TomGrainger

Thanks, these are ideal, im just going to have to find some that will deliver quicker wven if I need to pay premium on delivery. As regards to lettinf it go flat its a tough one. I'm constantly bumped from placement to placement in totally different places. Sometimes it's possible to ride others I have to take public transport and then the bike stays stagnant a while. Maybe I should look into a trickle charger.

Hi guys, having my annual "battery's dead, time for a week of pain," period of the year. Battery has charged up fine but when I've gone to put it back in, the nut that holds the hex screw onto the battery terminal has magically vanished. I've no idea how because the one on the other side is pretty firmly wedged into place and I'd bet I would struggle to get it out by force. So I need to be a lonesome little nut before I can fully secure the battery into place. Firstly, im not sure on the size. The mechanics put the battery in after my last failed MOT (whichcamewithlotsofworkimnotsurewasentirelynecessarybutletsleavethatalonefornow) but I know I used a 13mm socket to take the screw off (bit fiddly to get a screwdriver in the space). So I need to know what size nut to go with the screw. Is it as simple as 13mm screw, 13mm nut? Secondly, am I gonna have to buy a pack of 20 and have 19 spares lying around? Thanks guys, I'm a mechanical disaster so any help appreciated.

Hi guys, just got past the 2 year waiting time between my A2 and DAS and I'm looking at getting the restrictors out. The standard way of doing DAS is obviously to just pay for a course where they give you a couple of days practice and then you use their bike for the test, but I am not keen on forking out that kind of cash. I'd much rather book the test and just do it on my own bike but there are a couple of foreseeable problems. Firstly, I'd need to put L-plates on the bike- no biggie. Stickies then off when the test is done. Secondly, I'm assuming the restrictor would have to be "out" when I do the test- obviously they aren't going to pull it apart to check it, but is it a risk worth running? If it is unrestricted and even if it isn't but I'm saying it is, that would mean I would need a fully qualified rider to act as an escort to the test centre right? That way I would be legally riding a full spec bike as if on a lesson. So... Couuld I just get a fully qualified friend to ride with me to the test centre, then hang around till I've done the test? As long as I put L-plates on the bike and take the restrictors out, that should be kosher right? I just want to make sure I'm not missing a trick here before I look for a friend to help out.

Mistype. That's what I meant to say.

Hi all. I'm trying to change the rear pads on my SV650 and I'm a bit stuck. I've got the old pads off, but no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get the pistons out far enough to fit the new pads in. Any ideas on what I could do guys? Thanks as always

So I know it's almost a year till I can do my unrestricted but it's got me thinking. To hire a bike and do the three day course is going to cost me in the region of £400-£500 minimum, which is a pisstake when I only really need to hire their bike because I can't go on an unrestricted bike on my own. So I've been trying to think of ways around this. If I took my restriction kit out, then got a fully qualified friend to ride the bike to the test centre for me, would there be any issues with me sitting the test on it? (I know I'd probably have to whack some L-plates on it). My other thought was about even bothering to remove the restriction kit. They're hardly going to pul the tank off and look into the air box are they? I mean, I'd much rather give a mate £50 and lunch to help me out for the day than pay £500 for a service I don't need. Thoughts?

Hi guys. Currently sat on an A2 licence and thinking about the feasability of a track day for my 21st bday. I can't do my unrestricted until next March, about 6 months after my 21st, but I wondered if there are any companies that would allow track days on an A2 licence? I'm imagining that's a no, but thought this is the best place to ask.

Well hopefully I won't be presented with any of those problems in the near future. I've only ridden it once for 10 minutes since it got the last fill. I feel like a grade A pillock atm that's for sure.

Introducing Tom's stupidity... It turns out the screw I thought was the sump (as a result of oil coming out of it) was not... This means I had put about 4L into the oil (from two topups) without having drained any oil at all. Result was a rather full system and lots of grimy muckiness. I've now emptied enough out to get it within amounts within max and min on the sight glass and it isnt gushing gunk out the back. I'll be riding back to med school in London tomorrow morning and emptying and refilling the system (properly this time) nect weekend. Thanks for the help guys, without you I'd be feeling even more stupid as I took the train of shame back.

Ooh wiw I have been stupid. I'll try draining a bit and seeing how I get on. Thanks guys

Well when I drained the oil for the service barely any seemed to come out. Then I changed the oil filter and put 2.6L in (told max is 2.9) but the sight glass just appeared totally black and I couldn't judge how much was in there. Is it possible it didn't drain properly before and now I've got too much in there? Would you guys suggest pulling out the sump and draining a bit of oil out?

http://imgur.com/RvDOdKT http://imgur.com/9i765Yy http://imgur.com/7r6oiNQ None of the smoke yet as it's raining.

Just got back from running the bike around the corner and it's not looking good. It was chucking out clouds of thick grey-white smoke the whole way round and when I got back there was oil all over the back of the bike and still dripping from the exhaust to give a rainbow effect on the floor It wasn't doing this before I serviced the bike and I can't see replacing the exhaust causing this. The only thing I can think of is it being something to do with the oil change. Any more ideas?

Wow, that's a whole lot better than the answer I was fearing and a much prompter response than I expected too. Thanks a mill

*Big sigh of relief* I have no idea where I'd be without your mechanical expertise Stu. Is this something that will just disappear after a quick ride around?

Also, would it be a sensible idea to run it round the town quickly to see if it was something like overflowing oil and it'll go away?

OK, so I serviced my bike a couple of weeks ago (before which it was working fine) and I noticed a blowing from my exhaust. I bought a beowulf silencer and fitted it today, along with a repair patch for the area that had been blowing. The patch instructions said to start then bike up and let it idle for 20 minutes or so so that the exhaust would heat up and the patch would adhere. After around 15 minutes of running, a black liquid (looks like oil) started leaking out of the silencer along with a bunch of smoke. Obvious panic has ensued. Is this just because I've fitted a new exhaust, is it something to do with maybe overfilling during the service or am I buggered completely? Thanks as always

Pretty sure the standard beowulf can is road legal with removable baffle. That means it's ok to use right?

Thanks Stu. I did wonder if a restriciton on the air intake would mean the exhaust would have no effect. With that being said, do you think that fitting the exhaust would in fact be fully legal?

Rode home from uni this weekend to service my bike. After swapping out the oil filter and topping up I ran the bike for a bit to run it through and my Dad noticed a blow in my exhaust. Oh well, bit of a pain but at least it's an excuse to get that beowulf I've been denying myself for a while right? As it happens, swapping the exhaust is likely going to bump my BHP, pushing me over the golden 47.7. A quick chat on the phone to beowulf and he reckoned most people just go ahead and whack it on, as pod is unlikely to pull you in for a dyno test. More pressing a worry for me, however, is the insurance renewal I'm due in about a month. Last time I renewed I had to declare whether I had any upgrades and that'd be a problem if the same questin came up, although again Mr Beowulf reckons it shouldn't be. I know the guy on the phone was likely giving me his honest opinion, but I'm also mindful of the fact it's a dicey decision and he may well have been trying to drive a sell. I've held off on making any decisions because I wanted the wisened opinon of the tmbf brigade before jumping in. What do you guys think?

Ouch, bye-bye £70. I feel for you.

I think the corporate market for this would be fantastic. My dad's current work place have started doing things like go-kart days and similar such stuff and I know that they'd love this (so many of them driving Beamers, Mercs and audis that I'm sure would love to 'dangle their wangle' on the track so to speak). Good luck to you both.

So I was asked to take some photos at work for a WWI centenary event and I stumbled across this beauty. http://https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsforboys/14407640589/https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsforboys/14592324064/ This is a 1916 Triumph Model H. It has a 550cc engine that puts out a whopping 4BHP. The owner, who works as part of a WWI education group, told me the bike set him back £8,000ish and that it was well worth selling his modern bike. The controls for this thing were mad. The throttle, carburetor and clutch are all operated by small levers on the handles bars and the gears are changed with a big handle (looked similar to a handbrake). The guy also described the bike as an "incendiary bomb on wheels," as the head and tail lights work by switching on a gas pump and igniting it in the lamp. As if that wasn't enough, there's a backup oil supply for the lamp. What a mad bike. It was really interesting to see just how far the manufacturers have come in 100 years. I'm struggling to get the images to embed from a flickr account. Any help?

Check the voltage on your battery and change your spark plug. I had a very similar thing happen on my DT and a replace of the above was all it needed.

2-3,000 for a good 125? Not worth it. Spend £1,200 on a good 125 and save the rest so you can get a good A2 bike when you hit 19. If you have a 2-3,000 budget when you progress to A2 then you will have some very nice choices open to you. Remember also that there is a solid chance of you having a spill on your 125 and you would much rather do that on a CG125 than a YZF-R125.