Hairsy

Hi Jess. I'm afraid I can't help with the wiring diagram but spray contact cleaner is incredibly good stuff. It's worth giving it a good soaking and then move the switches back and forth. It just might work. I use the WD40 Contact Cleaner (not normal WD40). Also, I don't know about the Zontes switches but many can be taken apart with a combination of small tools, patience and taking pictures every step of the way so that you can get it back together. Also be careful as there are often little springs and ball bearings that ping out before you've realised where they come from.

Ah - you're a Harley guy.

I'll start by saying I'm not an expert. Based on my many hours of research though, the most common view seems to be that an avoidance of hyper-extension of the neck is something that we can benefit from. But that's extreme movement of the neck. The hump on race suits has this effect (even though it's primarily there for aerodynamics). Where there's shoulder, chest and high back coverage on an airbag, that can also help. I read one article (I thin it was by a surgeon but can't find it again) that said that the most extreme neck damage may come from the head coming forward, not backward or to the side. However, too much constraint around the neck can be detrimental and it would take only a small amount of 'excess' airbag around the helmet to cause the helmet strap to tighten and introduce issues of its own. Different airbags provide different levels of coverage, both up and down the torso. Torsos are different. Different helmets will be affected by different amounts by airbags. My suspicion (note that this is my opinion only) is that all of these differences are why no-one is claiming that they've managed to design the perfect airbag for avoiding helmet deflection - simply because there's no one 'perfect'. Depends on the person and the accident. As an aside, when I was into paragliding, there were 3 main designs of helmet. They were very different. They were all 'best' for a specific type of accident. The same may be true of airbags - choose your preferred type of accident and then someone can tell you the best airbag for you. PLUS the convenience factor - if you're rubbish at keeping things charged then you should only be looking at tethered systems because your electronic system won't work. If you're likely to forgot to fix a tether then don't look at tethered systems. I didn't come across any research that suggested that internal or external wearing of airbags makes a difference. In practice, an airbag deployment is so violent that any clothing will conform to the shape of the airbag below it. This is why its critically important to have enough space under your garments - one piece suits or zipped two piece suits need to be treated and assessed with caution and leather should have stretch panels. What I did come across regarding the internal/external question was that abrasion resistance is a potential issue with externally worn airbags. A lot of abrasion can damage the airbag and be catastrophic. On track, most big impact injuries occur as the first event in an accident and so abrasion resistance may be less of an issue because the impact has happened before the abrasion sets in (although there's still tyre barriers etc to hit after a slide). For road use though, the main impact might be with street furniture / roundabouts / trees / etc which can happen after the clothing has been subject to a lot of abrasion during an extended slide. There's also a secondary benefit with airbags worn under jackets in that they're likely to be reusable after a slide. I hope that's helpful and I'll repeat that I'm not an expert. Please don't make any decisions based on what I've concluded - do your own research.

I know you've said you've already checked it but that does sound like an extreme cam chain tensioner issue. Check this out, which the comments say was a tensioner issue.

Great to hear you're still going. It'll be a sweet victory when she's done. Always enjoy your updates.

He is technically in the right but he's antagonistic and seeking to cause upset. At 1:05 he's driving less than a second behind the van in front to 'defend his right' to be there. If he'd been the recommended couple of seconds behind the van in front then of course we can all predict that the lady in the car would have taken the space. But he wasn't having any of that. At 2:02 he's driving around 5 seconds behind the car in front, in the right lane while the left lane is clear. There's no reason to do this other than to antagonise the lady. Classic dash cam warrior behaviour.

Very reasonable question! It was actually Japanese. Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. It was in lovely condition when I sold it, although a little modified.

Just looked at one of my old cars - sold it in 2000 I think. Who takes a car for an MoT in this condition?!? Although, to be fair, there's only one advisory.

Easiest thing is to upload to YouTube and then post a link.

Depends on the model - this one has to go under. I chose it mainly for the electronic activation and, particularly, the extent of the airbag coverage. The downside is that, with more coverage, it will probably be hotter, hence my desire to get it to work with a mesh jacket for when the weather is hot. Also the servicing is more expensive than some. In practice, every user needs to choose their own priorities. Based on my research, I'm fairly confident that all the main brands make good units - they just suit different people.

Well I've made a decision and decided on an Alpinestars Tech Air 5. The tricky part of the decision is whether it will fit under my summer mesh jacket. I visited a local shop with my jacket and they said it was 'borderline'. I'm not convinced it's that good so I'm prepared to get a second jacket for use with the airbag if I need to. I did get lucky with the actual airbag purchase. I'd planned to buy new but found one on eBay that has apparently been opened but never used. I'll be able to check that when it arrives as the airbag will pair with its app and will show me any logged hours. Buying this one gives me enough money left over to buy a new mesh jacket if I turn out to need one. There's a new version of the Tech Air 5 coming 'later in 2025' which looks good. However I figured that a plan to buy a new model will leave me without any extra protection until it's available. And that's got 'potential regret' written all over it.

For routing a wire without taking too much apart, I use an old fashioned metal coat hanger. Unravel it and put a couple of turns of insulating tape around one end to stop it scratching things. Then, through a combination of pushing and bending the coat hanger, route it from the start to the end of where you want the wire to run. Then tape the end of the wire to the end of the coat hanger and pull it back.

The link below is a comprehensive insight into the whole thing. There are clearly many pros and cons to different models and, like so many safety items, the best airbag is the one you're actually wearing. I'm currently thinking of the Alpinestars models. Somewhat dependent on whether the person who's been enquiring about buying my last project bike finally comes to have a look and buys. The money for an airbag is currently tied up in the bike. Another factor is how an airbag fits with my current jackets, which range from a nice thin mesh summer jacket which fits reasonably snuggly, through to a quilt lined winter jacket with has room for a thick fleece underneath. But does it have room for an airbag as well? As I say, the best one is the one you're wearing so no point in getting something that's not compatible. Thanks to everyone who's contributed their thoughts - keep them coming as I haven't made a decision yet and I'm finding it to be a complicated subject.

Flames while the plug is out is the biggest mystery to me

Thanks. My worry with the tether is that I'll forget when I get off the bike. What happens if you do that?

I'd really like to hear people's views on airbags? I think I'd really like one but I'd want to make sure that I'd always actually use it. I have summer and winter textile jackets. There is a very big difference in bulk between my summer mesh jacket over a t-shirt and my winter jacket with thermal lining over a fleece. I'd need an airbag vest to suit all my situations. I really don't think I'd want a tether system. I really don't like the idea of a subscription model - it worries me that prices can increase (e.g. if some idiot starts a tariff war on services) or the manufacturer could go out of business (e.g. if some idiot starts a tariff war on products). For those who've bought them, are you happy with your purchase? Do you wear it all the time? What are the real day to day factors that I haven't thought of? And for those who haven't bought them, why not? Are there other factors I haven't thought of?

I've adjusted the headlight aim on every bike I've owned - all because they were too low. For the suspicious, every single one has since been through an MoT and I've never had a fail for a headlight being too high (although my Ducati failed for beam shape which was a factory design problem). I've never used the manual's suggestion for how to adjust beam using a wall and measurements. I always set my beam height by going out onto the road when it's dark and making the adjustment so that I get the maximum possible road visible without getting the light high enough to get a reflection from number plates on parked cars. I imagine that many bikes get lights set to a height that's OK even if you have a pillion. I always ride alone and so don't need that contingency built in. But, as we all know, bikes vary hugely in the quality of their lights. My 2017 Z1000SX headlight is way way better than any other I've experienced. And my 6 volt DT50M headlight was an absolute joke. Although, being 16, I probably rode that bike more at night than any other bike I've owned. These days I avoid riding at night if I can but 2 weeks ago I did an hour in the dark. I really hated not being able to properly see the road surface. Scared me.

Out of interest, are you able to run a piece of emery cloth between the points and see if clearing the surface kicks it into life? I wonder whether quality of the metal-like-substance that they make them out of could be the issue - in which case, it could be that regular use might be the key to keeping these things alive. I'm not suggesting re-using the pump for pumping duties - just interested in specifically what would make such a new and relatively simple component fail.

You mention that you've had a few attempts at CBT. What has been the most challenging part(s). A moped is an option but it can be quite intimidating to ride modern roads with so little power / speed. At the very least, if you can find a geared 50cc bike then that would help you to develop more of the skills you'll want later.

This! Chris, I'd personally recommend using the bacon strip to get you to a tyre repairer and then get them to do the job properly with a proper plug. Or, if you can afford to do so, bypass Fiddlesticks' step 14 and just replace the tyre. It's painful to do, particularly as your tyres are quite new, but you'll forget about it after a while and you'll have peace of mind.

I had the model before that, the DT50M. Loved that bike. I camped in my garden on the night of my 16th birthday so that I could go out and ride at midnight without waking my parents up.

Definitely worth doing. If you've done Bikesafe or one of the advanced skills session then a some of it will be refresher but it's really good to understand the realities of helmet removal and to actually practice it on someone, and also to hear about exactly how to do things right if you're first on the scene. Of course most of it is really obvious when you sit down and analyse it but the reality is that you're not going to sit down and analyse if you turn up to an accident.

I went to a Biker Down session this evening. Teaches you some basic techniques for how to deal with an incident if you're first on scene after a bike accident. Lovely bunch of people delivering the course and, somewhat inevitably, lovely bunch of people attending. Highly recommended. http://bikerdown.co.uk

Winner!!!!

Yes, they plug straight in. Although I've actually chosen to set them up with a 3.5mm Y so I can still have the original speakers in place as well. That way I can still have music on short local hops where I can't be bothered putting the earplugs in.