ChrisBiggsUK

I have a drop leg bag (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D3HDGRGN?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) that I strap to my leg when out riding. I can put my wallet, disk lock, house keys, all sorts in it. It extends too and when extended I can fit everything mentioned in it as well as a 500ml bottle of water / cola, snacks and more. Saves carrying a rucksack with me and gives me much more personal storage options than pockets. I also have a highly reflective rucksack that I got from Lidl? Aldi? Lidl? One of the two. I use that if I have to pick up any shopping or the sort while I'm out and about.

Thank you for the feedback everyone. Most appreciated.

I don't often go round this particular roundabout, but whenever I'm heading off to the other side of the Wirral, I have to. I've been told that this particular roundabout is somewhat notorious round here, but I don't know whether that is true or not. Anyway, every time, without fail, I get car drivers beeping at me and so I want to know whether I'm doing something wrong, or whether I'm just unlucky. So. Scenario. I approach the roundabout (from bottom of screen) and as I'm going straight on, I keep in the left hand lane (as indicated by my beautifully drawn red line). I follow the course of the roundabout, keeping in my lane, indicate to turn off and always, but always, have someone in a car who was in the blue lane cut across me and beep at me. I'm using the 'clock' method, that being I approach the roundabout a 6 o'clock, and any exit up to and including 12 o' clock is a left hand lane (unless otherwise indicated by road markings, of which this roundabout has no such markings) while any exit after 12 o'clock is a right hand lane. As such, I keep in the left hand lane, indicate to turn after I have passed the first exit, check over my shoulder and make a turn and almost without fail find a car cutting across me that has taken the blue line. So I ask, am I in the wrong or would the driver in the blue lane be in the wrong or are we both in the right? For those of you who have followed my journey thus far, this roundabout isn't my 'dreaded' roundabout. That one I tackle with ease. I tackle this one with ease too, but it has gotten to the point now where I'm concerned that my lane positioning may be wrong and may cause issues. Please educate me, or reassure me that I'm right in my lane positioning. Either positive or critical, feedback is most welcome. (Edited to add the sign leading up to the roundabout from the direction of travel)

His face in his mugshot at the end says it all; He doesn't give a flying F and will be out in no time and up to his usual antics. If even seeing how close he came to seriously injuring (or worse) a kid and a baby in a pram didn't wipe the smirk off his face then I don't think anything will. I shall also add that I don't wish ill on anyone, but will note that these people rarely, if ever, wear any protective gear and as such they generally end up getting what they deserve one way or another.

From what I could tell, the oil filter on my 2006 CG is a little mesh sieve eggcup sized thing that was held in by a spring. When I changed the oil, as the last bits were dribbling out, I cleaned the little sieve with some solvent (per guidance on the internet) as well as cleaning the spring. I'll be changing the oil again in a couple of weeks time as a precaution, given how filthy the oil was that came out of it. While I know that the CG could probably run on the oil you could squeeze out of a teenagers face, I want to do everything in my power to keep it running as smoothly and as long as possible. So, no teenager face squeezing, but another bottle of Castrol in a couple of weeks and see how we go from there.

Over the past few days I have; Changed the battery. Changed the oil. Flushed out and changed the brake fluid. Removed a broken starter motor and fitted a new one. Cleaned the bike three times. Cleaned and lubed the chain. Buffed my helmet (bike helmet! get your minds out of the gutter!). I've gone from being a 43 year old pedestrian to a god-like super mechanic biker in a shorter amount of time than I expected. This is most excellent! And you are all to blame!

Ladies love a shiny helmet.

Bad Simon! Naughty! No riding for you for a week!

Just got back from a vigorous morning 'workout'. Two and a half hours I was 'exercising'. I'm exhausted! Clearly a fat bacon sandwich is in order.

Just read a few articles about motorcycling and how it helps you get fit and lose weight, with studies showing you can burn up to 300 calories per hour while riding! Thats it! I'm telling my wife I'm off out for a bit of evening exercise. It is the truth! The internet says so! So long portly middle aged frame, hello slightly less portly but still middle aged frame!

Can confirm, this particular one is very good and very loud.

To bring this particular thread to a close (and hopefully help others in a similar situation in future), a summary; My 2006 Honda CG125 wouldn't start. Pressing the ignition merely resulted in a single loud 'click' from somewhere down near the engine. After trying to jump start the bike, discovered the battery was 20 years old, dead, and couldn't hold a charge any longer. Battery was subsequently replaced. This did not resolve the non-starting issue, but the battery needed replacing anyway and this non-starting issue merely brought my attention to the state of the battery sooner. At the suggestion of one or two people, tried vigorously rocking the bike forward and back while in gear and then starting the bike. This worked, albeit sporadically, and indicated that it was an issue with the starter motor. Purchased a new starter motor and fitted it (very easy job on a CG125, may be more difficult on other bikes) and as a result the bike now works perfectly. It seems that the non starting and single click was (in this instance) starter motor related and as such anyone experiencing similar in the future can (once they have ruled out other potential issues) look at the starter motor as the culprit. Replacing the starter motor was a very easy job (at least on my CG125 but I assume it would be relatively simple on other similar bikes) and cost me a fraction of what it would have cost to get a mechanic to do it. If you are able to undo three bolts (in my case I was) then you will be able to change a starter motor. Look in a haynes manual for your bike (or ManualsLib) and maybe watch a video on youtube and you will see how easy it is to do. Repair difficulty - Beginner. Tools needed - Spanner. Coffee/Tea. Cost of new starter motor (in this instance) - £30

For my Wife and I, 'arbitrary love day' passes without much notice. She went to the cathedral with some of her lady friends. I played with the bike. All in all, a productive arbitrary love day.

And heres me slumming it riding in all weathers with no heated anything. I'm motorcycling on hard mode!

I torqued. I torqued hard! While hard to tell from the photo, the oil that came out was so black as to have opened up a portal into an alternate dimension and from that dimension a haggard, portly, mirror version of myself peered back. In that dimension he is still a pedestrian, still having to hoof it everywhere, his weary bones never having a moment of peace and his life doomed to drudgery for all time for in that reality, he never learned to ride a motorcycle. It was horrible! I have put some nice new oil in, given the bike a quick once 'round the block' as it were for the oil to get everywhere it needs to and now put the bike to bed for the evening. So thats now a new battery, new starter motor, oil change, air filter changed and though I didn't manage to do the brakes today as the kit didn't arrive, they too will be done in due course. I reiterate from previous posts; I'm a god-like super mechanic! And I wouldn't be if it weren't for you fine people! You're a bunch of enablers. Terrible, awful enablers. Never change!

You know, if you had told me a few months ago when I started this motorcycling journey that I would be able to do something like change the starter motor on my very own bike (yes, it was an easy job, but that is beside the point), I would have told you that you were a madman. Well, here we are. You're all madmen and I'm slowly becoming one of you! Tomorrow; Changing the oil and brake fluid. I'm a god-like super mechanic!

Starter motor changed all by myself and the bloody thing works a treat! I am, officially, a god-like super mechanic! Time to go for a well deserved ride to break it in!

I may take you up on that one day.

In that case, I'll give it a try (when the new motor arrives in a couple of days time). Worst case scenario, the bike still won't start (which it doesn't really do already without a lot of coaxing). Best case scenario, I become a god-like super-mechanic. I'm an optimist!

I've looked at some videos online, as well as a couple of poorly translated pages from a Pakistani Haynes Manual, and it seems like something I could do myself. Not sure whether I'd be brave enough to, but it seems like a fairly straightforward couple of bolts, remove old one, put new one in its place, reattach bolts. I'm sure there is a bit more to it than that, but it does seem rather simple. I've already managed to replace a battery, so I'm all in now!

After much faffing, I managed to get the bike started and running. Turned off and on properly fine a few times, so thought 'that'll be it done then!' and off I went to the dealership to get them to do the work that was originally scheduled for Saturday just gone. It gets there and dies again. Have been advised that I need a new starter motor. This is an annoyance.

Jolting it seemed to work momentarily, in that it started, ticked over twice, then shut off. Jolted it again, and it started, ticked over once, then stopped. Shall jolt several more times and see whats what.

New battery installed aaaaannnnnddddd... Nothing. Just a single click when I try to start it. I reiterate from previously; Woe is me! Right. What do I need to look at next?

Tried jumping again this morning with no luck at all so I have ordered a new battery which should be with me on Tuesday. Once I have fitted it, I'll update this post with how I get on. I really hope that replacing the battery fixes this issue. If not, then at least I will know that since there is a new battery in it, that it isn't the battery and we can then look at starter motor or other things. I ride the bike every day so it shouldn't have been wanting for a daily charge, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the battery in the bike is the exact same one that it has had since it was made back in 2006 which would probably explain why it no longer seems to have a charge or the ability to be charged. Given that the bike had only done 5000 miles in nearly 20 years before I bought it, sort of makes sense that the battery may have managed to hold on until I started making it actually do some work for a change in the now 1300 miles I have done since October which, while not a lot for some people, certainly is a lot for me and for this particular bike given its history! Anyway, Tuesday after the postman has been and after I have played around with some tools, we shall know one way or another.

RIghto, the Wife is now home so we have tried jumping it, and alas to no avail. Heres what is what with my plucky little CG125; Went to start it earlier, and it wouldn't start. I just get a singular click from somewhere down by the engine. Lights are all turning on fine when I turn the bike on, but no engine. Little 'go' button just makes a singular click from somewhere down in the engine area. Just tried jumping it, and the engine turned over for two or three seconds and then cut out. Tried again, nothing. Tried a few more times. Still nothing. Just the singular click from somewhere down by the engine. Lights are still working, so I don't know what is next. Would my lights even still work if the battery was dead? I honestly don't know. My knowledge is admittedly rudimentary at best and I'm learning everything as I go, so please be gentle. I'm trying my best! What could the likely culprits be that I could check at home (not tonight, I'm going to have a hot chocolate and call it an early night) with rudimentary knowledge, skills and tools? Are there any things I can completely rule out? Should I try jumping it again tomorrow or are repeated attempted jumpings likely to case an issue? Help me Tmbf-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope! On an amusing related note; Internet told me, categorically, that I needed to remove my seat to get access to the battery. Nope. Single panel on the left hand side of the bike needed removing. This is why I have trust issues! It's like you can't believe anything on the internet these days. Sheesh! Anyway, thank you in advance for any and all guidance. I'm hoping that one of you fine people will simply say 'Yup, just shove a new battery in and you'll be good to go' or 'When you get up in the morning, just give your bike a cuddle and it'll start up fine' or something along those lines. Again, thank you, and if I don't get back to you this evening I'll get back to you tomorrow morning before Church.