bmwdave

Sailing? Not done any for years. My perfect day would be bike ride to a boat a few hours on the water and a bike ride home in the evening sun. Oh yes, and Thursdays my day off too. Where do you sail? I used to live on Anglesey and had a 21footer moored in the straights. Back here I had a canal cruiser then a narrowboat but its not sailing. Not had a boat for 8 years now.

I had similar problem, bought a two bottle process from Hunts motorcycles last year. Cost about £10-15 the 1st bottle was a deep wash then the 2nd did the waterproofing. Had to take all the lining and proteectors out which was a pain. That was last summer and it did a decent job, huge improvement in water resistance, but not 100%. I will proabbly use it again if I need to at the end of the summer. Sorry I cant remember the name of it. Could probably phone them tomorrow and find out if you want.

I got a can of proper brake stuff from the local motor spares shop and gave the brakes a very heavy spraying on the centre stand and could feel the wheels turning easier immediately, they must have been dragging on the brakes a little.

Trouble is I use mine for work and after 9 hrs shift and 45 minutes home I just want to park up get inside and eat.

Thanks Stu. Found a MCN guide to servicing your brakes. Thats tomorrow blown then. Wife will be pissed but if I tell her its safety she'll be OK - ish.

I've just been looking them up. Halfords do one, WD40 do one says it at Halfords, and theres one called MucOff, among a few others. Any recommendation?

It wasnt a BMW warranty, I got it second hand with 3 months from the local honda dealer. the bike is a 13 plate with 6k on the clock.

I used it last week but the weather has been a bit extreme lately, so about 7-10 days I'd say.

Today the brakes stuck on my BMW800GT. 2 weeks out of warranty. I managed to free them by rocking the bike forward and back, there was an audible click and the bike moved but I could hear the disk rubbing against the pad. I am hoping to take it out tomorrow to see how it feels or is this a bad idea? Has anyone any ideas on an easy fix, bearing in mind I am mechanically incompetent. Or do I ride it very carefully to work on Monday and leave it at the garage round the corner to get the front end stripped down and brakes cleaned up completely.

One law for the rich, one law for the rest of us. Someone I know killed a cyclist while driving her porsche and using a phone. She had Nick Freeman as her lawyer, didn't go to jail, and when her ban ended bought a new bigger porsche -she killed the cyclist driving a boxer and replaced with a 911 variant. Killing someone while on the phone should get you locked up for 10 tears.

Very much so

And me. Got some new gloves today in their Manchester store

Four of us went for a ride today, names will be changed to protect the guilty. Our leader and route planner - lets call him Fred - missed a left turn so took the next one intending to do a u-turn. This turned out to be a steep uphill narrow country lane. He attempted the turn opposite a driveway to give himself extra room, but still couldn't make it and ended wheel against a wall, now pointing downhill and off balance to the right. He didn't have the strength to push his VR1200 back up the hill so asked for help. Bill and Bob had both started their turns but were blocked by Fred and were now both right foot down across the slope. As the tail end charlie I was still pointing uphill, so jumped off to drag Fred backwards a couple of feet, and all three of them were able to complete the turn, and stopped a few yards down to wait for me. I of course being determined not to get too close to the opposite wall, tried to get round on full lock, overbalanced , and being short of leg couldn't stop the bike falling downhill. Handlebar and brake lever ends scratched along with pillion peg, small marks on side panel and BMW badge cracked. The other 3 all parked up and came to help, but Bob parked his 1200 carelessly, it didnt fall but was at quite an angle. When we all remounted to leave, he found himself at too much of an angle to get the bike upright. Worse he had rolled forward slightly down the hill and the sidestand had folded. He called for help and Bill was quickest to get there and give him a push up. From there it was only about 400yds to our scheduled mid ride stopping point, we were all ready for a break by then. The return trip passed uneventfully, that was a relief I can tell you.

Not just for the bike, but any DIY job round the house. My concession to age at my wife's nagging, I got a pair this week at B&Q. Mine are SITE nylon covered gel knee pads, and what a difference to working on my knees. Dont need to stand up every 5 minutes to walk round so job goes quicker and easier to do a good job when youre not in pain or rushing to finish before the knees insist they've done their days work. Defo a good investment, and perhaps if I'd bought a pair 30-40 years ago my knees wouldn't be in the state they are now.

Last call, 6 bikes coming, evryone welcome.

Weather forecast good. Planning a ride over Woodhead Pass back via Greenfield. Three signed up so far, others welcome. Meeting Morrisons car par, Hyde , Cheshire, 11am , probable stop for a bite at the other end, maybe Holme. Anyone else interested pm me.

Bloody hell its the first I heard of it. It will be a few years before it affects me though.

I bought a 2013 model last October with 5500 on the clock. Bear in mind I have traded down from a BMW 1200RT. I have done about 500 miles on it in a couple of months, but the last 2 weeks have been restricted due to the weather. I commute across the town 4 days a week and the 5th is a 23 mile e.w. mainly motorway run, so mixed riding. I changed bike primarily because I fancied a change, but also wanted to a lighter bike as the RT was proving a handful and I'm not getting any younger. OK, bad points first. Its not as comfortable as the RT, which is hardly surprising. Its not bad, just not as good as the RT. I got the lower seat, as I did on the RT. but find it means I feel a little cramped with my knees bent a little more than I would like. The tank is errr, different. I haven't even quite worked out where it is, the filler pipe just disappears somewhere. The odd shape means you dont get a fuel gauge reading until its down to half a tank, but you do get a low warning light and a kilometre reading from the moment the light comes on, so you know how far you've gone on reserve. The GT comes with a touring screen. I dont know what the smaller screens are like but this one feels worthless to me, but then I'm used to the RT. I've replaced mine with a Puig screen, biggest I could get and its much better. The gearbox is a pig. BMW are known for notchy gearboxes but this is very fussy, you have to ride it properly and match the revs or it simply wont change. Really it just makes you ride as you were taught. Get it right and its smooth and sweet, wrong and youre going nowhere. Took me a good couple of weeks but now I only have an occasional jerky shift, in fact I'm pleased with myself for re-learning how to change gears so smoothly. Good points now. With the new Puig screen, wind protection is great, around 80-90% of the RT, which is a class apart. The engine is sweet and more than enough for me. No idea what top speed is, but I can confirm three figures very easily. (Well you just have to on a new bike, dont you?) The power reduction compared to the RT is covered by the weight reduction of 50K, so the power/weight ratio is the same. Enthusiasts may not like the sound of it, more sewing machine than Harley. The bike is comfy compared to sports bike and smaller bikes I've ridden. I love being able to get both feet flat on the ground, and the weight loss makes handling around town a breeze compared to the old tank. Using the main stand feels effortless compared to before. Filtering is much easier as the bike is a little narrower, its only a couple of inches but it makes a big difference. Fuel economy is better of course, although the range isnt as the tank is smaller. It has an on board computer that can give you lots of info if you can be bothered to learn how to use it. Tyre pressure monitoring is handy, although I hope i never need it in earnest. Heated grips are good, and the low seat means that you have support behind your bum, so no backsliding if you overdo the right wrist a little. I like the very upright riding position, though that may not please everyone, for those people there are other versions of the bike, but that gives away the very best feature of all - NO CHAIN. The belt drive is maintenance free, driven carefully it should last longer than a chain and be cheaper to replace when the time comes. Overall - I'm pleased with the change. Riding is much easier and I actually feel more confident around town, but more exposed on the motorway. I would recommend this bike as long as youre comfortable with the notchy gears, if you generally struggle this bike will be unacceptable. I'd like another ride on it with the standard seat. At the time I felt it was a bit too tall for me, but having got used to it a bit the higher seat may be more suitable, I may well find the toes only on the ground OK now especially with the lower weight. I wonder if anyone makes an add on pad of some sort that would give me a mid-height seat without going to the expense of having one made specially. Hope someone out there finds this useful.

Came off my 1200RT when sold with original seat. Used but in good condition no tears or marks. Was on a 2008 bike so good for 2005-10 bikes, may fit earlier/later models buyer to find out for themselves. £50 ono.

more info plse

From my 2008 RT, so 2006-10 model but may fit later/earlier model too, buyers responsibility to check if suitable. Used but in good condition and unmarked. Looking for about £50 on e-bay but would take £40 from a forum member (plus postage).

http://www.usedbikeshuntsmotorcycles.co.uk/used-bikes/bmw-f800gt-800-gt-abs-sportstourer-manchester-201610058453051 A concession to my upcoming 60th birthday, about 50K lighter, but actually a better power/weight ratio. I am transferring the topbox and the salesman thinks it should just go straight on, if not may need an extra base plate.

My experience is bad I'm afraid.. i got a Yamaha with an alarm but it kept flattening the battery. Eventually took alarm off as no-one could solve the problem, the dealer took it back about 3-4 times to try and fix it.

Just to get the facts out there, the government have changed the minimum strength specs on the packaging of all drugs to make them more child resistant, and the manufacturers are all gradually complying. Can't remember offhand when the last date for compliance is but everything will be like that soon. Its a problem for the elderly already and I have to field complaints nearly every day. Another example of the busybodies protecting kids from idiot parents who cant be trusted to keep medicines out of reach at the expense of the largest user group of the medicines.

Last night was my leaving do from old job, well lubricated curry home by taxi collapsed on settee. THEN wifey takes photo of me and posts on family site getting all sorts of wise guy comments back. Rice pudding might be good for the morning after, but its got to be a curry or kebab on the night.