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The saga is over.

Village preparations for this evening's VE Day event.

This afternoon the KTM chain got a good going over. First gave the area adjacent to the action a quick wipe down Then gave the chain it a good scrubbing with a wire brush to remove most of the caked on crud and wiped it down I then used this, I won it in a raffle Here is the result after about an hour, a clwan lubed chain that no longer has a grindy sound when spinning the wheel. Just need to fill it with oil & it’s ready to go

It is in the workshop getting its PDI and accessories fitted and I get it after work. Then straight up Loch Lomond for a ride.

Good evening. Still in the lake District

When I did my CBT, it took me a few goes before I finally passed it. I had never ridden or indeed driven before, so being in charge of a motor vehicle, and being on the road, it was all completely new to me. After coming off on a roundabout on my first attempt, the instructor called it a day for me and I ended up going back for some additional one on one training. More time on the bike. More getting used to something new. More building confidence in myself. He himself said after my initial failure that in his view, all I needed was more time on the bike. He was right. He saw my weaknesses and my strengths, saw where I was doing well and where I wasn't, and worked with me to get me not only over the line, as it were, but to give me that confidence to be able to take on the world. You don't just need a good instructor, you need an instructor who is good for you. If things simply aren't clicking with your current one, then find a different one. As for geared or automatics, I would say stick it out and go geared. One of my big sticking points right at the start was gears. I knew, even before I started, that I would have difficulty with them, and I did. I was *this* close to simply tossing the towel in over my frustration with gears, but I persisted. Time, practice, and a bit of tinkering with my bike to move the gear shifter to a more comfortable position for me has worked wonders. Everything is second nature to me now, and it has only been a little over six months. And in that time, I've done close to 5,000 miles on the road in all weathers and at all times of the day and night and have loved every minute! I am in no doubt that if I had a different instructor, I wouldn't be riding or, that I would but would be riding a scooter (no shade to scooter riders, to each their own, but they aren't for me or my portly, middle aged frame) which just isn't for me. Keep at it, look for a different instructor who can work with you and wants you to succeed, and don't be afraid to take things slowly and at your own pace. You've got this!

Finally found and ordered the correct OEM fittings for the 175 tail lamp bracket in Singapore of all places. Not cheap. Perhaps a poor business choice since it is up for sale but I cannot help myself... Besides, the chance of it selling in todays financial climate is slim to non existant, so I still view it as an ongoing project. The flat washers and socket head bolts are wrong. They should be shouldered hex head bolts and cup washers on the tailight and the tail light bracket to the rear fender should be a dome headed nut. I figure that this will make her around 96% original.

I just post this here as its on local biker FB groups.. Following the horrific crash at Oulton Park yesterday St Peter's church in Little Budworth will fly the Union Flag at half mast as a sign of respect until Thursday (when it will rise to honour the fallen on VE Day). The church is open 7.00pm this evening for anyone wanting a quiet space to reflect on the sadness following the incident at the BSB event.

Saw one brought down by a kid with a bow and arrow once after it was annoying the whole campsite. Gave us all a good chuckle.

Don't be rude

Everyone's advice was so helpful, aswell as the links but I've marked your reply as the solution because I think it will help so many others with the same issue I had. I hadn't even considered looking at the starter motor part number rather than just searching in correlation to the make of my bike. Aswell as your advice for fixing up the brushes, mine did need replaced but that bit of knowledge will be handy to not only myself in the future but anyone who comes across this thread! Thank you!

Good evening troops A wee home delivery ramen soup for £3.80

I went with trying to cause consternation, gnashing of teeth and an argument Be better off joining a vegan Facebook group and saying how much you like steak, hmmmmm steak

I can't complain too much about where I live. Garden backs on to a cemetery so its nice and quiet here. If the 'neighbours', as it were, ever get rowdy, then that is a major cause for concern. On topic though, I try to be as considerate as I possibly can be, and don't exactly ride a noisy bike. CG125 with the standard exhaust, so pretty quiet as bikes go. That said, if I ever have to warm the bike up, or rev the engine a bit, and it is super early morning or late at night, I tend to wheel myself down to the bottom of the road where there are no houses and do it there. Middle of the day though? I do it outside my house. Much to the chagrin of the Dogs who have decided that motorcycle noise = existential threat that they must go on attack to destroy. Vicious little fluffy killing machines our Dogs.

Oh No !! Luckily this is not all it seems, It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this in a workshop manual.. Any how, it’s all done now and ready to rock at Motojunkies tomorrow

North West England #5 Kielder Water Bird Of Prey Centre #6 Hartside Pass #7 Solway Aviation Museum

Sins and Virtues #9 Charity - Oak Tree Animals' Charity

Weird and Wonderful #10 Long Meg and Her Daughters

Rejoined, bought a bike, comes in 2 days time, unpacked and took my old bike clothing to the dry cleaners and booked up an advanced course. Track session next and I will hopefully be good to go. It has been a few years and I am both excited and apprehensive. That recent crash at Oulton was the worse possible timing and, of course, thoughts for all those involved. Horrific.

Good evening from the Lake District (still). Today we had a short, but strenuous little hike up Barf, across to Lord’s Seat and back down to Thornthwaite.

Stripped and repainted the rear subframe on the RGV. Fitted it back to the frame and started reattaching everything; oil tank, coolant reservoir,cdi box, battery box, loom.

Ah the Airsporter. Here is one I was given in 2020 as a rusty, seized, non operational relic of past youth. It had been stood and long forgotten in a parents shed for at least 30 years and probably closer to 40, it only came to light when the now collapsing shed was being emptied ready for pulling down after the now very elderly parents had passed on and the house was being prepared for sale. Luckily, someone a long time in the past had squirted a lot of oil down the barrel so the rifling, tap assembly and cylinder were still in good condition internally, the trigger sear assemby was seized and would not hold the piston back. Cost around £20 in new seals, parts and materials and I reckon from what I have seen locally, it is worth between £150 and £200 these days. The period correct and original BSA telescopic sight and mounting rings were found on ebay for a further £20. Given to me by a work mate and I restored it to its former glory, must be around winter 2020. Still have it. Could not afford a BSA when I was a kid, I had an eastern bloc produced Relum Tornado.

Had a nice bike day today. Out doing an observed ride on the Explorer first thing. Off to a local music festival for the afternoon on the Thunderbird. Met the local bike club and got an invite to their annual rally. Back home via the Tap at Eastham. Out to a friend's 60th this evening on the XJR. Still can't quite believe I wandered into a showroom and bought that days after passing my MOD2, much less that they sold it to me! It really is just a little bit nuts. But I'd forgotten just how much I love it. So much power, torque, character and, erm, noise (apologies to the neighbours, we were late getting home).

First payment A cheapo marquee to contain the kids & music Badly erected as the lawn is anything but flat and I wasn’t that bothered once Mrs Mickly said “that’ll do”

Could have been told before but here goes I asked my wife am I the only one ? She said yes all the others were a 9 or 10

South Midlands #07- National Trust Snowshill Manor South Midlands #08- Daylesford Organic South Midlands #09- Bunkers Hill Garden shop

Good morning! This week has been a bit of a drag, long hours when the weather is nice is never fun when you're stuck in the office. On the plus side the bike has a new MOT and I shall be going on my honeymoon soon. After Indonesia, Japan and a couple of European breaks, we're going back to the place we had our first big holiday, Florida. Doing the full Disney experience. I don't sit still, so while I'm looking forward to not being busy with work, I am looking forward to being busy doing rollercoasters, eating a lot of good food, drinking a fair few margaritas and chilling out in the water parks.

Love the landmark. In an ideal world you would pull over to ask a local for directions... Scuse me, could you direct me to the black horse? Sure. Carry on down the road until you come to the second chopped down average speed camera pole, turn left straight after it and follow that road for about a mile until you come across the burned out speed camera van, then turn right. Black horse is on the right by the burned out gatso.

I fitted a pair of iridium spark plugs to the Bobber. I'm very pleased with the result. Acceleration is crisper and smoother. I put a pair in the CBF a couple of years ago and they have been very good.

Yesterday, I paid for this course. I will update progress on this thread as it might help others. It is to get my confidence back on the seat after a few years out. I think it will be good for me. https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses/advanced-rider

A nice sunny run to Sleap aerodrome and then Old Stores.

Rode it 101 miles, to scrub in the tyres;

Swiped this from a Strom forum...

Save your breath. He is one of those trolls that join a forum, try to stir up crap and leave, never to return. He joined Tuesday evening, returned 10 mins later to view his wall of hate and disappointed seeing no replies, never came back as it did not supply him readily with his dose of narcissistic control. This is why I rarely get involved with first time posters asking a question without so much as a hello.

Round here people bought houses built on a road leading to a farm, then complain about tractors going past their houses. And people buy houses near Oulton Park and then complain about the noise. We get lads on small bikes who remove the exhaust baffles thinking it will sound like a big bike. Then they struggle to get up the hill because they have lowered the power output. They make a racket which is silly and annoying. Big engined bikes make less noise than cars in my experience.

A Tattooist opened up next door to the chippy I work at. He came around to speak to the owner and said it smells on the street of fish and chips and he might need to get the council to take action. The owner told him the Fish shop had been there at least 40 years to his knowledge, he had owned it for 15 of those. He had all the extraction going towards the sky and was doing everything the council required. Also most importantly the fish shop was there when you chose the location and decided to open up next door to it! Never heard another peep out of him and he moved to another town about a year later

I'm reminded of the old joke about the man who was driven nuts by the dog barking in his neighbour's yard. "So what you going to do about it?" asked his wife, fed up with his constant complaining. "I'm going to go out there," said the man, "get that dog, and put it in my own garden. Then we'll see how he likes it."

For a couple of weeks now, my wife has been looking for our table napkins, which had mysteriously gone missing. We were quite chilled about it though, and thought they would show up some day - they couldn't have far. How wrong I was. Because today, I got an unexpected delivery from Sportsbikeshop, and there inside were the napkins, with this note (I did wonder about putting this into "nob of the day", but I thought SBS deserved their own thread title)

Hello and welcome Have a look on NADB! Lots of useful stuff on there about modifications and what you can and can't do. You don't have to be disabled. There used to be a link on here somewhere but I can't find it on my phone

Today was a dog day. Also a learning day.. Parcel arrived with all the bits in I needed, clutch master cylinder rebuild kit, a gasket for the slave cylinder and some new foot peg covers, cos why not. After some faff and some swearing at the old retaining circlip, all bits were apart, cleaned and put back together. The adjustable lever was relegated to the "shit I don't need or have time for in my life" pile as it was another dimension of hassle. Put it all back on and filled it with dot4.... Would. Not. Bleed. Like no pressure at all. Swearing ensued and off it came, thinking I'd messed something up. Nope. All good. Weird. Still no bleeding. Off it came again. Only this time I got up close and personal....and the little hole at the bottom, next to the bigger hole (technical term that) was blocked solid. I had to shove it with a nozzle cleaner to make the hard lump of resin/old brake goo come out. I laughed. So, back together, back on, 30 minutes getting the air out of the top before bleeding it and tadaaaaa. One clutch. Yay. Then I changed the fuel tank level sensor for one that actually worked, swapped a bit of hose that was bothering me and she's ready for another day. Or another shakedown. You never really know. .... I forgot to do pictures as I was very drunk last night and a bit fluffy this morning so I'll see if I have anything relevant....nope. how about two 15 year old crash hats?

Hope you are all having a lovely day on your bikes. I am so jealous but still stuck at work. If any of you are riding round Cornwall particularly Liskeard/Bodmin/Tavistock area there's a Morrisons artic with a little old and withered bloke driving it. Seriously though have a great day and stay safe.

Option 5: Find yourself a different school, where the instructor is a bit more chilled? I don't know what's going wrong in your lessons, but a good instructor should be able to instil a bit confidence in a nervous learner. As you say, most of us are nervous learning something new and potentially dangerous. I know I was. I had to change instructor simply because of logistics. I liked both, but the second one was a lot easier to learn from because he was a lot more relaxed by nature. Why not try to visit (a couple of different schools, explain your situation and see whether you feel they might give you a better experience? And then, if this doesn't work out, I'd say go for option 2: it gives you an easier learning curve, while leaving all your options open for the time being.

Good evening from a (mostly) sunny Lake District

I noticed this a few years ago, but my take on it is rather different. I was interested in a Jaguar XF and was looking at the 3.0d as I naturally assumed the V8 wouldn't be insurable for me at 28 years old. Out of curiously I looked at a quote for a V8 (the older SV8 with the 4.2 supercharged engine). It was far cheaper than the diesel. My theory is that they're simply going off numbers of accidents per vehicle make/model. Given that the 3.0d was a far more popular model, it was more likely to have been in an accident. Same with bikes, the more of them on the road, the more likely they'll be in an accident/stolen etc.

Good ride out to get 3 tags. fosse way to Moreton then across to snowshill. Back to Stow then onto Daylesford across to bunkers hill near Kidlington. then back home via Banbury.

Had to share this wot I just found on FB