bonio

Not sure about this! I've just ordered some Pirelli Rosso IVs. Got a feeling I will be regretting it when they've worn through after 4000 miles. But I'll try them once and if they're no good I'll go back to the Angel GT IIs. Or give something like the Metzeler s22s a go.

You've got the manual? If not its here: F_0K11_RM_0623_01.pdf (bmw-motorrad.com) Pages 96-116. (this is for the latest model, yours might be different).

iirc, all the hjc and shoei helmets I've bought came with a pinlock in the box.

@smallfrowne The in-laws? I don't want to tempt you to be more irresponsible than normal, but if you get any time out, drop me a message. Bungay is only 15 minutes away, and I'll be there this evening anyway and again tomorrow 1 o'clockish. As for MV customer service, it's very very good, or at least the guys at Krazy Horse in BSE are great. The thing is, there are parts of the bike that just need tinkering with - the rear brakes need regular bleeding and there are things you can (which I don't understand) that solve the basic fault, the rear indicators ought to be replaced with ones that are actually waterproof, and probably relocated up to the tail tidy too, and I'd like to fiddle with the clutch switch sensor to see if I can coax it back to life. It seems that all this is just a normal part of MV ownership, but it's more than I'm used to doing. @evreyoneabove. Thanks for your advice - it's really help. One piece I've started doing already: giving myself plenty of time and being patient. I expect myself to be good at this kind of stuff straight off, and I can get discouraged when things start to wrong. But with a bit more patience and an understanding that I'm learning, plus some guidance from youtube, I could begin to do a bit more. It may be that I get to retire next year, and if so I'll have more time and less money, so it's a good time to start learning.

I know @S-Westerly won't approve but I've starting buying replacements from aliexpress. 15% the cost of manufacturer's and slightly better quality.

Great bike

I think @Gerontious might have one.

I'll take a look; ta.

I would like to learn how to work on my bikes, especially on the MV. But I haven't a clue where to start. I can read a manual, I can use a socket wrench, and I can sometimes even get all the fasteners into a dish before I drop any into the inner darkness of the bike. But I know my limit, it's about two Haynes spanners, or three with a lot of tea breaks and one or two regrets I ever gave up smoking. But at three spanners, I can quickly find myself way out of my depth: I once had to phone the shop to ask them to pick the bike up along with the cardboard box of bits that belonged inside it. I think the issue for me is that the manual tells you what to do, but not how to do it. And youtube is a dangerous place to learn: there's all kinds of crazy advice out there. Ideally I'd like to sign up to something like an evening class where you go through basic stuff like changing chain and sprockets, servicing the brakes and so on, working on your own bike as you go. But nothing like that exists. Any ideas of something that might come close?

I'd have loved an F800GS but decided long ago that it was too tall for me. Somehow I've ended up on a bike that's the same height.

@Stuyou're out of order mate. You're not supposed to bring actual knowledge of what really happens into a thread. Youre just spoiling it for everyone.

I'd ride bang in the middle of the inside lane. They have the outside lane if they want to get past you: that's what it's for. Wear a fluorescent vest... it probably won't get you seen but it will make you feel less small.

Great question, but no I haven't.

I've heard it said that Japanese bikes are generally set up for lightweights. They always suit me just fine

Happy birthday Wishing you a great day.

That's very awesome. In another life perhaps I will be Usernamekate, but actually this is unlikely because a) you have to be a good person to come back as a good person, so that's me out, and b) I'm not too sure that reincarnation is actually a thing (apologies to all of you of a different view).

@Simon Davey Haverhill bypass has a cracking chain of roundabouts. Somehow more satisfying heading towards Cambridge than the other way, I think because they come closer and closer together.

I've not had the first problem, so can't help you there. But I'd delete the bluetooth pair and start from scratch; should come up right. But I have the second problem: I get the nav voices and any music and stuff in my helmet speakers. But, although I can make and receive calls, there's no audio. Nada. Googling shows that this a common problem on Android Auto. Some say it goes away if you repair, but I tried this and it didn't help. Others say you've no option but to wait for phone upgrade. Perhaps someone else has better news.

Any bike that comes with a grin factor is a seller. Not without a reason that it's a popular bike. Don't know why, but it left me a bit cold when I took the Tracer on a test ride. Perhaps I was still in mourning for the GS.

Successfully negotiated that one this evening on my back from Whitwell, where there was a nice very Triton park up.

What he says is right. Once you've been on a bike and have put a few miles behind you, you could find your whole perception of what you want to get out of it changes. And to be fair, at 6ft 5 you're going to struggle to find a 125 that's not going feel cramped. Have a look at www.cycle-ergo.com for an idea of how good a fit a bike is for you.

Admin is a poster bot. Im holding out for Admin 2.0.

Hi there and welcome.

Ramsholt marshes! Went down there on the DRZ one evening a couple of years back to look at spoonbills. Loads of them there.

Mine was nicked from a hotel car park. There was CCTV covering the whole car park except the motorcycle bays. I don't think it would have made any difference though, the coppers closed the case as soon as they could (2 hours after I opened it) and were probably glad to the think there wasn't any other work to do on it. For the record: I reckon that heavy duty lock and chain + alarmed disc lock make a good combo. And a cover, unless its a proper rat bike. The silver lining is that if the bike's not recovered, the insurance should go through reasonably quickly: there are no assessors or repair quotes to slow it down. I had the pay out two weeks after the theft.