Phooey

I've always done shoulder checks on my bicycle...

Today's nob is the idiot in a tracksuit ... whilst undertaking people.

Undertaking is illegal isn't it?

[phooey quickly looks for somewhere to hide]

Hello again Psychy ... I never thought that I'd ever say this but, your fidelity is forgiven.

Welcome back!

EDIT: lol just noticed I missed the 'in' before the fidelity

You've just opened Pandora's Box mate.......

Personally I'd go for a secondhand Japanese 125.....or consider doing your DAS and getting something bigger......but that's just my opinion.....

Yes I do for Severn Freewheelers the group just North of you, see one of our bikes featured in the first two photos posted for the 2017 UK Challenge 100.

As others have said, the induction process varies from group to group and therefore I can't give you any detail about the Bristol lot.

Just as an example we require all riders to be 30 years old (well the insurers do) have an advanced riding qualification passed a maximum of 3 years before, IAM, Rospa Silver or a police qualification. This also has to be retaken every 3 years.

In addition all riders have an annual check ride taken on one of the marked up bikes.

When riding you wear the charity high viz over your bike gear, and must wear a white crash helemt. Flip fronts are favourite so you don't have to take it off when going into the hospitals.

Although a fair number of our members are retired I'm one who isn't and I have been doing it for over 6 years now.

Another thing, often overlooked, is that you have to be OK with long rides at night, whilst raining and cold. For at least half the year the only time you will see daylight on the bloodbike is at weekends.

Thanks Stocky ... pretty much what I have found out about Bristol Freewheelers! Cheers.

Wow! This was almost comical but incredible all the same.

Congrats on the IAM.

Thanks mate.

Did five years for SERV surrey and south London .

Varies from group to group but induction may be a case of getting a reasonable number together to undertake it.

Remember the people you are contacting are volunteers as well and may have a day/night job .

.

When out riding ... ride to make your destination safely regardless of the load requirement .

Your not helping if you don't deliver and end up needing the product yourself.

Great advice ... thanks, Tim

I looked into joining up a few years ago, and went along to the induction day. It seems to me that they were happy to take anyone who was interested in helping, and were particularly pleased if you had an advanced riding qualification. The induction mainly focussed on procedures and paperwork - understandable given the importance of delivering the right product to the right place in the right condition.

Thanks, Bonio. I passed IAM today which is why I can now apply. But, because I am pathetically impatient I couldn't wait the few days for them to contact me and wondered what it was all about.

Paperwork knowledge sounds logical. Asyou say, you want to deliver the correct product to the correct place.

They only interview you in daylight and part of that process is an examination of your teeth and checking your reflection in a mirror.

more seriously - well done.

Hmm ... laugh or berate? Decisions, decisions!

I had a chat with them, it's something I want to do when things settle down in my life a bit more. If you have an advanced riding qualification then you can just join up. Otherwise they want to assess your riding. That's the local one anyway

The Bristol one insists on advanced riding but also says an induction. I assumed they were all similar!

Anyone on here do the blood bikes?

I have volunteered but curious what the induction process is like and how long the process is.

My nomination is for the Nob who nearly caused an accident last night on my way home from work.

Approaching 10pm on an unlit section of the A370 I was doing the speed limit of 54mph (well it's nearly 50ph) and this recovery truck comes the other way and flashes his lights a couple of times. I ignore it thinking he's trying to warn me of something ahead then he blasts on what looked like a dozen spot lights from everywhere on the truck. I was totally blinded and braked to a stop in as near a straight line as I could. He reversed back and as I lifted my visor shouting 'Gosh my good fellow, what was that for' or similar words he calmly said 'Oh sorry, I thought you were a mate of mine' and drove off!

Wow! This is a great vid for showing determination and motivation!

Thanks for sharing TC

Yeah don't click it. Teeny bit irresponsible to post the link in the first place TBH mate.

This is all you get when you click the link ... GET STARTED is when you're asked to input any details. And to be fair, mate, I am highlighting the issue not asking you to click it!

... It's been doing the rounds a bit but just a reminder here.

mod edit *sketchy fake dvla website warning*

I am waiting for a refund so it might be so tempting for someone to fill in the form and have their money stolen!

Beware peeps!

Del boy is amazing. If this helps, I barely know one end of a spanner from the other but I have changed the fork seals in my ZZR600 when I rebuilt the forks after re-chroming the stanchions. Piece of pi55, as they say! Delboy's vid helped me!

Simple trick to increase/decrease by a percentage. If you need to increase by 15% then times the value by 1.15, or decrease multiply by 0.85 . Only works for simple deductions/increases but it's how I do it.

Will work for any value beefy.

23% inc will be 1.23 and decrease will be 0.77

x% inc will be 1.x and decrease will be 1 - x

More complicated values like 16.85% will be treated exactly the same.

inc is 1.1685 and decrease is 0.8315 (1 -0.1685)

Thanks hoggs ... you're a darling!

Anyone know which channel this years races are on?

I agree, I am awful at maths, but given some time I can normally work it out without a calculator. "Evil me" likes to see them squirm though. My other half finds it very funny if I go up to the till when a young guy is there, and let a big queue form behind me as they are trying to work it out. Then they practically just throw the stuff at me as they blindly type in a number to charge me!

Some days "nice me" will win though, and I'll just tell them the total I've to pay.

Really! In my experience - I teach maths in our local college - the females are usually ok at maths it's the guys who are crap!

Tell your other half that he must stop finding it funny, it's sad! ...

Thanks to the ford owners club I've got a 15% off card. However the cashier needs to work out 15% of the total price, and evidently that's frequently a difficult number for them to work out.

So I've had many bargains, can of WD40 meant to be £4, bought for 80p.

I now feel guilty when ever I go in...

I always feel guilty and frustrated that the assistants can't work it out. When I see them reaching for their calculators I usually tell them how much it is. The surprise on the faces is worth the cost.

It is sad though that so many people cant work out 15% of something.

Thanks for all of your suggestions guys.

Apparantly it's the accelerator pedal sensor.

Thanks guys

Try the pedal test as it may throw up what is wrong.

http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/index.php?threads/vauxhall-fault-codes-pedal-trick-test.202018/.

Unfortunately mate I don't have any test equipment. Assuming I'll need it for this!

Anyone with decent car mechanic skills?

MY OH has a Vauxhall Astra MK5 and yesterday she went to drive it but an engine warning light was on and she had no accelleration. Zilch - revs wouldn't even rise when pedal was to the floor. A friend of hers suggested disconnecting the battery for a bit and see what happens. I disconnected the battery last night and reconnected it this morning and all is back to normal but ... something is obviously wrong.

Any suggestions?