Arwen

Hmm... I've only got 5 codes rather than 8

I got to the end... forgot to take a note of the codes. Argh!!!

I'm playing too, but I have no idea what stage I'm on...

I used a spare plastic tool I use for opening up phone cases... Worked a treat when combined with some old oil to soften the gasket.

Smells nice, but is one of only a couple of plants that give me hayfeaver, an no anti allergen tables seem to work against it! The trouble is Dundee is surrounded by massive fields of it. So even in the city center I still get the effects from it. Doesn't help that I work on a farm

Yea I have no idea what bugs they are. Rode through a swarm of them, was like little hail stones hitting off my helmet I did notice their seems to be loads more of them near the fields with oil seed rape in them, so yet another reason to hate that crop!

So I had the day off and fancied heading out on my bike for a bit. No destination in mind, simply wandered around the Angus and Perth country side for a couple of hours. I did end up popping into weatherspoons in Blairgowrie for a scone and coffee though Purposely tried to find roads I've not been on before, as I find I end up going at a snails pace when taking corners on roads I do not know. Feeling much better and have gained more trust in my tyres when going round corners on rough roads now, so I think it might be working A few pictures for your enjoyment... Today was not nearly as nice as it has been over the past week. Typical! I also seemed to have reduced the bug population somewhat... My jacket is covered in the horrible things too, eww!

Bahaha very nice Mawsley! I love goats... They are cute.

That looks like an excellent trip! If your insurance is anything like mine, I've been getting quotes of £350-£450 for bikes ranging from 300cc to 800cc. I think it's more the new price and the "boy racer" aspects that seem to put it up. The wind at 60mph+ is what I really dislike about being on a bike just now. It seems to be taking me an age to get used to the feeling. :-/

I quiet enjoy going into PC world... They try and sell me a pants computer as the best thing since slice bread. I then go all technical on them and refer to how crap the bus speed is on that particular motherboard, and how having awesome Intel on board graphics is not a selling feature when the pc comes with a dedicated graphics card... They then wander off looking a bit confused and scared.

If anyone is ever near Dalkeith - just south of Edinburgh on a Saturday, Dalkeith BMW (Motorrad Central) make breakfast rolls to order for free, and their coffee machine is rather good.

I think it's to keep the 700 and 800 a bit different... The F800gs has USD forks I think. And have you been spying on my phone Gerontious? Seems I've been looking at way to my picture of them and reading up on everything

It is so satisfying that it feels "right" from the start. No iffy bits at all. No choice in colour for the Rallye spec I think. They are all white with a red frame. It would be my choice anyways however, I really like it

Mod 1 is a test of control, in a test environment, with an examinaer watching you with a clip board in hand. Mod 2 is a ride around your local area for 40, with some guy behind you giving directions. Mod 2 can feel completely different if you want it too. I simply treated is as another lesson, only with a different instructor behind me. I found Mod2 easier, but I don't suffer from exam nerves.

So today I enjoyed a lovely hour out on a F700 Rallye thanks to the lovely guys at Motorrad Central (Dalkeith). No pictures of my own, I sort of forgot as one of the BMW guys came out with me to show me the roads. I don't know the area at all other than the Edinburgh bypass and the A1! However, this is what it looks like: So, my thoughts. We spent a bit of time with a low suspension and standard bike side by side, and a whole host of seats. The out come was I definitely need the lowered suspension version to feel properly comfortable manually moving it and at a stop. I can manage the standard one, but even on a slight incline it was very difficult for me to move it. I decided to stick with the low seat as well for the test run, as it didn't feel bad to me. Plus, it's easier to make a seat more comfortable than to make it shorter! And now out on the roads! We took in a mix of roads, slow moving town stuff, fast twisty county roads, horrible crumbling country "roads" and a little dual carriageway. Overall, I absolutely love the bike. It feels so easy to get round corners and there is pretty much no vibrating through the bars or the pegs. Something I did notice on the CB500f... Also, on the Honda I found the throttle to be "stiff". It wasn't that it didn't move smoothly, it just required more force than I was used to. The F700 however is ride by wire, and wow! It feels as light as my MSX throttle! I have no idea how it works, but it feels fantastic. The clutch is a little heavy, but not as heavy feeling as the CB500f. The bike had 600 miles on it so I imagine the clutch is feeling as it should do by now Gear changes were also soooooo smooth and positive feeling. At no point did I think " is it in neutral?" Riding position for me was spot on, slightly​ leaning towards the bars, but nice and relaxed. The suspension seemed to soak up everything. We went down some rather horrible roads. Not gravel, but pretty crumbly tarmac and I never felt concerned about the bike. It simply went where I pointed it with no fuss. So back at the shop we did some maths and looked on the stock sheet and build lists. Currently no Rallye LS (low suspension) bikes in the UK stock, but out of the 8 more that the garage have ordered for stock 4 are LS versions. And 2 have names against them.... So urm yea.... My name is now against one of the remaining 2! It is "temporary" for now. Need to confirm some finance with HQ - the finance deal I'm getting it on is due to run out at the end of June, but the bikes delivery date is currently mid July. So either the finance will carry over for me, or the bike will be delivered sooner. All going well, should be confirmed on Monday/Tuesday and I'll put a deposit down then for it to be officially mine. I'd also like to mention how fantastic a dealership Motorrad Central are. It was an absolute joy to be there again compared to my local BMW dealer (who I live less than 5 miles from...). We chatted with many of their staff, including the owner. Who ended up giving me tips on riding big bikes. He's got the same instep as me yet rides a 1200GSA! Also, the free coffee and breakfast rolls were very welcome! To say I'm happy to travel 73miles (~1.5hrs) to see them rather than the less than 5 miles to my local dealer is an underestimate. They are firmly my 2nd favourite bike shop. First still goes to Eccose (Honda) in Dundee So yea, long and short of this test ride. I've possibly bought my next bike! Even though I said I would never buy a brand new vehicle ever again! Oops

Wow that looks painful! Good luck with the physio Baloo.

Hope you slept ok It is amazing how many people feel weird/uncomfortable knowing someone else has odd socks on. I never realised this untill I started commuting by bike, and changing shoes at my desk! And yes, Vibram five finger shoes. Super comfy once you get used to them Wearing them helps strengthen my dodgy ligaments/tendons in my right ankle.

I've never really thought about "dedicated" bike socks. I just wear what ever I pull out the drawer. (Literally, I rarely have matching socks on! ) Only time I really think about socks is if I'm wearing my five finger shoes, or I'm going out hill walking all day. Today's socks:

Waterproof socks are fantastic things. However be wary of "non breathable" ones. Otherwise your feet will simply get wet from sweat that cannot evaporate/wick away. Sealskinz are a very good brand, however they are expensive. They are very useful for boots that are either not waterproof, or they are waterproof, but the water can still seep through or come over the tongue of the boot.

I'm not sure how thick the protection layer is on those parts, but to remove the top layer from my plastic panels I used these: They don't scrape deep enough to cause any "scraping/scratching" damage, but do enough to take just the top layer off. Worked very well for me.

All the bikes are here http://a2bikes.co.uk The restriction is on HP, not Cc's.

I bought this purple and gave each bit around 3 reasonable coats and then a decent coat of satin UV clear coat. Could probably have done more coats to get it smoother, but I'm not fussed by it. The whole not having to use primer or even really prep the plastics much was worth it for me. Plastics were unpainted black plastics before. See here and here for pictures and stuff.

I used Kobra spray paint to paint my panels. No primer required, and it came out alright. Not a perfect job, not a proper paint shop job. But it's pretty good for £7 a can.

Triumph are also in competition mode. Win a Tiger for a year, plus a free t-shirt when you test ride one. http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/win-a-bike?sc_device=desktop

If it's like the MSX engine, you'll have undone the cam chain tensioner bolt by mistake... The two bolts are near each other on the base of the engine, and are similar size. I'm not sure how you would proceed with correcting this however as I've not done it, yet!