RantMachine

Keeping the bike upright so I could get to the chain properly, because the luggage doesn't detach easily and makes the chain nigh on inaccessible when the bike is leaning on the side stand Too loose (again) on this occasion, but worth knowing for the future!

Got a big ride planned for the weekend so it needs doing, but my shifts mean that Lou isn't around at the same time to help and I don't have a stand of any kind to prop the bike up. What can I do??? ...I know! A horrific combination of garden gate, towel, bungee cords, cable ties around front brake, and bricks under side stand (it worked, somehow)

Ollie's biscuits, I think you'll find! Lou's biscuits look more like this

Woop woop! Called it Hope you have fun now it's back in action.

I'm out, working until ten. Be there next week though. Don't forget, Papworth is off this week.

Admittedly while mine has had a generous helping of problems, it's never been so bad that I couldn't ride it to the dealer somehow. Did it show any signs of misbehaviour beforehand? Intermittent starting difficulties, or unusual noises?

Well said Tank shakes over 40, or the whole bike? The decorative silver plastic bit on my tank shakes like crazy at around 8000rpm. Anyway, at BikerMoo's suggestion, here is a list of the issues I've had with my bike in the 4,500 miles since I bought it, in the order they occured: * Fuel gauge didn't work at all - turned out the float... didn't float. New one fitted, which is still fairly useless. Talking to Sinnis Vista owners (same bike minus some of the trinkets), this is pretty common. Full means full, half means 3/4 full, two bars left means 1/2 full, and empty means everything else * The two bits of silver plastic that cover the various wires and cables (seen here http://www.lexmoto.co.uk/DFE125L_parts_30620-FR_1700_DFE125L.php) have a nasty habit of not sitting flush, and the cables end up slipping between the plastic and the frame when you go to full lock in one direction... and then cut into the now trapped cables when you go the other way. Make sure the dealer have done a decent job of securing the cables, if not then get some cable ties on them or tell the dealer to sort their mess out. Probably worth putting some electrical tape or similar around the edges of the cable recesses, as they can still rub a bit. Also, on my bike the small metal loop that holds the speedo cable in place as it runs alongside these bits of plastic would've benefited from being bent around the cable a little tighter, so I'd recommend doing this. On mine, the cable came our of the loop and promptly slipped between the loop and the frame, getting cut into when steering hard to the left And the loop then snapped off! Cable ties ahoy. * The starter solenoid packed in, which sounds like the same problem you're having. Guessing the stock one is just crap quality, as I've had no problem since it was replaced. I was concerned that the cables having being damaged by the plastic panels may have had a part in the problem, so they were replaced. * Serious carb problem after the inlet rubber split - fine one day, next morning it wouldn't idle at all, and struggled to start no matter how much choke I used. Had to get to work and back revving like an idiot because it cut out completely whenever it dropped below 3000rpm! Dealer took the rubber off their showroom bike to fix this there and then, as it was rather crippling (Seen here http://s86.photobucket.com/user/spastic_potato/media/P7040062_zps23c630e7.jpg.html). * And the current problem - the speedo. It doesn't give me a proper reading when I'm between 6,500rpm and 8,000rpm - tends to dip by about 5mph when I enter that range, then suddenly jump to an accurate reading when I go past it. Good thing it's easy to work out your speed based on gear and rpm with this bike But really, not hard to work around. The only time I don't have a reading is when I'm on a road where I know the bike isn't capable of exceeding the speed limit Lexmoto have covered all of these issues under warranty, as you'd expect really. They got a bit iffy about replacing the damaged cables, but saw reason in the end. As an aside, a couple of tips about the luggage boxes - it's worth lining the inside of the lip of the lids with thin foam tape or a double layer of electrical tape, as when the rattling kicks in they tend to grind against the lower half and wear down a little (and make an annoying noise). And the rotating lock covers - these aren't very secure! Always rotate them clockwise, or they can come undone and go missing And if you haven't already experienced this, pay special attention to the right luggage box bracket when cleaning, this bit corrodes faster than any other part of the bike - water sometimes settles on parts of it when the bike is on its side stand. In the defense of the bike, I've put it through one heck of a lot and I've been pretty darn happy with how it handled everything, especially the TMBF rally.

Solenoid is probably buggered, happened to mine after about 6 weeks Edit: No smart remarks about Chinese bikes folks, WE KNOW ALREADY

If you listen really carefully, can you hear a faint clicking noise when trying to start it?

Hiya, I'm the other person with a Lowride, as mentioned above. My troubleshooting will be limited to problems I've had, of course Does it sound like the engine is trying to turn over? Is it doing ANYTHING? If it doesn't seem to be doing anything, check the ignition cable. The bodywork that it runs underneath has a nasty habit of cutting into it, so that could be a culprit. If you're getting any kind of sounds, let me know and I'll suggest summat else

I'm dreading what the weather will be like on my Portsmouth run, at this rate I'm guessing I should bring a towel

My nob of the day; the daft old git in the middle of Norwich who was wobbling between two lanes at 20mph making it ruddy impossible to pass him, before indicating right and coming to a complete stop (still in the middle of the two lanes) when there was nowhere on the right to turn to! At least it finally gave us a chance to get past +1 to that post several pages ago about people needing to regularly resit their driving test on reaching a certain age!

We went up to the Norfolk coast for the weekend, and while stuck in the usual traffic along the A11 Fiveways improvement we were having a laugh talking with a couple of cyclists. They'd overtake us when the traffic ground to a halt, then we'd overtake them when it got going, so I said "race ya!" - went on to and fro almost all the way between Newmarket and Thetford The last thing I heard them shout out was "WINNING!" before we finally tore ahead

Any chance of a word filter that changes "Wallie" to "Ollie"?

Absolutely loving the new word filter on BikerMoo's name

Doesn't make you any less crap at cornering though

Going back to the Aldi gear - I seem to recall that their helmets aren't actually certified to meet the legally required safety standards... Worth checking the label before buying something that may amount to a full face bicycle helmet

I'm just determined to finish off the South and East over the bank holiday Gonna be a whole lot of people swearing in this thread if there's a massive storm that weekend

Blimey, almost done! Planning a trip to Wales some time soon, then?

So Priest, how many tags have you got left?

Grammar police woz 'ere

I've got a pair, pretty happy with them although the knee pads have a tendency to gradually work their way out of place.

Couldn't work out what was rattling all the way to Papworth until my ignition barrel nearly fell out when I got home All fixed now, thankfully. Probably rattled loose trying to keep up!

I'll be there, but Lou probably isn't coming.

Today I'm nominating the Police Officer who was parked up at the side of the A14 slip road outside Dry Drayton, keeping an eye out for dodgy drivers. When he did spot one, he pulled out into the slip road to make chase without taking the time to check if anything was behind him. The good news is, the front brake is apparently the one part of my bike that isn't being a git