Arwen

I am sure you/she has tried many things, but this is what happened to me, in case it helps. I used to be terrified of needles, especially at the dentist. When it turned out that they were going to have to removed the rest of my milk teeth (I was 11) because they were causing me pain, an orthodontist spent some time with me showing me exactly what a needle was. He let me use it on a practise teddy bear, he showed me the stuff that was inside it, then told me to put a bit on my finger then rub my tongue with it. I then struggled to talk for an hour! All in I think I spent about 90min with him and it worked! In the end I needed 13 teeth taken out so they decided to knock me out completely rather than inject the gums to numb them. But since then I've had no major trouble getting blood samples taken, or any of the normal injections you get at school. I tend to sing a stupid song in my head and look away while they are doing it. But occasionally it actually helps me to watch what they are doing. I've never had hypnotherapy, but I have "lost" time in my live due to fainting (and once to being very drunk...) and absolutely hate the feeling of not knowing what happened during those hours. Because of that, I don't think I'd try hypnotherapy, but it may work for some.

It does look a bit silly - but then so does this "> " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I wear full textiles on mine, not quite so bad, but I still a feel a little weird. Feels much more normal in my kevlar jeans!

Well, I sense a second Scottish independence referendum on the cards. And this time I'll be voting for independence, with the hope Scotland can then rejoin the EU. The countries gonna be in turmoil for the next 10 years, may as well gain independence while we go through it. I do feel slightly bemused that Scotland and London voted the same way on something however!

If you can't stretch as far as Scotland, then the lake district is lovley. If you can venture to Scotland. Anywhere north and west of Glasgow is fantastic, or Arran to an extent. Lovely roads, and pleantly of non bike stuff to do.

I put my 13mm pragmasis chain in a waterproof bag (those stuff sack rucksacks things) and bungee it to the rear of the seat. The 1.5m length chain and padlock weights in at around 5kg, which I find noticeable in the top box of my bike. This could be because my bike only weights 100kg... and/or becuse the box sticks out a lot from the centre of gravity when I am riding. Strapped to the seat however, I don't even notice the weight is there. As for length of chain, definitely 2m+. My bike is tiny and I still sometimes have issues getting it close enough to get the 1.5m chain around something and through the bike. The noose link from pragmasis looks to be very handy for longer chain lengths.

Wow! Congrats on the excellent passing in horrific weather. It was raining during my test but no where near as bad as yours.

We have a pair of the Q3's too. Works a treat. I especially like the adaptive volume. It lowered the volume when there is less "outside" noise. I was surprised with how good the FM signal was too.

Well done!

Happy birthday Glorian, have a great day!

I am fully behind what Police Scotland did a few years ago. They impounded a car from drug dealers, then legally claimed ownership of it and it is now decked out in police livery - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8555079.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry can't listen to it just now but just thought I'd add, I can adjust the idle on my fuel injected bike. MYbe you can too? Attached from my workshop manual:-

Bollocks. Modern fuel injected bikes do not need to sit running for 3-5mins before you can ride them! The engine management will run the bike at slightly elevated revs until it's happy the motor won't stall (just like the manual choke back in the okd days) but there is really no need to leave a bike running 5mins before riding away and certainly no need to rev them manually whilst standing still. Sound like your bike needs some mechanical attention!! Completely agree with Joe. Ok my bike is a 125, but it automatically sets the revs a little higher for 3-5 seconds at start up then reduced them to what they should be. At most I leave it running for how long it takes me to get my gloves on (1min maybe?). All engines warm up better when they are on the move and the parts are moving. The correct way to warm a bike up is to ride it gently for the first few minutes after it has settled at its normal idle rev's. Rev'ing it on the drive way is not the same, and reving it up, then tearing out the driveway/streets like a possessed daemon is just asking for problems. You should get your biked looked at if it wont hold it's own rev's on start up on a normal day. (Fair enough on a cold day)

Tank or top box/tail bag for me. I really dislike wearing rucksacks on any bike. Tank bags can restrict handle bar movement so check it before you buy one ideally. Top boxes are excellent for just throwing stuff in (I use one for commuting) but they can catch the wind. You can get tail packs instead of a box that would reduce that.

Thanks for the feed back guys. I've send out some emails asking for more info and dimensions on some armour to see if it fits

CBT is Compulsory Basic Training. There is nothing stopping people on CBT seeking more training. But as has been said. Most of the idiot riders on L plates it is road manners and common sense they lack. And to be perfectly honest, I see far more (apparently) fully licenced bikers acting like complete tools around where I live. CBT is enough to get you started if the school is doing it right and not just passing everyone.

Any of you replaced/upgraded the armour in your bike kit? I'm mostly looking at knee and hip armour to go in kelvar jeans, and possibly in my textile trousers and jacket if it makes them less bulky. But there is so much choice! Does anyone have any experience of D30 armour? How do you rate it? I've also been looking at Forcefield but that seems really very thin! Does it actually work? For my jacket I am pretty sure I'm going with this Knox shirt as for the price and the convenience of not having to match up jackets the fit with the armour in the right places will be great! But how does knox armour rate among the other options?

I've got one of these, but just replaced it this month. Not got a pinlock on it. It's an ok helmet. Done me as pillion and my first year riding but compared to my new K5 AGV the vents on the shark are next to useless. Also, you can't crack the visor open just a little for around town riding. If it is raining and you need to open the visor for some air you will get soaked.

I vote to keep it original (or close too). I think it looks lovly as is.

I enjoyed Matt on it. Felt he was a refreshing change. Chris on the other hand I wanted to gag. What was with all the shouting and (trying too) gee-ing up the crowd for no real reason? Gave me a sore head...

Sad to hear you are not getting along with this new school. How big is it? The school I went to was very relaxed. It's ran by a couple and have one other instructor, so very small What really helped me when doing the U turns was when the owner simply said "just try and go as tight as you can, if you drop it, you drop it, no problem" That instantly put me at ease, and after 10min of progressively getting smaller and smaller turns, I still hadn't dropped it! Good luck for today, I hope it goes well!

There are apparently difference between car and bike oil. Bike oil is designed to be more (?) lubricating because it is used in the clutch and transmission. Where as car oil is less(?) lubrication as the engine is generally separate from the clutch and transmission. I'm sure googling will bring up many differences and debates. I have no idea what actually happens if you use car oil in a bike however. My bike takes so little oil I just buy it bike oil.

Thanks very much for the guide! I'll possibly pick one up next month and give it a go. Probably wont be something I'll keep on the bike all the time, but will be good to have when I'm going out of the city.

Very nice review. I now want to go greenlaning now however! I may have to try your windscreen mod for my bike. £30 would be worth it if I could get something to shield me a bit from the wind.

Oh yes... I no longer pay attention to size labels in bike clothing. It is all over the place! If buying online, ask for the measurements in inches. Then compare it to normal clothing that fits. Will give you an idea if the bike stuff will fit or not.

If there is a J&S near you they normally stock a range of cheap but decent kit in big sizes. Alternatively, ebay. Might be an idea to look at kelvar jeans too(most have pockets for armour), makes getting on and off the back of a bike easier since they are not as cumbersome/movement limiting as leather/some textiles. Good luck!