Phil1

Chain tension is usually done with at least the weight of the bike on the back wheel, some with rider on too which makes it virtually impossible to check tension without a second pair of hands. Once you lift the back wheel of the deck, the chain tension will be totally out of spec. If you tension it to spec with the back wheel off the floor then you risk overtightening it massively. As always rtfm.

Yep, I've tried putting mine on the paddock stand to lubricate the chain and it bounces all over the shop when it doesn't have the weight of the bike to push against in gear and running. Not to mention probably being fairly dodgy if the paddock stand was to collapse.

This is the way.

Almost always just dirt and grime causing them to stick in a certain position and vibrate at high frequency. Strip and clean the calipers and pads fully, check for embedded stones/grit. Pay close attention to the slide pins as this can cause them to seize in one position and favour one pad side over using both equally. Very light smear of copper slip on the back of the pads. Some say red rubber grease on the slide pins, some say completely clean and dry (that's an argument for another day). If they're floating discs, the floats often seize and can easily be freed with a cap head screw and nut locked through the hole in the middle and turn them with some brake cleaner spray, they should be free to spin with a slight resistance and not completely locked solid, bit time consuming doing them all both sides however.

I too have had this little problem (I'm 6'2"). The only decent way around it really is to have matching two piece that zip together at the waist. I imagine different bikes will exacerbate this issue further, sports bike with a forward lean and high pegs will be much worse than an GS for instance.

I also think that's the way to go.... If you're going to go down the avenue of bike supermarkets firstly make sure you know exactly what make, model, age and mileage you want. You also need a modicum of technical knowledge, the vast majority of the complaints above could probably have been spotted by someone who knew what they were looking at without having to resort to any tools or dismantling. Tyres for instance... I mean you can't really complain about worn tyres after you've looked at and bought a bike. Ring them before hand and tell them you want the bike pulling out so you can have a good look at it, if you turn up unannounced, chances are it'll be buried and you won't even be able to sit on it. Another complaint seems to be finance and not receiving the bike until weeks after the finance has started. Go in as a cash/debit/credit card buyer. Don't ever entertain car/bike finance from a dealership (You'll get stung with ridiculous rates for a start). Go to your own bank and ask for a loan if you can't afford outright, it's not secured on the bike that way either. Don't purchase the bike till you've seen it, even if it's when they've brought it your house. The last bike I bought I paid for delivery (£100 or so, included in the cost of the bike if you wanted to proceed) and the balance was paid upon delivery, they brought a card machine and everything with the driver. They'll argue the toss but stand firm and tell them you'll pay reasonable delivery costs initially but you'd expect it to be deducted from the agreed cost of the bike if you decide to go ahead (essentially free delivery) otherwise tell them you'll go elsewhere. They're often not deliberatly out to deceive, but theres often so little profit margin and turnover is high that they can't afford the staff to cover every detail like a main dealer would. Some real bargains can be had if you're prepared to go in with your eyes open and do your homework.

My boss did something similar the very first time he tried out his new clip on pedals and shoes. Fell over onto the side of a police car after he couldn't get unclipped. Luckily the police laughed it off as a genuine accident and didn't expect him to pay for the damages.

Nothing at speed, I dropped my granddad's triumph Bonneville t120 on his steep driveway once after he let me have a go and also a cb500 on my first test (before I'd even got out the car park).

I can't really add anything to this thread, but could a mod/admin sort the title out

Phase one complete. Ram mount came today so had a little play around..... Stud fitted to the centre nut Ram mount ball, arm and phone holder fitted. View from the cockpit. Overall super pleased and feels nice and solid. I don't think there will be any issues with movement. Clears everything with plenty of space and I can still see all the normal instruments and get to the ignition barrel. Next step to fit a usb port so I can keep the phone topped up while riding. It's an older phone and keeping the screen on continuously will drain the battery.

Well I've ordered the relevant parts, came to about £70 with the ball connection, the phone holder and extension arm, the USB socket and cable and a short fused cable so I can make up a connection from the battery. Can't decide whether or not to run a direct live feed from the battery, or try and splice into a switched live. The headlight might an option as I guess it won't use a huge amount of power and is close by too. That said it can make removal later a pain and the USB socket has an on/off switch anyway, plus the bike always goes on the smart charger whenever I'm not using it. Another thing I might do is change the screen and glass back cover on the phone just to make it a bit smarter as both are cracked. Not a massive job though.

Did you put E5 or E10 fuel in? Another potential avenue as E10 probably isn't suitable for a bike of this age.

I did without my car (before I rode bikes) for about 6 months once after an accident and a rather long winded insurance claim. I know first hand how it is to do without a car for a long period and I couldn't live without my own transport now, it'd be a nightmare.

How would you normally tell you're not breaking the speed limit

Are you seriously going to discount it entirely because of that? The roads are still the same roads, the views are still the same....

Given the number of people that have historically been killed or seriously injured by riding like tools, then I fully condone the police getting involved. Just do a track day if you want to do the racing lines, the public road isn't the place.

You can also do something called a "chargeback" if you've paid with a debit card. You've got to show your bank the issue and prove you've made reasonable efforts to contact/rectify the issue first though. The timescale is also much less than with a credit card. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/visa-mastercard-chargeback/

Been struggling with confidence on mine for a year or two, I had a Dunlop on the front and a Michelin on the back for some strange reason. Got them both swapped out for Michelin road 6s and the difference is astonishing. Bit of an extreme example however!

I wouldn't go ridiculous with it, but certainly change the oil and filter, check the calipers to see if they've seized and it'll probably need a new battery too. The most expensive definitive thing to do is to put new tyres on, they'll be past their best if it's been stood for 4 years. You could go further and change the brake fluid and coolant (assuming it's not air cooled). Other than that just check all the electrics/lights work and get out and ride it, it'll probably make itself known if it does need anything else. As for yourself, possibly a new helmet if you believe the manufacturers claims about life span.

It's actually quite an old clip in fairness that one. My first observation of this is that he states the pedestrian is in full view of the motorcyclist and he should have seen her. He's not however taking into account that this is probably a camera mounted on top of the helmet, so the view of the rider is lower down and she may actually have been obscured by the top of the vehicle to his right. My second observation is that I too think this is slightly too fast for the conditions. 10mph would have been more adequate, or essentially just at idle engine speed in first gear.

It wasn't meant in an unfriendly way, my apologies if it did come across that way. The other posts seemed like you had made your mind up that you were going to do it regardless, even to the point of getting someone to put it through the MOT. I'm a car guy, and a bike guy and I love sensible modifications and individuality, what I can't stand though is when it's clearly unsafe, illegal, or uninsurable which puts other road users at risk or financial loss. I will give my opinion on that, wether you want it or not as it's a road we've all got to share.

The reason for the comments is essentially because it's a bad idea. Regardless of wether you want people to comment or not, it is still a public forum and we're still entitled to our opinion. If you're willing to flout not only advice and opinions, but also the law to get this done then you will almost certainly attract some comments. You're putting yourself and other road users at risk by attempting something like this so I'd genuinely take a look in the mirror and give your head a serious shake.

Only just seen this. Hurray. I knew it'd be a fuelling issue given the other things you'd tested already. A can of easy start often rules out compression and spark and leaves lack of fuel to be the issue.

I'm guessing it's hydraulic on these bikes? Another option if someones been a bit ham-fisted and over adjusted the cable assuming it's cable actuated, even so it may have already done the damage.

Don't do it, is a recommendation, and probably the only one you're going to get here... First question.... Why?