CHLOE'S PLACE

I love bikes, cars too, though not in the same league. The love must come from my Dad, he has always been into them and was still doing club racing on a 250 2-stroke when I was old enough to worry about him. He eventually stopped the bike racing, he was older, and didn't want to kill himself on the track now he had two children. Of course, the racing didn't stop, that's in the blood I guess and these days he races in a classic car class with a Renault Alpine.

So early on in my life, the thrill of racing, of speed, of accelleration, and the smells of tarmac, burning rubber, and unburnt 2-stroke oil all lodged themselves in my memories and pyscology and that was that.

These days, having reached my twenties, there is no going back and I know I'll be into these types of things my whole life.

I don't do it to be cool, it just is cool. Make sense? *lol*

So I first rode a bike when I was about 11. It belonged to my cousin who must have been about 15 or 16. It was a Honda MTX-50cc and I couldn't reach the ground with both feet at once! I remember the feeling so well, as I set off in 1st gear I thought I'd never need 2nd! How naive can you get?! Ha!

I was riding across a field of sheep with no helmet, and it was so exhilirating, the wind in your face and the real feeling of speed and control. I was hooked.

Between then and age 17 I rode that bike alot and also a couple of old trials bikes, a fantic 200 and a montessa 200, which were great learning tools. Drove go-karts too to get the fix, and even got to learn to drive a car since I lived in the outback ;)

At 17 I was living in London, perfect biker territory, Chelsea Bridge meet/gridlock traffic etc and two weeks after my birthday I had done my CBT, and I bought a bike asap...

This bike did what it said on the tin, so to speak, but was hardly exciting. It was exciting for me, to begin with, just being allowed on the road and having my own vehicle was exciting enough, and after a few hours downhill, it would do about 85mph. Did have something resembling a power band, and was also not bad to tip in and everyone needs a dog to throw down the road a couple of times before you own something precious.

I had wanted a Suzuki RG or Honda NSR but insurance costs were prohibitive. (My younger brother later did have an RG and it was an excellent bike, real powerband fun, though ultimately limited/outgrown by having no real power.)

Due to circumstances, I had the AR for about two years, but that suited well in the end as I had built up some no claims bonus cheaply that I would be mightily grateful for later on...

This bike is the bee's knees. I love it to bits. It's the Kwak equivilent of the Suzuki RGV that my Dad used to race, and don't let the small capacity fool you, these two-stroke engines are little rippers and the whole bike only weighs 130kgs, and with a power of 60bhp, you can see that that is like having a 750kg car with 350bhp!!

This bike will do 0-60mph in less than 5secs, (even 4secs), I'm desparate to get on a track and really push it, but currently, finances won't permit that!

As far as mods go, so far, (and I've had it since about Oct '01), I've just changed the front sprocket for one a tooth smaller. Which results lower gearing, ie. faster off the line but slightly less top speed.

Update March 2003: Smaller front sprocket has unfortunately gone now as my chain was knackered ;)

It has racing spark plugs which I would definately recommend. The bike wasn't bad for fouled plugs anyway, but these give better firing and are supposedly more resistant to fouling.

I've also put purple anodised bits here and there, and fitted a smaller-than-legal numberplate.

Race pipes would be cool, or whole new exhaust system, but talking to people I hear it doesn't make the big any faster, just unsocialably loud, so I don't think I'll bother.

Currently, the brakes are where I must spend the money. I need new discs rear and front and pads all round. Then a new rear tyre to pass the MOT!

These bikes show the big boys how to do it, I recommend them to everyone! I have guys come up to me every now and then going misty eyed over their memories of this bike. They are always amazed that there are still some on the road. It's a 1991 bike and they were renowned for blowing up. But don't let this put you off. This reputation is just relative to the reliability of a brand new four stroke. Don't use cheap oil and you should be ok.

They are incredibly mechanically simple and a rebuild isn't expensive, that's what mine's had and what most others still on the road have probably had.

But whatever you do, don't get an ex race bike, that will go pop!

It's only worth about £1100 and is in a low insurance group to an R6 etc so thats two other plusses.

KR1S reviews @ ukbike.com

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The next bike I'd like would be either an Aprilia RS250, a couple of years old, or a minted RGV. If I got a bigger bike, who knows, there is so much choice. I like my brother's ZXR400, and the bigger ZXR's, also the Triumph T595, a lovely triple. And R6's are just so much god damn dangerous fun. Money is prohibitive really.