Arwen

Yup, JIS screwdrivers are ace. Although i still haven't convinced myself to spend £70 on a (small) set of screwdrivers... If my big bike ends up being a Jap I probably will though.

I really like that! I can sort of see myself doing something like this when I've gained more mechanical skills, money and a bigger garage! Looking forward to seeing your outcome Mark.

^^ This^^ pretty much. I value my licence too much to risk it for ~15min of high speed fun. There are certain bits of motorway that I will do a little more on if they are quiet, and have actually been shadowed by the police while doing this. They didn't pull me or say anything about it, I suspect because it was clear I was not "being stupid". However in towns and urban areas, I stick to the speed limits. It's all too easy for something to happen and mess up your and possibly other peoples day/week/month/life. I will admit that the ever increasing 20mph zones are frustrating though!

Happy birthday, hope you have a wonderful day!

I know you will have read this everywhere. But staying relaxed, especially in your shoulders and arms make a load of difference when doing slow control stuff. Hold on to the bike with your legs if need be, but not your hands. I end up singing silly songs when practicing, if I remember right I was singing "we all live in a yellow submarine" in my helmet while doing my MOD 1! it had a nice steady beat which I think helped.

Well done! Now remember, indicators!!!

So in my search for a big bike, one of the extras I want is heated grips. Manufacturer grips seem to range in price from £120 - £300 quid, yet Oxford and R&G ones can be bought for as little as £30. Now I'm not fantastic when it comes to wiring, but I've had a look and can probably wire the Oxford ones in myself with no real issues. However the big boxy control looks a bit silly on some bikes handlebars. So my question - are manufacturer heated grips worth the price? and if not, which other brand/model would people recommend?

I prefer hard knuckles. Had my RST stunt gloves for 3 years now and can't fault them. Think i paid about £35 for them at a local shop.

It's tiny compared to the NEC. We spent about 3.5hrs there today, and that was looking at pretty much everything and generally chatting to random folk. Most stalls/retailers are just as cheap online too.unles you want ear lugs, which works out cheaper as they will do the molds there and then.

Yup, that's where i went. I visited only because I was having major problems finding size 4.5 boots that fit my calves, that are not lace up. My altbergs are actually size 4.5 soles attached to size 6/7 uppers. And although they are custom made, because they did not have to make a custom last or upper they just charged me the normal going rate. Really enjoyed visiting them o be honest. Really friendly and knowledgeable guys. My walking boots are also altbergs. Can't fault them a bit.

Good luck! Lovely looking bike that.

Or get a halfords discount card and never pay anywhere near full price for anything again cause their staff don't know how to use it!

Preparation is everything. And take your time. Other than that, there are lots of tutorials on YouTube for how to spray paint thing using aerosols or a paint spray gun.

I suspect it is more wide spread than people think. When I was in the test center yesterday there were posters up warning about it and signs to look out for...

I have toyed with it. But due to many of the bbk's having issues after 5k+ miles I'd only do it if I can keep my 125 engine as a complete spare.

Thanks Tango. I'm in no rush to get something bigger right now, so just going to keep an eye out for something that takes my fancy. I'm keeping the MSX for commuting/around town anyways, and I will possibly have the use of my other halves Ducati Monster if his insurance are ok with it.

Thanks It is a welcome relief I won't need to make do with a bike that I'm not completely comfortable with ever again!

So today I finally passed MOD 2! I originally sat MOD 2 last week, but half way through the test, during the hill start, the bike I was using kept cutting out. Causing the test to be abandon due to "mechanical failure". - Much frustration! Today, I work up to much the same conditions outside as last week, dry coldish (5 °C) and sunny. SPent a few hours getting reacquainted with the bike (Yamaha Xj600) and generally getting "in the zone" before heading to the test centre. Thankfully I got the same examiner as last week, so we had a little joke about last week before heading out for the show me tell me questions. He asked me 3 for some reason rather than the normal 2... - How would you check the oil, show how to operate the kill switch and explain what does it do, and what effect would a pillion have on your control of the bike. Once that was done, jumped on the bike and started out on the road. Now it appears that due to lots of road closures in the area, the examiner was simply making up routes on the fly today and took me along roads even my instructors didn't think he would go! One major one was instead of using the back/country roads circling the city, we did actually go out into the country side, through 3 farms and then back towards the city. However I don't think the examiner realised just how much mud is on the roads around farms at this time of year. So windy narrow country roads that you would normally do about 40-60mph in, I was forced to do 20-30mph - and even then there was a few rear end slips... Due to this being the first third of the test, I pretty much though I had failed by the time we got back to a main road, so I pinned it to 60mph as quick as I could. Mostly just to get air to cool myself down after the mild panicking of mud slick roads. Independent ride was straight forward up the dual carriage way at 50mph, then turn off and playing around in residential streets for the hill start and lots of pull overs, ride on things. I suspect he was making sure I could actually do clutch control do to last weeks annoyance. Then back to the test centre, I chose to filter past a learner car driver who had stalled half way out a junction and was causing some minor chaos. Mostly cause I really needed to pee! Got back in and the examiner congratulated me on an excellent ride, said I had passed then apologised for the mud all over my boots and trousers! Very chuffed with myself I then spent the next 40 minutes back at the training school laying out the weird test route to my instructors, then let them have a play around on my MSX as they are thinking of getting one or two as part of their CBT fleet! Over all, a good days work, and all in time for my CBT running out on the 15th!

I absolutely love my Alt-bergs Made to measure, stupidly comfortable, never leak and keep me warm when I need them too, and not too warm when it's hot outside. Possibly the best boots I have ever bought (not just bike boots- I love boots in general...) I did have to visit Yorkshire, twice, for them however. But if you are a normal size I'm sure they will post to you. J&S in Plymouth always seem to have a good selection of boots and sizes when I'm there. I did spend about 3hrs in there trying on various boots...

I've ridden both an older SV650 and a Diversion 600 (XJ600 - inline 4 but less power than the fazer) and felt the opposite of what you are getting. I felt like I was always fighting the SV650 at low speeds, where as the XJ600 just went where I wanted to and was really easy to balance at slow speed. I put it down to the different handle bars and the weight of the XJ being a bit further back than the SV. I'd check what Joe suggested, but it could also be simply that you are sitting in a slightly different position and need to adjust to it. Edit: Sorry got Stu and Joe mixed up!

If it's anything like mine, it's because when you tighten the axle nut up, the whole axle likes to move around. I end up using my legs to cuddle/hold the rear wheel back and tighten the axle nut at the same time. It looks ridiculous, but it's the only way I can get it to work on my own.

Looking for gloves and jeans for me, and possibly a big bike. Helmet and boots/gloves/maybe everything for other half. Otherhalves brother is up from Devon, not sure if he is looking for kit too or just wanting to have a play on some bikes too Generally we spend the morning and maybe early afternoon at the show, then head off to the other bike shops in Edinburgh to look at second hand bikes, dinner somewhere then head back home. I suspect this year will be no different, other than I will be taking big bikes more seriously this time!

We are heading down on Saturday morning. Taking the car however as there will be three of us.

If your exhaust is all legal, and you are not reving it and messing around, then regardless of what time you are going/leaving am not sure what the police would do to be honest.

If your bike is on private property, then they can complain to the council and the council can do various dB measurements at various times. If you are found to break their noise levels then they can tell you to stop. If your bike is on a public road making noise, then the above does not apply. Instead people have to complain to the police about the noise. Personally, as long as your not leaving it warming up for extended periods of time with a really loud exhaust, there is no problem in my eyes (or ears...). People can own a house all they want, but it does not entitle them to silence in the area surrounding their house.