bonio

Congratulations on the test pass!

Yo??? What kind of word is that?

Good grief youngsters today mutter mutter dribble.

22 minutes ago, Geordie Oldie said:

Indeed, Christmas morning all I had were tea towels ( I do all the washing up), I was happy enough but then she pulled a helmet out from under the tree!

That's like the end of Cinderella, but written by bikers. 

I've put some on the MV. Keeps the fairings off the ground should it go over.

Which has happened. 

Sorry about the rubbish pic. Here's one large enough so you can the words on the sign. 

Another one grabbed on the way cambridge. The Electric Motor company or whatever it was called near Diss.

Hi there, welcome.

Where 'bouts are you?

1 hour ago, Phil1 said:

 

I'm constantly bombarded with ads these days on Facebook about adblue removal, decat systems, mileage "correction" etc etc. Most of which is irresponsible at best and illegal at worst. It's not the garages fault though, it's the drivers that don't give a toss. 

CPS should be bringing Meta to court. Completely irresponsible to make money by dealing with people whose business is to flout the law.

Not sure I want to face andouiettes again after mine reappeared in the public conveniences at the ferry terminal in Cherbourg. Was awkward as I needed the loo at the time for other purposes. 

And he's off the grid:

Shawsgate Farm

Mallard Farm Shop

and Perrywood Garden Centre (in the last one, the gloves are making a number "77", as I'd left my tail bag open at the Mallard Farm Shop and lost my bit of paper on the way.

Rear light fixed

19 hours ago, curlylegend said:

Oh, never mind, there are lots of other places you can go to. How about Belgium, or Denmark or Germany ? Or even Holland ?

I have a friend who also can't stand France, he manages to quarrel with just about everyone he deals with.  But he adores Egypt ?  He says the only thing wrong with Egypt is the Bloody French Tourists !

I'm similar. I'm not so fond of France. Great food, great scenery, but I quickly get tired of all the petty rules, and everyone complaining their neighbours: it robs me of any hope for the future of mankind. The northeast of France is different: great people, but crap food and scenery designed to cast despair into the sunniest of personalities. But when it comes Egypt, I've been there, oh I don't know, 8 times perhaps, and I'd go back at the drop of a hat. Excellent food, astonishing scenery and Egyptians are just hilarious to be with.  

The normal Suffolk way is 40 through the villages and 40 on the open roads. Looks like you had the misfortune to fine a proper boy racer.

Yup.

I've been sticking phone plus case in my ua holder without an issue... until the clasp snapped off. The nice is I could buy a pack of replacement clasps for £3.50 and fix it.

Either I'm a strange shape or else I haven't any sartorial sense, because I think they fit me fine. Mine are quite warm though, too hot for summer. So when I was last meeting a mate at Liverpool St., I went into the Dainese shop and bought some jeans in their sale. Tried loads on, and found just one pair to fit.

Then the next day I remembered I had a 15% off Dianese voucher ready to cash in.  

On 23/03/2024 at 09:46, Angela Collen said:

Really glad you've worked it out, hope mot goes well

Haha, it almost did. I passed with an advisory marked "urgent repair" because the number plate is illuminated by a red light, not a white one.

When I got it home I took a look and saw what I'd done - I'd put the tail light on upside down, so the white light is shining upwards onto on the luggage rack instead downwards onto the the number plate. At least it's an easy fix.

The vstrom is a good call. The sprint is a cracking bike, but a completely different beast. It hasn't the same lightness of touch of the adventure bikes. It's a proper sports tourer - it rides like a sports bike would if it had a longer body and more weight.

By the way, have you thought about the Versys 650? A good tourer and insurance group 9. Won't do 2-up, though; if you wanted that you'd need the 1000, which perhaps blows the budget.

(posted in the wrong thread)

I had a 2013 R1200GS - the first of the waterheads. I'm only 5'7" and 9st 4 and it was definitely a heavy bike to move around. But light as a feather from 2mph up. 

I used it to commute on for 5 years, mainly riding in town. It's not a bad commuter, as it's got a load of torque available at low revs - all these bikes mentioned above do - and it's got great road presence: people don't mess with you. But it's not a great commuter as it's got wide bars, and filtering through narrow gaps just isn't going to happen. For everything else - days rides, touring, munching miles on motorways, fun twisties, mountain roads - it was an astonishingly brilliant bike. I did 50k miles on it.

Servicing wasn't too bad for costs, but if anything went wrong the collateral damage to the wallet was painful. It was this in part that made me decide to get rid. Mpg was always around 50, with a not-always-completely-sensible riding style.

Sorry to hear about the hit for insurance. I'd have thought that the premiums would come down steeply for your second year. Might be worth running a few quotes as if you had a year behind you already, just in case it expands your choice of bike. 

Hello. Welcome in!

I'm no expert but I've got a completely uninformed opinion, which I'm happy to commit to print here.

Yes, a new end can may affect the way the engine works. By altering the flow between the cat and the outside, it can change back pressure felt at the exhaust valve, and so affect the action inside the cylinder. People often retune an engine after replacing the exhaust. But the question is: by how much. I expect that the cat acts as a significant buffer between the engine and end can, significantly reducing the effect of changing it over. Also, your replacement end can may have very similar flow characteristics to the original. 

If it were me, I'd ask the can manufacturer what action they recommend you take to ensure the engine runs as the manufacturer intended after replacing the can.

7 minutes ago, OnlyYamahas said:

Thanks I've heard near the middle at all times.Would you say that's good advice?

Middle of the lane? Or middle of the road?

This is what I do: position first for safety: keep out of the way of things coming your way and stationary vehicles, and give them some space. Avoid potholes and if it's wet avoid manhole covers and white paint.  Second, position for vision: within that safe space you've identified in step 1, take up the place which gives you the best view of what's coming up next. Finally, position for presence: if, after steps 1 and 2 no other position is better, then put yourself where the right hand wheel of a car would be: a bit off-centre to the right. 

Welcome back  

You've picked the time perfectly to enjoy the better weather. 

Give yourself some time on the road especially if you can find time when the roads are emptier. Relax your shoulders

Why not look into doing a bikesafe course? They're usually running by coppers on bikes, and cover stuff on how to ride safely. At the end of it you get to ride with them and they give you feedback and tips. I did one years back and had a great time.