin on thursday eve and on friday morning the road trip started. i left my place just before 9am on friday morning and drive into the bank to withdraw the cash needed to buy the bike,i fuelled the car up and off i went heading for liverpool. i had booked a flight out of liverpool airport at 6pm which was to arrive in belfast at 7pm,this gave me 2.5 hrs to complete the deal and then ride to belfast docks where i had booked onto the overnight ferry back to birkenhead. to me for some strange reason it felt like a good plan and it would have been if it hadnt have been for the sheer amount of traffic that was on the m5 and m6 yesterday. what should have took 5 hrs took 7.5hrs,i arrived at the airport parking at 4.30,caught the link bus to the airport and checked in where i was finally able to relax,i ahd chewed all my nails off by this time,it wasnt helped by the fact the buyer off my trackbike (who'd paid a £100 deposit) emailed to say he no longer wanted the bike i'd held back for a month. so there i was halfway to liverpool,cash borrowed from the wife on the back of the sale wondering what to do for the best. best thing to do in that situation is to ring the wife who said you've paid for the flight and ferry you'd best go and try your hardest to sell the cbr when you get back (phew!!!)  I checked in,made it through customs whilst all the time being really paranoid as i had a big brown envelope full of £20 notes in my pocket,never been so nervous,paranoid and frightened of pickpockets in my life. I got the flight out ok and met up with barry the previous owner,had a long chat and did the deal,got to admit to being well pleased with the bike,looked better in the flesh and i'd managed to haggle £250 off his original asking price. I left about 8pm and rode into belfast,wish I had longer as the Irish countryside looked beautiful but the overnight ferry was beckoning.  found the ferryport ok where i met up with a couple of irish hells angels who were off to a bbq in manchester,(long way for a burger if you ask me). they were friendly enough so we shared a couple of pints on the ferry and off to bed it was. i woke up every hour hoping and praying the bike was ok in the hold as the 749 sidestand didnt look to strong when it was strapped down by the ferry operative. woke up this morning in birkenhead docks,sun was rising and i was the first vehicle off the ferry,left the docks and headed for the wallesey tunnel,i rode under the river mersey and out through liverpool to the airport where my car and trailer were waiting for me. the ride through the empty streets of liverpool this morning was magical,felt alive and that the hassle was worth it. back at the car i loaded the bike up onto the trailer on my own,really nervous hoping it wasnt going to fall off whilst i ratcheted it down,didnt bother me with the old trackbikes but this bikes different. you would imagine by now it was a case of get in the car and drive home to Cornwall and relax in the afternoon but NO. I left liverpool just before 8am and headed for Poole in dorset where my best mate had agreed to buy a 748 off ebay,trouble was old boy didnt finish work til 3. I'd said I would meet him,have a bit of lunch and then collect/load the 748 up,he didnt want to ride back as his missus is 2 weeks away from giving birth and i didnt mind as it made the trip more fun and memorable. on the way to poole i was making really good time and had no traffic holdups (unlike y'day) so powered by monster energy drink i very hyperly called into MotoRapido to see what goodies took my eye. eventually after a spot of lunch we met old boy with the 748 who wasnt looking chirpy,the 748 wouldnt start with the alarm connected, once this was disconnected and the bike started first time the deal was done and off we set. its now 4pm and i still had a very long and tiring 175miles to drive home plus unload my mates bike and then get back to mine. as i left poole i opened up the 3rd can of monster to help keep me going as i was flagging by then. the roads out of poole were a nightmare, loaded with caravans and my car struggling to tow a fully loaded trailer up the dorset hills. after a coffee stop at exeter i got back to my mates house about 7.30ish,we unloaded his 748 and then drove to mine where he came and helped unload the 749,lock it away in the garage and sort the trailer out. all in all i was on the road for about 35 hrs and im sure it will all be worth it in the end,well i hope it is   the bike is a 2003 749bip with 3800miles on the clock,the frame and wheels have been painted white and the subframe/swingarm/rearsets/clutch cover/belt covers have all been painted black. there is also a few bits of carbon-heel plates,exhaust guard,exhaust backbox and hugger. braided hoses and a bigger screen complete the extras,bizarrely theres no pillion pegs which hasnt pleased the wife,oops!! bike was serviced last year with the belts included so dont need to worry about them til next year,the only small issue is a fault code light coming on when ticking over at traffic lights then going out once moving again. will follow keefys advice tomorrow and get it checked out.  oh and it only cost 2250 too,2475 if you include ferry n flights so hopefully will be a good buy. just needs a open clutch cover,some decent tyres and the suspension twiddled with to suit my larger frame and all is good in the world. more importantly I have a ducati in the garage again !!!!!  |
| #4 10-Sep-2009, 09:37 | ||||
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| Those white wheels look great mate, really suit it. Look how ahead of it's time the bike looks next to that old thing on the trailer  |
| #5 10-Sep-2009, 13:50 | ||||
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Looking good. 
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