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Miguel the Penguin

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Everything posted by Miguel the Penguin

  1. Well, that's a pretty unanimous response! Oh, Six30 I will check out some Youtube vids before pleading for local help, but may end up pleading
  2. Hi all, I need to get someone to come and fit a new battery to a CBF125 in the next few days - any suggestions for who I should contact? I've had a quick Google but not found anyone yet. I'm just outside the M25 if that helps... Cheers.
  3. Hi Ira, Did you try to contact anyone from the Surrey New Rider's Club? http://newridersclub.webs.com/ I don't know if they are still an active group but there is a contact number on the site which you could try. Someone from there might be very willing to come and help a new local rider on a 1-2-1 basis. Good luck
  4. They seem to have backed off after I emailed them to get lost. Some genuine interest would be good though... I thought July would be a good time to try to sell a 125!
  5. I knew my Spideysenses were right! Thanks guys. He has been told to bugger off. Fingers crossed for some genuine interest
  6. Right, so I finally cleaned my bike! It is now listed on the various sale sites and I had a query from someone on Ebay last night asking if it was still for sale and what my best price was. I replied to the email address they had given me in their query and they have come back with this: "Thanks for your swift response,I'd like to know the rock bottom price you willing to take and also i will be paying by PayPal as it is attached to my bank account. It is safe and secure way to make payment on eBay. I hope you accept my payment method? If you do,can you just send me the email you associated with your PayPal account (Paypal ID) in order to make the payment now, about the collection; have got a Freight company that will come for the collection as soon as you confirm the payment via PayPal so no shipping included and if you dont have a paypal account, you can easily go to http://www.paypal.com and sign up. its very easy. I await your reply asap" I don't know why but it just feels a bit dodgy to me. I don't want to be paid by Paypal by someone who doesn't come to collect the bike because I think it would be too easy for them to put in a dispute/freeze the payment. Plus I don't want to pay the 10% Ebay fees!! The fact it's badly written also sounds warning bells to me, although that could just be me being a bit of a pedant What do the more wise and experienced of you out there think? Scam? Thanks in advance!
  7. Congratulations! I grew up in a village about 10 mins from Burton. Not that that is of any interest to you or anyone else Best of luck for Mod 2
  8. Congratulations! It's an amazing feeling isn't it? Happy shopping
  9. Congrats! I passed mine a few weeks ago and still grin when I think about it. It's a great feeling! Best of luck for Mod 2 but I'm sure it will go smoothly - your advice about breathing and taking your time applies equally so to that one. Enjoy the excitement
  10. Very pleased to say I passed my first attempt at Mod 2 today! Its's been just over 3 weeks since Mod 1, with no riding in between, so I was a bit worried how well I'd settle back into riding, but it all seemed to slot into place quite easily and I was very happy to be back on two 600cc wheels There were three of us with the test in the afternoon so we spent the morning doing parts of the various test routes in the area which was enjoyable. We were all riding pretty well so that helped our nerves settle, and before I knew it it was midday and almost time for my test. My instructor had told me the examiner I was having was one of the best for Mod 2 (hooray!) as he was very pragmatic and not the sort to try and pick faults in every little thing. I think my questions were on sounding the horn ( ), tyre maintenance and the usual pillion one. The ride ended up being pretty much none of any of the routes we'd practised - typical! - but there weren't any particularly tricky parts except for when I wasn't sure if the country road I was on was national speed limit. I took my cue from a car that was speeding away in front of me and accelerated to 60 - luckily the right choice! Needless to say I was really happy and relieved when we got back and he told me I'd passed. I had 4 minors which I think were for observation and slow speed control/pulling away. If I could change one thing it would be to have done my DAS straight away and not waste time with a 125 which I've never ridden. I would have had a good few months of summer riding behind me if that had been the case, but I guess you live and learn. Hopefully my CBF won't have lost too much value in the 9 months it's been sitting outside... I actually got a text from the salesman at the local Triumph garage about 10 minutes after I finished wishing me luck. I thought that was very good sales technique and worthy of popping over there to be very tempted to swap my hard earned cash for a Striple R Good luck to all those doing their tests soon. Just take it easy, ride for yourself, and talk yourself through everything as you go and you'll be fine
  11. If he's in 6th gear then he's nicked someone else's bike
  12. The name Mark rings a bell, yes. I'm pretty sure I'm doing Mod 2 in Letchworth - at least I hope I am since that's where we've been riding for the last 3 days of the course! I'm in St Albans but decided to go to Letchworth because of the good reviews of PRT and because they were really flexible about fitting my course dates around work. It's only a 30 minute drive though so not very far. What was Mark like for Mod 2? My instructor said he's a better Mod 1 examiner than Mod 2 but didn't go into lots of detail as to why Do you join the local Herts/Beds ride-outs? There are so many good roads in the area but I don't know anyone else who rides so I was thinking I'm going to need to man up and go to some of these over the summer.
  13. Mod 1 passed yesterday at frst attempt After doing my CBT last September I've hardly ridden at all for various reasons but was keen to get my license sorted this summer to stop another year going by. I booked myself onto a 4-day DAS course with PRT Training in Letchworth, Herts, and had my first day on a 600 on Saturday followed by Mod 1 on Monday. By the end of Saturday I had attempted the slalom, figure of 8 and U turn in the car park we used for training but only had a couple of goes - which were less than perfect due mostly to not getting the right lines on the Figure of 8 and not releasing the clutch. I'd been ill the week leading up to it and was exhausted by Saturday afternoon though, which my instructor could obviously see so he didn't get me to practise any more manoevures or do the e-stop/swerve. My test was at 1:30 on Monday so we had from 9:30 to do the manoevures again and practise the speed tests. This started badly: I dropped the bike in the car park by trying to stop with the front wheel at an angle. My instructor gave me a bit of an earful but I put it behind me and in some ways was relieved to get the drop out of the way. After 5 or 6 goes my slow speed stuff was going much better so we went off to a quiet road to do the e-stop and swerve. These were really straight forward and a lot of fun! We did this a few times each and then set off for the 30 minute ride to the test centre in Cardington (via a petrol station for a coffee and banana). I hadn't put too much pressure on myself to pass as I'm doing all of this for pleasure so didn't see the point in getting stressed about it, but when we arrived at the test centre I started to realise how much I really wanted to pass and not have to go through it all again. One thing we hadn't really covered at all was the manual handling... I only attempted this once at the test centre which is when the full realisation of how heavy a 220kg bike is hit me. I'm stronger than most women but this was bloody hard - no doubt due largely to poor technique. So my time came and I did the paperwork bit. The examiner was very friendly which helped with settling nerves, and the centre was empty except for me, my training partner and our instructor which was also nice. I ordered them both to stay inside and not to watch me! No problems riding to the gate and into the parking bay, but the manual handling - as expected - was awful! It took me ages and there was lots of stopping and starting and rolling backwards and forwards. I needed to take a couple of minutes after that to get my heart rate/breathing back to normal but the examiner was fine with that and didn't put me under pressure to get going. I do really wish I'd been able to practise it more, but hey ho. The slalom, figure of 8, slow ride and u-turn all went smoothly. It really is a case of not over thinking it and just letting the bike do the work. The controlled stop and emergency stop were incident free, but I had to re-do the swerve as I only clocked 46 or 48 kph the first time. The second was 56. Back to car park and in for the de-brief where he told me I'd passed with 3 minors - one for the manual handling, one for some hesitation setting off for the slalom (I honestly don't remember this at all) and one for needing the second attempt at the swerve. I was so relieved I almost shed a tear! My instructor looked so happy - he must have been sure I was on for a fail after I dropped the bike in the morning. One thing that I think helped a lot was that we had practised all the slow speed stuff in an area that was quite a lot smaller than the test site, and wasn't flat, so when it came to doing it on the lovely big, flat, open space for the test it felt easier and I was able to feel confident despite the nerves. If I can pass first time, then really anyone can. I have next to no bike experience and was lacking confidence and smooth clutch/brake control for most of the morning of my test. It's just a case of calming yourself down and putting into practise everything you've been told. And shoulder checks! There really is no excuse to get any minors for not doing every one of these. Mod 2 in 3 weeks, then I can think about bike shopping
  14. I tried Fusion for my CBT last year, and while my experience may not be representative all I can say about it is that it was awful. The instructor made us all go on scooters despite me saying I wanted to do it on a geared bike. The training area was tiny, the geared bike he showed us was really badly maintained (he actually said "my boss is a **** and doesn't look after the bikes" ) and the road ride was only about 30 minutes long. The instructor I had was far too interested in chain smoking and looking cool and openly took the piss out of people when they got things wrong too which was awful. Honestly, it almost completely turned me off getting my license as it was such an awful day. Luckily I tried again (Camrider in Hendon) and loved it, so just chalked the Fusion debacle up to experience.
  15. I have bought from this site because of the prices too and they've always been excellent. It's even better right now because the pound is so strong against the euro
  16. Yep, but that's part of the issue! I am always checking behind me in the car, and therefore am used to getting a good view and being very sure there's nothing there. The checks I take on the bike are so much more limited in what I see that it worries me I'm not seeing nearly enough! I suppose I can practise smaller, quicker checks that replicate being on a bike, instead of nice big comfy looks...
  17. Thanks everyone. It's reassuring to know it will get better with time. I guess I'm just nervous since being a new rider is the time you really want to be extra safe in all manoevures. I haven't properly ridden on my own yet either so the idea of relying solely on my own observation is a bit daunting..! I'll practise in a carpark when I next get out, along with all my slow speed stuff. Thanks!
  18. The answer to these questions - as annoying as it is - is usually 'whatever works best for you'. There has been a lot of discussion about best time to exercise but honestly, unless you're a performance athlete, just choose a time that works well for your schedule and your body. Personally, there's no way i can get up before 6:15 to get to the gym and workout before work, so I have to make do with going in the evening. Not ideal as it means I get to bed later than I'd like, but it works and I seriously doubt it has any tangible impact on my results. I would say that 1200-1500 sounds way too few calories. Also, cutting out fat isn't a good idea. Fat - especially saturated fat - gets such a bad press but it's essential for our bodies and it has now been widely disproven that it's to blame for obesity or heart disease. I stopped buying 'diet' and low fat food a couple of years back and haven't looked back. I cook with butter, drink whole or gold top milk, eat the skins of meat etc and it really helps reduce cravings for snacks and junk food and I haven't put any weight on. If you are eating below your maintenance calorie limit then your body is going to be going into starvation mode and hanging onto all the fat stores it can, because it's being told to think food is scarce. This is the worst things for it to do if you're trying to lose fat. Seriously, go to a site where it takes all your measurements/activity levels etc and work out what you should be eating, and then plan meals to hit that number using proper, whole, full fat foods. Don't worry what the scales say for the first few weeks - it's just your body re-calibrating and probably re-hydrating. Finally, gentle cardio is sadly unlikely to yield weight loss effects. Especially if it's something you've been doing for a while as your body will be used to it. You're going to need to start strength training as this will increase muscle mass which will in turn increase your resting metabolic rate and burn more calories throughout the day. If done well, you will also lose inches - but gain pounds! (So ignore the scales, they give a very one-dimensional view). I'd advise doing some interval training to get your heart-rate going; this can be done in a lot of ways so have a think about what you'd actually enjoy doing the most as that's what's going to keep you going regularly. Anyway, I could blather on about this for hours but I have to work so I'll shut up But basically: exercise when it works best for you; eat more calories; eat more fat; strength train; ignore scales; get your heart pumping at its threshold level a few times a week.
  19. That makes sense, but I just feel like I can't see enough when I turn my head. It's like the restriction of the helmet prevents me getting a good look. Is this normal when starting out and will increased confidence help?
  20. Okay, this could be a really odd question, bear with me! Despite doing my CBT and buying my 125 a few months ago I'm only just now getting out to ride due to a multitude of life and weather factors. I was feeling a bit nervous about being rusty so, because I don't know anyone else who rides, I did what I thought was sensible and got in touch with a local instructor who did a refresher day last weekend and back-marked me in his car as I rode my bike from my old flat in London up to St Albans today. I was a bit nervy and obviously needs lots more training but overall I absolutely bloody loved the ride - even being blown around by the wind on the A41! I was already getting frustrated about running out of throttle once I hit 65mph so can't wait to try out a bigger bike Anyway, to my point! Whenever I looked over my shoulder I found it really tricky to get a good view of what was behind me. How much should I realistically expect to see? I guess I'm comparing it to when I drive, where I take big long looks to make triple sure there's nothing there. Clearly I'm much more limited on the bike due to not wanting to take eyes off the road/balance/helmet/big jacket but I'm a bit concerned that I can't get a good enough look to be sure it's safe. If I hadn't had my back-marker today I think I would have really struggled with lane changes when the traffic was heavy. So what's normal? Is it just a glance to the side, or do I need to be looking properly behind me? Should I look to 3/9 o clock or further back? Should I rely on my mirrors more? Is it something that will become easier when I'm more confident in controlling the bike? Thanks in advance for any tips and sorry for the long post and all the newbie questions!
  21. That's fair enough, it is definitely a faff to keep returning stuff. Good luck with the boots, I hope they're as good as they're supposed to be and help you to feel more comfortable and confident on the bike!
  22. Congratulations! I'd put money on you having much better slow-speed control skills than most newly qualified riders now I hope to be able to talk about my Mod1/2 passes at some point this year too. I don't think I'd care if took 1 go or 10, as long as I can get out there safely. (My wallet might disagree though!)
  23. This may not be the most ethical approach, but where this is a big difference between prices on the UK sites and German site (e.g. Sportsbikeshop vs. FC Moto) I sometimes order from the UK site to try different sizes, then send everything back and place my final order with Germany. P&P is free for delivery and returns with SBS, and stuff arrives next day if you order before 3pm. It's a bit more faff but the most cost effective. I have tried to get SBS to match the other prices but they declined because they're non-UK, and I have also bought from them when the price difference has been less than £30 or so. But sometimes you pay the best part of £100 less from a German site which is too much of a discount to pass up! Sportsbikeshop do have the Lady Pilots in stock...
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